Pumpkin and cinnamon are my least favorite flavors, so I never had a taste for fall…until I got lost in a field of sunflowers, rolled a wheelbarrow full of pumpkins and stood over a waterfall — all in one 70-degree day.
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Destination Overview
Fall in Love with Boston in 23 Hours
In the late nineties I cashed in a savings bond gifted to me by my godmother and used the $80 to pay for my first-ever flight. The trip was full of firsts: the first time I saw snow on the ground; the first time I got kicked out of a bar; the first time I saw the lights be turned on in a club to signal the end of the night. It was a thrill ride from the moment my cab drove on the sidewalk to when I stumbled into a comedy show headlined by Wendy Liebman to the simplest of delights of buying tulips at a corner shop.
After two decades, I returned to Boston. And in the span of a day, I rekindled my love for the City on a Hill. If you can spare 23 hours here, she may be able to charm you as well.
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Twists and Turns in Tenerife: Canary Islands Wine Tour
Good company, good wine, good welcome,
Can make good people.
(Henry VIII, 1.4.6-7)
I boarded a small van with a group of strangers. We exchanged pleasantries and discovered that we were all in Tenerife for different reasons, some for pleasure others for business and me for a little of both. But it was our shared love of wine that was the reason for our paths crossing on this impromptu tour.
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Leather at First Sight: Shopping in Florence
Illustration by Explore Magazine
We were about to start our dinner when the notion of love at first sight was brought up. Our group went around the kitchen and shared their views, which ranged from a resounding rejection of the entire theory to a sweet and serendipitous how-we-met story.
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Accent on Stonehenge
“Stone. HeNNNge.”
His English accent thick with disdain for the way my Miami accent shortcuts words with too many consonants. To his refined ear, it sounded like I said ‘stonehetch,’ but I assure you, I know there’s a letter ‘n’ in there somewhere.
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Whoosh You Were Here in Madeira
Spread appeared in Explore Magazine
It was a familiar sensation. The feeling of complete surrender, the incessant giggling, and the particular sound that skating over pavement makes. It wasn’t until my toboggan reached the bottom of the five-kilometer hill that I remembered why. I had recreated my favorite childhood pastime (to the detriment of my mother’s nerves): riding a skateboard while being towed by a friend on a bicycle.
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Santa Barbara #Blessed
There is something magical about this place. The beach, the cliffs, the flowers, the trees. They all conspire together to thumb its nose at Los Angeles. Yet, Santa Barbara doesn’t need to be compared to another city to be better than. It earns that distinction on its own. If money and means were available to me, it’s where I would call home…at least part of the year.
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Lines in the Sand: Flight Over Nazca
Cover photo: PBS
While Macchu Pichu is the more obvious attraction in Peru (and rightly so), I’ve always leaned toward forgoing the trek to the city in the clouds for an actual flight above the World Heritage-listed rectangles, triangles and swirls. And no, my fascination with this site does not involve a belief in the popular lore that these shapes somehow relate to alien life. I think it’s more amazing that human beings were able to accomplish this extraordinary feat.
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Luxembourg Syndrome
Paris welcomes more that forty million visitors per year.
Forty million.
Forty million people attracted by the Parisian mystique, delicious food, avant-garde fashion, Gothic architecture, and extraordinary history.
Out of those forty million, there are 12 people who don’t like it.
Twelve.
Twelve Japanese tourists, on average, every year suffer the devastating blow of disappointment known as the “Paris Syndrome.”
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Light of Halifax
Photo Credit: Tony Webster from Minneapolis, Minnesota – Halifax Harbour Sunset Skyline, CC
Mother Nature surely puts on a show in these parts. Local Nova Scotians are accustomed to a life alongside rugged coastlines, colorful fishing towns, rolling green hills and sparkling waters. Its beautiful capital, Halifax, not only encompasses this beautiful scenery, but also her Haligonians (Halifax locals) are quick to show her off to you.
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Singapore in a Second
Whether you’re spending a few hours or a few days in Singapore, you will certainly want to make the most of it. This is a land rich with culture, history and delicious cuisine — and lucky for you, SINGAPORE is small enough.
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Above the Treetops: Spotting Giraffes on Safari
Eyelashes with a wingspan. Feet the size of a dinner plate. An impossibly long neck and a blue tongue to boot. How could you not fall irreversibly in love with this beautiful, albeit odd, animal?
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a little cuban goes a long way 