Wine With Wanda

A Mantra for Frustrated Flyers

A completely full overhead bin on a plane can frustrate the calmest of travelers. Here's a little mantra to help you through it!

Inspiration: Josephine Baker

Today, during a very boring meeting, I found my mind wandering to Paris. Specifically, the 1920's Paris of Josephine Baker. In this vivid daydream, my business attire was replaced with shimmer, feathers, and a whole lot of va va voom. My coffee mug transformed into a champagne flute and the office became a very chic cabaret with moi on stage. A little crazy, I know, but I've always felt inspired by Josephine's fearlessness. She left her home in St. Louis and took Paris and the world by storm with her talent, charisma, and sensuality. She was also an activist and a highly honored member of the French Resistance. Josephine wasn't afraid to explore the world, live her truth, and let her light shine. Even if you don't want to wear a banana skirt a la Josephine, she sets a fine example for the great things that can happen when we let go of the places and situations that hold us back.

 

Paris or New York: Am I Living in the Right Place?

Exciting and expensive, creative and cruel; New York both inspires me and frustrates me. I'm a native Manhattanite and there is so much that I love about my hometown but I'm not entirely sure that I want to spend the rest of my life here. Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted something more. That yearning would explain my heading to Massachusetts for boarding school, California for college, and Spain for two years of study abroad.  Clearly, I was the perfect candidate to take this Buzzfeed quiz, "What City Should You Actually Live In?"

This silly little quiz has generated a great deal of buzz amongst my Facebook friends - it seems that I'm not the only one wondering about what life might be like someplace else. I don't vouch for the accuracy of the quiz, but it turns out that I should be living in Paris! I returned to Paris for a few days this summer after several years and I found the city even more beautiful and alluring than I remembered. The downside is that I don't speak French and can't afford the chic apartment of my dreams in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. But I do know how to flirt and eat well and that will take you far in Paris! Of course, the beauty of travel is that you can immerse yourself in a new place for as long as your funds and creativity will take you. Maybe an extended stay in the City of Lights is in my future?

Are you happy where you live? If you could move someplace else, where would you go?

A New Year's Pledge to Live La Dolce Vita!

  This iconic image of Anita Ekberg frolicking in Rome's Trevi Fountain in  Fellini's masterpiece film, La Dolce Vita, captures the attitude that I want to nurture in the New Year - adventurous, playful, and carefree! And, what a dress!

Happy New Year! Now that we're a few days into 2014, how are you feeling about the possibilities ahead? I've been running on all cylinders lately and this is the first quiet moment that I've had to sit back and reflect since the New Year rolled in.

Hard at work last year - just a few days ago. Maybe in 2014 I'll get to wear my little black dress in the Trevi Fountain!

I believe in the power of the New Year to inspire us towards choices that get us closer to the life we envision. It probably comes as no surprise that travel features prominently on my mission list for 2014. I would love to reconnect with places that have left an indelible mark on my life (Spain and Ireland) and to visit places that I have long dreamed of (Italy).  I want to step out of my comfort zone and not overthink things. Perhaps my most important trip of all will be moving away from negativity and taking daily steps towards positive people, places, and possibilities. Stay tuned!

 

Travel Inspiration: Where My Friends Have Been

As much as I love reading travel magazines and memoirs, nothing compares to getting the inside scoop from my inner circle. Many of my friends travel quite frequently and have racked up miles visiting some pretty interesting places. Keep reading for three of their recommendations!

Mexico City
A view of the Zocalo - one of the world's largest urban squares.

"Great food and amazing architecture, you gotta go!" raved one of my dearest friends about his recent business trip to Mexico City. He only wished that his busy schedule allowed more time to explore the cultural, commercial, political, and economic capital of Mexico. This 700 year old city of nearly 10 million residents boasts ancient archaeological sites, majestic monuments, more than 150 museums and 3,500 restaurants (including 2 rated the world's best by Michelin.) Visit the Mexico City Experience website for more information about what to see and do.

Istanbul

The Bosphorus - also known as the Istanbul Strait

Istanbul is another destination that gets high marks from several friends. If you visit Istanbul you can actually claim that you visited two continents  - divided by the Bosphorus, the western part of the city is in Europe and the eastern part in Asia. One friend traveling alone to Istanbul, signed up for a great culinary walking tour hosted by a local. Click here for more tips on planning a trip to Istanbul.

Guatemala

Lake Atitlán

Have you thought about visiting Central America? My friend, photographer Leslie Yerman, recently visited Guatemala and has beautiful images of people and places on her site. I also recommend Pauline Frommer's article about her family's vacation in the highlands of Guatemala that included roasting marshmallows over the lava of an active volcano! Both ladies told me that Guatemala is a very affordable vacation.

Life is A Special Occasion: What Are You Waiting For?

I'm a big believer in dressing up just because you feel like it and not waiting for a special occasion. Yesterday, I had a really rough day but when I woke up this morning I was determined that yesterday's negativity would not mar the promise of today. So this morning, I spent extra time pampering moi before dealing with everyone else's problems and expectations. I put on a little black dress, my favorite red lipstick, and played some upbeat music. And you know what - it worked - I feel infinitely better! Without leaving my house, I am miles away from where I was yesterday.

Now, I'm not naive enough to believe dresses will solve the problems of the world but I do believe that sometimes us ladies have a tendency to ignore our needs and allow other people's drama, negativity, and insecurities to impact us too much. Sometimes you just have to put on a dress and make the decision to not ride the roller coaster known as dysfunction! 

PS. The dress in the picture is the Belinda Sequin Linen Dress by CALYPSO St. Barth ($350). Such a happy little frock!

Win a Copy of Brazilian Sexy: Secrets to Living a Gorgeous and Confident Life

As a very nerdy teenage girl I was obsessed with sex appeal - I wanted some. Real bad. There were these two Brazilian girls (they may have been sisters) from Sao Paulo at boarding school that seemingly every boy on campus adored. No matter when and where I saw these girls, they always looked runway ready - even at the darn library during finals week. Now that I'm older I realize that, yes they were pretty girls, but more than anything they had oodles of confidence - they seemed comfortable in their own skin and not burdened by the teenage angst that often overwhelmed me.

From Sonia Braga to Gisele Bundchen, Brazil is famous for their sexy, bold, and confident women. Brazilian Sexy: Secrets to Living a Gorgeous and Confident Life is a new book written by Janea Padilha. Who is Janea Padilha and what makes her an authority? Well, if you've ever had a Brazilian wax iin YOUR southern hemisphere, you can thank Ms. Padilha. She and her six sisters are the owners of NYC's famous J Sisters Salon and can be credited for creating and introducing the Brazilian Wax to America. Their famous clients include Vanessa Williams (she wrote the foreword to the book), Gwyneth Paltrow, Naomi Campbell and many others.

When I first received my copy of Brazilian Sexy to review, I feared that it might be an obnoxious tome about the superiority of Brazilian women but this sweet little book is actually written in a very friendly tone. Janea sounds like the cool aunt that would make you a cocktail and share all of her wisdom about life, love, beauty and sex with you. Brazilian Sexy has common sense advice on handling the ups and downs of life with gusto, how to think yes instead of no, and ways to bring sizzle into any relationship. Of course, there is also information about hair removal.

Brazilian Sexy isn't so much a beauty book as a guide to living a more beautiful life. Janea writes, " No one else can make you feel bad about yourself -you are the only one who can do that. That is the power that you have, to make yourself feel good or feel bad. Once you know that, you can stop some of those voices inside your head, the ones who are telling  you that you are not good enough. When those voices try to get into my head, I just push them out. I don't pay them any mind. Who cares about them."

Amen to that! I think I'll make a cold caipirinha, blast some bossa nova, and strut my sexy stuff!

PS. I am going to keep my review copy of Brazilian Sexy but I will treat one lucky reader to their very own copy. Just leave a comment below telling me what makes you feel sexy and confident by 12:00 pm on Wednesday, April 13 EST.  I will pick one reader at random and order them their own copy of the book. Prize can only be shipped to addresses in the United States.

Thankful for Travel: 3 Reasons I'm Grateful

One of the busiest travel days of the year, millions of people are boarding trains, planes and automobiles to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with their loved ones. The media is chock full of stories about the negative aspects of travel and I certainly have strong opinions on everything from airport security procedures to mediocre meals. However, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the positive.

1 - The freedom to travel is a blessing. There are parts of the world where people, especially women, are unable to travel freely and can't choose when and where they want to go.

2 - Planning a trip is easier than ever. Thanks to the Internet, you can book your dream vacation from the comfort of your own home 24/7. Price comparisons, reviews, and deals are more abundant online than ever before.

3 - Travel is transformative. Even when getting there is a hassle, nothing replaces that feeling of utter joy that comes upon reaching your destination. Whether visiting loved ones, taking a romantic getaway, or embarking on a solo adventure; travel shows us the world and teaches us about ourselves. A change of scenery often helps us to put our lives into perspective.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Photo: Jose Luis Magana (AP)