Veteran Maryland lifestyle and business journalist and content writer published in NYT, WSJ, Food & Wine, Afar, Travel & Leisure, Conde Nast Traveler, and AARP. Reach me at juledash@gmail.com.
Winemaker Raghni Naidu Finds Power in Her Immigrant Experience
It was a family trip to pastoral Provence, France, in 2018 that prompted Raghni Naidu to launch her winery. In Provence, her two young kids, Sameera and Saveer, relished the open spaces. They climbed olive trees while she and husband Kaushick became enamored with the area’s vineyard-centric small towns.
“I just had this epiphany,” recalls Naidu. “I want to make this an intentional part of our life because it just brings us so much joy. I’m seeing my children have so much joy in nature.”
Naidu...
A Guide to Maryland's Eastern Shore: Where to Eat, Stay, and Play for Fresh Oysters, African-American Museums, and Historic Hotels
Here's a look at what to do on Maryland's Eastern Shore.
4 Reasons to Stay at the Grand Bohemian Lodge Greenville, the City’s New Luxury Hotel
Greenville, South Carolina, has established itself as one of the South’s most attractive cities, and now it has a stylish boutique luxury hotel to boot. Opened last summer, the Grand Bohemian Lodge Greenville, a part of the upscale Kessler Collection and Marriott’s Autograph Collection, stands next to the serene 32-acre Falls Park on the Reedy, and the rushing sound of waterfalls echoes across the hotel’s balconies. If that’s not enough to entice, here are four more reasons to book a stay.
Dr...
Restaurant Owners Share How They Landed the Cash to Start Their Businesses
When Jason Berry hit up investors to open his first restaurant, Succotash, the Wharton MBA graduate and former chief operating officer of Rosa Mexicano didn’t anticipate facing too many hurdles given his industry experience.
“I called friends and friends of friends,” Berry says. “It was an interesting and stressful time in my life.” Though the entrepreneur did receive a bank loan, he and his husband/business partner...
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The Grand Dame of Southern Food
VIRGINIA’S EDNA LEWIS MENU TRAIL RECOGNIZES A TRAILBLAZER IN SOUTHERN COOKING
Unless you’re an avid cook, you might not be familiar with the name Edna Lewis. But the late Chef Lewis is legendary in the culinary world. Known as the Grande Dame of Southern Cooking, she penned the groundbreaking Edna Lewis Cookbook, published in 1972 with co-author Evangeline Peterson, and was the first-ever recipient in 1999 of the James Beard Living Legend Award. Lewis died in 2006 at age 89.
To celebrate the ...
The Best Places to Travel in 2023
Start planning your 2023 travels to these 12 places—the most creative, delicious, and soul-reviving destinations of the year.
It’s our favorite time of year: the Where to Go season, when AFAR reveals our list of the ultimate places to travel in the coming year. How to choose? Our editorial team reached out to writers, reporters, and correspondents around the world and curated 12 global destinations for 2023 that feel poised for a “moment": creative cities, seaside villages, national parks, an...
6 Art Exhibits to Check Out This Fall
Some travelers plan their trips around sightseeing tours while others book dining reservations before their plane tickets. Many art aficionados, on the other hand, scour museum listings for Matisse or Michelangelo before reaching their destinations. We’ve highlighted six new exhibits from around the world that explore a variety of themes, including the similarities between Joan Mitchell and Claude Monet and Korean contemporary art in the postcolonial era.
1. “Coming Attractions: The John Wate...
There's Never Been a Better Time to Eat in Baltimore
The Chesapeake Bay's bounty has blessed Baltimore with oysters, rockfish, and the beloved Maryland Blue Crab, making it a known destination for fresh seafood. Visitors are spoiled for choice: Eat steamed crabs on the deck at L.P. Steamers in Locust Point, mammoth crab cakes at neighborhood gem Koco's Pub in Lauraville, or a dizzying array of bivalves at True Chesapeake Oyster Co. But Charm City's culinary scene now appeals to a broader palate, with more vegetarian options, international influ...
The Best Apple Picking Orchards Near DC
No matter where you are in DC, perfect apples are within reach.
Apple picking through verdant orchards is one of fall’s finest pursuits, along with savoring apple cider donuts and picking out pumpkins. Luckily, many of the DMV’s apple orchards let you do all three and some even turn their red and green harvest into delectable fruit pies and hard cider sold on site, while others host fall activities like live music, hayrides, and festivals to engage the whole crew. No matter what your ideal fa...
Where to See the Most Beautiful Fall Foliage in the Mid-Atlantic
A leaf-peeping guide for all four states in the region.
Fill the tank and get your road trip snacks ready, it’s time to take full advantage of the glorious fall colors you can admire throughout Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.
The Mid-Atlantic is a fantastic region for getting your leaf peeping on, so we’ve pulled together all the best places to view our area’s stunning fall foliage. Along the way, you can also admire charming small towns, hike in state parks, and drive do...
The Best Drive-In Movie Theaters Near Washington DC
Add some nostalgia to your summer.
Americans rekindled their love affair with drive-in movie theaters during the height of the pandemic. But even as our world returns to normal, that nostalgic activity remains a popular summer pastime. Though many of us have embraced streaming our favorite shows at home, there’s nothing like watching a movie under the stars, whether from your car or on a lawn chair armed with snacks. From seasonal pop ups to theaters that are open year-round, we’ve rounded up...
Self-Care Starts Here: 14 Perfectly Situated Soaking Tubs
Travel by Design
There’s something supremely serene about free-standing soaking tubs — particularly when they’re placed with prominence in a room. Now, recent data reveals that statement-making tubs are on trend, and designers of luxury bathrooms are taking notice.
Indeed, many hotels have put these marble, porcelain and stainless steel works of art on display in bathrooms or guest rooms, often with epic views of the sea or mountains as backdrop, so guests can indulge in a spalike experience ...
5 Dishes That Will Make You Vegan (For at Least One Meal)
IT’S NOT UNUSUAL for meals in Sin City to begin with foie gras or caviar. But at the 120-seat Crossroads Kitchen Las Vegas, opening May 28, diners who order “foie gras” will savor roasted chestnuts molded to resemble the rich liver, while “caviar” made from kelp delivers the desired briny pop.
“Las Vegas has needed a high-end vegan restaurant,” said Diana Edelman, whose website Vegans, Baby produces a Vegas vegan dining guide. “I can’t think of a better one to start the trend.” The new Crossr...
Baltimore in Spring: A Tourist’s Guide to Baseball, Blue Crab and Waterfront Festivals
ADVERTISERS coined Baltimore’s nickname “Charm City” in the 1970s to boost civic morale. After the pandemic compromised its charms, the city promises to exude palpable charisma this spring. It’s flush with new festivals like the monthly Baltimore by Baltimore series, with live music and crafts (May 7 through October), and the Lost Weekend literary fair (May 13—15). Baltimore Orioles fans are on the loose, as are horse racing enthusiasts (the Preakness Stakes takes place the third Saturday in ...
The Best Nut-Free Spreads for Sandwiches and More
WITH THE RISING popularity of almond and other nut butters in the first couple decades of this century, the humble peanut, long the spreadable legume of choice, made way for fancier fruit. Now, some of the newest spreads bypass nuts altogether.
Pulverized oats, chickpeas, dates and seeds mimic the rich consistency of their nutty counterparts in a growing crop of products. The labels tout nutritional assets beyond what you would find in, say, cookie butter—fiber, vitamins, minimal added sugar—...