Nissan recently invited us to a swanky party to celebrate the launch of the 2013 370z at the Chicago Auto Show, so I wanted to share some photos from the event with you guys.

Like many of you, I grew up with McDonald's - from happy meals and McDonald's birthday parties when I was a kid to greasy burgers after a hard night of partying in college, McDonald's was like an old beat up pair of jeans. It was predictable, and while never really great it was always satisfying.

I tend to be stubborn with things that I find dear to my heart. Over the years as McDonald's worked to change its brand and improve quality, I fell out of love. What were salads and yogurt parfaits doing at my favorite fast food joint and where was my "super sized" coke and trans-fat loaded fries???

Another summer comes around and the credit crunch is still weighing heavy on our shoudlers - broad and rugged as they may be. But in spite of recent cutbacks and the increasing costs of living, we still feel we are owed our annual summer pilgrimage with the boys, so it’s time to start thinking creatively and find ways to get the man-cations we crave without upsetting our finances for the rest of the year. 

There are many rums, but to me it is thrilling to taste how different regions, personalities, and processes can create dramatically different variations of the theme. Zacapa Rum, from Guatemala is a perfect example of this.

There is NO mistaking this unique spirit for a cousin distilled in the caribbean islands.

A couple years ago I had the opportunity to check out the InterContinental during my tour of the Tampa area.

While I heartily recomend checking it out at ANY TIME, this Touchdown in Tampa package might give you that added incentive.