My first stay at the Hotel Monaco Seattle was many years ago and the only memorable part of the stay was the goldfish “Talula” that was placed in our room. Memorable because we had a pet for the night but also because we had just seen “Saving Nemo” at the movies and when […]
On a recent twitter chat, we were queried to name a few “travel gems” that people may not know about. I revealed a gem that I had just returned from – the San Juan Islands in Washington State. This was my third trip to the San Juan Islands, a group of islands […]
“You’re last”, “You’re last” were the words the small four year old boy in front of me was yelling about at Union Station in Portland, Ore. He was very cute along with his older sister as they jumped with excitement for their first train ride back home to Seattle (the […]
I cheated, I didn’t mean to but the concierge had visited Voodoo Doughnuts before I arrived and left me two doughnuts as a welcome amenity (I had joked that i was working out at the gym like a fiend before my visit having heard about the doughnuts). I cheated because […]
With only a day open in my conference schedule on my first visit to Portland, I asked the concierge for tour suggestions as I did not have a car during my stay. My initial plan was to visit the Willamette Valley wineries known for Pinot Noir but as she found […]
Attending a conference in downtown Portland, there were a few preferred rates offered by the local hotels. With such a great stay at the Kimpton in NYC (prior post), I decided to stay at another Kimpton hotel, the Hotel Vintage Plaza in Portland. Arriving after 9 pm from the East […]
Visiting any city in the U.S. on July 4th (Independence Day) can be challenging as there will probably be fireworks on display somewhere after the sun has set but many (most) businesses and tourist attractions will be closed so what to do with your time? In Portland, Oregon, I would […]
Looking before you leap is the logical thing to do, at least for me. I, of course, take it a bit far though on the conservative side – rather than just jump – I will look, assess, over think it, work the pros/cons, etc. Sometimes you need to jump, take […]
Nothing about my “living like Oprah without her money” vacation was cheap. Despite the pay for 2 nights, get the 3rd free promo, the Peninsula Chicago was still an expensive stay but worth every penny! I wasn’t concerned that I was forgoing points by staying here, I wanted to treat […]
The age old question of “what is art” continues to challenge me as I travel and am exposed to so many varied types of art. Everyone has an opinion and I have learned to just like what i like whether or not someone deems it “good” or “bad” art. Ah, […]