Sophie Friedman

New York

Writer at Freelance

Fact Checker at AFAR

Articles

The Best Hotels in the Catskills and Hudson Valley, New York, in 2025

1 week ago | afar.com | Sophie Friedman

A mere two-hour drive from New York City are two tranquil, green regions that New Yorkers frequent to get away from sirens, car horns, and skyscrapers. Up until the 1980s, vacationers’ main options in the Catskills and Hudson Valley were large, lavish resorts like Grossinger’s and the Concord.
These Are the 10 Best Cities in Europe in 2025—for Biking, Nightlife, and Green Space

1 month ago | afar.com | Sophie Friedman

Whether you want to vacation or live in Europe, it’s useful to compare how major cities stack up to each other. Every year, Resonance (a consultancy group in real estate, tourism, and economic development that Afar has partnered with for several years) releases an annual ranking of the best cities in Europe. Its thorough, holistic approach is especially useful now that working remotely is so common.
Fitzgerald and Picasso's Favorite French Rivera Beach Town Still Feels Like the Roaring 20s

1 month ago | afar.com | Sophie Friedman

A century ago, the French Riviera beach town of Juan-les-Pins was the playground of American expats who swam in the crystal-clear Mediterranean, drank way too much, and, in the case of one F. Scott Fitzgerald, produced two novels: The Great Gatsby and Tender Is the Night. At least one battered paperback copy of The Great Gatsby sat on my living room bookshelf when I was growing up in New York.
Fitzgerald and Picasso's Favorite French Rivera Beach Town Still Feels Like the Roaring 20s

1 month ago | flipboard.com | Sophie Friedman

6 hours agoDuring the Covid pandemic, New York-native Marc Zinaman embarked on a personal project. Sparked by his interest in Studio 54, the fabled nightclub associated with 1970s disco, he decided to research all of the urban addresses connected to New York’s historic queer scene. “That initial curiosity …
Why Cruisers and Travelers Should Linger a Day or Two in France's Second-Largest City

1 month ago | afar.com | Sophie Friedman

Get Your BearingsPort location: Ships dock at the Marseille Provence Cruise Terminal, Môle Léon Gourret, 4.5 miles north of the city center.
The Best Restaurants Near The Eiffel Tower

1 month ago | theinfatuation.com | Emily Monaco |Sophie Friedman |Sara Lieberman

The Eiffel Tower gets over 6 million visitors a year, and where there are tourists, there are tourist traps—a lot of them. The 7th is home to countless bistros unabashedly microwaving croque monsieur and factory-like crêperies piling industrial grated cheese on galettes that have been sitting around since morning. So let us help you avoid them. In this guide, we’ve zeroed in on the best of the neighborhood’s top French restaurants, including the legendary Le Jules Verne in the actual Eiffel Tower.
The 6 Most Glamorous Airport Lounges in the World

1 month ago | yahoo.com | Sophie Friedman

"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."The airport lounge is your reward for successfully navigating check-in, security, and sometimes long lines at immigration. Tucked away from the low-level chaos that is every airport terminal (even in the nicest airports), the lounge is a place to decompress from getting to and through the airport; a temporary office, a chance to shower, work out, or have a genuinely good meal.
6 French Wine Regions for Tastings Without the Crowds

2 months ago | afar.com | Sophie Friedman

The Lot region, east of Bordeaux, is home to inky dark wines and improbably perched villages like Rocamadour. Photo by Steven Allen/Shutterstock Making (and drinking) some of the world’s best wine is a point of pride for France, which is neck-and-neck with Italy every year for most wine production globally. Among the best-known wine regions are the Loire Valley, Burgundy, and Bordeaux, but wine is everywhere in this country. It’s time to raise a glass to France’s underrated wine regions.
Jeanne - Review - Old Antibes - Cannes - The Infatuation

2 months ago | theinfatuation.com | Sophie Friedman

When you make the 10-minute train ride to Antibes to visit the Picasso museum, prioritize a meal at Jeanne. At this wine bar run by two sisters (and named after their late mother), you’ll eat vegetable-forwarded plates served in earth-toned bowls made by the ceramicist just up the road.
Uva - Review - Centre Ville - Cannes - The Infatuation

2 months ago | theinfatuation.com | Sophie Friedman

Table 22’s sister restaurant is a fun mood where wine bar cool meets fine dining—there’s a wall of framed street art and a soundtrack that includes throwbacks like Indeep’s “Last Night a DJ Saved My Life.” Dishes are just the right side of formal, which means scallops layered with paper-thin truffles, but also karaage chicken or sides of waffle fries. Uva attracts all types—smartly dressed Swiss retirees, families with teens, and 30-somethings set on trying everything on the menu.