This Valentine’s Day, honor your pup by attending the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. Approaching its 136th year, the annual dog show boasts thousands of purebred pups and decides upon one final “Best in Show” winner by the end of the competition.

Last year’s Best in Show was a five-year-old Scottish Deerhound named Hickory, who will pass on her title to the next worthy canine. This year, the dog show will welcome six new breeds recognized by the Westminster Kennel Club: the American English Coonhound, Cesky Terrier, Entlebucher Mountain Dog, Finnish Lapphund, Norwegian Lundehund and the Xoloitzcuintli. The fresh, new breeds of dogs will compete with the returning breeds to claim the ultimate spot for both dog and owner.

Although the show is recorded live on USA Network and CNBC, the excitement will be inside Madison Square Garden on February 13 and 14. Judges will weigh in on 2,000 dogs from morning until night in the second-longest continuously-held sporting event behind the Kentucky Derby.

Find your vacation rental destination in New York City on Valentine’s Day at the Envoy Club and take part in a worldwide tradition of honoring your beloved household pet.

There are plenty of things to do in New York City. Plan your New York Vacation and see the dog show!

Ring in the new year with Santa and the lighting of the Big Bear Christmas tree.  Santa Clause and Mrs. Clause will make their grand entrance in a sleigh into the Big Bear Village on Friday, November 26 for the first tree lighting of the season.  Every year thousands attend the tree lighting ceremony.   The Village Business Association and the city of Big Bear Lake invite visitors and locals to come out and enjoy live entertainment like  Christmas carolers and Santa. Make sure to dress warm! With more than a quarter-of-a-century of family traditions, the village shops and restaurants will remain open through the night.  Such a great and beautiful place to spend your Christmas at Big Bear Lake.  For more information go to info@bigbearlakevillage.com or call (909)-866-4694.

Winter isn't complete without a spin around the ice!

Winter Sports are great family fun and ice skating is a cold weather treat that can’t be beat! Come celebrate winter by ice skating on the lake, Saturday December 17 from 2 to 5pm at Harry A. Nottingham Lake in Avon, CO.
Enjoy family ice skating, festive craft making and snow mobile rides for the kids. While there, kids can get their picture taken with Santa, while parents can enjoy hot cider and a heaping bowl of chili while listening to the sounds of Mountain Harmony.  Later you can cozy up near the fireplace at Christie Lodge Resort.
Come join us for a great time! For more information contact the Avon Recreation Center (970)-748-4060 or email them at info@avon.org.

On December 31^st every year, over one billion people’s eyes worldwide are on New York City’s Times Square. The main attraction is the dropping of an 11,875 pound ball that contains 32,256 lights from a flagpole atop One Times Square. The ball was first dropped in commemoration of the New Year in 1907. Over a hundred years later, New Yorkers are still celebrating and looking forward to New Year’s 2012.

For over a century, the tradition has continued to be an exceptionally memorable night every holiday season. Times Square is jammed as one million visitors and locals celebrate this “mad house” event. This is an historic, memorable, and a once-in-a-lifetime experience, where a multitude of voices count down the final seconds of the old year, and celebrate the beginning of the new year. A new year that is full of new resolutions, new hopes, new challenges, and new dreams. A stunning fireworks display punctuates the blizzard of confetti that falls across Times Square as the ball drops at midnight.

Times Square New Year’s Eve is always a showcase for the greatest talent from across the world.  Bono, Fergie, Rick Springfield, and KISS are what television viewers and revelers on the ground are accustomed to expect. American Idol’s Ryan Seacrest, CNN’s Anderson Cooper, and Carson Daly are just some of the celebrities hosting the broadcasts worldwide. Stand Up to Cancer and MasterCard worldwide use the event to broadcast their efforts at finding a cure for this killer disease.

When attending the celebration, make sure to arrive early because choice spots close to the attractions go fast as midnight approaches. Be aware that you won’t be able to return to “your spot” if you need to leave for any reason. Make sure to wear winter clothes as temps can range from 10-40 degrees Fahrenheit.  Many Restaurants are open as well as some Broadway performances continue on this night, to give a great option for revelers who opt out of being part of the mob. Another popular option includes an excursion or one night stay on a yacht or cruise ship on New York Harbor, with a view of the ball drop and firework display.

When visiting New York for the New Year’s Eve celebration, book your New York condo rental far in advance because they sell out quickly for this experience of a lifetime. Event: New Year’s Eve Ball Drop.

Where: One Times Square, New York City, NY.

When: December 31– January 1.

For more info on this event, call (212-768-1560) or email (info@timessquarealliance.org)

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Fall Foliage – Enjoy the Beauty of the Fall Season on Your Next Vacation

In all my earlier travels, I never really considered the seasonal aspect of when to go where. In fact, I usually followed the good weather rather than considered the beauty of seasonality. Then one year I happened on Lake Louise and Jasper State Park in the Canadian Rockies, it was early Fall and the water was aqua color from the silt and glacier run-off from summer. This happens every year, but I had never realized that. Then it occurred to me I had been missing something.

Going skiing in winter and going to the most happening beaches in the summer wasn’t enough. I wanted to witness the seasons, and that is why I recommend that you consider Fall Foliage and the beautiful colors that occur during this time of year. It’s simply amazing, and I am happy I had learned my lesson early so I could share it with you. And while I am discussing this and since you are planning your next vacation rental resort destination, let me mention a few places that I’d like to go. Who knows, maybe I will see you there?

We all know that the New England States, specifically Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine are beautiful in the fall season. And you’ve probably heard of New York City folks heading up to New Hampshire in Summer and Fall. Well, if you have ever been to Lincoln NH, you’d certainly get the picture. The White Mountains of New Hampshire come alive in the fall I am told. Why not book a vacation rental at the InnSeason Resorts South Mountain and see it for yourself.

If you’d prefer it has been recommended to me that the Jackman ME InnSeason Resorts Mountain View, is also a place to check out. I hear it is spectacular too. Perhaps, someone has already recommended such a vacation for you?

Remember when George Washington crossed the Potomac? It was very cold that night, if he’d crossed in the early fall season, it would have been a much easier trip. And he would have wanted to do it in the middle of the day to see all the fall colors on the trees along the Potomac, it’s very beautiful. Of course, had he crossed in the middle of the day, our nation’s early history would have been changed forever.

You see, the seasons really matter!

Indeed, the Potomac River’s edge with all its trees is stunning in fall, and staying at the Wyndham Vacation Resorts at National Harbor you could see it all. It’s no wonder why they chose that area for our Nation’s Capital, it’s beautiful that time of year – I think we’ve all probably seen pictures of this, maybe you and I need to “place ourselves” into that setting this season. It would be like walking through a work of art.