Georgetown Ritz Carlton: History Abounds

The Ritz-Carlton is a property with a big appetite. Dinner at the warm and intimate Living Room with exposed brick, an aromatic wood-burning fireplace, lounge seating, and with Executive Chef Montenegro at the helm, another salute from the both of us. The chef truly created a pleasing dining experience. I enjoyed a dish prepared with heirloom smoked roasted tomatoes with a touch of basil and balsamic glaze, and I also ordered a medium rare Hanger Steak marinated in a local crafted Lager beer, with a side of French fries and chimichurri. Lisa selected the Smoked Nantucket Scallops with the chef’s special recipe including parsnip puree, succotash tomatoes, corn, serrano peppers, bacon lords and a charming chili oil. The service was superior and speaking with other guests they agreed wholeheartedly.

The National Mall

There was time to do some exploring though a visitor should allow a week or more to thoroughly enjoy the National Mall, the country’s most visited national park. There are an implausible 17 Smithsonian museums, galleries, and a zoo, with eleven located on the National Mall, in addition to the United States Capitol, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, the United States Memorial Holocaust Museum, a multitude of other intriguing museums, and George Washington University which is located in Georgetown.

I needed to immerse my mind to gather a sense of community. Flourishing Georgetown was founded in 1751, and today is an elegant upscale city, home to numerous embassies fully enhancing the international panache. Boutiques are bursting with the fashion of the day, dining opportunities covering the world, while the historic city’s shopping is equivalent to Beverly Hills, Rodeo Dr. in California, and Palm Beach Florida’s retail mecca, Worth Avenue. The downtown streets where languages intermingle in a soft refrain, are filled with residents, visitors, and loads of young people thanks to prestigious Georgetown University founded by Bishop John Carroll in 1789. Walking distance from the Ritz-Carlton visitors will find Georgetown’s waterfront and popular Washington Harbour with exquisite dining, live entertainment, boating opportunities, and accessibility to jogging and biking trails. With a sense of discovery in tow, a one-hour drive to Virginia’s Louden County, is a treasure chest of some 50 wineries, offering some of the finest wines in this part of the country.

When you go

Tip – When planning a trip to D.C. allow enough time for the historic and abundant attractions. The comfortable and club-like hotel is splendidly located to visit the National Mall and Georgetown. All accommodations have a view of the neighborhood or the Potomac River. A visit here can easily become a lifetime memory.

Downtown Phoenix at the Shearaton Phoenix

Trisha Ventker

The enormous Sonoran Desert, a colossal 120,000 square miles of splendor that spreads like a great tapestry of textures and grandeur across international boundaries from Arizona into the State of Sonora in northern Mexico, is one of the last great, untrammeled natural treasures in North America. I find this sun-blessed region of bright dry heat, brilliant low-hanging stars, and changing shadows that shift with the sun as they drape like endless silk ribbons across craggy mountain ridges, and hidden canyons, is a desert with tales to tell. One of the largest in North America, the desert, for me, is a mysterious and serenely silent land with intolerant beauty.

Phoenix, located in the northern reaches of the Sonoran Desert, officially founded in 1881 with the most sunshine of any major city on earth, is blessed with a large landscape, and alongside an authentic twist, passionately celebrates the Sonoran Desert with the Desert Botanical Gardens and 50,000 desert plants meticulously revealing the glorious abundance of the desert and the contrasting grandeur of delicate flowers and plants that somehow survive in an unrelenting land.

We booked in at the newly renovated Sheraton Phoenix Downtown, Arizona’s largest hotel with 31 floors and 1,003 rooms and suites. I’m traveling with Peter, my Sales and Marketing Director and VP, and we quickly decided to do some exploring since the property is immense. We observed touches of Southwest Arizona décor, while the spacious lobby was conveying energized vibes, as a nicely dressed lady checked in with a small dog that seemed to be quite relaxed like the hotel was her second home. The swimming pool was long and narrow, similar to a lap pool, and in the huge 24-hour fitness center there was high-end Technogym equipment from Italy, and for meetings enough space for any size gathering. My room, contemporary and well planned, had a bathroom large enough for a wheelchair.

Anhelo’ s Wine Paring

We visited Anhelo for dinner and were aware of their reputation. The name translates to desire or longing in Spanish and is listed among Arizona’s top restaurants with an esteemed wine cellar of some 500 selected vintages from Napa and Sonoma Valley, Oregon’s Willamette Valley, France and Italy, and honored by Wine Spectator Magazine with an “Award of Excellence.” Chef Ivan Jacobo sources his products locally, offers a seasonal menu, and the house specialty is wine pairing, so I gave it a try with six appropriate wines to enjoy with the chef’s creations.

First up was a refreshing Cantaloupe Gazpacho served with a New Zealand, 2022 Sandy Cove Sauvignon Blanc. Next, a delightful Foie Gras Torchon, with a French Chateau Guiraud, 2014. Third course, Seared Scallops, lightly seared, along with a glass of French Louis Jadot Clos De Malte, 2018. The fourth medley was an appealing plate of prized Ossertra Caviar, offering a bold flavor evocative of the sea, accompanied by an Oregon, Walter Scott Cuvée Ruth Pinot Noir, 2021. A French Domaine Jean-marc Vieilles Vignes, 2018, enhanced the flavor of a Juniper Smoked Duck, and the sixth course, my favorite, was the famed Wagyu Short Rib, cooked to perfection, the French, Château Malescot St. Exupéry Margaux, 2014, a perfect selection. Dessert was a slice of Japanese cheese cake.