wertygirl - The trick is to confirm your meal at least once. I always request my meals when I book the flight, then confirm 48 hours in advance, 24 hours in advance, and at check-in. (That way, if ...

^Ditto for parts of London, but you stumble upon all sorts of interesting stuff that way.

I don't dream about a bigger place (after all the decluttering I've done, the place I have now is too big!), but I do dream about having a garage. And maybe soundproof walls.

My parents' old kitchen stool came with me to my first post-college apartment (they no longer needed it). Now, I have a really tiny kitchen, but it's the perfect height for my drafting table, so I ...

I just painted my buffet cabinet glossy candy-apple red, and it looks fantastic (the previous color was a dark mahogany stain). I think your dresser would really pop in pink or aqua. I...

When I was managing a couple of buildings, one renter was cleaned out by a messy divorce. She was a good tenant, and made more than enough to pay the rent each month, but not all of it at once. The...

It wasn't, but it is now. I didn't care when the mainstream grocery store near my house closed, since I prefer Trader Joe's or the local health-food store. But, recently, a Trader Joe's opened with...

When I visited Florence in 2003, there was a ton of political graffiti everywhere, in both English and Italian, though thankfully only a few landmarks were tagged. (I'm from LA, so graffiti doesn't...

My tiny kitchen has dark built-in cabinets and black/beige granite countertops and backsplashes, plus it doesn't get much natural light. I brighten it up by leaving some of my red Le Creuset cookwa...

I live in an area that could be called suburban, and my neighborhood USED TO be quiet. Then came the white-trash invasion. My newer neighbors are up half the night partyin...

Rest in peace, Mr. Darcy. My condolences to Gregory and Emily. There's a pet cemetery in my town, and I'll probably end up buying plots for my cats someday, even though it's unlikely t...

My internet and cell phone are business expenses. I would get rid of my landline in an instant, but the cell phone reception in my neighborhood is awful. I don't play video games and ...

I have a smallish walk-in closet, and I'm installing some shelves for my shoes on the back wall. For years I've wanted to give my clothes a proper home in a beautiful antique armoire, ...

Louis XIV used to throw parties with similar outdoor setups, though his tended to feature chandeliers, live classical music, and very expensive imported Chinese porcelain.

Le Creuset is awesome. BTW, watch out for their enameled-steel stockpots (the quality just isn't as good as the cast iron). I got one for Christmas two years ago and within three month...

I have grilled seitan before, and it is fantastic, especially for newer vegetarians who haven't learned to like tofu yet. On one occasion I made some for a funeral luncheon, and to my surprise even...

Not only is sewing a dying art in much of the US, mending is practically dead. So many clothes could be kept out of garbage dumps if their owners would simply learn how to take care of them - or if...

If you have any kid-friendly books, keep them on a shelf low enough for your little guests to reach. I don't often entertain children, but I keep my collection of comic-strip anthologies on two low...

Definitely not. My cat would probably try to eat it (he chomps on EVERYTHING, food or not). But, I have considered painting a large cake mural in my dining nook.

I've been using this stuff for a few years. I tried the almond when the market was out of lavender, and to my surprise I preferred the almond. It's very pleasant.