Images of Old Oakland, from my visit last week.

Two excellent items: The note at the end of the parking instructions to “Have A Nice Day” and The Trappist, incredible selection of Belgian beer, excellent music, and seasonal menu.

Oakland has some pretty cool architecture, too.

Weekend in Toronto, one of my favorite easy getaways from NYC…

Stay: Thompson Toronto. Three restaurants, including a 24-hr diner and rooftop bar with stunning views of the city. Ridiculously comfortable beds and reasonably sound-proofed rooms (we stayed right by the elevator, and slept soundly). Our rate from tablethotels.com > $169/nt.

Eat: I’m lucky enough to have a close friend in TO who always chooses the best places to eat. This trip, we tried out Parts and Labour, a communal seating restaurant in the Parkdale neighborhood. Hipster-chic, with good drinks, rockin soundtrack, and a menu for meat lovers - though, vegetarians do very well on the variety of delicious sides. 

and Toca, an upscale but-not-stuffy restaurant in the new Ritz Carlton. The food is fantastic, but the “cheese cave” was what put it over the top. A glass enclosed, refrigerated room where a cheese maitre fromager (specialist) creates daily tasting plates. We were able to sample some cheeses and create a plate of our own. That, and some port = a pretty nice way to end an evening.

Do: The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), a stunning structure worth seeing in person. We caught David Hockney’s fresh flowers exhibit this weekend - a collection of beautiful drawings that he’s created on both iPad and iPhone. It’s a totally new way to view, and think about, art.

Pics from our trip to Paris in September.

It was such a good short vacation that I am holding off from planning my next trip for now (business travel notwithstanding), so I can let this one sit in my memory for awhile.

We rented a flat in the Marais that was super comfortable and in a fantastic location. Pretty fabulous to have an apartment for a week rather than stay in a hotel (as much as I love hotels). 

One of my favorite things to do in Paris is a wine tasting at O Chateau. Held in the cellar of Olivier Magny’s chic wine bar in the center of the city, the tasting seats about 25 and guests are from all over the world. It’s an especially good activity if you’re traveling alone because it’s easy to meet people over a shared lack of knowledge (and continuous pours). And, the hosts are charming French guys who really know what they’re talking about.