Every year, I head somewhere for my birthday. Or at least try to. It all started in 2009 when I was in Atlanta and working in PR. I took the first trip of my adult life — a two week excursion to Croatia — seven years after my first foray into solo travel, which nettedContinue reading “Peace by the Ocean: Hofsas House”
Tag Archives: california
#CityLove: The Best Beaches in Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, located 75 miles south of San Francisco, is an ideal spot for a holiday. An abundance of gorgeous hotels in Santa Cruz, along with its beautiful weather, stunning coastline, towering redwood forests, and more make it a year-round travel destination. A burgeoning beach resort town, there are certainly no shortage of beaches to exploreContinue reading “#CityLove: The Best Beaches in Santa Cruz”
Let’s Get Lost
“What do you want to do now?” he asks as we stand in the parking lot of the foot massage spa somewhere in the Valley. “I don’t care,” I respond. Because, really, I don’t. All that matters is that I am spending time with my friend in his home. We stand there, in the earlyContinue reading “Let’s Get Lost”
Adventures in Biking from Santa Monica to Venice Beach
It’s a little green monster, that bike in front of me. “Where’s the brake?” I ask, scanning the handlebars for the metal clutch to prevent me from bashing into people, or giving me the ability to slow down. “You back pedal,” the man says, tossing me a look of ‘you’ve got to be kidding me,Continue reading “Adventures in Biking from Santa Monica to Venice Beach”
When travel sucks
Flight One: Chatty Seatmate Suck “We’ve just had two days from hell,” an older woman says, hovering over my seat in the bulkhead as I fumble (too late) to get my headphones in my ears. “You just wouldn’t believe what happened to us. First, our flight has issues, then we get stuck on the tarmac,Continue reading “When travel sucks”
Daily Wanderlust: Napa Valley
Funny thing — nearly a year to the day I found myself once again at San Francisco’s airport. In July 2011, I was there because Abby and I were meeting Kristin and heading out for a girlie weekend in Napa; in July 2012, I was there because I was taking a flight across the PacificContinue reading “Daily Wanderlust: Napa Valley”
Escape of the Week: Pioneertown, California
It’s a fiercely windy morning in the Inland Empire’s high desert. Desert sand crunches underfoot and the icy gusts ripping through the barren area make tears race down my cheeks. Nearby, shrubs polka-dot their way up the snow-covered Big Bear Mountain. Backed up against the cloudless blue sky, the scene unfolding is the perfect displayContinue reading “Escape of the Week: Pioneertown, California”
Daily Wanderlust: Napa Valley, California
I’ve known the lovely and talented travel blogger Abby Tegnelia for years. Pre my long term travel. And pre her expat life. So, when she and I, along with another lovely and talented travel blogger, Kristin Luna, brought up a trip to Napa Valley, Calif. to get away for a weekend, there was no sayingContinue reading “Daily Wanderlust: Napa Valley, California”
The Bacon Bloody Mary Love Letter
Dear Bacon Bloody Mary, I had never fathomed such a lovely start to a morning until a recent and gorgeous July Sunday in Napa Valley. “Here,” Kristin had said when we discussed our post-winery breakfast between she, Abby and I. “The Boon Fly Cafe.” She read some reviews, and the three of us were offContinue reading “The Bacon Bloody Mary Love Letter”
Photo Essay: Napa Valley
This wasn’t really one of those take-heaps-and-heaps-of-photos-trips (and no, it’s not because I was all glassy-eyed drunky in Napa … cause I wasn’t … for realsies). But, in case you want more Napa pics, here are favorites from our day of wine tasting, starting with The Golden Gate Bridge: The lush Domaine Chandon: Continue reading “Photo Essay: Napa Valley”
D Travels 'Round 