By Jae-Ha Kim
Tribune Media Services
March 1, 2011
On NBC’s conspiracy-laden series “The Event,” Lisa Vidal plays first lady Christina Martinez. “It’s definitely a fun role and I have a lot of respect for her,” the 45-year-old actress says of her character. “She is a strong woman who deals with complicated issues much better than I ever could!” Based out of Los Angeles, Vidal picks Hawaii as her all-time favorite vacation destination, but says that nothing beats California for a short road trip.
Q. What is your favorite vacation destination?
A. My favorite vacation destination is Hawaii. I love the people, the weather, the beaches, the food and the different activities they have to do there. It’s a place that my husband and I can enjoy and where my kids can have fun and never be bored. You can just lie there in the sun and relax. You can go swimming or surfing. You can take a hike. It really is one of the most beautiful places in the world. I have never had a bad time there.
Q. Where are your favorite weekend getaways?
A. The great thing about California is you can drive to a different place each weekend and have a new experience. I love skiing at Mammoth Mountain, which is just gorgeous and has a fantastic view. In the summer, you can’t beat a drive to Santa Barbara. And you can’t forget San Diego, which has almost perfect weather all the time. It’s family-friendly but also kind of a romantic city as well.
Q. What are your favorite hotels?
A. The Plaza in New York City is always a favorite. I love the architecture and the ambiance of the hotel and the fact that it’s also in the heart of the city near one of my favorite stores — Bergdorf Goodman! The Four Seasons in Maui is just really wonderful and the service is really nice there. And I also love The Bel-Air in Beverly Hills.
Q. What are your favorite restaurants?
A. I have no many. I really like Nobu in New York, Mastro’s Steakhouse in Los Angeles and Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago. I love good food but I’m not a food snob. I like fried Spam, too! I’m Puerto Rican and grew up eating it, so I don’t turn my nose up at Spam.
Q. When you go away, what are some of your must-have items?
A. My sunscreen, a good moisturizer, my blow dryer and lip gloss! If I have those things, I’m good to go.
Q. What are your five favorite cities?
A. New York City, Paris, Aspen, Austin and Miami.
Q. What kind of research do you do before you go away on a trip?
A. I always Google things to find out more before I get there, like which restaurants I may want to check out or where the sites are located from where my hotel is. I also like to check into activities that we may want to do.
Q. Where would you like to go that you have never been to before?
A. I would really love to see Greece and Italy some day. The history of those countries is just amazing. And so is the food!
Q. What is your best and/or worst vacation memory?
A. My worst vacation memory is a cruise my husband and I went on when we were first married. The ship was very small and the ride was very bumpy. We barely got to spend any time on the islands we were visiting. My best vacation memory is of being in Hawaii with my family. The weather was perfect, the food was great and the people were wonderful.
© 2011 JAE-HA KIM
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