Getting my Blog Back On!

Hi all...

Thanks for all of the emails and tweets! We are all super busy here at travel with the relaunch of TravelChannel.com coming this October! Have you signed up for Travel Channel GO? Get on your mobile, blackberry...whatever and download the APP asap! It's super helpful when you are out in the world and just looking for quick bites of travel information!

I have a bunch of stuff coming your way this week! Stay tuned to hear about my run-in with the "cricket" burger at the Cherry Cricket in Denver! It was one of the burgers featured on Man V. Food and Girl Won! I even had a little room for some choco cake for dessert! BIG thanks to Adam and the team there!



I also traveled out to LA to spend a grueling three days at K-Camp! What's K-Camp? How about a fun weekend hanging out with Travel Channel's own adventure girl, Kirsten Gum! Kirsten and I biked, yoga'd and spa'd our way through a fab weekend in Santa Monica! I'll tell you about the most amazing yoga class of my life, a movie under the stars at Hollywood Forever Cemetery AND how you can get professionally bathed at a Korean spa.


Oh yeah... I had some personal vacation while I was on hiatus too! The entire Ansaldi clan headed up to our lake house in Lake George, NY! It's a great getaway for a family on a budget!


For now, I leave you with this... a quote that was sent to the staff at Travel Channel this morning by our President, Pat Younge. It reminded me of how important it is to take time away from our busy lives every now and then. Travel is all about reconnecting with yourself, your family and your friends. Too many of us think of a "break" as a luxury... it is a necessity for your soul. Don't take my word for it...


Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgement will be surer, since to remain constantly at work will cause you to lose power of judgement. Go some distance away because then the work appears smaller, and more of it can be taken in at a glance, and a lack of harmony or proportion is more readily seen."- Leonardo da Vinci

Travel On.
Lori

Travel is Creeping Up on Me

I know you are wondering why I have not been blogging much lately... and there is a good reason. I have not been traveling. January for me is usually slow and its a good time for me to set goals for the new year ahead and to just prepare for the many months of suitcases to come.

But, I am itchy. If you are a traveler like me, you know what I am talking about. Home is great.. but, I'm getting a twitch and an itch to get the F out of dodge! The funny thing about travel is that it gets into your blood and it becomes an addiction. I mean, I just booked a night at a Candlewood Suite hotel in Denver and I got excited! (Translation... glorified Holiday Inn property that I will review to see if it is better than my beloved Homewood Suites. I'll let you know in my March blog.)

My travel schedule is booking up and I am just about ready to pack my bags and start checking out all that 2009 has to offer us in the travel world. In February, I am heading up to New York for our first Travel Channel Academy in New York in '09! I'm planning a jam packed itinerary so that you can get the word on some of what is new in NY this season. I am also scheduled for a treat at the Oscar Blandi salon.

At the end of February, I am heading to Atlanta to check out the other side of the city. Seriously... I really only know Buckhead... so, this time I am heading over to the "Perimeter" area to see what that is all about. Somehow I think I am going to find even more shopping and cool restaurants. If you have not been to ATL lately, its definitely worth the check out. So, stay tuned for that blog.

Then, in March... I head out to one of my all-time favorite places... Denver, Colorado, where I will be out at the Keystone Resort near Vail for another Travel Channel Academy. That's right people... Learn, Shoot, Earn, SKI! That is bound to be a fun academy class and what a great excuse to get out to Vail! Another jam packed itinerary for that trip... with a bonus, I am taking my husband along for the ride! Think there is anything for a couple to do in Vail... should I add that this is only the 2nd time we have left our 3 year old little girl behind?

DENVER!

Keystone Resort... Here we come!

So, I am going to go ahead and let January end nice and slow and enjoy this last week at home with my family. My daughter just started pre-school this month and I was really happy to be able to drive her to school in the mornings on my way to work. Like a normal person. I know that is not always going to happen... so, I am just enjoying some of the stuff that I know I will miss when the travel starts creeping back in.

What is on your travel schedule? Got any budget travel ideas? Send me some comments and let me know.

Until then... travel on.

Lori

Emmys and Fathers Day in NYC

It's true... I am a full week behind in my blogging. So, I am going to give you two this weekend. Can you handle it? I know you are just biting your nails waiting for this next installment! Just lie to me and let me think you are up at night wonderding where I am and what I am doing. OK, so let me take you back to New York City and the Emmys.

I left you all in Manhattan at The Benjamin Hotel . Peter, Eva and I took a walk in the morning down Lexington Avenue from 50th street to 26th. It was a perfect morning in the city... not too hot, no humidity and you could smell the dirty water dogs being loaded into their carts for the busy day ahead. I was in the market for a spray tan... a fake and bake... I needed to look "goddess" for the evening ahead and I found a place down on 26th that had California Tanning for $15! I pay $24 at home... so, I wanted the bargain. Peter took Eva to a nearby park to play while I stood naked being sprayed with self tanner. (Good visual... huh?) I have to say... the results were amazing. The only problem was that unlike Mystic Tan, this one was sticky and I could feel it seeping onto my clothes. Oh, well.. at least I was not staining good clothes!

My cousin, Melissa hooked me up with a girl from her work to babysit Eva while Peter and I went to the Emmys. We dressed and headed over to The W Hotel on Lexington and met my friend Dov for a little pre-game cocktail. We then hopped in a car and headed to Jazz at Lincoln Center for the main event.

We were first ushered into a room for a cocktail reception and light dinner. The room was amazing with floor to ceiling windows with great views of the Park and Central Park South. We all mingled and had another few drinks before making our way to the theater. It was fun to see who was there... Alex Trebec, Christopher Llyod, the guy from Cash Cab and Oscar the Grouch. You heard me right... Oscar the freak'n grouch was there! (Which might be one of the coolest star spottings of my career)

We were nominated in three categories and we lost all three. Kind of a bummer... but it was super cool to be there again. I think when you start to expect a nomination or if you take any part of this business for granted... is when you start to lose sight of things. I still have one of the coolest jobs on the face of the earth and it affords me a ton of opportunities and plenty of cool travel and things to do. Who am I to be bummed? (And did I tell you about my shoes!!! Diane Von Firstenberg... gold... to channel the Emmy gods. They did not work... but, they looked good.)After the Emmys we went out for a few drinks and snacks and then Peter and I turned into pumpkins to relieve our babysitter back at the hotel.

The next morning, we all got up bright and early and grabbed some Starbucks as we made out way to Central Park. Eva and I planned to take Peter on a carriage ride through Central Park for Father's Day... and it was special! I highly reccomend it... its just one of those quintessential New York Experiences. It cost me $40 and the ride was around 20 minutes. At the end of the 20 minutes you are really done and ready to walk on your own.

After the ride, we took Eva into the park to ride the carousel. Another true NY experience.. and I am so glad that she is getting these opportunities to experience New York.

After a bit more playtime, we decided to walk over to 74th street for a little pizza at Patsy's on the upper west side. We love this place because it has great pizza and it is family friendly. (Translation... big enough to sit at a table and enjoy some air conditioning and a clean bathroom) We ordered a yummy cheese pizza that came bubbly with fresh mozzarella and dark green basil leaves. Peter and I ate the entire thing... what did I care? The Emmys were yesterday!

That night we met my Uncle Art, Aunt Jill and cousins Melissa and Adam for dinner to celebrate HER Emmy win! Yes, my cousin's show beat MY show in the Special Class category. She works on MADE and I have to say... its a great show. If you have not seen it... check it out on MTV. We all met at TAO on 58th between Park and Madison. I have to say... YUM-mmm-MY! I think we ordered EVRYTHING on the menu! The girls all ordered Lychee Martinis which were awesome. We also had ... well, seriously everything. We ordered a ton of food and not one bite was not delish. I highly reccomend it. Another great part about Tao is the ambiance. This place is just huge and Eva loved watching the fish in the koi pond under the giant buddha in the back of the place. Just amazing... and totally worth the splurge.

The next morning, we took the subway up to 77th Street and took a walk over to EAT on Madison. This cafe is new from the owners of Zabars on the upper west side and for our last meal in NYC... we wanted real home cooking ... Long Island Jewish Princess style! I ordered bagels lox and cream cheese that cost me $24! Peter had blintzes and we took a couple of cookies home with us (including the best cookie in the world... the black and white). My bagel came with a side order of cucmbers in a dill dressing that were so fresh and yummy... I almost forgot that I was eating a $24 bagel!!

We decided to walk back to the hotel and we stopped into my favorite hotel for a sniff of the good life. When we walked in, we found that they have a Madeline Brunch for kids every Sunday morning in Bemelman's Bar! Bemelman's is named after the artist who drew Madeline and Eva has one of the videos and she just loves her! So, we made a point of stopping in to see what was going on. The place was empty... but they had a woman playing kids songs on a piano and they had a full brunch display with a cupcake bar! Very fun and it will definitely be on my list for our next Sunday in New York.

On our way out of the city that afternoon, Eva said to us from the backseat of the car... "Mommy and Daddy, are we going to the big city now?", and we replied, "This is the big city, Ev. We are going home now." To which she replied, " I want to stay in the big city!" That's my kid.

SERVICE not INCLUDED at the Sheraton Manhattan

Can we talk about service for a minute? What does the word really mean and how can you rate it? People in the travel industry use the word all the time... "class of service", "service to New York", "spa service"... the word is really embedded into every piece of your trip. The one thing you do know about service... is that you know when it goes right and you dread when it goes wrong.

I just flew into New York City to meet up with our latest Travel Channel Academy students for their graduation. I came in to "critique" their final projects... me, the one who cried when I presented my dreck video only months before. It was fine... the students were all talented and really appreciated the feedback on their work.(Check out travelchannel.com for more information on the Travel Channel Academy!)

Anyway, after the graduation I decided to walk the 10 streets up to the Sheraton Manhattan to check into my hotel room. Yes, even after my experience at the Sheraton in Philly... I decided to book the Sheraton again. BAD move.

One of the problems with traveling so much is that you tend to confuse hotel stays. When I was booking the hotel for this trip, I remembered a nice room and a really cool gym on the top floor of the building. I remembered overlooking the Hudson as I was doing 30 minutes on the treadmill. Yeah, that was the WESTIN Times Square (see blog... it smells good) and I mistakenly thought it was the Sheraton Manhattan. I stayed in this hotel over the holiday season when I came to New York for the Travel Weekly Awards. That night was fun... and ended with the Travel Channel team in a club at 3am. So, now I know why my memory is a little fuzzy. Lets get back to the story...

So, I walked up to the Sheraton Manhattan located on 7th and 52nd on the WEST side of the Street... not the one on 54th and 7th on the EAST side of the street. I hear the one on the EAST side of the street is better. Ugg. Anyway, I walked in and walked over to the desk to check in. Mind you... it is 6:30pm and there is just a ton of people in the lobby. There are people dressed to head out for dinner, people lined up to speak to the concierge... the place is a buzz. So, I stand in line to check in and realize that there is one receptionist checking people into this hotel. ONE. The man in front of me is frazzled and he is already running late to a business dinner. He is FUMING when a bellman asks if he can help him... and he tells him that he is wondering why there is only one person working the reception desk. The bellman promptly answers, "Sir, it is 6pm... they are all at church." The bellman then turns to the guy behind the desk and says, "Isn't that right, Guilermo? Aren't they all at church?" They laugh... it was not amusing and I am a catholic.

I finally got up to talk to Guilermo and he promptly checks me into my room and I head over to the bank of elevators that look like they could use a good polish. In fact, the entire lobby reminds me more of Penn Station rather than a quality hotel. But, I am exhausted and I really just want to drop my stuff off so that I can run out and get some sushi.

I head upstairs and I unlock my door. The room is pretty typical and in my mind I am still thinking that this hotel has that cool gym upstairs and I remembered being pleased with that experience. So, I go with it. I put my stuff down and I take a glance at the In Room Dining menu before heading out for sushi. I was shocked to see the limited menu... burgers, salads and pasta bolognese? We are in Manhattan for gods sake! Are we kidding with this menu? So, I called down to the concierge to get some recommendations for a nearby sushi restaurant. The concierge promptly answered on the second ring and I got a "Yeah?" on the other end. So, I said... "Hello, I was wondering if you could recommend any sushi places in the area for takeout." To which he replied, "Mam, yeah... but I have a few people here at the desk right now. You can go to Blue Chili." What? So, I said, "OK, where is that?" Reply: "Its at 51st and Broadway." He continued, "Or, you can try East on 55th between Broadway and 8th." I quickly wrote all of this down and he hung up before I could say thank you. Asshole.

Before I left I wanted to go to the bathroom and check to see if I looked decent enough to take a stroll to get some takeout. When I walked into the bathroom, the water was running ever so slightly and the hairdryer was plugged into the wall. I looked down and there was hair on the floor and I could see that a bar of soap was in the tub. EWWWWWW! I know that I am high maintenance. I get that... but, this is not about being a princess. This is about a dirty bathroom and now I am PISSED.

I grab my bag and head downstairs and I am tired and hungry. This is something that my husband knows is a BAD combination for me... and now you are throwing in a dirty hotel room and NO SERVICE! Watch out Guilermo!! I am coming to the front desk!

I get to the front desk and I refuse to wait on line... Guilermo is still manning the desk on his own. I walk right up there and I say, "We have a problem." ... and I tell him about my mess of a room. He is cool as a cucumber and he tells me that he will give me a better room and immediately changes me up to the 22nd floor. OOO... an upgrade. OK... this could be a good thing afterall. I thank him and he offers to buy me breakfast in the morning. I refuse because I really do not want to come down to have breakfast in their restaurant. Its fine... I am pacified for the time being.

I head outside and walk over to EAST Sushi on 55th between B'way and 8th. The place looks like a whole in the wall until you walk down a flight and see how big it is. I was happy to see a lot of Japanese people eating here along with the constant flow of New Yorkers who probably frequent this place weekly. Kudos to the asshole concierge for pointing me in the right direction!

I order my sushi... a couple of rolls, a miso soup and a seaweed salad and head back to the shithole... I mean, Sheraton. Its a nice evening in New York. A little overcast and they are expecting rain.. but, warm enough to enjoy a light walk.

I head back upstairs and get my things out of the first room and move into my second room. I was figuring a nice upgrade... not so much. Its a bigger version of the room that I just had and the bathroom looks like it used to be a closet. This place is a wreck. Don't even get me started on the bathroom... put it this way, I am wearing flip flops in the shower. I am just too tired and hungry to deal with it.

So, I jump on my Sheraton bed...nice quality sheets and mattress but the synthetic comforter...another buzz kill. Yuck... I kick that piece of trash onto the floor... and I order a movie and settle down for the evening. Don't get all perverted on me... I ordered JUNO which may be my favorite movie of the year. Its great and I highly recommend it if you have not seen it already.I eat my sush... I watch my movie and I settle in for the night.

It is now 9am and I just got back from the gym and finally realized that this is not the hotel that has the cool gym. This is the one where you need to share TVs and you do not have to use headsets. So, there is almost a battle of the TVs in that room.. because we are all blasting the volume to hear it over the cardio machines. Ugg...

I can tell you without hesitation that this experience is about as bad as it can get. The lack of service started at check in and it continues through my gym experience. This hotel will always make money because it is a trap for tourists. BUT... for people like you who do your research... you will know better. So, what is good hotel service for me? Its simple... just make me feel welcome and expected at check in. My room should be clean and I would like the staff to be polite. These are the basic things that you should expect at ANY hotel and the Sheraton Manhattan is now BLACK LISTED for me. If you go there now... don't ever say that I did not warn you.

Travel on...
Lori

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*