Siem Reap, Cambodia

  “Beyond Angkor Wat” No trip to Southeast Asia is truly a trip without a visit to Cambodia, particularly to Siem Reap, home of the magnificent and awe-inspiring Angkor Wat temples. Not only have these UNESCO world heritage sites outlasted monsoon rains, various wars and the Khmer Rouge regime, they … Read more

Chile, South America

  Lush Valleys to Snowy Peaks From my front-row seat at “Pure Energy, Pure Chile” – a multimedia light show celebrating Chile’s Bicentennial – the presidential palace in the capital of Santiago was a spectacular site, illuminated in vivid purple. The building became the backdrop for a visual history lesson … Read more

Los Angeles, USA

LA Local: A Tale of Six Neighborhoods Sunset Boulevard, Rodeo Drive, the Hollywood Hills—it’s all quite glamorous.  It’s also your typical LA story. As a new resident of Southern California, I owed it to myself to dig a bit deeper. What I discovered is that the real stars of Los … Read more

Charm Makes a Comeback

  Rhett Butler was not exactly being cynical when he made up his mind in Gone With the Wind to leave Atlanta.  “I’m going back to Charleston, back where I belong,” he said.  “I want peace. I want to see if somewhere there isn’t something left in life of charm … Read more

Atlanta, Georgia

As surprising as it may sound, Gladys Knight, Ray Charles, Ludacris, and The Charlie Daniel’s band all have something in common. They all wrote songs about the Empire State of The South, The Peach State, Hot ‘Lanta, or as it is most commonly known to outsiders, Georgia. With a population … Read more

Denver, Colorado

  What’s Going On A Mile Above The Rest As a former resident of Denver, it was easy to take for granted the beauty and simplicity of the city where I lived.  But as a New Yorker going back to visit Denver, it’s easy to see why Denver has been … Read more

Machu Pichu, Peru

Stepping into a Postcard Machu Picchu ends up on most of our “someday” lists at one point, and I just got to check it off mine. Though my husband and I didn’t hike to it via the Inca Trail, we still worked up a trip full of adventure and magic, … Read more

From Gritty to Green – Detroit

When Detroit, the Motor City, morphed into Motown, the automotive capital of the world became Hitsville, U.S.A., as the phenomenon of the pop-soul sound was unleashed on the world. Today Detroit is on the cusp of a 21st-century transformation, as urban agriculture puts down roots in this post-industrial landscape, a … Read more

Wales, United Kingdom

U.K’s Little Secret Photos © Crown copyright (2010) Visit Wales Being of Irish descent with family both in Ireland and England, I’ve been to those countries on many occasions, each time seduced by the beauty of areas like Connemara or the Cotswolds.  Over the years, I’ve also visited Scotland and … Read more

Budapest, Hungary

A Red Star is Reborn “Are you ready to get into the time machine?” Zsófi our tour guide said.“Look around you and we will soon discover what Budapest used to be like, but before we start what year do think it is?” she continued.Everyone in the group answered “the 50’s, … Read more

Belgrade, Serbia

What’s New in Belgrade Let’s get straight to the point: there are certain things that could happen only in Belgrade. In many capital cities, a usual meeting point is by a monument of a local historic figure. Belgrade, the capital
city of Serbia and Montenegro, is no different. However, instead of … Read more

Prague, Czech Republic

 It is a city full of mystery, full of life, full of history.  When one sees Prague for the first time, you might even say it’s hard to believe that it’s a real city — not some movie backdrop of a made up fairy tale European wonderland.  While most cities … Read more

Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona, the capital of Spain’s Catalonia province, is the country’s second largest city and a prime tourist destination for lovers of art, architecture, and fine food. Located on the northeast coast of Spain, Barcelona also boasts several sandy beaches on the Mediterranean Sea, which attract thousands of swimmers and sunbathers … Read more

Stockholm, Sweden

Ulf Hinds – Stockholm Visitors Board: Parts of Gamla Stan, the oldest part of Stockholm, date from the 13th century. Winter Charms I didn’t realize it when I made my plans and still didn’t realize it a month later when I landed at Stockholm’s Arlanda airport. Rushing through customs and … Read more

Stockholm, Sweden

Cover Image by Tarquin Gemstone at Flickr I didn’t realize it when I made my plans and still didn’t realize it a month later when I landed at Stockholm’s Arlanda airport. Rushing through customs and boarding the express train into central Stockholm, there were clues. “Hmm … the skies are really … Read more