A mile of magnificence, and then some

Daniel Burnham was a splendidly-mustachioed American architect and planner, charged with rebuilding the City of Chicago after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.  To my mind, the best quote ever attributed to Burnham was "make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood" and I think it perfectly characterises Burnham's approach to the 'new' Chicago.

One of the prime ingredients in Burnham's 1909 restoration plan for Chicago was a new commercial centre for the City, that would create retail opportunities away from overcrowded State Street.  With the opening of the Michigan Avenue bridge in 1920, the city was ready to give full expression to Burnham's vision for this busy district.

Regrettably, Daniel Burnham died eight years before The Magnificent Mile sprang to life, but I am fairly confident he would love what it has become.

The Magnificent Mile is the 13-block stretch of Michigan Avenue that runs from the Chicago River in the south to Oak Street in the north.  In that area alone, residents and visitors alike are spoiled with "460 stores, 275 restaurants, 60 hotels and unique entertainments", which includes art galleries and museums.  You can download official maps here to see what I mean.

If you're only in Chicago for a short time, and shopping's not really your thing, you should still walk the Mag Mile to get a feel for exactly what this amazing city has to offer.  We did exactly that on our second morning in Chicago and it was fantastic.  My friend Bolts had flown in from NYC to join us for her maiden visit to Chitown and we were so pleased to have her along.  

After a restorative brunch at super-popular Yolk, we headed back to Michigan Avenue and walked up and down the wide, clean promenades past the shops.  More than once, we remarked how lovely it was to have plenty of space on Michigan Avenue.  Had this been New York, we would have been pushing and jostling with people already.  Such a lovely change of pace for us.

Before long, we were back at the Michigan Avenue bridge and the top of the Magnificent Mile.  We crossed over the frosty Chicago River, which the City would dye green for St Patrick's Day less than a month after our visit.  Hard to believe the ice would have melted in time, no?

As we have already seen, the Magnificent Mile part of Michigan Avenue is dominated by shops, hotels, and restaurants.  But walk across the Michigan Avenue bridge and continue walking south, and you're into The Loop (Chicago's central business district).  You'll quickly note that the architecture becomes decidedly different here.  To the west, you've got big office buildings the occasional high-rise apartment residences.  But to the east, you've got beautiful Lake Michigan and some of the most elegant parklands and cultural institutions you'll see anywhere.

Case in point, we headed into Grant Park, named for decorated Civil War veteran and 18th President of the United States, Ulysses S. Grant.  This park is actually a monster, covering 319 hectares of prime lakefront real estate.  Locally referred to as "Chicago's front yard", Grant Park is put to sensational use throughout the year for a range of public events, music concerts, food festivals, and sports.  

The blustering winds and frosty weather prevented us from exploring Grant Park in its entirety, but we did stop to admire "The Bean", the world-famous sculpture in the Millennium Park section.  The sculpture's actual name is "Cloud Gate" and it was installed in 2006.  Created by Indian-born British artist, Anish Kapoor, The Bean stands 120-feet tall and is comprised of 168 shiny, stainless-steel plates welded together.  During installation, each plate underwent a 5-stage construction process and the end result is that they appear to have been fused together seamlessly.  Even on the cold day that we visited, you can see that the sun shines brilliantly off The Bean's mirrored surface.  Kapoor's vision was always that his sculpture would be publicly accessible but of course, that means The Bean gets pretty dirty.  Annual cleaning costs are estimated between $35,000 and $50,000 which are met through an annual endowment - no public tax dollars are used.

The Bean also overlooks the McCormick Tribune Ice Rink and we watched a bunch of ice skaters navigate their course, with varying degrees of success.  Anyone not brave or coordinated enough to skate should definitely call into the adjacent Park Grill Chicago, where the cocktails are unapologetically strong.

Our art and people appreciation in Grant Park wasn't quite done yet.  We walked past Crown Fountain in Millennium Park, which is one of the most fun places to people watch in summer.  Unfortunately, based on my photos below, Crown Fountain requires a bit more imagination in the winter.

As you can (hopefully) see, the fountains are huge free-standing structures, about 50 feet tall.  They use over 1 million LEDs to display the faces of Chicago residents that change expressions frequently. Between May and October, the faces pout and basically spit water out of their mouths.  The fountains are separated by a large granite slab (covered by the snow in my pictures).  Water spurts out of holes in the slab too, and many children play and splash in the water spouts during the warmer months.

Our final stop on the Grant Park whistle-stop tour was the gorgeous Art Institute of Chicago.  We didn't go inside this time (300,000 works of art being quite beyond us at this point), but I couldn't help but admire the majestic lions standing guard at the entrance.  Reminiscent of the New York Public Library, no?  Fans of "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" will of course recognise this building as one of the destinations that Ferris, Cameron, and Sloane visit in the City when they play hooky from school.   And who knows, if you come inside the Art Institute, you might be just as mesmerised by George Seurat's "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" as Cameron was.

Whether it's shopping, food, art or architecture that floats your boat, Chicago's Michigan Avenue has it all. On our recent visit in frosty February, we only scratched the surface of the Magnificent Mile and the gorgeous parklands - there is just so much more to see.

Nothing to sneeze at here

Every year in late March to early April, the ground floor of Macy's in Herald Square blooms in the brightest of colours at the annual Flower Show.  Signaling the impending arrival of spring, the Flower Show is definitely an iconic event for the store and thousands more shoppers stream through the doors to get a look at the inventive displays.

This year's show is called "Art In Bloom" and flowers carpet the floor and even parts of the ceiling!  With a combination of flowers and pretty lights, I'm a floral fan for sure.

Come with me and you'll be in a world of pure imagination

I left the Adelaide sunshine behind on 23 December, and New York welcomed me home with bleak grey skies and drizzle.  Equally unpleasant is the fact that I'm now battling jet lag, finding myself wide awake at 4am and staring at the ceiling.

So I've decided that a perfectly acceptable way to pass these sleepless hours is to work my way through the stash of Australian chocolate that I brought back with me, and I'm not talking about supermarket chocolate either.  The calorific wonder food that I'm referring to is an Adelaide family legacy - an icon, 99 years in the making.  That's right, folks - I'm talking about Haigh's Chocolates.

Beehive Corner in Adelaide
Image credit here

In 1915, Alfred Haigh opened a chocolate shop on King William Street, in the commercial centre of Adelaide.  His operations were modest, but customers were faithful and business boomed. Two years later, Mr Haigh purchased his family home in Parkside, just outside of the City, and he set up a small chocolate factory there.  By 1922, there was such a demand for Haigh's Chocolates that Alfred Haigh was forced to move to bigger retail premises at Beehive Corner, and that heritage-listed gem remains the flagship store for Haigh's Chocolates today.

When Alfred Haigh passed away suddenly in 1933, his son took over the store and the notion of the Haigh's family dynasty was born.  You can chart the history of Haigh's by looking at Australia's own history - from the war years, to the early days of Australian cinema, through to the advent of television, and the subsequent expansion of Haigh's interstate.  But even though you can now buy Haigh's products in Sydney and Melbourne, the chocolate is all still made in Adelaide and that's a great source of pride for the city.

Haigh's is still a family business too, with fourth generation descendants of Alfred Haigh steering the company to great success - locally, nationally, and even globally.  In 2014, Haigh's was internationally-certified for its commitment to sustainable cocoa farming and the company has also been a long-time fundraiser for the protection of Australia's native species, including the bilby.  All of this is well and good but let's face it, millions of us eat Haigh's Chocolates simply because they taste amazing - plain and simple.

On my recent trip home I actually got to see how the Haigh's magic was made, by doing a free guided tour at the Visitor Centre in the converted old family home at Parkside.  On the 20-minute tour, our guide Tara-Jane talked us through the breadth of the company's operations, and we got to see the chocolatiers in action.  Tara-Jane spoke so fondly about her colleagues and the family atmosphere at Haigh's, it's little wonder you have to wait until someone retires before a job vacancy gets advertised.  Why would you leave, when you can eat as much chocolate as you want all day!?

For me though, the best thing about the Visitor Centre is that there is also a retail store attached and you can load up your shopping basket with items from the extensive range of Haigh's merchandise, including chocolate frogs, truffles, aprichocs, drinking chocolate, and more.  I'm not even going to list my favourites because we'd be here all day.

Haigh's turns 100 years old next year and I can only imagine the big celebrations they have planned.  I would be delighted if they would agree to export their chocolates, at least to the United States.  That way I could keep a steady supply of peppermint chocolate frogs in my fridge - perfect for addressing 4am jet lag, or when that everyday chocolate craving strikes.

To market, to market

In the wee hours of the morning on 23 January 1869, a group of market gardeners found their way to the centre of Adelaide and began to sell their fruits and vegetables.  By 6am, about 500 customers had cleaned the vendors out, and Adelaide's "City Market" was born.

Fast forward to today and Adelaide Central Market is more than just a couple of gas lights and rudimentary fencing.  It's now home to 80 permanent stalls and over 100 other shops, visited by more than 8 million people per year.  It brings the best of Adelaide's produce, and the gourmet foods of our wine regions direct to the centre of the City, and its location next door to Adelaide's Chinatown precinct makes it a perfect place to celebrate Adelaide's multiculturalism in the most delicious way possible - through food.

Check out the photo album below:

Post by The ABCs of NYC.

Art lives here

Walk along Washington Street in the West Village and you'll be struck by the beautiful old brownstone buildings nestled amongst some of the coolest coffee shops and little restaurants in the City.  It becomes very clear that this part of the West Village is a real residential neighbourhood - the traffic is quieter, the sidewalks are less congested, and everything seems more calm somehow.

But it wasn't always like this.

Westbeth Inner Courtyard
Image credit here

At the corner of Washington and Bethune Streets, you see a maze of 13 buildings that occupy an entire city block.  From the 1860s, this was the headquarters of Bell Laboratories, the largest industrial facility in the world.  They were responsible for innovations like televisions (black & white and colour), radar, vacuum tubes, and they also masterminded the first broadcast of a baseball game. But did you know they also hosted the headquarters of part of The Manhattan Project during WW2?  Atomic bomb research, you guys!  Serious stuff happened here.  No wonder NYC has preserved the building as a landmark and added it to the US National Reigster of Historic Places.

When Bell Laboratories relocated to New Jersey in the 1960s the buildings were renovated to become self-contained loft apartments.  At the time, the Greenwich Village/West Village neighbourhood was a haven for artists and musicians, so when the building was transformed (and federally-subsidized) into the Westbeth Artists Community, and they advertised affordable housing, tenants came running.  Before long, Westbeth became the world's largest artist residence and home to a creative community of visual, literary, and performing artists from across the country.

Forget about trying to get an apartment in the building these days, because the housing waiting list closed in 2007 (bummer).  Nevertheless the artists in residence are still producing some beautiful work that the building cleverly displays in its corridors and on its walls. 

I would also recommend you visit the Westbeth Gallery, the building's dedicated exhibition space.  The Gallery is a non-profit site that showcases the talent of its resident artists but also hosts independently-curated exhibitions.  The Gallery is open from Wednesday to Sunday, from 1-6pm and admission is free.  

From now until 29 November, the Gallery is exhibiting the work of the Bowery Gallery Founding Members.  The Bowery Gallery was born on Halloween 1969, as a gallery of artists for artists.  The founding members argued that they didn't need to exhibit their work in fancy galleries or be represented by big-ticket agents with lots of money. The figured if the art was worthwhile, it would find its way to an audience.  It is a group exhibition featuring the work of 19 artists from the late 1960s to the present day.  I loved the mixed media, and the bright colours and diversity of the artwork in this exhibition - it was great to explore watercolours, sculpture, drawings, and oils all in one space.  You'll see the link to my photo album at the bottom of this page.

And if you're in the neighbourhood this coming Saturday (15 November), you must visit the Flea Market in the basement for their $5 bag & box sale.  For a $5 donation, you can take an empty box or garbage bag and fill it up with all manner of goods that the artists and their families have donated.  You'll find clothes, books, shoes, furniture, homewares - only jewellery and fine art are exempt from the bargains.  Get there early to avoid disappointment!  All proceeds go towards the upkeep of the Westbeth Housing Community and surrounding public areas.

Post by The ABCs of NYC.

To market, to market

You might recall a couple of weeks ago I headed to Park Slope in Brooklyn and learned about the Farmigo company and their farm-to-table food deliveries.

Well fresh food has been on my mind, and yesterday I headed into Union Square Park for a trip around the regular Farmers Market.  It started as a Monday-only affair but has grown in popularity with vendors and customers alike.  These days you can find the open-air market in Union Square from 8am to 6pm every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.

There's even a map of the market online so you can plot your adventure ahead of time, but there is something equally enjoyable about just strolling between the stalls and seeing what is available and fresh on the day.

With a cup of warm apple cider in my hands, I did exactly that.  I just wandered from stall to stall and marvelled at the bounty before me.  Every vegetable you could think of was represented - and the colours and varieties seemed endless.  But beyond fruits and vegetables, stalls were selling meat and fish, cheeses, wine, honey, merino wool, and even wheatgrass shots.

There were just as many tourists as locals at the market yesterday - and I could see some people there who were well-known to the vendors, chatting amiably and heading straight for the produce they wanted.  Regulars just doing their weekly grocery shop, I guess.  We are very spoiled in New York to have access to such wonderful farms and local providers a short distance away.  And don't forget that Union Square is serviced by numerous bus routes and subway lines, so you should definitely come to see the Market when you're here.

Post by The ABCs of NYC.

Park Slope prospers as local foodies unite

Park Slope is a neighbourhood in northwest Brooklyn, and derives its name from its location on the western slope of beautiful Prospect Park. 

Only four years ago, New York magazine rated Park Slope the most desirable neighbourhood in New York City, owing to its enviable architecture, diverse historical and cultural treasures, and its up-and-coming bar and dining scenes.  You can see the full article here.

Fast forward to 2014 and you’ll find that Park Slope is still a dynamic and diverse community and definitely worth a visit. It’s a decidedly residential neighbourhood, full of “Sesame Street” brownstones lining quiet avenues. It also has its share of trendy bars and cafés, favourably reviewed on sites like Yelp and Time Out New York, and they’re all an easy stroll from Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. 

Park Slope is obviously the kind of place that takes good care of its visitors, but its residents seem pretty proud to hang around too.  Residents can check out the blog “Here’s Park Slope” (also on Facebook and Twitter) and get the latest gossip on neighbourhood happenings and local events.  And it was in celebration of this kind of community spirit that I came to Park Slope last night.

Annette Slonim has lived in Park Slope for a little over two years, and she loves its wide, leafy streets and family atmosphere.  A long-time foodie and farmers market devotee, Annette also loves eating well, supporting her local community, and meeting other people who share these values.

Farm freshness with
Farmigo - image credit

A few months ago, Annette volunteered to be a community organiser with a company called Farmigo (pronounced Farmeego). With operations in the San Francisco Bay Area, and now in New York, Farmigo is more or less a giant, online farmers market.  New York customers have access to about 35 local farmers and food artisans that sell their wares online.  Each week the producers fill online orders of the freshest, seasonal ingredients and they deliver them to a range of pick-up points across the city. And because the products are all from nearby, purchasing them supports New York’s economy and local industry.

As a community organiser in Park Slope, Annette has about 15-20 regular customers in her network, but this number is steadily growing.  Every Wednesday night from 7-9pm, Annette’s customers meet her at Café Dada, a charming French-Hungarian placed not far from the Grand Army Plaza subway station, and collect their online orders.  Annette’s only kick-back for being a Farmigo community organiser is a small discount on her own orders.  As Annette puts it, her real reward is the chance to meet her local customers face-to-face, and even a quick conversation can transact a shared love of good food, eating healthy, and celebrating the local produce of the area.  

Of course there are other farm-fresh food co-operatives in Park Slope and across New York, but I think smaller ventures are always worth a try.  They’re a great way to support local businesses, but also to meet local residents in your neighbourhood who know the social, economic, and environmental value of sourcing fresh, locally-grown produce. 

There is no fee to join Farmigo, no minimum order, and no pressure to order every week.  You can shop whenever you like, and arrange a pick-up for whatever location suits you best.  But if you’re in the Park Slope area, make sure you sign up to Annette’s Farmigo pick-up site – she’d love to meet you and welcome you to the neighbourhood.

A new life demands a new outfit

When you find out you’ve got that great new job in New York, it's not a stretch to say that your life changes forever.  But to my mind, excitement tempers quickly when you’re overtaken by “life admin”.  Routine issues such as passports, visas, luggage allowances, accommodation, healthcare, bank accounts, tipping, transport, and how to make friends suddenly consume you.

And just when you think it can't get any worse, your first day of the new job is just around the corner.  Have you thought about what you’re going to wear?

Don’t worry, you’ve got this.  Allow me to share with you this alphabetical list of my go-to stores for 9-5 weekday wardrobe staples.  Some are actual stores, some are just online places, but they all offer a range of options for different budgets.  And when you’ve found your feet in this great shopping mecca (and it won’t take long), you’ll no doubt add your own.  Happy shopping!

Low to Medium

• Buffalo Exchange –Thrift store, so prices vary. Sells vintage and used clothes, shoes, and accessories. Accepts clothing donations.
• Century 21 – Low to medium prices. Sells clothes, shoes, and accessories. Excess current season designer stocks at discounted prices. Get there early because the place is a jumble sale by the end of the day.
• Gap - Low to medium prices. Sells clothes, shoes, and accessories. Sizing can often be large - try before you buy. Some office attire available (wrap dresses and shirts), but mostly better for smart-casual wear. Good range of athletic gear. Frequent sales.
• H&M – Low to medium prices. Often low to medium quality too. Sells clothes, shoes, and accessories. Good for on-trend, seasonal clothing. Frequent sales.
• Housing Works –Thrift store, so prices vary. Sells vintage and used clothes, shoes, accessories, and limited furniture and homewares. Good bargains.
• Marshall’s –Similar to Century 21. Low to medium prices. Sells clothes, shoes, accessories, and homewares. Excess current season designer stocks. Good sales. Be prepared to rummage through the racks.
• TJ Maxx – Similar to Century 21 and Marshalls. Sells clothing, shoes, accessories, and some homewares. Tendency to become a jumble sale by the end of the day.

Medium to High

• Ann Taylor – Medium to high prices. Sells clothes, shoes, and accessories. Stocks regular sizes, as well as Petite and Tall ranges. Work pants in different cuts (curvy, skinny etc). Frequent sales. See also Ann Taylor Loft - the sister store, which usually has lower prices and emphasises smart-casual attire, as well as quality office staples.
• Banana Republic –Medium to high prices. Sells clothes, shoes, and accessories. Fits are often larger than normal – try before you buy. Special petites range. Great menswear too. Frequent sales.
• J Crew – Medium to high prices. Sells clothes, shoes, and accessories. Beautiful quality. Has petites, regular, and tall sizes. Frequent sales. 
• Zara – Medium to high prices. Sells clothing, shoes, and accessories. Good sales. European and US sizing – try before you buy.

Department stores

• Bloomingdales – Department stores, so prices vary – but usually at the mid-high end. Sells clothes, shoes, and accessories. Global designers. Frequent sales. Take your passport to Visitor Services before you start shopping, and get your 20% discount card. Great history.
• Lord and Taylor –Department store, so prices vary – but usually at the mid-high end. Sells clothes, shoes, and accessories. Global designers. Frequent sales.
• Macy’s – Department store, so prices vary – but usually low-medium prices. Sells clothes, shoes, accessories, furniture, and homewares. The Macy’s on 34^thStreet is the largest department store in the world (make sure you ride the original wooden escalators). Global designers. Great sales. Good online store.
• Saks Fifth Avenue –Department store, so prices vary – but usually medium to high. US and global designers. Beautiful quality. Frequent sales.

Online only

• Bluefly – Medium to high prices.  Sells clothes, shoes, and accessories.  Online only.  Global designers. Frequent sales.
• Modcloth – online only.  Low to medium prices. Some clothing, particularly UK & American designers more expensive.  Sells clothing, shoes, accessories, and some homewares and furniture.  Sizing really erratic – check measurements carefully.
• Piperlime – great website. Medium-high prices.  Sells designer clothing, but also one-stop-shopping for Banana Republic & Gap too.  Sizing can be erratic though – customer reviews are usually very helpful.
• Rent The Runway – Medium to high prices. Rent clothing, shoes, and accessories. A great option for on-trend formal attire, when you don’t want to commit to buying a gown or cocktail dress for yourself.

Delivering the goods

When I left Australia 10 years ago, online shopping wasn't really a thing.  By the time I got to the US, I learned that you could buy pretty much anything at the click of a button, and have it delivered anywhere without having to speak to anyone.  It was one of the most beautiful discoveries of my life.

One delivery service I have found especially useful since moving to New York is when it comes to food.  We've talked on this site about Seamless.com before, but every now and again I really do like to cook for myself.  I just find that the palaver of going into a store and browsing the aisles is often too much to bear, so I will frequently resort to online grocery shopping.

Most supermarkets and food outlets in Manhattan will do same-day home delivery - either from an online order, or if you just can't carry everything you've purchased in-store.  But I love the freedom to do my grocery shopping online whenever it suits me - even if that's at midnight.  I can place my order, pay for it in advance, and schedule delivery either the next day, or later in the week.  It just makes everything so much easier.

I've long been a devotee of Fresh Direct, not just for their own, local product range but also because they've now got a partnership with the Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative which is based in Pennsylvania.  I can order a veggie box online, and I'm rewarded with an amazing array of seasonal, fresh and organic vegetables like these ones delivered to me today, without having to queue up at the supermarket or farmers market and choose the best items for myself.

Like all things though, online grocery shopping prices and product ranges vary.  If you shop around a bit, you might prefer to order directly from Food Emporium, Fairway Market, or even Whole Foods or your local D'Agostino.  And if you have to feed a family, or if you like to do a lot of cooking & freezing for later, it might be more cost-effective to buy from a place like Costco.  New York City is not light on options, that's for sure.

Other than food, there are also companies like Soap.com that specialise in same-day delivery of the household items and heavy cleaning products that we all need, but often can't carry in one shopping trip.  There's even Google Shopping Express that allows you to place an order from multiple stores (supermarkets and other vendors), but get all your products delivered at the same time on the same day that you ordered them.  For such convenience, I don't think anyone would mind paying the small delivery charge and gratuity that usually applies.

I know a lot of New Yorkers who hardly use their kitchens, other than for additional storage.  The kitchen in my itty-bitty living space is only small too, but when the mood takes me I find it quite relaxing to slave over the stove or to slow-cook something for myself.  I'm just hoping that I can do justice to today's vegetable box delivery by making a slow-roasted vegetable ratatouille.  And hey, if it doesn't work out properly, there's always Seamless.com, right?

Boston: it gives you more than a feeling

I have just come back from two days in Boston and it was just beautiful.  I worked out that it's the first time I've been to this great city in good weather.  The last three times I've been met with snow, high winds, and rain.  But having said that, every trip I've made to Boston so far has given me a fantastic holiday - there is something for everybody here, at any time of year you're fortunate enough to visit.

South Street Station, Boston

In a little over three hours, the Acela Express trains on Amtrak can get you from New York's Penn Station to the impressive South Street Station in Boston.  You can often get cheaper fares on some of the budget airlines of course (and I've flown them too), but generally speaking I like to travel by train, so I will always do that if I can.

This time around I came to Boston on the spur of the moment.  One of my oldest friends is a commercial airline pilot and he was flying into Boston and invited me to visit.  In one of life's happy accidents, given that I was on holidays already, I could make the mid-week trip without any problems.  My Amtrak train was 25 minutes late getting into Boston however, so I dragged my suitcase straight to Captain's hotel and met up with him and the flight crew for a few drinks at their hotel's Irish bar before they turned in for the evening.

The airline's hotel of choice is on the Boston waterfront, right by the super-modern and enormous Convention Center where, on previous visits, I've attended both a classy wine expo, and then a crazy motorcycle expo - with bonus beef jerky!  There must have been another convention in town this week, because hotel rates were astonishingly high at all the hotel properties on that side of the river.

Omni Parker House

Not to be deterred however, I used this as an excellent opportunity to splurge on a fantastic hotel room at the Omni Parker House Hotel in Boston's historical precinct.  Rooms here aren't cheap either; however, the hotel has been operating since 1855 which makes the Omni Parker House the oldest hotel in the United States and boy, has it seen some action over the years!  Charles Dickens, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Ralph Waldo Emerson used to convene here for catch-ups, and Dickens wrote & gave his first public reading of "A Christmas Carol" here.  JFK hosted his bachelor party in the Hotel, and announced his candidacy for Congress here, several years before.  And John Wilkes Booth stayed here 11 days before he assassinated President Lincoln (and was allegedly sighted having target practice near the hotel during his stay).

The Omni Parker House chef also invented the state dessert of Massachusetts in the Hotel's kitchens.  It is called the Boston Cream Pie  and it's actually a cake, not a pie - but of course I had to have one during my visit.  Delicious!  I also made the somewhat fateful decision to enjoy the hospitality of the award-winning whiskey bar located in the hotel lobby, called The Last Hurrah.  They certainly know their way around the whiskey bottles, and they're very generous hosts, let me tell you.

I was nursing a somewhat sorry head early the following morning, when Captain met me at my hotel and we set off for our sight-seeing adventure.  I put Captain in charge of the map immediately, and we wandered over to the tourist drawcards of Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market, as well as the site of the 1770 Boston Massacre, and we did some souvenir shopping along the way.

The grave of Mary Goose, who
inspired the "Mother Goose" myth

History is everywhere you look in Boston, and nowhere is it more obvious than on the headstones in the Granary Burying Ground.  Founded in 1660, this is actually Boston's third oldest cemetery.  A lot of leading figures from the Revolutionary War era are buried here (as well as Mary Goose, who allegedly inspired the "Mother Goose" myth).  When we arrived, we were also lucky to meet Jimmy, a local resident who has prepared little manila folders of trivia for visitors to the site.  You borrow a copy of the folder when you walk in, and return it to Jimmy at the end.  The folder is an excellent resource to guide your walk around the site.  Just by reading the trivia that Jimmy has pulled together, you learn about the origins of the "skull and wings" motif that is popular on a lot of the gravestones you see (where age and weather has not worn away the writing).  Jimmy's folder also shows you the location of some significant graves on the site, including that of John Hancock (first signatory on the US Declaration of Independence), and also explains the history behind the imposing Franklin family cenotaph, which marks the spot where Benjamin Franklin's parents are buried.

Our walk from the Granary Burying Ground led us directly into Boston Common, a free public park spread out over almost 50 acres.  Kids were splashing around in the Tadpole Pool, where the water only comes up their ankles, and there was a popular playground and carousel getting a lot of attention too. Hard to believe that public hangings used to take place here (up until 1817) and livestock used to graze on the lush, green lawns until as recently as the early 1830s.  These days however, joggers and cyclists make full use of the many well-tended footpaths around Boston Common, and there are historical monuments and sculptures to look at along the way.

The swan boats in the Public Garden,
across from Boston Common

If you leave Boston Common and cross over Charles Street you come into the Public Garden, which was the first Botanical Gardens in the United States.  Here you'll find a tranquil duck pond where people and their kids were feeding the ducks, ducklings, and swans.  Continuing the bird theme, there is also a lake where tourists can ride on the famous swan boats, which have been around for about 130 years.  The boats are obviously only out in fine weather, so I got to see them for the first time on this visit.

All our walking around had worked up quite a thirst, so it was logical that we would call in to the famous Cheers bar.  If you're a fan of the TV show, as I am, you will definitely recognise that exterior shot. I indulged in a delicious icy-cold beer which went down a treat, and the gift shop isn't bad either.

At this point in the day I had been talking up a fantastic seafood restaurant that I felt we needed to visit for lunch.  Fortunately Captain's map-reading skills far exceed my own (but whose don't!?) and before long we pulled up to the wonderful Barking Crab restaurant, right on the Boston waterfront.

I came to this great little restaurant on my first visit to Boston and had my very first taste of clam chowder.  It must have made a real impression because I bought my cousin here on a subsequent visit, and I was really keen to share it with Captain too.  Fortunately he was quite taken with the rich and creamy clam chowder and the enormous Alaskan king crab legs, and my lobster roll was just the perfect meal for me.

Captain's flight out of Boston was later that evening, so we parted ways after our lunch and I headed over to the Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum, which we could see from the Barking Crab.  I didn't buy a ticket to the Museum itself which I do regret, now that I've seen the website for the place.  But nevertheless, I did relax for a while in the Abigail Smith Tearoom upstairs, and I sampled three delicious teas - including the recreation of two varieties that had actually been dumped into the Harbour in the Boston Tea Party incident of 1773.  While I sipped the tea from my lofty vantage point, I could hear Museum visitors and the rowdy tour guides re-enacting Tea Party scenes, with frequent and resounding HUZZAHS!  This Museum is a definite must-see for history buffs and their families.

Left in charge of my own navigation from here, I trudged back over the bridge in the general direction of my Hotel, stopping off at the historical Old South Meeting House.  Given where I'd just come from, it was actually quite appropriate to call in there, as the Old South Meeting House was where the Boston Tea Party actually began.  Colonists used to gather there for public meetings that would challenge British rule.  As their gatherings grew larger, and anti-British sentiment grew more fervent, the American Revolution gathered steam.  There are a couple of really interesting display boards inside the museum, and even some shout-outs to the women who helped shape the Revolution, at a time when women were really just seen but not heard.  I was particularly taken by the gift shop downstairs, as well as the adjacent second-hand book store, where some books were only one dollar.  Bargain!

You wouldn't think it was possible to still be hungry after all the eating and beer-drinking I had done up until this point.  But clearly we have to get to know each other better because, frankly, there is always room for more food!

I was so proud of myself on Thursday evening, to consult my tourist map and actually get myself to The Union Oyster House, the oldest restaurant in the United States.  In fact, such was my excitement to find the place, I even high-fived the hostess upon my arrival.  Bless her heart, she didn't think I was weird at all.

The Union Oyster House has officially been operating as an oyster restaurant since 1826, but records suggest it was a dining establishment for at least 100 years before that.  The place is now a national historical landmark, for obvious reasons.  I came here on my most recent visit to Boston (a work trip) and dined like a queen in the upstairs dining room, where lucky patrons can still snag a seat in JFK's permanent booth.  This time around, however, I just needed a half-dozen local oysters, and an icy-cold beer to take the edge of my appetite.  Sitting at the tiny oyster-shucking bar just inside the front door, I had a lovely chat with a retired couple next to me, who are doing their "grey nomad" tour through the northeastern US, and had actually come back to the restaurant for the second night in a row.  We were clearly kindred spirits.

On previous trips to Boston, I've been to the beautiful Museum of Fine Arts; I've cheered the Celtics to basketball victory at the TD Garden; and I've done a tour of Fenway Park - home of the famous Red Sox.  I've also done a Samuel Adams brewery tour, which was a great way to see how the tasty local beverages are produced.  As so often happens, time was just too short to see these places again, but I would never hesitate to come back to this wonderful city.  Tourists call Boston "Bean Town" for the famous baked beans recipe that comes from here.  But can you believe I still haven't tried them?  Reason enough to come back, wouldn't you say?

If you want to see some more photos of my Boston adventure, please visit the link below:

Post by The ABCs of NYC.

Adult supervision recommended

These ain't Skittles, kids.

I guess it had to happen.  After the crazy week at work I've woken up this morning with a really nasty headache and a sore throat.  You know when you can just feel the gross germs percolating inside you?  Not great.

Now there are some people in my life who will ride out this stage of things.  They'll up the vitamin ante; they'll sip herbal teas; they'll sweat it out; and they'll soldier on.  Not me, baby.  When I feel this way, I head for the nearest CVS or Duane Reade and medicate myself properly because for me, the over-the-counter medicine aisles in these places are the real American dream!

I'm talking almost floor-to-ceiling stashes of every pharmaceutical that will clog you up or clear you out.  And you'll find these pharmacies/drugstores on pretty much every second corner in New York, so you're never too far away from feeling better.  Trust me.  When you get to the US, go into a CVS (most of which are open 24/7), and just have a look at their "cold relief" or "allergy relief" aisles - you won't believe the rainbow of pills and potions on sale.  Having said that though, there are some products, even over-the-counter ones, that CVS & Duane Reade won't sell you unless you have a valid United States ID - they're not totally irresponsible.

For visitors to this city, there is one particular product at the CVS that I always recommend people buy.  Melatonin is one of the greatest over-the-counter pills that you can get in the American pharmacy.  I've never seen it for sale in Australia, which is a shame because it is hands-down the best jet-lag cure I think I've ever tried.  In recent years, the jet-lag has always been worse for me on the Australia-US leg, taking almost a week to subside (if not more).  Taking a melatonin pill just before bed has proven to be a wonderful sleep aid and regulator, which is not habit-forming, and does not leave me feeling groggy in the mornings.  I definitely recommend it to all my colleagues who come over here on work trips and need to be at their best within 24 hours of landing.

But if you know that the over-the-counter stuff is not going to be strong enough, and you feel that your butt is about to be kicked by a seriously nasty cold, you may have no choice but to go to the doctor.  Let me tell you outright though, that the United States of America is a wonderful country, but it is not the place you want to get sick if you don't have health insurance.  If you're uninsured in this country, the costs of just seeing the doctor are ridiculous, and that's before you've purchased whatever you get prescribed.  If you're planning to come here on a holiday, you must buy travel insurance that covers you for medical visits, including ER consultations.  Don't muck around on that front, because it's just not worth it.

There, rant over.  I've got some ibuprofen to buy <<cough, splutter>>

Diamonds (and glass) are this girl's best friend

Once upon a time I read a book about Paris, and right on the first page the author asserted that "everyone in the world has been to Paris".  He posited that even if you've never physically left your house, you've been there - because we've all been exposed to so many pictures or movies about the Eiffel Tower, and the Arc de Triomphe, and Champs Elysees that it's just like making the trip.

Now those of us who have been to Paris will know that images and songs are no substitute for the real thing, but I can see what the author was trying to say.  Because I think that the same has always been true for me, only with New York.

Photo credit:
Melissa Ryan (C)

On some level I think I have always known about New York.  When I was little, it was THE big city.  It had a lot of yellow taxis and school buses, and tall grey buildings.  It was Sesame Street.

As I got older, and watched more TV and read more books, I learned that New York was where all the businessmen wore suits, and all the homeless people were drug addicts, and people would kill you on the subway.  There was always a traffic jam, the cops wore navy blue uniforms, and the mobsters always shrugged and said,  "Fuggedaboudit".

Then there was "Sex and the City", every "Law & Order" franchise, and so many movies (old and new) that I can't even count them.  I soaked it all up.

But if I had to pick where the love-affair with New York really began, it would have to be when I first watched "Breakfast At Tiffany's".  I know, it's totally cliche.  I never got tired of watching the movie, as much for Audrey's glamorous wardrobe as for the dashing George Peppard, and their romps around the big, yellow taxi-filled city.  And it was many years until I realised - and ultimately read - the novella by Truman Capote.  The movie and the book were so different, but that just added to the mystique of this town for me.

And when I finally moved here at the beginning of 2011, and if ever I found myself lonely (eek!) and at a loose end, I also wound up at "Tiffany & Co".  Never with a danish and coffee of course; rather, I'd usually just head for the 4th floor and browse the sterling silver collection (anything more expensive would just be torture).  I can't tell you the number of Saturday mornings or late Sunday afternoons that the Tiffany's flagship store on Fifth Avenue was my hang-out; a definite happy place.  Tiffany's was, and remains, one of the few things that lived up to my early hype.

And if you can't afford jewelry, a telephone dialer, or an engraved Crackerjack prize, you can always read about places like Tiffany's.  I recently finished a wonderful book called "Clara and Mr. Tiffany", by Susan Vreeland.

It's a true story that is set in New York near the turn of the 20th Century and opens with the frenzy of Louis Comfort Tiffany's stunning contribution to the 1893 Chicago World's Fair: his innovative stained glass window Chapel display.  Louis Tiffany's father actually ran the jewelry side of Tiffany's at the time, so this story focuses on the company's glasswork business, and its heroine is the head of Tiffany's women's division, a strong and creative woman named Clara Driscoll.  The story takes place at a time when Tiffany refused to hire married women, and any women who wanted to get married while working at Tiffany's had to resign their jobs.  Clara ultimately has to decide whether she most values "the professional world of her hands, or the personal world of her heart".  The story isn't all weepy relationship stuff, it's also a great insight into early New York - the opening of the Flatiron Building, stories about the Lower East Side immigrant slums and tenements, contrasted with the sheer excess and flamboyance of the Tiffany family mansions.  Clara and her team produced the sort of stained-glass lamps that I absolutely covet, but have never owned.  At least I got to see them at the Art Institute of Chicago a few months ago, and they have also been on display at the New York Historical Society and the Museum of the City of New York.

And so while I may not be Holly Golightly or Carrie Bradshaw or Detective Benson, I still find it gratifying to know that in New York, life very often imitates art.

Buy your bloomers at Bloomies

In 1872, brothers Joseph and Lyman Bloomingdale launched a department store on East 56^th Street in Manhattan.  The son of German Jewish immigrants, the Bloomingdale boys earned their retail stripes at their father’s clothing store that catered exclusively to women.  

Joseph and Lyman used a buying office in Paris to access cutting-edge European fashions that they sold in their New York shopfront.  Before long they outgrew their premises, and they relocated Bloomingdales three blocks further uptown to the present 59^th Street address.  The larger store quickly prospered and the brothers were permanent fixtures in New York’s arts and philanthropy circles.   

Lyman’s son Joseph took over management of the store in the early 1900s when his father passed away, and under his marketing genius the store went from strength to strength.  

By the 1970s, international designers were clamouring to have their fashions on Bloomingdales shelves.  Even Queen Elizabeth II stopped by for a bit of retail therapy on one of her earlier official visits to New York.   

These days, smaller Bloomingdales stores and outlets are dotted across the US and even in Dubai, but it must be said that the original is still the best.  

Aussies can show their passport at the “Bloomies” customer service counter to get a visitor pass for up to 20% discount on purchases.  But don’t forget to take them home in the famous Bloomingdales brown bags (available in various sizes).

And because shopping can sometimes be stressful, you might need a coffee after your excursion.  It definitely pays to call in and see the lovely Aussies at "Little Collins".  It's a little taste of Melbourne, all the way over here in Manhattan.  They'll sort you out with a strong flat white (or espresso coffee of your choice) and they serve breakfast all-day, which never hurt anyone.