Western USA
The "City of Angels" is a magnet for people who are drawn to fame and fortune, to the laid-back California lifestyle, and to sunny beaches where palm trees sway and young bronzed bodies surf year round. Its Mediterranean climate is near ideal; its neighborhoods are ethnically diverse; its economy is driven by the entertainment industry and a gamut of trendsetting companies that set the parameters of progress even as they define social conscience for the rest of the country. The amazing amalgam that is Greater Los Angeles is more than even residents can take in, a collection of 88 cities that rub elbows, a cornucopia of oceanside towns like Santa Monica and Manhattan Beach, luxurious enclaves like Beverly Hills and Belair, trendy spots like Culver City, Silver Lake, the Hollywood Hills and Larchmont, and old money areas like Pasadena and Brentwood. Downtown Los Angeles is the epitome of all – a faded lady who has reinvented herself into an exciting mix of dynamic high rises and renovated, repurposed classics that surprise and delight.
Eastern USA
Niagara Falls has such grandeur and magnitude that it could claim exclusive rights to the most misused word in the dictionary – AWESOME. You can hear it thunder long before it appears before your eyes. Flowing out of Lake Erie via the Niagara River, the Falls reveal themselves suddenly and magnificently, a huge and frothy tumbling of water and luminosity, Nature’s ultimate sound and light show. Straddling the United States - Canada border (but Canada has the lion’s share), Niagara Falls is actually three separate falls — Horseshoe Falls on the Canada side, and American and Bridal Veil Falls on the U.S. side. Here are a few interesting facts:
- Niagara Falls is one of the world’s most popular honeymoon destinations, and has been for over 200 years.
- An average household would need roughly 7 years to use the amount of water that flows over Niagara Falls in a single second.
- Since 1846, tourists have sailed The Maid of the Mist into the basin at the bottom of the falls, close enough to need ponchos to keep them dry from the copious water vapor created by the cascading water. Only by running its engines at full throttle can The Maid of the Mist stay in its viewing position and avoid being swept downstream by the powerful current.
Eastern Canada
Offering a taste of old France in North America, small quaint Québec City hugs the St. Lawrence River where it narrows at Cap Diamant. Founded by Samuel de Champlain in 1608, la Ville de Québec retains its city walls, part of the defensive fortress (Citadelle) built to deter American patriots who sought to ‘liberate’ Canada from Britain. Much of its Upper and Lower Towns has changed little from those days. Streets are still narrow, cobblestoned and lined with thick-walled stone buildings, though today these one-time residences and customs houses are smart boutiques, trendy restaurants and beguiling craft ateliers where shopkeepers greet customers in their distinctive Québecois accent. Dominating the horizon is the landmark castle-like Château Frontenac, still one of Canada’s most famous hotels. A provincial capital with battlefields, historic sights and interesting museums. No matter the season, Québec has much to offer, but the hardy will pencil in Winter Carnival, when music, dancing, revelry and winter sports take to the streets!
Girlfriend Getaways!
It should come as no surprise to anyone that the ‘50s are long gone! Confident, capable and definitely unchaperoned women are taking to the road as never before, and many times they purposefully leave the men at home. Woman-centered, custom-tailored getaways, created with a feminine spin and from a woman’s perspective, allow them the opportunity to connect with their female friends and participate in female-centric activities.
Central Europe
Straddling the Danube, Budapest is the original tale of two cities, with Buda on the west bank only united with Pest across the river in 1873. The first bridge, the Chain Bridge, wasn’t built until 1849. Yet this dynamic city, capital of Hungary, has been an important center of civilization since Roman times. History is writ large here. This city has been both aggressor and victim, a coveted territory destined to rise and fall many times over the centuries. Europe’s largest parliament house graces the riverbank in Pest; on the far bank is striking Buda Castle. Illuminated at night across the sparkling river, they form one of the most romantic vistas in Europe. Budapest is a city of superlatives, with the continent’s first metro system, its largest functioning synagogue and brick-and-stone remnants of eras as disparate as the Habsburg dynasty and the Soviet occupation. While the Danube is its signature, Budapest is also renowned for the waters that flow beneath its surface. No other capital city can claim scores of thermal springs and medicinal baths within its city limits, with 19 million gallons of thermal water bubbling up every day.
Western Canada
Vancouver is British Columbia’s largest city, the third largest in Canada, and one of the most scenically beautiful cities in the world. Blessed with an exquisite natural tapestry of soaring mountains and sparkling waters, deep green forest and glistening air, it is fresh and lively, optimistic and captivating. Vancouver is a frontier filled with innovative architecture, the edge of a continent that harkens to the future. For outdoor enthusiasts and cosmopolitan adventurers, its mild climate makes it a destination of choice. Close to 20 miles of uninterrupted waterfront trails surround Vancouver’s favorite neighborhoods, including the seawall around Stanley Park, a 1,000 acre urban rainforest that juts out into the Pacific. Thousands of ocean cruisers pass under Vancouver’s Lion’s Gate Bridge bound for the granite cliffs and ice-flecked waters of Alaska’s Inside Passage, but who could resist a look back at this most gorgeous city on the Pacific…
