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

Keystone Resort - Keystone, Colorado

After a long trip through the Rockies and back, we finally arrived Keystone Resort on Saturday and I made it in time to give the opening speech at the Travel Channel. TCA welcomed 23 new travel journalists this go-around and it was really exciting to meet the new group.

One of my responsibilities while up in Keystone was to help with a shoot for the resort. One of our top preditors, Ryan VanDuzer was shooting and I was there to pre-pro and get a feel for the place. So, you know what that meant... yup, this chick did the rental thing, grabbed a lift ticket and headed out to the mountain for some ski school!


I think the last time I was on skis was when I was 13 and I went to Browdie Mountain with my dearest friend from childhood, Cathleen. She had been skiing since she was a toddler, so skiing with her was fun and in only a few hours of skiddish falls... I was able to handle some green runs. Well, that was 21 years ago and I was not taking any chances. Good thing for me that Keystone has a great ski school... so, we rented some skis and headed to River Run Village to meet up with our instructor.


Ski school was great. They taught us how to move our feet and bend our legs right on the pavement. Then, we hauled our equipment, jumped on the gondola and headed up to the top of the mountain to practice on their bunny slope. The great thing about Keystone's practice hill is that it has what they call a magic carpet. It is literally a people mover... like the one in the airports... that is covered like a tube that you simply walk onto with your skis and you are towed right back up to the top. No tow ropes! Now, don't get me wrong... I still stumbled onto it and I think I spilled off of the carpet a few times before I finally mastered it.


In just a few hours, my husband and I were comfortable and feeling ready for a more significant run... or a beer. So, we decided on the beer and called it a day on the slopes. We went back down the mountain and enjoyed a snack at Spoon, a cute little cafe only steps from the gondola at the base of the mountain. The one thing that I love about ski resorts is the comfort level. Everyone is in their ski gear, hair is messed, lips are chapped and a little "fresh" smelling after a day on the slopes. Nobody cares... and everyone is there just enjoying how relaxed the environment is. The whole place is family friendly and it may just be Keystone... but, I mean the whole place... from the resorts to the restaurants to the bus service. It was refreshing.

The next morning I did a brief speech with the students before they started their morning lecture. Then,Peter and I headed back out to the mountain. Our first stop took two gondolas up to over 11,000 feet to the premiere restaurant at the resort, Alpenglow Stube. We decided to go for a nice brunch so that we could work on skiing off the calories for the rest of the day. When we walked into the restaurant, they asked us for our coats and gear and our boots. They then handed us a cozy pair of slippers to wear into the dining room. I immediately fell in love! The food was amazing and probably the best brunch I have ever had... and that includes the brunch with my Ritz! Peter had an eggs benedict which was a duck egg with melted aged cheddar over grilled ostrich with a holandaise and a balsamic reduction. TO DIE FOR! I had a spinach and crab omelet that was also yummy. The highlight of my meal was the giant crab claws on the seafood bar and the endless choices of desserts. I would need three days of skiing to knock off the calories that I consumed in a period of 90 minutes!






I always thought that ski trips were about long cold days on the mountain, beer and burgers for dinner, hot cocoas and board games. I was sure surprised with the level of service, the quality of the food and the value that we got at Keystone. It is definitely up on my "must do that again" list and I highly recommend the experience... especially for families.

Luckily, our trip back to Denver was quiet and it allowed us to stop in on one of the restaurants featured on Man V. Food. Get ready for the next blog where I take on a burger from Duffy's Cherry Cricket... and this time, girl won.

Travel On.
Lori

A Little Too High in the Rocky Mountains

I'm usually not one for a trip to the mountains. My husband's family has a house up in Lake George, NY and it is always a struggle to get me there. However, once I get there I usually enjoy all that a mountain retreat has to offer. When I was a kid, I used to travel up to Browdie Mountain in Massachusetts with my closest friend and her family for ski weekends. I remember the first time I clicked on a pair of skis and took to the slopes. I had a couple of hours of falls and trying to understand the value of the "snow plow" but in no time I was up and taking to the beginner and intermediate slopes without a problem. So, when the opportunity came to travel out to Keystone Colorado for a Travel Channel Academy, I was hesitant but excited to get back onto a pair of skis. My husband joined me on this trip. It's the rare opportunity when my work schedule is light and he is able to leave his post as an IT Manager back in DC. The stars aligned and he was able to book the trip and come along for an adventure up in the Rocky Mountains! We departed DC on Friday morning for Denver. He was on a Northwest flight through Minneapolis and I was on direct that would have us landing within minutes of each other at Denver International Airport. From there, we were going to meet up with one of our dearest friends and his wife for a quick dinner and then we would drive the 90 miles from Denver to Keystone. We arrived in Denver on time... got our luggage and rental and was well on our way to our friends house within an hour or so of landing. We went to dinner at a very cool little restaurant called Rootdown which is housed in a renovated gas/ service station. The restaurant has an organic/ sustainability theme and the entire place is decorated using recycled products. The floor of the main dining room is a recycled gym floor from one of the local high schools and lids from aluminum cans line the wall of one of the smaller dining areas off of the kitchen. We chose a table in the bar where we were surrounded by old fashioned telephones as we enjoyed a few of the organic selections on the Happy Hour menu. After our brief stay with our friends, we hopped back into the rental and plugged "Keystone" into our GPS and started the trip to the resort. It was now dark and there was a bit of dusty snow falling as we started our trek into the Rocky Mountains. We passed a few signs that said VAIL - 100 MILES and we took the exit that said KEYSTONE RESORT off of I-70. At the end of that exit ramp, the woman in the GPS system (affectionately named, Matilda) told us to take a right and drive another 40 or so miles through a town called Kremmling. OK, made the right and the drive became more of a two lane road through the dark mountains. In Kremmling, we stopped at a gas station called "Kum and Go" (had to include that in the blog...need to buy a t-shirt) and asked the guy behind the counter how long it would take us to finally get to Keystone. He said 45 miles and Peter and I just looked at each other... what we did not know is that he meant 45 miles in the opposite direction we were traveling! So, we loaded back into the rental and started back on the wrong route to what we thought would be Keystone Resort. At that point of the trip, the drive became a bit dicey... there were HUNDREDS (yes, HUNDREDS) of deer on the side of the road. They were so close to the car we could have pet them. We also scooted past a fat white rabbit and a glittery eyed fox. The snow was coming down and the drive was treacherous... especially going over "Rabbit Ear Pass" where a sign told us that we were sitting on the Continental Divide. By the time we were coming off of that pass, my knuckles were so white and tense that they ached when I finally released them to change the channel on the radio. At that moment, we decided that something had to be wrong. It was almost 90 miles since the sign at the end of I-70 and still no sign of the resort. Matilda was telling us that we were heading in the right direction... but, something just seemed way off. We finally pulled over and cursed at Matilda when we realized our mistake. We were in Steamboat Springs... 90 miles away from the resort and I flat out refused to get back into that car. So, we booked a night at the local Holiday Inn and decided to head back to Keystone early the next morning. We drove the 90 miles back to Keystone at 7am as the sun was starting to sparkle on the mountains. We both were pissed that it happened, but the morning ride made it all worthwhile. The Rockies welcomed us with beautiful scenics in every direction. We passed ranch after ranch with horses and cattle and just enjoyed the peace of the ride without feeling like we were in the middle of a Discovery Channel survival show. Now, we are here and ready for the Travel Channel Academy's four day boot camp at the Keystone Resort. I'll have more in a bit from our first days on the slopes and a review of the highest restaurant in the country... 11,474 ft! Travel On Lori

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