TRAVEL
This is not a travel guide.
It's more of a running list, cities I know well enough to have favorites, cities I keep returning to for reasons I can't always explain, and a few I haven't explored yet but fully intend to.
The hotels that feel like arriving somewhere rather than checking in. The tables that turn dinner into an evening. The kind of trip that doesn't really have an itinerary, just a direction.
Paris is home, everything else is a conversation worth having.
PARIS
Home, so I won't pretend to be a tourist.
Le Crillon, Le Ritz or Le Plaza Athénée, depending on the mood. Le Bar at the Four Seasons for cocktails, because some bars earn their reputation. Saint-Germain when I want to remind myself Paris has a left bank. Shopping on rue Saint-Honoré or the Galeries Lafayette, groceries at La Grande Épicerie because even that feels like an event here. For dinner : Guy Savoy ***, Arpège ***, Plénitude ***, Akira Back when I want something different. Dior Spa Cheval Blanc when I need to disappear for an afternoon. Café Antonia for high tea, Angelina for the hot chocolate and eggs Benedict (the Plaza’s gives it some competition though).
Paris does dinner better than anywhere and I take full advantage of that.
LONDON
The Lanesborough has a cat, that's already a good sign. Claridge's for everything it represents.
For dinner, Row on Five ** for something light and considered, Hélène Darroze at The Connaught *** when the occasion calls for it, Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester *** for the kind of meal that stretches into the evening. Sexy Fish when the room matters as much as the menu. Harrods for the ritual, everyone ends up there eventually.
I've been eyeing the Bulgari, that's next.
Monaco
Every summer, without fail.
Hôtel de Paris for the ritual, L'Hermitage for something quieter,the Fairmont or the Monte Carlo Bay when the mood is more relaxed. Café de Paris for the afternoon. For dinner : Les Ambassadeurs ** when it has to be perfect, Amazonico for the energy, Buddha Bar for the classics, Sass Café when the night calls for something easy.
And inevitably, somewhere on a yacht, which is really the only proper way to experience the Côte d'Azur. The South of France has a particular kind of ease that's hard to find anywhere else. Sun, salt air, and no reason to rush.
Istanbul
A city I keep coming back to in my mind before I've even properly arrived, and one of the few where I feel immediately at home. The light, the water, the particular energy of a city that exists between two worlds and belongs entirely to neither.
The Four Seasons Bosphorus for the view, the Ritz-Carlton, the Mandarin Oriental. Hürrem Sultan Hammam when I need to reset completely. The Cat Museum, because of course. For dinner : Nicole * or Turk Fatih Tutak ** for the kind of meal that redefines the evening. Nobu or Zuma when the mood is lighter.
I speak a little Turkish. It helps, and it surprises people.
NEW YORK
First time. I've heard things. I'm arriving with no expectations and every intention of being proven wrong about American cities.
The Plaza, the Waldorf Astoria : some hotels you know before you've ever set foot in the city. Bemelmans Bar, because some things are non-negotiable even before you've unpacked. On the list : Eleven Madison Park ***, Per Se ***, Le Bernardin ***, Gabriel Kreuther **, Jean-Georges **, Le Coucou *, Daniel *.
Suggestions welcome, especially if you know the right table.
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