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Food and Wine Festivals Across the U.S.

By on May 14, 2012 in California, Colorado, Cultural & City Vacations, Food and Wine Vacations, Glorious Eats, Hawaii, New York, Oregon, Romantic Vacations, Trips with Friends, Utah

Castello di Amorosa in Napa Valley, a venue for the Festival del Sole. photo by Jim Sullivan

 

We’ve been a little slow with posts on GA as of late because we’ve been busy at work on a few other projects (more on those soon), but will be returning to our regularly scheduled programming just after Memorial Day, and with some exciting, new features! Meanwhile, here’s a roundup we put together for the Daily Beast on the top food and wine festivals happening across the U.S. this summer. Cheers and have a great week!

 

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The Glorious Bucket List: The ING New York City Marathon

By on April 4, 2012 in Cultural & City Vacations, Glorious Bucket List, New York

Runners cross the Verrazano Bridge. photo by Martineric via Flickr

 

I’m breaking from the usual “Glorious Bucket List” post format for this week’s entry, one that’s near and dear to me: The ING New York City Marathon, the world’s largest 26.2-mile race which brings runners through all five boroughs of the city. I watched my first NYC Marathon in the November of 2001, a little over a month after I’d moved to New York. At the time I knew all of one person in the city, so I was alone when I headed uptown on a crisp fall day and into Central Park to watch the race.

Company, as it ended up, was easy to come by. The hills surrounding the park’s roads were packed with people cheering on runners as they made their way along the last few miles of the course. Participants hailed from all around the world, and words of encouragement were being shouted in a dozen languages.

The September 11th attacks had happened not even two months before and if one thing stood out the most on race day, it was the palpable love for the city. Everyone could feel it, from the racers to the spectators. Many of the runners from other countries even donned American flags—painted on their cheeks and ironed on to shirts—or “I Love NY” tees. Gestures of solidarity. I’ve never been to the Olympics, but I imagine the international spirit of the event, the sense that, for a few moments we are all united for one common purpose, is similar to what I felt in Central Park that day.

It had never been a goal of mine to run a marathon before then, but I was so taken by the idea of participating in this particular race I promised myself then and there that someday I would run the New York City Marathon and experience the excitement and accomplishment written on the faces of the runners I saw that first November.

Five years later, I did.

Clearly I had a good time, although truth be told it wasn’t easy. But if you were to ask me whether the months of training and effort was worth it I’d answer “yes” without hesitation. It was one of the best experiences of my life, and in a way I feel like I gave something back to the city I’ve come to love so much by running it.

Info for registering for this year’s race on November 4th can be found here. Some runners may qualify for guaranteed entry, though most of the over 100,000 applicants will be entered into the lottery (the deadline to submit your name is April 23rd). One way to be sure you’ll have a spot on race day is to run for an ING participating charity. I ran with Memorial Sloan-Kettering’s Fred’s Team and can vouch for their outstanding training program and excellent race day organization. You’ll raise money for a good cause and in return you’ll get a little taste of glory, running a race you’ll never forget.

 

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Vintage Americana: Mad Men Returns

By on March 21, 2012 in Cultural & City Vacations, Food and Wine Vacations, New York, Vintage Americana

On Monday night I had the good fortune of attending Newsweek & The Daily Beast’s special screening of the Mad Men Season 5 premiere at The Crosby Street Hotel. No disappointments here—the new episode had all the witty writing and incredible fashion viewers have come to expect (and that’s all I’ll say so as not to spoil it for anyone). Newsweek also dedicated its latest issue to the show, retrofitting its pages to match the look of the magazine in the 1960s. Even the ads look like something Sterling, Cooper, Draper, Pryce might have dreamed up.

The issue and the episode inspired me to pull together a list of New York City spots to visit for a taste of the show’s retro glamour, where it would be easy to imagine bumping into Don Draper and company. Here’s where to go for…

…a three-martini lunch: Keen’s Steakhouse
Mad Men buffs will recognize this Fashion District stalwart from Season 3 episode “The Arrangements,” in which Don and Pete meet with Pete’s buddy “Ho-Ho” to discuss selling the sport Jai Alai to the U.S. The circa-1885 eatery and former “Pipe Club” (members included Teddy Roosevelt, Babe Ruth, Albert Einstein, and J.P. Morgan) still offers plenty in the way of old-fashioned charm and traditional American eats like iceberg lettuce wedges with blue cheese dressing, surf and turf, creamed spinach, and their man-sized mutton chop. Fun fact: it’s home to the world’s largest collection of churchwarden pipes, displayed across the restaurant’s ceiling.

…sampling spirits to restock the office bar with: Brandy Library
You’ll find a menu of over 100 cocktails at this booze mecca in Tribeca, including classic drinks characters sip in the show, like a Sidecar, a Tom Collins, and an Old Fashioned. If you prefer your drinks neat and want an overview of  each type of spirit, check out the Library’s tasting menu, including flights of rum, cognac, tequila, and armagnac. Or, sign up for their Spirit School, a two-hour tasting where students also get a thorough history on varieties of rare bourbon and scotch.

…a cocktail and a cigar: The Carnegie Club
Smoking may be verboten in most of the city’s bars, but this civilized lounge located behind Carnegie Hall is an exception, with cigars on hand should patrons want a puff. The club is actually hosting a Mad Men viewing party when it premieres on March 25th, with gin-and-vermouth martinis at the ready. And, if the Rat Pack’s your thing, be sure to investigate the club’s “Saturdays with Sinatra” when Steve Maglio takes the stage to perform the crooner’s greatest hits.

…dinner before catching the train: Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant
Originally opened in 1913, this seafooder in the basement of Grand Central Station should be on every oyster fan’s bucket list, thanks to an epic menu of bivalves and its one-of-a-kind architecture. While it wasn’t actually mentioned by name, the restaurant seemed to be the inspiration for the spot Don and Roger spend several hours supping oysters and martinis in the Season 1 episode “Red in the Face”.

…an overnight in the city: The Roosevelt Hotel
Don Draper checked into this iconic circa-1924 Midtown property when he split from Betty, and he and Roger also frequent the hotel’s lobby bar. Out-of-towners visiting for a long weekend can take advantage of the hotel’s new Mad Men package through June, while locals can stop by the Madison Club Lounge this Sunday for their Season Five viewing party and toast the show’s return with Draper’s cocktail of choice, a Canadian Club.

Wondering what to wear? Check out Banana Republic’s Mad Men Collection for men and women, designed in collaboration with the show’s costume designer Janie Bryant. I think Don and Betty would approve.

 

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Glorious Inspiration: The Movies

By on March 14, 2012 in Adventure Travel, Beach Vacations, Cultural & City Vacations, Hawaii, Montana, New York, Romantic Vacations

I’ve mentioned before that, prior to starting Glorious Americana, I was the travel editor at Brides.com for many years. I just came across a story of mine from a little while back I wanted to share, about honeymoons inspired by the gorgeous scenery from popular movies—it  covered destinations across the globe, including these three amazing places in the U.S.  Click on the name of each spot for info on where to stay and what to do while you’re there.

Oahu’s North Shore as seen in Blue Crush

photo by Veronica Carmona via Brides.com

 

The great outdoors of Montana as seen in A River Runs Through It

photo courtesy of Triple Creek Ranch via Brides.com

 

The bustling streets of New York City as seen in When Harry Met Sally…

photo courtesy of the St. Regis via Brides.com

 

If you could travel through any movie, what would it be?

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