travel zen on friday: pemaquid point lighthouse

One of Maine's many lighthouses. The one pictured below is in Pemaquid, ME.

Pemaquid Point Lighthouse.

le voilier plage: beach club in nice

(Nice, France).  The beach in Nice - like the beaches along the Amalfi Coast in Italy - is quite rocky and lined with private beach clubs.   There are free, public areas along the beach interspersed between the clubs.  Either option enjoys the same view and water - but with the club, you get a lounge chair, shade and full food/drink service.  In the U.S., I would probably not consider paying for this type of "luxury", but I was on vacation so why not?

"nose to tail": london's iconic dish?

The Roasted Bone Marrow and Parsley Salad at St. John.

Admittedly, there are plenty of iconic dishes in London. That is, those widely known and well-established dishes that scream "yeah, that's London."

I will submit that St. John Restaurant's Roasted Bone Marrow and Parsley Salad is one of London's top iconic dishes. After all, the dish was arguably popularized by a well-respected chef -- Fergus Henderson -- based on his well-known philosophy of cooking -- nose to tail. 

travel zen on friday: vegas lights

Sunset view from our room at the Palazzo in Las Vegas, Nevada.

my experience flying from burbank to las vegas on a private jet with jetsuitex!

Ah... so this is how the rich fly...

A few months ago a Travelzoo email landed in my inbox with what seemed like an amazing deal - fly on a private jet to Las Vegas at the same price as a roundtrip economy ticket!  So spurred by my love of a bargain, I booked 2 roundtrip tickets for my husband and me for an impromptu trip to Vegas.  The total was less than $400 for both of us.  So how was the experience?

quiet reflections in london (video)

Travel Tip: If you would like to enjoy some quiet time while in London, Postman's Park in the city provides such a place. It is tucked away in a little corner of the city.

Also, within the park is a Memorial to Heroic Self-Sacrifice. Yes, people who have sacrificed their lives while trying to save others. Reading through the plaques commemorating heroic deeds should remind us all that people are inherently good, which is sometimes difficult to remember when inundated by all that we see on the news.

Sometimes, travel requires a time to reflect. I hope you enjoy the short video below of Postman's Park.

travel zen on friday: portland head light

Maine has plenty of lighthouses. One of them, the Portland Head Light, is seen in the picture below. It was commissioned by the first president of the United States, George Washington, in 1790.

restaurant review: le bistro gourmand

(Nice, France).  As a lactose intolerant person, French cuisine tends to be too rich and creamy for me.  But there are some homestyle French bistro food I enjoy with the aid of lactaid pills.  In my search for good bistro cuisine in Nice, I came across this helpful blog - www.bestofniceblog.com - which has wonderful tips and recommendations for Nice.  

Our group took up one of the dining rooms which was quite light and airy.

 Based on the review there, my friends and I decided to dine at Le Bistro Gourmand, and it was a lovely surprise.  

have you ever wondered where the buffalo wing was invented?

Have you ever wondered where the Buffalo Wing was invented?

The Home of the Original Buffalo Wing.

travel zen on friday: wizarding world of harry potter in universal studios hollywood

Finally got to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Studios Hollywood and it was awesome!  Loved walking through the village and trying Butterbeer.  If you are a fan of the books or movies, you'll love this!

restaurant review: restaurant jan (one michelin star restaurant in nice, france)

(Nice, France).  In Nice, we were joining a group of friends for their birthday celebrations so it was a rare situation when I did not plan or organize any of the meals.  Fortunately the food planner was also an avid food and wine lover so he planned all of our group meals beautifully.  For our first large group dinner he chose Restaurant JAN - an incredibly well-reviewed restaurant with one Michelin star.

Here is a sample menu - they offer several choices of prix fixe.  I think we went to the chef's choice which had more than 6 courses.  While each course is deceptively small, all of us were pretty full as we neared the end of the meal.  So how was the food?

restaurant review: eventide in portland, maine

Eventide Oysters.

Portland has been getting a lot of love in the food world. Portland, Oregon, that is.

And, that's great. Portland, OR is a great eating city. But, I have to argue that Portland, Maine is just as great, if not better.

The Scene

Eventide is a small seafood restaurant on the outskirts of downtown Portland near the port. Although, Portland is so small that being on the outskirt is not really all that far. When we stopped in for brunch, most tables and the bar area were full. Luckily, we found a great spot near the oysters at the bar.

travel zen on friday: sunset in seabrook, nh

Sunset behind Brown's Lobster Pound.