America's Favorite Cities 2008

"The results are in!

For our 2008 America's Favorite Cities survey, Travel + Leisure teamed up with CNN Headline News and asked travelers to rank 25 top U.S. cities in 45 categories, ranging from food and shopping to people, culture, nightlife, and more. More than 125,000 opinionated travelers voted—find out how your favorite city fared!"

No surprise, New York scored No. 1 for "people-watching," and received high honors for shopping, classical music and theater, stunning sights and skylines and its well-dressed, diverse people. Downside? Well, they don't say "the city never sleeps" for no reason. New Yorkers don't expect peace and quiet, and did I mention it's expensive?

As far as farmers' markets go, San Francisco is the one to beat. Foodies, take note: San Francisco is abundant with cafes and coffee shops, as well as a smorgasbord of restaurants, including ethnic/cheap eats. San Franciscans were ranked No. 5 in the "Intelligent" category. Plus, the city is environmentally active. But again, San Francisco (and California in general) is not the most affordable place to live.

While Los Angeles has some pretty good-looking people, its traffic is still the worst. At least the sunny weather compensates for it somewhat, eh?

Of course, I take CNN reports with a grain of salt, but this was still an entertaining read, if nothing else.

How did your hometown fare?

Imbibe Magazine

I can't believe I discovered this just now. For fans of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, Imbibe Magazine's got you covered with the latest in liquid culture. There's an in-depth article on the "Anatomy of a Leaf" that's a handy manual for all things tea-related, with a cursory overview of tea made in Asia, from Japan to Sri Lanka.

There's also fun summer recipes, like the refreshing Shady Creek Cooler, made with white peony tea, blueberries and lavender syrup (yes, lavender syrup). And Imbibe Unfiltered, a blog celebrating "wine, spirits and beer to coffee, tea and beyond."

Alice would approve.

Photo by CoffeeGeek.

Silver Anniversary

Happy 25th Anniversary, Momma & Papa I.! (Sorry, I'm a day late.)

March 10, 1984.

I remember those pictures well.

Snapshot one: Mom's blushing moon-shaped face emerging from the black Lincoln bridal pick-up car, her petite frame swathed in layers of white tulle and lace. In fact, she is wearing long sleeves because it's still in the heart of winter, 30-something degrees with snowy flakes falling all around.

Snapshot two: Family portrait at the church. Dad's summoning up the most un-Chandler smile ever (a first). Grandma's got her purple cat-eyed glasses on, looking smart. The bridal train spreads out over the steps. The groomsmen stand in height order, the bridesmaids clutching their small bouquets.

Snapshot three: Cake-feeding time. Dad goofily picks a huge slice and Mom has difficulty getting it in her mouth. A wad of white frosting smudges her rose lipstick. She is still beautiful.

Flushing Lights, Lights

Entourage.

Yesterday night's dinner at The Grandparents'. Flushing never ceases to delight me with its eats. Tonight's menu: Home-style Cantonese flavor. Represented at the table were...Roasted pork, duck, sesame chicken, soy sauce chicken, tender Chinese pepper steak, fish with fungus, snap peas and chestnuts. I always end up having seconds of Grandma's signature soup. Just wish I knew what was in it...

Chinese pepper steak.

Juicy goodness in every bite.

Grandma slicing oranges.

Grandma claims there's nothing to see here, shooing me away.

"Take pictures later, when the oranges are all cut," she says.

But I like watching her slice, cut and dice. In-motion.

Flowery retro chair.

Flushing at night.

Skin Food: Tom's of Maine Natural Deodorant

Tom's Aluminum-Free Deodorant; Vita Coco hanging out in the back.

Sure, you may slather on loads of SPF 45 daily to protect your skin from melanoma, but did you know that a skincare product you use every day could be contributing to Alzheimer's?

That's right. Deodorant. Most deodorants are made with aluminum, which clogs pores and doesn't allow your skin to 'breathe.' In essence, the toxins that are usually emitted from your sweat are restrained and held in check by antiperspirant deodorants. New research indicates that there may be a link between breast cancer and antiperspirants.

But it's not just our bodies that suffer from aluminum. After you shower, the toxins are released into the water system, contaminating our water and our environment.

You might be thinking to yourself -- Well, the FDA regulates antiperspirant deodorant, so shoudn't it be safe? This is a foolish and dangerous line of reasoning. In actuality, it's considered safe only because it's intended for "external use only." But aluminum absorbs into the skin. Would you entrust the care of your newborn infant to a robot? Of course not! So don't depend on the FDA.

After all, they were also the ones who said that high fructose corn syrup wasn't harmful. Today, we know that high fructose corn syrup is a genetically modified processed sugar that contributes to obesity and causes diabetes, cancer and heart disease, among other illnesses. Please, do your own research! Don't trust the industry at face value.

Perfumes and scented creams aren't immune either. There are components in fragrances that can cause infertility. Makes you think twice before you sniff yourself out, huh?

No trace of aluminum to be found.

On to my experiment: Alzheimer's and infertility aren't on my high list of 'things to experience,' so I went to Whole Foods and picked up some aluminum-free deodorant by Tom's of Maine. I trust this company because their natural products are not tested on animals and their environmentally-friendly packaging is recyclable. Plus, I'm already familiar with Tom's toothpaste, floss and soap, having used them in the past.

The long-lasting care deodorant line professes to keep you odor-free for 12 hours. It's also Kosher and Halal-friendly. I showered at 9:30 p.m. Monday night and hopped into bed. Unfortunately, I forgot to do a sniff-check at 9:30 a.m. so I had to re-do the experiment the next day.

3/09_1 p.m.: Showered after a one-hour dance workout.

3/10_10:30 a.m.: Woke up and conducted a sniff-check. Although I wasn't smelly, my previous Dove deodorant's fragrance is definitely stronger in the scent department. Not that I'd go back to that toxin-infested mess again, which contained 14.8% of Aluminum Zirconium Tetrachlorohydrex Gly. If you can't pronounce it, it's usually not a good thing.

_1 p.m.: So far so good. Although aluminum-free deodorant doesn't work quite the same as antiperspirants, I still detected a faint whiff of apricot. No odor, no skin irritation. I'd use this again. Plus, the long-lasting care line also comes in other delectable scents. Try Lavender, Lemongrass or Unscented/Fragrance-free!


Rating:
Tom's of Maine long-lasting care aluminum-free deodorant - apricot - 4.5/5 stars

Shake That Sweet Thang

After I tried the famous fruit-filled Foster's Freeze strawberry shake in LA, I had to find out what Wendy's was dishing up. The commercials promised a "hand-spun" milkshake with "real fruit." Now, Foster's Freeze in California prides itself on using real strawberries in their shakes. I even watched as the lady in the back of the kitchen churned up strawberries in the blender. I'm normally not a strawberry ice cream kind of person, but after one slurp of that shake, I was smitten. I downed the whole thing.

Not so with Wendy's.

I watched in horror as the cashier filled the cup one-third of the way with a red, sickeningly sweet-looking substance. Could it be -- NO, not high fructose corn syrup! I just hope there was some sliver of fruit in that sticky substance. Next came the vanilla soft-serve and whipped cream. Alas, no cherry on top.

It was just as I feared. Although I could detect a smidgen of actual strawberry in the milkshake, it was overpowered by the taste of syrupy sugar. My sister, who normally likes sweet things, gave up after a few sips.

"It's too sweet," she said, with a grimace.

Sorry, Wendy's. I'll take one of your Dr. Pepper frosty floats over the strawberry milkshake any day. Other flavors: Chocolate fudge, Vanilla bean.


Rating:
Foster's Freeze: 5 out of 5 stars
Wendy's: 3/5

Let's Play! Tele(banana)phone

L-R: Lil Jon, A.

Ring! Ring! B-r-riiiiiiiiiing!!!

LJ: Hi! Are you there, sis?
A: Mm hmm..

Lil Jon gets his pout on.

A: Sorry, I'm kind of busy at the moment. Can we talk another time?
LJ: Butttt -- you promised me we could bring Curious George to the zoo and let him play with all the other monkeys. NO FAIR!!

Finalizing plans.

A: Wellll, I can make a special exception for you. But you'll have to wear a monkey suit. Otherwise, the other monkeys will think you're human and they won't trust you.
LJ: Hmm...OK! I'll get my costume ready. You bring the bananas.
A: Got it.

Hangs up.