Do As The Locals Do

Time to hit the road… with Samantha Brown, Peter Greenberg, Patricia Schultz and more.   Spring is the traditional time of year when we shake off the sludge of winter and start thinking about… spring break. Trouble is, if you don’t start thinking about travel UNTIL spring, you’re going to pay more and have fewer options than if you plan ahead. But if you’re in the Philadelphia area, you’re in luck… because the world is coming to you.   A Fork On The Road will be at the Philadelphia Travel Show this weekend at the Pennsylvania Convention Center on Arch Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania this Saturday, March 19th & 20th. The event will take place from 10am - 5pm (EST) on Saturday and 11am - 4pm (EST) on Sunday. Be sure to enter our contests - we will be giving two lucky winners a Hotel Stay each in Cancun, MX for two adults and two children. So, make sure you stop by Booth #226 to say hello to our team and learn more about these awesome contests and prizes. Learn more about the contests at http://www.aforkontheroad.com/contests Over the last twelve years and 61 shows, this well-established event has become the premier consumer marketing platform in ...

Puccini's Turandot Soars: Pacific Symphony Feb. 18, 20 & 23 Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall Costa Mesa, CA Giacomo Puccini's final opera, "Turandot,' debut 1926, librettists, Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni, at La Scala opera house, Milan, Italy, is admirably showcased with the wizardry of Pacific Symphony's imaginative concert production running February 18, 20 and 23, at the Segerstrom Concert Hall, Costa Mesa, California.   It is a show that surprises, entertains, delights and thrills to the combined talents of singers, orchestra, video designers and dancers. With the full orchestra on-stage, conducted by Carl St. Clair, the Pacific Chorale arrayed above, the Southern California Children's Chorus, adding unexpected luminary delights and video images of China reminiscent of Hollywood Cinemascope.   Directed by Eric Einhorn, "Turnadot" grabs the audience in an embrace of extraordinary Puccini music, Including the world-famous aria "Nessun dorma," sung by Prince Calaf, played by tenor, Marc Heller, as he promises himself victory in winning the princess. The aria has become known as the signature for the late Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti.   Based upon a 12th century Persian fairy tale, "Turandot" (the final t is pronounced) transported to ancient China, where the Princess Turandot lives imprisoned in self-imposed hatred of men seemingly to avenge the abduction and murder of her ancestor of a thousand years ago. Not really a love story in the ...

  Nearly everyone enjoys magic. When done well. As a journalist I’ve covered many such shows, for decades, including those at Los Angeles’ Magic Castle and the late, great, Harry Blackstone, Jr.’s stage shows, to name a few. The best word to encapsulate those experiences is: delightful. Magic shows have the power to lift one’s spirits in powerful ways to relax and allow the wonder of the unknown to transport the audience to another realm. Segerstrom Hall, Segerstrom Centerfor the Arts, Costa Mesa, California, is featuring a magic show, The Illusionists –Live From Broadway. I couldn’t wait to see it. It spotlights seven key performers and a bevy of female and male attendants. There are plenty of stunning effects, but some of the performers reek of the dark side, which is apparently their schtick, but is a long way from tuxedo-clad practitioners of yore. From the onset there seemed to be a current that was uncomfortable to me. Too much grittiness, hint of violence and some things downright creepy. The show runs from Feb. 3, to 7th. Then moves on to the Pantages Theater, Los Angeles. In case anyone wonders – what is the difference between an illusion and a trick I’ll offer this: usually an illusion conjures a back-story, is complicated, with some surprise woven into it…Such as Andrew ...

Cleveland's own Fabulous Food Show with A Fork on the Road bring you Cake King Buddy Valastro, Food Champion Loren Hill winner of 2015's World Food Championship, and Cake Queen Natalie Sideserf. Join us for laughs, food, chef secrets, and contests on this week's A Fork on the Road! [soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/233865831" params="auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%" height="450" iframe="true" /]

  Thanks to energetic singer-pianist Michael Feinstein, audiences are enjoying Frank Sinatra's music, keeping him in memory alive and well, 17 years after his final curtain call and one hundred years after his birth.   We experienced Feinstein's Sinatra homage at the opening of the Orange County Pacific Symphony's pop season, November 6-7, at the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, Costa Mesa, California.   It was terrifically fun. Soprano Jessica Rivera opened the evening with a lovely mix of Broadway tunes. After intermission of 25 minutes, Feinstein showered the audience with an 80 minute show - after which many were wishing for more.   Recalling Sinatra's one hundred years is a good reason to celebrate a career that spanned the better part of the 20th century, though his contemporary, Perry Como, is said to have remarked about Sinatra - "We used to be the same age, but now he's younger than me." Como was born in 1912. Apparently,a Sinatra agent shaved some time from Sinatra in the early years, not an uncommon thing to do. And at this stage it hardly matters..   Michael Feinstein, resurrecting Sinatra's song selections, with the magnificent 88-piece Pacific Symphony Pops Orchestra, conducted by Richard Kaufman, conjured the aura of awe and appreciation for ...

by Angela Rocco DeCarlo Flying low over the Chicago lakefront kindles pride and joy at once again returning home. I always think: Leonardo DaVinci would have given anything to be in my seat. Poor thing...he believed it was possible, but missed the chance by 400 years. First-time visitors to Chicago may be unprepared for the splendor seen from an airplane seat on the way to O'Hare. And that is nothing compared to the delights of Michigan Avenue and the sprawling museum campus along the lakefront with the Field Museum of Natural History, Museum of Science and Industry, Adler Planetarium, Aquarium and the jewel in the tiara, the Art Institute of Chicago at Michigan and Monroe. The breathtaking expanse of blue Lake Michigan waters cheek to jowl with sandy beaches, Navy Pier, all crowned with beautiful evocative skyscrapers is nothing short of thrilling, even for a native, currently living in exile in the shadow of Disneyland. Having covered travel, with my column, The Business Traveler, and other articles, I've seen my share of cities in America and Europe...and in my view, none can compare to the visual beauty of Chicago's combination of open skies, majestic buildings and startling quality of summer light, akin to ...

By Angela Rocco DeCarlo When living in Chicago I covered California more frequently than other venues. Health spas. Theme Parks. Beaches. The entire state seemed to be a playland where the perfect entertainment could be located and devoured. Loved it. Now thatI’m living in exile in Southern California it is fun to display the land’s end treasures for Midwesteran pals who come to visit. When my friend, Dianne, and her family visited me recently, I wanted to give her a taste of Orange County, California, to take back against the next nasty Chicago winter. What could be better than lunch on the beach and a shopping spree on Balboa Island? As a Chicagoan I’m fascinated by the surfing culture of the Pacific Ocean beaches. I’ve been to the charming surfing museums in Huntington Beach and get a kick out of watching surfers calculating waves to catch the best ride back onto the sand. In fact, I’m still agog by my son’s next door neighbor’s garage which houses endless racks of wetsuits, ...

What: The hottest summer marketing topics that help brands and businesses build a better online presence. Why: In one full day each attendee will learn tactical formulas they can instantly implement at their company (and network with other professionals). Where: (Above Kitson Store) Santa Monica Place Mall “Expert Dojo” Workspace, 395 Santa Monica Pl, Santa Monica Place, Santa Monica, CA 90401 When: Thursday, July 23rd, 2015 – Checkin: 9:00am to 9:30am – Breakfast & Networking: 9:00am-10:00am – Panel #1 starts promptly at 10:00am (Please don’t be late) – Lunch at Noon – Cocktail hour starts at 5:00pm Who: This event is limited to 120 professionals from brands, businesses, startups and agencies that want to learn key tips and trends from panelists. Join 100+ digital marketers to learn online trends & tactics on July 23rd in Los Angeles. Special Bonus: Our friends at Expert Dojo are offering a free 30 day membership to their business club to anyone that buys a paid ticket to this event. Use their premium workspace for meetings or as a place to build your business. Register To Attend On July 23rd, 2015 professionals in Los Angeles will join us for our second Digital Growth Summit, designed to give them tools to build a powerful online presence for their business. Panel Topics & Agenda ...

By Angela Rocco DeCarlo Frank Sinatra is still dead. But his music and iconic imprint on the soul of music lovers of several generations remains. Plenty of wheelchairs kept company with fresh-faced teens in coming to pay homage to a great iconic performing artist of the last century. Frank Sinatra Jr., pianist and singer, debuted his paternal paean, “Sinatra Sings Sinatra: as I Remember it,” in Orange County, California, May 2, 2015. The show is scheduled for May 22, in Wilkes-Barre,PA, at Kirby Center for the Performing Arts. It was clear the debut audience loved the show and gave both Sinatras – younger and elder - a standing ovation. In fact, a more enthusiastic crowd is seldom seen outside a rock concert. Clearly they were swept away by the magnificent 39-piece onstage orchestra and the catalog of emotional memories Albert Francis Sinatra’s long career evokes in each individual. Nonetheless, I confess I went expecting to hear, as well as see, something of the original Sinatra. Alas, there was no audio of Sinatra Sr. The show was a son’s remembrance with photos and his rendition of the music. As a rich archive of film, television, recordings, as well as newspaper coverage of six decades, is available, hoping to ...

By Mark DeCarlo There's a place, just north of DTLA, where Angelenos - or visitors - can have an immersive experience of a fantastic meal, a tasting tour of a winery, and get a history lesson on LA's early wine making pioneers. And its been there over 98 years. Hidden along the industrial streets of the warehouse district, Los Angeles' San Antonio Winery has been making wine since 1917, surviving prohibition only by becoming a sanctioned wine maker for the Catholic Church... amen! Today, the renovated, working winery and restaurant embraces its heritage and boasts some of California's least known, yet finest wines. Yes way, dude. Winemaking in LA. Totally awesome. Anthony Riboli is the first member of the fourth generation to join the family business. He is also the first family member to have received a formal degree in winemaking and grape growing from the University of California, Davis. Winemaker Arnaud Debons worked in the Bordeaux and Cahors regions of France after graduating from the prestigious winemaking program at the University of Toulouse in France. He brings his expert tastebuds to San Antonio Winery and we get spoiled as we taste triumph with every sip and bite. Daily wine tours and tastings offer an authentic ...