Next stop, Moscow

We are leaving New York tomorrow for our week-long visit to Dubai! I am extremely excited to check out all the unbelievable hotels in Dubai.  But first, we're stopping in Moscow to stay at the Ritz-Carlton Moscow.  Moscow isn't the point of our trip, however, it's a convenient and exciting stop on our way to the UAE.  I hired a guide to pick us up and take us through the Kremlin, beautiful subway stations, and tell us the best local spot for dinner.

How could you not get excited about a hotel that could more appropriately be described as a palace?  It's right on the Red Square, with views of the Kremlin from many of the rooms and the rooftop lounge.

For my pre-trip pedicure today, I chose OPI's An Affair in Red Square...perfect!

Jacques Torres Chocolates

My good friend Shannon recently stopped in New York on her way back home to Dubai and we walked for miles, ate great food, and caught up!  One of our stops was Jacques Torres Chocolates on Water Street in Brooklyn, the original location of the famous shop.  On my very first visit to Jacques Torres, I sat with a cup of their hot chocolate and watched a blizzard rage outside.  With Shannon, winter was rearing the last of its ugly cold and we were able to warm up.  It's one of those classic Brooklyn spots, and I love that it's surrounded by crumbling warehouses, cobblestone streets, and shops of DUMBO (meaning Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass). 

Toronto's Grande Dame: Fairmont Royal York

I spent three terrific days in Toronto recently, touring hotels, lunching at Holts Renfrew, walking miles through the neighborhoods, and meeting great people.  It’s only an hour’s flight from New York and despite the icy winter chill, I grew to really like the city. 

Hotel options, as in any major financial and business center, range from detached convention hotels to small, luxury boutiques.

However, there is just one Grande Dame, and that is the Fairmont Royal York.

Given the name of this landmark property, it’s no surprise that Queen Elizabeth II takes over the Royal Suite during visits to the city, most recently in 2010.  Rumor was that Prince William and Kate would stay there on their Canadian tour this summer, but alas, Toronto didn’t make the cut for their visit.

The Royal York is regal in every way, from the golden glow of the lobby, to the stately but buzzing Library Bar.  I’d recommend that Wills & Kate stop for a cold Royal Stinger when they do visit Toronto, a smooth honey ale made with the resort’s own honey.  I love that Melanie Coates, the PR guru on site, doubles as the Royal York’s beekeeper, cultivating delicious honey on the rooftop. The signature beer was delicious.

To further tap into its regal history, A Queen Victoria look-a-like contest is held each year in May. 

Massive in size, the Royal York used to be the tallest building in Toronto before skyscrapers grew up around it.  With 1,365 rooms and a city-block long kitchen, the hotel can cater to huge events, like a Justin Bieber press conference held the day before I visited. If you can swing it, you may want to check into a Gold Level room to enjoy a private lounge, snacks and drinks, and more personalized service. With that number of rooms, the lounge is almost a must for me.

I was glad to see the Royal York keep historical elements but also grow with the pace of Canada’s largest city. Epic, the hotel’s restaurant off the historical lobby, feels very new and modern.  Hollywood has taken over the hotel for movies like Serendipity, Cinderella Man, Amelia, and Chloe. 

Know that the hotel is within walking distance of the CN Tower and the tourist-y King Street, but far from Yorkville and other Toronto neighborhoods.

National Geographic: New Yorkers' New York

National Geographic Traveler published a GREAT article this month called "New Yorkers' New York." Locals write about their favorite spots and what they love about the Upper East Side, Hell's Kitchen, Greenwich Village, the Bowery, and Boerum Hill in Brooklyn.  Each piece of the article made me want to rush out to that neighborhood and explore more than I already have.  As the article quite accurately states, "Each neighborhood is its own New York."

Check out the article here.

I absolutely loved this quote, especially living in the Village: 

"Greenwich Village is the Big Apple equivalent of the Latin Quarter in Paris or Trastevere in Rome—one of those neighborhoods that inspire ambling and swoons and silent wishes that you could, even just for a short time, call it home."

If It's Not Better than my Home, I Don't Want to Go

When I was home in Arizona, I met my friend Jena for a walk with her new baby.  We've been friends now for about 13 years and I always love seeing her.  I was telling her about all my different projects and focus on hotels. 

She said something that really resonated with me.  "If a hotel isn't a lot better than my home, I don't want to stay there." 

This is my reality now.  I've gotten to stay at some incredible hotels around the world and loved it.  In college, I stayed at some really terrible hostels while backpacking and loved every minute of it then.  But not anymore.

My apartment in New York is small and I can't wait for a new one next year.  But it's my home, my bed, my DVR, my books, my clothes, my refrigerator.  I just don't want to go through the hassle of traveling unless it's to stay somewhere really distinctive, fabulous, and unique to the location.  This doesn't mean five stars only.  It means I need the experience to be worth the trade-off of leaving my home.

I am going to Moscow in a couple of weeks.  The process of getting a Russian visa was convoluted and heinous, to be nice.  But I'm staying at the Ritz-Carlton Moscow at the edge of the Red Square and the Kremlin.  When I wanted to throw in the towel, I thought of the history, beauty, and opportunity to learn the story of Moscow in this setting.  The trade-off is worth it.

Jena & me at our ten-year high school reunion