A Taste of Paris in NYC

Ever since I read this blog entry about a lovely Bastille Day picnic in France, I have been obsessed with celebrating France's Independence Day.

Yesterday was Bastille Day and, in New York City, Bastille Day calls for a big celebration complete with closed-off streets, music, French food, and other festivities. Though I would have loved to be in Paris wearing all white and celebrating with a picnic in front of the Eiffel Tower, the celebration at 60th street was the next best thing. And I did wear white to commemorate!

I picked up this fun little dress on sale at Zara. 

I am in love with the back of the dress--perfect to beat the summer heat! 

After walking down to the fete in all-consuming heat, we were happy to arrive at a (crowded) land filled with red, white, and blue, and macaroons, eclairs, wine, and music...

It was a lovely New York City summer day--even though I felt like my body was melting into the pavement in a sweaty puddle. Sigh...summer-in-the-city trade-offs.

To counter the heat of yesterday, I tried to head to the Rain Room exhibit at MOMA this morning, but I refuse to wait in an eight hour line in 98 degree weather to see a ten minute exhibit. I may have to just become a MOMA member and then try again on a Tuesday or Wednesday when I heard the wait time hovers around a speedy four hours....

In Search of the Craic: Ireland Travel Guide

Prior to traveling in Ireland, I had never heard the term "craic" before. The "craic" is essentially good talk, enjoyable conversation, a good time and it is found anywhere from teashops to bars to street corners in Ireland. Ireland has to be the friendliest place to which I have ever traveled and the "craic" is definitely one of the best attributes of traveling there. While there are a million different itineraries one could take in driving around Ireland, this was ours...


Warning: Major Photo Dump to Follow...

After leaving Dublin, we drove to Bunratty where we toured Bunratty castle and the grounds, got lost and wound up on a picturesque winery, dined at Durty Nelly's (the oldest operating tavern in Ireland, supposedly), and stayed in the beautiful Bunratty Castle Hotel:

From here, we were off to Galway. I wish I could remember the names of all of the beautiful places we saw along the way, but seeing as in Ireland, pretty much everywhere you look there is natural beauty, it is hard to keep everything straight. Definitely see The Cliffs of Moher. Gorgeous.

Apart from that, the one stop I must recommend (but that might be difficult to locate ever again!) was this amazing restaurant somewhere in County Clare. We were starving and saw a sign that said "food" so we drove up to this beautiful stone farmhouse with a green swinging dutch door, colorful potted plants, and picturesque views all around us. It was the best meal ever. Everything was really local--like, their farm local, the furniture was hand carved, the floors were stone, and the hearth made me think a cold winter night in this restaurant would never be cold. If you should find yourself driving the road from Bunratty to Galway and you see a little farm tucked away off the side of the road with a sign that says "food," I urge you to pull over...

Galway was such a great stop! I would definitely recommend it. It was here that we were sitting in a tea store, having high tea on china, that a local man introduced himself and wound up giving us a tour of the town. We talked to him for at least an hour about everything from politics to his second cousin who shares a last name with M. When in Galway, I recommend An Pucan (meaning "boat" in Gaelic) for traditional Irish music and the "craic," Cupan Tae for high tea and the conversation with the locals, Ard Bia, a delicious place to stop for lunch, and then a lot of wandering, as Galway is a great place to just explore.

After Galway, we headed to Connemara State Park and Kylemore Abbey, which were both beautiful. Connemara was a really (windy) fun hike with gorgeous views of the countryside and the ocean.

From here we went to Clifden via Sky Road, which was one of the most beautiful drives I have ever been on. In Clifden we stayed at this lovely bed and breakfast where I insist you stay should you ever find yourself here. Across from a castle and a sheep farm, this peaceful and adorable bed and breakfast was relaxing and quintessentially Ireland. When in Clifden, check out Mitchell's (be sure to make a reservation) for fresh seafood...

From Clifden we were on to Westport, an adorable seaside town with lots of places to eat, shop, wander, and enjoy a piping hot cup of coffee or a cold perfectly poured pint of Guinness. We ate lunch at The Pantry and Corkscrew. From a perfect potato leek soup to a light, flaky, delicious, savory quiche, the food here was phenomenal.  We then wandered around before jumping back in the car to go to Knocknarea for a beautiful, quick hike and to a nearby megalith with a final stop in the quaint medieval town of Donegal.

Donegal was a beautiful Medieval town that provided more fun wandering opportunities and a lovely meal at the Old Castle Bar and Restaurant.

The next stop was Slieve League. I'll let the pictures tell the story...It is a not-to-miss spot, for sure.

On the way back to Dublin we drove through Northern Ireland and made it back to the car rental place ten minutes before the vehicle was due...

For such a small country, Ireland has much to offer and much to see. We were already talking about the millions of other routes we could travel should we find ourselves in search of the craic in the future.

The Rocky Road to Dublin: Dublin, Ireland Travel Guide

As I mentioned here, getting to Dublin proved to be a bit of a hassle due to a last minute flight cancellation. Once we arrived though, we had about three of our ten travel days to spend exploring this beautiful city. Here is a list of my favorite things to see, do, and eat around the largest city in Ireland...

Accommodations:
We used Airbnb and stayed in a home in Dublin. The house was well-located, charming, had a beautiful garden out back, and bikes for us to borrow.

Eat:
Fish and Chips at Leo Burdocks
The Cellar at the Merrion Hotel: We stopped for lunch and it was the perfect respite from a morning of walking
Chapter One: Found in the basement of the Dublin Writer's Museum
Cake: Our absolute FAVORITE place for lunch. Difficult to find, but well worth the wandering, the food was delicious and the atmosphere was perfect! From kitschy mismatched teacups to organic, sustainable food, to the tiki garden that surrounded you as you ate in the middle of an urban area, this place offered much to love.

The Stag's Head: We loved this place because, since it was a little tucked away, it seemed to be filled with relatively few tourists and lot of Dubliners meeting their friends for drinks after work. We felt very authentically Dublin!
The Limetree Cafe: Across from the gaol, this place was delicious and a healthy counterpoint to the traditional Irish breakfast

See:
The Guinness Factory: We loved the tour, but if that is not your thing, at least go to the top floor bar for an amazing 360 degree view of Dublin

The "Doors of Dublin"
The Dublin Writer's Museum
National Gallery
Window shop and people watch on Grafton Street
Take a tour of the impressive Trinity College Library 

Phoenix Park (I recommend biking it!)

The Memorial Gardens
Wander the cobblestone streets

Walk along the River Liffey
Dublin Castle
Listen to traditional Irish music at one of the many Irish bars
St. Stephen's Green
Merrion Square
The Kilmainham Gaol (or "Jail" for you Americans out there!)

Shop:
Kilkenny
Avoca
Brown Thomas
Daintree Paper Store: Continue through the garden in the back and you will stumble upon Cake!

A Note on Packing:
Should you find yourself traveling to Dublin, or Ireland for that matter, be sure to pack for fickle weather. At one bed and breakfast where we stayed, we overheard a couple saying that they were hoping for better weather to which the owner replied: "Just wait twenty minutes." This response really captures the essence of Irish weather; pouring one minute, the sky will open the next to reveal the most spectacular sunshine. Summer in New York City brings 90 degree temperatures, while Ireland seems to hover at or around the lower 70s, but can also dip into the 50s. Be prepared with scarves, blazers, and rain gear!

The City of Lights: A Travel Guide to Paris

The New York Times has a travel series that I adore (and reference frequently) called "36 Hours in ______," where, as one would expect from the name, they offer a guide for two days in various locations. M. and I have this beat with our "19 Hours in Paris" guide. Our trip to Paris was actually not supposed to be 19 hours. As happens sometimes with travel, we received a lovely email from Air France hours before we left for the airport (and were scrambling to make sure our liquids met carry-on requirements) saying that our direct flight to Paris had been *GASP* cancelled. We had been re-booked on a new flight routed through London, during the closing day of the Olympic ceremonies nonetheless, which would now give us a mere 19 hours in Paris before we would need to hop on another flight to our final destination: Dublin, Ireland.

After realizing that there were no other options and we had to make the best of this, we made a quick decision that we would complain when we got back, sleep very little, and simply enjoy our very limited time in one of our favorite cities!

Paris was a whirlwind, but Paris is Paris and, thus, even those mere 19 hours left me loving that city of lights. That's the beauty of Paris. You can be there two years or two days, have a detailed minute-to-minute plan or none at all and you will still leave feeling full; sated by rich French foods, melodic French language, architectural beauty all around you, history overflowing from every corner, and gardens, flower shops, and bookstores at every turn, and just when you can't possible be filled with Paris anymore--your belly distended, your feet, in the heels you have worn to feel tres chic, throbbing-- you will turn a corner and spy the Eiffel Tower at night and feel renewed once again...

Accommodations:
We had planned to get a hotel, but the more I read blogs, the more I wanted to rent a real life Parisian apartment that was not in the middle of a tourist district, so that is what we did. I would completely recommend doing this if you should find yourself in Paris. Several sites work well for this: Homeaway, Airbnb, and Haven in Paris seemed to have the best selection for our purposes. The place where we stayed was beautiful, despite the fact that we hardly enjoyed it since we pretty much threw our bags there and slept for a mere two hours that night! There was a view of the Eiffel Tower twinkling at night, gorgeous French doors overlooking a quaint street in the 10th Arrondissement, herringbone floors, and incredibly detailed crown molding and other architectural details. Even the elevator had all of the quaint little touches that the Paris of my dreams required. Lovely.

Eat:
Cafe Flore and Les Deux Magots: Right next door to one another, these two locales provide delicious food and great people watching.
A macaroon at Laduree: There are many locations, and you will be sure to stumble upon at least one in your travels.
A hot chocolate at Angelina's: Rights across from the gardens, this is the perfect stop for a warm beverage...
On this blog's suggestion, we ate at Cafe Central on an adorable street near the Eiffel Tower in the 7th Arrondaisment. French food is so delicious. So is French wine.

See:
We headed right to St Germaine for a bite to eat at Cafe Flore and walked around this neighborhood before proceeding to walk in a giant circle where we saw the Louvre, Jardin des Tuileries, Les Invalides, Place de la Concorde, Pont Neuf, Champs Elysee, took a spin on one of the many gorgeous old carousels in Paris, strolled along the River Seine, wandered the Ile de la Cite, and ended our night rounding the corner from where we ate to see a spectacular and unexpected view of the Eiffel Tower. Everyone was out that night picnicking and drinking wine on the grass in front of the Eiffel Tower and we strolled along thinking that is the lovely thing about Paris. Even without a plan, and with a mere 19 hours, it is impossible not to fall in love with this beautiful, historic, romantic city of lights...

I Recommend Becoming an Accomplice

Happy Monday!

Now that my agonizing decision making process is over, I am feeling much better. I have always wanted to work abroad and, as with many things presented in life, I was completely not expecting to have a job offer in Barcelona. After much pro and con list making, we decided that it wasn't the best decision for us right now. The way the Euro is going, it was probably a good financial decision too...

This weekend was the perfect antidote to a stressful week of decision making. My friends came in for the weekend and we went to Accomplice: The West Village. If you are looking for something to do in New York City, I cannot possibly recommend this more! Without giving too much away, the premise is basically that your group (of 8 people) is trying to solve a mystery that they set up for you in the beginning of the "show." You follow clues that lead you around a neighborhood in New York City. Along the way there are actors that offer more clues, but you don't always know who is an actor and who is not in this bizarre city where just yesterday M. and I stood online for bagels with a man in a speedo and roller-skates. The untrained eye might think he was an actor, but M. and I knew he was the neighborhood loony. Anyway, not only is the show a ton of fun, but it is also a great way to go into a bunch of different adorable West Village locations. I don't want to give too much away since not knowing is a huge part of the fun, but I completely recommend it! It was a blast! We closed the night with dinner at a Spanish tapas restaurant where I rehashed the Barcelona pros and cons and, as all amazing friends do, they reassured me that I had made the right decision.

For more information on Accomplice: The West Village visit accomplicetheshow.com. While there are shows in two locations in New York City (and in other cities like London), we did the one in the West Village, which I totally recommend!

If You're Going to San Francisco...

You may have noticed my little hiatus from blog posting. Last week, I headed out to Oakland to study Mexican American history in the context of everything from Spanish colonization of California, to the labor issues surrounding the beautiful wineries of Napa and Sonoma, to the immigration debates emerging out of Arizona's SB 1070. After an intense week of study and subject related field trips, I met one of my closest friends in San Francisco for a weekend of fun.

From tasting anything and everything at The Ferry Building to a lovely rooftop party at the home of one of her friends, to a couple of delicious brunches and some wandering in and out of boutiques and restaurants in The Mission District on Sunday-- it was the perfect way to end a long week of lectures!

Should you find yourself in and around the environs of San Francisco in the future, I have included a few recommendations. Since I have been before and done things like Golden Gate Park, Muir Woods, Stinson Beach, Alcatraz, and other vineyards in the Sonoma/Napa area, this eclectic list is for the weekend traveler who is not interested in the typical tourist route!

Ceja Vineyards: After hearing their incredible immigration story, this vineyard becomes even more special. On your way up, stop both in Napa and Sonoma...too cute to miss and the food is delicious!

While Oakland has a bit of a bad rap, I found it to have a lot of similarities to parts of Brooklyn. There is a great hipster culture and, beyond that, some great food and sights. Check out the diverse and vibrant Fruitvale neighborhood if you have a chance!

The Ferry Building: I could go on and on and on and on...yummmm

Shopping in The Mission District: Some favorite stops included The Bell Jar, Therapy, a bite to eat at The Monk's Kettle, not to mention the three million design shops with which I just fell in love...

I hope everyone is having a happy Monday!

A Day Trip from NYC

This Saturday M. and I met friends, jumped on the ferry, and headed over for a day of 1920s fun on Governors Island. The weather made for a perfect ferry ride as we departed Battery Park; sky cerulean and warm rays of sunshine balanced with just a pinch of salty cool air. The 1920s party at Governors Island is always one of my favorite New York City events. People really go all out. The ferry is always filled with people wearing 20s costumes so realistic that you really feel as though you have been transported to Gatsby's world where "In his blue gardens men and girls came like moths among with the whisperings and the champagne and the stars." From the hair styles to the pearls to the intricate hats, dresses, and bags it was difficult to reconcile the then and the now on that New York ferry Saturday.

After sampling some cocktails (St Germaine is one of the sponsors of the event), we watched the Charleston dancers, and tried on some hats at the vintage stores.

I totally want this hat. Too bad it was $125.00!

We solemnly vowed that when the event happens again in August we will win the Charleston contest and wear more accurate period attire!

The event was over at five and we were still enjoying the sunshine so we decided to explore Governors Island for a bit. First, we went to see the Figment display. This is an interactive art exhibit in which you can slide down slides out of tree houses, build towers out of life size blocks, and, my personal favorite, walk around on the face of Lady Liberty! After we had our fill of childhood nostalgia inspired art exhibits, we headed over to this fort that is in the middle of the island all before catching the last ferry back to the other island--Manhattan!

When we arrived back in Manhattan we headed over to the East Village to sample some delicious Korean food. All in all a lovely day!

If you are looking for a day trip from Manhattan, I would definitely recommend Governors Island. There are free ferries that travel to the island every half an hour from Battery Park. The ride is quick, docking in under twenty minutes. You can pack a picnic, rent some bikes, run through a field that makes up one of the few open spaces not totally overcrowded in the area, or come for one of the many free events that the island is host to throughout the summer.

Enjoy!