Road Trippin'

Over the Christmas holidays we completed our 5th roadtrip across the United States. This time we took a more Southern route following Route 66 for much of the journey. This is definitely not hte quickest route, but we were trying to avoid bad weather and also thought it would be an interesting route.

Places we stopped on this trip that we would recommend or go back to again:
Williams, AZ

This is a cute old "mainstreet USA" town which serves as a gateway to the Grand Canyon. You can take the train from Williams to the Grand Canyon.

We stayed at the El Rancho motel. An old motel court motel that takes dogs, has a park across the street to walk them, a laundramat next door. Rooms have a microwave, coffee pot, mini-fridge, satellite t.v. and they have an outdoor pool. Not fancy, but definitely a good value for the price.

We had a good breakfast at the Pine Country Restaurant before we had to get on our way again. Hopefully we will come back and explore this area more next time.

New Mexico

Our car broke down in Albuquerque which ate into the time we were going to spend checking out Santa Fe. However, what little we did see of New Mexico was absolutely stunning. We will definitely plan a separate trip just to explore New Mexico.

Cadillac Ranch (outside Amarillo, TX)

This is a fun quick roadside stop to stretch your legs and walk the dog. This art installation was originally built in 1974 by The Ant Farm, a San Francisco art collective. Graffiti-covered cars are half-buried, nose-down in a row along interstate 40. Cool photo opportunity.

St Louis, MO

We spent New Year's Eve in St Louis, but didn't get a chance to really explore the city. We missed out on trying two of the city's specialties: "concrete" and "toasted ravioli".

On our next trip back we want to be sure to visit Ted Drewe's for the frozen custard.

We also wanted to try Trattoria Marcella one of the many oustanding Italian restaurants on "the hill". Definitely more to do and see!

Nashville, TN

We didn't see that much of Nashville, but would definitely like to come back here. The downtown and outlying areas were beautiful and there seemed to be a ton of musical and cultural offerrings as well as being a big college town. We will definitely be back in Spring or Summer.

Hotel Indigo

We stayed in a couple Hotel Indigo's during our trip (Nashville and St Louis). This hotel chain reminds me a lot of the aLoft hotels. Funky design at an affordable price. What's great is they take pets. In Nashville we had a huge room right downtown with a sitting area which was really nice. Each hotel has it's own style.

I Heart Paris

I was just on in Paris on a business trip and had a day to myself to explore the city. I was so inspired by the crystal clear Fall day with blue, blue skies that I bought a Holga large format camera (at left) at the Paris store Colette and sat down in the Tuileries and loaded it with film right away. Hopefully the pics come out!

Here's a few of my favorite finds from my wanderings. I think all total I walked about 8 hours that day. By no means an exhaustive list, but I did manage to stumble on quite a few interesting shops.

Zadig & Voltaire

Zadig & Voltaire is a great boutique designed around the concept of "affordable luxury" with t-shirts and cashmere sweaters decorated with crystals, skulls and slogans like "Paris Rocks", "Muse" and "Elvis" (€ 80.00). Very casual and rock n' roll.

Cashmere sweaters also come with great logos and designs although they run a bit more expensive like this yellow sweater with the slogan, "Just Rock" (€ 268.00).

Zadig & Voltaire carries great bags, shoes and jewelry as well as a men's and children's line. If you can't make it to one of their stores (they have on in L.A. among other places) you can shop online on their e-store.

Matières à Réflexion Paris

This boutique in the Marais features a line of bags made from vintage leather jackets and army jackets as well as a selection of jewelry and apparel from local French designers.

I bought a silver bracelet from designer House of Done that features tiny silver chain that has been crocheted (at left) (€ 75). I also picked up a great pair of fingerless mittens and a purple keffiyeh scarf of the kind that is popular among French students.

I definitely recommend this store for finding that special something made in France. You can view some of their wares on the website or visit in person at:

19 rue de Poitou - Paris 75003 +33 (0)1 42 72 16 31

DOM Christian Koban

A vraiment hypercool lifestyle boutique with edgy and inexpensive housewares, accessories, clothing and furniture. I was tempted by a "Hells Kitchen" vinyl wall sticker.

You can view a video on the website which showcases some of their products. Wish they had an online store, but unfortunately you have to visit them in person at one of there locations including the Paris store:

21, Rue Ste. Croix de la Bretonnerie +33 (0)1 42 71 08 00

Publicis Drugstore

Right next to where I was staying on the Champs-Élysées was this great drugstore, magazine kiosk, gift shop, restaurant and take-out food emporium called Publicis Drugstore. Open until 2am every night which was extremely convenient.

In the L'Épicerie I was able to find great gluten-free and dairy-free salads like ginger quinoa or lentil carrot as well as sushi, juices, chocolates, etc.

The store carries a selection of Kiehl's, Shu Uemura and Acqua di Parma products. There were also great bags, children's clothes, paper goods and electronics. Definitely worth seeking out!

133 avenue des Champs-Elysées 75008 Tél : 33(0)1 44 43 79 00

Le 66

I did not have time to check out this new mega fashion emporium on the Champs-Elysées. However, I did peer through the windows when the store was closed and it will be top of my list when I have the occasion to go back to Paris again.

66 Avenue Des Champs-Elysées, 75008 Paris

More Great Stores in L.A.

L.A. has so many great stores it's impossible to list them all, but here's a few of my old and new favorites (not including Planet Blue which I blogged about in a separate post):

Veronica M
This cute 3rd street boutique is right next door to the popular restaurant, Toast. A mother daughter team designs the clothing for this feminine and flattering line. I just happened to catch their sale and everything in the store was at least 50% off. I snagged a halter maxi dress similar to this one, but in shades of copper and brown. Normally $115, it was marked down to just $30! They also had shorter dresses and tunic tops, strapless styles in a variety of bold and colorful prints.

New Stone Age

Everything in this 3rd street store is amazing. A great place to come if you are looking for a gift for someone. New Stone Age carries jewelry, home decor, accessories and other things you never knew you needed. I picked up a great pair of woven straw flip-flops for $10. I also loved these Mao figurines although I did not get one.

Dave & Lil's

This store is right next to Crazy Fish sushi in a strip mall on Olympic Blvd. Definitely not in a prime shopping zone, but I always manage to find something at this hidden gem. They carry inexpensive versions of whatever the latest trend is. I picked up a great embroidered tunic top for $78, but was tempted by the gorgeous beaded indian blouses. They have a great selection of summer scarves and super cute shoes as well. Wish they had an online store!

9107 W Olympic Blvd
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
(310) 271-7858

Lisa Kline Men

Lisa Kline's original store on Robertson has expanded to include a separate large men's store and now a kid's clothing store as well. All of the stores are great, but the men's store in particular is worth a visit. Picked up one of these great vintage sport logo tee's ($55) for my boyfriend (not pictured here, but he looks just like this when he puts the shirt on). Definitely cooler than the standard sport logo-wear. Lisa Kline Men carries a great selection of jeans, graphic tee's, dress shirts, blazers and accessories and has an online store to boot!

L.A. with Dog

We were in L.A. this weekend with our dog, Otto, and since we couldn't really leave him in the hotel all day we had to tailor our plans to bring him with us. Here's a couple recommendations for doing L.A. with your fur-baby.

Figtree's Cafe

After walking Otto up and down the Venice Beach boardwalk we headed to the Figtree's Cafe for a late breakfast. I would recommend this cafe whether you have a dog or not--good strong coffee, omelettes with fresh, locally grown veggies and herbs, chicken apple sausage, amazing fruit bowls. They have a large patio with a view of the boardwalk and beach which is great for people-watching. Our server brought Otto a big bowl of water and sat us near the edge away from the crowds.

Figtree's Cafe

Open 8 to 6 daily

429 Ocean Front Walk

Venice, CA

310-392-4937

Chateau Marmutt

Not to be confused with the fancy hotel in Hollywood (Chateau Marmont) the Chateau Marmutt is a dog-grooming and doggy day-care facility right in the midst of the hip 3rd street shopping area. Very friendly staff. We were able to drop Otto off for an oatmeal bath, teeth brushing and nail clip and had a few hours to do some shopping and strolling without the dog. He came back fluffy and soft and tired out which was great.

Toast Bakery Cafe

After Otto's day-o'-beauty we took him for a nice meal at Toast which has a sidewalk patio right in the midst of the hip 3rd street shopping area. Great place for people-watching and ducking out of the sun on a hot summer day. During peak hours there is always a wait, but we went around 3pm and were able to snag a table right away. The menu features, salads, sandwiches, burgers and breakfast fare and there are also great cupcakes and treats from the bakery. I had a turkey burger with grilled onion and avocado and amazing sweet potato fries. Loved the bottomless glasses of Lemonade and Passionfruit iced tea (they will even give you some to go!). Our server brought Otto a big bowl of water and we were able to keep him under our feet at one of the outside tables.

Toast Bakery Cafe

Open 7:30 to 11 daily

8221 W. 3rd St.

Los Angeles, CA

The Dog Lover's Companion

I bought a copy of the Dog Lover's Companion to Los Angeles for our trip. It definitely has a comprehensive list of parks that allow dogs. Was a little bit dissapointed in the dog-friendly restaurant listings, but definitely a handy reference and a good place to start.

Favorite Store of the Day

I'm in L.A. for the weekend and soaking the sun and shopping. Happened upon this great boutique on Main St in Venice/Santa Monica today called Planet Blue. Apparently it's been around since 1995 in Malibu, but it's new for me. They now have stores in Beverley Hills, Venice and Santa Monica, but what's even better is that some of the merchandise is on the Planet Blue online store!

Here are my favorite picks from the website (which doesn't even begin to cover all the merchandise in the store):

Lauren Conrad Valentine Dress

This kimono style dress ($295) is in a great shade of emerald green. Love the way it drapes and the fluid fabric. Could be dressed up or down.

Primp Embroidered Tee

I love the fact that this embroidered shirt from Primp ($131) is a soft knit rather than the usual stiff cotton. Even better that it's 100% bamboo!

Menswear Vest

This Bailey 44 Glenda Vest ($160) is black with thin grey stripes. Love the satin backing with bolder stripes in grey.

Mini Kaftan


I would wear this cotton mini-dress ($95) as a tunic over a pair of jeans or with some shorts. The back is open at the top to show a little skin. Love the sleeves and the fitted elastic waist.

Coast to coast in 4 days

We just completed our 3rd road trip across the US, but this time the goal was making time over sightseeing. We managed to do it in 4 days without having to do any night-driving. The days were a little long, but overall the drive was pretty reasonable breaking it into 4 legs of about 11-12 hours each.

We managed to find a Whole Foods Market in every city we stopped at overnight--Cleveland, OH, Omaha, NE and Park City, UT. In fact, the Whole Foods in Cleveland and Omaha were super-sized. In Park City the Whole Foods was literally right next door to the Holiday Inn we were staying at.

Whole Foods has all kinds of high-quality prepared foods and salads. So, we were able to stock up and have food for breakfast lunch and dinner all 4 days (eliminating the need to stop!). I would definitely recommend checking out the list of stores on the Whole Foods website, before planning a trip like this.

Cheyenne, Wyoming

Even though time was of the essence we did manage to make a quick pit stop in Cheyenne, Wyoming to buy some Western Wear at The Wrangler. Housed in a big red brick building just off the freeway it's hard to miss. Great selection of western shirts, boots and hats.

The Wrangler

1518 Capitol Ave

Cheyenne, WY 82001

(307) 634-3048

At some point I would love to go back to Cheyenne for Frontier Days (July 18-26 2009) which is huge rodeo event there.

aloft Hotels

I was flying out of Montreal over the weekend and had a flight cancellation due to weather so had to stay the night at my own expense and fly out the next day. I had noticed a new hotel on the way into the airport and decided to give it a try. What a great find!

The aloft hotels are designed by the same team that designed the W Hotels. Same urban and hip design, but targeted at a more affordable price point and more "self-service" oriented. My room at the Montreal airport was $109 for two queen beds.

No room service or restaurant, although there was a little place to buy salads, sandwiches, etc. and menus for take out. The Hilton was right next door for a restaurant meal. The hotel had a bar/lounge area, pool, and fitness room. Free highspeed internet access.

The rooms have all kinds of great little details--Bliss Spa toiletries in the bathroom, great magazines, a huge flat screen t.v. that you can plug your laptop, ipod, etc into to if you want! Comfy desk chair, down comforter and crisp white linens on the bed, and cool retro alarm clock.

Oh, Canada!

In honor of Canada Day (July 1) I thought I would post info on some of my favorite stores in Montreal.

Zone Maison

Zone is a great home furnishings store with a couple different locations in Montreal. I bought these "bear claw" salad servers ($8) there. This is a great store to find gifts and they have many items that are relatively inexpensive. They have some jewelry and accessories as well.

Lola & Emily

This is a great airy clothing and accessories boutique on St. Laurent. The store has big couches and rustic furniture and feels comfy in addition to carrying the latest trends. Check out their website at http://www.lolaandemily.com/.

Freitag Concept

This is my very favorite jewlery store. Unique pieces and the prices are incredibly reasonable. The owner is extremely friendly and helpful. I bought my mom several pieces from this store and own quite a few myself. I wish they had a website! 3762 boul. Saint-LaurentPhone : (514) 845-1788.

Space FB

This store carries it's own line of t-shirts and casual wear for both men and women designed in Montreal. There's also a Space FB outlet on St. Laurent up the street from the regular boutique. 3632 St Laurent Montréal, QC H2X 2V4. (514) 282-1991‎.

Oonu

With a newly opened boutique on St. Laurent, designer Claudia Gilles designs unique fluid pieces for women. She also has a line of maternity wear. Wrap dresses, jersey pants and tops all in body conscious, but flattering shapes. 3878, boulevard Saint-Laurent. (514) 227-1272.

James

This store reminds me more of L.A. than Montreal. It was my dose of west coast style while living in Montreal although I did more browsing than buying. Great denim, feminine tops, sandals and accessories. 4910 Sherbrooke St. West (upstairs) 514-369-0700.

Indigo
This is an amazing Westmount store to buy jeans and t-shirts. All the major brands are featured. Denim from Joe's Jeans, Hudson, Paige Premium Denin, etc. Michael Stars t-shirts as well as many other brands. 4920 Sherbrooke St. West 514-486-4420.

Simon's

I love this Montreal department store for all kinds of interesting accessories and clothing finds at reasonable prices. A great coat department in the winter and swimsuit department in summer. Simon's also has a housewares section. I just wish they had shoes! Online at http://www.simons.ca/.

Brown's Shoes

No trip to Montreal would be complete without a stop at Brown's shoes. The store on Ste-Catherine has a huge selection of women's and mens shoes. I just saw these great boots on sale for $99! Check out the website at: http://www.brownsshoes.com/.

Oink Oink

This Westmount toy store carries a great selection of toys as well as some clothing and accessories, stuff for summer camp, books, games. There's also a great infant section. Check out their website at: http://www.oinkoink.com/.

Jack and Jill

This small NDG toy store is jam-packed with all kinds of little knick-knacks, toys and games as well as great kid's clothes, leggings, pajamas and candy. 5330 chemin Queen-MaryMontréal, QC H3X 1T7 (514) 488-5841‎.

Babar en Ville

With two stores in Pointe-Claire Village and on Greene Ave. in Westmount, this is a great children's book store with books in both english and french. 1235 avenue GreeneWestmount, QC H3Z 2A4 (514) 931-0606‎.

Oh the Places You'll Go...

I haven't posted for the last week because I was en route to our lake house in Quebec. This is the second time in 1 year that I've driven across the United States! Most of the drive is unbelievably boring, but between our two separate trips I've found a couple spots that are worth coming back to.

Bayfield, WI

I was sorry that we only had one evening in this little lakeside community on the shore of Lake Superior. This is the access point to the Apostle Islands with ferries and charter boats leaving regularly. The town has cute little Victorian houses, a nice little downtown with great restaurants and wares from local artisans. Nearby are fruit and flower farms where you can pick your own berries in the summer. There are performing art events all summer at the Big Top Chautauqua just outside town.

We stayed at the Winfield Inn, which is a nice inexpensive motel in walking distance to town. Comfy rooms have private patios or balcony with view of the lake and dogs are allowed. The motel has a really nice garden overlooking the lake.

There's a great candy and ice cream store in town with homemade peanut brittle and fudge. Gruenke's Inn and restaurant is supposed to be great although we didn't eat there. For breakfast I recommend The Egg Toss (but get there before 8am if you want some of their homemade pastries).

Yellowstone National Park

It probably goes without saying that this national park is worth seeing. However, I think it's worth reiterating that if you are within 100 miles of Yellowstone it's worth it to make a detour. We drove through Yellowstone on our 1st trek across the U.S. so had not planned to cut through it again. However, we made a last minute decision to make a side trip and were so glad we did.

Both times we have gotten up close views of herds of buffalos. This time a whole herd (with little calves) past all around our car. Our dog was barking wildly so we were ready for them to knock our car over! We saw a moose and a bald eagle too. This time we drove north through the Mammoth Hot Springs which are a very smelly, but beautiful geologic formation. Even spending only a few hours in the park each time I have been amazed. Note, dogs are allowed in the main areas of the park--within 100 feet of parking lots, roads, etc. They are not allowed on trails, boardwalks, or hot springs area (they might fall in).

Deadwood, South Dakota

We stopped in this little gold mining town on our 1st trip across the US to see Wild Bill's grave site and were struck by how picturesque the town was. The historic downtown has nicely restored brick buildings and the surrounding hills are beautiful. I found a great antique/everything store (wish I could remember the name!) on the way into town where we bought one of those cow head skeletons with horns that you see in pictures of the old west. We didn't stay overnight, but looks like there are a lot of cute places to stay in town.

Virginia City, NV

This little gold mining town outside Reno, NV is a nice diversion (especially for kids). Wooden sidewalks and restored buildings and lots of souvenir shops line the streets. There are a couple amazing candy shops with all kinds of old time candies that are hard to find like candy cigarettes and neco wafers. Grandma's Fudge has all kinds of different flavors of homemade fudge.

Hertz Neverlost GPS

We rented a car for this trip and it came with a GPS. I didn't think we would use it much, but it turned out to be the best thing ever. The feature we used the most was the built-in Yellow Pages that made it easy to search for restaurants, grocery stores, and coffee! You can type in the name of any popular chain (Starbucks, Whole Foods Market) and it will locate the nearest one to your location. Definitely made our trip smoother.

Famous Dave's

I recommend this chain restaurant for road food that is a step above fast food. Have to say we were sick of hamburgers by day two. So, some bbq rib's and corn was a welcome change. Not sure that I would seek it out as a destination, but was great compared to other roadside grub.

Our Route

Here's the route we took for this 2nd trip (blue bubbles indicate where we stopped each night. The first night was a short day because we left around 5pm). We did a good job this time around of breaking the trip into manageable chunks. Each day was about 8-9 hours of driving.

Jamaica--Negril Highlights

Rock House

Perched on the edge of a cliff, the Rock House in Negril offers amazing views of the ocean and nearby cliff divers. We stayed in one of the individual stone huts with a private terrace overlooking the water and pretty much did not move from our deck chairs all day.

These rooms have private baths with outdoor showers. The bed faces the water with beautful views.

The Rock House has a great restaurant and bar which gets packed at night. The hotel offers several perches and ladders to access the water although it was a little bit scary when the water was choppy. There's also a nice pool for the more risk adverse.

Idle Awhile

We split our time in Negril between staying at a hotel on the beach and staying at the Rock House. I recommend this low-key boutique beach front hotel, Idle Awhile if you want to feel the sand between your toes. It's also easier to swim from the beach than jumping off the cliffs. There is a private beach area where you can stake out a chaise lounge for the day. The hotel guard keeps the peddlers away if you aren't interested. We kept our eyes peeled for the juice man every day.

The hotel has nice big rooms with a private terrace in a garden setting. When you stay at this hotel you get free access to the Couples Swept Away sport complex, although we were so lazy we did not take advantage of this perk.

Sips and Bites

Right next door to the Rock House in Negril was a little roadside restaurant with amazing food. Our taxi driver recommended this place and we were just sad we didn't find it sooner. Perhaps even better food than we had in some of the nicer restaurants this place was a great deal. I really loved the soursop juice here as well as the daily specials.

Patty Shack

Another great meal in Jamaica was to just stroll down the beach for a couple of pattys. I loved the curry chicken patty with flaky crust. Great meal for less than $2!

Soursop

For a taste of Jamaica back home I really recommend SunTropics soursop juice. Also known as guanabana this juice tastes like pineapple, strawberry, and banana all rolled into one (with a little bit of citrus thrown in). Almost as good a fresh, this juice is not from concentrate and no high fructose corn syrup.

We were told in Jamaica that soursop is good for stomach ailments and parasites. I just like the taste of it.

I haven't tried this recipe, but it looks good and I may try it this summer:

Ginger Soursop Sorbet

3 cups frozen soursop pulp (available in asian markets), thawed

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup Spiced Rum

3 1/2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Process the soursop pulp in a blender or food processor. Pass through a sieve and return it ot the blender or food processor. Add the remaining ingredients and puree. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions