Can you really enjoy something if you’re utterly ignorant about it?

I think you can. I like playoff hockey even though I don’t know what icing is. I often go to museums with only one Intro to Art History class in my arsenal. And I enjoy wine. I know for sure that I prefer red to white and don’t like ones that cause you to smack your tongue against your lips. That’s the extent of my oenology.

Each year when we head to St. Barts, I resolve to a. speak more French and b. learn more about wine. On this, our 7th trip, I finally tipped the scales in the language department. Sort of. I prattled on to everyone in my best textbook French. However when people responded, I had no clue what they were saying, offering a shrug and a lame apology:  Je suis désolé. Maybe next year I can add the other conversational component.

I was more successful with the wine.

Last year we saw this intriguing sign on the road outside of our villa. Who could resist? We were welcomed warmly by the owner, Cyrille Noyart. I confessed my ignorance, about the French language, wine, art, hockey. He dismissed my concerns and led me into La Cave to pick out some wine.

He suggested a rosé from Provence and a Mersault. I still can’t wrap my head around rosé (the French are crazy for it, drinking iced buckets of the stuff at lunch, on the beach, in the shower.) Maybe it was the white zin fad of the ’90′s that soured my palate. The Mersault, however, was delicious. So I returned before our flight home and purchased two more bottles and two pinot noirs.

I wrapped them carefully in towels then in dirty laundry. The return home was an anxious one because I expected to be summoned to security to explain broken glass. I looked for another solution for this year and discovered Rollups from BottleWise. A heavy duty resealable plastic pouch is enclosed in a nylon pad that rolls up – hence the name. I packed my purchases and gamely loaded them in my suitcase with new pale blue bath towels and filmy beach coverups. Hoisting my luggage off the carousel I was relieved that it wasn’t leaking and thrilled when I unpacked to discover the wine was fine.

To be honest, I don’t really know any more about wine, even after two years’ of handholding by Cyrille. Robert Parker certainly isn’t calling to ask for my impression of this year’s Beaujolais Nouveau. But maybe I’ve learned a bit more about packing.

BottleWise has generously donated a Rollup as a giveaway. To enter, leave a comment on the blog about your area of ignorance, be it wine or whatever. One winner will be chosen at random on Tuesday, May 28th. US residents over 21 only. Good luck.

I enjoy touring college campuses, at least I did, the first 4 or 5 times. After awhile they begin to blend, like Caribbean cruise ports. Since precious vacation days must be spent on this important teen/parent bonding activity, I long ago began to package the campus visit with an unrelated sightseeing adventure. The Emily Dickinson museum is the perfect detour if you’re spending the day at one of the schools that comprise the 5 College Consortium:  Amherst, UMass, Hampshire, Mt. Holyoke or Smith.

The Dickinson houses are operated as one museum offering two different guided tours, a 90-minute one that includes the Homestead and The Evergreens (brother Austin’s house) or a shorter, 45-minute one. Our docent was a trim, somber woman who could not believe my daughter’s lack of interest in the Emily Dickinson Poetry Marathon. Who could possibly pass on the chance to read all of the Belle’s 1,789 poems in one sitting?

The path between the Homestead and the Evergreens.

Emily’s house tour includes the parlor, library and bedroom where she’d sit in the evening at her tiny writing desk and haul out the bits and scribbles that she’d tucked in her pocket throughout the day. You’ll learn little fun facts about the poet; for example, she was a prize-winning bread baker. What you won’t hear though are any of the salacious stories about the family, like those told in Lyndall Gordon’s “Lives Like Loaded Guns.” Apparently, Brother Austin routinely violated the Homestead’s living room couch with his paramour, Mabel Todd. Our guide only mentioned that it had been reupholstered. The tour concluded with a brief discussion of Emily’s poetry, comparing her freestyle verse to the more structured work of contemporaries like Emerson. When asked to read “I’m Nobody” out loud, I know my daughter considered vaulting through the window.

Besides the sweatshirt, I offered compensatory cuisine – lunch at The Lone Wolf, one of Amherst’s excellent independent restaurants. She scarfed down chocolate chip pancakes while I enjoyed an Eggs Benedict Florentine. The restaurant’s open 7 days a week until 2 p.m. and, in addition to traditional breakfast fare, offers a number of Southwest and vegan options.

Dickinson’s poetry was a relief to me after hours spent fretting about rhythm, meter and scansion. Her work is accessible and true.  My favorite line is “To live is so startling, it leaves very little time for anything else.” - Emily Dickinson

What’s yours?

English: Daguerreotype of the poet Emily Dickinson, taken circa 1848. (Original is scratched.) From the Todd-Bingham Picture Collection and Family Papers, Yale University Manuscripts & Archives Digital Images Database, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Arthur and Pauline Frommer (Photo credit: americanlibraries)

…and Arthur Frommer listened. The Washington Post reports that the 83-year old travel guru reacquired the rights to his guidebooks from Google after reports indicated Google would cease publication of print copies. Frommer intends to continue both online and print versions. Breathe easier, my friends. For now.

But then I read that Google, after acquiring the Frommer’s series of travel guides seven months ago, is reportedly halting production of the printed books. Although I wholeheartedly embrace every internet tool available to enable and enrich my travel experience, I am sad to see the beginning of the end of packable travel guide books.

Credit: Shutterstock

Before leaving for my semester abroad, I pored over Let’s Go Europe with the intensity I failed to direct toward The European Philosophers from Descartes to Nietzsche. It accompanied me to London, Edinburgh, Dublin, Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Nice, Venice, and Florence, providing good enough directions to get me to cheap meals and hostels. I tore pages out and gave them to other student pilgrims and shoved ticket stubs and receipts between the dog-eared pages.

All of the information contained in that book, and so much more, is available to today’s backpackers via the internet. But it means they’re necessarily tethered to a smart phone or tablet, making them vulnerable targets for petty theft and dependent on wireless connections.

I think it’s important to travel simply so you have room in your mind and heart to acquire the things that really matter – successfully deciphering a foreign rail timetable, the solemn beauty of Rembrandt’s Night Watch, the satisfaction of a torn piece of warm bread and fresh cheese. I’m blessed to have those memories and a bit sad to think that tomorrow’s young travelers might only recall how bad the cell service was in Morocco.

By Sanjay Acharya via Wikimedia Commons

Wichita State – The original Pizza Hut was opened in Wichita in 1958 by two enterprising students. The name? They were told the restaurant looked like…well, you can guess the rest. The building was relocated to the campus from its downtown location and serves as an inspiration to undergrads:  ”if you build it, they will eat it.”

La Salle University - Name Philadelphia’s Big 5. UPenn, St. Joe’s, Temple, Villanova, and…Most folks would stumble on number 5, probably guessing Drexel. It’s not too surprising. La Salle could be the Rodney Dangerfield of colleges. Their nickname, for example, was mistakenly assigned to them by a Philly sportswriter who thought the university was named after La Salle, the French explorer, not St. John Baptist de La Salle, the patron saint of teachers. Oops.

University of Miami – There must be something in the water. Many ‘Canes have achieved great success as musicians, including Broadway composer Jerry Herman, Bruce Hornsby, Enrique Iglesias, Grace Slick, and Florida’s conga queen, Gloria Estefan.

Florida Gulf Coast – This year’s Cinderella is a newcomer to the tournament and academia, opening its Fort Myers campus in 1997. The city was home to the winter estates of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford. Preserved and operated as a museum, you can peek into the recreational lives of two of America’s greatest innovators.

Marquette – St. Joan of Arc Chapel was relocated twice since its original construction in the 15th century, finally settling on the campus in 1966. Rumor has it that St. Joan kissed one of the stones and it is notably colder than those surrounding it.  Since she was burned at the stake, shouldn’t it be the other way around? Read more here.

by Sulfur via Wikimedia Commons

Louisville – Horses may be the first thing that come to mind when thinking about Louisville, but it’s also the hometown of one of the greatest athletes of all time. Muhammad Ali operates a center in the city dedicated to his achievements both in and out of the ring. 

University of Oregon – “Food Fight!” The immortal words that launched a thousand (probably more) cafeteria battles were first uttered in Erb Memorial Union when Animal House was filmed on the Eugene campus – after 12 other schools rejected director John Landis. Former University President Dave Frohnmayer (he was legal counsel at the time of the production) discusses the filming here, including his assumption that there would be no nudity or alcohol use portrayed in the film.

by Kai Brinker via Wikimedia Commons

Syracuse University - “Danny Biasone saved the NBA with the 24-second rule, make no mistake about that,” said former NBA coach and referee Charlie Eckman. Biasone, owner of the Syracuse Nationals, was looking for a way to inject some excitement into the game. The shot clock immediately transformed basketball and is used at all men’s and women’s college and professional events. The clock ticks away in the city’s Armory Square.

Indiana University - The University continues to host the Little 500 bike race, portrayed in the inspiring film, “Breaking Away.” The annual event, featuring 4-person teams, has raised over a million dollars for charities over the years and has featured a Cutters entry since 1984. Buono lavoro, Hoosiers!

University of Arizona - John Dillinger was captured in Tuscon, Arizona, home of the Wildcats. Alert firefighters recognized the notorious bank robber after he and his gang were reluctant to vacate their rooms at the Hotel Congress during a fire. The pharmacist working at the local drug store then realized the customer who was sticking wads of chewed gum under the counter when served his lunch was Dillinger. Recognizing the value (?) of these souvenirs, he scraped them off and eventually donated them to the University’s College of Pharmacy. So if you’re in Tucson…?

Ohio State University – Old cheerleaders never die; sometimes they never leave campus either. Ex-cheerleader and former trustee Herbert Atkinson loved Bricker Hall so much that he had his cremains sealed in one of the walls. Lights flicker on and off at all hours as his ghost roams the halls.

Florida University - Arguably the most successful collaboration between a university and a commercial enterprise is the one between Gatorade and the Gainesville school. An experiment to rehydrate football players who were underperforming and suffering injuries resulted in the invention of the wildly popular sports drink. The success of the team’s 1966 season resulted in this headline in the Florida Times-Union:  “One Lil’ Swig of That Kickapoo Juice and Biff, Bam, Sock — It’s Gators, 8-2.”

Michigan State – It’s often said you should be careful what you ask for.  East Lansing city planners learned that lesson when they commissioned a parking structure in the ’80′s that would be “festive” and “have no brick.” What they got was a structure affectionately referrred to as the Habitrail.

by Elizabeth/Table4Five via flickr

Kansas – The University fight song is really an eerie chant that rolls through Allen Fieldhouse and was pronounced the greatest college cheer ever by Teddy Roosevelt.

Duke - Cameron Indoor Stadium is the heart of Duke’s campus, with basketball-crazed students camping out in front to procure tickets to home games. 

The tradition is not restricted to basketball though. Engaged couples tent at the Duke Chapel to get prime wedding dates and times.

The University of Michigan – They love their bells in Ann Arbor, with not one, but two carillons on campus. Carillonneur Stephen Ball (who is also a renowned campanologist [one who studies bells and bell ringing]) plays the bells throughout the day and by request. Here’s The Victors, the Wolverines iconic fight song.

http://www.music.umich.edu/about/facilities/central_campus/burton/recordings/fightsong.mov

Enjoy the games!

© Garlic World 2013

In springtime a young woman’s fancy turns to baseball, for the love of stadium food (and the game, too). In today’s edition of Budget Travel magazine’s newsletter, Robert Firpo-Cappiello (Deputy Editor, Budget Travel) offers samples of the Best Ballpark Food in America. Included are my thoughts about San Francisco’s AT&T Park, home of the Giants. If you’d like to try to replicate the taste at home, Gilroy’s Garlic World offers its famous recipe here.

SPONSORED POST:  Whether you are planning to book P&O cruises or you are choosing to secure one of the luxury cruise deals to faraway shores, packing your suitcase is one of the most important aspects of pre-cruise organization. Make sure you don’t get overburdened by sticking to these handy tips and advice.

Step away from last-minute packing and plan your suitcase requirements in advance, so that you’re not faced with panic when you realise, the day before departure, that your belongings won’t fit – even if you sit on the case while trying to close it. What you take with you for a cruise can impact your enjoyment of the trip; there may be boutiques and shops on board but if you forget your favorite shoes, or your bought-specially-for-the-occasion Kindle, there’s no replacement. Take your time, write a list and compromise on the unnecessary to ensure your must-have items are packed.

Check the dress codes before you embark on your cruise. If there’s a formal requirement in the evenings, pack accordingly. Alternatively, take heed when the cruise line says there is no formality required, because you don’t need to bother packing your favourite tux or cocktail dress. Instead, pack some smart/casual clothes that can be dressed up and down, to maximize their usage.

Pack light if you’re willing to do your laundry as you go. Pack some detergent and wash things through in your cabin, or pay for the service once or twice depending on the length of the cruise.

Think carefully about what shore excursions you’ll be participating in. If you’re planning on guided walks, pack comfortable shoes. If you’re opting for lazy days on the sandy beaches, pack your flip flops.

Take a multi-purpose cardigan or two to keep the evening chill off your shoulders. Pashminas are fantastic for this, as well as being a beautiful layer during dinner and strolling on deck.

Most of all, make sure that you are happy wearing what you pack. The most important thing is comfort – if you’re not happy in your attire, you won’t enjoy this experience of a lifetime quite as much.

Stop thinking what you’re thinking. The Bronx is home to the New York Botanical Garden.  Featuring the iconic Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, the Garden is home to all good things flora.  And running now through April 22 is the annual Orchid Show, a dazzling display of common and exotic varieties. The smell alone is worth the $25 admission.

Pansy orchids echoed the shape and color of spring’s more familiar harbingers and showy corsage orchids attracted crowds of photographers. I particularly enjoyed the muted shades of some of the taupe and mauve specimens. Did you know that the vanilla bean (used to make pure vanilla extract) is the seed pod of the vanilla orchid? Imagine a room that smells like Grandma’s baking but looks like her chintz sofa.

And then there was the Darwin Star. I overheard a few orchidheads whispering about this rare and elusive species and finally located it in the conservatory. Apparently Charles Darwin, after examining a sample of this orchid, insisted that a moth with an extremely long insect tongue must exist in order to pollinate it (think Gene Simmons). Darwin was roundly mocked as no such moth was known to exist in Madagascar, the orchid’s home. Four decades after Darwin’s death, a moth was discovered with brag-worthy proportions supporting the naturalist’s theories.

After sweating my way through the conservatory’s tropical hothouse, I was looking forward to walking the grounds. To compensate for the lack of natural outdoor interest, the NYBG is hosting an exhibition of large-scale sculptures by the Spanish artist Manolo Valdés. The sculptures are metallic featureless heads with different aerie faerie wreaths. Really quite beautiful and perfect for the gardens.

My soul felt nurtured, but my stomach was beginning to get a little restless. Luckily, Arthur Avenue (what many consider to be New York’s real Little Italy) is a stone’s throw from the NYBG.

First stop was Madonia Bakery for a loaf of seeded Italian bread and some cannoli. I’d completely forgotten it was St. Patty’s Day until I saw the loaves of Irish soda bread. Took two of those too.

Madonia Bakery’s Wall of Biscotti

Then I ducked into the Arthur Avenue Retail Market. Fordham students dressed like leprechauns were playing green beer pong. I felt a bit like Christopher in the Sopranos episode when he has a near death experience and encounters a bouncer on the other side who tells him he’ll end up in hell, like his father. A bouncer? Apparently hell for an Italian is an Irish bar called The Emerald Piper “where it’s St. Patrick’s Day every day forever.”

But nothing was bothering David Greco and the gang at Mike’s Deli (Mr. Greco won an eggplant parm throwdown against Bobby Flay). I took home fresh mozzarella, stuffed peppers and a Paula Deen – prosciutto, hot sopressata, radicchio, mozzarella, sun-dried tomatoes, and truffle butter on focaccia.

Other than the action at the bar, the market was quiet and peaceful. On my way out the door I stopped to observe a gentleman rolling cigars by hand. As he picked up each leaf, a fresh wave of earthy scent was released into the air, complimenting the sharp smell of the cheeses hanging nearby.

This morning as I write this, it’s snowing again. Bring it on, Mother Nature. It may be winter on the outside, but I’ve got spring inside.

To celebrate the season, I’m running a Rafflecopter giveaway.
The kind folks at eBags have provided a 3-piece set of packing cubes in a great shade of eggplant to help you organize your suitcase for your spring adventures. The contest ends April 2.

So I relented and decided to acquire a pack, but which one?  The market’s crowded with a range of offerings in different sizes and prices.  I wanted one that was relatively stylish and offered some flexibility in terms of use – big enough to serve as a weekender but trim enough to navigate busy city streets and crowded museums with ease.

Enter the eBags Mother Lode TLS Weekender Convertible.  At $99.99, it’s a terrific value and comes in a wide range of beautiful colors.  I took mine for a spin through the Bronx, visiting the New York Botanical Gardens and Arthur Avenue and am happy to report it fulfilled all of my expectations.

The exterior has a number of zippered areas that provide easy access to the things you need quickly, including pockets for your cell phone, camera, and wallet.  A key clip inside meant no more unpacking the entire bag to find my keys that would have fallen to the bottom of a smaller, non-compartmentalized bag.  The straps were well padded, providing comfort and security throughout the day.  Compression straps kept the profile of the bag quite slim, as I maneuvered the delicate orchid display in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory.  And the bottle pouch (that retracts when not in use) kept my water at hand.  Despite the brisk March weather outside, the orchids required tropical hothouse conditions.

Heading to Arthur Avenue, I released the compression straps and asked the Mother Lode to do what a daypack should – carry home my goodies.  I’d already purchased a 1,000-piece orchid jigsaw puzzle. I picked up a loaf of seeded Italian bread and a couple of cannoli, stuffed peppers and fresh mozzarella.  I can’t think of a better way to fill a bag.   And, best of all, my hands were free to hold my pistachio gelato.

I can’t wait to take my convertible for an extended trip.  Packing cube sets are available from eBags in complimentary colors to organize the interior for clothing.  I think it’ll work great for trips up to 3-days in length.  Included with the bag is a shoulder strap that permits you to carry the bag like a tote.  My only suggestion would be to integrate the strap into the design, like the backpack straps that disappear into the laptop area when not in use.  Once a strap’s removable, I tend to lose it.  And now I don’t need to tote a second bag for sightseeing since I’ve experienced how well the Mother Lode handles around town.