The Charming Beach Town of Akumal, Mexico

Akumal is a small beach town nestled between the popular tourist destinations of Playa Del Carmen and Tulum along the Riviera Maya on Mexico‘s Caribbean coast. While I have been to this region of Mexico several times, I never thought to stop in Akumal until my most recent trip. After asking locals for snorkeling recommendations, I was consistently told that I could never expect to see as many sea turtles as I would in a matter of breaststrokes from the shore of Akumal.
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UpTake on Mount Rushmore

278 years ago today, the first president of the USA was born. In honor of George, here is an UP the nose TAKE on his likeness at Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills region of South Dakota. Keystone, SD to be precise.

This is a family must see! This giant granite sculpture represents the first 150 years of the history of the United States. Next to George are also the carvings of Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.

This post is part of our blog photo series: Things are Looking Up! If you would like to share one of your “UpTakes”, please submit your photo by using the editor contact link in the sidebar.

Photo Courtesy of : jimbowen0306

Monterey California's Lone Cyprus

My husband and I got married back in June of 2002. For our honeymoon, we decided to drive up the Pacific Coast Highway. We flew from Arizona to Los Angeles, rented a Lincoln Town Car (oh, what a comfy road trip vehicle!), and drove the 101 from LA to San Francisco. We took a leisurely week to do it – staying a couple of nights near Six Flags Magic Mountain, a couple of nights in Monterey, and then the last couple of nights in San Francisco.

Today, on this rainy, chilly winter morning (yes, it does occasionally get cold in Arizona!), I’m remembering Monterey quite fondly. Upon our drive in, we passed by the famous Pebble Beach and noted that, while we’re not avid golfers, we certainly wouldn’t mind attending one of the frequent car shows that the club hosts.

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Chicago may not have won an Olympic bid but the Windy City still hosts  Olympic events, namely the Drink Olympics.  Surely you’ve heard of them?  Local ale athletes train religiously for the games, which kick off today at 6:45 PM on the extensive playing field of   Lincoln Park’s the Tin Lizzy bar.  Only the most primed and pumped  participants are admitted to this prestigious game.  The bar sports include Beer Curling, Ice Luge, Hockey Shot Out and the Biathlon. Read More »