A Sun-drenched Elsewhere

“Now more than ever do I realize that I will never be content with a sedentary life, that I will always be haunted by thoughts of a sun-drenched elsewhere.” 
― Isabelle Eberhardt, The Nomad

Au revoir, No Reservations

"The journey is part of the experience - an expression of the seriousness of one's intent. One doesn't take the A train to Mecca.”
― Anthony Bourdain
A Cook's Tour 

Eight years ago, Tony Bourdain began taking us on his adventures to Paris and Penang and all places in between.  Now, he's onto his "Final Tour" of No Reservations and I am feeling a little sad that he won't be letting me vicariously hitch a ride any longer.

Paris by the Page

“There is never any ending to Paris, and the memory of each person who has lived in it differs from that of any other. Paris was always worth it, and you received return for whatever you brought to it…”
Ernest Hemingway, in A Moveable Feast

Southern Living

“You learn to forgive (the South) for its narrow mind and growing pains because it has a huge heart. You forgive the stifling summers because the spring is lush and pastel sprinkled, because winter is merciful and brief, because corn bread and sweet tea and fried chicken are every bit as vital to a Sunday as getting dressed up for church, and because any southerner worth their salt says please and thank you. It's soft air and summer vines, pine woods and fat homegrown tomatoes. It's pulling the fruit right off a peach tree and letting the juice run down your chin. It's a closeted and profound appreciation for our neighbors in Alabama who bear the brunt of the Bubba jokes. The South gets in your blood and nose and skin bone-deep. I am less a part of the South than it is part of me. It's a romantic notion, being overcome by geography. But we are all a little starry-eyed down here. We're Rhett Butler and Scarlett O'Hara and Rosa Parks all at once.” -Amanda Kyle Williams

Up on the Roof

“Mine was the twilight and the morning. Mine was a world of rooftops and love songs.” 
-Roman Payne, Rooftop Soliloquy

From Elle Decor

If I had a rooftop terrace, I'd love to sneak away for a glass of wine or a cup of coffee or an afternoon nap.  After writing about treehouses earlier this week, I have had lofty, dreamy spaces on my mind. There is something so cozy about being in a secretive place where you can see the world but the world can't see you.  Wouldn't a rooftop room be the perfect spot for a dinner with friends or a romantic evening with your love?  An exquisite view certainly wouldn't hurt the mood either. 

Patriotic Places

"My dream is of a place and a time where America will once again be seen as the last best hope of earth."  -Abraham Lincoln 

Relatively new to this state, it always shocks me when I discover how few of my fellow Californians have really traveled beyond San Diego or San Francisco.  Granted, this state has myriad sleepy beach towns and plenty of wilderness to explore, but the rest of America has so much history, culture and nature to offer us.  

Marion Anderson giving a concert in front of the Lincoln Memorial in 1939

A grand case of Francophilia aside, I believe it is an American obligation to see as much of this great land as we can.  Growing up in Missouri and getting educated in Tennessee and Texas has provided me that opportunity.  I feel immensely fortunate to have spent summers wading in Arkansas creeks, climbing in the caves of Chattanooga and warming my feet on the white sands of the Gulf Coast.  

Cocktail du jour: The Caipirinha

The warm summer sun and clear blue skies make me crave beachy cocktails.  Though I've never been to Rio, I have tasted plenty of limey and delicious caipirinhas (pronounced:kai-pee-reen-ya). Cue the bossa nova tunes, throw on your swimsuit and sarong...here's the scoop on these sweet and tart libations.  You'll be on Copacabana in no time!

Wanderlust: Italia Edition

"Everything you see, I owe to spaghetti." 

-Sophia Loren

I've written about wanderlust here before but now I've got it bad.  I feel like sitting in LAX and just choosing the first flight I spot on the departures screen (fingers crossed I score Shanghai or Milan and not Springfield or Midland).  

At the moment though, I continually dream of Italia--it happens every year at this time when I recall my last adventures there in 2008.  This yearning was made even more unquenchable after seeing the Wall Street Journal's entire "Off Duty" section was devoted to Italy.  (insert Italianate hand gestures of frustration here)

The Babymoon

Since I became pregnant, one of the top priorities on my pre-infant to-do list was taking a babymoon.  Of course, we have other more pragmatic tasks as we prepare for the wee little Frenchie, but somehow buying strollers and researching birthing options didn't seem nearly as delightful as planning one final getaway as a twosome.  

Happy Chinese New Year

We have entered the Year of the Rabbit. According to the Chinese zodiac, this year shall bring us domestic serenity and professional prosperity.  I'll toast to that...

Paris vs. New York

One of my favorite blogs is Paris vs New York: A Tally of Two Cities.  In a quick-witted, simple visual manner, the blog compares the two great cities. With their irreverence and chic style, these images delight lovers of either city.

Mapping it out

 

I have a map fetish.  For this reason (and my superb navigational skills---thanks for that gene, Dad), I will never ever ever own a G.P.S.  I am categorically opposed to those little Garmin goodies which tell you to turn here and exit there.  

I love getting my hands on a map, awkwardly unfolding its pages and figuring out where to go.  Plotting a route, veering off course, and seeing the grand design of a city is supremely pleasurable for me.

Autumn Weekend Getaway

There is a harmony 
In autumn, and a lustre in its sky, 
Which through the summer is not heard or seen, 
As if it could not be, as if it had not been! 
- Percy Bysshe Shelley


Having serious fall-withdrawal, I was happy to head to Tennessee for a long weekend with friends at our alma mater.

While Southern California offers faint whispers of autumn, in the hills of the South, fall sings like a soprano: crisply, profoundly, robustly.  Nearly every tree changes its colors.  Leaves crunch beneath foot with each and every step.  Cool mornings and sunny days prominently mark the transition to bleak winter.

Wanderlust

 

[won-der-luhst]

–noun

1) a strong, innate desire to rove or travel about

2) an affliction affecting Pink Frenchie 

Have you ever dreamed of uprooting your life and moving away to a foreign land?  Have you ever considered what it might be like to quit your job and buy a Tuscan villa (Frances Mayes style) or spend a year wandering the cobbled villages of Provence (Peter Mayle style) or seeking enlightenment in an ashram in India (Elizabeth Gilbert style)?

Dreaming of La Dolce Vita

Maybe I've just watched Under the Tuscan Sun a few too many times or perhaps it's the fact that I've been teaching about the Italian Renaissance for weeks now, but lately I've been dreaming of moving to Italy.

I've fantasized about what it might be like to bid arrivederci to California and settle down in Firenze or Lucca or Arezzo for an extended stay.  What is it about those rolling green hillsides and crumbling buildings that makes Tuscany so intoxicating, so romantic? 

A Bermudaful Visit

"Bermuda is the right country for a jaded man to "loaf" in. There are no harassments; the deep peace and quiet of the country sink into one's body and bones and give his conscience a rest." Mark Twain from Some Rambling Notes of an Idle Excursion

Each time we mentioned to friends or family that we were traveling to Bermuda, they would inevitably get the island confused with its tropical cousins, the Bahamas or Barbados.  Aside from the mysterious Bermuda triangle, most Americans know very little about this incredibly isolated island in the Atlantic. 

New York State of Mind: Part 3-The Sights

Whether you live in Southern California like I do or in the Big Apple, locals often whine about the annoyance of tourists.  They wander confusedly through the subway or clog up scenic routes with their rental cars.  They look through the viewfinder of their cameras rather than looking at the pedestrians they're about to collide with.  They eat at the overpriced, under-tasty joints advertised on billboards and brochures.

New York State of Mind: Part 2-The Art

Detail of Mark Rothko at MOMA

Alabaster vase in the Egyptian wing at the Metropolitan Museum

Henri Matisse in the Met

New York State of Mind: Part 1- The Food

Well, darlings: I'm back!  I've just returned from a lovely long getaway to New York City, followed by a trip to Bermuda.  Rather than trying to condense my visit into one post, I am going to stretch out the highlights of my vacation.  

With my mascarpone-cherry rice pudding at Rice to Riches

Because my family makes plans for lunch whilst eating breakfast and plans for breakfast whilst eating dinner, I shall start with the most important aspect of any vacation: food, glorious, food.


In Manhattan, attempting to choose a restaurant is like telling Carrie Bradshaw to choose only one pair of Manolos: a virtual impossibility.  When the family and I were faced with this daunting task, we turned to New Yorker friends and guidebooks and Zagat searches.  

I was determined to chart every breakfast, lunch, cupcake snack and dinner according to our itinerary for the day.  But, as those of you who travel frequently know, wandering off course sometimes leads to the most delicious discoveries.  

An Afternoon at the Museum

It takes a truly stunning exhibition to captivate me.  Art history is my job.  And as with all jobs, we often become calloused by our day-to-day activities, no matter how much we adore them.  So on Saturday, I was unexpectedly spellbound by the Jean-Louis Gerôme exhibition at the Getty Center.