 |
Issue: Fall/Winter 2010
Author(s): Heather Lochner
Looking for a unique getaway for you and your closest gal pals? Why not try the Scandinave Spa at Blue Mountain . Located in the ruggedly picturesque area of Georgian Bay, Ontario, Scandinave Spa is an experience unlike any other. Don’t expect to find pedicures or facials here — this spa is all about cleansing the body. Guests begin their experience by warming up in a eucalyptus steam bath or thermal hot pool. After unwinding, they plunge into a cold-water bath and finish by relaxing at an outdoor f...
|
 |
Issue: Fall/Winter 2010
Author(s): Jackie Perrin
Tucked away on a bluff on Little Sodus Bay, the Fly by Night Cookie Company is part sweets-lover fantasy, part miniature museum — a fanciful bakery located on the shores of Lake Ontario in Fair Haven, New York. The one-of-a-kind bakeshop boasts a colorful proprietor and mouthwatering sweets, from pies, breads and pastries to the specialty of the house — cookies — in more than 50 varieties. Now, smitten fans can take home more than a sweet sampling when they sign up for a half-day kitchen shadowing ...
|
 |
Issue: Fall/Winter 2010
Author(s): Carolyn Walkup
Even though a weekend outing with girlfriends means getting away from home, this big city outing in Chicago can bring out your inner interior designer when you visit the 2010 DreamHome at the Merchandise Mart, on display until December 10. The nine-room “home” within the Mart, the world’s largest wholesale design center, features the latest eco-friendly furnishings, colors and ideas, some of which you can adapt to even the most humble abode. For practical souvenirs that you can bring or ship home, visit ...
|
|
Issue: Spring/Summer 2010
Author(s): Betsa Marsh
When the ladies hit the road, it’s all about taking our time, meandering back roads, popping into shops and lingering over meals. Efficiency has nothing to do with it. But we’ve come upon a one-stop-shop that we love: the Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea . The Artisan Center, just off I-75 at Exit 77, is like a giant Bluegrass field trip under one elegant slate roof. There’s great shopping, Kentucky comfort food and an easy-going atmosphere that rushes no one out the door. This is the place to zero...
|
 |
Issue: Spring/Summer 2010
Author(s): Peter Chakerian
Considered Toronto’s “Main Street,” Yonge Street is the city’s boulevard of cosmopolitan cool. With live theatrical productions running at the Canon Theatre and the Toronto Centre for the Arts, posh accommodations and lots of great restaurants and cafes, there are plenty of places to rest during your bags-runneth-over shopping spree. Start at Yonge-Dundas Square — a modern reminiscence of London’s Piccadilly Circus — then head to College Park, Empress Walk and the vast Toronto Eaton Centre. Yonge Street...
|
|
Issue: Spring/Summer 2010
Author(s): Laura Taxel
Leave the skinny jeans at home and wear comfortable shoes for your exploration of Pittsburgh’s unique culinary food scene . Begin with breakfast at DeLuca’s. The landmark restaurant, known for its vintage diner décor, huge portions and decadent hot cake sundaes, attracts a line-out-the-door crowd every weekend. After polishing off a plate of eggs Benedict or an oversized burrito stuffed with real home fries and house-made sausage, walk off some calories wandering around the surrounding 22-block Strip Di...
|
 |
Issue: Fall/Winter 2009
Author(s): Lori B. Murray
Known as The Art Colony of the Midwest, Brown County, Indiana , and the town of Nashville provide a one-two punch of unique shopping and outdoor adventure, making it the perfect getaway for you and your friends. This combination of downtown activity and beautiful state park solitude means there’s a little something for everyone in your group. First, you’ll never tire of Nashville’s one-of-a-kind shopping experience, with hundreds of boutiques, galleries, museums and artists’ studios. Take it a step furth...
|
 |
Issue: Fall/Winter 2009
Author(s): Marie Catanese
Since its debut in 1936, Fiesta Dinnerware has become one of the most collected china products in the world, and Fiesta followers flock to The Homer Laughlin China Company in Newell, West Virginia , to sort through endless bins of not-quite-perfect pieces in the Fiesta “seconds room.” If you and your girlfriends love art deco dishes in colors that include Sunflower, Shamrock and Peacock, you can easily spend a day filling box after box here — at deeply discounted prices. On a recent visit, we picked up s...
|
 |
Issue: Fall/Winter 2009
Author(s): Amy S. Eckert
Never has a museum been so much fun. Toronto’s Bata Shoe Museum celebrates footwear in the heart of Canada’s largest city. The foremost shoe museum in North America, and one of only two such museums on the continent (the other is in Mexico), the Bata Shoe Museum houses more than 10,000 shoes spanning 5,000 years of world history. Take a close look at the collection’s oldest — 4,500-year-old Egyptian sandals of fragile-as-can-be leather — before moving on to historic footwear from six continents, includin...
|
|
Issue: Fall/Winter 2009
Author(s): Amy Bizzarri Bocchetta
Catch up with your girlfriends at a comfy yet luxurious three-bedroom villa at the Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa in charming and historic Galena, Illinois . Nestled on 6,800 acres of rolling hills, Eagle Ridge is the ideal all-season retreat for ladies looking to play, dine, shop and, most importantly, get away from it all and reconnect. Enjoy an exciting variety of spa treatments, including signature hot stone massages, at the on-site Stonedrift Spa. Take part in complimentary wine tastings at the warm ...
|
 |
Issue: Spring/Summer 2009
Author(s): Betsa Marsh
Hey, barkeep, bring on the Nacho Mama’s Nachos and set up the Surly Temples — made with vodka and red pop, topped with a cherry — because the ladies are on the loose in Columbus, Ohio’s Short North . The Surly Girl Saloon, rollicking with a campy Wild West vibe in the Short North Arts District, is a natural for the girls. After shopping and dining, it’s a great place to drop the bags and the decorum and try a Surly Girl “Sass”parilla, a signature hit of root beer spiked with bourbon. The Short North, a ...
|
 |
Issue: Spring/Summer 2009
Author(s): Kathy Witt
With more than 100 shops, restaurants and charming B&Bs in its historic downtown, Madison, Indiana, has got a weekend with the girls written all over it. Not only was it voted “The Prettiest Small Town in the Midwest” by Ladies Home Journal, but it also has the largest historic district in the Hoosier State, with over 133 blocks on the National Register of Historic Places. Book rooms at one of nine B&Bs and let the innkeepers fuss over you. Several have two-night packages tailor-made for girlfri...
|
|
Issue: Spring/Summer 2009
Author(s): Jennifer Rogers
Just blocks away from Chicago’s famed Magnificent Mile sits a historic, charming street that boasts some of the most glamorous shopping in the country. With Hermes, Prada and Vera Wang to name a few — Chicago’s Oak Street is where any shopaholic should come for a dose of retail therapy. The center of the Gold Coast since the 19th century and once home to the city’s most prominent families, Oak Street has kept its Victorian allure and beautiful brownstones despite the rise of skyscrapers throughout...
|
 |
Issue: Fall/Winter 2008
Author(s): Tracey Teo
Whether it’s a laid-back vibe, easygoing locals or a leisurely pace, some destinations just scream “vacation.” Any spot that’s christened Antique Alley certainly qualifies. The nickname, given to a 60-mile Indiana loop trail that stretches from Richmond to Centerville, Indiana, suggests a weekend of cruising with shopaholic friends. Rare furniture, handmade quilts, Depression glass — those who enjoy the thrill of a bargain hunt revel in the more than 1,200 antiques dealers in this aptly named region. Th...
|
 |
Issue: Fall/Winter 2008
Author(s): John Patrick Pullen
When it comes to relaxing, all a girl really needs is a good massage. And a pedicure. And maybe a facial. And a few pieces of chocolate couldn’t hurt, either. Thankfully, The Millcroft Inn & Spa , located in the Caledon Hills region of southern Ontario , offers women plenty of ways to kick back that feature all of the above. Its majestic setting on 100 acres of woodlands and meadows certainly makes Millcroft more than worthy of calling itself “the definitive country retreat.” However, with 20 consec...
|
 |
Issue: Fall/Winter 2008
Author(s): Randy Edwards
In seeking to court the growing market in getaway vacations for women, many destinations tout their proximity to the traditional sisterhood pursuits of shopping, restaurant-hopping or lounging by the pool. At the Highlands Nature Sanctuary in Bainbridge, Ohio , the emphasis in a girlfriend getaway is on truly getting away — not just from jobs or children, but also from the hectic pace of modern life. For more than a decade, the 2,000-acre sanctuary in the south-central part of the state has offered refu...
|
 |
Issue: Fall/Winter 2008
Author(s): Tracey Teo
There’s no way around it: As much as we cherish quality time at home with our families, an occasional, brief change of scenery is a must-do. To that end, the Chicago Four Seasons offers a package that promises women plenty of new sights and a fun-filled weekend in the Windy City. The high-end hotel’s “Girls Just Want t o Have Fun” package combines posh amenities and metropolitan fun. The stay starts off in style: In addition to the hotel’s newly renovated rooms and sumptuous views of Lake Michigan and t...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|