Ever wondered what it would be like to explore Rome by scooter? I wrote all about it for the premiere issue of AUH magazine, interviewing Rome locals, Vespa collectors, and just about everyone else as addicted to their motorini as any Roman should be. (If you've never heard of the magazine before, maybe you just haven't been traveling in the Middle East enough: It's the brand-new magazine for Abu Dhabi airport. And yes, I win points for publication randomness). 

The folks over there also, of all things, asked me to participate in the photo shoot for the article. (They hastened to tell me that it was meant to be journalistic, so they didn't need "real" models. As a non-model, I'm proud to say I definitely fit the bill!).

So, as a writer, here was the unusual part: I got to not only write the story… but spend a morning whipping around Rome on a scooter. And not just any scooter. This was a 1953 white, vintage Vespa, complete with a sidesaddle seat in the back (love!). Talk about having an Audrey Hepburn moment.

And, yes. I wound up in a few of the story's photos (being the only girl in the group will make that happen). Check out the story, and the embarrassing (but beautifully-done—photographer Jamie Baker was excellent) photographs, here.