Picking the most memorable meal, out of a year in which I ate very well, is difficult.The Park Hyatt Masters of Food and Wine Festival in Mendoza, Argentina stands out for sheer decadence (by the end of my long weekend, I felt like a goose with an enlarged liver, fattened up for slaughter).Our Mardi...

We arrived home from our Portland/Columbia Gorge roadtrip just in time to watch fireworks lighting up Bainbridge Island, across Puget Sound from our home. Hope you enjoyed your 2011 fireworks and 4th of July! 

“I’m as free as a bird now…and this bird, she will not change.” Yep, I’m quoting Freebird. Or Free-biiiird!, which is probably how we all say it aloud in our minds. I’ve been playing that song in my head like bad air guitar ever since last week, when I received word...

One of the best things about interacting with other bloggers on Twitter is that people are always coming up with new ideas. Craig Zabransky, who blogs as Stay Adventurous, started Sunset Sunday on Twitter as a way to show off his fabulous sunset photos from around the world. Check them out here.On...

Last night marked my first visit to Safeco Field, where Seattle’s Mariners play professional baseball. I’m not a huge fan, but my friend and fellow blogger Meryl Pearlstein and her son are on a mission to see games in every stadium across the country. They scored a free ticket for me. Apparently...

I’m not going to lie: If I had my way, I’d live in hotels full-time. And if I’m really honest about things? My hotel of choice would be one of the sprawling Victorian fantasies built by the Canadian Pacific Railway in the late 1800s. Now run by Fairmont, the CPR hotels were created...

Oh, Canada. I’m looking forward to getting to know you better, now that you’re just a few hours away. For my first foray north to British Columbia, I set my sights on Victoria, the province’s capital located on woodsy Vancouver Island. Known for its Anglophile leanings. Victoria is...

When it comes to cheap day spa alternatives, the Aveda Institutes – there are 52 around the U.S. Canada and Australia – have to be the gold standard as far as value is concerned. Usually the services at these Aveda schools, which train the next generation of stylists, cosmetologists, and...

I do love myself some spa treatments. My idea of a good life includes regular massages, along with mani-pedis, facials and a perfect haircut. Photo from Flickr Creative Commons, BenJam: flickr.com/iambenjam But my wallet can’t handle the high prices that most day spas charge (plus it’s...

I remember exactly when I heard Nirvana for the first time. I had taken up residence in a hostel meant for long-term travelers, on leafy Store Street a few blocks from the University of London. Armed with a work permit and a journalism degree that meant nothing, at least as far as employers were concerned,...