Puerto Rico Trip

We took advantage of a client meeting held in Puerto Rico to extend our trip and travel down a few days early to explore the island.

Our hotel was located on the beach outside of San Juan, and on our first night, we walked down the street to find a place to eat, and stumbled upon Ropa Vieja, and authentic Puerto Rican establishment a few blocks away from our hotel. We dined on the local beans and rice and enjoyed some authentic Puerto Rican cuisine.

On our second night, we ventured into Old San Juan, and had fresh fish at Aguaviva, located in the center of the historical section of Old San Juan. We spent some time after dinner walking through the downtown area, enjoying the beautiful Spanish style architecture and enjoying the holiday decorations.

On our final night, we sampled Puerto Rico food again at Ajili Mójili, however, we found the food we had the first night to be more authentic.

A quick trip with long days that did not leave much time to do other sightseeing, but we did enjoy a short break from the cold weather up north, and the chance to see Puerto Rico for the first time.

Puerto Rico Address Book

Ropa Vieja
1025 Ashford Ave
San Juan, Puerto Rico
(787) 725-2665

Aguaviva
364 Calle La Fortaleza
San Juan, Puerto Rico
(787) 722-0665

Ajili Mójili
1052 Ashford Ave
San Juan, Puerto Rico
(787) 725-9195

San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino
1309 Ashford Avenue
San Juan, Puerto Rico
(787) 722-7000

Maryland Trip

Having traveled frequently to Maryland in previous years to visit with family in Frederick, we decided to take a departure from our normal destinations and spend some time in the Chesapeake Bay Area.

After battling six hours of traffic on I-95 from New York City, our first stop was Annapolis, MD, where we had made a reservation at Annapolis Westin, a newer hotel located outside the center of town. Since we had missed lunch, we immediately headed to the historic center in search of some snacks and libations.

Our first stop was Middleton's Tavern, where we had some drinks and sampled the local crab dip. We then walked down to O'Learys, and had an amazing dinner, including what I would call the simple best crab cake I have ever had. Leaving dinner, we walked past the harbor and made our way back to the The Westin, we we enjoyed a night cap in the bar before turning in for the night.

In the morning, we crossed over the Bay Bridge on our way to St. Michaels, MD, where we had a reservation at the Inn at Perry Cabin. The Inn at Perry Cabin had been featured a few years earlier in the movie Wedding Crashers, and we were curious to see what it was like in real life.

Our room featured a balcony with a view of the river and the garden below. After checking in, we headed down the street for lunch at the Crab Claw Restaurant, a causal spot situated right on the water. While we were there, several boats pulled up and docked adjacent to the restaurant for lunch. Following lunch, we walked around the quaint town of St. Michael's, checked out the local shops, and sampled some ice cream at Justine's Ice Cream Parlour.

We ended the day with dinner at Sherwood's Landing, the main dining room at the hotel. Again, we enjoyed some great local seafood, including soft shell crab. The following day, we woke up early for breakfast, and I enjoyed a massage at the Linden Spa, located on the hotel property, which was the perfect end to a long weekend.

Address Book

Middleton’s Tavern
2 Market Space
Annapolis, MD 21403
(410) 263-3323

O'Learys

310 Third Street

Annapolis, MD 21403

(410) 263-0884

Annapolis Westin
100 Westgate Circle
Annapolis, MD 21401
(410) 972-4300

Crab Claw Restaurant
304 Mill Street
St Michaels, MD 21663
(410) 745-2900

Justine's Ice Cream Parlour
106 N. Talbot Street

St. Michaels, MD 21663
(410) 745-5416

Inn at Perry Cabin
308 Watkins Lane
St. Michaels, MD 21663
(800) 538-6335

Newport, Rhode Island Trip

Having spent several weeks in Newport Beach, CA, the prior year on business, we were looking forward to visiting the "other" Newport, in Rhode Island. Leaving early on a Saturday morning to escape traffic, we arrived at lunch time and promptly found an alfresco place to eat, The Black Pearl. The weather was far too warm to sample the soup, so we tried the lobster salad sandwich instead.

Following lunch, we walked down the Bellevue Avenue to Rough Point, where we had a 3PM tour appointment. Rough Point is the former home of Doris Duke, and we had previously toured the Duke Estate, her home in Hillsborough, NJ, and were fortunate to see the Country Manor before it was closed to the public. Rough Point has been left largely intact and untouched since her death. Of particular interest is her bedroom, with it's bright yellow and purple decor.

We enjoyed a leisurely walk back to town, and stopped for a few drinks on the water at Pier 49 to take advantage of the last bits of sun. We checked out a few different places for dinner, but without reservations, we found it challenging to find somewhere to eat before 10PM. We finally settled on The Red Parrot, a touristy type place in the center of town. It is a popular place, but the food would not win any awards. However, we were hungry and the food hit the spot.

On Sunday, we woke up early to beat the crowds to tour the The Breakers, one of the most famous of the Newport "cottages." We also toured Rosecliff, Marble House, and The Elms. We took advantage of the fact The Elms was serving lunch in the barn, and enjoyed a simple lunch overlooking the gorgeous estate grounds.

We would definitely recommend Newport for a quick weekend trip, and hope to visit again soon.

Newport Address Book

The Black Pearl
10 1/2 W Pelham St
Newport, RI 02840
(401) 946-5264

Rough Point
680 Bellevue Avenue
Newport, RI 02840

Pier 49 Restaurant & Spirits at The Newport
49 Americas Cup Ave
Newport, RI 02840
(401) 847-9000

The Red Parrot
348 Thames St
Newport, RI 02840
(401) 847-3800‎

The Breakers
44 Ochre Point Ave
Newport, RI 02840

Rosecliff
548 Bellevue Ave
Newport, RI 02840

Marble House
596 Bellevue Ave
Newport, RI 02840

The Elms
367 Bellevue Ave
Newport, RI 02840

Hudson Valley Trip

We took advantage of the long weekend to head up north to the Hudson River Valley. After enjoying an Iron Chef-styled cooking competition at a friend's home in South Salem, NY on Friday, we headed to Rhinebeck, NY for a late lunch at Terrapin, located near the center of town. Terrapin is housed in the beautifully renovated “First Baptist Church", and we had been wanting to try this restaurant since it was featured in Wine Spectator's Hudson Valley article the previous year.

After a nice lunch, we headed further upstate to the Old Chatham Sheepherding Company, home to the famous Hudson Valley Camembert, one of our favorite cheeses. We drove through multiple counties before reaching the bucolic farm setting, complete with a self-serve cheese store. After touring the beautiful grounds (the barns are open to the public) and admiring the sheep, we headed back down the Taconic State Parkway to our next destination, Millbrook Winery.

We had visted Millbrook the year before, and were thrilled to find out not only did the winery feature the local Millbrook wines, it also offers Williams Selyem wines for sale as well. On our previous visit, we were pleasantly surprised the wines were also available for tasting, but on this visit, they were not available to taste. A quick check with the staff confirmed they would be available for tasting later in the summer. We had recently become Williams Selyem list members, and the wine is quite hard to get outside of the mailing list. To find the wine freely available for purchase in New York was an unexpected bonus! The wines are available for purchase as both wineries are owned by John and Kathe Dyson.

After we enjoyed a nice bottle of wine outside on the lawn, we headed to our final destination for the day, Serevan restaurant, in Amenia, approximately 8 miles from Millbrook, NY. Serevan features an eclectic and exotic mix of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavors and has a diverse menu. Again, we took advantage of the warm May weather to sit outside on the patio, and enjoyed a unique dinner.

Hudson Valley Address Book

Terrapin
6426 Montgomery Street
Rhinebeck, NY 12572
(845) 876-3330

Old Chatham Sheepherding Company
155 Shaker Museum Rd
Old Chatham, NY 12136
(888) 743-3760

Millbrook Winery
26 Wing Rd
Millbrook, NY 12545
(845) 677-8383

Serevan
6 Autumn Lane (off Route 44)
Amenia, NY 12501
(845) 373-9800

Augusta Trip

We took a quick weekend trip down to Augusta, GA to attend a family member's wedding. Having spent very little time in the south, we were looking forward to seeing another part of the country, and also seeing the town that hosts the annual Masters golf tournament.

We arrived late on Friday afternoon and checked into our hotel, which was also the venue for the wedding reception to be held the next day. The hotel was centrally located within Augusta and within walking distance to the downtown area.

Following the rehearsal dinner, we headed over to the Still Water Tap room for a few drinks and enjoyed the causual atmosphere of the bar, including the pressed tin ceiling.

On Saturday, since the wedding was not scheduled until later in the evening, we had a late lunch at the Bee's Knees, a tapas restaurant located a few blocks away from the hotel. We had some drinks, and a number of small plates to tie us over until the wedding reception, which was scheduled for later that night.

Overall, it was a short trip, but we enjoyed the quick taste of the south, and hope to go back at some point to spend more time in the area.

Augusta Address Book

Still Water Tap Room
974 Broad Street
Augusta, GA 30901
(706) 826-9857

Bee's Knees Tapas
211 10th Street
Augusta, GA 30901
(706) 828-3600

August Marriott Hotel & Suites
Two 10th Street
Augusta, Georgia 30901
(706) 722-8900

Finger Lakes Trip

Having read a Wine Spectator article about New York state's emerging wine industry, we decided to take a trip to the Finger Lakes area to give some of the local wineries a try.

Using the recommendations provided by Wine Spectator as a rough itinerary, our first stop was for lunch at Red Newt Bistro, located on the shore of Seneca Lake. We enjoyed an appetizer of baked brie with cherry walnut relish in puff pastry, hand made pasta for our entree, complimented with a glass of the Red Newt Reisling.

After stopping by the Red Newt tasting room to sample some more wines, we then headed down the road for a tasting at Atwater Estate Vineyards. The tasting room was located directly next to Seneca Lake, and had a great deck overlooking the lake. We enjoyed some wonderful wines, with our favorite being the Reisling.

We then finished the day's wine tasting at Standing Stone Vineyards, before heading over to our accomodations at Taughannock Farms Inn, located in Trumansburg. The inn was comprised of several buildings. Our room was located in a new building, the Edgewood Guesthouse. We had a second story room with a beautiful view of nearby Cayuga Lake. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner in the dining room at the Inn to wrap up our day.

Our first stop the next day was at Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars, where we enjoyed the white wines, and some champagne. Next, we headed to Heron Hill Winery, where we enjoyed a beautiful view of the lake. Our next stop was Dr. Konstantin Frank Vinifera Wine Cellars, where we enjoyed red and white wines, as well as some history on the Finger Lakes region. Our final two stops of the day were Fox Run Vineyards, and Anthony Road Wine Company.

For dinner, we ventured over to Ithaca and enjoyed a fantastic meal at The Heights Café & Grill. We would definitely recommend The Heights and hope to return again in the future.

We ended our trip with a quick trip to Taughannock Falls State Park where we enjoyed a view of the waterfall.

Vermont Camping Trip

We decided to venture north to Vermont to experience some New England camping. We chose Emerald Lake State Park in Dorset and enjoyed a scenic lakeside location as well as close proximity to some of Vermont's natural wonders.

Heading north from Emerald Lake, we drove to up to Killington, and then to Woodstock, a charming all-American town, where we stumbled on (and almost participated in) a town parade. Heading east from Woodstock, we checked out Quechee Gorge, an amazing sight and natural wonder.

No dining highlights on this trip, as we cooked all of our meals at the campsite. However, we would definitely return to Woodstock!

Hawaii Trip

We took an extended vacation to Hawaii for several weeks in October. Having been to Maui many times in the past, we were familiar with the island. As such, we wanted to experience a new destination and chose to spend some additional time on the Big Island as well.

We spent the first week of our trip in Kapalua, and enjoyed the cooler temperatures and lush landscapes. Kapalua Bay provided excellent snorkeling, as well as the Black Rock adjacent to the Sheraton. We also did a dive trip to Molokini on a Trilogy yacht, where we enjoyed a swim through cave and turtle sightings.

During the week, we dined at the The Plantation House, the Old Lahaina Luau, David Paul's, Vino, and Maui Tacos. Vino, always an underrated choice in Maui, was our favorite of the group.

We headed south for a few days to Wailea and stayed at Fairmont Kea Lani Hotel. The Fairmont has an advantage over the nearby Four Seasons as all of the rooms are suites. We had a fabulous ocean view room overlooking Polo Beach that was very spacious.

While in Wailea, we ventured up to Kihei to try Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar. While we had heard great things about Sansei, the meal we had did not impress us. We also sampled Longhi's for brunch.

We then headed off to the Big Island for a week and stayed on the Kohala Coast at the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel. Our first night we dinned at Roy's Waikoloa Bar & Grill, and enjoyed a wonderful meal. We had previously dined at Roy's in Chicago, and we were pleasantly surprised with our meal in Hawaii.

We then explored upcountry Waimea, as we had heard good things about the local restaurants. While we had hoped to have dinner at Merriman's, our schedule did not allow. Instead, we settled for lunch at Aioli's, and had dinner at Batik.

Heading home from the volcano, we had a quick dinner at Café Pesto in Hilo. On our final night we enjoyed diner at Pahu i’a at the Four Seasons Hualalai in Kona.

Returning back to Maui for a few additional days, we had a nice lunch at Mama’s Fish House overlooking the Ho'okipa Beach. The waves were breathtaking.

We then headed down the famous "Road to Hana" en route to our destination, the Hotel Hana Maui, where we stayed for several days. We enjoyed some nice meals at the hotel, and enjoyed the diverse wine list. The Hanna Savingnon Blanc was an excellent complement to our meal.

Santa Barbara Trip

We spent an enjoyable long weekend in Santa Barbara, CA introducing some new visitors to all the city has to offer.

We enjoyed drinks and dinner at El Paseo, and had a wonderful meal at Ca Dario, one of our favorite places for Italian food. Simply one of the best restaurants in town and a local favorite.

Our final dining stop was at Quantum, which was new for both of us. It was a mix of various fusion cuisines, but we were underwhelmed by the food quality and overall experience. Perhaps our move to the NYC metro area has influenced our restaurant expectations.

We spent an enjoyable day in the Santa Ynez valley, and enjoyed return visits to Melville Vineyards & Winery, Sanford Winery, and Sunstone Winery. We had a quick lunch outside on the patio at Los Olivos Cafe. The wine at Melville was excellent as usual, as well as Sanford. The ambiance at Sunstone is unparalleled.

A new stop on this visit to the valley was Kalyra Winery, as we were curious to see the winery that had been prominently featured in the movie Sideways. While the overall experience was interesting, we would not return for the wines alone.

Northern California Trip

We took a quick trip to the San Francisco Bay Area to visit some family and friends. We enjoyed spending time in the Bay Area. We had a memorable dinner at Bridges Restaurant in Danville (of Mrs. Doubtfire fame).

Traveling north to the Sonoma County area, we explored some new wineries and revisited some old favorites. We first sampled the wines at Sebastiani, located close to the downtown Sonoma square.

We then planned a day to visit several new wineries, including Ravenswood Winery, home to some outstanding Zinfandel varietals. Buena Vista was our next stop and is one of Sonoma's oldest wineries. We stopped for lunch and then at Gloria Ferrer, which features champagne tasting and a beautiful hillside location. Down the road from Gloria Ferrer, Cline Cellars has some wonderful Zinfandels as well (Ancient Vines was a favorite of ours). The grounds were enchanting. Finally, we ended the day with stops at both Kunde Estate and finally Benziger, located in the picturesque town of Glen Ellen.

At the end of the day, we were struggling to keep all of the wines straight (not to mention having trouble walking in a straight line). We would not recommend going to this many wineries in one day. Next time we will try and limit our visits to less than six wineries a day!