We post our impressions of where to go and enjoy a great meal but when you go to other cities this maybe a great way to get ahead on your dining experience.

Sniff out critics' favorites

If you're more interested in getting a recommendation on the spot, download Urbanspoon. The app makes a game of finding a restaurant: Search options are displayed slot-machine style, with neighborhood, cuisine, and price as the categories. Refresh with a simple shake of the device, or click off for critics' reviews and some menus. Free. Download it: Android, iPhone/iPad.

Make reservations

Instead of calling 12 restaurants to find one that can seat your party of four, let OpenTable do the work. Search more than 15,000 restaurants in Canada, the U.K., Mexico, and the U.S. by the number of diners and your desired reservation time, and then sort by cuisine, price range, and neighborhood. And in about five taps — voilá! — you've got a reservation. Free. Download it: Android, BlackBerry, iPhone/iPad.

Sip smarter

With more than 1 million bottles of wine from Chile to Cali cataloged, the Cor.kz app is like a pocket sommelier. Search by region or varietal, peruse an exhaustive glossary, or scan a bottle's bar code with your smartphone to call up expert ratings and tasting notes. $4. Download it: Android, iPhone/iPad .

Avoid menu mistranslations

Foreign phrases can be unforgiving — and that's where On The Menu comes in. A database of more than 1,400 terms from all over the globe allows users to solve culinary conundrums with a quick Google-style search. Bagna cauda? That would be Italian for anchovy fondue. $2. Download it: iPhone/iPad.

Rub elbows with regulars

It's no easy feat to cut through the restaurant-of-the-moment hype in an unfamiliar city, which is where the no-holds-barred user reviews on Yelp's app come in. Using your GPS-mapped location, the app reveals the highest-rated places near you, as determined by the people who know best. Search thousands of dining options in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Ireland by price, neighborhood, or the handy "what's open now." Free. Download it: Android, Blackberry, iPhone/iPad.

Ask the experts

Crowd-sourced restaurant reviews on Urbanspoon or Yelp can be telling, but you never really know who's behind them. The owner's mom? A foodie fussbudget? LocalEats relies on (relatively) objective parties-food bloggers, newspaper dining critics, alt-weekly columnists to compile its top-100 lists in America's 50 largest cities. Locally owned spots are in, national chains are out, ensuring you'll find an authentic meal without too much legwork. Android, iPhone/iPad, $1; BlackBerry, $3. Download it: Android, BlackBerry, iPhone/iPad.

Before you Hit our Gym…

We have a great gym.  It’s not the biggest in the world but it does have everything to get a good sweat going!  Sometimes a good sweat session is just what the doctor ordered: Exercise has been shown to help ease menstrual cramps, joint pain, headaches, stress and depression, for starters. But if you’re not feeling up to your workout, your body might be trying to tell you that it needs a break. Here are five science-backed reasons to throw in the towel (for today).

Something hurts
There’s the good, normal kind of postworkout pain—the achy soreness you feel for a day or two after you’ve pushed your muscles a little harder than usual or tried something new—and the bad kind that feels like more of an ouch and lingers, explains SELF contributing expert Lisa Callahan, M.D., codirector of the Women’s Sports Medicine Center at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. If a pain persists longer than 72 hours, causes swelling at the site, keeps you up at night or hurts more when you exercise, it’s time to sit on the sidelines and call your doc.

You’re sleep-deprived
Insufficient zzz’s could be as devastating to your well-being as lack of exercise, says James B. Maas, Ph.D., professor of psychology at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. “Your body uses sleep to restore itself both physically and mentally, yet people continue to put it off as if it’s optional,” says Maas. If you’ve been falling short of the seven to eight hours of nightly shut-eye experts recommend and feel downright exhausted when your alarm goes off in the morning, hit snooze and leave your workout for another day. Bonus: The extra rest will give you more energy to punch through that last mile or set of reps when you do hit the gym again.

You feel dizzy, thirsty or clammy
These are signs of warm weather injuries like heatstroke and exhaustion, cases of which are up 133 percent in the past decade, a study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine warns. Heatstroke can happen even on mild days, so always keep water handy, and if you start to feel the above symptoms, rest, drink up and call it quits for the day. Better safe than sorry!

Your stomach’s been feeling queasy
A little bit of indigestion is no biggie, but if you’re throwing up or experiencing severe diarrhea, you’re already on your way to dehydration and exercise will only make it worse. A 12-hour bug causes most upset stomachs, so you should be fine after a day in bed (or in the bathroom). Just be sure to drink plenty of clear fluids in the meantime.

You have a fever
If the thermometer reads above 100 and you feel exhausted or achy all over, you could have the flu, so trade your gym clothes for your PJ’s and get thee to bed! You’ll likely be too zonked to work up a non-fever-induced sweat anyway. Plus, you’re contagious a full day before you have any symptoms and for the first few days after symptoms strike, and I’m betting your fellow gymgoers don’t want the flu any more than you do. So rest up, drink plenty of fluids and don’t even think about those sneakers until your fever breaks and you’re feeling normal again.

Upscale shopping

Shopping is not a sport for everyone. In fact, you may know people who absolutely hate to shop. Probably as much as I dislike football, basketball, baseball, tennis — in fact, any other sport you can name. If they had a competition in shopping, however, I would win hands down.

Probably the toughest shopping endeavor is bathing suit shopping. Any woman who can find a flattering yet relatively inexpensive bathing suit should win a gold shopping medal for sure.

But another less publicized shopping division is in purse purchasing. You have no idea how difficult it is to find just the right purse. I will lead you through the required parameters.

First of all, you have to determine what color purse you want. Purses come in every color you can imagine and some come in plaids or florals and other prints. If you are going to carry just one purse every day, you have to pick a color that will consistently compliment your wardrobe.  Once you have determined the color, you must decide on the fabric. Leather is a common choice but purses come in fake leather, fur, suede, microfiber, patent leather, silk and a myriad of other coverings. The weight of the purse is another important consideration. If you are going to carry the purse all over for travel, you want it to be lightweight to begin with. After a while, as it fills with maps, guides, cameras and snacks, it can end up a hefty 20 pounds.

With color, weight and fabric confirmed, the external nature of the purse comes up for consideration. Do you want an outside zippered pocket? Do you want a zipper as a closure? How about a snap? Do you want a short handle? Do you want a strap that will cross your body for protection against purse snatchers? Do you want a strap that will hold the bag on your shoulder? Do you want a backpack style or one that attaches to your waist?

It is a good thing that I eat high carbs before beginning a purse purchase competition, let me tell you. You need an awful lot of endurance as you can probably tell already. But don’t relax, there is more.  Purse configuration is by far the most intricate part of purse purchase competition there is. Do you want a section that holds credit cards so you don’t need a separate wallet? Do you want several zippered internal compartments? Or, if you are not as structured, will a large central undesignated repository do for you?

One day I managed to buy a purse at a department store in only 20 minutes. That was the amount of time allotted to me by my husband who was anxious to get home for a basketball game on TV. By now you realize that 20 minutes must be an all time record for purse purchasing and, if life was fair, a gold medal would be around my neck.

Summer is Coming and so is Rising Gas Prices

As gas prices rise we see families looking at how they can conserve some money but still get out for a vacation.  We also know that when the rising prices back in 2008 that families reduced the distance they would travel due to those peaking prices.  So why wouldn’t we expect to see families do the same thing this year? 

This will be another year of local travel.  I think we’ll see more families keeping their overall travel down just like we saw in 2008.  The average distance traveled will be about 620 miles (that's 10 hours of driving roughly) and average spending is expected to be $1,052 per family, AAA says.

Okay, what else will make your trip easier? Well I would suggest either having your vehicle checked over by a good mechanic or your husband if he knows how. Check the tires, filters, belts, brakes, change the oil etc.

Then the day before your trip get your vehicle cleaned really well, and fill up on gas. After that come home and pack what you will be taking with you into your vehicle, things like your overnight bags, travel pillows etc.  If you take extra blankets along these can be draped over the back of the seat so that they do not take up any additional room. And travel pillows can be placed next to whoever will be using them.

Money-saving strategies have even gone mobile. Apps like FuelFrog allow you to track your mileage to monitor gas prices in your city and your car’s gas efficiency over time. It’s one way that using a cell phone can actually improve your driving.

Whatever you decide to do I hope you have a great summer, and spend a lot of quality time with your children.

Travel Tips for the Solo Traveler

To minimize risks, follow these five practical tips, gathered from experts including Whitman, Schlichter, and travel guidebook author Rick Steves.

(1) Project strength. Walk purposefully, and show no fear — even if you have to fake it. Pickpockets prey on travelers who look like confused, easy victims.  Common areas for Pickpockets are crowded areas. Pickpockets probably hit thousands of tourists a day around the world. Follow these simple steps, and you'll avoid them:

Keep your money in three places. The big money, credit cards, and passports go into a money belt under your clothes. More money and perhaps one credit card go into a more easily accessible change purse or zippered pocket. Finally, small money, for tips and taxis, goes into a front pocket, where most pickpockets work. This way, if successful, they get only the small stuff.

Inner pockets of jackets are less likely to be lifted but if I pickpocket notices you putting your wallet there than they can and will attempt to relieve you of it’s contents.

Keep your purse or luggage locked in transit.  Also when sitting keep your bags in a visible area.  Do not hang your purse on the chair as this is a common area thieves will riffle or take while you are distacted.

(2) Always remain alert. "It's those few seconds of inattentiveness when your bag or purse could get snatched," Whitman says. "Thieves are generally looking for a quick steal, so bring a cable lock to secure your belongings to your seat on trains, and lock the zippers of your bags together so no one can easily open them."

(3) Readjust your schedule. If you feel uncomfortable going out at night, don't force it. Instead, sightsee during the day, make lunch your biggest meal, and turn in early. "Everyone should avoid walking alone at night," Schlichter says. "I've heard plenty of stories of male travelers who put themselves in bad situations — they made the mistake of assuming they'd always be fine because they're guys."

(4) Avoid the flirts. Steves has long advised single female travelers to wear fake wedding rings, especially in Mediterranean and Latin countries, where the men tend to pay more attention to women than Americans are typically used to. Getting hit on doesn't always turn into a safety concern, of course, but a simple gold band could save you some headaches.

(5)Follow your gut. If your radar goes off, listen to it — no matter who sets it off. "Woman and young children are just as likely to be pickpockets in some European countries — not men with knives," Whitman points out. "They often get away with it, I think, because people don't want to be rude to a nice-looking, middle-aged lady holding a baby, even if she's being pushy."

Trends for Spring and Summer

As Alexandria weather starts to warm up and the stores have completed their switch from winter items to warmer weather items these are the typical trends to be aware of. Our weather in Alexandria runs about 40 degrees to 70 degrees in the spring but about mid June we start to see temperatures averaging around 60 degrees up to 100 degrees. Humidity is also a factor so if you plan to be outside you’ll want to keep this in mind when packing.

Afraid to try the latest trends because you don’t have the body of an 18-year-old supermodel? Never fear! Many of this season’s hottest trends are wearable for all ages and body types. Trying a new trend can be scary! Don’t be shy - Try one at a time and mix them in to what you already own. Summer is a great time to try something new or with a splash of more color than you’re used too. Here’s a couple of spring and summer trends that just about anyone can pull off:

This season dresses, and skirts will remain must haves... But this season fashion designer's have also given us all kind of fun fashions, fashions that will offer wonderful vivid prints, stripes, and geometric prints... The main theme this spring is somewhat tailored, and classic, but with a touch of bold, and edgy.

According to many fashion experts, super tight denim (commonly called ‘jeggings’) are a thing of the past. Instead, opt for wide-leg and trouser-cut silhouettes, which are flattering on all body types! Another trend making a comeback is flare jeans. If you have a curvy figure, flares are your best bet. They balance out a fuller top nicely and will make you look slimmer.

Hope this helps you as you plan on what to pack coming into our city. See you here!