California
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4 Smart Spots for The OC Coffee Break
Whether it is a “triple venti soy no foam latte” (yes, there is such a thing) or a simple cup of strong, black coffee, everyone needs a caffeine fix in the morning. Today marks National Coffee Day (again there is such a thing), and so we thought we would celebrate The OC coffeehouses that have become smart spots for our morning needs. 😉 Hidden House Coffee Roasters, San Juan Capistrano True to its name, this micro-roaster finds itself nestled between a few oak trees just past the San Juan Capistrano Amtrak station. With hardly much room between the register and the door, Hidden House manages to squeeze its roaster, large…
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The Buddy Holly Story
I have never been a big fan of jukebox musicals. They can be fun but in general it’s lazy musical theater, meant for audiences afraid to try anything new. The shows take a collection of already published music from one particular person or band or genre, and either loosely connect them in an effort to form a story (Mamma Mia!, Movin’ Out, Rock of Ages) or use them in telling the story of the singer/band (Jersey Boys, The Boy from Oz). Critically, occasionally they work well and often they fall flat, but audiences (particularly those not familiar with or appreciative of the more original work on Broadway) tend to love…
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Sundays in the Park
Fresh air, laughing children, food and wine, dancing neighbors and live music; there are few things that elicit a more favorable response than a classic summertime music concert in a park, especially when it’s free. A quick Google search shows how many options there are nation-wide for experiencing free musical concerts in public spaces, and we are all better for it. My family has enjoyed performances in Central Park in New York and Klyde Warren Park in Dallas, and now thanks to the Laguna Beach Arts Commission we have this opportunity again in our new home of Laguna Beach. Fifty-two year old Bluebird Park is enclosed by fencing and surrounded by…
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YesVideo: From Memories to Retelling Stories Digitally
These past few months, I have been honored to be a YesVideo Storyteller, their ambassador program. Part of the benefits of being a “Storyteller” is traveling to their headquarters in Santa Clara, California, and take a tour of their facilities. Since 1999, YesVideo has been providing services and programs for families to protect and share generations of memories. They believe in designing products that our own families would enjoy and building processes that we would trust to handle our own irreplaceable memories. First, they started out by mailing customers CD-ROMs, then moved toward mailing DVDs and now making it easy to share the memories via email, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and…
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Business Travel: Silicon Valley, California
I am a firm believer in the idea of adding fun to a business trip. It’s not always easy to find free time when you’re traveling all over the place representing your company or brand, but business travelers should carve out time to enjoy themselves whenever possible. Fortunately, a perk for being a YesVideo ambassador was traveling to their headquarters in Silicon Valley. This brand knows how to work hard and play hard. The digital revolution transformed Santa Clara County, California, into the home of some of the world’s biggest technology companies. So, if you are here on business visiting one of these companies, here’s is what I would recommend for…
