While the Anasazis actually lived no where near the Manitou Cliff Dwellings, the real deal was brought down, brick by brick and faithfully reconstructed as a tourist site in my home town. I hadn't been since I was a kid, so on a recent trip home my family and I took advantage of the insane 55 degree weather and crawled through tiny abodes, sat on wooden ladders, and my dad even got inside the traditional oven.

It really is quite beautiful and unlike the Cave of the Winds up the road (which I'll tell you about next week), there is no guide required – you can stroll around on your own time. There is also a gigantic multi tiered gift shop sprinkled with rattle snake taxidermy where we got a shot glass with a bear inside it and a nice little museum with dioramas and lovely painted pots.

While it's clearly a paler cousin to the massive dwellings at Mesa Verde, it's a fun old timey tourist destination and you can eat some great Mexican grub and margaritas after wards at the brightly and sometimes erotically decorated Amanda Fonda restaurant in town.

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Posted on January 26, 2009

I happen to love both portraiture and our forefathers, so the Portrait Gallery inside the second bank of America in Philadelphia in Independence National Historical Park was a neat stop for me. Seeing portraits of the likes of Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, and the handsome Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton make them seem more like real people rather than myths of history books.

And when you think about it, they were pretty remarkable: daring, inventive, devoted, and courageous – they were men who would probably rise up in revolt over the past fews years to see what some politicians have done to their country.

The gallery is expansive and includes portraits of not only the well known greats, but hundreds of men and women that shaped this country as well as a pretty sweet bald eagle.

Admission is free, so there's no cause to skip this next time you're in the area. See my photos?here.

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Posted on January 12, 2009

With the culinary school of Johnson and Wales, Providence is perhaps surprisingly, a hotbed of delicious food. On a recent trip back to my college town (where my old apartment building has certainly seen better days) we decided to partake in some new culinary offerings as well as visit some old Federal Hill favorites.

Federal Hill is a landmark area, cluttered with Italian restaurants, markets, and shops. In school we often would stop by Bob and Timmy's and recently had a nice meal at Walters, just two of many spots for pasta. This time we headed to the markets, first stopping by Tony's Colonial Food Store for a meatball sandwich to share and a pack of these lovely Leone Violet candies. The small market is brimming with imported goods and about sixty varieties of olive oil.

Down the street is Constantino's, another market that's much more intense with crowds (which is why we avoided it on arrival after a long car ride) but we went back before heading home with lots of delicious goods like fresh made Walnut and Gorgonzola Ravioli and a Sweet Pumpkin Pesto to go with it. We also picked up home made Torrone, a delight that is immeasurably greater than the boxed version that is readily available. If you get nothing else on your visit to Federal Hill, bring back a square of this nougaty sweet.

Jut around back of the main square you'll find Pastiche for your fine dessert needs. It's not cheap (it was about $12 for two slices of tarts – pecan and apple) but the slices are sharably and very yummy. It's been around for 25 years for good reason.

For a sit down meal we had intended to try the newish and recommended place New Rivers, but they were closed, so we found another fairly new spot called La Laiterie Bistro, a dimly lit, comfy brick restaurant nestled next to a sister reputable cheese shop. It is an excellent addition to the already glowing food scene in town.

We ordered the Berkshire Pork Chef's Whim tasting menu with accompanying beers (not a usual option, but one I'd love to see on more tasting menus instead of wine). The meal began with an IPA and a delectable pork cheek with poached egg, winter vegetable and black eyed pea puree. Next was a terrific, almost sweet multi-grain ale called Sphinx, by Otter Creek (friends, keep an eye out for this at beer shops!) and a filling, salty loin with warm sauerkraut and potatoes. We finished the reasonably priced ($50 with the beers) three course meal with feta, oatmeal crumble and pea shoots paired with the best mead I've ever had from England (not that the stuff at the Ren Faire is that hard to outshine). He also recommended a Danish mead called Viking Blood that I am on a quest to find in New York.

The service was enthusiastic and affable, and La Laiterie is clearly becoming a neighborhood favorite. The place was packed by 6 pm. It's very on trend with an interest in local farming, seasonal foods, and an informal but refined environment where the wait staff dresses impeccably and Belle and Sebastian is piped through the speakers.

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Posted on December 28, 2008

You would hardly expect the unassuming brick Union Church in Pocantico Hills to house a huge Matisse stained glass window and nine colorful Chagalls. But once you hear the name Rockefeller attached to it, the priceless works make a bit more sense. This, mind you, was back when the elite wealthy were patrons of the arts and philanthropists rather than reality show whores and soulless crooks.

Sadly there are no photos allowed, I wish I could show you the beauty of the light streaming in Chagall's bold colors. So make sure you go while the sun's still up to truly experience it.

The cost is five dollars and a very sweet old woman is there to briefly take you though the history of the building and the windows.

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Posted on December 15, 2008

While opening new malls might not seem the brightest thing to do in this economy, I guess outlet malls are a different story. We took a trip down to the area's newest The Jersey Shore Premium Outlets in Tinton Falls with work because it's the site of our newest Oshkosh B'gosh store. I have to say, it looks great. I hate to sound like a commercial but, hey, I happen to actually be very proud of our product, I only wish it were closer to us so more people could discover our clothes! Just look at this adorable striped toddler dress (all yours Bea when I see you) and this soft newborn onesie that has bear ears and paws on the feet. You can also find the standby classic overalls and cuddly toys for all the little boys on your gift list.

While the mall is also home to some high end shopping like Burberry and Kate Spade, you kind of know me well enough by now to know that I am not always about high end. Therefore I found a bit of flashy high heeled happiness at Nine West, where these were by one get one half off, so I opted for red and purple. My real find was a discount Claire's (I know how can a Claire's become even more discount??) well,?I went insane all over this place and walked away some neon nail polish, a necklace, and with over thirty pairs of earrings. I'd like to draw your particular attention to these zipper ones.

The J Crew outlet was a great spot for boyfriend/husband shopping and more than one of my coworkers and I were swayed by this lovely purple top, which looks like preppy boy heaven with the striped tie.

It's about an hour drive from the city, and to be honest the food court is terrible, but, and I know this could convince me to return – coming soon is an Orange Julius! I didn't even know they could be found anymore. I was crushed to see the sign and realize it was not opened yet.

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Posted on December 1, 2008