Open Books, Wallingford

I met Tennyson when I was in the third grade. Anne Shirley introduced us and ignited what has become my quiet affair with poetry. Upon hearing Anne recite Tennyson, I took myself straightaway to the library and told the librarian, "I'm looking for the poem from Anne of Green Gables." She knew immediately: "The Lady of Shallot." I spent the next week memorizing the poem's twenty stanzas. At age 8 I had never experienced the...

In Vogue, Bellevue

Shopping at In Vogue makes me want to go on a date with a handsome, tan man at a see-and-be-seen club somewhere in Miami. Or Los Angeles. Something about the boutique's silky tank tops, colorful halters, strapless dresses, playful prints, and luxe fabrics leave me longing for a Balenciaga bag to hang on one arm and a Ken doll to hang on the other. In Vogue's owner, Gee Kaur, is young and chic, and she...

Havana, Capitol Hill

A blue-eyed pilot with a devastating, dimpled smile once showed me around Chicago. It was November and bitter cold. To warm up we slipped into a little Cuban restaurant downtown and spent hours sipping caipirinhas. That afternoon I learned that Cuban cocktails can be dangerous. Ditto all-American pilots. Those close to me know that when it comes to danger, I avoid activities with a high risk for broken bones (downhill skiing, mountain bike racing) while...