Take a walk through the Jardin du Luxembourg, stroll through the latin quarter, grab an english book at the Abbey Bookshop (owner is from Toronto), check out the shoes at Andre, buy a parisian bikini or some lingerie at Etam, take the train to Versaille the day the fountain shows are on but stop at the macron shop on your way in. Or do absolutely nothing, you are in Paris!
http://www.sibenik-croatia.info While in Sibenik... I was talking to the owners of Medullic Palace who spoke wonderful english and were giving me great suggestions of places to discover. We then went out separate ways and this humbling old man stopped me to ask me some questions... Random man: "Where are you from?" Me: "Canada" Random man: "but where is your accent from" Me: "Canada" Random man: "You roll your 'Rs' in Canada?" Me: "Oh that accent, haha no thats from Paris, Rijeka and my Greek upbringing" Random Man: "Its true 'den' (in his Croatia accent, th=d) what dey say, dat Canada is da Europe across dee Atlantic; I need to go dare one day” I smiled and said, as I walked away, "yes you do..." After a few seconds, I turned around to see if he was still standing there... he was, and as he nodded his head to the side to bid adieu, we shared a smile and I continued on my journey. . . ...If you think Canadians are polite? then you need to experience the warmth and kindness of Croatians; everyone would benefit from a trip across the Atlantic and discovering Croatia! #Croatia New York City, September 9-16, 2006 Growing up listening to Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York", (See Video by Leonard Winter below) NYC had been nothing but a dream. Fortunately enough, a friend of my father's (FF) from our home town Penticton, BC, fell in love with the most amazing Italian women and moved to Staten Island. They kept saying come and visit; so in April of 2006 I saw a ridiculously good deal for return flights from YVR to JFK for September. Harmony Airways it was, including all taxes and a meal, the total cost was only $450 CDN. My dad (who happened to plan his trip to overlap mine for 3 days!) and his friend picked me up from JFK and off we went, taking the "long way" to Staten island. First Stop was for a hot dog, from the Original "Nathan's Famous" on Coney Island's touristy Surf Ave. just north of the nostalgic boardwalk, They had so many different options for fixings' and toppings! I'm sure my hotdog looked like a mess to others, but it tasted so good, so I can't complain! Then it was off to the beach to take pictures of scenes I had seen in so many movies. From 1987's, the Pickup Artist starring Robert Downey Jr. to 2003's Uptown girls starring Brittany Murphy & Dakota Fanning. Staten Island; its an intricate suburb, south of Jersey, south-west of Manhattan and west of Brooklyn. The roads were a mix of cobblestone, brick and concrete and they were the furthest thing from smooth; but they were lovely to look at. There were american flags on every doorstep and large flags, the patriotism had a good strong presence there. The people, and the way Staten Island was built reminded me a lot like North Vancouver, BC and Claremont in California. I sadly only went to Italian restaurants (being that its my favourite food), but it tasted as well as it looked in the picture posted above. Manhattan; multiple neighbourhoods, with endless possibilities for numerous personalities and interests! WOW is a good word to describe it. From the late night amazing authentic Greek Diner with Mexican Chefs; that my father and I made come out of the kitchen. The food was so authentic and rich with garlic and lemon flavours, we had to thank them face to face! To markets in Time Square; negotiating the best prices on cashmere scarves and knock off purses like "Prado" and "Couch", to seeing any "Broadway" show you can think of. To Sundays in Manhattan; seeing a free introduction to all the singing in the shows that were playing that week. To the Orthodox Jewish Neighbourhoods; I could buy diamonds, gold in any shape or size in a 1-block radius...Then without walking more than a block, I arrived at a Jewish deli. The sandwiches were full of kosher flavours that I hadn't ever tasted. I saw the outside of Carrie Bradshaw's apartment from Sex and the City, it was still there but I didn't do the tour as you need to book the tour 2 months in advance. Shopping: I love the Under $110 tax Exemption on Clothes & Shoes in Manhattan! So I hit 5 H & M's spent $300 in total and only paid $0.14 in tax for exceeding the $110 limit in one store. I was surprised to see Zara was more expensive in New York so I didn't bother with trying anything. I tried going to Century 21 but it was so packed, that it wasn't enjoyable to try on anything and wait in line after line; but if you need cheap clothes go there. Jeans regularly $250 on sale for $50, Gucci Bags regularly $800 for $200. For fun creative souvenirs I bought lots, and still have them to this day, from the Marriott Marquis Hotel, you know its the right one because of the funky modern elevators. If you don't mind or love Boutiques like me, hit up the boutique shoe stores near Little Italy, awesome deals and the boutiques only have locals, so they aren't as busy and you can buy more shoes with their low prices. For a few nights, I stayed at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, in Time Square...It was amazing! The Amenities included: the sleep machine beside the bed, the comfy bedding, the fancy bathroom, soft towels, wonderful views, the Pool,the continental breakfast and Appy hour between 4pm- 7pm, being across the street from Chicago with Usher... it was perfect! One night FF's, wife's, brother took me to little Italy, the food was like no other Italian place and dishes were massive, I was in Italian Heaven! After dinner we went to the Peanut Butter & Co. I love Peanut butter so it was a little overwhelming at first but then I took advantage of my surroundings, including the PB lollipops! After that we went and hit up some standup Comedy places. It was so cool you could see comedians on SNL and Just for Laughs and you pay $20 and you are seeing them in front of you. I know others don't like it but I love sitting in the front, who cares if they pick on you, I'm sure I have picked on myself way worse than a comedian will. Plus, its way more fun to laugh at your own expense! Not on bucket list: tried Ostrich for the first time, very tender and surprisingly tastes pretty good with a black berry sauce...go figure! On my Bucket List Was: To take a carriage ride through Central park and dance on the piano in Fao Schwartz. So I did both :) My horse drawn carriage was led by an Irishman wearing a purple velvet suit and a purple Top Hat. It was more than I could ask for. Fao Schwartz made me feel like I was 5 again, from giant-soft-fluffy bears, to seeing the barbies & Porcelain dolls I wanted when I was kid, to dancing on that giant piano like it was nobody's business! There truly is no place like New York City. |
LaurenCanadian Born women, brought up Greek, Swedish and Ukrainian. I love traveling, learning new languages and meeting new people. Archives
May 2015
Categories |