On a rainy Sunday in an Italian café, life in a new country continues to strangely parallel the one I’ve left behind. As I think of my friends and clients who certainly spent a sunny spring day meandering through the courtyard of the Phoenix Art Musuem, wine glass in hand for Devour Phoenix, I spent my day circling the courtyard of the FinalBorgo castle for Salone Agrialimentare Ligura. Devour has quickly become the harbinger of Spring and food festivals in Phoenix. Local chefs and restaurants celebrate the season with a two-day feast of menu samples, recipe demos, and wine tasting. It’s the...

On my last weekend in Arizona, Spring arrives. I ride my bike through the neighborhood and everyone is outside doing chores, chatting and happy. Children randomly wave. Adults smile…. Spring is my favorite season for just this reason. It’s not just the relief from the cold weather, but the joy and attitude that comes with it. It is the beginning and filled with potential. As I circle the streets, I see my friends and check out their latest project – just something to do during climbing rest days. My neighbors are fixing their houses, and the coffee shop has the doors wide open. The smell of...

The New Kid on the Block I’ve been to a few of the great beer cities of the world, toured breweries big and small, sampled the wares, and attended the beer fests. It’s no secret. I’m a gal who likes beer. Over the next few days, I’ll profile four U.S. beer cities: from East Coast to West, start up to centuries old. Each is as much about bringing its own regional culture to beer and its social aspects as it is about creating drafts that uniquely identify its city’s place in the world. I’ll start with my hometown. So if you’re in Arizona, grab a pint of Prescott Brew, Grand Canyon or Four...

When I travel, public transportation is a part of the experience. I rarely have a need or feel the urge to get anywhere quickly. I just take the challenge to get somewhere without a car or as cheaply as possible. I ride a bike, take the bus, find a train or use my feet. I meet people, I overhear conversations, I see the landscape of a different country…. But sadly, Travel Me and Work Me are two different people. My real world persona is all Type A… and always late. So what is life like without a car in the concrete jungle of Phoenix, Arizona? A little like trying to be a tourist on the Amazing...

It’s never easy to let go of the things you care about. This is turning into a year of goodbyes, including a tough one today. Three years ago, I exchanged a soccer mom friendly Honda CRV for something more fitting to my backcountry road, rock climbing lifestyle. The Xterra flashed its 4-wheel drive and fold flat seats at me and we’ve been the best of friends ever since. It’s taken me, climbing friends, back seats stuffed with gear, and many a bouldering pad to Joshua Tree, Red Rocks, Lower Devil’s, Enchanted Tower, and Groom Creek. Even in less extreme adventures, it was a superstar –...