Working on Your Language Skills

So you're traveling in two weeks to visit some expat friends in Strasbourg but haven't had a chance to learn any French? No worries... you can start learning French or several other foreign languages without having to pay a dime. It turns out the BBC has several online courses that can help with a variety of languages... French, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch... even Icelandic or Ukranian. The best part is that most of the content is in MP3 format so you can dump it on your favorite player and learn while you jog or as you head home from work. Not bad for free! The BBC Languages page is really worth visiting. I'm going to brush up on un petit peu de Francais.

The Italian City that Must Not be Missed

It's been something like four months since I started this blog and it's a sin that I have yet to post anything on my Bologna, my hometown in Italy. With so much to say about the city and with limits on my time, I will have to write a little bit at a time.

So, let's start with something very simple. If you're going to be in Italy and you're heading towards Florence, make it a point to go to Bologna. If you're on your way to Venice from Rome, make it a point to stop in Bologna (your train will stop there). Why? Bologna has so much to offer - perhaps the best food in Italy, amazing history, a well-preserved (and rather large) historic center that is extremely walkable, a vibrant social scene (it is a university town, after all) and much more more. Trains to Venice pass through Bologna and the city is only 50 minutes by train from Florence. Even if you stop just for a day, it is worth it.

Now, in this entry, I'm going to mostly focus on hotels in Bologna as there are many options but many tend to be expensive. Why? Bologna is known as a culinary city, a college town and many other things including a convention town. Outside of the city is a large convention area so hotels can sometimes fill up. That being said, there are plenty of options in the city with prices truly running the gamut.

Over 20 miles of colonnades
line the streets of Bologna

As you can imagine, most of my personal experience in Bologna is not in hotels. Being born and raised in Italy, we didn't spend too much time in local hotels. I have stayed in a couple since we moved to the states, though, and can recommend some others based on what I've seen/heard. That being the case, do some fact-checking on each hotel but these should get you off to a good start:

• Gran Baglioni - Bologna's most luxurious and choicest hotel.
• Hotel Orologio - One of four historic hotels owned by Bologna Art Hotels. Three others include Hotel Corona D'Oro, Hotel Novecento and Hotel Commercianti. Pricey but very reputable.
• San Donato - Located right by the University and a three minute walk from Piazza Maggiore, the four star hotel is now owned by Best Western.
• Starhotels Excelsior - I typically don't recommend anything by a train station but Bologna is not your typical city and the Excelsior offers a great central location by the station.
• Hotel Re Enzo - Also a Best Western property, the Hotel Re Enzo offers reasonable room rates for a hotel located about a 10 minute walk from Piazza Maggiore. Small rooms but... well, that's Europe.
• Sterlino Hotel - a budget hotel in a nice Bologna neighborhood, this hotel was a few minutes away from our house. The hotel has a great neighborhood restaurant below.

Piazza Maggiore at Night

Once in Bologna, you'll find that the city offers a wealth of sites to see, from great museums to amazing churches. Even with a day, there's plenty you can fit into your schedule. In fact, simply walking along the collonades of Bologna (more than any other place in the world) is worthwhile. Places you shouldn't miss include:

• The Basilica of San Petronio - scheduled to be larger than the Vatican until the pope made sure plans fell by the wayside. The church is largely unfinished but massive and very impressive. Check out the chapels where you can come across some amazing masterpieces including a dark representation of heaven and hell.
• Piazza Maggiore - The heart of the city and an architectural masterpiece.
  
• Santo Stefano - A series of seven churches dating back to the 5th century - each church is built "on top" of the other. The square in front of the church is a pleasure.
  
• The Asinelli and Garisenda Towers - two of several remaining towers. Up to 180 once dotted the 12th and 13th century skyline of Bologna. The towers have been ingrained in my memory since I was a small child.
• Mercato di Mezzo - Dating back hundreds of years, this market is home to dozens of vendors. This is where you can get a feel for the culinary prowess of Bologna.
  
• Museo Civico Archeologica di Bologna - Dedicated to history and architecture of Bologna.
• The University of Bologna - The oldest university in Rome lends an academic air to the city as well a vibrant nightlife.

Of course, you can't think of Bologna without thinking of great food - Bologna and Emilia Romagna are home to mortadella, ragu', tortellini, prosciutto and tagliatelle. It's no surprise that Bologna is known as "La Grassa" or "the fat one". To get a good taste of the city's cuisine, visit Da Cesari on Via De' Carbonesi 8.

If you have any money left over after eating, the city offers great shopping. Bologna is the birthplace of the fashion brand Furla - you can't walk too far without passing one of the company's several boutiques. Personally, I also recommend Al Balanzone, a great stationer and gift store located on Via Farini 7. We've been friends with the proprietor of Al Balanzone since I was a little squirt attending school at San Luigi. We always make it a point to visit when we go to Bologna - you should, too.

Shopping at Furla

At the end of the day, just remember this... if you're in Florence or you want to come up with an interesting trip, go to Bologna. The city is an easy train ride from Rome and Florence but a world away in character.

A Lazy Saturday Afternoon Bouncing Around Town

Saturdays are great days to get chores done around the house, mow the lawn and then run around town for errands. But who says running errands has to be limited to the usual stops at Home Depot and Target?

My wife and I decided to run around inside the loop in Houston this past Saturday as she wanted to check out a sale at a high end boutique before we grabbed some lunch. If you're looking to shop for boutiques in Houston, you have countless options in the Heights, Rice Village, Uptown Park, Highland Village, River Oaks and so on. We ran by the Upper Kirby District and Montrose to check out a sale at Mix: (Modern Clothes) and then grab some lunch. Here's where we ended up...

Lofty fashions at Mix: (Modern Clothes)

Mix: (Modern Clothes) - 2717 Colquitt - A fashion palace... three stories of high-end designer clothing located in a stunning modern building that deserves raves not only for its contents but also for its design. Prices are not pocketbook friendly and typically end in "undred" (I breathed a sigh of relief as we walked out empty-handed) but options are plentiful for those with money to burn. For those more interested in design, enjoy the sparse but clean lines of this concrete boutique located in a neighborhood with an eclectic mix of residential architecture.

Where else but Texas?

About five minutes away from Mix is Paulie's, a lower Westheimer cafe' that offers great salads, sandwiches, pasta and other light options. Located in a restored mid-century building, the cafe' has a light and comfortable atmosphere with windows that overlook traffic buzzing by on Westheimer. I had a filling Italian Family Salad and a spicy cup of gazpacho. My wife had a tasty plate of Mediterranean Pasta Salad. Paulie's is typically open 'til 9:00 pm with a second location is near the Medical Center.

Light lunchtime fare at Paulie's

While you're in the neighborhood, there are other options located within walking distance. Next door to Paulie's is Silver Smith Gallery, a funky boutique with an eclectic mix of clothes and jewelry. Men will find a small selection of cool buttondowns and T-shirts although prices are inflated (a shirt I bought at Defunker for $26 was on listed at $34). Heading towards Hazard is The Cookie Jar Bakery, a great place for an afternoon sweet or to simply blow your diet. Next door is Pixie & Ivy, run by a former in-house merchandiser from Barney's in New York. The atmosphere is somewhat shabby chic but prices are anything but. Caddy-corner is the River Oaks location of the Upper Hand Salon, a great place to treat your wife or girlfriend.

This was our Saturday afternoon in Houston - come up with your itinerary and share it with us.

A Home Away From Home in Manhattan

Over the past ten or so years, I've had a chance to visit New York City for business and pleasure a good dozen times. When you visit a particular city that often, you tend to become partial to a specific hotel - call it a home away from home. It provides familiarity and allows you to get to know a specific area of the city.


My choice when visiting New York City, more often than not, is The Shoreham Hotel. The hotel has gone through quite a few changes and an expansion or two since I first started staying there in the late 90s. The hotel's minuscule 1920s-era lobby has been expanded to a much larger lobby with a trendy bar/restaurant with doors that open to the sidewalk, sleek meeting room s and a nicely laid out breakfast room. Recent renovations have added an art gallery and fitness center - amenities that were but a dream a decade ago when the hotel had roughly 80 rooms. Today, the hotel has 174 rooms, all of which have been renovated.

The hotel's style is a blend of modern design with touches of art deco that recall the hotel's pre-Depression origins. Throughout you'll find touches like backlit perforated headboards (they seemed to be doing this about 10 years before other hotels) and art deco-inspired lamps and sofas. The hotel used to have some great Warren McArthur tubular chairs from the 1930s but, as best as I can tell, the hotel got rid of them.

Room sized can range downright miniscule (the small rooms in the first hotel expansion from the early 2000s) to larger suite-like rooms. I used to ask for rooms in the old part of the hotel but those have since been renovated. Chances are they will still be larger than the small rooms in the expansion. So, ask for a room in the original wing of the hotel and you should get more space. Bathrooms are relatively small but, unless you plan on spending an inordinate amount of time hanging out in the bathroom, they do the trick. The Shoreham has always provided great toiletries and in-room amenities like complimentary water, CD players, etc as well as complimentary espresso and other treats in the common area.

Room rates can vary depending on the time of year - sub $200 deals can still be found when the hotel is running specials. If you've got plenty of money to spare, you can rent out the hotel's penthouse suite for $1500 a night with the likes of Yves Saint Laurent. The hotel's Atrium Loft is profiled in a WB11 segment called Suite Party Places.

This block of W. 55th offers several dining options including a couple of nice Italian restaurants. Walk one block west and you'll hit Avenue of the Americas. One block east is 5th Avenue. A short walk north will take you to the south end of central park.

If the hotel is booked up, check out The Mansfield Hotel, one of the Shoreham's sister properties. I stayed there one summer and found it to be another great boutique hotel. Either hotel will provide you with a refreshing change from the typical Hilton, Marriott or Sheraton near Times Square.

Enjoying Lebanese at Cafe' Lili in Houston

Finding good Mediterranean food (Lebanese, Turkish and other similar varieties) in Houston is becoming easier and easier. Mainstays like Dimassi's and Cafe Lili have been around for years while "newer" places like Fadi's and Empire Turkish Grill have flourished. Witness how Fadi's has gradually taken over neighboring retailers as it has expanded "eastward".

Cafe' Lili is one of our favorite spots. Located at 5757 Westheimer, adjacent to Thai Restaurant (despite the generic name, a great place for Thai - hospitality 10x better than Nit Noi), the family-run restaurant is generally busy any time of the day. Saturday afternoons are usually buzzing with customers enjoying the restaurant's authentic Lebanese cuisine. Lili, the matriarch of the family is almost always there, parked at her reserved table with a hookah in hand. Her son is typically working behind the counter while her husband treats everyone to a delicious cup of Lebanese coffee (don't drink the grinds - you'll rue the day you did)

Our most recent visit was two weeks ago. On a nice day, you can enjoy a seat out on the covered sidewalk where the parking lot manages to block out the sound of Westheimer traffic. For a relatively light meal, grab a sizeable kabob salad. The chicken kabob salad is excellent. The sampler is more than filling and includes hummus, tabouli, baba ghanouj, spinach pie, meat pie and fried kibbie. One item to skip is the lebne as it is relatively flavorless - a much much better version can be found at Empire Turkish Grill. Fadi's also has better hummus. Daily specials are posted on a chalkboard by the entry and typically range from $9.99. If you feel like wine, the restaurant offers Lebanese wine by the bottle.

Pick a nice day and enjoy a lazy afternoon at Cafe' Lili. Chances are you'll run into someone you know.

Five to Try in Palermo Soho

Lately, Palermo Soho has become the trendiest area of Buenos Aires. With good reason... the area is bustling with boutiques, restaurants, hip hotels and bars. This is a great area to visit (and visit often) if you want to experience the vibrant scene in Buenos Aires. United's recent fare sale makes it even easier to spend some time in this glorious city.

When visiting Palermo Soho, here are five restaurants that will give you an opportunity to sample Argentina's delectable cuisine:

Bobo - Attached to the highly recommended Bobo Hotel, the restaurant offers excellent cuisine. If available, order off the prix fixe menu that may include delicacies like salads topped with rabbit, excellent sirloins and amazing desserts.

El Diamante - A small narrow stairwell takes you up to this dark and intimate local restaurant. Great tapas and a hip scene that really gets hopping on the rooftop patio.

Meridian 58 - Corner of El Salvador and Borges - During our last stay in BsAs, this was our first stop and the food here was excellent. The towering windows overlook a few sidewalk tables that are usually taken.

Bar 6 - Great atmosphere - a huge space with tasty prix fixe lunches. Seating is located at regular tables, on couches with coffee tables or from a second floor "loft". Buzzing atmosphere.

Lounging at Bar Seis

Bar Uriarte - Admittedly, we never had a chance to eat there while in BsAs but the bar and restaurant is on nearly every recommended list. Sister restaurant to Sucre and Gran Bar Danzon.

Other good options are Cluny, Lomo and Olsen.

There are plenty of options... pick up a handy Palermo pocket guide on gastronomia (easy to find in stores, restaurants and hotels in Palermo Soho) and you'll have no shortage of places to eat.

Traveling with a Bun in the Oven... and Train Travel

Photo (c) Hustler of Culture

We've realized that as we plan our trips, we now have to take some different considerations in mind. Traveling while pregnant brings some new issues to play so I've been doing a bit of research on the topic. It seems like Baby Center has more topics on pregnant travel than you could imagine. If you're expecting and you have a trip lined up, here are some good articles to check...

How Can I Stay Comfortable During a Plane Flight?

I Need to Drive Cross-Country. How Can I Stay Comfortable?

Eight Smart Strategies for Pregnant Travel

Airline Policies for Pregnant Travelers

Onto a totally different topic, The Man in Seat 61 is a web page dedicated to train travel in Europe (and in other parts of the world, as well). There is an overwhelming amount of information here - pretty much everything you might need. The site is dedicated to British travelers but you'll be sure to find it useful. Lots of fares, timetables, information on trains, suggested itineraries, etc.