Athens on the Upswing
Plus a haunted hotel in South Dakota, a new Kyoto jewel, and a $140 masterpiece…
This week on The Escapologist…
Sign Up for My Travel Journaling Workshop
Calling all doodlers, chicken scratchers, and aimless wanderers. I’m excited to lead my first online workshop! This one will be about travel journaling and memory keeping. You’ll get:
Tons of tips and tricks for remembering and documenting what you see during your travels – many of which were developed in my years as a travel editor
Ideas for what to save and capture, and when
A list of recommended journaling materials
How to set up a compact journaling kit you can use on the road
Dedicated time to make your own journal page (Bring paper and art supplies!)
A casual, safe, there-are-no-mistakes atmosphere
Take-away materials so you can remember what we discussed
Access to the recorded session after the workshop
Because the workshop is online (We’ll be on Zoom) and on a Sunday, pajamas and a cup of tea are suggested but not required. Shoot me a note or a comment if you have questions! I hope you can join us!
New in Travel, as Briefly as Possible
We’re heading back to Japan this spring, which of course means I’m slightly obsessed with the new Imperial Hotel Kyoto – the first new Imperial property in 30 years. Built in 1936 as a theater, it’s situated in the heart of the Gion district and the interior has been fully redone in Midcentury style. It has just 55 rooms – a relatively small scale for such a grand project.
Meanwhile on the other side of the world, in Rapid City, South Dakota, the Hotel Alex Johnson – built by a railroad baron to serve visitors to Mount Rushmore – has gotten a refurb. You’ve got the old west. You’ve got movie history (it’s mentioned about 20 times in Hitchcock’s North by North West). And you’ve got ghosts, allegedly. (I’ve stayed. I witnessed no hauntings, unfortunately.) What’s not to love?
Paris’s jewel box chapel of kings, Sainte-Chapelle, is and has been undergoing restoration. It’s remained open throughout, and it’s not clear to me if this is disrupting the chapel’s famous sightlines – and thus its Instagrammability. If you go, give a holler. (An influencer on TikTok recently called this a hidden gem, and… I just need everyone to please be serious.)
It’s the 100th anniversary of London’s Leighton House Museum, the former home and studio of pre-Raphelite painter Frederic, Lord Leighton. He is perhaps most famous for his 1895 painting Flaming June, which portrays a redheaded woman curled up for a nap. Leighton’s painting style became so unfashionable in the 20th Century that the canvas was sold in 1963 for $140. It’s now part of the collection at the Museo de Arte de Ponce in Puerto Rico. Leighton’s lavish home makes for a lovely visit if you like over-the-top tilework, weird little fountains, artist’s spaces, and canvases of gently blushing Victorian ladies.
Scratchpad: Athens, Greece
Status: I’ve been twice, in 2008 and again last spring.
Why now? Athens is suddenly feeling, dare I say, vibe-y? No longer a layover en route to paradise, the city is asserting itself as a place to come and stay.
Sleep: Yes, there is of course the new Ace Hotel and Swim Club, with its unbuttoned-to-the-waist, sepia-toned sense of swagger. Its suburban seaside location, billed as the Athenian Riviera, is in the midst of a development spree. It’s joined in the neighborhood by The Roc Club, which leans into Greece’s signature white-on-white-on-blue palette and has a dreamy rooftop overlooking the Mediterranean. Just up the road is 91 Athens, which has partnered with Domes Resorts to create chic, high-ceilinged cabana rooms that are walkable from the beach.
Eat: Ama Lachei, near the National Archeological Museum, serves deeply flavorful Greek small plates in a light-strung garden. It’s the perfect place to decompress after a day of sightseeing in the sun, and is popular with locals. If you don’t have a reservation, arrive early.
When you’re near the Acropolis, stop into Takis bakery for an olive bun or the spanakopita, which is rumored to be the best in Athens. This shop is lovely in Easter season and crammed with holiday sweets.
See: The grand Acropolis Museum, which opened in 2009, offers an unflinching statement to countries that looted and are still hoarding Greece’s national treasures: Give them back. Now. Besides showcasing some of the most jaw-dropping antiquities on earth, the museum has an enormous space created specifically to receive the Parthenon’s Elgin Marbles, which are currently held by the British Museum in London. You’ll get an acute sense of Greece’s pride and contemporary identity here – no small feat for a museum filled with artifacts that are thousands of years old.
If you’re looking for a more maximalist take on Greece, the Benaki Museum of Greek Culture has reconstructed 18th and 19th Century rooms that are a riot of ornament. Don’t miss the incredible costume collection downstairs.
Follow: Desired Landscapes offers walking tours and writing classes in Athens. Its founder, designer and Athens native Natassa Pappa, is also the publisher of the eponymous magazine, which fits in your pocket. A reflection on place and travel, it’s sadly no longer in print but its legacy lives on.
Not sure what it looks like now, but last summer Sainte-Chapelle had huge mirrors covering the scaffolding. If we're honest, my travel partners didn't even notice until they walked right up next to it, so I would say instagrammability remained intact.
Another Athens tip: B/H stayed at The Dolli last year and B has been talking about it ever since. The pictures he took looked amazing and he couldn’t say enough about the staff. They put together a scavenger hunt for H and were just generally lovely. Very modern and cool and the art collection is beyond.