Hole In The Donut Travels

I’m celebrating an anniversary of sorts. Three years ago this month I walked away from corporate life to pursue my lifelong passions of travel, writing and photography. Although it’s not an easy path, I feel alive for the first time in my life. The serious perspective that dogged my every thought and action for years [...]

The sound of Bok Tower’s carillon bells was so mesmerizing that I did not notice the snake. I stood at the far end of the tower’s reflecting pond, enjoying the ethereal music, until suffocating midday heat drove me to the shaded concrete benches surrounding the semi-circular clearing. Suddenly, a movement. A black snake lying beneath [...]

Update 09/23/2009: Sadly, the reopening of Cypress Gardens was short lived. It unceremoniously closed its doors once again today. An article in the St. Petersburg Times states: “Unidentified buyers are negotiating to purchase the property. But state and county governments control most of the lake front and the original gardens, while investors have long coveted [...]

Day three of my Walt Disney World discovery tour was devoted to Downtown Disney because this is where my niece and her choral group would be performing at various times throughout the day. I’d previously had a poor experience at the Magic Kingdom and a great experience at Epcot, so it seemed that Downtown Disney [...]

After a disappointing day at the Magic Kingdom that included an amusing run-in with a phony Prince Charming, I was prepared not to like Epcot. To my delight, I loved absolutely everything about it.
Although I wholeheartedly recommend a visit to Epcot any time of year, I was fortunate to be there during the annual International [...]

I met Prince Charming during my recent not-so-magic visit to Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. No, not the man of my dreams. I met the Prince Charming who appears at the side of Cinderella in every Disney parade. Or so he claimed.
After a few hours of walking around the park, taking rides, and visiting attractions, [...]

Remember the TV ads that featured Olympic Gold Medalists, Super Bowl stars, and World Series MVP’s responding to the question “What Now?” Their answer was always  “I’m going to Disney World!” Those ads made such an impression on me that I added Walt Disney World to my list of places to see before I die. [...]

Every cloud has a silver lining. In the case of our current economic woes, the silver lining is travel. With reservations down, absolutely awesome travel deals are being offered to anyone with the time and resources to take advantage of them. Two of the most popular destinations in the country, Las Vegas and Orlando, are [...]