roma is my life

roma is my life
After saying ciao to 
the cinque terra we 
hopped on the first 
train on our route 
to Fiesole, a small 
town outside of 
Florence where Smyth's
 friend Tiare studied 
in college. It was a 
fairly short trip but
 had us train hopping 
like crazy. Once we 
arrived at our 
destination, we were a 
bit perplexed as how 
to get to our hotel. 
Smyth had said that 
Tiare usually took a 
bus from the train but we were at a pretty remote station 
with no bus, let alone any human activity, in sight.
My phone had given us a walking route that said 
36 minutes. It did not specify that it was straight uphill
:) so we started our journey baggage in tow keeping our eye 
out for buses, cabs-basically any form of transportation other 
than vertical hiking. Coming from hiking for two days straight 
I didn't think it would be that bad but boy it was rough. Hot 
and sweaty we slowly made our way up and up and up (Rambla 
Vista style). I kept telling myself I would laugh about it 
later in order to curb the annoyance that was creeping on 
me with every minute! When we finally got to our hotel, we 
both were just drained and could not believe what we just did
...apparently there was a Madonna concert in Florence holding 
up a bunch of taxis buses etc-just our luck. Our room was 
nice and the view from our hotel was breathtaking. I ran to 
the vending machines to get any kind of hydrating drinks they 
had and we collapsed for a couple hours. When we finally felt 
ready to stand up I showered and put a dress on, ready to 
redeem myself and go to nice meal!! We strolled slowly through 
feisole, stopping by the cathedrals and admiring the expansive 
views of hills, small mountain towns and of course Florence. 
We found a nice Italian restaurant with a patio and ordered 
a bottle of wine. We ate grilled veggies, beans, green beans, 
salad and again lots of bread ! We took our time, talked, 
laughed and were serenaded by an accordion player. During 
dinner we could hear and see the lights from the Madonna 
concert below! It was a great night and we returned to our 
hotel happy girls. 

Smyth luggin' her luggage 







Much needed bottle of Chianti!





 

The following morning, we had breakfast at Villa Bonelli
(our B&B). Cafe Americanos, fruit, toast, juice...I 
suppose this is the typical Italian breakfast. We were 
going to spend the day in Florence ! Rich from BAZ lived 
there for three years and gave me some spots to check out.
A friend of Tiare's was also going to meet up with us for 
a picnic in the Bobali Gardens. We took the bus down to 
Florence and got off at Duomo square where there is a huge
plaza with Giottos Tower, the huge dome and a few other 
tourists spots. We were close by a leather store that 
Rich's friends own and a gelato spot that he recommended. 
We stopped by the store and his friends were so welcoming!
They poured us wine and chatted with us about Florence. 
They also brought some leather jackets for us to try on...
I must say it was funny seeing Smyth put them 
on....I was wondering if she was screaming "I'm vegan!!!"
in her head but trying to be polite. Serious entertainment
for me! The gelato spot next door called Perque No was also
amazing! We were in heaven because they had a whole 
section of vegan (soy based) gelato. With the heat, it was
the perfect mid morning delight!!! Next we headed to meet 
Tiare's friend Giacomo and his girlfriend. They were a 
goofy couple, engineering students who did not speak 
English very well. They were very nice though and walked 
us through the city, passing by many famous spots and 
across the old bridge to the Boboli Gardens. Giacomo gave 
us brief history lessons as we walked. The gardens were 
beautiful but the sun was very very hot and we could not 
last long walking around outside. After getting the full 
garden experience and a semi awkward goodbye, we went 
inside the museum at Piazza Pitti to cool down and see some
art. It is not the best museum in Florence but the lines 
and all the people at the larger, famous museums did not 
sound appealing. The museum did have a very beautiful costume 
gallery though. After that we were tired and decided to head 
back to Fiesole for dinner. Tiare recommended an Indian
restaurant that was a couple blocks from our hotel. The 
staff was very nice and the food was bomb! 
Smyth got a potato chickpea dish that rocked my taste buds!! 

Our last morning in Fiesole, Smyth woke up long before me and
my alarm which was definitely a first on the trip. Usually I 
am lured out of sleep by her snoring, which is both annoying 
and comforting at this point. It was the incessant itching 
from her many large bug bites that kept her from her deep 
sleep this morning. We went to breakfast at our hotel and 
leisurely packed up as we had plenty of time before heading 
to the Georgetown villa for lunch. Tiare has a friend still 
studyingin Feisole and she asked him to show us around and 
if we could be his lunch guests. We arrived at the villa 
around 12:30 and met Will. He had to serve at lunch so we 
walked ourselves around the villa. It was very beautiful 
and quiet with many paths leading to benches or pretty lookout 
points. Not a bad deal to spend a semester abroad. Lunch was 
at 12:45 and it was a fairly formal setting. We were 
introduced to the group as his guests and had to stand 
behind our seats while announcements were made and a moment 
of silence was taken. It was a small group as only about 
13 students spend the summer there along with a few 
professors. Once we sat and poured some wine the atmosphere 
relaxed a bit and everyone was very welcoming and friendly. 
There was a pasta course followed by a salad and vegetable 
course (there was a mystery meat wrapped in bacon 
that Smyth and I avoided). That was followed by dessert 
(chocolate mousse, nutella gelato, and tiramisu) and coffee. 
It was all delicious and very fun to chat with all the 
students. They had just returned from a weekend getaway to 
Rome so we got some good advice before heading there! After 
everyone had to get back to classes, two tipsy travelers 
waltzed back to the hotel to gather our bags and head to the
train. It was a very good time and nice to talk to some 
American students!! Our travels to Rome were not the best 
however. We bought cheap cheap tickets to the train not 
realizing that it was one that made a lot more stops so 
it took a lot longer than we expected. We also did not have 
seat assignments or a train number on our tickets so we tried 
to find someone on the train to ask if we were in the right 
place. No one was around and they suddenly changed the platform
clear across the station 5 minutes prior to leaving. We ran 
across the station alongside the rest of our train mates. 
We sat with a very friendly Italian version of James Macavoy. 
About an hour into the train ride someone came to check our 
tickets which we were apparently supposed to stamp (this 
was different than the trains in France so we were 
very confused). Our friend tried to help but the ticket guy 
(a nice looking younger guy who had something deeply against 
us) was such an ass. He made us pay 40 euro fine and talked to
us like complete idiots. I had not come across anyone that 
mean on the trip up until then. We understood we messed up 
but he was such a creep. Later on I had my feet up on the 
seat and he started yelling at my and told me to clean the 
seat. I kind of thought he was joking because his attitude 
was so ridiculous, but he definitely was not. I talked back 
to him and Smyth ended up getting uncomfortable and wiping 
the seat off (which really wasn't even dirty...). Clearly an 
angry guy...anyway when we finally arrived in Rome we were 
in a rush bc our hostess was waiting for us along with 
a friend of Carolyn's (good friend from wardrobe at BAZ) who 
was going to take us out that night. So as we tried to get 
our bearings and find the apartment, which should have been 
a 10 minute walk, we went the wrong way and found ourselves 
in a homeless haven...literally sooo scary. All of a sudden 
it seemed we were in their living room...some man was 
getting a haircut and I started to freak out and look for 
a cab. We turned right around and found the neighborhood 
we were supposed to be in. Daniele (Carolyn's friend) 
was already waiting outside but was so nice! He said to 
take our time, change whatever, Italians are very laid
back he said! So we met our hostess, who was a young 
Italian student and the sweetest girl ever!!! She gave us 
some info and we rushed out the door to go watch the 
Italy/ Ireland soccer match with Daniele and some if his 
friends. So we drank beer, ate pizza and watched sports. 
The owner of the apartment we were at looked like the 
Italian version of Baby from Dirty Dancing! It was just 
what we needed...and I fell in love with number 6...
Frederico something-an Italian soccer star with a ponytail 
:) Smyth and I were exhausted and ready to go but Daniele 
insisted we see "Rome by night". So his friend Mimo joined
us and they drove us all over the city! We started at 
Vatican city, headed to the river and walked across bridges 
and saw the Congress building. Next we went to a popular 
bar area, Trevesere, where we got fruity strong drinks from 
a bar called Bum Bum. Since Europe is amazing you can walk 
the streets with alcohol, we wandered down the narrow 
streets lined with pubs and late night restaurants. We 
stopped at some stairs where people mingle and drink and 
hang out at night. We laughed a lot and they taught us some
roman slang. Bella-auhoooo. When we tried to repeat it they 
did not understand us at all though! We finished our drinks
and made two more stops before heading home. There's spot 
atop and steep road where you looked through a keyhole 
and can see just the dome from the Vatican. It was crazy!! 
Last on our "Rome by night" adventure was the Trevi fountain. 
They said it was very special at night because there are no 
tourists and it's alllit up! Such a beautiful spot. Smyth 
and I threw coins in so I guess we will be back in Rome 
someday! Very very tired at 4 am we headed home to pass out! 
It was the best way to see Rome-skip the heat, 
the lines and the walking...Rome by night wins. 

Smyth developed a Coke habit in Europe...
always using on the trains...



Trying to explain to our friends the meaning of "overwhelmed"...1.)overwhelmed 
2.)whelmed 3.)underwhelmed, thank
you Alicia Silverstone

The Vatican 

The next morning we were very tired and both agreed that we 
were ready to go home...we saw Rome and did not feel like 
braving the heat and the tourists. But, hangover, blisters, 
low spirits and all, we set out for our last day in europe. 
Thank god we were meeting up with former BAZ dancer Giacomo
to take us around. It was so nice to be escorted because 
honestly I was so sick of figuring out what to see, where 
each place was and how to get there. We walked to the 
Coloseum to meet Giacomo and his twin brother Mattia. 
Our spirits were instantly uplifted as the two gay boys 
giggled and pranced and were so excited to see us! Giacomo 
wanted to know all the ballet gossip. He gasped and oooo-ed
as I caught him up on all the latest. They were both 
hysterical. They led us around the city to see some of the 
plazas and popular sights. We stopped for pizza...yum...a 
must in Italy ! We went back to the Trevi fountain and 
Smyth and I agreed it was much more majestic at night. 
I remembered that Jennifer recommended a gelato place 
close by and the boys new just where it was. Giacomo 
treated us to some amazing gelato! I got a very 
interesting honey flavor and Smyth tried a grapefruit 
sorbet. Next we walked to the Spanish steps where I 
forced everyone to make the trip to the top-work that 
pizza off ladies! We walked down the major shopping 
streets and went to a fancy, old time coffee and tea 
house. It was adorable but charged 6 euro for an espresso. 
From there we said our goodbyes and headed back for a 
nap! The walk home was entertaining as I met an interested 
man from Milan. At first we thought he was starring 
because we looked like tourists but he explained that he 
thinks Italian women are ugly and it's rare to see pretty
girls there. Ha..he thought I was German or Russian or 
something. He needed directions to the Coloseum 
and as we were walking there as well, I showed him the way.
When I told him I was a dancer he said he does some 
street dancing and he showed us a backflip in the middle
of the street. Very random but fun. After Resting and 
packing, we went to our last dinner. Our apartment was 
in San Lorenzo by the university, which is a young area 
with lots of pubs and restaurants. We chose a classic 
Italian restaurant with checkered tablecloths and outdoor
seating. We reflected on the trip and ate spaghetti. 
Off to bed and definitely ready to go to the 
airport. We woke up early and Selene our hostess prepared
us toast with her grandmothers homemade jams! So amazing! 
She taught me how to use a single espresso maker on the 
stove and I taught her how to use a French press (she had 
one but had never used it!!). We said our goodbyes and 
headed out the door. Smyth fell down the stairs on the way
 out and yelled "I hate Rome"...I don't think she will ever 
go back. A walk, a train, a shuttle, two checkpoints, 
security, another passport checkpoint, one more shuttle 
and about 5 escalators later we were at our gates. 
Which were conveniently a couple stepsaway from each other. 
Now about 17 hours until I'm home. 
Goodbye Europe and I hope to see you again soon :) 

Italy is my life

Ciao da Italia! 
Smyth and I made
 it to Italy. 
It actually was 
a bit of a 
challenge to 
leave Paris. 
We were 
all packed and 
had a few hours
 before we 
needed to leave 
for the train 
station. Food 
and possibly a 
bit of shopping 
sounded good 
and we strolled
 around the 
Bastille neighborhood in search of souvenirs and a cute cafe. 
It was just around happy hour time and we found a spot close 
to the apartment called Chavez Oscar or Oscar Chaquita or 
something. What really drew us in was the 2,50 wine :) 
We instantly made friends with the little round waiter who 
brought us extra hefty glasses of vin rouge! He waddled 
over to take our orders and giggled at my botched French. 
He said "yum yum" when he brought over Smyth's linguini and 
wiggled his hips when he said "frommage" ! Adorable. But the 
second round really did us in and two drunk Campbell girls 
raced back to the apartment to get our things and rush to the
 train. We were laughing and lugging our suitcases down the 
streets of Paris worried we would be late, only to find our 
train delayed an hour. But once we did get on we passed 
out in our bunk beds and slept off the silliness :) Well, 
I couldn't sleep very well and decided to start Italian 
lessons on my phone. A wise decision as I did not know 
more than three words in the language of our next destination. 



After one other train we arrived in Levanto in the morning. 
Our B&B was very close to the train station and we 
were a bit early for check in. The place was adorable and 
had gorgeous, expansive views of the surrounding mountains. 
It was on the top floor of a very quite and dark apartment 
building and the hostess did not speak a lick of 
English. Thanks to my lightening speed Italian course we 
could communicate on the most basic basic level. Her name was 
Maria and she made us cafe Americanos while we waited for our 
room. We also took a stroll around the small town, went to the 
market for hiking snacks and stopped by the beach to 
read and take in the views. 




 





After settling in a bit at our hotel we went on our 
first cinque terra excursion. It is basically five small 
towns along the coast that are interlinked by several hiking 
trails through the mountains, coastal paths or by train. 
We stopped in the first town Monterossa, which is definitely 
the busiest and has the most beach to swim, lay, paddle board 
etc. We wanted to hike to the next town but could not find the
 trail head we wanted. Instead we explored the churches a bit
 and stumbled upon the beginning of the "coastal footpath".
Footpath my ass...this was a two hour trek up a million stone 
stairs, through beautiful foliage, all with the coast in view.
 It kicked our butts and when we finally reached the next town
 Vernazza, we felt pretty accomplished! Vernazza was my 
favorite town...many houses and restaurants built into the 
mountain overlooking the ocean. It had a tiny enclave with 
small boats and the water was a beautiful shade of blue-green. 
The third town is only reachable by hiking or train as the 
coastal path was flooded during the earthquakes. We hopped 
on the train and when we arrived in Corniglia we realized 
there was not much to do. We took a bus up to the top of the 
town to see the view and back down only to miss the train. 
The next one was not for fifty minutes and since this 
was definitely the least exciting of towns we were not 
thrilled and parked ourselves in the shade to read and wait.
 The next stop was Monerola, also not much to the town, 
but the starting point of another coastal path called Villa 
del Amore (lovers walk). This was basically a bridge like 
trail lining the cliffs that drop straight down to the sea! 
This leisurely walk was our favorite and we did it several 
times over our two days in the Cinque Terra. When we 
arrived in the last town Riggamoira, there was also not a 
big town center or anything but we stopped at the cafe 
built into the side of the cliff. The view was spectacular
 and they had 2,50 glasses of wine and free wifi. This was our 
spot. We had a couple glasses and snacked on whatever nibbles 
we had brought for hiking. It was close to dinner time so we
 decided to walk back across the lovers trail and catch a 
train to the second city which seemed to have lots of dining 
options. We were both extremely dirty at this point and sat 
down at a fairly nice place up on a small cliff overlooking
the port area in Vernazza. The staff was very friendly, 
brought us some complimentary prosecco, and we ordered salad, 
grilled veggies and fries. It was a good meal and we ended 
up chatting with a mother and daughter from Denver, 
(daughter now lives in Brooklyn). We were exhausted after 
dinner and headed back to our B&B for some much needed sleep. 










The next morning we had breakfast at the hotel. Maria 
made us cafe Americanos and we ate bread with jam, 
orange juice and not much else. Not too many options

for us :) we set out on our second day of excursions! 
It took us awhile to get started because some of the 
trail heads were too far or the guides suggested we

do a more scenic route. We finally decided on a trail 
labeled 6 and after what seemed like a million years 
up a hill we found the trailhead. This hike was 
gorgeous and essentially zigzagged through a vineyard.
 The path was lined with beautiful wildflowers and 
smelled like heaven. Although, where there are 
wildflowers there are bees....and large black wasps
...luckily neither of us were attacked but the buzzing
 looming around my ears had me a bit freaked. Part of 
this hike all of a sudden seemed like we were in the 
jungle...it reminded me of hiking in Hawaii. This took
 us about two and a half hours and we arrived in our 
least favorite town waiting at the same train station
 as the day before for about an hour :) We were anxious
 to get to the lovers path and our beloved wine 
bar for a midday snack and rest. Wine, apples, some 
Internet rejuvenated us and we headed to Monterossa 
for some quality beach time. We rented chairs and an 
umbrella and laid in the sun! The water was very 
mellow and glorious to swim in! Although pretty cold
 at first it felt amazing after sweating all day to 
jump in the gorgeous blue water and swim along the 
coastline. When the beach closed around 7 we walked 
up the boardwalk to a restaurant overlooking the water 
(it was necessary to choose a place with a view since 
it was sooo pretty!!!) We had some cheap wine, bruschetta, 
salad and lots of bread ! We had another charming 
waiter, who although a bit awkward liked to joke with us.
 Again, very worn down, we passed out early. Breakfast 
and goodbye to the Cinque Terra. I could've 
stayed there forever!!

 

paris is my life

Paris is my life
So where did I leave off...so much to tell about our few 
days in Paris. Action 
packed and such a blast. When we first got 
in and settled into our new 
apartment, we were exhausted and slept for a few hours. 
After feeling quite at home 
and utilizing our host's espresso machine 
(he has a frother machine too) I 
forced the sisters to venture out to meet my 
friend's brother and go out on the 
town. We got dolled up and went to the meeting spot 
which was a cafe that, to our surprise
 was all boarded up and no 
longer existed...so we had a glass of wine 
next door and Smyth chased down our 
friend when he rushed by headed for the 
abandoned restaurant. He was a kind of 
awkward hipster frenchie but seemed nice.
 We went to a bar with his friend ( a 
cute smart ass fellow) Jean-Baptiste, 
called Carmen. It was very chic, in an old 
redone building with oversized birdcages
 for people to sit in. Girls were 
drinking huge champagne cocktails and there
 was a lot of dancing. We all drank 
and chatted until they wanted to head to
 the next club, La Rouge- an electro 
dance club. When we arrived they tried to cut
 the line and we were sadly 
rejected to the back of the long queue. 
After about 15 minutes it got old and 
the only way to get in was going to be
 bottle service. Smamed asked if we were 
in and after a lot of hesitation they convinced us. 
But then there was another 
huge line when we got inside. By
 that time it was three something in the morning 
and we were over it. I tried to tell our 
friends and they just seemed pissed 
which only made me more annoyed....so 
after an awkward and semi-rude exchange, 
we bailed 
and tried to find a cab. They were 
not happy. We totes pissed off some Parisians. 
But we met some nice guys outside and 
they helped us get a cab! Pasta and 
chatting ensued in our apartment 
                               until after 4am :) 

The next morning was Sunday in Paris! 
Our neighborhood (Bastille) had a huge 
open air farmers market and we got a huge loot 
for the week!!! Fruits and 
veggies and bread and most importantly French 
Spike to crack infuse all of our 
creations. O and wine of course, 
delicious French vin rouge!! A nap was in order in the
 afternoon due to our late night adventure and after we
 recharged we decided to get some sightseeing 
in. Sunday is great for walking along the 
river because the street is closed to cars. 
So we moseyed along with bikers and 
strollers. We stopped to see
 Hotel de Ville, the Norte Dame Cathedral, 
Pont Nuef bridge, and the Luxembourg Gardens.
 The gardens were my favorite! It was as if 
we had stepped off the busy streets of Paris
 straight into a Jane Austen novel. 
When the rain came we went back to the apartment,
 cooked some of our delicious 
fresh market food and conked out.

Sooo, after catching up on some much needed 
sleep from our Parisian club escape, 
Monday was to be activity day! We made
 breakfast at our humble abode...fruit, 
soy lattes, and madeline cookies 
(left from our wonderful host Beaumont) Side 
note...we feel as if we now are best 
friends with Beaumont. He gave us a clear 
instruction manual, left us cookies
 and plenty of espresso, has Sex and the City 
DVDs...introduced us to a new book series Luxe,
 has a clothing rack clearly made 
for my dresses, is into Asian culture, 
we are 90% positive he is gay...basically 
we love Beaumont (haven't met him just to 
clarify). Anyway, after breakfast we 
head out to conquer my clearly mapped out itinerary :)
 First was a walk along the river to 
the Louvre. It is such an amazing building
 and although sooo crowded, every 
annoying tourist is worth going there.
 The Italian painting section, where the 
Mona Lisa is displayed, was crazy 
crowded but was my favorite section. I was 
surprised at how much I liked the Mona Lisa
 because I really didn't care to see 
it all that much. I fell in love with a 
The Wedding Feast at Cana, painted by Paolo Veronese.
 The museum is so big it is hard to see everything 
but we hit Greek sculptures next, where 
Smyth started a sassy statue series. 
We would find some funny faces and pretend 
we knew what they were thinking...clearly 
we are mature adults here. Next was 
French paintings and the Napoleon Apartments
...which were amazing! Such beautiful 
architecture and design everywhere you look!
 After several hours of wandering 
and admiring art we ventured to the
 gardens outside the museum and read our 
books in the sun.  Whitney's French 
friends told her she had to go to
Angelina's for hot chocolate and it was
 close by so we walked there. Whit and I 
split hot cocoa and I got a macaroon. 
Literally the best things I have ever put 
in my mouth. The cocoa was like drinking 
chocolate lava cake! We were both in 
heaven! Next, we walked through the ritzy 
shopping streets (passed Chanel and 
Tiffany's ...drool) to the opera house. 
I had to see where the Paris Opera 
Ballet performs! There was a big sign outside 
for the ballet and as I was 
snapping a pic one of the dancers walked 
through the stage door. Smyth said my 
face lit up like a child getting a lollipop.
 She looked just like any one of my 
ballerina friends walking out of rehearsal
 :) Whitney commented "Oh she already 
lit up her lunch"...everyone smokes here...I 
swear I saw a 6 yr old puffing on a 
cig. Anywho...it was afternoon nap time.
 Food, sleep, and get ready for round 2. 
It was Eiffel Tower picnic night. 
We cooked up some cous cous and veggies, 
poured some wine into my sigg bottle and headed 
out to see the sunset. The Eiffel 
Tower was beautiful! When we arrived
 we were haggled to buy bottles of wine and 
champagne. I knew we would need more 
so Smyth and I were able to sweet talk the 
vendor from 20 euros to 5. Holla...pros!
 We noticed one side of the lawn seemed 
to be designated for the degenerates 
and there were already drunken groups 
singing and playing. The other side 
was dominated by strollers and 
families...can you guess where we headed?!
 Once the sun is down they light up 
the tower and every hour for five minutes 
it sparkles. It really is stunning and 
I guess I'm a romantic but it made me 
so happy. And there was wine :) and my 
sisters. We laughed and begged for 
baguettes from the shady wine vendors! The 
night would have been perfect except 
for our gypsy attack. We made a new friend 
and as he was chatting with us we were
 bombarded by a father and child ramming 
maps in our faces asking for directions. 
It was so confusing and we tried to 
wave them away. A bit later we discovered 
both Smyth and Whit's phones were 
gone. Stolen by gypsy children! A huge bummer. 
Smyth's brand new iphone...and most importantly all 
of their pictures from the trip gone :(

 

The next morning we tried to get over the stolen 
phones and make the most of the 
day. It was very cold so we didn't last long 
walking around. We took the metro 
to the Montmartre area (bohemian central) 
we got off near the Moulin Rouge...it 
is not all that big and kind of a let down. But we
 walked up the street and saw 
the cafe in one if our fave movies Amelie. It was 
cute and really close to some 
great pan and fromage shops! It was definitely
 bread day...I think I ate 2 whole 
loaves by myself. We got a baguette and 
Whit picked out a soft cheese with 
raisins. We sat and ate before trekking up a huge 
hill to see Le Soucre, a huge and majestic church. 
It is a gorgeous cathedral that has a 
panoramic view of the entire city! Very 
beautiful. Next we headed to a boutique hotel 
from an article in Bon Apetit 
(thanks Sarah). It was adorable and had a
 covered outdoor terrace where we had 
afternoon red wine, more bread and 
French fries (had to get them once in 
France!). It was very relaxing and afterward
 we headed back home so Whit could 
pack and we could go out later. We watched some
 Sex and the City, made espresso, 
cooked a vegan feast, and chilled! Later
 that evening we walked to the St Martin 
district (definitely a hipster trendy area) for 
Whitney's last night in Paris. We went 
to a tiny, hidden bar also recommended by 
Bon Apetit called L'entree des 
Artists...can you guess why I picked that one ?!
 It was dark, quaint, had a very 
interesting menu of libations and played 
rad music! It was the perfect setting 
for a mellow sister night out. A couple 
of cocktails and a frommage plate later 
we were off to bed. Smyth and I sent Whitney 
off this morning on the metro to 
the airport :( sad but she is ready to see her 
baby Aven! We continued to the Pere 
Lachaise Cemetery where many famous people 
are buried. It was gorgeous to walk 
through and many of the graves were
 elaborate family plots with beautiful 
sculptures and engravings. We sought 
out Jim Morrison's grave as it is the one to 
see...but it was nothing extreme compared 
to the rest of the marvelous 
headstones. Now we are getting ready to 
say goodbye to Paris, well France 
entirely, and hello to Italy! Off to the 
night train...au revoir Paree!!

 

San Francisco is my life

When I think of summer foods, fresh fruit, cold vegetable juice, light salads and such come to mind. Foods that refresh and energize you in the heat of the sunny season. Hot coffee on a cloudy day definitely does not sound like fun in the sun. However, this is how I spent much of the last month. Summer in San Francisco can be cold and windy. And it is impossible to resist the aroma and ambiance seeping from all the local, unique coffee shops throughout the city. For almost  a year I have only enjoyed coffee on the weekends, replacing my daily morning cup of joe with a hemp protein shake during the workweek. San Francisco ruined that routine and I find myself again addicted to coffee. While I spent a month living in the city dancing for Post:Ballet, I couldn't help but be attracted to all the coffee shops-and not just the delicious coffee (and it better be delicious because you are dropping many pennies)...the decor, the people, the variety. So here I give you a breakdown of my favorite spots that I visited each morning en route to rehearsal in the mission. The studios were very close to one of my favorite streets in the city-Valencia. I good place to wander and shop for vintage clothes and of course get some coffee beans. A place that is always crowded and full of interesting folk is Four Barrel. Art on the walls, great music playing and huge roasting machines visible to the public make this cafe very unique and enticing. Their practices support social sustainability and fair trade and each cup is made with care. You might have to wait a bit longer than Starbucks, but the coffee is incredible and even beautiful...latte art can make each cup taste even better. Even though I wasn't a huge fan of the animal heads on the wall, the overall feeling of the place was great. Perfect for reading, catching up with a friend or just sipping on coffee people watching.

Another popular spot in Valencia is Ritual Coffee. My lovely hostess for the month swore by their beans and always kept a bag around the apartment. So I often made Ritual coffee at home rather than visit the shop. But it is another cute cafe with killer beans! Fair trade from Columbia-pricey but worth it. A great logo as well.

One of the dancers recommended a smaller coffee shop that her friend opened a few years ago. It was prefect for me because it was close to where I was living in Nob Hill. Contraband Coffee. It was among my favorites-great environment with high tables and bright natural light, beautiful latte art, a variety of beans, and vegan scones and muffins (always a plus for me). The soy latte was incredible and my favorite was a roast from Costa Rica.

Now to my favorite coffee shop in San Francisco...unfortunately I only discovered it during my last weekend in town and it was not close to anywhere I had to be-ever. My friend Jessica had heard about it and we finally got around to visiting it during the week of our shows. Sightglass Coffee. The full store was not yet open but the coffee was being served from a garage-type bar. The service was amazing and the baristas took the time to help me decide on a bean variety and how I wanted it brewed. Happy servers always make the experience more enjoyable. I decided on a soy latte from a Costa Rican bean. The foam was beautifully crafted, the coffee tasted amazing and I kept a smile on my face until the last bit of foam was gone. Sightglass scored extra points for the bike parked by the door-first bike I had seen with an adorable and functional "fanny pack" attached to the back.

And of course there are plenty of chain coffee shops lining the streets of the city. Peets Coffee and Tea sport a mean vegan gingerbread cookie (thank you Natalia for introducing it to me). Philz Coffee is also a hotspot and has twenty blends to choose from. All carefully crafted  and handmade to accomadate whatever mood you are in!

I did eat when I was in the city as well...although I rediscovered coffee and tried not to eat out all that much, I could not avoid all the vegan restaurants in San Francisco. A new wave of restaurants opened recently on Folsom street and although many are meat heavy I was able to find many vegan options. One great place I tried was Zero Zero. Although it is mostly known for its pizza, the vegetable side dishes are amazing and change with the seasons. I heard about their brussels sprouts and I unfortunately missed them...but I did try a green bean dish that was out of this world! And a fabulous blackberry cocktail. Another enticing thing about SF is all the awesome bars and the libations they serve. Certain restaurants and bars have drink menus as long as novels! It's hard to choose sometimes. And I do not recommend letting the bartenders choose for you if you are vegan. I made that mistake after spending a few hours chatting with a certain mixologist. I felt confident that he knew my drink style and as he delivered a surprise drink of his choice I noticed a froth on top that could only be made by eggs...and yes the cocktail did have whipped egg whites. So beware if you are not into that. Otherwise...San Francisco cocktails are among the best I've had!!!

Another local organic spot that I tried in the mission was called Radish. The art and overall feel of the place was great...and the bottomless mimosas! I had a tempeh sandwich with vegetable chips that was pretty rockin.

As far as strictly vegan restaurants, Gracias Madre takes the cake. An all vegan, organic, mexican restaurant that ranks in my top five eateries anywhere. Seriously epic. Located in the heart of the mission, with a great outdoor patio, a local playing his guitar, a beautiful mural, and of course amazing food. My favorite dish is probably the sweet potato quesadilla appetizer. You must order this dish. It's incredible. the guacamole is also top notch, along with the vegetable tacos and grilled plantains. I would move to SF solely to eat at this restaurant weekly.

It was sad that I did not cook more over the past month but being busy, not having my own kitchen, and being surrounded by new places all contributed to this travesty. I did throw together a few new creations but I'll share them another time. For now, if you are visiting San Francisco consider these amazing spots...a few more to come along with pumpkin muffins, dance shots, and a coastal road trip !