Category: STORIES
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Buenos Aires | Taxi to a Tango
El Tango es el pulso natural de la muñeca de Buenos Aires. The Tango is the natural pulse of Buenos Aires. Leopoldo Marechal (1900-1970) Argentine writer When you’re in Buenos Aires, you can’t miss the fact that tango dancing is an integral part of the city’s way of life. The only problem is, it’s become…
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Buenos Aires | Colorful Caminito
I usually stay away from the mainstream tourist attractions, but Caminito, in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of La Boca, is a photo op that I couldn’t miss. I went there early in the morning, long before the throngs of tourists would clog up the “little street”. . . the English translation for Caminito. (Camino means…
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Argentina | Eight Days, Four Hotels | La Bamba de Areco Estancia
This is the scene that awaited me when the car finally pulled through the gates of La Bamba de Areco Estancia, after a long, dramatic drive on a road that had become a river. It is the staff of the estancia, waiting to greet me. Seriously, how cool is that? Eduardo, my driver, (remarkably unruffled…
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Argentina | Eight Days, Four Hotels | La Bamba de Areco Estancia . . . Getting There
This is the tractor that is coming to pull the car I am riding in, through six kilometers of deep mud and water, to get to my last destination, and most memorable stay of the trip, La Bamba de Areco Estancia. About two hours outside of Buenos Aires, I was dropped off at the end…
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Uruguay | Eight Days, Four Hotels | Costa Colonia, Colonia del Sacramento
In under an hour, a ferry will take you across the Rio de la Plata from Buenos Aires to Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay. It’s an easy day trip, but at the last minute I decided to stay a night in Colonia. Ironically, the hotel I chose to stay in was a stark contrast to the…
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Buenos Aires | Eight Days, Four Hotels | Palermo Soho
In the hip, happening Buenos Aires neighborhood of Palermo Soho, there is a secret garden . . . and in the two houses on either side are the guest rooms of L’Hotel Palermo, one of the four hotels I stayed in during my eight day trip to Argentina. Palermo Soho is known for its trendy…
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Buenos Aires | Eight Days, Four Hotels | Recoleta
I love staying in hotels, but even I will admit that four in eight days, in one location, is a bit excessive. . . but what a way to get to know the diverse and fabulous Buenos Aires and its surroundings. My first stop was Hotel Mio Buenos Aires, in the chic neighborhood of Recoleta….
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Hello, Buenos Aires
With the soundtrack to the musical, “Evita”, running through my head, I stepped out into the myriad, colorful world of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The porteños, the residents of Buenos Aires, were approachable and good-natured. (Well, with the exception of a couple of taxi drivers.) They even humored my pathetic “Spanglish”, which kept sounding a lot…
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Chiavari | Home Away From Home
While working on Brian Boitano’s Italian house for “The Brian Boitano Project” on HGTV, the American contingent stayed in a town on the Italian Riviera . . . a charming town called Chiavari. (Pronounced “key-àh-va-rie” with a rolling “r.”) In the center of town, the Piazza Mazzini, in the photo above, sits in front of…
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The “Just One Suitcase” Test
My friend, Annie, is a brilliant set and costume designer, and a tenured college professor with a master’s degree from Yale. She grew up in England and Southern California, and has traveled extensively. In spite of her education and worldly experience, she has one self-admitted deficit that has plagued her for years. Annie has packing…
