Imagine columns of aqua blue starfish, seashells, and kelp bulbs. Visualize ceilings of tire-sized flowers of every color hovering above you and radiating a rainbow of sunlight with your body as the canvas. Picture rowboats piled with Technicolor orbs, wispy rods and belled vessels, floating atop a sea of black glass, reflecting the surreal masterpiecesContinue reading “Dale Chihuly’s Garden and Glass Museum: Art Rivaling Nature”
Author Archives: The Travelphile
Being a Tourist in Your Own Town
I love Seattle, and after nearly four years of living here, it finally feels like home. It’s a dynamite town. It’s small yet metropolitan. Neighborhoods like Ballard, Capitol Hill, Freemont, and Magnolia boast distinct personalities yet feel cohesively Seattle. We have a good baseball team, a stellar soccer team, and a phenomenal football team (GoContinue reading “Being a Tourist in Your Own Town”
Right Place, Right Time: Visiting the USS Missouri
With our moving experience at the USS Arizona Memorial completed, Odile and I have just enough time for a blitz visit to the USS Missouri before scooping up her little cherubs from preschool. As we drive onto Ford Island, the tranquil solemnity I felt on the Arizona quickly gives way to mild panic about havingContinue reading “Right Place, Right Time: Visiting the USS Missouri”
A Date Which Will Live In Infamy
“Yesterday, December 7, 1941–a date which will live in infamy–the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.” Seventy-two years ago, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, in response to the “dastardly” surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, and speaking on behalf of himself and the peopleContinue reading “A Date Which Will Live In Infamy”
Letting Fate Be Your Guide in Venice
Letting Fate Be Your Guide in Venice It’s early morning. 6:30 to be exact. I’ve yet to take my shower, but centuries-old buildings are bathing in amber-and rose-tinted sunlight and summon me for a visit. There’s so much to do today, and I need to maximize my time here. Ninety minutes of Venice practically allContinue reading “Letting Fate Be Your Guide in Venice”
Hungry in Reykjavik
When you think of Iceland, you might think: cold, Leif Erickson, Nordic, thermal energy, big volcano with unpronounceable name, or Björk. I’m not so sure that good food would be among the first things to pop into your head. But perhaps it should be. It’s easy to find top-quality, innovative cuisine using locally sourced ingredients. Continue reading “Hungry in Reykjavik”
Life in a Volcanic Landscape
No trip to Iceland is complete without a visit to the highlands. With the help of an expert guide–equipped with a “Super Jeep”, Rick and I made the four-hour trek from Reykjavik to the rugged and almost other worldly landscapes near Eyjafjallajökul (pronounced EY-ya-fyad-luh-YO-kuld, a.k.a. E15–starts with “E” has 15 letters). You’ll recall that thisContinue reading “Life in a Volcanic Landscape”
Iceland Iceland Baby
What do you do in Iceland when you only have two days to visit? Lots, that’s what. Instead of flying directly from St. Petersburg to Seattle, my partner Rick Steves and I decided to take advantage of spending some time (for the first time) in Iceland. We hoped to break up our jet lag andContinue reading “Iceland Iceland Baby”
St. Petersburg Dining: From Bleak to Chic
They say that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. It’s the way to mine, too. So, when gearing up for our visit to St. Petersburg, the prospect of drab food options made my heart sigh a big meh. I imagined dining exclusively on borscht (beets and my taste buds are mortalContinue reading “St. Petersburg Dining: From Bleak to Chic”
Never Judge a Babushka by Her Head-cover
We walked hand-in-hand, wondering aloud to each other, “When was this built? What do you think that sign says? What was this place like just before the fall of the Soviet Union?” It was the first time in three days in St. Petersburg that we had actually just wandered around. We had been going atContinue reading “Never Judge a Babushka by Her Head-cover”