I am one of those people: I detest malls. I don’t particularly love shopping most of the time anyway, and the idea of a shopping mall as being a “fun” place just escapes me. Before my recent visit to Minnesota last month, I hadn’t been inside a mall in years. Then I discovered the Mall…
First off, thank you Wikipedia for setting me straight on European ancient history and the founding of Rome. Before October 2015, I had never heard of Palatine Hill or Aventine Hill. I soon learned that Rome grew out of several settlements concentrated in an area recognized in literature and historic documents as the “Seven Hills…
Sometimes women just need a short getaway — a weekend of bliss and relaxation, perhaps close to home or perhaps as a layover from another trip. In the Fort Lauderdale/Miami area of Florida, the clear choice is the Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa. I was coming in with a girlfriend from a long overseas journey…
The best way I can describe Bergen, Norway is simply, magical. Coming in on the ferry just after sunset, the Old Town sparkled over the water, its colorful buildings with the boats bobbing in front of them mesmerizing. I fell in love with the city before I ever set foot on the dock. There is…
I arrived in Stockholm as a first-timer to Scandinavia. I expected to find a sophisticated, beautiful, artistic and fit city — and that I did, personified in the Story Hotel at Riddargatan. It’s on the cutting edge of modern, from the online self check-in (there is always a staff member around for any assistance) to…
Visitors to Barcelona have many options in terms of hotel accommodations. Given the expansive geography of the metropolis, it can be a daunting task to find the best match. My search included checking out the review rating sites, exploring Tango Diva’s archive of Barcelona posts and researching the larger hotel groups in the region. I…
Savannah is a little like a slightly naughty debutante: beautiful, classic and polished on the surface; but with a funkiness that lies beneath, where things are quite as prim and proper as they appear. The leafy streets are populated with restored, historic Antebellum homes, and at the corner every couple of blocks are a series…