Three weeks ago, I arrived in one of the most stunning and expensive places I've ever been snowboarding — Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy's priciest ski destination.
28.01.2025 - 21:28 / insider.com
A three-and-a-half-hour drive from my home in Denver takes me to one of the most expensive towns I've ever visited.
I've lived in New York City and traveled to some of the world's most expensive destinations, such as Paris or Zurich. Meanwhile, a trip to Aspen, Colorado, transformed my definition of luxury.
In Paris and New York, five-star hotels and Michelin-star restaurants coexist alongside $1 pizza and cheap crepe carts. Aspen — for the most part — lacks the latter. Instead, luxury hotels and pricey dinners were practically my only options during my five-day visit.
Every day during my trip, I observed moments of opulence. Some I expected — yes, the mountain estates were shockingly grand, and the town's five-star hotel had glamorous amenities that attract celebrities like Britney Spears and Beyoncé.
There were also surprising moments of extravagance in everyday life. Even purchasing cannabis was a luxe experience.
Three weeks ago, I arrived in one of the most stunning and expensive places I've ever been snowboarding — Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy's priciest ski destination.
Stepping inside the Viceroy in Snowmass, Colorado, feels exactly like what you'd expect from a luxury hotel.
Most people commute in and out of New York City by train, ferry, or car. But some in the upper echelons of society can afford to fly above the chaos.
Sleeper trains can be many things — comfortable, cramped, bumpy, awe-inspiring, isolating, social, luxurious, and unbearable.
“I wasn't sophisticated—I was just a knucklehead out there on the road, taking notes and enjoying the fact that people had rearranged my cultural furniture and I was tripping around on things, and I liked that. I liked that a lot.”
“You’re going to want to see this.”
We've officially entered February, which means romance is in the air. But if you haven't planned the perfect Valentine's Day adventure for you and your sweetheart, Vio, the travel deals website, has a few ideas. In January, the website revealed its list of the most romantic getaway destinations for couples. It came to its conclusion after surveying 1,007 Americans who identified as «in a relationship» about their past and future couple trips, along with their «disagreements, their budgets, destinations, and golden rules for traveling together.» After examining all the data, it named Yosemite the spot that helps couples «feel the most romantically connected.»
"New Orleans is a city of mood,” chef Serigne Mbaye tells me one Wednesday morning in September. We've been discussing the merits of Parkway's po'boys and the old-school kitchen at Commander's Palace. While growing up in Senegal and New York City, Mbaye cooked with his mother, and his Uptown restaurant, Dakar NOLA, braids his memories of this time with his haute restaurant experiences and the deep-rooted African heritage of New Orleans.
The National Park Service opened a lottery for extended self-guided rafting trips along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park this week, offering hundreds of spots for 2026.
As I heaved my snowboard bag out of the trunk, onto my back, and across the Denver airport, I debated if the effort was worth it.
In many ways, my partner and I are proof that opposites attract.
Jan 30, 2025 • 8 min read