travel
One of my oldest and dearest friends in New York, Sparrow Hall, recently launched a fantastic digital experience dedicated to travel, culture, and design in Upstate New York: An Upstate of Mind. I've written a roadtrip diary about one of many wonderful weekends spent upstate. Check it out :)
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"Travel isn't always pretty, it isn't comfortable, sometimes it hurts. It even breaks your heart. But that's ok. The journey changes you, it SHOULD change you... It leaves marks on your memory, your consciousness, your heart and on your body. You take something with you. And, hopefully, you leave something good behind."
– Anthony Bourdain, NO RESERVATIONS
(Collection 1: Episode 5, Malaysia)
I absolutely love this quote from an episode of Bourdain's show that I only recently watched. This really captures a unique but important point of view on travel. It struck a chord with me – particularly after my own recent (and incredible) trip to Cairo, Egypt. I have always felt that I'm undeniably transformed each time I travel anywhere, in a very good way. How could I not be? And to see it with fresh eyes but through someone very familair with a place is amazing. It also included moments where I feared for our safety, things that were painful to see and experiences that made me sad. But travel should teach you compassion and humility. It should redefine beauty for you many times over. It should shake you up. This trip certainly did all that and more.
View more photos on my Instagram feed or check here.
Lexie and I are back in our Brooklyn apt for (all/most) of August. The slight change of plans happened just a day or two ago. It was what I wanted to do anyway, my circumstances changed to accommodate for a longer stay. It could be my last few months of having a Brooklyn apartment. And my place was (deliberately) vacant this month anyway. Since the timing worked in favour of staying, I figured, why the hell not?!
It's been unexpectedly grounding to be back in the city. It feels a lot more like coming home this trip. It has everything to do with familiar surroundings, even for Lexie. I've lucked out with great weather. I'm taking in as much inspiration from the city now as I ever did while I lived here. It's been so wonderful to spend time with my dearest ny friends again and eating very well, as per usual. I will write a separate post on the food! I AM also doing work while I'm here and looking for interesting new projects as well.
One of the things I'm looking forward to this next couple of weeks is taking my Alvin Ailey dance classes again. In fact, I am going today. I can't wait!
Photos above (from top left):
Jeffrey's Grocery (West Village)
A West Village apartment courtyard
Lexie at her old park in Brooklyn
Still life at Joseph Leonard restaurant (West Village)
My new fall oxford/mocc ankle boots! (by Luxury Rebel)
Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn at sunset
When my friend Rossy told me she had a pond in her backyard, this was not what I expected. I finally got to see said pond this past weekend. It was part of a big feast prepared by two chefs. Rossy Earle, a Panamanian chef and, Paula Costa, a Portuguese chef joined forces to cook a huge Portumanian hybrid feast. I will blog about the food separately. I felt that this pond was worthy of it's own post.
How beautiful is this?! This is where a big group of my foodie friends (and a few with dogs) came together and spent the day. I was stunned when we first drove into the sprawling property – approximately 45 minutes outside of Toronto. According to my friend Rossy, this is a natural pond that has had sand poured into it. It is aerated underwater via a windmill hidden behind the trees. On the property also sits a 6 bedroom house. I understood why Rossy chooses to live here and not in downtown Toronto. The temparature of the water was absolutely perfect and not too cold for this tropical baby. The colour of the water really does look this way in real life. I was in heaven floating peacefully in it – face to the sky.
It was the best day of my entire summer so far. It was a much needed day of relaxation, sunshine, good friends (around 20 of us in attendance), great food, lots of laughs and even some good bubbly. What a beautiful day. I hope I get a chance to come back and do it again before the summer ends.
Stay tuned for the upcoming post on this day's Portumanian menu :)
I love this photo of my dad. It was taken on our big island-hopping trip in the Philippines in 2006. That's my sister behind him, by the way. Not me. Our parents often can't tell us apart in photos and in sunglasses.
Happy Father's Day, Pa!
Love you.
For the first time in history, I visited New York and felt...nostalgic. Even though it felt like I was only there two weeks ago, I realized as I stepped outside and then into the subway that New York had since become part of my past. It was a different feeling from my last (stressful) business trip there in December of 2010. Despite feeling very 'at-home' there, I was filled with emotion as the train made it's way into the city from Brooklyn. I was back on the same train line I used to take to work each day. I was suddenly able to articulate what I was feeling because it was as clear as day and so intense:
New York (to me) had become like that ex-boyfriend who completely broke my heart once. New York is the man I'm still in love with and still want – but I know exactly why it didn't work out between us back then. I couldn't get over the feeling – it was the best way I could descibe it. I choked back tears as I made my way into the West Village. Apparently, I'm not the first person to ever feel this way about New York. I guess I shouldn't be so surprised.
My hectic but amazing week there was filled with quality time with friends, a great wedding party, great food and fantastic art, fashion and film. It also revealed a lot. For one, some (not all) of my friends who still live there tend to forget how to appreciate the city. It's easy to be caught up in the stresses of life, I suppose. New York can be unkind after all. I realized how unhappy I was before I left. The reasons behind this had little to do with the city itself but more to do with my circumstances at the time. I realized that I never forgot how to love it even when I lived there – and that NO ONE can ever belittle how difficult it was for me to leave. Second, I appreciated even more the friendships I had built during my nearly 12 years there. I was reminded that forging new friendships in a new city will take time. I also realized I had actually become a much stronger person in the midst of the huge challenges I faced in the past year. It was good to get some perspective and to be reminded that New York will always be there. The future still lies ahead and there's no telling where it will take me.
I knew going into this New York trip – my first "holiday" in quite some time – that I wanted to stay somewhere nice. Not over-the-top luxury (as if I could afford that), but I wanted something less ordinary. After a search which included discounted rates through a travel insider friend, I found this gorgeous penthouse condo in Brooklyn Heights on Airbnb. The rate turned out to be less expensive than even a run-of-the-mill hotel ($107CND). It was perfectly located between quite a number of train lines and close to the wedding I planned to attend. And you know what? In real life, it looks just as it does in these photos. The space is flooded with light, thanks to the enourmous South facing windows. I had my own private bathroom. It was immaculately clean, I was given access to their washer/dryer, kitchen, living room and terrace, too. The sweet couple who own this condo have their quarters on the opposite side of the condo and really gave me a lot of privacy and were very hospitable. I was even free to bring guests in. And what a view to wake up to!
If you're thinking of renting this gorgeous space next time you're in Brooklyn, however, I'm afraid it's too late... Over a lengthy conversation with one of the owners one morning, I learned that they've just sold the place for a cool $1.2M. As it turns out, I would be their second to last guest.
It was such a treat getting to stay in this beautiful space during what was a really great week long visit to my old city. I highly recommend Airbnb. It's worth combing through the site for the best listings. It helped knowing the neighbourhood well already, but ask lots of questions if you don't. I wouldn't hesitate to use it again – no matter where in the world I might end up next!
All above images via airbnb.com
The photos I took of the (almost) 180°view from the terrace
Balzac's Coffee Roasters
Revel Caffe's schneckens (criossant-like, maple pastry) YUM.
McCully's Hill Farm maple butter tarts
right: maple sap fresh from the tree
Beautifully weathered old farm equipment 
McCully's maple butter, maple mustards and pulled maple BBQ pork (SO GOOD.)
The maple forest
Our maple syrup educator at McCully's Hill Farm
Once they look you in the eye, it's tough to think of them as dinner
Simple Fish & Chips – my favourite was the sable fish (center piece)
Maple bacon and leek mussels (LOVE.)
Let Them Eat Cake's Maple Roasted Beet Soup with Sour Cream Swirl
Let Them Eat Cake's Maple Smoked Trout with Citrus Butter and Steamed Wild Rice with Maple Candied Walnuts
right: Maple Roasted Pear Tart with Maple Cream
I was invited to join a Toronto food bloggers' day trip to Stratford, Ontario for a maple syrup tour this past weekend. Not having grown up in Canada, it was a first maple syrup tour experience for me (apparently it's a yearly thing for many Canadian kids). It turned out to be a great (albeit freezing cold) day, I learned a great deal. And as expected, we ate very well. Our gracious host, Emily Chandler from the Stratford Tourism Alliance was so kind to plan our itinerary and take us around to local farms and restaurants.
I had no idea maple syrup came out from trees very watery with a very mild flavour! It tasted just like sugary water, actually quite refreshing. Different grades of maple syrup are specific to the time of the year it's harvested (ie. lightest syrup in the spring and heaviest towards the fall). The sugar content of the sap determines the grade of syrup you end up with. So many interesting facts and figures I had never heard of before. We even had culinary demonstrations (and recipes) at Let Them Eat Cake for using maple syrup in cooking. Everything was SO good!
It was a great way to spend a Saturday and it's not too far outside of downtown Toronto. Stratford not only has quite a vibrant culinary scene, it also has a very well known theater community and festivals that happen every summer. Apparently, it's also Justin Bieber's hometown ;) it looks similar to parts of Vermont, actually. I met some great people (and even a few adorable animals). I even brought back some amazing maple cured bacon from McCulley's Farm and farm fresh eggs from Soiled Reputation. I'm looking forward to coming back for more great food this summer. Many thanks to Suresh, publisher of Spotlight Toronto for the invitation and Emily Chandler for organizing the trip!
Here's a list of the places we hit and things we did and ate in Stratford:
Balzac Coffee Roasters (cappuccino and croissant)
Revel Caffe (for delicious cappucinos and house-made schnecken pastries)
McCully's Hill Farm (an informative maple syrup tasting/tour and maple cured bacon from happy animals)
Simple Fish & Chips (delicious lunch, all Ocean Wise seafood and local veggies)
Perth Pork Farm (learned about heritage pork breeds from farmer Fred Martines)
Soiled Reputation (great story telling by farmer Anthony John and organic fresh eggs and greens)
Let Them Eat Cake (cooking demos for cooking and baking with maple syrup, more great food and a more syrup facts from Hoover's Maple Syrup)
I'm getting hungry again. More photos in my Flickr album.
Here are just SOME of what we ate in Montreal. I consumed my share of cream, butter, sugar and bread for the
remainder of the year. How indulgent! How fun. So much more left to try... next time.
Bacon, egg and swiss cheese crepe topped with maple syrup (very French-Canadian, I thought) at Quoi de Neuf? on Rue Notre-Dame
These frites had to have been deep fried and lightly dusted with brown sugar. Perfectly savoury and sweet. Amazing. Quoi de Neuf?
Egg whites with spinach, chevre, salmon, mushroom and capers. Divine. Also at Quoi de Neuf?
Cupcakes we purchased a sleek gift box for the cast of People Power from Itsi Bitsi (they loved them!)
I didn't try these, but they definitely looked interesting.
This salad from Creperie Chez Suzette looked more like dessert but it was delicious (the yoghurt/strawberry dressing was
actually more savoury than sweet – contrary to how it looks)
Escargot with plenty butter and cheese, Creperie Chez Suzette
Creme de la Creme cafe where we spent at least four hours straight
Enjoyed glasses of this wonderful wine in Old Montreal following a leisurely afternoon exploring
We had an amazing deal on Moules et Frites three different ways at L'Academie. My personal favourite sauce/broth
was: cognac, cream and green peppercorn. It was to-die-for!
The best part of Montreal was Old Montreal. I hadn't visited since probably 2000. We ended up spending the most time there which resulted in a majority of my photos being taken there. Walking around there really felt like a different country altogether, it felt very, very European/French. It was so lovely. Indulging in four hour meals didn't seem strange. I could have sat in cafés, chatted and laughed all day long. The food we ate was amazing (separate post for that!). The weather was quintessential fall – bright, breezy, crisp and clear (mostly). We saw more amazing art in one small gallery in the neighbourhood than anywhere else. Just being there was inspiration. J'adore!
If it we'rent for the unbearably cold winters and having the obstacle of not knowing how to read/write/speak French well, I would live there. At least now I am only a 5-6 hour drive away. I CANNOT wait to visit again.
