byLeslie Carbone
I stood shoulder-deep in the cool turquoise water and could see clear to my bare feet on the soft sand. The glowing descriptions I’d heard of Caribbean beaches weren’t poetic exaggerations after all; they were true. This post contains affiliate links. For more information, click here. Half Moon Cay is one of about 700 islands that…
byLeslie Carbone
I’d never imagined being so stressed-out getting ready for a Caribbean cruise. But then, a lot of things have happened over these last two years that I’d never imagined. Seven extended-family members and I recently took a holiday cruise on Holland America‘s Nieuw Statendam. And it was fabulous! We had planned to take a similar…
byLeslie Carbone
“Dean Martin” drank my martini. This post contains affiliate links. For more information, click here. Okay, he wasn’t really Dean Martin; he was a Dean Martin impersonator at a Rat Pack tribute show in Las Vegas. But he came down from stage, introduced himself to my table-mates and me, and asked to “borrow” my drink for…
byLeslie Carbone
My skin almost sizzled under the summer sun. But no matter, I was at a Red Sox game, with my aunt and uncle. They made sure to spend time with me whenever they were in Boston after my parents passed away. It was great to be with family. And it was great to be at…
byLeslie Carbone
Winter travel offers a much-needed escape–whether from holiday stress, short drab days, or two long years to flatten the curve. If you’re ready for a get-away, the personal-finance site WalletHub last month released its report of Best Winter Holiday Destinations, divided into warm- and cold-weather cities. The top destinations are: This post contains affiliate links. …
byLeslie Carbone
I lifted my feet and straightened my legs, like a little girl on a swing in a park. In reality, I was an adult woman on a low-backed swivel chair in a converted shopping center. But I felt as though I were floating through Provence on a ski-lift, and seeing it through the eyes of…
byLeslie Carbone
In 1770, the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland sought to renovate the drawing room of their large Jacobean townhouse on London’s Strand. They wanted it to sparkle during their lavish parties. They commissioned Scottish neoclassical architect and designer Robert Adam for this work. He created a chamber lined with gilt-edged mirrors, green-glass pilasters, and red-glass…
byLeslie Carbone
Few things intrigue the American imagination like the Old West. In the story of taming the land, we see the story of our own lives. The raw earthy impetuousness of youth gives way to the elevated deliberate polish of maturity. It’s necessary; we can’t go on being brash and infantile forever. But it does evoke…