I’ve stayed in many London luxury historic hotels, boutique hotels and small rooms but my first visit to the Great Northern Hotel London melded all of my past experiences into one luxury hotel award stay. The original London railway hotel first opened in 1853 and has been restored with such luxury […]
The smell was familiar as I exited the elevator to the lobby, I had arrived at the Westin Philadelphia. The distinctive smell was courtesy of the candles surrounding the floral arrangement on the entry table. I was now instantly relaxed, the hell of the commute quickly recessing from my mind, […]
When I arrived to the boutique Rotterdam hotel, the Mainport Rotterdam Hotel, I was exhausted. It was a very long travel day with the overnight flight from New York, the six hour layover in London, the train from Amsterdam and the taxi from the train station. Luckily, the hotel restaurant […]
If you could design the food hall or farmer’s market of your dreams, what would you include? What experiences do you want locals and tourists to enjoy? The smells, the tastes, the sights and sounds – what senses are key? Now imagine that your dream hall is filled with vendors […]
It’s funny how people will have an opinion on all things solo and often reply “I could never do that alone” or the dreaded “you’re so brave”. While I’ve done so many things solo, going to concerts is always a tricky one for me. If it’s a larger stadium arena, […]
I’m not much of a gambler, to be honest, I tend to lose more than I win and think how I could use the money elsewhere to enjoy (i.e. – shoes or vacation). That said, I do enjoy visiting the casinos for the food and entertainment options. Having grown up […]
A Philly Cheesesteak in London? Call me skeptical, as I’ve argued Philly Cheesesteaks around the world. No…… green peppers are not a topping…mushrooms and green peppers are even worse and don’t get me started on the bread. The Philadelphia Cheesesteak is imbedded in my childhood and those memories of how […]
The many brands of Starwood Hotels (now part of Marriott) range from budget to luxury and I tend to stay mid-range hotels (Westin, Sheraton, W) when I travel. As I needed to reposition myself to New York for an award ticket on British Airways from JFK, I figured why not […]
I had one day in New York to explore before my 10 pm flight to London but what to do and where to go from morning to night without a hotel room to come back to? Maybe a Brooklyn Walking Tour? Despite my many visits to New York City over […]
What to do when you have a six hour layover at London Gatwick Airport and are flying British Airways? Take a shower at Gatwick! Unfortunately, London Gatwick doesn’t have an Arrivals Lounge like London Heathrow so I made my way to the British Airways (BA) Departure lounge, in the South […]