by Chris on October 19, 2012
This week’s Photo Friday: In honor of our fifth-year wedding anniversary, a shot from the Captiva Island beach where we were married.

This is the latest in a series of travel photos inspired by #FriFotos on Twitter. The theme of this week’s Photo Friday is CHAIRS. As regular readers might know, Florida’s Gulf Coast is one of my favorite places to relax and recharge. The chairs in the photo above are on the beach in front of the ‘Tween [...]
by Don Faust on January 6, 2012
A morning stroll on Sanibel Island with the beach dogs.

This week’s Photo Friday (#FriFotos) theme is DOGS. Pictured are two beach dogs and their walkers on an early morning stroll on Sanibel Island, FL. Caption: “Forgot that little dog! We came here to walk, remember?”
by Chris on January 5, 2012
Sanibel Island has long been known for shelling. In honor of the Sanibel Shell Fair and Show’s 75th anniversary, the island will attempt to break the Guinness Book of World Records with its “Sanibel Stoop.”

Every professional travel writer, it seems, has a happy place, a destination where they return not so much to gather new material, but to unwind and relax. For me, that place is Sanibel Island, Florida. My parents started taking us to Sanibel when I was a teenager. Eventually, they bought a condo there and now [...]
by Natalie on December 11, 2011
Florida’s Harry Potter theme Park, Universal Orlando Resort’s Wizarding World, isn’t just for kids. Read how the park casts its spell over four adult Muggles.

By Natalie Pompilio, Contributing Writer When my sister and I were making our plans to visit the Harry Potter theme park at Universal Orlando Resort (the Wizarding World of Harry Potter) in Florida, the question we got most frequently was, “How many kids are in your party?” To which we answered, “None.” Because we grown-ups [...]
by Chris on December 18, 2010
Some of my favorite moments in Miami were spent exploring street graffiti art in Wynwood and stores in the city’s Design District.

It’s hard to tear yourself away from South Beach, especially the weather is nice and the beach is calling. But I found that some of the city’s most exciting art developments are happening on the other side of Biscayne Bay, in the Design District and gritty Wynwood, Miami’s latest hot neighborhood. When my cab dropped me [...]
by Chris on December 15, 2010
If you had all the money in the world to buy art, would you? My trip to Art Basel, the bigget Miami art fair, showed me that I have the desire to be a collector – but not the coin.

My favorite game when I go to museums is to pick out the one piece of art in the room that I’d most enjoy having in my house every day. It’s fun to play with other people, as you can compare tastes and debate styles. It also helps you realize what kind of art you [...]
by Chris on December 11, 2010
Is Art Basel Miami Beach too fabulous for normal folk? Nope! I found my time at the gallery exhibition space to be much more fun – and accessible to this non-expert – than I expected.

When I accepted a trip to Art Basel Miami Beach, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had heard about the fabulous parties, where celebrities such as Madonna, Naomi Campbell and Julian Lennon, swill champagne with the leading lights of the museum, gallery and art collecting worlds. But could an ordinary, unconnected person with only [...]
by Chris on December 8, 2010
Tight and bright, with sky-high heels and as much glamour as you can handle. That’s Miami style in a nutshell. A look at the fashion, design and people-watching I saw at Art Basel South Beach.

The nail salon technician looked at the bottoms of my feet in disgust. “These are so dry,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “They need some work.” I winced, but I knew she was right. Since moving to chilly Seattle last June, I had changed my grooming habits – and not for the better. Flaky, unpolished [...]
by Chris on December 5, 2010
Hello Kitty, hello world! The Sanrio Small Gift Pop Up Shop toured the country in 2010. I caught the gallery exhibition featuring pictures of Hello Kitty at Art Basel in Miami.

I loved many things about my first visit to Miami’s Art Basel, considered the U.S.’s most important art show. From the serious works by name artists at the Convention Center to the impromptu gallery built out of a moving van, the entire scene seemed ablaze with creative energy. At the end of the weekend, I [...]
by Chris on January 9, 2010
5 reasons you can have fun in Tampa/St. Petersburg, even if the weather is bad

Five Reasons is a regular feature, where I outline the reasons why a destination is hot right now. If you’d like to run Five Reasons in your publication or on your website, contact me at chris@caroundtheworld.com. This week, I’m covering Tampa/St. Petersburg, where I spent New Year’s weekend with a college friend. As with most of the [...]