Last weekend I was celebrating everything exciting world of figure skating has to offer at the Montreal Figure Skating Words–24!   There were moments of glorious triumph and disappointing failure, breathtaking artistry and otherworldly technical excellence.   Figure skating is not part of my daily life but I take every opportunity to become a part of this exciting juncture of artistry and sport – for 4-5 days at a time! Montreal Worlds, (being a 6-hour drive from my home south of Boston) was just meant to be! After all, I had been accredited to cover Montreal Figure Skating Worl ..read more

The Nutcracker Opening of the Nutcracker  at Boston Ballet signals the beginning of winter holiday season for us! Dressing up and attending the performance in lavishly decorated Boston Opera House is a true celebration of the season (and our cherished Mom-Daughter tradition which I hope gets to continue for a long time!). Attending The Nutcracker matinee on November 26 Boston Ballet’s staging of the famous tale (choreographed by artistic direction Mikko Nissinen) is the Company’s largest production.  It features technically challenging choreography, stunning sets and costumes (both d ..read more

Boston Symphony Orchestra opened its 143rd Season last week with a series of 10 concerts (October 5–21) conducted by its Music Director Andris Nelsons (now in his 10th season with the Orchestra). This early fall series will feature both classical favorites as well as prominent contemporary composers – performed in Boston Symphony Hall– one of the world’s greatest. Boston Symphony Hall (built in 1900) is considered one of the greatest concert halls in the world On the Opening Night last Saturday which we attended, Nelsons conducted Mozart (Piano Concerto 23) and Beethoven (Consecration of the H ..read more

Boston Ballet opens its 60th Season with FALL EXPERIENCE-  a program of 4 unique modern ballets. The Company has been known for its work with  leading modern choreographers from different parts of the world, but I feel that this program is its most unique  to date.  The evening went by in the blink of an eye. It started with most “classical” of the four-  Bach Cello Suites and  culminated with the most artistic chaos of the final scenes of the Vertical Road – the 4th piece of the evening. Bach Cello Suites  (created by Boston Ballet’s resident choreographer F ..read more

Last summer we spent 4 nights on Amalfi coast of Italy and it was as strikingly scenic as we have imagined it (it was also very crowded– but more about that later).  I have been dreaming about visiting Amalfi coast (Unesco World Heritage Site)  for a long time but was uncomfortable with the idea of driving on steep coastal roads.  Turns out, with a little planning you can visit Amalfi Coast without driving your own car – by ferry, buses or taxi.  There are different ways to plan Amalfi Coast transportation logistics depending on where you plan to base, which towns you are g ..read more

Tanglewood music center in Massachusetts Berkshires has been part of our summer weekends for over 10 years now.  This is as long as our younger kid Viv can remember!  We love everything about Tanglewood – diverse summer programming, that you can dress up or down, that you can enjoy the concerts while relaxing at the beautiful lawn with the mountains in the distance, and most importantly, that you are witnessing the world’s greatest musicians making music in front of you. Tanglewood, located in Lenox, MA (in its 85th season in the summer of 2023), is summer home of Bost ..read more

Skate America-2022 concluded at the Skating Club of Boston’s new rink in Norwood, MA this past weekend.  It was the first of the 6-event ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series – which will culminate  in the Grand Prix Final on December 8-11 in Torino, Italy. I was not a part of the official media pool this time and got to take in the atmosphere from a spectator perspective (a local spectator I should add, as I happen to live within a 15-min drive from the arena).  As spectacular as 2,500-seat Norwood arena is- it is considered on a smaller side for this type of international ev ..read more

Last September our family of 5 (our two kids, ages 12 and 22, my husband and my Mom) went on a roadtrip around Iceland in 7 days.   While it might be too packed an itinerary for many, we were very happy with how we planned our time in Iceland.  Experiencing  the many sides of Iceland – even if briefly – by circling around the Ring Road– was a unique and very worthy experience.  We saw lush greenery of the South, the rugged shoreline of the East, minimalistic tranquility of Akureyri in the North, stylish sophistication of Reykjavik in the West.  Our trip included a ..read more

SUMMER  2022 update: check out the list of summer 2022 PERFORMANCES), family and children’s programming is back! I used to think of a Tanglewood concert (in Massachusetts Berkshires) as a romantic date night idea. Over the last couple of summers however, attending a Tanglewood concert has become our family’s tradition (it is still part of our Berkshires couple’s getaways). I have put together this list of things you may want to know about experiencing Tanglewood with family – so you could start your own Tanglewood summer family tradition! (You can also follow our YouTube VLOG fr ..read more

Mother’s Day is a good time to restore and renew our energies- with yoga, art and by just being outside with your loved ones and observing the nature rebirth. Here are some of my Mother’s Day ideas in Boston- for any day in May. WELLNESS DAY Last weekend I went away to the Berkshires with my girlfriends for a day of yoga and meditation at Kripalu Center in Lenox, MA.  We opted for a day pass which gave us access to healthy meals and onsite classes and spent the night at a nearby Yankee Inn motel (taking advantage of great pricing in May).  We also took advantage of the Berkshires ins ..read more