Category — PLACES

I wrote a guest post about the Shanghai Wet Market for the “Farmer’s Market Update” feature on Summer Tomato. It’s not your typical farmer’s market, unless you are accustomed to buying live poultry, snakes, eels, and frogs at an enormous, multi-block open market that’s open 24/7. Leave it to the booming metropolis of Shanghai to offer such a supercharged food market.

I love this picture of rice sacks in the market – to see much much more, you can travel along with me in the Wet Market on Summer Tomato. Thanks to Darya for letting me share my photos and stories from this incredible market!

{A note: This has taken me a long time to write–years, in fact–and I’m still not really satisfied with it. I have tried to put my thoughts and pictures together many times, but haven’t quite been able to get a handle on what I wanted to share. I find that with certain places I have traveled, what’s in my mind is very difficult to put on paper. So this is an imperfect attempt to do so, at best. I’m grateful not to be a writer on a deadline!}

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?

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People ask me for travel advice all the time, and sometimes I just don’t get around to blogging about it in advance. Here’s your chance to ask me anything about anywhere! If I have any good intel–I’ll gladly share it with you.

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?”

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In the heart of unassuming Albuquerque, New Mexico, lies a street that’s neat for those who like mid-century masterpieces and sci-fi spectacles. Central Avenue, surrounding the University of New Mexico in a neighborhood known as Nob Hill, is a fun street to walk around and provides surprises and delights at every turn.

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.)

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There is great food to be had all over Syria, but the far northern Syrian city of Aleppo is the one that’s known throughout the Middle East for its refined cuisine and innovative use of flavors and spices. Kebab Karaz, an unusual and unexpectedly tasty combination of lamb meatballs with cherries, pomegranate, and pine nuts, is one of the signature dishes of the region. The flavor combination is unusual but wonderfully balances the richness of the lamb with the sweet and sour notes in the sauce.

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Last week, I spent five days in New York. Since I was traveling with my gelatoholic husband, five days of travel means I was expected to sample a minimum of five ice cream places–one for each day, sometimes two. I’m not usually a big ice cream eater, but somehow, I managed to put quite a few cones and cups away. Here is a rundown of seven ice cream experiences to try in New York!

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.

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People ask me for travel advice all the time, and sometimes I just don’t get around to blogging about it in advance. Here’s your chance to ask me anything about anywhere! If I have any good intel–I’ll gladly share it with you.

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?”

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One early morning in London I happened to walk up Middlesex Street, when I came across a bunch of letters painted on the closed up shops. It was such a nice surprise on a dreary day. I looked into it and learned it was the handiwork of street artist Ben Eine….

You know, Ben Eine. I’ll spell it out for you:

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