travel zen on friday: rubik's cube in budapest, hungary

Did you know that the Rubik's Cube was invented by a Hungarian?  We learned that during our walking tour near the ruin pubs where we saw this amazing graffiti art.

le chantecler restaurant in nice, france

(Nice, France).  As part of our friends' 40th birthday celebrations in France, we enjoyed a lovely dinner at Le Chantecler - a gorgeous Michelin-starred restaurant located in the storied Hotel Negresco along Les Promenade des Anglais.   It is a very posh place so we definitely dressed for the occasion.  (Tip - Before dining here, check the dress code on their website.)

The lobby was beautiful but quiet and empty like a museum...

We enjoyed some drinks at the hotel bar before dinner which is highly recommended simply for location and people watching.  Then we entered into the grand hotel lobby into the formal dining room of the restaurant (which had surprisingly pink table cloths). 

Very very pink table cloth... but check out the gorgeous dishware!

The moment we sat down we were embraced with a cloak of finely orchestrated service.  Course after course arrived - each more beautiful than the next, as you can see below...

 

By the end we were bursting at the seams, yet not so full that we weren't able to end the night with another nightcap at the hotel bar.

The entire experience was extraordinary and highly recommended.  The elegant, posh surroundings, impeccable service and beautiful plating made the entire meal from beginning to end magical and nearly theatrical.  But while I enjoyed my meal immensely, I can't go as far as to say that it was the best meal I had in Nice.  That honor would go to Restaurant JAN (reviewed here).  The bill at Le Chantecler was also about double the cost of JAN.  I think the choice  really boils down to whether you care more about the actual food versus the entire dining experience.

le voilier plage: beach club in nice

(Nice, France).  The beach in Nice - like the beaches along the Amalfi Coast in Italy - is quite rocky and lined with private beach clubs.   There are free, public areas along the beach interspersed between the clubs.  Either option enjoys the same view and water - but with the club, you get a lounge chair, shade and full food/drink service.  In the U.S., I would probably not consider paying for this type of "luxury", but I was on vacation so why not?

travel zen on friday: vegas lights

Sunset view from our room at the Palazzo in Las Vegas, Nevada.

restaurant review: le bistro gourmand

(Nice, France).  As a lactose intolerant person, French cuisine tends to be too rich and creamy for me.  But there are some homestyle French bistro food I enjoy with the aid of lactaid pills.  In my search for good bistro cuisine in Nice, I came across this helpful blog - www.bestofniceblog.com - which has wonderful tips and recommendations for Nice.  

Our group took up one of the dining rooms which was quite light and airy.

 Based on the review there, my friends and I decided to dine at Le Bistro Gourmand, and it was a lovely surprise.  

travel zen on friday: wizarding world of harry potter in universal studios hollywood

Finally got to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Studios Hollywood and it was awesome!  Loved walking through the village and trying Butterbeer.  If you are a fan of the books or movies, you'll love this!

restaurant review: restaurant jan (one michelin star restaurant in nice, france)

(Nice, France).  In Nice, we were joining a group of friends for their birthday celebrations so it was a rare situation when I did not plan or organize any of the meals.  Fortunately the food planner was also an avid food and wine lover so he planned all of our group meals beautifully.  For our first large group dinner he chose Restaurant JAN - an incredibly well-reviewed restaurant with one Michelin star.

Here is a sample menu - they offer several choices of prix fixe.  I think we went to the chef's choice which had more than 6 courses.  While each course is deceptively small, all of us were pretty full as we neared the end of the meal.  So how was the food?

hotel review: le meridien nice

(Nice, France).  For our stay in Nice, we chose to stay at Le Meridien Nice - mainly because we got the entire duration of our stay on Starwood points.  Nothing really beats free.  

However, I have to admit that when our uber driver pulled up to the hotel I was a bit disappointed, especially after seeing the other grand hotels during the drive.  The outside of the hotel left quite a lot to be desired - sort of outdated and adjacent to a large McDonalds.  Don't get me wrong - I enjoy McDonalds occasionally but I don't usually want it attached to my hotel.  But was I too quick to judge?

travel zen on friday: view of the beach in nice from castle hill

If you are in Nice, you should definitely walk up to Castle Hill and enjoy the gorgeous views of Nice.  It's healthy and free - what more could you ask for?

my experence using uber in nice, france (summer 2016)

(Nice, France).  On my recent travels, it has become a habit for me to research whether my destinations have uber.  It's advisable to check right before you arrive since uber is still relatively new in many areas where the laws may be unclear and/or where uber is subject to attack by local taxi organizations (literally or figuratively).  For example, last year when I went to Paris, uber cars were physically being attacked so I refrained from using uber while I was there and opted to pay for the overpriced taxis.  This year, however, I read several articles and blogs which confirmed that uber was widely used in Nice and was preferred by the locals - being cheaper than taxis.

When we landed in the airport, I checked my app and lo and behold, there were uber cars available.  I recall reading that there's a "Kiss and Fly" zone where the uber cars pick riders up.  So my husband and I simply found the zone, requested a car, and then we were off to our hotel!  So easy!

Since my French is basically non-existent despite years of high school French courses, it was helpful to be able to type in the destination point, instead of trying to tell the driver where to go - especially since many of the drivers we encountered did not really speak English.  

We used uber several times in the city successfully so I would definitely recommend it.  Nice is pretty walkable for tourists so you may not have to rely on cars for much - but it was definitely useful for going to and from the airport.

But again - remember to check before you go since the situation may change.  When we went to Budapest after Nice, we found out that uber had just been outlawed there, which was quite disappointing.

shopping for omorovicza skincare in budapest (and getting an amazing facial)!

(Budapest, Hungary).  Before I visit any new place, I always try to do a little bit of research on the local shopping - i.e., crafts or specialty items unique to the area.  While Hungary is known for things such as paprika, lace, and folk art - I wasn't particularly interested in such items.  The most famous wine in the region is the sweet dessert wine (Tokaji Aszu) and I definitely planned to get some of that - but what really interested me was trying out some skincare - namely the Omorovicza skincare line which is based on the "healing waters of Budapest".  Although it is available in the U.S., I was hoping to get it cheaper from the source.

travel zen on friday: russ & daughters for a special bruch treat

Scrambled eggs and caviar is a treat that I reserve for special occasions - what better place to indulge than at Russ & Daughters in NYC?

be back soon!

Apologies but no blog from me today!  I'm off to Nice and then Budapest and will be back with more food pictures, reviews and recommendations in a few weeks.

Happy Travels!

hotel review: avalon hotel in beverly hills

(Beverly Hills, CA).  Recently I had a staycation at a local boutique hotel - the Avalon - located on Olympic Boulevard - with my best friend.  I picked it based on the photos of the newly remodeled rooms and the website description that each room had dvd players because we were hoping to bingewatch some old tv shows, but unfortunately, that turned out to be untrue.  None of the rooms had dvd players...

But aside from that misfortune, how was our stay?

travel zen on friday: a perfect sunny day in santa barbara

On a morning stroll in Santa Barbara...

some favorite cheap(er) eats in new york

(New York, New York).  Too little time; not enough meals.  There are some cities where it is a struggle to find enough time to indulge in all the delicious food offered - and New York is definitely one of those cities.  Whenever I visit now, I will try to do a new "high-end" restaurant, and then try to squeeze in some old casual/cheap favorites.

On this trip, I was able to squeeze in following:

things to do in nyc (aka things i did on my recent trip to nyc other than eat....)

(New York, New York).  I've been to New York many many times so I don't usually do a lot of touristy things when I visit now - other than eating, which is always top of the list, but will be addressed in other posts.  In this post, I want to focus on the activities I enjoyed on a recent trip in the spring.

First - I always try to spend some time to stroll through Central Park.  It's vast, beautiful and offers a wonderful sanctuary in the middle of the bustling city.  Even if there are crowds of people, I find it serene as I walk through aimlessly, discovering new sights each time.  This time I found a quiet bench to people-watch while listening to music.  

Afterwards, I walked towards Rockefeller Center and while there are always new restaurants and shops or installations there, I somehow always find my way to La Maison du Chocolat to have a nice treat.  I had some tea and chocolates at the coffee counter - but the servers were sweet and kept giving me "extras".

travel zen on friday: feeding pigeons in times square

 

While I was rushing to see the show "Waitress", I saw a man patiently feeding pigeons in Times Square in NYC while ignoring the crazy crowds and traffic surrounding him.

restaurant review: eleven madison park

Spring flowers at Madison Square - right across the street from Eleven Madison Park.

(New York, New York).  For years I have wanted to try Eleven Madison Park and during that entire time every single person I knew who went said the same thing - it was worth it!  So my expectations were quite high when I arrived for lunch.  

From the outside it looked like a stuffy office building across Madison Square (yes, where Shake Shack is located - and yes, I was tempted...).  Once inside, however, the mood and atmosphere becomes nicely elegant and formal (but not stuffy).

There were only a few other diners in the large dining area - in fact there were probably as many servers as there were actual diners.  Thus it was no surprise that the service was very attentive.

We chose to do the prix fixe lunch menu and ordered a bottle of rose - perfect for the oddly hot April day in New York.  And then the lovely parade of food and flavors began...

hotel review: sixty les in new york's lower east side

View from our room and my first breakfast at the hotel.

(New York, New York).  Recently my husband and I went to New York for both business and pleasure.  For business we needed to be in the Lower East Side - which worked out well since it's one of my favorite areas in New York to eat and play.  We picked Sixty LES purely for location and fortunately, we were not disappointed, even though our room was a bit small.