Category: Wandering Traveler

NYC Guide: 12 Top Places to Dine Now

Growing up just outside NYC in NJ during my high school years, my family’s subsequent years living there a good decade after I moved back to CA meant I was usually back twice a year, including holidays in NYC. So the City always held “second home” familiarities and my first awakening to being a city girl, even as Manhattan is typically a dining city of as many lows and overhyped spots as it highs over the past decades… the majority of restaurants I researched this trip were good to superb. Now we dig into 12 dining experiences from this year’s return to my teenage stomping grounds, including highlights and, when relevant, what to avoid: Read more →

PDX: Where to Eat, Drink & Stay Now in Portland

I’ve spent many years visiting Portland (PDX), OR, covering its restaurants, bars, distilleries, coffee shops and beyond. This August was my first return since pandemic, with plenty to catch up on, especially over only two short days. Don’t worry: per usual, I packed it in at over 12 spots plus a farmers market.

Here are 10 places to eat and drink in PDX now… what stood out, what to avoid (if anything) and overall highlights: Read more →

Rum Magazine: An Agricole Renaissance in Hawaii

In Rum Magazine, I cover Hawaii’s r(rh)um agricole renaissance. First, at KoHana on the island of Oahu, pioneering and reviving Hawaii’s rich and diverse sugarcane, solely showcasing Hawaiian sugarcane in each of their r(h)ums. Then Kuleana Rum Works on Hawai’i’s Big Island, growing and producing their own agricole, as well as blending a line of global r(h)ums to showcase rum’s range with Hawaiian agricole.

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Honolulu Guide 2022, Part 1: Coffee, Bites, Bakeries & Bars with Good Food

On the food front, Hawaii is about Hawaiian food, a unique mashup of cultures — namely Japanese, Chinese, Korean,Filipino, Puerto Rican and Portuguese. Like Cajun or Creole cuisines in New Orleans, Hawaiian food is one of the U.S.’ greatest culinary gifts: a truly unique cuisine that exceeds the sum of its parts in its own, laid back, “aloha spirit” way.

Here in part one, I share some of Honolulu’s best coffee, bites, bakeries and bars that also serve great food: Read more →