Author: wareontheglobe

Bonus Lounge Review: The Chase Lounge US Open Tennis Tournament (New York)!

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After visiting the American Express Centurion Suite at the US Open tennis tournament in Queens, New York on Monday night, I learned that there is also a Chase lounge, called The Chase Lounge, that I could visit. Loving a good lounge experience, I gave it a go and while not as luxe as the Centurion Suite, it was a nice experience and a welcome break from the heat and crowds.

THE LOCATION AND OPEN HOURS

The Chase Lounge at the US Open is located on the second floor of the Chase Center, close to the grounds’ entrance on the right just after you walk in. To access the Chase Lounge, you simply need a ticket to the US Open grounds. Since the Chase Lounge is not in a stadium, there is no live viewing of the matches from the Chase Lounge, but many screens play the matches at all times. The Chase Lounge is open August 29 – September 7, with the Chase Lounge closing promptly at 8:30 PM.

The Chase Lounge!

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Airport Lounge Review: American Express Centurion Lounge, London Heathrow Terminal 3

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Dan and I flew through the dreaded Heathrow airport earlier this year, connecting en route to Tirana, Albania. We had a 5.5 hour connection, which was decreased to about 4 due to delays, and were luckily able to visit the American Express Centurion Lounge in Terminal 3! Much having enjoyed our time in other American Express Centurion Lounges (read about it here, here, here, and here), we had high hopes for Heathrow’s outpost, and it did not disappoint.

LOCATION & CHECK-IN TO LONDON’S AMEX CENTURION LOUNGE

Heathrow’s American Express Centurion Lounge is located in Terminal 3’s “A Area” on the second floor above the bulk of the shops, stores, and restaurants (not near the gates where most of the other Terminal 3 lounges are located). We followed signs and took the elevator up to the lounge entrance. While there was a small line to check-in, we entered without delay by showing our American Express Platinum card and boarding passes. And just like that, we were in strolling past the famous greenery wall!

Love this wall!

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Ksamil: A Weekend on the Jewel of the Albanian Riviera

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When I planned my trip to Albania, I went back and forth on whether to stay in Saranda, the large beach city in Southern Albania, or Ksamil, a small town just south of Saranda with “the most beautiful beaches.” I elected for the latter based on the promise of the most beautiful beaches. After staying there, I am not confident that it indeed has the most beautiful beaches, but it was a relaxing stay for a few days with a gorgeous coastline.  This article provides valuable information for those planning a trip to Ksamil.  Side note – this information is from the July; Ksamil is different off season.

KSAMIL, ALBANIA

Ksamil (silent “K”) is a tiny beach town 12 kilometers south of Saranda, Albania. Located between the turquoise waters of the Ionian Sea and the mussel filled waters of Butrint Lagoon, with three idyllic islands within swimming distance of Ksamil, Ksamil is extremely popular with Albanian and foreign beachgoers in the summer. The fact that its directly across from Corfu, Greece and accessible by a 30 minute ferry adds to its charm.

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Eating Our Way Around The Tourist Heart Of Rome – A Surprisingly Good Experience!

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If you read this blog at all, you know we LOVE a food tour, and have taken a few in Italy (here, here, and here)! On our most recent trip to Italy, we booked a tour with a new (to us) tour company visiting restaurants in Rome’s Centro Storico, or historical center. Think Campo di’Fiori, Pantheon, Piazza Navona, etc.  It ended up being a surprisingly good tour and resulted in us finding some new recommendations. Here is my review of our tour and information on how you can take the same tour!

STOP ONE – A VERO NORCINERIA IN ROMA

Our first stop on this food tour was at a “norcineria” that I have certainly passed numerous times and never gave it a second look: Norcineria Viola 1890!  A norcineria is a shop generally particular to the Umbrian town of Norcia, where its very common to salt and cure certain types of wild boar and pigs, as well as make other products out of them. Prior to this food tour, I had never once visited a norcineria. This one, however, is quite accessible, located right on Campo d’Fiori. True to its name, Norcineria Viola 1890 is a butcher and cheese shop selling products from Norcia and Umbira in general. Here, we tasted five types of salami. Yes, five, including the traditional salami, salami with truffle, a spicy salami, a more fatty salami than normal, and a jerky style salami. We also tasted bread in local olive oil (duh), three types of cheese, and wine from Umbria (our favorite)!

Seriously, this is right on Campo di’Fiori.

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Dani Maison: Our First Experience At A Two Michelin Star Restaurant in Ischia, Italy!

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Dan and I dined at our first restaurant with two Michelin stars in May – Daní Maison in Ischia! The entire experience was excellent, and it was not as expensive as expected (although don’t get me wrong, it was expensive). This post details our experience at Daní Maison with their chef’s tasting menu in May 2022.

For a bit of background, Daní Maison is chef Nino di Costanzo’s restaurant. Costanzo’s family is from the Campania region, the region in Southern Italy in which Ischia sits, and his dishes focus on Ischia’s best foods with a modern, artistic flair. The restaurant is located in his family’s former home and is currently filled with works of art by Lello Esposito, who, per his bio, specializes in the relation between contemporary art and tradition by conceiving and re-elaborating the symbols of Neapolitan culture. Very cool!

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