The New York Times annual Travel Show launches Friday, 26 February, at the Jacob Javits Convention Center. Among the seminar offerings, April Merenda of Gutsy Women Travel moderates a panel of travel writers "overviewing appropriate tours and destinations for women...."
How dare they? What's "appropriate" for one woman is no more appropriate than one man's for another. Different people have different interests and inclinations. It is up to the individual to determine what might be suitable or interesting or relaxing or invigorating. That is not the purview of a travel writer or travel agent. I found the entire notion - and the New York Times write-up on this seminar - totally offensive.
I was the only single expat woman working in the oilfields of Indonesia years ago. While some might think that "inappropriate," I was the one living and working in what, by any measure, was a hardship post. It was one of the best experiences of my life. I spent months "riding the rails" through China and the Trans-Siberian Railroad. Difficult going solo, but hardly an inappropriate journey nor the greatest of adventures. Difficult, yes; dangerous, not particularly.
Go where the spirit moves you, or where the job takes you. Only you can determine what's appropriate for you. You decide what interests and excites you. You decide where and how to live, work, travel. As long as it's legal and within your boundaries for risk tolerance, go for it. Adventure awaits!
And it would be so terribly sad to miss something great because someone else determined it wasn't "appropriate" for women. The Victorians put up with enough of that errant nonsense.
May your road rise up to meet you,
Ann
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Real New Yorker Burgers & Brews
Times Square has everything: Planet Hollywood, Hard Rock Cafe, Olive Garden, and practically any chain you can imagine have Times Square outlets. But where can you find something uniquely New York? It's searching out the distinctive, the can't-find-it-anywhere-else that makes travel most fun and most enlightening.
Just had lunch at HB Burger, a burger and brew pub that's distinctly New York. Heartland Brewery pioneered craft beer in NYC back in 1995, and now has 7 locations in the city. It has just been nominated for "Best New Burger" in the Time Out New York 2010 Eat Out Awards, but which burger is "new" remains a mystery. HB's mum on that despite the prominent placard announcing the nomination on each table.
Seasonal beers featured at present include:
- Full Moon Barley Wine, rich toffee sweetness from English malt and American hops;
- Sumatra Porter, mocha aroma and hint chicory in a beer brwed with English malts and Sumatra coffee;
- Belgian Cornhusker Lager, a spicy golden ale using Belgian ale yeast.
They make their own sodas, too. Potency is the salient Diet Root Beer characteristic, not fizz. Bison burgers, sashimi-grade tuna burgers, Cajun crabcake burgers and, naturally, angus beef highlight the burger side of the lunch menu.
The HB Burger comes with lettuce and tomato, traditional New Yorker style. Add cheese, bacon, avocado or what-have-you at additional charges. Another New Yorker tradition - add-ons.
Of course, they hate solo diners during the lunch rush when tables get very scarce, so it's best to arrive before 12:30pm when they really get busy. But several solo women were eating there, and obviously women find it comfortable to dine alone there. The atmosphere is casual, albeit bustling, and it's "the" sit-down burger place near bustling Times Square. Pricewise, plan on $10-20 for lunch with beverage and tip.
The HB Burger and its Chophouse next door are close to Times Square at 127 West 43rd Street between 6th Avenue and Broadway, a couple doors east of the Casablanca Hotel (147 West 43rd). Locations, directions, menus, history and how to brew beer: heartlandbrewery.com.
Only in New York. Hope it stays that way.
May your road rise to meet you,
Ann
Just had lunch at HB Burger, a burger and brew pub that's distinctly New York. Heartland Brewery pioneered craft beer in NYC back in 1995, and now has 7 locations in the city. It has just been nominated for "Best New Burger" in the Time Out New York 2010 Eat Out Awards, but which burger is "new" remains a mystery. HB's mum on that despite the prominent placard announcing the nomination on each table.
Seasonal beers featured at present include:
- Full Moon Barley Wine, rich toffee sweetness from English malt and American hops;
- Sumatra Porter, mocha aroma and hint chicory in a beer brwed with English malts and Sumatra coffee;
- Belgian Cornhusker Lager, a spicy golden ale using Belgian ale yeast.
They make their own sodas, too. Potency is the salient Diet Root Beer characteristic, not fizz. Bison burgers, sashimi-grade tuna burgers, Cajun crabcake burgers and, naturally, angus beef highlight the burger side of the lunch menu.
The HB Burger comes with lettuce and tomato, traditional New Yorker style. Add cheese, bacon, avocado or what-have-you at additional charges. Another New Yorker tradition - add-ons.
Of course, they hate solo diners during the lunch rush when tables get very scarce, so it's best to arrive before 12:30pm when they really get busy. But several solo women were eating there, and obviously women find it comfortable to dine alone there. The atmosphere is casual, albeit bustling, and it's "the" sit-down burger place near bustling Times Square. Pricewise, plan on $10-20 for lunch with beverage and tip.
The HB Burger and its Chophouse next door are close to Times Square at 127 West 43rd Street between 6th Avenue and Broadway, a couple doors east of the Casablanca Hotel (147 West 43rd). Locations, directions, menus, history and how to brew beer: heartlandbrewery.com.
Only in New York. Hope it stays that way.
May your road rise to meet you,
Ann
Travel Bag Doesn't Quite Fit the Bill
Security is always a concern for the solo traveller, especially women. So the security handbag I found on the TravelSmith website, which has steel cables through the shoulder strap and other security features held enough appeal to shell out $80 despite having received a fine leather Trussardi handbag for Christmas. Or perhaps because of receiving that beautiful but vulnerable bag for Christmas!
The bag features an exterior pocket for your passport, plane tickets and things you need to grab "on the road." There are numerous additional pockets inside and out which are supposed to hold all that parapheralia one lugs about on trips. And it comes in three different sizes.
I bought the "large" size - it isn't. I think the designers forgot that when traveling, you need not only your cell phone, but the recharger, too. You need the "big wallet" with two compartments for different coins and currencies, or else carry separate wallets, coin purses, something, to keep your various currencies straight. You not only need the passport, but the International Driving Permit, spare visa photos, and assorted other documents for obtaining additional visas, handling business matters, and more.
It just isn't big enough. And I've abandoned any idea of carrying a cosmetic case. It needs to be about two inches wider, an inch higher, and half an inch thicker to really be useful on most women's trips, especially anything more than a brief vacation or leisure trip.
Not as happy as expected...
May your road rise to meet you!
Ann
The bag features an exterior pocket for your passport, plane tickets and things you need to grab "on the road." There are numerous additional pockets inside and out which are supposed to hold all that parapheralia one lugs about on trips. And it comes in three different sizes.
I bought the "large" size - it isn't. I think the designers forgot that when traveling, you need not only your cell phone, but the recharger, too. You need the "big wallet" with two compartments for different coins and currencies, or else carry separate wallets, coin purses, something, to keep your various currencies straight. You not only need the passport, but the International Driving Permit, spare visa photos, and assorted other documents for obtaining additional visas, handling business matters, and more.
It just isn't big enough. And I've abandoned any idea of carrying a cosmetic case. It needs to be about two inches wider, an inch higher, and half an inch thicker to really be useful on most women's trips, especially anything more than a brief vacation or leisure trip.
Not as happy as expected...
May your road rise to meet you!
Ann
Friday, February 19, 2010
Paint in an Artists' Haven
It was one of the favorite places famed American Impressionists like Childe Hassam and J. Alden Weir to paint en plein air. Julian Alden Weir and his wife, later their daughter Dorothy Weir Young, hosted The Ten and other painters on the Weir Farm in rural Connecticut.
Now the 110 acre Weir Farm is the only National Historic Site devoted to painting. Here you can paint with the pros and with the spirit of painters past. The National Park Service runs the farm, and even provides charcoals, pastels or watercolors on various days so you can try your hand. A self-guided brochure available at the Visitor Center will show you around the popular painting sites around the farm.
The Stone Wall Program, a guided walk, examines the geology and agricultural history of this area in southwestern Connecticut. Thursdays & Saturdays at 1:00 p.m. year-round.
It will be featured in the "America the Beautiful" U.S. quarter series which starts minting this year.
Weir Farms
735 Nod Hill Road
Wilton, Connecticut 0689
+1-203-761-9945
Hours:
May - October: Wednesday thru Sunday - 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
November - April: Thursday thru Sunday - 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Art Center: weirfarmartcenter.org
National Park Service: nps.gov/wefa
Great fun, great hiking, great photo shoots, can't say much for my painting talents, however!
May your road rise to meet you,
Ann
Now the 110 acre Weir Farm is the only National Historic Site devoted to painting. Here you can paint with the pros and with the spirit of painters past. The National Park Service runs the farm, and even provides charcoals, pastels or watercolors on various days so you can try your hand. A self-guided brochure available at the Visitor Center will show you around the popular painting sites around the farm.
The Stone Wall Program, a guided walk, examines the geology and agricultural history of this area in southwestern Connecticut. Thursdays & Saturdays at 1:00 p.m. year-round.
It will be featured in the "America the Beautiful" U.S. quarter series which starts minting this year.
Weir Farms
735 Nod Hill Road
Wilton, Connecticut 0689
+1-203-761-9945
Hours:
May - October: Wednesday thru Sunday - 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
November - April: Thursday thru Sunday - 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Art Center: weirfarmartcenter.org
National Park Service: nps.gov/wefa
Great fun, great hiking, great photo shoots, can't say much for my painting talents, however!
May your road rise to meet you,
Ann
Saturday, February 6, 2010
A Little Sarong Goes a Long Way
It's amazing how far 2 yards/2 meters of fabric can go! The second most important item in my travel gear is a batik sarong. My original was a gift when I left Indonesia. Instead of making it up into a garment, as was my first thought, I discovered rather quickly that it had too many uses to bother with sewing up something else.
My sarong has served as: bed sheet, bath towel, a beach cover-up & beach towel, a casual wraparound skirt for sightseeing. I wrapped up in it in frigid St. Petersburg along with my lined trench coat. It has served as a scarf and as a shawl. I gathered it into a smashing sash over a plain black tunic and slacks. It also twisted up into an elegant halter top under my suit jacket for dining out when I had an unanticipated invitation to a fine restaurant.
Useful? You bet. Pick one up next time you see one, and stash it in your carry on tote. Indonesia and Malaysia are famous for their batiks, and the art has spread to the Caribbean, where a sarong is often called a pareo.
May your road rise to meet you,
Ann
My sarong has served as: bed sheet, bath towel, a beach cover-up & beach towel, a casual wraparound skirt for sightseeing. I wrapped up in it in frigid St. Petersburg along with my lined trench coat. It has served as a scarf and as a shawl. I gathered it into a smashing sash over a plain black tunic and slacks. It also twisted up into an elegant halter top under my suit jacket for dining out when I had an unanticipated invitation to a fine restaurant.
Useful? You bet. Pick one up next time you see one, and stash it in your carry on tote. Indonesia and Malaysia are famous for their batiks, and the art has spread to the Caribbean, where a sarong is often called a pareo.
May your road rise to meet you,
Ann
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