It’s been a tradition for my mom and me to meet in New York City during the holidays for over a decade now. We’d shop and sip eggnog lattes at Starbucks, see the Rockettes’ famous high kicks in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular and admire the massive glittering tree in Rockefeller Center as skaters glided […]
Dyker Heights: The Most Christmasy Place on Earth
There’s not too much I miss about America and over the decade we’ve been living in Europe, the list has gotten shorter and shorter. I have to admit, though, that each year when Thanksgiving rolls around, I do miss the massive Christmas lights displays that pop-up on department stores and people’s houses signaling Christmas is […]
The Luxe Adventure Traveler Guide to Christmas in NYC
Ever since my first visit during the holidays, I haven’t been able to resist a Christmas in New York. To me, visiting New York in December is when the city is at its best. It’s when everything is the most shimmering and magical. New York City comes alive with holiday spirit and is home to […]
The Todd English Food Hall at The Plaza
I’m no stranger to food halls. Europe has fantastic ones like Galerie Lafayette in Paris, Stockmann’s in Helsinki, KaDeWe in Berlin and Harrods in London. They are like an upscale cafeteria with gourmet eats and I like that you can quench your cravings with a variety of small plates from around the world. So I […]
You Know You Love Me – XOXO, The Empire Hotel
I’ll admit it – I’m a Gossip Girl fan. When Sex and the City ended, I was aching for something to replace it. Gossip Girl had many of the same elements: fashion and New York City as characters themselves. And “The Empire Hotel”, Chuck Bass’ hotel and Upper West Side home, played its own role. […]
Afternoon Tea at the Mandarin Oriental Lobby Lounge
While the ritual of afternoon tea is certainly very British, Britain isn’t the only place to enjoy the centuries-old tradition. New York’s luxury hotels know that sipping tea from bone china and nibbling on dainty tea sandwiches is the best relaxing and luxe way to spend an afternoon in the Big Apple. And now place […]
The Best Eats in NYC’s Chinatown and Little Italy
Every time my mom and I plan a trip to New York City, she inevitably asks me if we’re going to go to Chinatown. She absolutely loved her visit to San Francisco’s Chinatown in the ’90s. I, however, was skeptical and kept avoiding it for years. After all, I live in Italy so never want […]
Central Park Under Snow
Snowfall in NYC is rare. The city has an average of just two days of snowfall in December and four in January. Actual accumulation is even more rare. While the storm that hit the East Coast disrupted air travel, I was already safely on the ground in Manhattan and enjoying not one, but two days […]
The Legend of the Saks Yeti
Each December Manhattan’s biggest department stores reveal their unique holiday window displays. After checking out the holiday window displays at all the biggies from Bloomies to Macy’s, I’m officially declaring my favorite of 2013 is Saks Fifth Avenue! The Legend of the Saks Yeti is told through six animated display windows and a 3D light […]
The Sex and the City Tour of NYC
Carrie Bradshaw said to Mr. Big, “You’re the Chrysler Building!” New York would be naked without it glistening in the skyline, and HBO sure felt naked to me after Sex and the City aired its’ final episode in 2004. I had devoured the shoes, the fashion, and the locations week after week for six years. […]
