Good Food and Views are Worth the Journey
Southwestern Tuscany, namely the province of Grosseto in the Maremma area, is not as well visited as the rest of the region but I was out here in April to pay a visit to a winery and found some great food and views along the way. This was our fist stop in a wine tour of Italy, and the highlights here include a visit to the Mantellassi winery, the walled cities of Pitigliano and Magliano and the best tortello of our trip.
We stayed at the Borgo Magliano which I imagine would be filled...
Since I'm rarely in Seattle, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to catch the meadow flowers in bloom on Mt. Rainier. The scenic Naches Peak Loop Trail was a great way to view the flowers as well as a few lakes in a relatively easy three-plus mile walk.
Mt. Rainier is around a one and a half hour drive from downtown Seattle. While I joined Evergreen Escapes for this tour to Mt. Rainier, it's actually pretty easy to do this walk on your own if you have a car. The trail is well signed and...
If you're in Seattle and craving a good steak, I think the best place to go is still the Metropolitan Grill. This is an old style steak house restaurant with plush banquette seats, a big bar and waiters in white jackets. But the main thing is that it has a wide range of steak cuts available.
I came here to celebrate my aunt's birthday with my mom and her three sisters. So being a group of five ladies, we definitely knew we'd be better off sharing our food given the large portions. One...
I've always wanted to visit the San Juan Islands north of Seattle, known for their idyllic views, quaint towns and whale watching. While I didn't have time for the latter, I still had a good visit to Orcas Island and Friday Harbor (on San Juan island) - two of the more popular destinations. A visit to the San Juans is especially nice in the fine summer weather.
The most practical way to reach the islands is to drive out to Anacortes and take a ferry from there. From Seattle it...
Sitting in Fonda La Catrina on a hot Sunday evening reminded me of sweating over a good plate of noodles or rice in one of Malaysia's or Singapore's hawker stalls. The difference of course was that I was in Seattle and the food was Mexican. Also, Fonda La Catrina is notably trendier, located in Seattle's Georgetown neighborhood where former warehouses house some "industrial-chic" eateries and bars.
Given the hot day, we made a beeline to the drinks list - I had a strawberry and...