I love trains. Not in a trainspotter kind of way. I just love a train trip to reset my mind between destinations. I love listening to music, watching the people get off and on, and having a little snack. When I’m in the Netherlands, I love getting a little vending-machine liege waffle before I board.
All of that excitement happens for me regardless of if I’m in a historic station or a mid-70s monstrosity.
But OMG–speaking of liege-ness–how much do I love this place?
I have the taste buds of an 85-year-old man. I love liverwurst. Pickles are to die for. Black coffee, please, and never with milk and sugar. I almost always pass on dessert, and why the Pringles you see above appealed.
I’ve been told I posses some sort of gene that predisposes me to the flavors of umami, a term originally coined by the Japanese for the preference of savory over sweet.
Which is why I seriously love Asia.
It’s embarrassing, but I’ll admit it. I’ve fallen for this idea: the Travel Dress.
On my first trip to Paris, a black/grey faux-side-tie Travelsmith dress seemed like a good idea.
Even though I would never wear a polyester wrap dress in my daily life, I felt like I needed one for my trip. A dress that touted its wicking properties, could be washed in the sink, and was reversible…even though I never need any of these things at home, and happen to live in a city there, too. Why I thought Parisian hoteliers would recognize–or care about–what I was wearing escapes me still.
In other words, I fell into the dreaded reversible travel dress trap.
Over the last year or so, Utrecht has come up again and again as a great up-and-coming destination. This recent article, “A Dutch Town That Nurtures Its Quirks,” provided me with all the convincing I need to add it to the itinerary of my next trip. It describes the appeal of the town without resorting to hyperbole and boosterism.
Tags:Netherlands·Utrecht
This recent piece in New York magazine about the new, pedestrian-friendly Times Square had me thinking: Why don’t more American cities think of creating something similar? It’s not like New York is a natural.
Unlike guest blogger Betty, who got the hookup through work to fly the swanky skies through Singapore Air, I always wind up in the seating area of the people. And neck pillow or no, you wouldn’t confuse my seating with the treatment you see above.
But I have hope the lying-flat phenom might make it all the way down to my level. Air New Zealand released their new “spooning” seats for couples–basically, buy the middle seat and you have the option of lying flat near the one you love (or loving the one you’re with…in seat 4D).
Tags:airplanes·great design
I love photos of the day, especially as they show up in my Twitter feed. So I figured why not have a newelty version?
The idea is that there would be something fun, unexpected, or pleasing in the pictures that would make it worth your while.
So hooray for the Dutch, the modeling world’s new phenomenon. Maybe, as the Brazilian models coincided with the (in my mind, unfortunate) global trend of the Brazilian, these Dutch lovelies can help bring about a more bike lanes, sensible and accessible health care, and a widened, open-minded world view. (It could totally happen, butterfly-effect-style.)
Tags:hyperbole·Netherlands
I swear, I won’t make the Friday Fail about Carol Pucci every week (as I did with this previous post). But she’s making it hard to ignore her.
When I think of the position of travel writer for a major metropolitan newspaper, to me, it should involve research, reporting, and/or opinions. Possibly even insight
I think it’s possible to be too cool when you’re traveling, and be just one boutique hotel stay away from preciousness and pretentiousness overload–the kind that keeps you from doing something fun just because “the tourists” do it.
Tags:cultural exchange