Organic farmer, Jay Ruskey has been at the forefront in California of commercially growing exotic and rare fruit species at his farm perched on the side of the Santa Ynez Mountains above Goleta since the mid 1990's. The 42 acre farm is about 650 feet above sea level about two miles inland from the Pacific Ocean and on a clear day (of which there are many at this elevation) there are great views of the ocean and the Channel Islands. For … [Read more...]
Matunuck Oyster Bar Rhode Island
Forget hands on. Think feet and bellies. When taking a tour of the aquaculture shellfish farm behind the Matunuck Oyster Bar restaurant in South Kingstown, R.I., you not only learn about where your food comes from, you walk through its breeding grounds, and if you're lucky, harvest a few oysters to eat later. Sometimes the nibbling is sooner. On a tour last summer, led by owner of the shellfish farm and restaurant, Perry Raso,who does them … [Read more...]
Chatham Vineyards Virginia
I recently ventured to Virginia to acquaint myself with this state's blossoming wine industry. Wine in Virginia has a venerable history, dating back to Jamestown and the ten vines that each settler was required to tend. Local boy Thomas Jefferson was on a life-long quest to produce a successful vineyard, and judging from my recent visit, he would be pleased with what today's producers are doing. There are nearly 200 wineries throughout the … [Read more...]
Quick Glance at Budapest
Buda, Obuda and Pest are the three towns that melted to form the city of Budapest. The beautiful capital of Hungary, located on the banks of the Danube, is always ready to receive visitors from all latitudes. Budapest is clearly divided by the Danube, on one side there are the hills of Buda, where the old part of the city is and on the other side the flat area of Pest, in which the most important buildings were erected during the … [Read more...]
Mad Scientists at Raymond Winery
My first impression of Raymond Winery when I arrive for my "Winemaker for a Day" blending experience with my fiance, Tom, is that we are at a traditional Napa winery. The "Winemaker for Day" experience involves creating my own wine blend and bottling the wine to take home with my own label - which I am currently designing with a happy employee named Casey at the tasting room counter. The tasting room has beige walls and white counter-tops with a … [Read more...]
Touring Toronto: Bruce Bell best man for the job
In 1966 Toronto, you could smoke in elevators, but men had to doff their hats. In the early 19th century, when Canada was very much British, you could be hanged if caught singing the pro-United States protest song "Yankee Doodle Dandy,". In the now super-trendy and expensive Yorkville section of the city, folk legends like Joni Mitchell and Gordon Lightfoot got their musical start during that neighborhood's edgy bohemian days. And … [Read more...]
Why French Polynesia Should Be on Your Bucket List
Establishing a bucket list is the ultimate way to kick-start your life goals. As Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman demonstrated in their movie The Bucket List, some are a little more extravagant with their lists than others. Some wish to own a Corvette, others prefer to see the sunrise, and there are those who want to travel the world. If those last two items are part of your bucket list, then a trip to French Polynesia will kill two birds … [Read more...]
An Island Beach Where Three Could be a Crowd
I mean really, where did this crowd come from? We are at White Beach on privately owned Guana Island in the British Virgin Islands, a blindingly bright half-mile stretch of sand that Caribbean Travel and Leisure once dubbed one of the BVI's best beaches. Besides us, there are five people here, two to our right in lounge chairs, two at a small beach bar, and one swaying in a rope hammock beneath a giant tree. To our left - nothing but … [Read more...]
San Diego’s Best Beaches: An Insider’s Perspective
San Diego has acres and acres of coastline. With breathtaking views and free public beaches choosing the "best beaches" is very subjective. In most cases accessing San Diego's coastline also requires a car rental unless you are staying very close to the beach. San Diego's International airport is located minutes from downtown; consider an International Air Charter. Here are five on my favorite beaches and each is dramatically different in … [Read more...]
Ocean House: Luxury on a grand scale in smallest state
For a tiny state - the nation's tiniest - Rhode Island's got it all going on. There's the state's famous beaches (it is known as the Ocean State, after all), an incredible culinary scene, particularly in the capital city of Providence, world-class academia (think Brown University, Rhode Island School of Design) and a rousing arts scene which includes Trinity Repertory Company, the country's last full company theater. Photo courtesy of Ocean … [Read more...]
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