Table Mountain was not on our itinerary, not for that gorgeous day. After an emotionally charged visit to Robben Island, all we wanted to do was have a meal and take a nap. But Ian, our guide, insisted. The weather was perfect, he said. There was no guarantee we’d have another one, best to take advantage. If the clouds came in, visibility on Table Mountain would be reduced. I know...

Jerk is both a style of cooking and the mix of spices used to make jerk. It is a very popular way of cooking in Jamaica that has grown from chicken to pork, fish, sausage, tofu, lobster, etc. My earliest memories of jerk was of a man who used to sell jerk chicken door-to-door on his bicycle. Back then, making jerk was an elaborate affair – it was always slow-cooked...

“Harlem’s Backyard Gems is my entry into TBEX Blog Carnival Contest sponsored by Choice Hotels International Services Corp.” When I decided to move to New York in the late 90s, the only place I wanted to live in was Harlem. I imagined myself in a brownstones like the one of a family friend I visited in the 1970s that became symbolic of this historic neighborhood. With sweeping steps that led...

  A few weeks ago, when the temperature hit the mid-90s, all I wanted to drink was water. Normally, I don’t use ice but when it gets really hot, I keep a pitcher of ice cold water and a glass pretty close by.    

A tour bus gives visitors the option to disembark and re-embark at designated points, makes it easy to cover a lot of territory while on vacation.  With knowledgeable guides and pre-recorded information available in several different languages, taking a tour bus also offers a quick overview of points of interest along the way. But is a tour bus tour right for you? It depends. If walking around a new city...

Every summer, a song captures my imagination and becomes my personal anthem. Adele’s Rolling in the Deep did it for me this year. The song is catchy and soulful. Singer songwriter Adele, was born Adele Laurie Blue Adkins in England in 1988. Like several singers today, she was discovered after XL Records found her songs on MySpace. Since then, she’s won several awards including Grammys for Best New Artist and...

Writing to me is like using playdoh. When I write, I play with words, string them together, like a necklace to make beautiful sentences. Writing to me is like using the color wheel. Nouns are blue, verbs are red, adjectives are indigo, adverbs are orange, prepositions are violet, articles are brown, conjunctions are green, and interjections are yellow. Writing to me is music. When done right, the words flow together...

Okay, so eating a croissant wasn’t really on my list of things to do in Paris. But I had envisioned a much different trip than the one I actually had. In the trip I imagined, I’d spend a week in Paris, visit a few friends and all the must-see spots, the Champs-Élysées, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, etc., then make my way to Bordeaux, the wine region, and Saint-Émilion in...

I love tapas and go to tapas bars every so often, especially in the summer. What are tapas? Tapas are canapes or appetizers or small snacks that originated in Spain. They can be served hot or cold. There are tapas bars all over Spain and now all over the U.S. I found a tapas restaurant near the London Eye and was surprised to see oxtail tapas. Of course, I had to...

My blog buddy, Elizabeth at Mirth and Motivation nominated me for not just one but three blog awards. I’m stoked! Elizabeth is a blogger I admire and respect. Each of her posts are thoughtful and thought provoking. For her to nominate me for a blog award is an honor. So which blog awards did Elizabeth nominate me for? Well, I received the Versatile Blogger Award, the Stylish Blogger Award and...