I'm not from Orlando, but I like to say that our little family is "from" Orlando since my husband and I both went to school here, met, got married, and had two babies in the City Beautiful. During our time as Orlando residents, we loved to get takeout from a restaurant or grab a drink + dessert from a cafe or pick up fixin's for a perfect picnic and sit together under the warm sunshine in one of Orlando's many green parks. We also have a thing for books and our idea of a lovely day is lounging on a picnic blanket with good reads and great eats.

I lived in Portugal 20 years ago and Lisbon was a city of which I have many fun memories. I'm FINALLY getting back for a visit in a few months, so I'm trying to remember the old (like CENTURIES old) faves, as well as check out all the new things which have appeared in recent years (hello vegan sushi and drag queen cooking classes!). Staying in a 5th floor walkup with no elevator, so I'll be sure to work up an appetite for eleventy million pastéis de nata.

Honestly a trip to Astoria is worth it for Frite & Scoop alone, but here are a few more fun stops, since they don't let you go up to the Goonies house anymore!! If you go the right time of year, the sea lions will be waiting for you, just listen for their barking and meander down the Astoria Riverwalk til you find a couple hundred of them in a pile!

This place is special to me because of the time I lived there. Washington DC is known to the rest of the nation for politics, but for the locals, the upmost importance is given to happy hour and BRUNCH! Saturday and Sunday brunches happen all over the city and I wanted to share some of my favorites along with the dish they are best known for. Bon appetit!

This place is special to me because the beaches in the San Francisco Bay Area are extremely beautiful and so easy to reach by foot or bike or car or bus! And, the coffee is amazing! I take hikes at one of these places on a weekly basis. I recommend them all!

This place is special to me because I used to live in Hamburg as an art student and St Pauli is the area where we used to hang out (and still do when I visit). I am particularly fond of the so called curtain pubs (Gardinenkneipen). Their windows are usually obscured by nicotine stained doilies, hence their name, they are ruled by grumpy chain smoking barmaids (but with a heart of gold) and frequented by a mix of colorful characters from the local red light millieu who drunkenly play melancholic music on the jukebox whilst telling the barmaid their woes, or might have a little dance to the Macarena. The map shows my favorites curtain pubs, and a couple of places to have a cheap (but good) snack inbetween to soak up all the Astra and Korn. Top insider tips are: Discreetly (=make sure the grumpy barmaid doesn’t notice) ring the landline of the Nordlicht whilst sitting at its' bar and make sure you don’t tipsily ring any bells mounted over bartops, as this means you are volunteering to buy everyone in the establishment a drink! When you find yourself sitting at the bar of the Lehmitz, the bar that NEVER closes, at 10am trying to solve the mystery of when and how on earth they clean the place, it’s probably time to go home….

discover the most characteristic food shops in Rome in autumn by bicycle

This place is special to me because it is such a lovely, charming, and weird location in South Korea with a wonderful history. Imsil introduced cheese to the Korean diet in 1958, when a Belgian man moved to the region. He raised goats and made his own cheese, and the governor at the time requested that he teach the skill to others in the community. Imsil Cheese Theme Park provides a place to have fun, learn about cheese, and make it yourself!

My new wife and I met for sushi on our first date and ever since then we have sushi every Sunday. I had to be "convinced" to love sushi. Didn't take much! Now we are planning to honeymoon in Japan.

This place is special to me because this is the first capital city I visited when coming to the UK (I grew up in France) and this is where I first practiced my English where everyone speaks with a typical accent! I later lived in Edinburgh during my studies. Edinburgh is such a unique town, I love the sound of bagpipes and the smell of roasted malt !

This place is special to me because Utrecht it's my hometown and I maped my favorite coffee places. Good coffee, often good music and nice people.

Kapana is a small walkable district in the town of Plovdiv. Its history dates back to the 16th century, when it was the merchant and crafts center of Plovdiv. A few of its streets are actually named after the craftsmen that practiced there for centuries: Zhelezarska Str. (Blacksmith Str.), Zlatarska Str. (Goldsmith Str.), Abadjiyska Str. (Coat-Tailor Str.), Kozhuharska Str. (Fur-Tailor Str.). The name itself (Kapana) means “trap” or “labyrinth”. And it’s well-deserved too — one can easily get lost in its cobblestoned streets that always meet at peculiar angles. Having lost its liveliness since the mid-20th century (the streets being mostly packed with parked cars), in the past few years the neighborhood has been revived again, largely thanks to Plovdiv's nomination for the European Capital of Culture 2019. Today Kapana is the colorful heart of Plovdiv — a social place with an artistic spirit and unique atmosphere.

Kagurazaka is my absolute favorite place in Tokyo! They have a variety of restaurants, cafes and shops that sell authentic Japanese stuff, and plenty of traditional architecture, such as Akagi shrine and Zenkoku temple. It is the perfect place to hang out with your friends and enjoy the lively atmosphere!

This place is special to me because I lived in Washington for 6 years and fell in love with all of the local wineries, breweries, and distilleries. Wine was made throughout the state but many vineyards had tasting rooms in Woodinville, so you could experience what the whole state had to offer. This map is just a few of my favorites - there are really too many to include. Since we have moved away, we haven't found anything quite like Woodinville!

Last spring I visited Niagara Falls for the first time and fell in love! Here are my top recommendations on what to do, see and eat! Admittedly you could skip one or two of the Tim Hortons Coffee breaks, but why would you want to?