A busy travel writer is always looking for anything that can make her mobile lifestyle a little bit easier, from electronics to clothing and footwear, and more. That goes for her bags, too, which must be sturdy enough to withstand the constant manhandling, changes in temperature, frequent openings and closings … Read more
Home to the international Peace Palace, 118 embassies and King Willem-Alexander, The Hague is one of the Netherlands most extraordinary cities. This “Royal City by the Sea” is also home to a girl whose face you may recognize – Johannes Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring. The Girl recently returned … Read more
A black messenger bike parked outside THE THIEF emblazoned with the hotel’s name is a subtle hint. “Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” On a dark, dreary and very wet spring morning in Oslo’s Tjuvholmen neighborhood, which is surrounded by water, the wind is gusting outside … Read more
When I lived in West Germany before the fall of the Berlin Wall, cities across the border in the Communist East Bloc seemed a world away. Any travel to East Germany was especially restricted, and the red tape required for visiting wasn’t worth the hassle. But all that has changed, … Read more
This year marks the 75th anniversary of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. This elegant red, art deco bridge is still considered a modern civil engineering feat and has, since its completion in 1937, become one of America’s most iconic and beloved monuments. Events to celebrate the bridge will be going … Read more
If Lisbon is one of those places lower on your list of “must see in Europe,” re-think your rankings. Portugal’s capital city is a lively urban center chock full of attractions from medieval to modern. Whether you’re a history buff, a gastronome, a power shopper, or all three, you’ll … Read more
From the lobby’s marble floor to the top floor’s panoramic views, The Peninsula Tokyo is, in its entirety, refined through and through. As Tokyo’s landmark hotel, this location of The Peninsula Group doesn’t lack for opulence. The fusion of traditional Japanese culture, the latest technology, sublime service and a prime … Read more
Stepping into Sky Ounasvaara, it was crystal clear that the International Style had an impact on Finland. Even a Lapland hotel set deep within the woods, high on a hill overlooking Rovaniemi, Lapland’s capital, had bought into the architectural movement which epitomizes Modernism in a big way. It was … Read more