On the Supremacy of the Bed and Breakfast

by Paul Brady on

I’ve been staying in a lot of hotels. Some nice ones, some not so nice, most owned or at least operated by a corporate parent. There’s a anonymous familiarity about them all, which is comforting or unsettling, depending on my mood.

I’ve also crashed with some friends on this road trip, sleeping on a recliner in a living room in Detroit and an air mattress in an extra bedroom on Staten Island. That’s fine-and a fine way to save some scratch.

But it took about three minutes at the Whistlewood Farm in Rhinebeck, New York for me to finally realize that the bed and breakfast is the world’s greatest form of lodging. Please hold your arguments until I lay out mine!

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The size: There are just seven rooms at Whistlewood, which means my host, Maggie, knew who I was the moment I set foot in her home. We’d already spoken on the phone and arrival was like meeting a new friend in person for the first time: a little awkward, but with hope for a fine future.

The freebies: I will not be nickel-and-dimed and I know it. The blueberry crumble pie? Free. The lemon-poppy seed cake? Free. Wireless internet? Free. Tea, coffee, pretty much whatever else? Free. “Make yourself at home” is the request? Oh, thanks, I will!

The farm: There are horses here, roaming their paddocks, playfully inquisitive about visitors. There are chickens running around. A woman in a big straw hat is pruning rose bushes. There are exactly zero “porters,” “valets” or “customer service representatives.”

The countryside: So this one doesn’t go for every B&B but the birds here make a racket. It is hard to stress over an email thread from the office when there are birds chirping and flitting around the back yard, picking up caterpillars to feed their chicks.

The breakfast: Obviously the ultimate consideration. At Whistlewood, the spread is enormous. Eggs from the farm’s own chickens, bacon, sausage, French toast, pancakes, fresh fruits salad, yogurt, English muffins, quick breads and muffins, juice and enough coffee to sate an Italian village. Would you like seconds? Go on, just help yourself.

In sum: The best service, everything’s included and it’s insanely relaxing: Sounds like the world’s best lodging to me. Don’t you think?

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Is Providence, Rhode Island the Country’s Most Creative City?

by Paul Brady on

Summer in New England is so pleasant and so cliche, I didn’t arrive in Rhode Island expecting to find much more than craft breweries, lobster rolls and some wicked good times. And they certainly have those!

But no sooner had I parked the car than I stumbled across a storefront packed with bizarre costumes, alien heads and smiling ogres, looking across the street at City Hall.

What, I wondered to myself as I snapped photos as fast as possible, was going on in Providence?

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I’d inadvertently found the home of Big Nazo, a performance troupe dedicated to the absolutely mind-bending, warming up for an event that evening on Westminster Street at Roots Cafe. Ringleader Minio Pinque introduced himself and started in on the upcoming show calendar for the group, as I gawked at half-finished suits.

A troupe member donned what can only be described as an alien helmet to demonstrate the huge range of costumes Big Nazo uses, everything from enormous full-body get-ups to small masks that jazz up more traditional costuming. Later that evening, a marching band would be coming by to practice for its upcoming engagement with Big Nazo. (One of their numbers was “Crazy in Love.”)

The city is of course home to the Rhode Island School of Design, which accounts for some of the creativity in the air. The current show to see is Cocktail Culture, on view until July 31. The exhibit is a fascinating trip from pre-Prohibition days to the Jet Set era, a museum show surprisingly au courant despite its throwback themes. There is only one reference to Mad Men.

Other art spaces proliferate. The aforementioned Roots is a cultural hub, as is Art Space 220, a downtown collective that encourages creativity with shows and funding. Brown has its own spectacles, like a greenhouse filled with exotic plants and open to the public. An over-educated botanist mentioned that the attraction of the moment in the area was the blooming of a corpse flower at the University of Connecticut. 90 minutes away.

The creativity even extends to breakfast. The favorite joint is Julian’s on Broadway, with Star Wars action figures in the bathroom and neon signs on the wall. Nobody bats an eye if you order Bloody Marys at 9 am, like a table of eight did, nor a massive breakfast that could feed two, like one big, big guy did. As for me, I did what I always do when in New England. I got the hash.

New York’s Most Fascinating Park, Floating Above the City

by Paul Brady on

In a town where 500 square foot apartments can fetch $4,000 a month, the installation of a small slice of lawn calls for a mayoral press conference. And Mayor Bloomberg was there on June 8 for the opening of the second phase of the High Line, New York’s most innovative park, built on an abandoned elevated rail line on the far West Side.

Years in the making, the new section includes a stretch of brilliant green grass, bird houses, adolescent trees and a new perspective on a newly resurgent Manhattan neighborhood that’s getting more alluring (and affluent) by the moment.

Traveling the American Road – New York’s High Line


As someone who calls New York home, I explored the first section a few years back when I worked in Chelsea Market, the bougie shopping center that’s home to Food Network, Google, MLB.com and other wanna-be-big start-ups. The park, newly opened at the time, was just out the door-and a wonderful place for a mental health break.

With the new section, now pushing all the way north to 30th Street, the park should draw more people, which drives more business along the corridor. Real estate signs are sprouting up, and a pop-up beer garden has appeared, along with food trucks and a temporary art installation. (It happens to be sponsored by AOL, but I only found out about that when I visited.) Also along the new portion of park? The first U.S. property from Grupo Habita, a super-trendy Mexican boutique hotel group that’s a favorite of the Chelsea and Mexico City art sets.

It’s quite the resume for a disused rail trundle, left to rot in a forgotten corner of the city. No wonder the mayor-and tourists by the tens of thousands-are showing up to see what’s happening.

Join Traveling the American Road blogger Paul Brady for a Philly happy hour!

by Annemarie Dooling on

We’ve done Detroit, Cleveland and Boston. Now Paul Brady is headed to the City of Brotherly Love.

Join us at Independence Al Fresco, the outdoor garden at Philadelphia‘s Independence Visitor Center, this Thursday, June 23rd, as Mr. Brady recounts tales of epic country breakfasts, Stanley Cup confetti and many, many lobster rolls. As an added bonus to the snacks and beer we’ll inevitably chomp down out of summer road trip jealousy, Finger Lakes Wine will be serving some of their spectacular vino.

Oh, yeah. We’re also giving away some swag to attendees.

RSVP here before coming by, and tip Paul off to any and all of your favorite Philly spot, but be forewarned, we’re not responsible for any cheesesteak mishaps that occur post-happy hour.

[Photo: Flickr/Uberzombie]

Boston Celebrates Its Bruins with a Massive Parade

by Paul Brady on
I wasn’t going to be in Boston on Saturday morning. But with the city planning to celebrate its sports heroes, who won the Stanley Cup after a drought of nearly 40 years, I tore up my road trip schedule and made a beeline for Beantown.

Riding on Boston’s famous Duck Boats, the team paraded through the streets, holding the cup aloft as hundreds of thousands cheered. Goodwill was everywhere, and it lasted through the weekend: On Sunday, the Bruins threw out ceremonial first pitches at Fenway Park as the baseball faithful gave a standing ovation. With the cup now in Boston, the city can safely brag that it is indeed Titletown, USA.

Traveling the American Road – Boston Bruins Celebration Parade