Although I would rather swallow red ants than go to Times Square on New Year’s Eve, I did go traipsing about Manhattan on January 30, 2011.  The day was mild and sunny and the crowds were out and about.  You would think they were giving away baubles on the streets there were that many people. 

     I love New York in all seasons.  It would be impossible for me to pick my favorite.  Every year during the Christmas season, my daughter and I revisit some of our traditional favorite spots and we try to add at least one new one.  As many years as we have been doing this, there is always something new to try.  This year, we added the Plaza Hotel where the lobbied is adorned with pink decorations and a glorious pink tree, all done by the delightful and inimitable Betsey Johnson. 

     We love Todd English’s food so we waited for forty-five minutes (after being told it would be a mere 15!) to eat at the Food Court in the Plaza.  Although the prices are absurd, we splurged and his food, as always, was delicious.  I had a fig and prosciutto flat bread pizza cooked in an open fire oven

fig pizza

and my daughter had a tuna burger that was cooked to perfection. 

tuna burger

We were seated in the Ocean section of the Food Court.  There are eight possible seatings, but you can order from any of the stations no matter where you sit.  We got to watch as an intense young chef sliced gorgeous tuna into gorgeous slices.  But the highlight drama was when a purveyor from Urban Truffles showed up, opened a cloth napkin to reveal more than a dozen black truffles.  That got the chef’s attention and he stopped everything to make a purchase.  It was like watching a high end drug deal go down.  I don’t understand how the young purveyor trots around Manhattan so casually with such expensive merchandise.  I’d have a minor breakdown.  Then again, I probably wouldn’t part with those truffles in the first place.  There is no flavor that is more incredible than fresh truffles. 

     Of course we saw all the windows.  Of course we saw the tree.  We stopped inside Bloomingdale’s to use the ladies lounge and bought cupcakes at the fabulous Magnolia Cupcakes.  My favorite was the Hummingbird.  No idea why it’s called that, but it was light and airy and filled with pieces of pineapple.  Yum.

Magnolia Cupcakes

     I hope everyone had a great 2011.  I had two fabulous trips to Europe and a few smaller ones within the US.  Happy and Healthy New Year to all!

Happy New Year

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Roman ruins

The significant structure here is the Place du Palais, the Pope’s Palace.  I’ve been to Siena, Italy a number of times and I knew the story of Saint Catherine, the patron saint of Siena, and how she convinced the Pope to return from France back to Italy.  In the 13^thcentury things had gotten dicey in Italy and Pope Clement V fled to Avignon.  A few Popes later, the Palace was built and Avignon was the de facto capital of Christendom.  Young Catherine had a vision and traveled from Siena to Avignon (no easy trip even now) and somehow convinced Pope Gregory XI to leave this lovely place and return to Italy, ensuring her fame and sainthood.   

Avignon bridgegrotto in Pope's gardenview from the Pope's palace

Popes knew how to choose real estate.  The Palace sits on the highest point of Avignon and is still a stunning spot.  The views from the Popes Palace are miles long and are still unspoiled.  From the Palace and the surrounding gardens you can see the Rhone River, the mountain, and the famous Avignon bridge. 

I enjoyed strolling through the gardens.  They are serene and beautifully kept.  The view from  there is spectacular.  The square in front of the Palace is lively and full of street performers and places to have a snack or a drink.

statue in the garden

Speaking of food, my favorite place in Avignon is the famed indoor market Les Halles.  I bought breakfast there early one Sunday morning.  I took it outside and sat facing Les Halles in the little square.   Me, a few old men chattering in French, a couple of pigeons, and my panecone.  I was blissfully happy.  I’d rather be sitting there than inside a dusty Palace, even if it was the one where Catherine persuaded a Pope to come back home.     

Les Halles

Sunday breakfast

in the market

Uzes

I found one such fantastic place in the village of Uzes in Provence.  First of all, it’s in the hills of Provence.  It’s gorgeous and sunny and has lovely streets dotted with boutiques and shops.  There are small bars and restaurants that made me want to sit and linger and watch the world go by.  If I ever disappear…

restaurant in Uzes

Arles entrance

Wandering through the town of Arles, it’s easy to understand why Van Gogh got so depressed here and eventually killed himself.  Oh sure, he was fueled by absinthe and he was probably bipolar, but even with that, I can totally see how this town would depress someone after spending two years here. 

what vg saw

cafe de nuit today

VG spent two years living and working here.  He supposedly had no friends.  Now maybe that was his fault, but the French are not the friendliest people in the world.  I don’t find them rude, as some have said, but they seem to merely tolerate anyone non-French or from anywhere other than their home town.  In Arles, they have to be polite.  Their source of income is completely tourist-driven at this point.  Back in Van Gogh’s day, they didn’t even have to be pleasant in order to make tourist dollars. There were no tourists.  Gauguin came  to visit VG and hated Arles.

Arles locals are visible and they are clique-ish.  If you are there off season as I was, the locals hang out from early in the evening when they meet to have a pastis or an espresso.  Everyone appears to know everyone in this tiny town, and no one makes an effort to speak to you.  If you spend a few days there, you feel like an outsider.  I empathize with poor Van Gogh who spent two years in this isolation.

cafe de nuit

Arles Market Spices

 The first Wednesday in any month, the open air market in Arles stretches as far as the eye can see with all types of goods.  Two main streets are a tangle of shoppers and vendors vying for your euros.  You can separate the tourists from the serious marketers easily.  The regulars all come prepared with their wheeled baskets to get their fill of produce, meats, cheeses, fresh breads, olives, and fish.   Stands are organized by their products.  Fish vendors line up next to one another, as do the cheese vendors and the olive vendors and so forth.  I was especially intrigued by the stands that specialized in garlics.  Who knew there were so many kinds of garlic?

provence garlic

The aromas fill the air; herbs de Provence, lavender, the pungent olives, and fish all tempt you.  I purchased aged gouda, a boule, olives, and a small jar of tapenade and made a picnic lunch.  The olives were the best I’ve ever tasted.  The bread was crisp on the outside and airy on the inside, as only French bread can be.  The warm cheese and the bread melted in my mouth. 

french bread & gouda

Further down the rows, there were dozens of tables filled with clothing and shoes.   There were nice things, but no real bargains as far as I could see.  I did buy a pretty scarf for two euros though.  There were several bargain tables.  Anything on the table was one euro.  There were the predictable vendors selling table cloths and napkins made of Provençal fabrics.  They were all pretty and inexpensive.  The only problem was choosing which one to buy.

There was a family showing a goat and asking for donations to “save the animals.”  Whether or not the money goes to this cause, I gave them a couple of euros. I figured the goat had earned it after standing around being gawked at.     

Provence market goat

The locals warn you to beware of pickpockets here, since it can get fairly crowded.  The general food market is every Wednesday and Saturday.   

Arles Market

Washington Monument

     Spring is the perfect time to visit Washington D.C, the United States’ capital.  The weather is lovely and the crowds are still sparse.  Summer, when most people can take their vacation time, the city becomes hot, humid and horribly crowded. 

Canaletto

     There is so much to do in the nation’s capital, but on my visit last week my mission was to see the Canaletto exhibit.  I first saw this Venetian artist’s work years ago at a special exhibit in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.  I had gone to the Met to see something else, but decided to see the Canaletto exhibit as well.  I was entranced.  His scenes of the Grand Canal, the Rialto Bridge, the gondolas, and San Marco piazza stirred my heart.  Many years later, I finally got to visit Venice.  On my first vaporetto ride up the Grand Canal, all I could think of were those magnificent paintings.  As we approached the Rialto Bridge, I got a lump in my throat.  The magic of Venice that Canaletto captured all those years ago looks the same way today. 

    The exhibit at the National Gallery is a large one and there are many of Canaletto’s paintings as well as many by his followers.  The exhibit is called Venice:  Canaletto and His Rivals and it, like all the exhibits in the gallery, is free.  I love his work more now that I’ve been there a few times and can recognize the places he painted all those years ago.     

Caldor

     The National Gallery has two wings.  The East building houses contemporary art and was designed by I.M. Pei.  The West contains European art from the thirteenth through the nineteenth century.  The two buildings are divided by an ultra-cool Star Wars moving sidewalk.  www.nga.gov for hours and directions.               

     Outside, you can stroll through the sculpture garden. 

Lichtenstein house

The centerpiece is a magnificent fountain.  There are whimsical sculptures like a giant aluminum tree and a house that looks like it’s three dimensional. 

     Before leaving, we strolled the mall; the long stretch that leads to the Washington Monument.  It was a gorgeous day and people were outside enjoying the spring weather. 

fountain

fake tree, real monument

Dali ceiling

Dali art

Dali

Salvador Dali EGG

If you are lucky enough to visit Barcelona this spring or summer (2011), you should not miss the Salvador Dali show.  In the center of the Barri Gotic sits the magnificent Barcelona Cathedral.  The Dali show is in the plaza surrounding the Cathedral.

Dali is the essential Catalan artist.  His whimsy and surrealism captures Catalonian spirit. Perhaps he created it.  This exhibit displays paintings, sketches, and sculptures by the artist as well as photographs of the artist.  It’s a comprehensive show that is enlightening, fun, puzzling, and entertaining.  Just like Dali himself. 

Mostly known for his wild mustache and his painting The Persistance of Memory, there is a great deal more to be learned here about this complex artist.   He started life with the name of his dead older brother.  If that’s not enough to make you loopy, his mother died when he was sixteen.  He dabbled in films, set design, and was the first artist to experiment with holography.  He married the great love of his life and when she died, it is said that he lost his mind and his will to live.

If you don’t have time for a side trip to Figueres where the artist lived and the Dali museum is, you should not miss this show.

produce in La Boqueria

jamon

jamon manchego bread

La Boqueria

Returning to Barcelona means a return to La Boqueria right in the middle of La Rambla, the most famous boulevard in the city.  My favorite market in Europe, La Boqueria is the perfect first stop in Barcelona to have a snack of tapas and shop for a picnic. Before I leave I’ll load up on goodies to bring home. But as soon as I arrive, I need to have tapas.  The classic tapas place is Bar Pinotxo, run by Juan and his family since forever.  Belly up to the bar and grab a stool if you can find one.  If not, wait because it is so worth it.  Try anything.  It’s all good.  If it’s early in the day, try an empanda or an ensaimada with a cup of coffee.  Or, try a bowl of Juan’s indescribable chickpeas.  Hearty and full of flavor, this dish alone makes me come back to Barcelona. 

Now that you have a full belly, wander the aisles and you’ll find fresh produce, fish, spices, and an overwhelming array of cheese and meat counters.  This is a great place to buy fixings to take with you when you go sightseeing.  We bought bread, jamon, and machego cheese at Aroma Iberic and we were set for the day as we went in search of all things Gaudi.  We nibbled as we went.  NOTHING in this world is tastier than iberico jamon on a piece of fresh bread, topped with a slice of cheese. For dessert, load up on chocolate treats at Vidal Pons.   I’m definitely going back.   Soon.