We love all types of boutique hotels. Some are perfect for architecture aficionados. Some are great art lovers. But the Kube Hotel in Paris blends the best of all worlds. Utilizing a cube-shaped theme in its rooms, halls, elevators, and everywhere else, it’s a cool blend of old and new, future and retro, square and…
If you think of Mary Tyler Moore when you think of Minneapolis, you’d smile if you saw the tribute statue of her downtown throwing her beret into the air. But this Twin City is a surprisingly hip place that Travel & Leisure recently called one of its five “up and coming destinations in 2006.” The…
Rosewood Hotels & Resorts builds high-end properties around the world, from Las Ventanas al Paraiso in Los Cabos, Mexico to the Hotel Seiyo Ginza in Tokyo. But their new property that opens in March between the fashionable South Beach and Bal Harbour areas is being promoted as an ultra luxury, family-friendly boutique resort that’s an…
SF hosts The Black & White Ball every other year in its Civic Center area — an all-night, black-tie extravaganza featuring gourmet food, fine wine with tents and tents to hold 10,000 hoity toity people, celebs and politicos. Now, the San Francisco SPCA and CLAW (Critter Lovers at Work) are hositng the Bark & Whine…
This must be the season for wine festivals. We told you about the one next week in Sausalito. Now, on the opposite coast is Miami’s Fifth Annual South Beach Food & Wine Festival from February 24-26. This one is called “decadence decanted” and “one of the country’s premier culinary extravaganzas, with a star-studded lineup of…
Though the celebration may be smaller in this post-Hurricane Katrina year, New Orleans is still the lead bead among all the Mardi Gras celebrations that go from now through Fat Tuesday on February 28. So come on down to NOLA for the best throws, colors, balls, beads, masks and king cakes. Other cities that host…
Over four decades of travel, I’ve been lucky. I never lost a piece of luggage, though my bag was delayed once in Eleuthera and once in Maui. Well, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics released its latest stats this month and it wasn’t pretty. More bags were lost, damaged or stolen from US airlines than in…
I used to live in Sausalito, but I was on the north side of this bucolic coastside hamlet, a few miles away from the touristy Bridgeway, where a dozen or so restaurants have breathtaking views of San Francisco Bay and the city a few miles south. Last Saturday night, we met a couple of old…
For travel writers and bloggers, it’s truly an iPod world. This new site, ZoomandGo.com showcases thousands of travellers who get paid to share their digital pictures, videos and hotel reviews. They’re all about the truth. So they believe that as a traveler, you shouldn’t have to rely on hotels, brochures, paid agents or advertising pitches…
Get ready to sip, swish and spit to your palate’s content. Because on Saturday, February 25, Fort Mason’s Festival Pavillion, with killer views of SF Bay, Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge, will host the 2006 SF Chronicle Wine Competition Public Tasting from 1-5 pm. Here, you can taste award-winning entries from the world’s largest…
A few years ago, I had the pleasure to meet the founder of San Francisco’s Pentagram Design Group while we were both judging an advertising awards show in Sonoma County. She was one of the most artistic and talented people I’ve ever known. Now, the 8th edition of Feedback, a worldwide guidebook from Pentagram, is…
What we now call travel blogs, travel diaries, travel journals and travelogues are all travel Web sites. TravelPod.com — the world’s first original free travel journals –– started in 1997 and seemed to launch this whole travel writing cottage industry. Here, you can create a free travel blog, share your experiences, discover the world, and…