I would have loved Berlin in my younger days, but the older, wiser me is happy that I got to experience and enjoy it without a single hangover. (Full disclosure: since I was 6 months pregnant during my visit, a hangover was not in the cards anyway. But I like to think that regardless, I would have behaved with more moderation than some of the 20-somethings I saw on the U-Bahn still drinking at 8 AM from the previous night.)

If you want to know what the best clubs are or where to go until 4 AM, I am definitely not the best source of information, but I am happy to share some of my favorite places to eat, drink, and see in Berlin! I’ve included street addresses and U-Bahn/S-Bahn stops.

Dinner & Drinks

Berlin is a great city for eating—whether you’re in the mood for traditional German food or more eclectic modern takes on the menu. Of course, since you’re making the effort to go out for dinner, why not stop for a drink nearby to round out the evening?

My top choices for the Kreuzberg area are not in the teeming, tipsy center of it all, but a little bit off the beaten path. For a seasonally changing menu of updated German fare, don’t miss dinner at Nansen, at the corner of Nansenstrasse and Maybachufer. Afterwards, cross the Spree to have a beer by candlelight with the locals at the out-of-the-way Celo Privat Bar at 19a Glogauerstrasse. U: Gorlitzer Bahnhof.

Your Schönberg evening should start at the Green Door, a sweet and friendly little cocktail bar with an extensive drink list. You have to ring the doorbell to get in. The drinks are very good, but not cheap. For dinner, stroll 5 blocks or so to the neighborhoody Renger-Patzsch for your choice of seasonal or traditional Flammekuche (Alsatian thin-crust pizza) or one of the expertly prepared meat specials. Green Door- U: Nollendorfplatze. Renger Patzsch- U: Eisenacherstrasse.

In Charlottenburg/Ku Damm, don’t miss Dicke Wirten (“the fat waitress”) by Savignyplatz for rib-sticking traditional German food. In the wintertime you can get Christmas specials like roasted goose. The portions are large and excellently prepared, the clientele is mostly regulars and locals, and the dining room is plastered floor to ceiling with kitschy Teutonic décor and doilies. After dinner, walk off some of that spaetzle and go to the speakeasy-esque Galerie Bremer on Fasenstrasse, about 4 blocks away, for a digestif. Dicke Wirten- S: Savignyplatz. Galerie Bremer- U: Spichenstrasse.

A warning: lots of bars in Berlin are really smoky, so be prepared for that.

Lunchtime

A Berlin street food staple is the Doner kebab, which is a Turkish-German hybrid dish said to be invented in Berlin in the 1970s, and is sort of like a shawerma. Thin slices of cinnamon-scented lamb, shaved from a spit, are wrapped in bread or Turkish flatbread with yogurt sauce, lettuce, and tomatoes. One of the freshest and best examples is the durum doner at Imren, on Boppstrasse in Kreuzberg. The flatbread is made to order, and arrives warm and stuffed with meat. U: Schonlein Tor.

Post-doner, if it’s a Tuesday or a Friday, you can continue your Turkish adventure at the Turkenmarket along Maybachufer, about 3 or 4 blocks from Imren. You can browse fabric, spices, olives, cheese, and much more. Find a stall with fresh Turkish delight for a perfect dessert. U: Schonlein Tor or Kotbusser Tor. 

Another Berlin-born street food is currywurst, which consists of slices of sausage doused in curried ketchup. I will admit that this is not my favorite dish, but aficionados (and the line outside) will tell you that Konnopke’s Imbiss just below the U-Bahn station in Prenzlauer Berg is the best. If you are not keen on currywurst, you may want to have a relaxing lunch at Fellas nearby. The high-ceilinged dining room is open and convivial, and the food is solid. The salads are especially good. The service is friendly, if a little haphazard. U: Schonhauser Allee. 

Probably the best lunch option overall, costing barely more than a stand-up street meal, is the set menu lunch at Nord-Sud near Hackescher Hofe. The food is outstanding, and incredibly, will set you back a mere €7.50 for 3 courses. The charming French owner will explain the daily menus for you to choose from. Prepare to be impressed—and stuffed. Nord-Sud serves dinner as well. U or S: Hackescher Markt.

Cafes

In a pinch, you’ll always be close to an Einstein Kaffe—Berlin’s local answer to the encroaching Starbucks empire. The coffee is good and the cakes are in a wholly different league than the usual chain sweets. But there are two Berlin cafes that really stole my heart.

EspressoBar in the Charlottenberg/Ku Damm area, tucked away on Mommsenstrasse between Bleibtreustrasse and Knesebeckstrasse, is exactly the kind of café at which I would want to be a regular. (I’d go so far as to say that if I moved to Berlin I would have to live nearby so I could make that a reality.) The place is pretty quiet, but you might hear the sounds of eggs cracking or the mixer going, as the owner bakes fresh cakes and other treats in the impossibly small kitchen. Excellent espresso, a selection of Kusmi teas, and warm flaky croissants—yeah, I could get used to that. U: Uhlandstrasse or S: Savignyplatz.

If you’re a loyalist of Stumptown, Blue Bottle, or the like, then I would have a completely different recommendation: Bonanza in Prenzlauer Berg, on Oderbergerstrasse. This is not a grab-and-go: for reasons unknown, a cup of coffee or a latte will take these mustachioed hipsters literally 10 or 15 minutes to prepare for you. Not only is the coffee worth the wait, you can easily lose track of time as you watch tripping over bags and buckets in this tiny shop as they freshly roast the next batch of beans right in front of you. U: Eberswalderstrasse.

I would be remiss not to mention the café in the MyParis gallery, at 67 Augustenstrasse near Hackescher Hofe. The gallery entry is 6 euros, but you can get a coffee and a snack in the gorgeous, soaring space without ponying up for the show. They have a small but cute and artsy gift shop, as well. U or S: Hackescher Markt.

Next door in the KW Gallery courtyard, at 69 Augustenstrasse, there is yet another arty café with an interesting design, Café Bravo, which seems a little more kid-friendly than MyParis.  U or S: Hackescher Markt.

East & West

I am really fascinated by the history of the Berlin Wall and the divide between East and West Germany, and Berlin is obviously the best place to learn and experience more about it. Aside from the tackified tourist trap of Checkpoint Charlie, there are a couple of other places you can see standing sections of the Berlin Wall. The best-known is the East Side Gallery, in Friedrichshain, which has a section of the wall that was decorated by artists from around the world in 1999 and revamped in 2009. U: Ostbanhof or Warschauerstrasse.

From the East Side Gallery, a short hop on the train will take you to the Stasi Museum, which opened in the previous Stasi headquarters less than a year after the Wall fell. You can see some of the hilariously low-tech surveillance devices, hidden in tree stumps, neckties, and so forth. The film shown at the museum (with English subtitles) gives a great overview of the Stasi and historians share many interesting anecdotes about the Stasi’s history and activities. U: Magdalennenstrasse.

You can find another standing section of the Berlin Wall at Mauerpark, in Prenzlauer Berg. It’s not the prettiest park, but this part of the Wall is the official practicing ground for casual graffiti artists, and is inches thick with spray paint. While I enjoyed the East Side Gallery, somehow the Mauerpark section hit home with me more, perhaps because it was easier to get a sense of the ways in which the Berlin Wall divided neighborhoods so jarringly. U: Eberswalderstrasse.

If you visit Mauerpark, you can pop into VEP Orange, on Oderbergerstrasse, to browse kitschy GDR retro housewares and fixtures. I scored an awesome orange ceramic 1970s lamp for 20 euros. Across the street from VEP Orange you’ll find Bonanza Coffee (exalted in the “Cafes” section above.)

To prepare yourself for all of this Berlin Wall action, I recommend the book Stasiland by Anna Funder, which weaves together stories from both former Stasi officers and from people whose lives were strongly impacted by the Berlin Wall and the Stasi.

Ancient History

Say what you will about Germans, but man, they really knew how to plunder. The result is the excellent Pergamon Museum, which includes a full Babylonian gate, plus some rather astounding displays of Assyrian, Egyptian, Uruk, Persian, Ottoman, Greek, and Turkish treasures. With all this great stuff, the museum gets very crowded, so I would recommend booking a ticket online in advance so you can skip the line (they can scan the bar code or QR code on your mobile phone so you don’t even need to print a ticket out.)

If you want to see the famed bust of Nefertiti (which the Egyptians are still trying to get back) you’ll have to go next door to the Neues Museum. Pergamon and Neues Museum- U or S: Hackescher Markt.

Don’t miss the walk back to Unter der Linden, so you can catch the bizarre juxtaposition of the ostentatious Berliner Dom and the space-agey Alexanderplatz TV Tower.

Need a pick-me-up after all that museuming? Pop into the louche Hotel de Rome for a well-crafted (expensive) cocktail at the bar.

Winter Wonderlands

I imagine Berlin in the spring and summer is just wonderful, with people spilling out of sidewalk cafes, lounging by the banks of the Spree, and sipping frosty beers to cool down. Of course since I was there in late December I wouldn’t know anything about that. The saving grace of the wintertime visit is that Germans are dead serious about Christmas decorations, so the city is absolutely ablaze with lights, and the fabulous Christmas Markets are in full swing. There are over 50 Christmas markets in Berlin alone, where you can drink gluhwein (hot mulled wine), eat sausages and shop for ornaments. If you’re a connoisseur of gaudy holiday ornamentation like I am, you should probably put a Christmastime visit to Germany on your bucket list—the level of glitz and glitter was just outstanding.

No matter what the season or the occasion – don’t miss a trip to Berlin, one of the most affordable, quirky, friendly, historical, art-centric, and culinarily sophisticated cities in the world.

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Eating & Drinking

I’ve tasted many Chicago pizzas, but the spinach and cheese stuffed pizza at Bacino’s is my favorite. I could explain how they chop all of the cheese and spinach together to make a perfect blend and so forth but I think the picture is pretty much loud and clear on the deliciousness front. They have excellent buffalo wings, too. Bacino’s: 2204 N. Lincoln Ave.

• TROUT ROE, coconut, hyssop, passionfruit: I don’t even know what hyssop is but damn. This hand-harvested steelhead roe with banana, coconut, and passionfruit gels and pastes, with fleur de sel foam, was a screamin’ start to the eating evening.
• CAULIFLOWER, five coatings, three gels, apple: Five cubes of cauliflower puree with aromatic apple soup. Each cube was crusted with a different dried or dehydrated aromatic such as cheese, nuts, or what have you.
• LOBSTER, popcorn, butter, curry: I think this was my favorite. Apparently it was supposed to be on a theme of “things that taste good with butter.” OK, you had me at butter. There were too many things on this plate to describe but they included a butter poached lobster tail, a butter sphere you popped to get melted butter out of, curry pudding, popcorn, a popcorn gelee ribbon (don’t ask), corn kernels, dehydrated onion, and in my mind an unnecessary dollop of palate-cleansing mango-lime gel.
• WAGYU BEEF, maitake, smoked date, blis elixir: Maitake mushroom on an applewood-smoked fig puree, raw wagyu beef, a dusting of fennel pollen, and sherry that had been aged in casks that previously held maple syrup and bourbon.
• RABBIT, prune, shallot, burning leaves: A tempura’d chunk of tasty rabbit loin with prune gelee, shallot, impressively served on a skewer of smoldering oak leaves.
• HOT POTATO, cold potato, black truffle, butter: I could eat about a hundred of these. You’ve got a cold potato, chive, butter, parmigiano, and truffle slice on a metal toothpick stuck into the side of a tiny wax bowl that holds hot potato soup. Pull the pin to let the cold items fall into the hot soup and drink the whole thing like a shot.
• SHORT RIB, Guinness, peanut, fried broccoli: Melty soft short ribs caged under a Guinness gelatin sheet. Peanuts and broccoli in different forms, including pastes, shaved, etc.
• BLACK TRUFFLE, explosion, romaine, parmesan: Literally an explosion especially for one person at our table who shall remain nameless but who will heretofore be thought of as the one who uncouthly squirted hot truffle juice at the table. One ravioli filled with truffle tea and served with romaine and a truffle slice. Meant to be taken in one bite with your mouth CLOSED to contain the explosion.
• LAMB, saffron, poppy seed, pistachio: Thought I would love this but it was not my favorite. Sous vide lamb in a lamb and veal stock with white poppy seed custard, foam, cippolinis, and I can’t remember where the pistachios came in at all…
• CONCORD GRAPE, yogurt, mint, long pepper: An exploding ball of liquid grape sorbet with a mint shell and bathing in approximately 3 drops of yogurt water. Squirt in your mouth, not in your hands. No idea what the long pepper had to do with this one.
• CRABAPPLE, foie gras, brown sugar, sorrel: An 18-inch metal skewer pointed at your face, with one bite’s worth of crapapple mousse coated in foie gras with apple gelee and a caramel chip. Diners were encouraged to attack the skewer hands-free with one barbaric chomp to the skewer.
• BACON, butterscotch, apple, thyme: Dehydrated bacon suspended from a wire, dipped in caramel and flavored with thyme and dried apple. One bite o’ heaven.
• PUMPKIN, gruyere, Blis maple syrup, smoke: Points for showmanship. Smoke-filled pillows arrive at each person’s place setting. A plate is set upon the pillows which deflate slowly and release smoke aromas to enhance the experience of the dish. There was a lot going on here- roasted pumpkin, pineapple puree, oloroso sherry pudding, maple cream, cereals and seeds, sugar crystals, and puffed rice.
• CHOCOLATE, fig, olive, pine: I was roundly chastised for not finishing this but let’s face it, by this point I was stuffed. A soft chocolate sheet, olive oil custard, and elements of figs and olives plus pine nuts. The olives were mostly in sort of a crumbly form and not too offensive- mostly salty with a hint of brine. It came with pine ice cream which I imagine is made by, you know, soaking pine needles in warm cream or something, which was a little weird.
• DRY CARAMEL, salt: The science nerd in me LOVED this finale. Picture a shot glass full of dry caramel crystals, roughly the feel of raw sugar. Put these in your mouth and they turn to liquid caramel as if by magic. Magic! Seriously. A simple yet great end to an incredible night of molecular gastronomy.

At some point you’re going to want to take a break from your eating orgy to hear some Chicago blues, and there is no better place than B.L.U.E.S. Plus, the name is easy to remember even after a few drinks. Pack yourself in and get ready to rock- this intimate, funky spot has live music 7 nights a week. B.L.U.E.S.: 2519 N Halsted St.

The Museum of Contemporary Art is a manageable and very well-curated modern museum, and their museum shop is one of the best I’ve ever been to–most of my friends and family will find MCA gifts in their stockings this year! MCA: 220 East Chicago Avenue.

Before your trip, check the Second City website for tickets–they have shows almost every day–and experience a live sketch or improv show. Second City is, of course, the comedic birthplace of some of the funniest people ever, like Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, Mike Myers, Jim Belushi, and Steve Carell. Second City: 1616 N. Wells St.

If you’re in Chi-town around Christmas time, stop by the Christkindlmarket – an outdoor German-style Christmas market in Daley Plaza, with ornaments for sale, hot mulled wine, potato pancakes, sausages, and lots and lots of people. It’s a fun and convivial atmosphere, but it does get quite crowded on weekends so you may want to go early. Christkindlmarket: Check website for dates and location. 

What are your favorite things to eat, drink, and do in Chicago? Let me know so I can try them next time!

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Voodoo Doughnuts is famous for a reason- they have fabulous donuts and a slick sense of humor. While I opted for a relatively tame maple-bacon bar (maple bar with 2 thick slices of bacon on top) the special that day was intriguing: a caramel/Cheeto mashup called “Chester’s Revenge.” There’s often a line, so get a cup of coffee before you stake out your spot.

2. Sample local music and buy hip t-shirts at Portland Saturday Market

Portland Saturday Market is a must-do in Portland. Despite the name, it happens on Saturdays AND Sundays, and is open almost all year-round. You can do all sorts of things there- eat from food stalls, browse local crafts, people watch, you name it. My favorite things to do are to buy some of the coolest t-shirts from some of the hippest people around, and to check out the local musicians scattered around to entertain. I mean, what’s cooler than playing a trombone and an accordion at the same time? Nothing. Pretty much nothing.

3. Pretend to be a local at Rontoms

Rontoms is the kind of bar you could get very comfortable in. Maybe it’s the mismatched 1970s couches, maybe it’s the snacks available (like deviled eggs and little cups of ice cream from the artisanal place next door,) or maybe it’s the drinks, made with locally distilled spirits. Either way, this is a great place to see how Portlandians live. Hint: if you want to fit in while in Portland, men will need to grow facial hair, and women will need vintage clothing.

4. Dine at Le Pigeon’s counter for a fantastic dinner and a conversation with the chef 

Le Pigeon is a phenomenal restaurant that’s as small as it is good. That is to say, it’s very small and very good. They told us it would be a 2 hour wait when we arrived, but it turned out to be only about 30 minutes. I had one of the best salmon dishes I’ve ever had in my life, and enjoyed the convivial nature of the counter seats, as we got to chat with our neighbors and with the chef as he prepared our food. I only wish there were a Le Pigeon in San Francisco!

5. Smell your way through the Rose Garden

It’s not called the City of Roses for nothing. Portland is famous for its rose husbandry. (Is that word for flora, or just fauna?) It’s actually called the test rose garden, because they test out new hybrid kinds of roses there. How you test a rose, I do not know, but if a stroll through the fragrant lanes of the Rose Garden doesn’t get you in a good mood, you might need another doughnut, you cranky bastard.

6. Capture the princess with a cocktail in hand

A bar + an arcade full of old-skool video games: why are these not more ubiquitous?  Ground Kontrol “barcade” is every adult nerd’s dream hangout, especially those of us who grew up in the Duck Hunt/Galaga/BurgerTime era. A visit there will almost make you question why arcade games didn’t come standard with cup holders. If you’ve got kids, it’s no problem: just visit between noon and 5, it’s all arcade and no bar.

7. Sip strong coffee at Stumptown Roasters

Starbucks might be the talk of Seattle, but this is a town where Stumptown reigns. Coffee-lovers have been known to make pilgrimages to this Portland-based roaster for their dark, dreamy cups of caffeine. The one in the Ace Hotel offers some excellent Portland people-watching opportunities, too.

8. Drink in the Pearl District

Allow your senses to drink in all that this lovely neighborhood has to offer, and/or have a drink while you’re in it. The Pearl District is full of unique shops, cafes, and restaurants. It’s a prime example of warehouse-chic gentrification, that I can easily see myself living in, if only it didn’t rain so darn much up here. The perfectly crafted Latin-influenced cocktails at Andina are my top pick for turning your gray skies blue.

9. Get zen at the Japanese Garden

Near the Rose Garden you’ll find an excellent Japanese Garden. Not only is it a premiere Japanese garden, but they also have cool classes, lectures, workshops and exhibits. Note: the Rose Garden is free, but the Japanese Garden charges a fee for entry.

10. Plan your next trip

Once you’ve gotten a taste of Portland, you’ll want to come back! The best time to visit is in the summer, since it’s most likely to be warm and least likely to rain. July and August are great months to enjoy Portland. And with so much to see, eat, and do there, you will probably want to plan another trip.

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Tea and toast at Paul Rothe & Son is a treat – and one of the cheaper things on this list. This generations-old shop in Marylebone is the perfect way to start a very English morning. Their white toast slathered with hunks of creamery butter and homemade jam go perfectly with a big cuppa.

The well-known Spanish restaurant Moro has been a favorite on London’s culinary map for some time now, but their tiny wine and tapas bar next door, Morito, is much more fun and a lot cheaper, too. Light-strewn Exmouth Market is a pretty romantic location anyway, even more so when you sit knee to knee and share innovative and well-crafted North African snacks like crispy chickpeas or lamb meatballs with pine nuts while you sip Spanish wine from short utilitarian glasses.

A top stop for me is always Neal’s Yard Dairy. For one thing, it gets you to the terrific Seven Dials shopping area in Covent Garden, which you might not ever happen upon unless you had a destination in mind. But mostly, it’s the cheese. All their cheeses are from English and Irish dairies, and all of them (at least, all of the ones that I’ve tasted thus far) are outstanding. They’ll give you so many samples you’ll be bursting at the seams. I like to buy a couple of cheeses and a loaf of bread and store them in my hotel mini-fridge for afternoon snacks.

It’s hard to pick from the many curry shops in London – Brick Lane tourist traps? High-end, white tablecloth type? For a cheap and satisfying Indian meal, there is always a branch of Masala Zone nearby. This might not be the most authentic Indian food you’ll come across (whatever that means) but it’s clean, the restaurants have a hip ambiance and good service, and it’s always very tasty.

Hawksmoor (there are 2 branches) boldly proclaims that it’s “the best steak restaurant in London,” and they might be right. Order a steak in this clubby, dark, steakhouse and you’ll get a giant white plate with a big hunk of meat on it, aged and cooked perfectly. Their cocktail list is imaginative and fun, with a whole page of juleps (who knew there were non-mint juleps?) that come in an iced-in silver cup.

I really wanted to try Dock Kitchen, and so will you, after you read this review. I didn’t make it there but it’s high on my list for next time.

I’m not ashamed to admit that there are a couple of grocery store foods in London that I just can’t get enough of. I always pop into a Tesco or a Sainsbury’s for a packet of scones and a jar each of clotted cream and jam (although this time I bought fancy jam from Neal’s Yard Dairy instead.) Hotel room breakfast has never tasted better. The mass-market grocery scones taste better than almost anything I’ve ever found called a “scone” in the US.

I also love the funky flavors of potato chips they offer in the UK. Why exactly haven’t they worked in the US? Although they’re both dear to my heart, I slightly favor the Roast Chicken Walker’s Crisps over the Smoky Bacon offering. But meat-flavored chips: what’s not to like?

You can also pick up bags of Thornton’s Toffee in the corner shop. These make great gifts, that is, if you can prevent yourself from eating all of it before you get back home. (Which I usually can’t.) For more selection you can hit up one of the full-on Thornton’s boutique shops scattered throughout town. It’s hard to get in the US; I’ve even tried to make it at home but the original is always the best.

Finally, I’m happy to say that world-class ice cream has arrived in London. Thanks to my traveling companion’s  penchant for ice cream, I got to sample quite a few ice cream and gelato shops. Scoop in Soho has them all beat by a mile. Their cioccolato fondante flavor is so good it almost had me in tears.

Things to do

In between all the food, you might want some activities to burn off the food and work up an appetite for more. No trip to London is complete without a visit to the Tate Modern – one of the premier contemporary art spaces in the world. Traveling with kids? No problem–they have spectacular programs to engage kids in their exhibits. We were lucky to see the Ai Weiwei exhibit “Sunflower Seeds”–with over 100 million handcrafted, handpainted porcelain replicas of sunflower seeds in an enormous pile. (There is a fabulous video that accompanies the exhibit–thanks to the internets, you can watch it here.)

We also saw a terrific Gabriel Orozco exhibit. The gift shop at the Tate Modern is also tops… unless, of course, you hit up the slightly better gift shop at the Design Museum. You know what else is great about the Design Museum? It practically forces you to walk across the Tower Bridge. After you’ve enjoyed this small and well-curated museum, you’ll be in the perfect spot to grab a glass of wine al fresco on the Thames, with a stunning view of the London skyline, framed by the Tower Bridge.

There is, of course, fabulous shopping in London as well. Again, it’s too numerous to go deep on the topic, so I would focus on the multitudes of markets to explore (here is a helpful list with locations and operating days.) But nobody ever had a bad day wandering the lanes of Soho or Seven Dials. And you know, in London, street art abounds, so you can get your fill just by walking around. I’m a fan of the Ben Eine letters you catch early mornings on Petticoat Lane, and the walk back through Shoreditch will take you past a few Banksys and other great street art. Plus, it will get you ready for your next meal.

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Beirut is not on most Americans’ list of top travel destinations- but I would argue that it should be. With a picturesque seaside setting on the Mediterranean Sea, a location that’s been the epicenter of world change and growth for thousands of years, and a unique culture that’s a result of demographic diversity and strong national pride–what’s not to like?

Also: shawarma on every corner. The chicken and the lamb are standard, but I really go crazy for the Armenian soujouk (sausage.)

But when you hear “Beirut” what comes to the forefront of your mind are most likely the devastating news headlines you’ve heard since, well, approximately, your whole life. It’s true: Lebanon is no stranger to conflict and occupation. In the past century, the country hasn’t gone longer than a decade without suffering an invasion, an occupation, a conflagration, a siege, a massacre, a war, an assassination… you get the idea. For the moment, things are pretty peaceful, and there is a constant hum of rebuilding and reconstruction. This photo illustrates it best: in most views; you see something old and bombed, something new and shiny, and something under construction.

There are two periods that define modern Lebanese history: “before the war,” and “after the war.” “The war” is, of course, the Civil War that occurred between 1975 and 1990, including the intense Israeli bombing and siege of 1982, with later conflicts, occupations, and assassinations happening with alarming regularity up until nearly the present day. That means that for most Beirutis, war has played an inescapable role in your life. Ask an older person about history, customs, religion, education, language, culture, you name it–and your answer will almost certainly start with a “before the war” statement to provide context for the answer that relates to how things are now (“after the war.”) Because the war changed things. A lot of things.

Before the war Americans and Europeans used to say that Beirut was “the Paris of the Middle East” but Beirutis will point out that no one has ever, at any point in history, referred to Paris as “the Beirut of Europe.”

Before the war, in the early 1960s, my mother attended college at the American University of Beirut, a vibrant international Christian university that anchors the hip Hamra district. It’s still thriving; it was damaged during the war but it’s been restored. Her dormitory building and most of the main buildings persist. She’s hesitant to go back for a visit, because she isn’t sure she can handle after the war when her memories exist solely in the space before the war.

Before the war, sometime in the 1950s, our friend’s father opened up a factory and became the first business to put hummus in a can–a big innovation. Because of the war, it’s been hard to get new equipment, so even after the war, things are made with most of the same equipment that they used before the war.

Before the war, in the early 1930s, the Hochar family started making wine an old castle on a hillside just outside of Beirut. Interestingly enough, it was a different war that brought Gaston Hochar to wine-making. He met a famous European wine guy who happened to be stationed in Lebanon during World War II, which spurred him to turn his hobby into a full-time gig.  If you call Chateau Musar for a tour and get a ride up the snaking mountain, they’ll show you around and take you down in their freight elevator to their spiderweb storage caves (the spiders are encouraged to live in the wine cellar, as they eat the bugs that eat the glue on the wine labels.) You can also see the amphoras that store the distilled arak that Chateau Musar makes. Arak is a grape-distilled anise liqueur that clouds when you add water, and the mingled scent of black liquorice and alcohol in the amphora room is enough to knock you out. Arak’s kin follow you around the Mediterranean basin in the form of Turkish raki, Southern French pastis, Greek ouzo, and so forth. Naturally, the Lebanese arak, made from grapes, is thought to be the very best form of this powerful beverage (at least by the Lebanese themselves.)

Also well before the war, probably somewhere around the beginning of the 20th century, the building that houses the current Hotel Albergo was constructed in the posh Ashrafieh district. It’s a great place to go if you want to feel like you’re in that part of Beirut that people used to call “the Paris of the Middle East” but which is actually just Beirut itself. The trip up to the ninth floor, complete with uniformed elevator man and old-fashioned cage elevator, transports you back in time before you’ve even had a chance to find a seat in the dashingly handsome lounge.

About 3,000 years before the war, the Romans built some of their finest structures in a very important town called Heliopolis, which now goes by the name of Baalbek and lies about 50 miles north of Beirut. The ruins are some of the best preserved and largest in the world. In fact, the ruins are all super-sized, so early explorers thought they had been built by giants. They are much bigger and more impressive than anything you will see in Rome or Greece, but after the war, not that many people visit, so it’s very peaceful to go there.

More than 8,000 years before the war, people began to settle in Byblos, and they haven’t left since. Layer upon layer of human-made buildings can be found in the ground of this seaside port town just north of Beirut. In the Phoenician heyday, around 4,000 years before the war, they pretty much invented the Greek alphabet in Byblos. In fact, the word “bible” is derived from the name “Byblos.” After the war, Byblos has more tourists than Baalbek, but it’s still a serene and beautiful place to visit, look at the sea and the ruins, and mentally sift through all the layers of history beneath your feet.

But now it is after the war, so some things have changed and some things have stayed the same. For example, part of this Paris business stems from the fact that Beirutis of all ages are being fantastically stylish and vibrant; pack your high heels and your most fashionable outfit (same.)

After the war, you can still go to the grand old Phoenician Hotel for a cocktail or a coffee (same.) You may have to go through a metal detector to get in (different) and you may notice the old Holiday Inn next door now bears some of the deepest scars of the war (also different.)

After the war, you might go bar-hopping on a street called Gemmayzeh. It used to be the “Green Line” that divided the two sides of the Civil War, but it’s not polite to talk about that because it’s called Gemmayzeh now (different.)

After the war, everyone stays up late (same!) To wit: the spectacle of Music Hall, a subterranean Saturday night show that starts around 11 PM and doesn’t stop until nearly dawn. A variety of performers (from opera stars to classical guitarists to rockers to singer-songwriters to… well, you never know with Music Hall) gets 2-3 songs to show off, and that’s it. (Too cool for a website apparently, but here’s the phone number for tickets.)

After the war, a lot of Americans are under the misconception that Lebanon is a Muslim country. In fact, Lebanon has the most religiously diverse population in the Middle East. Officially, the Lebanese government recognizes 18 religious sects that are represented in government, with about half of the total being Muslim (split between Sunni, Shia, and 2 other branches,) and the rest being Maronite Christians, Greek Orthodox, Greek Catholic, and several other Christian sects, plus a small but influential cohort of Druze, a mysterious and somewhat esoteric religious group found in Syria, Lebanon, and Israel. That doesn’t mean you can’t have a preposterously beautiful mosque, though. After the war, and after his father Rafiq Al-Hariri was assassinated, his son Saad Al-Hariri dedicated the Al-Amin Mosque, which was built next right next door to the St. George Church. Religious parity at its finest (and a stunning sight at night.)

Before and after, and everywhere in between, Beirut is a very special place to visit. Have you ever been to Paris? It’s like the Beirut of Europe. You should take a trip to Lebanon to experience the original someday.

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The question: “This summer, I’m going to Italy- biking from Rome to Venice, through Tuscany, with lots of stops in between. What are your favorite things to see, eat, and do there?”

How can I tell you all the things to do in Italy? This will barely scratch the surface! Let me get this out of the way first: I haven’t been to Rome in quite some time, so I will point you to some fine recommendations from Heidi of 101 Cookbooks for that. I’m also incredibly partial to the New York Times “36 Hours” column… and luckily for you, they have a recent one on Rome.

Of course, I like to plan ahead, so if I were heading to Rome I’d be considering a stay at the modern budget Orange Hotel, the colorful Capo d’Africa, or the tucked-away and charming Inn at the Spanish Steps. For a more luxurious splurge, I might go for the newly revamped Hotel de Russie. Tablet Hotels has a long list of unique Rome hotels to book (including the four I just mentioned), so if you need a place to stay, I’d start browsing photos, reading editorials, and checking availability.

Moving on to Tuscany, which is one of those places that looks exactly how you’ve imagined, only much better. You may have heard this already, but in Tuscany it’s fun to stay in an agriturismo–a guesthouse on a farm. I would recommend you look on Trip Advisor for reviews and email them to see if they’re available. There is a wide range of really down-home to fancy shmancy, which is where Trip Advisor comes in to help a lot.

My husband’s favorite town in Tuscany has got to be Siena. I don’t really need to tell you what to do there because once you’re in the old town you’ll just figure it out. Each summer, they have a horse race called the Palio in their shell-shaped piazza–something I would definitely like to witness in my lifetime!  We missed it by a week on our last trip. If you’d like to plan on that, it’s held every July 2nd and August 16th.

The tiny hilltop hamlet of Panzano is where you’ll find the famous “butcher of Tuscany” Dario Cecchini–if you are a meat lover, or any kind of food lover, I can’t stress highly enough my wish for you to eat at Solociccia, a restaurant with communal seating and 6 courses of meat with wine for 30 euros. (“Solociccia” means “only meat.”)It’s one of the most engaging and enjoyable restaurants I’ve ever experienced. We made a reservation on the same day over the phone; it’s not open every day so check ahead. There are two other Dario Cecchini restaurants, and yes, I know (and envy) people who have tried all three in one weekend. Dario+ (fka Mac Dario) is more casual, while Officina della Bistecca is the most upscale and focuses on steak.

A visit to Dario’s butcher shop, Antica Macelleria, is a must as well. When you arrive, you’ll most likely be greeted  by the ever-theatrical Dario wasn’t holding court in the street with his striped pants, bottle of homemade chianti in one hand, and teetering tower of drinking glasses in the other. Don’t worry–he’ll offer you a glass.

San Gimignano is one of the most postcard-perfect Tuscan towns–a town of many towers. It’s lovely and charming. And don’t forget to drink some Vernaccia de San Gimignano, it will be hot and you will need the refreshment from this excellent local white wine.

Monteriggioni an old walled town between Siena and San Gimignano. It’s a relaxed, quiet place to stop for lunch and walk the upper walls for views across the Tuscan landscape. If you were traveling with kids, I’d recommend Monteriggioni for the small medieval museum that charms kids and adults alike, with coats of chain mail, swords, and armor to try on. There are two terrific restaurants in the main square of Monteriggioni: Pozzo and Remo.

Other Tuscan towns that hold some interest for me are Volterra, named for its many stone vaults, and Parma, the birthplace of two of the finest foods known to humankind: parmigiano and prosciutto. Greve in Chianti was highly unexciting, I would not recommend it. Castellina in Chianti is much cuter and sweeter, but not worth a special trip. Of course, the aforementioned Panzano is in a much better hilltop setting than Greve and just a couple kilometers away.

I haven’t been to Firenze or Bologna in awhile,  so I’m not qualified to make recommendations.The beauty is that lots of people have  been to those places so getting advice on them should be quite easy.

Moving on from Tuscany on the way to Venice, you will pass through the town of Ferrara, the bicycle town of Italy. It’s an underrated town with an excellent local culinary tradition and old-town charm. Eat at Trattoria da Noemi, which though reasonably casual is in my opinion, one of the best restaurants in Italy. Order the salamina, a pork lover’s delight and a specialty of the town, something like an unholy marriage of salami and chorizo over  mashed potatoes. (Insert Homer Simpson drooling sound.)

Ah, Venezia, one of the most magical cities in the world. You might feel like it’s full of tourists but it will help to remember that ever since they built on water, nearly 500 years ago, the place has been full of tourists! My first bit of advice: get out of the main area of Piazza San Marco. It’s covered in pigeon shit, tourists, and 8 euro cups of coffee. There are literally dozens of lesser piazzas and campos with much more to offer. Last time we stayed near Campo San Giacomo and we spent many an enchanted evening sipping an aperitivo while the neighborhood kids played in the public fountain.

The Peggy Guggenheim Museum is definitely worth a visit; it’s got one of the best modern art collections in the world (and my very favorite Picasso) in an unexpected canal-side setting. Fans of contemporary art should not miss it. Scuola Grande di San Rocco is another worthwhile museum. It’s an old church that’s been covered on the inside–walls, ceilings, staircases, and so forth–with Tintoretto paintings. (My Dad’s favorite, for what it’s worth.)

A day trip to the island of Murano is another of my top recommendations. Murano is the glass-blowing island of Venice and you can stop by working fornaces to see people making glass. It’s also a good spot for buying gifts as there are lots of small (albeit breakable) things to pick up there, and since you can watch the whole process you’re guaranteed your tourist tchotchkes weren’t made in China. You can take a vaporetto (water bus) there or a water taxi. There is a great authentic restaurant along the main strip called Dalla Mora. Order a whole salt-crusted fish and watch the local men argue over soccer.

As for restaurants in Venice, people say it’s hard to eat well there, but if you know where to go, you can find terrific food to rival any in Italy. Some of the very best in my mind are L’Incontro off Santa Margherita, La Zucca by San Giacomo, and for a more pricey but excellent meal try Fiaschettteria Toscana in Canareggio.

I often use Tablet Hotels to find and book interesting hotels throughout the world. I know in Venice they  have some cool ones that are not too expensive, as I’ve had my eye on them: Charming House IQs and Charming House DD 724. If you’d like to rent an apartment, which is terrific when you are travelling with a larger group, VRBO has some excellent ones. The penthouse apartment we stayed in in Venice was via VRBO, and had a fabulous balcony overlooking the canal – Dimora Tintoretto at the Casa dei Pittori. It was by a fabulous Campo and close to the train station and great restaurants and cafes.

For gelato: This is my husband’s area of expertise. Grom on San Barnaba is his favorite. My mom calls it the “BiRite Creamery of Venice”. Gelateria San Stae is my favorite, especially the very very dark cioccolato flavor.

A few general tips about Italy…

• Don’t forget to eat a gelato in each and every town until you find the very best one.
• Mark Bittman has some good recommendations on restaurants–search them in the New York Times and bring printouts with you.
• They always say “get lost in Venice” and it sounds a bit trite, but it’s actually good advice. Hopefully not TOO lost though.
• To get double espresso you have to ask for “doppio”. The only word my Italian husband actually learned to say in Italian.

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The first sighting was a rocket ship and a UFO within a few stores of one another, housing a used clothing store (rocket ship) and a cafe (UFO.)

Next I swooned at the 1950s sensibility of the Kurt’s Camera Corral sign. Plus, I like picturing cameras in a corral. (I was also nostalgic for the idea of a modern store that offered service with the price…)

Hiway House Motel beckoned from across the street–too bad we already had a place to stay.

A few more steps and I saw a concert was playing soon – Mars Hill Church? Never heard of them, but they’re probably the next hot indie band. Or… this is a church that lives in an old movie theater. Yes, it was the latter.

I couldn’t get enough of the ironing guy in Master Cleaners; if this were a video you could see his neon arm moves back and forth, disconnecting from his neon body at the shoulder, as he endlessly irons his neon shirt.

Crossing the street, I was hit with one of the most epically geeky and incredibly rendered murals I have ever seen. The breadth and depth of comic and sci-fi characters in the mural outside the Astro Zombies Comic Shop are amazing. Comic book nerds, this should be a stop on your pilgrimage.

I don’t know who these green guys are- anyone? But I know that only in this mural would they hang out with “Hard Knock Life” version of Dr. Evil and Mini-Me.

All this sightseeing in the desert heat had me ready for some ice cream. Or in this case, frozen custard. I could tell from the sign that the flavor of the day at Chillz would help me beat the heat.

I imagine New Mexicans probably have a pretty easy time dressing up for Halloween… between Masks y Mas and Larry’s Hats (and old jewelry,) they’ve got it covered.

A cold beer on the rooftop deck of Bailey’s on the Beach–a kitschy ocean-themed bar in the middle of the desert–gives you a great vantage point to see the sun set over the University of New Mexico.

The nighttime desert sky beams bright blue with all the neon lights.

(Everything seen here is located on Central Avenue in Albuquerque, roughly between Carlisle Boulevard and Princeton Drive, except Baileys, which is just off Central Ave at 2929 Monte Vista.)

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We unanimously agreed (in this case, unanimous only required two votes, but whatever) that the best ice cream in New York right now is a Salty Pimp from the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck. No one was as surprised as the gelatoholic, since he usually eschews soft serve. But this was no ordinary soft serve! It was special soft serve, injected with liquid dulce de leche, sprinkled with freshly cracked salt, and chocolate-dipped. Five bucks might sound steep for a soft serve, but after one bite I knew I would have paid like $500 for this thing. The Big Gay Ice Cream Truck roams around, so you can check their website or their Twitter feed to see where they are on any given day.

A close second was “now for something completely different” Mia Chef Gelateria, a brand new spot in the East 30s. It’s an odd location for such high quality gelato, and in a charming twist, it’s both made and served by the young, friendly owner. It’s so good that I’m not sure the bridge-and-tunnel partiers who hang out in Kips Bay are the right audience for these feats of frozen bliss. On the other hand, a lot of the flavors feature booze, cereal, and candy bars, so maybe the guy knows what he’s doing. Chocolate whiskey and tequila fig were standouts–and if you’ve got a little Cap’n in you, you can try the Cap’n Crunch.

I wanted to love Il Laboratorio del Gelato, but I only really really liked it. It’s a beautiful space with big windows so you can see the ice cream being made right in front of you. The fresh mint gelato was pretty fantastic–and made me realize I’ve never had mint ice cream sans chocolate chips, which is a shame–but the sorbets were underwhelming. Oh wait, I just described almost every sorbet ever, so I might be to blame for ordering it. It’s just across from Katz’s Delicatessen, so if you can stomach a pound of pastrami before your gelato, by all means, do it. The combination would let your mouth experience a perfectly representative contrast of the old Lower East Side and the new Lower East Side.

Another excellent gelato is Italian import Grom, which has started to pop up outside Italy with branches in Japan, Paris, New York, and Malibu. There are three in New York, one on the Upper West Side, one near Columbus Circle, and one in the West Village (on the site of my former favorite pizza joint, RIP.) The Grom stores change their flavors seasonally, and you can’t really go wrong with any of them. Their coffee bar is excellent as well.

Speaking of Italy, what about Eataly? A Torino transplant backed by Batali and Bastianich, Eataly is a temple to all that is Italian food and a wonderful place that you should visit no matter what. Since you’ll be there already, go ahead and get a gelato. They have a pretty stellar gelateria, actually, which you might guess, when you see how long the line is. (As for me, the cured meat counter is the biggest draw, but that’s another story.) For some reason, they brag a lot about how their milk comes from Rochester, but don’t let that dissuade you. Sometimes they sell out of flavors, so if you’re picky, an ice cream brunch might be in the cards for you.

On the other end of the spectrum, just across the Brooklyn Bridge is the charming Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory, in Fulton Ferry Park. The setting can’t be beat–you get a great view of lower Manhattan while you enjoy your ice cream. This ice cream can only be described as “old-fashioned”–there are only eight flavors, and none of them are weird, and all of them are delicious. The wet walnuts are a personal favorite, even though “wet walnuts” just means walnuts and maple syrup.

Of course, I still have a soft spot for the original Mr. Softee trucks, and when I find one I have a hard time resisting a vanilla cone with colored jimmies. It’s like eating a piece of childhood. In summertime, they’re easy to find–just listen for that familiar jingle.

Clearly, I have to plan a trip back to try the next tier of ice cream in New York–I’ve barely touched the outer boroughs, and I know there are some good ones lurking there. Somehow we never made it to L’Arte del Gelato, nor did we try the famous frozen custard from Shake Shack,so those are both on the list for next time as well. Any suggestions for further exploration are, of course, most welcome.

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I like artichokes for health reasons, too. The edible part of a large artichoke is only about 25 calories! Plus, they are a good source of fiber, vitamin C, and folic acid. They are also one of the most antioxidant-rich foods you can eat. A USDA study ranked the antioxidant content of different vegetables, and found that artichokes are the number one vegetable for antioxidants.

Did you know that artichokes temporarily change your taste perception? Artichokes contain a compound called cynarin that mess with your tongue–and your mind–making things taste sweeter post-artichoke. Take a sip of water after your next bite of artichoke and you’ll see that it tastes sweeter. This is why you’ll never see artichokes at a wine tasting; they alter the taste of the wine significantly. If you want to serve wine with artichokes, you can counteract the sweet effect by choosing a highly acidic white or a bone-dry champagne.

Balsamic Baby Artichokes with Garlic Chips

serves 2 as an appetizer or side dish

Ingredients:

• 3/4 lb baby artichokes
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 Tblsp olive oil
• 5 cloves garlic, sliced as thinly as possible
• 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
• Tabasco to taste
• 3 Tblsp grated parmesan

Method:

• Prepare a medium-sized bowl with cold water. Add half the lemon juice.
• Trim the bottom of each artichoke, then cut them in half. Use your hands or your knife to strip away the tough outer leaves (this may be a lot of leaves–don’t be shy about stripping them away; the tough leaves won’t taste good.) As you’re working, place the trimmed artichokes in the bowl with the lemon juice and water so they don’t oxidize.
• Heat a pot of salted water on the stove over high heat. When the water boils, drain the artichokes and add them to the boiling water. Cook for 2-4 minutes, until tender. (How long you cook them will depend on how big they are.) Drain well, then pat with paper towels to dry and set them aside.
• Prepare a small plate with 2 layers of paper towels and set it by the stove. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat. When oil is shimmering, add half the garlic slices and watch them very carefully. As soon as they begin to brown around the edges, remove them from the pan with a slotted spoon and put them on the prepared plate. (They will continue to cook and fully brown after you remove them.) If you burn some, it’s OK – just throw them out. Repeat process with remaining garlic slices.
• Make sure there is no garlic in the pan before proceeding. Add artichokes to the garlic oil in the pan and season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Cook the artichokes, flipping every minute or so, for about 3-5 minutes, until they are crisp and browned. (Be careful as the oil may splatter when you first add the artichokes.) . Remove the artichokes to a small mixing bowl.
• Add vinegar, remaining lemon juice, and Tabasco to the bowl and toss the artichokes. Add almost all of the parmesan, reserving one or two teaspoons, and toss to mix. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. Add half of garlic chips and toss to mix.
• Spoon onto serving platter. Sprinkle with reserved parmesan and remaining garlic chips. Serve immediately.

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The Question: “I am planning a girls trip to Palm Springs in two weeks, and I wanted to ask for your advice on hotel and restaurant recommendations.  I’m looking for a cool “happening” central hotel with pool where we could hang out.  We’ll want to have a nice dinner on Saturday night, and may be squeeze in a lunch or brunch as well.  Any advice?”

I actually wrote a blog post with some of my favorite Palm Springs spots awhile back- it should be a helpful start, although  some of my opinions have changed slightly. I got to know the area a lot better since we got married there, so I’ve had a chance to try many more things since then…

For a hotel, it really depends a lot on the budget and what you’re after- there are lots of great hotels down there. The Ace Hotel is super groovy (definitely qualifies as “happening”) but it’s not right in the middle of town. It’s a pretty small town and cabs and parking are plentiful, so it’s not a huge deal. They have an excellent poolside scene! Two small hotels that are quite fabulous and centrally located are Del Marcos and Chase Hotel. The Viceroy has a very LA vibe, and is a bit bigger and more chichi modern. It’s in a great location as well. I have heard great things about Desert Riviera, but it’s basically next door to Ace.

While I so enjoy a stay at The Parker Palm Springs, I have to warn that it’s way on the edge of town and pretty pricey. If you don’t stay there, do go for patio drinks, splurge for dinner at Mr. Parker’s (where we went on our very last pre-wedding date as fiancees before tying the knot!) or opt for a see-and-be-seen brunch at Norma’s. Bring your biggest sunglasses!

When it comes to food: for lunch or brunch I highly recommend Cheeky’s. Everyone loves it there! They have a bacon flight, for goodness’ sake. For dinner, it really depends on what atmosphere you want. If you can sit outside, Spencer’s at the Mountain has a great outdoor area with lights that’s really pretty and the food is good. (We had our rehearsal lunch there.) I think the best quality food and service in town is at Zin, but the atmosphere is not the best. As I mentioned, Mr. Parker’s at the Parker Palm Springs has great food as well, and a super cool and funky atmosphere, but it’s pricier. The Parker is a really zany place so it’s fun to see it. You can eat brunch there, which is a great setting, but it’s way expensive and not amazing. I would definitely choose Cheeky’s over Norma’s.

Don’t forget to try a date shake while you’re there–a desert delight. Have a great weekend!

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