Category — Travel To Go

Just like everyone else I know, one of my 2011 goals was better health: exercising more, eat healthier and sleeping better. A few days ago I saw a blurb online in the Wall Street Journal on NikeWomen’s updated online Training Club. Sounded promising: I travel a lot and having a free online personal trainer sounds like a deal to me!

So I quickly tapped into Nike.com and (with a good deal of effort that I’m saving you here) found the NikeWomen’s Training Club information. After reading through (an overcomplicated) series of information pages and sample workouts, I realized all I had to do was go to iTunes and download the app. Done.  (you must have an iPhone or iPad to use NTC).

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We’re back in NYC for the week: TBG is booked all day with business meetings, then the Notre Dame v Army game at Yankee Stadium is on Saturday. But the nights are mine to schedule for romantic dinners and walks in our favorite parts of the city.

We’ve been wanting to eat at Blue Hill NYC for a long time, and decided to make it a priority this trip. Chef  Dan Barber is passionate about the farm-to-table menu this family owned restaurant offers with their sister restaurant and farm upstate. I new it would be difficult to get a reservation: Blue Hill is always booked, and reservations open at 10am one month in advance (since Michele and Barack visited Blue Hill on their “date night” in NYC last year its even become more difficult to get a reservation!)

I scored a 9pm reservation for Wednesday evening! And the anticipation and salivating began. In the month waiting for our big dining event it seemed I was bombarded with Blue Hill: TBG’s cousin facebooked about a lecture he attended by Dan Barber. A Zagat review of the restaurant appeared in my inbox (an impressive 27 rating). And on the flight to NYC, I browsed the Delta in-flight magazine and found an article on Blue Hill!

Wednesday we took a dare-devil cab ride to the Greenwich Village resto. 3 steps down: and voila! We were in the tiny entry to an intimate, formal dining room with every seat taken. We were immediately welcomed and invited to sit at the bar, where not a seat was available. After only a 5 minute wait, our table was ready and we were seated.

The wine list is small and select; I’m a gewurztraminer fan, and I was surprised to see a gewurztraminer from Italy: I’ve only had the wine from Germany and Alsace. But we both ordered a glass and were impressed by the dry spicy wine. Then on to the menu. I had planned to choose the tasting menu and sample the chef’s farm fresh recommendations. But once I saw the duck on the a la carte menu, I was hooked. My menu choices were The Farm Egg with lobster, duck with quince and pistachio and a side of brussels sprouts, and for dessert the honey crisp apples (sort of a de-constructed apple tart). It was all so good… TBG chose gnocchi followed by bass and topped off with honey ice cream. The dining room is tightly packed so we were able to easily see the other choices: the smoked tomato soup smelled heavenly and the chicken was roasted to perfection.

To start we were offered an amuse bouche of tiny tomato burgers on buns, very intense tomato burst! And with our check came “the dessert for people who don’t order dessert”: 2 tiny homemade marshmallows studded with toasted cocoanut, and 2 tiny dark chocolate cakes: so rich and not too sweet. The perfect ending with our coffee.

the details:

Moi Note: I’m out of town and working from my iPhone: Sorry for the poor quality of the pictures: they don’t do Blue Hill justice. But you get the idea!

I just discovered a perk of being a Bank of America customer: free 1st week-end of the month at over 100 museums across the country! Is this a new perk: no, I just never heard of it until moi personal banker Greg happened to ask me if I was going to take advantage of the free museums  in Chicago for BoA customers this week-end.

Free 1st week-end museum? It makes me happy!

So here’s the scoop on Museums on Us :

Some of my favorite museums participate in this program:

• New York City: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Bronx Zoo, Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum
• Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, Shedd Aquarium, DuSable Museum of African American History
• Florida: Museum of Art Ft Lauderdale, Miami Children’s Museum, South Florida Science Museum
• Washington DC: The Phillips Collection
• St. Louis: Contemporary Art Museum

Moi Tip: afraid you’ll forget to schedule museum visits? BoA lets you sign up for text alerts or emails to remind you of upcoming free musum 1st weekends!

A tweet from Saveur Magazine featured international candy bars that are hard to find in the US: British Cadbury Crunchie Bars, Swedish Daim Toffee Bars, and Indonesian Silver Queens. That’s the problem with being both a traveler and a grocery store junkie: you easily become addicted to foods that may not be easily available.

When I get a craving for  ethnic groceries I head to World Market, a one-stop global shopping bazaar for

• foods: Cadbury chocolates, German cake mixes, Italian olive oils, Indian curries, Dutch cocoa powder, spices of the world
• fashions: jewelry, purses, scarves
• beers and wines from around the world
• furniture and accessories including beds, sofas, candles, rugs and curtains, artwork
• kitchenware: platters, French coffee presses, grilling tools
• bed and bath: towels, soaps and lotions, storage units [Read more →]

One of my deepest impressions from my 3 weeks in India last year is color: vibrant blues, hot pinks, shimmering golds, electrifying greens. The colors, the smells, the sounds, the tastes: it’s impossible to use words to share the welcome but overwhelming assault on my senses. Just look at the gorgeous saris we saw worn by local women as we toured:

How can you sample the colors and patterns of India? Just in time to start your holiday shopping:

Indagare Souk will be at the Chicago Peninsula Hotel Tuesday, October 26th through Thursday, October 28th:

The Indagare Souk is a special trunk show featuring an edited selection of products from designers and artisans who we have discovered in our travels in such countries as Cambodia, Colombia, Argentina, Kenya, India, and Italy. The well-curated selection includes fashion, accessories, jewelry, objects and housewares, many of them hand-crafted. Most of the vendors also support local communities in their home countries.

You too can experience the stimulation and excitement of the exotic colors and style of the fashions of the world:

• jewelry from India and Venice
• accessories from Africa, Asia and Peru
• cashmere from the Himalayas
• clothing from the Philippines, Lebanon and
• and sooo much more!

See you at the Souk!

Indagare is a sophisticated travel site that not only shares insider’s information on travel, but provides a format for members to share tips and experiences and recommendations for turning your dream vacation into the journey of a lifetime. And now, through the Indagare Souk, the travel can come to you!

the details:

• Tuesday October 26 – Thursday October 28
• The Grand Suite at The Peninsula Hotel Chicago, 108 East Superior Street
• 10am – 6pm
• for more about Indagare travel and shopping insider tips sign-up for Indagare’s newletter

Moi Tip: there will be a special talk at 6pm on October 27 by Melissa Biggs Bradley, founder of Indagare: The Best Trip You’ll Ever Take: Planning and Executing Life-Changing Travel.

Climb Every Mountain

The hills really were alive with the Sound of Music. A few years back we organized a family hiking trip in the Alps of Lech, Austria. TBG, Mignette and Moi drove from Paris; my cousin and his wife and 2 girls drove down from Munich; and my sister, her husband, my goddaughter, and her cousin (another goddaughter) flew over from Chicago. 6 adults, 4 little girls, and a little white dog. And really big mountains.

5 of the adults were experienced hikers: my sister was not. The girls had never been hiking. So we planned several very family-friendly hikes through the mountains with lots of scenic view, herds of cows, fields of wildflowers, and surprisingly: singing.

It always started with Edelweiss. Then Doe a Deer. And of course: Climb Every Mountain.

Now you too can sing along with Julie Andrews! The Sound of Music Sing-A-Long is coming to a theater near you!

In honor of the movie’s 45 anniversary, October 19 and 26 theaters around the country will be hosting a Sound of Music Sing-Along Event at 6:30pm. Tickets are available online. Don’t miss out on My Favorite Things!

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A friend was on her way to a resort vacation in Mexico with her family and was very concerned about the rising crime rate, and keeping her passport and travel documents safe in the hotel while they were at the beach. I shared with her one of my favorite iPhone travel tips, and she loved it! I think you will too.

Smart phones have so much functionality, and we end up using them  mostly for games, texting, and the occasional phone calls. But your smart phone can be a smart travel companion. On my recent trip to India I wanted to make sure I had backup copies of my passport, visa, tickets, and reservations. In the olden days we’d make a few xerox copies and stash them in our purse, suitcase, friends’ suitcase and other “clever” hiding places to outsmart the pickpockets and hotel thieves.

But with my iPhone I made sure I had complete back-up coverage in case I lost any of my travel documents or credit cards:

• with your smart phone, take a photo of each travel document, credit card, or other important paperwork
• using your smart phone, email each photo to yourself and someone at home
• save the photo on your smart phone

No paperwork, nothing to lose! [Read more →]

Tis the season: no, not Christmas: we have 112 days left until Santa visits. I’m talking countdown to kick-off! Notre Dame’s football season kicks-off tomorrow against Purdue. Which means today TBG and Moi (and Mignette, of course) are prepping for tailgate season.

This year the family has 3 freshmen at ND, so the tailgate is going to be infinitely bigger. And TBG is stepping his game up by upgrading from Popeye’s chicken to grilling brats, burgers and franks. [Read more →]

I try to visit a day spa for a facial several times per year, for deep skin cleaning, moisturizing, mini-peels, and general skin maintenance. Often when I’m traveling or if a local spa advertises a special rate, I’ll schedule an appointment as a special treat, and try out a new product or procedure.

But what about at home maintenance? Recently I discovered Olay Regenerist Microdermbrasion and Peel System at my local CVS drugstore. I was shopping for tinted moisturizers, and saw the box, and decided to try it out: encouraged by a $5 off coupon from CVS: $22.99. [Read more →]

Moi main mission in Maine was easily accomplished: lobster and blueberries! During our weekend in Bar Harbor we taste-tested

• lobster roll and blueberry salt-water taffy
• blueberry yogurt and lobster bisque
• blueberry pancakes and lobster stew
• lobster salad and blueberry pie
• blueberry scones and steamed lobster

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