Vol. 11, No. 2 | Everything Feels Different When You’re Warm
Hey Ya’ll!
These past few weeks have been a little bit of a blur. My brain feels like it’s still catching up with everything. Getting back into the swing of work was rough. It was cold. And at this point, I’ve been cold for months. I don’t do cold well. I’m in Miami for a few days for work, and I can finally see the end of the tunnel.
Now that I’m warmer, here’s what I’ve been thinking about:
Best restaurants of 2025: Is it too late for this? This was my plan for my first newsletter of the year, so I still wanted to make sure I shared some of my favorite meals (food and drinks) of last year. I won’t go into a ton of detail, just know that if you’re in or find yourself in these cities, please check these out: Kabawa (NY ), June (Vancouver), Nessa (London) and Gunpowder (Lisbon).
Rockaway Hotel: I touched on this last time, but our December travel was rough. It would take me an entire newsletter to write about all the things that went wrong. However, I also realize that if it wasn’t for this, I wouldn’t have landed at the Rockaway Hotel in New York. When our flight left for Lisbon without us, we had to spend the night in New York. I had my eye on this hotel for another trip, so when I saw it on the Delta list, I picked it immediately. I didn’t care that it was 30 minutes from the airport. As soon as we walked in tired and frustrated, and then met with a glass of rosé, I knew I’d made the right choice. The heated pool and sauna was the cherry on top. This hotel became one of my favorite parts of the trip.
Authors of the Estate: Another highlight from last year was finding London-based creative Andre Anderson. He did one of the workshops for the Bombay Sapphire trips I did in October. I was fascinated with his perspective on the world. I’d try and explain this more, but he’s just released a YouTube short and it would be better if you just watched it. It’s an inspiring way to start the year.
Jamaica: A few people have reached out to see if Jamaica is still happening this year. It is! I’ve shifted the experience from our normal dinners and instead we’re rafting down the Rio Grande. Post-hurricane Melissa, I wanted to support the island, but also make sure we were supporting the community. This experience will allow us to do that. Simultaneously, it aligned with my new view on Holy Sip being a field guide. This experience matches that vision.
Bar Premio: I finally found the space that I’ve been looking for in Atlanta. I kinda don’t want to share this one. There are many places that I love in the city, but Bar Premio is the exact kind of space that I love. It’s the lobby cafe/bar in the Forth Hotel. It’s visually stunning and still cozy. It has coffee/tea for most of the day and then transitions into a bar later in the evening. They have amazing pastries and still heartier meals. This is exactly why I love it. It does both of everything and equally well. It’s the type of space I can sit in all day. I can meet with friends. I can go alone. I can sit at a nook. I can sit at the bar. I can hear a DJ. I can write. I can work. The cacio e pepe is incredible. It’s perfect. Please don’t go. Fine, you can go, but just don’t tell anyone else.
Hope you’re all well!
Shannon