Marcia Frost

I don’t get a lot of relaxing days when I am traveling, but my first full day at the Viana Hotel & Spa in Westbury, New York, was a perfect one.   The best way to start a day is without an alarm clock and that’s what I did. I took my time putting on something comfortable and went down to the Marco Polo restaurant for breakfast. The buffet had a nice assortment of items, and there was a spot to get custom omelets, which I did, as well as pancakes and French toast. It was comforting to be in a place that is wheelchair accessible on all floors. There were wide open hallways and, even though there were stairs in the lobby to go up to the restaurant or down to the spa, you could also take the elevator to both. After breakfast, I caught up with emails and then went downstairs to wait for my daughter. We had a spa date at this Long Island hotel I was looking forward to.   Viana Hotel has a full-service spa that includes massages, treatments, nail, and hair services. T...

  I woke up in my room at the Hyatt Place Chelsea . It was my first full day in New York City, and I had a lot planned.   I began by finishing the massive chocolate cake from the previous night’s dinner at Hav & Mar . I then got dressed and ready to go to Chelsea Market.   When I first started planning my trip, Like A Local Tours * had approached me about taking one of their tours. The Chelsea one caught my eye and the idea of staying in this emerging neighborhood came about.   It was rainy so I didn’t want to ride my scooter down to the Chelsea Market . It was nice to be somewhere where there were accessible rides available. I took a Lyft and arrived before my cousin, Marissa.   The Like A Local Chelsea Market +Highlands + Yards Food & History Tour * had just started when I arrived. The group was in front of Fat Witch Bakery and the leader, Chris, got me one of the delicious brownies they were eating.   That was just the beginni...

  I am a New Yorker, who didn’t move to the Midwest until my late 40s. I have never regretted the decision. It’s much more affordable here and I prefer the lifestyle. After years of living near the ocean, I’m also more than happy to enjoy beautiful Great Lakes, with no hurricanes, sharks, jellyfish, or Nor’easters.  What I do miss a lot about New York is family and friends. It’s also nice to check out what there is to offer in the big city and my former home of Long Island. I decided to arrange a trip that would encompass all of this: time with loved ones and discovering some of New York I didn’t know before. For the latter, I worked with the ILoveNY team to create an itinerary. The trip did not start off well. American Airlines cancelled my flight from Champaign to Chicago. I didn’t want to delay the trip a day so I had someone take me to Chicago so I could still catch my flight to LaGuardia. Unfortunately, he was late picking me up and I missed my flight! This was made wo...

I've been to many Chicago hotels, but  StayPineapple is one of my best discoveries in years. I love pineapple and was very intrigued about a hotel built around the fruit. When I heard they were very dog friendly, I knew I had to go. I brought my friend Kim and my Yorkie Teddy along to enjoy the fun for a quick trip. Even though Teddy is a service dog and is welcome everywhere, I try to take him to pet friendly places so he gets the dog perks. We received welcome drinks (Sauvignon Blanc for me and pineapple beer for Kim), pineapple shaped cookies, pineapple water, and, of course, dog biscuits for Teddy, as soon as we arrived at the hotel. My corner suite was perfect, with a king bed in the large bedroom, and a couch, chair, and second television in the living room. Kim had the room next door to herself. We had a beautiful view from the window.  Teddy had a bed set up for him and bowls for water and food next to it. In his goodie bag was also a yellow container wit...

We had a good night’s sleep at the Fairfield Inn on Fair Oaks Farm s in Indiana. The room was quite spacious for three adults, an 8-year-old, and an 11 lb. yorkie who was a bit excited to have three different beds to chose from. Breakfast is included at the hotel, and it was a nice buffet. We filled up on eggs, bacon, and waffles, and explored a little before heading outside. It was another cold day, so we dressed warmly. We went to check out the Igloos, a highlight of the Forest of Lights celebration. They are considered part of the Farmhouse Restaurant and are just outside those doors. They were heated and quite cozy. We were just supposed to go in for hot chocolate, but we were so comfortable we decided to stay a little longer for Mimosas, cheesecake, fries, and smoked brisket chili. When it was time for us to go to the Pig Adventure (you get times for tours when you purchase your tickets) we went to the bus. There are many different packages available, or you can buy individu...

  I had never heard of Fair Oaks Farms when I fellow travel writer suggested it to me. When I found out it was a complete destination just an hour and a half away from Champaign, I quickly made arrangements to take some friends, a willing to play eight year old, and my dog, Teddy  The name may be familiar to you if you drink Fairlife milk or protein shakes. This is much more than a farm, though, it’s a full destination, and we took advantage of anything it has to offer. The first thing we did when arriving was check into the hotel. There is a Fairfield Inn on the property so once we parked, we didn’t have to get into the car again until it was time to go home. The building was even set up to look like a barn, but on the inside it was all about a modern hotel. Our suite was large, with two beds and a pullout couch. Aubree took the couch. Teddy tried his best to join her. We had a microwave and refrigerator in the room, and an indoor pool downstairs. After we got...