City of Angels : Los Angeles, CA

There is nothing better than a Red Carpet Sunday and a night at the Academy Awards. What else could be better to plan a trip to the City of Angels during this high fashion time for celebrities? My perfect escape for this week would have to be Los Angeles, CA as I gaze into the television watching beautiful celebrities walk down the red carpet in preparation to win the infamous award called an Oscar.

LA is a gorgeous and lively city located in Southern California and has been ranked the fifth most powerful and influential city in the world, behind only New York City in the United States. There are millions of things to see and do while your here but because it is Oscar Sunday I think it is important to start with Hollywood and the Kodak Theater.

 

Located in the center of Hollywood on Hollywood Boulevard, the Kodak Theatre is the home of the annual Academy Awards (The Oscars).  In a fashion reminiscent of Hollywood's movie-making process, the building is dressed before the ceremony with the famous large red carpet. It is said that the theater is rented to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for weeks before the Oscar night. During the rest of the year, it host numerous live concerts, award shows, symphony performances and others.

While you're in Hollywood, another must see attraction would have to be the Hollywood Sign of course! Created as an advertisement in 1923, the Hollywood Sign originally read HOLLYWOODLAND. Its purpose was to advertise the name of a new housing development in the hills above the Hollywood district of Los Angeles. It is a great place to take pictures and look out over all of LA.

Some more must see landmarks in Los Angeles are:

1. Griffith Observatory
2. Capitol Records Tower
3. Crauman's Chinese Theatre 
4. Staples Center
5. LA Live
6. Dodger Stadium
7. Walt Disney Land
8. Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum

After seeing all those attractions, my next stop would be 90210 - most commonly known as Beverly Hills. While you are here the two most important things to do are to stay at the Beverly Hills Hotel and to shop Rodeo Drive. Having visited this part of LA this past January for the TCU Rose Bowl, I instantly feel in love. The shopping in this part of LA is fabulous and I highly suggest anyone who loves to prance around in luxury (even if you are not willing to drop 2K on fashionable items like me) to still check out this exceptional areas of LA.

Being as though LA is also home to American Idol I thought I would introduce you to one of my fellow friends, class mate, and role model - Tim Halperin - who has currently made it to the Top 24 on this season of American Idol. I want to leave you with a video of his and ask you to vote for him Tuesday night at 9:30 ET/8:30 CT here.

Until next time, vote Tim Halperin for America's next IDOL!!

Red, White, & Blue : Washington, D.C.

Happy almost President's Day America! I am excited to feature the wonderful city and capital of the United States, Washington, D.C. for this weeks blog post. I have always loved this city for its exciting energy and exclusive excursions that delight and inspire every American citizen.

Once I decided that D.C. was going to be there perfect escape for this week I started doing some research and discovered this awesome travel service called luxeDC. luxeDC is a service that helps plan luxurious trip to DC for individual travel or group/special events. Their services provide its customers with the amenities of a chic hotel collection, outstanding cultural excursions, and award winning dinning and shopping experiences that I would love to share with my readers. I suggest if you are making a trip to DC anytime soon that you explore their website and see what exciting deals they have to offer.

With Washington, D.C. being the home to our nation's capital as well a renown historical landmark, there are so many places to explore. Ideally, I would have to plan a full week vacation to be able to see everything and make it the perfect escape.

The following are my top 10 monuments/memorials/historical landmarks that I suggest any DC tourist to visit:

1. The White House
2. U.S. Capitol
3. Lincoln Memorial
4. Vietnam Veterans Memorial
5. Washington Monument
6. WWII Memorial
7. Jefferson Memorial
8. Arlington National Cemetery
9. Smithsonian Museums
10. Mount Vernon Estate

luxeDC does a fabulous job at giving their customers access to exclusive experiences with the above landmarks. Be sure to check out these inspiring excursions here.

As for hotel arrangements, I suggest to stay at The Hay-Adams hotel located in Lafayette Square across from the White House. This historic hotel is named after the distinguished residents who previously lived on its site: John Hay, Private Assistant to President Lincoln and later Secreatary of State, and Henry Adams, an acclaimed author and descendant of U.S. Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams.

With having 124 rooms and 21 suits, the Hay-Adams offers rooms with views of the White House, St. John's Church or Lafayette Park. To top off gorgeous views, this hotel also offers fine dinning at their restaurant The Lafayette. Overlooking Lafayette Square and the White House, The Lafayette is known to locals and tourists as Washington's preeminent destination for premium dinning. Ohhhh what a view this restaurant has...

I also highly suggest my readers to adventure over to Georgetown for some fabulous shopping. Located along the Potomac River, the neighborhood of Georgetown is absolutely breathtaking. Their cobblestoned streets are lined with internationally-known brands as well as independent unique boutiques. Shopping near Capitol Hill could not get much better than this!

Exciting new energy is thriving in Washington, D.C. and it is a perfect place to escape to for an unforgettable experience. 

Until next time, Happy President's Day and God bless America!

The City of Love | Paris

Happy Valentine's Day Love Bugs! I apologize for the late post but am thrilled that I get to introduce to you the fabulous city of Paris on this wonderful day of LOVE. Paris, France is ranked among the three most important and influential cities in the world and is widely know as the city of true love. What not a better place to escape to on Valentine's day!

My most favorite part about this city is the look and feel it has at dusk. It is a gorgeous city full of elegance and class.

 {Eiffel Tower}

{Arc de Triomphe}

The two most famous and well know pieces of architecture in this city are the Arc de Triomphe and the infamous Eiffel Tower. As for the Arc de Triomphe, there is a beautiful terrace on the top where love birds are invited to admire each of the twelve avenues that stem from the monument. Paris is literally at your feet as you look out over the capital's historic avenues with views of the place de la Concorde, the Tulleries Garden, and the Louvre.

Another famous love spot is the Eiffel Tower. Undoubtedly Paris' must-see monument, the Eiffel Tower was built for the World Fair in 1889 and took two years to complete. Romance is found by taking a lift up to to the third level where you and your honey will be among the clouds with an amazing 360 views of the city. Perfect place to dine for any special occasion.

This city has even more to offer threw its endless museums, shopping, and cultural districts. The most famous museum of them all would have to be The Louvre. Widely accepted as the "museum among museums", The Louvre offers a wide collection of remarkable pieces of art spanning thousands of years. Famous for the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo and the Victory of Samothrace, The Louvre is a must visit.

{The Louvre}

After musuems and monuments, all over the world, when people think Paris, they think fashion. Parisians are known for their impeccable fashion sense and it is not surprise that Paris remains the reigning center of all things couture. One of Paris' major shopping districts, the Champs-Elysees neighborhood is home to both global and exclusive couture designers. On the Avenue des Champs-Elysees, you'll find worldwide upscale luxury brands as well as your everyday affordable chain stores.

To unwind after all the exciting places to visit while in Paris, I suggest you and your better half stay at the Le Meurice Hotel. Located opposite the Tuileries Garden, between Place de la Concorde and the Louvre, Le Meurice has remained known as the jewel in the crown of French luxury hotels since 1835.

Paris is a one of a kind city and a fabulous escape for love.

Until next time, au revoir and happy Valentine's Day!

Barbados

Hi Blog Fam! All these winter flurries in North Texas have resulted in 4 consecutive snow days for TCU and the DFW Metroplex and boy am I experiencing heavy cabin fever. I was planning on introducing my all time favorite ski lodge but this cold weather has made me want to keep day dreaming about basking in the sun on a beautiful beach. What not a better place to escape to than BARBADOS!

This beach looks like simple perfection to me. Pure bliss. The rich nature beauty of Barbados makes me want to stop building snowmen and put on my yellow polka dot bikini!

Located off the Caribbean, Barbados is a world where you can trade in the hustle and bustle of every day life for the pure relaxation of island waves. Drawing on its English, African and West Indian roots, Barbados has established its own distinctive identity. It is famous for its perfect, that's right - I said PERFECT, weather and being the birthplace of rum (YUM!).

With an average daily high temperature of 78 degrees and 3,000 hours of annual sunshine, it's hard to compete with such beautiful weather when you're stranded inside due to ice and snow. Aside from this amazing-ness, rum was discovered on this island 370 years ago from the sugar cane that populates Barbados. It is said that no visit to Barbados is complete without enjoying the popular drink of Rum Punch.

 

For all you snow bunnies out there that are day dreaming away about the tastiness of the most popular distilled spirit of Barbados enjoy this easy recipe for home made Rum Punch:

1 fl. oz. of sour = 1 part West Indian lime juice
2 fl. oz. of sweet = 2 parts simple syrup
3 fl. oz. of strong = 3 parts aged Barbadian Rum
4 fl. oz. of weak = 4 parts water
*Add a dash of berries - and a beautiful Barbadian beach - and enjoy*

Now don't you worry, I have found an amazing resort to go along with Rum Punch in hand. To complete this ultimate escape I would love nothing more than to stay at The Fairmont Royal Pavilion Hotel located in St. James, Barbados. This hotel is known as "the jewel in the crown of Barabdos" and  I mean who can complain about a place like this:

Once again, simple perfection! This hotel has great package deals and a unique schedule for all ages. From November 1 to March 30, The Fairmont Royal Pavillion is an adult's only paradise. A place to reconnect, unwind, relax and drink yummy Rum Punch. The summer months become family time and from April 1 to October 31, the hotel welcomes children of all ages with complimentary daily activities and entertainment for unforgettable picture perfect family vaca. So whether you are looking for love or to splash around with the fam, I am thinking Barbados is another perfect escape!

Until next time, enjoy that Rum Punch!