City Guide

The French Riviera, also known as the Côte d’Azur, makes up the sparkling blue coastline of the South of France which includes many fabulous beach towns ranging from Monaco (it’s own country technically but very French) to Villefranche-sur-Mer, Menton, St. Jean Cap Ferrat, Nice, Antibes, Cannes, Saint Tropez and ending for the most part in Marseille. It is essentially the coastline of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, which includes Provence just a couple hours north fro

We are in France for our fifth wedding anniversary and my 35th birthday celebrations so naturally lunch with a view at Hotel du Cap was a high priority on the docket! If you don’t know already, Hotel du Cap-Eden Roc is the gem of the French Riviera, with it’s glistening views of the ocean, pristine grounds and an infamous cliffside pool reserved for only hotel guests and visitors from neighboring mega yachts who want to take a shot at the olympic looking hoops suspended o

A taste of Italia, in Santa Monica. I’ve rounded up all my faves in this westside enclave, including the infamous cheese pasta dalla forma! Mangia! xx LOCANDA PORTOFINO // A sun-filled beautiful little patio for lunch that will transport you to northern Italy for a warm afternoon with a great wine selection, fresh fish and the very best spaghetti alla vognole. FORMA // A top priority for any cheese lovers like myself. You will obsess over the perfectly curated selection of

One of the most ideal perks of living in Los Angeles is it’s close proximity to other beautiful places, such as Montecito, Palm Springs, Oak Glen, Carmel by the Sea, Napa and San Diego; the list goes on and on. But one you might not be as a familiar with is snow capped this time of year with three resorts to ski down and a charming little village in the city center and only 90 minutes away. Big Bear is a small year round-resort town in the mountains with a beautiful lake and

Santa Barbara is a lovely coastal town to spend a weekend, especially when you live only 90 minutes away. The drive up from Los Angeles involves ocean views and the quaint town of Montecito is just next door. So when my mother and I were searching for a spot to retreat this past holiday, we couldn’t help but oooh an ahhh over this adorable little stay at Simpson House Inn , in our mini bungalow perfectly named, The Garden Room. Simpson House Inn is essentially a charming bed

If you’ve been a longtime reader you know how fond I am of a season change. But finding “Fall” in Los Angeles has always posed a conundrum come September since moving out west twelve years ago. Of course we have pumpkin patches and chillier weather at night as daylight savings happens here too, a fact I still have trouble accepting for some reason. But finding leaves and autumn colors in the evergreen landscape of lalaland will forever be a challenge. APPLE -arnatly Fall doe

Cabo is an easy under three hour from Los Angeles and that’s essentially why I chose it for a mini getaway with my hubby to celebrate my 34th birthday this year. It’s known for it’s beautiful beachy weather, excellent accommodations and tourist-focused culture. It’s also one of the few ocean resort-worthy destinations on the southwest region of North America and in my honest opinion, unworthy of visiting if you’re not coming from somewhere under three hours away, but that’s

I never lived in my hometown of Chicago as an adult, so playing tourist over the last decade has been a real treat. This most recent trip made even more fun because I got to see my high school friends as moms’ and thirty-somethings’ living in the city I grew up in from a different vantage point this time around. For the first time I didn’t have a wedding to attend or a birthday 5celebration; I just wanted a snapshot of their lives as they’ve come to be with age, kids, pups,

The closest we will get without a passport to the Alps, Aspen remains the premier snowy destination for fun on and off the mountain. So of course it was my first choice for a brief romantic getaway this Valentine’s Day with Arthur and despite some of the hiccups we had getting back home I still can’t wait for another chance to head back. All the deets below, enjoy! Xx Getting to Aspen Aside from how fabulous this ski town is, one of the main draws for us was the less than two

Before my mother and I checked into our hotel in La Jolla, we decided to make a lunch stop further down south in San Diego’s Marina district at Seneca’s Trattoria. Inspired by the sea and life on large ships this glamorous and bustling restaurant serving my absolute favorite Italian faire! Located on the 19th floor of the Intercontinental Hotel we were greeted by a nature laden scene immediately upon arrival leaving my mother and I blown away by the detail! That was before w

Oh how I LOVE doing my #RESORT guides at the end of each year! The perfect does of sunshine and a necessary peek at upcoming Spring and Summer when the holidays are through and yet another excuse for me to incorporate pink into my wardrobe. This year’s inspiration came straight from the California Coast, a chillier one this time of year but not without it’s bold colors and resort-worthy design if you know where to look. For various reasons I found myself all the way up in SF

My favorite place in California, the charming town known for it’s fairytale-like cottages, European flair and magical alleyways. Did I forget to mention it’s by the sea? A seaside escape just two hours south of San Francisco. The sleepy small place with beautiful rugged beaches and Monterey cypress trees that stole my heart years ago on my first visit with my mother up the California coast. We ventured to so many beautiful spots but the most picturesque of course was here. Ca

Any Italian restaurant is likely to make you a cacio e peppe upon request, however, a spritz cocktail is not always guaranteed, at least not in Brentwood, Los Angeles! I’ve lived here my entire Los Angeles life, aside from a tiny stint in neighboring Santa Monica before bringing Arthur back. There are so very many reasons I love Brentwood but the fact that Italian restaurants completely overpower the dining game is just the icing on the cake, or shall I say truffle shavings o

I’ve been wanting to visit this chic little Caribbean island for years! Saint Barthélemy, commonly referred to as St. Barts, is a slice of fanciful heaven in the French West Indies, a territory of France known for being absolutely fabulous. Everyone speaks French and everyone working in hospitality is from France, essentially making St. Barts a tropical version of Saint Tropez. The island is small and exclusive, most likely because it can be challenging to get to {how to get

The good news is I made it down the mountain in one piece. …I did take the orange net with me. And I can guarantee you I looked good doing it. Well we made our first trip away from le bébe two hours away and into the snow of all places! Big Bear has always been in the back of my mind since moving to Los Angeles ten years ago . I was baffled a place like this could exist so close to the year round sunshine. Snow just two hours away? Skiing just two hours away? I’m starting to

Well I knew this year’s resortwear guide would likely hit different, as last year’s required a not so effective coverup {pun fully intended} of my now eight month old delight. Le bèbè and le covid which will never sound chic no matter how many French words you put with it, have been perhaps the biggest barriers to finding sun in an exotic locale these last few years. But don’t you fret. I live in Southern California, thank goodness. When I asked my mother if she’d rather

Having a baby won’t stop me from getting back to my fun exploring this city and I am beyond excited Los Angeles has finally opened up! Since giving birth I’ve been doing my best to get back to all my old favorites, in addition to some newcomers I’m sharing today. It’s been absolutely amazing getting to dine in again, I can’t tell you how much I’ve missed bread baskets and a non-virgin cocktail that I didn’t make myself! The only difference now is everything takes a lot longer

New York City, my heart goes out to you… right now everywhere in the United States and the world, is suffering from the impact of widespread COVID-19. But NYC in particular, appears to be one of the hardest hit cities in America. New Yorkers have been told to remain inside, which I imagine is much more difficult given the small nature of most homes there. I am sure a walk outside in this brisk Spring air is a privilege for most city dwellers everywhere and I can’t help but re

After my big adventure… mastering the mountain on skis, a day of relaxation and respite was most certainly in order. Fortunately, I wasn’t the only bunny hill member from our group and found two other ladies with the same agenda for this winter weekend. So we crafted a relaxing itinerary off the mountain, one that involved just the same, if not more, scenic views of this quaint little ski town in Steamboat Springs. W e started out morning off with a visit to the Steamboat Gr

We arrived in Denver on a sunny morning, the first stop on our way into Steamboat Springs for a long ski weekend with friends. Per a solid recommendation, we opted for a train ride into the city for a short break before our ride to the mountains as ee were told Denver had a very nice train station, which I will admit, I was quite skeptical about. But given the train was so clean and timely, my hopes increased. And when I walked into this expecting nothing more than an updated