Skiing the Austrian Alps

The last rays of steely blue sunlight are just beginning to fade as I settle into the Nederhütte, an old-world style ski hut nestled in the Austrian Alps toward the bottom of a ski run. Inside, men are in lederhosen and ski boots, countless dancing with hands raised grabbing at … Read more

Airport Layovers – How Exciting!

Does the thought of lugging your carry-ons around an unknown airport, so close yet so far from your destination, sound as exciting as searching for a power socket? Well, kinda’ like that one shekel coin you found at Ben Gurion airport last year, there are two sides to everything—even a … Read more

Luxury Travel Bible’s Hotel Chatter

If you’re anything like me, then you think that a vacation is a chance to spoil yourself with extravagant comforts and amenities. Why shouldn’t you feel like royalty in your home away from home? Our friends at The Luxury Travel Bible have curated a list of the most luxurious new … Read more

Hotel Union Square, San Francisco

If you can find the front door of the Hotel Union Square amid the motley storefronts on the lively block of Powell Street, you’re in for a surprise.  Two stunning 10 foot mosaics grace either side of the entrance, a clear indication of the building’s 1913 landmark pedigree. Mind you, … Read more

Girl with a Pearl Earring Returns Home

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

Key West: Historic, Entertaining and Quirky

Key West is unlike any place you’ve ever been. Sunsets are celebrated, roosters roam the streets, conch fritters are a recognized food group, drinking is an Olympic sport and everyone – and I do mean everyone – has a story. As one Key West resident told me, “This is where … Read more

Everglades Alligator Farm

When you think of the Everglades do you automatically see an airboat gliding through a swamp in the corner of your mind?  I do. Those dime store novel vehicles conjure images of alligators and murky waters teaming with snakes and crocs. Well, you can get your fill of the real … Read more

Gatecrashing Paradise

When the ship carrying the French sailor François Pyrard hit a reef in the Maldives in the middle of the night in 1602, the crew believed their game was up. “We started with the shock, she suddenly struck a third time, and heeled over,” he writes in his account of … Read more

Restaurant Nora, Washington, D.C.

With a warm, dimly lit dining room that hums with the comfortable lull of hushed conversation, you’d half expect Restaurant Nora to be situated on a winding country lane. But this sophisticated yet cozy atmosphere is right in the heart of D.C.’s Dupont Circle. Nora’s 40-year collection of geometric Amish … Read more

Easy Beach Days in Zihuatanejo

Sleepy. Quiet. Low-key. That’s how the beach town of Zihuatanejo is often described. Perfect! After exploring several of Mexico’s colonial towns, we were looking forward to some R&R. Our bus first took us along a tree-lined highway into the neighboring coastal town of Ixtapa. With bright clean buildings and a … Read more

Celebrity Cruises, One Life-Changing Trip

I have been on at least a dozen cruises and sometimes feel it’s the only way to travel. I love the feeling of closing my eyes, and when I open them, I’m in a different place. Recently one cruise in particular profoundly affected me in a variety of ways. The … Read more