New York and an Inn Keeper Named Fergus

I arrived at the gate for my flight to NY with time to spare. So, I grabbed a coffee and headed back over to the gate to wait to board my flight. About 10 minutes before were supposed to take off, they announced that the flight was cancelled and that we were all being re booked on the very next flight to NY in an hour. Here's my question... Why? The weather was clear... the crew was on board and the plane was there are ready to take off. Do you think they gave an explanation? Nope... they just said sorry. Well, thanks Delta. So, I sat my butt in a chair at the gate and went to work rearranging my morning schedule.

I arrived in New York THREE hours later (yup... another delay on the runway) and I took a cab to downtown Manhattan to meet up with the Passport team at their office. I was really excited to meet with the other producers because today was the day that we were going to see the new Samantha Brown in her new series called Great Weekends. We have all been working really hard on our new prime time look and I could not wait to sit in an edit suite to see the first batch of footage from our Miami shoot. I am not going to give too much away here... but, even if you are a huge Sam Brown fan.. this is going to feel all new to you. Really exciting stuff.

I really love ordering lunch while I am working with this team because they have a great local deli to order from and we SWEAR that they add crack to their food. Its addictive and delish! Its called Columbine and it has some really good soups, salads and sandwiches. I always order the turkey sandwich because their turkey is roasted and juicy fresh. Its that kind of turkey sandwich that you dream of as your mom is baking the Thanksgiving day bird. You just imagine a nice roast turkey hero with a little leftover stuffing, cranberry and some drippings from the pan. Ummmmmmmm.

After the meeting, I headed to the Upper West Side to check into my lodgings for this trip. I was really not in the mood to check into an overpriced stale hotel. I wanted something that made me feel like I was back home... not on a business trip. So, I rented an apartment! Sound impossible? Its easy... and its CHEAP! There are plenty of rentals in the city and I chose one on the Upper West Side on 77th Street. It is called Country Inn the City and you can find more information on it at www.countryinnthecity.com

When I arrived, there was a sticky on the door of the building that looked like an old brownstone in the middle of the street. The sticky had my name on it and it said to ring the buzzer for apartment 5 when I arrived. So, I buzzed apartment 5 and a burly guy came bounding down the stairs. This was Fergus, the keeper of the Inn. I could not place his accent... but, it sounded British (don't hold me to it tho...) His breath had the distinct smell of Listerine and he had beads of sweat on his brow.... and I was about to realize why. This building is a walk-up (translation: NO ELEVATOR) So, Fergus grabbed my 50 lb bag (we already discussed my packing issue in previous blogs... keep up) and we headed up to the 4th floor to apartment #6.

The building is very nice and has an old English B&B feel to it. It has cranberry walls with dark woods and hints of forest green. Kind of charming... kind of stale. It almost felt like a B&B you would find in Vermont or New Hampshire during a ski weekend. It felt warm... but, odd. Definitely not a 5-star ... but I was looking for something different, right? Now, the moose head on the wall... was a little freaky. I am not into dead animals on walls. Just not for me.

Fergus lead me into the apartment which was a studio with a small kitchen, bathroom and sitting area that was also a bedroom area. It also had a huge walk-in closet and it just had a lot of living space. The coolest feature of this apartment is that it has an outside terrace that would be great in the spring and summer.

The apartment was nicely outfitted. The kitchen had a small fridge, stove top, microwave, coffee maker, toaster and all sorts of pots, pans and dishes to use. Fergus even left some milk, coffee, butter and jam in the fridge to get me started. He also left me a beautiful big bowl of fresh fruit... which I loved.

The linens were all clean and fresh and had a nice smell of being freshly laundered. The room also had a nice TV with satellite and FREE wifi! Are you ready for the price? $250 per night! AND this is in the high range! Fergus usually can go a lot cheaper on the rate depending on the demand for the apartments. Just for the record... the average daily rate of a NY hotel on the Upper West Side in March... $350.00. That is a $100 savings per night... and I did not have to pay all of the random fees that end up on your bill. Like did you ever see a Javitz Center tax on your bill? What the hell is that?

That night, I met a friend at Bettola - a small Italian cafe on Amsterdam Avenue (sebastianoitaliano.com). I found this to be a charming little place that was really relaxed and warm. They had a brick oven pizza stove at the back of the restaurant which just made the whole place feel cozy. We decided to share a salad with grilled calamari and a white pizza with mushrooms and truffle oil. The crust on that pizza was super thin and crunchy. Just perfect and a total find if you are up in that neighborhood.

After dinner, I walked over to Fairway, one of the local grocery stores to get some food for my apartment. I just picked up some yogurts, bottles of water, ice cream (again... hubby is reading this and knows me too well) and some other snacks so that I could stay healthy and not have to run out to the deli in the morning.

The next morning, I took the #1 train down to 42nd street to attend the Travel Channel Academy (see blog below...) In the afternoon, we had a shooting assignment so I went back up to the upper west side to shoot at Zabars. I love Zabars because it just reminds me of home. They have the best coffee and I just LOVE their chocolate babka and mashugana cookies. So, it was great to spend the day there with their staff. I even had the opportunity to meet Mr. Zabar himself. It was great.

I stopped in at the Zabars cafe for lunch and I ate at the bar in the middle of the place. It was great to sit between an old woman eating a white fish salad sandwich and a guy next to me with a cup of coffee and a rugalah cookie. I love that. After the shoot, I went back to the class where I almost cried (see blog #1) and then I trekked back up to the apartment to sulk and eat ice cream in my pajamas.

The next morning, I hustled my ass back downtown to start editing the piece of shit footage I shot at Zabars the day before. I edited all day and by the time 7pm rolled around, I was ready to go out and have a drink. So, I met my friend David out at the SOHO Club. This is a club in the city where you have to be invited and escorted by a member just to walk in the door (www.sohohouseny.com). David is a big shot up at the History Channel... so, he is a member. Oh, this was perfect and certainly what I needed after not having a hotel staff to serve me after a long day. All I had was Fergus and the road kill hanging on the wall. Yuk. I realized that all this girl needs is to feel a bit fabulous and I recover rather quickly.

After our drinks, I decided to meet another friend out for some dinner at Lupa (see blog #1 - where I refer to the crazy ass menu). It was fine and after dinner we wandered over the Red Lion on Bleeker (151 Bleeker Street) to watch the NY meatheads pick up chicks. I love a Friday night in NY. There is really nothing more entertaining. Well... that was before Saturday night.

The next morning, I walked over to H&H Bagles which is arguably the best bagel shop in all of Manhattan (hhbagels.com) The best part of H&H is the fact that all they do is bagels. They do not put a drop of cream cheese... they do not butter. They just hand you a fresh warm bagel and it is delicious. I chose a sesame bagel and a water and jumped in a cab for another day at the Travel Channel Academy.

Today was another shoot day for us and I ended up documenting my cousins monthly color and cut out in Hoboken. (God, the more I write about that... the more god awful it sounds.) Anyway, after I pretended to make art... I hopped back on the bus for the 10 minute ride back to the city. I was anxious to get back to the class to start digitizing my new footage.

That night, I was meeting friends out at Koi at the Bryant Park Hotel. I was trying to recreate the religious experience I had at the LA version of this sushi heaven. I ordered the exact same meal and I have to say... it was more like purgatory than heaven. It was trying to be that meal... and it just never made it. The best part was the cosmos with ciroc vodka. Just the perfect mix... and they went down nice and easy... which made my 9am class in the morning almost deadly.

Oh, wait for the next blog where I sleep at the Embassy Suites in Philly... where they are cleaning asbestos out of the building. Ummm... what?

*L*

It's ALL about the Sushi in LA

Within hours of arriving into LA, I found myself sitting at the bar at Sushi Roku (corner of La Cienega and 3rd) waiting for a friend. I ordered a glass of wine and just watched the world go by. There is always something going on here. The last time I was here I sat at the counter and that dude who plays Angel (David... with that crazy long last name) was sitting next to me. The sushi is great here... but, you are paying for the scene too. We had a fabulous dinner... loads of fresh sushi including toro, yellowtail and some of the best salmon sashimi I have ever eaten! The one big thing that I noted here was that this is soooooo California. My dinner date asked if they had gluten free soy sauce... and ya know what? They did! That is the heart and soul of dining in LA. You want whole wheat rice around your rolls... no problem. Ya gotta love it.

The next morning I found my way to the gym at the Sofitel which was nicely outfitted with a bunch of cardio machines (all with their own personal TVs), a full weight area and a bar where anyone could help themselves to chilled bottled water, towels, headphones, and fruit. I also loved that they had two computers already on the internet so that you could check email after your workout. Really nice.

After the gym, I walked (yup... it was already almost 65 degrees!) to Starbucks for a coffee. The Sofitel offers a free coffee service in the lobby, but I really wanted to get outside and enjoy the weather a bit. After my walk, I came back to the room and ordered an eggwhite omelet and it CAME with coffee and juice! I'm not sure why that was so unbelievable, but it was... I guess I am used to paying $50 for breakfast! Imagine only paying $25 for a full breakfast delivered right to my room! (I know what you are thinking... Lori, you must be crazy... $25 for an omelet is ridiculous and my Italian neighbor would slap me and ask for the chicken that laid the golden eggs before paying that much!) But, I thought it was well worth it.

The Sofitel is a hotspot (WIFI) ...so, your high speed internet access is only $9.99 a day. That is typical for a big hotel. So, again... did not feel like I was being robbed. After working for a few hours, I made my way up to the Universal area to meet the Made in America crew for lunch. This was the first time I was going to meet John Ratz and I was a bit nervous. We dined at Casa del Sol... a very nice Italian restaurant right outside of Universal. The weather was spectacular, so we dined al fresco on their patio. It was so nice to sit in the sun and have an iced tea. Man, the Mid-Atlantic winters are hard to get through!

I ordered a pear and prosciutto salad with a bit of balsamic as a starter. I then had a seared tuna over canneli beans for my main course and some sorbet for dessert. Yum! Everyone really enjoyed the food... so, check it out if you are in the area. I also really liked the staff who were super accommodating. (I guess with a large party and a big check... they should be nice, right?)

The meeting with John and the crew went really well. I found him to be really funny and very passionate about the state of the American economy. Especially in the manufacturing industry. One of the main issues he is dealing with is the fact that high schools across America are not offering shop class anymore. Its true... kids are just not being encouraged to try some of the professions that we need everyday. Plumbers, electricians, factory workers... and the real issue is that those kids that may not be college material are not getting the opportunity to try their hands at one of these crafts that could land them a job once they graduate.

John also told me about his other projects. He does voice over work for Pixar... In fact, he's been in every single one of their animated features! Did you also know that he was in Empire Strikes Back? I mean.. how cool is that?

After lunch, I made my way back to West Hollywood and stopped off at Loehmanns for some retail therapy before my next meeting. Loehmanns in LA is great... it always has the best brands... and while it may be a bit pricier than what I would find in DC... its worth it! I picked up a pair of True Religion jeans for $125! They usually sell for $260... so, I was super excited.

That night, I met my meeting at the Chart House in Malibu. This is another great option when you are in LA. This is a great restaurant and it is perched right on the bluff at the end of Topanga Canyon... right on the beach. All of the tables by the windows overlook the beach and it is just a really great spot to enjoy the beautiful Pacific. The food was pretty good too. Not the best meal... but, the ambiance is worth the trip. I had scallops and they were nice... the best part of the meal was the classic Chart House chocolate molten lava cake. Its yummy.

The next day, I went back to the gym and walked over to Starbucks again. I then did some work before meeting a friend out for lunch on Robertson. I made sure to stop into Lisa Klein and Kitson before walking over to the Newsroom Cafe. I bought Eva a shirt and touched the merchandise at the other stores. It was great. I then met my friend for lunch. The Newsroom is another great Hollywood haunt. The food is good... but, the best part is that it is located directly across the street from the Ivy. So, as you dine you can watch the paparazzi stalk the celebs and wanna-bes as they sip their mimosas. FUN!

After lunch, I drove up to Griffith Park to meet the Made in America crew for a shoot. This is another great secret of LA that is a must-see when you are here! This park is lined with majestic redwoods and the drive up to the Observatory is a windy road up to the top of the mountain. When you get to the top, their is the historic observatory... and the best part... a clear view of the Hollywood sign! In fact, on a clear day you can see all the way to the ocean! Its amazing... so, plan some time to hike around the park and enjoy the views. It is well worth the time.

The shoot was great and we wrapped around 5pm... so, I hit some traffic on the way back to West Hollywood. I still had time before my dinner meeting, so I stopped off at Bliss Spa on La Cienega for a mani-pedi. Just what this girl needed!

Dinner was sushi again.. but this time, I went to Koi. You know what Koi is... this is the place that you always read about in the rags. This is where Lindsay, Paris and Nicole come to hang. Its a real celeb hang-out and I was thrilled to have on my new size 6 True Religions!!

Now, I have to tell you that dinner at Koi might have changed my life. It was THAT good and totally worth the money you will spend here. We started with some great sashimi... one dish was albacore with these fried onions over the top. They also had this great spicy tuna dish... but, instead of the tuna being in a roll.. it was on top of a hash brown like disc. It was FAB! They then brought out rock shrimp tempura that was tossed in this sauce that was a like a light mayo with a kick. They also brought out some kobe beef and then another fish that was pan seared in soy. All I can tell you... is that it was all GONE and every piece was heaven in my mouth. To die for... so, make your reservation and be sure to ask for James as your waiter. He took great care of us... in fact, we never even looked at a menu. He just brought everything out for us. Really nice.

The next morning, I hit the gym one last time before driving back out to Long Beach for my flight back to DC. Another successful trip to Los Angeles... filled with great meetings, fab shopping and delicious food. God, I love that town.

Next week I am off to New York to attend the Travel Channel Academy. I am staying at a place called Country Inn the City on the Upper West Side. This is supposed to be the best kept secret of New York. We'll see.

Travel On...
Lori