Occasionally, we can recall that one moment in life that piques a curiosity for a subject. For me, an interest in lighthouses was inspired by one of my favorite childhood movies, Pete’s Dragon. I first saw the movie in the late 70′s and by the time I was in my early 20′s it was no surprise I favored flying into coastal airports, such as Boston, hoping to catch a view of the lighthouses scattered along the shoreline. Today, my fascination has yet to wane. During my travels, if there is a lighthouse in the area I often make an effort to snap a shot. Below are some from recent years:

North Point Lighthouse – Milwaukee, Wisconsin (the only lighthouse I’ve climbed)

Southport Lighthouse, aka Old Kenosha Light. Kenosha, Wisconsin North Pier Lighthouse – Kenosha, WisconsinPoint Cabrillo Lighthouse  – Mendocino, California

Sentinel Island Light – Sentinel Island, Alaska (northern end of Favorite Channel, twenty-five miles northwest of Juneau).

 

 

 

Ever since my family moved to the Twin Cities there is one place my kids can’t get enough of and that’s the Mall of America. The main attraction for my young children isn’t the shopping like it is for me – their highlight is Nickelodeon Universe which sits in the center of the mall. They love the roller coasters and rides but they have another favorite past time, too, and that’s taking photos with the rainbow of characters who make appearances. Some of the characters such as Dora, Diego and Spongebob are staples and can be spotted at least weekly. Other times “special guests” stop by to say hello and you might bump into some other mascots roaming the mall. Last fall the Super Why gang and a couple of the Wonder Pets were guests of honor during a couple of Toddler Tuesday events.

Warning: Like clowns, not all kids are comfortable being around these over-sized, colorful characters. Fortunately, they don’t phase my offspring.

If you’d like to learn more, read the tips on my post Mall of America Character Meet and Greet on The Vacation Gals. In the meantime, here are some of our Mall of America (MOA) meet and greet photos:

Dora and Diego

Spongebob

Sharky the Mall of America’s Underwater Adventures Aquarium mascot

Spongebob and Patrick

Dora and Boots

Bubba Gump Shrimp

Wonder Pets: Ming-Ming and Linny

Super Why

I know that one day the kids won’t be as enthralled to pose with characters, but for now I’m grateful for these fun meet and greet moments at Mall of America. They’re only little for so long.

Facebook has two faces: personal and business. But I’ve always had a hard time distinguishing the two for my personal/professional use. Almost everyone likes – or loves – to travel but not everyone wants to hear about my son’s hockey game or that my daughter went rock climbing for the first time. I know many people who won’t accept friend request from people they haven’t met in person, but I also know people who befriend everyone who asks – after all, networking is what social media is about. So what’s a freelancer to do?

Last week I met my friend Teri for coffee. We love to brainstorm together and I always leave our get-togethers rejuvenated and inspired. As we discussed our careers, the topic of Facebook came up and how social media fits in. Teri explained that she started a Facebook fan page in addition to her personal profile which she recently revamped. I admit that when FB first came out with fan pages as an option, the term “fan” turned me off – at least for individuals. Sure it seemed appropriate for businesses and celebrities but not for random people – and we do have one for TheVacationGals.com now. As we chatted I realized how wise she was to choose this avenue. A fan page can focus on one topic without blurring the work and too-much-personal-info lines. And so, I launched my own Fan page – Beth Blair Travels – to focus on my career and travels and other interesting topics and I don’t have to bore people with my personal life.

I’m really excited to be building my page and adding photos and blog posts links that are fun to share. Please bear with me as my page evolves. If you have any advice or tips I’m all ears! In the meantime, I’d appreciate a “like” and let me know if I can do the same for you.

Happy Travels!

Every time my eyes land on an image of the Dallas skyline a wave of nostalgia washes over me. I’ll never forget the first time I saw the city in 1989 when my family moved to the Big D. It was my first chance to see a “real” skyline, as the cities in Louisiana, while loaded with culture, just don’t have the same wow-factor. My high school days were spent in the northern suburb of Plano and I said goodbye in 1994 when my family moved to Colorado.

Last month, I was invited to a media event celebrating the release of the new Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet. The weather was perfect and driving the car was a kick but seeing the Dallas skyline up close and a from a distance while riding in and driving a top-down convertible was fantastic.

My favorite building is probably the most recognizable landmark in the skyline, Reunion Tower, the “ball” on the far right. The lights are turned on in the evening and flying into either DWF or Lovefield you can catch a glimpse. I recall the time the lights were designed to look like a soccer ball for a huge tournament (don’t ask me what event). And then there was the Friday night my high school clan and I went to the observation tower and looked in awe over our vast city. Dallas is a spectacular city and certainly holds a special place in my heart.

During our test drive I didn’t pass up the chance to snap a few photos…

As promised, here are more photos of the new Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet – the world’s first crossover convertible. It’s cute and spunky and if I was in the market for a convertible I’d seriously consider this one…

I love the roominess, colors, comfortable seats and the fact that it’s convertible!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hotel ZaZa in Dallas is everything I imagined: swanky decor, plush beds, delicious food and fabulous everything else. It was the perfect setting for the Nissan Murano Cross Cabriolet media event. You can read more about the new convertible on The Vacation Gals. And in the meantime, check out some of the shots I took of Hotel ZaZa. The entire property is a work of art…

Lobby:

Details:

Guest Room:

This week I’m packing my bags and flying to my high school hometown of Dallas for a short two-day trip. All month long, Nissan is celebrating the release of their new 2011 Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet – the world’s first crossover convertible – with media events in San Diego, Dallas and Palm Beach and I was one of the lucky to be invited. Yes, being considered media has its perks and this is one opportunity I was not about to pass up.

Apparently the Murano Cross Cabriolet is a terrific travel car with a spacious trunk and lots of luxury amenities. Convertibles always make me think of adventure Thelma and Louise style but minus the drastic ending. Of course, this media event is more than just cars. I’m arriving on Thursday morning and am really excited to stay in Uptown at the swanky Hotel ZaZa – can the name sound any more Hollywood? Photos on the website reveal a plush boutique hotel with custom-designed suites and ostentatious decor.

That evening attendees will meet during a cocktail reception which is followed by a welcome dinner – no details have been revealed about these events yet. The next morning the schedule is busy with breakfast, vehicle  and design presentations, walk-around,  ride and drive to the elegant Nasher Sculpture Center. We finish with lunch then back to Minneapolis I fly. It will be a quick but fun trip!

Stayed tuned for photos of the event and the new flashy Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet. And follow the event on twitter. Just search for #muranocrosscabriolet.

 

 

Here we are in the throes of winter, so in celebration of these long snowy months I thought I’d share some of my favorite photos from my winter trip to Quebec City, Canada. It’s one of my favorite destinations. When you go, plan your visit during Winter Carnival, take time to explore the city, and, if you dare, spend a night in the Hotel Glace (Ice Hotel). Enjoy!

Quebec City:

Ice Hotel:

Winter Carnival:

Sunset over Quebec:

A few months ago I lay huddled against the onslaught of what had been an awful winter – the snow was really piling up and getting to work was a daily challenge. In this weather induced downturn I decided to break free and get out and bask in the sun. I have been to a lot of sunny weather destinations, but this time wanted to go a bit further afield – so I decided to book a holiday in Majorca. This week long trip was amazing, and allowed me to survive the winter.

Getting there for someone living in North America. Majorca is a long way away: this beautiful holiday spot is in the Balearic Islands which lie in the Mediterranean off the eastern coast of Spain. I was thrilled to find that the trip was surprisingly cheap – airfare from my home in Toronto, Canada to Frankfurt in Germany was a bargain, as was the puddle jumper flight which took me to the island itself. Surely one of the best things about Europe is its constellation of cheap airlines.

Where to Stay. I’ve always thought that a beach side retreat is only as good as your hotel: the nature of these holidays is that you will spend a huge amount of time there, so you might as well pick a nice one. I ended up staying at the Palma Nova hotel which was close to the beach and good value. I am a bit of a neat freak so I was very pleased to find that the rooms were nice and clean. The hotel also had a serene feeling, and I was able to relax by the pool without being disturbed by some of the noisy travelers that sometimes come to this part of the world.

A Week of Fun and Relaxation. Majorca is one of the most popular spots for European travelers and I definitely encountered my fair share of Brits and Germans, yet for the most part it was quite quiet. Indeed, the island doesn’t get really busy until the summer, thanks to the colder temperatures during the winter months. That said, it was still quite warm during my stay and I had no problem relaxing on the beach. I was also able to set aside some time for some good walking and cycling: I did one great walk in the beautiful Serra de Tramuntana mountain chain where I got to see the true beauty of the Mediterranean. I also was able to rent a road bike and go for a nice long cycle to work off all of my holiday meals. In many ways Majorca was the perfect introduction to the Mediterranean for me: it was cheap, convenient to get to and allowed me to see the unique beauty of this part of the world. My only complaint would be the weather: it was certainly warm enough, but I could have gone for couple extra degrees to really thaw out after my freezing winter.

This is a sponsored guest post.

January is Stalker Awareness Month. What do you think of when the word “stalker” comes to mind? A strange man lurking in the bushes, peering in a home window or maybe he’s in a car following an unsuspecting woman? Guess again. Minnesota-based Motherly Law points out in her blog post Know It. Name It. Stop It. Stalking Awareness Month Part II:  “Only 10% of victims are being stalked by strangers. The majority of stalking is done by someone the victim knows. And generally, not only do the victims know their stalkers, but they have had close relationships with these people.”

What’s made stalking remarkably easy today is the same thing that has made our world amazingly smaller: technology. If you’re revealing your hour to hour activities via social media, anyone can know your plans or what you’re doing anytime of day -  this is especially concerning for our children and teenagers. Did you know blocking an unwanted follower on twitter won’t stop them from seeing your updates? A simple name search will reveal your correspondences.

Motherly Law has a list in her post of what constitutes stalking and basically it’s anything that crosses the line of invading your privacy. It could be something that isn’t as obvious to the world or you may not even know about it, such as searching public records for personal information or business competitors obsessively watching your every move in hopes of destroying your professional reputation. Today’s cyber accessibility leaves a lot of doors open. Of course, there are much more obvious tactics such as physically following someone and showing up to someone’s house unannounced. Whatever the case may be, it’s illegal.

Luckily, I don’t have any personal anecdotes to share. Because my former life called me to travel weekly for a living my guard has always been up. Though, I did meet my share of “interesting” passengers when I was flying and in my current career I have received a few creepy emails from readers. I developed a very strong intuition and learned to quickly decipher if someone has ulterior  motives. It’s better not to engage than play nice.

Remember, the choice may be yours on what you reveal on social networking sites, but there are still plenty of ways to access your personal information. I suggest you Google your name and variations to see what information is revealed. Then, make every effort to have any sensitive details changed or removed.

If you think you are being stalked, keep records and document everything- from tweets to blog posts to emails and phone calls. And make sure you share your concerns with someone else.

Please spread the word that it is National Stalker Awareness Month and remind friends and children to use good judgment when they’re using social media and their daily lives. Interested in learning more? You may read about stalking statistics on the Stalking Fact Sheet provided by The National Center for Victims of Crime.