Articles

Destinations/Resorts:

Very Cool Vancouver (British Columbia, Canada)
Comparing Lisbon to Barcelona (Iberian Peninsula)
Key West: Tips from an Insider (South Florida)
Walking New Orleans: Music, Food and Architecture (New Orleans, LA)
Park City in the Summertime? It’s Not All Downhill! (Park City, UT)
A Bi-partisan Guide to a Weekend in Washington DC
Aloha! Surf’s Up at the Hilton Waikoloa Village (Kona, Hawaii)
Road Trip: From Newport to Nantucket (New England)
The Often Overlooked Toronto Islands (Ontario, Canada)
Raleigh. Really? Yes! (Raleigh, NC)
Making the MOST of 30 Hours in Manhattan! (New York, NY)
How to spend a day on Nob Hill (Portland, Oregon)
Top 10 Observations & Tips on International Travel
JW Marriott: Inside Downtown Tampa’s Newest and Coolest Hotel
36 Hours in the Florida Keys (Key West, FL)
Easy Does It: Away from it all at the Omni ChampionsGate (Orlando, FL)
The Best Place to Stay–and Dine–in Downtown Buffalo (Buffalo, NY)
Going Back in Time: The Iconic Gasparilla Inn (Boca Grande, FL)
The Historic Prince of Wales Inn (Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario)
Toronto’s Fabulous 5-Star Ritz Carlton (Toronto, Ontario)
Sonesta’s Tropical Resorts: Ft. Lauderdale & Coconut Grove (South Florida)
Discovering Historic Bridge Street (Bradenton Beach, FL)
Fit for a King: The Castle Hotel on International Drive (Orlando, FL)
Island Charm: Angelinos Sea Lodge on the Beach (Holmes Beach, FL)
Captivating Captiva! (Sanibel-Captiva, FL)
Hooray for Hollywood! (Broward County, Florida)
Going Back in Time: Manasota Beach Club, FL  (Englewood, FL) 2016
A Short Ferry Ride from Hilton Head–to Paradise (Haig Point, SC)
In the Middle of it All: Discovering Lewisburg, PA
Two New Ideas in New York City (Manhattan)
Peddling Through Historic Savannah (Savannah, GA)
Playing at LaPlaya Resort & Spa (Naples, FL)
Omni Plantation featuring Cliff Drysdale’s Tennis Program (Amelia Island, FL)
“Right Away, Sir”: The Ritz-Carlton Sarasota (Sarasota, FL)
Bundle up for a winter weekend in Buffalo and Niagara Falls
Vinoy Renaissance Resort & Golf Club (St. Petersburg, FL)  2013
First Person Account: The Human Performance Institute (Orlando, FL)
Carved in the Mountainside: The Meadowood Tennis Club (Napa Valley, CA)
The Elegant Boca Raton Resort & Club (Boca Raton, FL)
Something for Everyone at the Club Med Sandpiper (Port St. Lucie, FL)
Old Florida Charm: South Seas Plantation (Captiva, FL)
Beach Drive’s Renaissance Vinoy (St. Petersburg, FL)  2010
Serve ’em Up at the Saddlebrook Tennis Resort (Wesley Chapel, FL)  2010
Old Florida Charm: Manasota Beach Club (Englewood, FL) 2011
The World-Famous Innisbrook Golf & Tennis (Tarpon Springs, FL)
The World’s First Adult Tennis Academy (Bradenton, FL)
Top Rated: Longboat Key Resort & Club (Longboat Key, FL)
Contemporary & Cutting-edge: Aloft Hotel (Tallahassee, FL)
St. Pete Stay-cation (St. Petersburg, FL)
Soma Café (Downtown Bradenton, FL)
Omni Champions Gate (Orlando, FL)
Siesta Key Bungalows (Siesta Key, FL)
Hard Rock Orlando (Orlando, FL)
Disney’s Celebration (Celebration, FL)
Lake Manatee State Park (Bradenton, FL)
Saddlebrook Tennis Resort (Wesley Chapel, FL)  2014
The Bungalow Beach Resort (Anna Maria, FL)
Visiting The Palm Beaches (Palm Beach & Boca Raton, FL)
Central Florida’s “Mount Adorable” (Mount Dora, FL)
Discovering the Ronald Reagan Presidential Museum (Simi Valley, CA)
The Hyatt Place in Downtown St. Petersburg (St. Petersburg, FL)
What’s all the Fuss about Nashville? (Nashville, TN)
Omni Rancho Las Palmas (Palm Springs, CA)
Mission Inn Resort & Club (Howey-in-the-Hills, FL)
Celebrating Sanibel (Sanibel, FL)
Fun Places to Eat on Clearwater Beach
The Epicenter: Birchwood Inn (St. Petersburg, FL)
The Ultimate Staycation (Sarasota,FL)
Weekend in Paradise (Anna Maria Island, FL)
Practical Choice: The Downtown Embassy Suites (Sarasota, FL)
Inland Florida: The Streamsong Resort (Bowling Green, FL)
Tarpon Lodge & Cabbage Key (Pine Island, FL)
The Inn on Fifth (Naples, FL)
Barbary Beach House (Key West, FL)
New Downtown Scene: The Luminary Hotel & Co (Ft. Myers, FL)
Jimmy Buffet’s “Margaritaville” (Perico Island, FL)
Foodies Paradise: Epicurean Hotel (Tampa, FL)
Swimming with the Manatees (Crystal River, FL)
Tallahassee: Much more than just politics (Tallahassee, FL)
In the middle of it all: The new Karol Hotel (Clearwater, FL)
Anything but Sleepless in Seattle
Tampa’s new ‘Midtown District’ & the Aloft Hotel (Tampa, FL)
Next to Disney: The Wyndham Orlando Resort (Kissimmee, FL)
Location! The Mosey Hotel (Williamsville, NY)
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino (Tampa, FL)
Class & Sophistication: 21c Museum Hotel (Nashville, TN)
Family Fun! A Day at ICON Park (Orlando, FL)
Buffalo’s Most Elegant Hotel: The Curtiss (Buffalo, NY)
Home Run! The Historic Fenway Hotel near Clearwater (Dunedin, FL)
Rolling the Dice on Atlantic City (Atlantic City, NJ)
Miami Nice: Walking 16 miles around Florida’s biggest city (Miami, FL)
A Hidden Gem in Western New York (Chautauqua Institution, NY)
The Berry Hill Resort? That’s History! (South Boston, VA)
How to Spend a Day in Salt Lake City (Salt Lake City, UT)

 
Features and Fun Stories:

The OTHER Side of Pickleball
Behind the Scenes of a National Political Convention (Cleveland, OH)
Renting a Boat in Downtown Tampa? Now You Can!
An Honor to Fly with the Military Honor Flight (Washington, DC)
Autobiographical Essay about My Life Playing Tennis: “Tribute to a Lifelong ‘Friend'”
The Art of Thoughtless Tennis
The 25th Annual Buffalo-to-Sarasota Tennis Trip
Getting in Shape to Play Tennis: Cardio/TRX Training
Collecting Antique Tennis Racquets
Here’s What I’m Thinking–and It’s Not Good: Commentary on Contemporary Tennis
Handshakes, Clothes and Open-Stance Forehands: How Tennis Has Changed
Behind the Scenes of a Pro Tennis Tournament
The Disappearing Etiquette of Tennis
Behind the Scenes of Tennis’ 5th Grand Slam (Key Biscayne, FL)
When I Played Tennis with Serena
My 15 Minutes of Fame: “Did I Just Do That?”
Understanding Sarasota’s Historic “Asolo Theaters”
Sarasota Open ’10
Sarasota Open ’12
Sarasota Open ’14
Sarasota Open ’15
Umbrelllas 1296 (Sarasota, FL)
Throwback: Florida Studio Theatre (Sarasota, FL)
The Greatest Hits–and Misses–of the Sarasota Open (Sarasota, FL)
 

Profiles:

A Who’s Who of the Tennis World Converge on Sarasota to Memorialize a Legend
Florida’s Dean of Tennis Writers
Market Place America’s Loren Ridinger (National magazine cover story)
Luck of the Irish: Federation Cup Tennis Player in Sarasota
Growing Up Next to Buffalo Tennis Legend Jimmy Arias
Three Sisters Coaching Three High School Tennis Teams
Ken Wagstaff: A Memorial Tribute to a Pioneer of Sarasota Tennis
Mike Davies: The Man Who Invented Yellow Tennis Balls
Up High with Nik Wallenda
A Memorial Tribute to Van Miller, Buffalo Bills’ Hall of Fame Announcer
One-on-One with Tennis Channel Founder Ken Solomon
One-on-One with Hall of Famer Stan Smith
One-on-One with the “Voice of Tennis”/Hall of Famer Cliff Drysdale
One-on-One with Two-time Grand Slam Champ Johan Kriek
One-on-One with Former World Top Twenty Player and USF Coach Ashley Fisher
One-on-Two with the Bryan Brothers, the Best Doubles Team in Tennis History
One-on-One with the “Other” Zverev Brother
One-on-One with Japan’s Rock Star Kei Nishikori
One-on-One with Romanian Wimbledon Doubles Champ Horia Tecau
One-on-One with Canada’s Former Tennis Darling Carling Bassett-Seguso
One-on-One with Romanian Davis Cup Coach Gabi Trifu
One-on-One with Hall of Famer and World #2 Hana Mandlikova
One-on-One with Hall of Famer and World #5 Mary-Pierce
One-on-One with the Price of Belarus, Max Mirnyi
One-on-One with Radek Stepanek
One-on-One with the Founder of the New York City Triathalon
One-on-One with the Buffalo Bills All-Time Leading Scorer

 

Articles About Ray:

Ray Collins: “The Voice” of the Sarasota Open (Sarasota Herald-Tribune)
“Ray Collins: Telling it like it is” (Sarasota Herald-Tribune)
“Still Telling Stories” (Real Magazine)
“Sarasota Resident Unleashes Trick Shot on World’s #1 Tennis Player” (Herald-Tribune)
“The Day the FBI Changed My Narrow Mind”
“Gulf Coast Tennis Hall of Fame: Ray Collins” (Totally Tennis Magazine)
“Foxy Guy: Fox 13’s Ray Collins” (Sarasota Magazine)