Today, we hear this phrase used so often in reference to finances, whether it be an office slush fund or the more infamous allusion to the federal government treating Social Security coffers like a slush fund. But the phrase actually finds its origin among early 19^th century seafarers.

Slush originally referred to the fat and grease refuse that resulted from boiling meat aboard ship. Typically, sailors would save this “slush” with the intent of selling it as cooking lard, thus earning a little bit of pocket change or, more appropriately, a personal slush fund.

“We used part of the office slush fund to throw our boss a birthday party.”

(Forced to) eat crow

While this phrase has a deeper basis in myth than it does fact, it still warrants some note. Legend has it that during the War of 1812, a British soldier stumbled upon an American hunter returning from an outing. Holding the hunter at gunpoint, the British soldier forced the American to eat the crow he had just shot, supposedly as a measure of humiliation.

In time, the notion of “eating crow” became synonymous with shame.

“When the company’s profits for the next quarter were not as high as the chairman predicted, he was forced to eat crow.”

Butter wouldn’t melt in his/her mouth

This phrase probably ranks among the world’s oldest insults, dating as far back as the 16^th century. It refers to someone’s personality, insinuating that they are so cold hearted, reptilian even, that they lack the body temperature needed to melt butter.

“I find her presence insufferable. She is wholly without personality. Indeed, I’d bet that butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth.”

Blue laws

It’s hard to believe that in the 21^st century there are still states that are either dry or have antiquated liquor laws on the books. But believe it or not, there are. In some counties and local jurisdictions, for instance, there are laws that make it illegal for a liquor store to open for business on Sunday. These statutes, better known as Blue Laws, are named after 17^th century theocratic laws, commonly published on blue paper in states like Connecticut.

“Thanks to our county’s blue laws, I have to stock up on beer on Saturday.”

In the month of May, we celebrate two holidays paying tribute to those who epitomize lives of sacrifice. We honor mothers who sacrifice their bodies, time, and material possessions for the health and well-being of their children. We remember the servicemen and women who “gave the last full measure of devotion” so the rest of us can enjoy peace, freedom, and security.

My personal role models

I’ve been personally blessed by the sacrificial love of my parents: Bill, a decorated World War II veteran, and my mother, Lorraine. Like many of the Greatest Generation, they indulged in very little for themselves, instead dedicating their time and energy to guiding me toward a firm spiritual foundation, coaching me and cheering me on in my little league baseball heroics, and doing their best to give me merry Christmases and happy birthdays. With the money they invested in my education, they could have bought four brand-new Cadillacs, but they chose to write tuition checks and drive a Chevy.

It’s not easy to offer ourselves as “living sacrifices” because our base human inclination is toward self-gratification and self-glorification. Many of us need a measure of faith, the heart-renewing agent that transforms our attitude and motivates us to seek the best for others instead of ourselves. “The miracle is not that we do this work,” said Mother Teresa, “but that we are happy to do it.”

Even if we’re not a mother or a soldier, we can adopt their self-sacrificing habits. Most of us will never be called upon to literally lay down our lives for someone else, but all of us can share our material blessings to help those in need, lend an empathetic ear, and otherwise put the interests of others ahead of our own. What could be a better way to honor our mothers and fallen veterans?

Rodgers presents 50 different meatball recipes—some familiar, like Swedish meatballs, others less so, like fried olive meatballs. There are meatballs inspired by the global cuisines of India, Morocco, and Thailand. There are meatballs for soup, meatballs for sandwiches, and meatballs made with a wide variety of ground meats—including beef, lamb, veal, turkey, and even seafood.

Despite the variety and the exotic flavors, the recipes are consistently simple and manageable enough for weeknight dinners. It’s a great way to do something a little different with a pound of ground meat. The Middle Eastern-influenced grilled lamb meatballs on shepherd’s salad with yogurt-tahini sauce was a big hit around my dinner table as were the grilled cheese-stuffed meatball sliders.

For traditionalists, Rodgers includes a few versions of the classic spaghetti and meatballs in his well-photographed book. There are also some great tips and tricks to ensure perfect, tender meatballs every time.

Grilled cheese-stuffed meatball sliders

Makes 12 sliders, 4 servings

Meatball sliders:

1 lb ground round (85% lean)

1⁄3 cup dried plain bread crumbs

1 large egg, beaten

1 tsp kosher salt

1⁄4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

12 (1⁄2-inch) cubes sharp Cheddar cheese, cut from brick cheese

12 store-bought slider buns or small Parker House rolls, split

2 leaves red leaf lettuce, torn into 12 pieces

12 dill pickle slices (optional)

Tomato ketchup

Directions

To make the meatball sliders, mix the ground round, breadcrumbs, egg, salt, and pepper together in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes or up to 4 hours.

Prepare a medium-hot fire in an outdoor grill. Using your wet hands rinsed under cold water, shape the meat mixture into 12 equal meatballs. One at a time, flatten a ball slightly in your palms and completely wrap a cheese cube in the meat mixture. Transfer to a plate.

Scoop out some of the crumb from each bun to make more room for the meatballs. (Save the crumbs for another use, such as using in meatball recipes.) Set the buns aside.

To grill the meatballs with a basket, lightly oil the molds (a pump sprayer works best). Place the meatballs in the basket and close it. Place the basket on the cooking grate and cover. Grill the meatballs until the undersides are lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Flip the basket over and grill until the other sides are lightly browned and the meatballs are medium-rare, about 3 minutes more. Remove the meatballs from the basket. Transfer to a platter. (To grill the meatballs without the basket, lightly oil the cooking grate. Place the meatballs on the grill and cover. Grill until the undersides are lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Flip the meatballs and grill until the other sides are lightly browned and the meatballs are medium-rare, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a platter.)

Place the buns on the grill and grill, turning once, until lightly toasted, about 1 minute. For each slider, place a meatball on a bun bottom and top with a piece of lettuce and a pickle slice. Add a dollop of ketchup. Add the bun top and serve warm.

Cloud services have grown in popularity over the past few years, but one of the most popular formats that is both simple to set up and easy to use is the Apple iCloud service—a free service aimed toward Apple users with multiple devices. iCloud allows you to store your emails and files in the cloud and wirelessly pushes everything to all your devices in real time.

If you own an Apple computer, iCloud is built in and just needs to be turned on. However, you don’t even need to have a computer to use it. If you own multiple Apple mobile devices such as an iPad and iPhone, you can easily share content between them.

The ‘PhotoStream’

Photos taken on an iPhone or iPad where iCloud is activated are saved into the “PhotoStream.” This means that as soon as you take the photo, it will appear on your other devices or home computer in a matter of seconds. There is no complicated procedure of connecting cables and performing a sync to get the files onto your devices.

Stay connected

By turning on iCloud in your devices, you can keep your documents, email, contacts, and calendar with you everywhere you go. Enter an event on the calendar on your home computer and then see it on your phone just seconds later. If you run into an old friend and enter his or her phone number on your phone, it will automatically download to your computer and be there when you get home.

Music, books, or apps you’ve purchased through the iTunes store are also on all of your devices the minute you purchase them. Just make sure iCloud is set up on all of your devices, make a purchase in the iTunes store or iBooks, and you’ll see it show up on your other devices instantaneously.

How much can I store in iCloud?

You get 5GB of free storage with the option to purchase more storage if needed. While 5GB of storage may not sound like a lot, the good news is that photos, movies, and music in the iCloud don’t count toward that 5GB limit.

If you are not an Apple user, iCloud is a huge selling point for you to reconsider. There are other options out there such as Microsoft SkyDrive, Dropbox, and Google Documents, but none seem to offer the integration iCloud does. Google is working to change that with Google Drive, which may be iCloud’s biggest competitor when it comes out later this year.

Now, 60 years later, the world is a very different place, and to say that the Queen has kept up with the times is an understatement. How many 86-year-olds do you know who have their own website, Twitter, and Facebook account? In the span of 60 years, Queen Elizabeth has superseded her given title as Queen of England to become the world’s de facto Queen. And this year, the world joins the UK in celebrating the Diamond Jubilee of Her Magesty Queen Elizabeth.

Early life

Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was not born in a hospital, but in a private townhouse at 17 Bruton Street, Mayfair, on April 21, 1926. (Just across the street from that townhouse was the atelier of Norman Hartnell, the British designer who would go on to create the gowns Elizabeth wore for her wedding and her coronation.) The first child of the Duke and Duchess of York, Elizabeth stood third in line of succession to the throne after Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII), and her father, the Duke of York.

When she was born, it was not expected that her father would become King or that she would become Queen. Her early schooling took place at home with her sister Margaret, but once her father succeeded the throne in 1936 and Elizabeth became the presumptive heir, her studies became more rigorous and included lessons on constitutional history and law to prepare for her future as a ruler.

In 1947, then Princess Elizabeth married Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten in Westminster Abbey. The nation was still recovering from the ravages of World War II, so their wedding was a relatively simple affair. Just like any other bride-to-be in England at the time, Princess Elizabeth had to collect clothing coupons for her dress.

Elizabeth and Philip started their family with the birth of Charles in 1948, followed two years later by Princess Anne. (Two other children, Andrew and Edward, were born after Elizabeth ascended the throne.) By all accounts, they lived a relatively normal life until February 6, 1952.

A princess becomes a queen

While traveling through a remote part of Kenya, Elizabeth received news of her father’s death and her own accession to the throne. The young Princess flew back to Britain as Queen and was greeted by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and other officials at the airport.

The coronation followed 16 months later on June 2, 1953. At Elizabeth’s suggestion, the event was broadcast around the globe. At the time, television was still in its infancy and anticipation of the broadcast is credited with an international surge in television sales. Twenty million people in Great Britain watched Elizabeth crowned. Across the pond, 100 million Americans watched the recorded event.

60 years later…

One way to look at Elizabeth’s impact is through numbers. Over the past 60 years, the Queen has:

• Answered around 3.5 million items of correspondence.
• Sent over 175,000 telegrams to centenarians and almost 540,000 telegrams to couples celebrating their diamond wedding anniversary.
• Given out approximately 90,000 Christmas puddings to staff, continuing the custom of King George V and King George VI.
•  Undertaken 261 official overseas visits, including 96 State Visits, to 116 different countries. She is the most widely traveled head of state in history.
• Sat for 129 portraits.

The celebration

Diamond Jubilees don’t happen very often. Elizabeth is only the second monarch in history to celebrate 60 years on the throne. The other Diamond Jubilee was for Queen Victoria in 1897.

Although there will be Diamond Jubilee events and celebrations across the UK throughout the year, the major official program will take place on May 10, 11, and 13 with a three-night Royal Pageant of over 500 horses and 800 performers at Windsor Castle. More official events are scheduled June 2 – 5, including a pageant of 1,000 boats up the River Thames ,the lighting of thousands of beacons across the UK and around the world, and a concert in front of Buckingham Palace.

For more information on Diamond Jubilee events, visit thediamondjubilee.org or visitbritain.com.

michele.harris@erickson.com

And don’t forget the Olympics!

London is definitely the destination this summer. Following swiftly on the Queen’s sensible heels comes the Games of the XXX Olympiad. Millions are expected to converge on London from July 27 to August 12. Tickets are required for most events and may be hard to come by (and expensive to boot), but the British Tourist Authority reminds us that many of the most iconic events can be enjoyed for free, including the Olympic Marathon, the sailing competitions, and the cycling road races. For more information about the 2012 Olympic Games, visit london2012.com.

When we refer to something as “protean,” we mean that it is always changing or evolving. It’s one of the many words in the English language that derives from Greek mythology.

Proteus was a sea deity who lived off the island of Pharos. According to myth, he was only vulnerable while he slept, so to avoid capture he would assume different shapes as disguises. The danger was constant and so were his changes; thus our usage of the word today.

“Because of the protean nature of Constitutional law, publishers release revised editions of their textbooks every year.”

Dunce

Today, the “dunce” cap is the quintessence of stupidity, but the name itself actually comes from a 13^th-century Scottish educator named John Duns Scotus of Dunse, Scotland.

Scotus’s teachings were based on the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception at a time when religion and education were not only closely tied but highly fractious. Scotus’s followers were called Dunsers, a term which their opponents used to refer to stupid people and enemies of learning. Our current usage has been slightly altered to “dunce.”

“My grandfather used to tell me stories about how his teacher would make stupid and poorly behaved students sit in the corner wearing a dunce cap.”

Peeping Tom

While our modern usage of the term “peeping Tom” requires no explanation, the origin of this word is less well known. The term comes from the old tale of Lady Godiva’s ride through Coventry.

As the story goes, Lady Godiva’s husband—a nobleman of Edward the Confessor—agreed to remit one of his taxes if his wife rode naked through the streets of Coventry at noon. His wife accepted the challenge but ordered that the townspeople remain indoors with their blinds drawn. One denizen sneaked a peek; his name, Peeping Tom.

“The campus police sent a memo to students notifying them of the arrest of the peeping Tom that had been spotted outside of a university dormitory.”

Aphrodisiac

Here’s another one from Greek mythology. Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of beauty and love. The girdle of Aphrodite, called the Cestus, was charmed. Anyone who owned it would be overcome by a preoccupation with sexuality. This is where we get the term “aphrodisiac,” which refers to anything that might arouse our passions—whether it be champagne and perfume or chocolate and oysters.

“For years, experts have said that oysters are the ultimate aphrodisiac.”

Many of those dollars were spent in the pursuit of tastier, healthier pet food. For a growing number of pet owners, that generic bag of kibble or the disgusting canned hash simply won’t do.

Chef in a can

Television food competitions have made chefs into America’s newest rock stars. Capitalizing on the notion that anything a chef prepares must be good, pet food makers are serving up dishes that actually sound good enough to eat. Purina introduced Fancy Feast special “restaurant inspired” cat foods with selections like wild salmon Tuscany with long grain rice and garden greens. For dogs, they have Chef Michael’s Canine Creations braised beef flavor. And smaller, boutique brands like Petropics are finding success with tantalizing pet meals like Tiki Cat Hawaiian grill ahi tuna and Tiki Dog Kauai luau succulent chicken on brown rice with prawns canned dog food.

The quest for good health through nutrition is another popular trend that is finding its way into pet bowls. LM Farm Nutrition Boosters is a supplement you sprinkle over any pet food. It’s packed with nutrients like omega fatty acids, probiotics, and prebiotics. LM Farm also offers dog treats made with natural ingredients like farm-raised beef and fresh, locally grown vegetables.

Home cooking

As grandmothers everywhere know, there’s nothing like a home-cooked meal. That’s the premise of Rick Woodford’s forthcoming book Feed Your Best Friend Better: Easy, Nutritious Meals and Treats for Dogs. Packed full of cleverly named recipes like lamb muffins and mutt loaf, Feed Your Best Friend Better is a thorough guide to dog nutrition.

Woodford addresses special diets for ailing dogs, meeting the nutritional needs of growing puppies, and even has recipes that both man and beast can share. Too busy to prepare Rover’s meal from scratch every night? The book has suggestions for supplementing commercial dog food with additional ingredients, a sort of Sandra Lee “semi-homemade” approach to feeding your dog.

Feed Your Best Friend Better will be available at booksellers everywhere on April 10, 2012.

Food truck for dogs

Food trucks serving up everything from sausages to cupcakes have taken the nation by storm. Best Friends Pet Care, a national boarding, grooming, and pet day camp enterprise, has unleashed its treat truck for dogs. The colorful, doggy-themed truck is visiting dog parks and other pet-friendly locations across the U.S.

“We wanted to bring the community a taste of the fun and caring our staff provides to pet guests every day,” says Renee Coughlin, vice president of marketing for Best Friends Pet Care. “What better way to do that than with a treat truck just for dogs?”

At each stop on its tour, the treat truck gives away doggy cookies and ice cream treats, along with fun items like tennis balls, paw towels, and paw-shaped bag clips. The treat truck will be touring the country throughout the summer. To see if it’s headed to a dog park near you, visit bestfriendspetcare.com/treat-truck-tour.

michele.harris@ erickson.com

Stir-fry and rice

Yield: 9 cups, 400 calories per cup

Cooking fresh ginger transforms some of its antioxidants (named, appropriately enough, gingerols) into two other powerful antioxidants that are not present in the raw form: shogaols and zingerones. The antioxidants provided by ginger are helpful for dogs with nausea, diarrhea, or excessive gas, and are being studied for their abilities to prevent cancer. This recipe is not only healthy, it’s also incredibly easy to prepare and can share many of the same ingredients you’d use in your own stir-fry.

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat.

Add the chicken and carrots and stir-fry until the chicken is browned, about 5 minutes.

Add the rice, spinach, ginger, and garlic powder and cook for 5 minutes while lightly tossing to prevent any ingredients from burning.

Mix in the eggs and cook, stirring, until the eggs have set, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow the stir-fry to cool prior to mixing in any supplements.

Note: To cook rice, combine 2 cups of rice with 4 cups of water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then decrease the heat to low and simmer for 25 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed.

1/4 cup canola oil

1 1/4 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2 inch cubes.

2 medium carrots grated

6 cups cooked long-grain white rice (see note)

1/2 cup thawed frozen spinach

1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger

1/4 tsp garlic powder

4 large eggs, beaten

Daily portion

Divide into two meals, or serve one-half the daily portion per day with one-half the normal amount of dry food.

10-lb dog: 2/3 to 1 cup

20-lb dog: 1¼ to 1½ cups

40-lb dog: 2 to 2½ cups

60-lb dog: 2 2/3 to 3 1/3 cups

80-lb dog: 3 1/3 to 4¼ cups

From Feed Your Best Friend Better by Rick Woodford (Andrews McMeel Publishing)

Each type has its own strengths, and Jung believed introverts were “educators and promoters of culture.” At the same time, he recognized that their “reserve and apparently groundless embarrassment naturally arouse all the current prejudices against this type.” Over the past hundred years, that prejudice grew.

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking (Crown), the new bestseller from Susan Cain, takes a microscope to what Cain calls “the rise of the extrovert ideal.” Mid-way through the 20th century, the nation did its best to stem introversion. Parents were told to socialize shy children so they would be popular and successful. In the 1950s, doctors generously prescribed the drug Meprobamate or Miltown, one of the first “happy pills” which quickly became the fastest selling pharmaceutical in American history. A decade later there was Serentil, “For the anxiety that comes from not fitting in.”

Despite the nation’s best efforts to “cure” introversion, Cain points out that without introverts there would be no Apple computer, no theory of relativity or Sunflowers by Van Gogh, and certainly no The Cat in the Hat. Beloved founding father John Adams is thought to have been one of the few introverts to reach the Presidency.

Fitting in

The stellar achievements of exceptional introverts notwithstanding, life can be difficult for introverts, especially when it comes to getting ahead professionally. Employers tend to seek out positive, vibrant personalities over thoughtful ones. Cain herself knows how stigmatizing being an introvert can be. After graduating from Princeton and Harvard Law, she became a corporate lawyer with high-octane clients like Merrill Lynch, and later an accomplished public speaker.

Despite the aggressive nature of her career and her training, Cain counts herself among the roughly one-third of American introverts. “I prefer listening to talking, reading to socializing, and cozy chats to group settings. I like to think before I speak (softly),” she says, adding, “I’ve never given a speech without being terrified first, though I’ve given many.”

Cain explores this paradox in the book and offers helpful advice on how introverts can succeed in a world that is clearly wowed by razzle-dazzle. Cain goes further to highlight some of the advantages of being an introvert, among them, reflective thinking and creativity.

Whether you yourself are an introvert, or someone you love is an introvert, Quiet offers a fascinating look at one of the world’s most misunderstood personalities. For more information and to take a short quiz to see if you are an introvert, visit thepowerofintroverts.com.

michele.harris@erickson.com

On any given day, the sounds of a myriad of cultures filled the air: ragtime, blues, spirituals, military marching bands, Italian opera, Anglo-American folk songs, street cries, and work songs. And so was born a distinctly American art form called jazz.

“If I had to pinpoint the birthplace of jazz, I would say that it was in late 19th century New Orleans, which was a cultural melting pot,” explains John Hasse, a jazz expert and curator of American music at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. “The extraordinary set of ethnic circumstances that you had there—a wonderful mix of African, Caribbean, Mexican, French, and Italian-American roots—was the foundation of jazz music.”

Musical bouillabaisse

According to Hasse, while jazz had numerous influences, two of the most important ingredients in this musical bouillabaisse were blues and ragtime.

A product of the early African-American community, blues arose out of the struggles of the post-Civil War reconstruction era and helped give jazz the soulful depth for which it is well known. Ragtime, also an African-American invention, derives its formal elements from the European march, with its striding left hand and syncopated melody lines lending jazz a loose sense of structure.

Spreading the sound

Together, the two styles gave jazz a melodic vibrancy, and its local affiliations with the Big Easy burgeoned from the get-go. Even before the Original Dixieland Band made the first jazz record in 1917, musicians from New Orleans were hitting the road with instruments in tow.

They traveled on the Illinois Central Railroad north to Chicago and on to other cities spreading this new sound around the country.

By the 1920s, jazz began to show its artistic potential. For the first time, listeners heard records by Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, and Duke Ellington.

These artists, combined with the boom in social dancing, made jazz a mainstream genre and a staple of the swing era in the 1930s.

During the 40s, however, jazz moved from the ballroom to the nightclub, led by an up-and-coming group of young musicians that included Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. Unlike the largely prearranged music of the big bands, the new nightclub jazz was rooted in sophisticated improvisation on known melodies that continued to evolve throughout the 1950s, when it met fierce competition from rock and roll.

Though jazz never died out, it struggled to stay alive in the wake of disco, punk rock, and rap music—a trend that disturbed Hasse.

“In the late 1990s, I was worried that jazz wasn’t getting the respect that I thought it deserved,” he recalls. “Our nation’s young people were in danger of growing up without knowing about this great American music, which, in my opinion, was comparable to an Italian coming of age without ever hearing opera.”

So Hasse decided to do something about it. With the backing of the Smithsonian Institution and a little help from music great Quincy Jones, he declared April Jazz Appreciation Month.

An initiative geared toward introducing the nation’s youth to the century-old genre, the annual celebration is now going on its eleventh year. Every April, the Smithsonian issues 250,000 posters to schools, libraries, and concert halls, along with a schedule of lectures and performances featuring jazz artists from around the world.

In fact, today people celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month in 50 states and 40 countries.

“Of course, being at the Smithsonian, we’re really in the ideal position to host this celebration,” says Hasse. “We have what is, quite possibly, the world’s largest museum collection of jazz-related artifacts.”

Among the crown jewels in this treasure trove are 100,000 pages of unpublished music that Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn wrote for the Duke Ellington Orchestra; John Coltrane’s original manuscript of A Love Supreme; and Ray Charles’ keyboards and trademark Ray-Bans.

As Hasse points out, each piece in this collection represents a milestone in one of the single most influential American art forms.

“Few musical genres have such a rich history representative of so many different cultures,” says Hasse. “In jazz, there’s something for everyone.”

michael.williams@erickson.com

For travelers in search of a taste of the Middle East coupled with the comforts of home and a dazzling array of indoor and outdoor entertainment options, Dubai is an excellent choice. Following a decade of building boom, Dubai has become synonymous with superlatives: Visitors can see the world’s tallest building, largest mall, a manmade archipelago, and an indoor ski resort, but should also set aside time for natural wonders.

Super sights

Stacking nearly 3,000 feet tall, the Burj Khalifa is unmistakable from nearly all points of the city. Purchase tickets in advance online to experience the surreal Disney-esque journey to the 124th floor of the world’s tallest building. Choose a clear day and visit just before sunset to capture the city by day and night. Below, Dubai Fountain shows begin at 6 p.m. and proceed every 30 minutes. It’s worth the wait for a view of the light show from the top. Catch a later show from the ground.

The Burj Khalifa is accessible from the Dubai Mall—the world’s largest mall with more than 1,000 stores. Like many sights in the tax-free state, spending is encouraged, but spectators can enjoy the opulence without opening their wallets. Pass by the mall’s aquarium, including its ten-million-liter tank, and indoor ice rink, both visible from within the mall.

Nature and tradition

Between November and May, Dubai’s weather is warm and pleasant and beaches beckon. Nature and extravagance converge at Jumeirah Road, which houses the Jumeirah Beach Hotel and numerous restaurants, cafes, and shops. It is worth a stroll down this road, by day to a visit its public beach, and by night to people-watch. Dubai Marina is also a lovely place to have a coffee or meal, with Dubai’s typical abundant food options, from Chinese to Mexican.

For a quieter waterfront experience, bring a picnic to Al Sufouh beach. The white-sand beach offers an excellent view of the Burj Al Arab, the building designed to resemble the sail of a dhow, or traditional Arab boat.

From the beauty of the city, visitors should also consider a trip to the desert. A number of companies, including Knight Tours, offer desert safaris for about $60. The excursion begins with a roller coaster of a ride through sand dunes from inside a Land Cruiser. For those with motion sickness, ask ahead for the journey without “dune bashing.” At sunset you’ll arrive at a bedouin camp with opportunities to ride camels, sit for henna painting, hold a falcon, and eat freshly made Arabic pastries—airy balls of fried dough dipped in syrup. A satisfying meal of Middle Eastern fare and a dizzying dance performance follow under a star-filled sky.

From bedouin beginnings to a diverse population—less than 20% of Dubai’s residents hail from the UAE—and a growing landscape of modern marvels, Dubai is a safe and welcoming destination of well-deserved fame.

Fast Facts

Language: English is spoken everywhere; official language is Arabic.

Money: The Emirati Dirham (AED). One U.S. dollar equals about 3.7 AED.

Clothing: While many local Emiratis wear traditional clothes, a strict dress code is not enforced. Female visitors may feel more comfortable covering their shoulders in public places.

When to go: November to May.

Where to stay: Hotels are abundant. Consider the centrally located Al Barsha or quieter Greens neighborhood.

Transportation: Dubai’s metro, with two central lines, is an affordable and clean option. Taxis are also easy to find.