by Roberta Murphy I am still chuckling over the wit and common sense of Wanda Sykes as she rants at Jay Leno over a Government bailout plan that has most eyebrows raised: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXznKV7rw7k[/youtube]
Chilean Wine: You’ve Got to Be Kidding!
by Eve Sieminski I can’t begin to tell you how many years I have had a prejudice against Chilean wines. Each time I tried one, I was unimpressed–or worse, ended up with a raging headache. Living in California, we are positively spoiled when it comes to wine. We have a never ending selection of fine wines, so it never occurred to me to search out fine wines from Chile. At…
Luxury on Ice: Iglu-Dorf
by Scott Murphy I grew up in the mountains at Big Bear Lake and spent many winters building igloos. Behind all the effort was the dream that I would one day get to sleep overnight in one of these icy creations. It now appears someone in Switzerland has beaten me to the punch. Perched 8,500 ft in the Swiss mountains above 5-star resorts sits Davos, Switzerland. Here one will find…
Hidden Asbestos Dangers in Your Home?
by Roberta Murphy A dear friend who bought her 1970’s-vintage La Costa home ten years ago recently experienced a flooded bathroom that required the removal of drywall. Discovered behind that wall was the dreaded A-word: Asbestos. She will have to move out of her home so that the guys in white suits and masks can come in and remove the lethal substance. Chris is taking it in good stride, and…
A Crash in Classified Ads?
by Roberta Murphy Earlier today, a client emailed my husband Mike about a great deal on a red Mercedes 500 SL convertible available on eBay. It was a 2004 model with only 7000 miles and offered a three-year warranty to boot. Located in Florida, this two-seater beckoned with a red price tag of around $28,000. Ever the bargain hunter, Mike grabbed the San Diego Union Tribune’s Sunday classified section for…
Twittering a Really Twisted Wine
by Eve Sieminski When not engaged in San Diego real estate, cooking, travel and other ventures, you just might find me twittering on Twitter. In fact, by keeping my Mac PowerBook close at hand, I just might be reporting on and following thoughts, ideas and friends via Twitter, that ubiquitous social networking site (just follow me @EveSieminski). Six months ago, I would never have dreamed of discovering a favorite wine…
Caribbean Luxury Resorts in Trouble?
by Roberta Murphy For those who still haven’t made travel plans, there may be some surprising resort bargains to consider–while other large and super-luxurious resorts are stalled under construction and financing difficulties. Crisis in Paradise via Breitbart shares some disturbing news: Cap Cana, a luxury resort under development in the Dominican Republic is now reportedly paralyzed. A mega resort with four luxury hotels, villas (with roof tiles on the ground),…
Grant Street Zinfandel: So Lovely
by Eve Sieminski Most of our readers know that I tend to recommend wines under $20 per bottle, but the Grant Street Vineyard 2005 Zinfandel justifiably pushes the pricing envelope at $25 for a surprising and beautiful wine. I received this Zin yesterday via UPS (yes you can order it online), opened it at 5 to breathe and took my first sip at 6. I immediately considered it a really…
Luxury Ski Resort Files for Bankruptcy
by Roberta Murphy It seems that almost daily we hear about segments of the broad luxury market losing not only their luster, but even their footing. There are reports that luxury retailers are bracing for a crash slowdown, and that even real estate in super-rich Dubai is beginning to show signs of weakness. In fact, says Tim Blixseth, It’s as if the whole world had a financial heart attack. Wall…
Who Reads About Luxury?
by Roberta Murphy Our shrinking global village is an abiding source of amazement, and I often marvel at the diversity of countries represented by the readers (or perusers) of this blog. Just for fun, I decided to check the countries of origin for the past 30 hours. Most visitors (or at least the internet service) hail from the United States. But the balance of the world, according to our SiteMeter…
