Day one of our luxury cross country road trip took us from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh.
Distance: 305 miles, 4 hours 49 minutes
Hotel: Kimpton Hotel Monaco Pittsburgh
Why we chose that hotel: We love Kimpton hotels because each one is so unique and gives you a real sense of place along with the brand’s signature service, eye-popping design and perks. They’re especially good for the beginning of a long road trip because their “Forgot it? We’ve got it.” policy means they’ll give you (or lend you, in the case of electronics) pretty much anything you need. Be sure to check online before you go because they have a secret password every once in a while that gets you something free.
Kimpton Hotel Monaco Pittsburgh
(Kimpton Hotel Monaco Pittsburgh)
We left Philadelphia to the sound of Springsteen singing Born to Run — how did Spotify know we were embarking on the first leg of our cross country road trip?! — and headed to Pittsburgh.
About halfway through the five hour trip, I asked Gemini to suggest a fun place to stop for lunch not far from the highway. Most days, we would just stop for fast food but, since we were going to arrive in Pittsburgh too late to see any of the sights we were interested in (the Andy Warhol Museum and the Carnegie Museum of Art), we thought we’d take the time to try a casual restaurant that was a local favorite somewhere along the way. Gemini offered some great ideas and we ended up choosing Bad Boyz Bistro in Bedford, Pennsylvania, which had been featured on The Food Network. We opted for burgers rather than their renowned hot chicken wings and we enjoyed seeing all the photos of movie and real life bad boys papering the walls. It was the ideal road trip stop. In fact, their website even has a Traveling section to give you directions from anywhere.
Bad Boyz Bistro is a Food Network recommendation and a great road trip stop.
(Lois Alter Mark)
A couple of hours later we pulled up to the Kimpton Hotel Monaco Pittsburgh, left our car with the valet and checked in. The hotel is housed in the James H. Reed building, a historic site that was once a prestigious law office. Built in 1903, its Beaux Art-style exterior is impeccably preserved and its interior is pure Kimpton: beautifully designed with lots of eye candy everywhere. When we entered our room, my husband was so blown away, he asked, “Do you think all our hotel rooms will be downhill from here?” (Spoiler alert: No!)
The perfect room after a long day of driving.
(Kimpton Hotel Monaco Pittsburgh)
I love a bright, colorful room and the Kimpton was all that and more. From the birdcage lamp to the whimsical wallpapers in the hallway, the bathroom and even in the closet, we found design touches we want to replicate at home.
I’m obsessed with the wallpaper in the closet of our room.
(Lois Alter Mark)
The bathroom of our King Corner Premium Spa room was a delight in itself. It featured a huge soaking tub that launched my husband’s new evening bath routine. You see, the thing about luxury hotels is that they tend to offer bathtubs, which are perfect for relaxing at the end of a long day of driving. This one, located inside the massive walk-in shower, was pure bliss.
Our spa-like bathroom in Kimpton Hotel Monaco Pittsburgh.
(Lois Alter Mark)
Because it was already close to 5 pm by the time we arrived, we decided to check out the hosted wine hour in the Living Room. Every day, the hotel invites guests to gather over complimentary drinks and bites and we totally indulged in the delicious cheesy fried potatoes while taking in the conversation piece art and writing postcards. There’s a cute little desk filled with branded artsy postcards and colored pencils for you to write to your friends and family back home to give them FOMO. You can toss your finished greetings in the mailbox (no stamp necessary) and the hotel will mail them for you.
The Living Room of the Kimpton Hotel Monaco Pittsburgh
(Kimpton Hotel Monaco Pittsburgh)
The space was so warm and welcoming and, when we left, the hostess encouraged us to bring bottles of water and cans of soda back to our room. We really appreciated this so we could fill our cooler for our next day of driving.
To get in at least a few steps, we walked around the area by the hotel for a little while, stopping in at Amazing Books & Records and picking up sandwiches at Subway to eat in our room since we didn’t want a big meal. We had dinner in bed while appropriately catching up with the new season of The Pitt, then happily fell asleep nestled under the plush comforter.
The Commoner bar and restaurant at Kimpton Hotel Monaco Pittsburgh
(Kimpton Hotel Monaco Pittsburgh)
The next morning, we had an early breakfast downstairs in The Commoner, a cozy, tavern-like space in the hotel that immediately feels like your favorite neighborhood bar (and turns into one later in the day). We filled up on eggs, bacon and more of those irresistible potatoes, grabbed our bags and an iced tea to go and got back on the road.
Kimpton Hotel Monaco Pittsburgh had set the tone — not to mention a very high bar — for our luxury road trip and we were excited to keep going.
Next stop: Cleveland