In the morning, I met with representatives from the DMOs (Destination Marketing Organizations). They gave me lots of great ideas for trips I hadn’t even considered and I’m now thinking of how to fit them into my 2025 travel schedule (2024 is fully booked). BTW, I already have two trips planned for 2025—a west coast trip and London with my … Read More
Houston, Texas – Day 1
The conference ended last night, but I decided to spend an extra day in Houston. My friend Ann lives here, and I hadn’t seen her in a while. Getting to Houston from Galveston was interesting. Last night there were massive thunderstorms with high winds. Many areas of Houston lost power and this morning many streetlights were out. I saw downed … Read More
Houston Day 2
My penultimate day in Texas focused on the art of Kehinde Wiley at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. On my final day, I hunted down lesser-known artists showing their work in alternative spaces. Sawyer Yards was my first stop. I’d read that the area is filled with murals. That is definitely true, but that’s just the beginning. Close to … Read More
Danger, Danger: White Sands, New Mexico
An excerpt from my new book “Wanderlust: Extraordinary People, Quirky Places, and Curious Cuisine,” out October 4th. The White Sands National Monument is about seventy miles from Las Cruces and is notable for two reasons. First, it is the site of one of the world’s largest above ground gypsum deposits. Gypsum is a widely used mineral found in cement and drywall … Read More
Cheyenne, Wyoming
So, what do you want to do tomorrow?” Judy asked me. “How about driving up to Cheyenne?” “Cheyenne? Why would you want to go there?” “I haven’t been there in decades. Just curious.” I responded. And with that I did a google search. There were enough interesting places to convince Judy it would be worth exploring, even on a Sunday … Read More
Loveland, Colorado – Sculpture in the Park
I didn’t come to Colorado specifically to see this sculpture show (family and friends first), but the timing wasn’t an accident. When I’d visited here before and we’d walked through the Benson Sculpture Park in Loveland, my friend Judi told me about the show and said I must see it. One hundred and fifty sculptors exhibit their work in … Read More
Southwest USA
My first trip to the southwest in 1979 began in Albuquerque. I’d never spent time in the southwest before, or in any desert environment. Everything seemed as different from New York as it could be. Buildings were low. Instead of steel and glass, most were constructed in adobe or wood. Cacti, not geraniums, adorned yards and front porches. The landscape … Read More
Bainbridge Island, Washington State
The ferry from Seattle to Bainbridge Island takes less than thirty minutes. But step off the ferry and you feel as though you’ve been transported much further than that. It’s easy to walk to town, passing by several trailheads, unusual sculpture, and lots of green. Once in town, the pace is slower than across the bay. There are several museums, … Read More
Seattle, Washington
No trip to Seattle is complete without a visit to the Pike Street Market. Though it is touristy, it is also great fun to wander around. I love taking photos of the flower bouquets and always regret I can’t take them home with me. After seeing so many tulips growing, it was nice to see them mixed with other flowers … Read More
Pacific Northwest / Washington State
Rain and sunshine played tag the entire day—one minute pounding rain (not the gentle mist the Pacific Northwest is known for) the next intense sun. I kept looking for rainbows, but never saw any. We started back at the tulip festival at Tulip Town. They’d had a flood and most of their crop had been destroyed so their display was … Read More