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Lake Geneva Wisconsin-year round paradise

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360 Magazine Culture Editor, Tom Wilmer visits with Kathleen Seeberg, Executive Director of Walworth County Visitors Bureau as she shares insights about the four seasons attractions of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.

boating and yachting on Lake Geneva, Wisconsin has been an iconic part of the allure since the 1870s. Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer

The modern iteration of Lake Geneva as a consummate resort/vacation destination commenced with Gilded Age barons of Chicago who came to build their mansions on the shores of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin following the devastating Great Chicago Fire of 1871.

Iconic Eastlake Victorian architecture on the Lake Geneva waterfront. Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer

Situated just 75 miles away from the Windy City, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin quickly became a coveted destination for the rich and famous…and it remains true today.

The innkeeper’s welcoming smile at the historic circa-1856 Maxwell Mansion symbolizes the friendliness of the locals in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer

Over the years, the lakefront town has evolved in to a year-round vacation destination for everybody even though luxurious mansions still line the lakefront—and in Lake Geneva’s modest fashion—even the resort-sized mansions are sometimes fondly referred to as summer cottages and cabins.

Since the days of Big Band live music performances Lake Geneva’s Riviera remains as cool place for gatherings of all sorts. Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer

Vacation time in Lake Geneva doesn’t stop with the first November gales…that’s when the locals start prepping for the winter ice festival, tuning up their ice boat racers, and dreaming of snowmobiling, drilling holes in the ice, and setting up their fish shanties on the frozen lake.

Gage Marine century old classic vessels are an ideal way to cruise around on Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer

In the wheelhouse of an iconic Gage Marine vessel touring Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer

Bill Gage at Pier 290 Restaurant at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer

This us just a sampler of the outdoor allures that keep this cool, small town humming year round. The businesses are mostly ma & pa operations–an important ingredient that makes Lake Geneva a most welcoming place.

Downtown Lake Geneva, Wisconsin is like stepping back in time. Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer

Lake Geneva Wisconsin’s downtown Horticultural Hall pays homage to the region’s agrarian roots. Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE NPR.ORG PODCAST ALL ABOUT LAKE GENEVA

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO BILL GAGE PODCAST TALK ABOUT EVERYTHING MARITIME ON LAKE GENEVA

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE PODCAST ABOUT LAKE GENEVA BECOMING THE HOME OF WISCONSIN’S MOST INCREDIBLE PIZZA

You are invited to subscribe to the Lowell Thomas Award-winning travel show podcast, Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer, featured on the NPR Podcast Directory, Apple Podcast, the NPR One App & Stitcher.com. Twitter: TomCWilmer. Instagram: Thomas.Wilmer. Member of the National Press Club in Washington D.C.

Doggie Haven-Home For Life

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360 Magazine Culture Editor,Tom Wilmer, reports from Wisconsin where he discovers a last hope option for unadoptable dogs and cats.

There are two standard options for dogs and cats that arrive at shelters and pounds: adoption or euthanasia.

Lisa LaVerdia decided to create another option that she dubbed The Third Door, providing a home for unadoptable dogs and cats.

Dr. Jane Goodall visits with Home For Life’s Raha

In a recent visit to Home For Life in rural Wisconsin Tom learns that LaVerdia was a successful lawyer with a specialization in asbestos issues and juvenile lead poisoning.

But mid-career, she took down her shingle, purchased 40 acres skirting the Apple River in Star Prairie, Wisconsin, and opened the Home For Life sanctuary for dogs and cats.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO Lisa LaVerdia on NPR.ORG digital media podcast

Lisa LaVerdia at Home For Life Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer

Central to Laverdia’s mission is to provide care for life for dogs and cats that are unadoptable—either due to severe health issues or traumatic injuries, often intentionally inflicted by sadistic tormenters.

Through a network of animal rescuers around the world, the dogs arrive from various countries including India, Southeast Asia, Mexico and Saudi Arabia.

The facility includes temperature-controlled buildings and three catteries, including a building specifically for cats with communicable feline leukemia.

Journalist Heide Brandes visits with kitties at Home For Life Photo Credit:Tom Wilmer

In addition to being home to an average of 100 cats, about 100 dogs reside at the facility in doggie accommodations that include suites and townhouses designed for dogs who need to live in pairs or small groups— complete with piped-in music.

Dog and cat runs are attached to each residential unit, along with four off-leash, expansive meadows.

Heide Brandes with paralyzed doggie at Home For Life Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer

Staffer Barbara Swenson at Home For Life’s Cattery Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer

Latest News– Ashely Judd is scheduled to participate in Home For Life’s gala 2019 fundraiser!

Eau Claire–Inspired Culture

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Culture Editor Tom Wilmer explores Eau Claire, Wisconsin, a city of 68,000 that has rapidly evolved to become a trend-setting cultural mecca.

EAU CLAIRE abounds with classic architecture melded with cutting-edge street art Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer

The driver behind the city’s renaissance has everything to do with the passionately engaged locals, including a 39-year-old tech executive who’s invested millions of his own money revitalizing his hometown’s anchor hotel-conference center, and millions more in Eau Claire’s new performing arts center, the Pablo Center at the Confluence in the heart of town.

The cutting-edge facility’s inaugural season includes dance productions, literary and film events, along with a series of musical events performed in the 1,200-seat main theater. Mack John, Public Relations Manager at Visit Eau Claire, notes, “there are multiple art galleries featuring regional and national visual art displays representing an array of mediums. And in keeping with Eau Claire’s emphasis on community engagement, the galleries are free and open to the public.”

Workers installing finishing touches at the Pablo Center in downtown Eau Claire, Wisconsin in preparation for opening day festivities September 22nd 2018 Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer

John added that there are also multipurpose spaces on the third floor that offer dramatic vistas of the Chippewa River and the city’s lighted Phoenix Park Bridge.

A line up of the 2018-2029 live performances includes: Cloud Cult, Ganavya Doraiswamy, Tony Jackson, Ailey II, Kate Lindsey/Baptiste Trotignon, The Oak Ridge Boys, Blind Boys of Alabama, Kodo Taiko, Erth’s Prehistoric Aquarium Adventure, La Caverne (torch Sisters), Aaron Diehl, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, and Farewell Angelina.

Mack John at the Eau Claire Farmers Market Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer

Kristin Dexter, co-owner of Forage EC Community kitchen in Eau Claire is a prime example of why the town is thriving. Listen to her conversation in the NPR.ORG Podcast Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer

Eau Claire’s proud multi-ethnic pride is exemplified by the Hmong seller at Farmers Market in the heart of town. Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer

Trend-setting Eau Claire, Wisconsin’s hip and happening Shift–it’s a combination coffee house and bicycle repair place Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer

tranquility is mere feet away from the heart of downtown Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE NPR.ORG PODCAST–CONVERSATIONS WITH PASSIONATELY INVOLVED LOCALS

You are invited to subscribe to the Lowell Thomas Award-winning podcast travel show, Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer, featured on the NPR Podcast Directory, Apple Podcast, the NPR One App & Stitcher.com. Twitter: TomCWilmer. Instagram: Thomas.Wilmer

Big Island’s Bright Side

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360 Magazine Culture Editor Tom Wilmer reports from the Big Island of Hawaii

The reason the 4,000-square-mile island of Hawaii is fondly dubbed the “Big Island” is because it’s the size of Connecticut—it’s so big, all of the other Hawaiian Islands would fit within the boundary of the island.

The island’s recent volcanic activity has impacted the economy due to substantial cancellations by vacationers. But there are major resort destinations far from the adverse effects of the lava flows and attendant air pollution.

For example, the Kohala Coast—with a large enclave of homes, condos, and resorts—is situated approximately 100 miles from the East Rift Zone.

Join the conversation with three islanders as they share their thoughts about the positive aspects of island life today. Simon Amos is the hotel manager at the Hilton Waikoloa Village; Vicky Kometani works at the historic Mauna Kea Resort in the heart of the Kohala Coast; and Laura Aquino is with Island Events based in Kona.

Mauna Kea’s beach is one of Hawaii’s most exotic

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE NPR.ORG PODCAST INTERVIEW

Many local businesses island-wide are experiencing a downturn in business, and some workers have had their hours cut back or been laid off due to the decrease in tourism.

International news reports have been surgically focused on the Kīlauea volcano’s East Rift Zone volcanic eruptions and seismic activity—leaving many people with the false impression that the entire island is a disaster zone.

Big Island Hawaii’s Kohala Coast sunset

Paradoxically, Volcanoes National Park has been the island’s number one tourist draw for decades.

150 years ago, 31 year-old Mark Twain put the island’s volcanism on the world map when he came to the island specifically to experience and write about the island’s volcanic activity as a correspondent for the Sacramento Union newspaper in 1866.

Helicopter flightseeing companies, such as Paradise Helicopters, cater to tourists and locals alike signing up for over-flights of the volcano. Adventurous tourists and locals are hopeful that a viewing platform will open in the near future for up-close observation of the flows.

Volcanism and its attendant vog (volcanic fog) have been an intermittent part of island life for more than 30 years. Vog is definitely an issue in the Kona Kailua area, but most days up the coast along the Kohala Coast the sky is often bright blue and clear.

Murder in the Grand Canyon

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Culture Editor Tom Wilmer visits with Annette McGivney, author of “Pure Land: A True Story of Three Lives, Three Cultures, and the Search for Heaven on Earth.”

McGivney’s book tells the story of Tomomi Hanamure, a Japanese citizen who loved exploring the wilderness of the American Southwest. She was murdered on her birthday—May 8, 2006.

Hanmure was stabbed 29 times as she hiked to Havasu Falls on the Havasupai Indian Reservation, at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Her killer was a distressed 18-year-old Havasupai youth.

CLICK HERE to Listen to McGivney’s podcast interview

Pure Land book cover

“Pure Land” is about this tragedy. But it is also the story of how McGivney’s quest to understand Hanamure’s life and death wound up guiding the author through her own life-threatening crisis.

On this journey—stretching from the southern tip of Japan to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, and into the ugliest aspects of human behavior—”Pure Land” offers proof of the healing powers of nature and the resiliency of the human spirit.

Annette McGivney

McGivney is Southwest Editor for Backpacker Magazine and professor of journalism at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona.

You are invited to subscribe to the Lowell Thomas Award-winning podcast travel show, Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer, featured on the NPR Podcast Directory, Apple Podcast, the NPR One App & Stitcher.com. Twitter: TomCWilmer.Instagram: Thomas.Wilmer.

The Journey of Hilton Waikoloa’s Simon Amos

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360 Magazine’s Culture Editor Tom Wilmer reports from the Hilton Waikoloa Village

More often than not, the coolest stories about upscale hotels and resorts are often untold. While resorts are quick to tout their alluring amenities such as a new spa, or rebranded restaurant, they too often take for granted the unsung, behind the scenes transformative environmental initiatives implemented by management teams.

A classic example is the litany of game changing environmental initiatives spurred by 42 year-old Simon Amos, Hotel Manager at the Hilton Waikoloa Village on Hawaii’s Big Island.

Amos and his associates at the Hilton were the first mega resort in the entire Hawaiian Islands’ tourism industry to ban plastic straws.

Amos noted that more than 800,000 plastic straws were eliminated from the waste stream by switching to a compostable alternative.

Simon Amos’s white board hit list of sustainability initiatives for 2018 at the Hilton Waikoloa Village

Another industry game changer was when Amos and his associates decided to install water bottle refilling stations around the Hilton property–mitigating the wasteful use of individual, disposable water bottles—eliminating as many as 250,000 plastic bottles from the waste stream annually.

Complimentary refillable water containers save hundreds of thousands of plastic bottles from the waste stream

Equally engaging but again not the stuff that a marketing firm would likely select for a glossy advert in a travel magazine is the incredible life journey of a hotel manager such as Simon Amos.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO SIMON AMOS’S NPR One Podcast interview

The hospitality industry started coursing through Amos’s veins as a 13 year-old in England when he was washing dishes and bussing tables.

Earning a National Diploma in Hotel and Catering from Hasting College of Arts and Technology, Amos’s early career path included the honor of serving Queen Elizabeth, a stint as assistant food and beverage manager at the iconic Hilton Park Lane, and working at the Cumberland, and Cadogan hotels in London.

He also worked a as headwaiter aboard the Queen Elizabeth 2, training in food and beverage at the Ritz in London, and working at the fabled Lancaster in Paris. His term at Hilton’s flagship property the Park Lane in London led Amos to accept a position with Hilton Hotels & Resorts in China where he served for five years. He started in food & beverage before accepting the role as Hilton Beijing’s Operations Manager.

During Simon Amos’s tenure at the Hilton Beijing was creating a special off-site catered dinner for 1,000 guests at the Great Wall of China

A Hilton Beijing Pole Competition instituted by Simon Amos was so successful that it went for five seasons

Simon Amos instituted a super popular Black Tie Charity Brawl during his tenure at the Hilton Beijing featuring eight U.S. fighters matched against eight Chinese

Amos departed China five years ago to work at the Hilton Waikoloa Village on the Big Island of Hawaii, commencing with a position in food & beverage before assuming the duties as Hotel Manager.

Cherished time off for Simon Amos at the Hilton Waikoloa Village includes deep sea fishing expeditions along the Kona Coast

Amos retains a lifelong passion to source and showcase local culinary offerings, along with a never-ending quest to implement environmental solutions and initiatives at the Hilton Waikoloa Village, even though it’s not the stuff that typically makes the cover of The Sunday Times Travel Magazine or Condé Nast Traveler.

World Bicycle Relief transforming lives

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Saving the world one bicycle at a time

Culture Editor Tom Wilmer visits with Will King, Bicycle Design Engineer at SRAM’s San Luis Obispo, California R&D high-tech bicycle component facility (RockShox, Trucativ, Zipp, Quarq, etc.). King talks with Tom about SRAM’s involvement with World Bicycle Relief an international nonprofit organization that mobilizes people and transforms lives through The Power of Bicycles.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO PODCAST INTERVIEW WITH WILL KING

Fundraisers and individual donations provide specially designed, locally assembled bicycles to students, healthcare workers and entrepreneurs in rural Africa, connecting them with education, healthcare and economic opportunities.

The Buffalo Bikes are a literal life-transforming gift for people in remote African villages and communities. Young girls are primary recipient of the bike, as the transport offers them a safer mode of travel between school and home, and dramatically reduces travel time as schools are often situated far from the village.

Another primary recipient of the Buffalo Bikes are health care workers. One woman that King visited with told him that she travels more than 60 miles per day delivering health care to recipients in remote villages. Dairy farmers are able to increase their deliveries by more than 25 percent, and overall student attendance increases up to 28 percent.

World Bicycle Relief provided some touching life transforming examples: Community Health Worker Ramadhan Bakari cares for 522 people across 105 households in Kakamega County, Western Kenya. But when walking up to 8 km to see each patient, he could visit only a few homes per day.

Things changed in July 2015 when the Malaha Dispensary and Health Center, in partnership with Africa Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF) Kenya, received 30 Buffalo Bicycles to strengthen its community health systems. Trips to patients’ homes became 10 minutes instead of an hour or more. And healthcare workers can now visit up to 30 homes a day.

Community Health Workers (CHWs) are crucial healthcare providers in rural Africa. CHWs visit patients at home, transport patients to medical facilities, and provide preventative education and care.

Their work is especially vital for children born in sub-Saharan Africa, who are 12 times more likely than their counterparts in high-income countries to die before their 5th birthday. The region has 11% of the world’s population but carries 24% of the global disease burden. It lacks the infrastructure to provide even basic healthcare to many of its people.

To fulfill their responsibilities, CHWs often walk long distances over rough terrain and in inclement weather. As a result, fewer people get the care they need.

But with a bicycle, healthcare workers can reach 45% more patients and travel four times farther than on foot, research shows.

At the Malaha Dispensary, Clinic Manager Dr. Bernard Ochanda says 60 bicycles are as valuable as one car. Bicycles can cover more territory and serve more people.

Many times, “the bicycle is used in getting the mothers into the clinic for delivery,” says Ochanda. “Compared to home deliveries, delivery at the clinic is far more safe. Traveling by bicycle is far less expensive than hiring a vehicle.”

World Bicycle Relief believes that all individuals should have access to proper healthcare.

The net cost of a Buffalo Bike is around $150, underwritten through donations. To ensure that the bikes remain in operable condition, local villagers are trained as mechanics, and often suggest design improvements to minimize breakdowns.

To learn more and to donate visit: www.worldbicyclerelief.org

Pietro’s Trattoria a Lodi favorite

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360 Magazine Culture Editor Tom Wilmer reports from Lodi, California at Pietro’s Trattoria

Pietro’s has been a favorite with Lodi, California locals since the Italian eatery for three decades.

Family owned by Jim and Annette Murdaca, Wilmer stopped in for a visit with their son, Chef Pete who spent a year and a half learning the craft as an stagiaire (intern) in Calabria and Parma Southern Italy.

CLICK HERE to listen to the NPR/KCBX Podcast interview with Chef Pete

Come along and discover how Pete has infused the family Trattoria with an Old-World cooking style predicated on not only sourcing super fresh locally-sourced ingredients, but also harvesting greens from their own garden.

A random sampler of Pietro’s dishes that we savored includes the killer Murdaca’s minestrone soup ($6.50); Capri pizza–with tomato sauce, fior di latte cheese, sausage, basil and calabrian chile ($15); and the Risotto Funghi–Italian rice prepared with portobello, shiitake and white mushrooms topped with truffle oil ($19).

Pietro’s Trattoria is well worth the detour next time your motoring up or down Interstate 5.

Growth Industry: LA’s 60,000 homeless

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360 Magazine Culture Editor Tom Wilmer reports from Skid Row at the Cardinal Manning Center Los Angeles

A tale of two cities—a far cry from the best of times for Los Angeles County’s 60,000 homeless

Skid Row in Los Angeles is home to more than 2,000 homeless who sleep on the streets, in doorways, alleys, under bridges, and on streetcars.

Skid Row Los Angeles. Photo Credit: Jimmy Cheng

CLICK HERE to listen to Tom Wilmer’s NPR.ORG/KCBX podcast interview with Lawrence Hurst, Director of Social Services, and Njambi Kingori, Deputy Director of Social Services at the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul’s Cardinal Manning Center, located in the heart of Skid Row.

Skid Row is just a slice of a larger population of homeless in Los Angeles County with a total homeless population of around 60,000. And this does not include the cities of Glendale, Pasadena, and Long Beach—three of the County’s larger towns.

Skid Row Los Angeles home to more than 2,000 homeless. Photo Credit: Jimmy Cheng

More than 30 percent of the homeless population is mentally ill, not to mention the drug addicted and alcoholics. Los Angeles County witnessed a 20 percent increase in homelessness in the past year.

Skid Row Los Angeles. Photo Credit: Jimmy Cheng

From January 2016 to January 2017, the homeless count rose from an estimated 46,000 to 60,000.

And a dominant driver has been the skyrocketing rents in LA County that averaged a 20 percent increase in rental costs over the past two years alone.

Less than two blocks from the heart of LA’s Skid Row is a different world–where wealth abounds. Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer

The new growth industry in homelessness is not necessarily drugs and alcohol but people being evicted from their homes due to an inability to pay exorbitant rents.

There are approximately 1,270 mission and 24-hour shelter beds in the Skid Row area, but there are often more than 2,400 homeless camped out in the greater Skid Row neighborhood.

Thankful diner at Thanksgiving Dinner at Cardinal Manning Center in the heart of LA’s Skid Row.

Among the numerous agencies caring for LA County’s homeless is the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul.

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Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer winner of the Lowell Thomas Award 2017, 2016, 2015, 2013

Thrifting at Saint Vincent de Paul

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Culture Editor Tom Wilmer takes us on an insider’s tour of Saint Vincent de Paul’s trendy Thrift Store in the heart of downtown Los Angeles

Saint Vincent de Paul’s downtown Los Angeles Thrift Store. Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer

Saint Vincent de Paul’s downtown Los Angeles Thrift Store, the largest in Los Angeles County and one of the largest thrift stores in America, provides quality merchandise to those in need as well as a burgeoning trade with millennials and Gen Z.

CLICK HERE to listen to the NPR/KCBX podcast with Alfred Rodriguez, Director of Operations, and Carla Contreras, Deputy Director of Store Operations

The secret is out that this is the place to score a great bargain—and it’s a win-win as all proceeds go to support Saint Vincent de Paul’s various programs including the Cardinal Manning Center in the heart of Skid Row.

Cardinal Manning Center in the heart of Skid Row, downtown Los Angeles

The Cardinal Manning Center includes overnight accommodations for sixty five homeless folk. Saint Vincent also operates a summer camp in the hills above Santa Barbara.

In addition to a vast section at the Thrift Store filled with clothing, shoes and related apparel, there’s an entire section filled with furniture.

The Thrift Store is ardently supported by individual donations, as well as brand new items donated by regional manufacturers.

The old song in the world of thrift stores is “gently used” but at Saint Vincent de Paul you’ll also discover brand new items donated by manufacturers–from shoes to clothing that were earmarked as production overruns or last year’s trends.

Brand new shoes are just a sampling of the super deals at Saint Vincent de Paul’s Los Angeles Thrift Store

The sale sticker prices will cause reverse sticker-shock as the prices are jaw dropping inexpensive.

Antique pump organ for $99 at Saint Vincent de Paul’s Los Angeles Thrift Store

For example, how about a pair of brand new tennis shoes for $5, an 1890’s antique pump organ for $99 (try same item in a Malibu thrift shop for $1,000 to $1,200), a three-piece gently used, elegant leather couch-ensemble for $350.

The customer demographic includes much more than low-income earners.The store maintains a passionate following by those with a passion for green, environmentally conscious living, shabby-chic-trenders, and young start-out couples on a limited budget.

Wealthy customers often roll up in their Mercedes with a large stack of donations and subsequently walk out with an armload of purchases.

Alfred Rodriguez, Director of Operations at Saint Vincent de Paul’s Los Angeles Thrift Store

Even Hollywood studios gets in to the act at Saint Vincent de Paul. Set decorators frequently purchase furniture, clothing, miscellaneous décor, and more to outfit an entire set.

Carla Contreras, Deputy Director of Store Operations at Saint Vincent de Paul’s Los Angeles Thrift Store

And then when filming is a wrap, the set designers drive up in their trucks and donate all of their purchases back to the thrift store…a classic win-win.