Travel + Leisure: Happy 250 Years to the Sandwich!

Happy Wednesday-it's a gorgeous spring week in London. And I have three more days to explore before heading off to the countryside! 

Speaking of England, here's my latest for Travel + Leisure: Happy 250 Years to the Sandwich!

Sandwich, EnglandI can’t think of a food that is as wholly satisfactory as a sandwich. I could start my day with an egg and biscuit combo, followed by a tomato and mozzarella panini for lunch, and curried chicken salad on baguette for dinner. The sandwich can be as comforting and easy as a peanut butter and jelly or as globally inspired as a báhn mì or cubano.

This year, 250 years of that delicious nosh is celebrated where it all began, in the town of Sandwich, Kent, England. Though he was not the first person to put food between bread, the Fourth Earl of Sandwich gave the snack its name. Legend goes that he was a gambler and demanded meat between two slices of bread so he wouldn’t have to get up from his games.

On May 12–13, 2012, Sandwich, a two-hour drive from London, celebrates with sandwich competitions judged by the current Earl, a show dramatizing the creation of the first sandwich, concerts, shopping, and more eating. Within driving distance of this cute town that still rings its historic Curfew Bell at 8 p.m. each night is Canterbury Cathedral, Dover Castle, and the bucolic Secret Gardens of Sandwich.

What’s your favorite sandwich? Could it be a Sloppy Joe, grilled cheese, hero, Philly cheesesteak, tuna salad, grilled chicken, or a muffaletta? Tough choice, but I give the edge to the Thanksgiving leftover sandwich with turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce.

Travel + Leisure: 3 Great Bars in Mumbai

Check out my latest on Travel + Leisure's blog! 3 Great Bars in Mumbai

3 Great Bars in Mumbai

Mumbai presents an almost implausible contrast, between skeletal dogs in the streets and people living on top of each other in slums, to flaunting its new face of modern luxury and creative ambition.  You will absolutely need breaks and time to relax and reflect on the disparity. I raised my glass to the dizzying hub of India in three chic bars, all in vastly different neighborhoods:

Aurus: In Juhu, a wealthy beachfront neighborhood in South Mumbai, is Bollywood central! At Aurus, situated right on the beach (pictured, top), you're almost guaranteed to spot a star that lives nearby.  An outdoor drink at Aurus might even help break the humidity of a Mumbai night. Nichani Kutir, Ground Floor, Juhu Tara Road; 011-91-22-6710-6666.

Indigo: Set in an old colonial mansion in Colaba, near the city's landmark Gateway of India, the long bar within Indigo's restaurant space is calming with yellow walls and comfy leather chairs.  Light up at the cigar bar and chat with Mumbai's creative and artsy class or sip wine on the rooftop terrace. 4 Mandlik Road, Colaba; 011-91-22-6636-8981.

The Eau Bar at The Oberoi Mumbai: You won't be bumping elbows at Eau Bar-the space is expansive and contemporary but features a classic live band at night.  In the daylight, there's a great water (Get it? Eau=Water) view of the Arabian Sea.  There's even a full menu page of Vegetable Cocktails.  After a crazy Mumbai day, there's nothing like a relaxing Beetini or Cucumber Cool looking at the city lights of the Queen's Necklace. You may also want to try Ziya, their signature restaurant pairing international flavors with Indian cuisine.
The Oberoi Mumbai, Nariman Point; 011-91-22-6632-5757.

Photo courtesy of Aurus.

Guest blogger and New York-based travel writer  Annie Fitzsimmons writes about travel and is a frequent contributor to TravelandLeisure.com. Follow her on Twitter at @anniefitz.

Travel + Leisure: Found: The Perfect Travel Dress

My latest is up on Travel + Leisure. I recently became enamored with Karina Dresses, made right here in the great city of New York, in Brooklyn.  The dress has the ability to look fabulous no matter what you do with it.  I plan on taking a few with me on each of my upcoming trips.

Click here to read the post!

Found: The Perfect Travel Dress

Ladies, I have found it. Thousands of miles and hundreds of destinations later, I've found the dress that works on every single body type, and more importantly, travels effortlessly and elegantly. It's the Karina dress, available in 15 styles. You can stomp on the dress, crumple it up, and it will still look smooth and polished when you slip it on. Versatile and appropriate, I wear the dresses for both weekend getaways and work trips.

All dresses are made in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn, where entrepreneur and designer Karina Cousineau creates each dress so that women "can accept and love themselves as they are." She uses high-quality, flattering fabric in classic cuts, ranging from long and short-sleeves to sleeveless and wrap styles. Plus, you'll never see someone else wearing your dress, as each fabric is limited edition, and only a certain number of any pattern is made.

Karina dresses are sold in boutiques in 15 states, including New York and California, but you can also order online.

Most dresses are sold for $158, and all are machine washable and hang dry.

Travel + Leisure: Portsmouth, New Hampshire: Christmas Capital of America?

Do you love that quintessential New England Christmas...or the idea of it...as much as I do? Turns out it's very much alive on the Seacoast in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Check out what I wrote for Travel + Leisure here. 

Portsmouth, New Hampshire: Christmas Capital of America?

"Sleigh bells ring and snow glistens this Christmas in the red-brick New England seaport of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The 7th Annual Vintage Christmas celebration decks the halls with garlands of fresh greens and balsam wreaths, as the town aspires to be the Christmas Capital of America. If only we could tell Faith Hill as she croons "Where Are You Christmas" that it is here, wrapped up in a bow with fiddles, harpsichords, Victorian Christmas trees, and a free trolley through the downtown area."

Read the rest of the post here! 

Yes, I'm a Hotel Nut

I'm writing this before I leave for China, but when it's published I'll be on my way to board a Sanctuary Cruises three-day Yangtze River Cruise. Why do I do what I do, having spent thousands of dollars of my own money, becoming a human wrecking ball to make doors open to me, and creating a career that doesn't exist?  It started with a hotel obsession, which is, of course, a travel obsession, but I love everything about a great hotel.

Nancy Novogrod, the Editor-in-Chief of Travel + Leisure called me a hotel nut when we met in her office and I thought it was very fitting. To show you just how much of a nut I am, I'm posting this screen shot of my "Hotels" spreadsheet--a list that I've created over the years organized by continent, country & city of every hotel around the world I want to visit.  Most hotels have notes in them but I can't give away my trade secrets. Ha. Total number of hotels that I want to visit? Over 2,600 and counting.