We gather up the family and head out for a 4th of July picnic of burgers, hot dogs and watermelon, or perhaps something more nouveau and color-coordinated - strawberry salsa, sun-dried tomato and roasted pepper dip, white ceviche, blue corn cakes, blueberry ice-cream and coconut macadamia truffles. 

Totally stuffed with picnic fare, we settle in to watch what we know will be a fabulous show in the summer nighttime sky. We stretch out on  blankets, lounge in lawn chairs, take our place in bleachers, lean on riverboat rails and look up, eagerly anticipating the first burst of sound and color.  Suddenly out of the darkness, streaks of gold, green, purple, red, white, or blue shoot up, exploding overhead in spectacular shapes -  starbursts, chrysanthemums, cascades - each ending in golden sparkles drizzling down in glittering rain.  Old or young, cynic or starry-eyed, we are dazzled.  And, as we eargerly anticipate the next rapid-fire surprise we tell each other that this is the best ever.    

Year after year, we take part in this purely American ritual:  picnic followed by fireworks, often with stirring music thrown in.  There is a security in sameness.  It’s a way of putting aside our differences, of reminding ourselves of who were are.  It’s about feeling the pride, in unison.  But, why do we celebrate in this particular way?  The really interesting fact is that over two centuries later, we celebrate in much the same way we did soon after our independence was declared on July 4, 1776. 

It all started with spontaneous public celebrations as the Declaration of Independence was read out to the public, one community at a time, across the 13 United States of America.  Word of the event didn’t reach everyone all at once as communication was slow, by horseback, carriage or boat.  But, when the news did arrive in cities, small towns, rural burghs, and farm communities, citizens and militia gathered to hear the reading of their Declaration of Independence.  The excitement was spontaneous and celebratory. Muskets fired volleys, often one for every state in the union,  cannons bellowed and belched, church bells called out joyously, and everyone jubilantly shouted “huzzah!”

Ever since, America’s great anniversary festival  has been celebrated in public gatherings, mostly held in her great outdoors - parks, river banks, lakefront  lawns, public squares. Early Independence Day celebrations were filled with patriotic readings and oratories, often delivered by civic or military notables, church bells rang, and in harbor-front cities, ships flying the American flag and colorful streamers fired artillary salutes.  There were parades and processions, stirring music, booming cannons and blasting muskets. 

Food was served after the ceremonies, laid out on long tables for all the enjoy, much as we do today.   A favorite early Independence Day food was turtle soup.  Conservation efforts diminished this tradition with veal stew meat becoming a substitute for the popular, rich delicacy.  You can still find the authentic turtle soup (made from farm raised turtles) at Commander’s Palace in New Orleans. 

Our penchant for outdoor grilling began early.  Pig roasts were immensely popular in the early 1800s, as was roasting huges sides of beef and oxen.  A favorite early dessert was Baked Indian Pudding, made of milk, sugar, eggs, cornmeal, flavored by molasses, cinnamon and ginger.  And, as early as 1798 in Charleston, ice-cream became wildly popular and the dessert of choice, just as it is today.

In well over 200 years, our celebration hasn’t changed much.  We’ve substituted cannon and musket fire with more picturesque, planned pyrotechnics, put togther with great skill and showmanship.  Our picnic choices have certainly, and thankfully, evolved into something simpler, lighter and summerier! 

We gather, as we always have, as citizens.   Our celebrations, big or small, are special and they are uniquely ours.  We flock to celebrate in small-town squares, where families cook out enjoying pot luck dishes and watch fireworks funded by the local Rotary.  We line up by the thousands along the banks of the Hudson River for New York City’s over-the-top Macys Fourth of July Fireworks accompanied patriotic music performed by the New York Pops. 

In sultry bayou air, we watch the spectacular Dueling Barges Fireworks Extravaganza from the banks of the Mississippi or on one of many steamboats dancing around each other on the big, ancient river, so long the lifeblood of our country.  We enjoy hot dogs and all the fixings in Charleston’s Patriots Point, a prelude to the fireworks screaming off the flight deck of the aircraft carrier, the USS Yorktown.  

Washington D.C., is spectacular on the 4th.  Events go on all day, all around the National Mall, beginning at noon with a parade along Constitution Avenue.  There’s a Folklife Festival at the Smithsonian, celebrations of the signing of the Declaration of Independence at the National Archives, concerts on the Capitol lawn and on the grounds of the National Monument, all capped off by the spectacular 4th of July Fireworks on the National Mall.  The setting is lovely in its simplicity and stirring in its symbolism - our Monuments and Memorials glow white against the nighttime sky as fireworks shooting up from the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool light up the sky directly over the spire of the Washington Monument.  

We opt for a simpler version in the Florida Keys.  It’s smaller in scale, but equally as memorable.  In the soft, purple-hued tropical dusk we head out  in our boats to join a flotilla of similar family craft anchored in bays and cuts.  As the sky darkens we are treated to simultaneous shows put on by island communities up and down the coast.  We see them, way off in a distance, diminuitive in size and without the bang as the sound doesn’t travel that far.  It’s quiet on the water and as the fireworks give way to stars in this peaceful setting, the shared family experience is incomparable.          

At your venue of choice this 4th of July, enjoy this special time with family and friends, fill up on favorite picnic food, marvel at fireworks bursting in air, get goose-bumps listening to the orchestral fullness of  John Philip Sousa and, just maybe, shout out “huzzah” in tribute to those with the wisdom, the courage and foresight to know what we could be.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was pivotal in creating our new United States. Visiting the places where Franklin, Jefferson and other founders met is awe-inspiring. No visit would be complete without seeing the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. But be prepared. To protect these National treasures the security is high. It’s very similar to Airport security measures so factor this into your visit.

A good place to start, of course, is the visitor’s center to get oriented and a timed entrance ticket for the Independence Hall tour. Although these attractions are free they are organized from this location.

Do spend some time reading panels and plaques for a complete story and don’t miss Benjamin Franklin’s Burial Plot just down the street and the site where Thomas Jefferson completed the Declaration of Independence. Everywhere you turn in Philadelphia, History winks back!

That’s the same feeling you get in Madame Tussauds Wax Museums.  See for yourself when visiting Madame Tussauds Las Vegas, New York City,  or Washington D.C.  The historic and contemporary figures are so life-like, for a moment you forget they aren’t.  What’s more, by interacting with your favorite celeb as you step into their world cleverly created through high tech accouterments, intellect and fantasy somehow get all knotted up.  You know they’re just wax figures, but for a moment you believe!

Why are we so fascinated by these figures, especially the contemporary ones of alive people?   Because we’re groupies. 

Just maybe by hanging out in the Oval Office with Barack, hugging Michelle, putting our arm around Bill, singing for Simon, standing between Angelina and Brad, dancing with Beyonce, or just being near the Jonas Brothers (omg!), we get close to our fantasy.  As I mentioned, it’s a little twisted.

Speaking of real, there really was a Madame Tussaud.  She learned the art of making life-like figures from wax in Paris in the late 1700s!  Her first wax figure was of Voltaire in 1777, and she created one of Benjamin Franklin, who first arrived in France in 1776 and stayed 9 years in search of aid for the Revolutionary War from the court of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.  France was very taken by the affable man, as was Madame Tussaud.

As Madame’s collection grew, she displayed these true to life figures in a traveling show throughtout Europe.  One at a time new figures were added, including a rather morbid group based on figures she copied from French Revolution corpses and exhibited in the Chamber of Horrors of her first museum which opened in London in 1835.  People queued up then just as they do now for today’s version of the Chamber of Horrors - Chamber Live!

Today’s Madame Tussauds London flagship museum and the ones in major major cities throughout the world continue to fascinate with their incredible liknesses of the rich and famous - historic and contemporary, sympathetic and monstrous, dead and alive. 

Waxen images of pop culture icons of music, movies, sports and politics are a big draw, undoubtedly due to an obsession for proximity to celebrities -  real or not!  Set in realistic sets, surrounded by real props and wearing authentic costumes, the wax figures come alive through high tech magic, mood lighting, appropriate music, recorded real voice and special effects. 

So, how do they do it?  The art of creating waxworks is an age-old technique used as far back as the ancient Greeks who made portrayals of gods from wax.  Ancient Roman nobles had their likenesses created to be stored with them posthumously, a tradition passed on to Europe.  In the early Catholic Church, wax was used for making faces of statues of saints.  Sculptors such as Michelangelo would not think of attempting a figure in marble without first creating it in wax, and in the 17th century in Europe, having your portrait done in wax was the rage.

Today waxwork figures go through a number of stages before coming out.  Artists study hundreds of photos and watch video footage to create an accurate likeness - one that’s really on the mark.  The first step to creating a life-sized figure is to make a metal armature, a skeleton, if you will, in the pre-determined pose.  This supports the next step, the clay.  The sculptor builds up the entire figure by modeling clay around the armature from which a plaster mold is created.  Hot wax, containing a variety of compounds for accurate skin color, is poured in the plastic mold and allowed to cool and cure.  The mold is then chipped away to reveal the body.

The head is a bit tricky as the head and facial expression is either ”on” or it’s not.  Once the details are exactly as the sculptor wants them, a plaster mold of several pieces is made from the clay head.  The pieces are removed and reassembled to receive the molten wax.  When the wax has cooled, the plaster pieces are carefully removed.  Then, with input from dentists, hairdressers, tailors and dressmakers, realistic details are applied.  Hair, real hair, is put in one piece at a time!  Then come the teeth, the glass eyes, the make-up.  Costume designers dress the figure in iconic attire, preferably something once worn by the individual, purchased or borrowed.  The figure is then ready for placement in a scene distinctly theirs.

The secret is to capture the individual nuances of body language, facial expression and hand placement.  If these are right, we believe.  If they aren’t, our critical eye bursts the bubble.  For a preview of just how real these waxworks are, check out the photos on Flickr, especially those in Sebastian Niedlich’s Madame Tussaud Berlin Set used in this article.

Madame Tussauds list of notables  is amazingly long and the figures don’t stay still.  They keep up with the times. High profile celebrities with star power are cleverly placed in changing scenes mimicking the real life situations of their globe-trotting flesh and blood counterparts interacting with each other at news-making events.  

You, too, can have a paparazzi moment.  Walk Oscar’s red carpet with A-list stars, play pick up ball with Shaq, stand with Johnny Depp if you dare, or marry George Clooney (bridal gowns provided)! 

You’ll see.  The the line between reality and fantasy is really blurry - just what Madame had in mind.

The best chance of finding a keeper in the U.S. is along Florida’s beaches.  But first, there are some things to know.  Shelling along Florida’s Gulf coast is a totally different experience from shelling along Florida’s Atlantic beaches.  The sand is different - grainier and darker on the Atlantic side; whiter and powderier on the Gulf side.  The water is different - bigger waves roll in all the way from Africa on the Atlantic side; smaller ones build over the shallower, bowl-shaped Gulf of Mexico on the Gulf side.

And, the shells are different.  Atlantic coast shells are larger, thicker, are more intense in color and have stronger markings, a result of their more turbulent journey.  Eastern Banded Tulips, Crown Conchs, Florida Fighting Conchs, bright orange Lion Paws are great finds.  Gulf coast shells are smaller, more delicate in texture, paler in color.  Spiky Murexes, square-patterned Scotch Bonnets, pastel-pale Coquinas, glistening Olives and patterned Calico Scallops (with luck with both halves still attached) are barely dipped in soft pinks, mauves, pale yellows, light tans.

Complicating the quest even further, every beach is different, each known for particular finds.  Dedicated shellers go on quests, knowing just where to look for specific species; novices find them by chance.  Those chances are greatly improved by reading Chuck and Debbie Robinson’s “The Art of Shelling.”

Any list of Florida Gulf coast shelling hot spots always begins with the most famous: Sanibel Beach off Ft. Myers.  Jutting out in a westerly direction (rather than the north/south lay of the rest of the Gulf coast barrier islands), the prevailing winds and currents push up against the island making it a giant shell catcher.  So many shells have washed up over the eons that the sand is made up of minute shell particles which crackle and crunch pleasantly underfoot. 

So plentiful are the Murex, Tulips, Angel Wings, Turkey Wings, Lettered Olives, Cowries, Whelks, Scallops, Sunray Venuses, and Spiny Jewel Boxes on Sanibel that along the hotel lined beaches everyone does the “Sanibel Stoop”- the bent-over-at-the-waist, head-down, eyes-glued-to-the-sand, shell-seeking position! 

Not quite as crowded is the beach along Blind Pass, separating Sanibel Island from Captiva Island, or the more secluded Bowman’s Beach off Sanibel-Captiva Road.  Likewise, at the east tip of the island Lighthouse Beach, the site of the historic, still functioning Sanibel Lighthouse picturesquely nestled among the sea oats, is another somewhat less-traveled shelling spot. 

Collecting live shells on Sanibel is prohibited.  As a matter of fact, it’s just good practice not to collect live shells anywhere.  If a shell appears to have an inhabitant, leave it be.  There are plenty of empty ones out there for the taking.  The same goes for the popular, easy to find sand dollar.  If they are tanish-green, with a sanpapery surface, leave them in the water to see another day.  Look for those that are bleached out white, they’re pretty, delicate, and no longer alive.  Handle them gently as they’re also brittle and crumble easily.

Traveling in Florida with kids?  A stop in Venice, under an hour from Ft. Myers is a must.   Kids will treasure the fossilized sharks’ teeth they find, and find them they will!  There are so many sharks’ teeth along Venice Beach that the sand is a smoky gray!  Look for them, too, just north of the Venice Fishing Pier, where the long narrow stretch of black sand is loaded with these pre-historic finds. Carpsen Beach, just south of the Venice Airport, is another great place to find both shells and sharks’ teeth.

In the Sarasota area, the expansive curve of Turtle Beach on Siesta Key yields Calicos, Coquinas, Kitten Paws, Slipper Shells, and Sand Dollars.  In St. Petersburg, just over the Skyway bridge spanning the mouth of Tampa Bay is Fort DeSoto State Park, historically interesting, with fort remnants to see,  trails to walk, coves to kayak, places to fish, and beaches to shell.

Just to the north of Fort DeSoto, Shell Island, an uninhabited boomerang shaped island, is  accessible only by boat, the Shell Key Shuttle, which makes round trips from the bay side of Pass-A-Grille 3 times a day.  While there are no creature comforts on the island, it’s a delightful shelling experience especially on weekdays, when pleasure boats filled with party people aren’t anchored just off the beach.

Caladesi Island State Park just off shore from Dunedin and Clearwater Beach was Dr. Beach’s  “Top Beach in America” pick for 2008, and with good reason.   With a few more amenities than Shell Island, it, too, is accessible only by ferry departing from nearby Honeymoon Island and from Clearwater Beach.  Feeling far removed from the hubub of one of Florida’s most populated areas, it’s a joy to walk the still-pristine beach lined with sea oats and crisscrossed with purple beach morning glories, watch the wading egrets and herons carefully pursuing their catch, swim in clear Gulf waters, and find plenty of shells.  

Although your finds along Florida’s Atlantic beaches won’t be as numerous, your keepers will be big, beautiful, deep water shells.  In Palm Beach, the flats off Peanut Island at low tide might yield a Florida Fighting Conch or a Banded Tulip, but you have to take a water taxi to get there.  Here, the grassy flats are a better place to look than along the sandy beach, but you must wear tennis shoes for any flats wading as broken glass and sharp objects could lie buried just beneath the surface.

The beach along A1A between Fort Pierce and Vero Beach is dotted with stairs that lead up and over the beach dunes.  While there are homes and high rises along this stretch, there are still some areas with public accessibility.  The beach stroll is delightful; the chance of finding a keeper high.  A bit further north, along the 21 mile stretch of beach at Canaveral National Seashore/Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge, you’re sure to find Prickly Cockles, Shark Eyes, Turkey and Angel Wings, Lightning Whelks and Calico Scallops in tidal pools and on flats just off the beach.  Wading shoes are a must. 

The beaches around St. Augustine are good shelling places too - Vilano Beach, St. Augustine Beach, Anastasia Island Beach.  Quaint and historic St. Augustine, America’s oldest city, is an added bonus.  Imagine, you can shell around Matanzas Inlet used by the Spaniards as a back door entrance to their settlement guarded by still-intact Castillo San Marcos, made of coquina shells, a favorite regional 16th century building material!

Practice the Sanibel Stoop! 

Bring along your patience and a strong back.

Slather on sunscreen, slap on a hat.  

Start looking for those keepers.

This Saint’s day is wonderfully all-inclusive - for saints and sinners!  In the days and sometimes weeks surrounding March 17, we all celebrate our Irish roots - real or imagined!  Everyone, real Paddies, Plastic Paddies and Paddie wannabees, celebrates - one way or the other, or both.

Why is Saint Patrick’s Day so popular?  Because around 15% of us are Plastic Paddy’s - descendents of the Famine Irish who immigrated to America in massive numbers during the great Irish Famine of 1845-1850 and who lived in great poverty, in deplorable conditions, and endured intense discrimination.  Yet, they survived it all, rising one generation at a time to success, prominence, and assimilation.  Saint Patrick’s Day celebrates the pride of that achievement and deeply rooted cultural heritage. 

For these celebrants, it’s a time of tradition, honored in special Masses and heralded in festive parades where clans proudly wear their colors and Irish bands perform.  Families in huge numbers line the streets of cities with a deep Irish heritage, cities like Chicago, New York, Boston, Savannah, to listen to bagpipes, enjoy marching bands, marvel at the flying feet of traditional Irish dance groups. Irish bands perform on street stages set up along the way, there’s dancing in the street, and the strains of Celtic folk music is everywhere.   Brigades of neon green fire trucks rumble by and even Irish Setters and Irish Wolfhounds strut their stuff and.  It’s festive and fun!

In these cities, everything paint-able turns green; anything remotely Irish is on display.  Shamrocks fly proudly on flags and are pasted on windows; people wear green creations; green beads are thrown from floats by leprechauns of all shapes and sizes; fountains and even rivers run green!

Crowds line up to get into Irish pubs to down Guinness Stout as well as other creations, mixed especially for the occasion, some green - The Frogger, The Dancing Leprechaun, the Dublin Handshake, the Irish Car Bomb - or Irish brews, by the pint - Guinness, Murphy’s, Harp, dark or light.  Corned beef and cabbage and shepherd’s pie are on every restaurant menu, Irish or not.

Boston has the distinction of being the first city to celebrate the Irish, way back in 1737.  Here, the parade is always on the Sunday before the actual Saint’s day. This year it’s on March 15 from 1-5pm in South Boston, the most Irish of Irish neighborhoods, and it’s filled with tradition and fun.   

Savannah’s parade, the 2 nd largest in the country, was first held in 1813, and the luck of the Irish still shines.  Savannah’s celebration  lasts a month and it’s big!  It’s kicked off by the Savannah Irish Festival in mid-February, and Irish-themed events go on throughout town, culminating in the parade on March 17.  The Greening of the Fountain in Forsyth Park is the first of the March events.  The water flowing from the impressively beautiful fountain in Savannah’s biggest park is green, as is the water in all of the many other fountains within Savannah city limits. This Saturday, March 14, Emmet Park at the east end of Bay Street is transformed into the Emerald Isle during Tara Feis Irish Celebration.  A real crowd pleaser, the setting is wonderful and the entertainment spectacular.  There are continuous live performances by well-known Celtic groups, traditional Irish bands, including this year’s headliners, Cherish The Ladies.  For kids, there’s music, dance, the telling of wonderful Irish folktales, and lots of food.  The day of the grand finale, the big parade, begins with a celebration of Mass in the Cathedral of John the Baptist. 

Green Chicago River

The New York City and the Chicago parades tie for first in terms of attendance, nearly 2 million each! Chicago’s starts at noon on Saturday, March 14, just after the much anticipated Dyeing of the Chicago River - green, of course. 

Marching for the 248 th consecutive year is the New York City Saint Patrick’s Day Parade, which has the honor of being reviewed by His Eminence Cardinal Edward Egan, Archbishop of New York, from the steps of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral.  As the nation’s first recorded parade (1762), this one is pure pageantry and tradition as politicians, proud clans, Irish nationalist societies, and police and firemen walk the route along 5 th Avenue, from 44 to 86 streets.           

This is the traditional side of Saint Patrick’s Day. 

Then there’s the revelry.  For these celebrants, be they true Irish, those with a wee bit of Irish, or those without a drop of Irish blood, it’s party time! 

They dress in wild green outfits, don a silly hats with a glittery shamrock pasted on the front, paint their faces green and nails green, wear green wigs, and partake in things Saint Patrick never envisioned - pub crawls and all-night drinking in Irish and not-so-Irish places.  In some cities, entire streets are closed allowing revelers to walk from bar to bar and mingle with green-tinted spirits in plastic cups.  We do this without really knowing why. 

Where’s the connection?  The shamrock and the green first: As legend has it, St. Patrick wore a shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity to the Irish pagans he was trying to convert to Christianity.  Green is also said to be the color of growth, renewal, and abundance, and with spring just around the corner,  why not celebrate! 

And the drinking part? Blame it on Pota Phadraig or Patrick’s Pot, also the stuff of legend. As the story goes, while visiting an inn during his travels, Patrick was served a glass of whiskey which was less than full, and he saw his chance to teach the lesson of generosity.  He told the innkeeper that a devil lived in his cellar who fed off his dishonesty and in order to get rid of the cellar-dwelling devil the innkeeper had to change his ways. When Patrick returned to the inn, the keeper was gladly filling his patrons’ glasses to the brim. Patrick found the devil emaciated from the landlord’s generosity and banished him.  Thereafter, St. Patrick proclaimed that everyone should have a drop of whiskey on his feast day. 

So today, hordes of people line up ready to partake in Pota Phadraig, not by the drop, but by the gulp.  St. Patty’s “Luck of the Irish” Pub Crawl 2009 in New York City is as advertised: three days of wearing green and drinking cheap beer - over 5 miles, 3 days and 100 bars!  Looking something not quite as roudy?  Make the rounds of top 5 Irish pubs in New York.

Boston revelers take over on March 17, at about 5pm.  Huge lines queue up at bars, Irish or not, all over the city, and a lot of drinks go down in places like the Black Rose, arguably the most famous Boston Irish bar, Hurricane O’Reilly’s, Purple Shamrock, Green Dragon Tavern, Coogan’s, Clery’s, Tiernan’s Irish Pub, Kitty O’Shea’s, Ned Divine’s, and any bar in and around Fanuiel Hall and on Union Street.  This is the time to try the top 10 Irish beers.

Savannah’s City Market is the scene of constant activity - bars and more bars; bands and more bands.  This year, the first Battle of the Bagpipes is happening in front of Molly McPherson’s, with guests pipers from the NYC Police and Fire Department, Ireland, Boston - and more.  This may get wild and crazy with all those guys in kilts!  And, as if this were not enough, the length of River Street is closed off for the plastic to-go-cup brigade, and a stop at Kevin Barry’s is a must. 

Regardless of where you are, celebrate to your liking with gusto.  Listen to Celtic music, attend a special mass, watch a parade.  Wear a touch of green, bring green bagels to work, try corned beef and cabbage,  And just maybe, partake in Pota Phadraig.  Saint Patrick said it was OK.

Like a siren’s song, they call to us.  By day, we are compelled to climb to the very top to gaze out to sea, hoping to see we know not what. In the pitch black of night the unique rhythmic cadence of their flashing beacon signaling out into the unknown is at once haunting and comforting.   

The oldest known lighthouse, the Pharos of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, was constructed by the ancient Greeks in the third century B.C. on the islet of Pharos marking the entrance to the major Medierranean port of Alexandria on the western tip of the Nile delta.  Rising 383-440 feet above the delta, it was one of the tallest man-made structures on earth for centuries.  Originally a daytime marker, the Romans later added fire and reflective mirrors for nighttime use.  As commerce and trade in Europe grew throughout the Middle Ages, lighthouses were built along the coasts of France and Italy.  During the competitive European maritime commerce of the 17th and 18th centuries, the number of lighthouses dotting the coastline of Europe increased dramatically.

The lifeblood of colonial America was dependent on maritime commerce.  As colonies grew, 11 lighthouses cropped up to safely guide vessels around dangerous rocks and shoals into the harbors of colonial towns.   

Boston Lighthouse

The first of these was a tower at the entrance to Boston Harbor on Little Brewster Island, built in 1716 and lit by tallow candles.  Accessible today by boat only, tours of this National Historic Landmark are offered June through October.  

Remarkably, the massive masonry stone light tower of the original 1764 Sandy Hook Light in New Jersey is still intact.  While an offshore light has lessened its importance, it still greets vessels entering New York’s busy harbor.      

Colonial lighthouses not ravished by nature were destroyed by the Civil War.  However, their role was so important that new ones were rebuilt on the same sites and many more added in the late 1800s.  To the delight of lighthouse lovers, many picturesque 19th century structures - some operational; others not - remain along America’s coastline and around the Great Lakes.  Made of brick, stone and masonry, distinctively painted in stark white, pitch-black, bright red, or painted in black and white stripes or diamonds, each holds a certain mystique.  We can only imagine what their eye has seen!

Florida’s extensive wrap-around coastline is dotted with historic lighthouses.  The oldest known structure in America, a Spanish watchtower in St. Augustine, appeared on a 1589 map belonging to Sir Francis Drake!  This precise location was so important for protection and navigation that subsequent towers were built on the same site by the English between 1763 and 1784, and the Americans after 1821, only to be washed away by coastal erosion.

St. Augustine Lighthouse

The current St. Augustine Lighthouse was built in 1876, about ¼ mile away from the original Spanish watchtower on more stable land, and is open to the public.  This distinctive black and white spiral banded lighthouse on Anastasia Island is said to be haunted, with good reason. The spirits of the keeper’s young daughters who perished there have been seen by some; the smell of cigar smoke from a keeper who fell to his death while painting the tower is detectable by others.   

While the history of the St. Augustine Lighthouse site is certainly older, the oldest existing lighthouse in Florida is the Cape Florida Lighthouse at the tip of upscale Key Biscayne in bustling Miami.  It, too, is open to the public. 

Cape Florida Lighthouse

Established in 1825, this little lighthouse, peacefully nestled among the sea oats on a sandy beach at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Recreaton Area, has seen its share of violence and tragedy.  During the second Seminole War in 1836, it was under siege by the Indians who murdered the keeper’s family and left the assistant keeper for dead.  His account of his horrifying experience is told in the lighthouse museum.

Sombrero Key Light

Perched atop the submerged coral reefs paralleling the Florida Keys are a series of pile tower lighthouses, skeleton-like structures built in the late 1800s to keep mariners traveling the busy Gulf Stream shipping lanes from straying into the jagged reefs.

Prior to their existence, Spanish galleons traveling northward on the Gulf Stream, heavy with gold and jewels, where blown off course and torn apart by reefs, scattering their bounty along the path of destruction.  Some of their treasure, recovered buried under the sand by legendary Mel Fisher, is on display in the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum.  Similarly, later merchant schooners lost cargo and lives on the reef, leading to the lucrative salvage or wrecking industry in early Key West.

Since their construction, the skeletal arms of these lighthouses - Fowey, Carysfort, Alligator, Sombrero, American Shoal, Sand Key - have sustained ferocious hurricane winds, seen their keepers and their families perish, embraced Cuban and Haitian migrants trying to reach America, alerted against illegal drug boats speeding ashore for secret rendezvous, and mark some of the best snorkeling and recreational dive spots in the world.

Key West Lighthouse

 

The historic Key West Lighthouse is landlocked and open to the public.  The view of quaint Key West from the top is 360° wonderful!  The first lighthouse was built in 1825, only to be destroyed by the violent hurricane of 1848, which killed 14 people sheltering inside. The present tower was built in 1848, but over time the sea built up land around it, rendering it ineffective.

Garden Key Light atop Fort Jefferson

Seventy miles off Key West, perched on top of the brick walls of the remarkable Civil War-era Fort Jefferson is Garden Key Light.  The fascinating fort, appearing out of nowhere, a sliver of red brick appearing where blue sky meets turquoise sea, is a sight to behold on the day-long trip aboard the Yankee Freedom .  The isolated fort, 70 miles from land, is an engineering feat - visually incongruous, eerily isolated, extremely historic.   

Picturesque lighthouses dotting the outer banks of North Carolina belie the navigational challenges that lie offshore.  The lighthouses of Cape Hatteras, Cape Lookout, Cape Fear, Ocracoke Island, Bodie Island - all witnesses to the tragedies of this treacherous navigational hook of perilous shoals wicked currents, fierce winds, and dense, disorienting fog.  Besides the perils of nature encountered along this heavily traveled sea lane, mariners also contended with pirates, most nortorious among them, Blackbeard, who lurked among the coastal inlets, ready to pounce on passing merchant ships. 

During Civil War, the lighthouses of the Outer Banks were caught in a blockade/blockade-running tug of war between the Union and the Confederacy.  As recently as World War II, German U-boats prowled the Carolina coast in search a way to stage a submarine attack on the U.S.  In their efforts they sank so many merchant ships and Navy vessels the waters off the Outer Banks were known as Torpedo Junction. 

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

Marking the easternmost tip of the elbow of the Outer Banks is one of the best known of U. S. lighthouses, Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.  Jutting out into the Altantic where the warmer Gulf Stream collides with the cold Labrador Current, the area is so treacherous it’s called the Graveyard of the Atlantic.

 One of the most interesting lighthouses, Tybee Island Lighthouse, sits at the mouth of the Savannah River, leading to the port of Savannah, the fourth busiest and fastest growing container port in the U.S.  Some form of a tower has sat on this very spot since 1736, guiding mariners safely into the Savannah River. 

Tybee Island Lighthouse

The present-day 1867 structure sits on the foundation of a brick tower built in 1773, which was built as on the site of the original wooden tower of 1736 , the third of the colonial lighthouses!

The venerable Old Charleston Lighthouse on Morris Island at the entrance to the port of Charleston is the eighth of the colonial lighthouses.  Ancient-looking, with the sea lapping at its edges, it was retired in 1962, but it’s a great photo op. 

America’s historic coastal guardians - Visit them, climb them, photograph them, paint them, collect miniatures as souvenirs.  Picturesque and charming, they command attention.

Do what the real foodies do - seek out Restaurant Week, usually happening twice a year in an increasing number of US cities. It’s smooth on the palate, easy on the wallet.   

Restaurant Week in participating cities is fun and festive, and everyone wins. Cities showcase their dining options; restaurants feature signature dishes and try out new ones; diners experience the city’s restaurant scene, feast on regional cuisine, sample creations by acclaimed chefs, dine in delightful ambiences, from glam to intimate -all for a great price! 

Restaurant Week usually happens in off-peak months - January through March in cold weather destinations; July and August in hot weather destinations. Initially a marketing ploy by chambers of commerce in concert with local restaurants to entice visitors to a city during slower tourist seasons, Restaurant Week has become wildly popular in cities that host them. For visitors in the know, a week of great dining at great prices is reason alone to visit a city; for locals it’s a chance to try restaurants which might otherwise be outside their budget. 

For the price and the experience, it’s a steal!  The norm for participating restaurants is to offer a special 3-course prix fixe lunch or dinner menu, usually including a choice of appetizer, salad, or soup, an entrée and a fabulous dessert.  Depending on the city, lunch runs around $15-$20 per person; dinner is in the $30 to $40 per person range.  In some high-end restaurants, dinner can run in the $50 per person range, a bargain compared with their usual prices.  All prices exclude beverage, tax, and tip. 

In cities that have them, Restaurant Week has become a celebratory special event, a food festival with hundreds of restaurants participating and thousands of people enjoying.  Besides great food at bargain prices, some cities have enhanced the experience with wine pairings, tasting menus, cooking classes, and celebrity chef book signings.     

Traveling to Washington DC in February?  Great timing!  The recent inaugural festivities postponed the normally scheduled January event until February 16-22.   The list of participating restaurants is huge.  Some are big time politico spots; others smaller, more intimate places; all have wonderful menus.  Scattered as they are throughout DC’s distinctive neighborhoods, trying out several is a great way to really see the Washington DC that lies beyond the museums and monuments.  Can’t make it to DC just now, plan a visit there in August to take advantage the summer one.

Miami’s Winter Miami Spice lasts a whole month!  It’s going on now, but you have just until February 12^th to sample Miami’s eclectic, diverse culinary style, creatively infused with tropical and Latin influences. Check out the great variety in SoBe hot spots, sophisticated places in downtown Miami, intimate ones in charming Coral Gables, and trendy ones in artsy Coconut Grove.  If you miss the winter event, you’ll have a chance to sample Cuban picadillo, Argentine parrillada, Peruvian ceviche, yucca fritters, conch, stone crab during Summer Miami Spice in August/September. 

If snowy vistas are more appealing than sunning on the beach, Denver’s Restaurant Week takes place from February 21-27.  It’s so popular that almost 200 restaurants across the Mile High City are participating in the 5th year of the festive event. 

Sample all different takes on Boston’s traditional “chowda” and more in this historic colonial city of diverse ethnic backgrounds. Taste Italian with a modern twist; spicy Indian exotically prepared; Mediterranean small plates; fresh, succulent, signature seafood; comfort food served with good cheer in a friendly Irish pub.  The 2-week run of Restaurant Week Boston’s winter version is coming up March 15-20 and then again March 22-27.  Besides indulging in wonderful food, it’s a great way to explore Bostons’s charming neighborhood places, as well seaside spots with great views. 

New York City, arguably the best and most ethnically diverse culinary city in the world, is a big player. Not-to-be-missed NYC Restaurant Week happens in both winter and summer with menu selections that span the globe  This year’s winter event just ended, but plan now to attend the equally splendid summer sequel in July. 

In San Francisco, winter Dine Around Town (DAT) just concluded after a fabulous 2 week run.  If you’re salivating at the thought of fresh seafood and regional vegetables straight from California farms paired with great California wines, plan ahead to June for the summer version. 

Cutting-edge, creative California cuisine served in over 100 participating restaurants during dineLA throughout the greater Los Angeles area, in places like Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Long Beach, Malibu, Woodland Hills, Redondo Beach, Brentwood, Hollywood, just concluded. However, look for it again at the end of January 2010.  

Just like LA, Philadelphia’s Center City District Restaurant Week wrapped up on February 6^th.  If your plans take you to Philly next year, the offerings are delightfully varied - Nuevo Latino, savory Mexican, seafood classics, and French cuisine. 

Honolulu recently jumped on the culinary bandwagon, holding its 1^st annual Restaurant Week last November.  It was so successful they’re repeating it next year.  Glittery Las Vegas has one in September; San Diego’s concluded in mid January. Charlotte’s 2009 winter culinary extravaganza, Queen’s Feast, just ended, but the Queen’s holds court again in July. Restaurant Week is so popular in Atlanta there’s a friendly summertime rivalry going on between the Downtown Dining District in July and Midtown in August! 

Coral Gables, a lovely smaller city with a distinct European feel within the Greater Miami area, participates in Miami Spice and holds its own summertime event.  Try it for the food and the ambience, much of it al fresco.  On Florida’s west coast, acclaimed chefs have found a receptive home in Sarasota.  They’ll showcase their culinary expertise during Savor Sarasota at the end of May. The weather is great that time of year, and choices range from edgy continental cuisine in sleek, elegant surroundings to seafood specialties in a casual beachfront places.

In New Orleans, the melodious name alone, Reveillon Dinners, is the first clue that these are something special.  Similar in structure to Restaurant Week in other cities - discounted prix fixe menus offered in participating restaurants - they are true feasts which take place during the Christmas season in restaurants throughout a city where dining is a sensual pleasure.  A Creole tradition since the mid- 1800s, Reveillon Dinners were family celebrations following Christmas Eve mass, featuring breakfast-like menus of egg dishes, breads, and smooth  puddings.  Today’s Reveillon menus have broadened to include New Orleans favorites.  Imagine savoring signature Creole cuisine - gumbo, shrimp remoulade, jambalaya, bread pudding soufflé - in marvelous old world French Quarter places: Bombay Club, Commander’s Place, Broussard’s, Galatoire.  Newer restaurants like Emeril’s NOLA, serve a creative contemporary take on Creole favorites for New Year’s Eve Reveillon Dinners.

Helpful tips to fully enjoy Restaurant Week:

• Check online to see if and when your destination city has them.
• Check to be sure that your restaurant of choice is participating.
• Reservations are a must.  Reserve early. You can book online through opentable.com, but not all participants are on their list.
• When making the reservation, let them know that you are reserving for the Restaurant Week menu.  Some restaurants limit seating for Restaurant Week patrons in order to ensure table availability for patrons preferring the full menu.
• The well-known restaurants are sure to draw crowds. Check out the smaller, chef-owned places.  You’ll be delighted.
• Tip well.  Keep in mind that your bill is discounted, but your server is providing the same service they would give if your lunch or dinner were the regular price.  

Restaurant Week - delicious excess, exquisite preparations, and choices, choices, choices in tastes and ambience.  Save on $, if not on calories!

They appear playful, curious; they show off, display a certain joie de vivre, and even look us right in the eye - all personality traits we claim as our own!   Like us, they’re mammals, and are therefore warm-blooded, have lungs that breathe air, give birth to their young and nurse them.  Add these facts - they have large brains, live in complex societies, help one another, learn from experience.  It’s no wonder we’re intrigued.There’s a bit of envy too.  We wish, that like them, we could transition effortlessly between the air above the surface and the mysterious sea beneath it.  We wish we could frolic with abandon beneath the sea, unfettered by flippers, snorkels and masks.

Since at least as far back as the ancient Greeks, human characteristics have been attributed to the dolphin.  In some Greek myths they appear in the nick of time to rescue lost seamen, transport humans from the sea to serve a larger purpose, and are depicted as once human, transformed from human to dolphin through act or deed. They were so important in the culture of ancient Greece, that they appear in sculpture, pottery, and mosaics, and the ancient Greek astronomer Ptolemy named one of his original constellations Delphinus, the dolphin.

However we spin it, there is no doubt that the attraction is there, and in resort destinations all over the globe people attempt to connect with them.  We flock to see them in the wild on dolphin watching trips, applaud their choreographed performances in facilities where they are trained to entertain, clamor for the chance to “swim” with them, either in captivity or in the wild.

In Florida, bottlenose dolphin are the ones you’ll see, captive or in the wild.  Captive dolphins are headline acts in major aquatic facilities where they are trained to leap through hoops, beach themselves on platforms, jump in unison, and “tail walk.” These attractions include big, splashy Sea World in Orlando; smaller Marineland, between St. Augustine and Daytona Beach, where dolphin have been entertaining tourists since 1938; Miami Seaquarium in Miami; the Gulfarium in Fort Walton Beach on Florida’s panhandle; and Theater of the Sea, halfway down the Florida Keys.

In addition to the staged performances, these attractions offer dolphin encounters - immersions or “swims,” shallow water contact, feedings, and trainer for a day experiences - all under the supervision of trainers.  In land-locked Orlando, the all-inclusive Vegas-style “island retreat” resort, Discovery Cove, offers scheduled interactions in tropically landscaped lagoons with its resident dolphins.

In the Florida Keys, Dolphin Cove Marine Mammal Education Center in Key Largo and Dolphin Research Center on Grassy Key are more low-key, emphasizing the marine education component of their facility by demonstrating and explaining the intelligence and abilities of the dolphin, as well as offering “swims” with their resident dolphin in on-site coastal lagoons.

“Swimming” with dolphins sounds exciting, but it is not without controversy.  Much has been written about the appropriateness of such interactions, and the concerns of conservationist are available online.  For those wishing to “swim” with dolphins in the wild, it’s important to remember that while we have personified them and attribute playful qualities to them, they are first and foremost big, strong, unpredictable wild creatures. There are regulations overseeing human/dolphin interactions and they vary greatly throughout the world.  In some locations, the ability to get in the water with them is restricted to those holding special permits.  Check with the operator at your destination to fully understand what the experience holds.

While watching trained captive dolphins perform is entertaining, and being in the water with them exciting, there is no better way to see dolphins than in the wild, in their own habitat, on their own terms, doing what they do naturally.

Throughout Florida, the popularity of ecotours is rising as tourists increasingly seek out the chance to catch sight of wildlife unique to the area.  Those offering dolphin sightings provide the chance to get out on the water to experience these wonderful creatures, unchoreographed!  The moment is special when suddenly, out of nowhere in the never-ending expanse of sea, a pod of dolphin suddenly surfaces.

Such an encounter is exhilarating, usually accompanied by shouts of “Dolphin - over there!”  What a sight it is! They surface, rolling upward in a “porpoise” motion, breathe through their blow hole, only to “porpoise” back under again.  Before you know it, they pop up again, amazingly far away, a testament to their incredible underwater speed.  They leap into the air with joyous abandon.

They swim, sleek and streamlined, just below the surface, right up in front of the bow of the boat, keeping just ahead of the boat’s forward speed, a majestic bowsprit leading the way.  Or, they zoom up to the boat out of nowhere, break the surface purposefully parallel to the boat, roll a bit to one side to peer up with one eye!

All along Florida’s coast, these wonderful naturally-occurring encounters happen just by chance, on trips aboard boats of all sizes.  In Tampa, the Florida Aquarium, which does not exhibit dolphins, offers a Wild Dolphin Ecotour on a boat ride out to areas dolphin frequent.  On day trips aboard smaller charter boats like Wild Dolphin Adventure in Key West, you might see them frolicking in their natural habitat, on the move, searching for fish to eat.  While dolphin are always the star attraction, a trip like this is a  wonderful chance to get out in the turquoise water of the pristine “back country” of the Florida Keys to enjoy memorable times swimming, snorkeling and bird watching in the crystal clear Gulf waters.

Pay attention when you’re out there!  You may get lucky and experience the best sight of all - As these majestic creatures break the surface of the sea nearby, one just may be accompanied by a calf, tucked in tight alongside her, mimicking her every move, but in miniature form!

So elusive and mystical, it’s the stuff of movies and books.  It’s the soul released in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End; an indication of true love in Jules Verne’s 1882 book Le Rayon Vert (The Green Flash).

Florida Keys Sunset

Key West, the southernmost point in the United States, with its awesome sunsets and unobstructed views of the flat ocean horizon, is an ideal place to try to catch it…if you can. 

Sunsets all over the world are glorious phenomena - firery orange over a tropical sea, cool mauve, blue and silver streaks over a northern sky, golden hued haze through desert sand, saturated shades of coral overpowering for the moment the silhouette cut-outs of majestic mountains.  Sunsets, wherever they are, are magical, mysterious, unpredictable, yet consistently there, and the human response to them is universal.   

They have the capacity to hold us spellbound.  Regardless of who we are, or how many we’ve seen, we never tire of them. Never the same twice, each contains an element of surprise.  We may know precisely what time they’ll occur, but what they’ll look like is a mystery even as they unfold.  

Our connection to them is visceral, emotional.  They are so incredibly beautiful, yet so fleeting.  They put the day to rest, and offer hope for a new one. They bring out the romantic in us, and in their glow, the unremarkable and ordinary turn magic.  We paint them and photograph them, hoping to capture their essence, but never quite do.  They are, quite simply, a quiet natural wonder with a powerful mystique.

Key West has a special kinship with awesome sunsets - so much so that this atmospheric show is celebrated daily at the Sunset Celebration on the Mallory Square docks, and aboard wonderful sailing schooners, the Schooner Liberty, and the Schooner Western Union , which sail into the sunset every day to celebrate the happening with champagne, island cuisine, laughter and song. 

As the schooners head out of Key West Harbor just as the colors begin to build for their splendid spectacular, everyone eagerly anticipates the celebrated event.  All eyes are on the edge of the horizon where water meets the sky, watching the fireball slide silently into the water and disappear.

Sunrise in the Keys

As the vivid color dims, quickly turning into the blues and mauves of velvety dusk, the passengers grow mellow, knowing that the cycle will begin again at as the sun rises on the other side, a chariot fire moving across the morning sky on its way to its nightly ritual.

To catch the elusive moment, watch the last few moments of the setting sun (wear sunglasses and never look directly at it).  Look at the horizon appearance.  If the bottom of the sun is spiky and ruffled-looking, the chances increase that you may see it.  Blink, and you’ll miss it! 

Many in this island community swear they have seen it.  I have!

New York City is the ultimate urban Christmas experience, and nothing lifts the spirit more than its festive atmosphere and glamorous glitz.  Everyone, New Yorkers walking briskly and visitors gawking in awe, navigate their way through the press of people, ladened with shopping bags in red, green, and gold, embossed with signature names boldy proclaiming their origin. 

The air is more than nippy, steam rises from the sidewalk grates, everything glitters and glows. Young and old queue up, patiently waiting their turn to feel transported for a moment into the magic of Christmas, so real-looking behind the glass of department store windows. Familiar Salvation Army bells ring on every corner, strangers hum along to endless muzak holiday music, and a festive spirit emanates even from normally grumbly New Yorkers.  

Here, Christmas decorations are oversized and over-the-top, beginning with the most famous tree of all, the magnificent Rockefeller Center Tree, this year blue-hued.  The giant snowflake suspended at the corner of 57^th Street and 5^th Avenue, is so white it glistens.  Colored lights top the Empire State Building - red and green for Christmas, blue and white for Hannukkah - signal the season for all to see, and two miles of trees laced with white lights make Park Avenue glow. Huge wreaths, massive green boughs heavy with bigger-than-life ornaments, hang in hotel lobbies and are suspended from department store atriums.    

One thousand graceful paper cranes soar around the Peace Tree in the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.  Brightly colored, intricately folded ornaments depicting objects in their collection grace the Origami Tree in the American Museum of Natural History. Elegant 18th century Neapolitan angels and cherubs grace the elegant tree next to the life-like Neapolitan Baroque crèche in the grand Metropolitan Museum of Art. Thousands of crystal ornaments twinkle as their facets catch the light on the Swarovski Crystal Christmas Tree suspended above the lobby of Radio City Music Hall.

Strollers through South Street Seaport shop and dine in the glow of thousands of white lights, as the sounds of the St. Cecelia Chorus and other choirs gathered around the giant Chorus Tree fill the air.  Grand Central Terminal’s Sky Ceiling comes alive in the Holiday Laser Light Show, made all the grander by choreographed holiday music.

Ice skaters circle round and round under the grand Rockefeller Center tree, entertaining passersby; people of all ages and from all over the world skate joyously in the two ice rinks in Central Park, picturesque, small town fun in the middle of the world’s most cosmopolitan city. Bundled up couples go for romantic carriage rides through Central Park, creating a winter wonderland picture postcard as they pass by the legendary glow of Tavern on the Green.

The elaborately detailed Christmas themed scenes of the windows at Macys, Saks, and Lord & Taylor provide imaginative escapes for all ages. Highly anticipated year after year, these animated, imaginatively intricate storybook scenes, surely created by the elves themselves, are main attractions, mesmerizing children - and adults too.  At the wildly popular Holiday Garden and Train Show in New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, miniature trains puff and chug all around and through 100 replicas of New York City’s landmark buildings and bridges, quite incredulously made of plant parts.   

High Tea at Lady Mendl’s Tea Salon in the elegant Victorian Inn at Irving Place in Gramercy Park, at the Ritz Carleton, a properly restrained event complete with harp music, or in the Rotunda at the palatial Pierre Hotel are delightful respites from the sensory overload.  Kids, too, love a break from the maddening crowds, especially a cup of hot chocolate and yummy cupcake at whimsical Alice’s Tea Cup on the Upper West Side.  Le Maison du Chocolat on Madison Avenue will more than satisfy the need for a sugar boost, with divine subtle flavors. 

On seasonal cue, the splendidly elegant New York City Ballet’s Nutcracker at the New York State Theater, or the wondrous Balanchine interpretation of the classic by the City Ballet enchant audiences. Fast-paced and breathtaking, Radio City Christmas Spectacular lives up to its billing as wooden soldiers move with signature Rockette precision, Santa flies to the North Pole to his incredible toy warehouse, and the holiday New York skyline comes to life on stage. 

Choirs, orchestras and carolers perform throughout December.  The magnificent acoustics of Carnegie Hall create the perfect Handel’s Messiah, splendidly rendered on various dates by wonderful orchestras accompanying stellar soloists.  Christmas music and readings take place in the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and in other churches about town.

Christmas is fast approaching, but there is still time to soak up the Christmas spirit, if not in New York City, in a large city nearby, or in your own city or town.  Treat yourself and your family to the magic.  It’s beautiful, memorable, and priceless.