Introducing: New York – Cosmopolitan to the Core

January 25, 2012

NEW YORK, US – Start spreading the news…We’ve launched The Purple Passport Guide to New York! Fittingly for the nation’s largest metropolis, it’s our biggest guide yet, featuring over 450 of the choicest hotels, restaurants, spas, nightlife spots, shops, and activities to help you plan a distinctive city experience. Drawing… (more)

Purple Spotting: Linda Evangelista at Le Moulin a Cafe

December 7, 2011

NEW YORK, USA- Each morning, I leave my apartment bright and early to get some focused work done at a nearby coffee shop. This past Monday, I chose a favorite: Le Moulin a Cafe. They serve delicious La Colombe espresso and some of the best French pastries I’ve had outside… (more)

Madison Square Park: A not-so-hidden hidden gem

October 29, 2011

NEW YORK, USA – It’s a story you’ve most likely heard before: ugly duckling in Big City overshadowed by glittering, racy, attention grabbing neighbor. And not to spoil the ending if you’ve missed this one, but that overlooked little wonder pretty much always gets her “swan” moment in the limelight,… (more)

18 miles of books = countless hours of bookworm fun at The Strand

October 27, 2011

NEW YORK, US – New York City is nothing if not a literary city–and we’re not just judging that by the number of aspiring writers packed into our favorite coffee shops. There are the hundreds of high profile publishing houses, the prestigious literary magazines, the astounding number of creative writing… (more)

The Spice-ier the Better

October 8, 2011

NEW YORK, USA – I’m always apprehensive of trying a restaurant that has several locations. What was wrong with the first one? Did my favorite spot lose its best chef? With each new restaurant does it lose a bit more of that something that made the original so special? But… (more)

Letting go at Soho Sanctuary

October 1, 2011

NEW YORK, USA – On the road, my lunch hours are often filled with the buzz of surrounding suits conversing over their day’s conquests people, unable even for a moment to keep their minds off of meetings, schedules, and tasks. I, too, am guilty as charged. I surround myself… (more)

Traverse through time at the Tenement Museum

September 29, 2011

NEW YORK, USA – Ellis Island: the first stop for great hordes of immigrants after they sailed past Lady Liberty in pursuit of the American Dream. Chances are good that one of your descendants took that very journey. (I’m a proud Swede!) For countless families who now call this country… (more)

Burger Shoppe, I love you

September 26, 2011

NEW YORK, USA – It isn’t everyday you hear a stranger say “I love you” and mean it. Especially not in a restaurant. And especially not in the most unromantic of circumstances: try walking from Union Square to Wall Street in a heavy smog of exhaust and misty humidity, and… (more)

Old World opulence (with a pricetag to match) at The Pierre

September 21, 2011

NEW YORK, USA – Bon vivants love to talk luxury, but it can be difficult to pinpoint exactly what the word entails. For a middle-class ruralite, city “luxury” hotels may include movies on-demand, pillows that don’t transform into rocks by dawn, and views of something other than a brick wall.… (more)

Boat Basin Café serves beautiful river views

September 14, 2011

NEW YORK, USA – Be it ten minutes from home or ten hours ahead, I am a sucker for destinations with fabulous views. Truth be told, though, aren’t we all? I will even go so far as to say that if I’m staring at a wide-open ocean, city silhouette, or… (more)