We'll be up the lazy river at Mandalay Bay in Vegas.
Vegas for 3 nights? That’s the text I sent to a stranger the other day. No response so far, but I’ve decided not to take it personally. Read the full post »
Month: February, 2009
Best Chocolate in the World
As a child it was Russell Stovers all the way, my mom’s candy of choice, and a box of assorted chocolates was part of every holiday of my childhood. It was also the catalyst of the vanilla cream wars, as my brothers and I fought over our favorites. (Yes, I confess, I was the one that would take a small nibble out of the bottom of a likely candidate for the luscious vanilla, and upon discovery of the dreaded coconut instead, would sneak it back into the box.)
A phone booth made of chocolate at a factory in Belgium
In the years since I’ve gobbled Godiva, lingered over Lindt and inhaled my share of Hershey’s. I’ve visited chocolate factories in France, Belgium and Switzerland and was in awe of the technique and care devoted to my favorite food group. In Belgium, a skilled chocolatier even sculpted it into shapes for display such as phone booths and even a car, which met an unfortunate demise when the ants found it. Read the full post »
Mardi Gras Memories: A Parrot, A Parade and a Porch at the Pontalba
We stayed in the second-floor apartment at the Pontalba apartments. Dudley the parrot sits in the corner, enjoying the best view in New Orleans.
When a friend of ours told us that she’d hopped in a car and headed for the yearly drunkfest that is known as Mardi Gras, stripped off her shirt and painted her breasts with gold paint, I asked, “How did you get the letters straight?”
That’s me, kind of the pragmatist among the partiers. Which is to say I love a great party, but generally appreciate the kind that does not require the taking off of clothes, the ingestion of drinks named after natural disasters and stepping over the resulting upchucked remains.
So how did I find myself one sunny February day, bedecked with beads and chasing a float down a New Orleans street, yelling at the inhabitants to chuck that spear my way? Read the full post »
Hoop Skirt Dreams
The interior of Market at the W Atlanta-Buckhead. A spirograph may have been the inspiration for some of the artwork.
I’ve just about abandoned my search for a hoop skirt with shot glass attachment. And I had such great plans for it.
My desire for said skirt began when I attended the reality-TV-show-star-studded opening of the W Atlanta – Buckhead last month, where we were greeted by a young lady sporting such attire. Her entire hoop skirt was made of rows of metal shot glass holders, each containing a delightful beverage.
Although movement would be severely restricted, I figured it wouldn’t matter, because with such a garment, the party would come to me. The fact that hoop skirts do wonders for hiding any wiggly bits below the waist is just a bonus.
But I console myself that although I may not be able to duplicate that outfit, I am able to duplicate the W experience itself, just about whenever I like. Atlanta now has four W hotels, with three new ones opening just in the past year. And each of the three new hotels has its own amazing, totally different restaurant. Midtown has Spice Market, serving Asian cuisine, Buckhead has Market, serving classic dishes with fresh, local ingredients and downtown has BLT Steak.
I had lunch at Market yesterday, where we were treated to such delights as tuna spring rolls, goat cheese custard with delicate cubes of beets and crushed pistachios and parmesan-crusted chicken. The dessert was a signature of Executive Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, who originated the now
The molten mini cake. I am nominating Jean-Georges Vongerichten for sainthood for its creation.
much-copied warm molten chocolate cake. These mini cakes are beautiful on their own. Then you take a bite, and a thick lava of delicious, chocolate oozes out on your plate and the portion of your brain that counts calories temporarily shuts down while you devour every last morsel, sliding your finger along the plate for that last bit of chocolaty goodness.
In addition to the always-accommodating whatever, whenever policy, which I wish many more people in my life would adopt, I love the casual sophistication of each W hotel. You know how when you play a competitive sport, it’s best to play with someone a bit better than you to up your game a bit? That’s the way I feel when I walk into a W. They are more sophisticated than I am, but going there ups my game. I feel just a bit more casually elegant myself.
Another thing I love about the W? The service is helpful and genuine, without being overbearing. I was there again today, for example, to pick up the coat I left behind at lunch yesterday. The same coat I left on a plane at in the Punta Cana airport last week. That rescue mission was way more complicated, involving several non-English-speaking staff of the airport, including one uniformed young man who insisted I walk five steps behind him back to the security line where banana-hatted ladies insisted on taking my photo because who wouldn’t want to preserve this magic moment?
Anyway, everyone at the W greeted me warmly, including the helpful valet guy who attended my car while I ran inside. So I may not get my hoop skirt, but I do know where to get molten chocolate cake and kind attention. Whatever, whenever.
http://www.starwoodhotels.com/whotels/index.html
Stress-Reducing Techniques for Traffic and Travel
It’s no news flash that we have traffic in Atlanta. Yes, people have given birth, learned to speak Chinese and
My latest stress-reducing technique on planes is watching DVDs of Dr. Katz.
formed rock bands all while rendered immobile on the roads. But guess what? Other countries aren’t immune. I was in the Dominican Republic last week where we got stuck in a massive jam along one of the few major roads. The only difference there is that our van driver was determined to forge ahead despite the long line of cars, and plowing through a sugar cane field or driving on the wrong side of the road were just a few options considered viable.
And for anyone who has set foot on a plane in the past few years, you’ve got your stories to tell as well – the smelly/obese/talkative/fidgety person next to you, the shrinking seating area rapidly approaching the size of our desks in elementary school, the inexplicable delays and the lack of even a drop of water to drink.
Basically if you leave your house, and considering today’s world, not leaving it is starting to look more inviting, you’re going to encounter frustrations that are beyond your control.
So here are some ways to deal with life’s little unpleasantries. Read the full post »
Groom with a View
The bathroom at the John Hancock Center overlooking Chicago
Maybe it’s because my bathroom at home is the size of a cereal box and has just as many windows. At least the part with the bathtub. The sink area is quite nice, after a recent way overdue makeover, and has two sinks, which is highly recommended by marriage counselors everywhere as second only to regular girls’ nights out for keeping a marriage happy. Okay, I made that part up, but it is a plus for a marriage to not spit toothpaste into the same sink.
Anyway, that may be why I always notice the view, if any, from restrooms in hotels and restaurants.
I am at the celebrity-level luxurious Iberostar Grand Bavaro in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, the fourth and by far most upscale resort in this country for Iberostar. My gorgeous suite, done is peaceful shades of beige and blue grey, has a wood-floored balcony facing the Caribbean. Read the full post »
Surviving Bad Travel Moments
If this isn't you, then your travel moments just aren't all that bad.
I’m feeling pretty lucky these days. After all, none of my trips involved me hanging half-naked upside down off a ski lift, then having my bare bottom blasted all over cyberspace. And not one of them ended with exiting a sinking plane and standing on the wing, ankle-deep in frigid water and debating alternate forms of travel in the future, should I ever venture off my couch again.
But let’s face it – travel can involve a lot of hassle, from cancelled flights to icky road food to itchy rashes in uncomfortable places.
Here are a just a few stories some readers sent in. Jackie shared a conversation she had when she called an airlines to change a flight so she could fly back with her husband and asked them to waive a change fee.
Airline rep: You know you aren’t supposed to fly with your husband anyway right?
Jackie: Excuse me?
Rep: Most married people don’t fly together.
Jackie: Excuse me?
Rep: In case of a crash. If you have small children back home, usually one parent flies separate so there is someone left after the tragedy to take care of the kids.
Jackie: Are you SERIOUSLY having this conversation with me right now? …..(last three words are in a “trying not to cry” voice)
Rep: Let me check with my supervisor and see if I can get the fee waived for you.
Read the full post »