AN INSIDER’S GUIDE TO THE ULTIMATE CATSKILL SUMMER

Berry picking at Grieg Farms

I’ve gone over this list a half dozen times in the past two days alone, and am still not quite sure how to break it down. Initially I thought of separating it along the lines of the river, keeping half of it in the Catskills, the other half in the Hudson Valley, but seeing as no matter where you stay you’re going to be doing some driving, I figured I’d keep it to categories.

If I were you I’d try to find a place to stay somewhere between Woodstock and Phoenicia as you will then be equidistant to almost all adventures .  That said, the two best hotels in the region, Piaule and Inness, are both a bit off-axis from the sweet spot.  Either way, you’re going to need a car or a friend that drives and doesn’t get pissed off that you don’t.   

Lastly, the prime time for heading up here is Wed-Friday in the summertime.  Most things are closed Tues-Wed, and most things are insufferable Sat-Sun because of people like you coming up.  Otherwise, come for a couple weeks and just stay put on the weekends in whichever idyllic haven you choose to hole up in, venturing into the towns only towards the end of the week.

But no matter when you come up or where you stay, I guarantee you’ll fall in love. This area is so so special for a thousand different reasons, it’s why I’ve called it home for close to twenty years. From hidden waterfalls to bountiful farmstands, honky-tonk nights at The Pines or breakfasts in Kinderhook, gentle hills and warm hearts, it’s all just beyond awesome, and just a couple hours from the city. Here we go…

Bovina’s sweeping skies and rolling hills

THE AREAS

Okay, here’s a very brief rundown of all the little micro-zones that comprise upstate.

Woodstock -The epicenter of the Catskills.  Yes, Woodstock like the festival, and no, the festival didn’t take place here (the farmer whose land it was supposed to be on got spooked at the last minute and they chose to move the concert down to Bethel, an hour away, but by then the iconic poster had been printed and well…there you go).  Despite a half-dozen stores still clinging  on too dearly to the summer of ’69 iconography, there is a great blend of classic New England small town and I-ate-too-much-acid weirdness.

Hudson - I aways tell people I live on the wrong side of the tracks, with the Hudson River being the tracks.  Well, the town of Hudson is on the right side.  While the Catskills are all about rustic mountain life, swimming holes in the summer and family-run ski resorts in the winter, Hudson and the surrounding Valley are all about expansive farmland and sprawling estates.  It’s for fancy people.  But we like fancy and there are some of the best farmstands and restaurants I’ve ever been to around here.

Tannersville - This town is stuck at a crossroads.  On the one hand it offers conveniences like a great little bakery, burger shack, and gift shop along with access to nearby hikes and waterfalls, on the other hand it’s adjacent to the monumental Hunter ski resort and throngs of Hassidic enclaves that shack up for the season.  Still worth a visit for a Coke float at Mama’s Boy after hiking Huckleberry Point or a chubby squirrel pastry at Shandaken Bake en route to a nearby swimming hole.

Kinderhook - Just North of Hudson, we discovered this town a couple years ago, little more than an intersection with an exceptional restaurant and gift shop, and two world-class art centers.  Jack Shainman repurposed the local elementary school into a massive single-show gallery, while the nearby Art Omi boasts over a hundred acres of site-specific contemporary art.

Andes and Bovina - The farthest points west that you’ll travel, these two sleepy towns are up and over the Catskills’ mountain range, existing in a timeless bucolic landscape that feels closer to Vermont in the 19th century.  Old dilapidated barns collapse onto one another, cider houses and farms dot the hillsides, while pristine lakes await your canoe.

Miranda Brooks’ wild, lush landscaping at Inness

HOTELS AND GREAT RENTALS

Piaule Hotel Tucked into the woods near the northern town of Catskill, this architectural masterpiece is the region’s answer to Utah’s mythic Amangiri.  A handful of exceptionally-appointed, minimalist wooden cubes with massive windows looking out onto the forest, spaced out around a communal space that houses a restaurant, spa, and lounge areas.  It’s as perfect as it gets.

Inness Designed by NYC expat Taavo Somer (creator of Freeman’s Alley a generation ago), this sprawling estate feels inspired by a mix of Hudson Valley farmland and English countryside, perhaps due to the landscaping by British visionary Miranda Brooks.  Cottages dot the expansive fields and golf course, while a restaurant and bar at the top of the hill provide a social hub for the area.  You can book a room, a house, a staycation or a wedding, either way you can’t go wrong.

The Henson A bit out of the way in the northwestern town of Wyndham, this re-vamped little inn is home to super chef Jeremiah Stone’s latest, Matilda. While I haven’t stayed in the rooms, I had one of my best meals ever upstate at the restaurant.

The Deer Mountain Inn Imagine the summer compound of that rich oil baron uncle you never had, and that’s what you’ve got at the DMI.  Actually, the compound belonged to the Colgate family (the one whose name you see every morning at your bathroom sink) and a dozen years ago some enterprising folks decided to convert it into a very intimate ten room hotel, alongside a lovely restaurant and extensive hiking trails.  It’s a bit darker than the other two choices but pays greater respect to the traditional Catskill aesthetic.  We love coming at least once a summer for dinner on the porch.

The Maker Hotel and Rivertown Lodge In my mind the main reason to head upstate is to escape the city, but if you just can’t stand the quiet of country life and need to walk down a block to grab your morning paper and coffee, then check out these hotels across the river in the heart of fancy-pants Hudson.  The Maker’s got a hint of Bowery Hotel aesthetics while Rivertown is brighter and more modern, but both are a stone’s throw from great restaurants and mid-century antique shopping.

For a full locals experience though, renting a spot is the best choice.  Below are a few great ones that in all likelihood are already booked up for the entire summer but you should earmark for future visits…

The Willow Tree House

The Pond House

Mt. Guardian Guest House

A Perfect Cabin

Brian Toll’s Eureka at Art Omi

ACTIVITIES

ART

Art Omi This exceptional contemporary art park boasts permanent works by Dan Colen, David Shirgley, Pippa Garner and countless others, while a main pavilion hosts a yearly temporary show.  I would actually try to visit this place in the fall when the leaves are changing and the weather cools. In mid-summer it can get swelteringly hot with very little shade to be found.

Jack Shainman GalleryA space as impressive as any Chelsea gallery and three times the size, Shainman puts on one single-artist retrospective each summer and fall, spreading the work over three floors of Kinderhook’s former elementary school.  It’s a ten minute drive from Art Omi and around the block from our favorite breakfast spot, so you can make a perfect day of it all.

The Campus is yet another elementary school taken over, this time by a collective of five NYC gallerists. The renovation on the space is non-existent, leaving you with a dilapidated shell of a public school housing works by Jenny Holzer, William Forsythe, Cecily Brown, and literally hundreds more. It’s a bit overwhelming in scale, a bit hot and humid in the summer, and all in all, worth the trip!

Opus 40 A monumental work of outdoor art that took a lifetime to accomplish, this space is just a couple minutes outside of Woodstock and also hosts periodic concerts throughout the summer.

Bard The college campus features the Hessel Museum, a music center designed by Frank Gehry, and miles of idyllic walking trails open to the public.

DIA Beacon a bit of a shlep, half-way between the city and Woodstock, this museum is a greatest hits for artists like Dan Flavin and Donald Judd who all created site-specific works for the institution.

MASSMOCA andThe Clark InstituteOk, these are a couple  hours away but well worth the overnight stay at the fun Tourists Welcome motel.  From a dozen of James Turrell installations to endless murals by Sol Lewitt, the MassMoca  is just AWESOME.  Just make sure to individually book the Turrell rooms well in advance (I recommend the first slots in the morning so you can see the rest of his pieces in the quietest way possible). The nearby Clark Institute is more traditional in its collection but worth a visit if you’re in the area.

Paddling along the Pepacton Reservoir

OUTDOORS

Canoeing+Kayaking There are two options here.  You can either paddle peacefully on the Pepacton Reservoir which is STUNNING by renting canoes at the Pepacton Bait&Tackle in Arkville (or Susan’s Pleasant Pheasant Farm in Halcott) or you can go for a real crazy adventure kayaking down the Delaware River in Downsville via Al’s Sporting shop.  Both offer a great day on the water and are among our favorite activities upstate. If you go on the Pepacton, specify that you want to get the canoes at Shaverton Bridge and make sure to print out a permit first from the DEP.  The process is free and takes about 5 minutes, but you need the physical permit printed in advance so plan accordingly!  And speaking of planning, definitely pack a cooler for a picnic on the water either way.

Putt Putt Van Winkle This is the stuff of legends.  Created by the couple who launched and then shut down the country’s most legendary fireworks show, this Bovina-born labor of love is open around the clock for free rounds of mini-golf. The seventh hole is the 2nd-longest in the world, and the whole course is themed around the story of Rip Van Winkle.  The art direction is INSANE, and anyone lucky enough to get a hole-in-one will receive a stunning hand-made trophy in the mail two months later.  I can’t impress upon you how special this place is.

The Woodstock Tennis Club is a private affair but non-members can book lessons on their website.  There are several public courts in Boiceville, in the high school complex just off Rt. 28.  They are open to all on a first-come first-serve basis throughout the summer.

Ashokan Rail Trail  the old rail lines around the Ashokhan reservoir have been turned into a beautiful running/biking trail stretching about fifteen miles from West Hurley to Ashokahn. There’s convenient parking, beautiful views, and it’s an ideal place to bike for families. You can rent bikes here.

Accord Speedway A small town race track, perfect for bringing kids on hot summer nights.  It’s a noisy affair and I strongly recommend both sitting at the back of the bleachers to avoid smoke and mud splatters, and paying the extra five bucks to be able to go “backstage” and visit the cars up close between heats.

Hudson Valley Renegades A minor league baseball team near Rhinebeck plays games all summer long.

The Catskills’ gentle slopes from the top of Devil’s Path

HIKES

Overlook Mountain A fairly straight-forward (read: dull) hike right out of town, it’s worth it for two reasons: 1. the 360 degree views from the top where you feel like you can practically see NYC and 2. the haunted remains of the long-abandoned hotel 2/3rd of the way up.  It’s the Runyon Canyon of the Catskills.

Plateau Mountain via Devil’s Path (Starting at the Devil’s Tombstone Campground on Rt. 214). This one will break your legs and back but getting to the top is soooo rewarding and it’s a relatively quick hike.  Not recommended for young kids or out-of-shape parents.  Once you get to the lookout continue onwards for your nose to be filled with the smell of fresh pine and your eyes to feast on the multiple lookouts over the following mile or so (it’s not a loop trail so you can technically keep going for a day or two or head back anytime once you’ve reached the first viewpoint at the top).

Huckleberry Point Near Tannersville, this is a great family hike.  Not too hard, not too long, and a beautiful pay-off of a view at the end.  5 stars.

Black Glen at the Deer Mountain Arboretum Just down the road from the Deer Mountain Inn, this meticulously-manicured and maintained property features some great trails for strolling.  Nothing too exerting or too far, it’s ideal if you have little kids and want to introduce them to the pleasures of hiking.

Giant Ledge There are dozens of great, challenging half-day hikes in Catskills and none of the mountains get much higher than 3,500ft so there isn’t a ton of elevation gain.  This one is a local favorite.

Swimming Holes Okay, sorry to end on this note, but here’s where I draw the line.  I’m happy to share all my favorite secret addresses around the world with you, but I simply cannot in good conscience give away swimming holes.  These are the most coveted spots upstate, and every time a New York Times article or an asshole with an Instagram following publishes one, it is forever ruined by hordes of people.  The real secret is to discover one while you’re upstate and then never ever, EVER, under any condition, tell anyone else about it—it’s a far greater crime than wearing white in the Hamptons past Labor Day…

Works in progress at Josh Vogel’s Black Creek Mercantile&Trading Co. in Kingston

SHOPPING

Pidgin A mix of high-end antiques and local finds, this spot in Oak Hill is right out of Architectural Digest.  It’s a bit far from everything, but that makes it all the more special!

Black Creek-Kingston/Fern-Hudson/Sawkille-Rhinebeck If you love the BDDW furniture aesthetic as much as we do, these three stores are great finds.  Unique, exceptional hand-made wood furniture and sculptural pieces.  Black Creek also has a wonderful selection of gifts like wooden bowls, cutting boards, and more.

Warren Street The main drag in Hudson boasts great mid-century stores, record shops, and bakeries.  You can easily spend the afternoon here when you’re done brunching at Café Mutton or the Rivertown Lodge.

OK Pantry in Kinderhook sells a beautiful collection of children’s toys, a worldly selection of candy, and the best kitchen staples collection I’ve ever seen.  Their chocolate chip cookies are also a force to be reckoned with.

Sundry Tannersville’s first decent store, a great mix of home furnishings for an upstate house.  From cast iron skillets to cozy blankets, locally-made candles and hand soaps, the selection and quality is spot-on though you’ve probably seen most of this stuff elsewhere before. Make sure to visit the Shandaken Bake shop next door for tasty morning treats, though they usually tend to sell out before Sundry opens for the day!

RAINY DAY ACTIVITIES

Patel’s bowling alley in Kingston won’t win any design awards, but it’s functional and in a pinch does the trick.

Skate Time - An equally vintage roller rink in Accord.

Kingston Ceramics Studio offers both private and group classes for children and adults of all skill levels.

The Orpheum Theater in Saugherties, and Starr Cinema in Rhinebeck are both run by the same people, while Tinker Street Cinema in Woodstock just went it alone, but all three offer a really great mix of indie and studio films along with tasty concession stands.

Bringing home loot from Montgomery Place Farmstand

FARMS+FARM STANDS

Montgomery Place Farmstand If you closed your eyes and imagined the greatest farm stand of all time, with each baby zucchini’s flowering petals intact and droplets of dew dotting every freshly-picked peach, this is the place you’d be thinking of.  I’ve never come across a better farm stand, their produce throughout the season only gets better.  Just don’t go on Sunday afternoon when their loot is depleted, instead opt for Thursday or Friday.

Fat Apple Farms in Ancramdale.  Unbeatable quality in a picturesque location, this is the place to stock up on frozen meat and fresh eggs for the duration of your trip.  All done on a cash-only honor-system basis, the store is open pretty much all day every day, just walk in, pick what you want, write down what you took in the journal, and drop them a payment!  Beautiful other farms and stands abound nearby including the iconic Ronnybrook dairy farm.

Churchtown Dairy is one of the most picturesque farms in the region offering the most beautiful glass bottles of milk alongside cheeses and frozen meats.

Pick Your Own.  There are three great spots to pick fresh fruit around Hudson.  Grieg Farms is the largest and offers the most variety across summer and fall, while Fix Farms has the best peaches and Rose Hill Farm specializes mostly in apples come fall.

Ravenwood This perfectly art-directed barn in Stone Ridge offers a mix  of interior decor, flowers,  and top-notch produce.   They started  as food  stylists  and  naturally grew  into what they are  now, still offering some baked good each time they open their doors.  Check their  instagram site as their hours/days are infrequent…

Migliorelli A decent back-up in case you need to grab something in a pinch.  The selection can sometimes look a bit withered but they have solid frozen meat choices and dairy products.

Sunfrost’s annual Halloween pumpkin display

FOOD SHOPPING

Talbott &Arding founded by the NorCal Cowgirl Creamery folks, it's like Cookbook in LA, or Bi-Rite in SF.   From exceptional terrines and prepared dishes, to great homemade poundcakes and local produce, be sure to stock up  on their hot cocoa mix, i’ve never found a better  one in my life.  Their little glass jars of vanilla custard and jam are the greatest treats in the world, the eggs they stock from Kinderhook farms have the brightest yolks, and of all the exceptional charcuterie, their classic Virginia smoked ham is the stuff of legends.  We drive an hour out of our way twice a month to stock up here.

Mel A couple blocks away on Hudson’s main drag is the region’s best bakery, offering a ton of breakfast pastries, flavored focaccias, top-notch sandwiches and loaves. Get here early before everything sells out!

Fortunes Ice Cream In the quaint college town of Tivoli, this ice cream shop shines bright with flavors like Halva Honeycomb and Labne Sour Cherry.  All the fruit they use is brought in from nearby orchards, all the merch is terrific, and the staff is awesome.

Sunfrost and Cub Market Two wonderful small markets in Woodstock and Bearsville, they are ideal for everything that the farm stand may be missing.  Sunfrost boasts a tasty juice bar while Cub Market’s sandwiches to-go are perfect for a swimming hole picnic or break on the hiking trail.

Sunflower Not as quaint, this spot in the center of Woodstock is the Erewhon of the region. They now boast a solid fish dept., along with organic everything, plenty of wellness pills, and a large selection of local beers.

Woodstock Meat Market These guys have come a long way in the past ten years.  The place used to sell cigarettes, beer, and greyish beef.  They now sell cigarettes, beer, and local hormone-free prime cuts of meat. It’s your best bet in town. 

Roasted carrots and charred cucumbers at Brushland Eating House

RESTAURANTS/BARS/MUSIC

The Catskill Pines The social epicenter of the Catskills, this rustic roadhouse offers great drinks, a solid smashed burger, and the unparalleled warmth of its owner, the unofficial mayor of the region, Jeremy Bernstein.  With his deep roots in the local music scene, Bernstein has been able to offer The Pines as an impromptu concert haven for folks like Marco Benevento and Sam Evian, with intimate winter shows indoors and sprawling musical summer BBQs on the lawn outside.  He’ll even rent out the six bedrooms upstairs to groups of friends for the week so be sure to check in with him if you’re looking to corral the gang for an adventure.

Brushland Eating House Just flawless, from the scenic drive there to the last bite of dessert.  This place got us to discover Bovina and we’ve never been the same since.  Sohail and Sara who run the place are such a special couple, the food is delicious, the setting magical. Just make sure you book way way wayyyy in advance as word has gotten out about this gem.  And if the drive seems too far for one meal, make sure to inquire about the perfectly-appointed guest rooms they rent out upstairs.

Stissing House These guys can’t stop winning awards for their old-world dining room that is definitely the most formal spot you’ll find upstate (again, it’s on the “right” side of the tracks).  But the decor is impressive and while the menu can be a bit on the heavy side, it’s worth a visit.

Casa Susanna With accolades piled high, this Mexican spot in the quiet town of Cairo is unpredictably hidden inside a refurbished 50s-era motel.  With all the hype, it’s best you reserve a week or so in advance. They now have a spot in Hudson as well that’s equally impressive.

Silvia The “fancy” spot in Woodstock, it’s a bit pricey and feels slightly out of place in the rustic Woodstock surroundings but the room is beautiful, the food really good, and locals are thrilled to have a proper place for a nice night out.  They’ve also opened an Asian spot just off the town center called Good Night.

Morningbird When you’re passing through Kinderhook on your way to Art Omi, stop here for an unexpected Filipino spin on breakfast classics, like a spiced egg sandwich or simply perfect mochi donut.  We love love love this spot and the adjacent gift shop, bookshop, and liquor store.  We try to take the 1.5 hour drive here at least twice a summer.

Buckhill Farms is wayyyyyyy off the beaten track and is almost a full day’s adventure unto its own, but once you arrive and look at the menu, you’ll feel like you’re 1,500 miles away from home and not 150.  Biscuits smothered in sausage gravy, pancakes the size of a dinner plate, and omelettes that weigh more than most pets, this maple syrup farm is a great spot to bring groups of friends, though it is more ideal in the fall months when the surrounding leaves are exploding in color.

Bread Alone One of the most respected bakeries in the Northeast offers traditional breakfast and sandwich options both in Woodstock and on Rt. 28 in Boiceville where they also fire up an outdoor pizza oven on the weekends.

Tinker Street Tacos I LOVE THESE TACOS!  The trouble is the owner is a cantankerous crank that takes 23 minutes to assemble a single taco and chooses to only open up two days a week.  But if you can get past this you are in for a real treat.  Weekends can be spent drinking his incredible supply of tequila and mezcal.

Top Taste A tiny shack in Kingston (NY) slinging authentic Jamaican food, and has been twice nominated for Best Chef in NYS by James Beard!

If you’re a New Yorker that can’t go 24h without craving pizza, I’ve got three incredible choices for you.  First is Lola’s in Kingston, from the people behind the Inness Resort.  Their pastas and drinks are really good, but the pepperoni and hot honey Neapolitan pizza is an 11/10.  More bucolic is Westwind Orchard, which came to prominence as a berry picking spot and cider house but is now best known for their pizzas and other tasty food.  A great spot to meet friends from different necks of the woods for an afternoon of lazy drinking and munching.  And finally, nearby Westwind is Ollie’s Pizza, a massive space serving a massive amount of pies.  But don’t let the size scare you, it’s just as tasty as the other two options (and they now have a second outpost in Kingston).

Drive-in Movies There is a really fun multiplex drive-in in Coxsackie NY and a more throwback single screen in Greenville. Showtimes start at sundown so bring blankets, spin your car around, fold down the backseats and lay down in the back of the car!  The Greenville theater may not have first-run movies but they have a first-rate snack bar, including cookies baked fresh and brought warm to your car mid-film! A mile or so past the Coxsackie screens is a roadside ice cream stand that will take you back to summer camp treats after the ballgame.

The Maverick A truly one-of-a-kind concert venue in the heart of Woodstock, it’s like an indoor-outdoor church for classical music.  Look up their schedule and buy tickets way in advance.  It’s a magical experience.

The Bearsville Theater has been taken over by the legendary Pete Shapiro, owner of Brooklyn Bowl and the Capitol Theater so the programming is about to get really really good.  This legendary venue had  sunken to an all-time low recently and it’s great to see a solid lineup already announced.  Some of the shows are worth booking a weekend trip around a night out of music.

BAD TRIPS Vol.1: MIKE’S CAMP

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

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.

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

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

Tadao Ando’s breath-taking Buddha outside Sapporo

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!

Niseko’s Park Hyatt Hotel

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.

The hand-drawn drinks menu at Gyu

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.

Makomanai Takino Cemetery. Yeah…pretty, pretty weird…

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.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

A MID-WEEK JAUNT 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.

Santo Palato Arguably the best rigatoni carbonara in town…

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.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

OVER FIFTY REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD BOOK A TRIP TO MEXICO CITY IN THE NEXT SIX MINUTES

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

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.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

A DAMN GOOD GUIDE TO PARIS

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 axes 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. A few blocks away is another powerhouse powered by a luxury brand, The Fondation Cartier, with a great contemporary art collection and temporary shows.

• One of the toughest tickets in town is Serge Gainsbourg’s home.  After being shuttered for thirty years, the house has now been opened to the public, transformed into an audio journey guided by his daughter Charlotte, along with a nearby space cataloguing all his archives.  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

• Chef Hanz Gueco—an artist in the truest sense—has 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!

• Jais Beware, the food is not light nor the portions dainty at this modern-day bistro that pays homage to classic French food with a punch. You’ll get all the classics (steamed turbot, steak frites, profiteroles…) but you’ll also get creamy pastas with generous dollops of trout roe, raw Italian langoustines drizzled with olive oil, and for dessert order the madeleine cake just as your mains arrive.

• 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.

• Our dear friend Braden Perkins, formerly of Verjus and the 22 Club, has just taken over another iconic seafood address, Le21, a sober, elegant 8-table restaurant in the 6th near the Ecoles des Beaux-Arts. He’s honoring its beloved past while modernizing the menu into a multi-course ode to the ocean.

• 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!!! If you can’t get in, try Dandelion which is in the same spirit.

• 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...But for the best pasta in town, look no further than Localino which forgoes main courses entirely and just serves up 3-4 exceptional primis a day, along with a crudo or puntarelle salad to start. It’s so so so sooooo good.

• For the ultimate view of the city, head to Langosteria in the very fancy Cheval Blanc hotel, or for a private-club feel replete with the most Parisian fashion crowd you can come across along with an incredibly warm reception thanks to the inimitable Alireza Niroomand, head into the city’s first Sant Ambroeus outpost, a block from the Flore Cafe.

• 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 something closer to a New York slice, Rori’s is a tiny spot on a lovely square selling interesting wines and slinging the only by-the-slice in town, along with some tasty apps. But be warned, if you’re a pizza snob, neither of these places compare to what can be found in NY/LA/New Haven/Detroit/Chicago/Naples/Tokyo…

• Two museum restaurants worth noting happen to be run by the same company. Loulou in the Musée Des Arts Decoratif (adjacent to the Louvre) is ideal after slogging through endless Renaissance galleries with your kids who just want a plate of spaghetti. They have that, along with tasty Milanese and other Italian staples. In the summer you can dine outside in the Louvre’s gardens, otherwise make sure you book a table on the second floor (1st floor in French-speak) with its large windows and exceptional views. More recently, Le Grand Café has opened up in the Grand Palais, with cocktails by the one and only Colin Fields (formerly of the Ritz’s Hemingway Bar) and stunning balcony tables under the Palais’ colonnade where you can devour seafood towers alongside steak frites. It’s Balthazar…but French?

• Le Comptoir du Ritz. A few years back, the Ritz 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).  There’s also a (slightly) more laid back but insanely-well designed Shunei. Hakuba is another multi-starred Japanese spot inside the Cheval Blanc hotel that is impeccable if astronomical.

• 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!

• And from the founders of Buly come their latest project, A Young Hiker, featuring the best in Japanese outerwear alongside the owner’s own line of gear.  They also own a hotel in Switzerland and have featured a café outpost of it here.

• 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! While I regret to say that the iconic vintage dealer/museum purveryor Didier Ludot closed after fifty years, the exquisitely-appointed Bode shop across the garden more than makes up for this sad loss. 

• Another couple stops worth visiting while in the Palais Royal are Serge Lutens, one of the city’s most famous, classic perfumeries, and 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).

• 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 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. If you’re just in the market for a beautiful vintage butter knife and not a $17,000 Prouvé chair of dubious lineage, I recommend going to the smaller, more accessible Puce de Vanves where you’ll be sure to score at least one treat that can fit in your carry-on.

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.

• Bar Nouveau This tiny little storefront cocktail spot in the Marais serves about eight singular concoctions, with about just as many seats doting the perimeter of the bar. But what they lack in space and output they make up for with style and substance: the drinks are spectacular, the vibe is laid-back and fun. Go early to snag a spot and if they offer you a seat downstairs, kindly let them know you’ll wait for a stool upstairs to free itself.

• 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.

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, Gregory 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.

• And while there’s been a recent trend of these fancy hotel pastry chefs opening their own spots in the fanciest of neighborhoods (the Ritz, The Bristol, and of course Cedric Grolet from the Meurice who is now an international social media), The Cheval Blanc’s Maxime Frederic opted to launch his flagship bakery Pleincœur in the far-flung depths of the 17th (think Kips Bay or Reseda), so it may not be high on your list of hoods to visit, but trust me IT IS WORTH THE PILGRIMAGE. This may now be my favorite bakery in Paris. It’s bonkers. From little pots of custard-like vanilla yoghurts and chocolate mousses to sourdough loaves, and flaky croissants confections filled with caramel rice pudding, along with more ornate pastries, THIS PLACE HAS IT ALL.

• 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 at Le Voltaire or 19 Saint Roch

DAY 4 - Fleas and Canals

• Early morning, run to the flea market at Clignancourt (Paul Bert Serpettes) or Vanves 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 ROAD TRIP

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.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

YOUR FIRST (or third) TRIP TO TOKYO

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 maybe Ginza and the further-afield Enoura Observatory 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. If you use ApplePay, there is an option to get a digital version of the card put in your wallet which can be topped off in $10 increments. I HIGHLY recommend this move. Not only do they pay for your subway and train rides, they work on vending machines and even most restaurants (sometimes it saves the day when an establishment doesn’t accept western cards and you find yourself without cash!). Each person you’re with will need to do this though as you can’t swipe several people through each time.

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. And now, for half the price and almost all the refinement, you can check out their new spin-off property, Janu.

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 Sequence hotel in Shibuya..  The Hyatt feels like you’re in the American Airlines Terminal at any airport in the US, while the Sequence hotel is 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.

Shibuya Scramble Square

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.

Parco

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.

Isetan

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 areLemon 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.

Cow Books

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.

Visvim

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.

Tsutaya Books

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.

Starbucks R.‍ ‍

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 T

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.

Kiddy Land

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.

Koffee Mameya

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 protégé 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.

Tokyo Midtown

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

Isetan

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.

Kitamura

If you’re looking for great camera gear like a vintage Leica or Contax T3, this is the two best option. Spread out over five floors, two blocks from Isetan, Kitamura is a mecca of the mechanical. However, If you want to dedicate a day to camera (and possibly vintage-watch) hunting, hit up Japan Camera Hunter, an eccentric British expat who is a wiz of all things electronic and vintage, and he can give you a half or full day tour of some of the more remote and underground spots to buy.

Lunchtime at Toraya

DINING

Tonki

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.

Ginza Fujiyama

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.

Narisawa

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…

Toraya

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.

Baishinka

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.

Pizza Studio Tamaki

Savoy Pizza has sadlyturned into an unimpressive chain, 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 ramen that will put all Jewish grandmothers to shame, look no further than Kagari (though be warned, the Insta crowds have grown hip to it). 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

The Nezu Museum is 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 most awe-inspiring pilgrimage you can take from Tokyo for the day is to the Enoura Observatory in Odawara, about an hour outside of town (that’s a 30 minute Bullet train ride, followed by 20 minutes of subway and ten minutes of shuttle bus). Designed by master photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto as a place to to contemplate both sky and sea, it is nothing short of an absolute marvel. Advance reservations are an absolute must and you reallllly don’t want to rush your time here. Make sure to meander the bamboo forest trails, sit in the stone amphitheater and hover suspended in the air above the water. Absolute magic.

A solid 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.  The lines are horrendous and it does in all fairness feel a bit dates already, but it’s still really cool, especially if you’re in town with kids.

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.