First published in 2017, this is a perfect story for Halloween travel!
Our trip to Austin was filled with several unique, new adventures, not the least of which was a stay in a haunted hotel. What? Some say that The Driskill, which was built in 1886, with an obviously rich and compelling history, may possibly have some uninvited guests! Is it really haunted? Read below for more about this…
A guest post from Suzanne Stavert of Adventures of Empty Nesters! A dream come true, a foodie walking tour in Laguna Beach!
The view from the deck of the Wyland Gallery, downtown Laguna Beach, CA.
Our fun group of foodie travel bloggers standing in front of an amazing Wyland tile painting.
While attending the Women in Travel Summit, we were invited by Savor Laguna to experience one of their super-fun, guided walking food tours in downtown Laguna Beach. The Women in Travel Summit is the first and only travel blogging event by and for women, organized by Wanderful.
The iconic Hotel Laguna was the first hotel in Laguna and the first substantial business building.
We began the tour at the historic Hotel Laguna and finished about 3 hours later smiling ear to ear with happy memories of the delectable local food we had just tasted! It began with pizza on the beach and ended with divine gelato… with a sassy margarita and authentic Mexican food in the middle. We managed to enjoy a fabulous sampling of some of the tastiest foodie finds of Laguna Beach. Thank goodness we were walking, it did help us digest a bit before the next stop!
Here is Jeanne, sharing all of her great stories. She is so friendly and knowledgable and makes the tour extra enjoyable!
It was so enjoyable and easy to let Jeanne take us through the idyllic downtown streets, pointing out important landmarks, exquisite views, unique shops and some innovative bites of food! So yummy!
No trip is complete without a local Laguna Beach t-shirt or sweatshirt!
Our first stop was the Pizza Lounge where we sat just a block from the beach enjoying a slice of fresh pizza made especially for us! For all of their customers they are happy to deliver right to the sand! Just imagine chillin’ on your beach chair waiting for your delicious Pizza Lounge pie to arrive! Love it!
There was a lot of ground to cover so we quickly moved on the to next stop on our tour, the beautiful Wyland Gallery where we were captivated by Wyland’s extraordinary vision and talent. Since 1978, Wyland Galleries has been the art community’s preeminent showcase for the finest in marine life paintings, sculpture and photography. We also had a chance to walk by the famous Main Beach of Laguna with picturesque views and the charming lifeguard tower. A perfect stop for a group photo!
Have you ever heard of Clam Chowder Fries with Bacon?? Oh my goodness! “SLAPFISH brings you real American seafood, redefined with simple flavors and a healthy slap of FRESH. No white tablecloths or fancy silverware, just a boatload of deliciousness in a fast-casual setting.”
SLAPFISH offers a new perspective on “boat to plate” dining by serving the freshest fish and shellfish sourced from well-managed, responsible suppliers of sustainable seafood. This type of careful attention to the ocean and sea life is quite admirable and I am happy to support restaurants like this!
Clam Chowder Fries with Bacon from Slapfish – So innovative and delicious!
The “Lumberyard” contains some of the oldest buildings in Laguna Beach. Check out the artistic brick patterns.
If you are not familiar with the artist and sculptor, Richard MacDonald, a visit to the Dawson Cole Gallery and sculpture garden will take your breath away. His genius and masterful techniques are unparalleled. How lucky were we to be able to spend time enjoying the sculptures as well as the paintings and sculptures inside the gallery as well. This is a wonderful addition to the food tour. Savor Laguna captures the essence of Laguna Beach and offers rich history and access to art that tourists may not be aware.
This piece is a smaller version of one he created for the Olympics in Atlanta. The detail is unbelievable.
Authentic, warm pita bread and three kinds of hummus from GG Cafe And Bistro – So Good!
Time for a libation… at Tortilla Republic!
Authentic Mexican food and a fine margarita!
Tortilla Republic sets the bar very high by serving bold, fresh flavors of updated and modern Mexican cantina fare. The House Made Margaritas are made with freshly squeezed juices – Cheers!
Sweets for the sweet! It was nearly impossible to choose from these flavors of Italian Gelato from Gelato Paradiso. These were only HALF of the options in the case!
I opted for my two favorites: Double Chocolate and Stracciatella (Chocolate chip with vanilla)
Although I was quite full from tasting the menus of these fantastic local restaurants, there is always room for gelato!
Savor Laguna offers great tours that will please the locals from Orange County and tourists from around the world. Check out their schedule and register early, summer is coming and Laguna Beach is the happening spot.
Thank you to Jeanne Lange and Savor Laguna for your generosity. I had a blast learning more about a city I have visited for years and tasting some great food! It is such a fun and delicious way to spend an afternoon.
The next time you are in Orange County I recommend you take in Laguna Beach! Your tummy will thank you!
I have written many articles about amazing women. Each one of them makes a considerable contribution, as do many of the women we hold as role models such as Michelle Obama, Jane Goodall, Gloria Steinem, Hillary Clinton, Dr Sylvia Earle, and those role models who have left us, such as Maya Angelou, Mother Teresa, Rosa Parks…there are so many of them, so valued, so respected.
But what about every day women who are making a difference? Who praises them? Hopefully someone does. I hope each one of us does our best to make the world a better place, in our own way. I could not possibly give you a complete list of the women I admire, there are simply too many of them. Some of them would not want to come out of the shadows, would not want any links leading to their online presence. I will respect that, but I still want to try and acknowledge them. Others are bloggers, or activists, or scientists, or business women who are online and would not mind my sharing.
Why do we have a day to celebrate women? Women are still not equal in our world. Women do not earn the same as men do, the biological fact that women carry children holds them back professionally, men in most societies do not man up and do their share of raising children or taking care of the home. Women are still bought and sold against their will, undergo genital mutilation, are sold into marriages they do not want, and forced to hide their very faces from the world. Women still have to fight for every inch of ground. Damned right we should celebrate women! Here is a small group of women whom I admire, and who are making a difference simply by living their lives.
I have left out SO MANY WOMEN. Please, in your comments, tell us about a woman you think is amazing! Let’s acknowledge as many amazing women as we possibly can!
If you aren’t following these 16 Cool Midlife Women on Twitter, you should be! They are a combination of funny, wise, witty, and, once in a while, downright crazy! When it comes to great blogging, traveling, writing, and tweeting, midlife women are a force to be reckoned with. Click on each awesome woman right now and hit FOLLOW! You will be glad you did.
Check out these Twitter profiles!
Midlife Humor writer, public speaker, author of “Shake, Rattle and Roll With It”, Living and laughing with Parkinson’s!
Blogger, travel writer, HuffPo#adventure seeker, fashionable midlifer writing about great food and luxury travel.
Award-winning •Writer •Disability •Midlife •Animal Rights •Cancer •Film •HuffingtonPost •http://MS.net •Boomeon #MultipleSclerosis#Binders#tagtribe
I’m a recovering lawyer who blogs about Baby Boomer Travels for the Body and Mind at http://www.boomeresque.com
Blogger extraordinaire, HuffPost writer, author, speaker, Constant Contact authorized expert, legend in my own mind and overall sassy broad.
Award-winning writer. Travel blogger. USAToday 10Best expert. Book & movie reviewer. 3-time BlogHer VOTY
Advice, information, & inspiration for travelers over 50 from Irene S. Levine, an award-winning freelance journalist, member SATW
Writer, editor, boomer, midlife, empty nester. Founder http://midlifeboulevard.com and http://bloggersatmidlife.com . No complaints at the moment.
Let’s talk about style, confidence, joy, and fun for women over 40! It’s our time! #IMATTER#wouldyouwearit
Water lover, environmentalist, diver, lover of sunken wrecks. Supporter of Save the Sharks, :: Owner/Operator of Kirk Scuba Gear
Author, speaker, entrepreneur,#braingame creator. #Brain nerd &#game#puzzle#travel lover looking to#turnupthevolume on life.Celebrating#BeingBrainHealthy!
Travel writer seeing the world through the lens of middle age, and enjoying the view!
Traveling storyteller★digital marketing pro★serial bucket list creator★memory collector★Living Life
A girl tumbling through #Midlife with one Motto to Live by – YES! Google Master.#Travel Freak. #Walk-a-holic. #Bicycledriver. http://flipsideofthebikini.com
Illustrator, Blogger, Start-Up Survivor, Art Licensing Agent. Join me as I explore Lake Tahoe, over share, and search for a good man. Periscope @FiftyJewels
DID I MISS ANYONE???? WHO DO YOU THINK SHOULD BE ON THE LIST! PUT IT IN COMMENTS, PLEASE!
I am a great admirer of Suzanne Stavert! She is the author of Adventures of Empty Nesters, a thoroughly enjoyable blog! I often have her on Travels with Tam as a guest blogger, especially her yummy foodie posts! She loves food and wine and travel accordingly!
Adventures of Empty Nesters was created from the idea that empty nesters needed a place to share adventures, as well as inspire others to go out and find adventure. Suzanne believes the second half of life can be the best ever! I agree with her when she says it is time to focus on our dreams instead of carpooling and soccer practice. She has grown her blog tremendously in just a couple of years, and loves the fact that empty nesters are a community of people who are talented, creative, adventurous, enthusiastic, loyal and are ready for the next adventure. She has created an exciting community online! I admire her for creating adventure for herself and others instead of mourning for her chicks. They all fly eventually, and we need to fly as well.
Suzanne travels the world with her husband, Craig, and blogs about their adventures. One of the most interesting things, especially in the 21st century, is that they were high school sweethearts! They have been married for thirty-one years, and have two amazing adult children, Alexandra 27 and Nicholas 22, (funny, I have an Alexandra, 28!). Travel has always been a part of their lives, but when the nest was finally empty and Nicholas was in college at UCLA, they turned it up a notch!
I asked Suzanne what was happening in their active lives right now, and she replied, “Our biggest personal adventure to date is we downsized and moved away from our home of 27 years. We wanted to live closer to our families and so we took this huge step in January of this year. We purchased a 1937 Spanish Colonial, fixer-upper home in Pasadena, California. Wow – a huge change, as well as an exciting, scary adventure. We start the project today after months of planning, hiring an architect, contractor and city permits. While our home was renovated, it was imperative that we live somewhere else, we decided to take on one more adventure. We drove 1200 miles to Seattle, Washington where we have rented a very small apartment on the 18th floor of an urban high-rise building in downtown Seattle! Our daughter lives in Seattle and it was always a dream of ours to live an urban lifestyle. This is just temporary and so far we are really enjoying this location. Our young dog, Rocco is having a little bit of trouble adjusting to this cement jungle, but we are finding many parks to take him to play. We can fly home every couple of weeks to check on the project and see our extended family. With very competent contractors, face time and cell phones, it simplifies the process of this long distance. Our little dream house in Pasadena should be finished in March of 2016 and we can’t wait to invite our family and friends to our first open house.” How exciting to move to a different city and live a totally different lifestyle! That truly is an adventure!
Be sure and follow Suzanne’s adventures, I always do!
A Guest Post by Suzanne Simone Stavert of ADVENTURES OF EMPTY NESTERS!
There is never a shortage of amazing food markets in New York City. Picking a favorite is like choosing which of your friends you like best..impossible! Just like with the number of friends, the more markets the better!
When we travel, one of our favorite activities (besides eating) is to visit local and specialty markets in the cities we visit. However, when it comes to markets, we all win the lottery in New York City. You name it, you can find it. In the Big Apple there are specialty stores for every type of cuisine in the world.
There are also extraordinary “foodie” markets, places that make you giddy with excitement if you love to cook or love to eat. On our recent trip to Manhattan, we strolled through the revitalized Wall Street under the shadow of the brand new, magnificent Freedom Tower, to see Le District, a delicious new French-inspired market and food emporium curated by chefs and food experts. The slogan “New York with a French Attitude” sums it up pretty perfectly. However, I did not receive any attitude, only friendly, helpful merchants and so much variety, it will make your head spin. Le District is divided in to four districts: Market, Garden, Restaurant and Cafe.
Vibrant and bustling, Le District offers gastronomic delights from buttery, french baked goods and rainbow colored candy to freshly caught fish at the Poissonnerie. The stacks of fragrant cheese are piled high at the Fromagerie and you will find walls full of tangy, french mustards. C’est magnifique!
Just a quick cab ride away from Le District, is the gritty, urban and ever so busy Chelsea Market, You will find everything from flowers and wine to chocolate brownies and kitchen supplies. The vibe is hip, down to earth and the thirty-five different vendors provide a fantastic variety. Located in the Meat Packing District, next door to the elevated park, The High Line, the Chelsea Market has been in existence for 15 years. Amazingly enough, every time I visit, I find something new and delicious to eat and more intriguing stores to visit.
Old brick patina and repurposed metal are part of the uniqueness of the hallways and building design. This revitalized food retreat, which is a block long and a block wide, offers a entirely unique view of the foodie world and I love it too.
After a tasty, farm to table Cobb Salad and stroll through Chelsea Market, we needed to work off the calories. We walked several long blocks over to visit my Italian roots where the intoxicating smells of refrigerated salumi and enormous wheels of Parmigiano-Reggiano welcome you. Located in the Flatiron Neighborhood, Eataly is upscale, gorgeous, grand and an absolute must visit in New York City.
Savor antipasti, eat pizza, drink wine, buy olive oil, (if you can manage to choose one of the hundreds available). Just try to decide which fresh pasta, gorgeous produce and imported cheese you want to take home. There are seven incredible restaurants at Eataly: Pranzo, La Pizza & La Pasta, Le Verdure, Il Pesce,La Birreria, Manzo and La Piazza. Then, if you still aren’t quite full enough, stop for a cafe latte and a cup of gelato on the way out.
Each of these specialty food halls warms my heart in a different way and it is nearly impossible for me to choose my favorite. However, after giving it some thought, I do usually put aside an hour or two during each trip to New York just to visit Eataly and soak it all in. I guess perhaps Eataly is my favorite because ultimately I gravitate to the delicious, comfort food of growing up in a large Italian family. My grandma would be happy to hear me say this.
