I haven’t posted a lazy post in a while in case you didnt notice. Reason for this particular one is threefold.
1) Hockey addiction is back in full force
2) Busy at work after my dependable intern decided to suddenly quit
3) Lazy
Here are more from our recent visit to Bologna
Since this is a food blog, a fitting subtitle for this post can be Locanda Mariella part II. Just in case anyone needed more convincing to schlep an hour south of Parma to the Apennine mountains. This castle, perhaps a dairy producer (Ciaolatte) and the castle of Felino can be combined with lunch at Mariella for a nice day trip. The area between the Po and the mountains surrounding Parma is in fact flooded with well preserved castles. But none of them is as intact and as remarkable as Torrechiara. The castle was built by Pier Maria Rossi, count of San Secondo, in the 15 century mainly for his mistress Bianca Pellegrini. Ok, lets pause for a second to examine this further. The count was married to Antonia Torelli, a noble woman, daughter of Count of Guastalla. He had an affair with another woman which as I understand was quite common at the time, fine. But building his mistress the greatest of all castles, and decorating each room with magnificent frescoes including that of her (Blue ceiling below)?. The dude had power! I had to ask permission to throw out the garbage this evening.
The castle is perched on a hill and offers sweeping valley views. A hill whose height I overestimated a bit as I drove way past it until we found the castle again and coincidentally one of the best kodak moments ever in Italy (top shot). It was all by design, I told Mrs Ziggy. Once inside the castle the main draw is all the various theme frescoes decorating each room. Some of the most important rooms are Camera d’Oro (golden chamber) the tribute to Bianca Pellegrini, and Salone dei Acrobati showcasing, you guessed it, naked acrobats.
Courtesy of wikipedia
******* YOU MUST BE 18 YEARS OLD TO READ THIS *********
WordPress issues last night published this thing prematurely
Day 1 can be found here. Day 2 was interesting to say the least.
There’s something about spending the evening in NYC while knowing you don’t have to drive home soon. Although my favorite part is waking up in the big city. There’s this level of serenity, like the great calm after the storm. Beautiful young drunk boys and girls are coming home after their one night stands, one reminder after another that you went to sleep way too early last night, and you are just old. People talking to themselves without ear pieces, is another early morning phenomenon.
The best advice I can give a real tourist (as oppose to the fakes like me) is to skip the hotel breakfast option. Come out, explore, follow your nose to the nearest bakery, coffee shop, etc. A Frenchman walks into a bar with a toad on his head. The bartender asks “where the hell did you get this”, the toad replies “In France, they got a million of those” So is coffee shops in NYC these days, and bagels everywhere you turn. Squirrel seekers can even find a plethora of flat whites all over town these days. Instead of sharing a hotel dining room with sandal and socks wearing tourists, come out and eat where the locals eat, and meet some of them. Like Everyman Espresso around the corner from the Hyatt Union Square. Voted by the Daily Meal as one of the best coffee in America, where we enjoyed some fine latte and flavored muffins. A light little breakfast, to save room for a great lunch and dinner, is the way to go in NYC
We then checked out of the hotel and started walking toward our next destination, the one that crashed Trip Advisor. A trip without walking through Madison Square Park is a like a trip without sunshine. Its not only the squirrel capital of the world and the place to see unique art installations, but this is also the place where magic happens… Shake Shack. Well, the original one at least. Shake shack employees and a few squirrels joined together for a pre-opening meeting this fine morning. It occurred to me how large this SS operation really is.
Whenever we look for parking in that area with the kids, somehow, for some bizarre Freudian reason we find a spot right by the Museum of Sex. The kids are too shy and embarrassed to ask any questions about this, and we are too embarrassed and lazy to explain. Since wifey and I are now kidless we decided to pop in. Would you believe it if I told you that this was not only fun and unique, but educational? You got an interesting exhibit dedicated to Linda Lovelace. Funland, a playground for adults that features a new spin on Kentucky Derby horse racing, Grope Mountain climbing!, and a bouncy house where you are surrounded by inflatable fake breasts, some of which were more wrinkly than others I noticed! And who witnessed a German tourist breast suddenly pop out while bouncing? This guy! The educational part: Animals and sex. Very interesting facts and tales like about ducks raping other ducks after chasing and killing them. Another floor offers extremely interesting displays that I can not possiby describe here, and the first floor is a store offering among other things, new pasta shapes I havent seen yet. A new meaning to Al Dente (firm… get it?)
We proceeded to walk toward our first culinary highlight of the day, but first we pass Eisenberg’s Sandwich Shop and it occurred to me.. I havent been here in 13 years since I worked at Forbes.com around the corner. That brought back memories. “Just browsing” I told the clerk, as I had brunch plans. This is not the place for browsing. You attack this thing with full force.
Add the burger at The Gander to the list of NYC growing must eat burgers. This beauty is priced well at $16, available for lunch/brunch only. 28 day dry-aged beef, cheddar – adding anything else to it except for the bone marrow mayo that comes on the side would be criminal. Juiciness level I haven’t experienced since college! Confit Duck Hash, Poached Duck Egg, Port Béarnaise, Duck Chicharrónes was very good, while could have used some acidity in the form of roasted tomatoes or something, but enjoyable nonetheless. Good drinks, great service, nice looking rooms (got filled up a few minutes after the picture was taken). Will be back for more at this 2 month old for sure
We then took a walk along 6th ave toward midtown to witness one of our great holiday celebrations… The Dominican Day Parade (special thanks to TER and ZTAKS from Trip Advisor for this suffering ;)) It was actually quite fun though a tad too crowded. We overheard one visitor ask a police officer if this was the American Independence Day parade.
A mistake on my part. Plan at this point was to walk all the way west to 12th ave, Hudson River. The 20 minute walk turned to be challenging due to the heat. And on top of that, the Citibikes in that station (12th and 40th) had problems with credit cards and 24 hour passes. I have an annual pass but Mrs Z doesn’t.
We managed to get bikes a block away and Mrs Z managed quite fine for her first bike ride in the city without any incidents. I chose the Hudson River Park as its flat, carless, and quite Obama-care friendly. We then parked the bikes in West Village and took advantage of the green space on that end of Hudson River Park, one of my favorite parks in the city overlooking the Hudson and Jersey City. Manhattan has pretty cool parks these days, something I wasnt able to say 10 years ago. We then walked all over West Village all the way to the hotel crossing the always vibrant Washington Square Park yet again
Although we already checked out of the hotel, we were able to use the facilities to make ourselves pretty, or make Mrs Z pretty for our dinner at Ma Peche with friends from Brooklyn. Cant say enough about this place, their new cart service, the fried chicken, and those addictively sick rice cakes (Korean gnocchi on crack) I constantly dream about. Highly recommend Ma Peche. Try the Seven Spice Sour cocktail if you go
We capped off the night at one of my favorite bars in town, the rooftop at Ink48. Glorious moon, glorious views, and another glorious day in the city I call home!
That’s my youngest above, staring ever so watchfully at the looming cloud action over Grace Bay, Providenciales. Knowing her, she must be wondering at that moment which direction the clouds are moving, and whether she’s allowed to have steak tonight. She then remembers that she had steak yesterday and tonight is most likely fish night, and continues to wonder if she would be happier with another family where she could eat, like a lot more steak, and have more sleepovers. Steak sleepovers! Me and 3 of my closest friends, nails, hair, Peter Luger, sleepover. What if that adopted family isn’t that close to Peter Luger or even a decent Hibachi. Thoughts slowly shift back to “Pretty Little Liars”. One out of many random thoughts during our 9 nights in our adopted home of Turks and Caicos. Here’s a recap of what we did
Ate
No, you didn’t accidentally stumble upon another health site. I’m talking about the other “Healthy”, as in “of a satisfactory size or amount”. How to eat well in one of the greatest food cities in America. It took me a few trips to come up with the secret formula and now I am ready to pass this on to you dear reader(s). Its all about what you eating for Breakfast that will set you free to fly with the Kale munching foodies of today (ok not sure what it means either, but I think you get the idea). So grab a pen and pencil (because you know the lone pencil you have in the house is never sharpened) and write down the following recommended breakfast schedule…
Day 1: Beignets
Day 2: Beignets
Day 3: Beignets
Day 4: You guessed it… … Crackers! (Preferably with honey… to cure the hangover accumulated from the past 3 days)
Any questions?
If there’s one thing I learned from all those trips to Italy is this… Eat like an Italian. A croissant, pastry, coffee for breakfast and you are on your way to enjoy the two main things you came here to enjoy: Lunch and Dinner. I approach travelling to New Orleans the same way now, but it wasn’t clear to me at first. On my first trip as I would normally do, I researched the heck out of the city including the towns best breakfast spots, and had solid plans for the usual 3 meals per day. The result was coming to dinner fairly full. I recall hours before dinner I would wish that by the time dinner came I’d be hungrier than I was at that moment. I was fantasizing about “Hunger Pills”, not pills that reduce hunger, but the ones that increase it. But of course, in our backward society our scientists keep concentrating on the former!
Its very simple my friends. New Orleans cuisine is fairly rich. And even big eaters like Ziggy here will have trouble fitting in three full meals. Something has to give, and that something is breakfast, which is why Beignets is the perfect breakfast choice. Here are the obvious and not so obvious options you have in/near the French Quarter and my feelings on who is better.
Café Du Monde – As much as I like the underdogs, CDM won the Beignet war by a small margin. Great texture, not too daughy, not too airy, just perfectly executed Beignets. The lines for seats look longer than they actually are. The lines for takeout look exactly as they are. Get a table, order the amazing Café au lait, Beignets (the only thing they have) and take your time to enjoy this one. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, or trying to pass a town not supported by Chris Christie, you probably already know about Café Du Monde, one of the greatest American institutions. BTW, once you are in looking for a table take a peak inside the building and try to grab seats there. Even while sitting out, take a look at the scene inside.
Café Beignet – Two convenient locations and very solid Beignets. The reason I wouldn’t rank them higher is that some beignets were a bit more dense and chewier than others. Both locations are very popular and the lines can get painful at times, but the Beignets (below) are top notch
Morning Call – We tried the one at City Park and while I was expecting something that would at least rival the other two due to its extensive history, it did not. These were simply not as fresh and not as great, but still a decent convenient option at the park
Whether you are for or against public graffiti you may still appreciate the City Of Canvas exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York. Martin Wong who died of AIDS in 1999 was an artist and a graffiti pioneer in NYC, the city that defined the whole graffiti movement. He amassed a huge graffiti collection during the 1970’s and 1980’s which he later donated to the city. Wong’s works can be found in other museums all over the city including the Met. After his death the Martin Wong foundation was created to continue his legacy
This is not the only reason to visit the Museum of the City of New York. Rising Waters, a touchy subject with the Ziggy clan depicts the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Activists New York explores the entire history of activism in New York, among other exhibits on display.
Rumors have it that our new mayor has dropped the groundhog on his head and as a result we are suffering through the worst winter in recent memory. Major salt shortages all over the city. Lower back spasms from all that reaching to the wallet to pay the shovellers. And not so much eating out lately. Quality of life is taking a hit due to this winter, and instead of the usual food porn I’m presenting you with the finest New England lighthouses and pretty bridges with flowers. Yes, the inner Ziggy is out at it again.
With that said, I was asked quite a few times for that New England road trip we did a few years back, and I figured its time to put it up here. This is an 11 day road trip showcasing some NE highlights. If anyone has any suggestions/comments/threats please dont hesitate to share in the comments. But overall, road trips out of NYC dont get any better than this (and we had our share which includes Niagara)
The short Version (1 night each unless noted):
Newport
Sacco
Bar Harbor – 3
Boothbay
Portland
Gloucester – 3
Day 1 – Newport, RI. One night. Along with the drive back home this is the longest drive of the trip. You are here to see the mansions, the gigantic summer cottages where the wealthiest Americans came to play in late 1800’s, early 1900’s. You have just enough time for a couple of mansions on day one. Allow around 75 minutes in each. The Breakers, Elms, Marble house and Rosecliff are the musts IMO. Consider the behind the scenes tour at the Elms. Breakers stays open later in the day so you can squeeze it in the first day. Have dinner in Salvation cafe. Save your money and spend the night somewhere in Middletown very close by. There’s a Holiday Inn express among other chains.
Day 2 – Morning in Newport, and off to Maine. Visit the rest of the mansion you want to see and do the spectacular cliff walk. Park somewhere on Narraganset ave and walk to your right and back. Visit the Touro synagogue, the oldest in the USA (1763). Not the most beautiful and not the most interesting tour, but it will make you look good at future cocktail parties. Take a drive on Ocean ave and have lunch in one of the wharf’s. Black pearl is decent. Good clam chowder. Overall, Newport is fairly touristy (for good reason) which means not the most exciting food town. After lunch start driving toward Bar Harbor with the idea of spending the night somewhere in the middle. Hampton Inn in Saco near the highway is a good cheap option for families. On the way to Saco however if its a nice clear day, take a detour to Cape Neddick to see the striking Nubble Lighthouse. Stop by at the famous Clam Shack in Kennebunkport for a lobster roll on the way to the hotel.
Day 3 – Drive to Bar Harbor. About 3.5 hours from Saco or Portland. Take the 295/95 route and leave the scenic route 1 to the way back. A convenient lunch in the area is the Chart Room off the main road. This is a good day to simply relax and enjoy your hotel and Bar Harbor, but also a good day to go on a lobster tour with something like Lulu lobster because the rest of the days you would want to stay out of the area as much as possible. Its a good day to start your lobster meal marathon somewhere although I dont have a particular recommendation. Last time we had lobster crapes at Maggies but looks like its now closed. Have lobster ice cream at Mount Dessert Ice Cream. Again, for the purpose of future cocktail parties (“Darling, you should have seen all the crazy gelato flavors being scooped up in Rome these days.. Anchovies! Feh! “, “Well, I bet it still beats Lobster gelato in baa haaba, my dear”). You get my point.
I recommend splurging at the Bar Harbor Inn for 3 nights. Spectacular setting, old rustic hotel with a lot of charm. While there, please tell them to stop emailing Ziggy promotional material. I will revisit when I’m ready. Thank you!
Day 4 – Explore Acadia. Essentially you want to do the 27 mile Park Loop road that takes you to all the cool spots. Start with the visitor center and get a map. Stop at Sand Beach, Thunder Hole, and other stops on the route. Have lunch at the Jordan’s pond (get the popovers, good lobster rolls). This is a must. You will be hard pressed to find a more stunning setting, in the park’s only restaurant. After lunch or before take a walk around the pond. Then climb the South Bubble on the other side of the pond for more incredible views. Drive up Cadillac mountain and walk around the summit and stay till sunset. Its cold up there so bring a sweater, or a jumper if you are British.
Day 5 – Perhaps my favorite day of the entire trip. Explore the quiet side of Mount Dessert Island: Got to Somesville and look for the bridge (top picture). Go kayak on Long pond, take a swim at stunning Echo lake beach, visit southwest harbor, do the ship harbor trail, and look for bass lighthouse. “But Ziggy I still don’t see why this is your favorite day” Have lunch at Thurston’s lobster pound in Bernard. “Ahh. thank you!”
Day 6 – Back on the road. Time to hit Route 1 – Not the most scenic drive, but all sorts of interesting stops on the way. Consider spending some time in Camden. But right before you get to Camden drive to the top of Mt. Battie for some great views of the bay. Not a strenuous climb by any means. In Camden enjoy the various galleries, shops, etc and you can take a 2 hour Schooner cruise if you like from the various vendors lined up at the port. Have lunch in Camden or area. Continue driving on route 1 south. Another spectacular lighthouse on the way is the light at Pemaquid point. Spend the night in Boothbay harbor, and consider dining at, what else, the lobster dock.
Day 7 – Back on the road. Visit the surprisingly majestic and serene Coastal Botanical Gardens. Its huge, so you can easily spend half a day here if you like. Walk the forest. Continue to Freeport and visit the original LL Beans store. They have all kinds of activities and clinics you can sign up for in advance like archery and canoeing. Spend the night in Maine’s largest city and one of the greatest food towns on the east coast, Portland. Consider dining at Street and Co. or its sister Fore Street, widely considered as one of the best restaurants in the USA by all the publications/lists out there.
Note: If you opt to stay longer in Freeport to take advantage of the LL Beans clinics and still do the botanical gardens, you may need to stay an extra day in the Portland area or adjust the itinerary as needed.
Day 8 – Visit Portland sites including and especially Portland Light (yes another lighthouse – what else is new, but this is an absolute must). This is more of a giant sprawling park that attracts a lot of locals and tourists and offer some of the best photo opps of the trip. Its been over 12 hours since the last lobster meal so lunch at the nearby The Lobster Shack at Two Lights. Drive toward Glaucester, Mass via Kennebunkport and the popular summer resort Ogunquit. The idea here is to stay 2 nights in or near Gloucester. Consider staying at TownePlace Suites in the town of Danvers. Cheap 2 BR units right between Gloucester and Boston for easy access to both. I found that the Gloucester popular hotels sell out quickly and/or too expensive for this purpose.
Day 9 – Take the 4 hour whale watching trip with 7 Seas Whale Watch out of Gloucester. Should be one of the highlights of the trip. Reserved in advance. We saw 11 whales last time. Or one whale 11 times. Either way it was a blast
Note: The summer is the best time to see whales in the area. In order to play it safe weather wise you could do the Gloucester leg of the trip on the way to Maine instead of back, and switch if necessary in case the weather turns resulting in choppy water.
Day 10 – Visit Gloucester sites including the various monuments, Hammond Castle, the nearby Rockport and do not miss Motif Number 1, the most often-painted building in America. And in case it looks familiar and you feel like you’ve seen it a hundred times, you did. When your kids watched “Finding Nemo” over and over again. Its one of the paintings at the dentist office. Have lunch in Causeway (good haddock) and check out Halibut point park
Day 11 – Visit Boston
More from Acadia…
Long Bay, Turks and Caicos – Beautiful beach, beautifully isolated, beautiful people. We fit right in! 🙄
We were invited by our friends from Ottawa to watch them fly in gorgeous, windy Long Beach. An ideal spot for Kitesurfing, and most ideal to learn how to kite surf due to the shallow waters. While things got to a rough start where we met with an angry rain shower (kites = great shelter), followed by dying winds, things got back to normal as the skies cleared and the winds came back. Besides, it was a good time for me to practice my true passion, Beach Yoga!
Roberto from kitesurftci.com
Meryl from Spa Tropique
No idea where this is
For the photographers out there looking for those perfect Tuscan shots, here are some important tips on where to find them. Grab a pen and pencil (in case… you know… the pencil breaks)
1) Drive all over Tuscany, especially the Val d’Orcia area
Hmmm, I swear I thought I had more tips, but I’m drawing a blank. I think this might be it – just drive around with your eyes open. Surely it would be challenging to drive with your eyes closed, but I’ve seen it done in Florida (and got the metal plate in my leg to prove it). But the truth is the entire Tuscany region is one giant postcard, and Val d’Orcia is perhaps as picture perfect as it comes. Simply going from point A to point B anywhere in that area will produce more unique landscapes, quite different than the drive you took to get to point A.
From Florence to Lucca to seeing Volterra through the eyes of Annie Adair, to Siena, Pienza and the rest of the gems in the South, here are some of the best shots we took
Florence – Santa Croce
Podere Il Casale near Pienza
Siena
From Avignonesi to Valiano
Near Monticchiello
La Foce
Siena to Asciano
lucca san michele in foro
Villa Grazianella
Volterra
San Quirico to Pienza (very close to San Quirico)
Pisa
San Quirico
Near San Quirico
From Montepulciano
From Montalcino
La Vitaleta (famous chapel by San Quirico)
From Avignonesi to Valiano
From Abbey of Sant’Antimo
Bagno Vignoni
Eating With Ziggy 