michelle gross

There are no two words that will get an East Coaster to book a trip to the Caribbean faster than "polar vortex."
Sure enough, as temperatures dipped from a frigid 20 into the single digits for the third week in a row this past January, I gladly packed my bags and made my way south to San Juan. I was invited to spend 11 days cruising the West Indies on the Viking Star, whose itinerary brought with it the promise of perpetual sunshine and back-to-back beach days in "azure blue" water. It couldn...

Who run the world? …Well, you know. While we definitely don’t need an excuse to celebrate the fact that women are doing awesome things, March is Women’s History Month, and a good time as any to champion the sisterhood. From a beer crawl featuring female brewers to a historic feminist hotel shining a spotlight on female artists and comedians, here are some of the best ways to support women and women-owned businesses all over town.

Picture this: You’re in your favorite pair of Derek Rose silk pajamas, Ketel martini in hand. The smell of freshly baked garlic bread hangs in the air as you and a Michelin-rated chef put the finishing touches on what promises to be the best pasta puttanesca you never thought you could make—especially in your own kitchen.
This can be your dinnertime scenario, thanks to Cozymeal, a fine-dining meal prep service that’s elevating in-home dining by enlisting the private services of professional c...

People go to the desert in search of many things. Solitude. Serenity. Or, on the flip side, massive raves and Insta-primed pool parties. This year, art lovers and desert nomads have one more excuse to venture out to the great unknown with the biennial of Desert X: a three-month-long contemporary art festival that uses the Coachella Valley’s dramatic landscape as its canvas. Here’s what you need to know before making the trek east.
Wait, What is Desert X, exactly?
If you happened to miss the s...

Welcome to wave season.
Here’s a nice juxtaposition to start your day. Cruises and spring break. Now, in the past, these two concepts could not have been more polarizing. Cruises were commonly considered uncool (and still are to some degree) and spring break, well, we’ve all seen and heard stories. Here’s the thing though. Cruising has come a long way in recent years. 2018 saw the launch of Celebrity Edge, one of the most innovative and beautiful mega-ships on the high seas. Luxury river crui...

The process of choosing just 19 places to visit in 2019 was long, arduous, fraught with infighting -- nah, just kidding, we had a great time. But by necessity, a list so limited overlooks some truly remarkable corners of this big ‘ole world of ours. As we Sophie’s Choice’d one destination after another, we kept coming across cities in our own backyard that made surprisingly compelling cases for a visit.
Sure, they lack the daydreamy wanderlust of brand names like New Zealand and Morocco, but ...

There are certain cities around the world that evoke a sense of place before you even set foot in them. Paris is the city of light (or love, depending on who you ask) and Venice’s canals and legendary piazzas have long inspired lovers and the literati over the years. Bangkok however is not one of those cities. With a population of around 12 million, Bangkok’s frenetic energy can be overwhelming to the most seasoned of travelers.
While the Thai capital is difficult to define in any exacting te...

It was 4:40 a.m., and I was sitting in the Panorama Lounge of the newly minted Avalon Saigon, wide awake. I'd have loved to chalk it up to a combination of jet lag and adrenaline, but really, I was restless. It would be another hour before the sun began to peek over the rust-colored Mekong River, and I couldn't wait another minute.
I bided my time, taking full advantage of the strong WiFi connection while my fellow shipmates were in what I assumed was a blissful state of slumber. Email sent a...

From the hushed reprieve of the 57th floor Champagne Bar at the Waldorf Astoria Bangkok, the only sound that can be heard—save for some light conversation and the occasional rumble of monsoon season thunder outside—is nothing but the joy of utter quiet. Which is something you’re hard pressed to find in the heart of one of downtown Bangkok’s busiest intersections and shopping districts, where the city’s already engrossing sensory experiences are dialed up to a fever pitch. Standing a resolute ...

Tel Aviv is a city very much in transition. A mosaic of cultures, religions and influences, for a city of around 450,000 people according to a 2015 poll, this modern Middle Eastern metropolis is as varied and diverse today as the buildings and architecture that comprise it.
But I didn't really know all of that prior to my latest visit. I was invited to Israel last spring by the Israel Ministry of Tourism primarily to celebrate Purim, a raucous, carnival-like holiday in which thousands of part...

Imagine waking up to the sound of a rooster crowing outside your window in the morning, going horseback riding or taking falconry lessons in the afternoon, and feasting on the freshest produce and meat available in the evening. This is just a typical day when you stay at a hotel with a working farm. Here are 11 of the best hotel farm experiences that are taking travelers to even greener pastures all around the country.

We’ve officially entered the season of fuzzy sweaters and pumpkin spice-inspired weather, and while fall is arguably the most glorious time of all, —one of mother nature’s greatest gifts—are in full swing. Typically harvested in late August through early November (depending on the variety), apples are kind of the unsung heroes of the season. Often passed over for pumpkins and gourds of every variety, apples, like a bold glass of Barolo, or binging a “My Crazy Ex” marathon on Lifetime, are dep...

Once a secret escape for Asia’s die hard powder seeker set, today, Niseko Village on Japan’s northern-most island of Hokkaido, has been garnering international attention due the abundance of fresh snow, gourmet eateries, and a vibrant après ski scene.

It’s hard to imagine that only 60 years ago, the gleaming seaside oasis now known as Abu Dhabi was nothing more than vast swathes of sand and desert. Once home to a prosperous pearling industry, it wasn’t until 1958 and the discovery of oil that development in the region started to boom thanks in large part to the vision of Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan—an enigmatic ruler who is considered to be the U.A.E.’s founding father. He wanted to leave a lasting legacy to his people and decided to build,...

The road from Santa Teresa Gallura to Porto Cervo on Sardinia’s northern coast twists and turns with the painstaking precision I’d imagined goes into the handwoven needlepoint pillows I saw in the airport gift shop earlier that week. With every unforgiving turn, I was silently cursing the bottle of vermentino and swills of mirto – a berry-based liqueur made from the myrtle plant that flourishes in this region – from the night before. Handmade textiles, much like homemade food (and mirto), are...