(image courtesy: bob jagendorf)

If you’re looking for an escape, one that involves not only beach paradise pleasures but also high adventure, here’s one not to miss. The State of Florida has nearly endless documentation on their inner waterways and coastal passages. Among these is a kayak trip that circumnavigates the entire coast of Florida– plus the individual legs of that trip which are a little more accessible to us travelers. As we know the area a little bit, we suggest the Everglades Kayak Adventure, or the Everglades/Florida Bay trip. That’s 98 miles of gulf coast kayaking or 125 miles via the Wilderness Waterway. Bring a love of sun, nature, plenty of energy and fresh water, but leave a fear of bugs and gators at home. This is only for those with a die hard adventuring spirit. Check out the State of Florida’s mile-by-mile description of this trip, then visit Kayak.com and book your flight to Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers, Florida.

(image courtesy: Jeff Kubina)

Hunter Thompson once called the Kentucky Derby “Decadent and Depraved“. A Kentucky native himself, Thompson was all too familiar with The Derby when asked to cover it for Scanlan’s Monthly. We highly suggest reading Thompson’s coverage of the event, as it is a brilliant and accurate picture of just what the Kentucky Derby is really about. We also suggest taking one step further: get yourself a last-minute flight to Louisville, Kentucky and experience The Derby for yourself. This is one of those unique sporting events that every American should experience at least once before they die.

Thompson described two different sides of the Kentucky Derby, the classic rich/poor class perspectives from which this great race is viewed. In the upper Grandstand, the aristocracy sips fine, craft whiskey in comfortable air conditioning. In the infield, a “lewd, drunken mass” parties through the event with riotous celebration. If Thompson’s report holds true today, we suggest doing both. Spend half of the event with some fine, Kentucky Bourbon in the Grandstand before heading to the infield for the main event.

The Derby starts tomorrow, May 3rd.  You can learn more about the Kentucky Derby from their website, and can plan your trip with help from Kayak.com. Enjoy, GearCravers. If you’ve been to a Derby before or will make it this year, leave us a note in the comments and tell us about your trip!

(image courtesy: ceasar sebastian)

Coachella, one of the premier annual music festivals in the world, starts in just a few hours…  From today, April 25th through Sunday, April 27th, the top names in music touch down near Joshua Tree, outside of Los Angeles, California.  Names like The Verve, Jack Johnson, Aphex Twin, FatBoy Slim, Aesop Rock and more are on tonight.  If by some chance you can’t make it, there’s plenty more to come tomorrow and Sunday.  Portishead, Prince, Kraftwerk, Roger Waters, Justice and more are to come.  If you live in the LA area, get yourself a ticket– scalped or premium.  This is one show you don’t want to miss.  If you’re outside of LA, its worth the last minute trip.  Get yourself a flight to LA and sneak your way in if you have to…

More: Coachella.com.

(image courtesy: kramchang)

If you’re an independent filmmaker, you’ve got a big week ahead of you.  April 23rd marks the beginning of the Tribeca Film Festival in New York.  Actors, producers, directors, writers and fans of independent film alike will move en masse to New York City for 14 days of film.  Alongside Telluride and Sundance, the Tribeca Film Festival is one of the three top independent film festivals in the U.S.  If you’re a fan of independent cinema, the Tribeca Film Festival could be the ultimate weekend getaway.  While the show doesn’t start until Wednesday the 23rd, tickets are on sale for the public starting tomorrow, Saturday the 19th of April.  Check out the 08 Events guide on the Tribeca Film Festival website for more information.  Coming from out of state?  We recommend kayak.com for travel planning…

Ticket Packages: from $64

Looking for something to do tonight, San Francisco GearCravers? Head to the Xeneodrome Theater for a chance to play Johnny Utah in the classic FBI/Surfer/Bank-Robber film Point Break. For those who haven’t seen the film, Point Break is inarguably Keanu Reave’s masterwork. Point Break Live is a live adaption of the film, yet the audience selects one of their own to fill in for the lead role of Johnny Utah. If you’re looking for an hour-and-a-half of over-the-top laughs, head to Point Break Live tonight for a chance to play Johnny Utah yourself.

Tickets: $25

A month from tomorrow, Playboy will be holding its seventh annual Playboy Pajama Party. If you’re not a B-list celeb or a retired athlete, you’re not getting in. Right? Wrong. GearCrave’s got the details on how to get yourself in to the next Playboy Pajama Party on May 10th, 2008. There’s a catch, of course. It’ll cost you– tickets start at $1500 and go all the way up to $20,000. If you’ve got the folding money laying around, get yourself to the Playboy Mansion on May 10th, and get your tickets thanks to GearCrave.com.

Enter the code PJP7 to be admitted to the ticket sale page.

Buy: $1,500+

The 2008 New York Auto Show is the four-wheeled version of CES for computer geeks or that adult video trade show in Vegas–there’s plenty to stare at and fondle and you get to be one of the lucky few to get up close and personal with the hottest models you’ve been reading about. After the jump we’ll take a look at what this year’s show (which wraps up Sunday night March 30 at 7PM) and some of what you’ll find if you can make it the Javits Center in NYC this weekend.

Say what you want to about the midwest, but Chicago is a seriously hip oasis in the middle of the corn and soybean fields that stretch out endlessly along the horizon between Detroit and St. Louis. If you haven’t been to the windy city in a while, check out your frequent flyer miles and plan a trip now that the weather has finally changed from subzero frozen hell to…whatever it’s gonna be this week. GearCrave has the scoop on some hot places to visit. We assume you already know about the Field Museum and the Art Institute, we won’t waste your time there. After the jump, check out part one of two for a weekend getaway to Chicago. In this installment, we’ll show you where to shop and where to party like the locals…

King Arthur should have totally looked in Vegas for the Holy Grail. Its there, right now, ripe for the taking. Not only is the Holiest of Mugs available for sale in Las Vegas this weekend, but so is Indiana Jones’ whip, Marilyn Monroe’s lingerie, James Dean’s ring and Don Corleone’s fedora. This weekend at the Palms Resort in Las Vegas, the Pugliese Pop Culture collection will be auctioned off, one by one, to the highest bidder. The Holy Grail is expected to go for between $8,000 and $12,000– a small price to pay for immortality. So if you’re into the legends of Hollywood and the relics of film folklore, get yourself to Las Vegas. Here’s the full list of the auction items for this weekend’s Pugliese Pop Culture Collection auction.

Need a flight? We recommend Kayak.com.