Travel
Travel• August 29, 2014

Shanghai Social Diary: Chongming, The Eco Island Of Shanghai

After a late arrival on a flight from the U.S. to Shanghai, I awoke the next morning to an enticing email invitation to Chongming Island. My friend, French architect Jean-Pierre Heim, wanted me to join a group visiting his hotel project there. The alluvial island, also called Edo-Island, formed from silt and rock, is in the Yangtze […]...

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Shanghai Social Diary: Shanghai Conservatory Of Music, In The Former Shanghai Jewish Club

Travel• August 15, 2014.
Two American friends, architect Ben Wood and international attorney Barry McComic included me in a planning committee hoping to renovate the former Shanghai Jewish Club, now used by the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Their idea was to preserve the historic building as a useful performance space. SHANGHAI JEWISH CLUB Founded by Russian Jews in ... READ MORE
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Shanghai Social Diary: SHANGHAI DINING

Travel• August 1, 2014.
One of the great pleasures of traveling, to me, is the chance to sample the extraordinary variety of cuisines around the world. Some of the most exotic meals I’ve ever tasted were in Asia, thanks to Chinese friends who made sure I didn’t overlook any of the best dishes on the menu. AUTHENTIC SHANGHAI CUISINE […]... READ MORE
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Shanghai Social Diary: Culinary Adventures In Shanghai

Travel• June 26, 2014.
One of the many reasons I travel is to taste the various cuisines of the world. In Shanghai, I’ve had the opportunity to entertain and dine with my friends in a variety of venues. In this dispatch, I’ve picked a few dining experiences that were special. LUNCH WITH FASHION DESIGNER HAN FENG On a lovely […]... READ MORE
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San Francisco Social Diary : Culinary Icon Cecilia Chiang at 94

Travel• September 20, 2013.
This has been a banner year for San Francisco culinary legend Cecilia Chiang, still gracious and energetic at 94. She received the 2013 James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award in New York City and was the subject of the biographical documentary Soul of a Banquet, which premiered in San Francisco. Often credited with introducing Americans to auth... READ MORE
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SHANGHAI SOCIAL DIARY GUO PEI, CHINA’S EMPRESS OF HAUTE COUTURE

Travel• August 26, 2013.
BEIJING – Every day in China is an adventure for me, and one of the most fascinating was my visit to the Beijing studio of couturier Guo Pei, a singular talent yet to be introduced to many Westerners. The gifted Beijing beauty produces some of the most sumptuous and exquisite fashions I have ever seen. Take a […]... READ MORE
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San Sebastian, Part II: the travel guide

Travel• June 27, 2013.
Does San Sebastian have anything else to offer besides gastronomic greatness? You bet. For one thing, Donostia, as it is called in the Basque language, is blessed with natural and man-made beauty. Situated on a scalloped bay ringed with shimmering beaches and surrounded by verdant mountains, it is a thrill to behold. And then, there’s […]... READ MORE
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San Sebastian, Part I: A Culinary Journey

Travel• June 26, 2013.
In the Bay of Biscay on the northern coast of Spain lies the glittering Basque city of San Sebastian, Spain’s best-kept secret. It is not a large city by any means, but it sure manages to punch above its weight in more ways than one. Its outsized influence is felt in several areas, including economic, political and […]... READ MORE
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Shanghai Social Diary: Shanghai Fine Jewellery & Art Fair

Travel• September 26, 2012.
Mark your calendars: the Shanghai Fine Jewellery and Art Fair (SFJAF) will be held here a third time this November (3-11) at the Shanghai Exhibition Center. As a premier fine art and jewelry fair in China, the SFJAF has attracted some of the world’s most elite art galleries who will display antiques, Old Master paintings, […]... READ MORE
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Shanghai Social Diary

Travel• August 19, 2012.
I’m back in the USA for the summer. This past year, I spent another season in Shanghai—that exotic, endlessly fascinating, and ever-changing city. I’ve compiled the best of the stories and pictures I gathered about social life and travels in China in diary form, and I’ll be posting them from time to time. Here’s another:... READ MORE
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Nina’s South African Safari at Phinda Private Game Reserve: June 2012 

Travel• August 15, 2012.
This particular safari in South Africa was different from my previous trips in that husbands/partners were invited; a far cry from all the Bush Ladies Safaris that I have been a part of during the past 18 months. My husband, Leonel Piraino, came along with me to Phinda Private Game Reserve in South Africa. We spent […]... READ MORE
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Shanghai Social Diary

Travel• August 10, 2012.
I’m back in the USA for the summer. This past year, I spent another season in Shanghai—that exotic, endlessly fascinating, and ever-changing city. I’ve compiled the best of the stories and pictures I gathered about social life and travels in China in diary form, and I’ll be posting them from time to time. Here’s another: [... READ MORE
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Shanghai Social Diary: Hong Merchant Antiques Gallery Opening

Travel• July 26, 2012.
When two friends, Shanghai-based venture capitalist Laurette Hartigan and Santa Barbara-based author Beverly Johnson (who collects Chinese antiques), both suggested I go to an opening at Hong Merchant, a Chinese and French-influenced antiques and art gallery, I knew it was a must. I had enjoyed the inviting atmosphere at Hong Merchant previousl... READ MORE

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