Month: February 2015

Penn Avenue Fish Company Head Fishmonger, Timmy Reynolds

Visiting Pittsburgh? Grab Lunch at Penn Avenue Fish Company

Visiting Pittsburgh? If seafood is your thing, grab lunch at Penn Avenue Fish Company in the Strip District. While there, be sure to say “hello” to the head fishmonger, Timmy Reynolds.

Manatees About to Surface by My Kayak in the Orange River, Manatee Park, Fort Myers, Fla., Feb. 22, 2015

Featured Florida Fun Nature Travel Solo Travel

Laughing and Paddling at Manatee Park in Fort Myers, Fla.

My red kayak lazily floated down the Orange River and the only sound I noticed reminded me of snorkelers and SCUBA divers exhaling air. You know, that “pfffft” sound. One after another, about a dozen manatees took turns surfacing near my kayak, exhaling, inhaling then slipping back into the river.

Mementos Left at the Flight 592 Memorial, Near Miami, Fla., Feb. 14, 2015

Florida Fun Solo Travel

Paying Respects at the Flight 592 Memorial Near Miami, Fla.

May 11, 1996, I was working and living in Everglades National Park when I heard the news about ValuJet Flight 592 crashing into the Everglades. The flight had departed Miami International Airport and was bound for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport when a fire in the cargo hold caused the plane to crash. All 110 on […]

Admiring the Magic of a Bald Cypress Forest, Florida

Featured Florida Fun Nature Travel Solo Travel

My Date with a Swamp Walk in Big Cypress National Preserve

Piercing cold shot up my right leg as soon as I stepped into the water then the deep, dark mud. Not one who’s afraid of getting a little dirty when playing, this past Valentine’s Day provided an opportunity to check something off my bucket list, a swamp walk with Clyde Butcher’s Big Cypress Gallery.

My Friend Nicole, President Jimmy Carter and Me Following Sunday School in Plains, Ga.

Girlfriend Getaway

That Time Former President Jimmy Carter Set Me Straight About Noah

Anxious for the Bible study lesson to begin, I sat in a pew fidgeting at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Ga., sitting between a friend and a stranger. “Please remember, we’re here to worship God and not Jimmy Carter,” the pastor said.

Orlando Airboat Tours - Fun, Educational and a Little Wild

Featured Florida Fun Solo Travel

5 Reasons Why This Orlando Airboat Tour is the Best I’ve Taken

Racing over the Everglades in an airboat seems to top the list for tourists visiting Florida. Airboat operators are a dime a dozen in the Sunshine State, just like gray-haired ladies and palm trees but Orlando Airboat Tours by Marsh Landing Adventures stands out. Having lived in Florida for nearly 20 years and having been on umpteen trips, here are five reasons why this Orlando airboat tour is the best I’ve taken.

Datz, a Cater in Tampa, Cooked Up a Bacon Bar Featuring Oscar Mayer Bacon, During Clearwater Beach Uncorked, Feb. 7, 2015

Culinary Travel Featured Florida Fun

Entangled at the Bacon Bar During Clearwater Beach Uncorked

I learned something over the weekend which should have been pretty obvious. Women earn some serious street cred with the guys when they can do this: scoop up a dripping piece of greasy bacon and gobble it up without shame.

Filming Permit as Seen During On Location Tours TMZ Tours NYC, Nov. 2014

Featured Solo Travel Travel Resources

Travel to New York City: Taking a Juicy Bite of the Star-Studded Big Apple with the TMZ Tour NYC

Traveling to New York? Hop aboard the red TMZ Tour NYC bus to take a juicy bite of the star-studded Big Apple.

Soaking up the glitz of pop-culture is one of my guilty vices and TMZ is my go-to source for a juicy fix. Watching the show, I often thought it would be fun to follow a TMZ crew as they scoped out Hollywood’s streets in search of today’s relevant celebrities.