Pictures of a robust Winston Churchill and a young Queen Elizabeth decorated my art-deco stateroom aboard the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California. The iconic 1930s ocean liner, now permanently docked on the Pacific Coast, has harbored movie stars, British royals, and prime ministers–as well as more than a few ghosts. In fact, Time magazine designated it one of the most haunted ships in the U.S. I was thrilled to be one of the ship’s first overnight guests when she finally reopened in...
The Florida Gulf Coast has been a favorite of mine since my college days, when I interned one summer at The St. Petersburg Times (now The Tampa Bay Times). In my free time, I explored the beach communities north and south of St. Pete, where I lived in a retirement hotel with my Irish-American grandmother (that’s another story…). The Bradenton beaches on Anna Maria Island were idyllic, with long stretches of blindingly white sand, clear blue water, and few crowds. While kayaking in the...
With so much art to admire and so many canals to cross in Venice, I wasn’t sure I’d have time for brunch on the remote Venetian island of Torcello. But my friend insisted that dining at Locanda Cipriani was a glorious experience not to be missed. I’m so happy I took her advice. Here’s a link to my story about that visit to Torcello and its iconic restaurant, which appeared recently in Live in Italy magazine.
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A fast-moving Caribbean storm chased us off the idyllic, mostly empty Cuban beach. The wind almost whipped the towel out of my hand as I pushed the key card into the door of our third floor hotel room. Nothing happened. Tried again. Nothing. By the time my companion returned with a new card — and news of a power outage — rain was coming down in sheets. Though we escaped the tropical deluge, our neighbor’s room flooded in the all-inclusive, government-owned resort near Trinidad. When...
As a journalist, I’ve written about crime for newspapers, business deals for magazines, cruise ship ports for online travel publications and industry trends for websites. My focus now is exclusively on travel.