Tag: philadelphia

Posted on

Guilty Pleasure Cliff Lee

It’s that time of year when a girl’s fancy turns to . . .

Baseball! So today’s Guilty Pleasure Monday is one of my favorite baseball players, Philadelphia Phillie Cliff Lee. I had so been hoping that the Mets would be able to acquire him, but with their financial issues, Cliff went to the Phillies. Don’t even think the Mets were even in the running to get him, although they sure could use some strong starting pitchers.

How about you? Do you have any other baseball favorites you’d like to share? Like David Wright? Or Jason Werth? How about Mr. Utley?

Photo Credit: © Rubenstein, photographer Martyna Borkowski

Posted on

Guilty Pleasures Monday – Phillie’s Chase Utley

With my beloved Mets out of post-season play (again!), I’m rooting for the NL East Champion Phillies to go all the way!

There are so many players on the Phillies that are certified cuties, but I’ll start with Mr. Dependable – Chase Utley. I just love his work ethic and his boy-next-door charm. Did I mention his good looks as well?

Here’s hoping you get another ring, Chase!

Photo Credit: Googie [email protected]

Posted on

Customer Service Reigns at Southwest Airlines

Thanks to both of my jobs and my family’s love of travel, I often have to fly to get to an assortment of destinations. You can imagine that in all that time I’ve faced a number of dilemmas. Cancelled flights. Lost luggage. Turbulent rides. The latter being one of the worst since I have a fear of heights and am not a comfortable passenger in those twenty-five thousand foot high roller coasters.

I know there is nothing that a pilot can sometimes do about those rough rides and I just wait them out as best I can.

But there is something airlines can do about the rest and to my very pleasant surprise Southwest Airlines did just that.

When floods in Nashville forced me to change my flight to Orlando, the only Southwest Airlines charge was the difference in the cost of the two tickets due to the change in destination. No $150 change fee the way my normal carrier charges when stuff happens and flights need to get changed. The change fee would lower to $50 if I waited to do it on the same day as the flight, but no one ever advised me of that. I discovered that fact online recently.

Did I mention that I was originally flying Southwest because their rates were so much cheaper than my normal carrier’s that it was worth the drive down to Philadelphia? 217 versus 337?

I had two big bags with me, one with clothes and one with promo materials. Cost with my normal carrier: $60 if checked at the airport or $55 if done online. Cost with Southwest: $0. Yes, you are seeing that right. Zero dollars for two bags.

Money saved so far: $240 (120 plus 120 in baggage fees).

When I arrived in Orlando I discovered that the handle on my bag had gotten ripped off on one side making it nearly impossible for me to lift it. I headed to the luggage claim area and within about five minutes was handed a brand new bag to replace the one that had been damaged. Nicer than my old beat up bag and with a TSA approved lock to boot.

No questions, no problems. A warm smile on the face of the rep as she helped me deal with the bag issue.

What more can you ask for?

How about roomier seats and more leg room? Yep, you got that, too.

Which leaves me with only one question: When are you coming to Newark, Southwest Airlines?

Posted on

Guilty Pleasure Monday – Mark Wahlberg

Photograph © Glenn Francis, www.PacificProDigital.comHubby and I were watching THE SHOOTER yesterday and it occurred to me that I had not had sexy Mark Wahlberg as a Guilty Pleasure Monday so here he is with us today! This wonderful shot is courtesy of Glenn Francis at www.PacificProDigital.com.

I’ve seen Mark in a number of movies and have always thought he was very masculine and sexy. One of my favorite movies was INVINCIBLE which was actually a real life tale about bartender-turned-Philadelphia Eagle Vince Papale. I loved this movie!

Hope you enjoyed this Monday’s Guilty Pleasure!

Posted on

Looking for Weekend Fun?

beachI know I’m going to spend the weekend writing and working on some materials for our new writing group, the Liberty States Fiction Writers. But in between work, I hope to sneak in some relaxation and fun.

So where do I look to find out what’s going? Well, I pick up a local paper, but I also check out the Internet for events. You can too! Here are some of the places where you can find out what’s happening in your area:

Book tours and signings – http://www.booktour.com/
Library of Congress Book Events –
http://www.read.gov/events/

Also, you can visit your local state or city website. It will often have a calendar of events and suggest sites of interest. Here are few for those places close to me:

Jersey Shore – http://www.nj.com/shore/
New Jersey – http://www.visitnj.org/
New York – http://www.iloveny.com/home.aspx
New York City – http://www.nyc.com/events/
Pennsylvania – http://www.visitpa.com/index.aspx
Philadelphia –
http://www.gophila.com/Phila/EventsCalendar/

Hope you can find some fun and relaxation this weekend as well! Have a great one.

Posted on

Wicked Wednesday – Behind the Scenes at Fort Hancock

NPS photo Fort HancockIt’s fun to research the places where you’ll be setting your novel and I always try to visit those places as well. That’s why part of the book takes place in Philadelphia, one of my favorite cities, and also why the rest of the book is set on the Jersey Shore. I love the Jersey Shore and taking time to explore its unique towns this spring and summer has been a blast.

When it came time to find somewhere intriguing for the big finish, there were lots of places to consider. Cheesequake State Park and the Twin Lights came to mind. Then I remembered taking a trip to the tip of Sandy Hook and knew where those scenes would take place – Fort Hancock.

Aiming the Guns at Fort Hancock - Copyright ExpiredFort Hancock has played a major role in the defense of New York Harbor, from its days in the late 1800s when the Nation’s first concrete gun batteries were built there, to World War II when it was used to watch for German subs and the 1950s, when the Nike Air Defense missiles were housed there to protect against airborne attack.

In 1958, a series of Nike Ajax missiles exploded at the park, killing ten people. You can visit the memorial at Guardian Park in Fort Hancock. To read more about this, you can click here.

The invention of ICBMs made the Nike system obsolete and the Fort was decommissioned in 1972 and the National Parks Service took over the area.

Gun Battery from National Parks ServiceThe fort has a number of gun batteries, some of which you can visit, and some which are closed off due to their delicate state. Beneath those batteries are tunnels and ammo storage areas that provided a perfect place for me to set some scenes! You can click here for some great photos of the area and tunnels.

If you’re in the area, drop by and check out Sandy Hook and Fort Hancock. It’s a beautiful park, the buildings and batteries are fascinating to see and you have an amazing view of New York Harbor as well.

For more behind the scenes looks at the SINS OF THE FLESH, please check out these other posts!

Proudly powered by WordPress