Destinations

Love wine-tasting but have kids? Don’t worry, Napa Valley is still the place for you. We have made several trips to Napa wine country with our preschooler and had tonnes of fun. Here’s how we did it! Wine Tasting With The Kids! Yes, it’s possible. While you may not be able to enjoy the boutique, exclusive wineries that dot Napa Valley, there are some pretty big names out there that make it possible for you…

Enjoy lake view dining at The Boathouse at Forest Park The Boathouse – isn’t that a lovely name? Located at the edge of the lake in Forest Park, this restaurant is more than just a place to eat. It offers rental boats to paddle around the lake, a deck with rocking chairs where you can sip your beer and stare at the ducks flapping around the dock, and some live entertainment in the evenings. In…

Starting the day with a bus ride to Chora Museum On our third day, we had to get across town to the Chora Museum, one of the last standing churches of the Byzantium Empire. The Chora museum is famous for its large collection of gold mosaic work. As we boarded a packed bus at Galata Bridge, I was a little nervous because crowds and new places do that to me. We also had no clue…

If there is one defining image of India that is recognizable worldwide then it would be that of The Taj Mahal. Identified by epitaphs such as “The Monument of Love”, “7th New Wonder of the world’ and so on, this marble marvel is often the #1 item on the bucket list of Indian tourism. An estimated 7 to 8 million (!) people visit Agra every year to see the Taj Mahal. And while the mausoleum…

Before I visit someplace I find reading something about it through travel guides, history books or simply novels really useful. You get a good sense of the historical and cultural context which deepens your travel experience. For a trip to Istanbul, my personal recommendations are- Fodor’s Istanbul’s 25 Best – A short travel guide that gives you the highlights on what to do Istanbul. Carry this along and you don’t really need your own itinerary.…

Why this trip? Back in the day, when we used to call St. Louis our home, winters would be long and painful.  Being from a tropical country like India, it takes a little time to get used to 6 month winters. Well, it was almost March and I had had it with sitting at home and staring at the cold, forlorn streets. I really needed to get out. Since we only had a weekend and…

“Are we there yet?” That dreaded question that parents fear the most on road trips! A question that leads to other questions – ‘How much longer? Can I watch more videos? I am bored, what do I do? ’ Let’s face it, you can’t really blame your kids for their impatience. Long road trips are hard – sitting in one position, in a small confined space with fast-flying views (which they don’t really care about)…

Once you get over the shock of crowds, the humidity and the tangy sea breeze mixed with the smell of dead fish and sewage that permeates this megapolis, it is easier to open your mind to what Mumbai offers. To make sense of this vast throbbing mass of life you have to get to know it from the ground up and like all great cities of the world, the best way to discover Mumbai’s neighborhoods…