While recently charting my course to California’s Eastern Sierra, I spotted a tiny town on the map called Independence. It was located off Highway 395, right along my path. And with a name like Independence, it screamed history and small town California. I had to investigate.

If I had to pick a favorite Southern California hotel for family fun and culinary delight, the Hyatt Regency Irvine would be near the top of the list. With a sprawling pool complex featuring two kid-friendly waterslides, a standout signature restaurant, and some of the most imaginative family suites in the region, the hotel delivers everything a family needs for a memorable getaway.

For residents of the Nation’s Capital, and those who visit it, that can include the hidden rooftop pool at the Arlo Washington, DC hotel.  Framed by plush loungers and set against a bold, colorful wall mural, it offers sweeping panoramic views of the U.S. Capitol Building and city skyline.

This diversity is, to me, one of the Palm Beach area’s numerous inviting, and intriguing, traits. Walking or driving in the region introduces visitors to a smorgasbord of things to do and see which range from upscale to underprivileged, from interesting man-made attractions to some of Mother Nature’s magnificent handiworks.

I've had several different massages over the years. A couple of facials. But they all had one thing in common. Tactile manipulation of various body parts. That and soft New Age-y music in the background to induce relaxation.  Neither was true at SiSpa at the Palm Beach Marriott on Singer Island. My body remained untouched -- at least by a masseuse -- and the sounds more resemble bells-- Tibetan bowls to be exact -- which more reflect a spiritual journey -- an affirmation of self --  that the usual relaxation escape.

You don’t have to be a golfer to fall in love with one of Southern California’s classiest and most iconic resorts. The only thing you need is an appreciation for sweeping ocean views and sunsets that seem to melt into the horizon. Such is life at The Lodge at Torrey Pines, where the family and I recently spent three wonderful days and two blissful nights.

I could have been driving along any street, anywhere in the United States. The sun was shining, traffic was light and there was no indication that I was passing through anything other than an ordinary neighborhood.

Hemingway slept above me. No, not in the same room, of course. In fact, not even in the same century. But room #206 – The Ernest Hemingway Suite – was the room directly above my own at the Sun Valley Lodge. It was a big deal for me. I had always admired him, and now here I was staying at his favorite lodge, walking the lodge’s very same halls, breathing the same mountain air and basking in the very same scenery that he too had experienced. I could see why he liked it here and why he eventually made the Sun Valley/Ketchum area his home. Tucked away in the Idaho Rockies, Sun Valley’s 4,000 acres were not only a thing of breathtaking beauty, but they also offered a peaceful solitude – something that a man like Hemingway, who grew tired of the glare of the camera, would relish. The resort’s vast terrain also offered unlimited recreational possibilities for the true outdoors person. As I wondered around the resort, I saw Sun Valley’s world-famous day lodges, tasteful alpine style walking village with shops and restaurants; and a friendly, courteous staff. It almost seemed too perfect. But then, that was the plan.

Desert Hot Springs has long been a destination for rest and rejuvenation. Situated 20 minutes from Palm Springs’ expansive golf courses, artistic rows of palm trees and desert estates, rustic Desert Hot Springs feels a world away. It is one of the few places on the globe with naturally occurring hot and cold mineral springs. The Mission Creek Branch of the San Andreas Fault bisects the wellness getaway where one side is a cold-water aquifer while the other a hot-water aquifer, naturally heated to temperatures as high as 180 degrees by geothermal forces thousands of feet below the earth’s surface.

A large brown building adjacent to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena California, two days before the famed 137 Rose Parade, themed “The Magic in Teamwork” with Grand Marshall, former Laker basketball player, Magic Johnson, leading the way, hosts an incredible scene of controlled chaos. Massive floats: Honda, Princess Cruises and the States of Mississippi and Louisianna, are covered amidst scaffolding and ladders, with tables of flowers and tools, while a fusion of workers, volunteers, and artists are focusing on finishing details. Narrow, slippery passage ways are filled with hustling workers, as the bouquet of flowers and plants tickle the nose.