Destinations
Hazlitt’s London, England
Hazlitt’s: Like a Clock in My Heart Located on a quiet street off Soho Square, Hazlitt’s occupies three historic 18th century townhouses in the heart of London. Beautifully restored to its original Georgian style, the hotel blends the charm of yesteryear with modern innovation. [wide] [/wide]As owner Peter McKay states, the … Read more
San Francisco, California
Better Than Ever By the end of May in New Orleans you can easily find yourself with a case of the summertime blues. This year, mine were bad. With temperatures nearing 100 for days on end, 90 degrees felt like a cold snap. I knew I had to get away … Read more
New England, USA
INNside New England It was summer in the city, New York that is, and the livin’ wasn’t easy. My friend Danielle and I were stressed out. What to do? Two words: ROAD TRIP!! Between us we have three daughters who were frolicking at summer camps in New England so … Read more
Little Italy, New York
Little Italy – Still Hanging Tight to Its Immigrant Roots Photo Credit: Meryl Pearlstein Despite some rumors to the contrary, Manhattan’s Little Italy isn’t dead. Some famous Mafia and movie figures have breathed their last living or liberated moments in this well-known part of Manhattan, but the neighborhood lives on … Read more
Melbourne, Australia
The Hidden Laneways of Melbourne Meandering down a dark graffiti-painted laneway, I fall behind the others in our group. Drawn to these ugly but somehow beautiful works that cover entire walls, I pause to grudgingly admire the back end of buildings daubed with artwork. Stumbling a little on the … Read more
Ishikawa, Japan
Samurai Central On the Sea of Japan, northwest of Tokyo, lies the serene, mountainous region known as Ishikawa. With its pristine coast and remote villages, Ishikawa offers a respite from life’s stressors. Ishikawa is easily reached by plane or car, but the most romantic way to get there is on … Read more
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
After a morning of wandering the hilly, cobbled streets of San Miguel, I was quite tired and on the lookout for a nice spot for lunch. I ended up in the Jardin, the central square that is the heart and soul of this Spanish colonial town in central Mexico. I … Read more
San Pedro de Atacama, Chile
Walking on The Moon – the Atacama Desert Mars? The moon? The end of the earth? Those were the first three things that popped into my head the moment I touched down in Calama, Chile. It didn’t matter how much planning and researching I‘d done, nothing prepared me for the … Read more
The New Tastes of Ireland
While planning my first trip to Ireland I was told to expect to eat a lot of Irish stew because that’s what we’d find. While that may have been true years back, it’s a different stomping ground today. Wake up travelers and behold a new culinary hub. Having just returned … Read more
Paso Robles, California
Sweet Intoxication in Central California When we stepped out of the “Wine Wrangler” tour bus, Coy Barnes (the company owner and wrangler himself) assured us we were in for a rare experience at the Steinbeck Vineyards & Winery in Paso Robles, California. While shedding layers of clothing in the blazing … Read more
Providence, Rhode Island
PROVIDENCE – less is more! A Round-Up of the City’s Best Your mom always said that first impressions count. When I hailed a taxi at Amtrak’s Providence, R.I. station the striking neoclassical dome of the State House beckoned in the night sky. Would the smallest state’s “creative capital” (as … Read more
Monterrey and Chihuahua, Mexico
Surrounded by vast, empty deserts of twisted cacti and chains of dusty mountains, the industrial cities of Monterrey and Chihuahua might seem odd choices for a vacation. Hammered mercilessly by the summer sun, the two urban giants are usually bypassed by foreign travelers desperate to see the exotic jungles, beaches … Read more
Munich, Germany
The capital of beer-brewing Bavaria, Munich is best known for its Hofbräuhaus beer hall and its annual Oktoberfest, the world’s largest beer bash. But Germany’s third-largest city is much more: a sophisticated yet laid back metropolis of more than a million people, where cutting-edge high technology and old Bavarian traditions … Read more