As a longtime patron of Omni Hotels, the Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, Virginia, has been on my to-go list since they acquired the property in 2013. I appreciate the hotel group's custodianship of beautiful resorts often on the National Trust for Historic Preservation and recognized by the Historic Hotels of America, both of which [...]
The Power of Pampering. It's a thing.... I am a huge advocate of self-care in the form of massage therapy, dry sauna and wet steam rooms, therapeutic pool areas with sensory showers, jet treatments, and waterfall massagers. The ability to relax in a beautiful lounge that is comfortable and quiet, while sipping hot tea or [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Istanbul is a fascinating 5,000 year-old city that sits at the crossroads of Europe and Asia and was once the capital of two of the world’s most powerful empires, the Byzantines and the Ottomans.
Did you know... Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is nicknamed the "City of Bridges" for its 446 bridges within the city limits. It is officially the city with the most bridges in the world- outranking Venice by only three. The downtown "Golden Triangle" area alone has 29 bridges crossing over three rivers. The three bright yellow sister bridges spanning the Allegheny River [...]
After hopping aboard a Visit Pittsburgh media tour several years ago, I learned of the William Penn Hotel's Hollywood connection–and have been fascinated with it ever since. The luxurious 1916 hotel has been the Grand Dame of Pittsburgh for 100 years. Having just celebrated its centennial, I decided to write a few articles over the next few months [...]
Did you know... that Nantucket is home to the country's oldest continuously operating windmill? The Old Mill was built in 1746 on a hill just outside of downtown Nantucket. Its location helped it to survive several city-wide fires, including the devastating Great Fire of 1846. The "lever" was pulled by horses or cows to turn the [...]
One of my favorite things to do while on Cape Cod is to walk Paines Creek Beach during low tide, which happened to be around 5:45 p.m. on this particular day. The beaches along Cape Cod Bay are so dramatically different at high and low tide. High tide rises four to four and half feet at [...]
A Taste of Travel looks at the ways food connects us with a culture and each other. Sharing the recipes and restaurants we have encountered along the way... Smallman Galley: Pittsburgh's Restaurant Incubator An unexpectedly delicious way to begin our Visit Pittsburgh food tour of the city was with a delicious lunch at Smallman Galley in the Strip District. I [...]
