A year ago: Istanbul

Last year, I was fortunate to visit Istanbul.  Few places resonate with history and culture as strongly as this city, and I felt so blessed that I was given the chance to visit.

Highlights:
(1) the Blue Mosque, an imperial mosque built around 1609-1616 and an example of classical Turkish architecture
(2) Hagia Sofia (Aya Sofya in Turkish), Istanbul’s most famous monument built over a millennium ago and a stunning place with its soaring dome, mosaics and stained-glass windows.
(3) Topkapi Palace, which was the heart of the Ottoman Empire and served as the sultan’s residence and government center
(4) Basilica Cistern, an awesome underground structure built by the Byzantines in 532 to store water
(5) Istanbul’s Bazaar District, where you can find the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Market. Both are real markets filled with both Turks and tourists. At the Grand Bazaar, established in the 15th century, you will purportedly find 5,000 vendors. It was definitely sensory overload!  At the Spice Market, built in 1660s, you will find shops selling dried fruits, nuts, teas, and of course, spices. It is paradise for a foodie.

48 hours in NYC

It's great having a sister-in-law that lives in Manhattan. In April, we had a chance to visit her.  Despite several visits in the past, I don't think we will ever run out of things to do in NYC.  This visit was short but very much fruitful!

We stayed at the wonderful Hotel Indigo Chelsea.  We love this hotel.  Great location (just a few blocks from Penn Station).  Stylishly decorated.  Great and attentive staff.  More importantly, relatively affordable for a Manhattan hotel. 




You can't go wrong with a NYC bagel for breakfast.  My husband's delish everything bagel from Brooklyn Bagel and Coffee Company: 


We had our first trip to High Line Park.  I've been wanting to visit this mile-and-a-half-long elevated public park since it opened last year.   High Line is the reworking of a 1930s elevated railway.  It is such a great public space perfect for a lazy stroll.    


Because I love food markets, we also visited the Chelsea Market.


Sister-in-law lives in West Village near the small and beautiful Abingdon Square Park.  We stopped here to rest our tired feet for awhile.


We also went to Brooklyn to check out Prospect Height and the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. The cherry blossom trees were beyond beautiful (actually, the whole place was). 


We also had a chance to visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.  Inspiring.  A must-see for everyone.




A visit to NYC means many great meals. We had perfect meals at Spotted Pig (pictured below) and Boqueria.  Highly recommend!


I'm pretty obsessed with cupcakes, so of course, we had to visit a bakery or two. I tried cupcakes from Billy's Bakery and Magnolia Cafe. My vote for the better cupcake goes to Magnolia Cafe (their cupcake is pictured below). Billy's Bakery was not at all bad, just too sweet for me.


I can't believe how much we did in 2 days.

Hope to see you again soon, NYC!

Happy Bastille Day!

Photo taken in 2007 while visiting L'Arc de Triomphe during Bastille Day. The arch was commissioned in 1806 by Napoleon after he conquered most of Europe. The arch was then completed in 1836 and it now keeps the memory of the dead killed in World War I (1914/1918).

It's also a fabulous place to view Paris from above.

Signed,
Extremely excited about our upcoming trip to Paris