The Dominican Hotel, Brussels

I recently stayed at The Dominican Hotel in Brussels, an urban retreat built on the site of a former monastery near everything in Brussels. Brussels itself is easily walkable - my mom and I only took cabs to and from the train station. The lounge is packed every night, in a cool way, not a "I can't breathe and am too hot" way. I loved the self-service shoe shine machine on every floor to spruce up my well-worn boots after miles of daily walking. And the lobby and breakfast area is gorgeous - high ceilings, rich draping, floor-to-ceiling windows, cozy nooks. If it had been warm enough, I would have been sipping my morning cappuccino and chowing down on eggs in the garden.

Here are more of my favorite discoveries in Brussels - and finding a delicious chocolatier - on my National Geographic column, Urban Insider.

Room at The DominicanLobbyMore lobbyLounge

National Geographic: Asian-Inspired Chocolate in Brussels

I spent a morning with chocolatier Laurent Gerbaud in Brussels and got to indulge all my fantasies of opening a chocolate shop in the wonderful country of Belgium. Here's more on National Geographic Urban Insider.

H. de Vries Bookstore in Haarlem, Holland

While in Amsterdam, I decided to take a 20-minute train to explore Haarlem, a town that I had heard wonderful things about. Plus, it was the namesake town for New York City's Harlem neighborhood. It was a completely charming day trip from Amsterdam, and I especially loved discovering H. de Vries bookstore, open since 1905. Today, it has the largest selection of books in the Netherlands and is a joy to peruse, even though most of the books aren't in English. There are tucked away corners, a small but cute cafe, brick walls, chandeliers, and a gorgeous original fireplace - one of the loveliest independent bookstores I've ever visited.

We also had lunch at the casual La Place at the V&D department store - if you go, don't eat at the first level La Place - take the escalators all the way up to the top location, where there is a wonderful view of Haarlem. The Frans Hals museum was another highlight, especially seeing the collection of his Civic Guard paintings.

The exterior of H. de Vries

Snapshots from Amsterdam

It has been several years since I've been in Amsterdam, and I have fallen in love once again. It is street after street, canal after canal of postcard-perfect views, corner cafes and "coffeeshops." There are tourist-y areas of course (particularly in and around Dam Square...AVOID!) but I don't feel overrun by chain stores and cheap pizza places with bright lighting. The neighborhoods of Jordaan and the Nine Little Streets remind me a bit of my neighborhood in New York, the West Village. Since it is so easy to get to from New York, I have found myself daydreaming of finding the next cheap flight and spending a long weekend here with Andy. What a beautiful city.

The Original Le Pain Quotidien in Brussels

I live about 5 minutes from a Le Pain Quotidien in New York and hold a lot of my business meetings there. It's easy, with great coffee and food, and feels very European with communal tables and the long wait time to get your check. I found the original Le Pain Quotidien in Brussels today, first opened in 1990 and now with locations all over the world. It is much smaller than other ones and in the cool Dansaert neighborhood, at 16 Rue Antoine Danseart. There is a larger, flagship property in the sophisticated Sablon area, as well as others around the city. Stop by, buy some mini waffles to go or have the tuna/hummus tartine (much better bread than in the states) and pay homage to a chain that is actually consistently good.