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

Favority Stays: Hotel Mezzanine

In beautiful Tulum, we stayed at Mezzanine, a boutique hotel owned by New Zealanders that comes with a talented Thai chef and a friendly and helpful staff.  It is hip and stylish without the pretension. 

The only warning: every Friday night, the hotel hosts a party complete with a famous guest DJ from around the world.  The party attracts lots of revelers and the music plays until the early hours.  So if you will be in Tulum on a Friday night and are not exactly a night owl, consider staying elsewhere. With the exception of Friday night, Mezzanine is quiet and chill.

The hotel is located just a few yards from the ocean.

Mezzanine has only nine rooms, and none of them have alarm clocks, AC, TVs, and telephones (the hotel does provide Wi-Fi). It is completely solar-and wind-powered (most of Tulum's beach-front hotels are off-the-grid). Every part of the hotel is absolutely beautiful.





We opted for one of the ground-level rooms, which has the cheapest rate. It has an open floor plan, which took awhile to get used to. Other than that minor issue, we found our room comfortable, and I loved its modern decor.



The hotel allows free use of its bikes.



Mezzanine has a restaurant that serves delicious Thai-inspired food





To put it simply, this place is heaven!

Favorite Stays: The Argonaut Hotel

During a long weekend trip to San Francisco (October 2008), we stayed at the Argonaut Hotel, which was exceptional.  I decided on this hotel partially because of its high rating among reviewers on Tripadvisor.com and partially because I have had great experiences with Kimpton Hotels.  Our room and the public areas were clean and stylishly decorated (the hotel has a nautical theme).  The employees were so friendly and helpful.  Even though the neighborhood is crowded and busy (Fisherman's Wharf), it was quiet inside the hotel.  There is also complimentary daily evening wine reception. The four-story timber and brick landmark building was built in 1908 as a warehouse for the California Fruit Canners Association. 

The lobby:







I think these chairs are adorable.  People sat here during the wine reception.

The building:

The hotel is located on the corner of Jefferson and Hyde.



Our room:




I love the L'Occitane toiletries the hotel provides.



Our delicious California-style chowder with French sourdough bread (a meal can't get more San Franciscan than that!) at the hotel restaurant, Blue Mermaid Chowder House:

Four years ago: Puerto Rico

In March 2006, I was given the chance to work in Puerto Rico for 3 weeks. Besides having someone else pay for my air/accommodations/food expenses, there were plenty of other reasons I enjoyed this trip.

OLD SAN JUAN:
This area of San Juan is breathtakingly beautiful and to this day, retains a lot of its colonial character. It is a Unesco World Heritage site, and I was charmed by its colorful architecture and the cobblestone streets.  Most of San Juan’s significant attractions, such as El Morro and Fuerte San Cristobal, are located here.      

El Morro is the New World's oldest Spanish fort and in 1983, it was declared a Unesco World Heritage site. It played a large role in preventing various attacks by the British, Dutch and US against Puerto Rico. Besides its fascinating history, El Morro offers picturesque views of the Caribbean Sea, Old San Juan, modern San Juan, and the island's rain-forest and mountains.


Fuerte San Cristobal is a 5-minute walk from El Morro. It is San Juan's other major fort and was built to protect the city from land-side attacks. Its attractions include the dungeon, the tunnels and the troop headquarters.

Besides these forts, Old San Juan offers plenty of other highlights.  For instance, the charming and elegant Gran Hotel El Convento.  Hopefully, next time I am in San Juan, I will stay here. Gran Hotel El Convento is located in a beautiful section of Old San Juan, and I would categorize it as a must-see.  It was built in the 1600s as a convent for wealthy women from Spain widowed in the New World.  It has a beautiful atrium and a couple of restaurants (we dined at El Picoteo, which I discuss below).   

Other Old San Juan attractions:
1) Plaza de Armas, which was built in the 16th century, is the city's most significant square.  It was great for people-watching.   

2) Paseo de la Princesa , which is a 19th-century esplanade (restored in the 1990s) lined with antique street lamps, palm trees, statues, fountains, benches and live entertainment on weekends.  It leads strollers to the San Juan Bay.  

3) Puerta de San Juan is where Spanish ships once achored to unload colonists.   

San Juan has fantastic restaurants. I had memorable meals at these restaurants:
a) Tantra is located in Old San Juan, serves Indo-Latin fusion cuisine, and has a unique vibe.
b) El Picoteo is also located in Old San Juan. It is an authentic tapas restaurant with a wonderful, low-key atmosphere .
c) Yerba Buena is located in the Condado section of San Juan and the perfect spot for Puerto Rican food, drinks and music.

EL YUNQUE:
Besides Old San Juan, a popular Puerto Rico attraction is El Yunque, which is about a 2-hour drive east of San Juan.  It is the only tropical rain forest in the U.S. National Forest System. We came here to hike for a few hours.  There is nothing as exhilarating and rejuvinating as hiking in a rainforest. 


RIO CAMUY CAVE PARK:
Another attraction I enjoyed is Rio Camuy Cave Park, located 1.5 hours west of San Juan.  It is a network of subterranean caverns carved out by the Camuy River over one million years ago.  It is the third-largest cave system in the world.  Our visit started with a tram ride down a sinkhole lined with dense, green tropical vegetation.  It was scary in a good way. 

Of course, there were beaches to soak up some sun!  The beaches improved as you head east of Old San Juan.
In Liquillo:

In Condado area:

Travel Wish: San Miguel de Allende

I love Mexico and its cuisine, so it is no wonder I am hoping to take a class at Hotel Casa Sierra Nevada's Sazon Cooking School, in San Miguel de Allende, which is one of Mexico's beloved colonial cities.  This boutique hotel offers cooking classes in its state-of-the-art kitchen complete with TV monitors and overhead mirrors.  After a stroll through the city market, students can learn from well-known Mexican chefs, visiting star chefs (like Rick Bayless!) and traditional home cooks with their tried-and-true recipes.

Besides offering cooking classes, this 37-room boutique hotel is within walking distance of San Miguel de Allende's highlights--El Jardin, the main town square and social hub; the Gothic, pink-colored Parroquia cathedral; and its various boutiques, restaurants and art galleries.  The hotel features multiple courtyards with jacaranda trees and bougainvilleas.  The rooms are individually decorated with stucco walls, copper sinks, Talavera-tile bathrooms, fireplaces and terraces.  Yes, please!!!

image/itmco.com

Travel Wish: A Second Visit to Costa Rica

One of my most memorable trips ever was to Costa Rica, about 10 ten years ago. It is truly a magnificent country blessed with several national parks, active volcanoes and cloud forests and two coastlines. I went with two friends just as adventurous as I am. We white-water rafted, hiked through a rainforest where we spotted monkeys, frogs and lizards, zip-lined between the treetops, hiked to an active volcano, and visited the jungle-backed beach at Manuel Antonio National Park (pictured below). In short, it was a fabulous trip. I had always hoped I would return.

And when I do go back, I plan to stay in this property: the Costa Rica Tree House, a hotel located in the country’s Caribbean coast. Its tree-house suite is a bi-level structure with two bedrooms and a kitchen that’s sits in the branches of a giant sangrillo tree. Its décor comprises of hammocks, beds draped in netting, wicker furnishings, and open walls. Puportedly, the resort’s beach is beautiful and secluded and botanical garden is massive. Definitely right up my alley!



image/costa rica tree house