The Big Bucket List Book: 133 Experiences of a Lifetime

by Gin Sander

Overview

The ultimate bucket list to motivate you to live the life of your dreams!

Transform the way you look at the world and capture the power you have to achieve your dreams. In this charming and practical collection, Gin Sander offers over 130 fresh ideas for infusing your life with a bit of glamor, adventure, and style for every budget and adventure level, including:

• Staying in a castle to channel your inner romantic (did we mention you could do it for free?)
• Joining a bike race in Tuscany or giving back with a humanitarian mission in Africa
• Taking a songwriting class as the next Joni Mitchell or Jack White
• Eating pie (need we say more?)

It's time to stop listing, and start living! With this book in hand, you can take stock of your priorities, reflect on what you've done, and make your next chapter the most enriching and personally fulfilling of them all...and maybe change the world while you're at it.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781492609810
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	01/01/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	842 KB

About the Author

Jennifer “Gin” Sander is the New York Times bestselling author of many popular lifestyle books. A former senior editor and chief book developer for Prima Publishing, her work has been featured in Cosmopolitan, People, the Boston Globe and USA Today, and she has appeared on Fox & Friends, C-Span’s Book TV, NBC and more. She lives near Sacramento, California.

Read an Excerpt

The Big Bucket List Book

133 Experiences of A Lifetime

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By Gin Sander

Sourcebooks, Inc.

Copyright © 2016 Gin Sander
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4926-0981-0

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CHAPTER 1

GALAS, PARTIES, AND GET-TOGETHERS:

Marvelous Ways to Mix, Mingle, and Meet New Friends

Opening Night

Longing for an evening of all-out glamour, with men in black tie and women in glittering, long dresses? Why not attend the opening night of an orchestra or opera company?

To be clear, this is not an inexpensive undertaking in most places. For example, the least expensive ticket to the New York Philharmonic's most recent opening-night gala was $1,500 for a preconcert reception, the concert itself, and a postconcert dinner. The San Francisco Symphony the same year had a $170 opening-night gala ticket that included the chance to enter the music hall on a red carpet, see a concert that included Bonnie Raitt singing with the orchestra, and then attend a late-night after-party in the street outside with dancing, desserts, and the sense that you were one of the VIPs.

Are these events packed with serious lovers of opera and symphonic music? No, the organizers of these high-priced fetes understand that many attendees just like to get dressed up and attend a fun evening of entertainment and music, so the programming is mostly lighter fare. Sometimes opening nights feature interesting new works that the company has commissioned. New York City Ballet likes to pair new works with new costumes by big-name designers for an extra bit of oomph on opening night. So take a look at what your area's orchestra offers, and shake the dust off your best tux or gown.

Create Your Own Club!

Feeling excluded by some social group? Wishing you had a close group of like-minded friends with similar interests? Recently moved to a new area and longing to meet new people? There's no time like the present to form your own social club. You could cast your net wide and form a group in your area to hike together or taste wine or discuss current events. Or you could cast a very narrow net, forming a group of people your own age with the same educational background and specific point of view as you. Sounds like many other clubs out there, doesn't it? Ah, but this time you get to name it!

For example, longtime journalist Judith Horstman and a few other like-minded writers had plenty of writing groups to belong to, but wanted a purely social club with their fellow scribes. "Writers Who Wine" was born to meet their need to hang out with other writers and not feel the need to compete. Starting from just a handful of people, the Facebook group now has more than four hundred members and hosts events in several western cities.

Is there much administrative headache involved in starting a club? Not if you don't want there to be. "It took ten minutes to form the club on Facebook, and we send out a group message to members once a month announcing which bar we will be meeting in," Judith says. "If no one shows up to the 'meeting,' it isn't a problem. At least we have some nice wine to drink."

So how can you find folks to join up with? How do you get the word out about the kind of social club you wish to create? Simple. Type this into your browser — www.meetup.com. Find the icon that says "Start a Meetup Group." Click on it. Follow the instructions. There, how simple is that?

Go behind the Scenes on Broadway, at the Opera, or Anywhere

Ever listen jealously to a friend's long tale about the time they got to go backstage at a Broadway show, or were ushered into the inner sanctum of a museum, historic house, or national monument? How'd they pull that one off, anyway? Chances are they were "friends" of the organization.

This may seem pretentious or like an unfair hurdle, but it's not necessarily. The key here is to join. Donate. Volunteer. If you are willing to give your time and your money, private worlds will open up to you, giving you the chance to live your dreams by going behind the scenes at one of the places you love. This doesn't have to cost pots of money, mind you. Even joining at the lowest level of a "friends of" organization may entitle you to special treatment when you visit. Shorter lines and secret entrances to some museums; discounts in the gift shop, to be sure. Or how does this sound? Friends of the High Line, a group that supports the inner-city park in New York City, gives a specially designed Coach bag to those who support at the very highest level! At some places, all you have to do is donate your time to get special backstage access and privileges. Volunteers for the Chicago Architecture Foundation, for instance, get free membership, a gift shop discount, and opportunities for continuing education.

As you begin to plan a long-dreamed-of visit to a special site, go to the website and see if a supporters group is listed. If so, what special benefits will you get? A private tour at a particular level? Invitations to special receptions and galas? If this is something on your bucket list, even joining at a higher level for just one year might give you the chance to live your dream.

Host Your Own Literary Salon

No, I don't mean open a hair salon with lots of books or magazines for your customers to read. This is a salon strictly in the literary sense, like those found in Paris and London in centuries past, where attendees come together for stimulating conversation about the events of the day.

The most famous literary salons were hosted by women, so what an honor for us to be able to continue the tradition of helping to spread knowledge and intellectual curiosity. How can you create your own salon? Simple. Invite the most interesting people you know, even some you may only know in passing, to gather at your place. Email and social media make it easy to be bold in reaching out to people you may only be vaguely acquainted with but want to get to know better. A beautifully handwritten invitation (or a nice online invitation from a website like PaperlessPost.com or Evite.com) can also go a long way toward convincing an interesting someone on the edge of your social circle to take a chance on coming to your event.

Sunday afternoons are particularly good times for these, as they provide a pleasant and relaxing way to wind down the weekend with smart talk. Set out some good wine, good food, or small bites, and circulate among your guests. You might want to announce a theme in advance, perhaps a topic drawn from the day's headlines to spark discussion and the flow of ideas or thoughts. Or you might announce a challenge, "What can we do to save the planet?" or "Does anyone have any useful ideas on how to tame traffic downtown?" Revolutions grew out of some salons, as did great works of art and literature. Who knows what your efforts might produce!

Mr. Hearst Will See You Now

Is there a more iconic architectural fantasy of the American dream than Hearst Castle along the central California coast? Not only does it conjure up the image of its wealthy and eccentric owner, who shipped castles and monasteries back from Europe in crates to be reassembled inside his house, but it also comes with a healthy dose of Hollywood glamour. It was the place to see and be seen for decades in the early days of the movie business. Everyone came to stay for the weekend, arriving by train or boat.

The castle has long been open to the public for tours. But if you open your checkbook wide enough, you can also put on your finest holiday gear and attend the occasional black tie Holiday Feast. Held in the Refectory Dining Hall of Casa Grande, the main house, the atmosphere is one of regal elegance. You can live out your dream of being William Randolph Hearst and his lady love, Marion Davies. After dinner and dessert, the guests retire to Hearst's private movie theater to view a vintage film.

Attending a gala dinner at Hearst Castle is not an inexpensive undertaking. Recent ticket prices for the holiday event were $1,000 per person for members of Friends of Hearst Castle and $1,250 for nonmembers. The event sells out quickly and is not held every year. For information, call the office of the FHC at 805-927-2138.

Join the Explorers Club

Clubs. We mentioned them often. Why? Because ...well, they're so darned clubby. And if you can get in the door, you must be clubby too. One of the coolest clubs in the world is the century old Explorers Club. "World's Largest Gathering of Explorers Coming to New York" was the recent information on their annual dinner, the world's largest gathering of pioneers in space exploration, on land, and in the oceans. Doesn't that sound like a room you'd like to be in? Alas, you really do have to be an explorer on a very high level to be a member, but you could be an associate member.

As their website points out, "Becoming an associate of the Explorers Club can provide a steppingstone to eventual full membership in the club. By attending events, meeting club members, and learning more about the demanding world of exploration, associates may, on their own initiative, take an opportunity to join an expedition and pursue meaningful field research which would lead to greater qualifications toward possible membership status."

Now that sounds cool. And the clubhouse, in a town house on East Seventieth Street, is exactly what you'd think an Explorers Club would look like. Filled with animal trophies, leather-bound books, and overstuffed chairs.

The club also has public lectures regularly, so by attending one, you could come into contact with a full-fledged member who could then nominate you for associate member status. Check the events section of the website.

Find Your Congregation or Community

While not everyone wants to go to church or embraces the idea of religion, as we age, we all feel the need for community. And church does give that to its congregants. So where can you go for community if you don't want to or can't go to church? That is the question Pippa Evans and Sanderson Jones had back in 2013, and they founded the Sunday Assembly movement as a result.

"Live better. Help often. Wonder more." These three beliefs are at the core of the group they founded in England. In just a few years, the group has grown to more than thirty chapters around the world. If there isn't already a Sunday Assembly gathering near you, you can found one yourself. See the "Start Your Own Assembly" section of their website.

Throw an Annual Theme Party

Do you read the social news with envy? Look at the glossy photos in Vanity Fair of the annual Oscar parties and sigh? You somehow pictured a more glamorous life as an adult, didn't you? So, what are you waiting for? Choose an over-the-top theme and get to work. "You know Susan? She has that Labor Day party every year up at the lake. Bob and Kim? They do that big Oscar party in town and then in the spring the wild game barbeque out at their ranch." Want to be mentioned in the same breath as well-known hosts and hostesses? Find an event or holiday that no one else in your circle is handling and put out the word. Step up and be the place to be for New Year's Day brunch or a Valentine's Day cocktail party. Perhaps a Flag Day extravaganza? You get to choose the theme, announce the dress code, and decide location and decor. Best of all, you only have to serve food and drinks that you enjoy.

Own a Hot Auction Item

Ever notice those announcements in the press about the impending auction of some famous person's possessions? For example, Sotheby's and the frenzy surrounding Jackie Kennedy Onassis's belongings in the late 1990s. Or the auction for the jewels of the Duchess of Windsor in Paris in the 1980s. The gardening tools of Bunny Mellon. Or the scotch decanters and cigarette holders of John Perona, the gentleman who owned the famed New York bar El Morocco, auctioned off in 2014, decades after he died.

Why buy from these auctions? Because it can be really fun to own things with an interesting provenance. You could own a piece of history! They give you something to talk about during dull moments at the table and connect you in a small way to the life of someone you admire.

Devoted collectors attend meetings and belong to clubs and organizations. They read up on their topic, they do original research, and they exchange information with each other. It is a community. Retired judge David Meeker is a world-class collector of all things Hemingway, not just manuscripts but photographs, letters, and other kinds of memorabilia. "It has been a major focus of my life," he says. "And I've met fascinating people as a result."

Stay current on what's being offered in upcoming auctions by signing up for the newsletters of Doyle's, Sotheby's, Christie's, and Heritage Auctions. Fun as it is to attend an auction in person, most major houses now let you view and bid on the goods online, once you are registered with them.

Enjoy a Polo Match in the Summer Sun

You've worn clothing for the past few decades with that little emblem embroidered on it, the man on horseback with a polo mallet stretched over his head. Have you ever been to an actual polo match though? Walked out during the break in play to help stomp down the deep divots made from thundering hooves and swinging mallets? Sipped a summer drink while wearing a large hat and gazing at two teams fighting it out on horseback? It's really quite lovely.

Much of worldwide polo is played at rather posh and exclusive private clubs, inside the tightly guarded world of the very rich. Public events do get played for charities though, and watching the sport can truly be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Cinnamon Vann attended a polo match for the first time and commented, "Oh yes, it should definitely be on anyone's bucket list. I loved the part where we went out, champagne glass in hand, to stomp down the ground for the second half."

You can stroll in the midst of splendor and supermodels at the events organized by the St. Regis hotel chain's polo efforts. (Check out their website for current information.) They are the sponsor of a large yearly event in the Hamptons and have recently begun one on the West Coast in the Sonoma wine country.

And if you are at a point in your life where you might want to climb astride and swing a mallet, there are camps that will teach you. Destination Polo is one that can take you even if, as their website says, you "just rode when I was a kid." In the summer months they are in the Virginia hunt country near Washington, DC. In the winter the operation moves to Wellington, Florida.

Share Your Birthday with Someone Famous

August 6 is Andy Warhol's birthday. Is it by chance your birthday too? March 14 is Einstein's birthday. October 16 is Oscar Wilde's. We all share a birth date with someone famous or noteworthy, so look up your birth date and see who you share with. Once you know, what can you do with the info? Throw a party, of course.

Year after year you've had a birthday party. Isn't it time you gave yourself, your friends, and your family a chance to celebrate in a different way? Instead of sending out invitations to a party for yourself, throw a party for your birthday twin instead.

"I really do send out invitations to Oscar Wilde's birthday party," says Julia Berenson. "October 16. Every year I announce how old he would be, and oh, by the way, it is my birthday too. He throws a much more interesting party than I do, trust me. Once I started this tradition, it really took on a life of its own. My friends go all out with costumes and party favors."

Get to work on figuring out how to celebrate your birthday "twin" at the next opportunity. If you don't already know what luminary you are connected to by birth, research it now.

Be a Delegate at a National Convention

Those big party conventions look pretty exciting on television, don't they? Thousands of people all dressed in kooky red, white, and blue outfits — and the hats! Who wouldn't want to wear one of those outrageous, over-the-top hats? Oh yes, and then there is electing your party's presidential candidate, which is actually the point of it all.

Why not be a delegate to your party's national convention at least once? Each party in each state has its own process for electing or selecting delegates, so your best source of information is your political party's state headquarters website.

Step one, of course, would be to be very active in your local party organization. You will quickly learn the insider perspective on becoming a delegate. If you don't end up at the national convention, the state party conventions can be equally inspiring. And maybe you can wear a funny hat there too. If you aren't chosen to attend as a delegate, there is always a need for volunteers, so you can raise your hand for that as a way to have the same experience.

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from The Big Bucket List Book by Gin Sander. Copyright © 2016 Gin Sander. Excerpted by permission of Sourcebooks, Inc..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

GALAS, PARTIES, AND GET-TOGETHERS: MARVELOUS WAYS TO MIX, MINGLE, AND MEET NEW FRIENDS

Opening Night $$$-$$$$

Create Your Own Club! $-$$$$

Go behind the Scenes on Broadway, at the Opera, or Anywhere $$

Host Your Own Literary Salon $

Mr. Hearst Will See You Now $$$

Join the Explorers Club $$$

Find Your Congregation or Community $

Throw an Annual Theme Party $-$$$

Own a Hot Auction Item $-$$$

Enjoy a Polo Match in the Summer Sun $$

Share Your Birthday with Someone Famous $

Be a Delegate at a National Convention $

Check Out Classic and Vintage Car Shows $-$$

Get Your Own Crown and Royal Entourage $

THRILL YOUR TASTE BUDS: FOOD AND WINE EXPERIENCES

Spend an Evening in a Wine Cave $$$

Take a Turn as an Apprentice Farmer $-$$

Learn to Cook Another Language $-$$$

Become a Master Fermenter: Make Your Own Pickles, Beer, Bread $

Harvest Wine Grapes in France (or Work in a Vineyard) $-$$$

Make Your Own Customized Coffee $-$$

Follow the Pie Rules of Conduct $

Try a Meatless Monday and Cook Up Something New $

MAKE YOUR MARK: IRRESISTIBLY FUN DIY ACTIVITIES AND SKILLS

Find Your Own Food $-$$

Build It Big: Create Something of Lasting Value $-$$

Open Your Own Bookstore $-$$$

Shift into a Higher Gear: Drive a Stick $$$

You're On! Be in a Professional Opera $

Develop Your Own Line of Food Products $$-$$$$

Become an Art Curator $-$$

Attend Jewelry School at Van Cleef & Arpels $-$$$

Create Your Family's Memoir $

Live like Martha Stewart for a Month $$

Found a Festival $-$$$

Sail Away at a Wooden Boat Festival $-$$$

Designate Your Own Meditation Room $

LIFE IS LEARNING: MUST-KNOW NEW SKILLS

Sail with the Big Boys $$$

Around and Around You Go: Drive a NASCAR Car $$-$$$

Pick Up and Play: Take Up a New Instrument $-$$

Learn a Secret Language $

Cook Your Way through a Cookbook $$

Attend Oxford $$$

Get Your Hands Dirty: Participate in an Archaeological Dig $$$$

Restore an Object You Love $-$$

Learn a Long-Lost Skill for Today $-$$$

Drive a Real Train on a U.S. Railroad $

Get Silly at Clown School $$

CREATE AND INSPIRE: ART, FILM, THEATER, AND MORE!

Let Me Count the Ways... Become a Poet $

Take Up an Art and Create Often $

Start a Journal-and Stick to It $

Bespoke Shoes: Custom Made Just for You! $$$

Share Your Words at a Poetry Slam $

Become a Songwriter or Lyricist $$

Enter the Magic Castle $$

Reenact History $

Down in Front! Host Your Own Themed Movie Nights $-$$$

Draw, Paint, or Create Art in a National or State Preserve $

Score a Role in a Big-Budget Movie $

Be Like a Boy Scout and Learn Basic Survival Techniques $

Create a Motivational File $

Make a Documentary $-$$$

Revive the Art of the Handwritten Letter $

GIVING BACK: MAKE YOUR MARK

Run a Marathon $-$$

Become a Citizen Activist $

Volunteer in National Parks $

Those Who Can, Teach Others: Share Your Skill and Inspire Others $

Been Meaning to Give Something Up? Do It! $

Serve on a Grand Jury and Help Deliver Justice $

Help Create a National Park Larger than Yellowstone $-$$$

Be in the Olympics $$

Dig Up a Fossil $

Become a Theater Producer $$$

Participate in Audubon's Annual Bird Count $

Run for Office $

Start a Humanitarian Movement $

Participate in Cutting-Edge Scientific Research $

Get Ready to Be a Hero $

Focus on Family $

OFF THE BEATEN PATH: ONE-OF-A-KIND TRAVEL EXPERIENCES

Great Ways to Get There

Leaving on a (Private) Jet Plane $$$

Ride in a Vintage Bike Race in Tuscany $$$

See the World on Horseback $-$$$

Make a Pilgrimage in Spain $$$

Learn How to Use All Four Wheels at the Overland Expo $$-$$$

Cross the Seas in an Ocean Liner $$$

Old Roads, New Experiences $$$

Hike the Trails of the World, from California to the Alps $$$

Drive a Boat down the Canals of France and Germany $$$

Historic and Literary Destinations

Stay at an Actual Artists' Colony $$$

Forget African Safaris. Try an Indian Safari! $$$$

Attend a Masked Ball in Venice $$$-$$$$

Explore the Literary South $$$

Tour Literary and Book Towns $$-$$$

Travel Iceland's Ring Road of Fire and Ice $$$-$$$$

Walk in Our Leaders' Footsteps: Visit Presidential Homes $$

Join Dylan Thomas's Birthday Walk $$-$$$

See an Opera under the Stars $$$

Rekindle Memories down by the Sea $-$$$

Dip Your Toes into a Piece of History-Literally. Visit One of the World's Top Pools $-$$$

Learn How to Survive in the Wild $$-$$$$

Experience Autumn on the Road $-$$$$

Visit the World's Christmas Markets and Dickens Fairs $

Bedding Down

Private Lives $$-$$$

Live in a Castle $

See the United States in a Silver Bullet $-$$$

Have a Literary Sleepover in a Famous Author's House $-$$$$

Talk to Strangers $

Stay in the Favorite Hotels of the Stars $$

A Castle of One's Own $$$$

EPIC EXPERIENCES

Sample Delicious Port in Portugal $$$

Drink in Gehry's Celebrated Architecture in Spain and France $$$

Spend Twelve Months Skiing on the Slopes $$$-$$$$

Take a Trip around the Globe $-$$$$

Swim from One Continent to Another $$

Embark on an African Safari by Foot $$$$

Jump in with the Big Boys $$$

Travel Your Own Silk Road $$$

Have Dinner Up in the Eiffel Tower $$$

Dine Sixty-Five Floors above New York City $$$

Travel with Your Favorite Baseball Team $$$

Own a Tiny House Just for You $$

Let's Go Racing: Be Part of a Car Race $$-$$$

Surf the Best Waves in Europe $$$

GLAMOROUS GOALS AND GETAWAYS

Snuggle Up in an Ice Hotel $$$

Get Done Up and Be a Star in Photos $$

Have a Dish at a Restaurant Named after You $-$$

Celebrate Mardi Gras without the Crowds $$$

Up, Up, and Away! Ride in an Old-Fashioned Airplane $$

Shop the Best Flea Markets

Do What Scares You $-$$$

Glam It Up! $

Shhhhh! No Talking: Go on a Silent Retreat $-$$

Get a Producer Credit in a Documentary $$$

Dress to the Nines: Rent the Runway and Wear Couture Fashion $

Say Yes to Your Next Opportunity! $-$$$

AFTERWORD

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Editorial Reviews

"Now, you may never finish all the things in the book, but surely you will be inspired to create your own list and knock a few off each month or year to bring enjoyment and fulfillment to your life. " — Charging You Up

"Unlike plenty of other bucket list guides on the market today, The Big Bucket List Book focuses on creating experiences rather than visiting sites or landmarks to cross off as "completed". This book is a fun read, for not only does it bring to light all kinds of imaginative experiences— ride in a vintage bike race in Tuscany, anyone?— but it also provides resources on how to actually do accomplish these trips of a lifetime." — The Paper Airplane

"The Big Bucket List Book will transform the way you look at the world and the power you have to achieve your dreams. In this charming and practical collection, Gin Sander offers over 130 fresh ideas for infusing your life with a bit of glamor, adventure, and style for every budget and adventure level." — Our Windsor

From the Publisher