The oil gush from the Gulf did nothing to smudge a weekend-long celebration of Southwest Louisiana in New Orleans' French Quarter this weekend. The annual Louisiana Cajun-Zydeco Festival was held in conjunction with the Creole Tomato Festival and the Louisiana Seafood Festival, further ... more »
These weeks are not about food. At least, they weren't supposed to be. They are instead about sitting with my writing. I will pause, at this writer's colony in the Ozarks, for quick handfuls of nuts or some yogurt or perhaps a glass of wine. No serious preparation necessary. At least, this ... more »
I often brag to disbelieving Midwestern guests, that despite its witch-hunting roots, Salem is a superlatively diverse and open-minded community. Its puritanism evident only in a deep-seated provincialism and a hard-nosed disdain for Yankee fans. In the minds of many, Salem is to New ... more »
I started my search for the person who took my job many weeks ago. At that time, I wasn’t sure what I would say or do if I actually found them. Before I left for India, I had beers with my old work colleagues and they suggested that, given the wage differential, it probably was three people ... more »
We didn't intend for our trip to Georgia to become the Jimmy Carter tour, yet there we were, occupying the Carter Room at one of the oldest bed and breakfasts in Savannah and bellying up to the bar at the somewhat dingy Pinky Master's -- where Carter announced his run for the presidency -- ... more »
The Search Begins Let me back up a bit and tell you what movie I saw over the Christmas holidays: Up in the Air. You might have guessed it, given the current times. How apropos it seems now. If you're not familiar with it, the plot goes like this: Ryan Bingham's job is to fire people ... more »
The world was a place of wonder; mankind was beauteous; life was lived on the high crest of the wave. More than all, the poignant joy of heroism stirred in men's hearts... - Edith Hamilton, "The Greek Way". Greece! Otherworldly, strange to human eyes, yet, ubiquitous: omnipresent all ... more »
Bermuda romance can elevate to the point where you may end up tying the knot, like I did (Note: you do have to plan ahead, as there's a Notice of Intent form to handle). While some couples prioritize friends and family at their wedding ceremony, Frank and I opted on couple-indulgence. ... more »
Last summer I did the unpardonable. In the midst of one of the worst economic downturns in modern American history, I quit my job to travel. You needn't roll your eyes yet; I wasn't planning to backpack through Europe. I'd already made that rite of passage as a teenager and had checked ... more »
It all started with a pair of tortoise shell glasses. Old fashioned and round, like something you'd see perched on the nose of James Joyce, they were a more subtle version of his wife, New York designer, Iris Apfel's signature black-rimmed goggles. Curious to learn more about the man in ... more »
Everyone told me to visit Edinburgh. They explained how the city is nestled between the sea and mountains, speckled with some of the most picturesque cathedrals and monuments in Europe. They reminded me that it's the capitol of Scotland and home to fantastic restaurants and ... more »
By John Fogle Day 10 - Sunday, September 27 Sunday is an excellent day on which to end a vacation. This was another perfect day - the tenth in a row. Unheard of! Our plan was to go straight to the Royal Academy of Art - which Jean could not get into yesterday - and hope that the queue ... more »
By John Fogle Day 9 - Saturday, September 26 After bad bagels for breakfast (they don't believe in toasting here), we tubed to the Royal Academy of Art in Piccadilly Circus. It's the site of a new Anish Kapoor exhibit, with a huge queue for tickets. Not much to see here - for free - ... more »
Day 8 - Friday, September 25 Our first stop was Kensington Palace, where Diana's gowns are on display and there's an exhibit about the last debutants, I Could Have Danced All Night, a mildly interesting look at this bygone era. We walked through Kensington Gardens and enjoyed a two-hour ... more »
Day 7 - Thursday, September 24 The sun was still shining and it was another big art day for us. We began at the Saatchi Gallery in Sloane Square, yet another sleek, modern museum installed inside an imposing Georgian mansion, the former Duke of York's Headquarters. Here we found several ... more »
Day 6 - Wednesday, September 23 Like every day so far, my first duty was to check email at the local Internet café - as mentioned, this was far cheaper than the hotel room service. After this, we were off to the half-price ticket booth in Leicester Square to pick up tickets for War ... more »
Day 5 - Tuesday, September 22 This morning we stopped at the Concierge to book theatre tickets for the evening. (Avoid using hotel services - like in-room telephone or Internet. They really soak you for these.) I had my eye on the Almeida Theatre's acclaimed production of Odön von ... more »
Day 4 - Monday, September 21 After Starbucks coffee and Tescos croissants, we walked a few long blocks down Cromwell Road to the Natural History Museum, our first visit ever. The building itself is awe-inspiring. We've seen our share of amazing structure in our travels, mostly cathedrals ... more »
Day 3 - Sunday, September 20 It was another beautiful, sunny day. We tubed to Leicester Square, walked to Trafalgar and had coffee and croissants at the National Gallery. Our destination for the morning was the Corot to Monet exhibit, featuring these and other18th century landscape ... more »
Day 2 - Saturday, September 19 Up and out by 10am, we headed for the Portobello Road markets. It was a warm sunny day and half of London had the same idea - another mob scene. I splurged on an authentic-looking tricorn hat I found in one of the shops. The shop-owner offered me a £10 ... more »
My wife Jean and I went to London last month to sample the treats in the finest theatre-city in the world. By our best count, it was our seventeenth stay in London, our earliest in 1971 before our first wedding anniversary. Then, for twelve years, we hosted a London Theatre Tour, escorting ... more »
One Day in Paris from Charlotte Cheshire on Vimeo. more »
I am headed from Boston (after a dear friend's wedding in my hometown) toward a place I have been trying to get used to calling home for the past 10 months. I’m on the "Lucky Duck Bus" headed for Chinatown NYC. This bus company is well named. If you get to your destination in one piece, ... more »
When the beach in your own backyard isn’t enough, you can get vertical without upending your piggy bank. With very little time or money to spend, we recently opted for a quick getaway to the mountains to check out nature’s canvas. With no specific destination in mind, we rose at 5 a.m. ... more »
"Nothing is perfect," says Assistant Winemaker Didier Carron of Domaine De L'Abbaye in Epineuil. "But fantastic, yes!" He is speaking of his near perfect Bourgogne, of which was my favorite - tasted straight from the French oak barrel in the historic cellar at the winery in France of ... more »
In Paris, art is everywhere. The architecture, fashion, and actual artwork has been created by many greats, such as Van Gogh, whose brother lived on Rue Lepic, the street where my apartment, Lepic Retreat was. If you want an artsy surrounding outside of the Montmartre area, head to ... more »
At noon, we leave our Castle Hill paradise and head for downtown Ipswich. (See Part One: Sleeping on Castle Hill to catch up.) Ipswich is celebrating their 375th anniversary and hosting a whole year's worth of events like a Greek festival, Olde Ipswich Days Block Party, 17th century Saturdays ... more »
[imageflow id=13]For a couple of summers now, I have loved the Thursday evening concert series at Castle Hill in Ipswich. Here is a summer evening ritual of bare feet on a thick green carpet of grass and white wine in hand strolling down the grand allee to the sea. Kids roll down the hill and ... more »
I'm convinced that if I were to live in Paris, I would become a vegetarian, especially after researching my options during a cooking class. Christian Aubert of Cook n With Class is hosting our small group for five hours for 150 euro. The secret to a successful cooking class is to keep ... more »
Overwhelmed. That's what you'll be if you stand in the shopping mecca of Paris. Or you could hire a shopping guide for a few hours to steer you in the right direction. Heather Stimmler-Hall (pictured above), of Secrets of Paris, spent three hours guiding Christie and I through a shopping ... more »
The exportation of many French cheeses is impossible to transport, given the risk in bacterial spoilage. So, the best place to eat French cheese is actually in France, where local cheese shops are around every corner. But how does one pick out what cheese to buy - let alone what wine to pair ... more »
One souvenir this Bostonian can take home from Paris - without packing anything extra in her already overstuffed luggage - is the knowledge gained from taking a baking class in Paris. My travel companion Christie and I began with a baking class at Cook n With Class, located in the Montmarte ... more »
Within five days, my son underwent a planned surgery, I came down with a dreadful headcold, and my fiancé fell off a ladder and broke his femur bone (which required a surgically-inserted titanium rod and over two dozen stitches, an 8-day hospital stay and for the next three months -- physical ... more »