There are many sights to see on the road to Santiago, Spain, better known to pilgrims as St. James Way, or simply the Camino. Perhaps one of the most unusual I've experienced is Herreria de Compludo - the Forge of Compludo. Older than the pilgrimage itself, which became popular during the Middle Ages, the forge dates back to the seventh century.

I raise my baton to alert the orchestra that I am ready to conduct. In my best imposture of Gustavo Dudamel, I cue the woodwinds, then coax in the stringed instruments, and finally, I direct the brass-perching on the precipice and at the ready-to chime in. I punctuate my air-piercing baton-swirling, with a jab toward the timpani to elicit an emphatic beat. Smug and sly, I think that Felix Mendelssohn's Italian Symphony never sounded so expressive. As if following my intensity, the surrounding chamber becomes enveloped in a saturated vermillion glow that melts into an intense violet, as I command the orchestra…and we sprint together to the end of the first movement.

The year is 1954. For the first time in six years, the New York Yankees are not in contention for the world series. But I don't care - I spent the early school year racing home to watch my heroes on our tiny black-and-white TV. I not only know all the players - Andy Carey on third, Mickey Mantle in center, Hank Bauer in right, Moose Skowron on first, Yogi Berra catching - but their batting averages and other stats. I was obsessed. I was also a 10-year-old girl.

Catalina is not just an island paradise; it’s a very close island paradise, which makes it a perfect day or weekend getaway for Southern California residents. In fact, at only 22 nautical miles across the sea from Long Beach, the island can be reached by boat in one hour. With this in mind, the family and I recently escaped to the island for a memorable getaway.

I'm sitting on the beach doing nothing. I did the same thing yesterday. I also did nothing sitting on my hotel balcony. Okay, I was listening to the waves but certain do nothing things are allowed. Reading, for instance. I have a couple of days left to my vacation and I plan to do nothing in them also. It's not that easy to do nothing.

The sweat running down your brow, as you gently puff into the blowpipe attached to the amorphous blob of molten glass at the end of said pipe-which is inserted in a furnace-is not from the 2,300-degree fire in front of you-it's from your nerves! You just don't want to make a "mistake" on your very first piece of (what will assuredly be museum-worthy) art glass. Phew.

Our current T-Boy Society of Travel, Film & Music is devoted to domestic or international destinations in which you'd visit for its music. Once again, this allows us to see a different side of our esteemed writers who've been regularly delivering original content; a content that readers can only find on T-Boy.

Is chocolate the way to a person's heart? It seemed that the iconic screen star Cary Grant thought so when he devised a romantic tryst during a stay at the downtown Mayfair Hotel (now the Magnolia St. Louis). Grant would lodge at the hotel after performing at the adjacent Orpheum theatre. When his eyes first set on the18th floor suite, he was charmed by its 1930-40s glamour and style, and it became his designated suite of choice.

It's hard to imagine that there is feverish activity below decks, while you are more or less inert, abovedeck, sunning languorously poolside, with a frothy, umbrella-adorned beverage in hand. Such is "the life" on deck 11, on an at-sea day on Regent Seven Seas Cruise Line's stunningly appointed Explorer, with its exquisite décor—punctuated by its extensive, on-board art collection, valued at some $6 million. 

I woke from a deep, coma-like sleep.  Not entirely sure where I was…the celestial-looking ceiling above me seemed to ooze Heaven. Nimbus poufs of feathery clouds loomed languidly over my head…hints of statuary, or Cupids, or angelic cherubs, sketched in sorbet colors,floated gracefully on the canopy above my head.  Jet lag being what it is, it took me a few minutes to realize I was in a different kind of Heaven on Earth. I was in the Sofitel Rome Villa Borghese, floating on its signature-branded Sofitel MyBed, my body a limp whirl of protoplasm atop a bowl of weightless cotton candy!

A friend posed a question-why so much focus on Israel when there are so many pressing crises around the world, like the Sudan, largely forgotten? A worthy question, as dire straits expand from deadly political conflicts and authoritarian, corrupt governments to include climate impacts and crop failures.

Our getaway to the Catamaran Resort began recently when we checked into a gorgeous Bayfront Suite overlooking San Diego’s stunning Mission Bay. Spanning 438 sq-ft, the room was highlighted by a large patio that is literally steps from the sandy beach. The suite also boasts a big private bedroom, with two queen beds and a large TV; a separate living area with another big TV, a pull-out sofa, a wet bar with a refrigerator, and a dining area. A large, spacious bathroom with a walk-in shower, completes the room’s layout.

After years of long winter months of Seattle's nonstop stop rain and a sun which refused to shine, I packed up my car and followed the sun to the warmth of San Diego. I was not disappointed; the city was blessed with 12-months of sunshine with an an average temperature between 55 to 75 degrees.

My father, Louis Boitano, born in Ballard, Washington, before it was incorporated into the city of Seattle. He taught me many things which I try to live by today: never judge someone about the money they make in an honest profession; be wary of flag wavers, they’ve probably never experienced a real battle; never define anyone by their religion or by the pigmentation in their skin. And, never sprinkle grated Parmigiano-Reggiano on ravioli, for it interferes with the dishes’ real flavor.

If you were to run into Ben Rice on the street you'd probably think that guy's a lawyer, maybe a realtor or possibly an accountant. But when he straps on his guitar, leans into the microphone and blisters those first few chords you realize; that guy is not an accountant! Rice and his bulked-up sextet, the PDX Hustle, recently made a few West Coast appearances on a quick, 10-day romp through the Southwest.

Talbot County, Maryland is old. Very old. One of the earliest buildings dates back to 1682, a Quaker Meeting House, the site of the oldest religious building still in use in the United States. But more than the origin of its buildings, three favorite sons of the county encapsulate its history in different but fascinating ways. Two were symbols of the Revolutionary War, the other of the Civil War. One a resident (though he wouldn't have been considered so at the time…) of St. Michael's, another Oxford, and the third his very own island, Tilghman.

Although our first President, George Washington, never lived in the White House - it was not completed until the administration of our second president, John Adams. President John Adams is credited with owning the first Presidential Pets: two mixed breed dogs, named Juno and Satan. John Adams' tenure in the White House was short-lived (he lost reelection later that year), but many dogs and cats have served as First Pets ever since. John Adams' son, President John Quincy Adams, received an alligator as a gift from France's Marquis de Lafayette.

Lake Arrowhead Resort and Spa has everything the family and I need for a memorable getaway. The place has a great lake-front location, a gourmet restaurant onsite, a game room for the kids, pool and jacuzzi, spa and fitness center, a bar and coffee house, its own private beach and much more. All we had to do on a recent visit to the resort was park the car, check into a comfortable room and let the fun begin.

In our first installment of Owners and Pets, we covered Presidents and Pets: A T-Boy Odyssey Into Why They Loved One Another. Part I ended with a request to our friends, families and readers to consider sending us photographs of their own sacred pets, including those who had passed away, but will never be forgotten. This should help others to understand; when our pets love us, we tend to love them back. I've noticed in cinema, when male and female actors sign a contract to play in a film, they specify things that their character will never do.

Welcome to Savannah, Georgia's Prohibition Museum, the only museum of its kind in the country, where you don't just learn about prohibition, you actually re-live it. The visit is only one of the many enticing excursions aboard American Cruise Lines Intra-Coastal Waterway Cruise from Amelia Island, FL to Charleston, SC - also the only cruise of its kind in the country.

I find it hard to believe it's been three years since we lost James Harman. That's probably because his music is still on such a high rotation across all my playlists. So imagine my delight when friend, Nathan James walked over and handed me a brand new James Harman CD from Electro-Fi Records. The disc entitled, 'Didn't We Have Some Fun Sometime' features twelve fresh tracks all written by the man himself; James Harman. The recordings were captured online during pandemic 'live streams' or in studio recording sessions at Nathan's Sacred Cat Studios in Oceanside then produced and mastered in his new digs in Mountain Center.