ace hotel palm springs

Our girls trip this last weekend with my mom, sister, sister in law and all our daughters was in Palm Springs. It was fun to get away with just the girls to relax and catch up with all the goings on. We all stayed in a one condo so it was like a huge slumber party, bringing back memories of our teenage years. Lots of fun! While we were there I wanted to go see the much talked about Ace Hotel. Since we weren't staying there we decided to go eat at their restaurant Kings Highway. Their restaurant is an old Denney's that they refurbished with what they call "american peasant food for the desert." The green vinyl booths were replaced with brown leather, and they changed a layer of linoleum to a terrazzo floor. They have French press coffee brewed to order, ice cold water served in bottles, a mini-milk bottle creamer, raw sugar in a little Mason jar. The food is very reasonable and the emphasis is on local and organic.The two favorite foods we ordered were the brisket burger and the fish tacos, very good. Loved all the decor, from the fisherman's net to the cute photo booth as you can see above in the photos I took of the girls. Next time I go to Palm Springs I will definitely stay there so I can enjoy the whole experience of this charming hotel!

lonely planet magazine

One of my favorite travel guides is Lonely Planet. We use them all the time on our vacations. When I was talking to my older daughter recently she told me they now have a magazine. She said it was published in Europe and wasn't sure if we would be able to get it in the states. Then she finally got around to telling me why she was talking about all of this. She told me that she had been chosen to write a little piece on Vienna, Austria in the mini guide of the magazine (she had visited Vienna over the Christmas holidays). The mini guides are cool as they have travelers write about their experiences in the city they are visiting. That way you get a better idea of what it is like when you visit. She wasn't quite sure what month she would be featured but thought it would be around June or July. A couple of weeks ago I was in Borders and went to look at the travel section and was so happy to see that it was being published in the U.S. I flipped through the magazine and was excited when I saw Vienna was in the mini guide. A little further and there it was Danielle's little piece about Vienna, Austria. So proud of you Danielle!

a trip out of town

What a sweet picture from the field journal. It made me think of the girls trip we are planning for this summer. Can't wait!