Dana McMahan

Because, unfortunately, you can’t always take him on vacation with you

Real Simple Feb/March 2025 Pets column

When a shopkeeper went viral for bottling Seine water as an Olympic souvenir, it showed what insiders already knew: Paris' surprising treasures hide in plain sight, at least when you know where to look. While millions queue for a glimpse of the Mona Lisa or jostle for Eiffel Tower selfies, another Paris awaits beyond the crowds, a Paris where century-old carousels still spin and curiosity shops double as modern-day literary salons.

Here's where to find the City of Light’s eternal magic.

THE LAST THING on your mind when you’re getting your little buddy ready for his evening walk? Potential injuries. Because he’s the goodest boy, and just look at that toofy smile!
But according to research from Johns Hopkins University, dog-walking-
related emergency room visits (for the humans) have quadrupled in the last
20 years, with women and older adults most at risk (thanks for nothing, lower
bone strength!). Pet parents get pulled too hard or trip, then suffer from sprains, fractures, and even traumatic brain injuries.

Dana McMahan is saying goodbye to her weekly Courier Journal dining column

What do you do with a boring, beige, 45-square-foot kitchen in a studio apartment? Well, if you’ve just come home from Milan, where your favorite afternoon was spent soaking up the Wes Anderson-designed Bar Luce at the Fondazione Prada, you go all in on pink and green and make it the kind of place you could totally invite a famous filmmaker to ...

Known around the world for a particular fried fast food, Kentucky also conjures visions of bourbon flowing and gleaming horses nibbling lush bluegrass. And yes, those scenes are accurate—other than the grass not actually being blue.
But the curious traveler who peeks beyond the postcard images will find a state (technically a commonwealth, though there’s no actual difference between the two) overflowing with geologic wonders and epic outdoor recreation with more miles of running water than an...

When I moved to Paris for three months, I brought my American experience with me — including my lifelong approach to kitchens that would need serious adjustment for my rental studio, which clocks in at 320 square meters.

The room wasn’t very promising at first. With no windows, bleak drop ceilings, (admittedly cheerful) pink painted wall paneling, muddy gray-brown vinyl floor tiles, and some ‘80s style niche shelving, it didn’t exactly beckon.

And just like that, travel is back.
If you, like 33 million other people, are headed to Paris this year, I’d like to share some favorites with a twist ― the high-lo...

It’s one of those things that we’ve all absorbed for so long we just accept it as truth: Plants are good for our indoor air quality. You’ve heard it countless times, right? Maybe even said it yourself when you’re buying yet another ZZ plant (... or maybe that's just us!).
But hey, we can’t be faulted. This tidbit of conventional wisdom is so ingrained in our collective conscience, why would we doubt it? Well, as it turns out, science.

There's a new spin on the Motor City—and it's on two wheels. Long synonymous with American auto manufacturing (and its demise), Detroit is now home now to a scrappy start-up determined to bring handmade American bikes to the world.

When I was a child, my parents had to bribe me to eat meat. An aspiring vegetarian in a meat-and-potatoes household, I earned a quarter each time I took a bite instead of hiding it under the mashed potatoes. Fast-forward a few decades and I am now a person who has just paid the equivalent of $20 for a single bite ...

This is the story of a region built upon river trade, a lush swathe of land that turned out to be a dream for distilling a luxurious golden-brown spirit.

Paris is a playground for brilliant designers who are infusing small, chic hotels with color, whimsy, and global flavors. These spaces instigate dreaming - maybe of your own home's redesign, maybe of the life that could be your...

When long-time writer, designer and entrepreneur, Dana McMahan fell in love with an overgrown Queen Anne Victorian home dubbed "Sleeping Beauty," she quickly added home renovator and fairy godmother to her resume. Her elegant designs paired with the cl...