mindholiday: april edit
A new monthly newsletter installment, featuring my current favorites, places I want to go, and details of my upcoming travels...
Hi hi, and welcome to MindHoliday, a new monthly newsletter installment that will serve as a place where I share all of my current favorites, places I am dying to visit, and details of my upcoming travels, coming at ya the first week of each month.
MindHoliday is all about taking a mental escape into the world of travel and adventure, even when you're not physically on the move. It will be home to the places that inspire and delight me, and the destinations I dream of. Each issue will hopefully serve as inspiration for your own personal (physical or mental) getaway, offering a respite from the daily grind. I’ll be bringing my experiences to you, allowing you to travel far and wide from the comfort of your own home.
I’m still figuring out the cadence and structure of my newsletter, but it’ll be evident very soon why I chose the name MindHoliday for this particular installment (hint: I’m launching my own travel agency very soon)…
Without further ado, here we go!
Current Favorites:
La Cantine Bushwick: A small luncheonette by day and a wine bar by night, La Cantine offers an innovative menu that rotates weekly, using fresh seasonal produce as the inspo. Highlights of my meal here included the asparagus and peas in crème fraîche and the 20+ layer ramp lasagna.
Rhodora: Rhodora is not perfect— it’s a little overpriced and the portions are small, but on a nice sunny day, it offers the best people watching in the neighborhood, and their cocktails are strong and delicious, so I keep my complaints to a minimum. They recently did a spring menu refresh that includes a grown up hot dog with curry ketchup and pepperoncini, which means you’ll see me parked at one of their outside tables, often.
Fort Greene Park: This will always be my favorite park, as it’s close to my home, and there’s truly so much packed into its small footprint. Many people don’t know that it was designed by the legendary Frederick Law Olmsted, the same guy behind Central Park and Prospect Park, and I think of Fort Greene Park as their much cooler cousin. It’s the best picnic spot in town, and there’s always some form of entertainment going on.
Company XIV: Excellent burlesque shows— all of their programming is great, but Cocktail Magique is a must!
Salon 94: A very gorgeous, free art gallery on the Upper East Side. The architecture and natural light is stunning, and they always have the coolest stuff on display!
Bake it Nice: Eleven Madison Park’s seasonal bakery spinoff has been popping up outside of the restaurant every Saturday for the past few weeks and selling out quickly. The last pop up of this season is this Saturday, May 11, so get there while you can to enjoy some high end, bougie vegan pastries.
Llama Inn: This has been my ride or die in Williamsburg for a hot second, because it’s always easy to get a reservation, it has a vibe with all of its indoor plants, and the food has never once disappointed me. Come here and ask for a Pisco Sour (not on menu but they will happily oblige and it’ll be the best of your life), and load up on skewers and the lomo saltado.
Bar Bête: I had heard so much about Bar Bete’s yellow cake with chocolate ganache frosting, and it lived up to the hype. It had the nostalgic aspect of childhood birthday cake that I had been craving, and even Mark, a person extremely apathetic to desserts, licked the plate clean. I’ve already made a res for next week so I can try the rest of their menu!
Radio Kwara: I’m always looking for new food experiences, and this was a culinary vacation. I’d never had Nigerian/West African food before, but every single bite was so flavorful, and the space was extremely cozy, with less than 10 tables, and only 4 staff members in the entire restaurant! A Clinton Hill must with the guinea fowl and mushroom toast of my dreams.
Theodora: Yes, I know I can’t shut up about it— I’ve been here four times in the past month for a reason. There’s not a bad dish on the menu, and their open fire cooking truly has my heart!! You’d be remiss not to try
everythingthe sourdough with ricotta, the lamb, the beets with salsa macha, and the chocolate cake.Portrait Bar: My favorite bar in Manhattan! I’ve mentioned this before too, but it’s been a repeat spot for me, which is rare when there’s so many places to check out in the city. It has deep couches, a fireplace, a damn good burger, and well balanced, creative drinks. Make a res, or be prepared to show up 15 minutes before opening to snag a spot.
On My List/Must Trys:
Claud, for their insane chocolate cake (can you tell I’m on a cake kick?)
Cardinal Gift Shop, for their art classes! I want to try paper marbling…
Hotel Corazon in Mallorca for their beautiful and unique stately rooms.
Acre in Greenpoint, which is supposed to be an incredible Japanese lunch spot with killer katsu.
Rixo just popped up in SoHo, and I want to swing by for my fix of summer dresses.
Red Hook Tavern, to continue the search for my favorite burger in the NYC. My current #1 is Hamburger America, which would be insanely hard to beat!
Goldeneye in Jamaica for their lagoon bungalows and lush gardens.
Coqodaq, for their legendary fried chicken, as soon as I can secure the coveted reservation… Help!
Sessions Art Club in London, for their stunningly gorgeous dining room and supposedly incredible food. I’m going in a few weeks, so I’ll report back!
What I’ve Booked:
For me:
Six Senses Ibiza at the end of the month for a quick stop before heading to Barcelona.
Les Roches Blanches in July for a quick Cassis trip while visiting Mark’s parents in France.
La Fantasie in Paris in August before heading to a client’s birthday + anniversary event in the Loire Valley.
Palm Heights for Mark’s birthday in September. The Cayman Islands are nostalgic for me, so I’m very excited to visit this hotel that has been on my list for years!
For Clients:
Chateau des Jalesnes, for a client celebrating her birthday and anniversary with friends. Very excited to see the caves on property…
Hotel Cenobio dei Dogi in Italy for a client’s relaxed October trip.
Montage Big Sky for a client doing a romantic trip to Yellowstone!
Four Seasons Taormina for a client taking a dream Italian holiday.
Side note: If any readers have upcoming summer travels, please reach out and let me know! Even if you’ve already booked your vacation, I can still potentially add travel advisor perks to your hotel stay. If you already booked a hotel directly through the hotel website, just forward me the confirmation email and I will contact the hotel to see what amenities I can add to your reservation. Nothing about your initial reservation changes, and this is free of charge to you. I’ll just add my agency ID to make sure you get the best stay possible at hotels you already booked.
Some potential perks I could add could include:
Upgrade on arrival, subject to availability.
Daily breakfast credit for up to two guests per bedroom.
$100 USD food & beverage or spa credit.
Early check-in / late check-out, subject to availability.
Ok, that’s it for now, see you next week!!
