Celebrity Travel: Go Away With Tony Rock

Based out of Los Angeles and Brooklyn, where he was born, comedian and actor Tony Rock says his favorite cities include Houston, Atlanta, Miami and Washington, D.C. But like his elder brother, Chris, he says nothing can replace New York City. "New York is home," he says. "It's so unique that there is no other place like it." The host of TV One's game show, "The Game of Dating," Rock's previous work includes hosting Russell Simmons' "All Def Comedy Live" and roles in "Everybody Hates Chris" and "The Redemption of a Dog." He invites fans to interact with him on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TONYROCKCOMEDY) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/TONYROCK). For more information about his live comedy dates, check out his website (www.tonyrockcomedy.com).

Q. What is your favorite vacation destination?

A. I went to a wedding in St. Maarten and we took a boat ride over to Anguilla for a day. We went to a beach that had the whitest sand I had ever seen before in my life. I was in the water up to the middle of my chest and could still see my feet. It was the clearest water. It was very relaxing -- beautiful weather, food was delicious, drinks were great and I just said to myself, "This is probably one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen in my life and I've got to come back here."

Q. Are you an adventurous eater?

A. I love to eat. I'm a foodie and when I'm on vacation, I want to be a foodie with their culture, with their foods. (But I'm also) the pickiest eater in the world! But every island I've been to, I try to take in some of their flavors -- whatever their main dish is. I had a red snapper dinner when I was in St. Maarten and it was incredible! It was like they literally got the fish out the water. You could taste how fresh it was. There's a difference in eating really fresh food. You can taste it and you can tell that it's not processed. A red snapper dinner with mango chutney on the side, and I still remember it. I think I've got a picture of it on my Instagram.

Q. What was the first trip you took as a child?

A. Driving with my family to South Carolina every summer from the time I was 5 to about 15. Once school let out every year, my siblings and I would get packed into a station wagon to drive to South Carolina to see my grandparents for summer vacation. If school let out on Friday, we were probably in the station wagon no later than Sunday morning and we would make stops along the way.

Since we were city kids, my parents wanted us to see life outside of the 'hood, so we would stop in Amish country, take a tour and see how they lived, which was mind-blowing to a kid from the inner-city. The first thing that blows your mind is that there is no electricity and they live comfortably with no electricity, no cellphones, no TVs, no modern-day appliances. What was impressive about that is that when you live like that, it really puts an emphasis on your attachments to your family. You could see how close they are, because there is no alternative entertainment. You have to talk and interact with your family. Then we would go to Virginia, stop again and take in some of the area where they re-enact the Civil War. Then we would go from Virginia to South Carolina, stop on a farm and see how they processed tobacco and see cotton fields and take tours of plantations. And then we would finally end up in South Carolina and stay at my grandparents' for the summer.

Q. Where are your favorite weekend getaways?

A. When I am in Los Angeles, I like to get away to Catalina Island. When I am in New York, I like to go to the Hamptons. Catalina is cool because you can go there, rent a golf cart and just ride around the island. And very few people know this, but they have a very tiny beach. It's very secluded so you have to really find it. It's like half a block long. You can go there and rent a cabana and hang out all day. It's really cool because it's so close to Los Angeles, but if feels so far away. There are shops and restaurants on a tree-lined street. It looks like a throwback to the old South. You can zip line and there are deer everywhere. You can feed the deer and hang out. In the Hamptons, I've been invited a couple times to day parties by Russell Simmons, so it's like mimosas all day and a bunch of celebrities hobnobbing. It's like people-watching and just listening to stories. It's very relaxing and chill.

Q. Where would you like to go that you have never been to before?

A. I've never been to Barcelona. I'd love to experience it.

========

(Jae-Ha Kim is a New York Times bestselling author and travel writer. You may follow "Go Away With..." on Twitter at @GoAwayWithJae where Jae-Ha Kim welcomes your questions and comments.)