Winter Vacation '08 - The Apartment

After having a good experience with Lodgis.com in 2006, we decided to give them another try for this trip. And we aimed for the same general vicinity, winding up in the 18th arrondissement, in this place on Villa Guelma. It was right near the Pigalle Metro stop, just south of the Butte de Montmartre, and just north of the Rue des Martyrs stretch we luckily discovered on our first trip in 2002.


View Larger Map

Now home and looking through all my photos from the trip, I realize I did a pretty bad job of capturing the feel of the apartment. Luckily, the shots on that Lodgis site do a pretty good job of showing what the place looked like. Even so, I did grab a few that will remind me of what our week there was like.

The entry way.
Not sure why I didn't grab an exterior shot, but this is what you encountered after entering the security code at the front door. Nice attempt at a little christmas tree.



The old school elevator
Getting two people in here was snug. Getting two people and a few suitcases upstairs required multiple trips. But it was cool. Much more fun than new school (?) elevators.



And we took a Parisien cliche shot of Judy avec baguette.



The door
There it is in all its nondescriptness, the front door to unit 5F (I think ... maybe 5G).



The living room
Nothing too fancy, but it got the job done.



The dining room
Again, it worked, though we really used it primarily as a place to keep the suitcases and our coats and whatnot.



The kitchen
Coffee maker, mini fridge, microwave (listed in order of importance). All we needed. And a sink, I guess. Didn't bother with the stove this time.



UPDATE 2/21/09:
Hardly worth posting, but I found 7 seconds of video that I took inside the apartment.



The bedroom
Or, at least the view from the bedroom. During one of the two very brief periods of sunshine that we enjoyed during the whole week.



And that is the Eiffel Tower in the red box. And this was the only time we were able to see it because the rest of the week was pretty grey. Must be cool in the summer, though.



The Terrace
Another reason this apartment would be much, much cooler in the summer than winter is this terrace. It was massive. The views actually weren't spectacular by any means. The street is a little 200 yard cul de sac. But the terrace would be a great place to just sit outside with some vin et fromage perhaps and pretend you're Parisien for a few hours.

Brief glimpse of the sun ...





... and the look during a light snow the morning we left





The view toward the main street
And this is the view we had every day walking out to the main street and the Metro, etc. Despite how it looks, Judy is checking for rain and not raising the roof.

Winter Vacation '08 - The Flight - Chicago to Paris

As of October we were on the fence about whether we were going to try and take a trip for winter vacation this year. It's never a bad idea to save some money. And flights to a number of places that I wanted to visit were ridiculous (seriously, like $3600 for two round trips to Bogota). American had also conveniently blocked most of the days we wanted to travel from realistic redemption of my AAdvantage miles. So it was looking like a staycation. Then Judy's brother changed the equation a bit by offering some VIP upgrades that were going to expire if no one used them. These upgrades are magic. Pending availability, they take your coach fare seat and turn it into a business class seat. Big difference. Big difference in experience and big difference in value (a quick check of fares on AA.com shows that business class seats are ~6x - 7x the prices of coach seats - i.e., it's highly unlikely I'll be interested in paying full price for these seats anytime soon, so if I want to have this experience, the time was now).

So I renewed my research, found an okay fare to Paris, and vacation was on again. And we got to see 'how the other half lives' for a few hours.



We got a little champagne toast to kick off the flight. Or, in our case, kick off the 90 minute delay at the gate due to some weather and mechanical issues in Chicago. Still, a nice gesture.



Then they passed out these little cards which were to help hustle us through immigration in Paris. Great concept, but we wound up not even needing them.



Finally wheels up and the appetizers begin, stepping it up a level from domestic 'first' class service by adding a nice little cheese and sun dried tomatoes dish to the hot nuts.



Judy even got into the spirit of things with a little bloody mary while she fired up the entertainment system.



Then the meal began, almost restaurant style, with a salmon appetizer (and I passed mine to Judy).



Then the main course, which, given the limitations of airline food prep, wasn't all that bad.



Followed by a dessert, which was a highlight (serving ice cream is not as challenging as serving pork, I imagine).



Having gorged myself, it was time to relax. And this seat adjustment system up here is amazing. Just a whole different world. I've been fortunate enough to score the occasional domestic 'first' class upgrade between Chicago and New York and it's just absurd how different the experience is.



So I settled in with a book, some after dinner port and the trusty carmex (essential for a 9-hour flight).



Finally, after a good nap, it's breakfast time.



The whole flight was almost like a vacation in and of itself. What's that line from Ferris Bueller? "If you have the means, I highly recommend it". Or, cozy up to someone who has VIP upgrades they might share.

Review: Tabla (NYC)

Note: I'm writing this three months after my stay. My posting activities fell off drastically in November and December. So, take this more as directional recollections than a highly focused critique.

The wife and I watch our fair share of Iron Chef America. And a few weeks before we were going to be in NY visiting family, we saw the battle pitting Bobby Flay against Floyd Cardoz of Tabla. That particular episode wasn't especially appealing to us since we aren't big snail eaters. But the description of Tabla sounded interesting so we wanted to give it a shot.



We aren't normally 'fine diners' (one exception being our anniversary dinner @ Arun's), and this wound up being a touch fancier, more formal and sophisticated than we expected. If we had known exactly what we were getting into we might not have followed through with our reservation. But I'm glad we did because it was quite good.

If I could do anything differently, the one thing that was a bit disappointing was our table placement. It might seem odd to complain about having too much space between tables at a restaurant (especially if you know me), but we were on kind of an isolated island, tucked into a nook at the top of the stairs.



If it were a corner with walls you might be able to construe it as private and romantic. But in their wide open layout it was more like being in no man's land. Unfortunately this vibe didn't hit me right away so we didn't request a move. And I got over it. A small-ish issue really. On to the food ...

... and we're off to a slow start because I can't really remember what this was. I grabbed a copy of their seasonal menu from the web site after we at there, but it didn't include this little starter soup. I'm sure it was nice ...



The naan was quite nice. Fresh out of the oven, cheesy, comforting.



This next one was a surprise. I ordered the vegetarian tasting menu, which was going to take me out of my comfort zone a bit. I'm an on / off vegetarian, and when I'm on I am the world's worst vegetarian because I like about 4 vegetables and two types of fish. So 'salad of baby beets' was something I just hoped to get through. Didn't expect to enjoy it. But with the Roquefort cheese and ginger, I have to say it was pretty tasty.



I did hit a little speed bump with the Stuffed Jack-B-Little Pumpkin, featuring "early fall root vegetables". Let's say some root vegetables were tougher on my palate than others. But nice presentation.



Another semi-surprise was the Chantrelle & Potato "Risotto". To say I don't enjoy mushrooms is an understatement (like I said, I'm not a great vegetarian). But I was able to work around the biggest pieces and did enjoy the overall taste of the dish, including the coconut broth.



Our desserts were the stand outs.

First, the Tahitian Vanilla Bean Cheesecake (with 'graham crumble, concord grape sauce and lemon eucalyptus sorbet). I thought this was great. Judy wasn't thrilled, but I loved it.



But she did like her white chocolate mousse. (Sorry, can't find the full detailed description on any menu.)



Finally, always a crowd favorite, the mignardises.



All in all, it was a nice night out. I am sure people with more sophisticated palates and fewer self-imposed dietary restrictions would enjoy it much more than I did. (And you can check out a pdf of their menu here to judge whether it's right for you.) Given my own limitations and our relatively isolated table, it wasn't great value in my mind. But the service was very good, the presentation was terrific and the overall vibe was very nice. Just not in my personal sweet spot when it comes to dining options.

Review: Le Parker Meridien (NYC)

Note: I'm writing this three months after my stay. My posting activities fell off drastically in November and December. So, take this more as directional recollections than a highly focused critique.



I loved this hotel. I traveled to New York a decent amount in 2007-2008, staying in a variety of hotels at a variety of prices. Without question, this one night at Le Parker Meridien was the coolest experience and maybe the best overall value.

* The London was pretty sweet, but also pretty expensive and not really designed to get any work done.

* The Westin Times Square is solid, but doesn't possess the same cool factor as Le Parker Meridien.

* The Embassy Suites near the financial district provided great space and had the best gym (though I didn't use the one at the Meridien, which looked excellent, too), but that part of town isn't convenient for much (for me, anyway).

* And the Roger Williams can be a great deal, but the room doesn't come close to what I had at the Meridien.

My stay got off on the right foot when the agent at the front desk informed me I had been upgraded to a "tower suite". This was my first and remains my only stay at Le Parker Meridien, so I cannot compare the 'tower suite' with anything else. But if you're offered an upgrade to a 'tower suite', take it.



I liked the room as soon as I walked in. It's not the most luxurious room you'll ever stay in, or even the largest. But the smart design touches really impressed me.



The living room / work area is well laid out. The desk design is just smart - one area for your laptop and a separate area (the rounded table in the photos) to spread out some paperwork. Maybe a little detail, but just very smart.



The bathroom was beautiful, simple and sleek. If you appreciate this kind of modern ascetic, this place is for you.





And, bonus for me, no 'rainforest' or 'waterfall' or whatever shower head (I hate those).



But the pièce de résistance was the way they incorporated the entertainment center into a swiveling half-wall that could be configured to either face the bedroom or face the living room. As you see in the photos below, I really enjoyed this feature.

Living room mode







Bedroom mode



Mid-swivel mode





Okay, so I really liked the whole TV thing. The room also had some great closet space (you'll have to trust me on this, as I was so caught up with taking pictures of the TV that I failed to grab any of the closets).

Net: Depending upon where prices are, I'll be seeking out Le Parker Meridien whenever I can. (This night the price was $557 tax included and was competitive with similar class rooms given the timing I needed. Not sure what the 'tower suite' might cost without the benefit of a free upgrade.)

Review: El Milagro (Chicago / Pilsen)

Note: I'm writing this three months after my stay. My posting activities fell off drastically in November and December. So, take this more as directional recollections than a highly focused critique.

The wife and I were heading down to Pilsen for our annual National Museum of Mexican Art visit to take in their Dia de los Muertos exhibit.



We wanted to grab lunch there, so I did some research on Yelp and liked what I read about El Milagro.


Image Source: Ren H. of Yelp

Loved it. Great deals on tamales, nice atmosphere. I won't pretend to remember all the details at this point, but we loved the food and didn't spend a lot. Good deal.