Drive-Ins

This summer is going to be our year to make it to a drive-in. But since there isn't a drive-in near where we live, I'm scouting out all the drive-in possibilities near where we might be going, so we could bundle a movie into a visit to grandma, or a road trip. Then, as I'm doing it, I've been finding places I just have to include, because they're too awesome not to.

Warwick Drive-in: This is just off of Hwy 17, so it's easy to stop at on the way to the Catskills.

Fair Oaks Drive-in: Another that's just off of Hwy 17...

Circle Drive-in in Scranton, PA. We drove by this once, and it looked really kept up.

Elmira Drive-in: Southern tier of NY, near-ish to the Finger Lakes.

Fairlee Motel and Drive-in: their website says it's only 1 of 2 motel/drive-in combos in the country. It was built in 1950, and is close to I-91 in Fairlee, Vermont. I love the menu which is simple burgers and popcorn, but the beef comes from their NH farm, the butter is Vermont Cabot, and their onions and fries are Brew City.

Kelloff's Best Western Movie Manor: I guess they didn't know about in-room movies, because they are hawking the fact that their motel faces a huge outdoor screen, and they have speakers that pipe in the sound into the room. It's so weird it's genius. Monte Vista, Colorado

About an hour into my research, I found the definitive site on drive-ins. The only problem is, it's a little sad and reads like an obit column, as so many are gone. But, you can look up by state and find what still exists.

Favorite SF Taco (Or, The Taco That Changed My Life)

Just writing the the title of this post, reminds me that I need to write a bigger post that lists all of my favorite places to eat in SF. But since La Taqueria is possibly one of my most memorable taste moments ever, and I recently got to share it with Clara, I thought I would mention it here. La Taqueria is in the Mission, and it is on Mission Street, between 24th and 25th Streets. The best thing to get there, in my opinion, is the taco carnitas, with avocado and cheese. I know, to a purist, that's revolting, but it is so good, and it's the way I first got introduced to it.

I was 15 when I was brought to La Taqueria for the first time. I was with my best friend Stephanie, and her parents, Cinda and Steve brought us there. They were the family that really introduced me to food. Every time I ate at their house, we had food that was cooked from beloved cookbooks and recipe cards, and food was talked about as it was being prepared. I had never been around people who loved food so much. It was a whole new world for me. So on that day we went to have tacos, her parents ordered for us--Cinda was the kind of person who not only had lists of where to eat in what town, but exactly what to eat there--and that's how I found myself eating this most perfect taco. Afterwards, we walked out onto the street, where there was some kind of protest happening, which we weren't there for, but got kind of swept up into it. Jesse Jackson was speaking, and all I can remember was him leading a chant "Si, se puede." It was such a powerful experience and one that I go back to as a pivotal moment in my life.

Fast forward to now, almost 30 years later, and it's still there, exactly the same. Even the guy making the tacos is the same. I introduced Clara to him, ordered the tacos and a horchata, and told her the story.

Bookmark These: Paris Blogs/Posts

As a travel editor, I think I get asked the most about what to do in Paris. And since I am most certainly no expert, and don't get to go as often as I would like, I thought it would be good to list some of the sites I go to, when I'm planning a trip there. And if you have any favorite sites or posts on Paris, tell me.

20 Little Cities has daily posts about everything that's new—museum exhibits, restaurant and store openings, and shows for kids. You can either scroll through and feel very up-to-date on what's going on, or you can look by neighborhood.

My other favorite is/was Babyccino Kids...and I only say was, because it seems they haven't updated their Paris section since 2010. However, there is still really fantastic information there, and it would just need to be double checked to make sure whatever you want to go to, is still open.

A new blog to me that I haven't spent much time on, but seems very good, especially for parents of under-5s, is Petit Paris.

And here are some posts I found just now that have some really good information in them. I think that, when possible, it's always good to find a post where you can relate to the writer and their kids, as two boys above 6 are probably not going to relate to my posts about merry-go-rounds.

Here's a Paris post from a father of two boys.

I like this blog from an American mom who lived in Paris for four years with her family.

Dreaming of Cinque Terre

I think the only trips I'm able to plan in advance are summer and Thanksgiving. There's something about the timing of winter and spring break (not that we would take both off) that is too close to the holidays, that I can't muster up the energy to plan. So here I am, with spring break coming in two weeks, without a plan I'm committed to. I can't tell you how many times I've opened up the Delta window (we have miles with them) and plugged in NYC to....everywhere. But enough about my first world problems. In my google black hole, I found this amazing place in the Cinque Terre, which is one of the prettiest places I've ever been. Now that Clara is almost nine, I think it would be a blast to take her there and to walk between the villages. How beautiful is this spot, La Mala. Even if we don't make it this time, it's on the list for when I actually do plan ahead.

Waverly, NY: Outsider Art and a Trove of Arrowheads

If you're ever near the town of Waverly, NY, which is right off of Highway 17, you have to take 5 minutes to duck into this shop, the Broad Street Exchange, not to shop, but to check out the owner's amazing sculptures he does with found toys and jewelry.

Just down the street is a archaelogical center called Susquehanna River Archaelogical Center of Native Indian Studies, where you'll see a huge amount of arrowheads and finds, mostly curated from the local, amateur archaeologists' collections. This area contained a large community of native American Indians, and the amount of historical finds they are still turning up is astounding.

A Reason for New Zealand

For once--something revolutionary in air travel, that is thoughtful of all of us that fly in coach. (If I read one more article about all the new and exciting things that different international airlines offer in first--from birthday cakes being baked to in-room showers...)
Air New Zealand has created a new seating set-up, which some are calling "cuddle class", on their long-haul flights between LA and Auckland, and London and Auckland, on their 777-300 planes, where the seats become a flat bed. The way this happens is you lose your foot rest area, which folds out to create more sideways sleeping space. We always wanted to go to New Zealand, but now it's on the really short list. Now I just have to find how to use miles to book a flight...I looked at prices for spring break and they were around $1600 per person from LA to Auckland, and around Christmas they jump up to around $2000. 

LA Places to Stay

Our friend Becky was looking for some ideas on where to stay when it's her son's spring break, and I realized I don't have enough LA hotel info up on the blog. Here are some of my suggestions: If you're going to LA for vacation, especially with a child, stay near the beach. My personal favorite hotel that we always stay at is the Sunset Tower in Hollywood, but when we go, we are not on vacation. We are trying to squeeze in visits with our friends, all who live and work all over the city, and we want to be in a central location. We also like that it has a bar and a restaurant that our friends are happy to come to, so we don't even need to get in a car to go meet them. But that's a very isolated situation, and I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for most families on a vacation. Here is what I would do--stay at any nice property in Santa Monica or Venice, so that you're close to the beach, the Santa Monica Pier, and Abbot Kinney, which has some of my favorite places to eat.

Venice Beach Eco-Cottages: These are one bedroom cottages, have a 3 night minimum, and the prices range from $215-250 per night. You could shop at the farmer's market and cook dinner at home, (or at least breakfast!) and there's a washer-dryer. (We haven't stayed here--I have just heard good things about it.)

Everyone talks about Shutters, but it's very expensive, and often unavailable. I also figure, if you're going to LA because you want to go to Universal Studios, the La Brea Tar Pits, the Getty, and then to squeeze in a trip down to Disneyland or Legoland, how much time are you really spending in your hotel room anyway? I'm putting in this Loew's Santa Monica, because the downside of the Venice Beach Eco-Cottages is no pool! Loew's isn't cheap, but I bet that since it's a bigger hotel property, you could probably use some kind of mileage program to get a free night. (We have not stayed here.)

Hotel Oceana Santa Monica: We stayed here when Clara was a baby, and I can tell it's been updated nicely since we were there. I loved the location, and the pool in the courtyard. Our really good friends have stayed here many times and love how relaxed and homey the vibe is.

The Viceroy: We stayed here probably several years ago, so I don't have the most current review...but we did really like it. The location was great--there's a great breakfast restaurant right across the street. And it's just up the street from the beach. And a walk away from the Pier.

Our favorite places to eat:
On Abbot Kinney in Venice Beach:Gjellina (for lunch, or very early dinner--it's a mad house at regular dinner hours), Shima, Axe
In Santa Monica: Huckleberry Cafe, Tavern