Seattle Grace

A year ago I was blogging from a Worldcom conference in Amsterdam--this year the meeting was in Seattle. Same tulip growing weather, but no canals. I had a great time networking with PR folks from around the world and as always, I also managed to squeeze in some local fun!

We stayed at the Sheraton which was a short walk to the fresh fish and flowers of Pike Place Market and the first Starbucks. Of course, I got the mandatory cup of Joe and took it shopping to Seattle's own Nordstrom's. I also rode the Monorail over to the site of 1962 World's Fair to get a view from the Space Needle. Mt Rainier looked amazing! But, the real reason for my trip to this area was the Frank Gehry designed Experience Music Project. The fun, colorful building did not disappoint! The exhibit was also exciting--I learned to play the guitar, drums, keyboard and mix music in one hour! I wonder what native son, Jimmy Hendricks, would have thought of my music...

Our hotel was also very close to the Seattle Art Museum which was on my list of places to view the glass art work of Dale Chihuly. I met Chihuly 15 years ago at the Corcoran Gallery of Art and fell in love with his Studio Glass movement. The artist is from Tacoma originally.

Speaking of Tacoma, my Dad was stationed at McChord AFB in Tacoma in 1950. He joked that the Air Force would probably send him as far from his home in Pensacola as possible--and they did. He has spoken fondly of the area all his life, and so I drove down on Saturday to check it out. I stopped off to see Snoqualmire Falls, of Twin Peaks fame on the way for a bit of NW nature.

I thoroughly enjoyed the downtown arts center in Tacoma! The Museum of Glass had a theater for resident glass blowers to work and I could have watched them all day. I struck gold on my tour of Chihuly works. He designed a pedestrian bridge full of his pieces including the seaforms pictured above. I even had lunch at the bar in the Swiss Tavern, where Chihuly used to eat every day. He loaned the owner 8 large pieces to decorate the bar. I sat next to metal worker who said that he worked with the artist to protect the large glass pieces currently hanging in the courthouse.

Last week was a winner -- from bonding with cool international PR pros to great cultural experiences and a taste of nature. Think I'll go have a cup of coffee and relax...

Soaking Up Manuel Antonio

Four days in paradise have gone far too quickly! I've met wonderful people, mainly from Canada and the US, sat for hours on jungle fringed beaches, sailed with dolphins and snorkeled with a rainbow of tropical fish, and hiked in the Manuel Antonio state park with monkeys and sloughs. It doesn't get much better!

The sunset was a big occasion every night. One night I watched it from El Avión, a restaurant made from one of the Iran Contra planes. The owners bought Ollie´s Folly and moved it up to Manuel Antonio piece by piece creating a historic bar. I met a great Canadian woman who was traveling Central America doing research for her graduate thesis on women´s security issues in Central America. She was fascinating and so ready to change the world.

I watched another sunset at Ronny´s Place, which I highly recommend. Open air kitchen with cement tables perched on the hill side. We ran into Lauren and Brian from Miami who went on the Canyoning adventure in La Fortuna. Our seafood dinners were delicious and the view was spectacular!

My last sunset scene was the Adult pool at Costa Verde, my hotel. It is perfectly located on the side of a cliff to watch the day end. I met a couple of guys, James and Edan, and swam with them until all the colors had faded. We went on to dinner at a BBQ place and then hit Bambú Jam, the hopping salsa dancing spot. They had just taken salsa lessons in their last town, so we tore up the dance floor!

I hate to leave this coastal/jungle spot and hope to come back for another relaxing vacation here one day!

Pura Vida

The Costa Rica anthem is Pura Vida or Pure lIfe. What a wonderful way to think of 2009! I ended 2008 with a 5 hour beautiful drive from Monteverde to the coastal town of Manuel Antonio. I've traded up from hostels to a pretty little resort called Costa Verde and this photo is from my balcony. The Costa Verde slogan is "Still more Monkeys than people." I can hear them howling and can't wait to see one!

I went down into the little town of Quepos to ring in the new year. The first person I met in the adorable restaurant "El Gran Escape" was from Pensacola! It truly is a small world! I met several ex pats and now understand why they want to live in Costa Rica! The party took over the town. A salsa band got everyone dancing in the streets and there was a huge fireworks show overhead at midnight. So, here's to a Pura Vida in 2009!

Zipping Around Monteverde

I was drawn to Monteverde when I learned that it was settled by a group of Quakers from Alabama. When 4 Quakers were arrested in Alabama for refusing the Korean War draft, a group left the US in protest. They moved to Costa Rica where the military had been abolished and chose Monteverde (Green Mountain) for the perfect cattle grazing lands. The Quakers started a dairy farm and agreed to preserve the Cloud Forest of Monteverde.

The area is spectacular and has remained small due to the nearly impassable roads. The community decided not to pave the roads to limit the visitors. Ironically, one of the coolest adventure activities was started here--zip lines. They run cables through the top of the trees and you take off in a harness gliding from each platform. It's the only way to fly, and to see the canopy of the cloud/rain forests which is home to the majority of the flora and fauna. I spent a couple of hours whipping through the canopy with 3 of my roommates, who were Canadian and outfitted in LuLu Lemon from head to toe. Just when we relaxed they added free falls, including a Tarzan swing that required a major leap of faith! What a way to start the day.

After a nice Tica (Costa Rican) "Tipical Food" lunch of chicken and rice, I was off to the Don Juan coffee plantation. I learned all about the rise of coffee in Costa Rica. High quality coffee basically built the economy of the nation. We even met cute little Don Juan working in the fields in his 70's.

As the coffee tour shuttle dropped me off at the Hostel another one was waiting to take us on a night hike in the forest. It started with a bang as we saw a slough on the way. Our guide was a passionate naturalist and left our group very inspired to save the rain forests! I was amazed that Costa Rica, which is the size of West VA, has 6% of the worlds biodiversity. CR serves as a bridge between the Americas and between the Caribbean and the Pacific which has created a very unique environment. We saw a gray fox that has learned to climb trees like a cat to catch prey! Very cool!

Now that I've learned so much and gotten my adrenalin fix, it's time to head to the coast! Tropical beaches here I come...

Canyoneering Craze

Up at the crack of dawn again for another thrill. The folks from Pure Trek picked Christine, Nicole and me up just past 7am to explore the local waterfalls upclose and personal by repelling down through them! More formally, canyoning is not just a rappel from a bridge or waterfall, it´s moving through a slot in a canyon using different techniques. We were outfitted with waterjacket, helmet and harness--very attractive--and taken to the top of a huge waterfall. The first step is a doozy! There´s nothing like the thrill of pushing off a rock wall with water rushing right at you. Feeling pretty invincible! We made 5 rappels and hiked between the descents. The rainforest was so alive, and very wet! The hike back up the canyon was a bear, but the lunch awaiting us back at the camp was perfection.

I had an hour back at the hostel to relax and get ready for my afternoon jaunt to Monteverde. There are several ways to get up to Monteverde and all of them are complicated due to the horrible roads. But, I wasn´t daunted. They have a transfer system called¨Jeep-Boat-Jeep, which they say as one word that sounds french, to cut down the time. I headed off in the afternoon with 3 girls from Canada and 2 from England to the home of the Cloud Forest, Monteverde. Everything is a thrill here and the roads didn´t disappoint. We made it up in 3 hours and checked into the Monteverde Backpackers. It´s not as nice as the 5 star hostel in Arenal, but we´re right in town.

As soon as we arrived, the 2 guys in our room, David and Dylan, were headed out to see some frogs. Why not? We laughed a lot and saw some amazing frogs including the famous Gaudy frog, which is an adorable green tree frog and the symbol of Costa Rica. After a little star gazing, we had a fun dinner at the Tree House Restaurant. Of course the place was built around a huge old tree. Love it here!

Blazing Trails in Arenal

You know you´re in La Fortuna when a hostel dorm room empties out at 7am. The adrenalin rush starts early here. I decided to ease into the adventure scene and go horseback riding and hiking to the La Fortuna Waterfall. At least I thought I did... We were cutting new trails in the jungle, over rocks and through rivers on the horses and the hike was more like rock climbing. Thank God I´ve been working out with the trainer! Swimming in the beautiful waterfall was well worth it though!

Spent the evening exploring the small town with a few people from the hostel. Sunday evening brought the local families out to the big church and beautiful park in the center of town. It was like watching a colorful parade. We ended up at a lovely open air restaurant with a great bottle of Chilean wine. I'm completely relaxed and back in the traveler mindset. Ahhhh

Costa Rican Adventure

After only 5 short hours direct from Newark my vacation began at adventure speed. Adorable Diego, from the Arenal Backpackers Resort, filled me in all there is to do in Costa Rica on the 2.5 hr drive up to La Fortuna. Itinerary set! I threw my pack in my 8 person bunk room and headed straight out on a group hike around the Arenal Volcano National Park. We saw Toucan's, spider monkey's, rubber trees, gorgeous flowers! After dark we headed over to an observation point to see the hot lava spewing from the active volcano which erupted in 1968. Next, our little group went to play in the hot springs. I had dinner by the springs with two adventure travelers from San Francisco, Christine and Nicole. Afterward, we found James, from England, and Gabriel, from Canada, and started playing in all the different springs. Of course the ones with swim up bars were our favorites! So, 7 hours in Costa Rica and I'd already been on nature hike and was having drinks in volcano heated hot spring. So far, so good!

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!