Christmas in Florida!
This trip to Miami and Sunny Isles is my last trip of the year -- and it is one for the books. I was given the assignment of interviewing a 33 year old, multi-millionaire developer, who is an associate of Donald Trump. I had a great time and the young man seemed unaffected by all the trappings of his success. I had my picture taken in front of one of his private jets. He was a gentle, kindly person, whom I hope to meet again.
I was enchanted by many little things on this trip - the weather being one. I am from California, so a warm winter was not unusual for me, but the weather in Miami was so perfect, warm and cloudless, that it seemed, when looking at other parts of the TV weather map, that I was in paradise.
Rain in the west, snow in the midwest and east, and then, in Florida, it's cloudless and perfect. Like in Arizona, this is the reward Floridians get for putting up with hot, miserable Summers. But I had never been in Florida in December, and especially THIS December when so much weather misery afflicted the rest of the country.
One of the images above is a simple one -- on the 28th floor of my hotel suite, looking down at the ocean below. AHHH! Comfort and Joy! A Florida Christmas!
I was enchanted by many little things on this trip - the weather being one. I am from California, so a warm winter was not unusual for me, but the weather in Miami was so perfect, warm and cloudless, that it seemed, when looking at other parts of the TV weather map, that I was in paradise.
Rain in the west, snow in the midwest and east, and then, in Florida, it's cloudless and perfect. Like in Arizona, this is the reward Floridians get for putting up with hot, miserable Summers. But I had never been in Florida in December, and especially THIS December when so much weather misery afflicted the rest of the country.
One of the images above is a simple one -- on the 28th floor of my hotel suite, looking down at the ocean below. AHHH! Comfort and Joy! A Florida Christmas!
Labels: florida, vacation, weather
15 December 2008
From Haddon: Nice Mention of Susan in Executive Living
Hi there everyone -
Haddon the webmaster here. I just read a really nice mention of Susan and her work in the Publisher's Note of the new Executive Living supplement written by President & Publisher Phillip G. Wren.
The entire supplement can be found HERE.
Because Susan is on the road today to do some interviews in Miami I thought I'd go ahead and post this myself. Thanks Phillip!
Haddon the webmaster here. I just read a really nice mention of Susan and her work in the Publisher's Note of the new Executive Living supplement written by President & Publisher Phillip G. Wren.
The entire supplement can be found HERE.
Because Susan is on the road today to do some interviews in Miami I thought I'd go ahead and post this myself. Thanks Phillip!
Labels: executive_living, from_haddon
05 December 2008
Late Fall Adventures, Aspen Colorado
The reason why I call this LATE FALL, is that Winter's true appearance had not come yet the first week in December, yet the skiers and snowboarders were out en masse, doing their thing on the snow. From the images, however, it looked like plenty enough for most people, but for the Aspen/Snowmass crowd, it was not enough. " We hope every day that more will come!" said one skier to me, as he geared up to spend the day on Aspen mountain. This gentleman had gray hair, and a profoundly wizened face, as if he had spent all of his life outdoors. " Last year was great, but this year? Look!" He pointed up to the dazzling white mountain." Hardly anything! But there's enough for me, even though it is December 2ond."
This is the third time I have been to Aspen, and I am still trying to figure out the exceptional nature of this town, deeply embedded in the Rocky mountains, 5 hours by car or bus from Denver on a good day, and on the plane, about an hour, often bumpy. This time, on the plane from Denver to Aspen, were some rowdy Russian men, who I THINK, even at 10:15AM, had started carousing early -- well before the plane took off. None spoke English except a few basic words, but the one phrase one of them could say, and DID, after each deep prop plane bump, was " It's A BEAUTIFUL DAY!" I began thinking this is probably the feeling that most people have when they come to this place in the mountains.
During my stay, I saw much newness in the old Snowmass and Aspen -- new plans for wholly owned residences, many of which had already been sold, as well as new fractional residences in downtown Aspen. Both places, one close to the other, have such exceptional access to the slopes, that even with the small amount of snow, every day must be enticingly beautiful -- especially one to those who have sojourned from other non-snowy climes, to find solace or company on the snow, no matter how thin it is.
On the day I left, a heavy storm blew in. Flights were cancelled, and I had the disquieting experience of taking a bus, during a severe snowstorm, from Aspen to Denver. The heavy blowing snow did not deter the inveterate driver at all, and we came through it quite well. Before I flew back to Tucson last night, I received a Twitter from The Town Of Aspen: " Our Prayers Were Answered,. If We Could Just have a Few More Days Like This!"
I could hear those boisterous Russians laughing in the background.
26 November 2008
New York City in November
My favorite late Autumn month is November, especially in the East: the weather is blustery and changeable, and the wind can whip through clothes, reminding those of us who live on the mild, balmy other side of the country, what it means to be COLD. But even though the wind chill was about 20, I braved the elements and took a 25 block walk up 5th avenue at dusk. As usual, by 1/2 way into the walk, I had fallen in love with this city once again. I realized long ago, that moving to New York from California in my teens, was my true undoing for many years to come. Nothing compares with this city, and in all other places I have lived, New York is still the beacon of of music, drama, dance, poetry, culture, food... what else is there?Well, coming to New York at this time, when the economy has taken a terrible downturn, the mood of the city was somber. Wall Street was right down the road, and the sense of sobriety was palpable. i had heard in a bar from a trader that media and the politicians had hidden the terrible truth from those who read and watch TV: that the economy was in much worse shape that had been initially reported, and the bottom was not in sight. Cab drivers told me the same thing. And yet, walking up 5th, as I had done for many years, in a light Spring coat, no hat, no earmuffs, I was still enchanted by the ambiance of the pre-Holiday season. Twinkling lights in the windows, a taste of snow in the air, both bringing me to realize my enchantment was caused by my sense of urban familiarity. Traveling alone as I always do, I came to understand the city was my family, the landmarks -- The Empire State Building, the ice rink at Rockefeller Center, Tiffany's, all held personal memories that were my own personal landmarks, still existing, with deep personal gratitude.
Labels: nyc
31 October 2008
Vail in Late October
It is always interesting to stay at a high end resort area in the off season. I have been to Aspen many times off season, and I am happy to do this, as I get a clearer picture of the resort culture that exists -- and how each town -- basically all perceived as ski towns, bonded by snow, differ in theme and texture from the others. Vail of all places is a town in process -- much building going on -- Solaris, the Ritz Carlton and The Four Seasons, are all projects that will be finished next year. The thing that separates Vail from other places I have visited in Colorado, is its intimate village like atmosphere. I grew up in a village, and as I have grown older, miss the intimacy, and accessibility of neighbors, wagging dogs, and needed services. Park City used to be like this, evidently -- one of my colleagues said that when he came to live there in 1972, there were more dogs than people. Vail has a feel like this -- there are dogs, mostly on leash, or sitting in windows or on storefront steps. One of my associates bent down to pet a dog sitting in front of a store, and when she stopped petting the dog, the dog walked right along with us for a few minutes. There was, also, a pleasant briskness in the air, as it is 8200 feet high -- so for those of us Valley-Floor-Of-The-Rockies people, we have to walk more slowly -- and walking and talking BOTH can be a drain and a strain.
The challenge of the Vail city fathers must be to keep this sense of closeness without claustrophobia, of village without vitriol, while building the new resorts. It can be done, as it has been done successfully in other areas of the country and the world. People come here to ski, snowboard, hike and, in general, live a life uncomplicated with urban issues. Vail has a quiet magic, and especially during the season before the first snow. As i walk up Bridge street, I see the white Aspen trees, with a few yellow leaves, the deep black green of stands of aromatic Evergreen, fading flowers, the anticipatory quiet of a late October evening --all seem carry the sense of expectation of the first frost, the Thanksgiving moon, the first flakes of new snow, harbingers of the high season, the last best gift of the dying year.
Labels: colorado, four_seasons, ritz_carlton, solaris, vail
12 September 2008
Lessons Learned at 15 Months of Travel
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Charleston, Seabrook Island, Poplar Bluff, St Thomas (again), a helicopter excursion around the near and far islands of the Carribbean, Miami, Big Sky, Montana, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Newport Beach, back to San Francisco, Eureka, California, the Lost Coast of Northern California, Mendocino, back to San Francisco and within a foreseeable time, back to Tucson finally after being 15 months away from home base… this has been quite an expedition.
I last blogged in January of this year in Logan, Utah and somewhere between then and now, I have really been untethered more than I have ever been before. I have not traveled abroad this year, thus far. I have written, spoken at the IMN Conference in Miami Beach, written more marketing copy, ad copy, articles for internet, and traveled within the United States. This year, thus far, has been life-changing, as I learned what is felt like to live, basically, out of my suitcase for a very long time! What did being away so long teach me? First of all, it is expensive, second, the mail gets all screwed up, so you have to pay a lot of bills forward, third, it is disorganizing you have to become truly organized, learning the absolute need for one of the great inventions of all time, the Zip-Loc bag, fourth, as I have grown older and somewhat wiser this year, a need for a home base, where all your junk is in the same place. Even if you don't know where it all is exactly, you still know it is around here somewhere; an oddly reassuring feeling. I know I have other lessons I have learned, but those are the main four.
I am putting some images on the site of a few places that I really enjoyed. The Stanford Inn, Mendocino, the helicopter trip over St. Thomas, and the dazzling moonrise in San Francisco.
Tired, but happy, I am ready to return to the high Sonoran plateau of Tucson, where the air is easy to breathe, and lemons can still be picked from the trees through the winter. No Utah winters, anymore...
28 January 2008
Cancelled trips, Winter robins
Such things, I am told, happen to travel writers once in awhile, but this had never happened to me: bad weather, exceptionally bad weather and a canceled trip as a consequence.
I was looking forward to going to Palm Springs, to a fascinating Moroccan style boutique resort called Korakia. I was looking forward to milder weather, seeing flowers in bloom, smelling the sweet, dry desert air. BUT NOOO! All weekend we had been watching a violent winter storm scrape and douse its way across California. Whenever I looked on www.weather.com, the same flashing red SEVERE SNOW WARNING sign came on the screen. Last night a wind warning was added also. I looked at the weather for Palm Springs, and surprisingly, there was a FLASH FLOOD warning for the Coachella Valley. With such a triple whammy -- snow, wind, flood, I decided, sorrowfully, to reschedule the trip. This was last night. I walked out in the 25 degree, clear black night last night, and saw the star spangled scarf of the Milky Way above me. Clear as a bell. How could all this WEATHER be coming our way?
I went in, went to bed and awoke at about 5:00AM with hail, snow, and moaning wind beating at my bedroom window. I went to the window, opened the blinds and could see only white -- a classic white-out. Oh, to be among the Hibiscus and Jasmine at Korakia!! Not much later, I saw on the news that the Salt Lake City Airport was closed,as were many of the mountain passes and roads leading into and out of Salt Lake. What a MESS!
I grouchily went out to the kitchen, when I looked outside at our snow covered decorative Crab Apple trees. The fruits were small, well-frozen, but still held their bright red color. On the branches were six winter Robins. One was looking right at me -- a fat bird with a bright orange-yellow breast, contrasted on the branch with the bright red berries. My camera was close by, so I took some pictures of the single bird, then others.
Had I gone to Palm Springs, I would have missed this -- I like to think, when I am disappointed, that the small things in life -- like the Robins on the branch -- come into such great clarity. i walk out in the foot-plus deep snow -- and am glad, in an odd kind of way, that I stayed, again knowing the bright peace and solace a fresh Winter snow can provide.
Labels: blizzard, disappointment, Palm Springs, peace, winter
06 January 2008
Comings and Goings: Life in Winter
For the first and maybe last time, I am living in a place where there is a lot of SNOW. For the past 21 years, I have lived in Tucson, Arizona, where snow falls about once in twenty years. Here in Utah, snow falls almost every other day. Differences in attitudes, due probably to the fact there ARE seasons, come into greater focus daily. A neighbor said, " Well, now we asked for the snow, we have it and now we are forced to enjoy it!" Being forced to enjoy something is a novel concept!! All the Christmas and New Year's festivities have come and gone: and nowhere does the temporal reveal itself more than in a cold clime. Right across the street were our neighbors, people we barely knew -- but they had a grand light show each night -- I was never able to quite appreciate or accept all the brightly colored lights on the trees, the huge Christmas Star on the lawn, kleig-light strength, blinking on and off all night, with the words Merry Christmas also in bright red and green, also blinking on and off. It was a spectacular display of electric religion! As we are renters on a block full of homeowners, ours was the only home that did not have bright lights. My witty husband suggested we put a mirror on our front door.
But then, on December 26th, we noticed the across the street bright light neighbors packing away their lights, and putting everything in a U-Haul. When I asked them if they were moving, they said yes, one had gotten a job in Greeley, Colorado. the house would be put in the market, and by the day's end, the house was dark, no lights anywhere, and off they went, the U-Haul disappearing in the softly falling snow.
On the bright side, i learned to toboggan. I have not broken anything yet, but then again, it is only January.