How To Spend 12 Hours In Georgetown (Like A Local)
I’ve lived in Washington, D.C., for nearly 14 years. Aside from my childhood home, it’s the longest I’ve lived in any one place. Our nation’s capital has been good to me. It offers all the things I love in one bite-sized city. If DC is the solar system I reside in, Georgetown is my favorite planet. When friends and family visit, they ask how I’d spend an ideal day in DC. While the city offers world-class museums, monuments, and parks, I always gravitate toward Georgetown's...
The Best of Stowe: 10 of Life’s Littlest Luxuries
A few summers ago, my husband and I decided to head north. To live village life, country life, and a less rushed life, in the mountains of Stowe. My parents’ house was currently empty, and it seemed an ideal way to escape the oppressive DC heat. A way to break the monotony that had gradually manifested over the past few months. We packed up only the most essential items; our kids, our dogs, a few hundred Nespresso capsules, and cornhole. Our essentials, as it turned out, don’t...
The Best Of Mérida. Mexico’s Newest Hot Spot.
“Where’s Mérida?” you wonder, and “Why should I go there?” I’m happy you asked. Mérida, Mexico is the capital city of the Yucatán State. Its simple luxuries fly under the radar in terms of typical Mexican tourist destinations—more rustic, less bells, less whistles, and friendlier on the wallet. Long may that last. Recently, I spent three days uncovering the best of Mérida, Mexico, old school style with a pen and paper. Three days exploring boutiques, boutique hotels, hidden watering holes, and airy rooftop bars. Was...
How To experience the Low Country at Palmetto Bluff
Montage Palmetto Bluff is a well-preserved river town, complete with Low Country marshlands, a bird sanctuary, and centuries-old live oaks, on the May River, in South Carolina. Striking the right blend of highly-curated activities, creative dining options, and varied accommodations, Palmetto Bluff has everything it takes to experience a little Low Country living. Not long ago, I read an article that sought to quantify the value of ‘things' versus ‘experiences'. The writer argued that happiness associated with things (jewelry, cars, electronics) is relatively short-lived, compared...
I wouldn’t go there if I were you (Why where we choose to travel matters)
The landline rings. I immediately know it’s my mother calling. From the way she says ‘hello’ I know something else—that I'm not going to like the conversation. I'm tempted to feign a poor connection and hang up. ‘A woman was kidnapped in Uganda', my mother says, her voice measured, with frantic undertones. 'At gunpoint’, she continues, ‘alone, while on safari.’ ‘I'm not going to Uganda for four months, Mom', I say, my voice measured, with annoyed undertones. ‘And, I'm 49 years old. I'm a grown-up.’...
The Claremont Hotel is Acadia National Park’s Hidden Gem
The Claremont Hotel and Acadia National Park are a Maine tour de force. The recently redesigned Claremont Hotel has upped the ante on guest experiences in an unparalleled setting. So, if a glass of wine on a wraparound porch facing sunset-tinged mountains excites you, look no further than The Claremont Hotel. And, if hiking mountains to 360-degree panoramic vistas excites you, look no further than Acadia National Park. Read on to discover why The Claremont Hotel, just outside Acadia National Park, is a waterside gem....
How To Spend An Unforgettable Weekend In Joshua Tree
There are countless ways to spend a weekend in and around Joshua Tree National Park. Bike, hike, climb, stargaze. Take a sound bath, watch the sunrise, and spot a shooting star. Rent a vintage Airstream or a modern Airbnb. How you spend a weekend in Joshua Tree is personal, and sometimes spiritual. Need some inspiration to plan a weekend in Joshua Tree? You’re in the right place. Desert skyDream beneath the desert skyThe rivers run, but soon run dryWe need new dreams tonight —In God's...
Why off-season is the best season in Kennebunkport, Maine
Kennebunkport, Maine is an ideal escape in the summer, as everyone knows. But a visit to the Kennebunks in the off-season is just as rewarding. Maybe even more so, as the crowds have left and a level of calm is restored to this coastal town. Kennebunkport, Maine has something to please every kind of traveler. Read on to discover my favorite places to visit in Kennebunk and Kennebunkport, Maine. Oftentimes, the best trips are the least planned, last-minute escapes. The ones that fall into your...
Best. Day. Ever. Deplar Farm.
Where to stay in northern Iceland? Deplar Farm is the one / In Iceland, there are more than 50 different words to describe snow. In Iceland, the population is so small that there's an app to make sure you don’t accidentally date your cousin. In Iceland, they joke, “What do you do if you get lost in an Icelandic forest?" Answer: "Stand up.” In Iceland, more than half the country believes in elves and trolls. I am enamored with Iceland, in awe of Deplar Farm,...
Searching for the peaceful life, at Amanzoe, Greece
Google Amanzoe. Go ahead, I’ll wait. With 156,000 search results, Amanzoe is hardly a well-kept secret. What can I say or write that hasn't already been said or written about this palatial property? How can I uncover beauty not instantly available by scrolling postage stamp-sized squares on the phone? Or, found in a quick Google search? Let me give it a try. But perhaps first, a few things you will find in a quick Google search of Amanzoe, because essentials are still important, naturally. Amanzoe,...