Category: US Hotels

South Carolina Back-to-School Tax-Free Shopping Weekend

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south carolina back-to-school tax-free weekend includes shoes
Shoe fetish anyone? 👠 Get ’em tax free while you can. Everyone needs a good occasion shoe that won’t break your neck, and so you can appreciate your everyday tennis shoes.

It’s almost back-to-school time and IT’S South Carolina back-to-school tax-free shopping this weekend in South Carolina. I grew up in Virginia that paused the annual tax-free weekend… and North Carolina ended.

So now’s a good time to head further south to South Carolina that’s the east coast hospitality 🍍 state. There, it’s a good time to buy your computer, school supplies, and clothing (including shoes in case you have a fetish!). And bed and bath items in case you’re going to back a school door room. Who came up with this creative list??

And remember South Carolina has a couple hot spots and close to the ocean water! ⛱️

Both Myrtle Beach and Charleston (the capital) are in the Palmetto State. Either would be great to fill the rest of your August Dog Day calendar and provide a last-summer effort travel escape.📆

…Myrtle Beach has hotels with lazy river pools that’s heat relief entertainment. You can go to The Breakers for one.

…And Charleston is known for the quaint city that goes back to horse drawn carriages. The Charleston Place hotel is the Ritz. And Charleston Grill in the hotel is fine dining at its best with scrumptious fare.

Now I know you’re tempted and if you can’t make it via travel, the South Carolina back-to-school tax-free can be done online! You can shop where you are… tax-free items include flip-flops 🩴, inline and ice skates ⛸️, boots 👢, and this tax-free holiday long list. I’m sure you’ll find something from these common everyday shopping lists.

And if August isn’t your time to visit, Charleston Restaurant Week is in September. You can check out the Summer New York Restaurant Week and DC Restaurants I love.

They’re an up and comin’ food destination town to come back and checkout 😉

2023 Amador County Barbera Wine Festival

Amador County Barbera Wine grapes

Amador County Barbera wine is one of the hidden best wine areas in California. It’s off the beaten path from other big wine valley counties like Napa or Sonoma County. Amador County is east of Sacramento, CA and produces some of the best red wines if I may say so. 😊

The highest mountain vineyard terrains are compared to the Mediterranean foothills exposed to long sunny days suitable for tasty wines. And, Amador County is is also credited with cultivating the first Zinfandels.

Amador County Barbera wines are like a Syrah or Shiraz with fruit-forward jammy berry flavors like raspberries and strawberries. If that’s your jam, then a Barbera can grow on you fast.

And to get some tastes, you may want to visit the Barbera Festival (in its 10th year) with over 40 wineries to try in one fell-swoop. 🍷

Amador County Barbera Wine county grapes

Amador County is in the Sierra Nevadas mountain range. And one boutique quality vineyard in the heart of Plymouth, CA is Coopers Vineyards. The wines you taste in the boutique winery store may not change your life, but they can definitely change your wine life! ❤️

They produce winners at the Orange County Fair wine competitions with an unforgettable Petite Syrah and Primitivo Reservo and unique Sangiovese (it’s not just in Italy anymore!). From Folsom Lake, you can go south on Latrobe Road and turn on Shenandoah Road to find this winery and vineyard.

Cooper Amador County Barbera Wine prodcer in Plymouth, CA

Coopers will be at the the Amador County Barbera Wine Festival where you can sample their Barberas. The festival is in Plymouth, CA next to Coopers at the Terra D’Oro Vineyards (Land of Gold) with 800+ acres. Traces of gold are found in the vineyard land in case you’re wondering…

And in these superior lands, to make your trip planning life easy, you can turn your “gold” trip into a hotel spa trip for maximum joy or a boutique stay in the heart of downtown Plymouth, CA. That’s my two senses (and cents!). 🍇

10 Maryland Restaurant Week Picks

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Maryland Restaurant Week includes crab cakes options and you want to try Tidewater Grille on the Chesapeake Bay

Maryland Restaurant Week is coming. And today is National Maryland Day. While these and other daily calendar celebrations are fun to observe like yesterday’s daily horoscopes use to be, having a foodie food reminder is even better! 🎉

For Maryland Restaurant Week, Tidewater Grille in Havre de Grace is on the menu with Maryland famous crab cakes and bites 🍽️ They are located on the Chesapeake Bay where you can enjoy porch seating. And if that’s not something to be happy about… they play live music on weekend nights 🎶 You don’t have to drive all the way to a piano bar or the beach for free entertainment.

And along the drum of good eats, Chesapeake Bay Beach Club on Kent Island is across the Bay Bridge (towards Ocean City or OC for short) on the Eastern Shore.

This is the inn with a spa you gotta checkout (and you won’t wanna checkout! 🛏️). It’s a special place with tasteful modern accents throughout, and one restaurant private dining space has unique exposed white ducts in the high ceiling peak. I can appreciate having planned thousands of private events.

The inn’s spaces are an architectural design dream. There’s a spa and they offer yoga. It’s a culinary hotel that has fresh herbs growing in the gardens. It’s not just for Oprah and the nouveau riche anymore!

And the Annapolis state capitol in Anne Arundel County is no run down county. And these are a sample of the restaurant run down picks I have for Maryland Restaurant Week (that’s extensive like DC Restaurant Week)…

In Annapolis, Blackwall Hitch is participating (also in Alexandria).

And for Maryland Restaurant Week, you’ll be surprised that there are special with coffee houses, bakeries, and even sports and entertainment places like Sports and Social that’s a chain that on the list for Bethesda, MD.

Montgomery County is an affluent county with Bethesda’s Seasons 52 and its Columbia location. If you’re into modern diners, Columbia’s Silver Diner is also participating.

And if you’re Italian seeking, Baltimore’s Amicci’s of Little Italy eatery and La Tavola off the famous Albermarle Street n Baltimore’s Little Italy 🇮🇹 serving authentic dishes with oozing burrata, generous parmagiano-reggiano, and gluten-free pasta options.

Further north in Frederick (if you’re heading to western PA), you can stop in at Outback (the steakhouse that is) for their Bloomin’ Onion, sirloin or chicken with sides, and cheesecake for dessert.

And 32Palm in Hilton Ocean Suites where you can get the best of both restaurant and hotel hospitality worlds. It’s down by the iconic Ocean City Jolly Roger Amusement Park where all the hoopla is at night! 🚥

So now you have the low-down and have plenty of Maryland Restaurant Week places to consider.

maryland restaurant week has Maryland crab soup on menus

Boardwalk Candy Kitchen Beanie Baby Nostalgia

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Delaware has a few Candy Kitchen Beanie Baby carrying (now TY toys) stores.
Downtown Bethany Beach

In my heart is the Candy Kitchen Beanie Baby memory… what am I talkin’ about? Keep reading…

First, I remember the 90s Beanie Baby craze from the traditional boardwalk candy store chain that’s everywhere along the Delmarva coast. Candy Kitchen stores all over Ocean City, MD and up the coast to Rehoboth and Bethany Beaches in Delaware. The first store opened around the tail end of the Great Depression, so it was a place that brought some joy to the times… and today, brings happiness. Who doesn’t love the smell o’ candy?

While Beanie-mania died down before Y2K, the candy craze has not.🍬 Those early years bring back youthful, carefree day memories…

In the 90s, I was a young adult chasing down the Beanie Babies on my weekends, looking for a Candy Kitchen Beanie Baby. There was one baby I had in mind that was either a soft stuffed cute bear, cat, dog, bird, or other wildlife creature that just came out.

Most living young and old had at least one Beanie Baby. But not everyone got them from a candy store like I did. That was my underground store I discovered.

…I remember driving hours with friends and all the way to Ocean City, MD during the heyday. I had the purple royal Beanie with a white rose and the Jerry Garcia swirly rainbow color Peace Bear. If you spout out the names now, I’d still know them… that’s how the kid at heart stays alive. ❤️

The Beanies usually were “special” because of the tag names, fabrics, and some had an emblem stamped on their chest and poems on the tag. And they’re so darn cute. I had a trash bag full of them. And that’s where there are now!

Once decorating a house and box-size computer tops, these stuffed animals were a fad that had a shelf life. And today’s TY versions look more like Furr-bies… and the kiddos love ’em not knowing the history of their plush toy maker.

…Like these unicorn babies (foals) that just woke up and have their tags on backward 😄 but still intact. They’re brother and sister. 🦄 They never met their Pegasus Beanie Baby ancestor.

…But, they are as cute as buttons, like button candy. And remind me of those Candy Kitchen 90s memories that are so ingrained in me because the sweet smell waff of chocolate fudge hit you in the face as soon as you walked in the store. And would do the same today, if you’ve never been to a CK or want to relive sweet memories.

Candy Kitchen is known for saltwater taffy 🍬, but I went for the cola gummies (not the fun gummy burgers and lips 👄)… being friendlier to my teeth and mouth. I appreciated seeing the colorful round-up pop and swirl lollipop candy 🍭 You can say I got two pops in one (candy and a cute Beanie Baby).

And today too if you visit, they still sell a few special TY tag stuffed toys like the Spiderman TY. Or you can have him and other items shipped with your candy, to brighten your day until you can find time to be a kid again. 😊

Need a place to stay? These are Ocean City hotels to check out (and checkin to!).

Cool Pool Hotels With Cooling Vibes

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One of the coolest things about cool pool hotels is that the pools run cool year-round (getting the theme…cool?). I found hotel stays in Miami and Myrtle Beach that have cool beachfront pools… so don’t even think about going elsewhere! 😉

…A pristine pool that you can jump into (not limited to and sandwiched in between Memorial and Labor Day) brings a serene cool vibe to your wellness. Maybe it’s an infinity pool or a design pool with curvy shapes, outlines, and colors.

Below are some fave cool pool hotels you can check out with these features.

The Raleigh Hotel in Miami, Florida

I discovered this hotel in the early 2000s when black and white stripes were popular… and they’re back again! You may have seen them in the resurgence of Barbie hoopla. It conveys j’aim tout!

The Savoy Hotel and Beach Club in South Beach is oceanfront and has cool shape pools that blend into the blue ocean waters behind… The location of this SoBe hotel is ideal on the 400 block of Ocean Drive. This made my visit stress-free, fun, and relaxed. 🏝️

Anderson Ocean Club and Spa in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina is the quintessential hotel pool with indoor and several outdoor pools against the beach backdrop. There’s putt-putt too. ⛳️ You may never to leave the hotel club and spa!

…And if you’re with the kiddos 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦, they’ll love the lazy river pool at The Breakers… and you will too! One of my fond memories is The Hard Rock Park that’s gone, but Myrtle Beach is one big amusement park. You can find all kinds of fun for all ages… and Margaritaville-ish places especially around Barefoot Landing where there’s no shortage of restaurants to choose from.

And all kinds of knick-knacks and retro vibe stores. I think I met the tallest man on stilts in one of the restaurants. Happy times ✌️in South Carolina, and they have perks as they just had their tax-free weekend if you plan ahead! Charleston, Kiawah Island, and Hilton Head are other great SC travel destinations.

Best Maryland Crabs

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How do you like these bite-size Maryland crabs?

Maryland crabs are famous. They’re tossed with Old Bay and you can find them all the over the Mid-Atlantic states in seafood restaurants. It’s easy to find them along the Atlantic Ocean Coast, and these are from Havre de Grace, Maryland. 🦀 They are the real mouth-watering deal!

And if you want to check out the landmark lighthouse waterfront festival in the heart of town, they showcase famous local seafood and blue crabs. It’s a small town so you can’t get lost.

You can also find an abundance of Maryland crabs around the Memorial Bay Bridge on the Eastern Shores. Take a drive over the Bay Bridge and you’ll find Kent Island, the largest island in the Chesapeake Bay.

And you can find these blue crabs served up in Annapolis, the capital of Maryland (along the Chesapeake Bay). Annapolis is a great vacation getaway with room water views and modern leather features and farm door design character.

Annapolis restaurants love to serve the Maryland king crabs straight up raw for your entertainment… in meaty male crabcakes… or sometimes paired with Alaskan King Crab claws… proving crabs on both sides of the coast can get along. 😉

You can also find Maryland crabs in best DC restaurants along marina towns like this one in Old Town Alexandria along the Potomac River.

It’s in the water (the foodie water that is… where they import in tasty oysters from around the world!). Are you a fan? I like them straight up, with lemon, horseradish, or red sauce.

And year-round, you can find a seafood lovers smorgasboard variety of orange-color seafood: lobster, crabs, and shrimp. 🍤

Seafood Maryland Crab Salad

While Maryland crabs are close to home 🧡, on the east coast you don’t have to go far to find them. You can find all kinds of crabs and seafood at your local seafood market or many grocery stores. One of my memories is the Waterfront fish market in DC that’s now an adult hangout spot!

I also like the Fish Market on King Street where you can buy prepared seafood that you can take on a waterfront picnic to the Oronoco Bay Park steps away.

This is a Dunedin, Florida seafood market that serves steamers and Floridian stone crabs with no MD crabs in sight.

Washington Dulles Airport Hilton (My Hotel Story Start)

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Dulles Airport – designed by Architect Eero Saarinen (designed like an Eero-plane) ✈️

This is a great time to tell you about a Washington Dulles Airport Hilton hotel I worked in that started as a Renaissance (and is now the Washington Dulles Hilton hotel).

Airport shuttle close to the airport, the hotel has great character with a circular building and lobby design. It has and had a restaurant and a lounge next to the Lobby where guests checked-in. More on DC metro local restaurant options below.

Airport hotels are very different than other and city-center hotels. Airport guests are often trying to catch a flight or have “flying somewhere” else on the mind. And some of those guests are distressed passengers where the airlines put the guests in a hotel. …You probably know what I’m talkin’ about in your travels!

Back in my college days, I remember serving fast-paced breakfasts to these guests. And then at night, the same hotel restaurant transformed into a fine-dining restaurant Olives with daily special dishes and flamed creme brulee dessert on the menu.

The music and light mood changed to dim and slow, and the dark wood tables turned into white tablecloth tables often with orchid flowers, and usually multiple courses served with wine. The built-in crescent round banquettes stood out as the romantic seats in the house for the occasional local couples coming out that way (along with the hotel guests who were often dining by themselves).

And, Olives had the best Easter brunches (…and FYI, Hilton’s had been known for weekend brunches).

And then on the other side of the lobby was the cozy retro Zodiac Club night lounge with bright 70s silver rainbow shape patterned wallpaper that glimmered in the dark moody lighting. There was a disco ball at one point. 🪩

It was cool back then and would be even cooler now (since wallpaper and retro is in!). The clubby space only had about 30 dark metal chairs. I knew that space intimately. And even though guests were flying off to their next destination, it was fun to serve the visitors who enjoyed the lounge-y experience.

That cushy hospitality setting set me on my hotel journey into catering management. I got the 360- experience at that eye-opening hotel 👀, that’s now a Washington Dulles Airport Hilton. You can check in digitally if you’re a Hilton Honors reward guest. And today’s mega outdoor Reston Town Center is an Uber ride away. Now that you’re keyed in on the history, you may want to stay. 😉 It’s just a hop, skip, and a jump from DC metro area restaurants.

Reston Town Center