Storm King Art Center in Mountainville, NY!

Let’s hear it for fall!  Normally, I am a reluctant connoisseur of autumn. Yes, fall is great,but I am not one of those people who get really sick of light summer textiles before, say, November.  More importantly, fall also heralds the onset of winter, which I hate with a burning passion.  This year, though, I am enjoying it the hilt despite today’s awful East Coast drizzle.  Although I’ve done the fall foliage thing in New England and the Midwest in prior years, this last weekend was my first chance to explore the local resources during a trip to the Catskills.  Here are some of the highlights of our trip for folks looking to get out of the city this fall.

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As summer draws closer, some of you may be thinking of trips to Europe.  If so, here are some tips on airfares to Europe and within Europe.    read more »

Ah, a wedding. One of life’s most joyous occasions… The type of occasion that, when two of your nearest and dearest decide that they want to tie the knot and want you at their destination wedding in St. Lucia, you do everything in your power to go. And so it began… Unfortunately, what it began was a month of waiting for an exact date to be set only to find out that that exact date was a month later. For all intents and purposes, this should have been enough time to plan a trip and buy tickets, except that we live in Germany. There are no direct flights to the Caribbean out of Germany. One option is to route through the US, regrettably, we were on a time crunch (vacation days) so needed fairly direct, same day routing. By flying through the US, we would need to stay the night somewhere as all of the flights to the Caribbean leave in the morning, well before any flight from Europe can arrive at a US airport. So, we were forced to do some creative routing which avoided the US but included London City Airport, London Gatwick Airport, Bridgetown (Barbados) Airport, until finally reaching our destination of St. Lucia. Fortunate for us that the European airlines have not succumbed to charging its customers for cocktails…

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Lily just apologized for having spent yesterday in a hung over mass falling half over the edge into her exhibit’s pond. I’m just going to step up right now and apologize in advance.  By Thursday afternoon, I anticipate being an incoherent puddle of goo, fit only to ooze slowly from room to room in my apartment, desperately seeking hydration.

Why?  Emma is coming into town on Wednesday for a flying 20-hour visit to the Big Apple, during which time she anticipates getting her hair cut, visiting three different fine dining establishments, and running me, Betsy, and anyone else available into the ground.  Let me say to begin with that Emma is fun.  Lots of fun.  You can’t imagine how much fun Emma is.  However, visits with Emma invariably leave you impoverished, with a headache the size of Texas, shaking with palsy in every limb, and vowing never to eat again.  At least until the next time she shows up. During her visit to the city last summer, a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy was instituted with regard to our credit card bills and was much needed.  It worked for both of us (although I’m less sure as to how Em’s husband felt about it).   A typed three page schedule was necessary to keep track of all the reservations and important chocolate shop locations.

On the tentative schedule for this time around?  The bar at the Four Seasons, Roy Teeluck Salon, Caviar Russe, Sugiyama, and Balthazar.  We’ll be reporting back… but probably not until Friday.  Or maybe Saturday.  Wish me luck!

Let me start off by saying that I am in no way, shape, manner, or form, a train enthusiast.  When traveling, I believe trains are an efficient way to get from Point A to Point B without having to worry about rental cars, airport security, or any of those other silly things which can take up so much time.  I leave the “enthusiast” part to my husband.  I believe the correct term is, “train spotter.”  Yes ladies and gentlemen, he is that guy.  The one who, on occasion, has been known to go out to train stations just to watch the trains go by.  He is also a big believer in the “Romance of Travel.”  He believes that the holiday is not just the time spent at a location, but also includes the travel involved to get there.  This encompasses the class of travel, the food served, as well as the scenery outside.  Trains are a particular favorite because of the dining car with their huge windows where one can have a leisurely lunch while watching the world roll by.

Knowing all of these things, it was by pure luck that I came across a news article that said the United Kingdom had just built their first steam locomotive in 60 years.  The new engine was currently doing some initial runs around the UK.  Well, it just so happened that we were going to be in York when the new “Tornado” locomotive was scheduled to make its debut run from York to Edinburgh.  And that is how I came to purchase two tickets in the First Class Dining Car for my husband’s Valentine’s Day present.

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