NO JELLO SHOTS

I don't want jello on my dessert plate, no offence to the manufacturers of the stuff. And I certainly don't want to partake in jello shots at the bar.

Call me old-fashioned, or even just plain old, but I'll take a nice, quiet bar with a hefty glass of California Cab or a cold Creemore or Stella over anything that involves Red Bull or Jagermeister or glasses filled with jiggly, gelatinous substances and mystery liqeurs. There seem to be a lot of folks of a similar mind set, judging by a story I found on forbestraveller.com called "Spring Break for Grown-Ups."

The post is a little old, but author Stephanie Stephens (either she got married or her parents are a tiny bit cruel, methinks), recommended Amelia Island, Fla. (nice beaches and cyclings in a low-key atmosphere), Asheville, N.C. (lots of galleries and the Blue Ridge Mountains) and Palm Springs, Calif. Personally, I like Palm Desert - just down the road from Palm Springs - a little more. But both are solid options in March and April. As is Hawaii, where you might find some crazy kids on Waikiki or downtown Lahaina but mostly you'll find relatively sophisticated travel.

Stephens also recommended adults-only resorts in Mexico.

POSTCARDS FROM ANYWHERE

LA travel blogger deluxe Johnny Jet (we spoke on the phone the other day, during which he confirmed his status as a good guy by claiming to prefer UCLA to USC), had an interesting item in his blog today - johnnyjet.com - about a web site called hazelmail.com where you can download your pictures, write out a message and let someone create and mail a postcard for you. Not sure I'd bother, personally, but undoubtedly it would be attractive to some folks. It's said to cost only $1.50 U.S.

PARIS FASHION

Hadn't heard about this, but spotted something in the LA Times the other day about a new fashion and design centre on the Seine in Paris. It's near the Gare d'Austerlitz in the Docks en Seine area and it's a long, sleek building covered in wavy, green glass and it has French tongues wagging. Which is usually a good thing.