Local Food Expert
My earliest travel memory is visiting Tokyo at age nine. I don’t know if it was the blonde hair, or that not many tourists were going to the towns we visited, but I remember being swarmed by girls my age, usually returning from school, and they often gave me a gift, like a pencil. That was the first and last time I ever felt like a rock star. Now, I base most travel decisions on how many great meals I can cram into one weekend and am undeniably happiest when I connect with local food vendors to discover and share their passions. In San Diego, give me the sun and the ocean, of course! I love this city because even with 1.5 million people, the neighborhood pockets can still make it feel like the sleepy beach town it once was. In a single day, you can enjoy sea urchin fresh from the ocean with a third-generation fish purveyor, explore an organic farm that teaches school kids where their food comes from, and meet a chef who sources from both of them to create a marriage between Baja and Southern California cuisine. My favorite place to stay is The Lodge at Torrey Pines. It’s tucked away on a state reserve (walk the beach trail followed by the sage coastal scrub at the spa) and has beautiful views of the Pacific over the 18th hole of a rather famous golf course.
The place I'm most excited to go next is Argentina. Tango always gives me the church giggles, but the grass-fed steak and Mendoza Malbec have been calling my name for too long.