Italian fishing village. Celebrity haven. Super douche super yachts. Tourist attraction. Glorious holiday resort. Portofino is all these things. Tucked into the Italian Riviera coastline, just southeast of Genoa, lies Portofino. A slowly winding passage of narrow cliffside roads took us past villas as colorful as a gelato stand, designer boutiques featuring tiny bikinis and […]
Read more "Perfecto(ish) Portofino"On our last full day in Como, we carved out a morning and better part of the afternoon to catch the ferry to Bellagio for some exploring. Bellagio is the pearl of Lake Como – a stunning village situated on a promontory jutting into the center of the lake. Because of it’s location, there are […]
Read more "Bougie in Bellagio"After a few days in a bustling city, we were ready for some relaxation and lake life! We hopped into our tiny Fiat rental and cruised north to the tiny town of Laglio. Because I am unoriginal and American and was overwhelmed by the number of amazing AirBNB and hotel options on Lake Como, I […]
Read more "Cruising to Como"Ryan and I scored amazingly cheap flights to Italy using DealRay– $425 flying from Charleston to Milan, and then Rome to Charleston on the return. We decided to start in Milan, drive to Lake Como for the weekend, and then down the coast to Rome, stopping in Cinque Terre along the way. We bought the […]
Read more "Evacuating to Milan"One of the reasons my parents picked Estes Park is that it’s considered a base camp for all the best hiking around Rocky Mountain National Park. Being that I am much more comfortable with beaches, I didn’t realize how much planning was required in organizing your hiking plans to make the most of your time. […]
Read more "Gone West Part 2 – Hiking Around Estes Park, Colorado"A family vacation to Estes Park marked my first time to Colorado, and also my first trip spending significant time at high elevation. I consistently had a dull headache, I was never not thirsty, and to quote my husband, my skin looked like I had greyscale (see: Game of Thrones) Luckily, the edibles are in […]
Read more "Gone West Part 1 – Exploring Estes Park, Colorado"Santa Teresa, Costa Rica is the next Tulum. So says The New York Times, and I tend to agree, although a part of me hopes it never grows to that level of hip (sorry Tulum, you are still lovely). In the most insane stroke of luck, just as we planned our Costa Rica visit for […]
Read more "Santa Teresa & Mal Pais, Costa Rica"Costa Rica is one of my favorite places on earth. I tend to want to visit places that I’ve never been, but Costa Rica always draws me back. This time we are here for good reason – one of Ryan’s closest friends is getting married! He lives in Playas del Coco, so Ryan and I […]
Read more "Playa Ocotol, Costa Rica"This is the fourth time we’ve had the honor of FIG being nominated for Outstanding Wine Program, and our third trip to Chicago for the awards ceremony (they were previously held in New York). Although we haven’t taken home a win for wine (Chef Stanhope won Best Chef: Southeast 3 years ago, but still no […]
Read more "JAMES BEARD AWARDS, CHICAGO"12 years together, a lifetime to go! March 31, 2017 marks our five year wedding anniversary, and 12 years total of being together. It rained on our beach wedding (rainy weddings are lucky!), so we had to move the ceremony indoors at the last minute, with the vows on the back porch rather than the […]
Read more "Five Years of Marriage…"
YOU'RE A DAISY IF YOU DO 