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Southern Italy where they’ve perfected the art of slowing down
When our cook, Fausta Solfa, mentioned that dinner would be at 7:30 pm, someone in our group asked: “Is that 7:30 pm regular time or Italia time?” The rest of us started laughing. Four days into our week-long sojourn in southern Italy and we were finally getting used to the pace: be ready by 8:30…
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Magic in the heart of the Austrian alps
From ski slopes with stunning vistas to fine food at the top of the world, the Austrian Alps roll out the welcome mat. Not far from the violin harmonies of Mozart in the gilded halls of Salzburg, I discovered a quieter perfection – the sound of a gurgling mountain stream and cowbells while hiking through…
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Burgundy by bike, boat or car
Paris may be crawling with tourists scurrying to monuments and museums, but in Burgundy, a mere 90 minutes south on the TGV train, sightseeing is never an object. The pace is slow, the countryside bucolic and the pleasures of gastronomy rule supreme. The chandeliers in the Michelin-starred restaurants are eternally glittering and the puffy…
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Culinary adventures and travel tips to avoid the worst.
Many of us travel, among other reasons, for the love of food. These travel tips to help you survive your culinary adventures worldwide. My culinary adventures include eating yak eyeballs in Tibet, bamboo grubs in Thailand, fried crickets in Myanmar and Rocky Mountain oysters (cow balls) in Wyoming. …
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Best romantic spots in San Francisco to steal a kiss
From sunsets on the beach to expansive views of the city by the bay, here’s some local expertise on great romantic places to kiss around San Francisco. Here are a few of my favorites. 1. The Marin Headlands is open space above the Golden Gate Bridge and a perfect place to watch the sunset with…
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Best romantic spots in San Francisco to steal a kiss
From sunsets on the beach to expansive views of the city by the bay, here’s some local expertise on great romantic places to kiss around San Francisco. Here are a few of my favorites. 1. The Marin Headlands is open space above the Golden Gate Bridge and a perfect place to watch the sunset with…
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New york’s neighborhoods: soho, noho, chelsea, greenwich village, and tribeca
I visit New York about three times a year, usually alone, on business. I’m going back to speak at the New York Times Travel Show and will report on new neighborhoods and “finds” soon. On a recently trip with my twenty-two-year-old daughter we explored new neighborhoods recommended by her friends who live in the Big…
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Chef’s holidays at yosemite
Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul – John Muir Hike through Yosemite Valley surrounded by waterfalls, or cross-country ski along the Merced River beneath granite walls, then return to the giant fireplaces and soaring ceilings at…
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Celebrate wine, food, love of life in the heart of alexander valley
There is still room at the table on the terrace overlooking the vineyards of Alexander Valley at the newly opened Francis Ford Coppola Winery restaurant near Geyserville. The 88-acre property of rolling land includes sustainably farmed vineyards and embraces bucolic views from the terraces, tasting rooms, movie gallery, pools and bocce ball courts. Recently on…