Stroll through the many home interior shops in Europe and one thing will become readily apparent. Eclecticism is the design trend of the day. “There is really no ‘look\’ in Europe,” says Olivier Cardon, CEO, Roche-Bobois US. “Just the opposite.” Visit a European home and you may see a contemporary sofa, for example, paired with […]
If you\’re short a few friends in your life, all you have to do is cross the Atlantic, arrive in Ireland, and within days-if not hours!-you will be embraced (literally as well as figuratively) by the friendliest people in the world. Before I left for a two-week trip to Ireland this fall (my first), my […]
For a vacation with European flair, without having to spend the time or the money to fly over an ocean to get there, you\’d do well to point yourself north and head to the charming Canadian destination of Quebec City. This unique walled city on the St. Lawrence River combines a scenic location, architectural beauty, […]
What do I have in common with former President and First Lady Clinton…or Martha Stewart (and Rob Stewart for that matter)…or Oprah Winfrey? Unfortunately, not as much as I\’d like, but at least I too was able to enjoy the stately elegance and grandeur of The Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, Florida. World leaders, television […]
It won\’t take you long to figure out what Rhett-yes, that Rhett-was talking about when he told Scarlett that he was going to return to Charleston, where he could find “the calm dignity life can have when it\’s lived by gentle folks, the genial grace of days that are gone. When I lived those days, […]
Antwerp has had a long reputation as one of the world\’s great diamond markets, but in recent years, this Belgian city, just 45 minutes from the capital of Brussels, has become something of a gem itself. Once home to artists Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony Van Dyck, Antwerp has now become a center of fashion […]
I have to admit that I was not one of the legions of readers of the popular “Anne of Green Gables” books. Yet somehow, the appeal of Nova Scotia, the setting for the fictional childhood series, has always fascinated me. So when I was looking for a quick getaway recently and found out that nonstop […]
Given that one of my all-time favorite movies is “Brigadoon,” and one of my favorite television programs, “Highlander”-the story of the immortal “Duncan MacLeod of the clan MacLeod”-it was surprising that I had never made it to Scotland before, a lack in my travels that I had been intending to remedy as soon as possible. […]
If you love theater, two destinations come to mind—New York, of course, and also London. If you\’re planning a trip to London, like I recently did, indulge your “culture vulture” side and enjoy the London stage, but from a different vantage point—behind the scenes. To set the stage—so to speak—for your theater-loving experience, choose a […]
“Bath is the finest place on earth, for you may enjoy its society and its walks without effort or fatigue,” wrote 18th century Scottish essayist James Boswell of this English town that dates to Roman times. I daresay should Boswell visit Bath today he would find those walks somewhat more tiring as he dodged the […]
