I looked near and far - read all the email newsletters - checked out all the event sites - looked at EVERY ning community site we belong to - “Googled” my fingers off and I am now ready to present to you the Hottest List (self-proclaimed) of Summer and Fall 2008 Festivals.

Bahamas Junkanoo Summer Festival
Date: June 12th - August 19th
Place: Grand Bahama Island, Nassau, Bahamas

Reggae Sumfest 2008
Date: July 17th - 19th
Place: Montego Bay, Jamaica
Performers: Lil’ Wayne, Keisha Cole, T-Pain, Elephant Man, Beenie Man and more…

Party in Palm Springs
Date: July 25th - 27th
Place: Palm Springs, California (Palm Springs Wyndham Resort)

Adamari Caribbean Summer Festival 2008
Date: July 27th
Place: Long Island Queen Mary Park - Long Beach, California
Price: $50 in Advance, $60 at the gate, $100 VIP, 9 & under Free
Performers: Shabba Ranks, Lady Saw, Junior Reid, Cham, Felisa Marisol, Richie Kupone and more…

The 5th Annual Turks And Caicos Music and Cultural Festival
Date: July 28th - August 4th
Place: Turks and Caicos
Performers: Lionel Richie, LL Cool J, Anita Baker, Ne-Yo, Rickey Smiley and more…

Barbados Crop Over
Date: July 28th - August 4th
Place: Barbados

Caribana
Date: July 31st - August 4th
Place: Toronto, Canada

A.T.I - R.T.I Weekend (A.K.A Jamaica Independence Weekend)
Date: July 31st - August 4th
Place: Negril, Jamaica

Lollapalooza
When: Aug. 1-3
Where: Chicago, IL
It will cost you: $190-$205/three-day pass
Headliners: Kanye West, Gnarls Barkley, Radiohead, Lupe Fiasco, Rage Against the Machine and more…

Anguilla Summer Festival 2008
Date: August 2nd - 12th
Place: Northern Leeward Islands - Anguilla, BWI
11 days of carnival and boatracing activities

The London Notting Hill Carnival
Date: August 22-25, 2008
Place: London, England (Notting Hill)

Labor Day Getaway Weekend
Date: August 29 - Sept 1, 2008
Place: San Juan, Puerto Rico

BumberShoot
Seattle’s Music & Art Festival
Date: August 30 - September 1, 2008
Place: Seattle, WA - Seattle Center
Featuring: Keyshia Cole, T.I., Stone Temple Pilots, Neko, Estelle, Adele, Jakob Dylan, !!! and much much more….too much to list!

Mr. Caribbean International 2008
Date: October 6 -13, 2008
Place: Hedonism III

Bermuda Music Festival
Date: October 1-4, 2008
Place: Bermuda
Performers: Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Steve Harvey, Bill Bellamy, Aaron Nevile and more…

That’s all I got! If you venture out let us know about. Upload your pictures to the Jet Set Community www.TwoJetSetDivas.ning.com

Contributing Source: Black Beach Week.com
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This past weekend my best friend and I took a break from the work grind for a mini-vacay to Los Angeles. While the purpose of my trip was for educational purposes (I’m applying to grad school), it was a great opportunity to slip some vacation time in. So, I decided to extend my weekend trip and come early Thursday morning. I was so excited that my BFF decided to come with me. In my All-Girl Getaways post, I mentioned how important it is to getaway with your best girlfriends. So, I was really looking forward to the long overdue trip with mine!

Before I go on, let me tell you… I’m so proud of myself! Inspired by diva in a carry on’s motto “Real women don’t check luggage” and TravelSpark’s tips on how to travel with just a carry-on, I decided to take the challenge on this trip! Although it was only a 4 day trip, I suffer from chronic over-pack-itis, so this was a big task for me. But I did it! I managed to fit all my businesswear, beachwear, going-out wear, casualwear, six pairs of shoes, two purses, accessories, toiletries, laptop, stationery, and electronics (ipod/camcorder) into just my two carry-ons! It was hard but I proved to myself that with a little strategic planning, it was possible. Will I just do two carry-ons for our upcoming 7-day Costa Rica trip? Hmmm…let me think on that one.

Pool at The Westin Pasadena. source: The Westin

Okay, back to L.A…. After leaving LAX, and picking up our Chevy from the National Emerald Club lot, it was time to explore L.A.! We had a lovely stay in beautiful Pasadena at The Westin Pasadena. The location was great as it was within walking distance to the many restaurants and shops on Colorado and Fair Oaks Boulevards. The hotel entrance was very inviting. The living room and library near the bar area gave the lobby a warm and cozy ambiance. Although the pool was on the 4th floor, it had a rooftop feel to it, offering spectacular views of the surrounding area and the San Gabriel mountains.

The hotel rooms were nicely decorated…keeping with the cozy at home feel. I loved the dual wooden ‘closets’, which gave both of us amble space. However, the double room we were booked in was a little smaller than expected. Of course, the Heavenly Bed more than made up for that.

Okay here’s some highlights from our trip…
Thursday:
- My best friend loves The Late Late Show, so she booked tickets for us to be a part of a taping at CBS Television City. This was my first time being in a studio audience, so that was pretty cool experience.
- We met up with some of my good friends from USC for drinks at a quaint little neighborhood bar called The York in Highland Park. The Veggie Sandwich I had was yummy.

Friday:
- We found out that Diddy was going to receive a star on the Walk of Fame; so what better day to check out Hollywood than this one? Of course some of the Who’s Who in entertainment came to show Diddy support. We got glimpses of Jamie Foxx, Russell Simmons, L.A. Reid, Derek Luke, Michael Bivins, Dallas Austin, Lou Gossett Jr. and his Making da Band groups - Danity Kane and Day 26. My best friend discovered her new found paparazzi talent as she got some perfectly timed shots. Believe me…it’s not easy, and all was I getting was the back of people’s heads. For the rest of our celeb photos and more from our trip, check out our online community.

Malibu Canyon Rd. Not my photo, but captures our ride perfectly.
Source: geeksisiddiqui

- After all the craziness in Hollywood, we were ready for some peace and tranquility…and the Pacific Ocean. We programmed our GPS to lead us on our hour-long drive to Malibu. The drive there was absolutely beautiful….but a little frightening at times, as we winded through the jagged Santa Monica mountains on Malibu Canyon Road.

- We spent a wonderful afternoon in Malibu just laying out on Zuma Beach…minus the episode where a seagull mistook my leg as a toilet (That’s all I’m gonna say about that). The cliffs, blue water, and sun made for a picture-perfect scene. Unfortunately, our paparazzi extravaganza earlier that day in Hollywood wore my poor digital camera’s battery out - so I don’t have any photos (sorry). When all else fails - get a disposable! I’ll post some pics once they get developed.

- Sun and sand are wonderful, but they can make you thirsty and hungry. So we packed up and headed back east on the Pacific Coast Hwy. We made a stop at Malibu Seafood Market and Cafe. I had the grilled shrimp platter (get an order of Clams too!) Located right off the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway), you can sit on the patio and enjoy the beautiful views of the ocean. We even saw some dolphins!

- We said goodbye to Malibu and stopped by the Santa Monica Pier. I love coming here. The boardwalk and the carnival games and rides make you feel like a kid again. It was starting to get chilly…so we didn’t get to hang out long. Cold and tired, we head back to Pasadena. We planned on going out, but ended up waking up from our “quick nap” the next day. As you can see we definitely had a FULL day!

Saturday:

Breakfast at Marston’s. Pasadena.

- This day wasn’t as jam-packed for me as Friday, because I had work to do. However, we did get to make a quick late morning visit to Beverly Hills. First we had breakfast in Pasadena, at the delightful Marston’s Restaurant. This place serves an awesome breakfast. I had the California Omelette, of course!

- On your first visit to L.A. you have to see what the Rodeo Drive hype is all about. From Dolce & Gabbana to Roberto Cavalli, if you’ve got a designer itch, it can definitely be scratched here. We actually found a cute boutique on Santa Monica Blvd. that was right up my alley - Envie. A lovely sales associate named Tigrist helped me select this wonderful fragrance by Monyette Paris.

- The rest of my day was filled with work, while my best friend enjoyed the rest of her day but hanging out at the hotel pool, visiting the Norton Simon museum and stopping by our favorite L.A. fast food joint El Pollo Loco (don’t sleep on the crunchy taco, forreal!).

The Mayan. Downtown L.A.

- After finishing up my ‘duties’, it was time to hit the streets for our last night in town. Of course, the trip wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t finish it ’salsa-style’! We headed downtown L.A. to The Mayan for its Breathtaking Tropical Nights party. It is definitely a salsa club like no other. First of all it’s HUGE! With it’s Mayan-inspired decor, multiple levels, club lighting, and projector screens, the Mayan pulls you in with its sensory overload. But it’s not just the visual effects that gets you going here…it definitely all comes down to the rhythm. You get a mix of reggaeton, bachata, merengue, and the best part - the live salsa band. I had a lot of fun!

Midnight Delight

- Last but not least…after a night of dancing, I got the late night munchies and was in search of one of the many taco trucks that I’d previously seen around the city. On the way back to Pasadena, we didn’t come across very many. But just when I was about to give up…I found one! While I can’t remember the name…I just found a nifty little Taco Truck Map. Now I can always find one whenever I go back to L.A. My asada tacos with lime and cilantro, and part of my best friend’s burrito were sooo good and definitely hit the spot! Hmmm…does Atlanta have any taco trucks? Think I better just wait until I come back.

Southern Cali has become one of my favorite parts of the U.S. It’s so versatile and there’s so much to experience - there’s natural beauty, from beaches to mountains, nightlife, entertainment, great restaurants, shopping, and of course celebrity sightings! If L.A. could just get a handle on the smog…my allergies were workin’ overtime during this trip. Nonetheless, I enjoyed every minute of my getaway with my best friend, and can’t wait to do it again.

Until next time…

On the road, again.

This marks the 156th year! So on this Cinco de Mayo let us tell you where the top 5 celebrations are happening!

Cinco de Mayo Celebrations in the USA

1) Denver, Colorado - lasting two days, the Cinco de Mayo Celebrate Culture Festival attracts 400,000 people. Hear live Mexican regional, Spanish rock, Latin jazz, salsa, ranchero, Tex-Mex, and Chicano rock music outdoors.

2) Chicago, Illinois - Douglas Park draws as many as 200,000 people to its colorful Cinco de Mayo celebration that includes a festival, musical events, food booths, games, kids area, and cultural displays.

3) San Antonio, Texas - Cinco de Mayo festival with music and food, concerts and other commemorations takes place at historic Market Square.

4) San Marco, Texas - this Cinco de Mayo celebration of culture includes Miss Cinco de Mayo and Little Miss Cinco pageants, a parade, and salsa/hot sauce contest, a statewide menudo cookoff, and lots of musical entertainment.

5) San Diego, California - there’s live Cinco de Mayo entertainment at Bazaar del Mundo in Old Town and a maracas-and-margaritas Cinco de Mayo blow-out in Gaslamp.

Personally I will celebrating Cinco de Mayo right here in St. Louis…didn’t know we had those types of celebrations did you? Fooled you.

Let us know how you celebrated!

Picture courtesy of Ellen Gailing Photography

St. Lucia

Hey Divas, it’s the begining of the year and it’s time to get those travel plans in order. Are you looking for the It places to visit this year? Well, look no further.

Condé Nast Traveler magazine recently published its annual ‘2008 It List’ on its Concierge website. The list includes up-and-coming destinations and old favorites that owe another visit.

From islands in China to beachfronts in Mozambique, this ecletic list is sure to get you daydreaming about your next vacation. But, don’t stop there…make sure you turn those dreams into reality!

Mozambique

The 2008 IT List:
Mozambique
St. Lucia
Montenegro
Ecuador
Sicily
Oman
San Diego, CA
Hainan Island, China
Puerto Escondido, Mexico
Paris, France