Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, was the most successful entertainer of all time. His contributions to music, dance and fashion made him beloved by audiences all over the world for more than four decades. Sadly, his life was cut short all too soon.

The evening starts simply: A romantic scene with a girl and a guy as he asks her to marry him. He leaves and she wonders, “Should I or shouldn’t I?” The lovely girl falls asleep on a bench, and that’s when the treasure trove of wondrous and magical aquatic athletics takes off.

Santa Barbara is beautiful, has great weather, and has some special places to accommodate visitors to the “American Riviera” every day of the year. One of those special places is the Bath Street Inn. As evidenced by the people we met there who came from all over to stay at this charming Bed & Breakfast. We met newlyweds on their honeymoon, with “Just Married” painted on the back window of their car, as well as a mid-west businessman who told us he’d been coming here for years for work trips and considered Bath Street Inn his “home away from home.” A student and her mother traveling from San Francisco to San Diego and a thirty-something woman taking a break from being a single mom in L.A. were there, too.

Imagine having your own beautiful cottage in the middle of a vast winery. Then imagine yourself standing in your own private patio, overlooking gently sloping mountains dotted with rows and rows of bright green grapevines.

Fall is a wonderful time to visit Manhattan, and one of the awesome things about the city at any time of year is the variety of cuisines available. In this issue of Agenda, we feature two delightful restaurants in the Big Apple that offer scrumptious food and charming ambience inspired by two different countries—France and Italy. So join us in reading about Orsay Brasserie & Bar and Bar Italia in New York, New York.

The Napa Valley Wine Train is a collection of early 20th century dining cars, dessert cars, a wine-tasting car, lounge cars and 5 locomotives that keep it chugging along 36 miles of track. The last car is the Vista Dome Car, which is the most romantic.

Sitting in the lobby of the people-friendly and pet-friendly Cypress Inn in Carmel, California, you can’t help but feel nostalgic for Doris Day. Although not physically present, her aura fills the halls and walls of this lovely hotel, which she co-owns, in downtown Carmel.

If you think Afternoon Tea is for silver-haired ladies wearing white gloves and carrying Gideon bibles, think again. High Tea, an almost century-old tradition, is one of the best “it’s-so-old-it’s-new” foodie experiences at the Palm Court in the Plaza Hotel. This is the perfect spot to get together with friends for a luscious treat. Everything is prepared fresh at the hotel with the best organic and local ingredients, sourced from a variety of New York regions.

The lobby area is warm and graceful. It actually feels as if you are in a private residence. That feeling continues when you get to your room. Our one-bedroom suite on the 12th floor was elegant and welcoming. It gives you the feeling of home. Or the home you wish you had!

While the fashion crowd went from studio-to-studio, we went from hotel-to-hotel, moving from one to the next to accommodate each hotel’s prior reservations. Our “hotel hopping” proved to be more fun than trouble, and the beautiful weather and close proximity made our moves easy. It was also economical and healthy; saving on cabs and walking all around the city helped us burn off the accumulated calories of too many desserts at New York’s finest restaurants, bakeries, and coffee houses.