Nyhavn. Photo by Virginia Miller. Though my largest percentage heritage is Sicilian (specifically Aeolian Islands), my second biggest before my third German, is Scandinavian: split between Danish and Swedish, with one grandparent each having roots in those countries. So it’s no surprise that the earthy, sensual, visionary, free spirited Sicilian-island side of me is tempered with my eldest child, orderly,… Read more →
View from our deck at el Prado, Palo Alto. Photo by Virginia Miller. COME SEE OUR NEW HOME — The Bold Italic has a new home online, and this story has moved! Read it here: https://www.thebolditalic.com/staycation-palo-alto-a-spanish-themed-hotel-two-newer-restaurants From recent staycations in the Silicon Valley town of Sunnyvale to the coast in Half Moon Bay, for 21 years I’ve researched and written of… Read more →
COME SEE OUR NEW HOME — The Bold Italic has a new home online, and this story has moved! Read it here: https://www.thebolditalic.com/mendocino-fort-bragg-magic-soulful-foodie-weekend-getaways FORT BRAGG: the Surreal Inn at Newport RanchThin places — where heaven and earth come closer or the veil between the here and the otherworld is especially thin — is beloved lore for thousands of years. On California’s breathtaking Mendocino Coast,… Read more →
As COVID rages on, local trips and overnights beckon for easy, close-to-home getaways that don’t require flights. It was 2011 when I last wrote about Santa Cruz highlights, though I’ve stayed there and passed through numerous times in between, including visiting the chill town of Aptos, eight miles down the road. Here is my guide to a few highlights in the laid back, surfer city of Santa Cruz (SC), a brief 70 miles south of San Francisco.
Lake Tahoe has long held the enchantment for me it has for many: stunning beauty, expansive blue, snow-capped mountains on all sides, dense pine and fir forests. It’s the Switzerland of California, complete with wood cabins and cozy restaurants.
Granted, much of the food caters to tourists or the basics — city-worthy food, this is not, only slightly improving in the 20 years I’ve been week-ending in Tahoe. But there are gems and here’s a guide to a few, from dining to coffee to cocktails, in South Lake Tahoe.
Published in my The Bold Italic (TBI) column, I cover the under-the-radar capitol city of Nevada, its low-key gems, affordability and friendly locals — where to stay, eat, drink, hang and get a feel for the heart of the place.
For lovers of Italy’s food and wine and Switzerland and Austria’s Alps, Italy’s South Tyrol/Alto Adige region is your place. Set against the striking Dolomites mountains, South Tyrol’s Italian-Germanic culture makes the happiest of combinations. Here, wineries marry the best of Italy and Austria/Germany wine styles, alongside luxury alpine lodges, an annual ethical chefs event bringing together the region’s (and… Read more →
My October 2019 print article in Oakland Magazine and Alameda Magazines, covering the original 1800s barbecue style of the west: Santa Maria barbecue, as well as wineries, bars, coffee, bakeries, cider producers and restaurants/food around California’s Santa Maria Valley from Orcutt to Los Alamos. Article here. My other Oakland and Alameda Magazine articles include romantic getaways in Beverly Hills and Santa… Read more →
Published by Where Traveler (my other Where articles here) in the October 2019 print issue, my “One Block” article on where to eat, drink, shop and take in art on Valencia Street in SF’s Mission District: — EAT: AL’s Deli, Media Noche, Dosa on Valencia— DRINK: The Beehive, Wildhawk, Bon Voyage— SHOP: 826 Valencia, Dog-Eared Books, 1-2-3-4 Go! Records— VIEW: Artists’ Television Access,… Read more →
My June print article in Oakland Magazine and Alameda Magazines covers Peninsula/South Bay/Silicon Valley hotels and where to eat around them, from luxury escapes to walkable downtown urban hotels. Article online here and below. My other Oakland and Alameda Magazine articles:— Walkable OC: Huntington Beach in one walkable mile— Romantic getaways in Beverly Hills and Santa Monica— Going well beyond… Read more →