A New York State of Mind

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For the most part, New Yorkers stick to their own business—they abhor stranger initiated conversation, flinch at the slightest graze of an elbow on the subway and are aghast at someone walking slower than the speed of light.
 
On a day-to-day basis we stride past each other, consumed with our own schedules, to-do

Discovering Paris, France

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Walking around the Eiffel Tower on the Champ de Mars a small detail caught my eye—the Parisian litter on the ground. I have lived in both New York and Chicago and unlike the usual city garbage, the ground around the Eiffel Tower had remnants of rose petals and tops to champagne bottles; the

Life is a Cabaret in Montmarte

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Within minutes of stepping off the metro in Montmartre I was whipped into a frenzy of people, surrounded by sounds of accordions and bag pipes and sipping on warm red wine or ‘vin chaud’…I was in love. I remember roaming the streets of Pigalle, passing such places as the Moulin Rouge, in search of

Falling in Love with Rouen, Normandy

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I remember when Monday mornings didn’t hold the same stigma they have now. Before 9am-5pm work hours, oppressive cubicles and blaring screen monitors, I remember waking up on Monday to sunlight flooding my apartment, the sounds of car horns and French mingling outside my window and the promise of an unpredictable day ahead. This was

In Search of Authentic Cartagena Fare

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With its rich colored buildings, vibrant culture and playful ambiance Cartagena is a city unlike any other. Whether channeling the days of writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez and strolling through romantic Old Town or enjoying salsa on warm balmy nights, this Colombian city has a little something for everyone. Of the many sights and attractions

The Beauty of Cartagena, Colombia

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During the day, the colors of the sea set against the rich color palette of the buildings in Cartagena are stunning. At night, lively music plays at every corner lending the night an energy and promise of a memorable evening ahead.
 

Everyone in Cartagena exudes happiness, passion and an appreciation

Retracing My Heritage in Colombia

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I have two photos in my apartment from my past, they are both slightly bent around the edges and show a young man smiling while holding a baby. Mountains cascade in the background, a city lays sprawled out beneath the balcony and

La Magnifique Étretat

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Imagine driving through the French countryside surrounded by rolling hills and pastoral beauty. The landscape is lush with budding flowers, charming farm houses and grazing Normandy cows roaming lazily through the grass. The French countryside seems as though it could go on forever, extending endlessly in fields of wild flowers. Suddenly the scenery shifts

They Were Soldiers: Visiting The Normandy Beaches

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I don’t know if I will ever find the words to describe what it felt like to visit the Normandy beaches and walk along the shores of the D-Day landings. I once read somewhere that a single death is a tragedy while a hundred deaths is a number—a concept too immense to wrap our minds