Last month, I posted a YouTube video showing how easy it is to break into a locked suitcase. Several of you responded with horror stories about stolen items in your locked luggage. Your best bet is to never check your luggage; carry it on with you. If you let it out of your sight there is no telling what happens to it.
Watch and learn.
Charlotte and I spent Valentine’s Day in New York City. Valentine’s dinner found us at Morton’s Steakhouse for a pretty prodictable dinner with a good filet and an amazing souffle to top it off. However, I decided to venture out and try some new places for our remaining days in the city.
LA PETITE AUBERGE
116 Lexington Ave, NY, NY 10016
212-689-5003
www.lapetiteaubergeny.com
La Petite Auberge is definitely out of the way and off the beaten path. I discovered this little French gem while waiting on Charlotte to complete her shopping adventures. Having nothing to do but while away my time I began looking for a traditional French restaurant with moderate prices.
Arriving at the restaurant after our walk in the sleet and snow we were welcomed by a warm host who was expecting us and had our table ready. The restaurant probably seats about sixty people at fifteen white tableclothed tables. The walls were constructed of amber-stained pine planks and lent an air of old-worldness to the the place. We elected to get the prix fixe menu at a very reasonable cost of about $25 per person.
The waiter and his assistant were attentive all evening and were most helpful in moving the dinner along at our pace… not too fast. The menu was traditional French… escargot, soup, salad, beef burgundy, duck, rabbit, lamb and the like. After studying the menu we both decided to get escargot for our starter and the confit of duck for our main course. In retrospect we should have ordered two different menus, but not tonight. We also ordered a bottle of Pommard to wash it all down with.
The meal was exceptional. The escargot, served our of it shells, was garlicky and buttered just right. The duck was as good as any I’ve had in Paris. We each got a thigh, leg, breast and wing. Way too much meat, but I was not complaining. The thigh/leg combo was cooked just right with the tender meat falling off the bone. The breast was fried in the same manner and was a little over-down and dry for my liking, but still tasty. The main course was serves with french cut green beans and a wild rice mix. There was desert as well, but I could not eat but a few bits of my chocolate mousse due to being full already.
La Petite Auburge receives my highest recommendation for a traditional and rustic French dinner. If you are looking for a little bit of rural France in the big city, don’t miss out on the opportunity to dine here!
Bon Appetit!
David
I am a tour organizer who travels to Rome at least a couple of times a year, but yet it seems to be my most challenging city when it comes to finding a hotel room. I know of several nice four-star hotels out on Via Aurelia that are just up the typical American tourist’s alley (air conditioned rooms, safe environment, pool, grand lobby, hotel bar and restaurant), but they are far away from the historic Roman city. I’ve also stayed at many hotels in central Rome and felt uneasy because of the locale, the shifty hotel staff, poor management and lack of cleanliness. But now, I have found a small hotel that I can recommend with confidence and pride.
I came across the WELROME Hotel as I was exploring the “hotel neighborhood” around Rome’s Teremini train station. Previously, I had three unacceptable hotel experiences in the area and was determined to find a suitable small hotel for a little group I was taking around Italy. I resorted to the internet on my iPhone and found the highly recommended WELROME Hotel just steps away from my location.
WELROME has seven rooms that are well-kept and clean. There is plenty of hot water and the air conditioning will freeze your toes! There is no bar, restaurant or grand lobby; the rooms only provide a clean, safe and quiet place to sleep in busy Rome. However, this is a very unsual combination that I have yet to match in central Rome, at least in my price range. You see, when I travel, I like to attempt to live like the locals. No, not like the winos around the train station, but like a normal Roman scratching out a living in central Rome. I think I found this at WELROME Hotel.
Owners Mary and Carlo are the most amazing hosts I’ve ever encountered. They provide comprehensive customer service and leave nothing to chance when it comes to your stay in Rome. Last summer, during my first visit to WELROME Hotel, I was overwhelmed with Mary’s desire to please my group and me. She was so thorough with room instructions and services. She went out of her way to accomodate us and make our stay pleasant and comfortable.
This is not a 4/5 star hotel, but it is centrally located near the Teremini train station and has the best customer service I ever encountered. If you are looking for a safe hotel in Rome’s historic center try WELROME!
-David
We arrived in ZURICH, SWITZERLAND by way of an overnight flight from Atlanta and were greeted with sub-freezing temperatures and a snow-covered landscape. In less than an hour, we had our rental car and were cruising along the highway to Schwangau, Germany. We encountered heavy snow and slow traffic the entire way. The last 100 kilometers took us along some beautiful rural countryside all covered with a blanket of white. The road was covered with snow as well and made driving rather tedious.
The afternoon was dreary and grey with the snow incessantly falling, but for us Floridians, it was a wonderful experience. Charlotte and I froze as we climbed up to Castle Schwangau, having had to wait thirty minutes before our entrance time. However, the chill was worth it because of the ambiance and vistas. The whole place is just like a “winter wonderland.”
-David
I was happy to visit with my friend, Hermann Weidenger, at his hotel in Ruette, Austria. After a long day of driving and touring the king’s castles, it was good to see a welcoming smile and familiar face.
Hotel Ernberg-Zum Dorfwirt, is located less than twenty minutes from the castle area in Reutte, Austria. All the rooms are decorated in the traditional Tyrolian style with lots of wood paneling and comfy beds covered with warm duvets. There is not a bad room in the hotel, so visit here with confidence.
Hermann’s hotel restaurant is very popular, so you would do well to get a reservation as soon as you arrive in town. Luckily, we obtained a reservation at 6 p.m. on a Saturday night, during the height of the Christmas season. The meal was wonderful! The only negative was the smoke due to Austria not banning smoking inside.
It seemed that beef was the speciality of the evening, so both Charlotte and I ordered it. I had a filet and Charlotte had a T-bone. Both came with vegetables, french fries and plenty of special homemade pepper sauce. The entire dining experience was great, but jet-lag began to catch up with us half-way through dinner. We skipped desert and were sound asleep in bed before eight o’clock!
-David
