“Ugh! Don’t you wish we were still there?” Three months after our honeymoon, this has become my weekly mantra of sorts. It’s like I’m almost disgusted that we are no longer trekking through mud and staring with our breath held at 400-pound gorillas. Luckily, I’ve been granted the opportunity to relive what I’ve taken to calling “The Best Trip EVER!” (capitalization and punctuation compulsory) by writing a few articles about the whole fabulous adventure. The first came out in the January issue of Robb Report, and I’m so happy my editors decided to keep that first sentence in. From what I hear, it narrowly escaped the axe, but I do just love it so! more»

The first time I went on a cruise, I disembarked with the mostly-correct notion that ocean liners are for old people with more interest in the 3 o’clock waffle station by the pool than the daily ports-of-call. So when I agreed to write a piece for Robb Report about the return of luxury to cruising, I first had to convince myself that it was even true. My plan of action included reading David Foster Wallace’s A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again (well, maybe that part was just for kicks), followed by jumping on board the new Oceania Riviera for its maiden voyage from Monaco to Barcelona. Somewhere between the ship’s Canyon Ranch Spa, its Wine Aficionado wine cellar, ten restaurants, a Bon Appétit culinary school, and yes, a plethora of ridiculous poolside snacks and cocktails with umbrellas, I decided that my first cruising foray—along with its geriatric guests—wasn’t the only ship experience out there. Rather, my second go-round was totally age appropriate and, yes, even luxurious. By the time we docked in Barcelona I was a convert—maybe not for every trip, but at least a few more before I hit retirement. more»

Rather than unceremoniously dump all of my recent articles together in one post (as I’ve been known to do), I’ve decided to simply choose my latest favorite and stick with just that. Don’t be fooled by those poofy ottomans—Azadeh Shladovsky is a singular designer in so many ways, not the least of which is her uncanny ability to actually talk about her work in a manner that makes sense to others. Clearly the woman uses both sides of her brain, which is something I can appreciate as a left-handed gal in a right-handed man’s world.