Paris-based home & design, travel, food, and lifestyle writer.
Tips for Traveling Without Your Pup
Because, unfortunately, you can’t always take him on vacation with you
Real Simple Feb/March 2025 Pets column
Top Places in Paris an Insider Wants You to Know About
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.
WALK THIS WAY Take Fido for a stroll without taking a tumble. (It happens. A lot.)
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.
After 14 years, Courier Journal columnist says goodbye with love letter to Louisville food scene
Dana McMahan is saying goodbye to her weekly Courier Journal dining column
Before & After: A Dingy Studio Kitchen Gets a DIY Makeover That Pulls Inspiration from a Cute Bar in Italy
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 ...
Kentucky: The US State With Caves of Mammoth Proportions
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...
I Asked an Expert to Help Me Organize My 320-Square-Foot Studio Apartment in Paris
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.
Before and After: Ripping Out the Dated ’80s Decor Gave Me the Entryway of My Dreams
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.
I just spent a week in Paris. Here's how I took the high-low approach to French dining
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...
Do Houseplants Improve Indoor Air Quality? We Asked an Environmental Scientist
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.
From Motor City to Cycle City: How Bikes are Changing Detroit ...
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.
I Tried Wagyu Steak For The First Time & Now I Get the Hype
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 ...
Is this the new 'it' spirit? Meet Cognac, bourbon's fancy French cousin
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.
Three Amazing Paris Boutique Hotels for Design Lovers
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...
Authentic Victorian Charm with Timeless Italian Elegance
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...