My Travel Photo Prints - Now on Sale

I'm offering photo prints from my round the world travels. 

Sizes vary -- and I can arrange custom printing -- but most are approximately 8" x 10" and are printed on foam board. 

And, because the holidays are approaching, anyone who purchases one photo print for $30 will get either a limited edition AngryJ t-shirt (sizes and colors are limited) or my Doc-in-a-Bag first aid kit organizer. Each represents a $25 value. And the offer is in effect until Christmas Eve 2016.

To purchase a photo print of your choice, click here. And, when you place your order, indicate whether you'd like the t-shirt or first-aid kit organizer. 

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Reversible Hats for Winter

I definitely have a thing for reversible clothing and accessories. This sensibility fits in with my "never check luggage" ethic. Why bring a couple of dresses, skirts, sweaters and hats when you could trim it down to one of each? I'm a recent fan of Chaos, a hat company with a women's, men's and unisex hats for winter or summer, some reversible, like the beanie below. This one is last year's model but they've got some very warm and stylishly hip hats in the current collection. (I love the one's with a combination of snuggly fabrics, such as Merino wool, cashmere or alpaca.)

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High Performance Socks For All Activities

If you've been reading my blog for awhile, you probably have concluded that Merino wool is my go-to fabric, whether for underwear or dresses. Of course, I've long relied on Merino wool socks for all my adventures, including cycling, Nordic skiing and hiking. And this includes summer treks, because unlike what most people may believe, this fabric is great at keeping feet cool and comfortable, wicking away sweat effectively. But some Merino wool socks work better than others. I just found out about Feetures, a family-owned U.S.-based company that provides a lifetime guarantee. Their Elite brand combines the wool with rayon from bamboo, making for an ultra soft texture. The socks have no uncomfortable seams at the toe. I've been wearing several pair over the past few weeks for all sorts of activities, in the heat and cold, in dry weather where I've been working up a sweat, and in the rain. Through all of that, my feet were blister free, comfortable, and dry. (Normally my feet and socks are a sweaty mess, which encourages blister formation.) I also was pleased with the fit that hugged my foot and even exerted a little compression on the arch, which enhanced my comfort when walking and hiking. So, now Feetures will be my go-to sock. I'm packing several pair in my bag for my upcoming biking trip in South Africa.

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Nevis In The Caribbean - In Pictures

Have you ever heard of Nevis? If you asked "what's that," you're not alone. When I recently told all my travel savvy friends I was heading to Nevis for a few days, that was their response. But, when I said it was near St. Kitts, then everyone responded with recognition, not of Nevis but of its sister island It's too bad because what they're missing is a lush, volcanic island where the picturesque views of the probably extinct volcanic cone, Mt. Nevis -- it rises more than 3,000 feet smack in the center of the island -- are ever present. Most visitors come to this wee island to climb this majestic peak, an almost all-day challenging activity, or settle into one of many villas in the interior where privacy is respected. So much so that this island is quite attractive to the celebrity set. But my interests were altogether different. I stayed at a boutique inn, Golden Rock, where one of the guest accommodations is a converted old sugar mill and where the surrounding gardens are designed by renowned landscape designer Raymond Jungles; trekked along placid nature paths and rain forest trails where I didn't run into anyone else; explored the Botanical Garden that offers a high antioxidant purple-hued icy beverage in a scenic veranda; and visited the various old sugar plantations that are now home to expansive, upscale but low-key resorts. My YouTube video slideshow provides a window into my journey.

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New York City's World Trade Center Redevelopment

The World Trade Center site has certainly seen its share of dramatic transformations, decades ago it went from a landfill to an epicenter of finance with the twin towers as the centerpiece. Before the devastation, this was a complex with the soaring glass Winter Garden that was quite egalitarian: with shops and restaurants where most demographics could find something enticing. Then 9/11 occurred. And the long, drawn-out, much debated and argued about rebuilding process. And, yet, there were dining, shopping and drinking experiences that could appeal to almost every person. The waterfront property beckoned with its views of the Hudson and establishments where you could enjoy a mango sorbet at Ciao Bella, sip a glass of wine at an outdoor patio facing the Hudson at Southwest New York, shop at the Gap, pick up lunch at Blockheads Burrito, or meet a colleague for Japanese food at Yushi. All these shops and more were shuttered when the developer decided the place needed not only a new look, given the opening of the spectacularly overpriced Santiago Calatrava-designed train station, but needed to draw on customers that would otherwise gravitate to Madison Avenue. So now we have a site that feels cold and impersonal and highly elitist. Despite my negative reactions to most everything on the site with the exception of the stellar water views and expansive green spaces, I found some lovely design and architectural details to share.

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Gear Review: Cool Weather Skirt

For someone who loves the outdoors year round, I’m easily chilled as soon as the mercury goes below 70 F. So when the first day of fall debuted last week, I retired my thin linen tops and dresses and gauzy skirts -- though I still don sandals until I can no longer tolerate the frigid temperatures -- and stepped into a comfortable, quilted-type Tonia DeBellis skirt. It’s mostly cotton with a little polyester and Spandex, making it warm on a breezy day and form fitting, comfortable whether I’m sitting on a boulder in Central Park or strolling all over the city. It’s short -- way above my knees -- and stylish when paired with black leggings and boots, especially in New York City where a black color palette is still de rigour. Though it doesn’t pack small for my never-check-luggage philosophy, I most likely will wear it on the plane next time I head for the ski slopes where it might be my go-to skirt for lounging around the resort and walking around town.

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Monaco's Green Spaces

For such a small country, Monaco is draped with an abundance of green spaces, covering 20% of its territory. In fact, the country has boasted a commitment to ecology, starting in 1873 with Prince Albert I, long before environmental consciousness was a bandwagon to jump on.

Though it's the Monte Carlo Casino, Grand Prix and other opulent- and luxury-laden sights and events that get all the tourist attention, my interest in Monaco is the myriad parks and gardens.

Located along a picturesque cliffside, the Exotic Garden is rich in plant species that are adapted to dry climes, namely cacti and succulents. These are sources from as far away as Central America and South Africa. The Japanese Garden is a wee affair, designed by noted landscape architect Yasuo Beppo. A man-made lake and a tumbling waterfall take up a good part of this small garden where the hardscape structures, including the gates and stone lanterns, were all sourced from Japan. A lovely spot to take in the shade is a lakefront pavilion. A path meanders past a small pond and myriad wild Mediterranean flora at the St. Martin’s Garden that’s also dotted with outdoor sculptures. After wandering along the paths, take a break at one of the many benches scattered about. Named for Prince Rainier's oldest sister, Princess Antoinette Park is a nicely manicured expanse with well-tended lawns and numerous gnarled olive trees

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My Stylish + Practical Vest and Bag Combo

Have you ever been to a networking event without a bag check and wondered where you were going to leave your voluminous handbag? Or do you like to stop in wine bars as I do but you worried about draping your bag behind your chair or wondered why there are no hooks under the bar? When your cell phone rings, do you rifle through your bag, making yourself a target as you stand on a crowded sidewalk? Or do you keep your phone in your back pocket, which is hardly a secure location?

If you answered yet to any of these questions, then maybe you should think about carrying your vitals -- the things you can't live without -- in a stylish micro bag and vest. When they're worn together, there's no rifling through anything, no looking for a bag check, no worries in the wine bar. Worn together, you have the use of 10 hidden pockets in the vest (6  outside and 4 inside) and 15 pockets and slots in the micro bag. That makes a grand total of 25 pockets/slots. Do you need to use all of these? No, of course not. But at least you have options. And you'll never worry about where you left your bag. And, you'll look fashionable because, after all, who wants to look like a fly fisherman with a multi-pocket vest at a chic wine bar; or a geeky tourist wearing a bulky fanny bag/fanny pack? Think of the bag as the fanny bag antidote.

Who else would wear both or either of these two products:
students on campus
moms about town
anyone tired of neck/backache from toting a heavy bag
people in the hospitality industry
actors going on auditions

The vest is Made in American. And 10% of profits from all sales goes to She's the First, a non-profit dedicated to educating women in 11 countries.

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Gallery Hopping in New York City

Walking tours are hit or miss for me, mostly miss. It’s a  hit if I come away more educated than if I walked to the venues on my own and, if not educated, then at least highly entertained. Because of either (or both), many are a miss. I recently signed up for a gallery tour of Chelsea -- the neighborhood with the greatest concentration of galleries in New York City -- with New York Gallery Tours that’s run by Rafael Risemberg.

On the plus side: this tour is unpretentious and informal, visiting a medley of different galleries with shows that just opened all within a several block radius. On the negative side, our group was more than 30 strong. (Way too crwded for me.) And, if I simply read each artist’s statement, I believe I would’ve come away with the same amount of information dispensed by Mr. Risemberg. Once he lead our group around to several works within each gallery -- the itinerary included 7 galleries -- we had all of two minutes to browse the rest on our own. (I bailed after gallery #6.)

Nonetheless, the works were impressive, some eccentric and avant garde, others sensual and curious. By far, the most noteworthy was the Brazilian art duo, OS GEMEOS, with their vibrant, boldly-hued paintings, sculptures, collage and drawings exhibited in five rooms of the Lehmann Maupin gallery. Another artist that fascinated me was Sarah Cain who showed her paintings in the Lelong Gallery -- her floor painting is on linoleum and is an expansive 2,500 square feet. Some artists either used unusual media or traditional media in an unusual way: Xu Zhen at the James Cohan Gallery created a 3D painting that looks like it’s a collage of sea shells. In reality he used a pastry bag to squeeze out the paint. Mark Wagner (at the Pavel Zoubok Gallery) is noted for making paintings out of slivers of paper currency. While Francesca Pasquali often relied on clusters of plastic straws to create her scultural pieces. 

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