FOOD IS LOVE. . .ESPECIALLY WHEN ACCOMPANIED BY WINE
by Denise Mattia

"Valentines Day...What better day to open a restaurant and bring the culture and customs of my homeland to New York."

Since opening on February 14, 2006, one of the customs Stathis Antonakopolis has continued is his native tradition of wine celebrations at his restaurant, Kellari, a Greek Seafood Taverna at 19 West 44th Street in Manhattan.  The 1500 year-old Dionysian festival of wine cultivation takes place traditionally thr

Sometimes a vacation within a vacation is just the ticket before you head back to the everyday life you left behind a week ago.  I had just finished up a 4-day trip to trendy St. Augustine, Jacksonville’s neighbor to the Southeast. After all that fabulous wining, dining, touring, and shopping I needed a day off to relax and recoup before making my way back to the West Coast.  PR great Leigh Cort suggested I try the seaside Casa Marina Hotel. What have I got to say about that experience?  Always,

This is a great month to travel in Southern California. The weather is cooler, but the “rainy season” hasn’t started, and daylight savings time doesn’t end until November 6.

In La Jolla, San Diego’s favorite coastal community, visitors can expect daytime temperatures of about 75°F (22°C) and overnight lows of around 58°F (14°C).

Kids are free

During the month of October, kids 12 and under are free at 24 San Diego County museums when accompanied by a paying adult. The program is limited to two ch

I have been working with Native Americans in the tourism industry for two decades.  My first forays in this industry were in South Florida, home of the Miccosukee and Seminole people.  Today I work at the Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village in South Dakota, where the ancestors of the Mandan people lived.  Despite the huge geographical gap, there is similarity to how visitors imagine how these tribes may have lived.

Our last tour day in VN was reserved for a trip down the infamous Mekong River. Mary Ann and I had flown over the headwaters of the Mekong located high in the Himalaya mountains while we were in Nepal. We had floated on the Mekong when we visited the Golden Triangle area of Thailand. Both of those wonderful trips are archived in this blog.

I could not help but think that we were probably on the same molecules of water we saw leave the Himalaya. The length of the river is over 3000 miles, and it c

Mitt Romney – yes the GOP candidate – is La Jolla’s newest celebrity resident. In fact, he and his wife Ann bought their beachfront home here in 2008, but no one paid much attention until he filed an application to bulldoze the $12 million house and build a much larger mansion on the site.

If you’re in town and would like to see the “before,” the house is located at 311 Dunemere Drive. The best view is from the beach, which can be accessed from the end of Sea Lane. Island Architects is working o

There is a religion in Vietnam called Cao Dai. The full name is   Đại Đạo Tam Kỳ Phổ Độ (Great Religion [of The] Third Period [of] Revelation [and] Salvation). That  might be the least complicated thing I know about it. The religion has approximately 30 million followers in Vietnam. They believe that before god existed, there was the Tao. Then a big bang occured from which God was created. In order for God to create the heavans and the earth he first had to create the Yin and the Yang. All thing

Caroline’s is perched on a sandstone bluff and serves up a 180° blue-water panorama, as well as healthy, California-style meals.

Some time ago, I wrote about “San Diego’s Best Beach Breakfast,” which described Snackropolis on the SIO (Scripps Institution of Oceanography) campus. However, that landmark closed in early August when Caroline’s Seaside Café opened in the nearby Scripps Seaside Forum.

Caroline’s is named for the wife of Nico Nierenberg, whose father William A. Nirenberg served as dire

Boston Sunset from the Top of the Deck

It's hard to argue that Boston is not the birthplace of America. Just take a walk along the Freedom trail, and you can relive American history. You too can walk the steps of Samuel Adams and imagine America succeeding from the British, and follow the footsteps of Paul Revere and the Boston Tea Party. Indeed, American independence centers around Boston. Politics, finance, religion all centered in Boston as a new nation was created.

Walking around Boston is

We stumbled upon a very detailed step-by-step, illustrated guide on how to "crack, crunch and suck out the best bits" of Shanghai hairy crabs, on CNNGo. Couldn't have stopped for a second to wonder why on earth would anyone eat anything that looks like a mitten, from another planet.

A hairy crab is not exactly the prettiest creature to crawl out of Yancheng Lake into your plate, but they are certainly the most sought after, at this time of the year. When a slight chill can be felt in the air, an

We saw HCMC (onetime Saigon) on the fly. We used it as a base to visit both the tunnels of Cu Chi and the Mekong Delta. Consequently this will be a short post.

The first place we visited was a brand new version of the War Remnants Museum. It is dedicated to the victory of and the gallantry of the people of VN in the war against the American aggressors. It is divided very nicely into areas of interest where you can pick and choose what you want to see. This poster is in the area that displays inte

Customized itineraries are an important aspect of authentic luxury travel. These days we like to focus on our individual interests and leave room in the trip plan for spontaneous detours.

This flexibility may enable staying longer than expected at a colorful marketplace or hiking farther than originally planned. It may also mean, as I learned a few years ago, being able to seize the moment and lend a hand in a developing country.

We stayed at the best hotels in Costa Rica and zoomed over the

The 2011 Fantasy Fest celebration in Key West is the 32nd year of weeklong  fun on and around Duval Street and this year it runs from Friday October 21 to Sunday October 30.

This year’s theme is “ Aquatic Afrolic “ and please note that some of the  events listed below are official and sanctioned by the Fantasy Fest committee  that oversees the event and some events that are “unofficial” may require you to  check with locals to confirm that they are still scheduled on their respective days. Some o

TOURISM & MORE'S "TOURISM TIDBITS"

For September 2011

Protecting the Female Traveler

Since the inception of modern tourism women have played a significant role in the development of the world's largest composite industry.  The tourism industry is proud of the fact that as one of the world's newest industries, women have played a profound role in tourism success. One only needs to attend almost any tourism or travel industry conference and to quickly note that women not only form a significant pro

Wonder where to go in September and October for the best holiday experience? As summer turns to fall (it already did, but we are not ready to admit it), foliage turns from green to a palette of colors, and completely transforms the scenery. Crisp fall days are perfect for the last festivities of the season, and romance, of course. The weather is perfect for long walks in the cities and outdoors, last days in the garden, gathered around the BBQ with family and friends. Find out where the weather

California is known for its great restaurants and many of the best ones are in San Diego.

If you’re lucky (or were clever enough to plan ahead) your vacation will coincide with San Diego Restaurant Week, September 18-23.

As you’ll see from the map on the website, quite of few of the participating restaurants are in La Jolla, San Diego’s favorite coastal community.

Travelers who want an ocean view while they dine will head to The Steakhouse at Azul on Prospect Street (3 course prix fixe dinner, $40