Bermuda Shorts

Can't believe that I haven't made the two hour trip over to Bermuda before! It took my friend John from Hong Kong to inspire me to try this gem of an island. We stayed at 9 Beaches (http://www.9beaches.com), one of the new casual resorts, in a sailcloth-covered room sitting on a pier out over the water. We even had a glass floor to see the fish swim by. Highly recommend it!

We spent plenty of time relaxing in the sun and feeding the fish from our balcony. We even had an octopus sighting in front of our room! To get a closer view of the marine life, we did a dive trip one day to the Marie Celeste, a Confederate gun-runner shipwreck and some beautiful reefs. The surf was a bit high that day and I'm still a little green thinking about the ride back.

One of the highlights of the week was exploring the nooks and crannies of the 21 sq mile island on a motor scooter. Normally I'd have been scared to death, but John has a motorcycle and drives on the "incorrect" side of the road. So, off we went to see the historic forts of St. George, some amazing beaches including the famous pink sand Horseshoe Beach, and the Crystal Cave.

Bermuda is all about the simple pleasures. The bright colorful homes are inviting, the people are friendly and everyone moves on island time. One night we took a sunset sail around to the dock yards, another we had dinner catered on the beach at the resort. I learned about the constellations and how nice it is to slow down and take it all in. I urge everyone to add Bermuda to your must see list!

Tasting Food & Wine in Aspen

Once again, I had the great fortune to represent my agency at the Aspen FOOD&WINE Classic. I'm spoiled rotten after three days of tasting amazing wines and superb meals prepared by celebrity chefs in a picturesque setting. It was a delicious culinary experience!

Some of my favorites:
Spanish wines are hip -- try Do Ferreiro Albarino Cepas Vellas 06, from the Atlantic coast of Spain known for it's strong women winemakers. A light, warm weather wine for $39 that has great citrus and mineral tastes and smells of the ocean air!

For summer in a glass taste the 06 German Gewurztraminer, Spatleses, Fitz-Ritter, Pfalz, perfect with sliced tomatoes and light summer fare at $18.
Sake selections -- Ginga Shizuku "Divine Droplets" Junmai Daiginjo, Hokkaido Prefecture, made in an igloo called an ice dome. It's a sweet pairing for sushi at $45 a bottle or Sato No Homare "Pride of the Village" Junmai Ginjo, Ibaraki Prefecture, which has been made for 850 years by 55 generations of the same family -- a bargain at $40.

And, my favorite quote was from Anthony Giglio, amusing Italian wine expert, "Acidity is the Zamboni of wine. It cleans your pallet from front to back preparing your mouth for the next bite."

Cheers!

Photos Above are of Iron Chef Morimoto posing with his signature fish in the middle of the Grand Tasting tents, and a book signing with Top Chef stars, Hung, Padma, Lisa and Tom.

Paragliding over Aspen

Celebrating Friday the 13th in Aspen, I took a running leap off Ajax Mountain! Thankfully Patrick, who's been paragliding in Aspen since he was 12, was right behind me. June 13th was a historic day with enough snow to open the mountain to skiers and thermals to take us up to 12,000 feet. We soared for 30 minutes over the mountain, town of Aspen, local hiking trails and rivers, then landed softly in a park. My bird's eye view of the Rockies was sublime!

Palm Springs Weekend

Last weekend my fun colleague Amber and I set out on a covert operation in Palm Springs. We didn't end up connecting with our Hollywood target, but we managed to have a great time in the desert! I've always wanted to visit the movie star hideaway and see the largest collection of Mid-Century Modern architecture left in the country. I just wish we could go back in time to sit around Sinatra's pool with the rat pack...

We started our Palm Springs Weekend with a trip on the aerial tram that climbed 6,000 ft straight up a mountain to give us a beautiful view of the Coachella Valley. In 10 minutes it dropped 30 degrees, with traces of snow at the top (11,000 ft). After our nature adventure, we took our of map of famous Desert Modern buildings and set out to see some groovy architecture. From the Albert Frey gas station to the Wexler homes, we were transported back to the 50's and 60's. Truly inspirational!

We stayed in a condo next door to the Parker Meridian and managed to spend some quality time in the Jonathan Adler interiors having breakfast at Norma's and festive drinks with the LA weekend set. We also had the chance to lounge by our pool and meet some interesting characters. All in all Palm Springs is retro desert fabulous!

On our way back to LA for our CoverGirl photo shoot, we headed up to Joshua Tree National Park. We listened to U2 and soaked up the amazing sight of Joshua trees in bloom. The Mormons thought the oddly shaped trees looked like Joshua's outstretched arms. The Joshua trees are so distinct that they manage to overshadow the massive boulder formations in the park. Together the scene is magical! Thankfully, Amber and I got to hike in the desert for a Zen moment before driving back to reality, well Hollywood.

International Relations

My four day Worldcom public relations conference has come to a close and I left Amsterdam kicking and screaming! I thoroughly enjoyed meeting representatives from PR agencies around the globe. I learned a great deal about our business and had so much fun in the process. My favorite evening out was dinner at the Hotel de Goudfazant, a trendy local (no English) restaurant in an old factory that was a true challenge to find. Our last day was pure fun. We took a tour of the Dutch countryside including the cheese capital of Edam and the windmill city of Zaanse Schans. So much rich history in such a small country!

Time to go back to the office now, but at least I will have wonderful cheese for our weekly wine tastings!

I AMsterdam

It took less than a day in Amsterdam to revert to my backpacker lifestyle--soaking up a new culture and making new traveling friends! For a couple of days, Dave (Oz), Glen (NZ) and I shared sights, stories, meals, and many Heinekens getting to know Amsterdam. We compared thoughts on the sights like the Van Gogh Museum, Rijks National Gallery, Anne Frank House (loved them), got silly on 2 consecutive evening canal cruises (wanted to see how many pics we could take) and hit Bourbon Street, a Blues Club (the singer could NOT get a gig in New Orleans).

I was sad to move from the hostel to the Marriott and say goodbye to my new friends. They're off to explore new cities, and I'm on to meeting new international colleagues...

Shots of Amsterdam

Absinth in Amsterdam

It was a sweet day when my boss asked me to go to Amsterdam for the annual meeting of our PR agency association, WorldCom. The four day conference starts on Tuesday, so naturally I was on a plane last Friday for a fun weekend in the city of canals and coffee houses! I'm staying in a great hostel (StayOkay, Vondel Park) until I move over to the Marriott, which is right around the corner, for work.

Jetlagged but happy on Saturday, I started my stay in Amsterdam as a voyeur. I spent the day walking in lively Vondel Park, and sitting in the city's two big squares, Leidseplein and Rembrantplein. Before and after my nap, I watched young Amsteram parade around in the sun and debated the burning question which is better Heineken or Amstel? In the evening I also stolled around the famous Red Light district with all the other tourists. It gets it's name from the working girls legally showcasing their wares in windows under red neon lights -- not good examples of Dutch beauty. Apparently the government is buying up property in this district and providing it at low cost to artists. Maybe the next time I visit here the age old area could be transformed like Disney's Times Square.

After a good nights sleep, on Sunday I went in search of beauty. I took a fun trip from the hostel out to Keukenhof Gardens, the largest bulb flower park in the world. It was magnificent! We spent several hours exploring the 7 million flower bulbs planted by hand. There were over 100 different varieties of tulips alone. The grounds took my breath away!

Back in the city, I stepped back to the 17th Century with a canal boat tour. Fabrizio, a professor of Bio-ethics in Milan (probably wouldn't be very ethical to describe him as a hot young Italian), and I spent an hour taking in the Dutch architecture. Couldn't understand the narration, but I learned a lot about bio-ethics!

After a bite to eat I hooked up with a fun group at the hostel bar and we were off on an adventure. There's always a party when Aussies are involved! Dave our ring leader from Perth was inspired by the Van Gogh museum to find genuine Absinth in Amsterdam. We swore not to allow any ear chopping and managed to step back in time and down in the basement for the mystical drink. It was a flaming experience but we chased it down with a visit to one of the local coffee shops (they don't sell coffee). Now, I've had a proper party in Amsterdam!

More to come from this enchanting city...

Vail Vaca

Just back from my annual Vail Vaca to hit the slopes and let loose with fun friends! The trip could not have come at a better time. My dear friend and neighbor, Ann, moved from New York City to Nebraska the Wednesday before we left for Vail. Ann met her fiance Mike at breakfast during this ski trip last year. Mike's inability to make espresso started it all... The Vail pilgrimage was a fun send off for Ann's new life in a fly-over state.

Once again Paula, Sarah, Maggie, Ann and I descended on the Sitzmark Lodge (right in the heart of Vail Village 970-476-5001). This year we expanded our group to include Bennett, Ghanni, and Brendon. Paula's partners Jimmy and Ken also joined in the excitement.

Our schedule is rough. Most of our group had Dr. duty at the crack of dawn each morning at the anesthesiologist conference that brings us to Vail. But, I managed to take advantage of the quiet time in our rooms to grab an extra 2 hours of sleep each morning. Thank heaven!

Six days of hard skiing included many runs that brought me closer to God. Basically I prayed for my life on many occasions! No more double blacks on the last run, Ann! It was indeed a miracle I made it to Apres Ski everyday--at either the Red Lion, Pepi's, Vendetta's or Los Amigos. We shared many great laughs, meals, and bottles of wine! Our dinner at Sweet Basil's (photo above) was one of the highlights! Time flew by and the week of R&R was over before we knew it! We're already talking about next year... I vote Jackson Hole for the Cowboys!

Sensational Sundance

After a whirlwind business trip to Chicago and Phoenix (via Albuquerque from midnight to 5am), I landed in Salt Lake City on Friday night ready for fun. Our fabulous MAX Factor team of Joy and Holly were in full swing escorting Jake Bailey, MF celebrity make-up artist, to his fashionable appointments. Our Star Magazine editor quests Tara and Taryn were also busy getting the "behind the scenes" beauty scoop. I quickly settled into our Park City "Real World" house and my roll as ski guide and networker. We had a roaring fire and enough Terlato wine and beauty products to insure a great four days!

Taryn and I hit the Park City slopes bright and early on Saturday. God bless the Hollywood film community for frantically making deals on Main Street and leaving the slopes empty! We made the most of Taryn's first ski trip out West until she had to dash for her make-over appointment with Jake. Taryn was ready for her close-up when we went party hopping that night! Tara's friend Jessie added a touch of charm to our entourage that evening, so we crowned him our honorary MAX Factor man for the weekend.

Swag Sunday was fun for everyone. Whoever said "Beauty is only skin deep" obviously hadn't gone to Sundance. Thanks to Tara and Taryn's afternoon visiting sponsor suites, we are all overloaded with new products to try.

When our driver/DJ returned for another night of driving the "MAX Factor models" around town, he brought mixed CD's for a party atmosphere. Our reputation proceeded us as we went in search of the best Sundance event...

Monday brought a powder day and I took Tara to Deer Valley. We hit the slopes hard and had a heavenly day making fresh tracks. Joy, Holly and Jessie joined us at the renown Stein Erickson lodge for apres ski. It just doesn't get any better!

Sundance highlights:
--Holly, hiding behind big dark shades, riding in an elevator with 50 Cent early one morning
--Joy spotting Colin Ferrell on Main Street
--Tara and Taryn seeing Jessica Alba on the swag sweep
--Leaving Salt Lake with Ashton Kutcher in the world's longest airport security line
--And, oh the Kiwi's from Kingswood...

Time to go back to work to get some rest!

Laughing through London with Mum

My parents sent me to study abroad in college and have never visited London themselves. My Dad's never wanted to see jolly old England, but it's a lifelong dream for my "Mum."

I've been planning to take Mom to visit London for years and we finally made it! We just took a 7 day Mother-Daughter trip to see the sights, shop and laugh. We stayed at a lovely boutique hotel, the Sydney House, located in a posh Chelsea neighborhood/shopping area. We had a fabulous little room with a large private terrace to watch the local action. There was even a Chelsea soccer match during our visit.

We had a wonderful adventure checking off everything on our lists. My list included the Tate Modern and V&A museums. The V&A was our first stop in London and we hit the jackpot. They had two wonderful special exhibits: The Art of Lee Miller, whom I adore, and The Golden Age of Couture: Paris and London 1947-1957, need I say more? With visions of haute couture in our head, our next stop was Harrods. We loved the energy in the food court--they even had Krispy Kreme! I must admit the sorry state of the dollar ($2 to a pound) slowed us down. But, I did manage to find a few things I couldn't live without at the big Oxford Circus Top Shop.

We made sure that Mom had the royal treatment and visited St. Paul's Cathedral, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square and Kensington Palace. The great photo exhibit on Princess Diana and the displays of her gowns in Kensington Palace were a real treat. We had tea at the Palace Orangery in Hyde Park and felt so at home that we started to speak with a British accent.

On the sunny days we took in the view of the Thames, Big Ben and Parliament from the London Eye. We also soaked up some English history in the Tower of London. We rode the double decker bus around town on the rainy days and listened to tales of the city. We could pass a history exam about the great fire of London and of course the black plague.

We spent our evenings eating and drinking in pubs and the cute restaurants in Chelsea. We saw a fun British comedy, the Country Wife, at the Theatre Royal on Haymarket. We road around Piccadilly and SOHO after the play in a pedicab to watch young London out celebrating Halloween. Another big night was our dinner at Fifteen, Jamie Oliver's restaurant. Fifteen is his non-profit organization providing under-privileged youth with culinary skills. The tasting menu was superb and the decor was very cool.

I will always treasure our Mother-Daughter London visit. Mom's favorite story is about waking up at 3am on the first night and giggling for an hour. My favorite moment was hearing her talk about getting up at 4am to watch Charles and Diana get married right there in St. Paul's Cathedral. The trip was a dream come true for both of us!

Blowing Bubbles in Bonaire

Why Bonaire? My friend Ann and I were dreaming of a dive vacation. I suggested Belize and she mentioned Bonaire. Since I’d never heard of Bonaire I had to go!

Flying to Bonaire is a challenge, but we finally made it on American. We chose a resort called Divi Flamingo for its good dive operation and proximity to the town of Kralendijk, which I still can’t pronounce. Divi Flamingo is a great resort with friendly service and a wonderful location, but no night life. However, August is the off season in the Caribbean.

Bonaire is known for having the best shore diving in the world. We warmed up with a couple of boat dives off Klein Bonaire (uninhabited island) boasting 23 dive sites. Next we headed off on our own with a truck and our dive equipment. The western shore of Bonaire has 63 dive sites each marked with painted yellow rocks. Dive site recommendations are the topic of all conversations on the island. It’s very independent diving. People head off in white rental pick-ups with dive site maps, pull off the coast road and head out into the surf with a buddy or a few friends. Ann and I had never been diving without dive masters in the group -- we felt very adventurous!

We checked out a few of the popular resorts: Captain Don’s, great food & divers bar where the dive instructor made me an interesting offer involving Saran Wrap… and Eden Resort, had the best tropical beach bar and restaurant. The coolest dive site entry was Oil Slick Leap where we jumped off coral boulders into the water. Ann went first! My favorite sightings were a sea horse, sea turtle, and a spotted eagle ray. The tropical fish were amazing, painting the water with a riot of color. The coral was also spectacular.

Bonaire is certainly a diver’s paradise, but there were many other things to do too. We loved the eastern side of the island where we learned to windsurf at Sorobon Beach. We were taught by a local Olympian, so my poor form is certainly not from his instruction! We hit a BBQ at the Wind and Surf Beach Bar one night dancing in the sand to a reggae band with Dutch boys. We walked around the pink salt pans looking for the 40,000 Flamingos who live there and snuck a few salt crystals from the massive white piles waiting to be loaded onto freighters for export. We also drove through the mangroves by the donkey sanctuary to a new butterfly habitat.

Each day in Bonaire ends in a spectcular sunset and I hope to get back to see that heavenly sight again soon!

Puerto Rico Detour

I had a little vacation false start last week. Having missed my airline connection to the one Bonaire flight a day, I spent the first day of my vacation in Puerto Rico courtesy of American Airlines. If you have to be stranded, a tropical island takes the sting away.

By 8pm I had landed in a beach hotel with a fun salsa bar and casino. I was drinking run cocktails, listening to a big salsa band in no time! The roulette wheel was kind to me and there were other Bonaire refuges and business travelers to visit with. The next morning I spent a few hours on the beach before heading in to Old San Juan. I went to the Don Q (Premium Puerto Rican Rum) tasting room to sample the local cocktails, and then took a ferry over to the big Bacardi headquarters. The Bacardi campus was huge and the history of the company (and bat logo) was fascinating. The tour ended with a charming bartender explaining the history of the "Cuba Libre" drink, which Bacardi claims to have originated. Who knew that rum and coke had such a political history?

While not on Bonaire diving, day one of my vacation was full of sun and rum. So, I'm off to a good start!

Aspen Food and Wine Classic

I love my job! As part of my new charge to build a Food and Beverage business at Marina Maher Communications, we sponsored the Aspen Food and Wine Classic. It was a picture perfect June weekend of great food, wine, and friends. My goal was to get up to speed on the latest food and wine trends and research the exhibitors' PR efforts. Although I've been to the Aspen Classic several times, I've never been able to attend all the classes and just learn. What a treat!


My tasting notes:
Favorite class was Jose Andres' "Paella Party." The internationally recognized high-energy chef, known for spectacular twists on traditional Spanish cuisine, made four paella's in 45 minutes and left us wanting more! Who knew the term paella refers to the actual dish it's cooked in.

Danny Meyer's "Everything's Coming Up Rose" was as fun as a summer day. Loved the 05 L'Aire du Rossignol Cote de Provence, $15. Why is Rose so hot now? More tapas style dining, goes with popular spices and Mediterranean foods, low alcohol content (11% range), easy for winemakers who can use many varietals and requires no oak aging.

Grand Wines from Greece. Talk about old world. Although Rose is the biggest selling varietal from Greece, the ancient varietals are very exciting! Greece is the third most mountainous country in Europe, which provides a delicious maritime climate on hillside vineyards. My favorite is 06 Kir-Yianni Akakies (Xinomavro).


An added bonus for the Aspen weekend was getting to spend some quality time with my dear friend Dave Lane, his wife Emily and his new colleagues. Now I remember why I love working with the fabulous folks in the wine industry. Cheers!