Is chocolate the way to a person's heart? It seemed that the iconic screen star Cary Grant thought so when he devised a romantic tryst during a stay at the downtown Mayfair Hotel (now the Magnolia St. Louis). Grant would lodge at the hotel after performing at the adjacent Orpheum theatre. When his eyes first set on the18th floor suite, he was charmed by its 1930-40s glamour and style, and it became his designated suite of choice.

It's hard to imagine that there is feverish activity below decks, while you are more or less inert, abovedeck, sunning languorously poolside, with a frothy, umbrella-adorned beverage in hand. Such is "the life" on deck 11, on an at-sea day on Regent Seven Seas Cruise Line's stunningly appointed Explorer, with its exquisite décor—punctuated by its extensive, on-board art collection, valued at some $6 million. 

I woke from a deep, coma-like sleep.  Not entirely sure where I was…the celestial-looking ceiling above me seemed to ooze Heaven. Nimbus poufs of feathery clouds loomed languidly over my head…hints of statuary, or Cupids, or angelic cherubs, sketched in sorbet colors,floated gracefully on the canopy above my head.  Jet lag being what it is, it took me a few minutes to realize I was in a different kind of Heaven on Earth. I was in the Sofitel Rome Villa Borghese, floating on its signature-branded Sofitel MyBed, my body a limp whirl of protoplasm atop a bowl of weightless cotton candy!

A friend posed a question-why so much focus on Israel when there are so many pressing crises around the world, like the Sudan, largely forgotten? A worthy question, as dire straits expand from deadly political conflicts and authoritarian, corrupt governments to include climate impacts and crop failures.

Our getaway to the Catamaran Resort began recently when we checked into a gorgeous Bayfront Suite overlooking San Diego’s stunning Mission Bay. Spanning 438 sq-ft, the room was highlighted by a large patio that is literally steps from the sandy beach. The suite also boasts a big private bedroom, with two queen beds and a large TV; a separate living area with another big TV, a pull-out sofa, a wet bar with a refrigerator, and a dining area. A large, spacious bathroom with a walk-in shower, completes the room’s layout.

After years of long winter months of Seattle's nonstop stop rain and a sun which refused to shine, I packed up my car and followed the sun to the warmth of San Diego. I was not disappointed; the city was blessed with 12-months of sunshine with an an average temperature between 55 to 75 degrees.

My father, Louis Boitano, born in Ballard, Washington, before it was incorporated into the city of Seattle. He taught me many things which I try to live by today: never judge someone about the money they make in an honest profession; be wary of flag wavers, they’ve probably never experienced a real battle; never define anyone by their religion or by the pigmentation in their skin. And, never sprinkle grated Parmigiano-Reggiano on ravioli, for it interferes with the dishes’ real flavor.

If you were to run into Ben Rice on the street you'd probably think that guy's a lawyer, maybe a realtor or possibly an accountant. But when he straps on his guitar, leans into the microphone and blisters those first few chords you realize; that guy is not an accountant! Rice and his bulked-up sextet, the PDX Hustle, recently made a few West Coast appearances on a quick, 10-day romp through the Southwest.

Talbot County, Maryland is old. Very old. One of the earliest buildings dates back to 1682, a Quaker Meeting House, the site of the oldest religious building still in use in the United States. But more than the origin of its buildings, three favorite sons of the county encapsulate its history in different but fascinating ways. Two were symbols of the Revolutionary War, the other of the Civil War. One a resident (though he wouldn't have been considered so at the time…) of St. Michael's, another Oxford, and the third his very own island, Tilghman.

Although our first President, George Washington, never lived in the White House - it was not completed until the administration of our second president, John Adams. President John Adams is credited with owning the first Presidential Pets: two mixed breed dogs, named Juno and Satan. John Adams' tenure in the White House was short-lived (he lost reelection later that year), but many dogs and cats have served as First Pets ever since. John Adams' son, President John Quincy Adams, received an alligator as a gift from France's Marquis de Lafayette.