Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Tribune
April 14, 2020
Lisa Vidal plays the matriarch in the new ABC series, “The Baker and the Beauty.” A strong advocate for women’s health (she’s a breast cancer survivor), Vidal took time to reflect on some of her previous travels. Mindful of what’s happening around the world with the coronavirus pandemic, she said, “I really look forward to being able to travel again and to visit beautiful places. I just pray that we can move past this very scary time and that we will recover from this as quickly as possible. If anything at all, this has taught us all how vulnerable we truly are and how much we truly need to look out for one another.”
Q. What is one of your favorite destinations?
A. I have to say after shooting in Puerto Rico, I fell in love. The island, the people, the food, the beauty, the resilience of the people, the history of the island – it was just so captivating and super special.
Q. To someone who was going there for the first time, what would you recommend that they do during their visit?
A. Go to old San Juan to see the very special cobblestone streets and Castillo San Felipe del Morro. I recommend going to the El Yunque National Forest, taking a catamaran to Culebra, go to Piñones for the yummy fried Puerto Rican favorites. All the rivers and waterfalls in Puerto Rico (are) beautiful!
Q. What was the first trip you took as a child?
A. The first trip I remember taking as a child was to Orlando, Florida. My aunt took me to Disney World when I was about eight years old and I had a blast. I loved all the activities and the sunshine in the palm trees.
Q. What’s the most important thing you’ve learned from your travels?
A. Pack accordingly and to know what weather you’re going to be in.
Q. What do you look for when you dine out on the road?
A. I love those little neighborhood places where all the locals go. They always have the best food and the most fun.
Q. Where are your favorite weekend getaways?
A. My family and I love to go to Santa Barbara, Palm Desert and Catalina Island for weekend getaways.
Q. Where is the most romantic destination?
A. Anguilla. The Four Seasons hotel there is beautiful. Hawaii has some beautiful spots too.
Q. If you’ve ever gone away for the holidays, which was the best trip?
A. My family and I usually go skiing for the holidays and we love it. We love to be around the snow, Christmas lights, eat in front of fireplaces and drink yummy wine. A favorite ski trip has been Vail, Colorado.
Q. Do you speak any foreign languages? And in the same train of thought, do you pick up new languages easily?
A. I speak English and Spanish. I do pick up languages pretty easily, if I am hanging around the culture for a certain amount of time.
Q. What are your five favorite cities?
A. New York City, Chicago, Miami, Toronto and Austin.
Q. Where have you traveled to that most reminded you of home?
A. Chicago.
Q. Where would you like to go that you have never been to before?
A. I’d like to go to Greece one day.
Q. When you go away, what are some of your must-have items?
A. My beauty essentials, a comfortable pair of sneakers that are still stylish, a never-full tote, a clutch and a beautiful cashmere wrap for chilly evenings out.
Q. What would be your dream trip?
A. Visit the top romantic places in Europe.
Q. What is your guilty pleasure when you’re on the road?
A. Really good wine and great shopping!
Q. What kind of research do you do before you go away on a trip?
A. I read as much as I can about it and I ask friends who have been to the destination lots of questions about what to do there.
Q. What is your best and/or worst vacation memory?
A. When my husband and I first got married, we went on a horrible cruise where they had barf bags along the hallways, our cabin was flooded, there were twin beds in our cabin and an empty pool in the middle of summer! We were stuck on that ship for seven days and it was a nightmare.
© 2020 JAE-HA KIM
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