http://www.RealAdventures.com/vacations/184859_articles-north-america.htm Check out some of the recently updated travel & vacation listings on RealAdventures. Be inspired, go explore! en-us Tue, 02 Dec 2008 22:14:03 GMT Tue, 02 Dec 2008 22:14:03 GMT http://www.RealAdventures.com http://www.RealAdventures.com/vacations/184859_articles-north-america.htm 100 100 http://www.RealAdventures.com/listings/1025961_Daytona-Beach-getaway http://www.RealAdventures.com/listings/1025961_Daytona-Beach-getaway Articles Florida Wed, 10 Sep 2008 20:09:19 Daytona Beach has 23 miles of beautiful beaches. The atmosphere is casual, so leave your fancy clothes at home. You can enjoy the arts and culture scene with flip flops and a sunhat. - US $100 Night
Daytona Beach has 23 miles of beautiful beaches. The atmosphere is casual, so leave your fancy clothes at home. You can enjoy the arts and culture scene with flip flops and a sunhat.




Daytona Beach A Place to Relax and enjoy the Sun

Leave your fancy clothes at home

By Arvin Steinberg



Leave the world of chauffeurdriven limousines, tux and tails behind and enter the laid back world of Daytona Beach, where you can don blue jeans, wear flipflops and eat at the fanciest restaurant in town without a jacket.

Daytona Beach is a Florida getaway that doesn't' put on airs. It's a place where you can relax and enjoy yourself at your own speed. It's also a place you can enjoy the finest beaches, worldclass sports attractions, excellent museums, and firstclass restaurants.

For me, Daytona Beach was like a tranquilizer. The beach itself is world famous. I couldn't wait to experience it. As soon as I put on my swimsuit and stepped on the white sand, I was in a different world. Everything seemed so calm.

The beach was superwide &8211 so wide and flat that cars and trucks rode on it. Many years ago automobiles actually raced on it. The ocean near my hotel was unbelievably calm and very shallow when you first entered. I didn't have to fight the waves.

There are 23 miles of beautiful beaches in the Daytona Beach area. As I looked down the beach in either direction, it appeared that all of the waves were breaking in unison. This symmetry was intriguing. The waves breaking slowly over and over created a calming, relaxing effect.

However, for those who to like to surf there are beaches where the waves are high and robust.

There is also a boardwalk on the beach with some exciting rides. I could spend everyday of my vacation on the beach and many visitors do. But there is so much more to do and see in Daytona Beach.

The Daytona International Speedway was a mustsee on my visit to Daytona Beach. The Daytona 500 race is the most watched motor sports event in the world when attendance at the track and television viewing are combined. Estimated attendance for the Daytona 500 is 200,000 and more than 29 million watch it on television.

I had heard they had tours of the Speedway, but that's only a small part of it. Located at the Speedway is DAYTONA USA, an interactive motor sportsthemed attraction. This is an interesting and exciting entertainment experience for hardcore race fans and casual observers. It offers lots of fun for the whole family. In addition to the thrilling interactive features, there are historical exhibits such as the Goodyear Heritage of Daytona history walk.

A good place to start your visit to DAYTONA USA is by taking a 30minute guided tour of the Speedway. The tour takes guests on an openair tram through the Speedway's garage area. The tour is narrated and you see Pit Road, Victory Lane and the worldfamous 31degree high banks where cars race at over 200 miles per hour.

There are two new motion simulator rides at DAYTONA USA&8212&8220Daytona Dream Laps&8221 and &8220Acceleration Alley&8221. &8220Daytona Dream Laps&8221 is a ride that seats 32 guests for a fullrange motion experience racing at the high banks of the Speedway. On the &8220Acceleration Alley&8221 ride you hop inside a racecar, buckle up and take a simulated ride at high speeds that combines motion, video, and sound.

Other activities include going over the wall at Ford's 16second pit stop challenge to test your skills in a live pit stop.

One of the most popular attractions is the Daytona 500 movie, a largescreen format film presented on a screen 55 feet wide and almost three stories tall in the Pepsi Theater. You see the movie in the realism of 3D, and with the accompanying sounds you feel as though you are behind the wheel of one of the racing cars.

Tickets for DAYTONA USA including the Speedway tour are $20 for adults, $17 for seniors and $14 for children 612.

If you want the real thing, for an additional charge of about $130 you can first don a racing outfit including helmet. Then climb through the window of a racing car on the Speedway track, strap yourself in, and ride next to a race driver at high speeds around the track. I saw many racing enthusiasts waiting in line for their chance to be a semiparticipant in this highspeed sport.

Whether or not you are a baseball fan, the Jackie Robinson Ballpark is an interesting place to visit in Daytona Beach. This is where baseball legend Jackie Robinson played in the first integrated baseball game. The ballpark was built in 1908, seats 3800 fans, and is the Class A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs.

It is also a museum with plaques and photos documenting the life of Jackie Robinson. It explains Robinson's childhood, how he excelled in many sports in college, and the humiliating experiences he faced as the man who broke the color barrier in major league baseball. It also lists many of his accomplishments such as playing in six world series and being voted MVP in 1949 in the National League. But for me the one that tells it all, was that after Robinson's retirement from baseball, his &8220number 42&8221 was also retired by every major league baseball team. It's a real pleasure to visit this historical ballpark and watch the Daytona Beach Cubs play. Tickets are only $5.

Another fun way to see Daytona Beach is by an amphibious adventure on a trolleyboat. It leaves daily from the Ocean Walk Shoppes and takes you on a drive through historic Daytona Beach. It then enters the Halifax River where you are given a narrated tour of the history and wildlife of the area with great views of the riverfront mansions. The trolleyboat then leaves the river and drives you back to the Ocean Walk Shoppes.

At the Ocean Walk Shoppes there's lots to do. There's a new Bandshell featuring concerts with an ocean view and a beachside theater showing ten movies. There's also a delightful Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Restaurant for some casual fun, good food, based on the Forrest Gump movie with plenty of Forrest's favorite fixins.


A visit to the Museum of Arts and Sciences is a wonderful way to spend some relaxing and interesting hours in Daytona Beach. All six permanent collections are excellent. I especially enjoyed three of them.

The Center for Florida History collection tells the story of Florida's historical and cultural development from prehistory to the present complete with interactive features. It centers around a 13foot tall skeleton of a Giant Ground Sloth which was excavated in 1975 in a fossil site called the Daytona Bone Bed. This huge vegetarian could have weighed three to five tons and eaten a daily ration of 300 pounds of plants abundant in the area.

The Cuban Museum collection is the largest Cuban Museum in the world outside of Cuba. It contains rare 18th, 19th, and early 20th century maps, documents, lithographs, paintings, furniture, sculpture, and ceramics arranged chronologically. Rare photographs help establish a sense of time and place.



The Root family's collection is not only interesting, it brings back a lot of memories. This is an astounding display of more than 800 Teddy Bears, ranging from seven feet tall to only a few inches in height. Each Teddy Bear represents a different time period or theme, and portrays everyday scenes such as a &8220Teddy Bear Wedding&8221, complete with bridesmaids, groomsmen, and a minister.

The Root family has also amassed one of the most historically important anthologies of the American soft drink, CocaCola, on which their family fortune was founded. The collection includes just about every conceivable item relating to bottling, advertising, and consumption of CocaCola.



The Root's collection also includes an impressive array of decorative arts, china, silverware, and glasses collected from 85 of the nation's railroads, hotels, and restaurants. Two actual railroad cars are also displayed in this permanent collection.

There are still lots of other fun things to do in Daytona Beach. You can spend an hour or two at the Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse, and climb to the top if you wish. It's the tallest lighthouse in Florida.


Not far from the lighthouse is the Inlet Harbor Marina & Restaurant. The seafood is fabulous. There is a lot of freshly caught fish on the menu. It's a nice place for lunch or dinner (they have sunset specials if seated by 6 p.m.) with a lovely waterfront view. You can dine inside or on the riverfront outdoor deck. It's casual dining. A live band playing on the outdoor deck added to the festive Caribbeanlike setting.

Greyhound racing is also another exciting attraction in the area. They race at the Daytona Beach Kennel Club. Children are welcome with a parent or guardian.







Details & Reservations: Daytona Beach getaway
RealAdventures | Florida Articles

]]> http://www.RealAdventures.com/listings/1184238_A-Little-Wine-A-Little-Shopping http://www.RealAdventures.com/listings/1184238_A-Little-Wine-A-Little-Shopping Articles California Tue, 02 Sep 2008 14:09:02 Here's a comprehensive discussion of all the best wineries in both Napa and Sonoma California that also offer great shopping. It's the perfect way to please a crowd with varying levels of interest and stamina when it comes to wine. -
Here's a comprehensive discussion of all the best wineries in both Napa and Sonoma California that also offer great shopping. It's the perfect way to please a crowd with varying levels of interest and stamina when it comes to wine.


Spending a day in Napa and Sonoma is a delight, especially for adults, but even in wine country its not just about the wine, theres shopping too! After all, due to the nature of alcohol, there is a limit to how much wine you can taste. Not only do you want to stop before you have a hard time climbing back into the car but also, the taste buds become saturated after a while so that unless you cleanse them with water and food, all of the wines start to taste the same. Of course, due to differences in physiology, some people will want to keep tasting new wines after others have reached their saturation point. To make sure that the trip is interesting to everybody, pick wineries later in the day that combine good wines and great gift shops. Here are some favorites and why.

When you come to wine country via the Golden Gate Bridge, there is a group of wineries on Route 121 just north of where you turn off of Route 37. Our best recommendation these days is the Jacuzzi Family Vineyards. Every day their gift shop gets more interesting. For the moment, the wine tasting is complimentary and the attached Olive Oil Company, where you can sample the flavored oils, has their own gift shop too making this stop a winning combination. Make it the first stop on the way into the valleys or the last stop on the way back to the city.

Just to the north of Jacuzzi is Cornerstone Place (look for the gigantic blue lawn chairs directly opposite the entrance to Gloria Ferrer Champagne Caves). Cornerstones combination of unique stores, fascinating galleries, playful gardens, food and wine tasting is also a great way to start or end any tour.

Sebastiani Vineyards and Winery They have, without a doubt, the best winery gift shop in Sonoma. Because they have been around for so long (the winery started in 1906) people often relate them to their previous incarnation as a jug wine producer, however today they make excellent wines that are a great value, in part because they own so many vineyards, and have for so long. For the moment, their wine tastings are also complimentary and people always come out smiling. The historic Plaza is just minutes away, which is a wonderful place for shopping, filled with a wide variety of galleries, tasting rooms, clothing stores and specialty items.

Leaving the Plaza, head north up the Valley of the Moon where there are several wineries that we think have especially great gift shops. B.R. Cohn Winery has a wonderful collection of items and their olive oils are as good as their excellent wines. A little farther up the valley is Imagery Estate Winery where many of their products are based on the original art that they commissioned for their wine bottle labels. Chateau St. Jean Winery devotes a large part of their main tasting room to their gift shop with branded products with a wine and food tilt. Just past them is Landmark Winery which has a charming gift area that includes a tribute to their John Deere family tractors.

When you go up the Napa Valley, there are some wineries that really shine giftwise. In the heart of Rutherford, Rubicon Estate is the most elegant gift shop in Napa stylish, unique, and accompanied by great wines, a charming espresso bar and graceful seating outside that can accommodate the whole family. Plumpjack Winery, which is just off the Oakville Crossroad, naturally offers great wines, but it also has one of the most charming gift shops, in part because it's so comfortably close to the tasting bar. At the base of the Silverado Trail, Darioush offers unusual gifts with a Persian flair in a spectacular building that shouldnt be missed.

Many times, late in the day, we have dropped shoppers of at the north end of St. Helena, close to the restaurant called simply Market to enjoy the nice variety of shops. Well catch up with them at the south end of town in the parking lot of Sunshine Market, a great place to pick up that sparkling water for the road. Thanks to the wonders of mobile phones, one segment of the party can go shopping while the others continue their wine tasting. Everyone is happy! There are a number of good wineries close to St. Helena including Beringer, St. Clement and Merryvale, all of which have very nice gift shops.

For nonwinery shopping, the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, just north of St. Helena, and Copia, The American Center for Wine, Food & the Arts in downtown Napa (next to the Oxbow Market) both have spectacular, cooking related gift shops. Of course there is always The Premium Outlet Mall in Napa (take the First Street exit on Route 29.) This is especially popular with international visitors who can reconnect with their old friends named Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Ann Taylor and Liz Claiborne (just to name a few.)

One of the most important goals on a tour is to find places that everyone in the group is going to enjoy. We make it a habit to ask our clients about themselves, so that we can connect the dots in the best way. Our clients safety, comfort and enjoyment are our main concerns, and sometimes the thing that makes the best accompaniment to a day of wine tasting is a fabulous new pair of shoes.

Details & Reservations: A Little Wine, A Little Shopping!
RealAdventures | California Articles

]]> http://www.RealAdventures.com/listings/1183986_Deep-Sea-fishing-off-California http://www.RealAdventures.com/listings/1183986_Deep-Sea-fishing-off-California Articles California Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:07:57 Fishing report from the RIPTIDE -
Fishing report from the RIPTIDE



Ahoy there one and all!
We are defiantly into our summer season and the rock fishing has been steadily improving.
As an example, Wednesday we had 15 limits of Rock fish with some nice vermilions, Brownies and great olives and blacks mixed in to fill the sacks.The Ling cod were also cooperating quite nicely.
There was one customer on the bow who had his own rod doubled over looking like a pretzel working up a fish so I grabbed the gaff and stood by awaiting the arrival of some denizen of the deep to emerge.
Man, Let me tell you it was a good thing he had his drag backed down and worked the line expertly when the fish wanted to make several of its mad dashes back towards the bottom.Working his rod around the bow to be on the port side as there was a bit of a drift which was working to our advantage for fishing. Well after watching Jim working the fish and wondering who was going to win this battle when I saw emerging from the deep not one ling but 2 nice lings coming up! So, I had to decide which I was going to gaff.
All the while screaming for Zack, who was busy in the back with the other customers, which were having a great day as well. When he realized it was me he grabbed a gaff and came up to get the second ling. Fortunately they both were hooked good and were tired from the struggle with Jim and his rod to get to the surface. Not only were the two lings tired but Jim was pooped and had to sit down and admire the pair of 10 pound lings laying at his feet as Zack and I had to chase down a couple of more around the boat.

My Friend Peg from Wisconsin is out for her annual fishing trip with me. This women was not about to be out done. So, She hooks a toad as well!! Peg has been fishing with me for 35 years and has that innate ability to always figure out some way to out fish everyone!
So, here she is also having one of those epic battles with the fish making some nice runs and working the fish up. Pegs ling is emerging as a hitchhiker holding onto a nice 12 inch black rock fish tenaciously. Well of course I was standing there, ribbing her about whos but was getting kicked with the gaff. Sticking the fish and popping him over the rail she knew she had done it once again. Putting everyone in the sack with her catching the whopper of the day!

Looks like the summer is shaping up nicely for a great season of fishing for everyone!
Grab your rod and lunch and give Smitty a call to get in on some of the fun!
Thanks!
Smitty



Details & Reservations: Deep Sea fishing off California
RealAdventures | California Articles

]]> http://www.RealAdventures.com/listings/1156760_Home-Cooking-in-Mexico http://www.RealAdventures.com/listings/1156760_Home-Cooking-in-Mexico Articles Mexico Sun, 25 May 2008 15:05:18 A week of cooking, eating and digesting the culture of the Alta Plano of central Mexico -
A week of cooking, eating and digesting the culture of the Alta Plano of central Mexico


MEXICAN HOME COOKING
And The Joys of Pulque
By Justin Dash


I always like a glass of good pulque and my friend Pedro had some of the best. Once allowed only to Aztec nobles and priests, pulque is produced by cutting out the center of a Maguey cactus and collecting the liquid which rises from it. Fermenting naturally in two to five hours, the resulting drink is mildly alcoholic, viscous and sweet. Served at room temperature, it is an acquired taste as are the locations, or pulquerias, where it is sold.

Pedros pulqueria is definitely one of the best. Calling me his brother we would sit together in the shade of the bottle brush tree in the sandy area behind his gate. There we listened to his clientele of farmers and peasants talking in Spanish or Nahuatl as they sat surrounded by an assortment of dogs, chickens, turkeys and goats as well as their distinct and mingled smells drinking what Pedro called the elixir of the gods.
Pulque, I was told, would cure everything from guilt to senility. When served with chito (a dried meat), they assured (!) me that it would produce a male child. You wont find Pedros in any guide book It is hidden from the world, left over from some other Mexico that doesnt even exist anymore...

As we sat there soaking up the earthy ambiance a car pulled up. Amid clouds of swirling dust and barking dogs, blond heads were visible over the high gate. Pedro yelled Johnny! and rose to hug the thin blond guy who had just arrived, followed by three middleaged women and another man, all Americans. Odd I thought. Quite odd.
It turns out that I have another brother! Pedro leads him along with the others into the distilling room. He motions me to follow. My new brother Johnny is here with students from his cooking school for a Pulque Experience. We are led into a tinroofed adobe room, lined on one side with old rakes, sacks of corn, broken shovels, religious statues, burning candles and a stuffed armadillo. On the other side are dozens of fivegallon plastic cans full of bubbling, fermenting pulque. Pedro is serving, and the air is heady.


Johnny tells me that pulque is used in many recipes here in central Mexico and that his Mexican wife Estela considers it part of the culinary experience of the country. To think that I thought that Pedro and I were merely having a drink when it turns out that I am actually having a culinary experience with my other brother and four gringos!
They definitely got my attention with all that talk about pulque and food. So I followed them out and around seorita Romero the sleeping pig and out to the road, into the dust and on to meet Doa Estela at her home in the next town. I liked what I saw, and figured anyone who sent her students to Pedros for a culinary experience had to be interesting. So I signed up, moved out of my hotel and into Estela and Johnnys house for a week of lessons at Mexican Home Cooking.
My fellow students Crocker, his daughter Hester, and the two women, Billie and her friend Bridget turned out to be as interesting as the rest of the crowd at Pedros They all loved cooking and with glasses of wine at hand we diced and sliced and fought over who got to dredge the chicken breasts. As classical Mexican music seeped into the food, Estela and her helpers did their best to empty our heads of measuring spoons, cups and any preconceived ideas of Mexican cuisine we may have had. Touch, mix, taste use your hands feel the food! she said.


Doa Estela had at least 15 uses for masa (tortilla dough) round, oval, open, topped, flat or thick these we covered with sauces and filled with unknown greens and blossoms, cactus, mushrooms from the fields and fungus from corn. A parade of meats appeared as neighbors brought rabbit, lamb, possum and barbecued goat. Yes we even used pulque, that elixir of the gods. And feeling a little godlike ourselves, we ate the forbidden amaranth (banned by the Spanish as food of the devil) while visions of the inquisition filled the kitchen....
Gradually we began to let go of our busy minds and entered the world of sensation and tastes, of mingled aromas and people (hilariously stumbling about) trying to execute that perfectly flowered cauliflower. Success!...with much clapping and patting on backs It was Mexican Grand Opera with music in the air and a toast to ourselves and Estela!
The days were filled with delights. There were visits to ruins the Mayan style murals and pyramids at Cacaxtla really knocked me out as well as a colonial city to explore, with cafes and dancing under the portales on the square. And best of all, the tastes... There were tastes I never dreamed of in Mexican cooking!
It was winter the nights were chilly and filled with the smell of burning wood and cooking tortillas. One by one we would wander in to sit and talk. One night around the fireplace in my room, Billy told us a little of her own story In 1936 her father had lost everything in the depression. With his last money, he bought a ticket in New Orleans and boarded a ship for Veracruz. He arrived with one bag and a stolen typewriter. He soon sold the typewriter and bought two more. A business was born and two years later, in Mexico City, so was Billy! Selling typewriters, her father became one of the richest men in Mexico, and Billy was born a Mexican.
The story ended and music called us to our dinner. It was our last meal together and the musicians had arrived. They serenaded us into the evening singing volver, volver "comeback, comeback" to Mexico as we ate and sang and sipped our Margaritas...
In the end it was okay that Hester never was able to get her hands into those duck eggs to separate the yolks. It was a color thing she later admitted the brilliant yellow yolks did her in. And Billie and Bridgett never did discuss their I thought rather excessive enjoyment in the soft masa dough. But for me, it was the fiances sighs covered in honey, lemon and cinnamon that left me forever changed.
Mexican food, for me, has become an elusive smell, a subtle, delicate or intense flavor remembered from there and never quite found again...except sometimes with Estelas recipe book out. I begin to remember to taste and touch, to feel the food and I try again for that perfect walnut sauce for chiles in nogada.

Estela Salas Silva can be reached at mexicanhomecooking@yahoo.com
or visit her Home Page

Pedro and the pulqueria can be reached by foot.
Details & Reservations: Home Cooking in Mexico
RealAdventures | Mexico Articles

]]> http://www.RealAdventures.com/listings/1156857_Florida-Beach-Vacations http://www.RealAdventures.com/listings/1156857_Florida-Beach-Vacations Articles Florida Tue, 20 May 2008 15:05:55 Florida beaches are some of the best in the world and ideal for relaxing vacations in the sun. With over 1,100 miles of beaches, the florida coast has the perfect beach for every visitor. -
Florida beaches are some of the best in the world and ideal for relaxing vacations in the sun. With over 1,100 miles of beaches, the florida coast has the perfect beach for every visitor.


With over 1,100 miles (1760 klms) of beaches that stretch along the Atlantic and Gulf Of Mexico shorelines, the Florida coastline has a beach to suit every visitor. No matter what your interest, whether it be surfing, treasure hunting, shelling, birding, people watching, snorkeling, Florida history or romantic getaway, you can rest assured that Florida has a beach that's perfect for you.

So pump up the beach ball, get ready to build an awardwinning sand castle, put on your favorite bather and have some family fun on the beaches of your choice. Don't be surprised if a dolphin or two goes bobbing past just a few metres away as they cruise the shallow Gulf Of Mexico waters searching for their dinner.

The standard of Florida beaches is so high that when we describe any as "the best", it can easily do an injustice to the others. In the following descriptions of Florida regions and their beaches, is is probably best to talk of these beaches as being "most popular" for visitors to Florida.

Each beach is unique in its own way. Some Florida beaches are exposed to the ocean swells, some are on the ocean side of barrier islands while others lie on the leeward side of barrier islands. Some are famous for the abundance of shells, others for finding prehistoric sharks teeth. Some beach locations attract holiday makers looking for bright lights, glamor and action while others seek peace, quiet and tranquility.

** Top Florida Beaches Destinations

South East Coast
Fort Lauderdale Miami Beach South Beach West Palm Beach

North East Coast
Amelia Island Daytona Beach Melbourne Beach

Florida Keys
Marathon Key West

South West Coast
Bonita Springs Captiva Clearwater Marco Island Naples Sanibel Island St Petersburg

North West
Destin Fort Walton Panama City Beach

Details & Reservations: Florida Beach Vacations
RealAdventures | Florida Articles

]]> http://www.RealAdventures.com/listings/1156222_Bourbon-Country-Urban-Bourbon-Trail http://www.RealAdventures.com/listings/1156222_Bourbon-Country-Urban-Bourbon-Trail Articles Kentucky Mon, 19 May 2008 16:05:19 Louisville is the perfect destination to start/end your Bourbon Country adventure. Nowhere else in America will you find 8 of the best stocked & most celebrated whiskey bars in the world on the citys Urban Bourbon Trail. -
Louisville is the perfect destination to start/end your Bourbon Country adventure. Nowhere else in America will you find 8 of the best stocked & most celebrated whiskey bars in the world on the citys Urban Bourbon Trail.


The Urban Bourbon Trail in Louisville

Louisville is the perfect destination to start and end your Bourbon Country adventure. After all, Louisville is the home of the Kentucky Derby and Churchill Downs, Louisville Slugger and Muhammad Ali. Its a city with unique, worldclass museums and more art galleries than coffee shops. Its a city where oneofakind is practically commonplace. Nowhere else in America will you find eight of the best stocked and most celebrated whiskey bars in the world along Louisvilles one and only Urban Bourbon Trail. Walk, take a horsedrawn carriage, or take a cab because theres something new and exciting each night along the Urban Bourbon Trail.

Urban Bourbon Trail Bars
The Bar at Blue
Bourbons Bistro
The Brown Hotel Bar
Makers Mark Bourbon House & Lounge
Park Place on Main
Proof on Main
The Old Seelbach Bar
Jockey Silks Bourbon Bar at The Galt House

Distilleries of Bourbon Country

JIM BEAM
The worlds largest Bourbon distiller. The seventh generation of the Beam family just may be waiting to shake your hand and give you a big hello. Stroll the grounds, visit the historic T. Jeremiah Beam home, and enjoy a sample or two of the distillerys handcrafted Small Batch Bourbons.

BUFFALO TRACE
Legendary explorers, pioneers and settlers followed ancient paths of buffalo that led America westward to new lands and adventures. Buffalo Trace is located at a point on the Kentucky River that intersected the trail known as The Great Buffalo Trace. The rolling green hills are the perfect backdrop for a warehouse tour, or seeing how this Bourbon is made, and just plain enjoying a taste.

FOUR ROSES
The Spanish Mission style architecture of the distillery building is your first hint of the unique and mellow experience to come. Starting at the Welcome Center, visitors are treated to detailed tours, giving you a taste of the history of Kentucky Bourbon. Hear the history of Four Roses itself, dating back to the 1860s, and of course, how Four Roses uniquely distills 10 distinct Bourbon recipes to create some of the worlds most popular Bourbons some of which are not sold in America, or outside of Kentucky. It is an experience that allows visitors to see, smell, feel and taste the distillation process.

HEAVEN HILL
Americas largest independent familyowned distillery. Among the rickhouses where the worlds second largest supply ages, you can explore interactive exhibits on the birth of Bourbon, the roles of whiskeymaking pioneers Evan Williams and the Rev. Elijah Craig, and the process by which the distillery makes its Bourbons. The experience continues with a tour through one of the working rickhouses, ending with a Bourbon tasting in a unique barrelshaped tasting room, where you can create you own personalized bottle to buy and take home.

MAKERS MARK
History awaits you in this storybook setting outside the charming town of Loretto. This is the nations oldest working distillery on its original site and has been named a National Historic Landmark. Step back in time as you stroll through the buildings and grounds on a guided tour and discover how this worldrenowned Bourbon is made by hand every step of the way. At the end, you can purchase and handdip your own bottle of Makers in its signature warm red wax to take with you.

WILD TURKEY
Bourbon has been distilled here for generations. Sitting on the crest of a hill overlooking the Kentucky River, the Wild Turkey Distillery makes a statement in simplicity, as simple and unadorned as the traditional methods used inside. The legendary Jimmy Russell still watches over this timehonored process that allows you to follow along from grain delivery to bottling even watch as new Bourbon is poured into handcrafted oak barrels and sent to age in timber warehouses.

WOODFORD RESERVE
Located in the heart of Kentuckys scenic Bluegrass Region and surrounded by thoroughbred horse farms youll find, the Woodford Reserve Distillery. Now a National Historic Landmark it is on a site originally chosen by Elijah Pepper as a perfect place to distill Bourbon back in 1812. A guided tour is kept purposely intimate to allow you the opportunity to speak with guides and gain a closeup look at the distillation process from copper pot stills to the only surviving stone aging warehouses in America. The visitors center provides a panoramic view of the entire 78acre site and celebrates the living history of Kentucky Bourbon.

Visit the Louisville Visitors Center at 4th and Jefferson in downtown Louisville for Bourbon Country Merchandise & to pick up your Urban Bourbon Trail Passport. Monday Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m.

1888Louisville
Details & Reservations: Bourbon Country & Urban Bourbon Trail
RealAdventures | Kentucky Articles

]]> http://www.RealAdventures.com/listings/1156841_California-Beach-Vacations http://www.RealAdventures.com/listings/1156841_California-Beach-Vacations Articles California Fri, 16 May 2008 16:05:02 California has over 1,000 miles of some of the best beaches in the world. The beaches are so popular because they offer rugged, natural scenic beauty and for the active, ocean waves on the California coast provide an incredible surfing experience. -
California has over 1,000 miles of some of the best beaches in the world. The beaches are so popular because they offer rugged, natural scenic beauty and for the active, ocean waves on the California coast provide an incredible surfing experience.


California has over 1,000 miles of some of the best beaches in the world. The beaches are so popular because they offer rugged, natural scenic beauty and for the active, ocean waves on the California coast provide an incredible surfing experience.

The best place to go to the beach is in California. The sun is shining brightly most of the year. The beach is full of beautiful, white sand that you can sink your toes into and lay back on and catch some rays. You can watch your kids have the time of their lives running away from the waves, building sand castles, and just running around enjoying themselves.

The best part about the beach is the fact that the most you'll pay for is a beach towel and maybe parking, but other than that, it's free and available to everyone! There are amazing beaches in North California, Central California, and South California, each with their uniqueness, but all are a spectacular idea for beach vacations.

In the northern parts of the state, you will most likely not be swimming, but rather taking some awesome photographs, seeing fantastic sites, and otherwise enjoying the wonderful scenery. Unlike the crowded beaches in the major metropolitan areas of California, northern beaches have tons of wildlife, animals and birds that are living in their natural habitat. This is great for kids to see, and they will definitely enjoy it.

Top beaches in northern California include Humbold County, Monterey Bay, Santa Cruz and Santa Barbara.

Do you love to surf? Beaches in the middle of the state of California are great for people who love surfing. The waves will crash into the shores, allowing you to get some great exercise and to learn a new sport, or to even watch the pros ride the waves like roller coasters. You can also enjoy scuba diving, para sailing, fishing, and rockclimbing. These beaches are cooler than the others because of the fog, but the fog is usually cleared up by the afternoon. There is also tons of wildlife on the Central beaches including whales and sea otters.

While in Southern California, you can enjoy some of the most popular (and surprisingly, some of the most private) beaches in all of the state. If you enjoy many people on the beach to get to know, or to have fun peoplewatching, then you are in heaven. Southern beaches are also the home of many celebrities. While the other parts of the state are known for their beautiful photographic opportunities, but you could unleash your inner paparazzi and maybe catch some rare photos of celebrities.

Be sure to check out the beaches in and around San Digeo including San Diego, La Jolla and Mission Beach. Closer to the Los Angeles you will find Manhattan Beach, Huntington Beach, Redondo Beach and Santa Monica.

And in Orange County there is Laguna Beach and Newport Beach.

Maybe, if you have the guts, you can go up to the celebrity and maybe get a picture from them. Southern beaches are also great spots for surfing, and other beach activities such as beachcombing, beach volleyball, building sand castles, do other sand art, snorkeling, bodyboarding, and obviously swimming.

The Pacific Ocean invites you to play along its beaches. The tides will continue to rise and fall, and the waves will continue to rush in and pull back. Will you be there to enjoy yourself? If you are going to visit one of the many theme parks in California, or the redwoods, or other great natural displays of beauty in California, then why not head to the coast, and enjoy yourself throughout all of the state, at one of the many beaches throughout the state.


Details & Reservations: California Beach Vacations
RealAdventures | California Articles

]]> http://www.RealAdventures.com/listings/1156599_The-best-kept-secret-in-Oaxaca-grana-cochinilla http://www.RealAdventures.com/listings/1156599_The-best-kept-secret-in-Oaxaca-grana-cochinilla Articles Mexico Tue, 08 Apr 2008 20:04:58 Few travelers know that a tiny insect, native to Oaxaca, impacted the world economy for close to 200 years, after the Spanish first arrived in Mexico the strong natural red dye from the cochineal or cochinilla, a bug living off the nopal cactus. -
Few travelers know that a tiny insect, native to Oaxaca, impacted the world economy for close to 200 years, after the Spanish first arrived in Mexico the strong natural red dye from the cochineal or cochinilla, a bug living off the nopal cactus.


grana cochinilla fina

THE BEST KEPT SECRET IN OAXACA

by Alvin Starkman M.A., LL.B.

Most tourists have no idea that only a couple of hundred yards off the main highway, a minute or two from the black pottery village, is one the most fascinating destinations that the state of Oaxaca has to offer children and adults alike. And yet the majority of travelers have a least heard or read a snippet about the natural red dye which comes from a tiny insect and is used to color the rugs they buy in Teotitln del Valle, and other products including some of the foods and beverages we eat todaythe grana cochinilla fina, commonly known as simply cochineal.

I suspect that from reading their guidebooks or speaking to tour guides and taxi drivers, visitors are not generally made aware of the importance of this little bug on the world stage over centuries or perhaps they think its enough to buy a tapete and be told its been dyed with cochineal, and see and touch a few dried insectsrather than spend 40 or 50 minutes in amazement. It might be different if they knew that during the conquest era, next to gold and silver cochineal was the most valuable commodity known to mankind, and that in 1758 Oaxaca exported over 1.5 million Spanish pounds of it to Europe, Africa and Asia for a multitude of uses including the dying of fabrics including uniforms worn by British nobility and cavalry.

Together known as Tlapanochestli, the quaint research facility, museum, ranch and openair teaching environment is located at Santa Mara Coyotepec off a dirt road only 15 minutes from downtown Oaxaca. The attraction is designed to hold the interest of travelers of all ages and all backgrounds, from layperson to academic or professional.

Upon entering Tlapanochestli youll be greeted by one of the employees who works the ranch, or perhaps one of the two scientists who run the research and teaching programs, Engineers Manual Loera Fernndez and Ignacio del Ro Dueas. Youll learn about the lifecycle of the cochineal, how it attaches itself to and feeds off of a certain variety of nopal cactus, and about its harvesting and preparation for use as a dye. Both kids and grownups will delight and be awestruck at having either a live or dried bug squished on their palm yielding the scarlet pigment. Youll be taught why not all types of nopal cactus are suitable for production of cochineal, which ones are used to make salads, and about varietals which produce the sweet red edible fruit known as tuna, seasonally sold in marketplaces just as apples and oranges, and just as often encountered as a sorbet flavor or fresh fruit juice.

But your tour is not only about the insect and its host, but includes learning about a plethora of other natural products used to dye foods and fabrics, such pecan shells, oyster conch, pomegranate, marigold, moss, onions, and the ail plant which produces our blues and indigos. Combining some of these dyes with the cochineal results in yet a further spectrum of color. Youll also discover how to use cochineal in combination with lime juice or baking soda and with different colored natural wools to produce orange and purple hews.

One cannot help but marvel at the diversity of commercial products which utilize the cochineal as a coloring such as lipsticks and makeup for those allergic or sensitive to synthetic red and orange tones, Danone yoghurt, Campari, and even Campbells soup. Often artists have opted to employ cochineal and other natural colors for their work, and accordingly witness walls adorned with examples of fine art created without the use of chemicalbased paints. The photos of Prince Charles attendance at Tlapanochestli is a testament to the worlds continued fascination with the historical and contemporary significance of the grana cochinilla fina. In the gift shop theres an opportunity to purchase dried cochineal for your own use, ink in an attractive waxsealed bottle, paints and pastes, balls of yarn, soaps, clothing, and for the children perhaps a paint set consisting of dried cochineal to crush using the miniature clay pestle and mortar, along with coloring pages with instruction sheet directing how to use the kit and produce your own shades of red, orange and pink.

A short video puts the production of cochineal into its proper historical context using facts, anecdotes and mythology, along with colorful imagery, narrated using language easily understood by children. At the same time those with a background or interest in the sciences will have all of their questions answered. The film outlines the prehispanic use of the pigment the development of an internationally regulated industry attracting the attention of worldwide heads of state from The Conquest forward its importance in the global marketplace as the strongest and most brilliant dye known to humankind and its decline in the mid 1800s upon the invention of synthetic coloration and the subsequent adverse impact on the Mexican economy. While Oaxacan production and export never did recover from 19th century recessionary factors, the video concludes on a upbeat note documenting the industrys resurgence in recent decades in the face of widespread health concerns regarding the continued reliance on synthetic substances to dye commercial products.

After your cinematic journey back into history, and having gained knowledge about how natural dyes are produced and used in a multitude of applications, your perception of not only Oaxaca but also the Western World will have been enhanced foreverwhether youre in Oaxaca shopping for rugs, watching the native vendors in a market or ordering ice cream or sitting in the comfort of your home and sipping a Campari and soda.










Details & Reservations: The best kept secret in Oaxaca grana cochinilla
RealAdventures | Mexico Articles

]]> http://www.RealAdventures.com/listings/1120197_Cooking-classes-in-Oaxaca-Mexico http://www.RealAdventures.com/listings/1120197_Cooking-classes-in-Oaxaca-Mexico Articles Mexico Tue, 08 Apr 2008 19:04:21 A cooking lesson with internationally acclaimed native chef Pilar Cabrera is both a gastronomic delight and an education into the unique herbs, spices and other indigenous ingredients making Oaxacan cuisine perhaps the richest in the country. -
A cooking lesson with internationally acclaimed native chef Pilar Cabrera is both a gastronomic delight and an education into the unique herbs, spices and other indigenous ingredients making Oaxacan cuisine perhaps the richest in the country.


La Casa de los Sabores Cooking School
Alvin Starkman, M.A., LL.B.
If visitors to Oaxacan cooking school La Casa de los Sabores came away with nothing more than great recipes and a gastronomic meal rich in unique herb and spiceaccented flavor combinations that are the hallmark of Oaxacan cuisine, they would leave fully satisfied. But a visit with owner and chef extraordinaire Pilar Cabrera also inspires and sates travelers with a sensual daylong immersion into sights, sounds, smells and, yes, tastes and timetested recipes of southern Mexico.
As always, a recent culinary odyssey with Pili, as she is known, began at La Casa de los Sabores first thing in the morning at 930 a.m. Over the next few hours, she introduced me and the others in the class to the wisdom and experience of her great matriarchal culinary tradition. Pili learned the basics and the subtleties, including the mysteries of the famed seven moles, from her grandmother, who learned from her grandmother before her. She is a Oaxacaborn master of southern Mexico cookery as well as international epicurean trends, capable of sharing the secrets of preparing the most multifarious meal with novice and expert alike in English and in Spanish.
Our day began with Pili's informal talk about the menu and the foods she was going to introduce us to in one of Oaxacas colorful markets. The extra attention to the key ingredients of Oaxacan cuisine kept us spellbound. What we will achieve today with the chilis," she told us, "is hot and tropical with the Chile de agua, you will see we use it not only for flavor but color as well, and I will teach you how we keep this beautiful, brilliant green.
Once prepared with this knowledge, we all embarked on a shopping trip to the wellknown marketplace, Mercado de La Merced, armed with multihued bolsas market bags to carry the compras purchases. Pili had readied a partial shopping list, but, she advised us, she always adds "surprises," such as fresh foodstuffs which peasant women from the mountains sometimes bring down.

When you have a chance to find something real special or unusual, you buy and incorporate into the comida," she explained. "Today, for instance, we look for mushrooms, because they grow so beautifully in the rainy season. Also, we will see what kind of fresh fruit we can use for the dessert.

Her insights into the unique stores and small factories enriched the short walk to the market. A rich bouquet drew us into a mill that was making chocolate from scratch. As Pilar told us about the ingredients cacao, cinnamon, almonds and sugar the owner welcomed us with, do you want to taste?

The lesson began in earnest when Pilar began methodically searching through the indoor and outdoor portions of the marketplace and exchanging pesos for its plethora of fresh produce.

Look at that lady sitting there, what she has in those bowls," she said. "She just brought those raspberries and blackberries from the Sierra Juarez. We can use them for the dessert. Notice how fresh and beautiful. The mushrooms beside them, see the size, how big and the bright orange color this is the time of year, but not for our recipe today Over here, we dont buy the big green tomatillos. I prefer the little ones grown locally because they are not acidy like the others, and they have much more flavor, perfect for the salsa we are preparing today.

She encouraged us to smell the herbs as she explained their use in particular Oaxacan dishes. Today we use this hierba santa for the mole, she said as she was examining samples of the fragrant leaf until she'd found the best and freshest for storage in one of our bolsas. But we also use it to wrap fish and make tamales."

Lynet who had been in Puerto Escondido on the Oaxacan coast for six months, expressed the wish of many as she lamented, I wish Id been in this class at the beginning of our trip.

Our enthusiasm and our appetites grew once we returned to Doa Pilis wellequipped, spacious kitchen. Its wide counters, food preparation island and eightburner gas stove opening onto the lush courtyard dining area made this cocina into an ideal classroom.

While we were reviewing printed recipe sheets for the dishes we were about to prepare, she displayed our purchases in baskets filled with the components of each recipe to help us learn why we bought what. Then we spent the next two hours preparing a sumptuous fourcourse meal.

Mary, her souschef, did preparatory work such as halving limes, slicing chilies and preparing chicken stock and poultry for the mole, freeing Pili to teach us the rituals and secrets of Oaxacan culinary seduction. Sparks from Pilars hearth of experience ignited even the most learned in the class as she pointed, touched, and passed around each item we purchased, telling us how it would be incorporated into the meal.

Once the actual cooking began, she put her bilingualism to good use, giving instructions and asking questions in one language, then repeating it in the other, as required by some of her visitors. Necesito otro ayudante para quesillo, I need another helper for the cheese. Pilar might as well be a Maestra de Espaol, a Spanish teacher to boot.

Everyone learned each task and participated in the preparation of virtually all menu items. And as the group peeled, diced and sautd, Pili's gems of information flowed on.
We learned much more than how to achieve flavor. Pilar taught us techniques on how to attain desired tones and textures A lot of people ask me about cleaning mushrooms, she said at one point, demonstrating the correct technique. Now watch to see how we clean and seed this kind of chili, she pointed out while preparing chile guajillo for the mole. Once we start cooking these chile de agua, we need to remember to always check them and turn them constantly.
Look for the hot part of the comal now this is when you know when to turn it over, she said while demonstrating the art and science of making tortillas.

Every once in a while a new recipe rolled off the tip of her tongue as we worked other dishes we could prepare with this particular mole different fillings for the quesadillas such as potato, chorizo or huitlacoche, the exotic corn mold ... the texture we would want for the corn masa if we were making tamales rather than tortillas.

Soon, aprons removed, we were ready to feast. But first now before we sit down, remember in the market I told you there were two types of gusano worm? Here they are, so who wants to try?" she asked. Now know about mezcal. Taste this one Alvin brought, and tell us how it seems to you. Heres another kind. What do you think is different about this one?

We sat down at a table exquisitely set with local handmade linens, dishes and stemware. Bottles of Mexican and Chilean red wine were already breathing. The fine music of Oaxacan songstress Lila Downs serenaded us in the background.

Pilar reminded us that her grandmother and other relatives usually prepare their comidas with meat and all vegetables mixed together in the mole, a plate of rice on the side, and a bowl of broth. But our meal, like all the recipes she prepares with visitors at La Casa de los Sabores, would be her modern take on all the elements and flavor combinations of the best that contemporary Oaxacan cookery has to offer.

It was a celebration of every ingredient. We began with wild mushroom, onion, tomato, chili and cheese stuffing in the quesadillas de championes (mushroom quesadillas), complemented perfectly by smoky salsa verde asada (green sauce from the grill) served in its molcajete. Then it was time to calm our palates with bright yellow crema de flor de calabaza (cream of squash blossom soup), garnished with a drizzle of real cream, toasted calabaza seeds and indeed fresh squash blossoms. The main course or plato fuerte was mole amarillo tender slices of chicken breast atop a sea of aromatic deep saffroncolored mole, accompanied by a medley of crunchyfresh steamed vegetables. To conclude, arroz con leche (rice pudding), speared with a length of wild vanilla bean and crowned with berries that had been picked only the day before.

I left convinced that the grandest chefs at the most trendy Manhattan beaneries would be hardpressed to compete with this petite Oaxaquea's ability to marry the regions complex cooking with postmodern attention to color, texture and flare. For Pilar Cabrera, it comes naturally. For the rest of us, it comes with a visit to her home.

La Casa de los Sabores Cooking School is located at Libres 205, in downtown Oaxaca. Maximum class size is 8, with private lessons available upon request. You can register for Pilars classes by calling (951) 5165704 or emailing her at bbsabores@prodigy.net.mx. ( Websites http//www.laolla.com.mx http//www.mexonline.com/sabores.htm )

Alvin Starkman together with wife Arlene operates Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast ( http//www.oaxacadream.com ). Alvin received his masters in social anthropology in 1978, and his law degree in 1984. Thereafter he was a litigator in Toronto until taking early retirement. He and his family were frequent visitors to Oaxaca between 1991 and when they became permanent residents in 2004. Alvin reviews restaurants, writes about life and cultural traditions in Oaxaca, and tours couples and families to the villages.


Details & Reservations: Cooking classes in Oaxaca, Mexico
RealAdventures | Mexico Articles

]]> http://www.RealAdventures.com/listings/1156458_Safety-First-Advice-to-make-your-hotel-stay-more http://www.RealAdventures.com/listings/1156458_Safety-First-Advice-to-make-your-hotel-stay-more Articles Nevada Wed, 05 Mar 2008 11:03:16 Staying safely at a hotel is our first concern while vacationing outdoors. While staying at a hotel make sure that you protect yourself from falling an easy prey to the petty thieves eying on you. When you are researching on your destination, make s -
Staying safely at a hotel is our first concern while vacationing outdoors. While staying at a hotel make sure that you protect yourself from falling an easy prey to the petty thieves eying on you. When you are researching on your destination, make s


Staying safely at a hotel is our first concern while vacationing outdoors. While staying at a hotel make sure that you protect yourself from falling an easy prey to the petty thieves eying on you. When you are researching on your destination, make sure to check out some good guide books and hotel review sites to find recent comments on hotels that you would like to book for your next trip. Also play close attention to suggestions from your family members and friends.

Moreover, look for hotels that lie in a crime free zone, having well lit parking lots and ideally that are near to the city center. While booking always avoid a room on the ground floor or any other room that is easily accessible from the outside of the building. When you arrive at your hotel, look for the parking near the main entrance and preferably in the area that has more light. If you are getting inside or moving out at night you don't have to walk much and you are at the least risk of being attacked if you are in a lit up area where the passers by can see you.

While checking in request for keys that do not the room numbers printed on them, in case the you get keys with number, do not allow the desk attendant to say the room number aloud in front of any stranger. Before leaving for your room, ask someone from the hotel staff to carry your luggage and tell him to check your room thoroughly. If the room is not acceptable, he can help you to move to another room. Lock all the luggage that you leave unattended in the hotel room and use the hotel safe to store keys, wallet, credit cards and other valuable belongings.

While resting inside, use all locks and chains on the doors as well as windows to make sure you are safe. Never open doors to strangers and look out from the peephole to before opening the door. If are not able to recognize the person and in case there is no peephole, call front desk for their help. It's also important to locate the fire escape route and two nearest exit to your room in case the primary is blocked.

The most important part of your vacation is sightseeing, before leaving for outdoors, doublecheck the door lock and leave on your TV or Radio, it always make the passerby feel like someone is at home. Also hang your Do Not Disturb door tag that will make it appear to be inhabited. While returning at night, if you feel that someone with you in the elevators is following you, push the button to a floor that has a restaurant or fitness center and depart there.

Finally, at the end of the hotel stay, check out the Safety First Advice to make your hotel stay more
RealAdventures | Nevada Articles

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