Variety is the spice of life. For me, that same philosophy applies to hikes.

I like to cover diverse terrain when choosing a trail. It’s not a decision I take lightly. You never know when you might return to a place and there are usually more hikes than time available.

After hearing my husband and I contemplate our choices with the concierge at Jenny Lake Lodge, another guest directed us to Taggart Lake Trail in Grand Teton National Park. It fit the bill.

The summer solstice has a special meaning for my husband and me. It’s the day we chose to marry seven years ago.More than just a convenient way to remember our anniversary date, we love long summer days. But maybe not as much as the residents of Santa Barbara.

Every year since 1974, this coastal community has celebrated the event with its Summer Solstice Parade. It actually began as a birthday celebration for a popular artist and mime named Michael Gonzales.Today, about 100,000 gather over the weekend to watch the spectacle unfold.

Bubbles, steam-snorting dragons, Carnival-style dancers and psychedelic fish lined State Street and proceeded to mesmerize the crowds. The 1,000 parade participants delivered and excelled on this year’s “creatures” theme.

How nice of Santa Barbara to make our anniversary extra memorable.

There’s no place quite like Central Park. It’s a must-see every time we’re in New York City.

This priceless acreage sculpted by granite rocks, lakes, meadows, trees, bridges and pathways is such an oddity surrounded by Manhattan’s skyscrapers. While it offers a respite from the quick pace of the city outside its perimeter, its New York-bred commercialism is evident as street vendors and performers hustle to make a living.

Wanting to experience a new part of New York City, we decided to sign up for a Harlem tour. In full disclosure, our stomachs led us here. The idea for the trip started with the recommendation to eat at the Red Rooster, the hot new soul-food-with-a-twist creation of Chef Marcus Samuelsson.