RB, I am sure the recipe you made was the real thing. I called it bastardised because, as the story was told to me, an Indian or Bangladeshi chef based in Britain had a customer demand sauce with his chicken tikka (which is chicken that has been marinated and then grilled and is traditionally served without sauce), and made up a creamy sauce to serve it in, creating a dish that has traditional Indian ingredients but has been adapted to British palates. It took several years before it actually reached India, so while it is similar to traditional Indian curries it is really an Anglo-Indian dish based on the traditional chicken tikka.

Annie,that looks like Radisson Blu - nothing objectionable, spacious and comfortable. Just too much plain white. BTW, beyond the bed is a big window into the bathroom area with an electric shade that one can lower if one needs privacy. (My room in Beijing had that too except it had a wood blind with glass on each side.) I would stay at the Radisson Blu in Shanghai again. It has a good location not too far from my company's office there, train station, airport but still in a reasonable area if one has some free time. It just seems too white like they forgot some of the decorating. At least it is well lit. I was wrong about which hotel I'm staying in now in Tel Aviv - it's the Crown Plaza (Intercontinental was last trip). I'd like to avoid it - mostly those black encased lights and the kind of dismal pictures are bugging me. I'm here to visit some of my colleagues in the area between two meetings in Europe - but I have a day or so when I need to do prep for the meeting next week which I had planned to do in my hotel room so I'm in the room more than usual. It's on our company preferred list and in a better location for business than the other one that's currently on the list, but I think next time I may stay elsewhere. I'm not against modern though I prefer a more woody Danish modern look, but I hate the execution in this room. Terriks, if you ever get a chance to go to China, I'd recommend Yangshuo in Guilin, Xian (which has a very nice old city with most of the wall still intact in addition to the terra cotta warriors near by) most of all. Those and Beijing are what my husband and I enjoyed most of all when on a vacation. Most of the time, I'm in China on business - Shanghai is mostly a very big, modern city, though it does have some tourist interest Yu Gardens and the old area around it are very nice. Near enough Shanghai for a day trip is Suzhou which has lovely gardens to visit.

Here’s an update from The Philadelphia Preservation Alliance. This is a sad loss for the city. “Update on 239 Chestnut: Sadly, this 1851 historically-certified loft building designed by Stephen Decatur Button suffered catastrophic damage in a fire of undetermined origin early Sunday morning Thankfully, everyone got out and no one was seriously injured. We visited the site this morning with several structural engineers and L&I. Within the building, there is literally nothing left. The roof and all of the floors collapsed and pancaked into the cellar. The rear brick wall remains standing, but is unsupported and in danger of collapse. The first floor front has cast iron columns and trim (backed with masonry), and the upper facade is brownstone clad with stucco. Unfortunately it appears unlikely that the upper portions can be saved as the brownstone is quite brittle and crumbles easily. Further complicating things, the only access to the building is through the front - there is no rear alley access. Our best hope based on what we know to this point is that the building may be re-built someday to match the old, including the original cast iron front. Sadly, one of the finest blocks of historic buildings in Philadelphia will be compromised for a long time to come.”

I have no experience with Sonder but wanted to update my airbnb experiences following an inquiry I made here about them. Years ago, when they were relatively new, we tried a couple and were deeply disappointed. I asked for opinions about them maybe a year ago and because of the positive experiences, we dipped our toes back in the water. The first was at Christmas in Mexico with DD and DSIL. I cannot begin to tell you how much we loved it! Everything was absolutely perfect and far exceeded our expectations. So often we are on the go-go-go when on vacation but this place was so comfortable and lovely that we found ourselves very happy to spend some days there hanging by the pool, playing games on the large veranda overlooking the pool and water, grilling and drinking margs outdoors. It was very, very special and we would return in a heartbeat. "Superhost" designated. The second experience was in D.C. a couple of months ago where our first nightmare ventures into airbnb began. Our primary requirement was that it would be walking distance to our kids' home of which there aren't a lot of options. A "superhost" designated apt. was available with stellar reviews. We LOVED it, too. Nothing fancy or extravagant but so nicely decorated, lwell appointed, ight and bright, good sheets and bed, thoughtful snacks and pantry items, and it could not have been cleaner. The owners live upstairs. We had a reservation for May but unfortunately just canceled it, hoping to reschedule soon. Last thing. We also almost always stay in smaller boutique hotels and nicer bnb's. There have been SO many memorable ones. The breakfasts are almost always wonderful and satiate us well into the afternoon. So many interesting conversations occur at these breakfasts. DH is the one who enjoys researching and booking our trips and accommodations. Before booking he used to always ask me to take a look. I would veto many based on decor, lack of light, bathroom in the wrong location, yada, yada. But, wow, have to say he's gotten GOOD! Usually his options are all very acceptable but I still need to look them over because he may still throw in a zinger now and then! ;) Anyway, I appreciate the encouragement I received to try airbnb again!