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Month: February 2018

Hachette Audio & Wax Audio Group Announce Partnership

Posted on <time class="entry-date published" datetime="2018-02-28T13:14:17-05:00">February 28, 2018</time><time class="updated" datetime="2018-02-28T13:19:38-05:00">February 28, 2018</time> by Matthew Hooban

Vinyl Audiobook Series to Launch with David Foster Wallace Release

Forthcoming titles are set to include HAMILTON: THE REVOLUTION, and work from Jerry Garcia, Nelson Mandela, Amanda Palmer, Steve Jones, Wayne Kramer, and David Sedaris

New York, NY — February 27, 2018

Hachette Audio, an imprint of Hachette Book Group, today exclusively announced via Billboard that it will produce a series of vinyl + digital audio titles in 2018 starting with the release of David Foster Wallace’s This Is Water, which is available today in two limited collector’s editions. The vinyl series will be distributed and product managed by Wax Audio Group, an independent record label that specializes in unique vinyl releases.

According to Anthony Goff, SVP & Publisher of Hachette Audio, “As we’ve all seen recently reported across major media, the dramatic and sustained rise of audiobooks continues, so there is no better time than now to expand our catalog with an audio format that has seen amazing resurgence with a greater dedication of retail space and online merchandising. Though we published our first vinyl record, David Sedaris’s Live For Your Listening Pleasure, in 2010, we’re thrilled to be able to announce a new, more extensive publishing partnership with Wax Audio Group, and a full list of A-list releases planned through 2018.”

“On the business side it’s rare that a new vertical presents itself and even rarer that it is such a collectible and tactile format. Vinyl audiobooks bridge the gap between retail book and record stores but more than anything else, it’s cool and when you have something you’re proud to be a part of ­— it’s the most rewarding part of any release,” added David Bason of Wax Audio Group.

This is Water originated from a commencement speech given by Wallace at Kenyon College on May 21, 2005, and was later published in book form as This Is Water: “Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life.”  Time magazine has ranked it among the best commencement speeches ever delivered. Other titles confirmed for vinyl release this year include Hamilton: The Revolution by Lin Manuel-Miranda and Jeremy McCarter, Jerry on Jerry by Jerry Garcia, edited by Dennis McNally, Lonely Boy by Steve Jones, The Art of Asking by Amanda Palmer, The Hard Stuff by Wayne Kramer, Nelson Mandela’s Favorite African Folktales and multiple titles from David Sedaris. All of these releases will also include complementary digital download codes for the full version of the audiobook (for titles too long to fit on one or two LPs).

“The Coalition of Independent Music stores is very excited to be partnering with Wax Audio Group and Hachette Book Group in the release of audiobooks on vinyl. With the resurgence of the vinyl format we think the day has come for spoken word records to find their place in the modern record store and bookstore alike. The caliber of artists surfacing through our partnership is unbelievable and a real representation of the power of the modern author to reach a new and bigger audience through a format that is both historical and ground breaking at the same time.” -Michael Bunnell, Executive Director, Coalition of Independent Music Stores

“There’s a new opportunity to curate a unique offering on vinyl that appeals to the fan and collector that is crossing over between these two listening experiences. This is especially true when you add exclusive content, limited editions, and the incredibly high production value that is the touchstone of an important publisher such as Hachette Book Group.” – Jeff Bowers, Wax Audio Group

“Think Indie is thrilled to be teaming up with WAX Audio and Hachette Book Group—we’re looking forward to connecting the world of audiobook lovers with the world of vinyl lovers.  The possibilities are endless for this format and we think these releases are going to make fans of the authors extremely happy and allow our company to broaden its reach into the marketplace and help bring vinyl into outlets that have never offered it to their customers before. ” Scott Register, Think Indie Distribution

About Hachette Book Group
Hachette Book Group is a leading trade publisher based in New York and a division of Hachette Livre, the third-largest trade and educational publisher in the world. Hachette Audio is a publisher of a variety of popular genres in audio form, which matches HBG material with talented actors, composers, and producers to find its fullest expression. Their audiobooks are primarily based on material published in print and online by Grand Central Publishing, Little, Brown & Company, FaithWords, Center Street, Orbit, JIMMY Patterson, Hachette Books, Black Dog & Leventhal, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and Perseus, and have been recognized for the highest quality of content and production with numerous GRAMMY, Audie, Listen Up! And Earphone awards. Unabridged and abridged titles are available on CD and as digital downloads.

About Wax Audio Group
Wax Audio Group is an independent record label and brand offshoot of the Wax Record Fair (established in partnership with Capitol Music Group in 2015) who specializes in unique vinyl releases for book, music, and lifestyle retail.

Wax Audio Group is a brand unit of the WAX family of companies, established in cooperation with Think Indie to produce and distribute unique audio productions for fans of the vinyl format.

Recipe from Simple Desserts – Chocolate Palets

Posted on <time class="entry-date published updated" datetime="2018-02-28T12:28:56-05:00">February 28, 2018</time> by Betsy Hulsebosch
Simple Desserts Chocolate Palets
Simple Desserts Chocolate Palets

Chocolate Palets – the easiest recipe from SIMPLE DESSERTS.

10 minutes prep, 10 minutes baking, 5 minutes cooking, overnight refrigeration.

You’ll need

  • 1 ounce praline pecans, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 4 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon unsalted butter
  • 5 ½ ounces dark chocolate

Now, SIMPLE steps:

  • Preheat the oven to
  • Combine the chopped pralines with the flour, sugar, and 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons of butter, melted. Spread the mixture onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, or until golden. Let cool, then crush the pralines.
  • Gently melt the chocolate with the remaining butter. Mix with three-fourths of the crushed pralines.  Spoon the batter into 4 silicone molds. Sprinkle with the remaining praline.
  • Refrigerate overnight and serve.

Serves 4.  From SIMPLE DESSERTS: THE EASIEST RECIPES IN THE WORLD.

 

 

Recipe from Simple Desserts – Easy Creme Caramel

Posted on <time class="entry-date published updated" datetime="2018-02-28T12:25:36-05:00">February 28, 2018</time> by Betsy Hulsebosch

Simple Deserts Creme CaramelWe’ve got the easiest recipe for Crème Caramel from SIMPLE DESSERTS!

10 minutes prep, 15 minutes cooking time, 1 hour baking and chill overnight.

You’ll need

  • 25 sugar cubes
  • 5 large eggs plus 3 extra yolks
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 vanilla bean
  • 4 ¼ cups whole milk

Now, SIMPLE steps:

  • Preheat the oven to 300°F/150°C.
  • In a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar cubes in 3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon water. Heat until amber in color.  Pour the caramel into a cake pan.
  • Whisk the eggs, yolks, and granulated sugar. Halve the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds into the milk. Add the vanilla pod, and bring the milk mixture to a boil. While whisking constantly, slowly pour the hot milk over the egg mixture. Remove the pod.
  • Pour the entire mixture into the cake pan.
  • Bake in a bain-marie (a water bath) for 1 hour, or until barely set.
  • Refrigerate for overnight and then unmold.

Serves 4.  From SIMPLE DESSERTS: THE EASIEST RECIPES IN THE WORLD.

 

Recipe from Simple Desserts – Blueberry Tartlets

Posted on <time class="entry-date published" datetime="2018-02-28T12:19:33-05:00">February 28, 2018</time><time class="updated" datetime="2018-02-28T12:21:13-05:00">February 28, 2018</time> by Betsy Hulsebosch
Simple Dessert Blueberry Tart
Blueberry Tart in 5 steps

Whip up some Blueberry Tartlets

We’ve got the easiest recipe from SIMPLE DESSERTS.

10 minutes prep, 10 minutes cooking …  and you look like a star.

You’ll need

  • 4 ½ ounces Speculaas cookies (spiced shortbread cookies), crushed
  • 4 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 pint fresh blueberries
  • 1 cup + 2 teaspoons whipping cream, chilled
  • Optional: confectioners’ sugar to sprinkle

Now, SIMPLE steps:

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.
  • Crush the cookies, and thoroughly combine them with the melted butter. Press the mixture into 4 (3-inch/7.5cm) parchment-paper lined tartlet pans to make the crusts.
  • Distribute half the blueberries among the pans and bake for 10 minutes, or until the edges are golden. Let cool.
  • Beat the cream into soft peaks. Just before serving, add a dollop of whipped cream and top with the remaining blueberries.
  • If you like, dust with confectioners’ sugar.

Serves 4.  From SIMPLE DESSERTS: THE EASIEST RECIPES IN THE WORLD.

 

Meet Jace Dawson from Luckiest Cowboy of All

Posted on <time class="entry-date published" datetime="2018-02-26T15:51:48-05:00">February 26, 2018</time><time class="updated" datetime="2018-06-25T13:23:03-05:00">June 25, 2018</time> by Estelle Hallick

MEET JACE DAWSON

Profession: Rancher
Age: 28 years old
Location: Happy, Texas
Height: Over six feet tall.

If your best friends had to pick four words to describe you, what would they pick? Funny, honorable (I live by the cowboy code of honor), single and maybe a little impatient.

What are you passionate about? I’m passionate about my ranch and my family.

Describe a typical Friday night. Friday night is party night for cowboys. It’s when we hit a country bar and two-step some leather off our best dancin’ boots. That is until a cowboy’s soul mate comes along and then things change and a typical Friday night is spending the evening with her.

What are three things you enjoy doing in your free time? I love country music, riding broncs and spending time with my family. I have a sister, Kasey, who has three amazing kids and I have a brother, Brody, who got married last year. He and his wife are expecting their first child. Family is the most important thing in the world to me.

What’s the last song you listened to? Tennessee Whiskey by Chris Stapleton

Favorite book? The Sacketts by Louis Lamour

 If you could go back in time and change one thing in your life, what would it be? I would have married Carlene right out of high school.

What are you looking for in an ideal mate? I want someone who is sassy who’ll state her opinion like Carlene does and who makes my heart flutter (I know that sounds kind of sissy but it’s the truth). I’d never go for someone who wouldn’t stand up to me when she thinks she right or fall for someone on nothing but her looks. Carlene is beautiful inside and out and I want someone like her when I settle down.

Jace’s heart was still as big and kind as it had been in high school. He’d been witty and charming as a friend and then an amazing boyfriend. And they were so hot together, they’d barely been able to keep their hands to themselves. But it had been that sweetness about his heart that had drawn Carlene to him from the beginning and made her long for him years afterward.

As she crossed the living room to the door to show him out, she stepped on a few bits of dead needles from the dried-up Christmas tree her aunt had left in the corner. “Ouch!”

“Here, let me help you.” Jace knelt beside her and gently removed the dried debris from her foot.

His touch sent delicious shivers all the way to her scalp, just like it used to. If he reached up and traced her jaw line with his forefinger, she’d be ready to drag him off to the hay loft all over again.

“There now.” He rose to his feet. “Want me to help you get rid of this thing? I can haul it out of here as it stands.”

“No thanks. I’ll want to keep several of her ornaments, so I’ll take care of it later.”

Jace headed for the door and stopped in the middle of the floor. “You ever get married?”

She shook her head. “You?”

“I’m still holding on as the most eligible bachelor in the panhandle,” he grinned.

“With that much power, surely you could sweet talk the rodeo folks into selling me this house,” she said.

“Can’t do it, Carlene,” he said.

“Hey, look what I found in our moving boxes.” Tilly burst into the living room, but stopped short at the sight of Jace. “Who are you?”

Her hair was all tucked up under a stocking cap with the Florida Gators logo on the front and big green sunglasses covered half her face.

“I’m Jace Dawson. And you are?” He stuck out his hand.

She shook his hand. “I’m Tilly Rose Varner. Look what else I found.” She turned around to face Carlene and held out an official stuffed alligator from the Florida football team. “I haven’t seen him in a whole year. I guess Aunt Bee packed him for me.”

“She probably found him under your bed,” Carlene said. “Surely you aren’t finished unpacking yet.”

“Nope, but I’m hungry. I’m going to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. You want one?” She laid the stuffed animal on the sofa and started toward the kitchen.

“Your little sister or niece?” Jace asked.

“No, I’m her daughter.” Tilly giggled as she whipped off the stocking hat and a cascade of curly red hair fell to her shoulders.

An icy chill chased up Jace’s backbone. “How old are you, Tilly Rose Varner?”

“I’ll be nine on February twenty-fourth.” She removed the oversized sunglasses and looked up at him with gray eyes sprinkled with gold flecks. Eyes that were exactly like his.

Suddenly, there was not a single doubt in his mind that Jace Dawson was staring at his daughter.

Find out more in an exclusive interview with Carolyn Brown at Rainy Day Ramblings.

Visiting the Giant’s Causeway in Ireland

Posted on <time class="entry-date published" datetime="2018-02-26T14:55:37-05:00">February 26, 2018</time><time class="updated" datetime="2018-11-26T23:50:51-05:00">November 26, 2018</time> by Kimi Owens

According to legend, this UNESCO World Heritage Site was a footbridge between Ireland and Scotland, built by the warrior giant Fionn mac Cumhaill and destroyed when his opponent Benandonner fled back home. Under an undulating series of cliffs are towering walls and a seaward staircase fashioned by nature out of gray basalt, some 37,000 hexagonal columns in all. Frankly, while visiting Giant’s Causeway is well worth your time, remember that photographers hired by the Tourist Board have a knack for taking dramatic snapshots with impossible hues. Lovely as this place is, it is not the eighth wonder of the world.

purple hues of sunset over the coastal area of Giant's Causeway in Ireland
Sunset over Giant’s Causeway. Photo © Aitormmfoto/iStock.

On arrival you can either take the cliff route (part of the 10-mi/16-km Causeway Coast Way) to the right or head down a paved road straight to the sea and rock formations. This is, of course, where all the other tourists go (many of them on a shuttle bus called the “Causeway Coaster”; it’s only a five-minute walk from visitors center to causeway, and most of those on the bus aren’t handicapped or elderly—for whom the shuttle was no doubt intended). The gorse-lined cliff path is easy and dramatic but far less popular. After a mile or so a rather precipitous wooden staircase will bring you down to the paved shore path, or you could keep walking and turn back later.

Walkers and cyclists get free entry, but the admission charge is £9.50 per person (yes, per person!) to park in the official lot. This includes a guided walk and admission to the exhibition in the brand-new visitors center, but it is still ridiculously high. It seems even the National Trust can’t resist price-gouging on occasion. And don’t waste your money at the visitors center tearoom; get thee to The Nook, a fantastic 19th-century schoolhouse-turned-restaurant just beside the Giant’s Causeway entrance.

The visitors center (2 mi/3.2 km north of Bushmills on the B146, tel. 028/2073-1855) also serves as a tourist information point. Hours vary seasonally (10am-6pm daily July-Aug., 10am-5pm daily Mar.-June and Sept.-Oct., 10am-4:30pm daily Nov.-Feb.).

footpath winding along the coast of the ocean in Ireland near Giant's Causeway
The footpath along the coast near the Giant’s Causeway. Photo © lucafabbian/iStock.

Accommodations Near the Giant’s Causeway

Backpackers will appreciate Finn McCool’s (32 Causeway Rd., tel. 028/2073-2011, dorm beds £18-20, private rooms £55) for much more than the two-minute walk to the Causeway entrance. This hostel offers a hot breakfast included in the price, DIY barbecue facilities, and a scenic view from every room (though none are en suite). You can rent a bicycle (£12/day), golf clubs, or fishing equipment. Pick up groceries in Bushmills on your way out. Travelers who’d ordinarily stay at a budget B&B might want to reserve one of the double rooms here.

Otherwise, Ardtrabane House (66 Causeway Rd., tel. 028/2073-1007, £89/70 pp with/without breakfast) is equally convenient: You can walk to the Causeway, thereby saving the £9.50-per-person parking and admission fee, but that convenience is unfortunately reflected in the price. You do get a warm welcome, comfy digs, and a big breakfast (be it pancakes or the full fry).

As you would expect, the Causeway Hotel (40 Causeway Rd., tel. 028/2073-1226, B&B £35 pp, s £50, lunch £6-11, dinner £8-15) offers unbeatable views of ocean and causeway. The atmosphere may be downright stodgy and the staff not particularly welcoming, but the location is reason enough to stay here. Even if you’re staying at the hotel, though, you should take your lunch, tea, and dinner at The Nook (48 Causeway Rd., tel. 028/2073-2993, food served 10:30am-8:30pm daily, lunch £4-7, dinner £8-14), an excellent pub-cum-restaurant in a converted schoolhouse just across the road from the hotel and Giant’s Causeway visitors center. The menu offers creative and traditional dishes using only local produce (though no vegan dishes apart from the side salad, alas), and the barstaff are pleasant and attentive. You can eat on the original slanted desks beside an open fire (but be careful your dishes don’t slide off); the back room, brightened with white Christmas lights, has glass-fronted cupboards filled with vintage toys. You can get a cup of gourmet coffee here, too, sipping it as you muse over whatever memories are brought to mind by the 1980s and ’90s pop tunes playing on the stereo.

See more of the area near Giant’s Causeway with a one-week Northern Ireland road trip.

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Pinterest graphic with photos of a coastal path in Ireland and the Giant's Causeway

Georgia Outdoor Adventure: 10-Day Itinerary

Posted on <time class="entry-date published" datetime="2018-02-26T14:06:18-05:00">February 26, 2018</time><time class="updated" datetime="2018-11-27T00:02:05-05:00">November 27, 2018</time> by Kimi Owens

For campers and green-minded adventurers, this hiking, rafting, paddling, and camping trip covers the most authentically unspoiled and scenic recreational offerings of the Peach State. Use this 10-day travel itinerary to plan your perfect Georgia outdoor adventure.

Day 1

Begin by setting up camp at amazing Cloudland Canyon State Park at the northwest tip of Georgia. Then head out for a day of canyon floor hiking and a guided cave tour. Consider joining the Canyon Climbers Club.

hiking trail under a large rock through trees
Take a hike in Cloudland Canyon State Park. Photo © Jim Vallee/iStock.

Day 2

This morning drive east to set up camp for a three-night stay at Vogel State Park, one of the first two state parks in Georgia. You’ll hike just south of here today throughout the Raven Cliffs Wilderness Area and will cross portions of the great Appalachian Trail. Don’t miss the falls!

Day 3

Drive up to Brasstown Bald to hike up to the tallest point in the state. If it’s a clear day you can see the Atlanta skyline from the summit. This evening treat yourself to a fun, touristy night out in the recreated Alpine village of Helen before heading back to Vogel State Park.

Day 4

Get up early for a long day of whitewater rafting on the Chattooga River where Georgia meets the Carolinas and where the movie Deliverance was filmed. Tonight head into downtown Clayton for the flatbread pizza and craft beer at Zeppelin’s before heading back to Vogel State Park.

two people in canoes on the Chattooga River
Head out on the Chattooga River for an afternoon of whitewater rafting. Photo © Jim Morekis.

Day 5

Break camp and head to Tallulah Gorge State Park, another Canyon Climbers Club location, where you’ll get your free permit to hike across the bottom of the gorge floor. Tonight, head south to the college town of Athens, splurge on a hotel room, and enjoy some nightlife and live music.

Day 6

Today is a long drive to the coast. Tonight you camp at the Hostel in the Forest near Brunswick to prepare for your paddle down the Altamaha River tomorrow.

Day 7

Today you meet with the folks at Altamaha Coastal Tours for your pre-arranged custom guided kayak trip through the amazing Altamaha River, including old-growth cypress stands and maybe even a picnic on a sandbar.

Day 8

Break camp and head to the great Okefenokee Swamp for a day of canoeing. You’ll set up at Stephen Foster State Park at the west entrance, where you’ll rent a canoe for your blackwater fun. Tonight, head into Folkston for an excellent and affordable buffet dinner at Okefenokee Restaurant.

woman sitting in a canoe in Okefenokee Swamp
Get out in a canoe to explore the Okefenokee Swamp. Photo © Gonepaddling/Dreamstime.

Days 9-10

Early this morning take the ferry to Cumberland Island National Seashore for an overnight camping stay. Spend today and part of tomorrow morning hiking through the maritime forest, beachcombing, checking out the Dungeness ruins, and looking for those famous wild horses before the ferry takes you back to shore.

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Use this 10-day travel itinerary to plan your perfect Georgia outdoor adventure, including recreational activities that explore nature in the Peach State through hiking, rafting, paddling, and camping. Kayak the Altamaha River, canoe through the Okefenokee Swamp, hike to refreshing waterfalls in Cloudland Canyon State Park, and take in scenic views from Brasstown Bald. This itinerary covers it all!

North and South Carolina African American History Sites

Posted on <time class="entry-date published" datetime="2018-02-26T11:56:44-05:00">February 26, 2018</time><time class="updated" datetime="2018-11-26T23:57:16-05:00">November 26, 2018</time> by Kimi Owens

The life and contribution of the coastal Carolinas’ African American population is a testament to resilience, resourcefulness, and authentic culture. Here are the key sights in the region: You can visit all of these North and South Carolina African American history sites on a five- or six-day road trip with stays in Wilmington, Charleston, and Beaufort, South Carolina, or combine them with other sights when you’re headed to just one area.

front entryway of Penn Center in South Carolina
The Penn Center was an important planning site for Martin Luther King, Jr. Photo © Jim Morekis.

Wilmington

  • Bellamy Mansion: This historic mansion features extensive interpretive programming on African American history, as well as one of the few intact slave quarters in the United States.
  • Louise Wells Cameron Art Museum: At this nationally renowned museum, you’ll find artwork of notable regional African American artists.

Georgetown

  • Rice Museum: This museum has several exhibits on the contributions of African Americans in building the rice culture of the Lowcountry and the way they lived.

Charleston

  • Old Slave Mart Museum: This structure that once held an indoor slave market today re-creates what happened during those actions and traces the history of the slave trade.
  • Old City Market: On land donated to the city with the stipulation that no slaves were ever to be sold here, the City Market was once and still is a place for African American vendors to ply their wares.
  • Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture: Those of an academic bent can visit this research center at the College of Charleston and view exhibits that sample from its permanent archives. While on this gorgeous campus, don’t miss a visit to the Cistern area in front of historic Randolph Hall, where Barack Obama spoke before a large crowd during the 2008 presidential campaign.
  • Philip Simmons Garden: View the wrought-iron art of Charleston’s most beloved artisan in the garden of St. John’s Reformed Episcopal Church.
  • Drayton Hall Plantation: At this authentically preserved plantation building in West Ashley, you can take a tour and visit the old African American cemetery on the grounds.
  • Boone Hall Plantation: Visit this former cotton plantation and still-active agriculture facility to see the excellent restored slave quarters and the well-done interpretive exhibits. While on Mount Pleasant don’t miss the sweetgrass basket-maker stands all along Highway 17.

Beaufort, South Carolina

  • Robert Smalls House: View the home of the African American Civil War hero Robert Smalls, who later served in Congress.
  • Tabernacle Baptist Church: Robert Smalls attended this church, which today hosts a memorial sculpture of him on the grounds.
  • Beaufort National Cemetery: This burial ground contains a memorial to African American Civil War troops.

The Lowcountry

  • Penn Center: Located on St. Helena Island, this is a key research and cultural site in the study of the Gullah culture and people.
  • Daufuskie Island: The Historic District here is where Pat Conroy taught African American children at the still-standing Mary Field School.
  • Tuskegee Airmen Memorial: Located inland in Walterboro, this monument is dedicated to the African American fighter pilots who trained here during World War II.
  • Union Cemetery: This small but evocative cemetery on Hilton Head Island serves as the final resting ground of several soldiers of the Civil War Colored Infantry.

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1 Week in Cuba: Cars, Cigars, and Cabarets

Posted on <time class="entry-date published" datetime="2018-02-24T08:59:31-05:00">February 24, 2018</time><time class="updated" datetime="2018-11-26T23:41:46-05:00">November 26, 2018</time> by Kimi Owens

Cuba is a mother lode for anyone who loves classic American autos, fine cigars, quality rums, and Las Vegas-style cabaret revues. Before 1959, Havana was the hottest spot in the Caribbean, notorious for its glittering cabarets, smooth rum, and chrome-laden Cadillacs. The good news is that the tail fins of ’57 Eldorados still glint beneath the floodlit mango trees of nightclubs such as the Tropicana, the open-air extravaganza now in its seventh decade of stiletto-heeled hedonism.

Day 1

Arrive at José Martí International Airport in Havana; transfer to a hotel or casa particular in Habana Vieja or Vedado.

blue car driving in front of the capitol building in Havana Cuba
Rent a classic car and take it for a spin on a tour through Havana. Photo © clamon/iStock.

Day 2

This morning, concentrate your time around Parque Central, where the highlight will be the shop at Fábrica de Tabaco Partagás. After buying some premium smokes, head to the Fábrica de Tabaco H. Upmann (formerly Romeo y Julieta) for a guided tour of this cigar factory. Then rent a classic 1950s auto and set out for a tour of the city. In the evening, enjoy dinner at La Guarida restaurant and then thrill to the sexy spectacle of the Hotel Nacional’s Cabaret Parisien.

Day 3

Today, follow Hemingway’s ghost. Drive out to the village of San Miguel del Padrón and the Museo Ernest Hemingway, in the author’s former home. Afterwards, head to Cojímar for a seafood lunch at La Terraza restaurant, once popular with Papa and his former skipper, the late local resident Gregorio Fuentes. Return to Havana for a mojito and stogie at La Bodeguita del Medio. Explore Plaza de la Catedral and Plaza de Armas, being sure to stop in at the Hotel Ambos Mundos (Room 511, where Hemingway was a longtime guest, is a museum) and the Museo del Ron, a splendid museum giving insight into production of Cuba’s fine rums. This evening, sample the daiquiris at El Floridita.

aerial view of tobacco farmland in Cuba
Visit the tobacco fields in Valle de Viñales. Photo © venemama/iStock.

Day 4

Rent a car or hire a taxi for a day trip to Pinar del Río. Set out early to visit the tobacco fields of Valle de Viñales and the Finca El Pinar San Luis, finca (farm) of the late Alejandro Robaina, a legend after whom the Cuban state named a brand of cigar. Return to Havana in the evening for dinner at El Aljibe. Share fine cigars and añejo rums with the connoisseurs at the La Casa del Habano in Miramar.

Day 5

Head out to Marina Hemingway for a full day of sportfishing for blue marlin in Hemingway’s “great blue river.” This evening, enjoy dinner at La Fontana, one of Havana’s choicest restaurants.

Fábrica El Laguito cigar factory in Havana, Cuba.
Fábrica El Laguito. Photo © Christopher P. Baker.

Days 6-7

This morning, head to Club Habana, a chic private club (open to nonmembers for a fee) where you can relax on the fine beach, partake of water sports, and sample cocktails and fine cigars. After dinner at El Cocinero paladar, head to the Tropicana nightclub for the sauciest cabaret in Cuba.

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Cuba is a mother lode for anyone who loves classic American autos, fine cigars, quality rums, and Las Vegas-style cabaret revues. Spend 1 week in Cuba indulging in the cultural experience of cars, cigars, and cabarets. Tour Havana, follow in Hemingway's footsteps, and visit private clubs using this itinerary as your guide.