For Valentine’s Day, Why Not Create A Virtual Romantic Getaway for Two!

long term marriages

Does the idea of a virtual romantic getaway sound a little crazy, but fun?

After all, this is 2021, travel remains at a virtual standstill, and almost everything we do, even as ridiculous as it sounds – is virtual. Work, school, birthday parties, Thanksgiving, Christmas, cocktail hour, baby showers, wine tasting, cooking class, exercise class! Good grief! Why not enjoy a virtual romantic getaway for two? Let’s create everything you need to pretend to be at the destination of your dreams!

Valentine’s Day is around the corner, but we have a little time to plan. Why the heck not? As a travel writer, my work life was upended by the pandemic, which allowed me the freedom to try a few new ideas. One of which was to create a Virtual Maui Vacation. Brilliant, yes? 

romantic getaway
A virtual Maui could be fun!

After umpteen months of quarantine, a virtual Maui Vacation sounds kind of fun, doesn’t it? Maybe you want to create a weekend in Maui? Just check out the Vacation Guide, which has all of the details!

Maybe you need a little help with this virtual romantic getaway idea? I plan to give you a few tips to get your creative juices flowing.

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What to Do on a Sunny Day in San Francisco

a sunny day in San Francisco

A sunny day in San Francisco may not happen as often as we would like. The weather is unpredictable and can be colder in July than in December! I’m certain that you have heard the famous Mark Twain quote “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco”. According to several sources I have found he never actually said it! He said something similar to this, but not that exact phrase.

I have traveled to the City by the Bay many times and have experienced every type of weather. But when it is a sunny day in San Francisco, when the skies are bright blue and the sun is happily shining, it is time to make plans and get out of town.

I don’t mean out of town, but rather to travel to the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge and enjoy the spectacular views of the city from the other side of the bay. San Francisco is one of the prettiest cities in the U.S. with its tall buildings, enormous hills, beautiful architecture (old and new) long rocky coastlines and spectacular bridges.

At the suggestion of knowledgeable local residents, our son Nick and his girlfriend Kylie, we drove just a few minutes over the iconic Golden Gate Bridge to see the Point Bonita Lighthouse. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G and FREE!

a sunny day in San Francisco

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Where to go this Fall ~ 7 Great Destinations to Enjoy!

where to go this fall

Where to go this fall to enjoy the best of what this colorful season has to offer ~

Summer has ended and we are headed to Fall, my very favorite season! Funny thing is that I live in Southern California where the temps are hovering around 90 degrees! How can I think about cool, sweater weather, drinking hot cocoa, eating warm apple pie and enjoying walks through the autumn leaves?

I can find these desirable images in my imagination, or I can plan a fall getaway! Where can we go? Many of my friends who live on the East Coast will chuckle when I write about how I long for the cooler weather, because I don’t really experience any type of super cold weather in Pasadena. I think I wear a coat maybe once or twice all season at home.

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Two Generations, One Music Festival: Outside Lands

Outside Lands
Two Generations Enjoying Outside Lands in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco~ Craig, 55 – Suzanne, 54 – Clint (our nephew) 21, – Alexandra (our daughter) 27- Nick (our son) 22- Alec (our son’s best friend) 22

 

Outside Lands reigns supreme in my new world of music festivals. A three day, thoroughly engaging, eclectic, excessively HUGE, outstanding music festival for all ages. Who knew that two people in their mid-fifties could mix and mingle successfully with the hipsters, hippies and young music lovers in their 20’s and 30’s? Designed to showcase over 100 bands and offer headliners like Elton John, Mumford & Sons, The Black Keys, Sam Smith and even Billy Idol. I expected to like it, but I honestly loved every morsel.

Elton John - Still fabulous
Elton John – Still fabulous

I went to Outside Lands for three reasons:

To Experience:

To gain entry into the world of my twenty-something children and experience their passion for music from the inside. It was so special to see how by teaching and sharing his passion for music, my husband fueled the musical interests of our children. From the time they could talk, Craig would quiz them, share stories and play all kinds of music for them.

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A Postcard Perfect Afternoon in San Francisco

If you were to line up ten different people and ask them to describe a perfect afternoon in San Francisco, you would undoubtedly receive ten different answers. San Francisco is a shopper’s paradise, a foodie’s dream vacation and a photographer’s delight. The city will easily captivate every one of it’s millions of visitors. We travel to …

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The Magic of Christmas in San Francisco

The true meaning of Christmas we carry in our hearts, but the magic of Christmas in San Francisco is a wonderful sight to behold! This spectacular coastal California city manages to capture the splendor of the holidays and we are fortunate to live just an hour plane ride away. Craig and I try to get away for …

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The find adventure movement is starting to catch fire!

Find Adventure! Just a few weeks ago I suggested starting a movement called #findadventure. For this activity we hope to encourage creative, out-of-the-box thinking and allow today be the beginning of a new adventure. This activity comes equipped with a hashtag and a brand new sticker called #findadventure. We define “adventure” as anything you find adventurous …

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San Francisco – A walking food tour of North Beach & Chinatown

Another food tour adventure? Why yes! Thank you! Just recently I took a fantastic tour by Chris Milano’s Foodie Adventures in San Francisco’s Mission District. The Mission, Latin Food Tour was so delicious and I loved it so much that on my next trip there I just had to take the North Beach and Chinatown Tour!  It is no surprise …

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San Francisco: A wine dinner with Jordan Vineyard & Winery at Campton Place

A wine dinner in San Francisco? Yes please! Lately I have been having a blast interacting with great people on Instagram. I adore photography and truly enjoy seeing what Instagrammers (photographers) are capturing. I had a wonderfully engaging conversation via Instagram with the Campton Place Hotel in San Francisco all about our spectacular trip to the …

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