Sweet! The top 10 candy desinations in the US

by Martha Edwards on

Know what the best part about Halloween is? The candy. The sweet, sweet candy. Whether you’ve long outgrown trick-or-treating or not, being surrounded by sugary goodness is some sort of gluttonous version of heaven. Or at least to me it is.

Still, candy doesn’t have to be confined to Halloween; If you’re looking for a place to satisfy your sweet tooth, here’s a list of the Sweetest cities in the US, according to the National Confectioners Association:

  1. Hershey, PA. Well, duh. I think the name says it all. Head to the Hershey plant on Halloween and you’ll be treated to lots of free samples.
  2. New York, NY. With attractions like M&M’s World and a 16-story Hershey’s store in Time Square, it’s easy to see why New York is known for more than just apples.
  3. Orlando, FL. Disney world is a sweet-lovers haven, with sweet shops and a replica of Ghirardelli Square.
  4. San Francisco, CA. If Ghirardelli Square and the Scharffen Berger chocolate factory aren’t enough, San Francisco also boasts the world’s largest Pez dispenser.
  5. Chicago, Il. With a stadium named after gum, you know sweets are big here.
  6. Los Angeles, CA. Like Orlando, Disneyland is the place to be in LA for sweets.
  7. Boston, MA. Boston was crowned the Trick-or-Treat Capital in 2006 for its abundance of sweet stuff.
  8. New Orleans, LA. Classic sweet shops like Laura’s Candy Shop and Aunt Sally’s Praline Shop make this city a hit with sweet tooths (or is it sweet teeth … ?)
  9. Las Vegas, NV. This Halloween, Vegas trick-or-treaters will be treated to chocolate poker chips. Umm … not a good idea for chocoholics …
  10. Kansas City, MO. When in Kansas City, be sure to enjoy a tour of the Russel Stover headquarters.

America’s Favorite Cities from Travel & Leisure and CNN

by Catherine Bodry on

60,000 people chose their favorite towns from 25 choices across the U.S., and the list is in. The results are divided into 9 categories and 14 subcategories, including Shopping, Food and Dining, Culture, and After Dark. The winners are to be expected: New York won a first-place favorite for diversity, ethnic food, and classical music. Also consistently near the top were Washington D.C., Chicago, and San Francisco. No surprises there.

Missing? Philadelphia didn’t get too many votes — one third place win for its Farmer’s Markets. Miami didn’t fare too well either with no top-three wins, and same goes for Orlando and Dallas.

What’s your least favorite city? (I think that’s a much more interesting question than asking about favorites.)

Check out the results at CNN, and get more info on methodology at Travel & Leisure.

Delta Opens up SKY360 Lounge in New York

by Grant Martin on

If you find yourself in New York any time over the next month, take some time to stop by the SKY360 Lounge that Delta opened up last week. Occupying an expensive piece of real estate on 57th street and 6th avenue, this new storefront is supposed to showcase the new changes happening at Delta over the coming months.

Among the cadre of activities for the public to experience within you’ll find:

  • A (complimentary) coffee and soda bar, serving cocktails in the evening, with little pods in which to sit and enjoy them. Bring your laptop for free wifi as well.
  • Samplings of the new, exotic menu items inspired by Delta’s celebrity chef. As dear Catherine and I pointed out last week, this is becoming the hip thing to do among airlines.
  • And my favorite, examples of the new leather coach and premium seats to be installed in the new 777 livery (pictured), integrated with the new Audio/Video On Demand (AVOD) system for your Sopranos fix.

Additionally, if you can manage to get your “friend in PR” to get you an invite, a variety of private events are happening in the evening, from an Esquire party to random hotties dropping in. I’m still trying to get there for a corporate event — keep an eye out for me.

London Rents Beat Fifth Avenue by $50

by Iva Skoch on

Thanks to the crumbling dollar, the US is losing yet another transatlantic battle of the richest. According to The Guardian, it is no longer home to the world’s most expensive shopping street. New York’s Fifth Avenue was replaced by London’s Old Bond Street, where annual rents per square foot are $1,400.

Bad news for the competitive New Yorkers. Good news for shopaholic Londoners, already booking their Christmas-shopping air tickets to New York.

Winery Tours: From the Not so Cheap to the Cheap to the Cheaper

by Jamie Rhein on

Here’s a mini companion to my earlier post on cheap beer via brewery tours. While brewery tours make me want to take up accordion playing or something, winery tours make me think of fine art. There is a sensuous quality about wineries–an elegance if you will. Like brewery tours, winery tours are a great way to imbibe without spending a lot of money.

When a friend of mine lived near San Francisco we made a trip to Napa Valley on one of my visits. We hit one winery after another. I love the buffet quality of a counter with wine bottles lined up and a server at the ready to take you on a tour ranging from sweetness to musky dry.

Winery tours and tasting fees vary, but so does the extent of what money will buy you as well. For example, the Benziger Family Winery has a Biodynamic Vineyard Wine Tour for $10. Quite a deal of you think about how a tour is a lesson in sustainable agriculture.

Other wineries may charge you for a wine glass that you get to keep like Twomey Wine Cellars. At this winery, for $5 you get a glass and tastes of several wines.

Because the wineries vary in what they charge for tasting and the how to book a tour protocol, check beforehand. The Web site Napa Valley Vintners has a page that lists the wineries with tours and tasting, plus links to each winery’s Web site. There’s also a map of Napa Valley to help you plan your tour.

I’ve also wine tasted in Upstate New York and at a winery near Sag Harbor on Long Island. Whenever you see a winery sign, chances are you can have an impromptu wine tasting. My impromptu tastings have been free, except I always buy a bottle to take home.