My friends Tami and Sharon are Israelis, but live in America. Because they love the Mediterranean flair of Israel, the cutting edge fashion designs of Milan, and the couture of Paris, they blended them all with the corner boutique and the big city mall to create Urban-Attitude.net — a new e-commerce Website that lives up…
I recently returned from a visit to my hometown, Seattle, Washington. I am often there on business and always like to try the hottest new restaurants. When I received an invitation to a wine dinner at the Icon Grill (which I had never heard of before), I was amazed to find out that they were…
San Francisco has dozens of Japanese restaurants offering fresh sashimi. But Sozai, owned and operated by my friend Mari Takahashi, is decidedly different. “Sozai” means “Ingredients” in Japanese. In her Sozai offerings, Mari combines centuries of Japanese culinary knowledge with tasty natural ingredients to create her own, original California cuisine that enables her customers to…
The verdant, rolling hills were lined with grapevines heavy with fruit. A fierce sun was making me look forward to a bit of shade al fresco where I could savor a cool glass or two of nature’s finest fermented beverage. This wasn’t Tuscany. Not even Bordeaux. I was in Geneva. Ohio, that is. Who knew…
When people find out I ‘m a Travel Writer they immediately ask: “Where should we go for a fabulous vacation?” I usually respond with some feeble comment like,”Hmmm… So many places, depends what you’re looking for,” and make a beeline for the bar. C’mon now. That’s a loaded question. There are lots of variables to…
Tortuga Bay is one of the top resorts in the Caribbean. Located in the Dominican Republic, it is included on the Conde Nast Traveler 2007 Hot List. An exclusive resort with only 50 guest suites, each decorated by Oscar de la Renta, even the smallest one bedroom suite measures a full 1,127 square feet Virtuoso…
Can you fall in love with a small, harshly-lit store in a strip mall along one of Denver’s busiest major streets? If the store is City Wine, it’s love at first sight that deepens with time, going beyond appearances to the friendly, helpful, entertaining personality within. City Wine’s owners are knowledgeable and passionate about wine,…
If you’re in Sonoma County and want a great deli with award-winning sourdough bread, tasty gourmet sandwiches, delicious salads, freshly made chocolates, fresh cheeses, irresistible desserts, and other café cuisine, stroll a few blocks from the town plaza and check out Cousteaux French Bakery. Everything we sampled at this open air cafe a few weeks…
Looking for the long lost days of Hollywood luxury? Want to re-create some retro romance? Just gotta get some glamour? Then head to the Ingleside Inn the next time you’re in Palm Springs. The cozy 30-room hotel is tucked among the trees on the site of a lush family estate, just blocks from the heart…
I have to admit whenever I hear of a restaurant that claims to be the best or the oldest I tend to be a bit weary. So when I heard that Fior d’Italia was the oldest Italian restaurant in the States I was a bit skeptical. To begin with it seemed like a bit of…
[EDITOR’S NOTE: THIS IS SUE’S 100th VAGABLOND ARTICLE. CONGRATS, SUE!] Starwood Hotels & Resorts of Italy, Malta and Croatia has launched an interactive Web campaign, Taste the Mediterranean. Designed to promote the distinct and unique flavors of this popular region, Taste the Mediterranean is a Web-only travel package for food and wine lovers. The Taste…
Who hasn’t come home from a terrific vacation only to find that the travel journal filled with notes, ideas and memories is wet, crumpled, bent, broken, torn or otherwise unreadable and unusable? Never again, thanks to Nomad Journals of Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The small company’s journal isn’t just another spiral notebook with a pretty travel…