Gjelina NYC: Good Food, Great Cocktails, and a Genuinely Good Use of Your Chase Sapphire Reserve Dining Credit

15/06/202609/09/2026dancozzi Leave a comment

Update July 18, 2026. I just checked the list of available restaurants for the Chase Sapphire Reserve Dining Credit and Gjelina NYC has been removed. I will update this post again if I notice it is back.

In June 2026, Fleming and I visited Gjelina to use our Chase Sapphire Reserve dining credit ($150) which was expiring on June 30th. We won Off-Broadway lottery tickets to see Cecily Strong in What Happened Was at the Audible Minetta Lane Theatre, a thirteen minute walk away from Gjelina. Overall we had a great experience and would dine at the restaurant in the future, even without the credit, if win the area.

This post reviews Gjelina and also how to use the Chase Sapphire Reserve dining credit.

The Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Candied Basil and Sea Salt was a highlight.

The Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Candied Basil and Sea Salt at Gjelina was a highlight of the evening.

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Is Bermuda Worth It? Our Honest Review from NYC

31/03/202603/10/2026wareontheglobe Leave a comment

Bright blue water off the beach at Coco Reef Resort, Bermuda

Bermuda is one of the easiest island getaways from NYC, just a 2-hour flight, but is it actually worth it? After a long weekend of beaches, food tours, and a few travel mishaps, here’s my honest take.

At A Glance

📍 Location: Bermuda
✈️ Flight Time from NYC: ~2 hours
📅 Trip Length: 4 days / 3 nights
💰 Cost Level: $$$
🚗 Getting Around: Taxi + Hitch app
🏨 Where We Stayed: Coco Reef Resort (not recommended)
⭐ Highlights: Food tour, Crystal Caves, St. George’s
⚠️ Watch Out For: Expensive taxis, inconsistent hotel quality

Street scene in Bermuda showing the island's British colonial influence

Bermuda! There was a solid British (kind of Irish) theme) present throughout the island due to it being a British outpost for years. This was pretty interesting.

My husband and I spent a long weekend in Bermuda last Labor Day weekend. It was our first visit and the simple reason – it is only 2 hours from the NYC area and there was a relatively reasonably priced flight that fit our schedule. We had a very nice time, but we have certainly been to nicer islands (in our opinion). I think I need to go back (and we will, I have my eye on the St. Regis!) for longer and stay elsewhere for a different experience on the island. This post details what we ate, where we stayed, and what we did during our weekend getaway to Bermuda so that you can recreate our trip on your own!

Coastal scenery in Bermuda during a long weekend trip from NYC

Bermuda is very pretty.

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Lillie’s Victorian Establishment: One of the Best Christmas Bars in NYC!

02/12/202518/10/2026wareontheglobe Leave a comment

Ceiling of Lillie's Victorian in Union Square covered in giant ornaments, garlands and Santa figures above the bar

*Updated for 2026*

It’s Christmas in New York City, and time to review another one of my favorite holiday spots in the city: Lillie’s Victorian Establishment! Lillie’s is one of those over-the-top Christmassy bars and restaurants, where everyone wants an Instagram picture. I have been to the Times Square location numerous times at both Christmas and otherwise (it is one block from my office), and I want to the Union Square location last November (2025) to see the Christmas decor first hand. This post details a visit to Lillie’s Victorian around the holidays and how to get inside, even without a reservation!

Lillie’s Victorian Union Square.

Long dining room at Lillie's Victorian in Union Square, with red napkins on wooden tables under a ceiling packed with Christmas ornaments

Very fun decorations at the Union Square location starting mid-November.

Lillie’s Victorian Establishment

With two locations, Lillie’s Victorian Establishment is a year-round Victorian-era British Pub in New York City named for late British actress Lillie Langtry. The restaurant’s namesake arrived in New York in 1882. Her American debut was set for New York’s Park Theatre, which burned down on October 30, 1882, the day she was due to open. According to Lillie’s, only a charred sign with her name survived. For your purposes, Lillie’s is most famous for its elaborate Christmas decorations, which go up year in mid-November.

Dan and I at Lillie’s Victorian in Union Square in mid-November.

Lit Christmas wreath with a red bow above a red velvet banquette set for tea at Lillie's Victorian in Union Square

Lillie’s Victorian Establishment, Union Square in November 2025.

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Niagara Falls: A Long Weekend from NYC!

20/08/202504/10/2026wareontheglobe Leave a comment

I drive to Montreal almost every Memorial Day to start the summer in one of Dan and my favorite cities (Montreal!). This year, however, we switched it up and drove to Niagara Falls, mainly due to the fact that we had two Hilton resort credits to use through our Hilton Aspire cards. While we still love, love, love Montreal, we were surprised by Niagara Falls and had a really fun time. We will absolutely return! This post details what we did over our long weekend driving from the New York City area.

Niagara Falls!

DAY ONE: A COUNTRY DRIVE, CROSSING THE BORDER, AND A TERRIBLE DINNER AT THE SKYLON TOWER

Our Niagara Falls long weekend began on a Friday morning, leaving the New York City area around 9:30 AM. Our drive took us through Western New York and while it originally consisted of normal highway, the road changed to more country roads for the second half of the drive (and my internet to work no longer worked). We crossed the border via The Peace Bridge in Buffalo, which crossing took no time at all and was quicker than what we are used to at Montreal. You can check times for the border crossing. We arrived in the late afternoon to very, very cold weather. Not exactly what we were hoping for for Memorial Day weekend (although the weather was the same in Montreal).

Chilly view of the American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls from Niagara Falls, Ontario

A chilly view of the American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls.

As you probably guessed, we stayed on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls, our first two nights at the DoubleTree Fallsview Resort & Spa. The hotel looked like a mountain resort and offered, albeit a bit far, views of the Falls. We enjoyed staying here, but recommend staying closer for better views if you can.

Morning view of Niagara Falls from a guest room at the DoubleTree Fallsview Resort

View from our room at the DoubleTree. This was our second morning when we had great weather.

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Restaurant Review: The Floridian, St. Augustine, Florida

16/05/202504/10/2026wareontheglobe 1 Comment

I spent 24 hours in St. Augustine a couple weeks ago, in April 2025, after attend a family wedding in the area. I wrote a post about St. Augustine as a whole here. While touristy, St. Augustine offers some decent places to eat, and I really enjoyed my lunch at The Floridian – a true Florida restaurant owned by Floridians and using local ingredients. This post details my lunch at the Floridian, which I very much recommend visiting if in St. Augustine.