Visit New York - TWA Hotel

I had a long layover at JFK in New York and researched my options since I knew I would be tired following the 10 plus hour flight from Honolulu. It looked like my best option was to book a room at the TWA Hotel. The hotel is directly connected to Terminal 5 and accessible via the JFK AirTrain so I wouldn't have to leave the airport. The hotel has a cafe, restaurant, lounge, gym, and rooftop pool.

Daytripper stays are available at an hourly rate from 6am to 8pm for a minimum of four hours and a maximum of 12 hours. When I arrived at the hotel my room was not ready, but they got me in as soon as they could and adjusted my rate. Due to availability, I received an upgrade to the Executive King Suite with Runway view. The room was spacious and after a shower, I slept like a baby for five hours. I would definitely recommend if you need a convenient place to stay during a long layover.

The hotel was once an abandoned terminal.

Executive King Suite with Runway view

Sitting area with floor to ceiling windows

Bar area

Sunken Lounge - Part of the original 1962 design.

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Island X Hawaii

We were in Waialua and wanted shave ice, so we went to Island X Hawaii. I love that their shave ice is all natural - no artificial colors or flavorings! 

Waialua Dark Chocolate

Strawberry

Mango Matcha Latte

Island X Hawaii also offers coffees, smoothies, boba drinks, lattes, and more.  

Island X Hawaii
67-106 Kealohanui St

Waialua, HI 96791

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ESCAPE! Alaska

We made a spontaneous decision to do an escape room one evening, and we ended up at ESCAPE! Alaska.  

We did the NOIR escape room, in which we had to determine who was a murderer, amongst other things.

You're given an hour, and you are also given a business card with which you can use a phone in the Escape Room and call a number for clues / assistance.  

And we had to call the number a few times in the first 30 minutes because we are very novice escape room players. 

Once we got the hang of things, it was easier for us to find clues.

We did eventually escape within the time frame allotted, with just minutes (seconds?) to spare.

I thought the experience was really fun and the clues / puzzles very clever compared to some of the other escape rooms we've done.  

Of course we did not make the leaderboard, but it was impressive to see how some teams finish the room in under 20 minutes. 

ESCAPE! Alaska was definitely a fun way to spend an evening! 

ESCAPE! Alaska
2000 W International Airport Rd Ste A8
Anchorage, AK 99502

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Artizen Halloween Afternoon Tea

Artizen's Halloween Afternoon Tea took place this past Saturday, and there are two Saturdays left for you to join in on the fun!  

Strawberry Hibiscus Shiso Iced Tea

Black Garlic Roast Beef Sandwich, OK Farms Egg Salad, Ludovico Farms Morgina Pesto Chicken Salad Sandwich

Of the savories, I loved the Egg Salad Sandwich!

Pei's Ghost-Tea, Mai's Jack O' Puff, Mel's Matcha Eye-Lien, Mummy Nutter Butter

I loved the Mummy Nutter Butter!  It was so reminiscent of the cookie.  

Blueberry Scones with Yuzu Curd

Artizen Halloween Afternoon Tea continues October 24 and 31!

Artizen by MW
888 Kapiolani Blvd, Commercial Unit, Suite 102
Honolulu, HI 96813

Phone: (808) 524-0499 

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The Clubhouse Mililani

One of my fave spots in Mililani is The Clubhouse Mililani.  I first visited the week it opened nearly 5 years ago, and I keep going back because the food is so good! 

Everything I've ever ordered I would order again, but my go-tos are the Loaded Tater Tot Nachos & Dry Mein.

Salt & Pepper Chicken Wings

Loaded Tater Tot Nachos

Kalbi

Miso Butterfish

Ribeye Steak

Agedashi Tofu

Dry Mein

The food did not disappoint, and the service was excellent!

The Clubhouse Mililani
Mililani Golf Club
95-176 Kuahelani Ave

Mililani, HI 96789
(808) 623-2222

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Visit Paris - Mắm from Hanoï

After a week of French food and champagne on a recent trip to Paris, I certainly wasn't complaining. But one of my friends knew we'd all be comforted by a big bowl of quality pho and so she made a reservation for her favorite pho place in Paris for our last meal in the City of Love.

The restaurant is small, but cozy and very popular so definitely recommend making a reservation. Mam features northern Vietnamese cuisine and the must haves on the menu are their family recipe's signature pork nem (fried spring rolls) and two styles of their pho - traditional and modern. I opted for the traditional pho made of beef broth, bone marrow, and pho spices simmered for 24 hours. The pho was fragrant and delicious. After finishing our pho and two orders of spring rolls, we left completely happy and stuffed.

Signature Pork Nem

Traditional Pho

Mắm from Hanoï

39 Rue de Cléry, Paris, Île-de-France, France

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Hokkaido Ramen Bonbori and Dragon Burger

Mahalo to Ramen Bonbori and Dragon Burger for the complimentary meal and the opportunity to try their offerings. As always, all opinions are my own!

We recently received an invitation to check out Ramen Bonbori, a new eatery with an interesting concept. The restaurant is supervised by Michelin chef Makoto Ishii, who brings his French culinary background into the world of Japanese ramen. 

We tried the Yoichi Soy Sauce Ramen ($17). What makes this ramen different is the broth. They use French consommé techniques to create a clear, additive-free broth made with chicken, pork, and seafood that's simmered for eight hours.

Even the noodles are specially made! They're custom wheat bran noodles co-developed with Sun Noodles for the restaurant.

There's definitely a lot of thought and technique that goes into making this ramen, and the flavors were rich. The concept is interesting, and I'm glad we got to try it!

Moving on, we were also invited to try a burger from Dragon Burger which shares the same stall!

The burger we tried, the "Classic", features a 5-ounce Wagyu beef patty, a spring onion, onion miso,  cheddar cheese, and two kinds of mustard (American and Karashi). Dragon Burger's concept, by British chef Adam Lawson, is to create an authentic Western-style burger using Japanese ingredients.  

This burger had A LOT of umami! The flavors were rich, and it was definitely a heavy burger. But wow, it was amazing! You really can't go wrong with Wagyu beef. The combination of flavors made this one memorable, and the crisp fries were a great addition to the meal.

It was fun to try two different concepts in one visit.   Come check out Ramen Bonbori and Dragon Burger and let me know what you think!

RAMEN BONBORI AND DRAGON BURGER

1515 LIONA STREET

Instagram: @ramenbonbori, @dragonburger_honolulu

 

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