All Aboard the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express for a Glamorous Train Journey Into the French Alps
It’s 6:00 p.m. on a cold December night in Paris. My black car pulls up to Gare de L’Est, where gentlemen in tuxedos whisk me and my luggage through the busy concourse to platform 6. I myself am dressed in black tie, or as close as a guy who doesn’t own a tuxedo (ans doesn’t check bags) can get, anyway. It’s not my usual train attire, but then again, this is not your usual train.
The Living Is Good at Palm Springs’ Newest Boutique Hotel
Palm Springs has long been a desert oasis for Californians looking to kick back by the pool, refresh in the desert heat, and dance the night away under (and alongside) the stars. As a New Yorker who had never been, my first exposure to Palm Springs was a stay at the latest addition to its hotel scene: Life House Palm Springs, a 66-key refuge in the shadow of the San Jacinto Mountains.
A Turks and Caicos Private Island Retreat as Good as It Sounds
Do you have access to a private jet? Do you dream of traveling like a cast member on Succession? Are you planning a special getaway and want somewhere utterly remote and romantic? If you fall into any of these categories, you will want your people to book a trip for you to Ambergris Cay, a spectacular all-inclusive private island resort tucked away on the southeast edge of Turks and Caicos.
Inside Santa Monica's Show-Stopping New Hotel
Santa Monica has always been about a certain type of balance, a mix of laid-back and luxurious, beach-chic and bohemian, indulgent yet wellness-obsessed. Santa Monica Proper, strikes this balance perfectly. It’s the first new luxury hotel to open in Santa Monica in recent time, and, really, the only place you should stay when you come to town — if you can snag a room, that is.
Cider in the Catskills
Hard cider is having a moment. Across New York State, which is the second largest producer of apples in the U.S., orchards and cider mills are cranking out complex pints that rival the best craft beers and wines. Though you can find hard cider on the menu at many restaurants upstate, including Prospect at Scribner’s (look out for Kings Highway Fine Cider), the best way to sample this golden delicious good stuff is to go straight to the source.
Brews and Views: Where to Whet Your Whistle
After a long trek in the woods, there’s nothing more refreshing than taking a splash in a cold, crystal-clear waterfall — except for maybe a frothy pint of delicious craft beer at a local brewery. Here in the Catskills, New York’s verdant, trail-lined, brewery-dotted watershed, you can take in the spectacular views before indulging in one of the Catskills’ many delicious brews.
In Peru's Sacred Valley, an Immersive Hotel Takes Food and Adventure to New Heights
The Sacred Valley is one of Peru's (and the planet's) most prized places, but its beauty extends far beyond the ruins of Machu Picchu. With the help of the country's premier chef, Virgilio Martinez, the adventure-centric hotel Explora Valle Sagrado is giving its guests a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
What It's Like to Eat at the World's Best Restaurant
When you’re invited to dinner at the world’s best restaurant, you show up with expectations. Mirazur, the sun-drenched restaurant on the edge of the French Riviera that took 2019's top spot in on the San Pellegrino list of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, met none of mine. The meal was a complete breath of fresh air.
Mountain Dale Is the Weirdly Awesome Up-and-Coming Catskill Town You Need on Your Radar
Ask anyone if they’ve heard of Mountain Dale and most would swear you were referencing an angsty teenage Netflix drama. Very few know about the sleepy hamlet, part of Fallsburg in Sullivan County, and to no fault at all. Until recently, it was a mere smattering of empty storefronts spanning a main street in the middle of what used to be a thriving part of the Catskills, once home to Borscht Belt resorts, now occupied by Hasids and holdovers from the Woodstock era.
A Vision for Co-Working, Co-Living, and Co-Traveling
The Assemblage is far from your ordinary NYC co-working space. I talk with co-founder and Chief Creative Officer Magdalena Sartori — the mind, heart, and soul behind the operation — about how her nomadic upbringing and deep spirituality influence her holistic approach to hospitality.
The Sumo Top Knot Is the Original Man Bun
It’s been two years since his last haircut. His mane is long and disheveled, typical of the zanbara hairstyle that distinguishes novice sumo wrestlers from their spruced-up superiors. He has completed his morning chores, devoured his calorie-rich chankonabe stew, and is ready for his first sit-down with a scissor-wielding tokoyama. There are a maximum of 55 master hairdressers at any given time in Japan, and they're the only ones authorized to craft a chonmage, the original Japanese man bun.
Hibernation Plan: Fireplaces
Nothing tops off a blustery winter’s day upstate quite like posting up beside a roaring fireplace, half-sunken into a leather armchair with a cup of hot cocoa in hand, or better yet, a cup of spiked hot cocoa. These hotels and restaurants have the most appealing, coziest hearths around. Schedule a stop-in at day’s end and huddle up by the fire. The last thing you’ll want to do is leave.
A Weekend Guide to Los Angeles and Joshua Tree
You’ve seen this movie before: Stressed-out New Yorker flies west in search of sun and relaxation, splits an extra-long weekend between Los Angeles and Joshua Tree, finds fantastic food, a cool new boutique hotel, and painterly desert landscapes along the way. Cue the highlight reel.
Meet Kelly Sawdon, The Boundary-Pushing Boss Lady Behind the Ace Hotels
There are seasoned hoteliers, and then there are hoteliers like Kelly Sawdon, chief brand officer and partner at Ace Hotel Group, whose work over the last few decades has literally shaped the face of the modern boutique hotel. I caught up with her to talk travel, design, and how, through her ever-expanding portfolio of hotels — including new properties in New York City, New Orleans, and Kyoto — she always stays ahead of the pack.
3 Places to Drink, Eat, and Explore on Mainland Greece
If you’ve only been to the Greek islands, you’ve been missing out on another side of the country. The mainland, with its countless small towns, vibrant farms, and picturesque landscapes, is a curious (and hungry) traveler’s dream trip. Let's take a spin through the heartland.
What's New in Aspen 2019
My first trip to Aspen reads like something out of a sultan's winter vacation playbook. I was invited for the opening of the much-anticipated Eleven Madison Park Winter House, a partnership with American Express Travel, who hosted my weekend and arranged my rich menu of experiences through their travel and lifestyle counselor service.
Where to Find the Himalayas in New York City
You don’t need to travel halfway around the world to get a taste of the Himalayas. Just head to Queens, home to one of the largest populations of Himalayans in the United States. My hometown of Jackson Heights, which has been welcoming South Asians (among many others) for more than half a century, is the epicenter of the action.
These Street Food Tours Take You Places Others Don't, Like the Heart of Queens
Our friends at Culinary Backstreets run culinary walking tours in off-beat, culturally diverse cities around the world, including New York. I decided to take one for a spin — in the Queens neighborhood I grew up in.
Passing Through Singapore? How to Make the Most of a Changi Airport Layover
You’re on layover at Changi Airport and want to make the most of it. The country is small and crazy accessible and the city center is only a 20-minute cab ride away. Singapore is a land of cultural riches, not just high-end malls and high-rise buildings. What’s the game plan? I asked in-the-know Singaporeans (photographers, designers, creative sorts) what they recommend for travelers with a few hours to kill.
How to Spend 3 Fast and Furious Days in Hanoi
Hanoi is a madhouse, a city in a constant state of entropy. Buildings are set in a beautiful state of decay, a reminder of a long and complicated history. Clothes and signs and wires dangle from balconies and rooftops, which makes the exercise of looking up in alleyways a particularly rewarding experience.
How to Spend a Long Weekend in Mexico City
Visiting a new place in a short timeframe is always overwhelming, especially when that place is Mexico City. The mile-high metropolis is known for its gastronomy, culture, and arts, is also a World Design Capital. And it shows. Neighborhoods are changing, boutiques are opening, style is on the up-and-up. Here’s what I saw, did, and would recommend based on my three-day trip.
Escape to Spanish Wine Country
Madrileños have it good. Not only do they enjoy a great quality of life in a city that’s climbing its way out of a nationwide recession, they also have a luxury that many epicureans travel the world for — easy access to wine country and all the sensual delights that come with it. Ribera del Duero and Rueda are Spanish Designations of Origin that produce some of the country’s best red and white wines, respectively.
The Irresistible Food and Football Charm of Oxford, Mississippi
Oxford is famous for its literary legends — sports writer Wright Thompson, John Grisham, and, most notably, William Faulkner, the late Nobel Prize laureate. But Oxford may be better known (at least in the area) for the Ole Miss Rebels, a leading college football team in the Southeast Conference.
Ditch Your Day Job at These 8 Awesome Global Co-Working Spaces
Dream of freeing yourself from the confines of your cubicle? You're not alone, and there's a solution for you. Global destinations with low costs of living, great weather, and welcoming vibes are becoming hotbeds for digital nomads. These co-working spaces offer day passes, short-term memberships, community support, and awesome views.
The Simple Pleasures of New York Fly Fishing
Tracing the verdant valleys of New York's picturesque Catskill Mountains are two conjoining waterways known by anglers the world over — the Beaverkill, a historic tributary of the mighty Delaware, and the Willowemoc, an unassuming creek that flows gracefully along the northern edge of rural Sullivan County. In them swim beautiful and revered brown, brook, and rainbow trout, the lifeblood of a fly fishing industry that has sustained tourism in the region since the late 1800s.
You Don't Need to Believe in a Higher Power to Make a Pilgrimage to Israel
I was raised religious, but now consider myself an agnostic. And though I've heard cool things are happening in Israel, I've always associated the Holy Land with religious pilgrimages. But what was I thinking? The country draws international attention for (among many things) its creative and culinary happenings, legendary nightlife, and natural attractions.
Off The Press: A Cider Scene Brews in New York
As it turns out, New York, the second largest producer of apples in the United States, also brews some of the best hard cider in the country. Except not many people knew about it until recently. On a tour of the Hudson Valley and the Finger Lakes, I found out why.