I returned recently from a European girls getaway with my three sisters and Florence was our first destination. What can I say, other than bellissimo!

With its red-tiled roofs, centuries-old architecture and open plazas, Florence is perfect for exploring on foot. Shortly after arriving, we walked over to Rivoire – a café conveniently located in the Piazza della Signoria. We visited with a friend over drinks and decadent desserts and soaked up the historic surroundings. The chocolate-covered profiteroles were the group favorite.

Since we were in Florence we had to visit the Duomo and even better, climb the 463 winding steps to the top. When we reached the top we were rewarded with amazing panoramic views of the city.

For art, we visited the Accademia museum where we saw Michelangelo’s famous statue of David. We also visited the Uffizi museum, which contains the Medici collection of Renaissance art and is located in a classic building overlooking the Arno River.

We had lunch one day at Trattoria Mario – a local hang-out where you sit at communal tables. We ordered the Bistecca alla Florentina (steak cooked rare) with rosemary garlic white beans (yum) and pasta. The Italian man we sat next to was so generous he offered samples of his dishes so we would know what to order — just one example of the Italian hospitality we found everywhere.

Artisans

Some of the things I enjoyed most about Florence were found by strolling down the narrow streets between the plazas. Florence is made up of tiny shops and artisan-based businesses. In one shop’s window I saw a man working on a cello, on another street a man was carving an ornate wood frame. In the Santa Croce leather district, at the back of a shop I saw a woman and her assistant creating leather jackets with exquisite workmanship. I saw a man embossing gold leaf to leather books, and a woman making jewelry using Murano glass. Walking past a building where an opera singer was practicing an aria just rounded out my Italian experience.

It’s not often that a movie comes along and in its wake you see visible differences in those who watched it. Julie & Julia is about two true stories of Julia Child and a blogger who attempts within a year to make every recipe in Julia Child’s 752 page classic, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Julie & Julia has generated new interest in the culinary arts and everyone - especially the tasters of these culinary creations – is benefiting. After almost 50 years of its publishing, Mastering the Art of French Cooking has jumped to #1 in its category on the New York Times bestseller list.

I’m not a serious cook, but I do love to bake. I belong to a Meet-up group called Iron Cupcake (the Iron Chef of the cupcake world). Every month we’re given a challenge (theme or required ingredient) and then competitors bake mini-cupcakes which are judged and the winner is announced. Since the movie, group attendance has tripled in size to over 100.

If you haven’t seen the movie, it’s definitely worth watching. And if it inspires you to improve your skills, grab some girlfriends and stop by a free Williams Sonoma class, check-out Yelp for an informal cooking class , or take a culinary vacation. But don’t stop there – host a simple get together using your new found culinary skills. I just did and I’m reminded how happy people are when they can relax and enjoy good food together.

Bon appetit!

Flagstaff is one of those towns not many people know about, but is definitely worth a visit. Located just an hour and half north of Phoenix, Flagstaff is a quaint college/ski town set in the mountains. Because of its high elevation, its summers are much cooler than Phoenix and it offers good skiing in the winter.

A group of us spent the 4th of July weekend in Flagstaff and we knew we’d made a good choice when we arrived on Friday evening. Although the downtown is small there are plenty of restaurants, hotels and activities to choose from. The town’s central park was our first stop, where the lawn was filled with people relaxing and listening to a rock band performing. Since it was the first Friday of the month, the art galleries were hosting ArtWalk where people are encouraged to go gallery hopping and can enjoy refreshments along the way.

After a Mexican dinner at San Felipe’s we walked around the corner to a Michael Jackson dance party tribute at the Orpheum. Hundreds of people were there, some in full Michael Jackson attire, and all were dancing to his greatest hits.

On Saturday morning, after stopping in at Late for the Train for much needed coffee, we made our way to the town’s 4th of July parade. It was a perfect small town parade, featuring a dog drill team, vintage tractors and several distinguished veterans including the Navajo code talkers from WWII. That evening the symphony played in an outdoor amphitheater followed by fireworks at dusk. All in all, a great place to spend the 4th of July.

Summer is in full swing and the calendar seems to be packed with festivals, sporting events and summer concerts. In the past week and a half we’ve seen Tosca in the park, listened to live music at two street festivals and cheered on with thousands of spectators as 2,000 triathletes swam to shore from Alcatraz.

One of my favorite things to do during the summer is to pack a picnic and enjoy an evening performance in the park. Or better yet, stop at Whole Foods on the way to the park and choose from their great selection of ready-made items.

Here’s a sampling of this summer’s free performances happening around the country:

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Every year my sisters and I pick a beautiful location for our girls getaway and this year our destination was Newport, Rhode Island. We stayed at a quaint B&B called the Spring Street Inn (ranked #1 on TripAdvisor) which was ideally located in the heart of Newport’s walk-able downtown.  Pat, the B&B’s innkeeper, gave us a great overview of Newport, including cultural highlights, some historical side notes and great places for cocktails and dinner.  We didn’t have to worry about breakfast – every morning Pat served us a wonderful gourmet breakfast.  

Newport is where the ultra rich spent their summers at the turn of the 19th century.  Home of the America’s Cup yacht race for many decades, Newport is probably best known for its “summer cottages”.  These Gilded Age mansions were built for the Vanderbilts and Astors during an age when wealth was flaunted with lavish parties and hundreds of guests on sprawling lawns that stretched to the coastline.

The Newport Preservation Society now owns several of the largest mansions and allows the public to tour these summer cottages where the ultra rich once lived.   During our stay we saw the Breakers, The Elms, Rosecliff, Marble House, Kingscote, Isaac Bell and the Topiary garden.  The interiors of the mansions were amazing.  

Tip: we all bought a Preservation membership which included entrance to any property and allowed us to go to the front of the line at any mansion.  It also includes a free Behind the Scenes Elms tour which describes how the servants lived (recommended).

We timed our trip for the end of June to coincide with Newport’s annual Flower Show.  The judged floral arrangements were on display on the first floor of Rosecliff and we could hear seminars on topics like rose selection, orchids, and floral arrangements for lavish parties.  Here are a few of the arrangements from the show.

I spent a perfect weekend in Seattle recently and wanted to share some of the high points in case you plan to visit in the future.  Visiting Seattle in February is, as most locals will tell you, very risky since there’s a good possibility it will be cold and rainy.  We were in town to see our cousin sing the lead in the opera, La Boheme, so we crossed our fingers and hoped the weather would cooperate.  

We stayed at the Hotel Andra, a very chic hotel ideally located within walking distance of Belltown, retail districts and the famous Pike Place Market.   We all loved the stylish and progressive feel of the hotel which carried through to the rooms. 

As it turned out, we were in luck with the weather – it was in the 60’s with plenty of sunshine.

My sisters, niece and I strolled over to Pike Place Market our first afternoon there and took in the huge array of vendors, including artists, craftsmen, fish mongers, farmers, and flower growers.  (more…)

2007 Gingerbread Grand prize winner made by Patricia Howard.
Photo Credit: © The Grove Park Inn.

I love visiting gingerbread villages during the holidays.  Many of them are joint efforts between architects and pastry chefs who team up and spend countless hours in order to create idyllic miniature villages. Most of these villages are sold to benefit a variety of charities.  I try not to let a holiday season go by without paying homage to this wonderful tradition.  

Here are a few of the gingerbread displays around the country that you may want to check out before January:

Grove Park Inn (Asheville, NC)
Home of the National Gingerbread House Competition each year. This year’s Grand prize winner’s creation is shown above.

Holiday Gingerbread Village at Sheraton Seattle
Seattle’s top architecture firms team up with Sheraton Seattle Hotel’s culinary staff to design, bake and build gingerbread holiday creations  benefiting the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund. See http://www.nutcrackermarch.org/ for other Seattle holiday events.

15th Annual Gingerbread Village, Prescott, AZ
Over 100 edible & enchanting castles, estates, houses, electric trains, cookie decorating for the kids (Prescott Conference Center through Dec. 27)

Holiday Sugar Castle, St. Francis Hotel, San Francisco
The Sugar Castle is a 12-foot rotating castle which resembles a French Chateau. Weighing in at over 1,000 pounds of confection, the castle has more than 20 towers, 30 rooms and is surrounded by a quaint village and a running train.

Westin Annapolis
This gingerbread village features over 40 houses and historical buildings reminiscent of downtown Annapolis.

Las Vegas Four Seasons - This swiss gingerbread village uses 350 pounds of sugar, 180 pounds of flour, 90 pounds of chocolate and 360 eggs.  

What’s your favorite place to see gingerbread displays? 

The Biltmore is one of America’s great estates.  Once home to the super-rich Vanderbilts, it covers 8,000 acres and is located in Asheville, North Carolina.  The mansion, which is the largest private residence in America, is especially beautiful during the holidays. 

Carrying on a long-held tradition since George W. Vanderbilt first welcomed friends and family to Biltmore on Christmas Eve 1895, the estate celebrates Christmas on a grand scale.  When visiting Biltmore from now until January 1st, you’ll see nearly 100 decorated trees with thousands of ornaments, 1,000 wreaths, almost 1,500 poinsettias and miles of evergreen garland.  Live holiday musical performances are also scheduled until the end of December. 

If you’d like to see the mansion lit by candlelight, check out their Christmas Candlelight Evening tours. You can purchase tour tickets on their website - be sure to reserve before your visit.  A tour ticket includes one evening visit as well as an additional visit of the mansion’s gardens, winery and restaurants during the day.  

Here are some suggestions for lodging options.

Links: The Biltmore