Hello LiB Readers! The editors are back from our week-long trip to Italy, and though we are sad to have our glorious vaycay days behind us, I think it's safe to say that we're also super glad to be back home. Sorry for our lack of updates thus far, we've been jet lagged and bogged down with catch-up work. But what a trip it was! Though there are a ton of things we didn't get to do, it was still amazing to be out of the country and someplace new.
Here are some highlights and lowlights of our trip, for whenever you get a chance to go to Italy.
The Bad:
* When planning your vacation to Rome, be sure to check the Vatican City schedule on their website. They close a couple of days per month. The one day we left to do all the sightseeing in Rome was the one day they were closed. It was also a religious holiday called Ascension Thursday, but whatever. So we went to Rome and saw nothing Rome is known for- no Vatican City, no Sistine Chapel (this breaks my heart, Michaelangelo!!!), no St. Peter's. I'm still sad about this.
* Try not to rely on one person to do the waking up for you. We all overslept, and missed our check-in for the flight back home by 10 minutes. 10 minutes!!! This resulted us in running all over the Rome airport for wifii to book another flight home, and us losing lots of $$ to buy a ticket back. Oh, not to mention the flight we booked had us stuck in Frankfurt, Germany for 8 hours. In the middle of the night. It was literally the most painful travel experience ever.
* Hotel Aphrodite in Rome is the worst hotel ever. Overpriced and apparently not into customer service. We had to pay cash the first night cause their credit card machine wasn't working, and to top it off we had to get our own change cause they didn't have change. For our second and third night stay the credit card machine was working, but they wouldn't let us split and pay our bill 5 ways cause they would have to pay more taxes if they let us do that. WHAT. And instead of hearing out our complaints they were just like, "Every hotel is just like us!" WRONG. Our hotel in Florence let us split our bill, you assfaces. JUST SAY NO TO HOTEL APHRODITE.
But the good, oh the good:
* The weather! Italy is perfect in May. PERFECT. 70+ degrees weather, hot but not humid, sunny. I miss it, especially on crappy windy and rainy days like today.
* Hotel Globus, Florence. Best, staff, ever. Super friendly, super helpful. For some reason one of our rooms REEKED. But did we complain? No. Do you know why? Cause we loved them so much. They're so nice and helpful. Our friend Christina lost her phone in Florence and they did so much to help us find it. AMAZING. Make sure to have the cappuccino when having the continental breakfast!
* Florence in general. Everything was good, but I especially loved seeing Michaelangelo's David at Galleria dell' Accademia (he is perfect), as well as my girl crush Venus (Botticelli's The Birth of Venus) at the Uffuzi. Also, the Boboli Gardens is a must. Love.
* Food. Gelato at Vivoli in Florence (the rice flavor is YUMMY), pizza at Naples, kebabs, pasta, the espresso, TOMATOES. God, the tomatoes are good. Also hit up the supermarket for snacks. Ringos are like yummy cookie sandwiches, Magnums are delish ice cream bars, I'm obsessed with grissinis/breadsticks, and of course, grazie Italia for NUTELLA!
* Capri. The island of Capri is so lovely, even if its swarming with tourists. I think the most fascinating part of the whole thing was how narrow the roads are, and how adept the drivers are at squeezing past each other. Take a taxi/bus up to the top, Anacapri, and take the cablecar ride up to the tippy top of the island for a grandiose view. Amazing.
* Friends. It's such a blessing to have embarked on this trip with good friends. We laughed a lot, we shared a lot, we lived a lot. It was amazing. Whether you go across the world or across the country, go on a trip with friends. :)
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Ciao Readers!
Monday, October 20, 2008
[Feature] Weekend in Montreal
This weekend, I took a trip up to Montreal with my friend Stella (who I went on my Paris trip with earlier this year) and her fiancee Adam. Anyone who has talked to me since my Paris trip knows that I am in love with the City of Lights, and want to go back as soon as I can. Now, while Montreal is NO Paris and should not be confused for it, the facts that they have great architecture and everyone speaks French were good enough reasons for me to jump on this opportunity. We were only there for a 2 days, but you can see and get a lot done in a short time. Be sure to pack your GPS, walking shoes, and passport!
Quick Facts:
* Montreal is the largest city in the Canadian providence of Quebec.
* Official language is French, and it is the largest French-speaking city in North America, the second largest French speaking city after Paris.
* From NY, Montreal is 1 hour by plane, 7 hours by car.
See:
Old Montreal
The historic part of Montreal that is located downtown feels distinctively European. Great and looming facades of old buildings and cobbled local streets give it that Parisian feel. The City Hall is a beautiful building, and so is the Notre Dame Basilica (pictured on left), which reminded me of Paris's Sacre Coeur. Apparently there is a light and sound show, but we didn't see that, just the spectacular outside.
For us, the main attraction was Rue Saint-Paul, a cobblestone lined street that is probably the heart of Old Montreal. Lamp-lit buildings, tiny boutiques and souvenir shops, and restaurants line this street. It is decidedly very romantic (sorry I was the third wheel, Stella and Adam!) especially at night. The street is also the home of Bonsecours Market, which is a 2-story domed public market. It's almost like an artists' co-op, where jewelry makers, furniture designers, clothing and accessories designers, and other artists show and sell their art.
Do:
Montreal on Wheels 
Ok so this was my favorite and least favorite part of the trip. One of my 30 things to do before 30 was to learn how to ride a bike. I kinda accomplished that last Saturday, where I learned and rode around for 10 minutes before I had to call it a day. Well, exactly a week later, this past Saturday, we ended up renting bikes and biking around half of Montreal. Um, scary, considering I still am a newbie and am still scared of riding! Montreal on Wheels rents out bikes and rollerblades at $9/hr, and there are bike paths along the St. Lawrence River, which is what we did. We biked along the river past Habitat 67, which is a series of housing that looks like piles of blocks on top of each other (picture on right). Very experimental, very cool, very modern.
On our bikes, we ended up all the way on the other side of our starting point at the Biosphere, which was first built as the American Pavilion for Expo 67. It's a geodesic dome that is an amazing sight to see, and now houses a hydrology museum whose interactive kids section was the most fun for all of us. So all in all, from the bike rental place to the Biosphere and back was probably 3 miles. I DID IT! Minus my blisters, my butt hurting from the seat (TMI, I know), and my weird penchant for biking into oncoming bikers (I'm going to work on that) this riding excursion defined my Montreal experience for me.
Eat: 
Definitely above all else, try the Montreal bagels. My friend Howard told me to do this, and also requested that I bring some back for him. They're less doughy than New York ones, but still really good. We went to Fairmount Bagel, which apparently is one of the best places to get an authentic Montreal bagel, and has been in business since 1919. We managed to beat the morning rush, but right after we grabbed ours the line was out the door.
Fairmount Bagel is also near Boulevard Saint-Laurent, also known as the hipster area. We visited on Sunday so a lot of the stores were either closed or opened late, but there was definitely a hip vibe among the people out and about as well as in the storefronts. Lots of unique boutiques and furniture stores, worth a walk around while munching on your bagel.
So, that's it. Remember, Montreal does not equal Paris, but for the road trip and the fact that you're that much closer to a European country without ever having to leave the North American continent makes the trip worth it. It's totally do-able in a weekend, so grab people you like, a gas-efficient car with a reliable GPS (we relied on ours THE ENTIRE TIME), and go! I think summer is the hot season for tourists, but I loved the drive up with the leaves changing color, and Montreal is also beautiful this time of the year.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Trip Of the Day
Hello, New Jersey! It is grand to be back from a trip to the Dominican Republic. I always want to travel next to the cute girl on the plane when I'm traveling alone. I got to do that once. Things were going grand, then she mentioned her boyfriend and how he liked taking pictures. I'm almost certain she broke up with him because she hesitantly mentioned him as though it had slipped from her tongue. The only thing more telling of an inevitable break up is when people mention their significant others within the first 5 minutes of meeting someone else. On this round trip I sat next to an old man who asked a ton of questions and a little kid who kicked me while he slept and I tried to. Better luck next time.
Friday, July 11, 2008
City Review: Los Angeles
Los Angeles is actually short for El Pueblo De Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porcincula. Isn't that just precious? I was only in LA for about a week so I can only say so much about it.
The West Coast is lucky enough to have In N Out Burgers, but In N Out is ultimately improved fast food. What LA excells at is cheap, good Korean and Mexican food. My first night in LA I had all you can eat Korean BBQ for $16. I ate more galbi and samgyeopsal than any man should ever eat. Mexican food in Los Angeles is significantly better than in the East Coast. One day, my friend Koo and I stumbled upon Sharky's Mexican Grill. Sharky's is Mexican fast food but it puts Taco Bell to shame. The burritos are bigger, meatier, and saucier. They also have a salsa bar in the middle of the store with a variety of salsas free of charge. Finally, LA also offered the best bubble tea I've ever had courtesy of Boba World. I'll be dreaming of their strawberry+pineapple smoothie everyday this summer. 
Los Angeles has awesome beaches (although I've recently heard that the Jersey shore actually ranks higher) but if you're expecting a lot of the city itself you'll be sadly disappointed. The Hollywood Walk of Fame is nothing more than a couple of blocks of 5 point stars etched on concrete. Trying to find your favorite entertainer is a waste of time. Los Angeles is also huge! 469 square miles, over 150 square miles larger than New York City. Like New York it is broken into many neighberhoods, each with their unique style. However, the socioeconomic status of each neighberhood is more pronounced in Los Angeles.Thursday, June 26, 2008
West Coast Perspective Part I
Hello from the West Coast ya'll. I've been here since Monday and this is the first amount of extended computer time I've got. (Rest of LIB=-_______- me=x_x) This is my first time in Cali and already I've noticed some key differences.
1. American Airlines planes going to the West Coast are drenched pee, apparently, before anyone is allowed to board. The smell took its toll before take off and upon arrival when the air was not being vented. Maybe they don't pee on their planes. Other possible suggestions include R. Kelly previously owned and it was made from the clothing of those nice people that sleep on the subway. As my friend fittingly put it, "It smells like someone peed on top of a pile of dried up pee."
2. Purchasing things with credit cards requires ID. I never questioned why they don't check back in the East. This practice ranges my emotion from "I guess it's safer" to "Holy crap, this is annoying!"
3. There is no humidity. Goodness, I am going to miss this the most. It was 106 in Vegas and I still felt more comfortable than any day during the summer in Jersey. I ran/walked three miles around the Rose Bowl in Pasadena and not a bead of sweat. Suckers.
4. Mexican food is actually good. There's this place called Sharkey's Grill. Freakin' awesome! Taco Bell, kys.
