The Broadmoor Hotel, From 1871 to present, in Colorado Springs, Colorado

I love the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, Colorado was built in 1871.   I went there in 2008 when my son was only a few months old, and it was his first time flying.   My husband had business there, so my son and I came along. I scooted my son around the beautiful five star property in his stroller, it was delightful!  I especially loved the Golden Bee Pub. It came to Broadmoor in 1901 as a collection of panels and fixtures from a 19th century English Pub.  In the pub, there is a ragtime piano player that entertains guests with rousing sing alongs.  The ale is even served in yards, interesting since Colorado Springs was once nicknamed "Little London."

Resources:

The Broadmoor Hotel
Colorado Springs, Colorado
www.broadmoor.com

Do not buy IKEA stainless steel pans - learn from me, they fall apart!

IKEA stainless steel pots are very cheap! I was cooking some veggies in one of the pots and the handle fell off.  That could have been a dangerous nightmare!  Take my advice from personal experience, though I love IKEA for many things, pots are not one of them!

Bootleggers - Auburn, CA

Bootleggers is a great place to visit in Auburn.  It is downtown and open for lunch.  It has brick walls.    A great place to escape the heat.

Adopt a peach tree in Fresno, CA next summer! We did this July and it was fabulous!

This year, a friend who lives in the central valley of California e-mailed me about being on a team to adopt a peach tree.  The team has to apply, and then when accepted each member pays for the years upkeep of the tree.  The peach picking was last Saturday and there was brunch set out such as chips and peach salsa and other things from the Masumoto recipe book. Each person on the team went home with several boxes of freshly picked, organic peaches.  My city friends have loved the peaches!  What I love is that in a small way I have supported a small farm in the central valley of California.  Included is a book by David Mas Masumoto called, Letters To The Valley, A Harvest Of Memories, which is a book to his ancestors about farming in the central valley, it is touching and a great sentimental read!

Resources:

Masumoto Family Farm
9336 E. Lincoln
Del Rey, CA  93616
www.masumoto.com
Certified Organic by California Certified Organic Farmers

Letters To The Valley
A Harvest Of Memories
by David Mas Masumoto
(Written in the form of letters from a farmer to members of his family.)

Epitaph for a Peach
Heirlooms
Wisdom of the Last Farmer
www.masumoto.com

Cookbook:
The Perfect Peach:  Recipes and Stories
from the Masumoto Family Farm (2013)

Crop Swap, Berkeley, CA- Every Monday evening from 6:30PM to 7:30PM, through summer

Resources for Crop Swap
Transition Berkeley
http://www.transitionberkeley.com/abouttransition.htm

Feet on the Street Tours, Food Tours in Detroit, MI

On my last trip to Detroit, MI, I discovered the Feet on the Street Food Tours.  They have the following  offerings, and now that I've been on my first first tour in Chicago last summer, I'm addicted!

*Delish Detroit- Food Tour

*Prohibition and All That Jazz Tour

*Mexicantown Strolling & Tasting Tour

*CEU Tours for Social Workers looking at the diversity, ethnic and cultural traditions in Detroit (This tour is open to anyone.)  It is a combination of bus tour and continuing education program.

*Blast from the past tour. This is a perfect tour for a reunion group (family, classmates,) birthdays, anniversaries, or simply a trip back to the old neighborhood if you are from Detroit or to visit past lives in the D.

Resources:

Feet on the Street Tours

1400 E. Fisher

Detroit, MI

48207

(248) 353-8687 (TOUR)

Amtrak- Travel on the train

My son recently completed a cross country journey from Emeryville, California to Lansing, Michigan by way of Amtrak.  My son is a true train lover and has wanted to do this journey for years!  I recommend a roomette for anything over a day, especially if you are traveling with children.   Since we got the roomette, this included 3 meals a day which is the highlight of a cross country journey!  The people you meet are so interesting and we loved it! The most difficult part was stopping each time a freight train went by which caused us to be delayed into Chicago by several hours.  Most people we had been traveling with missed their connection and most people were referred by guest services, who told us to wait by a water fountain.  They made us wait with no information, everyone waiting over an hour with no food or drink other than what we had with us.  One woman had her purse stolen, a few people were arrested,  a mom crying holding her young baby and a preschooler and traveling with her senior mom.  Amtrak travel in the year 2014 is not for the faint of heart!  I recommend that if you take the train into Chicago that you already have a hotel arranged in Chicago and then start again the next day!  If your train is late going into Chicago, Amtrak will not offer hotel recommendations, but will instead make you wait for other late trains coming in, then bus everyone as far as Flint, possibly not arriving to a train station in a city at 2:30AM in the morning, which could be dangerous!

Would I take the train again? Yes!  Yet, I have some suggestions I will write about later today to make the most of your Amtrak train experience!