Where I Went 2012

Editor and friend Max Hartshorn of GoNOMAD asked me to submit to his Where We Went in 2012 article.  Here's what I came up with: 

I love to pack!  The anticipation of going somewhere and packing just the right thing makes me feel like I've aced an exam!  As a fashion stylist, I've made a whole profession out of counseling  people on just what to wear for any occasion at home or abroad.  When I travel, I'm reporting on the fashion scene and finding ways to absorb stylish ideas to use in my styling work with clients.  

As for styling work, I'm a stylist at the by-appointment Carlisle/Per Se Showroom in Greenwich CT. and I travel there almost daily. Just 40 minutes from Grand Central (NYC), Greenwich is considered one of the toniest towns in America!  Visit the Bruce Museum, the shoe department at Saks–fab, window-shopping up and down the Avenue, and of course the Ralph Lauren mansion store.  I like Morello or Terra for lunch or drinks or sometimes I'll grab a sandwich and just sit and watch the Sound (Long Island). 

Oxbow Public Market

Another cool place, on the opposite coast, to be seen and check out the scene is Napa.  My article "Take 5 in Napa" for Travelgirl Magazine described a fall girlfriend getaway sans car.  Take the Wine Train up the valley and fulfill your Agatha Christie dreams or visit the Oxbow Public Market where cool meets country. While most visitors to Napa are elbowing to get a reservation at The French Laundry, we opted for Cuvée Napa the atmosphere and clientele made for excellent style watching and the food and wine pairings were extraordinary. 

No winter is complete with out buckling up boots, ski boots!  I have a printed/laminated list of everything one needs to wear and bring skiing. If I didn't like clothes so much, I'm not sure I would love the sport!  We skied local this year.  Jiminy Peak and Butternut ski resorts in the Berkshires made enough snow to satisfy visitors while mother nature occasionally chipped in.  The fashion scene on these hills is well, non existent... My new Montclair ski jacket needs a trip to the Alps!  

Early summer in Portland Maine is all about–light houses, adirondack chairs, lobster... This stylist put on full lobsterman gear and boarded a lobster fishing boat to catch those gnarly creatures and catch them, she did!  Lunch was my lobster catch dockside.  Next was a stone massage at The Inn by the Sea's spa.  This classic, contemporary Inn is Maine at it's best.  Wear sweeping linens, straw hat and espadrilles.  You'll feel like you belong in a Winslow Homer painting!  What's more you can visit Homer's Studio while in Portland.  Follow that up with a food and wine tour of this unexpectedly hip New England town. 

Estrella Spa at the Viceroy Palm Springs

Palm Springs is HOT in August!  Skimpy summer frocks, a must!  The town is tourist free and there are off-season deals to be found.  The Viceroy Hotel makes for feeling fabulous.  It's ultra chic, goove-a-licious–everything the Rat Pack had in mind when they made this town their playground.  Make sure to visit the "design district" and stop by Flow Modern Design store.  If hiking is your thing, the desert makes for interesting vistas and a fizzy cocktail post hike is deserving and appreciated!  My choice? A margarita of course!

Stowe on the Shoulder

Jasmine Bigelow from the Stowe Vermont Area Association warned me that if we came to Stowe in early April we would, dare she say it, be visiting in Mud Season. Mud or not, we wanted to check out spring skiing on the East Coast and to see what this resort town had to offer a family of four. Jasmine assured us that with proper planning, Stowe was a year-round vacation location that could offer some cool stuff for my sometimes-hard-to-please tweeners and husband.

We stayed at Stoweflake Mountain Resort & Spa. The townhouse suite we checked into was perfect, luxurious in fact, with plenty of room for the kids and us. This two bedroom, two story “attached home” was decorated in gold, tan and brown hues, rich fabrics, granite counter tops, marble tiles–really nice design choices. Big fluffy beds, flip a dial fireplaces and flat screens TV’s, produced a krumping* dance from my daughter, a loud banshee scream from my son and meaningful sighs from Tom and me. We really liked our new ski home…

Could we just live here and forget about going back to New York?

Besides the great digs, Stoweflake, the resort, has a lot to do. And during “shoulder season” it works! Here’s some choices for a wet, rainy, icky day (We had two!).

• Spa–a great option for adults (worthy of it’s own blog post, which will come later).

• Indoor pool, outdoor Jacuzzi and gym–my son was in the pool every day. The indoor pool, itself, isn’t anything out of the ordinary, but my 10-year-old loved it! And there is a heated out door pool as well, which has more limited hours but would be a nice diversion with proper planning and weather permitting.

• Racquetball court–this turned out to be a terrific time for Husband and Son who have no idea what they are doing on the court, but were entirely amused anyhow.

• Yoga and fitness classes

• Interesting stores just across the street (again, another blog post).

• “Homemade” cookies and coffee in the afternoon, perfect for “a sit down and read” by the fire.

So this is the beginning of several blog post I plan to do on Stowe followed by a full-length article for GoNOMAD.com. Do check back to hear more about our adventure “on the shoulder” at Stowe. I have a feeling you’ll want to visit too–any time will do!

*Krumping (for daughter, Isabella) is a crazy, hip, arm, gyrating dance done in second position plea.

Going back to Cali!

It's mid-winter break for the kids and we'll be spending the week in the O.C. Sadly, the TV show isn't terribly off-base in their depiction of the "Housewives Of," BUT that isn't the whole story. There is so much more to So. Cal than botoxed babes! We plan to do our favorite things:

• Escape this NY cold

• Kids will do Disney, I'm taking a pass on that (perhaps a spa day at Spa Gregorie's with my Mom?)

• Peruse South Coast Plaza, a mall equal to Madison Avenue

• Eat lots of Mexican Food

• Dinner with Travel Gals, Brigitte and Jody– see my story on our trip to Temecula. We'll be planning another.

• Laguna, for yoga on the beach, gilato and seaside shopping.

• Huntington Beach, another food/shop spot (yes, we eat a lot) BJ's Pizookie, that's a pizza/cookie. Can't go back to NY without downing one of those.

• My Mom's pizza. Too bad I don't have a link for that because it's fantastic.

What to wear? Something warm. Yes, it is cold in Cali now. And comfortable. This does not mean Uggs to me, but it seems to for the rest of the world. And Hip. I just turned another year older. I'm hip, dammit.

Ladera, Above and Beyond

I feel like my life is something out of "Where In The World is Waldo" book. Today I'm on the island of St. Lucia, the Ladera resort, to be specific. This hotel's tagline is honest and accurate. It is way Above the bay below, situated on a steep hillside (small mountain, really) with views of St. Lucia's iconic Piton Mountains, left and right. It is Beyond any Caribbean fantasy I've ever had. Perhaps I'm not dreaming large enough! I've selected a few photos here to give you an idea of what this open-air hotel is like, but they don't compare to the real thing. Below are just a few reasons why I'm loving this spot on

earth...

• No need for moisturizer. The air has a smooth, thick velvety quality. You can get a real lung full of oxigen. Why? It's tropical, essentially a rain forest. I'm staving off a cold and

the air quality seems medicinal. Not to mention the Black Water Baths. (Ac

tually I will mention them another time!)

• I did say tropical. Flora, fauna and fruit of exotic varieties are hanging

and winding and boasting their way throughout the resort. The word paradise comes to mind.

• GM, Warren "Waddy" Francis said Ledera is "... different than what has been coming on the island the last couple years. We're authentic and we want to remain authentic." The tree-house experience of the multi level "artisan" villas coupled with the "treasure island" views is almost u

nreal! But it is authentic, actually just what you might expect, but at the same time, you kind-of can't believe it!

• Taking an "open air" shower, no doors, just two walls, seeing the cove below and a cloudy sunset beyond the horizon, gives a whole new meaning to outdoorsy. Oh, and the shower has mosaic walls. One, is of a giant tulip, the other, a daisy. Cheerful.

I know I've been blogging about Italy lately and St. Lucia is a 360. They are entirely opposite, but both pallets are full to bursting with visual bounty... Here comes a big rain...The tree frogs' song is high-pitched and chirping...

Must get ready for dinner. Would love to get some comments! Caio, or later my friend?

South Coast Winery Resort & Spa

Every pedicure should come with wine.

At the GrapeSeed Spa, The Gals and I were treated to the soak, scrub and message of a traditional pedicure, but with wine and the surrounding deluxe spa and resort that is part of South Coast's Winery, we were transported, giddy really, with t

hat you're here now, pinch yourself feeling.

Post pedi, we hustled over via complimentary golf cart to dive into a wine tour that made me feel like I should go to the back of the class. If we had

been given a test

on wine making after the tour, I would have failed, sadly I think Brigitte would have too, but we would have copied off Jody who spent several years working in the spirits industry. What are friends for?

Our guide was in a hurry, she spoke too fast and much of the information was lost on me. However, she redeemed herself with the tasting that followed the actual tour. We sat down, alfresco, to a lovely table set with cheese plate and several wine glasses. Overlooking the vineyards, the scene fulfilled our romantic fantasies of a Southern California wine dynasty. Fantasy example: Hopping on the back of a Steve McQueen dude's dirt bike for a quick "tour" of the "grapes," hair blowing, the smell of fertile soil... I'm getting away from

myself. In reality, we were sitting with a very sweet gay couple.

The take-away from the tasting was twofold. 1) South Coast Winery is on the map as a premier winemaker in California. They have won, for the last two years, Southern California's Winery Of The Year. 2) The wines, to our taste buds, were outstanding! And we learned just how to taste them, what they would be good paired with, and why we should come back to this winery again and again.

• To taste: See, swirl, smell and savior

- Once it's poured, tilt the glass, hold it up and look at the color

- Swirl the glass. This allows air to "open up" the taste

- Smell, "Go ahead stick your nose right down in the glass."

- Savior, "Suck it in, swish it in your mouth and swallow."

• Why come back: Too many reasons to name here, but below are a few...

- The Villas amongst the grapes is just dreamy.

- "The Club" has activities and deals to take advantage of in person or

from a distance.

- In September and October, you can tap into your inner earth mama and actually pick grapes.

- The GrapeSeed Spa (mentioned above)–luxuriate.

- The Vineyard Rose restaurant. Savior wine and food at this mediterranean restaurant.

You'll appreciate the Tuscan ambiance. Have the antipasti, for sure!

- Romance, with The Gals, well and good, but this place screams for a romantic getaway.

Photos:

Top Left; GrapeSeed Spa outdoor lounge

Middle Left; Us, tasting

Lower Right; Antipasti Plate, The Vineyard Rose

Above Photos, Brigitte Lehnert of Flow Modern Design

Photo Below, Courtesy of Temecula CVB,

Mud Sligging

Slathering mud on your girlfriend's back truly brings a whole new meaning to, "we're very close." Can you happily grab globs of red mud, spread it all over yourself and your friend, bake in the sun until your skin resembles cracked clay and then vigorously slough it off (each other), resulting in a dipped-in-brown-sugar look, all while discussing the merits of raising children? One friend, re-entering single parenthood shared the challenges of growing two boys, while the other discussed coming to terms with her childlessness. I couldn't tell if the other women slinging clay were treading in such muddy waters, but that is what makes our friendship close, extraordinary really. If you're like us, Glen Ivy Hot Springs Spa is a great place to rest, relax, and talk.

We were just starting our weekend getaway. We stopped at Glen Ivy Hot Springs Spa, situated west and south of the Santa Ana Mountains in Corona, CA before proceeding to Temecula. There is a skill set, or strategy involved in navigating a spa as big as Glen Ivy and my friend, Jody, was way ahead of Brigitte and I on the learning curve. Like some sort of spa shark she staked a claim to a secluded, shady, arched-way veranda. We threw our stuff down marking our territory and headed for The Red Clay Mud Bath. Brigitte suppressed her spartan German cleanliness and Jody, ever the authoritarian, schooled us on the benefits and techniques of mud bathing. It was really fun.

The three of us opted for a traditional swedish massage, fabulous, but Glen Ivy offers all sorts of rub and scrub options; Temescal Stone Therapy, Eucalyptus Body Wrap, Acorn Honey Almond Body Polishing to name a few.

After lunch (we chose salads and, well, ...nachos) we returned to our home-base lounge area and appropriately, lounged. Nearby was a small wading pool, one of 19 different pool at Glen Ivy.

We took a pass on the Mineral Baths, too crowded, although couples seemed to be enjoying them. Suana Court and The Grotto was also a walk by. We see each other just once a year, so our treatments were more for the spirit than the body.

From New York City to Korea, Just Over the Bridge

In College Point, NY, that's Queens everybody, there is mega Korean Spa, called Spa Castle. My sister and I spent four hours there recently. We became aquainted with this five story, 60,000 square foot facility, but we just scratched the surface of what they had to offer! Decked in our Spa Castle issue, orange and pink gym shorts and tops, we headed for Sauna Valley on the second floor.

Big questions here: Should we start with the Gold Sauna, or the Jade Sauna? Do we do the Ice Land sauna between the various saunas, or just at the end? What about the Mineral Salt Sauna or the color therapy sauna, called the LED Suana, which utilizes color to promote good health and psychological discomforts? We did them all. Not for very long, but long enough to appreciate being enveloped by the warmth, relaxation and beauty of these other-worldly saunas. Imagine lying on the floor in a dome of gold or jewels, stepping into a room of color radiating here and there, smelling the cleansing air of salt and minerals in still another.

After our foot massage and sushi lunch, it was time to do water or have water do us! We opted for the multitude of jacuzzis in the ladies only lounge. Butt naked, with only hand towels for coverage, we sallied forth into the Lemon Bath, Water Body Jet chairs, steam room and ice bath. Okay we didn't do the ice bath...

Spa Castle also has water on the roof! A huge assortment of pools and jacuzzis overlooking the Whitestone Bridge. There are seated or standing Medi Spas with things called Power Leg Jet, Dream Jet and

Couple Jet. Sounds interesting, I'll have to come back with my husband.