Travel inspires me.  I love discovering new things and then sharing them with friends and clients.  Because it is the spirit of travel that I love, as opposed to the long plane rides, I continue to seek out the new, the fabulous, and the inspirational close to home.  For me, close to home means New York City, and whenever I am home, I make a point going into the city and staying overnight.  This makes the time that I have there more relaxed; it also gives me a perfect excuse to try a new hotel or revisit an old favorite.  My most recent overnight found me at the Gansevoort in the City’s Meat Packing district.  The hotel, which is chic and invitingly edgy, enjoys spectacular views of the Hudson.  I love the restaurant and bar, Provacateur, and the rooftop pool, which is open year round!  I look forward to an ongoing relationship between Sybarisa and the Gansevoort Meatpacking.  While I was there, I was fortunate enough to spend some time with the hotels’ GM, Kerry.  I really enjoy having a direct connection with a hotel, having access to special events and promotions for my clients, and knowing that when I send clients there, they will be very well taken care of.   When I spoke recently with one of my clients about the fabulous time I had at the Gansevoort, she immediately asked me to book her and her husband at the hotel for Valentine’s weekend.  Although I am expert at planning a trip down to the tiniest detail, there is still something romantic about a last-minute weekend getaway.

I would love to set up a Sybarisa event at the Gansevoort Meatpacking in the next few months – perhaps at the rooftop lounge or the event loft.  An event that can give my clients in the region a small taste of travel – wines, foods, (fashion), while still getting them back to work on Monday morning.
 

South Carolina has always been one of my favorite places to visit.  For anyone living in the NYC area, it makes for a perfect three-day getaway:  short flights, great restaurants, charming boutiques, and lots and lots of Southern hospitality.  This February, however, I headed down to Kiawah Island in search of another kind of getaway.  I had been invited to the Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort to learn more about a three-day women’s only program, called “Your Possible Life.”  In addition to golf, the coastal resort is the ideal spot for some reflective time; it is peaceful, simple and elegant, and it sits right on the beach.  As part of the experience, each of the women was encouraged to bring an object that revealed something about her.  At first, I thought I would carry a piece of metal from the World Trade Center, a visceral memory of a tragic day when I lost my husband Stephen and my three children lost their dad.  When I tried to put the building fragment in an overnight bag and then into a suitcase, I realized its impossible heaviness.  I started to understand its weight as both literal and symbolic, and in the end I decided not to bring it with me.  I did not leave behind my connection to that tragic day or more important to the people who were lost, but I understood that I don’t always have to be weighed down by the memory. 

The woman who runs the “Your Possible Life” program, Dr. Kathy Murphy, helps women create the lives they truly want.  She was remarkable at re-awakening enthusiasm, creative potential, and optimism in the women who attended the getaway.  To learn more about the specific three-day program that I attended, check out Dr. Kathy Murphy’s write-up here: http://kathymurphyphd.com/2013/02/the-wise-women-of-the-sanctuary.
 

I love to combine adventure and luxury.  Whether it is a safari camp in Kruger National Park or a lavish tent in the western US, there is something magical about being secreted away in a tent, tree-house, or sailboat that is better-appointed than most five-star hotels.  One of the newest experiences in glamping (glamour camping) is Paws Up in Greenough Montana.  This February, I had the chance to catch up with Larry Lipson, the resort’s owner. He and the resort’s chef Adam Cooke came to NYC, where I met up with them at Swine on Hudson in the west village.  At the dinner, a set menu expertly prepared by Chef Cooke, a handful of travel professionals and food enthusiasts were all treated to a taste of cuisine, Paws Up style.  Speaking of cuisine, Paws Up prides itself on offering a range of venues for food and wine enthusiasts.  For Memorial Day weekend of this year, the resort will be hosting Montana Master Grillers. Guests will have an opportunity to connect with some of the world’s best chefs, wine-makers, distillers, and smokologists – all while enjoying lavish meals in a spectacular outdoor setting.   Later in the summer, the resort will be hosting Montana Long table, where a single long table will be set up in the resort’s grazing pasture.  Those staying at the resort will be treated to the best regional cooking and a chance to dine and relax with local ranchers, farmers, and food artisans.  This fall, Paws Up is joined by Kate McDermott (the Art of the Pie), who will offer hands on instruction in the quintessentially American desert.  Everything about Paws Up – the celebration of food and wine, the service, the connection to nature – rings true for me.  I am hoping to make it out there for one of the culinary weekends, and later this year to co-host an event with them at my home.   Don’t forget to give me a call if you are up for (pun intended) some first-rate glamping or a culinary event.