Wednesday, April 24, 2013 My latest piece on my Urban Insider column is a little more personal - visiting Jerusalem was a core-shaker, with the weight of three world religions' histories and a guide that challenged my status quo. And staying at the King David was one of my favorite hotel experiences.
Check it out here, if you want!
Thursday, April 4, 2013 
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 Dominican
Lobby
More lobby
Lounge
City Hotels, Hotels tagged Belgium, Brussels, Europe, National Geographic, The Dominican Monday, March 25, 2013 
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.
Monday, January 21, 2013 Before I became a full-time journalist and blogger, I wanted to travel the world but didn't know how. So I became an international guide, which had its ups and downs but will definitely have you traveling the world if that's what you want. I interviewed one of my friends, and drew from my own past experiences on guiding, to write my latest Urban Insider post for National Geographic: So You Want To Be A Tour Guide. It talks about the pros, the cons, and what to know.
I first got to know Budapest as a guide
Friday, January 18, 2013 10 Chocolate Chip Cookies to Travel For including my favorite...the sinfully addictive chocolate chip cookie from City Bakery (or Birdbath) in Manhattan!
