MondayLunchCrew

This past Canadian Thanksgiving I packed my suitcase and took myself to NYC to visit all my friends. It was the first trip in over a year, (I'm shocked myself!) and it was well overdued.

I stayed with two friends, Cynthia in Brooklyn at her new apartment and Theresa in her apt in Manhattan. As I expect, I was treated very well and effort was made for home cooked meals! I felt so special!

It was really a whirlwind.

I had taken the GO bus and TTC to the airport on Friday. It was very doable and not too challenging. The suitcases were relatively light. I was really pleased with the new connecting train between Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 at Pearson International Airport. It was relatively convenient and gave the airport a more 20th century feel to it. At least more on par with other airports I've been to with their inter-terminal trains.

The trip started off right since the customs person at the airport was so super nice. She smiled, repeated herself without attitude, was friendly, thanked me for information and even wished me a good trip. She was the best customers person ever! I was so pleased!

The plane was overbooked and delayed and the announcements went out for volunteers to give up their seats for $200 travel certificate and guarentee seat on the next flight. I half considered it, but it's a matter of poor information. I had no idea when the next flight is, and could not consider it with out the information.

An hour later and the offer became $250, but still no more information. I looked around, no takers either.

An hour later and it was nearly time to board and the offer became $500, dinner, hotel and the flight is first thing tomorrow. Ah.. now we have information. I knew for sure I cannot take up the offer, but people around were talking to see if they can do it. One couple bet that the offer becomes $700 in another 10 minutes if there are no takers. A couple more announcements and then came the threats that they will boot people off if they don't have volunteers. A poorly worded offer became in informative one for about 10 minutes before it became a threat. Nice.

It was a good thing that the customs lady was so nice that all this rolls off my back. Maybe it's also that I'm not as stressed as I used to be, so it's easier not to be annoyed.

I started off Saturday in the Flatiron district/Chelsea area. I got my haircut with my favorite hairdresser Vita at Artista Salon and she did a great job as always.

I shopped in the area and manage to hit the Union Square Market for a quick look and some photographs.

Afterwards, I headed into Hoboken by PATH to meet Jocelyn for lunch. Yes, Jocelyn and I had the same entree: lobster ravioli.

Then back to the SOHO area to check out the knitting stores. The Point was so crowded! It was a nice store with a good selection of yarns. I can see if I had that in my neighbourhood, I'd be in there often. But I don't think I would have travel for it.

My next stop was Purl and Purl Patchworks. Both spectacular eye candy and it was fun. The yarn shop was much too crowded, but the staff was pleasant and was happy to stash my huge shopping bag behind the counter while I shopped.

I walked away with a fabulous colourway of Manos and a black sheep tape measure of my very own. Oh yeah!

At the fabric store, it was quiet (relatively) but there was a steady traffic of people. The staff was once again super helpful and the prices were decent. I decided that I had to go home with some fabric and picked out three.

I managed to squeeze through the crowds in SOHO on a saturday, I'd forgotten how bad it was, to Balthazar's and picked up 2 bagettes for dinner. I took my huge bags of shopping and the bagettes and made my way back to Cynthia's listening to an animated conversation between some Mets and Yankee fans. It was a very New York moment for me.

Sunday was another fun day. It was my relaxed schedule day. I had a late start but managed to move into Manhattan. I wanted to go back to my old neighbourhood to check out what's changed and what hasn't and take some photos. I got to drop by at Candle 79 for lunch. It was super busy but I got in at my usual spot for lunch. The menu has not changed too much, so I had my order of my favorite plate there: BBQ seitan sandwich (sans onions) with polentta fries and a bit of salad. I have been craving seitan for a LONG time now. I'm happy to report that it was just as good as I remembered it. I definitely savored the experience since I don't know when I'll have good seitan again. However, I am tempted to try to make the pollenta fries at home.

I went to catch up with my favorite booksellers (Bonnie and Joe) and Mystery Bookstore: Black Orchid Bookstore. Yes, I got some books. It was great fun to sit and chat. I really miss the 'village' feeling and environment of New York. People are surprised when they hear it, but NY really operated like a collection of very small villages. You know your shops and neighbourhood haunts and it's so easy to always stay in your area for amenities and never make it cross the 'major' cross streets into another area.

I also managed to take photos of my old neighbourhood. Check them out on my flickr set, and the map of the set. There are also other photos of my trip that's not featured here.

A quick stop to Agata and Valentina to pick up some "Super Chocolate" coffee. It's the most chocolate flavored coffee I've ever had. I haven't found anything like it anywhere.

Then to Jenny's for the Metrostitchers event and a nice relaxing time catching up with friends and being surrounded by stitching.

Monday was an attempt to finish the rest of my tasks for the trip. I wanted to try to find some things I needed. I had a lunch date with my old friends from work, so I headed into Jersey City and had a birthday lunch with Dave (his birthday), Jocelyn, Marc and John at Markers. It was super nice to hang out with them. I really miss the people at work. No, I however, really don't miss work. No surprise there. And really, do not miss the trek into Jersey City.

I managed to hit the following stores in my attempt at running errands after lunch:Bodum, Bloomingdale's, Kinokuniya, and Barnes and Nobles. Then dinner and a night in chatting with Theresa.

One of my favorite items I came home with was this knitting book from Kinokuniya: ISBN4529041409.

There are so many gems in it. You can see more images. Yes, it cost more than if I had purchased it in Japan, but it's cheaper than a trip to Japan. So, well worth it. I'm looking forward to tackling some of the projects from it. It's got some of the most informative illustrations even though I don't read Japanese.

Tuesday, I had to make for the airport at a very early hour for my flight back home. It wasn't delayed and I had a nice view of the sun rising on Manhattan as I took the taxi to the airport. Even the Taxi driver noticed and commented on my lingering look back at my former home.

I'm the honest kind so when it came time to declare at customs, I had to declare that I did do some shopping and put down a number that got me sent to the paying customs duty station. After walking the extra long path to there, I was surprised when the customs lady told me that, get this, I didn't have to pay taxes that day since it's their policy to forgive some of them for the sake of encouraging honesty. Who'd heard of such thing? I was so surprised, but really in a very happy way.

What a great way to end the weekend! I can't wait until the next trip!

Labels: Japanese Craft, New York, Travel

The Commerical Version:

2 trips into New Jersey via PATH (Hoboken and Jersey City)

1 Metrostitcher Stitching Event.

1 haircut

Checking out The Point, Purl, Purl Patchworks.

2 lbs of Super Chocolate Coffee from Agatha and Valentina.

1 Walk around the old neighbourhood (Upper East Side)

1 detour on the cross town M79 bus

Catch up with my favorite booksellers (Bonnie and Joe) and Mystery Bookstore: Black Orchid Bookstore.

1 lunch with Dave on his birthday.

4 shirts and 3 sweaters for G.

1 meal at my favorite vegan place: Candle 79.

1 super super nice customs agent at Pearson International Airport.

1 leisurely lunch with Jocelyn.

2 baguettes from Balthazar

1 knitting book from Kinokuniya

1 exhausting and fun weekend for a really out of shape, New Yorker at heart... [yes, this is so cliché but wait for it]

Priceless

Labels: New York, Travel

I've been on a personal mission of sorts to go to every major museum and now I might have to do libraries!

Check out this post of awesome looking libraries to go see in your travels. While I find the whole 'porn' reference strange, it can't deny the power of the photos. [via]

Just for fun, here are the ones I've made it to so far on the museum side:

New York:

Metropolitan Museum of Art

American Natural History Museum

Frick Collection

MOMA

Brooklyn Museum

Washington DC

National Gallery of Art

Toronto:

Royal Ontario Museum

Art Gallery of Ontario

Bata Shoe Museum

Los Angeles:

Huntington Library

Paris:

Louvre

Museé national du Moyen Age(Cluny)

Museé d'Orsay

London:

British Museum

National Gallery

Victoria and Albert Museum

Taipei:

National Palace Museum

Tokyo:

Tokyo National Museum

Labels: General, Travel

// posted by May @ 10/19/2006 09:30:00 a.m. 1 comments

Wow. The moleskine city notebooks are coming out soon. This is just what I need.

I've been doing this for the last few years now for my travels: I get a notebook and for each big trip I take, I use it to take notes of les bonnes adresses and keep notes for future reference. I copy things I see from magazines and travel books and essentially make my own travel book for future trips. I never did think to use a moleskine for it, but that's probably because the bigger books were harder to find. They are much easier to find these days and would have to consider using one of them for future trips. I'll be willing to transfer it all to a new city book if they have one for my cities. It's quite inspirational.

What a great idea! I can't wait until I get to see them in stores.

For moleskine fans:

• the flickr group.
• www.moleskinerie.com

Labels: Travel

This is the part six of my Paris Recommendations Week.

General advice and Comments:

• Walk as much as you can. It's the best way to explore the city and enjoy the vibe of quartier. Unless you are staying far from where you want to see in sights, no need to get a metro pass; get carnet(s) of tickets for metro to use the metro and the buses. The buses are really easy to use, just read the instructions on the bus stands. To buy tickets for buses outside of the metro, look for a map on the bus shelter that will tell you where the nearest tabac that will sell tickets. Some bus stops will also have electronic signs telling you when the next bus will be arriving. Love that Metro is easy to use, but stops are close together like London, so you can walk most of it if you are up to it.
• Get a Plan de Paris at a newsstand. It's a small compact map book. Much like a London A-Z. It's well worth the money, it's the BEST map book and lists everything. It's my bible for Paris. Not a guide, but you will never be lost with it, it lists bus routes, metro maps, shopping places, markets, post offices, taxi stands, everything.
• It may be difficult to do with Canadian bank cards, but with American bank cards, it's really easy to get out money from most bank machines you see. They will give you the best rates so you don't get hit with the extra exchange rates at money exchange and you don't have to pay the extra on credit cards either if you use cash. Check with your bank on if you can use your card. Many of the machines you'll find in Paris take bank cards and not credit cards.
• While it's customary to tip on top of the service that's included in the Service. Make sure you check that the restaurant is Service included when you are ordering but looking at all the pages and small print of the menus. It's often NOT printed on the receipt and if you didn't check, you'll end up paying the tip twice.
• When reading addresses in Paris, the last two digits will tell you which arrondissement it's located in. ex. 75006 = 6e arr.
• There are many many perfume shops in Paris. Do yourself a favor, buy a scent in Paris. and you'll remember your trip every time you wear it.
• Join all the chic, put-together French women, buy a scarf, start wearing it.
• When entering a shop or exiting a shop, remember to be polite and say "Bonjour" and "Au revoir". Learn as much french as you can and use it.
• Make note of all the cool places for your own list of recommendations so you have them for your friends for their trip to Paris.

Research:

• www.paris.fr
• www.parisinfo.com

I'll end with some cool maps of Paris at superfuture. I do hope this was helpful and bon voyage!

Labels: Paris, Travel

This is part five of my Paris Recommendations Week series.

Sights:

There are so many great architecture and historic sights in Paris, these are the ones I highly recommend. I've still got a big list of other places to check out as well. Just can't wait to go back and see a few more sights.

• Eiffel Tower (of course, get there before 7pm and you can mail postcards from the post office, which will stamp it with a special stamp cancelling stamp) Jules Verne Restaurant is very nice (and you can get up on the tower for free on private elevator without the line) but the place books up fast, worth a try for a spot for lunch book this well in advance.
  
  
  Check out the towers light up at every hour for about 5-10 minutes after sunset.
• Arc de Triomphe - getting out at the CDG metro stop will give you the best view coming up to the sight from the escalator. Take the underground path way and walk to the place de l'Étoile.
  
  From there, on a clear day you can see all the way to the Grande Arche at La Défense.
• Afterwards, take a stroll down Avenue des Champs Élysées. Yes, it is very commercial, but I think it's a fun street to walk down.
• Jardin du Luxembourg. 6e arr.
  
• You should definitely take a night cruise on the seine. Great views. And if you are jet-lagged on your first day, it's a nice thing to do at night or if you are exhausted from a day of walking, this lets you continue the sightseeing but off your feet!
• Notre Dame. Street behind it heading towards the river has some well priced souvenir shops.
  
  
• Walk around Ile St-Louis, very old and quaint. All the great old mansions that many of us fantasize about living in. There's a famed ice cream place there: Berthillon, 31, rue St-Louis-en-L'ile - 75004
• Place des Vosges
  
  On the weekends, it's packed full of people enjoying the park.
• Panthéon. 5e arr. Yes, were all the famous people are buried, but the architecture of the place is amazing.
  
  
• Walk along the Seine and look at all the bridges. Check out the bouquinistes stalls between le Pont Neuf et le Pont Scully.
• Palais Royale
• Covered Passages. Passage Verdeau, Passage Jouffroy. These covered passages were likely the first shopping malls.
• Le Viaduc des Arts. Avenue Daumesnil - 75012. Highline renovation/rejuvenation project in New York City is modeled after the work done here in paris.
• Pont des Arts. Pedestrian bridge. Very romantic and it's the one you see in all the movies. I particularly like it because you can sit and enjoy it without traffic rushing by. Also a great view of Ile de la Cité.
  

Labels: Paris, Travel

This is part four of my Paris Recommendations Week series.

Museums:

• If you're looking to go to a couple of museums, get the Musuem Pass for the appropriate number of days. It's worth the money. When I took my parents, I allocated 1 day for the Louvre and the next day as flexible. Just so that if my parents wanted to, we could go for the second day. We did. They loved the art as well as the architectural elements of the palace.
• If you are not using the carte and have decided to visit the Louvre and find yourself facing a long queue of ticket buyers (and even if you are not), look to the left and right sides of the ticket counters for the machines. They will dispense tickets (you might need a debit card) and it would seem that most people don't use them for some reason. I found most machines that I would use for ticketing is also in English! Just look for the option on the screens.

• Louvre You can fight the crowds and push and rush and see the masterpieces in half a day. But to do any justice, you will likely have to spend two days if you like this type(s) of art. Think Metropolitan Museum, but bigger, and where the building itself is art. There's also a shopping mall underground attached. And post office. But if you make many purchases at the Louvre Museum shop, arrange for it all to be shipped home to you. They have very reasonable shipping prices and you're free to buy all the art books and souvenirs you want. They package everything up and your package gets to you in tip top shape. If you are spending time at the Louvre, it may be more entertaining to rent an audio guide to get a better understanding of the masterpieces. The signs are all in French and unless you read it, or have good knowledge of art history, you won't get to enjoy it to the fullest. You'll need a piece of id for collateral when you rent the guide. Bring your driver's license so you don't have to part with your passport.
  
  
• Musèe d'Orsay is worth a visit. Impressionist art. The restaurant on the second floor is a good spot for food and is a great setting.
  
• Musée National D'Art Moderne: Pompidou Centre. Modern Art. The view from the top of escalators is great for a panoramic of Paris.
  
  
  Make sure you check out the Stravinsky Fountain near by.

There are many many musuems in Paris, both small and big. I've many more on my list I have yet to visit. I'm hoping the next trip I take I'll get the chance to check a few more off my list.

Labels: Paris, Travel

This is part three of my Paris Recommendations Week series.

Shopping:

• I prefer Saint Germain area in the 6e arr because it's more chic and has many of the same designer stores as other places but more laid back.  (St. Sulpice area).
• Carry a copy of your passport on you, so you can have the numbers for when you want to file for the VAT refund. And if you do some shopping, do check if you can get the VAT back. The processing is easy and as long as you carry the products back with you, you get your refund back.
• If you've shopped too much, hit a post office and mail the items home.
• Oh, and be patient when shopping. At smaller places, they'll make effort to package up your products nicely. Most places will do gift wrap if you like. And in Department stores, you'll often have to pay at one counter and pick up your shopping at another because they are busy wrapping it all up for you.

• Hervé Chapelier For lightweight waterproof stylish bags in a multitude of colours and sizes.
• Longchamps, 21, rue du Vieux-Colombier. Stylish, classic, handbags, scarves and accessories. Great value and good prices.
• Petit Bateau for good tees. Yes it's a children's store, but look past that and check out their adult selection for women. I love their tee shirts. Very comfortable and in great colours.
• Printemps
Much perferred over Les Galeries Lafayette. It's a vibe thing, when we were in GL, it had much of a Macy's in New York feeling, or a Harrods in London feeling. While Printemps felt more like a Barneys or Harvey Nichols, but with things average income folks will buy. A little more like Bloomingdales, but French.

• Monoprix where the locals shop for their daily needs.
• La Samaritaine Department store. Currently closed for security renovation. I'm not sure what that means but I'm hoping it will open again in the future.
• Eva Baz'Art, 53, rue Saint-Andre-des-Arts
• Marie Papier, 6e arr, great paper store.
• L'ecritorie, 61, rue Saint-Martin - 75004 Metro: Chatelet - Hotel de Vile. Stationery store
• Des Fils et une Aiguille, 1, rue Chabanais - 75002. Cross stitch store. Great selection and friendly staff. Near the Palais Royale.
  
• Les Bonheur des Dames. Cross stitch store. Look for the massive selection of great in house designs. Their location at Viaduc is huge and overwhelming. Really super!
• Entree des Fournisseurs, 8, rue des Francs Bourgeois, 3e. Buttons, Ribbons, fabrics.
• Loisirs & Creation. Fun craft store. Look for DMC cross-stitch kits and pre-finished linen fabrics and books that's hard to find in North America. Carrousel du Louvre
• Carrousel du Louvre. Shopping centre underground of the Louvre. Very 'mall' feeling, and it's even got a food court. (if you must...)
• Le Ciel est a tout le monde. A gift shop/children store with lots of great gifts.
• L'occitane
• Anne Fontaine, beautiful good quality shirts in fabulous styles.
• Variantes, 29, rue Saint-Andres-des-Arts - 75006. Great game store. Look for games you can't find in North America.
• Colette, 213, rue Saint-Honore - 75001. Might be the first lifestyle store. Part gallery, part store, all fun.
• Le Bon Marché department store, nice food market in the basement.
• La Maison du Miel. 24, rue Vignon - 75008. Metro Madelaine. Honey, honey and more honey.
• Pain Poilâne. 8, rue du Cherche-Midi - 75006. Metro: St. Sulpice. Fantastic bread, famed in the city and worldwide.
  You'll see their bread featured in restaurants, bistros all over the city. Come here and get a loaf for yourself. Staff is super helpful and quick. G loved their apple tard.
• Dehillerin, 18, rue Coquilliere - 75001 the kitchen store. Ask for help and buy some great tools at super value prices. The place where all the professionals shop and if you can't find it here, you can't find it anywhere.
• Mariage Frères, Super selection of teas
• Phidar. Yarn shop. When purchased in France, the prices are reasonable and the wool and acrylic blends are very easy to work with, and wash and wear. Their patterns are well written (even if it's in French.) and styles are fashionable and a la mode.
• Diptyque, 34, bd Saint-Germain - 75005, scented candles, perfumes, soaps.
• Shakespeare and Company. English bookstore in the Latin Quarter. Fun atmosphere, always packed of people and books. An expat hang out place. I like to go look for books in English that are hard to find or published by local publishers.
  
• Markets: Place du Maubert and Place du Monge are two good ones. I think the mornings are Saturday and Sunday respectively. But should check it out first.
  
  There's Mouffetard as well:
  
  

Labels: Cross-Stitch, Paris, Travel

This is part two of my Paris Recommendations Week series.

Pâtisserie & Tea: (ranked)

Definitely one of our favorite things to do while in Paris is to hit as many pâtisseries as we can. It's difficult to find dessert art at this level in other places in the world. I've got a few places I go in New York and Tokyo that would be comparible. But that's a whole different recommendations guide. This list is of the most famous ones that are mentioned in guides.

• Pierre Hermé - 72, rue Bonaparte - 75006  Heavenly and a must! There is often a queue right out the door. But they gave us chocolates while we waited. Even if there's nothing here you'd like to try, (not that I know that feeling) You should check out the displays. They really are beautiful. (I have to get a photo from my mom's photo collection to show you...)
  My mom's photos:
  
  
  
  And because there are more lovely photos, here's the flicker set.
• Ladurée (Metro: Madelaine) Have tea there if you can! There is always a crowd at the door ordering for take out. Push your way in and see if they can seat you for tea (and yes, there may be line for that as well). The upstairs usually has more room but the downstairs tea room is gorgeous. Check out the painted ceilings!
  
• Fauchon (Metro: Madelaine). Great place for gifts of food to bring back home. And make sure to see if there's something you can bring back for yourself to remind you of Paris. My mom enjoys their spices. G likes the preserves. I've shared their boxed cookies and madelaines with rave reviews. I find their teas and coffees to be excellent as well. Really something for everyone.
• Gérard Mulot, 76, rue de Seine - 75006. Metro: Mabillion. Pâtisserie. Great desserts to go. Make sure to try out macarons (G ranks their macarons above everyone else). My favorite is the Pistache.
• Dalloyau Closer to the Champs Élysées. A more modern and elegant tea room. Spacious seating, calm and quiet.
  

Labels: Paris, Travel