Wanderlust

California Northern Series: Final Stop … The Golden City of San Francisco

Last leg of a 10-day road trip through California coastline arriving at the state’s most quintessential city.

Next and final stop is the quintessential city of San Francisco. A city where the contrast between the rich and the poor is exacerbated by the growing housing crisis and, more recently, the pandemic.  Yet it is a romantically alluring city with so many distinctive iconic landmarks to revel in.   There is so much to see when visiting this city, beginning with the Golden Gate Bridge to the popular Alcatraz Island. The architecture of the city is just truly exquisite, stylish and diverse. It represents a combination of Victorian homes of every type from gorgeous Queen Anne styles to Gothic and Tudor Rival structures, including some very cool contemporary modern architecture.

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Wanderlust

Northern California Series: Luscious Laid-Back Wine Country

Third leg of a 10-day road trip through the California coastline exploring this country’s most beautiful wine scenery from Mendocino to Sonoma to Napa Valley, known worldwide as US premier wine-growing region. Leaving Fort Bragg away from the coastline, going south, the landscape drastically changes from that of just miles of astonishing redwoods to thousands of acres of vineyards on rolling hills. These vineyards are nicely organized in rows spread out over the mountainous terrain.   Once you leave Mendocino County and enter Sonoma County, the landscape intensifies with miles of farms and vineyards adorned with beautiful Spanish and Mediterranean architecture designed for outdoor living and farm-to-table eating. 

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Wanderlust

Northern California Series: Magnificent Redwoods and Coastline

After the cancellation of my flight on the morning I was to arrive at Eureka (American Airlines sucks), I quickly had to rethink my travel plans and switch airlines pushing me back at least 6 hours to make it to San Francisco and take the last plane leaving for Humboldt County airport. Once in San Francisco, I met up with a friend to begin the first half of a bucket list road trip through the coastline of California…..

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How-To Tips Product Reviews Shoppers Guide Travel Tips

Shoppers Guide: 19 Travel Essentials in Time for Planning your Next Trip

If you are planning to travel domestically or internationally, there are a number of essential items that will make your trips stress-free, worry- free and enjoyable. Whether you are on a two or eight-hour plane ride, endlessly waiting at the airport, relaxing at the hotel and finally hanging out at the beach, pool or the bar we all need special travel gear to get through the days and the week. Here is my list of travel essentials in time for planning your next trip…….

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Travel Tips Wanderlust

A Bucket List Journey through Coastal California

Itching to travel but not quite ready to head out internationally, I decided to travel domestically and check off a long-desired bucket list trip. I have visited California many times over the last 30+ years, mostly short business and leisure trips, however nothing as lengthy as a road trip through the northern and southern California coastline. Check out what this journey is all about….

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My Photography Travel Tips Wanderlust

Spending the 4th of July Weekend in New York City

 With a forecast of a rainy weekend, my sister and I skipped the beach and decided to hangout in Manhattan. It was nice to see New York swing back to it’s Pre-Covid days.   We were able to book a hotel at a decent price within the Broadway district, in part because the theaters are mostly closed until the fall. We made plans to visit the Musuem of Moderan Art, Hudson Yards, the High Line and the Chelsea neighborhood to both shop and eat……

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Travel Tips Wanderlust

Buying Travel Insurance during COVID

Planning a bucket list trip soon? I am! If you are, you may want to check your annual travel policy or the box you check off when purchasing an airline ticket to make sure the policy covers COVID since not all companies provide this coverage. Vaccines are 88%-90% effective which means you can still catch the virus while traveling and wind up in a hospital although its fair say you won’t die … that’s the good news. The bad news…..

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My Photography Wanderlust

The Top Eight Most Fabulous Cities to Visit in Portugal

Are you itching to get on a plane and go international soon? Maybe this summer, now that many countries have opened their borders. May I suggest Portugal? Whether you go for a week, two or three it will still not be enough to fully appreciate this magnificent country full of vintage castles, beautiful coastlines, daunting vineyards, and sooo much history. Whether you get there through the Lisbon, Porto or Faro Airport, all three offer a variety of ground transportation to get you to your destinations. Here are my favorite picks and why….

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Travel Tips Wanderlust

What You Need to Know When Traveling Post Pandemic

I recently started to travel domestically and noticed how crowded the airports are becoming. Airport security lines including the TSA PreCheck program I subscribe to are experiencing long lines. I also noticed the recent installation of CLEAR stations at several airports, a privately held security service that allows you to skip to the front of the security line much faster that the TSA PreCheck program. I decided to explore whether this would be a worthy investment as well as checking to see that all of my required travel documents for both domestic and international flights are updated.

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