My favorite Korean BBQ restaurant is a small, family-owned gem called Mapo in Flushing, New York. This place has the ultimate trifecta for me: amazing beef, lots of non-English speaking locals and employees, and it’s so close to LaGuardia that you can easily discern the tail number of the planes on final approach.
As part of my quest to stay at every W, I made the W Minneapolis my home on a weekend in July. The comfortable summer weather makes it a great time of year to visit Minnesota and I was particularly eager to stay at the hotel because the building, called The Foshay Tower, is a historic landmark with a bittersweet history.
I stay in lots of boutique and chain hotels when I travel but the W Hotels are my favorite. I love them for their consistent features: dim lighting, ubiquitous dance music, Bliss Spa products, lavish bathrooms, and cozy beds. The unique elements at each hotel make me forget that I’m staying at a chain and give the properties a boutique feel: unusual layouts, luxurious building materials, and art installations. Even the buildings themselves are a focal point, often historic or skyscrapers.