California is probably one of the best places to live in the country.  With gorgeous weather, awesome beaches, and a diverse culture, Los Angeles offers locals and tourists amazing things to do and see. The next time you are there, make sure you have some time reserved for these spots.

The Getty Museum offers amazing exhibitions, informative tours, live storytelling, and one of the most beautiful gardens in Southern California.  Exhibitions featured include classical art from Greece and Rome, art from Bernini, and a wide range of European impressionist and realist paintings.  Admission is free.

Graumann’s Chinese Theater is an iconic landmark in Hollywood.  It houses about 200 celebrity handprints, footprints and autographs in front of the theater entrance and makes you feel like a part of the old Hollywood glamour when you place your feet over Marilyn Monroe’s or Judy Gardland’s footprints.  Any day of the week, expect large crowds, take photos with the look-a-likes, and also wander around the Hollywood Walk of Fame that stretches through Hollywood Boulevard.

Santa Monica Pier is wonderful to walk down and explore.  Get a caricature of yourself or get a painting of the horizon.  Listen to street dancers and performers.  Enjoy amazing funnel cake or a warm pretzel.  Give fishing a try, or ride some of the rides.  The ferris wheel is my favorite at night. Enjoy a delicious hot dog at Pink’s.  Voted as one of the top places in Los Angeles to indulge, Pink’s offers delicious franks at amazing prices.  What’s also famous besides their Nacho Cheese Chili Dog and their Guadalajara Dog are the number of celebrities who have come and visited this hot dog restaurant.  Bill Cosby, Celine Dion, Snoop Dogg, and Ellen Degeneres give you an idea of the diverse cultures that come here.  There never is a short line.  Just go to the corner of Melrose and La Brea and look for the crowd and the smell of delicious meat.

Los Angeles shopping is something you can’t compare with anywhere else.  From ritzy Rodeo Drive to bargain hunting at the Fashion District in Downtown Los Angeles, there is something for everyone.  Visit the Beverly Center for levels and levels of shops, or Melrose for your eccentric looks, and don’t forget to do some consignment shopping, as LA has some great places, such as the infamous Decades.

These are a few hot spots to visit.  Where do you love go and do while in LA?

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Has it been a while since you’ve been to the happiest place on earth? Or maybe you’ve never gone? (Blasphemous!)  Well, now here’s your chance to take a free trip to any of the Walt Disney Parks in the states, as long as it’s you’re birthday.

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts recently announced a special 2009 promotion that offers guests free admissions to one Disney theme park on their birthdays.  This means a free ticket into California’s Disneyland Resort or even a spin around the Walt Disney World in Florida.

Guests will have to show a valid ID as proof of their birthdays upon entrance, and sadly, their friends will have to pay to get in (unless it’s their birthday as well); nevertheless, it’s rare to ever get a discount from Disney so enjoy it while it lasts!

So if you’re looking to plan a trip for your birthday, keep this offer in mind and consider revisiting the land of Mickey, Minnie, and all your other childhood Disney friends (and foes).

For more details, visit http://www.disneyparks.com.

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We all admit that we have overpacked a few times for vacation.  Who needs five dresses for a three day trip?  Apparently, we did.  Sometimes all you need for a short getaway is a carry-on an a great handbag.  Forget checking in large suitcases and wasting time waiting in the luggage pick-up carousel.  Use some of these tips to help you reduce what you need to bring and have a fabulous trip!

Clothing
Choose appropriate clothes by checking the weather of your destination.  Also, stick to clothes that all match so you can mix different outfits with what you have packed.  Also, your clothes can be used in multiple ways; your sarong can double as a casual skirt in the evening, a fun blouse can be worn over a dress as a light jacket, and a great scarf can also be a beautiful blanket while on the plane.  Layering is key.  Pack thin layers where you can pile them on when it’s chilly, and take off a few during warmer times.  Limit your shoes to three pairs: comfortable walking shoes to wear while in flight, flip flops, and fab evening shoes in your carry-on.  Try to pack a few days before, and just before you leave, go through them again and eliminate a quarter of what you already packed.  Trust me, you will have enough.

Toiletries
We know there are strict regulations now regarding what you can or cannot pack in flight.  Remember this: three ounce bottles in a one-quart clear plastic bag.  There are amazing items that you can pack in small quantities.  Whenever I purchase beauty products, I always ask the sales associate for samples that I end up taking with me in flight.  Facial cleansers, eye cream, even facial masks come in great one-time use packages for easy disposing.  Usually the hotels provide shampoo, conditioner, and soap.  Even liquid soap can be used as shampoo. Unless you have a strict regimen, using their products are a great way to reduce what you pack.


Electronics
You may not necessarily need to lug your laptop, so keep that at home.  Your cell phone can be your alarm.

Avoid
Don’t pack those items that are “just in case.”  You can easily purchase those items from wherever you are.  Take only a few jewelry pieces, and nothing too valuable.  Stick with fun items that are easy to maintain and put on to avoid having to worry about it while traveling.  You are supposed to be having fun, not protecting your Tahitian strand of pearls.

What are your tips for packing light?

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Toronto is a great city to go to if you’re looking for something more exciting than the suburbs but not as frantic as New York City.  Toronto has it all. Good food, good theater, rich diversity, and even a nude beach.  Here’s how you can have a great weekend in the largest city in Canada.

Kensington Market (for the trendsetter). Hidden to the side of Toronto’s Chinatown is Kensington Market, a wonderful, Bohemian gem of a marketplace.  For the epicurean, you’ll find an array of fresh fruit markets and excellent coffee shops; for the shopaholic, you’ll find a bounty of eclectic, vintage boutiques and trendy shops lining the side streets and hidden in corners.  The shops are kind of a mesh between Los Angeles’ Melrose boutiques and the arbitrary clothing shops in Shanghai.  Whatever you find, you’ll love it because you’ll feel like you can’t find it anywhere else.  If you’re a trendsetter, this is your place.

Entertainment district (for the theater-lover). Liken to Broadway in New York, the Toronto entertainment district too has an array of hit musicals and plays.  In fact, it ranks behind New York and London as the next most theatrical city.  So if you find the tickets in the two other cities too hard to come by, head to Toronto for a night of Dirty Dancing.

Yorkville Glamour (for the shoppers). Yorkville hosts an array of high-end hotels and fashionable boutiques.  The “Rodeo Drive” of Toronto, Yorkville shopping boasts of Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Vera Wang, and the like.  Too expensive for the pocket book?  No problem.  The strip also has more down-to-earth shops like Banana Republic and Roots Canada for those of us who prefer to window shop Hermes Birkins.  If you’re looking for more shopping, check out the Downtown boutiques along Yonge Street as well as the Eaton Centre a comprehensive mall-experience.

Toronto Islands (and the nude beach). If you’re in town during good weather and you’re one to appreciate a day in the sun, visit the Toronto Islands.  A few bucks at the Toronto Island Ferry Terminal will get you a round trip ride from the mainland to the any of the Toronto Islands three piers on Hanlan’s Point, Centre Island, and Ward’s Island.  All three islands are actually connected, so I’d suggest going to Centre Island and renting a bike to ride around the entire island.  A few hours should get you around the island with occasional stops for photos, ice cream and the like.  Give yourself more time, of course, if you intend on sunbathing at the nude beach, or as the signs say, the “clothing optional beach.”  The beach is located along part of Hanlan’s Point and has a beautiful expanse of trees guarding it from the general trail.  It’s a very laid-back and relaxing beach with women and men of all ages tanning in the nude.

Yonge-Dundas Square (for the excitement). Here’s the Times Square of Toronto, except much cleaner and generally less crowded (unless there’s a huge event going on).  Large, flashing advertisements line the buildings surrounding the square and southwest to it is the Eaton Centre.  Be sure to check out the city’s timeline for events happening at Dundas Square when you’re in town.

Overall, it’s a great city to pay a visit. The downtown streets are remarkably clean for a city of its size and population, the public transportation is extensive and reliable, and the people are amiable and richly diverse.  Even if you’re not up for the shopping, eating or nude-beach sighting, you can still walk around to enjoy the scenery and perhaps even pick up on all the locations that Hollywood has filmed.  Yes, my friend, the filming of The Incredible Hulk and X-Men actually took place in Toronto.

Happy traveling!