When I was younger, my father would go to the pretzel bakery on Saturdays. The smell of warm Philly soft pretzels would make its way up to my bedroom and become my alarm clock. Pretzels for breakfast is definitely a Philly thing but at the core, it’s just another type […]
On my first visit to Barcelona, a quick cruise stop, we didn’t want to wait in line for tickets to the famous Sagrada Familia, Gaudi’s unfinished cathedral, more than 133 years in the works (since 1882) so I admired it from afar and took a few photos. I regretted not visiting the […]
Despite the live version of Frogger playing out on the Naples streets where I was running thru traffic hoping that the cars, buses and scooters would stop to let me cross, I somehow decided “I want to do a bike tour of the city”. I found Bike Tour Napoli on […]
Despite all of my years traveling, I often forget about the little things that I take for granted staying in U.S. hotels (or Western chain hotels). It’s in Europe when I stay at the smaller hotel properties that I remember all the quirks that make for memorable encounters along the […]
In my research of Naples, I happened upon the Partenope Relais on the waterfront. Intrigued by the fact that it was only 24 boutique styled rooms on one floor, I was sold on the theme – the movies. Each room would have a famous scene from the actor or director […]
I went on a Devour food tour in Barcelona and ate all of the food! Now for most people this doesn’t seem odd – go on a food tour and eat the food but for me who has suffered from lactose intolerance for almost 15 years, this was a big […]
Have you ever cruised and wondered if you should spend the extra money to upgrade your cabin? You read the descriptions and try to ascertain from the photos what the difference in cost and space really gets you? Well, for me who could only afford the inside cabin (reluctantly with the […]
So my life is changing whether I want it to or not so I decided it was a great excuse to begin my EPIC journey and see where it leads. When I wrote about the crazy $399 transatlantic cruise to Barcelona from Miami on the Norwegian EPIC cruise ship, I sent […]
My initial thought was cheesy as I was sailing on the NCL EPIC on my EPIC journey, I thought it only fitting to stay at the EPIC Miami, a Kimpton hotel. Miami was pricier than I thought and I wasn’t able to use my Kimpton Karma award, so I started stalking […]
Looking back I wished I had the maturity (and foresight) to know that I should have taken more photos of my childhood – the neighborhood, the stores, the neighbors and those I interacted with – documenting life in Northeast Philadelphia in the 1970 – 1990’s. Sure there are the photos […]