-
A Coincidental Impact
I often wonder if anyone actually reads the travel, food, and wine stories I write. With stiff competition to capture attention, and with over 2 million blogs (and countless other stories) posted each day, it’s no surprise the question of reaching and impacting an audience is on a writer’s mind. Have you ever wondered the…
-
Revitalized Palm Springs Attracts Multi-Generational Visitors
It was the spring of 1975, and folded notes were being passed between classmates during high school homeroom announcing Palm Springs the destination for spring break. My brand new orange Honda Civic sped down the highway for a first-time visit to the desert oasis. I can still remember arriving at the Palm Springs Travelodge to…
-
Active or Idle, Cruising Offers Best of Both on Sea Days
When it’s time to plan a vacation, is the amount of activity or idle time part of the decision making? It is always at the forefront of my family as we determine our next getaway. As the cruise experience has always been positive and pleasurable for our family, it was a unanimous decision to sail…
-
How Travel Planner, Milk and Honey Travels, is Changing the Way Honeymoons are Being Planned
Could you or would you let someone else plan your honeymoon? If your answer is yes, would you let it be kept a surprise until the day you married and then reveal the location at the wedding reception? This is exactly what my daughter and her new husband decided to do when they got engaged last…
-
Pack for a Purpose Offers Inspired Travel
French novelist Marcel Proust is credited with saying, “The real voyage of discovery consists in not seeing new landscapes but in having new eyes.” Ever since my children were old enough to understand, they were exposed to travel which opened their eyes to the people, cultures and societies of the global community. Our family travel…
-
The Wine, Food and Vibe of Paso Robles Wine Region
Wine country getaways are one of the best ways to spend a weekend together with friends and family. Finding a location with a combination of fantastic wine, food, and vibe is a bonus. Paso Robles in Central California offers all of this and more. Paso Robles is an easy five-hour drive from the Temecula Valley,…
-
5 Things to Consider When Planning Multigenerational Family Travel
Although I do not remember my first trip, I was told it was on a TWA Airlines transcontinental flight in the late 1950’s from New Jersey to sunny Southern California. This was a time known as the Golden Age of Flying, where passengers actually dressed up for a flight. I likely was dressed in…
-
Rediscovering Puerto Vallarta
At the beginning of each year my husband and I start a conversation on what part of the world we will explore for our anniversary. There is always a negotiation between us where we should visit and in the past, it is somewhere in the world we have never been. This year we mixed it…
-
Mexico Revisited
Billowing clouds follow the plane en route to Puerto Vallarta. It’s my second trip to this city; the first being my honeymoon 28 years ago where my husband and I also enjoyed the city of Ixtapa. As we get closer to landing I reminisce about Ixtapa, specifically an experience I can recall vividly 28 years…
-
A Single White Meaningful Rose In New York City
Times Square, Central Park, Broadway, Statue of Liberty, bagels, and The City That Never Sleeps. These are some of what iconic New York City has always been known for, and on September 11, 2001, the city added The Worst Terrorist Attack the World Had Ever Seen to its status. The city didn’t ask for the designation and to this…
-
Mother Earth’s Sacred Ground…The Colorful Antelope Canyons
The Antelope Canyons in Northern Arizona have been on my bucket list ever since I saw unbelievably gorgeous pictures of the canyons several years ago. Wiping the canyons off my list had not happened, until now. The plan was in place…pick up my husband, who was working in Las Vegas and my daughter, who was…
-
The Iconic Ladurée Comes To Town
The first time I set eyes on a Ladurée pâtisserie was in Paris, on the bustling Avenue des Champs-Élysées. It was a warm summer afternoon with my family in tow and we were ready to get out of the heat and into the pâtisserie to enjoy Ladurée’s famed macarons. The Paris Ladurée, with its signature celadon…
-
Food, Falls, Stalls, and Fun…A Short Visit to Portland
I only had to ponder the question to join my husband for a quick day and a half turnaround trip to Portland, Oregon for a moment; the answer was an easy yes! I have yet to visit this city, and my nagging wanderlust is itching to go! The nonstop flight from Southern California takes…
-
Uno, Dos, Tres ~ 3 Reasons To Visit the Valle de Guadalupe Wine Region
Something has been missing the past five years from my local travel adventures…Baja. A recent visit to Baja’s Valle de Guadalupe wine region near Ensenada, cured the gap. What a sense of discovery! The Valle, as referred by locals, is truly maturing, from a tourism perspective, especially with 90+ wineries and 50+ restaurants in the…
-
Chocoholics Beware!
I often think the most fun discoveries are those that are unexpected! I happened to stumble upon a brand new fine chocolate boutique, Belgium’s Finest, which recently opened in the historic Old Town district of Temecula, California. A peer through the window, and a first glance at the display cases filled with beautifully designed chocolate…
-
Who Needs a Pool…An Alternative to Sunbathing in Palm Springs
The immediate thought that comes to mind for a visit to Palm Springs is a beautiful resort with azure blue pools and perfectly tanned bodies laying on perfectly positioned chaise lounges, right? I agree, but there are so many other things to enjoy besides a day at the pool when visiting this desert oasis. An…
-
5 Unique Things To Do In Catalina
My first step on the ferry to travel from Newport Beach to Catalina triggers a song to start playing in my head…Twenty six miles across the sea, Santa Catalina is a-waitin’ for me… The island remains a receptacle of memories from my childhood through adult years. It’s grown up in front of me, and I…
-
A Stroll Down Memory Lane at The Original Los Angeles Farmers Market
There’s nothing sweeter than crossing an item off your Bucket List. A recent visit to The Original Farmers Market in Los Angeles allowed me to shorten mine. The first time I visited was back in the mid 60’s, and I remember the trip from the San Fernando Valley on the 101 freeway with my siblings…
-
There’s Wine In Them Thar Hills!
a Sometimes, the most memorable experiences are those you simply wander upon. Such is the case on a recent visit to Nebraska where my family, struggling to come up with something to do, decided to get in the car and simply, wander. A ride down a two-lane country road stretching on forever past long…
-
48 Hours in Santa Barbara- Get Going, Get Seeing and Get Doing
Santa Barbara holds the distinct honor of being named the American Riviera, and for good reason. With its gorgeous coastline, local wine region, Mediterranean architectural charm, expansive sandy beaches, world class lodging and dining, and overflowing bougainvillea, there is much to experience. It’s a short two hour drive from Los Angeles and just about thirty minutes…
-
Vancouver On A Whim
The offer was on the table; fly in to Seattle, rent a car and head north to the beautiful city of Vancouver, British Columbia. I only had 24 hours to decide. It would mean wrapping up two days of business in half the time, but how could I let the opportunity go by? I…
-
Fresh Pasta in 7 Easy Steps
In Italy, there is saying, “Buon cibo, buon vino, buoni amici”, which translates to “Good food, good wine, good friends;” a perfect description for a night of fresh pasta making. One thing for sure, when you experience fresh handmade pasta, nothing will ever substitute for the taste, texture, and pureness of this Italian staple. I…
-
Magical Venice
We arrived in Venice when the lights of the night were in full force and never considered the evening could rival the day for beauty in this amazing city. A waterbus ride confirmed a palatable magic along the shimmering waterway of the Grand Canal and offered views of several highlights on the main channel. The…
-
24 Hours in Florence is Simply: Not. Enough. Time.
What can be accomplished in 24 hours? A lot if you choose to “do” instead of sleep! We arrived early evening in Florence, dropped the suitcases in our room and hightailed it out of the hotel toward the city center. Given we had been to Florence a few years ago, we knew the area well…
-
Cinque Terre, Let Me Count the Ways…
When I mentioned to friends I was planning a trip to Italy, just about everyone who had previously been to Italy uttered the words, Cinque Terre. I did some research on Cinque Terra UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the region looked amazing! Quaint villages (in Italian, Cinque Terre translates to “5 Lands”), beautiful crystal clear…
-
Foodie Our Way to Colorado and Back
We headed to Denver, Colorado for a wedding reception in honor of my daughter and new husband, who recently married in Southern California Wine Country. It’s a new norm now for my husband and I to road trip without kids. It signals a return to a lifestyle we had before kids, yet the many memories…
-
Sorry Trader Joe’s…Modena Simply Has You on the Balsamic!
MODENA We said goodbye to the wonderful and magical city of Milan and headed south towards Modena. With a dose of trepidation, we rented a car, which proved to be an e-ticket ride to thrills, near spills, and excitement. Actually it was C R A Z Y. No offense to anyone reading this who is…
-
A Franc Here & A Franc There…
Lugano, Switzerland We ventured just outside the Italian border on our third day in paradise, traveling to Lugano, Switzerland. This is only an hour by fast train from Milan. Stepping off the train, the initial feel of Lugano is very Italian, and it’s clear by the high number of ultra luxury cars on the roads…
-
24 Hours in Milan
Arriving in the late afternoon in Milan has its advantage and disadvantage; there is far more traffic than one would like after a long traveling day from the USA, yet after settling in at the hotel and taking a seat at the roof top patio restaurant, the bonus view in the late afternoon/early evening is…
-
Our Love Affair with Beautiful Lake Como, Italy
Where has a year gone since our amazing trip to Italy in June of 2014? I’ll be sharing our love affair with Italy in the next several posts. Enjoy! I couldn’t imagine a better place to spend my 25th wedding anniversary than in the beautiful region of Lake Como. My husband Don, and I, visited…