How I Spent My Saturday Afternoon

"Taste of Philly" Gift Box

Remember when I said I didn't like holiday gift guides? Remember when I gave uwishunu.com a shout-out for having an amazing list of gift ideas?

Well, today my company held its annual holiday party, where we did an uber fun "gift grab."

My present was a hit:

A $15 gift card to a choice of 3 in-demand restaurants on the infamous 13th Street in the "trendy Midtown Village," a "Philadelphia" wine tote from Open House and Philly-themed artisanal chocolates from marcie blaine.

marcie blaine chocolates.

wine tote.

I considered "grabbing" my own gift. I hope the recipient will enjoy the goods!

My Holiday Gift Guide

I have to be honest. I’m not a huge fan of holiday gift guides. They’re usually a hit or miss – with a huge emphasis on miss. Time and time again, I glance at a variety of Christmas gift guides with horror, bewilderment and/or disbelief. A Marc Jacobs USB Flash Drive Key Chain? And what are “Footzyrolls”? Thank you, but no thank you.

I don’t doubt the usefulness of gift guides, because, frankly, if it wasn’t for uwishunu’s suggestions, I wouldn’t have thought of the perfect company Pollyanna gift without it. Still, I don’t want to bore you to tears with a list of things I think YOU should get this season (though, you are most welcome to steal some ideas). Instead, I present to you a few things on my personal travel wish list that I’ll probably (definitely) buy for myself in the near future.

1. Nomad•ness Travel Tribe t-shirt, $15
2. Off Track Planet magazine - Issue 3, $4.95
3. Nikon 12.3-Megapixel D5000 DSLR Camera with 18-55mm Lens, $749.99
4. Contiki European Magic Winter Tour, $1439
5. Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations Collection 6 – Part I, $20.99

Access Trips: Culinary Mexico

This is my kind of vacation...

Jetsetter

Once Isn't Enough

Here are the top 5 destinations that my well-traveled friends are dying to go back to:

1. Amsterdam - This was a unanimous vote.
2. London
3. Australia
4. Barcelona
5. Turkey

My Obsession:

Each day, I sacrifice 6:19 for this video.

All of the Lights