Farsighted Fly Girl

Switzerland i s one of those places that everyone loves. When I visited Lucerne years ago, I was astounded that the mountains and lakes, the medieval squares, were as charming and pristine as all the photos that show Switzerland as this kind of outdoor paradise. Even the Swiss cows, responsible for that life essential, Swiss chocolate, looked pretty as they delicately munched impossibly green grass. So it goes without saying that I'm excited to return to Switzerland, courtesy of  Swiss Tourism , this time to the famous Lake Geneva region.   I'll be visiting Mt. Santis, and the folkloric village of Appenzell  , the textile center of St. Gallen and lovely Lausanne . But what I'm really stirred up about is attending the Fete des Vignerons.  Never heard of it you say?  That's because this viticultural celebration of the regions wine making traditions happens only once in a generation. There's even a rule that it can not  take place more than five times in ...

The beauty and culture of the storied Spice Isle also known as  Grenada has been on my radar for years. This Southern Caribbean paradise is famous for lush topography, including beaches and waterfalls, as well as the production of nutmeg and mace, supplying some of the largest exports of these spices in the world. I will be exploring the natural beauty of Grenada this week, hopping on a dune buggy tour, a waterfall walk (Seven Sisters Waterfall is shown above) and a river tubing experience. I'll of course, also take in the island's history and notable foodie culture with a visit to St. George's spice market and  House of Chocolate.  I'm especially excited to discover the history of revolutionary and Caribbean hero Maurice Bishop , who was the second prime minister of Grenada and was able to transform an oppressed society with a mass literacy program and developing the island's infrastructure and agricultural programs for self- sufficiency. Please stay tuned for...

Some of my favorite scents are the lush tropical fruits and flowers of the Caribbean. The smell of fresh coconut, sugar apple, hibiscus and bougainvillea always conjure up beautiful memories. My sensory memory of St. Martin will remain vivid, thanks to the olfactory wonders of Tijon Perfumerie. The idea of a personalized perfume is really appealing to me because I'm sensitive to loud, synthetic smells.  I'm really particular about fragrance and I like natural scents. Stepping into Tijon is like entering a  French Caribbean perfume paradise. Hundreds of extracts and essences line the lab and there are also ready made perfumes, colognes scented candles and skin products available. But creating your own perfume with a perfume class is the essential reason to visit Tijon. John, the owner and master perfumer, gave us lab coats and explained the basics of perfume making, which is not as simple as you'd think. I sniffed dozens of extracts and oils, many smelled a lo...

It's been a long while since I visited the lively Rock City, also know as St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.  After 2017's Hurricanes Maria and Irma, I covered how the VI was affected and how to help.  This week, I'll get the chance to observe the recovery firsthand and see how legendary vistas like  Magens Bay , shown above, have fared. I'm also excited to attend St. Thomas Carnival!  I'll be watching the kids parade, sampling goodies at the Soca Village and maybe even participating in the adult's parade, so please keep a look out for posts and videos!

Besides the bohemian spirit and international vibe, what I love about Montreal is the zany street art. Yes, there are historic murals and lovely statues but what really excites me are the unexpected art scenes that pop up on walls and in alleys. I  last chronicled the city's  street art in 2014  and four years later, I discovered fresh pieces all around the city with Danny from Spade &  Palacio , which supplies non-touristy tours. Check it out: This rather creepy paintings stared back from a side street. I was thrilled to spot this Jackie Robinson tribute for when he played with the Montreal Royals baseball team. I learned that he played with the Royals in 1946, before starting with the U.S. National Leagues and that it was a mutual love affair between Jackie and Montreal. His wife Rachel described his year of playing in Montreal after dealing with the racial hatred in the U.S. as "like coming out of a nightmare, the atmosphere in Montreal wa...

Many visitors head to the French Quarter when they want to sample the famously flavorful New Orleans cuisine but I prefer to eat where the locals go. So I asked Zydeco star and foodie Sean Ardoin for his recommendations and he insisted that Willie Mae's is the ultimate NOLA restaurant. We rolled up to Willie Mae's restaurant in Treme and the long line of patient customers outside the spot demonstrated that Sean told no lies. We waited for about 35 minutes as a waitress came out to estimate how many tables could be filled every 20 minutes. But once we were inside the historic restaurant that opened in 1957, we could see that the wait was worth it. There's a homey feel to Willie Mae's, like you're eating at your grandma's house. The food arrived quickly and the crunch and flavor of the fried chicken helped me understand why Sean called it the best in New Orleans. We shoveled in green beans, beans and rice and biscuits and my family, all of whom...

Havana earns lots of attention for the historic beauty of the architecture and the vibrancy of the art and music but I think the city's natural beauty sometimes gets overshadowed. Most visitors head to the resort town of Varadero  when they want to enjoy the island's pristine beaches but Mar Azul, a popular local beach, is just 20 minutes from Old Havana. You can hop a bus for just 5 CUC or take a taxi to the dreamy paradise that is Mar Azul. When I gazed at the perfect stretch of white sand and turquoise waves, I caught my breathe.  The sand is silky, the water is warm and the beach was uncrowded the entire five hours I spent there. It really is a local hangout so the vibe is laid back and the prices for umbrellas, chairs or freshly cracked coconuts is nominal.  I splashed in the water with my friends and then walked over to the beach shacks serving freshly caught fish. I savored a whole, grilled red snapper with salad, rice and plantains for about $...

When I traveled to Haiti for the first time, I expected to be moved. For centuries, the island was called the "Pearl of the Caribbean" and the waterfalls and rolling, emerald mountains that prompted Tainos to name the paradise Ayiti , which means mountainous land. was just one of the reasons. But I didn't even consider this. I expected to be thrilled because as the world's first Black Republic , Haiti represents the pride of Black people. Haitians dared to snatch their freedom back from a European power and its entrenched system of slavery and injustice. Despite decades of contemporary oppression and natural disaster, Haitian pride and spirit remain intact. That's what I came to experience. But I was blown away because it's not just the Haitian people and culture that are beautiful but the land itself. There were so many aspects of  Haiti that mesmerized me, my instagram is already overloaded with them. So I thought that I would start with the landscape f...

For my latest adventure, I'll be exploring the beautiful and complex culture of Japan. I'm excited to be hopping the ANA Airlines inaugural flight from Chicago to Tokyo. My base will be the historic Imperial Hotel Tokyo , which has ties to Frank Lloyd Wright and my Oak Park neighborhood, so I can't wait to see another perspective of his architectural style. The hotel is noted for its elegance and service; I'll  even be assigned an attendant!  I'm looking forward to experiencing a  Japanese tea ceremony as well as a Shinto wedding. I'll also visit Kyoto and tour some of the city's famous shrines and landscapes. In between, I hope to visit Harajuku, a Kabuki theater performance and stroll the Imperial Palace gardens, pictured above.  Please stay tuned for posts and videos, maybe I'll even make it to one of those crazy pet cafes!

Browsing through a destination's market supplies so many revelations. The sensory overload of colors, smells and sounds show so much about a place and culture. I was excited to see Merida's Mercado Lucas de Galvez and I was not disappointed. The sprawling covered market offers everything from paella pans to pet parakeets. Walking through the endless aisles was like a lively tour of the kitchens and tables of a local house. I was amazed to find that all of the fruits above are different variations of mangoes. Spices are essential to Yucatecan cooking so peppers, herbs and spices were everywhere. A whole section is dedicated to dulces  or candy, which meant I was in heaven. I felt compelled to buy pounds of my fave cajeta , which almost required me to check my luggage at the airport. But the most unexpected site for me were the vendors for fresh chicharrones  or pork cracklings. I learned that Mexico is one of the world's top producers of pork rinds...

There's nothing more iconic than a bald eagle soaring over the mountains so I was excited to get a close up experience of this in Quebec's Laurentian mountains. At the summit of Mont Tremblant, a Birds of Prey show demonstrates the beauty and skill of native aviary predators. It was raining and cold but I was determined to see and grab some shots of the birds and I was rewarded with the image above. That striking profile against the sweeping mountain backdrop makes it my fave animal photo so far. The falconer explained how there used to be only six nesting bald eagles in Quebec, just 15 years ago. Now, thanks to conservation and the banning of DEET insecticide, there are 200 nesting bald eagles in the region. We got the chance to see owls and smaller birds dive through the sky, and capture meals mid air but I liked the eagle the best. It's a rare thing to get so close to these majestic creatures and I feel lucky to have been close enough to gaze into its eyes. Have...

Dubai is a fascinating city overflowing with larger than life sky scrapers and crammed with people from all over the globe. But Dubai is also located in the desert, with an ancient Emirati heritage that you can only glimpse if you search for it, since native Emirati's are only about 10 percent of the population. One of the liveliest demonstrations of the culture was watching the Ayala dance during a desert safari. Versions of the dance are performed by people across the Arabian Peninsula but the Emirati take involves sticks used to goad camels. Originally, the Ayala, generally known as the stick dance, was a battle dance performed with swords to celebrate repelling attackers from the camp. The formation symbolizes a battle, with the men facing each other and chanting stirring poetry. Today, the dance is performed at weddings and cultural events. A local told me that the dance requires a lot of leg strength because the steps involve flexing up and down, which you can't ...

I'll never get tired of traveling through the Caribbean, especially since Chicago has gifted us with snow in April. Besides the sun, I'm thrilled to be returning to San Juan and St. Croix to explore Caribbean cuisine at two popular food fests. In San Juan, I'll be visiting Saborea , a four-day festival of  the island's culinary standouts as well as music and culture. In St. Croix, I'll be experiencing A Taste of St. Croix , an island wide culinary competition where I'll also serve as a guest judge! In between all the gorging, I'll also stroll the streets of Old San Juan shown above, and Caguas, to witness the distinct criollo  culture. On my beloved St. Croix, pictured below, I'll revisit historic sites like the Whim Estate as well as a few rum distilleries. My San Juan trip is at the invitation of  Puerto  Rico Tourism and St. Croix ,the U.S. Virgin Island Tourism.  Expect lots of tasty posts and pix coming soon!

Valencia is a very pretty Spanish city filled with palm trees, marble streets and a startling mix of medieval and modern architecture. I found the city's overall atmosphere to be charming and festive although a lot of the latter characteristic had to do with the upcoming Las Fallas festival.  The fest dates back to the Middle Ages and welcomes spring with fireworks, huge handcrafted monuments that are torched at the end of the fest and locals flaunting traditional Valencian dress. These ladies were roaming through the crowds as we prepared to watch the fireworks display, called the mascleta. I loved seeing the intricacy of their costumes and their  casual attitude about wearing medieval finery in the middle of gobs of gawking people. I will be sharing several posts about Las Fallas but this is my fave pic by far.

One of the most unforgettable experiences that I've had in St. Lucia is being enveloped by the beauty.  Being surrounded by turquoise-colored water,soaring mountain peaks and lush vegetation all at once fills all of my senses. I never have to do anything in St. Lucia, just partaking of the natural wonders is enough. So when I was invited to Anse Chastanet , the famous St. Lucia resort carved into cliffs, I was ecstatic. What better way to experience the island's assets than up close and personal? Besides offering stunning views, many of the resort's rooms have only three walls, so that you can be completely connected to the landscape. This was my room, complete with a swing and a homemade bottle of T-punch in the fridge. I think staying in this room was the closest I've come to being hypnotized. I sat on the swing, sipping punch and gazing out at the view for hours. When I managed to tear myself away from the view, I just wandered around the lovely...

St. Lucia is an island that epitomizes the idea of paradise. From striking views of the Pitons twin peaks to lush rain forests and surreal beaches, this island overflows with natural beauty. So I guess I should have been prepared when I arrived in the village of Soufriere at Anse Chastanet Resort  and was greeted with a three walled room that showcased the vistas up close. I'll do a post about my room later but non-stop gazing out at that stunning landscape made me think that I had absorbed all the perfection possible. I was so wrong. After hopping a water taxi to Anse Mamin, about 10 minutes north of Anse Chastanet, my mouth dropped. A tiny black sand beach surrounded with cerulean waves and only a handful of people unfolded before me. It looked like a Gauguin painting, it was so unspoiled and tranquil. An open air kitchen served up what was reported to be "the world's best burger," to be enjoyed under palapas with views of the sea. I ordered the fish burger ...

I've been writing for a slew of new publications this year, including a few international sites. I was excited to be contacted by Brilliant Noise Media to craft a story about the best places to hear classic Chicago music for London's Heathrow site, Good to Go . You know I was pumped about sharing Windy City sounds! I supplied details about where to hear signature Chicago blues and jazz. Check out my post here.

Guatemala is famous for the colorful carpets or alfombras , that cover the cobblestone streets of most towns during Semana Santa  or Easter Week. But I was thrilled to arrive in Guatemala City a week after the Easter festivities to find that there were still some carpets left. Some churches were still hosting processions and the carpets are an important feature. The one above is for Saint Francisco. Although the Easter week procession rituals date back to 14th century Spain, the carpets are actually a Mayan tradition. They were created from local materials for kings to walk upon. Today, colored sawdust is typically used to create the more elaborate carpets but flowers, grass, berries, leaves and fruit are also featured. I was excited to see these school girls finishing up a carpet and standing by to join the procession. They were clearly proud of their work and it was wonderful to actually witness the process of creating the carpets. These boys were squirting water on ...