Sears Tower, at the top of the tallest building in Chicago, is now featuring a walk in the sky. Well, it’s more like venturing on onto a four-foot box of clear glass on its 103rd Floor Skydeck. If you’re brave enough to go, you can see the city in all of its glory 1,353 feet below you.

Chicago isn’t called the Windy City for nothing, so you can imagine how it will feel when you’re out there and the box begins to sway. There’s a similar, but much more way-out glass deck feature now available for tourist visitors at the Grand Canyon. So, if you’re tempted to step out on the transparent suicide ledge either at the Sears Tower in Chicago and/or the Grand Canyon, go ahead. You’re already old, so what do you have to lose?

Instead of inching along the highway for eight weekend hours to get to a crowded beach, or flying eight hours to get to a crowded theme park, try a staycation this year. It is not only a very simple task, but you can be sure your grandkids will enjoy it just as much as trying to see the guy dressed as Mickey and getting sick on the roller coaster.

Have the kids help you to pitch a tent in the backyard. Line the inside ground with blankets and equip everyone with sleeping bags or inflated mattresses. Take the kids to the local store and have them choose whatever they want for the overnight camping experience.

When you’re all settled in at dusk, start a campfire and cook your dinner in pans. In the morning, do the same for breakfast. Steaks, chicken parts, hot dogs, bacon, eggs or whatever the kids want. Carve tree branches into sticks for toasting marshmallows and hot dogs.

Forget the world outside, and in fact, also, for just those fun hours, forget TV, computers, twitter, cell phones and any other kind of electricity. Sit around the campfire and have all tell spooky stories, jokes and sing songs. If it rains, retreat into the tent, light a candle and have the same fun to the beat of the rain on the canvas.

OK, you’re permitted to have one modern item. Bring your camera, still or video, and record this memorable night that will bring you and your family joy for years.

Three Los Angeles area hotels, just a short half-hour (not during drive time) from each other were honored with the American Automobile Association’s Five Diamonds, its highest honors for excellence. In addition to the Beverly Hills are the Montage in Laguna Beach and the Four Seasons Westlake Village.

Others in the U.S. earning the honors for the first time are the Ritz-Carlton in Palm Beach, Florida, the Four Seasons in St. Louis, Missouri, and the InterContinental Buckhead in Atlanta, Georgia.

Why it took the AAA so long to recognize the posh Beverly Hills Hotel, which opened in 1912, is a mystery. The hotel has consistently kept up its extremely high quality, including lavishly decorous rooms, tropical landscaping and luxury bungalows surrounding its pool.