mindholiday: may edit

What to get the mom that has Global Entry and opinions...

May 02, 2025

This month’s collage/mood board! Doubles as a desktop wallpaper as always…

Hi hi! Welcome back to the the monthly Mindholiday edit, the corner of the internet where I share my newest finds and current favorites, places I’m dying to visit, and travels I’ve booked.

I’m currently writing to you while in seat 21D, headed to Grand Cayman to check out Palm Heights, a hotel that’s been on my radar and at the top of my wishlist since the day it opened. I’ve visited the Cayman Islands a few times before, but I’ve never stayed anywhere this stylish or scene-y. Naturally, I’ll be reporting back with all the details soon. I’m especially looking forward to a little mushroom chocolate before a snorkel session on Seven Mile Beach, and I’ve got my eye on the award-winning spa and those famously juicy sunsets the west-facing shore delivers night after night.

palmheightsgc

A post shared by @palmheightsgc

palmheightsgc

A post shared by @palmheightsgc

April was a dream—mostly spent at home in Brooklyn, soaking up what might be the best NYC spring I’ve ever seen. I always try to stay put this time of year before summer travel kicks off, and it never disappoints. We did sneak away to Mexico City for a long weekend (always a favorite), and I’m working on a super detailed 72-hour itinerary that’ll go out to paid subscribers this month. In the meantime, last year’s (somewhat outdated) guide is still up if you want a refresher.

Note: This month’s post is a long one and might get cut off in your email, so head here to read it in its entirety.

Mother’s Day picks for the frequent-flyer mom

Mother’s Day is around the corner (May 11), which means time is running out to get your international traveling superstar mother a gift she will appreciate, both at home and on the road. As a stepmom who shuttles between school drop-offs and LGA boarding gates, these are the items I’d be thrilled to unwrap…many of which I already own and swear by!

A Chan Luu cotton sarong. Perfect as a pool coverup, but doubles as a fun scarf for chilly nights and travel days. I have one of their silk ones and I’ve even tied it as a scarf top!
The Dieux Instant Angel moisturizer. Perfect for facial hydration after a long red eye or a day in the sun. This stuff has saved my skin recently.
An Away metal carry-on. Your mom has probably been using the same busted suitcase for years. Gift her a durable upgrade in chic silver.
The Tory Burch Romy tote. ICYMI, Tory Burch is still cool. I wouldn’t mind schlepping around my kid’s Calvin and Hobbes comics in this gorgeous, well made chocolate brown bag.
Hunza G swimsuits. One size fits most so it takes out the guesswork—they’re very stretchy and super comfortable (great for new or expecting moms, or moms like me that are constantly bloated/have IBS). I’ve had several of these for years and they’ve lasted well, but I am eyeing this one piece, and I really want this bikini.

The Pentax 17. This is the first new film camera that has been released in 20 years, and it’s special because it’s a half-frame 35mm camera, which means you get double the photos per roll of film. As a mom, I love capturing photos of my kid on film—they’re much more special than iPhone photos, especially when framed!!
The Fewer Finer family bracelet. My friend
Madison Snider Podpirka
designed this, and I love all of her pieces (she re-set my engagement ring), but this one really speaks to me!! Each side can be personalized however you like: engrave your mom’s family members’ names, or choose the cities, addresses, landmarks and special dates she holds closest to her heart. It’s a beautifully sentimental way to keep her most treasured memories literally by her side. So chic!
These gold seashell earrings. For all of the mermaid mommies at heart.
A mini Theragun. Great after cramped, long red-eye flights or after 20,000 step city exploration days!
A Vacation sunscreen starter pack. Because moms deserve the best smelling sunscreen in the world, while getting their Vitamin D responsibly. Or, the Vacation perfume (a personal favorite), so she can remember her favorite beach vacation in whiffs.

A hotel opening I’m excited about

Florence just got even more magical with the opening of Collegio alla Querce, Auberge’s newest outpost housed in a 16th-century former seminary. Set on a hilltop with sweeping views of the Duomo, this 82-room retreat blends Renaissance grandeur (think frescoes, chapels, and terraced gardens) with modern indulgences like a gelateria, wine tasting in a former crypt (spooky), and suites with original coffered ceilings. Add a hidden spa, a private cinema, and a strong sense of place, and you’ve got one of Tuscany’s most exciting new stays!

My April favorites

The things I enjoyed the most last month…

I’ve been on a lot of beach vacations this year, and I finally cracked the code for perfect beach waves: skip rinsing the salt water in your post-swim shower and let it air-dry. My hair used to feel like kindling following a beach trip—until I started hauling this detangling spray to the shore to put in pre-salt water and following up every wash (when I wash) with this insanely nourishing conditioning balm (that smells amazing). Thanks to this combo, my hairdresser told me that my hair looked almost too healthy…
The Rashid Johnson exhibition at the Guggenheim. I left feeling very inspired by the amount of mediums Johnson uses in his art—furniture building, painting, photography, sculpture, you name it, he’s done it. Def worth the trip to the Upper East Side.
Fun fact: You should be replacing your walking shoes every 500 miles, or every 3-6 months. I was nursing killer shin splints after a year in the same New Balance pair—until I tried these Asics, which feel like clouds and got me through an 80,000-step Mexico City weekend blister-free. For casual dinner strolls, my new Adidas are both cute and comfy.

I paid $22 for Claud’s viral 2-person seven-layer chocolate cake in the East Village—and it was a total flop: dry, bland, and easily outdone by a dozen better slices (even PF Chang’s Great Wall of Chocolate). The real winner? Their pork chop—juicy, extremely savory, and the best I’ve ever had (my anti-pork-chop husband agrees). Claud, double down on that chop, not the cake.

claud_nyc

A post shared by @claud_nyc

In flight entertainment

Stuff that I enjoyed and think that you should read, watch, and listen to on your next flight…

Read

Tore through When the Going Was Good, Graydon Carter’s memoir about his life before, during, and after his tenure as editor at Vanity Fair. Tons of juicy industry gossip in this one!!
I recently re-read Brave New World and was blown away all over again—just as sharp, eerie, and uncomfortably relevant as it was when I first read it in high school. Hard to believe Huxley wrote it nearly a century ago… and yet, here we are.

Watch

This old Key & Peele skit about plane boarding zones, which I think of every time I am in Zone 1.
The Righteous Gemstones, a hilarious HBO series about a wealthy, corrupt family of televangelists whose extravagant lives and shady dealings clash with their supposed piety. As someone who grew up in the south attending a Christian school, the show’s mix of gospel glitz and moral hypocrisy feels almost uncomfortably accurate. It’s satire, but barely—every episode reminds me of just how thin the line can be between faith and performance.
Boredom is good for you! Lean in to it!