The windows at Macy’s, the Rockefeller Center Tree, the music show outside Saks’ 5th Avenue, St. Patrick’s Cathedral – these are memories that are seared in my brain. During my childhood, my father took us into the city every December and we hit all the major spots. Christmas in New York is a magical time. …
“You are going to Medford? What the heck is in Medford?” That was often the question I received when I mentioned our plan to stay in Medford Oregon for the long weekend. But they didn’t see that Medford Oregon has a lot more going for it, more than one might see at first glance. Awesome…
As a young woman, pre-kids, I remember a mentor telling me about the quaint Ashland Oregon. She raved on about outdoor theaters, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the cute boutiques, and the lovely cafes lining Ashland Creek. I dreamed of a romantic weekend getaway enjoying the town with my husband. However, that sadly never happened. But…
As I was planning my flight for a quick business trip to Chicago, I looked at my family calendar and at the flight options and I tried to figure you the minimal impact on my household while getting flights that work for me. I needed to be in Chicago for one day, for a conference,…
“Look at the giant bottle of ketchup!” “Are we really going to see Mr. Rodgers?” “Can I push the button?” “A trolly!!!” “Kidsburgh!!!” This was just some of the things the five extremely excited children shouted as we started to enter the Senator John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. During a quick trip to…
When home dealing with my father’s health crisis, I got the unusual chance to spend three days alone with him in Philadelphia. Due to weather and back to back appointments at the prestigious UPenn Medicine hospital, my dad and I decided to get a hotel near Philly. Now, the days were full of appointments, but…
I LOVE to shop. It’s my second favorite activity (after traveling). I got this from my mother. So imagine I’m in Barcelona – with my mom – and we are near one of the most famous shopping streets in the world. You know we are going to make a stop along Paseo de Gracia. Paseo…
“Guys, we have 7 hours at Heathrow. Is that enough time to get out? I’ve never been to London”. It started an easy enough question. Some of us in the group had never been to London. My best friend R was turning 40. To celebrate, we were doing a girls trip to Malta. But on…
“My cousin wrote back…she wants to meet for lunch!” “Your cousin? The one in Barcelona you haven’t seen in 40 years?!” “Yep, here is the address of the restaurant we are going to meet at.” Look at map…”Are you serious? If I remember correctly, that’s the not so great area of Barcelona. It’s full of…
When you are a college student studying aboard, you are generally poor. You have some money but you want to use it for traveling to different places around the country (or Europe) so the weekdays, when you have classes, you try to keep your costs to a minimum. I was a typical broke college student,…