Heirloom Tomato Salad by the Pool at the Renaissance Palm Springs

If you find yourself in Palm Springs, the heirloom tomato salad at Date restaurant at the Renaissance is hard to beat.  Sit by the pool.  Order a glass of pinot grigio and order this delicacy.  Prepped with butter sauteed croutons, jalapenos, and a tangy vinaigrette, it's the perfect way to wend the afternoon away ($30 per person).  

Notes:  No reservations needed.  Parking is ample in the front of the hotel.  

Find out more: https://visitpalmsprings.com/eat-and-drink/date-restaurant/
Make Reservations: https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/pspbr-renaissance-palm-springs-hotel/dining/
Phone: 760-322-6000
Address: 888 Tahquitz Canyon Way , Palm Springs , CA, 92262
Latitude: 33.823344
Longitude: -116.538591

Rome, GA 

Olympic Torches at the Atlanta History Center

Did you know the Atlanta History Center's Centennial Olympic Games Museum has the only complete collection of Olympic torches in the country?  Go check them out, and the rest of the history of the Olympics and the twisting tale of bringing the Olympics to Atlanta.  ($22 for two adults).

A walk in Piedmont Park

It's central.  It's beautiful.  It's a great way to walk off a huge meal and see Atlanta at the same time.  Piedmont Park is very much Atlanta's Central Park.  Located in Midtown, with business, restaurants, and life happening all around, it's a great place to slow down, sit on a park bench, and look at the ducks.  Get to know this place.  There are so many Atlanta events happening here, it's a benefit to know the layout.  Enjoy.

Coronary Bypass Burger at the Vortex

Have lunch at the Vortex.  They're famous for their burgers and their attitude.  Check out this quote from the Vortex rules you'll find in the menu:

"CELL PHONE ETIQUETTE
Cell phones are a part of modern life, so we can’t really ban them. And you are free to be as rude to your friends and dining companions as you’d like, but if you expect our staff to serve you, then you need to get off the &*$% cell phone. Vortex employees won’t talk to anyone using a cell phone at our host stand, tables or at the bar. Seriously, we will totally ignore you. In fact, using a cell phone while trying to place an order may result in bodily injury or death."

Don't worry.  The burgers are worth it!  They have a whole separate section of the menu for their famous Bypass Burgers.  They come in single, double, and the infamous triple (aka, the Super Stack).  That's three half pound patties, 14 slices of bacon, 10 slices of cheese, 3 fried eggs, and nearly a bottle of mayo - on the side.  We recommend the single if you want to walk out of the restaurant and do other things on your adventure.  It's only a single fried egg, 3 slices of cheese, and 4 slices of bacon.  Way to diet!   Wash it down with Sweetwater 420.  ($20 per person).

Grab lunch at Apres DIem

Early afternoon is a great time for lunch at Apres Diem.  One of Atlanta's original Euro-inspired coffee houses, its a staple of the Piedmont Park scene.  Go grab a table out on the patio, order a glass of prosecco and the fruits and fromage, and lay back and listen to the lounge.  ($20 per person).

Chattahoochee Nature Center Annual 10K

The Chattahoochee Nature Center is holding their 14th annual Chattahoochee 10k challenge on Valentines Day, 2/14/2015.   Join in the fun!

Fried Chicken Sandwich at Homegrown

Get your energy up.  Head on over to Homegrown in Reynoldstown.  It's funky and kitsch, and the all organic and local menu will make sure you have a great day.  For lunch, the fried chicken sandwich is awesome, or fried greed tomato sandwich. ($10 per person).

A nice ragu at Sotto Sotto

Head on down to Inman park and have a little Italian dinner at Sotto Sotto. This cozy little place brings the fancy.  Start of with a Saved by the Basil cocktail.  Then settle into some warm octopus insalatina, the pork meatballs, and anything with "ragu" on the end of it.  Oh, and you have to try the risotto.  They have a special one every day.  Just go with it and make your belly happy.  ($40 per person).

Fried Chicken Po Boy at Empire State South

Lunch at Empire State South.  Head back on up to midtown and get your energy back at Empire State South.  It's one of Here's What You Do's favorites, and when you go you'll see why.  You're greeted with an outdoor bocce court of classic proportion and surrounded by tall buildings, so that the wind swirls and sets the stage for your bocce greatness.  Then, you enter the restaurant.  It looks like the dining room you wish you had.  A playful mix of chocolates and tans and blues and light and dark.  But the winner is the food.  Try the beet marmalade on toast to start.  Then, have the fried chicken po boy.  Finish off lunch with a game of bocce and a glass of cranberry.  You're good to go.  ($15 per person)

A stroll through Oakland Cemetery

Take a stroll through Oakland Cemetery.  It's just down Memorial, and it's the final resting place of some impactful Atlanta cats.  Folks like Bobby Jones, Ivan Allen Jr., and Maynard Jackson.  A true piece of Atlanta history that's worth knowing.  A good idea is to read about Oakland before you go. They also have tours on Saturdays and Sundays with guides that know their stuff.   ($Free).

Get your energy up at Homegrown

Get your energy up.  Head on over to Homegrown in Reynoldstown.  It's funky and kitsch, and the all organic and local menu will make sure you have a great day. For breakfast, try the pancake stack with pure maple syrup, or the french toast. ($10 per person).

Where the Wild Things Are, an Interactive Exhibit

Maurice Sendak had a massive impact with his masterpiece, Where the Wild Things Are.  Glimpse his early creative process, finish works and newly created interactive pieces celebrating the artist.  It's on till July 5, 2015 at the Breman Musuem.

Segregation Story, a photo exhibit by Gordon Parks at the High

In 1956, Life Magazine published 26 photos of staff photographer Gordon Parks focused on the restraints - visible and non-visible - in Mobile, Alabama.   Take in this important exhibit, plus so much more going on at the High.

GRAV-I-TY, an Exhibit by Fahamu Pecou at MOCA

Winner of the Museum of Contemporary Art of GA (MOCA) Working Artist Prize (WAP), Fahamu Pecou's GRAV-I-TY explores the trend of 'saggin', as a demand of young African American men to be seen, acknowledged.  This first solo exhibit is up until Feb 14, 2015.  

Book Hunt at A Cappella

Book Hunt!  Go check out A Cappella Books.  It's one of the few non-chain bookstores left in Atlanta, and that has made them super focused on stocking their shelves with some really cool finds.  ($depends how much you like books!)

Nirvana Yoga

Mosey on over to Nirvana Yoga.  They offer rise & shine, flow, and traditional for all levels.   Give it a try and feed your soul.  Say hi to Lucy!  ($5-12 per person).

Pancakes at Ria's Bluebird

Breakfast (or even lunch). Ria's Bluebird is the place. Named after the larger than life chef that took Atlanta by storm and was taken from us way too soon, Ria's is famous for their pancakes. Either sit up at the bar, or try to get a seat right at the window, so you can have the strangely comforting view of Memorial Drive and the Oakland Cemetery beyond. Comforting because it's the resting place of some pretty impactful folks in Atlanta History. You should check it out some time. But not this morning. Right now you should focus on your plate of pancakes and hot cup of coffee. Try the grits too.  If you're not in the mood for pancakes, try the country fried tempeh.  Not too shabby.  ($10 per person).

Borrego a la Parilla at Eclipse di Luna

What could be better than a meal at Eclipse di Luna.  Tapas, Tapas, Tapas.  Have two sangrias at Eclipse and say Tapas three times fast.  Tee hee...  Try the Quesos Espanolesa (spanish cheeses), Borrego a la Parrilla (lamb sirloin with roasted tomato sauce, fresh watercress and herb sald), or the paella.  If the spirit has moved you by now, try dancing to the live music.  ($40 per person.)

Belgian Heaven at the Porter

Ok, time for some food.  Go check out the Porter.  This relatively new Little 5 points hang out has great beer.  Some really unusual stuff from Belgium and harder to find beers from craft breweries in the States.  The have 430 beers in all.  They also have pretty darn good food.  Nick Rutherford  wields a masterful and experienced hand in the kitchen.  He's the former sous chef at Seeger's, that always lauded culinary dream of Atlanta's 90s history.  Have the mac & cheese and a 25 Dodici.  Or the bratwurst and a Dubbel Cannon.  ($20 per person).

New Year's Up the Cup and Fireworks

My friends, fireworks + body of water = double the show! HWYD loves that Savannah has fireworks every month. But New Year's Eve? What could be better! From the River Street website: "Celebrate the end of the year with our 2nd Annual Up the Cup Countdown sponsored by Wet Willie’s Savannah! The celebration will take place on Rousakis Riverfront Plaza from 8pm-1am on Wednesday, December 31. Don’t miss out live music and our non-traditional “ball drop” with a Savannah twist! Countdown the final seconds of 2014 as we raise our six foot to-go cup to the New Year! The “Up the Cup” countdown will start right before midnight followed by a firework display to officially ring in 2015!

2015 Georgia History Festival’s Kickoff at the Capitol

The Georgia Historical Society invites you to join us as we kick off the Georgia History Festival in the south wing of the Capitol on February 2nd, 2015, at 11 a.m. We will have a short ceremony with greetings from dignitaries and a James Edward Oglethorpe interpreter. Students are invited to follow a long tradition of commemorating the founding of the colony by wearing colonial costumes.

Georgia Historical Society in Savannah: A Fascinating Visit

The long-term exhibit, “Revolutionary Georgia, 1765-1787: Treasures from the Collections of the Georgia Historical Society,” is currently on display in Hodgson Hall.  The exhibit features a sampling of artifacts, documents, maps, and portraits from the Society’s rich collection of early Georgia materials.  Highlights include the dueling pistols used by Button Gwinnett and Lachlan McIntosh, the grapeshot that mortally wounded Count Casimir Pulaski during the Siege of Savannah, the minutes of the Revolutionary Council of Safety, Abraham Baldwin’s draft copy of the U.S. Constitution, and a sword presented to the City of Savannah by the Marquis de Lafayette.

Port City: The Savannah Riverfront through Artists’ Eyes

Since the founding of Savannah in 1733, artists have gravitated toward the city’s waterfront. Drawn from local collections, the Library of Congress, and Telfair Museums’ collection, Port City tells the story of the Savannah riverfront as depicted by artists in prints, drawings, paintings, and photographs from the 1730s to the present. Artists have captured the vibrancy of life on this working river, from important historical events to daily life in Georgia’s port city. The exhibition begins with the best-known early image of Savannah, a 1734 engraving that shows General James Oglethorpe’s famous plan for the city taking shape on the bluff above the river. Moving on, the viewer glimpses Civil War river activity in drawings by William Waud and photographs by George N. Barnard. Eliot Clark’s moody, nocturnal paintings of River Street capture the industrial waterfront of the early twentieth century.

Ray Ellis: Low Country Stunning

When celebrated artist Ray Ellis passed away last year at the age of 92, he left behind a legacy of artistic achievement that spanned nearly eight decades. Beloved for his iconic images of Martha’s Vineyard and the Lowcountry of Georgia and South Carolina, Ellis combined his grounding in art history with his personal sensitivity to landscape and marine scenes. Telfair Museums celebrates the life and career of this accomplished artist through this presentation of the four fine examples of his work found in the museum’s permanent collection.

Glass House at the Jepson Center

Therman Statom uses plate glass, paint and objects to make art that often connects to history and to specific places. In his glass house construction for the Jepson Center, Statom uses images related to Savannah and to the collection of Telfair Museums. In the house you will see images of people and places from Savannah’s history, including Native American leader Tomochichi, slave cabins at the Hermitage plantation, turpentine barrels at the city’s port, a Grecian couch from the Telfair Academy, and a doorway shaped like the famous “bird girl” sculpture. Look also for the many different ways that the artist uses glass in this work: plate glass boxes, a blown glass vase, an etched glass panel, pulled and twisted glass, even broken glass.

Scupture Terrace at the Jepson

The Sculpture Terrace and Third Floor hallway of the Jepson Center present a selection of 20th century sculptures in a variety of mediums. In addition to the artwork, the terrace also offers a view over the trees in Telfair Square, allowing visitors to see several Savannah landmarks, including the iconic gold dome of City Hall.

Mansion to Museum: Mary Telfair's Vision

Mansion to Museum highlights the incredible story of the transformation of the Telfair Academy site from a home to an “Academy of Arts and Sciences.” The exhibit introduces visitors to Mary Telfair and the Telfair family, founding museum director Carl Brandt, the enslaved family who worked at the house, architects William Jay and Detlef Lienau, early artistic advisor Gari Melchers and others.

Savannah Collects: An Intimate View

Telfair Museums has teamed up with local collectors in the greater Savannah area to present Savannah Collects, an exhibit of beloved treasures housed throughout the community. From eighteenth- and nineteenth-century silver, furniture, paintings, and prints to modern and contemporary art, Savannah Collects will give members and visitors a chance to see the kind of art their neighbors live with. Objects range from a small 18th-century tea caddy made by the English female silversmith Elizabeth Godfrey to whimsical objects, such as a former environmental section of art from the property of famed Georgia self-taught artist Howard Finster. Also on display is a bright orange, bulbous sculpture by contemporary artist Roxy Paine. While exploring a glimpse into hidden Savannah, visitors will enjoy pondering the concept of collecting art and may feel inspired to start or build their own holdings!

Deep River: An Homage to African American History

Artist Whitfield Lovell is internationally renowned for this thought-provoking portraits and signature tableaux. In the exhibition, Lovell utilizes sculpture, video, drawing, sound, and music to create an environment that fully engages the viewer’s senses and emotions. His art pays tribute to the lives of anonymous African Americans and is universal in its discussion and exploration of passage, memory, and the search for freedom. The multi-media “Deep River” installation converts a 2,500-square-foot gallery into a unique environment, which the viewer enters and experiences as a personal journey. The darkened space, which Lovell designed specifically for the Jepson Center, surrounds the viewer with projected images of a flowing river, as the sounds of chirping birds and the river’s rushing currents fill the air. The center of the gallery contains a massive mound of dirt, strewn with everyday objects seemingly abandoned by past inhabitants of the space.

Southern Romanticism at the Telfair

Spanning the years 1810-1896, this exhibition examines the core concepts of the romantic movement as it unfolded in fine art of the American South. Having originated in European literature and art, romanticism found its way to America. The works in this exhibition are drawn from the Johnson Collection, founded by George Dean Johnson, Jr. and Susan (Susu) Phifer Johnson of Spartanburg, South Carolina. The Johnsons are passionate philanthropists committed to enhancing the educational environment and cultural vibrancy of their hometown, state and region. Their collection encompasses more than eight hundred objects that span the centuries and chronicle the cultural evolution of the American South.

Historic Holiday Savannah: Christmas 1886

Step back in time at the Juliette Low Birthplace, beautifully decorated for the holidays. Explore customs during the Victorian era. The table is set for Christmas dinner, the stockings are ready in Mama’s bedroom, and the vintage "Game of Merry Christmas" is out. Birthplace of Juliette Gordon Low, National Historic Landmark Corner of Bull Street and Oglethorpe Avenue in historic downtown Savannah.

Tim Lee at Synchronicity Theater

Scientist turned comedian Tim Lee is taking the stage at the Synchronicity Theater Jan 16th, 8pm. Tim crafts the funniest slide show you'll ever see, making standard deviation roll you in the aisles.  Doors open at 7:30p.