Popular Places To Dine On The Delicacies of Old Québec City

Posted on June 14, 2018 by Judi

Are you ready for a culinary treat? I’m going to share details about the delicacies of Old Québec City. For those who are foodies, you’ll be glad to know that in 2015 Condé Nast Traveler ranked Québec City among the top 20 world’s best food cities.

Luxury Dining At Fairmont Le Château Frontenac
If you haven’t read my previous post about my visit to Québec City you can find it here. I was in this charming Canadian province last month to attend the 2018 Women In Travel Summit, also known as WITS18.

Champlain Restaurant; Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac

The Champlain Restaurant has beautiful views of the St. Lawrence River.

The conference was held at the luxurious Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, the most iconic hotel in the world. Le Château Frontenac has its own collection of noteworthy restaurants, including the elegant Champlain Restaurant with its modern cuisine; The 1608 Wine and Cheese Bar with an incredible selection of cheeses; Bistro Le Sam for a casual lunch and dinner; and Place Dufferin featuring sumptuous breakfast buffets and a la carte menus with seasonal ingredients. All offer exceptional views of the St. Lawrence River – one of the most prized features of Le Château. (Note: If you cannot view the video below click here.)

A Food Tour Of Old Québec City
I had a chance to discover the delicacies of Old Québec City during a WITS18 excursion with Tours Voir Quebec Food Tour. The 2.5 hour walking tour took us to popular shops and restaurants where we sampled traditional and local specialties.

Tournebroche Restaurant; Old Quebec City; Quebec delicacies

Tournebroche Restaurant is known for its honey.

Our guide Robert gave us a history lesson as we strolled. “Québec is a native word and means where the river gets narrow. Canada means small village,” said Robert. Continue reading →

Fashionistas Will Love “The Gospel According To André”

Posted on June 10, 2018 by Judi

When I was in college I dreamed about having a career in fashion. I loved clothes, fabrics, sewing, and reading the fashion magazines. The September issue of Vogue was like my fashion bible each fall.

Like other young women in their 20s, I went to New York City after graduation in 1979, lived the single life in the city for several years, working as an editor during the day and going out with friends on weekend nights. While my fantasies of being a famous designer never materialized, I remained faithful to the world of beauty and style. In fact, I just renewed my Vogue subscription for the next two years. Once a fashionista, always a fashionista.

After college graduation I moved to NYC and dreamed of becoming a famous fashion designer. I designed a baby quilt for a fabric company.

A Legendary Fixture In The World of Fashion
That’s why, even though I’m a yoga instructor now and wear leggings most days, I so enjoyed previewing The Gospel According To André, the new documentary about the legendary and flamboyant fashion writer André Leon Talley. As the press release says: The Gospel According to André takes viewers on an emotional journey from André’s roots growing up in the segregated Jim Crow South to become one of the most influential tastemakers and fashion curators of our times.”

The Gospel According To Andre is an inspiring and uplifting documentary. (Image courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.)

The film showcases André’s childhood growing up with his grandmother and the influence that the Black Church had on his youth. From his upbringing in Durham, North Carolina, where he first found Vogue in his public library, the award-winning director Kim Novak takes you to Brown University in Rhode Island, where André got his masters in French literature, met artsy friends at the Rhode Island Institute of Design (RISD), and where he gained the freedom and liberation that propelled him into his eventual career. Continue reading →

My First Visit To Canada’s Charming Québec City

Posted on June 5, 2018 by Judi

In early May, I visited Québec City. It was my first visit to Canada’s very charming and mostly French-speaking Québec province. I was there to attend the 2018 Women In Travel Summit, also known as WITS18. WITS is one of the world’s top events for women travel influencers to connect and build sisterhood and network with others in the travel industry.

It was fun to be in the company of 400+ females of all ages who love to travel. It was great to meet and greet fellow boomer travel bloggers face-to-face, especially those I only previously met virtually in our Facebook Group. It was amazing to stay at Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, the most iconic hotel in the world, and to explore the history, culture, and food of the oldest city in North America.

It was fun to stay in a Québec landmark like the Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac.

A City With Many Accolades
With so much to see and do in Québec City, coupled with the French language and European ambiance, it was a perfect spot to grab a few days away without a long flight abroad. Plus the exchange rate with the Canadian dollar is really good right now, almost a 20 percent discount!

Quebec; Samvel de Champlain, founder of Quebec

Samvel de Champlain founded Québec in 1608.

Québec City is a town with many accolades. In 2016, Leading Culture Destinations Traveller’s Awards honored Québec City with the Culture City of the Year Award which recognizes the most stimulating and imaginative cities for the cultural nomad to visit. The other nominees were Lyon (France) and Los Angeles (USA). Ooh, ooh, ooh, I’ll be heading to Lyon in a few weeks with my BFF L for our 60th celebration. Will tell you all about it when I return. Continue reading →

My Viking Journey: A Grand Finale In My Favorite City of Rome

Posted on May 24, 2018 by Judi

My Viking journey on the luxurious Viking Star ocean liner to the Cities of Antiquity & The Holy Land, was about to come to an end. My boyfriend L and I were traveling courtesy of Viking Cruises.* Our last stop was Civitavecchia, the port of Rome. We would spend our final day touring my favorite Italian city. L had never been to Rome. I was so excited to share the famous landmarks, piazzas, and most of all the pizza.

“I can’t wait for you to see the spectacular sites in Rome,” I told L as we prepared for our 10 hour excursion. “I know you will be exhausted after walking around town but you can rest on our plane ride home tomorrow.”

I was glad to show Rome to my boyfriend L, a first-time visitor.

The Large Port of Civitavecchia
“Ciao everyone,” said our guide Monica. “We are in Civitavecchia, a port built more than 1000 years ago. It takes about 90 minutes to get to Rome.” On our way, Monica provided a history lesson.

Arriving at our last port in Italy.

“Civitavecchia is a large city for Italy. It means the ‘old city.’ During World War II it was bombed to ruins, ” said Monica. We approached the 255 miles long Tiber River, which divides Rome into two halves and flows out into the Mediterranean Sea. We drove by the countryside lush with olive trees and vineyards. Tuscany is only an hour from the port. Continue reading →

It’s Bladder Cancer Awareness Month: Time To Share My Story

Posted on May 18, 2018 by Judi

May is Bladder Cancer Awareness Month. It’s time to share my personal story. Bladder cancer is the sixth most common cancer (and 11th most common for women) – a cancer I never knew existed until I was told six months ago that “you have bladder cancer.” Not something I wanted to hear on the eve of my 60th birthday.

You Have Bladder Cancer
I asked my urologist Dr. F three times if he really said the “C” word. Mind you, I had never seen a urologist before.

“Did you say cancer?” I asked Dr. F after my surgery to remove a tumor from my bladder. “Yes, it looks like cancer,” said Dr. F.

Bladder Cancer; Bladder Cancer Awareness Month

Orange ribbons are the symbol of bladder cancer. Photo courtesy of BCAN.org.

Why me? Men are more likely to develop bladder cancer than women. I am not a smoker and during my full-time career I wasn’t in an environment where I was exposed to certain harmful substances — two of the risk factors. According to BladderCancer.net, people who are older are at a higher risk for developing bladder cancer—around 90% of people diagnosed with it are over the age of 55. I’m over 50, guess that’s me! “You live in New Jersey. It’s the chemical capital of the U.S,.” said my friend L. Ugh, that’s right!

More men are diagnosed with bladder cancer than women. Stats from BCAN.org.

“You mean it’s cancer?” I asked Dr. F again. “Yes, we have to wait for the biopsy report to determine next steps.” Those were the longest two weeks ever, especially since one of the weeks I had a catheter attached to my bladder to facilitate healing. Ugh! I was scared. I was really scared. Not able to do yoga, I used all my mindfulness meditation tools and techniques to calm my thoughts. Continue reading →

In Praise of The New “RBG” Documentary

Posted on May 11, 2018 by Judi

Give me an R!

Give me a B!

Give me a G!

What does that spell?

“RBG,” the title of the new documentary about Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

This documentary is a must see for every woman. I feel honored to have gone to the same alma mater, Cornell University, as Justice Ginsburg. She is truly “Notorious RBG” as the younger feminists call her.

At 84 years old, having survived two bouts of cancer (colon and pancreatic), she is still sharp and strong. She even has a personal trainer. If you want to practice her workout routine, there’s a book about it.

Justice Ginsburg mid workout routine in RBG, a Magnolia Pictures release. Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.

I had an opportunity to screen the new “RBG” documentary this week. I was captured from the first five minutes and stayed up past midnight to watch the entire film. (Note if you cannot see the trailer below click on this link.)

It’s amazing how much we take for granted regarding today’s women’s rights. It wasn’t always that way – from getting a credit card to getting a loan – a man’s signature was required in the early 70s. As A.O. Scott wrote in his The New York Times review, “The idea that women are equal citizens – that barring them from certain jobs and educational opportunities and treating them as the social inferiors of men are unfair – may not seem especially controversial now. “RBG” uses Justice Ginsburg’s own experiences to emphasize how different things weren’t so long ago.” Continue reading →

Capture the Memories: It’s Great To Be A Grandmother

Posted on May 9, 2018 by Judi

While I’m not a grandmother yet, when the team at Bluestreak Books (an imprint of Weldon Owen) asked me to partner with them to talk about grandparenting and offer a special giveaway for their new Grandmother’s Journal and Grandfather’s Journal, (plus a webcam) I agreed. It’s a timely gift for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.*

Enter the giveaway for Grandmother’s and Grandfather’s Journals

Enter the #giveaway for a set of #GrandparentJournals thanks to my partner @WeldonOwen #AD

Click To Tweet

Memories of My Grandmothers
I’m fond of talking about my grandmothers. I was lucky to know the two through my teens. Both my grandfathers died before I was born. In fact, my mother never really knew her father. He passed away when she was a toddler.

We called my maternal grandmother Nana. I think I was one of her favorites because I was the youngest grandchild. She lived nearby our apartment in The Bronx, NY and spent summers with us in Long Beach, NY. I so enjoyed visiting her after school. She would make brownies and store the brownies in an empty Maxwell House coffee can. They were as hard as rocks. We would have tea time and dunk our crusty brownies in the tea. Sometimes my Nana would read my tea leaves at the bottom of the cup. My fortune was always a good one.

My maternal Nana lived nearby.

Growing up, many Sunday afternoons were spent at my paternal Grandma’s home, also in The Bronx. She only spoke Yiddish. All the aunts chatted while the uncles played cards. I had many cousins so it was quite lively. Grandma would make homemade honey cake, knishes, and kugel. She was a good cook until her hearing and eyesight declined.

Thankfully, they both lived into their late 80s and early 90s, respectfully.

It’s Great To Be A Grandmother
Although I’m not a grandmother, I wanted to know more about grandparenting. So I asked some of my friends and blogging buddies. The answers were pretty consistent — it’s great to be a grandmother!

There are pages to share your wisdom.

♥ S spoke about the differences between her four grandchildren: “The random mix of genes in their biology continues to amaze me. The youngest has my curly hair but his mom’s fair skin and freckles. His older brother has the serious demeanor and scientific curiosity of my late husband and has inherited his straight light brown hair. Two of my grandchildren have my husband’s high forehead and one has a nubbin of hair growing at the nape of his neck, precisely where his father and his grandfather had theirs. And yet they have gifts from others that did not come from me – my grandson’s musical ability, my granddaughter’s visual and artistic leanings. All mixed up and a new unique person emerges.” Continue reading →

My Viking Journey: Peaceful & Pleasant Days At Sea

Posted on May 3, 2018 by Judi

If you’ve read my previous posts about my Viking journey on the luxurious Viking Star ocean liner to the Cities of Antiquity & The Holy Land, exploring ports in Greece, Cyprus and Israel, it’s now time to take a break for our days at sea. My boyfriend L and I were traveling courtesy of Viking Cruises.*

There’s much to do on the Viking Star during days at sea and I (with L by my side some of the time) was eager to discover all that the ship had to offer. From morning workouts at the gym to walks around the upper and middle decks, from visits to the spa to lazy lounging by the pool, from afternoon tea to a behind the scenes look at the galley below, I was on a mission to completely consume these peaceful and pleasant hours.

Are you ready for days at sea and the beautiful Aegean waters?

Wellness at the the LiV Nordic Spa
The team at Viking didn’t have to twist my arm to get me to book a massage and facial at the LiV Nordic Spa. LiV has a full service spa menu including massages, body scrubs, facials, skin analysis, and hair and nail salon. There’s also royal Nordic grooming available for men.

My first treatment was a Swedish mindful massage. Ewa, my therapist was from Poland. “You have a PRC,” said Ewa. She was referring to my “personal rock collection” in my back with tight muscles and trigger points. I had never heard such a phrase, but it made me laugh. She got out all my knots. Ewa suggested I use Epsom salts and baking soda with lavender oil in my baths at home.

Ewa said I had a PRC, personal rock collection of tight muscles.

On my second day at sea, I selected a Nordic Classic facial. It was organic, anti-aging, and tailor-made. Shayle was my esthetician and brought me into full serenity, exfoliating with a papaya and vitamin C mixture and then applying a jasmine and honey mask. She ended with cupping on my face to help with lymphatic drainage, plump the skin, and stimulate my circulation system. She said it is very detoxifying and soothes the skin. Continue reading →

Disrupt Aging: Expert Tips To Stay Wealthy, Wise and Connected

Posted on April 25, 2018 by Judi

If you knew you were going to live to 100, what would you do differently today?

In my last blog post, I introduced this question and provided some reflections from the 2018 AARP Disrupt Aging: The Implications of Living 100 Forum. As promised, this week I’m going to share tips from some of the experts who spoke about changing the way we earn and learn.

Enter the #giveaway for a copy of “Disrupt Aging” by @JoAnn_Jenkins CEO of @AARP #disruptaging

Click To Tweet

Changing the Way We Earn
“The only time I hear people talk about God and money is when they say ‘God, I wish I had more money’,” said Suze Orman, The World’s Personal Finance Expert.

Wealth expert Suze Orman focused on managing finances to live to 100.

According to Employee Benefit Research Institute 2016 stats, 41% of American households headed by people 55-64 have no retirement assets.

Maybe that’s why Suze hit hard on the importance of saving for old age: “At 25, if you put away $100 a month until 65, you can have $1 million at 65. If you start at 35 versus 25, you will net only $300,000 at 65.” At the same time she was adamant about paying down debt, especially credit card debt which has high interest rates.

“Money alone will never make you happy. But lack of money will make you miserable,” said Suze. Seeing her parents struggle financially made her want to become monetarily successful and help others become fiscally fit too. After working really hard and making lots of money, she retired two years ago at 65 and moved to a private island in the Bahamas. Sounds pretty successful to me? Continue reading →

Living 100: How To Make The Most of Living A Longer Life

Posted on April 17, 2018 by Judi

“Current 10 year olds may age to be 104,” said Jo Anne Jenkins, CEO of AARP, as she kicked off a conversation about longevity at the 2018 AARP Disrupt Aging: The Implications of Living 100 Forum, powered by Forbes and held at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. last week. The event featured presentations with leading experts in health, tech, work and personal finance, education and policy to discuss one simple question:

If you knew you were going to live to 100,
what would you do differently today?

#disruptaging; AARP; Live 100; living to 100

Disrupt Aging: Implications of Living 100 Forum was held at the Newseum in D.C.

(Note: Be sure to read to the end of the post and enter the giveaway for a copy Jo Anne’s bestseller, Disrupt Aging.)

Enter the #giveaway for a copy of “Disrupt Aging” by @JoAnn_Jenkins CEO of @AARP #disruptaging

Click To Tweet

Implications of Living 100
With this overriding question, each speaker challenged us to shift how we think about our own aging and rethink how we earn, learn, connect, and live in the present. The facts and figures were staggering. Here goes:

♥ In 1960, 9 percent of the U.S. population was over age 65. In 2060, that number will grow to 24 percent. “You’re either going to be a caregiver or need caregiving,” said Jo Anne. Ooh, ooh, ooh, I’ll be in the ‘need caregiving’ if I live that long and will be over 100! How about you?

♥ By 2030, the first Boomers will turn 85, the first Gen Xers will turn 65, and the first Millennials will turn 50. Ooh, ooh, ooh, I’ll be in my early 70s and my kids will be in their 40s. How old will you be?

#disruptaging; AARP; Live 100; living to 100; aging

How old will you be in 2030?

♥ The 50 and over category is worth $15 trillion and $7.6 trillion of annual activity is done by post 50 people in the U.S. Wow-o-wow, we’re worth a lot and we’re sure active individuals!

♥ 75 percent of Boomers in the U.S. plan to work past 65, and many will have two, three and four different careers in their lifetime. Hmm, I started out as a magazine editor, then I went into public relations, then corporate communications. Now I’m a blogger and yoga instructor. Where are you on your career spectrum? Continue reading →