Dear Reader, I apologize for the 11-month (give or take) hiatus I’ve taken from my blog. I’ve been preoccupied with weathering some personal storms. But I’m happy to report that I’m still afloat. Thanks, in part, to the incredible women in my life. The other part is thanks to… travel. I’ve come to find out…
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Breakfast at Tiffany’s isn’t just a movie; it’s a thing. You really can have breakfast at Tiffany’s. Which I did on a recent layover in Manhattan. On the top floor of Tiffany’s flagship store on 5th Avenue, you’ll find The Blue Box Cafe. What would it feel like to sit inside one of those legendary…
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Extreme Heat Warning That was the weather forecast every day last weekend in New Orleans. After owning my pied-a-terre for over a year, my daughter and her lovely girlfriend finally decided to come for a visit. During August! Which, according to every one of our Uber drivers, is the worst time to go to New Orleans. But…
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You won’t find this in any guidebook. At least, I never have. Not one of my books lists the Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal (Chapelle Notre-Dame de la Medaille Miraculeuse). That tip I got from a fellow flight attendant. Of course. In this well-hidden and modest sanctuary, you will find the “incorrupt”…
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According to ancestry.com, I’m 26% Germanic European. I believe this fact, combined with my recent layovers in Munich, qualifies me to make the following observations about German culture. 1. Germans LOVE beer. The beer garden is a real thing. And a lovely way to spend a summer afternoon. I spent my weekends in Munich this month, moving…
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As long as we’re on the subject of art, I must mention another amazing exhibit I recently visited, Kehinde Wiley: An Archaeology of Silence, at the de Young Museum in San Francisco. (through Oct. 15) Kehinde Wiley is best known for his presidential portrait of Obama. (not in the show)You can view this painting at…
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First of all, I love the name Georgia. Besides being fun to say, it’s timeless, bold, uncommon, and quietly feminine. Not unlike the most famous Georgia I know, painter Georgia O’Keeffe. Georgia O’Keeffe was a pioneer in her field. Born in 1887, she became the “Mother of American Modernism.” Quite an accomplishment for a woman…
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I’m not talking about Super Bowl. I’m talking about (yet another) unique, only-in-New-Orleans tradition called Super Sunday. This is a yearly event / gathering / dance off of Mardi Gras Indians.Mardi Gras Indians? Let me back up and fill you in. Because if you’re not from New Orleans, chances are you’ve never heard of Mardi…
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The city of New Orleans doesn’t only attract artists. It creates artists. Like homegrown, Brandon “Bmike” Odums. You can find Bmike’s murals all over his native city and in other places like Palestine, Times Square, and even in Arizona on an Apache Reservation. He’s collaborated with companies like Nike, Cadillac, Red Bull, Southern Comfort, and…
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Dachau is located outside of Munich, the city where Hitler rose to power and kept the Nazi Party headquarters. Dachau was the Third Reich’s longest-operating camp. Opened (by Heinrich Himmler) in 1933, it operated the entire 12 years of the Nazi regime. At least 41,500 souls were killed behind these gates until American troops liberated…
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