Good Food & Great Company

On Saturday we headed to Englewood New Jersey for a friend's birthday. It was her and her twin's 25th birthday celebration organized by their older sister. The event was in a private room of the fancy Greek restaurant Nisi Estiatorio. The food was great. It was a three course meal with wine for $40 per person. A great deal considering the space with a fireplace and great service. The surprise birthday cake was delicious. It certainly was a night to remember for all.

On Sunday, we drove to Manhattan for the first time this year. There was considerably less traffic and we even found street parking courtesy of the bitter cold. We had brunch at Sprig, a new restaurant in the Lipstick building on the UES. Their market lunch of soup, two mini sandwiches and a pastry was a good deal for only $14. My friend didn't really like her food. But not being a food connoisseur, I enjoyed mine without analyzing it. There seemed to quite a few families with strollers due their relatively spacious dining area. Afterwards, we watched Dhobhi Ghat, a niche Indian film. I loved the performances and left me with a longing to visit Mumbai soon.

Weekend Update

It was another weekend with no rigid plans. We had more shopping in mind as we drove all the way to Paramus, NJ. The crazy NJ drivers and the agonizingly long wait for parking may not be worth this trip in the future. But it was a great mall for shopping and snacking. It was also a chance to stop by IKEA along the way

On the way back, we watched another great movie, Blue Valentine, with Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams. It showcased the amazing talent of the leading pair as quite a bit of the script was improvised. It was a deep and somewhat depressing story portrayed very realistically.

On Sunday we headed to Astoria, to visit my sister's new apartment. We walked to Omonia Cafe, a greek restaurant for brunch. They had a four item menu for brunch that included two drinks, a main and a dessert. They also offered regular brunch, lunch options including several greek dishes and desserts. I was really happy with my scrambled eggs and fresh pita bread. The desserts were huge so we ended up bringing them back. Afterwards we picked up my friend from JFK and dropped her at the bus stop near Penn station. The Empire State lit in green and white were a bad omen for the Patriots as they succumbed to the Jets at home. Nelson spent the rest of the evening being miserable. I took comfort in the fact that Tom Brady will not have another ring this year and settled in to watch the Golden Globes.

Image courtesy of: http://www.heyuguys.co.uk/2010/06/01/heyuguys-at-cannes-2010-blue-valentine-review/

First time in Paris

We took the train from Nice to Paris. The first half of it was slow but scenic as we passed along the coast. The speedy second half zoomed us from Marseilles to Paris in about 3hrs after a unexpected delay at the stop. We stayed for three nights at Hotel Roma Sacre Coeur in the artsy Montmartre district. The hotel was darky and dingy but clean and very close to the subway.

This being our first visit, we squeezed most of the main tourist attractions to our itinerary. The subway was great for getting around and we didn't have to ask for directions even once. That was mostly (or only) because Nelson was leading the way at all times!

The Louvre
We were at the entrance at 9.30am for a free visit as it was the first Sunday of the month. Mona Lisa & Venus De Milo were some of the best known work. But houses such diverse art that it is worth the visit even for non art enthusiasts.



Pont des Arts bridge Overlooking the Seine with "locks of love"




Notre Dame Cathedral
We visited during communion of an ongoing mass.



Eiffel Tower
We didn't think it was worth the wait to go up the tower. instead we visited the Christmas Markets with stalls from around the world opposite the bridge.



The Statue of Liberty Paris



Avenue des Champs-Élysées



Arc de Triomphe



Passage Brady
A street where South Asian restaurants are congregated. We had some great Indian food for dinner.


Moulin Rouge
We walked by the famous windmill on our way back to the hotel.



Basilique du Sacré-Cœur
The walk up the hill amidst artists working outside and cafes was lovely despite one too many tourist shops. This was one of the most beautiful churches I've seen. We stayed for a while to listen to nuns singing, possibly at choir practice.



University of Pierre & Marie Curie & Sorbonne University
I had to see the universities when walking through the Latin Quarter.


The garden of the Natural History Museum
Except for a few tourists the grounds were bare as can be expected on a winter day. Would love to be here in the spring.



The Pantheon
We didn't want to pay for an inside tour. But the view of the building was worth it.



The Opera
Paris has no end to amazing and gigantic architecture. I hope to see performance here one day.


Galeries Lafayette
The 10 storied flagship store in Paris.

After the Storm

The first storm was of the new year was on last Friday. After a scary drive home we stayed in with pizza for the rest of the night. But on Saturday afternoon, the roads were clean and we headed to the Jefferson Valley Mall for a bit of shopping. While looking for a place for dinner on our way to the movies, we stopped at Wild Fusion, a new trendy Asian restaurant in Mohegan Lake. It was crowded and we had about 40min wait. We sat at the sushi bar for a satisfying dinner. The service and the presentation was great. It was nice to have this restaurant on a road with mostly pizza and pasta options. I certainly hope they manage to stay open.

We saw The Fighter at the theater near by. Another fantastic movie with great acting performances. I loved Christian Bale as Dick Eklund, an Irish American boxer battling a drug addiction. One of my picks for best movie of the year!


Image courtesy of: http://www.aceshowbiz.com/still/00003956/the_fighter_poster02.html

Beautiful Monaco

On New year's Eve, we took an afternoon trip to Monaco, the world's second smallest country, an independent state along the Mediterranean sea. The train ride along was coast was so picturesque in the afternoon sun.The train station located close to dock which now also served as the Christmas market and carnival area. We decided to take the hop on/hop off tour bus in order to see all the sights before dark. At 17Euro per person, it was a bit pricey, but necessary as we didn't want to walk up the hill to see the royal palace.

The front of the Royal Palace and the surrounding area was beautiful but simpler expected. We enjoyed walking the narrow alley ways of buildings around the palace that seemed to be of official nature with souvenir stores tucked amidst them. The lookout from the top offered great views of the city from one side and the sea on the other.

After the tour, we spent the rest of the evening in Monte Carlo, sitting opposite the most famous casino in the world. Unlike most casinos in Vegas, Monte Carlo wasn't gambling and entertainment under one roof. It was only serious gambling. We took a sneak peak at the casino and settled at a cafe outside. The steady stream of luxury cars at the entrance of the casino, the beautiful lights as well as the crowds outside were our entertainment. After strolling thorough the Christmas market once last time, we took the train back to Nice for NYE festivities.

Nice is nice!

We finally flew directly to Nice after a three day delay to our December holiday. Nice,one of the bigger cities in the French Riviera was a idillyic place to spend our first two days. We stayed at the centrally located budget hotel Kyriad Nice Port which was clean and offered good service. The famed Promenade des Anglais was beautiful even in the winter. The town center was still decorated in Christmas splendor. We took the sight seeing train which took us around the main attractions of the city and brought us to the top of Castle Hill, which was mostly in ruins. But it offered us amazing panoramic views of the city.In the evening, the city came alive with lights and people in holiday spirit. When we tired of walking, we were able to hop on the tram which went through most of the new city.

Next day, we explored Old Nice through its narrow alley ways. Amidst the touristy part of town, we walked through the fish and flower market, getting a real feel for area. It was town that consisted of typical European trademarks such as beautiful, large cathedrals with stained glass work, clock towers and rows of buildings with balconies.

Most My meals in Nice contained of crepes and croissants while Nelson tried some seafood. In this relatively small city, we discovered at least five Indian restaurants. The diversity in cuisine was most likely due the large number of British tourists.

We celebrated the dawn of 2011 at the city center amidst crowds celebrating with fireworks and Champagne.