t's going to be another exciting New
Year's Eve at our house. We'll put a few cocktail franks in the
microwave, pour some Chablis and tune in to see Dick Clark
shivering in Times Square.
If my daughter isn't out with her friends, there'll be plenty of
underground music to provide the background for the occasion.
I know we're not doing the travel business much good by staying
home, but that's what we do during this annual rite of passage. We
don't leave the comforts of home to go out and fight the traffic.
We spend the evening quietly, wishing for good things in the year
ahead. If I were more of a holiday adventurer, here are a few
places where I wouldn't mind spending the evening:
• Richoux's on Audley Street in London -- my
favorite tea room on the planet. This is what civilization would
feel like if we were still civilized: People having a good time
without making a lot of noise, a hot beverage to warm the cold
night and a chance for quiet conversation.
• The Man Wah Restaurant in the Mandarin Oriental, Hong
Kong -- the best Chinese food served elegantly in one of
the great hotels of the world. If you're going to the ASTA
convention next fall, make a note to try it.
• The Griechenbeisel Restaurant in Vienna --
Skip a few meals before you enter this classic Austrian place, and
leave plenty of room for the wondrous schnitzel. Then, bundled
against the Viennese night, take a walk in the Kartnerstrasse and
have a late glass of something warm.
• The Bella Vista restaurant at Las Brisas in
Acapulco -- There may be more beautiful resort hotels in
the world, but I haven't seen one to top this magical place. I
rarely envy others, but it wouldn't be hard to envy the people who
see the new year in here.
• The Park Hyatt Hotel in Sydney -- down by the
rocks with a gorgeous view of the harbor and the opera house. A
long way from home, but a wonderful reminder of how grand it can be
to see the other side of the world.
• Miller's Pub on Wabash Avenue in downtown
Chicago -- I'm a New Yorker, but Miller's makes me
understand why so many people love Chicago. It's nothing fancy,
just a place with good food and service. Bring a few friends and
enjoy.
• The Grand Hotel du Cap Ferrat on the Mediterranean
between Nice and Monaco, with a glorious view of the sea
-- You may need to refinance your house, but it will be worth
it.
• Sardi's -- yes, Sardi's, over-priced,
over-hyped but still the theater-district restaurant in New York,
where Broadway history is all around you. If you have an unlimited
budget, "The Producers" is playing down the street, and Nathan Lane
and Matthew Broderick are back.
Happy new year.