Oh Japan, where do I even begin?!
I can't believe it has been it was last fall that I headed across the Pacific for Tokyo. So first off, I should tell you it was one of the top 10 trips I have ever taken, maybe even top 5. To put it differently, it rained every single day of the trip and it still was amazing, that is how much I loved Tokyo and Kyoto. So here are the details.
Read MoreI just got back from an amazing weekend in Palm Springs. Every time I visit that desert town, the more I love it. For the record I have only gone in February when the weather is perfect and July might feel like walking on the face of the sun, but I grew up in Florida, I can handle a little heat. Maybe. As long as there is air conditioning. It was a weekend filled with good food, strong cocktails, interesting conversations and great girlfriends. Here are the details:
Read MoreCan you believe it, we have been Oakland residents for over a year and a half?! Crazy – it seems like just yesterday we made the jump over to the East Bay from San Francisco. Since I have unofficially become Oakland’s #1 fan, I thought I would share some of my favorite places to eat, and things to do in Oakland, just in case you ever find yourself on the right side of the Bay.
Read MoreI saved the best for last. After Rome and Florence and the madness of trying to see everything and eat everywhere, we slowed WAY down for Tuscany. Way down. We rented a car in Florence and drove south to the town of Chiusi in the southwest part of Tuscany. It might have been the most gorgeous car ride of my life. Everywhere you look there is an ancient town or vineyard or those stunning Italian Cypress trees that just scream Tuscan countryside. It was magnificent.
Read MoreAfter a couple whirlwind delicious days in Rome we took a train from Rome to Florence. The train was easy, especially when you have wine, cheese, salumi and fresh figs to tide you over. Honestly, I probably could have stayed on that train for a lot longer, watching that gorgeous Tuscan countryside whizz by.
Read MoreWe recently returned from a whirlwind trip to Italy. It was a gorgeous, hot, delicious and an all-together wonderful trip. I had never been to Italy before and I am totally hooked. Now I know why so many people fall in love with that country. Between the food, the people, the language and the history, it is one magical place. We only had one week off from work so we tried to pack in as much as we could. First stop was Rome.
Read MoreWe recently returned from a whirlwind trip to Italy. It was a gorgeous, hot, delicious and an all-together wonderful trip. I had never been to Italy before and I am totally hooked. Now I know why so many people fall in love with that country. Between the food, the people, the language and the history, it is one magical place. We only had one week off from work so we tried to pack in as much as we could. First stop was Rome.
Read MoreSo it is officially time to get back to real life right? I am excited to jump headfirst into 2015. These past two weeks felt like the never-ending holiday break where everyone was on vacation and it was totally fine to stay in bed for most of the day. I am not complaining. For the first time in a while (certainly the entire month of December) I feel completely rested. It is a bizarrely foreign and amazing feeling. For part of the holiday break we went to my hometown in South Florida where we spent the week catching up with family and enjoying the warm weather, not to mention citrus fruit and key lime pie. Here are some pictures from our holiday vacation in Florida.
Read MoreThis past weekend I took a last-minute, spur of the moment LA road trip. Our house is under construction and there is a layer of dust literally everywhere, so when a friend emailed and invited me to a holiday brunch I immediately said yes, I would be there. I was joined by a friend and the two of us hit the road for a road trip filled with eating, drinking and sightseeing. It was a whirlwind 36 hours but so much fun.
Read MoreLast week I took a quick trip to the East Coast to visit Boston for my 10 year college reunion (I have no idea where those 10 yrs went!!). Some girlfriends and I squeezed in a trip to Nantucket before Boston making this trip a serious whirlwind (plus I added on a night in NYC at the end of the trip just for good measure). I tallied it up and by the end of the 5 day trip there were 2 trains, 1 ferry, 2 plane rides and 1 car ride- it was literally planes, trains and automobiles but it was amazing and totally worth the exhaustion. Here is the round-up from the trip. We flew into Boston on the red-eye, rented a car, drove down through the Cape and hopped on a ferry headed to Nantucket. We were only in Nantucket for the night but we managed to pack everything in, plus it is a small island.
Read MoreHow was your long weekend? Was it amazing? It is hard to believe that Labor Day weekend has officially come and gone. I am not going to accept that summer is over, until it is really over. Like September 21st over. Regardless we had a great weekend. We had absolutely no plans, which led to an amazing weekend. That is usually how it works, right?
Read MoreHappy Monday - how was your weekend? Do you still wish it was the weekend? I sure do. Luke surprised me with a trip to Sonoma which was amazing. It was quick - only one night - but packed with lots of good food, delicious wine and of course beautiful wine country. Here are some pics from our wine country weekend - I am already ready to go back next weekend.
Read MoreI am back from my Bahamian family vacation. It flew by with the blink of an eye. Even thought it went by way too quickly, it was a blast and so much fun to revisit a place that I hadn't been to in over 20 years. Amazingly, things are very much the same. The town seemed a lot smaller but other than that it was still preserved exactly how I remembered it.
Read MoreHow was your long weekend? Mine was fantastic. Having one extra day off makes all the difference. Maybe we should all convert to the 4 day work week? Plus this past weekend San Francisco and Northern California were on their very best behavior and trying their hardest to prove that West Coast living is where everyone should be. It was 70 degrees and sunny the entire time. I will have to remind myself of this perfect weather when we are in the heart of the summer and I can't see down the street because it is so foggy. Since it was so beautiful we decided to get out of the city and head up for a day trip to one of my favorite places ever. In the world. Pt. Reyes. Pt. Reyes is about an hour and a half north of the city on the coast. It is a tiny spot on the map but completely heavenly. When you are there you feel like you are in a different world. A quiet world where everything moves a bit slower. A world where you could get lost from everyone and anyone and that is kind of why I love it.
Read MoreOne of the best parts about living in the Bay Area is that friends and family come visit you because you live so close to amazing spots - especially wine country. Luke used to email me every time someone was in town asking me for recommendations in wine country. Finally I put together a guide that he could keep and then forward on as people asked him. It was nothing fancy just a pdf of a Word document. (I know I am a dork but it was pretty handy especially when those emails would come in) Late last year he forwarded the guide to one of his friends who then forwarded it on and so on and it actually was forwarded back to Luke's co-worker who was planning a wine country trip from it. Maybe I should have charged for that guide! Since it seems like a guide to wine country is needed on the world-wide web, I thought I would start to document my favorite places around the Bay Area so you can use it as a resource if you need it. First up, my unofficial guide to Healdsburg, CA.
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