tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90029609880501278032011-12-11T17:03:16.088-08:00Leslie Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296069389395880136noreply@blogger.comBlogger301100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9002960988050127803.post-28985250098757754762011-06-01T12:21:00.000-07:002011-06-01T12:21:22.560-07:00

Destination marketers are increasingly courting bloggers, who provide immediate, in-depth and influential coverage. I was asked by the NTA to answer three questions about travel blogging for their newsletter. My task was to explain the importance of blogger outreach and to clarify what bloggers are looking for when they visit a destination. I accepted without hesitation. The NTA is the leading

Leslie Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296069389395880136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9002960988050127803.post-21811908514103611442011-04-21T14:15:00.000-07:002011-04-21T14:15:47.226-07:00

Is it safe to travel to Egypt and Jordan? Travelers aren't so sure, and tourism is down significantly in the Middle East. The presidents of leading US-based travel associations are heading to the region tomorrow for a six-day trip. Sponsored by the tourism ministries of Egypt and Jordan, the “Restoring the Journey” trip is both a fact-finding mission and a way for the U.S. travel industry to

Leslie Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296069389395880136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9002960988050127803.post-58706505690715768862011-02-11T13:21:00.000-08:002011-02-11T13:21:11.480-08:00

New Yorkers have one more day to visit the Openhouse Gallery pop-up park. The chirping birds, green grass and trees may be artificial, but this is the closest you'll get to the real thing until springtime! Click on my Huffington Post article to learn more about the park: "New York City's Indoor Pop-up Park Is a Winter Escape" You might also enjoy these stories: Locavore alert: ‘Farm City’

Leslie Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296069389395880136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9002960988050127803.post-54092509471824047252011-01-21T08:41:00.000-08:002011-01-21T08:41:32.942-08:00

Aruba expert Keirsin Tjon Pian Gi During my round the world trip, I often found myself in cities where I didn't know a soul. I was eager to get out and explore but I wasn't sure where to go. Guide books pinpointed the tourist boutiques and theme restaurants, but didn't include the hottest bars or latest attractions.  I discovered that the best advice comes from locals who know their

Leslie Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296069389395880136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9002960988050127803.post-61843562476323564512011-01-19T10:41:00.000-08:002011-01-19T10:41:41.726-08:00

Yesterday marked my first day as a featured blogger for OneTravel.com, a travel website offering flights, hotels, and packages to top destinations throughout the world. Check out my first post, "How to Get the Most Value from NYC Restaurant Week." I will be contributing travel stories on a regular basis, including news reports, top 5 lists and service pieces. Are there any topics you would

Leslie Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296069389395880136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9002960988050127803.post-8740003489442406132011-01-16T23:18:00.000-08:002011-01-16T23:18:32.073-08:00

It's official: I can now add "quiz writer" to my list of accomplishments! Lifetime Digital just published my first celebrity quiz, one of several I wrote on assignment for the website. If you've ever wondered "which celeb dad is like my man?" this is the perfect time to find out! I enjoy writing quizzes because they unleash my creativity.  I've always been a pop culture junkie; I grew up

Leslie Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296069389395880136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9002960988050127803.post-14513234383447950982011-01-13T08:38:00.000-08:002011-01-15T21:28:23.280-08:00

I spent the first week of 2011 skiing and sledding in Salt Lake City. While I missed New York's epic "Snowmageddon" storm, I saw plenty of snow in Utah. Check out my first video post to see what free winter activities are available in the Beehive State.  This video appeared on Downtown Traveler and was filmed with Kodak PlaySport and Canon PowerShot Elph cameras. >> For more photos of Utah's

Leslie Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296069389395880136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9002960988050127803.post-67672279839667970302010-12-12T14:14:00.000-08:002010-12-12T14:14:20.255-08:00

As you may have noticed, I haven't updated the LeslieTravel blog in several weeks. I've been focused on developing a new travel website, downtowntraveler.com. I'm proud to announce that Downtown Traveler has launched! At just over two weeks old, the site is already attracting a growing community of independent travelers who crave arts, culture and adventure. My new travel website,

Leslie Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296069389395880136noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9002960988050127803.post-37293754300196244132010-11-21T17:47:00.000-08:002010-11-21T17:47:36.087-08:00

Online travel community GotSaga.com recently named the Top 50 People on Twitter who Inspire the Travel Industry. I was pleased to discover I made the cut! "LeslieTravel" is listed alongside such travel luminaries as Evelyn Hannon, the editor of Journeywoman.com, and JD Andrews of earthxplorer.com. Evelyn has over 9,000 Twitter followers while 40,000+ people follow JD. I'm honored to appear

Leslie Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296069389395880136noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9002960988050127803.post-74499639185660639312010-10-25T19:50:00.000-07:002010-10-25T19:50:59.357-07:00

This Saturday I covered the 20th Annual Halloween Dog Parade in Tompkins Square Park for The Local East Village, a new "hyperlocal" website from the New York Times. Eli the Chihuahua as an Egyptian pharaoh. (Photo: Leslie Koch) I met interesting New Yorkers and took photos of their fashion-savvy pets. Standout costumes included Gracie the Pug as Scarlett O'Hara, Sauce the Pomeranian as Tron,

Leslie Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296069389395880136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9002960988050127803.post-67802984152591701102010-10-25T19:07:00.000-07:002010-10-25T19:07:13.337-07:00

Are you ready for Halloween 2010? Don't be left out as New Yorkers take to the streets to celebrate our most festive holiday (if you don't count the Gay Pride Parade). That's me on the left!  I dressed as Michael Jackson for the 2009 Village Halloween Parade. This weekend New York City will be packed with vampires, zombies and Lady Gaga lookalikes. Lecherous celebs Mel Gibson and Brett Favre

Leslie Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296069389395880136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9002960988050127803.post-14164857338186744502010-09-26T09:14:00.000-07:002010-09-26T09:14:16.073-07:00

I was heading to the DUMBO Arts Festival in Brooklyn on Saturday when I hit a detour in the East Village. Mike Estabrook and Ernest Concepcion work on a large pastel drawing, part of their "Kangarok" series. (Photo: Leslie Koch) East 4th Street was filled with people, performers, craft tables and food stands. Artists were creating a masterpiece in oil pastels right on the street. A man in a

Leslie Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296069389395880136noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9002960988050127803.post-34672822139323147412010-09-22T18:20:00.000-07:002010-09-22T18:20:18.076-07:00

On Sunday I explored the art scene in Park Slope, Brooklyn with Krista Saunders as my trusty guide. Krista curates the G Train Salon and has a show running at Urban Alchemist, a design co-op located on 5th Street off of 5th Avenue. After checking out Jae Hi Ahn's exhibit at Urban Alchemist we ran into 'social sculpture' artist Tattfoo Tan at the Old Stone House. @LeslieTravel checking out

Leslie Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296069389395880136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9002960988050127803.post-41932147415599408892010-09-19T10:05:00.000-07:002010-09-19T10:05:17.928-07:00

This month marks the one year anniversary of my New York Destinations column on Examiner.com. It's been a year marked by change, both personally and professionally. I got married, changed careers, moved back to Manhattan, landed a cover story in a New York City newspaper, went on my first press trip and became a Twitter addict. Not too shabby-- considering I was backpacking around the world a

Leslie Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296069389395880136noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9002960988050127803.post-12384023480661592032010-09-18T08:53:00.000-07:002010-09-18T08:53:51.004-07:00

When Ciki approached me on Twitter to write a guest post for the Cumi and Ciki blog, I was excited-- and a bit nervous. Cumi and Ciki is a sleek food and travel blog with the best food photography on the web. The posts always include tantalizing close-ups of exotic dishes. Malaysian chicken rice, scallop carpaccio and prawn tempura are just a few recent selections. My assignment was a topic I

Leslie Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296069389395880136noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9002960988050127803.post-1117681900841168912010-09-12T16:37:00.000-07:002010-09-12T16:39:23.779-07:00

Visitors to Tompkins Square Park this weekend saw an unfamiliar sight: the entire perimeter of the park was covered in art. On Saturday artists were hard at work filling the 50"-60" square foot panels attached to the outer fence. Artwork ranged from paintings and drawings to collages. One artist was attaching clothing in the shape of a human figure to his panel. Children helped the adults on

Leslie Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296069389395880136noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9002960988050127803.post-35149105054288962062010-09-09T10:45:00.000-07:002010-09-12T12:56:13.892-07:00

Open bar, free bobbleheads, travel chat and Andrew Zimmern-- what more could you ask for? My encounter with Andrew Zimmern at the TBEX kick-off party in NYC. (Photo: Leslie Koch) Last night's TBEX kick-off party was a blast.  I met interesting travelers and got face time with Bizarre Foods host Andrew Zimmern. He autographed a copy of his new book The Bizarre Truth. Unfortunately, Zimmern did

Leslie Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296069389395880136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9002960988050127803.post-72331966059656644372010-09-08T08:57:00.000-07:002010-09-08T13:42:21.091-07:00

White sand. Crystal clear water. The widespread use of English. Located just 115 miles from the capital city. On paper, the beaches of Sihanoukville, Cambodia seem to have all the characteristics of an upscale resort community. In reality, this growing city is unlike anything most travelers have experienced before. An isolated stretch of Independence beach in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, in

Leslie Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296069389395880136noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9002960988050127803.post-14337565022064397242010-08-26T16:06:00.000-07:002010-09-12T12:58:45.372-07:00

This week I attended the Cajun Country media event at Bourbon Street Bar in midtown Manhattan.  It was sponsored by the State of Louisiana and the Acadiana Tourism Coalition. I enjoyed live music (by Grammy-winning artists), sipped Pinot Grigio and chatted with a dozen burlesque performers and tourism reps.  I learned a great deal about Cajun culture and the thriving arts scene in Lafayette, LA.

Leslie Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296069389395880136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9002960988050127803.post-43437153712745322452010-08-24T14:54:00.000-07:002010-08-24T14:57:21.508-07:00

My latest article on Examiner.com is a topic I hold near and dear: bachelorette parties in the Big Apple. Many of my NYC friends are getting married and I have been to my share of bachelorette parties in recent months. It turns out the countless hours of drinking and dancing at "hen" parties have served a higher purpose: research. In writing this story, I decided not to include any salacious

Leslie Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296069389395880136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9002960988050127803.post-21180510890052347252010-08-22T13:34:00.000-07:002010-08-24T14:58:15.205-07:00

New York City travel professionals flocked to the East Village on Tuesday for a night of $2 beers and bonding. The second ever NYC Traveler Tweetup attracted a mix of writers, bloggers, editors, and a dynamic PR/publisher duo. The tweetup coincided with #TravelTuesday on Twitter.  It was a testament to Twitter's ability to bring  together strangers with common interests and turn them into

Leslie Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296069389395880136noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9002960988050127803.post-74736224392325654152010-08-19T20:46:00.000-07:002010-08-19T20:46:38.585-07:00

Has the movie Eat Pray Love got you thinking about quitting your job and traveling the world? Before you cash in your 401K and jump on the next flight to Bali, check out this round the world (RTW) travel guide. These tips are based on my own experience as a RTW traveler. I set out in 2008 on a year-long journey with my fiance, starting in Fiji and ending in Toronto. We brought only our

Leslie Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296069389395880136noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9002960988050127803.post-45928754761586990592010-08-19T07:25:00.000-07:002010-08-19T07:25:49.247-07:00

As my readers and Twitter followers know, I absolutely loved my recent trip to Wyoming.  Jake and I had a blast camping at Yellowstone-- even though we didn't see a much-hyped grizzly bear! In just two weeks I took over 3,000 photos of the Cowboy State with my trusty new Canon G11. Most of the shots were taken at Yellowstone, the nation's first national park and home to the most amazing thermal

Leslie Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296069389395880136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9002960988050127803.post-43145741755236026252010-08-16T14:05:00.000-07:002010-09-15T20:28:51.212-07:00

I survived Yellowstone in the summer of 2010. Ordinarily, this would be nothing to boast about. But this summer season was punctuated by a deadly bear attack just outside of the park, a trio of escaped convicts on the run, and a record number of visitors in July. And it's not over yet! The triple threat of bears, convicts and crowds has not diminished the appeal of this iconic American

Leslie Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296069389395880136noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9002960988050127803.post-66684614191398504632010-08-11T08:43:00.000-07:002010-08-12T18:51:18.844-07:00

I just got back from a two week trip to Wyoming, also known as the "Cowboy State." Thanks to everyone who followed my adventures on Twitter at #LeslieInWyo! I kicked off the trip in Cheyenne, where I covered the annual Cheyenne Frontier Days festival.  I was invited by Wyoming Tourism to experience the country's largest outdoor rodeo.  I had a blast at the parade, pancake breakfast and Frontier

Leslie Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296069389395880136noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9002960988050127803.post-26474061213546650812010-05-22T08:17:00.000-07:002010-06-10T10:34:37.073-07:00

This week I investigated the role of Twitter in breaking news about the Bangkok street violence. The article appeared in my NY Destinations column and generated strong Google traffic. It is now my best read story to date on Examiner.com! Thank you to all of the dedicated journalists, bloggers and everyday folks who have been tweeting the latest political developments from Thailand. Their

Leslie Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296069389395880136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9002960988050127803.post-70537101482385342032010-05-20T17:18:00.000-07:002010-05-20T17:18:16.756-07:00

I ventured to Williamsburg earlier this month for the Swoon book signing, accompanied by G Train Salon curator Krista Saunders. The event was held at the Urban Art Projects headquarters and drew a diverse crowd. Newly graduated PR reps in stilettos mingled with grizzled street artists, middle-aged art aficionados and random passersby looking for free beer.  (The Brooklyn Lager was excellent).

Leslie Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296069389395880136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9002960988050127803.post-78100362518142834492010-05-15T00:45:00.000-07:002010-05-20T17:32:57.968-07:00

By Leslie Koch Originally published in the NY Destinations column on Examiner.com, May 12, 2010  You can camp out in Central Park this summer for free - and you won't even have to bring supplies! The Urban Park Rangers have scheduled three nights of free camping in Central Park this summer: June 5, July 3, and August 7. Photo Caption: Be an urban camper in Central Park this summer. Free

Leslie Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296069389395880136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9002960988050127803.post-29995429213080554962010-05-15T00:24:00.000-07:002010-05-15T00:28:22.693-07:00

by Leslie Koch Originally published in the NY Destinations column on Examiner.com, May 13, 2010 Artists continue to sell their work in Union Square Park as they wait for a Parks Department decision on a controversial vending proposal. The Parks Department plan would cut the number of art vendors by roughly 75% in four popular Manhattan parks. In Union Square Park, about 100 vendors would

Leslie Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296069389395880136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9002960988050127803.post-66268849316326288162010-05-14T23:48:00.000-07:002010-05-15T00:34:14.030-07:00

by Leslie Koch Originally published in the NY Destinations column on Examiner.com, May 11, 2010  The world's top tattoo artists will be in New York City this weekend for the 13th annual NYC Tattoo Convention. If you want to get a tattoo or simply appreciate good ink, head to the Roseland Ballroom in midtown. Photo Caption: A woman proudly displays her tattoos at the NYC Tattoo

Leslie Kochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296069389395880136noreply@blogger.com0