Andy "Daddy-O" H.'s Profile

Just go here already.

Fish tacos are insane!
Chorizo tacos are heavenly!
Guac!
More fish tacos!
I'm addicted!

Easily my favorite cup of coffee in New York. While I have been meaning to make it to their Chelsea and Greenpoint locales, the one in Park Slope is perfectly fine.

It is a tad small and really is only good for coffee (not many snacks here), but who needs anything else after you've drank a cup of their Colombian brew.

Andy happy.

On my most recent visit to England's capital city, I was fortunate enough to spend a few nights at a new hotel that just opened its doors a few weeks ago called The Arch London.

As part of a press trip with VisitBritain, I was privy to check into this quaint 82 room collection of seven Georgian townhouses and two mew homes.

I arrived earlier than scheduled, so since my room was not ready, I was advised to take a load off and take full advantage of their study located in the lobby area. I was able to plug in and use their (quick) Wi-Fi, which was great since I need to get some work done.

When my room was available the bell boy was quick to grab my luggage and show me to my room. Upon entering where I would be resting my weary bones after a long night of flying, I was pleasantly surprised (...and for a good reason).

The standard room in which was booked into was immaculate (although it was also a month old, so I would hope so) and was very inviting. The room included such great features as:

Complimentary wireless internet access, which was super fast and always kept me connected.

Complimentary Nespresso machine and Jina tea, which I did not use, but it looked nice.

Complimentary soft drink bar, which I did use quite often during my stay. It was stocked with a six pack of coca cola, orange juice, apple juice, milk, champagne and two beers. All included in your rate!

Flat screen television with Sky HD package that includes foreign channels.

Want to watch a movie? Then head downstairs and borrow a DVD to use in your room's DVD player.

Internet radio was next to my bed but did not work when I tried to use it. Also doubles as an iPod/iPhone dock.

US and European adapters in the room, which came in handy since I had forgotten mine at home.

Laptop sized safe.

Super soft and comfortable beds with great comforters and pillows.

Plus the best feature of all...a television in the bathtub!

If you can pry yourself from your room, then head downstairs to The Arch London's beautifully decorated and extremely delicious restaurant called HUNter 486. One evening for dinner I ordered the steak tartare with a quail egg and french fries and was in culinary bliss.

So perfectly prepared and all that goodness was washed down with a local English stout that was recommended by one of the restaurant's managers.

Enjoy some afternoon tea (or a few adult cocktails) in the super cozy Martini Library, located on the lobby floor.

The Arch London is centrally located to all that London has to offer. You are within walking distance to such attractions as Hyde Park (which is just down the block), numerous cafes, trendy Oxford Street and the Marble Arch Underground station.

Although it is still working out very minor kinks, which is natural for any new hotel, The Arch London is simply brilliant and definitely worth a stay the next time you are in London.

For all you gym rats out there, and I am surely not one of them, The Arch London also offers a gym on the property.

For more information on staying at The Arch London, check out their official website.

I am an avid traveler that also happens to live in the city that never sleeps. Sounds like the best of both worlds right?

Well it is.

But there are times when I can not take a trip too far from home base and need to get out of the craziness that is the Big Apple.

So it was a nice change of pace to be able to take a trip that only involved an hour long ride on the Metro-North railroad. I was recently invited to check out a great hotel option that is just 25 miles outside of Manhattan.

Located in Tarrytown, New York, the Tarrytown House Estate & Conference Center is a real hidden gem that is tucked away in this great quiet and cozy part of Westchester County.

After being dropped off at the Irvington train station, which sits alongside the Hudson River, I grabbed a quick cab ride to the estate.

As you enter the dramatic driveway entrance, you can not help but feel a little excited about what this place will have in store for you once you check-in.

The woman at the front desk was very helpful and gave us all the instructions that we need in order to find our room. As I walked to my room I noticed that there was a wedding reception in process.

Although I was tempted to live out my lifelong dream of being an actual wedding crasher, I was unfortunately not storing an extra suit in my luggage.

I checked into my room, which came with two full-sized beds and a decent view from my window. There was plenty of room to relax and get work done.

Accommodations include a work desk, flat-screen television, free wireless internet (which was extremely slow), a laptop safe, and in-room Wolfgang Puck coffee and Lipton tea.

The bathroom was broken up into two parts. You had the sink and mirror right outside of the room which had a small shower and toilet.

The ceiling was pretty low too in the bathroom. I am over 62 and my head was just about touching it. The soaps, shampoo, lotions and other body products were actually pretty nice and smelled great.

While I stayed at the Tarrytown House, I made sure to check out their restaurant Cellar 49. Just a short walk outside of the actual hotel and down a little path, you will find this dimly lit and intimate eatery.

One thing that I did not understand was that in order to get into the restaurant I had to walk into the lobby of where a wedding was throwing their reception.

It makes for an awkward entrance as you step into this room full of friends celebrating and you are looking for the entrance to a restaurant. A separate entrance for people just looking to grab a bite to eat would have been nice.

In any event my meal was good, not great, and the waitress was absolutely outstanding. A very nice, funny and hard working woman made sure my glass was always full and checked up on my party in case we needed anything.

The place was pretty quiet for a Friday night, however since this was the night after Thanksgiving, many people were probably still recovering from a food hangover with family and friends.

I would recommend the Tarrytown House Estate & Conference Center to couples looking for a quick getaway in the New York area or anyone that wants to visit the Big Apple, but would like to see more of New York and spend less for their room. It also looks like a fantastic location for a wedding.

The Tarrytown House is currently running a great promotion that will get you a deluxe room for two and a full American buffet breakfast starting at $169 per night. For more information, check out their official website.

Embarrassingly I had not tried Shake Shack until this past week. No idea why it took so long as I love burgers and heard so many great things about this place.

The cheeseburger was a grease filled mess of goodness! Grilled to perfection with a great bun, tomatoes, cheese and lettuce.

The fries, while a tad bit too salty, were still also very tasty. I finished them all in about 3-5 minutes.

I will be back to try pretty much everything else on the menu soon. I have been craving another burger since I stopped in here for lunch three days ago.

That is some damn good ice cream! This 1920s fire-boat house turn all-natural ice cream factory is a must visit when hitting up DUMBO. I got rocky road & mint chocolate chip.

I was really hungry. Reaaaaaaaaaaaaaally hungry.

So while wandering aimlessly in the District of Meatpacking, I  came across Pop Burger.

I ordered me up two mini burgers, fries, and a soda pop.

Burgers: Meh. I mean they were kind of tasty, but in the end felt like an upgraded fancy white castle burger. Nothing mind blowing.

Fries: I have read some people so bonkers about the fries, but I just do not get it. They were edible, but again nothing to write home about.

Soda: Well it was a can of A&W root beer...so yeah it was tasty.

Service was insanely fast. I might have been in and out of the place in under 45 seconds. I walked in, placed order, debit was swiped, and bag was handed to me. That was extremely fast food.

***Andy H.'s 10 minutes at the AT&T Store at 773 Lexington Avenue.***

4:04pm - Walked into AT&T Store

4:05pm - Salesman darts over to me asking if I need help. I reply, "Yes. I need an iPhone case."

4:06pm - Salesman shows me expensive cases. I direct her towards the cheaper ones.

4:07pm - Salesman shows me the wide variety of colored cases to choose from. Actually it was only neon green, orange, and red.

4:07pm - I chose orange.

4:08pm - Salesman walks me to the register.

4:09pm - Salesman pushes extra iPhone insurance on me. I kindly decline.

4:10pm - Salesman asks me, "are you sure?" I reply, "yes."

4:11pm - Salesman pushes some new at&t service on me. I decline. Not so kindly.

4:12pm - Salesman asks me, "are you sure?" I reply, "yes."

4:13pm - Salesman rings up the case. I swipe my card. Salesman hands me the receipt. I kindly decline a bag and chuck it into my own bag.

4:13pm - I head toward the exit. Another salesman says, "have a nice day." I kindly reply, "you too."

4:14pm - I leave.

fin.

God damn can I get just a little more leg room. Being 6'2" sucks on a plane, but with BA I was unable to move my legs for 5 hours when I flew out of JFK to Heathrow. Awful.

Airplane food blows...we all know this. But BA has taken sucktacular cuisine to an all new level. Blech. Wow thank you for this bountiful harvest which includes such goodies as a big dry roll, a nasty piece of cake, a tiny cup of water and a microwaved piece of chicken and veggies. Yummo!

Also the first class areas on BA have become these extremely long runways that you must squeeze by because they no longer have cushy seats...they are cushy friggin beds. We get it, you spend an extra $2000 on your plane ticket. Ugh.

Done with flying BA...it is wonder they have been in the "red" consistently for years.  I call them Boo-tish Airways. Yeah...I went there!

Located in the South West English city of Saltash in Cornwall, the St. Mellion International Resort is truly a golf lover's paradise. But not to worry if you are trying to become the next Tiger Woods, as this luxury hotel has plenty to offer for just about every kind of traveler.

I stayed at this recently renovated property while on a trip to check out the Sony Twilight Football game. Now normally I book my own hotels, as I am a bit of a hotel nerd and love to check out locales that interest me. But the good people at Sony were in charge this time and luckily for me they had good taste.

In 1976, two brothers that loved to swing a golf club decided to turn their potato farm into a place where people could come and try to sink a hole in one. Eventually a hotel was built on the land and the rest is history. Currently St. Mellion is owned and operated by Crown Golf, who acquired the hotel from American Golf in 2004.

As stated earlier, if you love to golf, then this is your kind of hotel. St. Mellion has two golf courses, one of them is the original course built over 30 years ago and the other is a Jack Nicklaus Signature course. The latter hosted the prestigious Benson & Hedges International Open on six occasions back in the 1990s. Plus it will host the revived English Open in 2011, which was on hiatus due to some financial issues.

Now this resort is not just all golfing and looking good in khaki pants. St. Mellion also has many great "non-golf" related activities, such as:

   * Three indoor swimming pools.
   * A gym with all the latest cardio vascular equipment, weight training, and free weights.
   * Special classes like Thai chi, aqua aerobics, and pilates are offered to guests.
   * Relax at Elemis Spa, where you can take in such goodies as a full body massage.
   * The resort also can host children's birthday parties.

The room I checked into at St. Mellion was airy and bright with very modern amenities. It offered my friend and I plenty of room and even a great terrace right on the 18th hole of the Nicklaus signature golf course. Unfortunately there were no chairs on this great outdoor area, so after a few minutes, I wound up back inside hanging out in my room.

Some of the great features in a regular room at the St. Mellion International Resort include:

   * 27 flat-screen television
   * Universal AC adapter in the bathroom, but not in the bedroom. If for some reason you forget your adapter for the laptop or cell phone, do not fret. Simply call the front desk and they can lend you one.
   * Free wireless internet. Luckily it was actually good wireless internet, as from time to time hotels offer it for no charge, but it also completely sucks.
   * Huge bathroom with a great shower and bath tub. The heated mirror was a nice touch, so when you get out of the shower it is not completely fogged up.
   * Safe, iron, and plenty of space to hang clothes in the over sized closet.
   * 24-hour room service.

I also had the opportunity to partake in a few adult beverages at the ultra modern Bewdern Bar & Brasserie which overlooks the 18th hole of the Nicklaus golf course. In addition to pouring a decent pint of Guinness, they sell snacks as well and have a few televisions with football or other sports playing for the guests to enjoy.

St. Mellion also has the Jack Nicklaus sports bar and The Lounge, while both looked nice I was unable to check out.  However I did get the chance to dine at the super chic An Boesti restaurant, which provided excellent service and equally impressive cuisine. Oh and my wine glass was never empty with the waiter running over every time I was low.