Circulating: Beverly Hills
My six-page round-up of where to eat, sleep, play, shop and relax in Beverly Hills was published in the March/April issue of Jetset Magazine and highlights some of the playgrounds of the rich and famous in the 90210. Read more
Meet the Man Who Discovered Lucy
Thursday, April 26, will see the Institute of Human Origins 30th Anniversary Gala Dinner take place at the Phoenix Zoo. This year’s featured speaker will be world-renowned paleoanthropologist Donald Johanson, Ph.D., founder of the Institute of Human Origins and the discoverer of the famous “Lucy” skeleton. Read more
Circulating: Sovereign
Peer inside a 100-meter luxury superyacht in my article about the Sovereign by Gray Design for Jetset Magazine‘s March/April issue.
Inspired by the luxury automotive industry, the Sovereign boasts some of the finest amenities available on a yacht, including rich fabrics, crystal light settings, an infinity pool, a spacious owners suite and an additional 10 suites for guests, among other wonderful features. Read more
Circulating: Smooth Sailing
The same issue of Jetset Magazine which included my “Heavy Metal” jewelry article — the same issue with the effervescent Katy Perry on the cover — also featured my article “Smooth Sailing,” about traversing the crystal blue waters of the Whitsunday Islands off the coast of Australia.
Adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef, and known for calm waters and white beaches, the Whitsundays comprise a playground for yachting devotees and outdoor enthusiasts. Read more
I Heart AZ Party
Show your love for Arizona this weekend at the I Heart AZ Party, taking place at The Saguaro in downtown Scottsdale.
To fete both Valentine’s Day and the state’s centennial, the luxury hotel is throwing the party of the century on Saturday, Feb. 11, starting at 5 p.m. Catch the Tony Martinez Band, a pop-up shop, an Arizona wine tasting, locally grown hors d’oeuvres, art exhibitions (featuring a special show by local collective 3 Car Pile Up) and even a charity kissing booth with some AZ faves. At 7 p.m., DJ Melo takes over to step things up a notch. Admission before 7 p.m. is $10, and after 7 p.m. it’s free. Read more
Valentine’s Day at The Ritz-Carlton Dove Mountain
If you feel like getting out of town for Valentine’s Day — but not too far — head to The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain, near Tucson.
The property will do the holiday up right, with special menus at its signature restaurants, a unique Splash Dining experience, and an exclusive spa package for couples, featuring a rose petal bath, massages, Champagne and strawberries. Read more
Rovaness
My travel and lifestyle website Rovaness launched this month!
Featuring stories and photographs from my own personal trips, as well as a selection of quality curated content that will leave you feeling like you’ve taken a vacation without even leaving your chair, Rovaness aims to inspire travelers the world over.
So grab your virtual travel bag and point your mouse toward Rovaness. Here are the places you will go, the things you will see, the people you will meet, and, of course, what you will pack.
-Marie
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
A few weekends ago I visited the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson. If you like the Phoenix Zoo and the Desert Botanical Garden, you’ll like this place too, since it’s something like what you’d get if you put the two together, plus added a natural history museum. There’s a lot going on. Read more
Guanyin of Lianhuashan, Guangzhou, China
When my family visited Hong Kong earlier this year, we took a day to travel into mainland China.
One of the places we visited was Lotus Hill (Lianhuashan) in the area of Guangzhou.
A statue there called Guanyin, situated along the Pearl River, depicts a goddess of mercy. Visitors ascend the hill to see the 134-foot-tall statue, with some bringing along beautiful paper creations to burn out of respect.
Come on, I’ll take you on my walk up Lotus Hill. Read more
Circulating: City of Influence
Florence, Italy, ranks among the most beautiful and culturally influential cities in the world — which is why I was so thrilled to get to traipse through its neighborhoods and the surrounding Tuscan countryside for a week this past July.
My eight-page article covering some of the things I experienced while I was there has been published in the latest issue of Jetset Magazine, which also features the perpetually handsome Patrick Dempsey from Grey’s Anatomy on its cover, along with a story on the actor’s successful turn as a race car driver. (True story: He owns and drives for Dempsey Racing.)
Wait, where was this post headed?
Oh right, Florence … Read more
Little America Hotel, Flagstaff
I visited Flagstaff this past weekend and stayed at the Little America Hotel, one of eight Grand America Hotels & Resorts properties owned by Earl Holding.
I wasn’t sure what to think at first, since when I pulled up, the Little America Hotel sign featured an out-of-place penguin. (Still not sure what that was about.) But the place turned out to be really charming, with more than 240 guest rooms, beautiful landscaping and 500 acres covered with Ponderosa pines. Read more
Alta Coffee Warehouse in Newport Beach
During my weekend in Newport Beach in September, I got my morning coffee and breakfast at the same place every day: the Alta Coffee Warehouse.
This was the coziest coffee house/restaurant I’ve ever visited. In the ’80s the place was converted from an old bookstore into a coffee roasting warehouse, and then eventually a restaurant too. (The “warehouse” part is a little misleading, because the amount of space open to customers is teeny tiny — but I mean that in a good way.) Read more
Riomaggiore
During the week I was in Italy this past July, my family set aside a day to travel from Florence to Riomaggiore, a village situated on the Italian Riviera.
Riomaggiore is one of the Cinque Terre (five lands) located along a stretch of rugged coastline west of the city of La Spezia, in the Liguria region of Italy. Because Riomaggiore is the first of the five villages you arrive at when coming from the direction of Florence, and because we were only going to have time to visit one of the villages, Riomaggiore was the obvious choice. Although I wish we could have taken the train that goes from one to the next! Maybe next time. Read more
Bear Flag Fish Company
While in Newport Beach over Labor Day weekend, we ate at the Bear Flag Fish Company, a favorite eatery and fish market among locals since 2007.
If you plan on making a meal here, the place is pretty tiny — there are only a few tables inside and a few more outside on the patio. But what it lacks in space, Bear Flag makes up for in variety and taste.
On the website, they list exactly where all their fresh fish and other stock come from: tilapia, snapper, grouper, albacore, tuna, swordfish, lobster, shrimp, rock shrimp, scallops and more. You name it, they’ve offered it. Read more
A Symphony of Lights in Hong Kong
Victoria Harbour, situated between Hong Kong island and Kowloon, does this really cool (or really cheesy, depending on how you look at it) show at night called “A Symphony of Lights.”
The show is comprised of 44 buildings on both sides of the harbor that are lit up in a synchronized fashion set to music, and it’s been named the world’s largest permanent light and sound show by the Guinness Book of World Records.
One night in March, my family and I sat at the edge of the harbor on the Kowloon side to watch the Symphony of Lights, and I taped almost all of it. Click through for the video clip. Read more
