beignets cafe du monde New Orleans

Savoring the Scents in New Orleans

You’re in New Orleans. Close your eyes and take a slow, deep breath. Allow yourself to succumb to the desire to greedily inhale the intoxicating aromas over and over again. Take notice of how relaxed and completely content you feel while a wide-toothed grin creeps across your face. Except if you are on Bourbon Street.…

Monopoly top hat in Philadelphia

Fun-tastic Philly

Living in the Washington, D.C. area means Pennsylvania is only a couple hours away and I encounter a lot of Pennsylvania transplants. The PA pride is strong in D.C.! But I always figured if Pennsylvania were THAT great more people would stay there instead of coming here in droves, right? Well, I decided it was time to…

A Costa Rican Hill of (Coffee) Beans

Costa Rica, the land of abundant flora, fauna and OhMyGoshCoffeeIsTheBestMorePlease. OK, perhaps I had a little too much coffee while visiting the Central American country, based on that caffeine-filled brain spew. Nah, that’s not possible! The best parts about coffee in Costa Rica other than the fact that it’s delicious, is that it’s everywhere and…

North Cemetery Portsmouth

Blowin’ in the Wind

A destination that compels visitors to return again and again is a rare treasure. For me, those places tend to be big cities like New York or Paris that offer miles and miles of seemingly endless exploration. You can imagine my surprise then, when Portsmouth, New Hampshire weaseled its way onto my “must go again” list.…