Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Bloomington, MN
Spend the weekend taking on America’s largest mall, the Mall of America in Bloomington, MN. With more than 400 stores to explore, you should have no problem finding that perfect gift. The Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Bloomington’s “Shop ’Til You Drop” package includes a Mall of America coupon book, shopping bag (to fill up with all your great purchases) and two bottles of water to quench your thirst while power shopping.

Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Bothell, WA
For shoppers on the hunt for deals in the Pacific Northwest, look no further than the Country Inn & Suites, Bothell, near Seattle. This package includes a $10 dining voucher for room service, discount coupons to Country Village Shops and Seattle Premium Outlets and a pedicure at Blooming Nails & Spa (because your feet are going to be super tired). And don’t forget, after you’ve had your fill at the mall and the spa, make sure to relax your mind and body in your room (or upgrade to a suite)—where else are you going to store all your shopping bags?

Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Deer Valley, AZ
Shopping isn’t a treat for everyone. Which is why Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Deer Valley (outside of Phoenix) wants to help you make it an enjoyable experience. Their shopping package comes with an Arrowhead Towne Center goody bag that includes a $40 gift certificate to spend anywhere in the mall! And when you’re all shopped out, the hotel’s complimentary shuttle service will pick you up and bring you back to your room where you can relax and take a dip in the heated pool and whirlpool.

Westfield Mall in San Diego
Marathon shoppers will be in heaven at Westfield Mall in San Diego. With 114 stores, including Macy’s, Nordstrom and the Apple Store, you’ll have no problem finding something for everyone on your list.

The shopping package from Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, San Diego North, makes your day even sweeter with a $100 gift card to the mall and a welcome bag with an energy bar, bottled water and more! A complimentary shuttle with take you from the hotel to the mall and back.

Legends Outlets in Kansas City
See the savings stack up at Legends Outlets in Kansas City. The stores and restaurants stretch over 1.2 million square feet! Your shopping package from Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Kansas City at Village West includes a $50 gift card you can use at any of the stores or restaurants. After a day of exploring Legends, rest your tired feel at the hotel’s heated indoor pool and hot tub.

Shop Your Style in Covington, LA
Browse through the antique shops in search of a one-of-a-kind gift, or hit the new shopping districts for the latest designer fashions. Your shopping package from the Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Covington, LA, includes a $50 Visa Gift Card you can spend wherever you’d like. The hotel is convenient to fantastic shopping, and you’ll get coupons and shopping guides to help you navigate the deals. Warm chocolate chip cookies will be waiting upon your return. And you’ll have plenty of room for all of those shopping bags in your upgraded suite.

Another benefit is the opportunity to meet interesting people. Some tours, such as New York’s Big Apple Greeter, actually pair travelers with resident New Yorkers based on language, neighborhoods requested and interests. All that, and it’s free of charge.

Your Walking Guide:

• There’s a tour for that. Is your passion architecture, food, history, gardens or neighborhood culture? Chances are, in most cities and towns, a walking tour awaits. Some tours, such as those offered by Philadelphia’s Mural Arts program, or the Coronado Historical Association in San Diego, are also offered on bicycle.
• Take a foodie tour and skip lunch. Sign up for a stroll through Pittsburgh’s Strip District with ‘Burgh Bits & Bites or San Francisco’s Chinatown with Wok Wiz, and you’ll eat your way through colorful storefronts selling everything from homemade sausage to Peking duck.
• Calling all preservationists. PreservationDirectory.com is a great resource for history buffs. The website is a clearinghouse for history-focused strolls, both guided and solo. Searching by state and region, you may find a route through bewitching Salem, Mass., or along the Art Deco facades of South Beach in Miami.
• Dabble in the weird. If you’re looking for the offbeat, Weird Chicago fits the bill. Follow in the steps of serial killer H.H. Holmes, relive the bloody St. Valentine’s Day mob massacre or chase elusive ghosts for a few hours. With its voodoo-laced past, New Orleans is another city that loves to make you shiver. Explore the shady and sinister side of the Vieux Carré with Haunted History Tours or trek to an above-ground cemetery for a lesson in Big Easy burial customs and a gander at Voodoo Priestess Marie Laveau’s final resting place. (Or is it?).
• All by yourself. Sites like City Slicker (Charleston, S.C.), GPSmyCity (multiple, including Indianapolis and Portland, Ore.) and Trek Exchange (multiple, including Philadelphia and San Antonio) offer self-guided tours you can download to your smartphone and do on your own schedule. Check the city’s local tourism or convention and visitor’s bureau sites for more, and sometimes even free, options. Your job is just to show up with a curious mind and a good pair of walking shoes.

Sunny San Diego
Southern California is beautiful year-round, and San Diego has cultural attractions and sandy beaches to make everyone happy. The Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, San Diego North is 7 miles from downtown and is a great home base for your trip.

Take a picnic to Balboa Park, home to the San Diego Zoo and 15 museums. The grounds of the park are free to explore, and you can choose to visit the attractions based on your interest and budget. The park also has miles of hiking trails, a miniature railroad and a carousel.

San Diego also has beautiful beaches close to downtown. Drive or take the ferry across the bay to Coronado and enjoy one of the wide, family-friendly Coronado Beaches. And while you’re there, stroll the charming shops and restaurants of this lovely seaside town.

Action-Packed Atlanta
This southern city is brimming with attractions and events for families or couples. And there are plenty ofCountry Inn & Suites By Carlson^SM locations to choose from, all convenient to major sites.

Enjoy the warm, late-summer weather by exploring Piedmont Park, more than 180 acres in the city center with a lake and walking trails. It’s adjacent to the Atlanta Botanical Garden where you can spot native birds and walk through the treetops on a canopy bridge.

An improvised swing through San Francisco and south along the sunny California coast to Monterey delivers variations on a theme of scenic terrain and a parade of watchable people.

The traffic outside Palo Alto on U.S. Highway 101—all eight lanes of it—creeps at a snail’s pace, but I’m not terribly concerned about missing my flight. I’m still in a California frame of mind, after all, listening to smooth jazz on the radio. It’s an appropriate musical coda to my visit, prompting me to retrace my steps and the different rhythms that seem to pulse from the state’s ever-changing terrain.

San Francisco is inherently jazzy—just ask crooner Tony Bennett, who, in song anyway, left his heart there. The city has all the swing of New York, without the frenetic buzz. I feel it on Columbus Avenue in North Beach, with each invitation of “ciao bella” from the string of Italian maitre d’s hailing potential diners, and amid the ebb and flow of joggers, baby strollers and dogs promenading by the imposing arc of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Farther south, around Monterey Bay, the beat changes every 20 miles or so. In Santa Cruz, as I drift along West Cliff Drive, warmed by abundant sunshine, the surf’s up, and everyone comes out to see who’ll hang ten and who’ll wipe out. Think Dick Dale and the Del-Tones, and the Beach Boys. This is the real “Surfin’ U.S.A.,” and there’s even a museum full of old boards, wetsuits and photographs to prove it.

To the east, outside Watsonville, mariachi and salsa dominate as I drive past endless fields of strawberries and artichokes; “Fish tacos for sale,” reads a hand-painted sign by a road stand. As for picturesque Monterey, whose twinkling lights illuminate its deep and mysterious bay at dusk, what else could capture its spirit but the cool R&B currents of Barry White? Even the sea otters seem to dig this groove.

Beyond Monterey, along the Pacific coastline from 17-Mile Drive at Pebble Beach to Big Sur, the mood is decidedly romantic. With each jagged cliff and jumble of boulders kissed by the leaping tidal spray, I see Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak clinging to one another in desperate passion, as the theme from Hitchcock’s Vertigo swells in my head. On wider, quieter stretches of beach, soft ballads take over—say, “The Shadow of Your Smile,” to which Liz and Dick cavorted in the schmaltzy ’60s drama The Sandpiper.

Eventually the traffic moves. I make my flight. But the California beat goes on.

Saturday, head to the Pike Place Market, the oldest continually operating outdoor market in the nation, and start your weekend adventure with a warm scone and latte from Three Girls Bakery. Grab a spot on a bench overlooking Elliot Bay, or stroll along the cobblestone street lined with produce stands and specialty stores. Breathe in the scent of fresh flowers as the sounds of street musicians fill the air. Be sure to take the kids to Market Magic, where the staff will cheerfully demonstrate the wares.

For lunch, walk down to Pier 54 on the waterfront to munch on salmon ‘n chips ($7.69) at Ivar’s, which offers outdoor seating overlooking Puget Sound. If you’re in the neighborhood for a mid-afternoon snack, try Ivar’s famous clam chowder (starting at $3.29 a cup).

In the afternoon, check out the Seattle Aquarium a great place to watch people as well as fish. Kids will love the hands-on marine life exhibit, where they can touch a prickly starfish and a squishy sea cucumber. And the sea otters and seals are usually good for an impromptu show. There are also some funky shops perfect for souvenir hunting, such as Ye Old Curiosity Shop.

Spend Sunday checking out some of Seattle’s neighborhoods that are chock-full of character. Start with breakfast in Wallingford at Julia’s Cafe ($10–$15 per entree), where the plate-size pancakes topped with Northwest blueberries are sure to please your kids. Julia’s also serves an excellent veggie omelet and homemade baked goods.

There are plenty of places to leisurely explore with the kids. You could spend the entire day walking the award-winning 92-acre Woodland Park Zoo in nearby Phinney Ridge. Check out the African wild dogs and Komodo dragons—among the more unusual animals on exhibit. And there are always plenty of cuddly newborns that invariably steal the spotlight in summer. There’s also a great food pavilion for lunch.

If you’ve got time in the afternoon, head over to the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks in Ballard. This amazing showpiece is made up of two navigational locks, a dam and spillway, a fish ladder, a botanical garden and a regional visitor center. The locks allow vessels to pass from fresh water into the salt water of Puget Sound.

Nearby Golden Gardens Park is a great spot for a sunset walk on the beach while the kids chase waves and search for seashells. It’s also home to Ray’s Cafe, the perfect place to sit on the breezy oceanfront deck and propose a toast to your Seattle adventure over a plate of Grilled Alaskan King Salmon or Dungeness Crab Cakes.

Author Bio: After 15 years, writer Jennifer Haupt still finds new things to do in Seattle.

Thanks SHERI — and thanks again to Chelsea @JVC_USA for donating the wonderful JVC Everio HD Camcorders… they certainly helped to create memories that will last a lifetime!

I love this Country!
~Emily

In recent years, the California olive oil industry has blossomed. Here are a few of my favorite California olive oils and where to find them.

McEvoy Ranch Olive Oil Store in San Francisco’s Ferry Building is a great place to start your olive oil odyssey. Produced from olives grown in Marin County, McEvoy Olive Oil (12.7 fluid ounces: $22) is smooth, aromatic and slightly peppery on the finish. Featured in restaurants and shops throughout California, the brand also sells nationally at Whole Foods Market.

I never visit the Wine Country without stopping at Napa Valley Olive Oil Manufacturing Company (835 Charter Oak Ave., St Helena, 707-963-4173), down a little road in St Helena. The oil is robust, rambunctious and straightforwardly delicious—and demands little of your wallet (16 fluid ounces: $7.50).

One of California’s oldest olive oils producers, Sciabica’s, is near Modesto in
the Central Valley. Sciabica’s Sevillano Variety Fall Harvest (5 fluid ounces: $6.50) has taken top awards in international judging, and its Marsala Brand (5 fluid ounces: $5) is a delicious basic oil for daily use.

Also in the Central Valley, you’ll find Bariani Olive Oil which is grassy and full of flavor. It’s sold at Sacramento area farmers’ markets, in specialty shops or by mail at prices 40 to 45 percent less than retail (8.45 fluid ounces: $4.50).

From southern California, Santa Barbara Olive Co.  is America’s No. 1 specialty olive company. It sells different kinds of herb-infused oils, including an Italian oil variety (5 fluid ounces: $5).

Today, there are more than 300 olive ranchers in California, growing 187 distinctive types of olives.

Marlena Spieler is a San Francisco Chronicle food columnist and the author of more than 40 books.

Sherman Gardens is a 2-acre oasis just off the busy Pacific Coast Highway in the seaside town of Corona del Mar. Inside the ornate iron gates, formal beds, ablaze with masses of seasonal flowers, and groupings of artistically designed terra-cotta containers and hanging baskets greet guests. In one large pot, ruffled cabbages consort with pansies and velvety plectranthus nestles with violet streptocarpus, multicolored English primroses and peach-toned alstroemerias. Bacopa, variegated needlepoint ivy and long tendrils of pink-flowered mandevilla ‘Alice du Pont’ cascade from moss-lined baskets, crowded with flowers in varying shades of blue.

In the heart of the Sherman Gardens, a lofty wooden lath house shelters a collection of shade plants where fancy hybrid begonias, Australian tree ferns, moosehorn and staghorn ferns, and rare palms flourish. An old-fashioned tropical conservatory encloses a sparkling pond filled with jewel-toned koi. Nearby are tall stands of torch ginger from Celebes and Java, a collection of carnivorous plants, orchids, bromeliads, waxen anthuriums, and glossy bird’s-nest ferns the size of an overstuffed ottoman.

A leisurely stroll along the brick and stone pathways leads guests into a Discovery area with shelves of container-grown fragrance plants. Although this space was designed for the blind, few can resist the temptation to stop, touch and sniff.

Cacti and succulents grow near the old adobe that houses the Sherman Library, devoted to the study of the Pacific Southwest. Golden barrel cactus, orange-flowered aloes, euphorbia and agave stand sentry over shallow terra-cotta bowls filled with succulents.

Most of the plants are labeled with the genus, species, common name and country of origin. A small pamphlet, “A Guide to the Garden,” delves into the history and ethno-botany of many of the plants.

 Hortense Miller Garden

Winding roads with breathtaking views of the Laguna Beach coastline lead to the hillside Hortense Miller Garden. This 2 1⁄2-acre sanctuary, perched on the upper slopes of Boat Canyon, is as much for the birds and critters as for the garden lover. Dedicated docents and Master Gardeners, versed in both horticulture and the natural history of the surrounding California hills and canyons, lead tours of this wild and varied habitat.

More than 40 years ago, Hortense Miller began her life’s work of creating a garden that would one day feature 1,500 plant species. Introduced and naturalized exotics mingle here with California’s stalwart natives.

Visitors meander along ribbon-thin trails flanked by mermaid roses and salvias, down steep pathways, and into sheltered, wisteria-draped terraces. Guests can rest on strategically placed benches and enjoy the pungent scents of the coastal sage scrub and eucalyptus and the songs of nearly 100 bird species. From the canyons below the gardens, visitors often hear the insistent barking of foxes, the howling of coyotes or the deep, resonant clucking of Mrs. Miller’s wild ravens demanding their afternoon meal of stew meat and cheese sandwiches.

This Gold Coast garden is showiest during late winter and spring when the steep slopes are starred with colorful bulbs and a rainbow-hued blanket of California native annuals. Because of the vast selection of plants and the variety of growing conditions, visitors are sure to find something in bloom every month of the year. 

Mission San Juan Capistrano

No landscape better symbolizes the romantic notion of a typical early California garden than the enclosed courtyards of the 225-year-old Mission San Juan Capistrano  near the historic El Camino Real.

Behind adobe walls in the sun-drenched interior grounds, riotous flower beds and borders, as brightly colored as a child’s paint box, replace the utilitarian orchards, food crops and vineyards of the early padres.

In the entry plaza, thick hedges of purple Mexican sage, bird-of-paradise, bells of scarlet abutilon and walls festooned with bougainvillea in magenta, pink and carmine attract scores of tourists and iridescent Anna’s hummingbirds. The tiny hummers, whose rasping calls are the voice of these intimate gardens, zip from bloom to blossom, dip into the nectar-filled flowers, and fearlessly defend their territory from both birds and humans.

The gardens, influenced by the padres’ exposure to Mexican farms and the Andalusian cloisters of southern Spain, are divided into walled patios and criss-crossed by axial pathways punctuated by trickling, moss-covered fountains. Six distinct areas embrace an eclectic array of both native and introduced plants, including ancient olive and pepper trees and a rare Southern California Washingtonian palm.

A dedicated corps of volunteer “Gardening Angels,” organized by Museum Programs Director Alana Jolley, devote countless hours to the care and replanting of Mission San Juan Capistrano. The “Angels” enjoy sharing their knowledge and enthusiasm with visitors and welcome gardening questions. 

 Sharon Lovejoy’s newest book is Toad Cottages & Shooting Stars: Grandma’s Bag of Tricks–Over 130 Wonder-Filled Activities for Children.

On Saturday, experience San Diego’s beach culture at Mission Beach. Start the day early with the sound of breaking waves in the background while you enjoy a breakfast of eggs and bagels at North Shore Café for $7 to $10. It’s right on a boardwalk that parallels the ocean and is a great spot to watch the parade of swimmers, skaters and beach bums passing by. The café is adjacent to the Belmont Park amusement park, and you can choose to rent bicycles and cruise the boardwalk, or, if you dare, cuddle close and scream on the Giant Dipper Roller Coaster, one of two original oceanfront roller coasters operating on the West Coast ($6 per person).

Spend the afternoon at SeaWorld (admission $69, $59 children 3–9 and children under 3 free; parking $12), just 15 minutes away, and feed fun-loving bottle-nosed dolphins or slide your hands over the slick surface of a California bat ray. Be sure to see “Believe,” a show in which trainers interact with magnificent killer whales.

At the end of the day, the two of you can sip margaritas and watch the sun set from the Ocean Terrace at George’s at the Cove. This romantic La Jolla restaurant is famous for specialties such as garlic roasted shrimp and Asian marinated skirt steak with garlic spinach and buttermilk onion rings (entrees $16.50–$25). Stroll down tree-lined Prospect Street after dinner and explore the fine art galleries and specialty shops that stay open late.

Start Sunday downtown at homey Hob Nob Hill. Locals have enjoyed hearty breakfasts here since 1944. Mimosas are made with fresh-squeezed orange juice, and the made-on-the-premises cinnamon rolls are a sweet start before a corned beef omelet or a waffle sprinkled with pecans ($1.95–$15.25).

After breakfast, head for Balboa Park, where the San Diego Zoo ($26–$35) and more than a dozen museums are situated on 1,200 verdant acres abundant with floral gardens, and towering palm and eucalyptus trees.

The zoo houses approximately 4,000 animals, and besides lions, tigers and bears (oh, my!), you’ll find many endangered species and the largest number of giant pandas in the United States. Steal a kiss on the Skyfari Aerial Tram, an airborne shortcut that sails over the whole park ($4 each way). Once you’ve toured the zoo, head over to Balboa Park’s Botanical Building to view the exotic orchids before a light lunch at The Prado. Sample the tortilla soup ($6.95) and chopped salad with mango and grilled chicken ($9.95-$14.95), then drive down Broadway to the Gaslamp Quarter.

Don’t miss Westfield Horton Plaza, an open-air shopping complex that looks like a fantasyland, with turrets, domes and twisting stairways in sherbet shades of strawberry, grape and orange. Use the handy parking garage, then search for souvenirs at the kiosks, where you’ll find everything from shell necklaces to straw hats. Dine at Beach City Market, a gourmet market specializing in fresh and healthy food that is owned by Culinary Institute of America graduate, Brian Jackson. Afterward, walk a few blocks to Croce’s Restaurant & Jazz Bar and end the evening with a sweet, slow dance.

If you have another day, stop by Old Town San Diego, the first European settlement in California. The nine-square-block area has historic buildings, and plenty of shopping and fine dining.

 Though romance may come and go, Marcia Manna is happy to report that her secret love affair with San Diego and all of its hot spots remains an enduring passion.