I love love love Hawaii under pretty much any circumstances, but it is true that some of the islands are definitely more touristed and crowded than others. If you are looking for throbbing nightlife, jammed beaches, and gobs of folks from home, you will be disappointed by the leisurely pace, the quiet lush nature, and the relative calm of Kauai. It’s my...
Between us, my husband and I have been to all ends of the earth and almost every continent (Antarctica here we come!), but somehow we had never seen the Grand Canyon almost in our own back yard. Why? Honestly I was sort of avoiding it, thinking it was going to be majorly overcrowded, touristy and underwhelming. Well, we finally...
We spent two weeks over the holidays in Nicaragua with our kids several years ago and I posted about it at the time. It was a truly unforgettable trip, with pristine beaches, an abundance of wildlife, super friendly people, and a lot to see and learn, but also one of our more challenging trips as Nicaragua is one of the poorest countries in the western hemisphere...
OK people! The clock is ticking. School is almost out, and it’s that time of year when you pack up your little people and hit the road for Family Vacation. You’re either counting the days or dreading it (or more likely a little of both). Personally I always LOVED having my kids to myself for a bit over the summer, as I felt I had to share them with...
I love having a playlist that reflects my travel mood, which not infrequently features ambient tunes to get me through long long flights. Spotify classified my musical type as “Vampire”… um what, yikes? In the generalist spirit of learning a little bit about everything though, I am also in constant discovery of bands and tunes originating in some of...
Both of my kids were fortunate enough to take a Gap Year before they started their next life steps after high school. I can’t emphasize enough how much this time benefitted each of them in different ways. I have seen firsthand in my own kids and many others how a gap semester or year builds confidence, resilience, self-reliance, life skills and independence. It...
“If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.” – Ernest Hemingway There are so many delicious things to try in Paris that I am putting myself on a “NO REPEATS” policy next time I go. However, it’s going to be hard not...
FICTION It is telling that almost all fiction based in Barcelona is of the noir/thriller/mystery genre. The city is a layer cake of two thousand years of history, the stones of the old being ever folded into and under the new. Cultural overlays and vestiges of the past intermingle throughout the city’s winding gothic and elegant modernist neighborhoods. Add in...
So… sadly it has been a few years now since our epic whirlwind family visit to Tokyo. Like, my kids grew up since then – ack! But Japan – we will be back! It is still one of our absolute all time favorite visits with the family and at the very top of my list to revisit for the incredibly kind polite people, artful and delicious food, striking...