Valentine's Day at the Ritz Carlton Georgetown

We are all suffering from the budget cut blues this Winter of 2009. From the housing crisis to the economy, all we hear about in the workplace, on the news and in our homes is how to save, save, save. Then... Valentine's Day rolls around and its almost like being on a diet and someone offering Chocolate Cake. What to do? Well... I ate the cake this year and made a dinner reservation at the Ritz Carlton Georgetown's Farenheit in Washington DC.

The Ritz Georgetown is not your typical Ritz. This hotel has a bit of the attitude of a Soho Grand (New York) with a hint of the too cool for school mentality of the "W" brand. I had been to the hotel a few times before, but this was my husand's first time to the hotel. Peter is a true Ritz snob and always looks forward to the sparkling crystal chandeliers, refined design and "it would be my pleasure" gestures from the staff. So, upon turning into the almost hidden driveway of this hotel he was already questioning if we were in the right place.

The hotel itself is located right on the banks of the Potomac River in a building that is a National Historic Landmark. The structure used to be an incinerator building and the red bricks, large windows and funnels makes you feel like you are in downtown New York... certainly not trendy, upscale Georgetown. Upon walking into the front lobby, guests are invited to sit and relax in a cozy lounge that has modern accents and a roaring fireplace. Looking for registration? Oh, they are behind you and seated at personal desks instead of the usual buzz of a "front desk".

We were escorted to the back of the hotel and climbed a staircase up to the main dining attraction here; Farenheit Restaurant. We scored an early reservation, so we were immediately seated and had a glass of champagne in hand only seconds after that. The restaurant had a special Valentines Menu which was a 4 course prix fixe menu... which was perfect because everything listed sounded amazing.

Peter and I both ordered the sauteed foie gras which was served over a flaky pastry type cracker and a slice of poached pear. The sweet and the salty with the texture of the foie gras was nothing less than perfect. (We are still saying "ummmm" three days after the meal).

For our second course, we both ordered the corn chowder which was yummy and warm... perfect for a winter night in February.

Peter ordered the surf and turf which was steak with shrimp for the main course and I decided on the Sea Bass. We both had the lobster risotto on the side... and we both licked our plates clean. Dessert was a not too decadent vanilla cake with white chocolate cream with a raspberry mousse glazed over the top. It was then granished with fresh berries and some shaved white chocolate.

After dinner we wandered down to Degrees bar and lounge for a nightcap. We sat and chatted for an hour or so before we made our way home for our private Valentine's celebration.

While the price tag was a bit steep, the overall experience of the evening was well worth it. Peter and I agree that nights like this are what reminds us to work harder. It keeps us dreaming of the life we always wanted and keeps the fire burning inside to strive for the best this life has to offer.

Yes, the economy is bad and save, save, save will be our daily mantra for many months ahead ... but, we find that if we spend on a few extravagances it makes all that saving worth it.

Tomorrow I am off to New York City for another Travel Channel Academy. I am then heading to Long Island to see friends.

Travel On,
Lori

What to do when you have NOTHING to DO...

As a traveler, there is nothing more annoying to me than having nothing to do. I am on bed rest for the next few days for a minor health issue. I am fine... but, the doing nothing thing is killing me. It has become so boring that it had me start thinking about all of the people that cannot travel. People who are sick or care for them... or people who just do not have the means to get away.

Everyone knows that I am a TV addict and believe me...I have had my share of Gossip Girl, The Bachelor and Oprah this week! However, the one thing that really did the trick for me was a good book. Right now, I am in the middle of The Shiksa Syndrome by my good friend, Laurie Graff. This is a novel about a Jewish girl looking for a good Jewish boy in New York. I also loved re-reading Eat, Pray, Love. Elizabeth Gilbert is a wonderful storyteller who immerses her readers into a story within a destination. There is nothing more vibrant than imagining her in an ashram in the middle of India as she describes the "prayer" part of her story. It is the perfect way to escape the everyday... on the couch.

Since I really have a lot of time this week, I thought I would compile my travel reads for 2009... because even when you are not traveling... anyone can use an escape. Here's what I have on my list... please send me your suggestions.

(1) Wetlands by Charlotte Roche (born in High Wycombe but living in Germany) is a graphic portrait of a young woman's sexuality, and has been a European sensation, selling hundreds of thousands of copies. A woman I was sitting next to on a flight was reading this and we talked about it. Her copy was in German... Now it's available in English.

(2) "The Bad Girl's Guide to the Open Road" by Cameron Tuttle is full of sarcastic and sassy tips on how to take a highly adventuresome, Thelma-and-Louise-like road trip. I am also a fan of "Sand in My Bra"... another compilation of hilarious stories from women on the road.


(3) "Lonely Planet Unpacked" compiles hilarious travel disasters. There is nothing better than reading and learning from other traveler's mistakes. Here's one of mine... Back when we were shooting Passport to Latin America with Samantha Brown, I was trying to meet the crew up in Cusco, Peru so that I could be there for our Macchu Picchu shoot. I was in LA on another project and I was trying to figure out my travel itinerary. So, I called the producer and told her that I would fly into Lima and just "drive up" to Cusco and will meet them up in Macchu Picchu. Yeah, not so much... Cusco is a flight from Lima and at a little under 11,000 feet above sea level I also forgot about the reccomended acclimation period in Cusco before heading up to Macchu Picchu. Nice work, Lori.

(3) "Testosterone Planet: True Stories from a Man's World" is a compilation of daring stories by male adventure-seekers, including Tim Cahill, Jon Krakauer, Frank McCourt and Sebastian Junger. I love reading these adventure stories and the amazing skill and endurance that these guys have. An inspiration to try something new this summer.

(4) I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti, by Giulia Melucci. (Not released yet...) This memoir chronicles the food Melucci made to entice men -- and console herself when they left her broken-hearted. Anyone who makes a ziti during a crisis is my kind of girl.

(5) A Fortunate Age, by Joanna Smith Rakoff. (Not released yet...)This novel is about the lives of a group of Gen-Xers in pre- and post-9/11 New York City. My generation... my home city.

Also, mentioned above and two of my faves from 2008...

Eat, Pray, Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert. The story of a travel writer who, after a painful divorce, uses travel as her therapist. She heads to Italy to eat and to learn a little Italian, India to find inner peace by living at an ashram, and then to the Island of Bali in Indonesia to lay by the sea, study with a medicine man, and look for Love. If this does not give you the travel bug, nothing will.

The Shiksa Syndrome, by Laurie Graff. A story of a Jewish Girl who after a makeover looks a little less Jewish and finally lands a nice Jewish boy. Adorable and a perfect escape to the very "oy vey" world of dating in New York.

What are you reading? Let me know.
Travel on.
Loriwt=e

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

All About the Travel in 2009

TREASURE HUNTER: KIRSTEN GUM

ALL NEW PREMIERES STARTS SATURDAY, JAN 3RD AT 9PM

only on the TRAVEL CHANNEL

I was sitting at New Year Eve dinner the other night with my husband at one of our local Italian restaurants when this blog started to take shape. I could not decide how to start my 2009 without the old standby cliches... out with the old, in with the new stuff. As I was sitting there eating a 5 course meal, my husband and I could not stop complaining. The service was slow... they did take our order fast enough, the first course was too skimpy, the second was fine, the third was undercooked... it went on and on. I was so irritated that I was actually excited about making a nasty blog about the place. So, I came home and started to write and the more I wrote, the more I deleted. Was I really going to write a travel blog about my five course dinner out with my husband that had gone bad? It became apparent to me that the fact that my husband and I could afford a nice dinner after a very fun (and expensive) Christmas vacation in Florida with our family was more of a blog than the little scallop and overly seasoned cabernet reduction.

So, after a year of bad news and non-perfect hotel stays ... I offer you this.. a look ahead to what I think is going to be the major travel trends of '09.

(1) Business Travel will be cut significantly. What does that mean for you? Business travel is where the airlines make their cash. These are the travelers who do not have any flexibility in their travel schedules and they end up paying dearly for that. It could mean that airlines cut flights even more creating less seats per route. Your best bet... book early and search my fave sites to get the best deals.

(2) Vacation Rentals instead of hotels. Watch out Marriott! Local homeowners are coming to the table to pull even more travelers out of your hotels. With business travel cut backs and the growing vacation rental market you may very well see those hotel rates drop to fill their beds.

(3) American's are going to continue to Staycation this year as the economy tightens even more in 2009. We also see a lot more "Family Reunion" type travels coming in 2009 where families vacation together and save on everything from nightly rates, meals and attractions.

As I look ahead to 2009, I see many paths unfolding that will change my future forever. My daughter starts preschool this month... I have a new position at Travel Channel where I have been given the opportunity to work on shaping a new world of online video for the network. I am also responsible for the Travel Channel Academy and all of the graduates who are out there making travel video for us.

Here are a few new pictures from our family trip to Florida. We hit Disney the day after Christmas and WOW that place was packed! I mean wall to wall people. Loads of "family reunion" t-shirts walking around. I feel good about that trend...

Enjoy 2009 and stay with me this year... I'm about to blow out TravelChannel online with some amazing new travel content including a style web series with my close friend, Sammy B's stylist, and total hottie Christina Burns. (Coming in March)

Talking about hotties... be sure to catch all new episodes of Treasure Hunter: Kirsten Gum coming tomorrow night at 9pm on Travel Channel! This season is all about adventure and Kirsten is one adventurous chick. Check it out.

BIG SHOUT OUT to Kirsten Gum and the entire Treasure Hunter crew at Indigo Films who literally risked their lives shooting this show. You are my rock stars!

Travel On,

Lori

When the Travel Channel goes on Vacation...

I am constantly asked if I get to travel for my job at Travel Channel and the answer of course is yes. I travel a lot... a whole lot... I have an addiction. However, I have never been asked where would the entire Travel Channel go if we all just picked up and went on vacation. Wouldn't that be something? Where would a group of travel passionates go on vacation? Hawaii? Bora Bora? No, No, people... we go to Lansdowne, Virginia!

Lansdowne Resort sits in the middle of Virginia's horse and wine country and the grounds are really beautiful. The rooms are very nice with comfy beds (minus the pillows... way too soft), plenty of room and free wireless. The best part of the rooms were the bathrooms with slate tile floors, revolving shower heads and yummy bath products from Gilchrist and Soames.

When we checked in on Sunday, the news quickly spread that Sarah Palin was also a guest and that secret service was crawling all over the building. Now, as I have said in previous blogs... I am a fair shade of purple when it comes to politics and I was just impressed that they chose this hotel over the Ritz! Anyway, that evening we were all in the tavern when we were told that we were not allowed to leave the bar until she went up to her room from the lobby. Can you imagine? They locked the entire Travel Channel in the bar for Palin? For us it meant...

British Leader who loves Obama


Plus security locking us into a bar because of Sarah Palin...


= PARTY!!

JK... I don't even know who these guys are... but I loved the pic.

I also LOVED that the Palin gang brought the campaign bus and parked it right out in the front drive of the hotel. You know that once that bar door was unlocked I was one of the first ones to run out the door for a photo op! Note to self... I need a campaign bus.



Travel Channel is definitely corporate and this retreat was about real work. We have a real office with a receptionist (her name is Katie). We have little kitchens with microwaves and fridges to hold our brown bag lunches. Our vending machines have the usual crap... no crickets or monkey brains like you see in the commercials. I have a bigger office in this building than Sam, Anthony or Andrew! (Can you guess why?)
It was a great few days filled with cool discussions about our business and networking with colleagues from other departments or offices (our interactive team is based on New York and our Big Daddy, COX Communications, is based down in Atlanta). We also had a great time enjoying some down time in the tavern and playing group trivia hosted by a real Quiz Master! Did you know that you could catch Herpes from a beer glass?

Here are some highlights... enjoy the candids and video.
Travel On.. Lori