Farsighted Fly Girl

Next week, I'm off to the orchards and vineyards of the "Garden of Quebec," as Monteregie is called. Located just southeast of Montreal and filled with natural and gourmet delights, Montergerie is noted for wine, ice cider and tantalizing regional restaurants. My media tour includes visits to five vineyards, three cidreries, one chocolatier and one cheese maker so expect lots of dish sampling, cider sipping and wine tasting posts.  I'm also excited about biking along the St. Lawrence River, visiting a butterfly orchard and learning about the region's 18th century history. So stayed tuned for my exploration of Quebecois culinary culture.

It's a cute idea. Gourmet hot dogs add a little style to this basic fast food and Chicago boasts quite a few eateries offering their take. Frank N' Dawgs ' adventurous menu intrigued me the most. Smoked tofu? Scallop sausage? Kimchi?  These aren't your typical hot dog ingredients and I was fascinated to discover if they actually  tasted good. So I headed to Frank N Dawgs with my skeptical hubby. I laughed at this sign that greeted us, above. In case we didn't know, there'd be no typical dogs with peppers and relish here. Who can think about humdrum dishes when there's triple truffle fries?  Slathered in truffle butter, truffle oil and truffle salt, we almost forgot about the hot dogs as we (mostly hubby) gobbled them down. I opted for fried green tomatoes to accompany my dog. I liked the idea of crunchy, cornmeal covered tomatoes to offset the heaviness of the dog but the cornmeal didn't quite stick to the tomatoes. So I ended up eati...

It happens to me all of the time, especially when traveling.  I'm scrambling to catch a flight, my hands are filled with my carry on, blanket and purse when my phone rings. Lots of fumbling and dropping of stuff usually follows before I can grasp my phone. It never occurred to me that there might be a solution to this not-enough-hands quandary until I was contacted to check out Flygrip . I'm not typically a huge gadget fan but the name alone intrigued me--Fly girl using Flygrip! Cute name aside, I was interested in how this accessory would make traveling and multitasking easier. The colorful clip attaches to smart phones, e-books and tablets with detachable adhesive strips. Secured to your hand, the device allows you to text, read, tweet or take photos without worrying about dropping your phone. Flygrip clips your phone to your fingers so that you still have your thumb and other hand free. I tried it out during a walking tour of Chicago's Gold ...

I like to be daring. I enjoy new adventures. So when I saw people flying over Lake Michigan on huge trapezes, I got excited. How fun would it be to fly through the air with the greatest of ease, the lake breeze wafting over me?  Turns out, that wasn't exactly the experience I had. The Trapeze School of New York in Chicago  appeals to everyone's sense of fun. Lots of people watched as we took turns on the trapeze and asked about classes. Of course,watching and doing are two totally different things. Caught up in the thrill of actually flying on a trapeze, it's easy to overlook the details. The most significant detail that I wish I had known before the class, is that you need to be coordinated. Guess what? Coordination has never been my strong suit. My life is extremely focused on the mental sphere so my command of the physical is relatively weak. Even my trainer gets puzzled with my ability to mix up the simplest routines. So you can imagine my panic when I realized ...

The energy was electric around the ancient site of Chichen Itza. To mark the sacred ceremony,I was covered in white clothing like many of the almost 30,000 visitors who journeyed to Mexico to witness the first leg of the 2012  Mayan equinox. I had glimpsed photos and seen videos but I still didn't quite know what to expect. Would the Mayan magic shift the ground? Would the sky darken? I intended to find out. Since 2012 marks the beginning of a new cycle in the Mayan calendar, the anticipation at the spring equinox was especially intense. I learned about the complexity of the Mayan calendar system and contrary to pop culture claims, there has never been a prediction forecasting the end of the world in 2012. It's simply the end of the old aggressive, violent cycle and the beginning of a new, gentler one. This cycle is supposed to be filled with feminine energy, I saw priestesses leading chanting rituals at the site. December 21, 2012 is the official transition to ...

You know I love the blues. Besides being a part of my heritage, I really respond to the tangible emotions that run through the music, from joy and raunchiness, to melancholy and regret. You have not experienced the real Chicago until you have felt the embrace of live blues late at night, in a dark room filled with liquor fumes and laughter. You can catch Chicago blues on any night of the week in many neighborhoods but all blues clubs are not created equal. Beer selection and a convenient location don’t make a great blues club, the music and the atmosphere does.  I often get asked about the best Chicago blues clubs to visit so here are my  personal picks for the best spots to hear high quality blues, like sets by blues divas Deitra Farr, Nellie Travis and Peaches Staten, above. 1.   Rosa’s Lounge The warmth of this small neighborhood joint extends from the gregarious Italian-born owner Tony Mangiullo, to the musicians and regulars who greet visitors like long ...

Funny things happen when you travel. Inhibitions loosen, the stars align and stuff unfolds. I've written about the Mayan magic that seemed to float through the air during the spring solstice in Mexico but I didn't even touch on what happened at Chichen Itza. This sacred pyramid is an iconic Mayan landmark, watching the sun's shadow, in the guise of the feathered serpent god Kukulcan, creep down the pyramid's steps was a an otherworldly experience that I'll explore in my next post. For now, I'll discuss the other kind of magic I witnessed. His name is Piero. As crowds gathered to watch the sun descend, a woman shouted, "there's a living god walking!" My group turned to gawk at Piero, pictured above, bronzed skin rippling, wavy hair blowing.  Clearly, he was used to being admired and he seemed to  pointlessly stroll past us several times. But we were there to see the sun's shadow descend over Chichen Itza so we rushed closer to the pyramid. ...