My brother John is again off on his round the world galavants. This time he's stationed in Puerto Vallarta Mexico helping get a 46 foot Beneteau sailboat ready to ship off sometime this month for the South Pacific. They are going to head south west from PV with their first stop at the amazing Marquesas (in the middle of nowhere). This small group of islands are among the most remote on the planet - with their nearest continental land fall being … [Read more...]
Gulf Shores & Orange Beach, Alabama
With only a limited amount of gulf coastline in the entire state, this part of Alabama really delivers in regards to long white sand beaches, bright blue sunshine and clean air, world class southern cuisine, but most of all, the genuine Southern hospitality. The area certainly becomes crowded in the summer. This is a true family destination with a wide range of visitors coming from the Midwest and the East Coast. Visitors come year after year; … [Read more...]
On the way to Alabama
"Above the Clouds" - the name of this blog, is an appropriate one for this post! Internet is everywhere these days - always nice to be working/surfing at 35,000 feet where I currently am! It appears that we are over the Texas panhandle on the way to DFW for a stopover and then down to southern Alabama where a group of travel, wine and food journalists will treated to some Alabama hospitality over the next week and especially to some excellent … [Read more...]
Wrapping up Harvest Napa Valley!
During the last 15 years I have been visiting, tasting and reviewing Napa wineries (The Napa Wine Project). This project to date has reached 10,000+ hours, 1,030 visits, tastings and extensive reviews of unique Napa Valley based wineries, producers or tasting rooms; eventually I have to write a book about this unique experience. During the project I met Emil Tedeschi, owner of Tedeschi Family Winery and I have been working here when I'm in town … [Read more...]
Bridge of Life
This "bio" museum (Bridge of Life) at the time of our visit was under construction; it is located on the Amador Causeway (made from rocks excavated from the Panama Canal) that connects the island region of Amador to the mainland (about 20-25 minutes from Panama City. We drove past this museum a number of times during our stay here. The museum is the only Frank Gehry designed building in Latin America. It opened in late 2012. At the time of … [Read more...]
Chillin’ in Panama
Arrived in Panama (my last North American country to visit) after a very quick break between the Egypt trip- looks like the main city is booming - cranes and towering skyscrapers (some in progress) are lined up all along the shoreline. We are staying in an upscale International chain hotel but with a twist. There is large color photo that spans the length of the wall of semi nude women. Ummm yea. Panama has their own currency, the Balboa - but … [Read more...]
Groupon Giveway
Launched in November 2008, Groupon features a daily deal on the best stuff to do, see, eat, and buy in a variety of cities across the U.S., Canada, Europe and beyond. Groupon is offered in 230 cities worldwide and for international travelers, is available in 25 countries. We will give away a $20 value Groupon bucks coupon to the first person who can identify where the following photo was taken (US State and the name of the mountain). Post … [Read more...]
Los Angeles Athletic Club
We recently stayed at the Los Angeles Athletic Club (a private membership only club but with hotel rooms available to the general public - the first private club in Los Angeles, founded 1880). We stay in a fair amount of National mid to higher end chain hotels and it is very refreshing to find a hotel such as this one with its uniqueness, elegance and history. As soon as we arrived we shot up to the rooftop for some relaxation with a cold one … [Read more...]
Another fantastic trip to LA and the OC!
One of the highlights of this latest trip was re-visiting Universal Studios (and experiencing lighter than normal traffic on the infamous freeways). One new attraction to me was the Ifly experience located in the "citywalk" which leads to the main entrance. This is a "vertical wind tunnel" which for $40 and 2 mins of your time (after waiting in line and undergoing a short instruction session) you can "fly"! Put on a flight suit, goggles and … [Read more...]
A Visit to Francis Ford Coppola Winery
A few days ago we made the trek up to see the progress on the Francis Ford Coppola Winery in northern Sonoma County - about 1 hour and 20 minutes north of San Francisco California (with good traffic). While the focus is on the wine here there is actually quite a bit to explore on the property - 2 large pools, a restaurant, of course a movie collection, several tasting bars, bocce courts etc. The pools opened sometime this fall and … [Read more...]
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