On my return from Paris…
It’s no secret that I love traveling, the rejuvenation I feel and the things I learn from it, but it always makes me so happy to come home to this front door, the memories and people that envelope me here.
….and one more…
The secret to having it all is knowing that you already do!
I briefly mentioned (long post, brief mention) an experience I had back in December 2016 called EatWith when I was visiting A&K in Brooklyn…and thought I’d elaborate a little bit more on the idea.
I’ve always loved entertaining in my home and going to my friend’s dinner parties. I thought to myself, “I wonder if there’s a similar experience I could have while traveling?” I googled “eat with locals” and came up with the EatWith website. It’s a super fun idea where “hosts” post meals, dates, etc… on the website and you basically choose where to go, pay and secure a reservation. It’s that simple! Okay, it does take a little bit of work to find a date that works into your vacation schedule, a convenient location to where you’ll be staying, and obviously a menu you want to try. Lots of times it’s just vague…Asian Fusion, Moroccan, etc… and sometimes they have posted their specific menu.
When I traveled to London this past December I tried to secure a rez somewhere, but it was the week of Christmas, so there weren’t many options and nothing that I could get to easily. So, that didn’t work out…bummer.
I’m traveling to Paris next week, staying with a new friend in the 14th arrondissement. I met Caroline when she stayed with me for two weeks back in November of last year. It’s called a “hospitality exchange” on the homeexchange website…where you are home and host someone in a spare bedroom…and then they do the same for you. So, I’ll be soaking up everything Parisian while visiting Caroline during Spring break and I was determined to add an EatWith experience to my visit.
I started researching the same way as I had back in 2016…googling “eat with locals.” There are several companies that offer this experience now so it’s a bit more time consuming due to all the options….VizEat, BonAppetour, Eat-with-locals…to name a few (I’m pretty sure many of them operate under the umbrella of the same company, just varied hosts, because their websites look very similar in design). I sat at my computer for a few hours checking dates, meal options, and numerous websites. Sometimes there’s a little notice next to a date that says “2 openings left” so you know there’s already a party happening, but I wasn’t finding any that fit into my schedule that had that information and I didn’t want to be the only one dining with the host. So, for this meal I had to first email the hosts to make sure I wasn’t going to be the only one in attendance. After a few emails back and forth with numerous hosts, I finally secured a dinner reservation on BonAppetour that looks like it’s going to be awesome!
The meal is in a Haussmann building a couple of blocks from The Avenue des Champs–Élysées and if the pictures are any indication, it is a fabulous apartment with lots of artwork and beautiful architecture. I’m looking so forward to meeting my host and the other guests that will be in attendance.
So next time you’re in a new locale…whether here in U.S. or abroad…step out of your comfort zone and have a meal with some strangers…because I can assure you that they’re just as excited to meet new people too! I’m planning on signing up for one in Los Angeles this summer and having a stay-cation, while dining with locals!
Stay tuned for a review of my Parisian dinner when I return…..
I love the anticipation and planning of being in this elegant, magical city next week!
In honor of World Theatre Day ….because the arts are important
A while back (15+ years ago) when I started menopause some older, and wiser, women equated it to puberty and at the time I thought that’s ridiculous. Now I realize it is a lot like puberty in reverse…you lose your period, your body goes all out of whack….and some friends doing the dating thing can be disappointed and heartbroken…like high school!
I’m one of the lucky ones that never had PMS growing up. I literally got my period on Christmas…reeeaaallly?…what a gift that was….and was regular as can be until I had a partial hysterectomy at 38. I had to actually put a dot on the calendar to remember that it was going to happen and be prepared, because I never had mood swings or cramps or basically anything. I know…you’re thinking “BITCH!” That’s okay…’cause the blessing I had through puberty did not carry through to menopause. Holy shit it was like being hit with a ton of bricks!
I was so moody in my early 40’s that at one point I said to the was-band, “I don’t even like myself”…who the hell is this person inhabiting my body! Yes, mine was pretty wacky, but that doesn’t mean all women have the same experience. I know some that hardly have any symptoms…to which I say “BITCH!” Oops, I mean, lucky them!!
When I was doing a little research on the topic I came across this article at womentowomen.com. It’s actually a very interesting article and I’d recommend reading it, but there’s one sentence at the beginning of the article that reads “Menopause is a gift, a lantern lighting the way to significant transformation in all areas of your life. I want you to know, unequivocally, that you can feel and look better than you ever imagined after menopause, even if your symptoms right now are terrible.” At first reading I thought…’what the hell is she talking about!’…but I’m now on the other side of menopause and, except for the weight gain part, it is a pretty great time of life. It was hell for me going through it…hot flashes, sleepless nights, moodiness, blah, blah, blah….but coming out on the other side has had some really nice benefits (to clarify, I’m not talking about the wackiness of the last 5 years).
You don’t have to worry about your period anymore…woohoo! You don’t have to worry about getting pregnant. I feel like you get a better sense of self and confidence in your decisions. I used to be someone who never said “no” and sometimes did things I didn’t really want to do just to be nice, or to fit in…I don’t feel the need to do that anymore. Personally, I’ve learned that it’s important to keep all those people around you that bring you joy, happiness, friendship and love…and it’s okay to let go of some people that kind of suck the life out of you. It can be liberating! So, yeah, in a way I feel like a kid again, before I went through puberty…weird?!
I used to say to younger people who asked for advice about parenting…each stage of child rearing is a different kind of easy and different kind of hard. In some ways it applies to menopause…each part starts out as a different kind of hard, but eventually it’s a different kind of easy. Coming out at the end of it can be really great if you can get through it and you look for the silver lining! I have some of the most amazing women on my rowing team…as well as other facets of my life…that are confident, strong, awesome women in their 60’s and 70’s…so BRING IT ON! I’m looking forward to that next chapter…and the possibilities it holds.
….and if you’re going through it right now I promise that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel….hang in there!
My friend, and teammate, Amy’s husband has been part of the renovation of Lido Marina Village on the Balboa Peninsula. That’s the first I heard that there was even a plan to rejuvenate this gem tucked in the corner below the PCH bridge. When I lived in my little cottage down near Lido I rarely went over to this area. It was tired, a bit stinky and really, just not much reason to go. You could see the potential of the little shopping village…quaint, right on the water, ambiance. How did it become so disheveled?
Since I’d heard of the renovation from Amy I’ve basically been watching from the water, during our turn around in the channel at rowing practice, to see the progress of the project. About a month or so ago I noticed the sign for the restaurant NOBU, slated to open in April, and what looked like another restaurant adjacent to it might already be open. I checked online and the restaurant was already open and called Zinque (pronounced zin-kae the website is lezinque.com which was a bit confusing when trying to find it). I had to see what it was all about and how the “village” was shaping up. WOW…I predict the village will be a new go-to hang out…and the restaurant was yummy!
There were four of us and we sat out on the patio overlooking the water…with tons of crew practices rowing in the bay beyond. They have a happy hour nightly that ends at 6:30..so we started out with drinks and a couple of the flatbreads….alsacienne /pancetta, onion, gruyère and mushroom/ wild mushrooms, gruyère, herbs….from the happy hour menu, as well as some Castelvetrano Olives. Among the four of us there were hamburgers, fries, brussel sprouts, tuna tartare tartine and pate…and I’m pretty sure nobody was disappointed! I’d highly recommend. The wait staff was nice and the ambiance is lovely.
The village itself has been upgraded so nicely and it’s just the face lift this place needed. You should probably go now before the construction is done and it gets really crowded! I envision that it will be THE PLACE to go, see, and be seen! It screams upscale, chic, exclusive. I can see an episode of “THE HOUSEWIVES…” filmed here. It’s pretty cool…..the shops are very well curated, but, warning…quite expensive.
