3 Days in Dubrovnik by Debbie

From a young age my mother instilled in me a sense of exploration. She encouraged me to travel to new places and be continuously curious. Since this blog came out of my interest to learn more about the city I live in and the places I visit, it made sense to give her the opportunity to post about her travels around the globe. She has so much knowledge and insight to offer and I’m excited for her to share her primary source with you! Stay tuned for her posts over the next few weeks!

In June, my husband and I took a weekend trip from London to Dubrovnik, Croatia. After a quick flight, we landed at a brand new, sparkling airport and we jumped in a cab for a 30 minute ride to the luxurious Excelsior Hotel, right outside the Old Town overlooking the Adriatic Sea. The hotel has recently been remodeled and just reopened in the Spring of 2017.  All rooms face the sea and have excellent modern amenities (not to mention a fabulous buffet breakfast!)  Although  it is probably on the higher end of accommodations, it’s worth considering if you want a splurge for the weekend!  http://www.adriaticluxuryhotels.com/en/hotel-excelsior-dubrovnik

Croatia declared its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991 when a homeland war began with Serbia lasting 4 years. Dubrovnik is called “The Pearl of the Adriatic” situated on the Dalmation Coast.  In my opinion, Dubrovnik is among the world’s most beautiful and preserved medieval cities.  Old Town’s most distinctive and beautiful promenade, the shiny paved limestone Stradun or Placa Street, is the main thoroughfare. It runs some 1000 feet and is dotted with numerous restaurants, shops  and street performers.

The city enjoys over 2700 hours of sunshine a year. The weather was perfect in June – 85 degrees with almost no humidity.  Wasting no time we jumped into the cool, clear refreshing water of the Adriatic where we watched all sorts of vessels such as tourist pirate ships, kayaks, luxury yachts, large schooners, a yellow submarine, sightseeing boats, etc.  Luckily for us, the cruise ships did not come anywhere near our hotel BUT beware of thousands of tourists that descend of the Old Town between 10am-4pm daily during the high season.  It especially makes driving anywhere difficult and time consuming.

Strada or Placa Thoroughfare – Old Town

 

And YES, the HBO series Game of Thrones was filmed in Dubrovnik and also Split. There are tons of tours and boat trips dedicated to the Game of Thrones

Practical Information :

• The water is drinkable.
• The currency is the KUNA but no one had a problem accepting US $$ for tips. (Fun Fact – a Kuna is a type of forest rodent, that appears on some of the currency).
• Most everyone speaks English.
• The country is clean and the roads are easy to drive on.
• The food is very Americanized.  There were very few Croatian specialties. However we did try one dessert called the Rozata – which is similar to a crème caramel and was very yummy !! Plus there were many gluten free options.
• Plan on walking A LOT so leave your high heels home… bring sandals and sneakers. It‘s a walled town on the side of a mountain so plan to wear comfortable and sturdy footwear
• They are known for their olive oil so pick some up for a great gift.

We booked a Countryside Biking including Wine Tasting. https://www.viator.com/tours/Dubrovnik/Dubrovnik-Countryside-Bike-Tour-Including-Wine-Tasting/d904-6543BIKEWINE  They only take up to 4 couples per tour. We were picked up in a comfortable air conditioned mini van.   Our guide was very friendly and insightful as to life during the war with Serbia.  We drove about 30 mins south of Dubrovnik and spent a leisurely 3 hours biking through charming villages near Gruda. Lunch was also provided and it ended with a wine tasting.  That evening we dined at Proto Restaurant which served the most delicious fresh seafood. http://www.esculaprestaurants.com/fish-restaurant-proto-dubrovnik/index.html
One other restaurant recommendation is Restaurant KOPUN. It’s a bit hard to find in Old Town but they are known for their Croatian cuisine and their famous Capon.

We found a wonderful day tour to give us a sense of the history of the city and surrounding area. We used  Dubrovnik Day Tours (http://www.dubrovnikdaytours.net/). Our guide/driver picked us up at our hotel and we headed to the top of Srdj Mountain for amazing panoramic views of Dubrovnik, then on to Cavtat, a quaint medieval town, then back to Old Tour for a walking tour including visiting the tiny Jewish community and synagogue.  After the Spanish expulsion of Jews in 1492 many refugees passed through Dubrovnik on their way to the Balkan cities under Turkish rule.  To learn more about the Jewish population of Dubrovnik go to  http://www.bh.org.il/jewish-community-dubrovnik/

One day soon we plan on returning to Croatia to visit many other towns and islands.

Look for my next adventure – our trip to FOGO ISLAND… Come From Away with ME !!

 

The Blog Colossus

This week marks one year since my grandfather, Sidney Stern, passed away. It seems only fitting that I not only reboot my blog but also start it again with a post about one of his great passions- genealogy! Last weekend, my brother and I took the ferry to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island for the first time in our lives. 26 years I’ve lived in the New York area and I’ve never visited these landmarks.

As many of you know, Lady Liberty was a gift from the French to America. It was meant to celebrate our centennial on July 4, 1874 however only the arm and torch were complete by that date and could be displayed at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. It would take another 10 years before the completed statue would rise above New York harbor. In those years funds needed to be raised to give the statue a proper home. Fundraising efforts were primarily led by Joseph Pulitzer, owner of the New York World newspaper, for the pedestal and by Emma Lazarus through her iconic poem “The New Colossus”. The statue was completely built in France, where every part was meticulously labeled, and then disassembled to make its journey across the Atlantic to be reassembled in its current place.

Pano from the Pedestal of Ellis Island and NYC in the background

Ellis Island officially opened as an immigration station in 1892. During the 32 years it remained open over 12 million immigrants were processed through its doors. In the height of its use, as many as 10,000 people could be processed in a day. I was under the misconception that a large percentage of immigrants were sent back to their homelands if they could not pass medical inspection such as passing tests that involved pulling back your eyelid to search for disease. While those tests existed, only 2% were denied entry based purely on medical examination. Twenty percent of immigrants were required to stay on Ellis Island for medical attention before entering the city. It took immigrants about 3-5 hours to be processed through the registry room and names were not changed on the island. That likely occurred when they were leaving their original port.

Keith inside the registry room

At the entrance

Things to Know Before You Go: The highlight of our trip was walking up to the crown. You need to reserve your tickets a good 4 months in advance (if not more, to be on the safe side) and you will receive a confirmation email. On the day of your ticket, you must head to Battery Park to retrieve your pre-paid ticket. Your ticket will have a time on it. You can take an earlier ferry; you just can’t go up the crown prior to the time on your ticket. The security for the ferry is similar to airport security and will take time. Stay on the top of the ferry on the way over to get the great views and then on the ferry to Ellis Island and back to the city stay near the entrance for easy access on and off

On the ferry ride over.

The climb to the crown is awesome and not too strenuous, but definitely a bit claustrophobic on the way up and down. You’ll need to leave your belongings in a locker and you are only allowed to take your phone and some water to the top. It is 100% worth the extra cost and exercise.

View from the top. Her tablet says “July 4, 1776”

The stairs up…and down

You can see the wave of her robe as you climb up to the top!

Food options are pricey and limited but tasty enough on Liberty Island. You’ll need to take another ferry to Ellis Island. There are ranger led tours by the hour and I would recommend one of those over the video that we watched. Ellis Island is huge and by the time we got there we were pretty tired. I wish we had had more energy to explore.

There was something special about walking around those halls and imagining my ancestors being processed through them. It was a pretty spectacular day with my brother and I’d like to think that my grandfather was smiling down on us as we shared his love of family and charting our family tree by visiting genealogy’s hallowed ground. Although we did not have the time to search for any family records, I was humbled visiting both islands and inspired to get this blog going again!! I know my poppy would be proud.

We made it to the top and all that sunshine is our poppy shining down on us!

Love spending time with my brother. Note the waves behind us are the waves in Lady Liberty’s hair.

Summer Adventure Part 2

After surviving a pretty intense hail storm on Tioga Pass, the only way in and out of Tuolumne Meadows of Yosemite National Park, we finally made it to Lake Tahoe!

The Keep Tahoe Blue campaign is strong. Its mission is to preserve and conserve the natural beauty of Lake Tahoe. Everyone has bumper stickers with the slogan and the area has taken to having a little fun with it. For example, the Brewery at Lake Tahoe has adopted “Drink Tahoe Brew”.

Did you know that Lake Tahoe is America’s second deepest lake? The border of California and Nevada goes through the middle of the lake and there are many towns that dot the circumference of the lake. We stayed in South Lake Tahoe just over the Nevada border and I consulted this article on Thrillist while planning (http://www.thrillist.com/travel/new-york/a-new-yorkers-guide-to-lake-tahoe).

Accommodations

We stayed at the 968 Park Hotel (http://www.968parkhotel.com/) and it was the perfect spot for us because it’s centrally located across from Heavenly Village and a short walk to the water.

Food

The first night we got in late and enjoyed pizza at Blue Dog Pizza (http://bluedogpizzatahoe.com/) in Heavenly Village. It was yummy and they had gluten free crust! Our second night we made a reservation at Scusa (http://www.scusalaketahoe.com/) in South Lake Tahoe. They had good reviews, gluten free options and it wasn’t far from the hotel. While the food was tasty and plentiful, it came out so quickly that it was hard to enjoy it.

We had two yummy and filling brunches in Tahoe. The first was at Ernie’s http://www.erniescoffeeshop.com/ and we were lucky because there was no wait (and they had gluten free bread!). Driftwood Cafe (http://www.driftwoodtahoe.com/) was also delicious however the first day we went there was a 45 minute wait so definitely try to get there earlier in the morning.

In Truckee, along the west coast of the lake, we grabbed a light lunch at Coffeebar http://www.coffeebartruckee.com/. We had tried to get into Squeeze Inn but it closed by 2pm. There are lots of options for food in Truckee and great shopping so leave some time to peruse.

What to Do

In the early morning we drove to Emerald Bay so that we could get on the lake with Kayak Tahoe (http://www.kayaktahoe.com/). Parking is tight so the earlier you can get there the better. You’ll also want to wear sneakers to walk down to the lake and bring flip flops for the boats. Keith decided to stand up paddleboard and we took out a double kayak. If a storm wasn’t moving in we would have spent 2 hours on the water and paddled farther out but we enjoyed the hour paddling around the island in the middle of the bay and just lounging on the lake. Also it’s right by Vikingsholm (http://www.vikingsholm.com/), a historic mansion that has daily tours.

After lunch in Truckee, we went to Donner Memorial State Park (http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=503) to check out the new Visitor’s Center. The center was small but had tons of information. We particularly enjoyed learning about the Donner Party and their treacherous journey across the Oregon Trail. They had decided to take what they hoped would be a short cut to the west coast but their trailblazing route allegedly lead to the infamous cannibalism. The center also included exhibits about the local Native Americans and the builders of the transcontinental railroad.

Outside the center is the original Pioneer Monument dedicated to the travelers of the Trail.

Portland

We chose to add on Portland, Oregon because, quite honestly, Brian wanted to eat at as many places as possible. I visited Portland about 6 years ago and it seems to have changed a lot. The city straddles the Willamette River, the very river that lead to the city’s origins as a lumber town. Two east coasters, one from Portland, Maine and the other from Boston, Massacusetts, flipped a penny to decide the name of the “Stumptown”. Guess who won? Also for all you Simpsons fans, creator Matt Groening is from the Rose City and it inspired many of Springfield’s residents: http://www.oregonlive.com/movies/2012/05/the_simpsons_map_of_portland_w.html

Accommodations

We stayed at The Jupiter Hotel (http://jupiterhotel.com/) located in the Burnside neighborhood of Portland. It’s about a 20 minute walk over the bridge to downtown. Portland hotels can get pricey but the Jupiter was right within our budget, with small but perfectly comfortable rooms. There’s a music venue and bar at the hotel so be sure to book a “Chill” room if you want a good night’s sleep. The staff was very helpful and answered all our questions enthusiastically.

Food

Screen Door

The first day we ate lunch at the food pods. Portland has tons of food carts and they are fun to ramble through and find your favorite. We decided on a Korean taco pod that hit the spot! Brunch is an art in Portland and our favorite was  at Screen Door (http://www.screendoorrestaurant.com/). It was absolutely worth the wait with its southern cuisine that kept us full for hours on end. Brian loved the chicken and waffles (and the biscuits and gravy), my shrimp and grits were delectable and don’t miss out on the praline bacon. Our last day we had brunch at Brunch Box (http://brunchboxpdx.com/), a teeny place with great breakfast sandwiches centrally located to get around the city.

Dinner at Por Que No

Our first night we met my friend Amanda and her husband at Por Que No (http://www.porquenotacos.com/). Despite the wait, it was amazing. Brian ate 6 different tacos, the margaritas were perfect and the ambience was Portland hipster. What more could you want? We’re Top Chef fans so we put Doug Adam’s restaurant, Imperial (http://www.imperialpdx.com/#welcome), at the top of our list. It’s a loud restaurant but everything we ate was delicious. We also loved sitting near the open kitchen and watching him work.  Still on our Top Chef kick, we wanted to try Gregory Gourdet’s Asian inspired cuisine restaurant, Departure (http://departureportland.com/), in the Nines hotel. We went for drinks at the rooftop bar before and sat outside for dinner. It’s a very trendy spot but the food was not as good as Imperial and there were some issues with service.

The lines at Voodoo donuts were crazy long so Brian decided to go to Blue Star instead as it’s been touted as the grown up donuts of Portland (http://www.bluestardonuts.com/) . Petunia’s, (http://petuniaspiesandpastries.com/), is a gluten free bakery in the city so I had to try it out since I couldn’t eat any donuts. We both agreed our snacks were so yummy!

What To Do

Although I’ve been to Portland before, we thought it would be fun to learn about some of the neighborhoods and history of the city so we went on a 2 hour jaunt with Portland Walking Tours (http://www.portlandwalkingtours.com/). We learned a lot and saw some great sights along the way.

Portlandia was sculpted to be the symbol of the city however sculptor Raymond Kaskey sues anyone who uses it for commercial purposes so it remains in relativity anonymity. Here’s an article to learn more about this pretty hilarious symbol: http://www.wweek.com/portland/article-23062-so_sue_us.html.

While Portland is known for its microbreweries, there’s a burgeoning distillery movement happening as well. We bought a Distillery Row passport for $20 which gives you access to seven distilleries (http://distillerypassport.com/). We made it to three; Eastside, Rolling River and New Deal, with Rolling River as our favorite.

At Rolling River where we tried Aquavit for the first time

New Deal Distillery

We took the bus up to the International Rose Test Garden (http://www.portlandoregon.gov/parks/finder/index.cfm?action=viewpark&propertyid=1113). It’s fun to ramble through the garden and see all the wild varieties of roses. If the day had been less hazy we would have had a spectacular view of Mount Hood.

The Portland Art Museum (http://portlandartmuseum.org/) had an Ai Wei Wei exhibit I wanted to check out. The exhibit was small but we looked around the other temporary exhibits as well. It’s definitely worth checking out.

Portland is a unique city. Think of a cross between San Francisco, Seattle and Brooklyn. There is a vast and present homeless population throughout the city and the neighborhoods differ greatly on either side of the river. It’s extremely walkable but you may want to utilize Uber or Lyft to get between neighborhoods.

It’s a tradition to take photos of your feet with the PDX airport carpet! They are ripping it up despite the residents’ love of it.

We had a terrific trip to Nevada, California and Oregon! I highly recommend going out west to any or all of our destinations.

Summer Adventure Part 1

The blog is back! I’m so sorry for the gap in posts but I promise that I’m going to hit the ground running with lots of new destinations I’ve explored and want to share with you. Brian and I took a trip out west to visit my brother, Keith, in Reno, Nevada. We spent the majority of our time in Yosemite National Park and Lake Tahoe before giving Keith a big hug and flying to Portland for the last few days of the trip. This post will focus on the first portion of the vacation, Reno and Yosemite.

Now you can fly direct to Reno from New York on JetBlue! Honestly, we didn’t do much in Reno besides eat and buy supplies for our camping trip. Keith told us that Reno is trying to revitalize itself and some of its neighborhoods and that was clear to see as we drove through the city. We stayed at The Whitney Peak Hotel (http://www.whitneypeakhotel.com/) , Reno’s only non-smoking, non-casino hotel but it’s hard to escape the smell of cigarette smoke that still lingers in the hallway. That being said it wasn’t overpriced and it was centrally located. Here’s where we ate:

Two Chicks (http://twochicksreno.com/) Delicious brunch with gluten free options. Super cute spot in the Midtown neighborhood. My favorite meal in Reno.

Great Full Gardens (http://greatfullgardens.com/) Great breakfast and coffee. Keith and Brian enjoyed the Leige waffles that were decadent.  Also in Midtown.

The Depot (http://thedepotreno.com/) Impressive craft brewery and distillery. Our mains were pretty good but we probably should have ordered more small plates since that was our favorite part of the meal. I loved the building and the decor as well.

If you have extra time in Reno, Keith suggested also checking out the Nevada Museum of Art http://www.nevadaart.org/. We also would have used Thrillist’s suggestions http://www.thrillist.com/travel/new-york/a-new-yorkers-guide-to-reno. Overall Reno, America’s Biggest Little City, was a great jumping off point for the rest of our journey.

Domes on our Glen Aulin hike

Yosemite National Park 

This summer commemorates Yosemite’s 125th anniversary as our country’s third national park. President Benjamin Harrison signed the legislation that protects 1,500 square miles of awe inspiring land and water forms. We were overwhelmed by the beauty of the park and our time spent in Yosemite was the highlight of the trip. We camped for 3 nights. On April 15th, camping spots open up and you have to be fast to grab spots. The first night we camped at Tuolumne Meadows and the second and third nights we stayed at the Upper Pines campsite in Yosemite Valley. The experience of camping put me totally out of my element but it was wonderful and made me feel like we had an authentic back to nature vacation.

On the way to Yosemite we stopped to check out the views of Mono Lake and to grab food in Lee Vining so that the boys could eat fish tacos at the Whoa Nellie Deli (http://www.whoanelliedeli.com/). These tacos are named some of the best gas station food in the country!

From the summit of Thunder Dome

We went on three separate hikes. The first day we hiked 13 miles round trip to Glen Aulin Sierra Camp (http://www.yosemitehikes.com/tioga-road/glen-aulin/glen-aulin.htm) The hike was relatively flat but the vistas were spectacular. We went off course a bit to climb one of the domes to get some rock scrambling in and declared it Thunder Dome. The boys jumped in Tenaya Lake to cool off after the hike and we celebrated the Fourth of July with some beers by Keith’s pickup truck. Doesn’t get more American than that!

Vernal Falls

Our next hike on Day 2 was in the Valley. We hiked the busy and paved Mist Trail to the top of Vernal Falls (http://www.yosemitehikes.com/yosemite-valley/mist-trail/mist-trail.htm).  While the hike is only 3 miles round trip, it’s very steep (1,000 feet elevation in 1.5 miles). The waterfall is spectacular and we veered off the trail to get closer to really feel the mist. If you have more energy you can continue up another 2 miles (and another 1,000 feet) to the summit of Nevada Falls. But we decided to take it easy to rest up for our last and most extensive hike of the trip.

Admittedly I was nervous to hike Cloud’s Rest (http://www.yosemitehikes.com/tioga-road/clouds-rest/clouds-rest.htm) a 14.5 mile round trip hike that includes an intense mile of endless switchbacks and a ridge the width of sidewalk to the summit. The park ranger at the Visitor’s Center told us it was one of the top 3 hikes she’s ever completed. Despite being a bit scared and feeling unsure that I had enough endurance to make it, I totally rocked it and it was 100% worth it. The summit left us speechless. You end  at the East side of the valley with views of the entire valley including Half Dome, Yosemite Falls and even a bit of El Cap). Even with some hail on the hike down, it was an amazing hike!

Cloud’s Rest with Half Dome between my head and Keith’s head

The ridge to the summit of Cloud’s Rest

Some things to note: Yosemite Valley is much more touristy than Tuolumne Meadows. There are hotels, restaurants and pools. There’s even a bar where we watched the USA women’s team win the World Cup. There are lots of options for families and those that don’t want as much of an outdoorsy trip as we did. That being said don’t forget about the Meadows. They have much to offer and shouldn’t be missed.

I highly recommend spending time in Yosemite or at any national park. They are true treasures and everyone should enjoy what they have to offer. Next post I’ll fill you in on our time in Lake Tahoe and Portland.

Puerto Rico: A Spring Break Getaway

It’s been a long New York winter, as evidenced by the lack of recent blog posts (I promise with warmer weather, I’ll be more diligent!). We needed to escape the cold so we booked a trip to Puerto Rico. We chose PR because it was close, affordable, and had plenty of activities for my can’t sit on a beach for too long boyfriend and his easily sunburnt girlfriend.

The colorful streets of Old San Juan

A little history… Prior to European colonization, the volcanic island was inhabited by the Taino, a native tribe that called the land Boriquen. Christopher Columbus claimed the island for Spain on his second voyage to the New World in 1493. He originally named the island San Juan Bautista, after John the Baptist, and the town Puerto Rico, meaning “rich port”. They did not exchange names until 1521 when San Juan became the capital. Quickly the port became Spain’s most important military outpost as it served as a strategic point between Florida to the north and Mexico to the west. Puerto Rico remained under Spanish rule until 1898. The Treaty of Paris concluded the Spanish-American War and Spain was forced to cede Guam and Puerto Rico to the United States. To understand the relationship Puerto Rico currently has with the U.S. check out this link: http://www.topuertorico.org/government.shtml

Here’s what you need to know before you go:

• It’s a U.S. territory so no passport and no exchange of currency.
• Verizon will not work because there are no Verizon towers! I could not use my data while on the island unless I had a wireless connection. Good thing Brian has T-Mobile!
• Renting a car was a great idea. We had the freedom to get around the majority of the northeast quadrant of island and the roads were easy to drive. Having a car would eliminate steep transportation fees many of the tour companies will make you pay.

Coral Reef while snorkeling

We stayed 3 nights at the Wyndham Grand Rio Mar in Rio Grande  (http://www.wyndhamriomar.com/), about 45 minutes east of the airport. The resort was clean and family friendly, although food options were disappointing, expensive and service lacked. That being said the location was excellent as we could drive to all of our excursions easily and quickly. For the other 2 nights we stayed at an Airbnb (www.airbnb.com), our first experience with the apartment surfing website. We did our research, found an apartment that was located in our desired San Juan neighborhood (Condado), had great reviews and booked it. Our host was easy to communicate with and the apartment was exactly as described! It was a cheaper way to travel and we’ll definitely use Airbnb for vacations in the future.

Puerto Rico has no shortage of delicious food. We celebrated Brian’s birthday at Fern, a

The beautiful entrance to the Plantation House at the St. Regis

Jean Georges restaurant at the St. Regis Bahia Beach (http://www.fernrestaurant.com/bahia-beach-restaurant.php). The food and service were outstanding and they even had gluten free pizza and bread! You should try to get there when the sun is setting so that you can enjoy the ambience of the hotel and landscape. In San Juan we ate dinner at Casa Lola (http://casalolarestaurant.com/), a Roberto Trevino restaurant. They specialize in Puerto Rican cuisine and Brian was delighted to try mofongo, the island’s signature dish made from fried plantains. We also ate at Marmalade (http://www.marmaladepr.com/) in Old San Juan. We opted for the 5 course tasting menu and were not disappointed. In fact it was not only cost effective but everything we ate was delicious and inventive. It was an excellent meal. For breakfast check out the cheap and delicious Pinky’s (http://www.yelp.com/biz/pinkys-condado), and

Lunch at Kamoli with some cafe con leche.

for lunch check out the funky Kamoli Kafe (http://www.yelp.com/biz/kamoli-kafe-and-boutique-san-juan). And if you’re looking for a great artisanal cocktail bar, make your way to Old San Juan and pop into La Factoria (http://www.yelp.com/biz/la-factoria-san-juan). Mario, the bartender, is friendly and knowledgeable and most importantly the drinks were muy bien!

For Brian’s birthday we went snorkeling with Snorkel and Beach Tour on the S.S. Tobias (http://www.snorkelandbeachtour.com/). We drove to Fajardo and departed from Villa Marina. We made 3 stops off the coast of the island of Culebra, two of which we snorkeled at and enjoyed the fish and coral reef. You could rent waterproof cases for your smartphone that worked perfectly underwater and they served lunch and drinks on board. The final stop was Tortuga Beach on Little Culebra island, that was fun to explore and swim in the crystal clear water. I highly recommend the experience and this company.

Snorkeling at Culebra

We used a tour guide named Rupert Cosme, who was recommended to me by Louie’s VIP tours, for a full day El Yunque rainforest and biobay combination tour. I suggest you either use someone else or book the excursion on your own so that you can see what you want and enjoy the excursions at your leisure.

El Yunque (http://www.fs.usda.gov/elyunque) is the only tropical rain forest in the United

La Mina Falls

States Forest System. Because the island is volcanic, there are no indigenous species so you won’t be seeing any monkeys or snakes. However you will hear the call of the Coqui frog. You can absolutely drive to El Yunque and explore on your own. We hiked down to La Mina Falls and Brian braved the waterfall. We would have liked to climb the tower to get a 360 view but our tour guide didn’t take us. There are some places to eat along the road in the rainforest that have cheap local cuisine.

We spent a few hours at Luquillo Beach. It’s a very picturesque public beach without any hotels obscuring the view of the rainforest in the background.

Luquillo Beach

A highlight of our trip was kayaking in the bioluminescent bay. I’m not exactly sure which company we used since there are so many and Rupert, our tour guide, just signed us up for one. That being said, we spent about 20 minutes kayaking through mangroves in complete darkness trying to stay in single file, with only glow sticks on the bow and stern of each kayak as a guide. The crowds are unbelievable. Once you finally get to the bay, the stars above are awe inspiring and when you dip your paddle into the water it actually glows! The ecology of the bay includes plankton that emit a light when agitated at night. It’s more a sparkle than a glow but it’s spectacular. It’s pretty frustrating to paddle back with beginner kayakers who are trying to go against the current, however this excursion is not to be missed. Here’s a great article to learn more: http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/glow-flow-kayaking-eerie-bioluminescent-bays-puerto-rico-article-1.1126777

We spent a late afternoon and evening in Old San Juan. You can visit both Castillo de San Cristobal and Castillo San Felipe del Morro (http://www.nps.gov/saju/index.htm). They are fun to explore and I recommend going at dusk as the crowds thin and the temperature drops. You can take a free trolley that runs throughout all of Old San Juan between the two forts. The history and views are worth the visit.

El Morro

San Cristobal

Puerto Rico was a wonderful island to visit and exactly what the doctor ordered…a little fun in the sun!

Meet Me at the Met

As a New Yorker, it can be easy to take the Metropolitan Museum of Art for granted (http://www.metmuseum.org/). Not only is it the largest art museum in the country, it is also the third most visited museum in the world with a collection of over two million works. When Howard invited Brian and I to join him on a Meet the Met tour through the company Walks of New York, I was a bit skeptical that we’d be able to see the majority of the museum in just 3 hours. Simona, our guide, impressed me with the breadth of her knowledge. I’ve probably visited the Met over 20 times and she was easily able to teach us new facts about famous pieces while showing us galleries in the Met that I never knew existed.

The rooftop is open for another 2 weeks! Corey, Howard, Brian and I had the pleasure of enjoying Central Park from the top of the Met with a glass of wine in hand.

We learned so much along the way but here are some of my favorite facts:

• The Temple of Dendur is not actually Egyptian. It was in fact built for Augustus who
  

  Temple of Dendur

  systematically worked his way to become both the first Emperor of Rome and a Pharaoh of Egypt.

• In the center of the renovated American Wing stands Diana, one of my favorite pieces. It was originally a wind vane on Madison Square Garden. The sculpture was designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens and the building by Stanford White. Her naked body caused much scandal in addition to the rumors that her face was modeled after actress Evelyn Nesbitt, White’s mistress. While the rumors were false, Nesbitt’s relationship with White was the impetus of his murder by Nesbitt’s husband, multi-millionaire Harry Kendall Thaw, which is immortalized as the Trial of the Century, in Doctorow’s Ragtime.
• 

  Diana in the American Wing

  

  Roman copy on the left in marble and Grecian bronze on right

We learned the difference between a Roman statue and a copy of a Grecian statue by a Roman artist. If you see a marble statue with a tree trunk attached to the leg of the human being portrayed you’ll know that it is a marble copy of what was originally a Greek bronze statue. Because marble is heavier than bronze the sculptor would need to add another pillar, such as the tree, to support the additional weight and keep it in the upright position.

• Michael Rockefeller’s collection of Asmat Bis Poles in the Oceania gallery is not to be missed. The poles hail from the Asmat tribe of New Guinea and they are a symbol of the tribe’s mythology and belief system devoted to trees. After trading for the poles, Michael Rockefeller went missing soon after leaving the island, as his boat capsized and he decided to swim back to shore instead of waiting for help. There is some speculation that he may have been the victim of cannibalism.
• It’s really all about Madame X. Do you know that John Singer Sargent originally painted the portrait with one of her straps down? It was met with revulsion, being seen as improper, and Sargent kept the painting in his studio for 25 years, editing the shoulder strap at some point, before the Met acquired it.
  

  Painting at the Met on the left. Photo of original on the right.

Check out the photos below to see just how much ground we were able to cover. Howard bought a Groupon but you can visit https://www.walksofnewyork.com/ to find out other tours that interest you. If you want to venture to northern Manhattan to check out the best Medieval Art that the Met owns, check out my blog post about the Cloisters: https://theprimarysource1.wordpress.com/2014/08/25/closer-to-the-cloisters/

Is there anyone better than Claude Monet at manipulating light? I think not. The House of Parliament (Effect of Fog) proves that he is the impressionist with the greatest command over the brushstroke. The photograph doesn’t do the painting justice. Go see it for yourself.

Corey, Howard and Brian standing guard with the Armor of Henry II of France in the Arms and Armor gallery.

Wall Paintings from a Cubiculum Nocturnum: These frescoes were found on the island of Pompeii after the ash was removed from the eruption of Vesuvius. They were in excellent condition and the vibrant colors withstood the volcanic eruption.

A Beacon of Art on the Way to the Berkshires

About 12 years ago I first visited Dia: Beacon so I was well overdue for another trip to this fantastic museum (http://www.diaart.org/sites/main/beacon). Brian and I met Kate and Russell there on our way up to Nick and Nadine’s wedding reception in the Berkshires. We took the car but you can easily take a Metro-North train and walk from the station. It’s only an hour north of the city on the Hudson River.

Richard Serra’s gigantic sculptures fit perfectly within site specific galleries.

The building is probably one of my favorite aspects of the museum. It is the former home of the Nabisco box printing factory and it is humongous at 300,000 square feet. This allows for large scale art to easily fit within the confines of the walls without feeling stifled, like they often feel in smaller, more traditional museums. Natural light pours in from skylights and it illuminates the expansive rooms that hold the artwork.

Curators expertly place Dan Flavin’s artwork to illuminate, both literally and figuratively, the gallery space and windows.

Some of the artwork was created specifically for the museum such as Sol LeWitt’s 2003 graphite version of his  Drawing Series-Composite, Part I–IV, #1–24, A + B (1968). Other galleries were designed to best present the artwork like Dan Flavin’s fluorescent light creations, Monuments for V. Tatlin. There is a 1pm free tour offered on Saturday and I would recommend taking it so that you have a better understanding of the very conceptual, artwork. There are cards throughout the galleries that give the visitor biographical information as well as insight into the artwork you are viewing.

Michael Heizer’s “North, East, South, West” 1967/2002 forces the viewer to look at art as a negative space and it also forced us to stand on our tippy toes in the hopes of seeing into the bottomless pits.

The spacious gallery that hold John Chamberlin’s iconic mutilated car part art.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It took us about 90 minutes to wander through the Dia and then we enjoyed a lunch at the cafe. The grounds are beautiful and we enjoyed eating outdoors on the sunny day. After the museum, we caravaned up to the Berkshires to celebrate the Marshalls!

Cousins at Nick and Nadine’s nuptials!

The Anti-Beach Hamptons Post

I’m a ginger with pale skin so sometimes lathering on the SPF over and over again isn’t so appealing. The Hamptons are the summer playground for New Yorkers, but going to the beach is not the only thing to do when on the East End. And if you’re a beach lover, then here are some options for those rainy “nothing to do in the Hamptons” days:

Channing Daughters (https://www.channingdaughters.com/) Long Island has great vineyards and this is one of the best. Brian became a member of their wine club so the tasting was free but it’s only $10 for those not in the club. You get to try 6 different wines, including a VinVino which is a dry vermouth made with their wine. The staff is friendly (they’ll even pour more than the 6 glasses) and knowledgeable and I personally loved their roses!  

 

 

 

Parrish Art Museum (http://parrishart.org/) We loved this beautiful museum. In addition to the permanent collection, special exhibitions rotate four times per year. We enjoyed the Maya Lin special exhibition most and there were some fabulous pieces that make the Parrish their full time home, such as sculptures and paintings by Roy Lichtenstein. The architecture of the structure reflects the highlights of the Hamptons with a nod to the natural materials and open meadow surrounding the building. The museum is free on Wednesday and there is a nice cafe, as well.

 

 

 

 

 

Maya Lin

Roy Lichtenstein

Dinner at Topping Rose House (http://www.toppingrosehouse.com/restaurant/) We were excited to dine at Tom Coliccho’s hot spot in Bridgehampton. The restaurant is stunning and we had high hopes. We were warned that the service is not so great because most of the staff at restaurants are seasonal and Topping Rose was no exception. Despite the terrible service (slow, inattentive, brought the wrong dish for my mom), I thought the food was very yummy.

Dinner at Harlow (http://sagharbor.harlownyc.com/) We went to the midtown restaurant’s Sag Harbor summer outpost. We enjoyed a delicious meal while watching the sunset on the water. Brian met the general manager, Marlon, the week before at Channing Daughters so he came by with some free appetizers and friendly conversation. It was pricey (as is everything, it seems, in the Hamptons) but I’d recommend it for a relaxing meal by the harbor. 

Accommodations at Bridgehampton Inn (http://www.landfcookshop.com/bhinn/) Most people associate Bridgehampton Inn with its cooking school and store, Fishes and Loaves. The inn is located right along the traffic packed Route 27 which makes it easy to get anywhere. We loved the staff and found the rooms to be large and comfortable. The stay includes free breakfast, although we wished we had a pool to lounge by.

There’s many other places I’d love to visit in the Hamptons however most are only open Thursday – Sunday. In particular, I’ve always wanted to go to the Pollock-Krasner House (http://sb.cc.stonybrook.edu/pkhouse/). Other notable places of interest include the Dan Flavin Art Institute (http://m.diaart.org/sites/main/danflavinartinstitute) and LongHouse Reserve (http://www.longhouse.org/). What else do you suggest??

Birthday Books and Stars

I was one lucky birthday girl this year. Here’s how I celebrated my 29th with two great free NYC activities:

New York Public Library with mom…

In front of Fortitude, one of the two lions that welcome visitors to the New York Public Library, on 42nd and 5th Avenue

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendack comes to life inside the exhibition.

After a delicious lunch at Todd English Food Hall at the Plaza, mom and I took the bus down to one of my favorite buildings in Manhattan, the New York Public Library. Every day, Monday-Saturday, you can join a docent-led tour of the flagship location at either 11am or 2pm. You should arrive 30 minutes before the tour because tours are limited to 25 people and are available on a first come first served basis. The best part is that the tour is free but if you enjoy your time, you can leave a donation for the library on the way out.

We had about 30 minutes to kill before the tour so we wandered through a special exhibition, The ABC of It: Why Children’s Books Matter. As an elementary school teacher, I was predisposed to love the exhibition but my mom and I agreed that it went above and beyond a simple overview of the history of children’s literature. You’ll enjoy original manuscripts, commentary about the importance of the novels and illustrations of your favorite childhood stories. There are tours of the exhibition Monday – Saturday at 12:30 and 2:30 but it will be closing September 7th.

Ludwig Bemelman’s illustrations from Madeline.

The original stuffed animals that inspired A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh.

Unfortunately, our tour of the library was cancelled because the docent never showed up! We were very upset but we greatly enjoyed the children’s book exhibit. We’re going to try to find another time to head down to 42nd street and go on the tour.

Stargazing on the High Line with Brian…

Telescopes before sundown at 14th and the High Line. If you have extra time, enjoy the view and pick up some gelato.

In the evening, Brian met me for dinner at Chelsea Market and we enjoyed a delicious meal at Cull and Pistol. Then we walked up to the High Line. Every Tuesday evening in the summer, the Amateur Astronomer’s Association brings out their telescopes and teaches the public about the stars in our sky. You need to check the High Line’s twitter page for updates and to be sure that the weather is suitable for stargazing. At sundown, you can wait on lines for each of the high powered telescopes and you’ll be amazed at what you can see. I was shocked to see Saturn and Mars. I could even make out the rings of Saturn and the red tint of Mars. The lines move quickly so don’t let them deter you from waiting. As a New Yorker, it was a welcome treat to take a break and look to the skies and actually see stars!

Here’s a screen shot of the information you get each Tuesday. The twitter feed will tell you what you can expect to see and what the sky conditions are.

Here I am, looking at Mars!

 

 

 

 

 

It was a wonderful 29th birthday and I feel so lucky to have heard from close family and friends on my special day. Thanks everyone for all the birthday wishes!!

 

http://www.theplazany.com/dining/todd-english-food-hall/

http://www.nypl.org/events/exhibitions/abc-it

http://cullandpistol.com/

http://www.thehighline.org/events/free/2014/4/every-tuesday-stargazing-on-the-high-line

Much Ado About Something

On a beautiful Sunday evening, we went with Jason and Ranita to see Much Ado about Nothing at the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park. You can wait in line, join a lottery for tickets online (which you can do daily) or become a supporter of The Public in order to get tickets. The first two options are free but the latter option gives you lots of perks so it’s worth considering. To learn more about ticket options, click the link: http://www.publictheater.org/en/Tickets/Calendar/PlayDetailsCollection/FSITP/Much-Ado-About-Nothing/?SiteTheme=Shakespeare.

The play itself is hilarious and very easy to follow along for those of us who are a bit rusty with our Shakespeare. Those years of laboring over Macbeth and Hamlet in high school were well worth it but Much Ado is timeless with its quips and archetypal characters. Even Senator Chuck Schumer came out to enjoy the production and before the performance began he gave short remarks about the importance of supporting public art. I couldn’t agree more Senator!

The set for Much Ado About Nothing with Belvedere Castle in the background.

Senator Schumer tells the crowd that Congress must support public art as it is not only good for our culture but also our economy.

Shakespeare in the Park is produced by The Public, a nonprofit founded nearly 60 years ago. The Delacorte is the Public’s first permanent home and since 1962 it has been staging performances at the outdoor theatre. The Public equally produces classical, musical, contemporary and experimental pieces but their Shakespeare in the Park series is something no New Yorker should miss.

Much Ado About Nothing closes on July 6th but King Lear, starring John Lithgow, will be on stage from July 22-August 17. My biggest tip is to use the bathroom before you arrive to the theater. The lines for both men and women are staggering in length. Other than that, where some bug spray and enjoy the show!