with open arms

it’s been a long time, but i’m back in town

(Yes, that’s a line from a Gaga song. Judge me.)

I’m FINALLY! back in the city, and I couldn’t be happier. After months of missing New York, it’s such a relief to return to my old stomping grounds. When I was in Paris, it felt like I was gone forever. But now that I’m back, it feels like I never left. 

It’s funny, because the city is so dynamic- it’s so diverse, so hectic. It’s always changing. You could go to dinner at your favorite restaurant one night and the next-boom! it’s been replaced with something newer, something trendier. It’s always changing. But that’s exactly what comforts me the most about it: little things are always changing. But the energy, the craziness that is New York? That won’t ever change. At least, I hope it never does. I truly don’t think there are any other cities on Earth quite like this one. 

There isn’t much I wanted to say in this post besides how good it feels to be home. I’m pretty busy with work, but I got a job writing for a website/book focused on all things New York, so I’ll try to post links to my articles up on here as well as pictures of all the things I’m doing (and by that, I mean all of the food I’m eating…Asian take-out, I’ve missed you!)

More to come….

au revoir, bonjour

Did those past five months really happen?

On the one hand, I felt like I was in Paris for ever- I became well-acquianted with the city (although, I still got lost frequently), developed a fairly good ear for understanding French (mais, my verbal is still très horrible), and started to feel really comfortable and at home in my apartment. I felt like I was really living in Paris, not just visiting and playing pretend for a few months. I created a life there, albeit a life I knew was only temporary.

On the other hand, though, I feel like the time just flew by. I remember the first week I was in Paris with my mom, eating lots of macarons and baguettes and letting myself get caught up in the stereotypical French lifestyle. Each week seemed to pass faster and faster, and the last two weeks just disappeared. I was so ready to go home- I had been for awhile- and I’m so happy I’m home now. But its crazy to think at how fast five months went. I am home. I had my Parisian experience….but now its over. I will (most likely) never live in Paris again. 

I was surprised at how easy it was to leave. I just packed my stuff, told my landlord I was leaving, and I left. That’s it. I always thought moving was more complicated, more of a process. Its exhilarating to realize that nothing is really that permanent; if I ever get bored with where I am, I can just pack up and go. No strings attached, nothing to lose. I like that. I hate to feel trapped.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll probably put up some of my remaining Paris photographs that never made it on to here. Or maybe I won’t. I will definitely be posting a lot more about New York, as I’ll be spending the whole summer there (insert smile here) and will also be writing for a New York-focused magazine. The city is going to be mine for the summer, and I cannot wait. 

And finally, thanks are due, so here it goes: merci, mes amis, for reading what I post- it means a lot that someone besides my mom gives half a shit about the things I say.

au revoir 

home is where the heart is

It’s spring break (finally!), and right now I’m in Turkey visiting my family. normally I come for three weeks in the summer, but these past few months have been so hectic and crazy that I decided to take the summer to just relax in the city a bit. Most of my family lives in Izmir, but I have a few cousins in Istanbul. I spent the first five or so days of my vacation there, joined by two of my friends who had never been to Turkey.
At first, I thought it was going to be a little weird. None of my friends have ever come to Turkey with me there and I was worried: would they like it? would they be happy they came? I normally spend all my time with my family, I never really do touristy things- what would we do?
Of course, we figured it out. They had some ideas of things they wanted to see, and my cousin had given us a few suggestions as well. And you know what? It was great. They really seemed to like Istanbul, a city that to them must have been completely foreign from anything they’ve ever experienced. And I enjoyed being able to see a part of Istanbul I rarely see and figure things out on my own, without my dad or family to handle all of the plans. It was nice to feel like I was actually visiting the city, not just my family (although I love visiting them as well!).
I’ve become so accustomed to Turkey, having been here over 20 times; it’s my home as much as Rhode Island or New York is. I appreciate that I was able to see it through unfamiliar eyes, if only for a few days, and share that with my friends.
I will stay in Turkey until the 29th, and then I only have two weeks left in Paris! (How the hell did that happen so fast!?).
Pictures to come later.
Ciao! (or as we say here, güle güle!)

oh, the places you’ll go.

this edition: Barcelona.

Apparently, it’s a really popular place for people to visit, and I got mixed reviews from my friends and classmates on what they thought about it. So, naturally, I decided to see for myself. A friend and I took advantage of the long Easter weekend and flew over there few days, taking a much- needed mini vacation. 

The good:

1. Food is cheap. Like, three course meal including sangria (oh, sangria, how I love you) for like, 10 euros cheap. I pay more for coffee here sometimes. (I wish that was a joke). Also, the food is delicious. I ate an embarrassing amount over the weekend….no regrets. We got calamari like, every day, so obviously that was wonderful. The Rhode Islander in me was pleased. Also….arroz negro. If you ever go to Barcelona, get black rice. Its a seafood rice dish-very similar to paella- thats cooked in squid ink. Sounds gross, looks…scary…but tastes AMAZING. Get it. Thank me later.

2. Umm….its beautiful. As if I had to point that out. But between the gothic architecture, all of Gaudi’s architecture, the parks, the beaches, the charming, windy, cobblestone streets- it’s just about as picturesque as they come.

3. Never a dull moment. My favorites:

-Mercat de la Boqueria: Apparently, this is Europe’s largest covered outdoor food market. I don’t know how true that is, but what I do know is that it was unbelievable. Hectic, yes, but worth the trip. The market sells everything: Spanish meats and cheeses (mmm….manchego), exotic and local fruits and vegetables, every kind of nut you could imagine, dried fruits, olives, various types of eggs (I’m talking stands that only sell different types of eggs- how cool is that?!) handmade pastries, sweet candies, chocolate, and these delicious and extremely popular fruit juice/smoothie hybrids. And it’s all so cheap! I drank probably five smoothies within 3 days (favorite: blackberry coconut….that’s all I can say). I tried exotic fruits that I had never been able to buy before (custard apple! mangosteen!). And I bought a disgusting amount of nuts and proceeded to eat all of them. No shame. Seriously, if you’re in Barcelona…go here. Preferably on an empty stomach so you can make a meal out of the delicious goodies you manage to seek out here. 

-Museu Picasso: For one, finding this museum is a little bit of an adventure. Its located in a super unlikely place for a museum- off the main roads, down a little, twisty and cramped side street. The location alone was enough to garner a check-plus in my book, but the museum itself was also incredible. I didn’t know much about Picasso’s earlier work before, and the museum is laid out chronologically. It’s super informative about Picasso as a person and as an artist, and it’s wonderful being able to see how he evolved as an artist over time and how his style changed. Even if you’re not an art buff, it’s really cool to see. Only downfall: the museum is smallish and it was really crowded. I’d recommend not going in the middle of the day on a Saturday like I did.

-Palau Guell: One of Gaudi’s architectural masterpieces, located right by La Rambla (the Tourist Mecca of Barcelona). It was designed as a house (or Palace, as the name suggests) for Eusebi Guell, but is now a museum and World Heritage Site. I don’t know much else about it, because I refused to take an audio guide- I hate those things, they’re so distracting!- but what I do know is that its beautiful. The inside is gorgeous, but the rooftop is the real draw. Its decorated with these gorgeous tiled domes, and from the roof you get to enjoy an incredible view of the city. Don’t do what I did; take the audio guide and learn something. But go, and make sure you go to the roof. You won’t regret it. 

-Eclipse Bar at the W Hotel: Or, that one time I lied to the hotel staff in order to sneak into the Eclipse Bar at the W Hotel. Judge me. We had been directed here by a friend, and it did not disappoint. Located on the 26th floor of the W, it had sweeping views of the shoreline and the entire city (which, by the way, made for a very jealous me as I grudgingly got into bed in my hostel later that night, with a 40 year old Indian man snoring (loudly) from the bunk below me. I kid you not). We were instructed by our recommender (is that a word?) to have the passionfruit martini. 

This story ends in me never wanting to drink anything besides a passionfruit martini ever again. WORTH EVERY EURO IT COST (which, by the way, was 12. More then most of my meals in Barcelona cost, but….no regrets. Some regrets. Only because I doubt I’ll have anything that yummy again in my near future. But literally….one of the most delicious things I’ve ever had).

-The Restaurant That Has No Name (That I Know Of): My friend and I found this place after cravings had dictated that we needed Bloody Marys and calamari. Not one. Both. We went into this restaurant and asked the man working there if he served Bloody Marys. It turns out, no, they didn’t (apparently, they’re not big in Barcelona….but that’s not the point). But he was so sweet, and pointed us to somewhere that did, in fact, have both our drink of choice and calamari, that we decided to go back the next night and actually eat at his restaurant. Also….his mother was cooking. So there’s that. Anyways, this place was literally the least fancy restaurant ever. We happened to go during a futbol game, and apparently, this restaurant gets really popular when the FC Barcelona team is playing. So, we were surrounded by testosterone-fueled men (and women, let’s not be sexist) shouting at the TV while we enjoyed the most delicious meal of calamari (best I’ve ever had), paella, roasted chicken, salad, bread….and a pitcher of sangria. Oh. And flan. I realize that this is semi-pointless to put on this list, because it’s basically me salivating at my computer screen recalling what I ate and wishing I could eat it again. What you should take from this: Barcelona has wonderful food. Stray away from the tourist centers a little bit and try authentic Spanish restaurants. You will NOT be disappointed. (You will, however, be very, very full). 

Aaaaand……The not-so-good:

1. It’s hard to fault a city for this, because it’s in a way, a good thing. But oh my god, there were way too many tourists. I was one of them, of course, so I can’t really even be critical about it. But it was a little distracting, and made it harder to enjoy some of the things I wanted to see. I think most of this had to do with the fact that we were staying in a fairly touristy area though, and all of the things we did were equally touristy. At least, most of them. So I understand why I got that impression, and hopefully next time I go back (cause you better bet I will) I’ll be able to stay in a less crowded part of the city and see how people really live in Barcelona.

The Bottom Line (this is a very technical post, isn’t it?): Barcelona gets a very large thumbs up from me (and my satisfied appetite). 

new york moment in paris:

when, on your morning jog, you happen upon a movie set.