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Spend a Night at the New Yorker Hotel for $129

If you take a look at our December newsletter, you’ll quickly realize that we love Manhattan this time of year. Well, now we have an even better reason. Through Thursday on Groupon, the art deco New Yorker Hotel is offering a chance to spend the night in Manhattan at $129 a night. Travel dates are good through March. Across from Madison Square Garden, this is a good place to spend the night if you want to head to town to see the red hot New York Knicks. It’s also within easy walking distance to the Broadway theaters. 
 

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Hyannis’ Pain D’Avignon Takes French Haute Cuisine to New Heights

Now that the CapeFlyer train is running once again from Boston to Hyannis, there’s no better time to sample the French fare at Pain D’Avignon. The café at the renowned bread bakery lured Massachusetts native Matthew Tropeano back to his roots last summer to serve as executive chef. Tropeano has an impressive resume, including an eight-year tenure at New York’s La Grenouille, where he received a three-star rating from The New York Times. At the helm of Pain D’Avignon, the chef takes full advantage of the bounty of produce and seafood found on the Cape to create his innovative menu.

 
Of course, it doesn’t hurt that he’s backed by a bread factory that produces 6,000 to 16,000 pounds of product a day depending on the season. Over 200 varieties of bread are made on premises, distributed across New England to restaurants, resorts, and individuals via the increasingly popular Bread of the Month Club. 
 
Last summer, I sampled the innovative fare and wrote this story for The Boston Globe. 
 
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In 2015, Create a Travel Portfolio

Want the perfect New Year’s resolution? Design a travel portfolio with your travel consultant comparable to the long-term financial plan you have with a financial advisor. This idea comes from my friend Susan Farewell, owner of FarewellTravels.com, and it’s a brilliant one. I’ve been a professional travel writer since 1990 and I still haven’t stepped foot in Russia, Vietnam, Egypt, or China. So if you’re saving all your longer travels for retirement, you’re dreaming. You’ll also have to deal with declining physical health. When my father was 80, he visited Athens and told me that half the people on his trip couldn’t make the 20-minute walk up the hill to see the Parthenon. So don’t just think of your next winter trip to Florida, Mexico, or the Caribbean. Consider creating a 3 to 5 year portfolio that outlines when exactly you’re going to hit the big ones on your bucket list—India, South Africa, Bali, Thailand, Spain, Turkey, Australia, and Argentina to name a few. Travelers who plan well in advance have much better odds of visiting these far-flung locales. 

 
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Dinner at Honeywood in Lexington

On our last night in Kentucky Bourbon Country, we started with Old Fashioned’s (made with Buffalo Trace bourbon) at Middle Fork in the Lexington Distillery District. Then it was on to an upscale section of town to have dinner at the recommended Honeywood. We started with Tokyo Spice Chicken, wings with a nice jalapeno bite, and their signature dish, sweet potato beignets. Then moved on to tender grouper and a dish of pork roast. Afterwards, we wandered over to one of the best ice cream joints in town, Crank & Boom, for a dish of blackberry and buttermilk ice cream. Across the way, we stumbled into a cozy bar, Whiskey Bear, and met the owner Daniel, who has assembled an impressive roster of top-shelf bourbon and whiskey. A great place for a nightcap or to watch a sporting event on the large-screen TVs when in Lexington. 

 
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Urban Renewal Awards–First Stop, High Line Park, Manhattan

The latest trend in urban design is blurring the line between civilization and nature to create parks from contaminated sites, landfills, and abandoned manufacturing plants. This week, I want to focus on green spaces that were once urban eyesores and are now popular spots to walk, bike, and simply be outdoors. For decades, the High Line served as an elevated railway track that brought freight into Manhattan. By 1980, the trains had stopped running and the tracks were sliding into decay that, somewhat remarkable, was also a kind of blossoming. Nature re-established itself as saplings and wind-sown grasses sprouted in the rail beds. The trees took root and so did an inkling of an idea, almost Seuss-like, to create a public space that would be 30-feet high above the city and nearly 1.5 miles long. What a way to see New York, from above!
 

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3 Favorite AMC Huts, Including Lakes of the Clouds, White Mountains, New Hampshire

Hiking Mt. WashingtonConditions need to be ideal to walk the historic Crawford Path through the Presidential Range. Once you venture beyond Mizpah Springs Hut to Mount Pierce, you’re above treeline on a ridge walk, entirely exposed to the weather since there’s really nowhere to hide. In decent weather, you’ll be treated to the views of the bald knob atop Mount Eisenhower while walking in a lunar-like landscape. Bordered by velvety green sedge and moss, you’ll find alpine wildflowers in bloom like bog laurel, white bunchberry, and purple fireweed. Then you spot the Lakes of the Clouds hut and its lofty perch atop a 5200-foot ridge with stunning vistas of Mount Washington Hotel below and the Cog Railroad ambling slowly up to the Mount Washington summit. Spend the twilight hours looking at the glorious view and then peering at the twinkling stars above (no light pollution here). The next morning, after a filling breakfast, climb on the hardscrabble rock the last 1.4 miles to the summit of Mount Washington, New England’s tallest peak.

This entry is excerpted from my latest book, New England in a Nutshell. The book/ebook is slated to published on July 2nd and you can pre-order now at Amazon. The ebook includes all hyperlinks to listings. The paperback includes front and back cover illustrations from Manhattan-based artist, Sarah Schechter, and a small sampling of photos from Lisa, who accompanied me on many of my assignments, resulting in published work for the Boston Globe.

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St. Lucia Week: Hiking Pigeon Island

A perfect introduction to the lush volcanic island of St. Lucia, especially if you’re staying at one of the resorts at the northern end of the island, is to simply take a hike at Pigeon Island National Landmark. Once surrounded by water, a causeway was built in 1972. Pay the $7 admission fee and soon you’re walking in the shade under a row of casuarina trees. As you climb the hillside, the beaches and resorts on Rodney Bay come into view. There was a slight drizzle when I took the walk yesterday and the tropical vegetation smelled ripe with humidity. The high-pitched calls of birds greeted me to the walls, ramparts, and cannons still standing at Fort Romney. The 18th century fortress perched atop the promontory was an important chunk of land for the British trying to hold off the French in their many battles over the island. I walked past an intrepid group from the resort, BodyHoliday, who were rappelling down the cliffs before sea kayaking back to the property. Then continued to climb up the rocky path to the top of Signal Peak. To the north, I could see the ridges of the long island of Martinique. To the south, I could make out the two jagged volcanic peaks on St. Lucia known as the Pitons, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  
 
Then it was back to my private plunge pool at my resort for the first two nights, Windjammer Landing. Known for its villas that climb a hillside offering spectacular views of the sunset, the resort is popular with families. They feature a Kids Club, long sloping shallow beach, and spacious villas with full kitchenettes. Judging from all the people carrying around scuba gear, tennis racquets, and golf clubs, the resort is also known as a playground for adults. I took full advantage of the opportunity to take out a Hobie Cat in the sheltered bay. So far, it’s been smooth sailing in St. Lucia, my friends. 
 

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