Amsterdam is the greatest small city in the world. It overflows with character, 17th century merchant houses and distinctive canals who themselves are listed as a World Heritage.
It’s impossible to escape the city’s history, like that of the quietly elegant De L’Europe, built in the 1800s on the banks of the Amstel River in the heart of Amsterdam’s canal area. Owned by Heineken International, who recently gave it a $83-million facelift, De L’Europe is …
One of the most important things I learned when I was in South Beach, Miami for a day recently is that if you are “in the know” you call it SoBe. If you find yourself in SoBe for a day and you like to shop, eat and lounge on the beach, here’s what I did to give you some ideas.
You have some choices when heading to SoBe from another part of Miami, but …
Whether you call it a souk, mercato, bazaar or market, visiting a city’s local shopping destination is a great way to immerse yourself in the local culture and get a feel for everyday life. There are countless types of markets: Livestock, produce, “wet” (meaning usually freshly killed or still living poultry, meat or fish), gold, spice, night, craft and more. No matter what you are shopping for, it is more than likely that there’s a …
“What do you think of Colombia?” my husband asked. Colombia? We were searching for a way to get to South America from the States, and round-trip flights to the most popular destinations — Argentina, Peru, Chile — were surprisingly expensive. Colombia, on the other hand, was half the cost of those routes, and schedules typically involve a stop in Miami before heading to Bogota, an easy three-and-a-half-hour flight. “Sure!” I quickly agreed.
We spent one …
Virginia has long been a reliable source of natural beauty. Preservationists have taken on the painstaking responsibility of conserving their national forest and parks, while making them available to campers and other nature lovers. So far their success has been phenomenal.
There are many campgrounds available on Virginia’s pristine beaches.
Located by the Chesapeake Bay, First Landing State Park also hosts a camp store, bath houses, and a …
Shopping at the largest producers-only farmers’ market in the United States can be no picnic if you don’t keep in mind the one rule of etiquette that locals practice religiously.
“You’ve gotta go with the flow,’’ says Larry Johnson. “Always make sure you’re heading counter-clockwise, otherwise you’re going to get nowhere fast,’’ the genial long-time manager of the Dane County Farmers’ Market, patiently explains.
Before learning this golden rule, I had started blazing a trail …
The sun was still asleep behind some distant peaks when I clomped out of the tiny town heading for the mountains. Soon it would be a blazing 35 degrees Celsius, and I didn’t want to be halfway up a mountain in that heat. Halfway down a mountain would be fine — but we were still on the upward trajectory.
The cunning plan was to complete the ascent in the shade, then take the sun-baked downhill …
Drive South across Alabama.
Now just keep on driving you are totally out of road. You should see the sugar-white sand and crystal green water of the wonderful gulf coast area.
You have arrived in one of the loveliest, quietest and most family-friendly destinations in Alabama. Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Alabama are so close together they are considered one beach area, and you won’t have any idea when you cross from one to the …
In the past few years at least a dozen shopping malls have sprung up across Bangalore, and many more are in various stages of construction. But in this South Indian city where modernity and tradition happily co-exist, the swanky malls do not outnumber the neighborhood markets, which continue to bustle with activity. In these lively markets and bazaars you can find almost anything you’re looking for, bargaining is expected and the sensory overload is part …
Europe is known for having an extensive and impressive array of Christmas markets, but the seasonal merriment doesn’t have to stop there. In springtime, when flowers, trees and hibernating critters begin to come out of winter hiding, new markets also start to pop up across the continent. Some are devoted mainly to Easter, and all the fuzzy lambs, cheerful bunnies and religious traditions that come with it, while others are more widely in celebration of …
If you are addicted to Project Runway, if you devour the fall fashion issue of Vogue, if you have an account with Bag, Borrow or Steal (a website where a monthly fee allows you to “borrow” designer handbags and jewelry), if you and your friends have arguments over the efficaciousness of skinny jeans (or boyfriend jeans, or low cut jeans, …), or if you simply love fashion and all that goes along with it, it …
Everyone loves shopping while traveling, and visiting a local market is often the best way to find treasures or souvenirs to bring home.
Many traditional local markets don’t operate the same way as shopping mall stores and boutiques, where the price tag has the final say. At these native markets, bargaining for the best deal is the norm. It can be awkward getting started, so here are some tips to help you get familiar with …
Until I went on a Caribbean cruise recently with a bunch of girlfriends I always thought “duty-free” was just another excuse to get all those vacationers into the shops to stuff their shopping bags full of items that could be had back home for roughly the same price. I learned on this trip that I was completely wrong.
This time, because some of my girlfriends were actually going to the pre-port shopping talks I have …
We’ve all had it happen to us — you think you’ve packed everything you need for your vacation, only to discover at some point along the way that something, or several things, have been left behind. Or worse, your luggage gets lost altogether in the endless abyss of airline travel only to appear again (if you’re lucky) two weeks later, looking like it’s been to the moon and back, which it very well may have. …
