The best ballet flat for travel!
From Wanderlust and Lipstick – 10 Items Worth Investing In: Travel Products for Women
Recommended Travel Websites
Napa Valley Treasures
Napa Valley is the perfect place to spend an Anniversary…it’s the perfect place to spend any leisurely day really. I had just a few days to spend in a place I’ve looked forward to visiting for years. I mapped out an itinerary of wine tastings, restaurant stops, spa services, and a bit of downtime to celebrate 25 years of marriage with my husband.
From Missoula, we flew into San Francisco, rented a car and drove about an hour to Napa. A luxurious room awaited us at The Meritage Resort & Spa. Now, our first approach into the resort wasn’t quite what we expected. As we turned into a Corporate Park, I began to wonder if I’d made a mistake. Not quite the vineyard setting I’d anticipated; however, my apprehensions were soon put to rest. The Meritage is a beautifully appointed property with spacious accommodations, attentive staff, and plenty to do on-site including Spa Terra, Trinitas Cellars for wine tasting, an adults-only pool and jacuzzi with bar service, outdoor fireplaces and seating, and an indoor bowling alley adjacent to their Crush Ultra Lounge.
Napa has no shortage of fabulous world-class restaurants and we visited several during our stay. The Boon Fly Cafe is a must-visit. Try their number one seller: Jalapeno Eggs Benedict, with just enough spice to keep things interesting without overpowering the light hollandaise bath. And, try a mini-pail of their homemade, warm mini-donuts while you’re waiting for breakfast; if you’re really feeling adventurous, ask for a Bacon Bloody Mary. You’re on vacation, right?
We visited mid-week, so our wait was short. If you visit on the weekend, be prepared to wait outside a bit for a table. You’ll be glad you waited.
After breakfast, we worked our way up to Yountville for a quick stroll around the town’s abundant shopping district. Chef Michael Chiarello’s Bottega restaurant, bestowed with some impressive honors including Best Newcomer by Zagat, Top 10 by Forbes, Top 20 by Esquire, and Top 100 Bay Area by Michael Bauer, and his Napa Style shop are side-by-side in a fantastic setting.
We continued up Highway 29 to Rutherford, California (just 10 miles or so up the road) to visit Cakebread Cellars for a Reserve tasting that included four of its reserve level wines in one tasting. Our engaging guide, Summer, poured Chardonnay Reserve from Carneros; a Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley; a Vine Hill Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon from Oakville, Napa Valley and shared the origin of the name for the Dancing Bear Ranch at Howell Mountain.
Curious to locate a wine we’d sampled on a recent trip to Santa Fe, we wound our way deeper into Rutherford to visit Round Pond Estate, owned and managed by the MacDonnell family, for a Barrel Tour & Tasting. We were not disappointed. Round Pond’s long drive is framed by palm trees and grapevines – an impressive entry to an equally impressive property. With a unique mix of microclimates and soil composition near the Napa River, this land has proven to be an ideal valley for Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as Italian and Spanish olives. Our visit started with a sample of Round Pond’s crisp Sauvignon Blanc and a tour of the property, including a lush garden behind the winery, and the barrel room itself. Following our tour, we were led upstairs to a welcoming terrace for a tasting of Round Pond’s 2009 and 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon and some small bites including Chef Eric’s Garlic Confit-stuffed Castelvetrano Italian Olives. We later returned to Round Pond to pick up an additional bottle of Cabernet and were treated to an impromptu demonstration of the Chef’s technique for making his stuffed olives (and a secret or two for preparing tender, braised game and pork). Round Pond also harvests olives and produces a variety of olive oils, including herb and citrus-infused oils. If that weren’t enough, they’ve created four robust red wine vinegars and two citrus syrups – Blood Orange and Meyer Lemon. My salads may never be the same!
From there, we made our way back to Spa Terra at the Meritage Resort for an afternoon of relaxation with a couples Seduction Package, complete with champagne and chocolate. Is there a better way to spend an afternoon?
Refreshed and relaxed, we ventured back out for dinner at Restaurant Cuvee in Napa. It’s an unassuming building from the outside, but the inside is a mashup of comfort food and specialty cocktails, soft and kitschy lighting. We sat in the outside courtyard near a glowing fire pit and soaked up the day’s experiences. Cuvee left us completely satisfied after a meal of Slow Braised Short Ribs and Pan Roasted Diver Scallops. Our waiter delivered the “Sugar Menu” and we couldn’t pass up a taste of their Hazelnut Pot du Creme and Chocolate and Pinot – a molton cake with roasted strawberries and a pinot noir syrup.
On the third day of our visit, we had reservations for the Napa Valley Wine Train. It was Memorial Day weekend, and packed with visitors, but the entire experience was orchestrated without a hiccup from boarding to the lunch service to the dessert car and our disembarkment to a coach that would take us to Calistoga for a tour of Castello di Amorosa. The Wine Train is a bit pricey, but it is an experience like no other. There were patrons dressed up in 1940’s style, complete with gloves and hats, and everything in between. Each couple is seated with another and we enjoyed the conversation with our Denver-based tablemates, while taking in the scenery and working our way through lunch.
Once we arrived at the Castello di Amorosa, our group of 16 was escorted to a guide who led us through the castle with a delightful narrative of its history – it was purchased and built by Dario Sattui who also owns the V.Sattui Winery in St. Helena – and a tour of its long hallways, torture chamber, barrel room, and various tasting areas. Our tour was about an hour long followed by a 45 minute tasting of several current releases. We couldn’t help but order a few bottles to ship home – their wine is not currently distributed to restaurants or retailers; it’s available for purchase on premise or online.
Our final stop that evening was dinner at the 2013 Michelin Guide-recommended Celadon in Napa, located in the Historic Napa Mill. I tried the Prickly Pear Margarita, which probably wasn’t an obvious pairing with macadamia nut crusted goat cheese, port-poached figs, apples and crostini, but no matter – it was all good! Our dinner was exceptional and the service equally so. It was the perfect ending to an amazing visit to Napa and the perfect opportunity to begin planning our return.
The Best Cafes in NYC – Culture-ist
Heading to NYC? Looking for a new spot to satisfy your soul? Check this out:
Seattle Day Trip: Cruising the San Juan Islands
Eager for a Seattle getaway, the plotting and planning began. Most of our Seattle weekends are mini-vacations involving fly-in, fly-out foodie trips with a little shopping thrown in. This time, I wanted something different. Our teen-aged sons were joining us and both needed as much time relaxing as we did.
I booked us on a full-day Clipper Vacations Whale Watching and Sealife Search cruise. We started early, boarding at around 7:30 a.m., grabbed a booth inside, a cup of coffee, snacks, and sat back for the ride. We would be cruising most of the morning before arriving at Friday Harbor to disembark for a short stay – as it turns out, several guests planned overnight stays on the island.
Cruising was chilly, foggy, and invigorating. The tour guides were chatty, as tour guides can be, but we enjoyed the narration and watched the city fade into the distance. The cruise was full and latecomers found themselves without window seats (if you want to ride inside the vessel). Seats outside were available, but warm clothing is a must!
- Navigating the channels of the San Juan Islands
We followed two orca pods that day, one with a calf, and marveled at their size and grace. Our cruise offered up glimpses of dolphins and various sea birds as well.
- Orca and calf
Halfway through the day, we arrived at Friday Harbor and disembarked for lunch and a quick tour of the harbor shops. Charming, to be sure, and worth a look.
Friday Harbor, WA
We arrived back in Seattle in time for dinner, feeling as though we’d been a world away for the day – just as I’d hoped!
Lovin’ Las Vegas
Vegas nudges me, almost daily, to return to it. Maybe it’s the fact that I am hopelessly on my way to succumbing to at least four of the seven deadly sins – all within the first hour of arriving. Lust. Greed. Gluttony. Sloth. Check. Check. Check, and check. It’s a chance to leave behind 60 hour work-weeks and routine obligations to re-energize, eat a little too much, sleep in a little bit too late, and laugh a little more than usual.
Las Vegas evokes the fountain of youth in all of us. What is it exactly? It’s fun. And, it’s the unapologetic pursuit of instant gratification. Las Vegas days and nights elevate each and every one of us to celebrity status in our own life story, if only for an evening, or a weekend.
It’s been nearly eight months since I last donned my stilettos to navigate the highly polished marble floors of The Palazzo, Las Vegas. This all-suite hotel boasts more than 3,000 spacious suites, with high-end accommodations ranging from a Luxury Suite at an unprecedented 720 square feet to the 8,000-square-foot Chairman suite with private terraces and plunge pools. I stayed in a comfortable, well-appointed Luxury Suite. The Palazzo offers at least nine different packages to suit just about any occasion. The hard part is choosing one.
The Palazzo Luxury Suite
The Palazzo also offers a variety of cuisines from a collection of award-winning chefs such as Carnevino by Mario Batali, CUT by Wolfgang Puck and Table 10 by Emeril Lagasse. Carnevino is an award-winning steakhouse created by chef Mario Batali and winemaker Joe Bastianich – the third restaurant launched in Las Vegas by the partners. It lives up to its name by offering mouth-watering, house-aged beef rubbed with a satisfying combination of sea salt, black pepper, and fresh rosemary and a robust international wine list, featuring hundreds of exciting wines (including Super Tuscans, Amarone, and a great selection of Barbaresco). Carnevino also offers a Special Beef Tasting Menu that will tempt any palate.
From the time I arrived until the time I departed – four days, I left The Palazzo and The Venetian properties exactly once, to see a show at another property. It’s a city within a city, and leaves you wanting for nothing. Shopping, gaming, dining, relaxing – it’s all here.
The Palazzo Las Vegas
The current lineup of fall and winter entertainment is stellar – the Faith Hill and Tim McGraw ‘Soul2Soul’ engagement from December to April in the Venetian Theatre; the Rock of Ages show (tickets are on sale now for December performances); and, comedians David Spade, Tim Allen, and Rita Rudner all have limited engagement shows coming up.
The Palazzo’s other unique offerings include the dining and nightlife hotspot, LAVO; the luxurious (and world’s largest) Canyon Ranch SpaClub®; the ultimate sports bar, sportsbook and restaurant on the Strip, Lagasse’s Stadium; and Prestige at The Palazzo – designed to offer the sophisticated traveler an elevated level of services and amenities including private champagne check in, packing and unpacking services, exclusive bath and pillow menus, complimentary cocktail reception and more. What’s not to love?
Oh, and the shopping… The Shoppes at The Palazzo® feature more than 60 luxury boutiques, including 20 stores and couture brands making their Las Vegas debuts at The Palazzo including Chloé, Tory Burch, Christian Louboutin, Diane von Furstenberg, and Van Cleef & Arpels. There truly is something for everyone. Just walking into the Salvatore Ferragamo boutique makes me feel a bit more glamorous.
For additional information, visit The Palazzo website at palazzolasvegas.com, follow on Twitter @palazzolasvegas and interact on Facebook at facebook.com/palazzolasvegas.
I’m off to plan my next visit!
Jay’s Bistro and Jazz Lounge – A Culinary Treasure in Fort Collins
Exotic Mixed Grill
A recent birthday begged for a weekend adventure. That adventure began in Fort Collins, Colorado – at Jay’s Bistro and Jazz Lounge – with my mother and four fellow travel writing women from around the country. We quickly settled in to toast the occasion with Jay’s “Sex in the City” Cosmopolitans and a round of appetizers including a decadent Macaroni & Cheese with Maine Lobster, Salmon Cheesecake, and delicate Bison Carpaccio. The flowers, music, and artwork throughout the dining room evoke a chic and sophisticated sensibility without feeling pretentious.
It only gets better! Dinner is comprised of a tantalizing exotic mixed grill of New Zealand Red Deer Loin served with a Blackberry Chocolate Demi Sauce, Colorado Ostrich Filet atop Pomegranate Black Pepper Sauce and a Colorado Lamb Rib Chop dusted with Moroccan Garam Masala on Red Wine Jus with a Potato Croquette. The beginning of my weekend adventure had surpassed my expectations. Before we can even whisper “dessert,” a platter of chocolate-filled raviolis swimming in a pool of chocolate ganache is delivered to our table.
Chocolate Raviolis with Chocolate Ganache
Chef Jay Witlen and his wife, Jacki, started Jay’s Bistro and Jazz Lounge in 1980 and have perfected the art of fine cuisine and an award-winning wine list – not to mention their famous martinis! – to create a true dining experience.
For more information, contact owners Jay and Jacki Witlen at (970) 482-1876. Jay’s Bistro and Jazz Lounge is located in historic, old town Fort Collins at 135 West Oak Street. www.jaysbistro.net
The Gallatin River Lodge: Simple Luxury in the Big Sky
Rustic and Elegant
Eager to escape the week’s workload and to celebrate our wedding anniversary, my husband, Mark, and I pull into the long driveway that delivers us to the doorstep of Steve Gamble’s Gallatin River Lodge. A rustic fishing and hunting lodge from the outside, complete with pond, mountain views, and deer foraging in the meadow (did I hear someone yell “cue the deer?”), the Gallatin River Lodge is anything but rustic on the inside. This little luxury inn sits on 350 acres just 15 minutes from downtown Bozeman.
We are greeted by several staff members and promptly shown to our room – one of six at the lodge. The rooms are welcoming and comfortable, featuring fireplaces, Jacuzzi tubs, and plenty of room to relax. The rooms are well-appointed with BeeKind® products by Gilchrist & Soames, Starbuck’s in-room coffee, assorted teas, plush bathrobes, and beds that make you want to skip the fishing and catch up on your sleep instead!
Once settled in, dinner awaits us in one of three dining rooms. Everything on the menu sounds good, but we start with the drink special du jour – a frosty gimlet – and a jumbo shrimp cocktail served with two sauces: vanilla and a spicy bloody mary sauce. Excellent!
The Gallatin River Grill has been recognized with a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for its impressive wine list at more than 120 selections representing multiple regions.
Executive Chef, Craig Seguin, who trained at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, shares a Midwestern upbringing and the influence of his French heritage in his menu selections. I decide on the lamb chop entrée and Mark orders the beef tenderloin special. Both are sumptuous and prepared to perfection.
Pastry chef Katharine Bost prepares delights such as the Lodge’s signature, silky Crème Brulee, and a flourless Chocolate Torte. I’ve almost forgotten we’re here to FISH!
Following a hearty breakfast Saturday morning, we grab our fishing gear. Gamble, our guide for a full day on the Lower Madison river, swiftly ties on tippets, stone flies, and San Juan worms and explains proper fly-fishing terminology: “strike indicators” (not bobbers) and “descent accelerators” (not split-shot). He provides us with some welcome casting instruction. I wonder how many guests show up with shiny equipment and little knowledge of how to use it! Our previous fly-fishing experience was limited to small streams, copious amounts of bubbly beverages, and far too many willows. I’m not sure our flies ever stayed on the line long enough to cast the slightest shadow on the water.
The river is fast but even midday, the trout are snacking. Mark catches a meaty rainbow trout – his first from a drift boat, and on big water. The day is shaping up close to perfection. We pull to shore for a picnic lunch, prepared fresh for us that morning – Caesar salad with steak, curry couscous, and fresh fruit with mint. Shortly after lunch, Mark reels in a beautiful brown trout. As the afternoon wears on, Gamble graciously guides us to expectant pools, disentangles our lines and replaces flies.
Several experienced guides are available to provide instruction, floating, and wading on the area’s three nearby rivers: the Gallatin, Madison, and Yellowstone.
We head back to the lodge and mingle with a few others over a beer at the Grill’s massive, antique bar until it’s time for our scheduled in-room massages. Could it get any better? I replay some of the day’s conversations while my massage therapist locates tense muscles with her elbows (ow!).
Slightly sleepy, but quite hungry, we take our table in the corner and order bison meatloaf and the chef’s special. A little surprise is delivered to our table. Morel mushrooms had been harvested on the property that day. The little fungi are stuffed with chevre, sage, and roasted garlic – they are savory and incredibly satisfying. Our entrees were equally so, and we topped off our evening with some of Katharine’s Huckleberry Panna Cotta.
Earlier in the day, Gamble talked a bit about the history of the lodge, some of its esteemed guests, and his plans for the near future. Now celebrating its tenth year in business, the Lodge is not only a popular destination for hunters and anglers, it is also a popular (and romantic) choice for weddings. He has plans to build a gazebo near the pond this summer to double as an altar and a place for other gatherings.
The Gallatin River Lodge – the only Montana lodge admitted to the Select Registry – is as much a romantic getaway or weekend retreat as it is a hunting and fishing lodge. It’s comfortable, yet indulgent and provides an overall experience that encompasses great service, delicious food, friendly and professional staff.
Dinner is served at The Grill beginning at 5:00 p.m. nightly, with a final seating at 9:00 p.m. The bar is open beginning mid-afternoon.
Rate information is available at http://www.grlodge.com.
Thyme to Travel 