Andre Lichtenberg

Two years after her 2003 divorce, Lisa Gentile took her daughter, Claudia, then 6, to Las Vegas. “Somebody told me how family-friendly Las Vegas had become,” says Gentile, 44, a legal specialist from Fanwood, N.J. The pair played by the pool and took a gondola ride at the Venetian, but the experience left Gentile feeling lonely for adult conversation. “When you travel with a child, children will always meet other children, but grown-ups do not necessarily meet each other,” she says.

On their next mother-daughter adventure, Gentile booked a getaway through Single Parent Travel (singleparenttravel.net). The Annapolis, Md., company offers group vacations for adults traveling alone with kids. Last summer, she and Claudia, now 9, spent a week at the Beaches Turks & Caicos resort ($2,767 for seven nights for one adult and one child, all inclusive) along with two dozen other single-parent families. “It was wonderful,” she says. Lisa and Claudia spent most days chatting and playing on the beach with other families, then meeting up again at night for dinner, a stroll or a variety show. They befriended a mother-daughter pair from their home state and have stayed in touch ever since. “The best part is the company,” says Gentile. “You’re meeting people you have something in common with, and their reason for being there is the same as yours.”

By Ron Givens

Sloe gin suffers from a smarmy reputation in the United States—harsh products used in saccharine drinks with lurid names. But now a world-class sloe gin has arrived from England, produced by one of the great gin distillers, Plymouth. Sloe berries—a kind of wild plum—are placed in straight gin, where they infuse the spirit with a wondrous combination of flavors (plum, blackberry, cherry, marzipan, cloves) and lend a rich burgundy color. Plymouth may revive the sloe-gin fizz as an amazing summer refresher (with or without the creamy froth that comes from using egg whites). For something different, try this delicately fruity cocktail:

Rent “Baby It’s You.” Twenty-three-year-old Rosanna Arquette burns up the screen in this story of a smart, ambitious Jewish girl from New Jersey and the sharkskin-wearing townie she loves. This honest, class-conscious depiction of high-school life in the late ’60s is one of John Sayles’s best, and least-known, movies—and it’s never been available on DVD before.

Hear “The Day Is Brave” by Brendan James. His compelling lyrics, soothing tenor and piano virtuosity make this debut album a stunning listen. Highlights include “Green,” a sweet musing on a former girlfriend ($13.98).

Surf pollinator.org. Due to bad environmental practices, pollinating species like bees and butterflies are being threatened. To encourage their proliferation, this Web site offers a downloadable planting guide that tells you which plants are best for encouraging a pollinator-friendly habitat.