Idaho Idyll

Idaho Idyll

Until last fall, when I participated in a tasting tour of southern Idaho, I’d passed through the state perhaps half a dozen times, always on my way to somewhere else. It’s easy to forget how big the United States is, and how big the individual states are, particularly...
Oh, Savannah!

Oh, Savannah!

It doesn’t seem possible that this is our first visit to Georgia’s first city. SAV airport is sleek and friendly. We’re on our way a little after 10 on New Year’s Eve. Sequined revelers light up Savannah’s Historic Center.  Our B&B is off Broad Street, past...
The Crystal Coast: The Catch of the Day

The Crystal Coast: The Catch of the Day

A few years ago when Betsy Cartier was looking for a new place to settle, she told her husband, “I will know it when I see it.” Then, she discovered the Crystal Coast. (Map) Within weeks, they were packed up and on their way to Beaufort, North Carolina.  Now, Betsy...
The Elegance Of Bordeaux

The Elegance Of Bordeaux

Will Ottley visits the French City of Bordeaux and discovers exemplary organic wine. Bordeaux became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2007. Synonymous with the French wine trade, the city has 376 listed monuments dating from the 17th to the 19th century. Bordeaux...
Character in Carmel

Character in Carmel

It’s not as though I was surprised those three days in Carmel-by-the-Sea were so pleasurable.  How surely this one square mile penetrated my psyche was the zinger. Homebound along the Salinas Highway, smiling at the fog as it tended the vines in the Highlands beyond,...
Kringle, the Official State Pastry of Wisconsin

Kringle, the Official State Pastry of Wisconsin

There is a lot to enjoy in the charming small town of Racine, Wisconsin. Located on the shore of beautiful Lake Michigan between Milwaukee and Chicago, Racine has lovely beaches, parks and trails; Frank Lloyd Wright architecture; an amazing art museum; zoo; and the...
Mayakoba: So Much More than Its Cuisine

Mayakoba: So Much More than Its Cuisine

  “Casual dining by the sea” is how the concierge described Punta Bonita Restaurante, located on the pristine beaches of the Riviera Maya. That description didn’t even come close to capturing the essence of our visit to Mayakoba or our exquisite, memorable...
The Vatican’s Brand New Tourist Attraction

The Vatican’s Brand New Tourist Attraction

By now everyone knows that Pope Francis lives simply in the Casa Marta guesthouse and not in the elegant Papal Apartments overlooking St. Peter’s Square where he does, however, receive important guests and bless the crowd below during the Angelus on Sundays at noon....