Travel Channel host Samantha Brown
And to think I almost didn’t go.
travelgirl editor Stephanie Oswald emailed me last fall about having lunch with Travel Channel darling Samantha Brown while she was in town filming a weekend in Atlanta.
Overwhelmed by deadlines and having only a marginal knowledge of who she was – I know, I know! – I almost declined but thought better of it.
It may be a sorry admission to make, as a travel writer, but the only travel show I’ve ever watched is Anthony Bourdain, whom I adore from a distance. I’d be terrified to actually meet him as I know I’d totally wind wind up eating fried marinated monkey guts and doing arsenic shots and wake up in a yert with no knowledge of where my shoes went.
So before our lunch I watched a few of her shows and was impressed by her easy style, coverage of a destination and her cute clothes.
Stephanie and I showed up at Buckhead Diner and waited to meet with Samantha and her publicist Marjorie Hall, who soon showed up in a stretch limo. Uh oh, I thought – we’re in for a pretentious diva-style event with the fancy NYC girls. Read the full post »
by admin on March 27, 2009
Free in Vegas? Yes, there are plenty of places you can drop mega-bucks in Vegas, but there are also plenty of free attractions as well. Here are my top three picks for places where your wallet won’t suffer:
One of the brave trainers, who interact with the lions.
1. The Lion Habitat at MGM Grand
The crowds starting gathering right when we got there as the lions were due to arrive. Sure enough, three lions and their brave keeper strolled into the glass-encased display where you can even walk under them. Part of a group of 29, a few are brought in each day from the ranch where they live. After a bath with Johnson’s Baby Shampoo they are ready for their close-up.
Jan’s tip: Go right at 11:00 am when the lions first appear. Apparently they spend most of the rest of the day snoozing. Read the full post »
by admin on March 20, 2009
Catherine weds George Clooney in Las Vegas
And you can too! Or you can cuddle up, Girls Next Door-style to Hugh Hefner, rub Jennifer Lopez’s ample behind until she blushes or even sink a putt with Tiger Woods.
Those are just a few of the many fantasies you can fulfill at Madame Tussaud’s Las Vegas where we made an impromptu visit last week during my daughter’s spring break. Read the full post »
by admin on March 16, 2009
If this isn't the scene you're looking for, be sure to check out the latest on your accommodations, including any large groups that may be there.
In the old days when I’d prepare for a trip, I’d read everything I could get my hands on about the weather, the attractions, accommodations, dining and even which restaurants had waiters with the sexiest accents. Thorough? Yes. Exhausting? You betcha.
I also learned that while guidebooks can be quite valuable in helping you find the best soup in Florence, they can also sometimes lead you astray. Once we rode our bikes all over the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco looking for the reported “roaming herds of buffalo.” After many miles, we finally came upon one tired-looking old guy who showed little enthusiasm for our efforts and whose roaming days seemed decades behind him.
So I’ve now settled into a compromise position of learning just the minimum. The rest I can choose to research or just wing it. Here are the five things you need to know before you go. Read the full post »
by admin on March 9, 2009
The company of A Chorus Line. Photo: Paul Kolnik
What job-hunter, college-applicant or Ebay bidder hasn’t said those words to himself? Twenty-four years after its first debut, the sentiment behind the popular musical A Chorus Line is still universal – we hope we get it. Whatever it is.
I first saw the popular musical years ago on Broadway and loved every single Marvin Hamlisch-crafted note. Of course I couldn’t relate to the specific setting of the play, given my complete lack of any acting or singing talent whatsoever. I was the girl who the elementary school choir teacher would point to and say, “Let’s try that song again, and Jan, you just listen this time,” until she finally gave up and banished me to recorder lessons. The closest I ever came to performing on stage were the recurring nightmares I’d have that I was about to step on and couldn’t remember my lines. Read the full post »
by admin on March 3, 2009
