A view of snow covered dunes at Whitefish Dunes State Park

 If you long for the winter wonders pictured on holiday cards, head to Door County, Wisconsin where snow and fun abound.   I enjoyed an invigorating press trip to  Door County’s  snow-coveredshores, where I witnessed the peninsula’s jaw-dropping  beauty. Start your frosty frolics with a visit to Whitefish Dunes State Park.  An 865 acre nature preserve, Whitefish Dunes State Park boasts the highest sand dunes in Wisconsin and is the original home of eight Native American villages dating from 100 BC to the late 1800s.  The best way to view the park’s  scenic highlights is a snow shoeing hike through  the miles of pristine trails.  Three local shops rent snow shoes according the weight, so don’t be shy about announcing your pounds!  Snow shoeing guarantees a vigorous workout so be prepared to strip off some clothing layers.

What can be said about U2 that is not common knowledge? The 22 Grammy awards – the most ever won by a band, enroute to the 12 albums and 145 million records sold, or the watershed Live Aid concert which put U2 and Bono on the map and on the way to becoming a major force for philanthropy through music. 

U2

Today, U2 is not just a rock band. It is an institution of musical wizardry, with magic powers way beyond those of your ordinary garden-variety rocker.

A U2 concert is a seminal event. How Bono, The Edge, Larry Mullen Jr. and Adam Clayton reach out and grab individual hearts and minds in the sea of fans at their concerts is a story all by itself. 

The perfect example is the currently on-going 360° tour by U2, supporting their latest studio album No Line on the Horizon. The 2009 leg of the tour has wrapped up, but the next year’s schedule is already laid out for well into fall 2010. 

So much advance planning becomes necessary because of the enormous amount of logistics, equipment and technical know-how that goes into setting up every single concert. It took them 2 years to come up with the production design. The U2 360° tour support staff for each concert travels along with the band in 180 trucks.

The end result of this vast enterprise is that the band – which is truly center-stage with fans surrounding them from all sides – is able to reach out to every single one of their fans during each show. A giant spider-like 170 ft tall steel structure looks down on the stage, and tucks out of sight all the usual tech gear and scaffolding that spoils the visuals.

U2 360° Tour

There are moving bridges which allow the band to move in-between two inner and outer rings of fans and reach out to everyone, with a 360-degree vertically expandable LED video screen and 12 manned cameras to capture all the movement without losing audio and video, and display the show from every angle to every corner of the stadium.

Naturally, with such an expansive setup, the performance and the songs need to be just as good. Read More »

What are the top New Year's Eve travel destinations in the USA?

New Year’s Eve is just around the corner and the entire world will be celebrating with fireworks and oversized clocks counting down the last few minutes of 2009. Where will you find the best New Year’s Eve parties and most unique celebrations in the United States? Check out these top New Year’s Eve travel destinations in America.

Top 5 New Year’s Eve Travel Destinations in America

Fireworks at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom

5.  Orlando, Florida

Orlando is a great place for families to celebrate New Year’s Eve together.  The amusement parks will be packed, but Disney World, Sea World and Universal Studios are each sure to give you your money’s worth in terms of fireworks displays and celebratory parades.  Do, however, consider spending the night in a very nearby hotel if you want to avoid spending the first several hours of 2010 sitting in traffic.

Floats in the Rose Bowl Parade

4.  Los Angeles, California

What makes Los Angeles stand out as one of the top New Year’s Eve travel destinations is not the celebrity residents, but rather the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade that coincides with college football’s Rose Bowl.  The parade comes complete with floats made of roses, marching bands and a celebrity Grand Marshal that leads the way.  After the parade, you’ll find an over the top party at hundreds of world class nightclubs all over Los Angeles, and of course, a spectacular fireworks display at midnight.

New Year's Eve On Bourbon Street

3.  New Orleans, Louisiana

You’ll find the New Orleans locals heading to Frenchmen Street for New Year’s Eve, but Bourbon Street is sure to be overflowing with partying tourists.   No matter where you get started, you’ll want to be at Jackson Square by midnight to see the ball drop.  This year, the Sugar Bowl teams (Florida Gators and Cincinnati Bearcats), alumni and students will also be in New Orleans for New Year’s Eve, which is sure to add to New Orleans’s infamous party atmosphere.  Expect dancing in the streets, impromptu brass bands parading through, eccentric costumes, and tailgate style madness.

Las Vegas, Nevada

2.  Las Vegas, Nevada

It’s no surprise that Las Vegas is a top New Year’s Eve Travel Destinations.  Sin City is notorious for knowing how to throw a good party, and New Year’s is no exception.  The strip is pedestrianized for one giant outdoor party, complete with fireworks, sound and light shows.  Of course every casino, nightclub and hotel in Las Vegas will be offering specials and over the top parties of their own.  And who knows – maybe you’ll ring in the New Year with a jackpot win!

Times Square - a New Year's Eve tradition

1.  New York City, New York

Of course, the most famous New Year’s Eve event in the world is the celebration in New York City’s Times Square.  Dick Clark’s big ball drop is watched by a million people in the flesh, and a billion more on television.  Yes, that means you’ll have to fight an unbelievable crowd, but star-studded musical performances, pyrotechnics and the sheer notoriety of the event put New Year’s Even in Times Square on many “must do once in your life” lists.

Photo credit: Bob Jagendorf, d4rr3ll, erinbrace, Gary J Wood, eyeliam, Paul Mannix on Flickr

Winter Wonderfest at Navy Pier

The weather outside might be frightful but Navy Pier supplies indoor winter fun with the Winter Wonderfest at Navy Pier.  A Chicago holiday tradition for 10 years, the festival runs daily through January 3rd and supplies a snow-covered, action-filled day for the whole family.  A diverse range of activities include a rope obstacle course, inflatable games and create-a-cookie.  Amusement rides guarantee excitement with favorites like the 50-foot indoor Ferris wheel, the Winter Wind Glider and the Reindeer Express Train.

The Grand Canyon Railway

There is just something about the combination of Christmas and trains that speaks to my nostalgic side. When I was little my grandmother had a really old, really authentic train set that was made out of, like, iron or something. She’d set it up under the Christmas tree every year and it would weave its way around the stacks of presents (I was spoiled), making its distinctive “clack clack clack” sound that became the background sound of just about every Christmas of my childhood.

Years (ahem, an undisclosed number of them) passed.

Then, the movie “The Polar Express” came out back in 2004, and revitalized the obsession with Christmas trains in small children everywhere. To the excitement and joy of Arizona children, the Grand Canyon Railway established their own Christmas tradition with their version of The Polar Express.

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If you’re watching Christmas carols being performed by a full-fledged classical orchestra and a choir, accompanied by the pyrotecnics and light wizardry one generally associates with rock concerts, then you’re watching a rock orchestra - the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, to be specific.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra

And in case one isn’t sufficient, there’s two of them. Producer Paul O’Neill has TSO touring with two teams – TSO East and TSO West – at the same time.

So, with their latest album Night Castle having been released in Oct 09, they’re on tour with shows scheduled for virtually every single day, and even twice a day in different locations.

Each show is a 2-hour extravaganza of visual effects, with lasers and pyrotechnics. And it’s not just about the imagery.  TSO’s albums and holiday tour shows have a message and a story to tell.

In fact, the name itself is based on the Trans-Siberian Railway, which  links pockets of communities which would otherwise never be able to connect. The Trans-Siberian Orchestra similarly connects vastly different styles of music and brings together fans who would otherwise never come in contact.

Even though Night Castle is not a holiday album like Christmas Eve and Other Stories, the story behind it is still one of hope and redemption. Oh yes, Night Castle has a full-fledged story behind it… Read More »

Holiday bon bons at French Market vendor, Canady Le Chocolatier

The newly opened Chicago French Market in the trendy West Loop neighborhood, supplies a dose of style and fresh ingredients to the Chicago shopping scene. This indoor, one-stop, market features 30 specialty vendors including gourmet cheese, wine, chocolate and pastries.  Modeled after outdoor European markets and operated by the Bensidoun family, who are the largest  developers of Paris markets, the Chicago French Market supports local farmers and artisans in a year-round venue. Even though most of the market’s offerings are food related, I found an array of  special gifts on my recent visit.

A cactus strung with Christmas lights in Arizona.

Hop in the car, take a drive around town, and see businesses and neighborhoods who have gone all-out to bring holiday cheer in the form of elaborate Christmas light displays.

The McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park in Scottsdale, Arizona, hosts train rides among more than 100,000 lights and displays. Nightly from 6:30 to 9:00 running from December 11th through January 2nd, excluding December 24th, 25th, and 31st. Train rides are $2.00 and carousel rides are $1.00 each with children under three riding free with a paying adult.

The Red Rock Fantasy in Sedona, Arizona, is entering its nineteenth year. The festival is open each evening (weather permitting) from November 19th through January 2nd, from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, $3 for children aged 5-12 and free for children 4 and under. Dozens of southwest-themed displays and millions (yes, millions!) of lights make this one of the premier Christmas light festivals in Arizona. The route begins at the Los Abrigados Resort & Spa lobby under the lighted Red Rock Fantasy arch, and is clearly marked with reflective strips. It takes approximately 60 minutes to complete the tour by foot, and assistance is offered by the resort staff for those who are physically challenged.

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