2005 Trips:

Alpine and Marfa, Texas: The Big Bend region of Texas is the Texas of our communal imagination – wide open spaces, desert, dusty ranch towns. But it’s also becoming an epicenter of cool, thanks to Donald Judd’s Chinati Foundation, which has been attracting artists and their ilk, who are making over Marfa with galleries, boutiques and restaurants. I have visited the region a number of times in the course of my 25 years in Texas and I have mixed feelings about the change -- is there such a thing as too cool? Most recently, I stayed at the sleek new lofts attached to the historic Holland Hotel in Alpine and the uber-hip Thunderbird in Marfa.

Outer Banks, North Carolina: I can't say I actually liked my hang gliding lesson at Kitty Hawk but at least nothing was bruised but my ego. My favorite part of this trip was a day-trip to little Ocracoke Island, which is 16 miles long,  spittin’ distance wide and part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, with the exception of the village. You’ll know you’ve arrived at the village when you have to slow for vacationers strolling happily hand-in-hand or biking leisurely through the narrow streets. Drive (Slowly! And stop at duck crossings!) to the free National Park Service parking lot at the end of the highway. It was a long drive here but now that you're arrived, you can turn off the car and forget about it because from here on, your day gets deliciously idle.

Finland: In Helsinki, I focused on Finnish design -- which saw its heyday in the 1950 and '60s. I learned a thing or two with a visit to the Museum of Art and Design, which has rotating exhibits of and about Finnish design of all kinds and particularly insightful interpretive signs explaining the challenges designers face and their road to solutions. Then, I shopped -- window and otherwise -- among the interesting and diverse shops of the newly established Helsinki Design District. I bought enough to require a new suitcase to get it all home... I also spent a couple of days in the sweet little 17th Century Old Town of Porvoo -- a popular cruise ship shore excursion -- where I discovered my new favorite boutique hotel, the itty-bitty pretty Onni.

Taiwan: Taiwan is a fascinating place in that it's China without the bleak and history-destroying legacy of Communism. Temples are still filled with worshipers (however much some may be hobbyists) and old buildings haven't been razed and replaced with cinderblock hideosities. Taipei, where our touring included the National Palace Museum and Chiang Kai-sheck Memorial, hustles and bustles. But Taiwan also has spectacular natural areas, such as the spectacular and untamed marble of Taroka Gorge. We also spent a couple of nights at the lovely upscale Lalu Resort on Sun Moon Lake.

Upcoming Trips

Eleuthera and San Andros resorts: In mid-February, I will visit The Cove, on Eleuthera, and Timao, on San Andros -- two of Bahamas Out Islands. I usually think of Nassau when I think of the Bahamas, which strikes me as unappealingly glitzy. I look forward to acquainting myself to a more tranquil and natural side of the islands.

2004 Trips

China: This China starter set included Beijing, Shanghai, and cruised the Yangtze, seeing the Great Wall, Three Gorges Dam and more. This was a quality high-end tour with Pacific Delight. Stayed in Beijing at the spectacular Peninsula Palace Hotel – an exceptional property. The Victoria Cruise Lines ship – unlike many ships on the Yangtze – was oceangoing quality – elegant, comfortable and friendly. China, which is changing at lightening speed, may be the most fascinating place in the world today.

Phoenix, Arizona: The year 1926 was a biggie for Phoenix. The Southern Pacific railroad was completed, linking the coasts, and Phoenix was en route. To explore properties celebrating their 75^th anniversary in 2004, I stayed at the Arizona Biltmore Resort (which only looks like it was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright). and visited the Orpheum Theater, a beautifully restored movie palace in downtown Phoenix, the Wrigley Mansion, the Pueblo Grande Museum, and the Heard Museum.

Brooklyn, NY: I was born in Brooklyn but moved to Manhattan as a toddler and grew up to be a snob about it. This was the first time I ever really explored my homeland. I stayed in Park Slope for two weeks, explored Williamsburg and Brooklyn Heights, visited Brooklyn Museum, Prospect Park, Coney Island. I’m ready to move there.

Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa: This Hyatt resort is owned entirely by the Santa Ana Pueblo and located on tribal land. Décor and activities -- such as bread baking, adobe brick making, Native American dance performaces and more -  reflect the Native American culture, and the resort is an interesting story of economic development.

Lubbock, Texas: Better than it sounds. The Buddy Holly Center is a sleek museum about the life and contributions of the influential rocker. I tasted the products of the Llano Estacado, Cap*Rock and Pheasant Ridge wineries (yeah, wineries – Texas is the fifth largest wine producing state in the nation). The American Wind Power Center sounds unpromising but is a charming collection of historic windmills. Lubbock Lake Landmark is an active archaeological site, National Ranching Heritage Center includes a 30-acre historical park of authentic ranch structures and the Silent Wings Museum pays tribute to WWII glider pilots.

Lake Austin Spa Resort, Texas: This longtime destination spa that has undergone a recent multi-million dollar makeover, adding the 25,000 square-foot LakeHouse Spa yet has managed to retain the hippy-dippy friendliness that makes it one of my favorite places.