• Florida,  Travel

    Don’t Miss a Visit to Vizcaya in Miami

    When you think of Miami, historic museums probably aren’t the first thing that come to mind. Vizcaya wasn’t on my radar when planning our Florida road trip. In fact, I’d never even heard of it. I originally had a day centered around south beach attractions, but I’m so glad we explored Vizcaya instead. In this post I’m going to show you why you should include a visit to Vizcaya on your to Miami itinerary. History of Vizcaya Initially built in 1916 as the vacation home of wealthy businessman James Deering, this estate was built to resemble an eighteenth-century Italian villa. The interior boasts 45,000 square feet, has several floors, and…

  • Florida,  Travel

    How to Spend a Day in St Augustine

    We spent the first full day of our Florida trip in St Augustine, the oldest continuously occupied city in the United States. Let me start off by saying that one day is not enough time to see all the great things this city has to offer. Here are some suggestions based on everything we did on our busy day in St Augustine. A little History Lesson I had always thought Jamestown (occupied by the early pilgrim settlers) was the first city. Although Jamestown is noted as the first English settlement, it wasn’t established until 1607. St. Augustine was founded by the Spaniards in 1565 after Spanish explorer Don Pedro Menendez…

  • The Garden Court at the Palace Hotel: a conservatory-like setting, fancy chandeliers, pillars and ornate carvings...pure opulence everywhere you look.
    California,  Lunch,  Travel

    Lunch at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco

    The Garden Court at the Palace Hotel When I’m planning out our travel itinerary, I love to find really special places to eat. I had such a good experience with the afternoon tea at the Georgian Hotel in Seattle that I wanted to find a similar venue to enjoy tea in San Francisco. Months before our trip, I stumbled upon the Garden Court at the Palace Hotel. Afternoon tea is served on Saturdays and as luck would have it we were going to be in San Francisco over the weekend. I was beyond excited! Unfortunately, I waited too long to make reservations and the tea seating had been filled. I…