Travel

Taking my nephew to Legoland was one of the most memorable of weekends. Watching the joy and excitement in him as he saw his favorite Ninjago characters come to life was priceless. Legoland was a 6-year-old's fantasy world come true and I wrote about our trip in the Napa Valley Register, which I share here. If you are looking for a fun family activity, make sure Legoland is on your list! Legoland California, located in Carlsbad, on the north side of San Diego County, just turned 20 years old.
While Legoland may be 20, its biggest fans are between 4 and 10 years old. So, when I went down to Legoland to celebrate its birthday, I had to bring two of Lego’s biggest fans, my 5 3/4-year-old nephew Harrison and his friend, Thomas.
We arrived in the evening, just around bedtime. But when we pulled up to the Legoland Castle Hotel, which opened last year and sits next to the Legoland entrance, bedtime was put on hold.
The 250-room hotel looks like a Lego castle and inside the lobby, a child’s fantasy came to life. A large Lego pit sits in the center of the lobby and there is also a slide. While the adults stood in a long line to check in, the children were running, playing and exploring.
25 July, 2019

Happy Summer 2019! I hope you had a wonderful, long 4th of July weekend. This summer (specifically June 8th), marks the 8th anniversary of Please...

09 July, 2019
My favorite way to explore a culture is through the cuisine. It is one of the most interesting, and filling, ways to understand a culture's history as well as its role today. Cuba is no exception. A country that seemed blocked off from the world, at least the US, for decades, Cuba has a fascinating culinary history. And, despite the new restrictions on traveling to Cuba, a culinary tour with Access Culinary Trips is still permitted! Here is a a recap of my culinary trip to Cuba, which I originally wrote about in the Napa Valley Register. Despite new restrictions for Americans traveling to Cuba, it is still a top destination for tourists. And rightfully so. The largest country in the Caribbean, Cuba is a semitropical island with a coastline marked by bays, reefs, keys and islets as well as long stretches of lowlands and swamp. Half of the island is mountainous with the Sierra Masetra mountains to the east, the Trinidad mountains in the center and the Sierra de los Organos in the west.
When I was growing up in the 1970s and 1980s, Cuba was always off limits to me, somewhere I never thought I would be able to visit. But when restrictions were lifted in 2016, Cuba moved to the top of my list. I did not act on booking a trip right away, but as new restrictions came into place, I decided I could wait no longer. The good news is that is Cuba is still open to Americans and is a place worth visiting.
04 July, 2019
When I travel to New York for work, I typically stay at a hotel near where the event I am working will take place. This past week, I was in New York for a wine event that we decided to do in The Beekman, a Thompson Hotel, in Manhattan's Financial District, within walking distance to the World Trade Center and the Brooklyn Bridge. I decided to stay there as well for the convenience. I had seen photos on the internet and read about it but nothing could prepare me for The Beekman. It is one of the most magnificent hotels I have ever stepped foot into and hence it is the Please The Palate pick of the week. From the moment my car pulled up to the doors, I was greeted by a bellman who grabbed my bags. Check-in at registration was friendly and quick and then I was escorted to my room by a friendly young man, JB, who marveled at the beauty of the hotel with me, even though he looks at it every day.
09 February, 2019
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