Wow, Huntley Santa Monica, You Messed Up.

I don’t believe I need to express further on this blog how much I love hotels. Some might call me a hotel snob, but really, I’m not. I disdain hostels and a one-star is out of the question, but my only true requirement is that the room is clean and well-maintained. Give me [...]

Group Therapy: Renting a Villa in Italy

When I’m feeling lonely for my friends back home, I get the urge to (first, become rich) and (then) rent a villa in Italy for an entire summer, and invite them all to stay with me. I imagine long days in golden sunlight, cooking experiments with fresh food, lazy afternoons chatting and cocktailing by [...]

The Slow Movement: You Move Too Fast

I’ve been on a kick recently where I make notes on topics I’d like to write about during the week, and then on Sunday I write them all, so I simply have to go online every day and post one.
However, yesterday Cal and I got off to a very lazy start and kind of eased [...]

Travel Books

This delightful article, found on one of my favorite sites, has inspired me to make a list of my very own travel book must-haves. So, without further ado, let’s get started!
The Pillars Of Hercules by Paul Theroux
His only aim was to explore the Mediterranean coast without resort to airplanes.
My favorite quote from this [...]

Craving Bagels: A Love Story

Bleeding Espresso is a blog I have come across, and I love love love reading it. Sognatrice is her name, Italy is her game, and she writes with a passion for that country that gives me goosebumps - like this recent one about Calabrianfolk music.
It was this post that took my breath away, as [...]

My Favorite Hotels

I love eating cold sandwiches wrapped in tin foil. It is such a sense memory thing.
I am thinking of great hotel rooms in my time, in no order:
- Helmsley Middletown, NYC. My old company booked me in a room when they made me come to NY and I got upgraded to a suite, with [...]

Travel in Entertainment - Miss Expatria Reviews

Hello! I was thinking I’d start a review day of my favorite travel-related entertainment obsessions. I’d like to kick off this series with perhaps an unusual choice:
The Jason Bourne Collection. It’s an action film, smartly done, and Matt Damon is easy on the eyes. But, let’s look at the things I [...]

World Maps, Pregnant Women in the Antarctic, the Azores, and Flags

As my gentle readers will know, Miss Expatria has a deep and abiding love for maps.
I particularly like having a map of the world very near my bed. I fall asleep looking at it, and laze around in bed after waking up, looking at it. And when you do that as much as [...]

How to Sound Like an Italian, Miss Expatria Style

As promised, I’m including some phrases one should know when one visits God’s living room, also known as Italy.
This has been a favorite obsession of mine ever since I was in Rome in 2001 with Pavlov Memento, the ex. We had just finished dinner and were walking down via Cavour, when we passed a [...]

How to Leave Amsterdam - Step Away From the Brownie

Miss Expatria received a request yesterday from gentlest reader and dear cousin, Mr. Fab. He’s headed off to Amsterdam in a few weeks, and wanted to know if I knew of any places that were easy to get to from there, for a day or overnight trip.
Why, yes. Yes I do.
First, I’d like [...]