Spring Flings
Fresh stories from the slopes to the table to the cold plunge sauna.
Today’s post — free for all Way to Go subscribers — highlights the places we’ve been lately:
Milan: THE city for vintage shopping.
Helsinki: For this dreamy new hotel and spa.
Courmayeur: It edges out Chamonix.
Ireland: The tour guide for people who EAT.
Sicily: “There is no menu. He will bring the things.”
Above the clouds: Flying the only all-business-class airline.
Kansas City: The dining scene thrives beyond BBQ.
At the cafe: Highly caffeinated on global coffee rituals.
You’ll get the gist below, and you can read the full stories on the Fathom website.
Vintage Shopping in Milan: A Secondhand Paradiso
Check out a little black book, plan of attack, and expert tips from our dear friend and colleague, who happens to be an eagle-eyed shopper and vintage scout. Treasures abound in hidden places. Even if you're not in the market for ‘90s Versace (so. much. Gianni.), it's worth going on the ride: Shops feel like meticulously curated museums; the blight of fast fashion is nowhere to be found.
It’s Heaven in Helsinki at the Hotel Maria
After three years of restoration and renovation blessed by the Finnish Heritage Agency, the historic buildings are home to the hotel’s spa, bar, two restaurants, ballroom (opening this summer), chapel, small but beautifully curated boutique, 159 chandeliers, 117 high-ceilinged guest rooms, and 38 to-die-for suites.
Forget Chamonix: Courmayeur Is the Alpine Winner
After spending a week in this superb mountain village and an afternoon in Chamonix, I will never return to Chamonix, a town a little too attractive to package-seeing tourists, totally wanting in charm, and hopelessly lacking the things that I love so much about Italy.
Heading to Ireland? They’ll Guide You Beyond Guinness and Potatoes
Bog & Thunder brings their guests to meet goat cheese producers in Galway, fishermen in Cork, honey producers in Ballymaloe, and introduce them to local restaurants for every meal. The specialty tour company understands slow travel and embraces food, craft, sustainability, and stories through their artisanal adventures.
It’s All Business (Class) on La Compagnie
The good news for people traveling from New York to Paris, Milan, or Nice is that La Compagnie has prices that are consistently cheaper than its competitors. (And, therefore, consistently justifiable.) As the one remaining business-class-only airline in the world, every single seat gets you a fully reclining bed, a few meals, unlimited good booze, and all the other higher class bells ‘n’ whistles.
It Happened at the Sicilian Table
The Sicilian Inheritance, is a twisty-turny adventure and murder mystery inspired by our friend Jo Piazza’s many trips to Sicily over the years. (Minus the murder.) (Well, we hope.) It's a story filled with delicious food and wine, gorgeous scenery, and intriguing characters. (Not a bad summary of Sicily.)
Beyond Barbecue: Debauchery & Diversity in Kansas City
I was starting to understand the Paris comparison — a river town with sexy nightlife. So forget the architecture. What about the food? Barbeque, sure, but what else? Entrepreneur and designer Heather White, envisioning a “French quarter” for the city, opened a trifecta of French tastes in 2020. Her excellent and eclectic two-story restaurant Tailleur sits across Main Street from the cocktail bar Cheval and its neighbor Bakery Enchante.
Celebrating the Beauty of Coffee in the Most Curious Places
Whether savoring a cup at a quiet café in Hong Kong or underground on Fifth Avenue, curious cafes are a reminder that the beauty of coffee lies not only in its taste but also in the history it holds, the thread among peoples, and the curious rituals that we make our own, in our connected (and caffeinated) global village.
loved skiing at Courmayeur (and Chamonix!). Though it was 10 years ago now i did love Cham!