Omni Bedford Springs Resort: The Grand Dame of Cumberland Valley

By |2023-10-24T12:38:50-04:00March 27th, 2019|Articles|

Bedford Springs Resort and Spa The dreamy mountains of Cumberland Valley are conveniently positioned between Pennsylvania's capital of Harrisburg and Pittsburgh. Cumberland County is home to nearly fifty miles of the Appalachian Trail, hundreds of springs, ponds and lakes, a few storied universities, and pre-Revolutionary and Civil War history. Boating, hiking, fly-fishing, and touring covered bridges [...]

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Up the Lazy River: JW Marriott Texas Hill Country

By |2024-02-06T10:11:10-05:00October 23rd, 2018|Articles, Blog|

I haven't spent much time in Texas (like, zero). So, it was exciting when an opportunity arose to visit San Antonio, of which I've heard all sorts of wonderful things. My typical M.O. is to sniff out a historic inn or smaller, locally owned boutique hotels, but the J.W. Marriott Texas Hill Country caught my [...]

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Malabar Farm: Agricultural Legacy & Living Classroom

By |2018-07-29T22:41:30-04:00July 25th, 2018|Articles|

Malabar Farm “As soils are depleted, human health, vitality and intelligence go with them.”  ~Louis Bromfield To say Louis Bromfield was a strong advocate of scientific agriculture is an understatement. Bromfield not only championed the American farmer in a time of great depression, but spearheaded a radical conservation effort in the name of soil, rain [...]

Destination Grand: The Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island

By |2023-01-26T09:32:54-05:00July 1st, 2018|Articles, Blog|

The Grand Hotel experience begins even before stepping foot onto northern Michigan's Mackinac Island. First glimpse of the stately white columns and billowing flags of the hotel unfurling along the hillside hints at the timeless luxury that awaits across across the bay. The fifteen-minute ferry ride (we used Shepler's Ferry out of Mackinaw City) is just a teaser as the boat [...]

Taking the Waters: A Spa Day at the Greenbrier

By |2023-10-24T15:18:54-04:00June 15th, 2018|Articles|

Taking the Waters. A Spa Day at the Greenbrier, West Virginia When in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, it only makes sense to do what the Native Americans and travelers, including George Washington, have done for centuries ... take the waters. Sink your body into the local mineral waters for whatever ails you. Tucked into the folds [...]

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“The Grande Dame of the Sea”: Wentworth By The Sea | New Hampshire

By |2024-02-06T10:12:51-05:00June 1st, 2018|Articles, Blog|

In an effort to research some of America's great hotels for my book America's Grande Dames, I discovered this majestic beacon perched on a hill overlooking the island of New Castle, just near Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Wentworth-by-the Sea has an aristocratic ring to it. It was in fact built by a local ale tycoon in 1874 and [...]

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Racing Through Time: The Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix

By |2024-02-06T10:16:01-05:00July 15th, 2017|Articles, Blog|

Did you know... the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix, started in 1982, is the largest and longest continually-running vintage sports car race in the United States? Ten days of events ranging from parades, galas, country cruising tours, and specialized car shows culminate into a competitive road race on the challenging, serpentine roads through Schenley Park. Sunday spectators are treated to 150 [...]

Seattle Architectural Foundation Walking Tour

By |2024-02-06T10:13:46-05:00May 15th, 2017|Articles, Blog|

During my last trip to Seattle, the Executive Director of the Seattle Architectural Foundation hooked me up with a private walking tour around downtown. I had the pleasure of spending two hours with Eva Weaver, one of SAF's deeply knowledgeable tour guides. The customized tour focused on Art Deco skyscrapers in the Northwest style, built in the late 1920s [...]

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A Modern Grande Dame: Boston Harbor Hotel

By |2023-01-26T16:46:45-05:00January 5th, 2017|Articles, Blog|

This waterfront building has always held a particular allure for me.  The enormous flag billowing in the archway. The perfect location between harbor and city. Back door airport water taxi service. For decades, I admired this hotel from afar. It was now time to see what all the hubbub is about, especially after reading about the massive [...]

Picturing Christmas: The Nativity in Renaissance Art

By |2018-06-12T14:20:05-04:00December 7th, 2016|Articles, Blog|

By Shawnie Kelley, as published in Renaissance Magazine, Issue 58.      " ... she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn ...     This line of text has been visualized a thousand times over. [...]

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Flying Fish & Other Delicacies from Pike Place Market | Seattle

By |2024-02-06T10:14:31-05:00September 7th, 2016|Articles, Blog|

My first trip to Seattle was centered on food and of course, I had a mile-long agenda. The iconic Pike Place Market was at the top of the list, and conveniently at the bottom of the hill from our hotel. By the time we arrived, the vendors had packed it in for the day, but a quiet stroll through the [...]

Sanctuary Under the Sea

By |2024-02-06T10:21:11-05:00August 27th, 2016|Articles, Blog|

The Atlantic Ocean along outer Cape Cod is considered one of the world's top ten places for whale watching. Our favorite tour company, Dolphin Fleet out of Provincetown, has been in business since 1976 and is committed to responsible whale watching and protecting the marine environment. Every trip includes a naturalist commenting on what we are seeing while actively [...]

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