Travel Media Showcase is an annual industry event focusing on the USA domestic market, pairing representatives from mostly small to medium sized regions with a variety of journalists. Travel shows for the industry such as this one are a great way for journalists to make personal contact with destinations and brands - learn about some of the latest activities and attractions in each region and help coordinate future visits. This show was TMS's … [Read more...]
Unique Martinique: A Napoleonic Retreat
John M. Edwards, a future inductee into The Napoleon Society, storms Martinique in search of his own Josephine. A huge fan of Napoleon Bonaparte, the hero of post-Revolutionary France, I left the U.K. Crown Colony of Montserrat in the days before their volcano blew up for the fatal shores of Martinique via a scary Island Air prop plane. Landing with a jarring whump, my galpal and I, along with the burdensome baggage of my Sistah Sah, then … [Read more...]
Investigating Legendary Party Thrower Jim Haynes
It was through my fellow American expat friend, “The Famous Zack,” a black Christian science-fiction writer originally from Ohio, with a short story coming up back then in the now-defunct “AMAZING STORIES,” that I first heard about the wild parties thrown by the legendary Jim Haynes, whom some sour-grape artists deemed an apocryphal “traitor.” So well known was Haynes as a manic socialite host that he even felt propelled to write a … [Read more...]
Dispatch: Austin Cafe Limits – Cooling out at Quacks
An American Poet, Instead of Texas T, Fuels up on Texas C (Oily high octane Joe), and in Austin's most famous Coffee Stop... In Austin, Texas, while vaguely visiting UT (The University of Texas) in The Lone Star State’s lively livable capital, I decided to pursue the art of doing absolutely nothing at all. My college chum from years back at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, Jen Harmon, an art photographer and Aikido expert, … [Read more...]
Fall in love with LaGrange, Georgia
An array of festivals fills the calendar with something to celebrate for everyone LAGRANGE, GEORGIA - AUGUST 2013 - With the first crisp notes of autumnal air, the calendar fills with a harvest of happenings clearing the way for memory-making excursions the whole family will enjoy. From old-fashioned festival fun to musical pursuits to sophisticated cultural explorations, find it all this fall in LaGrange, Georgia, about an hour from … [Read more...]
Let Les Bons Temps Roules in Red New Orleans
John M. Edwards discovers New Orleans unique cuisine to be out of this world, not just Creole and Cajun clichés (“Gumbo” and “Jambalaya”), but also, well, nothing beats an Oyster Poboy! At the legendary Napoleon House in New Orleans, Lousiana, I found myself expectantly dreaming of a dressed “Oyster Poboy,” especially since they had not even one of them on their menus. (Hurricane Katrina had literally wiped out many of the oyster beds way back … [Read more...]
New Orleans: One of the Country’s Largest Urban Parks Launches Family Fun Pass
New Orleans City Park welcomes visitors with bundled package of top family attractions New Orleans, LA (May 30, 2013) – With 1,300 acres of sprawling oak trees and green space, winding bayous and lakes, walking paths and more, New Orleans City Park is recognized as one of the largest, most expansive urban public parks in the country. Nestled inside the park are a number of amusement-style family attractions where visitors can do everything … [Read more...]
Old Florida charm in Panama City Beach
Panama City Beach in the Florida panhandle is one of those places that remind you of a combination of other places, a blend of kitschy charm found in Myrtle Beach, Atlantic City and Key West. It’s a place unto its own, though, and one where you’ll soon find, by dialect and design, a place apart from what you might usually think of as the Sunshine State. South Florida, more a mindset than geographical location, is arguably from the middle of … [Read more...]
Hundreds of volunteers made Oakland kids’ dreams come true
Children at the Community School for Creative Education in Oakland saw their ideal play space designs become reality on Saturday, August 18. In just six hours, the “my dream playground” posters the kids had drawn were transformed into a creative, colorful play environment. Teams of volunteers assembled a steel and plastic playground structure with a twisted slide, monkey bars and lots of components for climbing and exploring. Some built a … [Read more...]
New Orleans Wine & Food Experiences sets Plans for 2011
Kindred local ingredients and chefs top the program; champagne makes a huge splash ( www.nowfe.com ) (December 9, 2010) New Orleans, Louisiana - Grab your fork and your corkscrew, the New Orleans Wine & Food Experience, which ranks in the Top 10 Food & Wine Destinations in the U.S. and fourth in the World according to the TripAdvisor Annual Travelers Choice Destination Awards, has announced plans are underway for the upcoming 2011 event. The … [Read more...]