coming up for air

i know i have been mia but as some of you know, it’s because i was co-authoring a travel guidebook. “the insiders’ guide to new york city” is finished—my portion at least—and will be released in october. pre-order it here.

the editor liked it so much she offered me another book, one i would author solo. eeek! i am thinking about doing it. i would get royalties for every copy sold, which is an alluring incentive. but writing 55,000 words in three months is a daunting prospect, especially since i am still doing the bulk of the writing and photo sourcing for goodlifereport.com. what do you think i should do?

i have also been traveling a lot. i was in new brunswick to fly fish on the same river as the venerable dick cheney. i know, cool, huh? a few days after my return, i left for california to attend a wedding in st. helena and to travel through wine country and san francisco. it was a great trip. i could have done without the 100+ temps in napa, however. biking in that heat is insanity but we did it. was great to see my friends colleen and josh and sarah and adrienne. had a great time in san francisco. i recommend the hotel vitale for great views of the harbor.

while in yountville, we stayed at the bardessono hotel. it’s almost fully eco-friendly. the structures are made from reclaimed lumber and cement, the water is filtered and recycled, the whole complex is heated and cooled via geothermal wells and solar panels power the electricity. amazing property. one of the best hotels i have ever stayed at and that’s saying a lot.

we never made it to the french laundry for dinner or lunch. reservations are notoriously difficult to get. next time for sure. i just have to save up for that…

picture of the week—week four

off to aruba tomorrow but before i go, here’s this week’s picture of the week.

bora bora. november 2005. i had traveled to tahiti, moorea, bora bora and rangiroa with seven other journalists. the trip occurred during an especially monumental birthday. since my friends hadn’t organized anything in my honor, i accepted the invitation to fly to french polynesia for work. work it was, but at least i celebrated my birthday in paradise.

this was taken from a small island near the bora bora nui hotel. a local fisherman and his family had taken us journalists on a shark-petting excursion earlier in the day and we had become so famished from the fear, that they kindly grilled fish for us on this small outpost. mount otemanu is in the distance. still one of the most beautiful, tranquil places i have ever visited…

picture of the week—week two

this photo was taken in venice the summer after i graduated from syracuse university. i had splurged on a minolta 35mm camera as a reward for graduating with honors, and had purchased 10 rolls of polaroid film for my six-week backpacking sojourn across europe. yes, polaroid once made 35mm film and the quality was oftentimes better than kodak and fuji.

i came across my subject after wandering away from my friend carrie, who was busy inspecting venetian masks at an artisan’s shop. the picture has faded with time but the colors were very rich that day. the blond of his hair contrasted beautifully with the brown of his jacket and the blue of his shirt. i didn’t try to focus, i just ran up to him, took the pic quickly and looked back to see if my clumsy fumbling had awakened him. sleeping beauty slept on…

my pseudonym

i once wrote under a pseudonym. i won’t go into why but suffice it to say, i wanted to showcase my writing. the name i picked was a hybrid of a tragic character from my favorite shakespeare play and the preeminent hero from english literature. the name was about as different a moniker as you could get from my own, conjuring up images of a redheaded english girl, with rosy cheeks and a spirit to match. 

under the name, i wrote several short beauty reviews for new york magazine’s website as well as a number of music and restaurant reviews for the new york press. 

for new york magazine, i had the somewhat enviable task of visiting a spa or salon, interviewing the owner and/or manager and enjoying a free service. that may sound fun but sometimes you get what you don’t pay for. at sleek medspa, i received my first laser hair removal treatment and now i am hooked. at panyc, the owner chopped my curly hair into a femmullet, giving me the worst haircut of my adult life (those who remember me from childhood can attest to my afrocious do in junior high school, which was by far the worst haircut i’ve ever had). 

my last assignment involved visiting a spa in midtown. when i walked into the space, i was greeted by an ivana trump look-alike who claimed to be a countess. the spa itself resembled a russian souvenir shop and smelled like a vintage store. as i spoke to the proprietress, i took in the photos of republican dignitaries crammed onto every available space. after the short interview, the “countess” offered her signature facial treatment. without warning, she began slathering on creams, 13 in all, unconcerned that some of the product was getting into my eyes. when i complained, she said, “this will be the best facial treatment you will ever receive!” i tried to make the best of the situation even though my eyes were stinging. i also could have done without the decolletage massage, which got a little too personal for my taste.

before i left, she offered me cake and a jar of $500 body scrub. was it an apology for the red, burning eyes and the breast exam? no matter, i was happy to receive it and happy to leave.

that winter, i used the body scrub twice a week. i confess, it’s the best body scrub i have ever used. but was it worth the agony? the irony of the situation was my editor had sent me to the wrong spa. the two spas shared the same name but the one i was supposed to visit was modern and on the other side of town…