Winter visit to Reykjavik Iceland wool mittens

Iceland Mitten Memories – A Winter Visit to Reykjavik

I reached into my coat pocket today looking for change and pulled out one of my Icelandic wool mittens, the only souvenir from my trip to Iceland. Putting on the mittens brought back a flood of amazing memories from my quick four day weekend trip to Reykjavik.  When planning my […]

Moai Ahu at Hanga Roa Easter Island

Photo Essay – The Magic of the Moai (Statues) of Easter Island, Chile

**Originally published after my Easter Island trip, but updated and posted for you to discover (or re-discover) one of my favorite experiences – a bucklist trip for many to see the Easter Island statues*** Paul, our guide, visited Easter Island in the 60’s as a teenager assisting the archeological team […]

Impala and monkey on safari

Walking Safari in Botswana – Tracking the Animals

After all of the traveling, I was ready to go on my walking safari, whatever that meant in the Okavango Delta.  While I had read about “going on safari”, I hadn’t a clue what that actually entailed but I was about to find out.  Walking from my “room” (tent at […]

Mokoro boats at Oddballs camp Okavango Delta Moremi

Botswana Safari Review – Oddballs Camp in the Okavango Delta

Landing in Maun, Botswana, the airport was awash in small bush planes and one building for passengers to transit.  You exit the plane and walk to the terminal -something that became commonplace in Africa -walking to/from your plane  which I liked.  I had been traveling for four days to get […]

PHL Centurion Lounge seating Philly

New in A-West at PHL Airport – AMEX Centurion Lounge Philadelphia

Luxury comes to the Philadelphia Airport in the form of the American Express Centurion Lounge at PHL (PHL Centurion Lounge).  As the eighth Centurion lounge in the U.S., the space is warm and welcoming with a mix of woods, warm colors and modern comfort with pops of color (and a […]

London Aloft Bar

Review: London Aloft Excel Hotel at ExCel Conference Center

For the my first World Travel Market conference (WTM), one of the largest travel events in Europe, held each year in London at November, I knew that I needed my hotel to be easy as convention days are long and exhausting.  As the conference was being held at the ExCel […]

Best Burger and Fries in D.C.

Is the Best Burger in D.C. (and duck fat fries!) at Bourbon Steak?

Knowing that my Art Weekend in D.C. was planned out, I stayed an extra day to explore on my own.  I asked a few D.C. based twitter friends for restaurant suggestions, along the lines of “what’s a must eat food experience in D.C.”  A few replies were “the best burger in […]

Conversation with Oprah and Gayle Alaska cruise

Every Photo has a Story to Tell – My Photo with Oprah in Alaska

Leave it to my eleven (going on thirty) year old precocious niece to burst my Oprah bubble.  I was showing my sister and mom my photo with Oprah  from the O Magazine, Share the Adventure cruise to Alaska on Holland America’s Eurodam.  My niece said “did you meet Oprah…and she […]

The Renwick Gallery collection

The Renwick Gallery – Decorative Arts in D.C. – Thoughtful & On Trend

Art Museums often have the “permanent collection” which you see the same pieces with each visit and it’s the temporary exhibits that draw you back to discover or re-discover an artist and their work. For my Art Weekend in Washington, D.C.  I would discover many new (to me) American artists […]