Congratulations!

Hope they like the toaster I sent.

Oh, grow up, Princess!

All this talk lately about princesses and weddings and jewels makes a girl harken back to...well, when she really was a girl.  My grandma Mary had a trunk with the BEST dress-up stuff EVER!  I remember pearl necklaces with huge sparkly broaches, pillbox hats with delicate nets that covered my face - very Jackie O.  She even let me stomp around the yard in a dreamy pair of her lavender pumps. I'd give my left eye to have them now.

Well, I found a way to relive that memory, but...shall we say - take it up a notch?  The Berkeley Hotel is tucked into a shopper's paradise in Knightsbridge, London, overlooking Hyde Park. It's a home away from home for fashonistas and celebrities from all over the world.   But, for the girl who wants to play dress up - and I mean Carrie-Bradshaw-kind-of-dress up - brace yourselves.  First, flip through the The Gallery and drink it all in.  It's almost impossible to chose the prettiest room...they're all so unique and elegant... and fit for a queen.


Suite

Gorgeous, right?  But wait...it gets better. Check in to one of their posh suites and you, my princess friend, can request the fabulous trunk pictured below. 

The Berkely Fashion Trunk is filled with hand picked vintage statement pieces by Atelier-Mayer, a vintage London boutique.Try on a Christian Dior necklace from the 60's, a Pierre Cardin Studio 54 evening clutch, or a Marilyn Monroe-style embellished mink stole. Go ahead, throw them all on and WEAR THEM OUT FOR THE EVENING! That's right, you can wear anything you want from the trunk free of charge.  But, when the clock strikes midnight - your carriage becomes a pumpkin again and the fairy godmother wants her stuff back..um, I mean the treasures must be returned.  However, if you happen to fall in love with a bauble or handbag or those pink Chanel earrings, Atelier-Mayer will happily arrange for the purchase and the delivery of your "new" old treasure. 


Now that you're all dressed up, the only thing missing is a real life London tea party. The Berkely also hosts "Pret-a-Portea" - an afternoon tea with cakes and pastries inspired by the latest catwalk designs; from boots, to handbags, to flirty dresses.  Adorable!!!!

Sigh...ok....I'll start looking for a dude ranch to write about for the fellas....

Rooms start at $600.
For more info on how to travel like royalty, check out The Travel Channel.

Looking for a cheap summer get away?

Check this out:  Yuupon.com.  Save money like Hotwire and Priceline but you actually get to see what you're buying!  Great deals on Disney right now!

Shoot! Where's the camera?

Blessed Sacrament Roman Catholic Church

I came across a great article today.  Similar to my last post, the writer talked about how the greatest vacation memories happen while you were planning on something else and how having a mission - something as simple as finding a new place for breakfast every morning - can make your vacation special.  Funny, how you never seem to remember to take a photo of it.  

I thought of our recent family vacation in New York and recalled when my daughter and I, out shopping one morning, stopped by a century old cathedral squeezed between two huge apartment buildings.  We tiptoed in, took a seat, and listened to the organist practice.  Awestruck, we admired the stained glass and the breathtaking Jesus on the cross suspended above the alter.  In between songs, we heard the loud snores of the homeless people sleeping in the pews.  

It was an amazing moment for both of us.  She'd never seen anything like it before, and I couldn't stop marveling at the beauty and history of it all.  Magnificent.  Although I could have snuck a few photos, it didn't feel appropriate at the time, so I'm left with this one that I borrowed from a wedding photographer (see watermark).


Sure, I've got plenty of photos of the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty and Central Park.  But none of the friendly pizza shop owner who baked little pies hot and fresh especially for us girls, the tiny restaurant in Chinatown where the waitress marveled at my daughter's chop stick skills, the sweetheart hotel doorman who took the time to chat us up every morning.  These little things are the things that will make me smile when I think back to this trip. Where was the camera then?  Oh, I know...all snug in it's case at the bottom of my bag.


The Best Travel Photos You Didn't Take

On a mission....for Michael.

Mr. Buble

I think someone is trying to tell me something.  I was just talking to a friend the other day who was recounting his recent jaunt to Vegas to see a music awards show.  It's such a great idea -not just to go somewhere - but to go with a mission; a game, a show, a store, whatever.  Just having that purpose gets you "out there" and makes you open and available to experience so much more.  Plus, you might visit a city you wouldn't normally consider.  To me, the best vacation stories are about what happens to you when you were actually planning on something else.

I got "pinged" by Ticketmaster the other day notifying me that Michael Buble is coming....
to Duluth.  Wha?! Yeah, that's right.  He's bypassing Minneapolis to go play to that screaming, swooning crowd of cougars in Duluth. Aaahhh, my peeps! I guess that can only mean one thing: road trip.

Duluth

Michael requires a full evening of prep - ie; dinner and cocktails before and after, so this means an overnight stay is a definite must. Although, like most Minnesotans, I've been to Duluth many times...I've never actually been there for "night life". In fact, I haven't been there for an overnight stay in years. My preliminary hotel searches haven't been very promising. I can't seem to find a place to stay that doesn't have
Hampton/Courtyard/Comfort/Days in it's name.  Not that there's anything wrong with that, and I'm not a hotel snob (really) I was just looking for something a little....well...different. The show isn't until June, so I have plenty of time.

More to come on this...

Why I will always wear my seatbelt.

I usually roll my eyes and say "whatever" when the captain says that he's going to leave the seat belt sign on for the duration of the flight.  Sometimes I have it on, sometimes I just forget.  Not any more...

 Why No One Was Sucked Out of the Southwest Jet