TRIPPING WITH PHIL
Philip Andelman's Incredibly Infrequent Travel Newsletter™
Bad Trips Vol.1: Mike’s Camp
A descent into madness on a remote island on the Kenya’s Somalian border.
Remember that friend from high school, the first one who convinced you to smoke a joint, drop a tab, take a trip? You trusted them implicitly perhaps because of their exceptional sartorial choices, or taste in music. We have one such friend now, one whose homes are beautiful dens of comfort, whose sense of adventure is akin to ours, whose generosity, warmth and kindness is unparalleled. So when he proposed a Kenyan escapade to ring out the first year of the pandemic, we couldn’t think of a more perfect place with a more perfect companion. And indeed, the first week spent on a stunning private reserve over Christmas was nothing short of idyllic. But as the final days of 2020 ticked away, we set our eyes on Kiwayu, a small island neighboring Somalia, and a little retreat known as Mike’s Camp. Our journey into darkness began…
For years I’d been told of the exotic magic of Lamu, a shabby oasis off the coast of Kenya. In particular, the iconic Peponi Hotel, a Chateau Marmont for British aristocracy who crave adventure and stiff drinks, set against a backdrop of modern-day pirates who’ve made their way south. Indeed, Peponi’s is just that, and I strongly urge you to go there, especially after a week of inland safari. Sadly, I could not convince my wife or the rest of our group…
The approach by boat to the legendary Peponi
Instead, our friend suggested a magical retreat two hours north. Of course it sounded incredible, we were offered to be flown in via private plane to avoid multiple layovers and a lengthy boat ride. But as our puddle-jumper touched down on a dusty strip and was greeted by a 1980s Suzuki 4x4 outfitted with a machine-gun-on-a-tripod, I realized this was not the vacation I had expected. No staff outfitted in neatly tucked-in Lacostes adorned with the hotel’s insignia waiting with a eucalyptus-scented towel and arrival cocktail meant to combat the jetlag , we were instead tossed into the cab of the truck. A bumpy 15 minute car ride took us to a tin-can boat that drove us 30 minutes north into uncharted waters.
When we finally arrived at the island I saw no dreamy huts dotting white sand beaches. Instead there was a dock with further armed guards and a steep slope heading up a cliff I was told to climb. You see, at one time Mike’s Camp apparently did have waterside dwellings but it simply made it too easy for kidnappers to whisk in by boat, snatch tourists, and head off. After realizing the success of this drive-thru approach to hostage-taking (and therefore the dwindling number of return guests), Mike had the bright idea to move the rooms up to the top of the cliff.
the skeletal remains of the oceanside huts
There’s a wind that sweeps through the south of France each summer called a mistral. It lasts a handful of days and is so unrelenting that it is common knowledge one can be acquitted of murder with the wind as an excuse, its torment is so great. Our trip to Mike’s Camp coincided with the Kenyan equivalent. The thatched huts featured no windows, thus no shelter from the constant pounding gusts. The winds not only rendered swims in the crystal blue waters or even strolls on the deserted beaches impossible, it even precluded a retreat to your bedroom for a reprieve.
Of course no hotelier is in control of weather so it’s hard to deduct points for this, but another fun fact of the resort is that the only readily available potable water source for the island’s colony of blue-assed monkeys happens to be in your toilet. So a 2AM shuffle to pee reveals a dozen set of eyes perched on the seat of the loo, while the monkey’s cupped hands splash grey water into their mouths.
Each communal meal at Mike’s Camp is executed by Mike’s sister, a British expat in her late 60s whose exposure to the sun is surpassed only by her exposure to nicotine. The ash of the perennial Marlboro 100 dangling precariously from her lips surely made its way into more than one entree. That said, I must say that the food was the highlight of the trip. The banter around the table however, was not.
On our first evening we were in the presence of Mike, his sister, two couples I’ve since forgotten, a family of five, and a quietly belligerent pair of German men I’ll get to in a bit. All I remember of the family of five was that they were repeat customers (I still struggle to wrap my head around this) and their eldest daughter was about 14 years old. Mike’s dog had taken a liking to this young teen and eventually bit her (gently) in the ankle. As Mike’s sister shooed the dog away, I turned to my seat mate to chat, and when I turned back around I noticed that Mike was no longer at my side: he had gotten on all fours under the table and was busy alternately licking the 14 year old’s ankle and barking like a dog. The parents laughed off the antic by flippantly saying “oh Mike, she’s too young for you.” I can’t remember what we had for dessert.
A brief description of Mike: imagine Harvey Weinstein as a drunk Brit who you caught outside a pub pissing in the alley while trying to light a cigarette with the butt of his previous one. His fascinating family history involved grandparents who, upon returning from frontline combat in WWI, were offered free farmland in Kenya as compensation for a job well done polishing off the Germans. The ensuing trek down there involved crating family heirlooms like a seven-foot-tall mirror atop elephants, across the entire country. Eventually they settled on the secluded island on which the resort rests.
Our host for the week.
The climax of the holiday of course was New Year’s Eve, where friends had invited us to take in Peponi’s glamorous gala before hopping on our flight home at the adjacent airport in the AM. But Sarah declined and instead lured our friends to our isle of despair, sure that Mike & Co. were going to crank up the dusty stereo that had been dormant all week and dazzle us with a fête the likes of which we’d never see again. Well, it turned out that the reason the stereo had been dormant was that it broke in 1993 and Mike never bothered replacing it. Beyond a music-free cocktail hour and his sister’s least imaginative meal of the week, it turns out not much else had been planned.
But a quick note about the two middle-aged German men I’d mentioned a couple paragraphs ago. They’d come to Mike’s Camp for a week of fishing, paying a hefty daily supplement to the already-hefty cost of accommodations to charter a boat for some deep-sea adventures. They returned each evening empty-handed and then spent each night before dinner drowning their sorrows at the bar, growing more and more belligerent, insisting Mike was stealing from them. Adding insult to injury was another family comprised of a beautiful mother who was a half-Spanish half-Moroccan jewelry designer, a father as dashing as a young Hugh Grant in the role of Indiana Jones who was not just a documentary filmmaker but also a boatsman who crafted his own canoes, and their perfect nine year old child who went off every morning at sunrise in the boat he and his father had built together, always returning with a dozen freshly-caught barracudas which he paraded unwittingly before the Germans as they breakfasted aghast .
But the horrific boating experiences were not reserved exclusively for these two. At some point the monotony of not being able to go to the beach got to us and we were told that exceptional snorkeling awaited just twenty minutes away by boat. So our gang gamely boarded a thin-metaled battered hull that smashed against increasingly larger waves to the terrifying point of near-capsize and semi-permanent back injury. When we finally arrived at the secret cove, we were unceremoniously dumped off with our gear and told that the boat would return to pick us up in an hour. The only hitch? The tide was low, the water never rising above our ankles. The other hitch? The place was replete with sea urchins, so for an entire hour we had to wait, standing up, making sure not to walk too far to the left right, in front or behind us, lest the creatures drive their spikes into our flippered feet. It was a long hour…
The Germans meanwhile reached their limit on the last night of the year. The wind, the liquor, the lack of fish, the beautiful family’s child’s preponderance of fish, it was all too much for them. So once we sat down to overcooked langoustines, and as I looked out in the distance to the adjacent pavilion and the bats swarming around my own son while he tried to play ping-pong, I noticed what appeared to be a bat flying right past me. A split-second later a blood-curdling shriek erupted from my seat mate. Apparently, as a final act of retaliation for a week of deception, the Germans had lobbed a lemon wedge towards Mike and accidentally hit my friend in the eye, blinding him for the remainder of the evening. Insults were exchanged, punches were pulled, and the clock counted down to midnight while we all sat arms-folded in a couple hammocks waiting to put what was hopefully the worst year of our lives behind us.
The following morning, after a two hour boat ride we finally sat drinking a coffee on the deck of Peponi’s, watching the hotel ready itself for their yearly New Year’s Regatta around Lamu. All the hotel’s guests lazing around the veranda or beside the hazy pool seemed to be part of an unspoken chummy clique that of course I desperately yearned to be a part of. But I would have to content myself with the strong macchiato and a t-shirt from the souvenir shop that I could wear for years to come in the hopes that someone in the know would know that I know all about Peponi’s, a hotel that remains just beyond my grasp.
An Art-Filled Roadtrip Through The South of France
Here’s the ultimate one week roadtrip through the South France that will have you hit the best meals, hotels, and art centers in the world.
While one generally tends to think of France’s temples to art as being concentrated in Paris, the South of France has some of the most special contemporary art foundations found anywhere in the world, all dotting the bucolic vineyards and hillsides of Provence. It’s an easy train ride from Paris or if you’re State-side, a hop on a plane to Nice. And unlike the roadtrips of the American West which usually involve daily (breathtaking) five hour drives, you won’t clock more than a couple hours at a time here, popping into a Chapel designed by Matisse here, or a two-star Michelin lunch there.
Below I’ve laid out a one week itinerary that includes plenty of time for lazing around the pools of the insanely awesome hotels the region offers (two of them are in my Top 5 of all time). You could definitely condense things into a 3-4 day long-weekend, but take time to sip the rosé and smell the lavender. Remember, you’re on French time. Slow down, relax, it’s a vacation for Pete’s sake.
The ideal time to do this trip will be the first week of July. The big art fair in Arles—Les Rencontres—will just be opening up, and you won’t want to miss it. It’s also early enough that you’ll avoid (some) of the tourists and beat (a bit) of the heat. You could definitely do this trip in Early June or September, but some of the restaurants may be closed and some of the art foundations shuttered.
Oh, another thing: you’ll notice that I avoid mentioning strolls through any of the picturesque little hillside towns that dot the landscape. That’s because they are all tourist hellscapes filled with the same shitty BS art-galleries peddling ersatz watercolors and the same seven dish towels. You got better things to do, trust me.
DAY 1- ARRIVAL IN NICE, HEAD FOR THE HILLS!
Grab your rental car and head to Chez Davia for lunch. Will this be the best meal of the trip? Most likely not, but especially if you’re coming in from abroad, this super cozy, family-run secret will plunge you right into the mood of the region. The food is simple, the room is spartan, but there is so much love coursing through its veins it’s hard to overlook this little hole in the wall. You’ll also be two blocks from the beach in case you want to stretch your legs for a stroll along the boardwalk, or if you’re in the mood to dive straight into the art, you’re a five minute drive to the Matisse museum which will be the perfect intro for your first real stop on the road…
The Matisse Chapel hangs precariously off the side of a winding road that takes you up towards your hotel for the night. Make sure to hit this during the late-afternoon as the golden sun-light beams through the artist’s breathtaking stain-glass windows, creating trippy reflections all around you.
From here, check into the Colombe d’Or Hotel. A heads up, ever since Jay Z and Beyoncé posed for pictures here (and even some time before), it became a damn hard ticket to score. You may need to base your entire trip around availability here and whatever you do, DO NOT SETTLE FOR A ROOM IN THE NEW WING, where they house the majority of the selfie-stick wielding degenerates. In fact, if you can, insist on Room 36 (seen above).
The closest approximation of this Eden that I can think of in the States is Chateau Marmont but instead of being inhabited at one point by degenerate doped-up rock stars, it was originally home to degenerate doped-up artists who all paid for their rooms with works of art. The result? You may have an original Miro hanging in your room, the indoor dining room is replete with Picassos and the iconic (selfie-worthy) emerald-tiled pool is anchored by a spectacular Calder mobile. Book a table for dinner outdoors where the space is framed by a Fernand Leger work and tuck into the beautiful basket of cruditées before wrapping things up with their soufflé.
DAY 2 - MAEGHT FOUNDATION
You could hurry things along and squeeze this day into the following one, but come on, you’re on vacation. So take some time to loll around the pool, order a lazy breakfast in bed, and then drive over to the Fondation Maeght, a temple of modern art housed in a temple of modern architecture. The collection will feel like an effortless extension of all the work that has enveloped you at the hotel, just in a grander setting.
If you choose to do the trip this upcoming summer (2024), take an hour-long detour from here to visit the artistic retreat of Villa Navarra in Le Muy, where one of my favorite artists, Matt McCormick, will be the artist-in-residence, producing a sprawling one-man show.
Head back to Saint Paul de Vence in the early evening to watch a heated game of pétanque in the town square while you down a Pastis and feast on a little charcuterie platter. Will you be squeezed in to a table next to Bob and Diane from Chippewa Falls and a party of 8 from Chengdu? Probably, but this is the reality of summer travel through France. I could give you tips for a road trip through Uzbekistan but would you really go there over this?
DAY 3 - MARSEILLE
Here again, there’s no real need to spend the night in Marseille but if you don’t want to feel rushed in exploring the city, book a room for the night at the Tuba Hotel on the outskirts of town and secure a table for dinner on the rocky Mediterranean outcrops while you’re at it.
In Marseilles there’s a bunch to do. As an architecture fan, my first stop would be Le Corbusier’s Unité d’Habitation, whose rooftop has been turned into the MAMO art center by local designer Ora Ito.
Grab a quick bite at the little Epicerie Ideal and pick up some local treats, from bottarga and tinned fish to confit lemons and homemade vinegars. Continue the shopping spree at the legendary Maison Empereur, the town’s answer to Tokyo Hands since 1827. Want more modern, want more fashion? Then Jogging is the joint for you. But don’t spend toooo much time shopping, you still have to hit up the MAC contemporary art museum, and again, for the architecture fans, the design of the MUCEM is pretty great.
On the off-chance that there’s a local football game going on, their team, OM, has some of the most hard-core fans around and the matches are quite the spectacle. Just don’t go if their opponents are Paris’ PSG, those matches usually devolve into riots. And by that I don’t mean a hilarious laugh-fest.
DAY 4 - PARADISE AWAITS
Head off to the countryside and book an early lunch at La Chassagnette, an idyllic restaurant with vast gardens to stroll through, from which the mostly vegetarian multi-course meals are sourced.
If you’re shocked by how sparse this day looks it’s because not only will the lunch take a long time but you will want to spend as much time as possible at one of my favorite hotels in the world where you’ll be staying a night or two, Villa La Coste. The hotel rests above a vast vineyard which for the past two decades has been turned into a world-class contemporary art park, Chateau La Coste, with permanent pavilions and works by Andy Goldsworthy, Tadao Ando, Prune, Renzo Piano, Anish Kapoor and so so soooo many more.
As you book your room here make sure to organize a private tour of the grounds. You can either do it on foot which I would NOT recommend if it’s hot out as it’s a several-hour long walk under a brutal sun. However, the golf carts and accompanying guides they offer are ideal.
Again, if you’re looking to shave off a day or so from this itinerary you could squeeze in the tour this evening, but you could also just laze by the pool, enjoy your perfectly appointed villa and wait until tomorrow. For dinner there are multiple choices on the property. You’ll probably be fairly full from lunch so I would recommend the 3 star Hélène Darroze restaurant in the glass pavilion on the hotel property for the following night, along with the exceptional Francis Mallmann steakhouse which is on the museum’s grounds (a five minute stroll from the hotel). However, the museum also offers a simple pizzeria and a couple other restaurants which would do the trick.
DAY 5 - POOL DAY
Day off. Relax, ready a book by the pool, enjoy lunch from the hotel’s terrace, feast on a 5 course dinner, hit up the art park if you didn’t do it yesterday. Trust me, you’ll never want to leave this hotel. Ever.
DAY 6 - ARLES
This picturesque medieval town is the epicenter of the South of France’s art scene, the Marfa of Europe. The biggest power player here is billionaire heiress and philanthropist Maja Hoffmann’s Luma Foundation, designed by Frank Gehry. Each year it builds one incredible show or retrospective, featured alongside a series of smaller installations in the multiple halls on the grounds.
If this weren’t enough, the entire town gets taken over starting the first week of July by Les Recontres, an art-and-photography fair that has drawn the world’s biggest artists together since 1970.
In the heart of the town is the classic old hotel, the Nord Pinus, who takes the opportunity to bring in an incredible foreign chef for their outdoor square restaurant each season. Last year was the team from Mexico City’s Maximo Bistrot. But choosing your dinner here will be a real toss-up as local star Celine Pham has an exceptional tasting menu that she offers nightly, two blocks away at Inari, with one of the strongest local natural wine selections you’re bound to find.
And if the slightly shamble-y Nord Pinus hotel isn’t to your liking, I’d strongly recommend spending the night at Le Cloitre, one of a few properties taken over by Hoffmann to house all the Luma visitors. This one has been wonderfully redone by the always eclectic, wildly inspired India Mahdavi.
DAY 7 - OUT OF YOUR GORDE
Before heading out of Arles make sure to visit the eloquent, understated Lee Ufan Foundation, tucked away on a little side-street, it will be one of the most poetic moments on your entire trip. And if you want to channel your inner Ernest Hemingway, check to see if there’s a bullfight in the town’s ancient arena, it’s one of the only places left in France to see them.
From here you’ll be heading out to the hillside (ultra-touristy) town of Gordes, for a luxuriously lazy lunch on the terrace of the Arielles Hotel at Jean-Francois Piege’s outpost of Clover. The view is unrivaled, right out of a Çezanne painting.
Finally, make your way to Avignon in time to check out the Collection Lambert before you return your car at the train station (they have Hertz, Sixt, Eurocar, and other outposts). You can either take a TGV back to Paris or come full circle by heading to Nice.
There you go, the perfect relaxing week of gorging on art in the south of France. See you down there…
A Presidential Adventure Along the Appalachian Trail
Spend this summer along the Presidential Range of the White Mountains, high atop the Appalachian Trail, with nights nestled in the AMC’s iconic refuges.
The Appalachian Trail, heading down to Lakes from the summit of Mt. Washington
The Appalachian Trail spreads out across 2,200 miles of the eastern United States, starting at Springer Mountain in Georgia and winding up at the summit of Mt. Katadhin in Maine. It’s the longest hiking trail in the world and if you were to do the entire run, it would take six months. Don’t worry, this post is not a pitch to dedicate a half a year to living outdoors.
Before the trail was even the trail, The Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) created a series of eight alpine huts in the late 1800s. They were based off the European Alps’ refuges and are tucked along the Presidential Range of New Hampshire’s White Mountains, about a month and a half from the end of the trail if you’re hiking the Northbound route. The apex is Lakes of the Clouds, an iconic high-altitude lodge just off the top of Mount Washington, one of the tallest peaks along the entire trail.
Each of the huts is a day’s hike from the nearest parking lot (some farther than others) and then a full day’s hike to the following one. You can hike just one or all eight depending on your level of enthusiasm, stamina, and spare time.
Lakes of the Clouds hut at sunset
There are also two “base camp” lodges where you can spend the previous evening to allow for an early start on your first day (Highland Center and Joe Dodge Lodge). A shuttle system runs between the lodges and the parking lots and the best thing to do is to park at the lot where you will FINISH your hike, (make sure to reserve the shuttle when you reserve the huts and pay for your parking spot here) and then take the shuttle bus to the lodge you’ll sleep in the night before. This way, when you finish in a couple days you can land right at your car and head to Polly’s Pancake Parlor for a well-deserved final feast.
Be forewarned: the huts themselves are no luxury glamping experience, but they sure beat having to pitch a tent and lug cooking gear up a five mile incline. Most of them feature communal bunk rooms (bring earplugs in case there are heavy snorers in your room!), no showers, and compost toilets. There’s also no outlets, so if you crave broadcasting images of your hiking feats to the outside world, you’d best bring a portable battery charger (none of the huts have wifi and only a few will give you a couple bars of reception).
But what these spots lack in amenities, they make up for with idyllic charm. The huts are run every year by a rag-tag crew of genial New England college kids who wake you up each morning with a beautiful folk tune before plying you with stacks of pancakes and scrambled eggs to get you bulked up for the day’s hike ahead. In the evening they offer talks on local biodiversity or astronomy after a hearty home-cooked dinner. They also perform hilarious skits around each meal that have kids and adults giggling alike.
Each hut has its own draw beyond this: Lonesome Lake sits right on a stunning pond that kids love to swim in, Greenleaf is tucked on a precarious ridge just below Mt. Jackson, and Zealand’s waterfalls make for a great post-hike cool-down.
Personally, my favorite time of year to visit is the first week of September when the summer crowds have thinned and the heat has dissipated. The huts are open all summer though and a few offer spectacular fall sessions to see the changing of the leaves, while true adventurers can snow-shoe to the lower-altitude ones in the winter.
How you choose your adventure will depend greatly on your hiking skills. We started easy with our six year old son, doing a single night up to Lonesome Lake. It’s less than a two mile walk and not very steep. It was the perfect introduction, easily doable by all, and with each year that went by we tacked on a night or went for a more challenging hut. One of the harder stretches we encountered was Zealand-to-Greenleaf, close to nine miles of grueling multiple peak ascents. One of the most fun was the ridge walk between Lakes of the Clouds and Mizpah.
The best thing to do is to call the AMC and talk to someone directly, the phone center is filled with incredibly knowledgable staff who know the trail inside and out and can advise you on the best route to take depending on your skill, but know that none of the hikes involve any technical training whatsoever.
Do make sure to get the All Trails app and download maps of all your hikes in advance so you’re not dependent on cell service. The trails are exceptionally well-marked, but this way you can know at any given moment how far you are from the next turn or the next hut.
One final caveat is that the higher-altitude huts (3 of the 8) are above tree-line and inclement weather is a real danger. The AMC is really great about updating you throughout your trip to let you know what the latest meteorological situation is and help you (re-)organize your trip safely and accordingly.
Okay, I think that’s it, hope I see you on the trail this summer!!!
Inclement weather nears Mt. Jackson, forcing us to evacuate quickly to Greenleaf hut.
Oh, lastly, here’s a general idea of what you should pack in your 3-day bag:
Gor-tex shell
light down jacket to layer
non-cotton t-shirt to hike in (one for each day)
pair of non-cotton shorts to hike in
comfy top and bottom to wear around the hut at night
hiking boots and thick non-cotton socks
some kind of Tevas/sandals for water crossings and relaxing at the huts
sun hat and glasses
swimsuit (depending on the huts you choose)
small toiletry kit with biodegradable soap should you bath in a lake/waterfall
a head-lamp
phone charger
waterproof stuff sacks. these are ideal to compartmentalize your gear in your pack. one for knick-knacks, one for each day of clothing, one for snacks…
about 2 liters of water bottles per person (you can fill up bottles at the huts)
plenty of snacks for lunches and stops on the trail
if you’re hiking in the summer, no need for a sleeping bag, you can get away with a sleep sack, which is basically a sheet that zips up, otherwise in cooler months you’ll want a bag
A ski trip at the end of the world
Yes, there’s great powder in the Rockies, and yeah there’s incredibly picturesque villages to explore in the Alps, but nothing is quite like the spell-binding experience of skiing in Hokkaido. And for those living out West, it’s closer than a trip to Europe while for those in Europe, well…it’s about as far as Colorado!
Okay, this is the year you plan that big once-in-a-lifetime trip. And THIS IS THE TRIP!!!
Yes, there’s great powder in the Rockies, and yeah there’s incredibly picturesque villages to explore in the Alps, but nothing is quite like the spell-binding experience of skiing through bamboo reeds in Hokkaido. And for those living out West, it’s closer than a trip to Europe while for those in Europe, well…it’s about as far as Colorado!
There are several resorts to choose from but unless your Japanese is solid and your comfort of driving on the opposite side of the road is strong, I’d stick with Niseko, the most Western-friendly of all the domains.
The altitude here is negligible, (the base is at 300m and the top of the mountain a mere 1000m higher) and the slopes are not particularly challenging, but what the area lacks in variety it makes up for in quality. There is so much snow here, and of the finest, driest variety, that the mountain does not even have snow making machines on standby. Every day brings the most ethereal fresh powders, and on the rare days when it doesn’t snow, everyone profusely apologies to you, as if the shortcoming were personally their fault.
The only downside to this whole amazing adventure is that things book up FAST and they take it very seriously. How serious you ask? Well, not only do restaurants open reservations up to six months in advance (namely one exceptional soba spot), but when making your reservation six months out, they request that you choose what you will be eating a half a year later!!!! All I can say is that I suppose it takes some of the stress out of deciding what to do last-minute?
The best snow of the year is apparently end of January but when we went last year for the new year we were spoiled with powder up to our thighs. So start planning now, start figuring out your meals in March, and get this end-of-2024 special holiday booked before you head off for spring break!
HOTELS
There are three different options for hotels that are all terrific and simply depend on what you hope to get out of the vacation. Niseko differs from the typical resort where a series of mountains interconnect to create one domain. Here, a single mountain soars upwards, with four different bases from which to access it.
The Park Hyatt is one of these access points. The plus-side is that this is the only hotel with ski in-out. A ski valet brings your skis out to the front door, plops them down, and you glide a hundred meters to a lift that whisks you up to the center of the trails. At the end of the day you avoid the deluge of masses of skiers taking a final run since this access point only services the hotel. On the downside, the hotel is REMOTE, meaning there is no strolling to town. It is also a massive, sprawling affair with residences, a dozen restaurants and more, none of it feeling particularly Japanese in spirit. But man, that convenience—and the tasty, global breakfast buffet—more than makes up for it. Two more quick tips on the place: try to get a room with a built-in onsen for the best apres-ski treat and lastly, no matter how appealing their restaurant menus may look online, they all have the charm of Vegas casino dining. Skip them and instead book taxis (well in advance of course) to take you to some of the spots in and around town. There is also a free hotel shuttle to take you to certain spots…that must be booked ahead of time…
In the center of the main town of Niseko is the Setsu Hotel, barely a year old. Friends of our stayed there and despite having to rely on a shuttle bus to take you to the slopes (or a five minute walk), they loved it. Best of all, it features the most special sushi experience around, Sushi Kato Inori. You won’t want to miss this one, it was by far the best meal we had in Niseko. You’re also in the center of town which makes it ideal for shopping in the afternoon and drinks in the evening.
Lastly, for those that want to experience the winter wonderland rather than skiing specifically, there is the Zaborin ryokan, a breathtaking space that feels right out of AD magazine. A massive sense of scale conceived for just a dozen or so rooms twenty minutes away from the noise of the town. Yes, there is a shuttle to take you to the slopes but it’s far from convenient, and all the rates are half-board which means you’ll be eating their exceptional 2 hour, 38-course dinners every night. Not the worst thing in the world, but more geared towards someone in search of peaceful solitude rather than ski adventure. At the very least go for a drink one evening.
SKIING
I would recommend booking at least 1-2 days of ski lessons at the beginning just to get a lay of the land of all the slopes as it can be a bit confusing/disorienting, esp. since the very top is very often fogged/snowed in. Also, certain key slopes that link you from one base/access point to another side of the mountain close before the end of the day and you can get stranded miles away from your hotel. As with all else, book these guides wayyyyyy in advance (like July/August). A lot of the crowd at the resort comes from Australia and New Zealand, so make sure when booking a guide to ask for someone who is proficient in English.
There are unfortunately about 12 different ski schools and not all of them can pick you up at your hotel so email the concierge and insist on a guide that can pick you up. Otherwise you risk having to take a shuttle or taxi to the other side of the mountain and it’s a pain in the ass (because each school is located at a different base/access point).
The teachers from NISS allow you to go through chairlift fast pass lanes on the Hanazono (aka Park Hyatt) side while Go Snow instructors have a lane on the Hirafu side (Setsu Hotel side). BEWARE: if you like skiing off-piste, there are other schools that specialize in this and it is one of the highlights of the region. NISS instructors won’t take you to the backcountry “gates”. For that experience I strongly recommend the guides at Pro Peak.
If you looove hardcore backcountry skiing, book a guide at the Powder Company. But beware, this is serious stuff, hiking up the mountains yourself with skis on your back, wearing avalanche detection packs, etc…
If staying at the Park Hyatt and renting the fanciest skis, Hanazono 308 will deliver them directly to the ski valet at the hotel to fit them for you, otherwise you will need to walk 2 minutes to the ski rental shop to bring them back. Either way, you can book online in advance.
EATING+DRINKING
As we began planning our trip, we fantasized of magical bowls of steaming lunchtime-ramen being offered up in quaint chalets dotting the mountain. Alas, we were wrong. The options are scant for meals and all of them are factory-like cafeterias with abysmal selections of fried food. But there is one exception, and it is absolutely perfect. Bo-yo-so is tucked away between two slopes, easily missed the first or second time you fly by, though the lines that begin to form around noon draw the eye towards this ramshackle hut that dispenses endless traditional Japanese fare. Our favorite was the bowl of steaming rice generously covered in salmon roe. There’s no reservations here and folks hover over the tables waiting to pounce on a free seat when it avails itself. I recommend beating the rush and going early, around 11:30, so that you then have the slopes to yourself come midday. Beware, this place is CASH ONLY.
Rakuichi is the soba spot I mentioned before that gets booked up for the season sometime around September or October so make sure to snag a seat here early on.
Somoza is a stunning dining experience in an old farm, attached to a small gallery and little shop that offers incredible ceramics at half the price of that curated boutique in Williamsburg you love. The reservation process here is equally challenging as spots are first offered to guests staying in the collection of villas on the property, but persistence is key! Dinner involves a guided tour by the owner through his beautiful collection of local art, followed by a meal that weaves between French gastronomy and Japanese tradition.
Sushi Kato Inori in the Setsu Hotel is the ultimate homage to Hokkaido’s unparalleled seafood. There is another Kato Inori in town, but the intimacy of this six-seat spot is just perfection.
Gyu One of the most awesome apres-ski spots (or bars) I have ever been to, anywhere. The entrance is discretely marked by a 1950s refrigerator door set in a wall on a small side street. But much like Narnia, once you duck your head in through the fridge door you enter a warm, speak-easy-feeling space complete with an overwhelming selection of records being attended to by the owner/bartender. The twelve page menu is naively hand-drawn with Wes Anderson-like charm and the drinks are top-notch. Outstanding.
Check out the Zaborin ryokan for a drink and a visit. I’m not sure if you can eat there if you’re not staying there but try, as it looks bonkers.
Raku is a cool little iza-kaya for small dinner bites/drinks
We weren’t able to get into The Barn, but it looks pretty solid for Western-style fare.
And if you feel overwhelmed by too much Japanese food and are craving the Alps, hit up some raclette at Alpinist.
Crab is a specialty in the region and for a taste of the best from the Sapporo fish market, head over to Enzo Seafood. This isn’t a restaurant but rather a market in town, and they will prepare the crab (along with a plethora of sushi) to-go.
In the center of town is a cute collection of food trucks. I can’t vouch for the quality of any of them but it’s worth taking a look.
Lastly, if you’re craving a lovely latte more than green tea to fight the jet lag, make sure to check out the small Pierre Cardin-like structure that houses the Japanese mini-chain %Arabica.
ADVENTURES BEYOND
As I mentioned earlier, there are a slew of other resorts around the region, and if you feel like an adventure, ring up the folks at Powder Company who can guide you to these more remote mountains.
The Takahashi Farm is a beautiful dairy (Hokkaido is renown for their milk), where you can see farmers milk cows by hand, and pick up tasty banana milk shakes and ice cream to go.
Saving the best for last, you will most likely be flying in/out of Sapporo with a car arranged by the hotel then driving you the two hours to Niseko. On your return, plan on leaving a few hours early and take a detour to visit Tadao Ando’s awe-inspiring Buddha shrine at the Makomanai Takino Cemetery. The less said the better, except to say that it was the highlight of our trip. And oddly enough, in the same park as the shrine is this ersatz collection of Easter Island figures…can’t really explain that.
If you do carve out some additional time before the flight home, also make sure to visit Sapporo’s fish market and get in one last great snow crab and salmon roe meal at a sushi stall in the market, or visit the quirky Museum of Salmon, Noguchi Park, Contemporary Art Museum, and Art Park.
A Mid-week Jaunt Down to Rome
I know many people fantasize about Roman summer holidays, espadrilled and astride a Vespa, zipping from a lovely pasta lunch to Spritzs in a little piazza café, but the sad reality is summer is overrun by teaming hordes of ugly tourists that ruin your magical trip at every turn.
I’d argue for going totally off-season and shooting down mid-week. Instead of planning a week-long holiday here, focus either on the Italian countryside or just somewhere else in Europe altogether where the concentration of ambulating assholes isn’t quite as dense, and then zip over to the capital for a Tuesday-Friday escapade, eschewing the Vatican and Coliseum for Villa Medici and the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana. It’s barely an hour flight from Paris, and airfares are under a hundred bucks from London.
HOTELS
The hotel scene in Rome is out of control. On a recent visit the only decent hotel offering for under a nine hundred dollars a night was the too-far-flung Soho House. Most hotels’ basic rooms hovered in the $1,200 range, and this was on a weekend in October. Another reason why I suggest mid-week in February as an alternative.
I would highly recommend looking into an Airbnb as there are no shortages of options, some truly palatial and a fraction of the cost. And honestly, if you are only coming for 2-3 days, you will be spending 90% of your time racing around town.
But if room service and a massage after a long day of walking is what you’re after, you’d be hard-pressed to find a spot as impeccably-appointed as the new Bulgari Hotel, just one block off the main thoroughfare which keeps it a convenient oasis of calm (it’s also a block from the river, allowing for beautiful evening strolls).
Another option—and a great spot to grab a drink—is the Locarno Hotel. But beware: the hotel side has two wings, one recently renovated, the other quaintly dilapidated. The new side feels like your average business hotel in Wichita but is also a fraction the price of the old-world style rooms. Your choice.
Lastly, the Hotel de Russie’s outdoor gardens and patio make for the most splendid breakfast option I’ve ever seen (and a great late-afternoon aperitivo) and the recently renovated rooms feel modern yet classic at once.
FOOD
Antico Forno Roscioli This should be your first stop and last stop when you touch down. Roscoli has 3-4 stores a block away from each other but the Forno (bakery) is where you want to head. Get a slice of their tomato pizza (Roman pizzas come in long strips that are hacked down to custom sizes by machete-wielding bakers). For something sweet the caprese chocolate almond cake will do the trick, as well as the ricotta and cherry tart.
Pizzarium Bonci Okay, your real first stop should be here as it’s in the middle of nowhere though surely en route from the airport to wherever you may be staying. This dude is the modern upstart, the disrupter of the centuries-old Roman pizza scene and his flavors are unorthodox but damn tasty.
Piperno The most beautiful dining room in Rome, hands down (cosy and elegant in the winter, while the outside is idyllic in warmer weather). An iconic classic in the old Jewish ghetto it weirdly doesn’t get overly busy. Don’t miss out on their fried artichokes to start, or the pasta vongole as a primi. Pure magic.
Da Enzo A more “local” place to eat in Trastevere, somewhat far from the maddening crowds, it’s super simple, classic Roman fare. A few recent articles have made it tougher to score a table but if you need to wait twenty minutes, after you put your name down head two blocks away to Biscottificio Artigiano Innocenti, a beautiful little bakery with great cookies.
Dal Bolognese The ultimate see-and-be-seen terrace come springtime, the name does not disappoint when it comes to the meat sauce or any of the other dishes. Still as great as it was sixty years ago.
Armando Al Pantheon This is Alice Waters’ favorite restaurant in town, just a half block away from the Pantheon. Get there early for dinner and walk through the stunning space when the crowds have thinned out, it’s one of the more remarkable structures in town.
Retrobottega If you’re in the mood for a restaurant that hasn’t been opened over 78 years, this is the spot. A revolving seasonal menu, a slightly more punk attitude, it’s the best of the new generation.
La Casa Del Caffè Tazza D’oro This small standing-room-only coffee shop has THE GREATEST COFFEE DRINK YOU WILL EVER HAVE EVER. Their shakerato (ask for it sweetened) will put to shame any Frappuccino or pumpkin spice latte (or even another shakerato). It’s deceptively simple, a shot of espresso poured over ice, tossed in a 1950s-style milkshake blender, and then strained into a small shot glass. Even as I write this I realize that words don’t do it justice, and that I’m simply sounding like a crazy person, BUT IT IS THE GREATEST THING EVER. EVER EVER. Okay, that’s it.
Gilotti and Ciampini Blocks away from each other are the two best places for a gelato. Hard to choose a winner between the two but luckily you don’t have to, just go to both. If Gilotti has the riso flavor, take it, it’s like frozen rice pudding and pairs really well with caramel gelato.
SIGHTSEEING
The crowds of the Vatican and Colosseum can be overwhelming and ruin otherwise spiritual experiences. I suppose if you are the first one in in the morning it can be special but recently the Vatican has made their earliest summer visiting time slot 6am which is not exactly ideal. However, I can’t vouch for them, but I’ve been told that Carolina Vincenti and Francesca Corsi are two guides can arrange for a private tour.
Galleria Borghese My favorite space in the city, this museum is the perfect scale, you can walk through it all in less than an hour, and features all the greatest hits: some Caravaggios, plenty of stunning Bernini sculptures, and breathtaking ceiling frescoes.
If you only visit one church while in Rome, make it San Luigi dei Francesi, right in the center of town and boasting three exceptional Caravaggio paintings. Then again, the ceiling of the Chiesa di Sant'Ignazio di Loyola is pretty impressive too.
Villa Medici This sleepy compound is home to the French Academy HQ. The shows are often uninteresting but the grounds make for a beautiful stroll, often in peaceful tranquility as few people bother venturing here.
Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana aka Fendi HQ Okay, this one is a bit random but it’s my favorite destination in town. Originally built as part of a Fascist World’s Fair that never took place during WWII, it went unfinished for decades and then only partially used until Fendi took it over ten years ago as their HQ. It is a temple of neo-classical architecture and draws a perfect line from the ancient Colosseum (a fun thing to do is drive past the Colosseum in the morning and then visit this in the afternoon to compare/contrast). You sadly can’t visit the interior (aside from the lobby which offers an awesome vending machine which sells a beautiful coffee-table book about the history of the space along with other Fendi tchotchkes), but there is plenty to marvel at on the outside. It’s a real shlep out of town (about a 25 minute taxi ride) but there are a few other Mussolini-era structures nearby also worth perusing, including the city’s planetarium and Palazzo dei Congressi (both of which are more impressive on the outside than inside).
SHOPPING
Hidden on Via Monserrato and reachable only by appointment is the coolest, most elegant tailor shop in town, Giuliva Heritage. This isn’t an old hunch-backed grandpa teetering around and mumbling nonsensically in Italian, but rather a dashing young husband-and-wife team that have no qualms collaborating with H&M or offering their non-bespoke wears at Le Bon Marche and Net-a-Porter. This is where you want to get your next tweed jacket, corduroy suit, or shawl-collared camel-haired coat.
On the same street but definitely open to the public is Delfina Delettrez’s beautifully whimsical jewelry store. The daughter of the Fendi family, she has exceptional taste and a great sense of humor, offering jewel-encrusted sterling silver ice cream cones alongside sleek, modern rings and bracelets.
And one final stop on the street, Chez Dede offers a mish-mash of chic canvas tote bags, vintage ashtrays, limited edition art prints, and so much more.
Schostal If custom-embroidered tartan pajamas are your jam, this spot is for you. And if it’s more your partner’s jam, let them off here while you cross the street and enjoy a scoop of gelato at Giolotti.
Gammarelli If you’ve ever wanted to dress like the Pope but were unsure where to begin, this place offers the most practical start: for over two hundred years they have been furnishing silk socks to local pontiffs. And let me tell you, Popes know socks.
Bomba A great spot for custom-made casual clothing (think cashmere loungewear jacket), it’s right around the corner from Dal Bolognese so book a table for lunch and stroll over for a fitting afterwards (they also have a few pieces of ready-to-wear and if you’re in luck, you’ll really be in luck!!!).
C.u.c.i.n.a If you’re looking for the right tools to replicate your favorite meals from this trip, be it a solid brass pasta extruder or simple wooden gnocchi board, this is the place for you.
OVER FIFTY REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD BOOK A TRIP TO MEXICO CITY IN THE NEXT SIX MINUTES
Mexico City just may be the greatest city in the world to visit. Exceptional food, beautiful strolls, unique shopping, wonderful art, it’s got it all….
When you think food capitals of the world your mind probably goes to Paris, New York, Rome, Copenhagen, and Tokyo. Well, your mind is wrong. Mexico City is the most fun your palate will ever have.
And where else can you hang out in Diego Rivera’s kitchen before sliding down the backside of a Dragon-shaped home, visit ancient pyramids in the morning and take in a James Turrell installation in the afternoon, throwing back mezcal all day and churros all night. It’s THE PERFECT CITY. Also, it’s the closest trip from the US that will make you feel a million miles from home without any jet lag in just a couple hours’ flight. So buckle up, let’s trip.
But first, a quick note about getting around…
I’d steer clear of local taxis while in Mexico City as a couple dear friends have had some unpleasant problems with them. Instead, rely on Uber, or better yet reach out to Rodrigo Martinez, an excellent driver, and book him for your entire stay. It’s a (very) small price to pay for the ultimate convenience. Beyond taking you around town, Rodrigo is a great translator, and incredibly safe driver. I’ve also never met anyone who takes greater pride in the maintenance of their vehicle. I couldn’t recommend him more. But a side note: if he is unavailable and offers you another driver, you may get stuck with someone who doesn’t speak English as some friends have. So make sure it’s Rodrigo, otherwise have your hotel arrange a car which may be a bit more expensive but still a good deal.
Rodrigo Martinez +521 5539757985
HOTELS
Small, intimate, and great design…
Casa 9 A stunning, tiny hotel (maybe only 10 rooms or less!) that feels right out of a West Village modernist townhouse profile in AD.
Ignacia Guest House Another beautiful smaller boutique option that feels more like an apartment than a hotel.
Two others that I don’t know personally but look incredible are Octavia House and Casa Polanco.
Big, fancy, and fully of amenities…
Ritz-Carlton The newest mega-tower hotel in town, if you want a gleaming, state-of-the-art business hotel, this is the one. The St. Regis is in need of a bit of an update at this point.
Four Seasons A more classical option,, it is designed in classic Mexican architecture. It’s a bit dusty but you get the 4 Seasons level of service and a damn good bar.
Diego Rivera Home
MUSEUMS
Museo Anahuacalli Not to be confused with Rivera’s home studio, this stunning museum space, inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture, houses Rivera’s personal art collection along with a rotating series of contemporary shows.
Casa Wabi An architectural contemporary art space designed by Alberto Kalach, that has a Tadao-Ando-esque minimalist grandeur. It’s a bit out of the way but worth the trek! (PS. make sure to book tickets for the branch in CDMX and not Puerto Escondido!!).
Frida Kahlo’s Home Make sure to book tickets well in advance as it sells out quickly.
Diego Rivera’s Studio A fascinating quick visit, the studio’s principle space and adjacent bedrooms are restored to the way they were close to a hundred years ago, while another floor hosts temporary exhibits.
Cuadra San Cristóbal Don’t be fooled by the Casa Luis Barragán (decent) or the disappointing Giraldi House, you want to visit the stables this iconic Mexican architect designed just out of town. Get your hotel to organize it far in advance as it can be tricky to reserve, you may have to go through a third-party tour group but it is well-worth it. You can also reach out directly here.
Jumex CDMX’s version of MoMA, it’s a great space, has great shows though for the most part they are international ones that travel elsewhere (Baldessari, Warhol, etc…). So perhaps this shouldn’t be highest on your list. That said, there’s a lovely Eno brasserie outpost for a quick bite. It’s also adjacent to Carlos Slim’s Soumaya Museum which is fine for an instagram shot from the outside, but the collection is so bland it’s not worth five minutes on the inside.
Teotihuacán Pyramid Ruins Not as awe-inspiring as the pyramids found throughout the Yucatán Peninsula, they still make for a special morning visit, especially when running around with kids. Try to get here as early as possible. I think they open at 9am, show up at 8:45 so you can be the first to lay your eyes on the Pyramid of the Sun, before it’s cluttered by tourists huffing their way up. The best bet is to get a private driver to take you from town and wait for you as you race through the place. No need to visit the adjacent museum, the anthropological one in town is way better. You should try to be in and out of the pyramids by 10:30 so you can be back in town for lunch.
Museo Nacional De Antropología This is their Museum of Natural History. After visiting the pyramids it’s a wonderful opportunity to understand the various cultures and eras of indigenous people along with the art they created over centuries. The place is exceptionally well-laid out with the path taking you from interior exhibits to exterior gardens dotted with massive ruins. If you are short on time, you only need to do the entire ground floor and skip the second one.
LAGOALGO a new space in a modernist structure beside a lake in Chapultepec Park, features the best in contemporary artists alongside a little spot for a bite to eat.
Tetetlán
SHOPPING
Tetelán Housed in the former stables of a Barragán home and suspended over a glass floor that looks onto the natural lava rock beneath, it’s a lovely restaurant and a perfectly selected choice of contemporary homeware and clothing. Yes, it’s a bit out of the way but worth every minute to get there as the shopping was some of the best I found in the city.
Utilitario You wish there were a dozen places like this in town, but sadly there are only 2-3. Ignore the fact that they sell Dr. Bonner’s soap, and instead pick up a locally made comal to cook tortillas back home, a classic mortar and pestle, or just funky hand-dyed socks and scarves for prices that are more Muji than Alessi.
Onora One notch higher-level than Utilitario bust sadly half the size, the house-wares here are stunning and all made by artisans across Mexico.
Fabrica Social/FonArt- Same deal, locally hand-woven tops for women that crosses classic with contemporary Mexican style.
OMR Gallery - The Emmanuel Perrotin/Gagosian of Mexico City, they have shows of local up-and-comers like Gabriel Rico and also sell pieces by heavy-hitters like James Turrell and Candida Höfer.
Adhesivo Contemporary The wonderfully ebullient Edith Vaisberg runs this great gallery that, along with spots like Trastienda, is helping champion a new generation of Latin artists.
Headquarter - if you want to feel like you’re back in a State-side streetwear/skate shop, this is your spot.
Xinú A stunning perfume store.
Mercado Cuidadela
MARKETS
Mercado de Artesanias La Cuidadela This one is the most famous and easily the one you can skip. It’s the same inauthentic tacky crap that you find the street peddlers at the Pyramid Ruins hawking. That said, if you need a Lucha Libre mask to bring home as a gift, feel free to spend twenty minutes here. Also skip the Mercado Sábado in San Angel which feels like a more upscale but equally contrived version of this one.
Mercado Jamaica The best market we hit, it’s 85% a flower market, 15% food/pinata/tons of other stuff. A real sight to behold. And the food felt more locally sourced than the more famous San Juan market (below).
Mercado San Juan - the food market everyone goes to. That said, you can’t help but wonder if the chocolate-dipped scorpions are there more as dares for the tourists than actual food for the locals. Still, a couple spice stands and an iconic coffee spot make it an important destination.
Mercado Sonora - from what I hear this is the most authentic of all the markets but also a bit on the dangerous side. If you choose to go, you should go with a guide of some sort.
The legendary grilled fish at Contramar
EATING
BREAKFAST/LUNCH
Mulino El Pujol If you can’t score a reservation to Pujol, the most famous and decorated restaurant in Mexico City, make sure to visit El Mulino, their neighborhood tortilleria, where they crank out fresh tortillas for the locals and AMAZING breakfasts for everyone else. The churros are some of the best in town and the simple avocado or cheese tacos and quesadillas are exceptional. Wash it all down with cacao-infused water or a coffee.
Rosetta At first sight the pastries feel more European than Mexican, but their conchas and guava danish are really delicious. Worth picking something up while you stroll through the Roma neighborhood. They also have a more formal restaurant across the street that serves a lovely lunch in a sun-filled atrium.
Quentin A small chain (maybe 3-4) of well-designed coffee shops, a bit like their Intelligensia. They bake all their own pastries which are just as good as the coffee.
El Cardenal Make sure to go to the one downtown as there is now another in the suburbs. The original is a true classic, from the room to the menu. The food isn’t groundbreaking but it’s delicious and a perfect time capsule of another era.
LUNCH/DINNER
THE HIGHER-END MUSTS
Expendio De Maiz (cash only) All I can say is THIS PLACE IS INSANE! Only open for lunch (it closes at 5pm), and only 4 tables, it’s essentially an open kitchen tucked into a gutted storefront. From here, some of the most creative dishes I’ve ever eaten get churned out one after another. There’s no menu, it’s basically mexican omakase, and each plate is better than the next, all centered around ancient varietals of corn and grain. Can’t recommend this place enough. Go on the earlier side to avoid a wait.
Maximo Bistro One of our favorite meals in town, it would be right at home in Venice Beach or the 11th arrondissement in Paris. Fancy without being pretentious, the food feels more continental than Mexican, but it is a really really special evening.
Contramar Another must, this mecca of seafood—along with Pujol— put the Mexico City restaurant scene on the map. It’s a bustling bistro that feels a bit like Cafe Flore in Paris due to the non-stop cavalry of black-vested waiters. The two absolute must dishes are the tuna tostadas to start and the whole grilled fish as a main course, which I recommend getting done 50/50 (half parsley butter coated, half red chile marinated). So so good…Skip the desserts though and make sure to reserve far enough in advance that you can be seated in the original space and not their new addition.
Rosetta This is what happens when an incredibly talented Mexican chef tries her hand at Italian food. It’s adventurous, tasty, and a bit spicy! A stunning space, it’s a really lovely meal across the street from her famous bakery and coffee shop.
Pujol If you can get in, GET IN. Try through your hotel, the website, by phone, any way. It is a beautiful trip through all the various regions of Mexico, from the perspective of the country’s most ground-breaking chef. If I’m not mistaken the bar is reserved for walk-ins and forgoes the classic tasting menu for a taco one (there may even be a separate reservation page under Omakasa Tacos Pujol). And if all else fails, go to his taco bar/lounge Ticuchi. However, you should definitely skip his incredibly ordinary Eno neighborhood restaurants. The one at the Jumex is fine for museum food but the others are all passable.
Quintonil - Another World’s Top 50 restaurant. delicious, light, mixing deep Mexican heritage with contemporary cuisine. If you were to choose one, I’d still pick Pujol, but for a special lunch, this spot is absolutely lovely.
Meroma Not particularly Mexican, it was nonetheless one of the best meals we had in town. Would feel right at home in Highland Park.
Los Cocuyos
DOWN AND DIRTY
Taquería Los Cocuyos There are a million little street stands for tacos in this town, but for some reason, this one is the one people have crowned the best. The tacos are damn tasty but if you aren’t feeling overly adventurous steer clear of the ojo (eye) and get the suerde (like carnitas) or longaniza.
El Califa This may be a chain but you know what, so is Magnolia Bakery, Zankou Chicken, and the Aman. For a KILLER al pastor taco and local beer at any time of day or night, this place does NOT disappoint. That said, don’t steer too far from these classics as the rest of the menu can be a bit standard.
La Bipolar and Los Tres Reyes - Go to either of these on Sundays for barbacoa.
El Parnita A beautiful little cafeteria. Order the quesadillla con chicharon/queso/nopales or calabaza/huitaloche.
Casa Organica
ACTIVITIES
Casa Organica and Parque Quetzalcóatl Casa Organica, the vision of groundbreaking, psychedelic architect Javier Senosiain, will forever be in the top ten experiences of my entire life. The on-going Parque project is just as special, but sadly as of this writing both are closed to the public (but it’s worth emailing Fernando to see if he can arrange something). If a tour isn’t in the cards, don’t be disappointed as you can actually stay in a third Senosiain space, El Nido De Quetzalcóatl. Book far far in advance—in fact plan a whole trip around this stay—it will be the most special trip of your life.
Walking around Coyoacán A bit far-flung but possibly my favorite neighborhood. Not necessarily for food/shopping/museums, but just the vibe of the place, the architecture, the peaceful tranquility of the streets. While you’re there though, make sure to grab coffee at Café Avellaneda, which is further away from most of my favorite streets and plazas (sip your coffee in the nearby Fuente de Los Coyotes Park) but worth it for the high-quality roast.
Roma/Juarez/Condessa The three more central neighborhoods worth strolling through, they feel like Palmero in Buenos Aires, the West Village, parts of Brooklyn. Plenty of shops/coffee joints/etc…many of which I’ve already talked about throughout here. Plot out a few of the stores and galleries you want to visit and then stroll between them, discovering new surprises along the way.
Lucha Libre You really do have to do one match of this folkloric Mexican wrestling, a trip wouldn’t be complete without. Part theater, part circus, all pageantry, the matches are held Friday nights, last two hours, and you can easily go for one hour, have a couple cheap beers, and get your fill.
A Damn Good Guide to Paris
Behold, the only guide to Paris you will ever need. Bookmark it, share it, live it.
I used to call this list A Complete Guide to Paris. Obviously, it’s not. There’s no complete guide to anywhere. But it is a solid start and packs in enough to do that you’ll be busy for 4-5 days. There’s a mix of touristy stuff and locals-only. But in a town like Paris, there are few secrets anymore so don’t be surprised to hear English in the most hidden of gems, though the best spots really balance the clientele well, others not so much (FWIW, we actually love the FOLDEROL gang and everything they do). Also, note that the “slower” times to come to Paris are mid-October and May. The weather is still nice then and it’s relatively light out in the evening.
I realize the list is long and not organized by neighborhood so at the bottom I’ve mapped out a solid 4 day planning that allows you to dive deep into a different neighborhood each day, avoiding criss-crossing the city.
To get around I recommend two things.
The first is to download and set up the G7 taxi app. They are the equivalent to yellow cabs in NY and are allowed to use bus lanes throughout the city, allowing you to get places up to three times faster than an Uber (like Uber there are different categories of car, you can reserve days in advance, etc…).
The second thing is to download either the Lime Bike or Velib’ app as well. THE BEST WAY to get across town is by bike. I was TERRIFIED of biking in Paris the first few years I lived here, but they have made giant leaps in building out the bike lanes and the East-West axises are great (on the Left bank there is a lane all along the quais while the Right Bank’s Rue de Rivoli has been reduced from four lanes of traffic to one, with two massive bike lanes that run from Concorde to Bastille.
And a few other very important notes…
LOOK UP! Download the Flash Invader app. The legendary Parisian street-artist Invader has spent the better part of the last thirty years affixing small tiled works of art around the city, usually just above the first floor of buildings, usually on their corners, in the style of 1980s video game graphics. An industrious fan set about creating a little game whereby each time you spot one you snap a picture and get points. There’s a leaderboard, but after eight years of hard work, my wife has “only” found 400 out of the 3,000 existing ones!! Once you start you can’t stop, and if you live in a major global metropolis, chances are there are some to be found in your hometown too (we’ve spotted them in Rome, LA, Tokyo, New York, Bangkok, Mexico, and beyond). One note, beware of counterfeits…
LOOK DOWN! There is nothing Parisians love more than their dogs…except leaving behind what comes out of their behinds. In the 1980s the situation got so dire that the local government deputized a squadron of motorcycle-riding poop-vaccuming street cleaners. Things have only gone downhill since…so keep one eye peeled for Invader art, the other eye peeled for doo.
EVERYTHING IS CLOSED SUNDAY AND A TON IS ALSO CLOSED MONDAYS!!! So plan your trip accordingly. If you only have 4-5 days, make it a Tues-Sat. affair.
If you plan on doing some serious shopping bring your passport with you to stores. Every time you spend more than $200 in a shop they will refund you the taxes via a form that you scan at the airport right before checking in for your flight. It takes about ten minutes to do at CDG and you get the cash back right then and there, basically 20% off all your purchases for the trip!
Ok, that’s enough chit-chat let’s get to work. First the list, then the itinerary.
HOTELS
Super-High-End
The best rooms in the city are the Tuilerie-facing rooms at Le Meurice. The hotel is incredibly centrally located and you will be looking out at the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, and Tuileries Gardens. The city’s most famous pastry chef oversees the breakfast/dessert menu, and the concierge can get anything done for you. But if you can’t get a room on the park, it’s not worth the money. Similarly, the rooms overlooking the Seine at the Cheval Blanc are unbeatable, while the others are skippable.
High-End
In the heart of the Marais, facing one of the city’s most beautiful squares, is the new Cour des Vosges which looks exceptional though some of the decor seems a bit heavy-handed (take a look for yourself). Another recco if you’re looking for quiet and understated: the Italian chain J.K. Place has opened up a beautiful little hotel though in a not-so-ideal location. I love taking meetings in the lobby, and the rooms are perfectly appointed.
A Bit More Reasonable
The problem with Paris is that it has eight of the best hotels in the world that are all over a thousand dollars a night, and then nothing until you get to tiny affordable rooms at $250 in weird neighborhoods. Chateau Voltaire is definitely going for the Chateau Marmont spirit and the restaurant at lunchtime is a big fashion hang-out. A notch below price-wise, the Touriste hotel group has a smattering of addresses across the city with affordable rates and great design. But make sure to get their biggest rooms, as the smallest ones won’t have enough space for all the shopping bags you’ll amass!
GALLERIES AND MUSEUMS
Foundation Louis Vuitton. Frank Gehry’s big splash of a monument just outside the city houses the head of LVMH’s private collection along with temporary shows. It’s a bit out of the way but well worth the trek.
Not to be outdone, France’s other fashion oligarch, Francois Pinault, just opened his own stunning museum, La Bourse du Commerce, designed by Tadao Ando. This one is just a few blocks from the Louvre and is absolutely spectacular. It’s a real quick visit and so centrally located you can squeeze it in at any time.
The most anticipated opening of the fall is the opening of Serge Gainsbourg’s home to the public. After being shuttered for thirty years, the house has now been transformed into an audio tour guided by his daughter Charlotte, followed by a space with rotating temporary exhibits. Book wayyyyy in advance as they will only be letting ten people in at a time due to space constraints.
After endless years of renovations, the Hotel de La Marine at Place Concorde is open and it’s a stunning example of the past and the future converging. An exquisite palace that was the former HQ of the French Navy, it was also the site of the largest jewelry heist in the country’s history. Make sure to take the extended audio tour (Le Grand Tour), where instead of boring people droning on about dates and facts, they have produced a top-notch radio-drama that revolves around the theft. Of course available in English!
Across the street from the Hotel de la Marine, inside the Tuileries, is the Orangerie that houses Monet’s water lilies along with rotating temporary exhibits. It takes all of 20 minutes to run through the place but is well worth it as the rooms housing the massive Monet canvases are one of the most special, meditative rooms I’ve ever been in. Book in advance, and if you’re in town a good long while in spring or summer, try taking a day out to Monet’s gardens in Giverny to see the same water lilies for real. Warning, there will be mobs of tourists there.
The Picasso Museum has done a great job of re-defining itself for the 21st century, bringing in a diverse group of designers to overhaul the space every few months. Definitely purchase tickets online in advance.
Another incredible single-artist museum is the Musee Rodin. Ideally go in the early summer with a picnic as the gardens are beyond special, but at any time of the year it’s remarkable to tour the grounds and the incredible home where he spent his final years sculpting.
Musee de la Chasse A quiet gem a couple blocks away from the Picasso museum. Definitely worth a stroll through followed by a crepe at the nearby Briezh creperie.
Perrotin (there are two of them, linked by a secret passageway in the back of the main one that drops you into a little alley facing the other). Paris' biggest contemporary art gallery, stoking the likes of Murakami, Arsham, and plenty more.
A couple blocks away is David Zwirner’s new gallery, which is housed in Yvon Lambert’s old one. Afterwards, stop by the original Breizh cafe for the best crepe in Paris.
Thaddaeus Ropac is another exceptional contemporary gallery where you’ll find everything from Banks Violette to Alex Katz’s latest series.
A bit further away, a few blocks from the Pompidou (which is about to close for renovations), is Templon, a great iconic gallery with two locations, one hidden in the back of a courtyard on Rue Beaubourg, the other a luminous new space a block away on Rue du Grenier-Saint-Lazare.
The Louvre You can buy tickets in advance but either way avoid the line in front of the pyramid to enter. Instead, go through the shopping arcade accessible via the Rue de Rivoli. Once inside, check out a map and head straight to the room containing the "grands tableaux of the 18th Century". it's three rooms in a row that will BLOW YOUR MIND. You can be in and out of the Louvre in 45 minutes if you just check these out along with the Mona Lisa (which honestly isn't that worth it). I also love the Dutch Masters rooms so check that out.
RESTAURANTS
Verjus. Upstairs is Paris' best deal of a tasting menu: seven course for less than a hundred euros while downstairs is a cosy wine bar with some small bites. This place is my favorite go-to in town. It’s the most magical meal you’ll have in Paris in a really special little spot, and a half block down is their other restaurant, Ellsworth where they sling some of the best fried chicken in town. Finally, another half block away is their private supper club, The Twenty-two Club Paris, run out of their stunning apartment overlooking the Palais Royal. Hit them up on DM on Instagram for a reservation and pray there’s an open slot. Just know that 22 is one big table so for a quiet romantic meal, Verjus is the better choice. That said, if you have a crew 6-10 deep, there’s a second private room at 22 that you can book for your whole party.
Verjus’ former head chef Hanz Gueco—an artist in the truest sense—has just taken over a tiny spot called Le Cheval D’Or with whimsical takes on Asian food by way of French classics (think sweet and sour pork tart tatin and shrimp toast croque madame). He’s one of the most exciting young chefs in Paris so if you’re down for something less classic, head over here!
For traditional fish dishes, there is an iconic place deep in the 14th called Le Duc that is like a time warp back to the 50s-60s mid-century design. the food is impeccable, the decor one-of-a-kind, the clientele true Parisians, though the first time we went, John Kerry was a few tables over.
The incredibly talented Pierre Touitou has finally opened his first restaurant, 19 Saint Roch, right in the heart of the 1st. Perfectly-executed, Japanese-influenced mediterranean food await in an elegantly sparse space. It has the laidback feel of eating in your best friend’s kitchen, there is a warmth to the atmosphere and the food alike.
Maison Sota. A bit far-flung in the 11th in a former coffee storage facility, the chef of the legendary Clown Bar opened the most whimsical, elegant, unpretentious, and tasty restaurant in town. The tasting menu ranges from savory french toast amuse-bouches to Japanese shaved ice desserts in summertime. The upstairs communal table is made of a single 24’ piece of wood, and I could continue talking about all the other reasons to go here but instead just book a table and dig in.
You probably think there is an idyllic French bistro on every corner with a great steak frites and cheap bottle of wine, but the reality is that there are only six restaurants in town as perfect as the one you imagine. And yes, they are all over-run by tourists but also cater to classic Parisian clientele. La Fontaine de Mars, Le Bon Georges, the completely unrelated Chez Georges, L’Ami Louis (which requires a bank loan and arterial cleanse) and Le Voltaire are the five that come to mind. All are exceptional but I have a soft spot for Fontaine de Mars and their Île Flottante dessert…
A newly-discovered gem in this classic category is Le Bon Saint Pourçain in the most idyllic locale near the Luxembourg gardens. But with its small 8-table size, make sure to reserve at least 2-3 weeks in advance!!!
Breizh A half Japanese, half Bretagne creperie that is AWESOME. the best crepes in Paris, bar none. There are a few of them around town now, I like the one in the Marais as a little treat post-galleries at an off-hour. Reserve in advance for lunch on the weekends though!
While an abundance of high-quality sushi may be lacking in Paris, there is no shortage of exceptional Japanese restaurants. The best of the lot is at Ogata, where you should book far in advance. The architecture is as stunning as the meal and be sure to arrive early to browse the adjoining store, tea shop, and basement incense lab.
Much more laid-back is Kunitoraya 2, a stripped-down Udon spot near the Louvre and Palais Royal. Start with the salmon+roe onigiri, followed by the chilled noodles and tempura. A great quick meal. No reservations and lines do form but it moves quickly.
In between these two is Yen, a sober soba spot in the 6th that is a favorite for the fashion crowd. Make sure to ask for a table downstairs and order the toro sushi as an appetizer, it’s the best I’ve ever tasted. If they have the figs with sesame sauce, get that too. And don’t overlook the deceptively simple fruit plate for dessert.
While great Italian food is oddly hard to come by in town, we love Le Cherche Midi, conveniently located a couple doors down from the original Poilane bakery and Le Bon Marche. Further out is Dilia, ideal if you are trying to see a concert at the nearby Maroquinerie, this tasting-menu-only italian spot is on a picturesque square facing an impressive Church. Make sure to book a table outside in the warm months...
For the ultimate view of the city, head to Langosteria in the very fancy new Cheval Blanc hotel, or hit up the more lounge-like Bonnie on the water just past the Marais.
if you want one 3 star meal, I’d suggest Arpege. The chef, Alain Passard, was the first to ever introduce an all vegetarian tasting menu at a 3 star establishment, and this was over twenty years ago! Additionally, it’s his only restaurant, so he’s there every day. So many others have outposts in Dubai and Shanghai, chains in hotels and whatnot. This guy is the real deal. Go for lunch it will be cheaper and you can spend the afternoon walking off the 27 courses!!!
Septime If you can, plan ahead and book a table a month in advance, or show up right at noon for a last-minute spot for lunch, you will be in for a real treat. Consistently on the Top 50 restaurants in the world, this is oddly one of the most LA-contemporary spots in Paris though they would never acknowledge this. It’s definitely worth a visit, along with their more informal apps-only bar, Clamato a few doors down.
For a simple pizza and aperol spritz outdoors, check out Bambini on the terrasse of the Palais de Tokyo. It’s not amazing pizza but you get a peek at the Eiffel Tower, a tasty menu, and then a visit to two museums (the Musee de L’Art Moderne is adjacent as well). If you are looking for exceptional pizza, Pepe at the top of the lovely-to-walk Rue des Martyrs is solid. Afterwards, grab a coffee at art-director Yorgo Tloupas’ spot Yorgaki a block or two down. For an even better pie but a less charming environment (great for delivery), there’s Fratelli Castellano or Dalmata.
Cedric Grolet Opera After winning the award for world’s Best Pastry Chef with his work for the Meurice Hotel, Grolet went on to open a bakery/tea salon on Avenue de L’Opera. Beware, this spot—along with its sister donut-and-coffee shop around the corner has sadly succumbed to the Tik-Tok Instagram hype, so book all snacks online ahead to skip (some of) the queue. Or if you are very brave, book a seat at the upstairs tea salon about a month or two in advance and order the best belgian waffle of your life. Or, just go to your neighborhood boulangerie and get a perfectly fine pain au chocolate.
Le Comptoir du Ritz. Not to be outdone, the Ritz has now opened their own pastry shop, on the backside, across from Chanel on Rue Cambon. While the madeleines are the prized treat they talk about most, it is the trompe l’oeil marble pound cake that in my book is hands down the best pastry in Paris (it’s called “entremets marbré” not to be confused with their real marble cake). They claim it’s for two people but I’ve never had trouble polishing one off single-handedly.
If you are looking for baller sushi, look no further than the breathtaking L’Abysse (spring and summer lunch here is idyllic as the gardens that surround the large windows are in full bloom). or Jin. There’s also a more laid back but insanely-well designed newcomer, Shunei.
Amagat Hidden on the backside of a secret alley deep in the 20th, it is about as impossible to find as a restaurant can be, but WELL WORTH THE TROUBLE. They only do lunch on Sundays and I would recommend this as the light is just beautiful and you feel like you’ve taken a drive to the Spanish countryside as endless amounts of perfectly-prepared tapas land on your plate. from croquettes to ceviches, cured meats to fried squid, each one is exceptional. The seafood restaurant Caché shares a kitchen and is equally tasty.
Gyoza Bar In a tiny, magical alleyway/passage in the 9th, it has only one thing on the menu, pan-fried dumplings, but they are OUT OF THIS WORLD. The chef used to have s a 2 star michelin place a couple doors down, and the meat comes from the same high-end butcher, while all the vegetables inside are local, from farmers' markets.
While we still don’t have Din Tai Fung here, Petit Bao is as good as it comes if you’re craving soup dumplings. But if you want really fancy-pants Michelin-starred dim-sum, Shang Palace in the Shangri-La hotel is the best in town.
STORES
Deyrolle The first floor looks like a straight-forward horticulturist outpost but walk upstairs and discover the most insane 19th century taxidermy wonderland. The last room in the back is the best, with hundreds of drawers you can pull open to discover endless varieties of butterflies and beetles which they will then arrange into stunning works of art for you.
Buly A few blocks down on Rue Bonaparte and a half block away from the Seine, this incredible, luxury beauty shop founded by our friend Victoire de Taillac dates back to the 18th century. Soaps, perfumes, toothpastes, candles and more. Like a French version of Santa Maria Novella with better packaging. A second one can be found in the Marais. It was recently bought by LVMH so pick up goodies now before you see the products in every airport around the world!
L’Uniform. A block down from Buly is the new flagship boutique of L’Uniform. Created by the family who owns Goyard and made in the same town in the south of France as their other iconic brand, this line of flawless canvas bags can be customizable down to the last detail, from monograming to choosing the color of the stitching thread. Think of it as the super-fancy version of the iconic LL Bean tote bag…they make several different styles though, from pencil cases to overnight bags...
Merci A very French, chic overview of kitchenware, home decor, and clothing, along with a nice cafe for lunch. A true Paris classic at this point, you won’t find anything ground-breaking but everything is in perfectly perfect, effortless french taste. a block away is their kids shop called Bonton where you can dress your child like a real parisian (though for baby clothes, every real Parisian knows the secret is Monoprix’s—a French Target—line Bout’Chou.
In the Marais area is Yvon Lambert’s exceptional art bookshop which also sells editions and smaller works of art. Three others that I highly recommend are the nearby 0fr, a stalwart in the art community which plays hosts to incredible signings and exhibitions, along with the smaller Delpire&co whose small selection is perhaps the best curation I’ve ever seen, and finally, Karl Lagerfeld’s 7L.
Charvet. Forget Hermes and Chanel, there is no greater luxury in Paris than a pair of suede slippers or custom-tailored shirt from Charvet on Place Vendome. A Paris institution, the ground floor is where you pick up the perfect silk scarf (and slippers), while reservations are needed to visit the second floor’s labyrinth of cloth samples from which they will outfit you with suits, shirts, and more.
Astier de Villate A beautiful, unique and very Parisian china store on Rue St. Honore a block from the Palais Royal.
E.Dehillerin This is the place to go for a copper madeleine mold pan, the best whisk, or if you venture into their cellar, a stock pot large enough to fit a naughty child…
Around the corner from Dehillerin is the city’s charming HQ for ribbon, yard, and fabric, La Droguerie. Right out of a postcard!
A lighter, fresher version of Astier can be found near the Luxembourg Gardens at the picturesque Marin Montagut. Glassware, platters, and curia are perfectly assembled together.
Le Tampographe adjacent to the iconic Pere Lachaise cemetery and only open on Saturdays, this punk rock stamp spot is incredible. The guy who runs it has created hundreds of different art-stamp sets from Eames-influenced to fully X-rated, from ones the size of a thumbnail to complex geometric sets of 20. A great gift to bring home.
If you love jazz records, look no further than Paris Jazz Corner, located across from Paris’ most unique park that was once an coloseum dating back to Roman times!!!
Palais Royal. A beautiful garden and even more beautiful stores surround it! make sure to check out Kitsune, which is right behind the gardens on Rue Richelieu and their cafe right under the arcades, along with Didier Ludot also in the gardens themselves, where you will find a pristine 1950s Dior ballgown next to a 1980 Paco Rabanne metallic dress. The best in vintage, more like a museum!
Another store worth visiting while in the Palais Royal is Maison Bonnet which makes one-of-a-kind eyewear out of real tortoise shell and buffalo horn. Beware, they cost the price of a car and take six months to make but it’s worth visiting despite this! (If you are looking for equally chic glasses that will be ready in two days with a prescription filled, look no further than the beautifully designed boutique Ahlem by Brasserie Lipp).
Another Palais Royal gem is Serge Lutens, one of the city’s most famous, classic perfumeries.
Le Bon Marche-a bit like the Barney's of Paris, but with one lone location, it's an icon and of all the big department stores by far the chicest and most understated. there's a great big food hall across the street (La Grande Epicerie)
Kith this New York-based sneaker temple took over a STUNNING former embassy off the Champs Elysee. They installed a Sadelle’s cafe in there so you can get your fix of bagels&lox and french toast while picking up the latest kicks in the most stunning of decors.
The new Dior flagship on Avenue Montaigne features an impeccably designed museum around the corner which is worth a quick visit, and a lovely, airy cafe inside the actual store.
Canal St. Martin A bit like Venice CA meets Willamsburg, in that there is a canal and tons of super hipster stuff all around, this is a great neighborhood to stroll through, discover tiny boutiques and grab a coffee. Start at Du Pain et Des Idées, and roam around both sides of the canal to discover great little boutiques. For a coffee to help you power through, stop by Ten Belles.
For those that want to visit the flea markets, the best of the lot is at Clignancourt, open just on the weekends. The place is VAST to say the least, an endless maze of small stands reminiscent of Middle Eastern bazaars. But a great starting point (or place for the taxi to drop you off, is Paul Bert Serpette. It has the highest concentration of super-high-end mid-century modern pieces and other gems we’re all on the hunt for. Make sure to book a post-shopping lunch at Bonne Aventure ahead of time, as it is one of the only good spots in this very remote part of town.
COFFEE+DRINKS
Cafe Verlet An iconic, century-old coffee shop that also happens to serve a decent croque-monsieur and French toast. The place has a really nice cozy feel, great to catch up with a friend or have a meeting. Other great coffee shops include Cafe Nuances, Ob-La-Di, and Telescope.
Cravan, an exceptional, understated cocktail bar started in the 16th by a former Chateaubriand barman, has now opened a major space in the 6th a block from Lipp and Flore. Spread over five (!!!) floors, featuring a fully stocked Rizzoli library on one level and a tiny outdoor gazebo for 5 on the roof, with cocktails that veer away from espresso martinis and lean more into the lore of the 1920s, this may be our favorite watering hole. The accompanying small bites menu is as impressive as the rest of the place.
Gainsbarre The most talked-about opening of the year is by far Serge Gainsbourg’s new museum which features a little bar designed by Jacques Garcia. Dark, intimate, sexy, this is the place to end the night.
Toraya A block or two away from the flagship Hermes store on Faubourg St. Honore, this impeccable, Japanese tea salon is the best place for a mid-afternoon pick-me up (their iced green tea is unbeatable. i would just stay away from the super-weird japanese confectioneries). But their bento lunch sets are sooooo good too, especially the crab and avocado one. You’ll need to book a week in advance.
Cafe de Flore a classic, go just for a drink or coffee or a mediocre croque-monsieur (it’s not about the food here). It's funny, it's the only place in Paris that is equally flocked to by tourists and locals. a very rare occurence in any city I feel. And whatever you do, do not go to Les Deux Magots a block away.
Little Red Door If you like cocktails with smoke, simple syrups extracted from wildflowers, and other alcoholic innovations, this is THE place to go, consistently in The World’s Top 50 list in the top ten spots. A damn fine drink to be had here. Pro tip: Don’t try to push the little red door open, it doesn’t. Push the wall to the left to enter.
Chateau Voltaire a new small hotel with a lovely bar that’s just popped up right near the Palais Royal and the Paris Opera House. A nice little scene at night.
Bisou If you just want to dance your ass off, make sure the desire hits on a Thursday, the only day of the week this underground club opens up its door.
FOOD SHOPPING
Our latest obsession is Lastre (Sans Apostrophe), a small little store on Rue de Grenelle near the Rue Cler markets. The man, Yohan Lastre, has won best paté in flaky dough in the world and runner-up of best deviled eggs. Weird, but true, he boasts of it with framed certificates on the wall. There are also a dozen prepared dishes, homemade yoghurts and mousses, tasty baked goods, and so much more. THE BEST DELI IN PARIS. A bit like Cookbook in LA…
One of the only all-organic markets takes place near the Bon Marche every Sunday morning on Blvd. Raspail. Because such a market is so rare it gets PACKED so try to make it there before 9:30 or suffer the hordes!
Les Terroirs de L’Avenir on Rue du Nil. Started by the owner of Frenchie, Guy Marchand, who started buying up the pedestrian street he's on and put in a great organic, local fruit and vegetable stand, fishmonger and butcher which he uses for all his dishes. Really top notch, I’ve cooked entire dinner parties simply from the three stores on this street. This is as close as you’ll get to a farmer’s market in Paris. A quick warning: it is completely unreliable in terms of what products they will have!!!!! It’s best to go there without a menu in mind and just use whatever they have at that moment because they are never sure of having or ordering exactly what you want.
If you like cheese, Fromagerie Quatrehomme on Rue de Sevre (two long blocks from Bon Marche on the opposite side as the pastry shop), is considered one of the best in Paris and they can wrap things up for you to take back to the States! But you should also visit Barthélèmy on Rue de Grenelle which is the most picturesque cheese shop i’ve ever seen.
For ham, you MUST GO to the tiny Caractère de Cochon, off Rue de Bretagne in the Marais. they have close to thirty types of hams, smoked and fresh, that are each more exceptional than the next. My favorites are the ones with rosemary and the one that’s gently smoked with plums. they also have tiny tomatoes the size of pearls of caviar resting in olive oil that make a great accompaniment. Either get the ham by the pound or have them prepare you a sandwich on their super-tasty ficelles (narrow baguettes).
Des Gateaux et Du Pain one of the city’s best bakeries/pastry shops with very little recognition for just how exceptional it is. No world-famous chef with stores in japan, no Instagram crazes, no cookbooks or t-shirts, just the best pastries, chocolate croissants, and bread. But it should be noted that quality of pain au chocolates and croissants has a great deal to do with timing. Even the best ones become mediocre a couple hours after they come out of the oven and similarly, if you properly time your visit to your local boulangerie, the croissants will taste better than anything else in the world. For consistency, I actually feel the 5 star hotels have the best breakfast pastries due to the small amounts the produce and the fact that they bake them close to order time. So head over to the Plaza, Ritz, or Crillion for damn good breakfast bread basket.
For spices, the greatest place i've ever seen is Roellinger on Rue St. Anne by the Palais Royale. They have nine types of vanilla beans, countless peppers, along with my wife's favorite teas and jams.
For butchers, the two best are Desnoyer and Bourdonnec. The former is super far away in the 14th but they deliver and cater to the President amongst others while the latter has outposts right near the Bon Marche and in the 16th on Ave. Victor Hugo.
For wine, I like Legrand in the nearby Passage Vivienne, one of those beautiful covered passage-ways. It's been around for close to a hundred years and was recently renovated to include a wine bar which i personally think ruins the vibe of the place, but the back room is still fairly special…
For chocolate and other baking supplies in large, inexpensive quantities, make sure to go to G. Detou, right off Etienne Marcel, across the street from all the incredible kitchen utensil stores. They also have an annex with cans of fois gras and cassoulet which can easily be brought back to the States.
Our favorite bakery these days is Tapisserie from the folks being Clamato and Septime. There’s one near the Ecole Militaire (Eiffel Tower area) with seating and proper bites to eat, and another a block away from Clamato in the 11th. Their maple syrup tart is beyond as are all their viennoiseries (croissants, pain au choc., etc..).
La Manufacture de Chocolat. This chocolate spot next to Bastille is run by France's most famous chef, Alain Ducasse and has outposts all across the city. The space is amazing, the chocolates even better, especially their bars stuffed with fresh pistachios. But now there’s a younger, cooler indie upstart, Plaq, on the Rue Du Nil that just may be better…
My favorite traditional outdoor market is held Wednesday and Saturdays on Avenue President Wilson, just across the street from the Palais de Tokyo. A thing to note though: Americans come over here and romanticize the produce at the outdoor markets but you should know the following: 80% of this is PURE BULLSHIT. A majority of the food sold in Paris (whether it’s at outdoor markets or grocery stores) has to go through Rungis, a major wholesale hub by the airport. These outdoor markets are not “farmers markets” and the produce you find will consist mostly of strawberries from Spain, avocados from Morocco, and oranges from Italy. That, along with a bunch of shitty non-stick cookware and crappy scarves. That said, a few outdoor markets have 1-3 actual farmers’ stands. At Pres. Wilson, a few standouts below…
Joel Thiebault. this guy provided all the vegetables for Darroze, Gagnaire, Piege, and countless other of the city's three star restaurants. Every week, in addition to countless varietals of beets, shelling beans, and tomatoes, there's crazy wildflowers, plants that taste like oysters, and squash that taste like cucumbers. He was bar none the best in the city if not the country but retired a few years ago, but now his former employees took over the fields. You'll know it's his stand by the long lines that form around it, it’s right at the level of the Palais de Tokyo.
Bar à Patate. this lovely lady specializes in potatoes, onions, and the city's best selection of mushrooms, and she couldn't be sweeter.
The crepe stand. As much as I love Briezh, this fairly innocuous spot 2/3 of the way up the market is my favorite street-run spot in the city!!!
***A FULL FOUR DAYS IN PARIS***
DAY 0 - Arrival
Arrive at Hotel
If you want to stretch your legs and the weather’s nice, head to the Tuileries Gardens, make your way down the adjacent pedestrian bridge, cross to the Left Bank and stroll along the Seine for a few bridges, catching the most iconic one, the Pont Alexandre III.
Dinner At Fontaine de Mars
DAY 1- The Marais
Breakfast at hotel or reserved in advance at Cedric Grolet
Gallery Visits: Perrotin, Zwirner, Thaddeus Ropac, Templon
Shop at Librairie Lambert and Castor Floriste
Lunch+Shopping at Ogata
Shopping at Merci
Visit either the Picasso Museum or the Musée de la Chasse
Snack at Briezh creperie
Dinner at Le Duc
DAY 2 - The Left Bank
Breakfast at Tapisserie by Ecole Militaire
Walk past Eiffel Tower (if you want to go up the Eiffel Tower I suggest booking the Jules Verne restaurant at the top. It’s a pricey affair but it allows you to take a private elevator up and not deal with lines/crowds)
Visit the Rodin Museum and Gardens
Lunch at Le Recamier for soufflés, Le Cherche Midi for Italian, or for a 3-star treat, Arpége.
Walk off lunch in the Luxembourg Gardens.
Shopping at Le Bon Marche, the Hermes two blocks away, including the exclusive Petit H collection only available at this branch in the 6th
Shopping at Deyrolle, Buly and L’Uniform, and the myriad of elegant furniture shops along Rue des Saint-Peres/Lille/Université.
Visit Serge Gainsbourg’s house.
Grab a drink at Cravan.
Dinner at Le Bon Saint Pourçain, Le Voltaire, or Yen for something lighter.
DAY 3 - The Right Bank
Quick tour of the Louvre (see my tip for getting in-and-out in 45 minutes)
Even quicker tour of Bourse de Commerce/Pinault Collection
Lunch at Kunitoraya
Stroll around Palais Royal (shop at Serge Lutens, Mason Bonnet, Kitsune)
Walk Rue St. Honore/Fbg. St. Honore
Shop at Astier de Villate, Saint Laurent, Cafe Verlet, Charlotte Chesnais, Chanel (Rue Cambon), Charvet (a must!!), Louis Vuitton, Hermes Flagship, Comme des Garçons
Mid-way pastry stop at either The Ritz Hotel or Cedric Grolet Opera.
Visit L’Orangerie Museum for Monet’s Water Lilies
Dinner either at Verjus or the private room at 22 Club overlooking the Palais Royal
DAY 4 - Fleas and Canals
Early morning, run to the flea market at Clignancourt (Paul Bert Serpettes) and spend a couple of hours roaming the alleys
Head back towards Bastille and grab some oysters and a glass of wine at Clamato or stick around Clignancourt and book at table at Bonne Aventure.
Roam around the Canal St.Martin, starting at Du Pain et Des Idées on Rue de Marseille, and criss-crossing the canal and the little streets around it.
Walk the Buttes de Chaumont park.
Dinner at Mason Sota or Cheval D’or.
A Late-Summer East Coast Roadtrip
It’s the waning days of summer, but just because you flipped the August page of your calendar doesn’t mean you can’t have one last adventure! Here’s a quick trip you can take without crossing the Atlantic that will quench your thirst for art, beach, and lobstah.
You’re starting to notice dusk settling in sooner, an errant leaf has fallen off a tree in the park, and pumpkin spice memes are beginning to get rehashed. Don’t despair! There’s still time to pull off one last adventure without having to book a transatlantic flight and endure throngs of tourists in Greece.
And if you’re lucky enough to not have kids, this is the ideal time to pack in a trip up the Eastern Seaboard. This itinerary meanders around a bit, touching on upstate NY, Western Mass, and the Maine Coastline and really works just as well in the fall as it does the summer. It’s a mix of contemporary art, shopping, eating, and nature. Of course there’s more things to discover between Astoria and Acadia National Park so if you’re craving more of something specific, let me know and I’ll give you some tips…
A lazy summer night at the Accord Speedway
DAY 1
I’m basing all this on the fact that you’re starting in New York City so feel free to adapt accordingly. Also, it should be noted that East Coast roadtrips always involve a lot of traffic because there’s basically a major metropolitan hub every thirty-seven miles. So be prepared.
Your destination for the night is a very quick drive upstate to the sprawling Inness resort in Accord, New York in the heart of the Catskills. With beautiful cabins done up in understated modern country design and endless landscaping by the one and only Miranda Brooks, this place is a sight for sore city eyes. If all you want to do is relax, don’t leave the property. If you’re in for a bit of adventure there’s the following:
The town of Woodstock is about a half hour away, where you can shop the main street, grab a film at Tinker Cinema, tacos at Tinker Taco Lab, a smoothie at Sunfrost, and hike Overlook Mountain (for you Angelenos out there, this hike is the Runyon Canyon of the Catskills).
The town of Kingston is experiencing quite a revival. Incredible furniture designers like Josh Vogel have ateliers there, you can find James Beard Award-winning Jamaican food at Top Taste, or great country-home goods at Clove and Creek.
At night the Accord Speedway is a fun little dirt pit with demolition derbies and more. And if you don’t feel like the hotel’s restaurant fare, you can grab a tasty pizza nearby at Ollie’s or Westwind Orchard (where you can also slurp cider made in-house).
Bryan Tolle’s Eureka at Art Omi
DAY 2
Head across the river (making sure to stock up on produce at Montgomery Place Orchard) and north to Kinderhook, right to Morningbird Cafe for their exceptional breakfast sandwich, any of their amazing Malaysian entrees, and their UNBEATABLE mochi donuts. Get a latte and some home goods next door at OK Pantry and then walk a block further to Jack Shainman’s sprawling gallery in the town’s former elementary school (though beware, I believe it’s only open on Saturdays).
Then jump in your car and drive ten minutes to one of my favorite art parks anywhere, ART OMI in Ghent. Hundreds of acres of endless fields and woods dotted with works of contemporary art, it is a really special place (and ideal to walk off all the calories you packed in at Morningbird).
From here you’ll cross into Massachusetts and make your way to the slightly-overpriced Tourist motel in North Adams (sadly it’s really the only game in town but the rooms are nice and bright and the minibar well-stocked). This will be your basecamp for tomorrow’s adventure at MASS MOCA. The food at their restaurant is solid, the town is glum so stay on property and make sure to not get here too early! (If you’re looking for other towns to peep between Inness and here, stroll through the main streets of Hudson and Chatham).
Soaking up the sun at Tourists motel in North Adams
DAY 3
MASS MOCA is a massive art center housed in a former New England factory compound. It will take you a few hours to make your way through, and while they always have great temporary shows, the real pieces de resistance are their 3-4 James Turrell installations and the dozens of Sol Lewitt walls. The Turrells require advance bookings so make sure to plan your visit accordingly (I like going to those rooms first when the fewest number of visitors are there).
Now it’s time to head to the coast! You have two options at this point. I’ll always lobby to spend a night in Boston and catch a Red Sox game because Fenway is the most magical stadium in the US, but if that’s not your thing, ignore the next post and go straight to Kennebunkport, Maine.
If you do go to Boston, I highly recommend the Newbury Hotel, right on the park (make sure you request a park-facing room!). You can take a lackadaisical ride on the swan boats, visit the bronze sculpture that pays homage to McCloskey’s ducks, and stroll Newbury Street and its shops on your way to the ballgame.
The Tides Beach Club at Goose Rock Beach in Kennebunkport
DAY 4+5(+6 if you want)
Either this is a day at the ballpark and a drive to Kennebunkport or you are waking up in Maine. In both cases you’ll want to book at least a couple nights’ stay at The Tides Beach Club (and make sure to shell out a few extra dollars for the Jonathan-Adler designed Junior Suite, it’s the only room with a decent-sized bathroom and a beautiful, unparalleled view of the ocean). It’s operated by a company that has a monopoly on the dozen or so other hotels in the area but this is the only one that allows you access to the town’s best beach (Goose Rock). If you stay elsewhere and want to go to this beach you need to get a parking permit at the crack of dawn at the nearby General Store.
Staying at The Tides also allows you access to their beach umbrellas/loungechairs/food, but a little secret is that you are also allowed all this if staying at their sister property, Hidden Pond, and since they never check, regardless of where you stay just arrive and demand chairs while explaining you are a guest at HP, works every time.
Stay at least a couple days here in Kennebunkport because there is just SO MUCH TO DO AND TO SEE beyond the ice cold Maine waters. Below are two short lists, one in town, the other beyond town.
The idyllic Snug Harbor Farms
In Town
Your first stop has to be Daytrip Society and Daytrip Jr. run by our dear friends Jess Jenkins and Andy West. Think of them as the perfect outfitters for a weekend in Maine. Forgot a thermos? They have the best one from Japan. Need a blanket for a picnic on the beach? They sourced the ultimate version in Norway. Want to read up on birds and spot them? They got your Swiss binoculars and local ornithology dictionary.
For lunch, the best lobster roll in the country (honestly, they won the award for it) can be found at The Clam Shack. When they ask mayo-or-butter make sure to say “BOTH!” For dinner, it’s all about the kitsch and tradition of Nunan’s Lobster Hut (get here eaaaaarrrlllly to avoid a crazy wait).
Snug Harbor Farms is the most enchanting, magical nursery I’ve ever seen.
For a refined scoop of ice cream right in town go to Rococo’s and get the understated but mesmerizing Honey Vanilla. Closer to Goose Rock Beach is the more indulgent Goose Rock Dairy which is a hot spot come dusk.
Palace Diner: the greatest restaurant in the world.
Out of Town
The greatest meal of your entire life will be at The Palace Diner. I could do an entire post on this place alone it’s so insane, and I could argue that your entire trip could simply be based around driving directly here for one meal and then heading right back to NYC. Housed in an old box car, its fifteen-seat counter fills up FAST in the summer (like be there by 6a or forget it) and slower in the fall. The menu is simple and straightforward but each dish is NAILED. The pancakes will be the best you ever eat, the tuna melt is worthy of a Nobel Prize, the burger is an embarrassment to all others…Their merch is also off-the chain and beware, this place is CASH ONLY!
A lovely evening excursion involves a stroll through the East Point Bird Sanctuary, seaglass hunting along its rocky tide pools, and a dinner of soft-shell lobster at nearby F.O. Goldwaith’s.
While it’s a bit of a shlep, a midnight visit to L.L.Bean HQ in Freeport Maine is worth every minute. The store never closes, in fact there are no locks on the doors, so you can pull up at 3am to try on some Gor-tex, shoot some arrows, and customize their iconic tote bags.
The view from F.O. Goldwaith’s
DAY 6 and Beyond
At this point you can turn your car around or push further North to Acadia National Park in Northern Maine. If you do, book a room and a meal at Aragosta, on the adjacent Deer Isle. From here, it’s an hour and a half drive to the park where you can hike/boat/swim your days away.
But if it’s time for this magical tour to come to an end, head back to NY along the coast, spending a night at the Vanderbilt in Newport and grabbing a clam pizza at Pepe’s in New Haven the following day before hitting the city traffic and your return to reality.
Your First (or third) Trip to Tokyo
Tokyo is an insanely overwhelming city so here’s a quick little guide that only gives you the super-ultra tasty from each neighborhood. Zero waste!
Mt. Fuji from the Aman Hotel
A quick note before starting. Tokyo is a BIG city. Like really really really REALLY big. The best way to break up your trip is to only hit one or two neighborhoods by day, and have them be adjoining ones. The great hotels are all far away so plan to leave for the day and don’t come back till you’re ready to pass out. Ideally you would do Shibuya and Roppongi on Day 1, Aoyama/Harajuku/Omotesando on Day 2, Naka-Meguro and Daikan-yama Day 3, and then Shinjuku and either Ginza or the further-afield Team Lab experience on Day 4.
As far as transportation goes, the subway is great though packed during rush hour and can be a bit confusing as multiple entities run different lines so when you transfer, you may need to pay all over again. You should get a Suica card (like Metrocard) on Day 1 if this is how you plan on getting around. Otherwise, the taxis are great with their automatically opening doors and little doily headrests.
Last note, for all you Americans out there who may have trouble wrapping your head around this: tipping is fairly frowned upon, and often even found to be insulting, esp. around the older generation so whether it’s at a restaurant or the hotel valet, save those yen…
HOTELS
The biggest issue with hotels in Tokyo is that all the best ones are in the least interesting neighborhoods, and all the fun neighborhoods don’t have much selection! That said, here are a handful worth checking out.
The Aman never disappoints. Like their resort properties, the soaring sense of space in the public spaces is bewildering, along with the endless views onto the nearby Imperial Gardens. If you’re lucky to coincide with the sakura cherry blossom season in April, you can rent row boats in the gardens and drift down endless rows of pink blooms.
The iconic Okura Hotel recently underwent a renovation where some of its classic mid-century design was sadly replaced, but the lobby is apparently still a perfect architectural masterpiece where you can grab a quiet drink.Meanwhile, steer clear of the Park Hyatt from Lost in Translation, it’s even more remote than these two places and frankly a bit dated.
Ideally you would want to be near Shibuya and Roppongi though the hotel selection there isn’t great. But if you don’t want to break the bank on the Aman, check out either the Grand Hyatt in Roppongi or the Trunk and Sequence hotels in Shibuya.. The Hyatt feels like you’re in the American Airlines Terminal at any airport in the US, while the Trunk and Sequence hotels are more in the spirit of The Ace or Standard Hotels (meaning BYO-earplugs). You’ll definitely want to splurge on the bigger category of rooms here as the small ones are not meant for Western body builds (or suitcases for that matter).
The brush selection at Pigment
SHOPPING
If you wanted to stroll through history, let’s face it, you would have gone to Kyoto. Tokyo is ALL ABOUT THE SHOPPING. And it’s all great. Skate T-s, vintage-wear, house-wares, cameras from the 90s, Pokemons from the future, it’s all here. And even the stuff you find back home is somehow just done better here. So get some good Asics that can support your feet for twelve hours a day of walking and let’s gooooooo.
Shibuya
The Times Square of Tokyo, with its iconic five-way crossing, is also the epi-center of luxury mall shopping. Since the Olympics new soaring towers have been erected and classic destinations have been made-over. Beyond the big stores, there are dozens of side-streets with crazy arcades, manga stores galore, and more. The only thing missing is food! Do NOT find yourself hungry in Shibuya because your only decent option is Din Tai Fung in the Shibuya Scramble mall. Come to think of it, life could be worse.
One of the many new developments finished in time for the Olympics was the Scramble tower mall, a stone’s throw from the iconic Shibuya crossing. A classic department store but there’s one corner in particular of note: THE Shop. The idea is that they have sourced the very best of everything into one little area, so the ultimate white t-shirt, the greatest tinfoil, the must-have lint-roller, etc…And because it’s Japan, everything comes in the greatest packaging you’ve ever seen.
A classic that was revamped for 2020, this one has some really fun, unique spaces including ones devoted to Super Mario, Pokemon, and contemporary art.
This one in Shinjuku is iconic, the Harrods or Bon Marché of Tokyo, with the most dizzying food hall in the basement. They also do great one-off collaborations and artist installations.
If you’re looking for great camera gear like a vintage Leica or Contax T3, two of the better options out there are Lemon Camera and Kitamura, spread out over five floors two blocks from Isetan.
Naka-Meguro
A little cherry-blossom-lined canal with cute shops and cafes, this strip is slightly out of the way but feels more local than Aoyama and Roppongi.
An awesome tiny bookstore with crazy great first editions of Jack Kerouac, rare Joel Meyerowitz photo books, and so much more. But the real treat is their own branded merch: everything from t-shirts to firewood bags, all stitched with their slogan “EVERYTHING FOR THE BOOKS”. You can’t leave Tokyo without going here.
Across the canal and a couple blocks down from Cow Books is Visvim’s stunning flagship store, a collection of three traditional Japanese buildings regrouped via a labyrinth of little alleys, gardens, and trickles of water. Even if you can’t afford $1300 for a pair of sneakers that look like basic New Balances, it is well worth visiting this mecca.
Adjacent to Naka-Meguro is Daikan-yama with a couple streets worth walking, and one store in particular worth trekking to. Tsutaya has several branches but this one is the world's largest art/fashion/architecture/photo bookstore. it's three inter-connected buildings and just BREATHTAKING!!! A few blocks away is Bonjour Records (a decent record/magazine shop), near an all-indigo-dyed store and a Californian-inspired vintage denim-and-flannel shop a couple doors down.
Okay, there’s better coffee in Tokyo (see the next section) but this three-story feat of engineering is worth a detour simply because it’s so insane, like if Willy Wonka decided to design a Starbucks. From matcha and chocolate fountains, to dizzying chutes&ladders that send raw beans cascading into roasters, you will be instantly hypnotized.
Aoyama-Omotesando-Harajuku
This is like mid-town Manhattan or Beverly Hills. You’ll get all the flagship Dior and Ralph Lauren shops but there’s a lot more hidden away on side streets, especially in the adjacent Harajuku and Cat Street.
Beams has a bunch of stores over town, each one specializing in something different (men's, women's, outdoors, music, etc..) the T-shirt store in Harajuku is great. the layout and staff are awesome too. just below they have a hole-in-the-wall music store that's really well selected. They have just created a new Beams Japan shop in Shinjuku near Isetan that carries thing exclusively made in Japan and is DEFINITELY worth checking out for everything from crafts to streetwear.
If you only go to one store in Tokyo, it’s going to be Kiddiland. This is where you will find most of the gifts you'll want to bring back for friends. Humping Dog USB keys, pancake-flavored Kit Kat bars, all the hits that have made Japan so cool for so long. The first time I went to Tokyo this was the first place we hit and I wanted to buy everything there. My friend was like "this is the first place we hit. hold off, let's see what else we find...." well, we never found anything as great, anywhere else, ever.
Tucked away a few blocks behind the aging Omotesando Hills mall, this architectural jewel of a little charred wood cube is where you go for a serious cup of coffee. I saw three people in line and thought I’d be in and out in six minutes. Forty-five minutes later I was about to order. They will begin with an interview where you discuss your preferences in life from literature to bitterness of coffee and after careful analysis they will permit themselves to suggest a certain bean for you. If it’s not to your liking, don’t worry, there are 33 others, presented in a gradation of colors. When you’re finally served your actual cup of coffee, please please please do not ask for Stevia or non-fat creamer. Heads will roll…
Comme Des Garçons and Prada.
You kind of have to go to CdG in Tokyo, not going would be like skipping the Coliseum in Rome. But the store’s architecture pales in comparison to Herzog&DeMeuron’s glass ode to Prada a block away. While you’re in the neighborhood make sure to also check out CdG protege Sacai’s flagship store on a little side street near a James Perse store that makes its original, airy LA store feel like a Siberian gulag.
Closer to Roppongi than Aoyama, this enormous complex houses the Ritz Carlton (a good option if you’re traveling on points), Tadao Ando’s 21_21 subterranean museum space, and a full-scale mall with SO MANY FUN STOPS!!! There’s an incredible dog groomer that is pure instagram fodder, a fruit shop where you can purchase an individual strawberry for $10 (I can confirm that it takes exactly like a strawberry), the best-designed Japanese knife shop in the world, and countless other spots.
Shinjuku
This one in Shinjuku is iconic, the Harrods or Bon Marché of Tokyo, with the most dizzying food hall in the basement. They also do great one-off collaborations and artist installations.
Lemon Camera and Kitamura
If you’re looking for great camera gear like a vintage Leica or Contax T3, these are the two best options. Kitamura is spread out over five floors, two blocks from Isetan, while Lemon is closer to Ginza.
Lunchtime at Toraya
EATING
My wife's favorite tonkatsu (fried, breaded pork cutlet) place, and always our first meal in tokyo. it's run by THREE GENERATIONS of the same family (the grandmother tends the register, all hunched over, the father and son fry the cutlets). only two things on the menu: fatty and lean. a great experience. Pro tip: you will come away reeking of hot frying oil, so don’t wear that brand new Comme shirt you just spent a thousand bucks on. Also, insist on eating at the counter downstairs, away from the tourists upstairs. The wait may be longer, but the cred (and view) will be greater.
Sushi Sho and Nihombashi Kakigaracho Sugita
There are scores of top-tier serious sushi counters in Tokyo, these just happens to be two exceptional ones favored by the locals.
For another Japanese tradition, the formal yet intricately artistic multi-course kaiseki meal, look no further than this spot. Austere, yes. Delicious, absolutely. Astronomically expensive, kinda.
Often hovering around the Top 50 Restaurants of the world, this minimal, modern spot is a perfect mix of Japan and contemporary European touches, a special story that begins with their own sake label and the bread that is baked on a stone at your table…
This iconic tea house has just been relocated and now houses an expansive shop, art gallery, and restaurant. Perfect for a simple bento box, a red bean cake, or elegant gifts to bring home.
If you want really really really out-of-the-way and incredibly special, this oasis of peace was created by the architect and owner behind Ogata in Paris, and has an AMAZING traditional breakfast as well as tea service. Located about 45 minutes outside of town in a beautiful home with gardens and breathtaking contemporary yet traditional Japanese interior design.
Savoy Pizza sadly closed its doors but its predecessors and disciples continue exceptional, unexpected pizza. Check out this gem in Roppongi or the steam-punk weirdness of Seirinkan. For something less “local”, the pizza in the Mandarin Oriental ranked 16th best pizza in the world.
A quick roundup of the rest: for the best chicken noodle soup that will put all Jewish grandmothers to shame, look no further than Kagari. If gyoza is your thing, Gyozanomise Okei has the best in town, and if you’re looking for the weirdest place to grab coffee, across the street from Yoyogi Park you will find Anakuma Cafe. I don’t really want to say more than this and spoil the surprise…
The Gardens of the Nezu Museum
MUSEUMS
A beautiful spot for some quiet meditation in the heart of the city (in Aoyama, blocks from the Prada tower). The works inside are a bit meh, but the gardens are really beautiful and a very special place to spend a quiet hour There’s also a little restaurant that looks out onto the gardens. i can’t vouch for it but it should be pretty solid.
My favorite Japanese architect Kuma Kengo not only designed the Nezu but has just recently created a museum near the Meji Jingu Shrine. The structure and surrounding woods are spectacular, and the adjacent shrine is also one of the oldest in Japan (though mobbed my tourists). Both are located in the centrally located Yoyogi Park at the top of Omotesando.
The other great contemporary art space that you should visit is the Mori Tower. It’s part observation deck, part contemporary museum (with single-artist shows such as Kaws, Murakami, etc..). If you stay at the Grand Hyatt, it’s literally in the same building or adjacent.
This is an odd one but in the 1970s, Japanese-American artist Isamu Noguchi created the atrium for a nondescript office building Sogetsu Foundation, near the Imperial Gardens and it is insane. A series of different stone blocks, some of which feature carved out spaces in which to place intricate floral arrangements. It rivals any of the rock gardens in Kyoto’s temples yet flies totally under the radar.
Terrada Art Complex is a new collection of all-Japanese art galleries. It will be great in ten years, right now there’s one exceptional gallery on the ground floor and a handful of decent ones scattered across a lot of empty upper floors.
In future guides you won’t find me urging you to visit The Ice Cream Museum, or The Stranger Things Experience or anything other POS “experiential” spaces, but Team Lab in Tokyo is an outlier. These guys (from what I hear about a hundred programmers) have designed the most bonkers series of spaces that yes, are designed to maximize your Instagram-worthy pix, but are also genuinely fun worlds to explore.
Between Terrada and Team Lab which are both in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, is one of the most awe-inspiring art shops I’ve ever come across, Pigment. One wall stretches out endlessly with an infinite rainbow of colored pigments, while another wall formally frames dozens of options of natural binding glues. Every conceivable (and inconceivable!) sized paint brush is displayed with Wes Andersonian mise-en-scene. You could literally spend an hour in here staring straight ahead and not buying anything. Incredible. Truly.
Eating and Skiing Through the Italian Alps
For this second installment of Tripping With Phil I’m going list-style, allowing you to build your own adventure.
Cortina D’Ampezzo
For this second installment of Tripping With Phil I’m going list-style, allowing you to build your own adventure. I’m always happy with feedback, so if you prefer a day-by-day itinerary format, let me know and I’ll favor those in the future.
A few notes before diving in:
The easiest airport to fly into is Venice. I would recommend booking a couple nights there beforehand as the ski season is also one of the quieter times to visit (though beware of the week surrounding Carnivale!).
This is a region where you will definitely want to have your own car so rent one straight from the Venice airport and make sure it’s all-wheel drive (and automatic if you don’t drive stick!).
One of the best meals you’ll have is minutes away from the airport. Make sure to score a table at Trattoria Al Passo. Off the side of the freeway and with a website that links to a dead Facebook page, it may not seem like much, but it’s a locals secret that is exceptional.
There are two towns in the area that we love equally for different reasons. Cortina has better food but the hotel and variety of slopes in San Cassiano is unbeatable. The two towns are about 30-40 minutes from each other, so perhaps stay in each for 4-5 days.
You can get your ski passes that cover both domains in advance here. Kids under 8 ski free!
All of the restaurants listed here require reservations. The best thing to do is a month before the trip tell the concierge of your hotel(s) which tables you want when and they will sort it all out. Seriously, it’s crazy how it gets, the first trip out I couldn’t even score a Snickers bar on the mountain the first day. But it’s all worth it for the meals you’ll enjoy. Also, make sure to be precise that you want to eat outdoors otherwise they’ll sit you inside like a chump.
Alpinn Restaurant atop Kronplatz
SAN CASSIANO
THE SLEEPING
Our favorite hotel here, The Rosa Alpina, has recently become part of the Aman collection, and while its scale is much quainter than the brand’s other offerings, it is still a really nice spot to spend a few days. It is currently under renovation (the bathrooms could use some Aman-ification), with plans to open for the 2024-25 season.
If you’re trying to get here sooner, the only other spot in this tiny town would be the well-located but more pedestrian Hotel Armentarola, whose outdoor deck is one of the best spots to grab lunch between runs. Finally, the adjoining town of Corvara is really charming and shares many of the San Cassiano slopes. I haven’t been to the Hotel Sassongher there but it seems okay if a bit dated.
THE SKIING
There are a few different zones around to choose from, most accessible straight from the hotel, with the third (that you must visit) an hour’s drive away.
Cassiano/Corvara/Colfosco/Sellaronda
This is the main area right out the door. A great variety of slope—though none too challenging—all linked together from the Piz Sorega lift in town. You can easily spend 2-3 days here, hardly repeating a slope.
Lagazuoi
This is just awesome. A proper- half day adventure. You’ll need to take a taxi or shuttle to get to the start (you’ll end up back at the hotel so taking your car doesn’t make much sense), which is a gondola right out of a Wes Anderson film. From here, ski down to THE GREATEST MEAL OF YOUR LIFE at Scotoni.
One of the few places to not accept reservations, you’ll want to get here on the earlier side. On a nice day, score a table outside and bask in the sun, on a cold one cosy up to the monster grill inside. Either way, make sure to get a big-ass steak and a heaping portion of Kaisherschmarnn, a scrambled pancake soufflé that is an Austrian speciality.
From here, follow the crowds down the mountain until you find yourself in line to take the most unique chairlift in Europe: a horse-drawn carriage with a big piece of rope trailing behind it that skiers just latch onto and are pulled all the way back to Armenterola where you can connect with the bulk of the slopes that will eventually get you back to San Cassiano. Note: this ride costs a couple euros, paid in cash to the sleigh driver, so make sure to have some spare coins on you!
Kronplatz-Plan de Corones
About an hour’s drive from San Cassiano, this huge resort is always deserted when we go despite having tons to offer. We really don’t get it, but you should hop in your car and drive here for the day.
Beyond empty slopes (some of the steepest in the region) and plenty of state-of-the-art lifts to get you around, the real draw is what awaits at the top of the mountain. First, the Messner Mountain Museum, a stunning contemporary bunker designed by Zaha Hadid. The space is small and will only take you about fifteen minutes to walk through (20 if you’re in your ski boots), but the views and the architecture are a marvel.
Second is the equally impressive Alpinn restaurant, an all-glass structure cantilevered over the top of the mountain, suspending you into sweeping views of the entire Dolemite region. The kitchen is run by Norbert Niederkofler, the three-star chef of the Alpina Rosa Hotel and now the Aman in Venice. When you’re done with your meal walk across the hall and take a quick tour of the second museum on the mountain (bonkers to think that there are TWO separate museums on the top of this peak!!), the Lumen Center for Mountain Photography. Two of their permanent installations are really impressive, especially the huge circular window that opens and closes like a camera lens’s aperture.
THE EATING
Scotoni - see above. Really only feasible for lunch due to its sole accessibility via the slopes.
Alpinn - see above. Ditto about it being only a lunch spot. If they have the onion and trout roe pasta, GET IT!
Hotel Armentarola. The outdoor deck is perfect for a schnitzel and a beer, I can’t vouch for the dinners but considering the lack of options around, if you stay here you may be eating here at night as well. Not the end of the world, it’s tasty.
Bioch On the San Cassiano/Corvara slopes, they have two menus, including one with recipes from the region’s best restaurants. Order a speciality pasta from this menu!!! From the restaurant ski down slope 7 to La Bata, then take the lift up to Pralongia and explore slopes 28 and 25.
Col Alt Also on the Corvara side of the slopes. Make sure to get the pasta with sausage and perhaps a cured meat plate. Skip the carbonara and the desserts.
Punta Trieste. Get the ribs here and ONLY the ribs.
DO NOT GO TO THE FOLLOWING RESTAURANTS: L’Fana Grill, Edelweiss, Las Vegas. Finally, there is a super-fancy restaurant in the Hotel La Perla called Stua de Michele. Imagine if the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo tried to charge you $250 for a tasting menu. If you want to revel in the kitsch, go for it, otherwise skip it.
El Camineto at Socrepes
CORTINA
THE SLEEPING
The obvious choice here is the Cristallo, a grand old palace hotel located high above the town with sweeping views of the mountain. Speaking of, make sure to get a room with views of the mountain!!! Also, make sure you book the hotel via this link, because there’s a shitty hotel a half hour away with almost the same name that a bunch of our friends got stuck in. This one’s wood-paneled rooms and suites are all named after the great luminaries who stayed here over the years. A warning though: many of the rooms—and even suites—are tiny. We were in the Nabokov suite the first year, but between its view of the parking lot, the sound of the recycled glassware being smashed at 5am, and the tiny size of the bedroom that made it impossible to open the closets due to their proximity to the bed, it felt more like the Kafka suite.
That said, I see it is also being renovated and turned into a Mandarin Oriental. (Do you sense a pattern here of everyone catching on to how great this region is??). Either hold off a year or reserve the more modern, beautifully understated Hotel De Len. The only tradeoff can also be a bonus: you’ll be right in the heart of town. There are no views to speak of and not much natural light, but you will be one door down from the best winebar in town, a block away from the best spot for hot chocolate, and five minutes closer to the slopes. Not a bad tradeoff, especially as you’ll be out all day anyways.
None of the hotels in Cortina offer ski in-out and the parking lots are a nuisance so rely instead on the complimentary shuttles the hotels run throughout the day.
THE SKIING
Like San Cassiano, there are three different regions here (Socrepes being the most central, Faloria the most overlooked, and Cinque Torri the most far-flung), but unlike San Cassiano, all of them are interconnected via gondolas. In anticipation of the Olympics they have been adding new lifts every year and it is IMPRESSIVE, even as the snow continues to disappear.
As I mentioned earlier, the slopes here are all on the easier side, nothing too challenging. After all, you can’t hit the bumps too hard after a three-course lunch. So instead of breaking down the three areas by terrain, I’ll just launch into the meals. Because this is where Cortina shines and blows away every other resort in the world.
One quick note: the best ski school for the kids (and adults!) with both private and group lessons is Scuola Sci Cortina. Again, book far in advance…
THE EATING
On the slopes…
At Socrepes
Baita Pi Tofana. I actually know someone who’s been coming to Cortina for over twenty years and when he discovered one year that it was being renovated, he canceled his trip. It’s insane. Even if you don’t ski, it’s worth the trip just for this place and San Brite. It’s absolutely tiny, and the deck isn’t that spectacular as you really just look out onto a parking lot. After the renovation the interior was glammed up a bit which takes you out of the romantic charm of the region, but by the time the antipasti arrive, you will be on another planet anyways.
El Camineto This is the ultimate deck to bask in the sun, enjoy a bottle of wine, savor exceptional pasta. It is suuuuch a scene yet happens to have amazing food to boot. This is also one of the toughest tickets in town to score so make sure to book early. As I went to pay inside once I overheard a regular talking up the owner and caught her name. I tried go in two days later without a reservation and said “Maria?”, absurdly hoping to trick her into thinking I too was a regular she simply hadn’t seen in awhile. I don’t speak much Italian, but I think her answer loosely translated to “and who the fuck are you?”
Also, a little pro tip: there are some great lunch spots off the slopes. The only way to get to them is to have a car. As I mentioned, parking in the lots is impossible BUT, there is a secret lot adjacent to the one for El Camineto so come here with your skis in your trunk, hit the slopes, and then jump back in your car for lunch at Lago Ghedina or El Brite.
La Loconda di Cantoniere Culinarily, this is the least interesting of the bunch but the most fun to get to. It is only accessible from the mountain by taking a secret little turn off a slope and gliding stealthily through the woods for ten minutes (there’s very little off-piste in the region so this is the one time you can glide between the trees). It’s a blast. If memory serves, take the first chairlift up, then the second one (The Shark), then the third. At the third, exit left and then stay on the right on Slope 38. Half way down on the right be on the lookout for a tiiiiiny little sign with the restaurant’s name and follow the signs for the next ten minutes. it’s so much fun!!!
At Faloria
Rio Ghere It might not look like much but back in the 50s-70s, this spot was the jam. It’s in the less-populated region of Faloria. I would recommend shuttling (or taxiing) to the restaurant in the morning and skiing the slopes on that side of the road (Son Forca), grabbing lunch, and then spending the afternoon on the Col De Varda side, before taking the Faloria gondola right back to the center of Cortina (where your hotel can pick you up). There’s a great local dish you get here and many other spots that consists of homefries, crispy proscuitto, and sunny-side up eggs. It’s incredible.
At Cinque Torri
Refuggio Averau. This one is a winner day or night. In the daytime you are on the top of the mountain, overlooking the alps, eating a plate of homemade tagliatelle soaked in butter and littered with white truffle, and at night a chairlift takes you half way up while a demented posse of outlaw snowmobilers take you the rest of the way. It’s absolutely terrifying, thoroughly thrilling, and you will either die or claim it was the greatest thing you’ve ever done. Either way, you’ll have a great great meal and a story to share.
Off the Slopes…
Two of the best restaurants in the region are partners, San Brite and El Brite de Larieto. El Brite is the less formal of the two, housed on a working farm that still smells like manure, but the food is out of this world. San Brite meanwhile is worthy of Top 50 in the World status. I don’t want to say anything more than this, but just know that both are some of the most specials meals I’ve ever had.
Lago Gehdina Tucked away in the woods by a frozen pond this place is magical and always abandoned. I can’t figure out why. The food’s great, the setting is fairy-tale-like, everything about it is wonderful. Oh well, guess it’s our secret.
Hotel de la Poste. While I wouldn’t stay here for the night, I would stay here all day on the terrace to soak in the rays and be served a perfect meal by waitstaff in classic white tuxedos. Doesn’t get more iconic Euro than this. Also great for an Spritz after ski.
Enoteca A great winebar in the heart of Cortina, this is the perfect spot to go around 6 or 7pm and order some small paninis before they all sell out, alongside a killer bottle of vino.
Lovat For the best hot chocolate and a delicious bombolini, this iconic pastry shop never fails to disappoint after a tough day on the slopes.
Stay Away from…Al Camin, super disappointing and over-hyped. Magla Federa is another spot where you will be ferried to dinner via snowmobile but Avereau is wayyyy better. Tivoli is fine but I’d sooner go to any of the other spots twice.
Finally, make sure to run through La Cooperativa for all your shopping essentials: food/home/everything, and bring back one of the iconic 70s style shopping bags.
Okay, that’s it. You’re sorted. Yummiest ski trip ever. Have a blast.
