The place she’ll never tire of:
Puerto Rico over the holidays is the best place. They start celebrating right after Thanksgiving and it goes on through the beginning of January. The warmth and the beauty—the weather is perfect. You can go swimming, you’re not sweating to death. The mosquitoes can’t be bothered. They’re sleeping. I was supposed to go this past year. We had it all booked and then we both got Covid, so hopefully this year we can make that happen.
An underrated destination for the holiday season:
I went to Amsterdam over the holidays with some close friends. Amsterdam is magical, and it felt so Hansel and Gretel! The people are so kind, and they’re so into decorating for the [season]. It looks like a storybook. On New Year’s Eve, the neighborhoods have fireworks competitions, so if you have a good view the whole sky lights up. It reminded me of the opening teaser of a Disney movie, where a light goes across the whole sky.
The kind of trip you won’t find her on:
I can’t travel in any kind of group. We did a day trip one time from Brussels to Bruges and it was a tour bus. I understand the driver has to do his job and talk constantly—I get it. But there was a passenger next to me who had these beans that he wouldn’t stop clicking the entire time, and I wanted to kill myself.
Her one high-maintenance need on vacation:
I’m American and I have hormones and I need access to air conditioning. Lack of proper air conditioning makes me crazy and claustrophobic. I have to remember to have some sort of backup plan.
The hotel amenities she requires:
I’m pretty basic—an espresso machine, a microwave, and a little fridge. I don’t always, but sometimes the food is good and you want to bring it back and put it in the fridge and warm it up later. So either decent room service, or those three things.
The place she’d recommend to visitors of her hometown, New York City:
The one thing that I think could check everyone’s boxes, from all walks of life and any age, is Central Park. Central Park is everything for everybody. You’re a dog lover? There are the best doggy parks. You want to skate? There’s the skating rink. It’s a beautiful Sunday? Go near the fountain, when they have free group salsa. People are just learning and dancing salsa and you walk a little ways and there’s drummers with Caribbean and African drums. You’ve got Shakespeare in the Park. There is something for everybody, and you can go any time of year. People are in this celebratory, joyful state, and if you don’t get it, you are dead inside.
Where she’s headed next:
The next place is the Greek islands. I’m hoping that me and my husband’s schedules will align this August. I’m going to do it! I’m going to live a dream, looking out at everything blue and white.
