Boston, you're my home!

Where are you staying? Regardless, here are some things I love to see/do/eat/visit:

1. If you like seafood (oysters/lobsters or anything else), it's worth putting your name in at Neptune Oyster in the North End, then walk around a block or two of the North End to sight see. The Old North Church of "one if by land, two if by sea" fame is here. And a lot of old Italians. Almost every week in the summer, there's a saint's parade - which can be fun or a zoo - depends on what you're into. Get gelato anywhere. Mike's Pastry is the classic place to go for Italian ice/cookies, but it can be a mob scene - pretty much anywhere is fine.
2. You can walk from the North End thru Faneuil Hall up to Boston Commons - Faneuil Hall is a little touristy now, but if you want ice cream, stop in at Steve's. If you want to see more sights before Fanueil Hall, stroll the Rose Kennedy Greenway and/or Christopher Columbus Park (kids love it) to the New England Aquarium, then cross over to Faneuil Hall.
3. From Faneuil Hall, walk up and through the Boston Common. In fact, let's assume you start at the northeast end (by the Park Street T station).  With the State House on the right, now walk downhill, veering to the right side of the park. At the bottom of the hill, Charles Street bisects the Park - turn right on Charles Street toward the river. I've never been, but the Cheers Bar is nearby (turn left onto Beacon at Beacon & Charles streets). I prefer to take 30 minutes to do the Charles Street stroll down cobbled streets, past classic brownstones, old lamplights, and cute shops. I go down the right side first to my favorite shop, Black Ink at 101 Charles St, then I come back up the left side stopping for a slice at the original Upper Crust Pizzeria.
4. Turn around and go back to the park, re-entering the south (right) side of the park now. Walk to the opposite corner of the park - along the way, you'll see the the Make Way for Ducklings statues and Swan Boats. The Swan Boat ride is totally worth it, especially with kids or romantic/tired adults.
5. At the south end of the park, exit onto Arlington St and look for Newbury Street (Chanel & Burberry are on the corners). Walk down Newbury Street. Go in the shops. Some of them are price-tastic - some of them are not - but they're all fun to look in. If you're hungry, I like Stephanie's at 190 Newbury Street. I order flowers for family from Winston's at 131 Newbury Street - but I stop by whenever I'm in town because a) it's beautiful, and b) they usually have some cheap to-go bouquets to brighten up a hotel room. Newbury Street is 8 blocks long - you can certainly do the whole street, but if you're ready to bail, turn left/south at Dartmouth Street, walk one block and you'll be at Copley Plaza where there's a T stop. On your right, the Old South Church on the corner is worth peeking into, and to your left in the plaza, the Trinity Church is considered an architectural treasure. So is the Boston Public Library across the street (enter on Dartmouth, where it's old school beautiful - not the north/modern side) - that's where I used to get my nerd on.

Other things to do:

1. Take the T to Harvard Square. For me, Harvard Square is fascinating people watching, so while you can certainly go sit down some place for dinner (we like Mr Bartley's Burger Cottage, which is an institution; the Border Cafe has TexMex; there are other fancier places) I frankly prefer to get something cheap & cheerful at Au Bon Pain and sit outside to people watch. Or do the stroll. It's a little hard to explain without a map of Harvard Square, so try this map after reading these instructions: 
• when you exit the T, you'll see that you're standing at JFK St (the Coop is across the street and the river is 3 blocks to your left). Eliot Street is the street that veers to left - and if you look at a map, you'll see Eliot Street is a 2 block loop to and from JFK (bisected by Mt Auburn St). My advice is to cross JFK, and follow Eliot Street in a big loop back to JFK. The tricky part is - it's worth starting on the RIGHT side of Eliot Street, and you may end up going down some little side streets - eventually, you want to work your way back to Eliot Street, back to JFK. When you get back to JFK, if you're in the mood, turn RIGHT and walk downhill JFK to the bridge to see the pretty skyline and boat houses (if the sun's still up, you'll probably see rowers!). Walk back up JFK and get back on the T.
2. The Back Bay - Ben's mom lives in the Bay Bay, and it's a great place to live/visit/shop. Requires some walking shoes if you want to see everything on this map.
3. If you like baseball, you gotta go to Fenway. Every game is a sellout, so get tix at stubhub.com  Bleacher seats can be rowdy, and far from the action - but they're the cheapest. Weeknights are cheaper.
4. Check the paper for any concerts/movies on the Common or the Esplanade.
5. Aquarium. Everyone copied the Boston Aquarium's spiral walk around a central tank, but we were first. If you don't want to take the time or spend the money to go inside, stop by the penguin exhibit outside - it's free. Listen for people singing the jingle, "I can walk like a penguin..."
6. If you want lobster, you should NOT have to pay an arm and leg for it. My new favorite place is Neptune Oyster in the North End, which is a more 'spensy than other options, but the lobster roll (hot or cold) IS excellent, and if we're super splurgy, we get oysters with a glass of champagne, Neptunes on Piggyback, and lobster roll - but it's ALL good. If you want cheap and cheerful, no fuss lobster: No Name Restaurant is a no-frills, BYOB, harborside dive with good, fresh off the boat food AND free parking. Jasper White has a couple Summer Shack locations around town. Legal Sea Foods is usually good, but getting a little chain-y.
7. Freedom Trail. Get your history buff on and follow the freedom trail map around the sites.  Or sign up for one of the daily tours.
8. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum - Isabella had amazing art and gardens in her classic Fenway mansion - so if you've been ogling the big brownstones, this is your chance to see inside one.
9. Museum of Fine Arts - I'm an impressionist geek, so I love it here. Depending on what the feature exhibits are, it can be great. And the restaurant's quite nice.
10. I've never been, but my mom recommends the Duck Tours - it's a tourism boat/bus that floats down the river then drives around the city. Could be a good way to get the lay of the land.
11. Do you have a car? Do you want to get out of the city? I'm going to guess not, but... You can drive an hour south to Plimouth Plantation. Or north to the Peabody Essex Museum - just be sure to stop at Woodman's Clam Shack for the original fried clam - they're deservedly famous.

Holler if you want more ideas...have fun!

Joan's photos of Paris, Provence, Lyons & Giverny

Here are the photos from my 2008 trip.  In a nutshell, my 2 week itinerary that year was:

I decided to spend my 40th birthday in France, and I invited Tom and Cathy to come with since Tom had many food fantasies about France to investigate.  In a nutshell, we flew into Paris, spent a few days exploring together, then Tom and Cathy left for Toulouse and I had a day on my own in Paris, then I drove to Provence for a week on my own.  They met me in Avignon on my birthday and we spent my last night in Provence together.  Then we drove back to Paris together with a 2 night pitstop in Macon just to eat at two legendary chef's restaurants in/around Lyon:  at George Blanc in Vonnas for his bourg-en-bresse chicken, and at the chef's table at Michel Troisgros' Le Central.  Back in Paris, we did more exploring including an overnight in Pacy Sur Eure to see Monet's Giverny in full blossom. 

My first trip to France and Spain

My first trip to France was in 1998, when we went for a week to Paris, the Loire Valley and Normandy coast, then flew to Spain where we spent a week in Madrid and Barcelona.  Here are my journal notes on that trip...

FRANCE:

• Sunday: arrive 11am. Check in at Hotel Colbert in Latin Quarter. Visited Musee d'Orsay, crossed bridge at Place de la Concorde at sunset, visited Eiffel Tower. Ate dinner at Cafe de Cluny after walking through Latin Quarter and St Germain de Pres.
• Monday: Louvre was too crowded first thing in the AM, so walked to Paris Opera (stopping at Marks & Spencer on the way) where we took a tour and ate lunch on the steps. Saw the sights from the top of the Arc de Triomphe, then walked down the Champs d'Elysee to the Louvre, which we visited until 8pm. Then dinner at Les Deux Magots.
• Tuesday: Train to Versailles. Then, walked around Ile de la Cite to St Chapelle (amazing stained glass window), Flower Market, Notre Dame (inside only, not up the tower). Rode a bateau mouche along the Seine. Metro to Montmarte, funicular up Sacre Couer, and walk down Montmarte's cobbled streets. Ate a crepe stand for dinner.
• Wednesday: picked up rental car and drove to Chartres, where we joined Malcolm Miller's tour. In the Loire Valley, we visited Chambord, and ended with overnight/dinner at Chateau du Pray.
• Thursday: turned north through Le Mans up to Mont St Michel at sunset - gorgeous! Overnighted in Bayeux, with dinner at Lion d'Or, where Ben ate tripe.
• Friday: Strolled Rue St Jean in Bayeux for patisserie and boulangerie; ended up with picnic fixings from Stoc. Drove through Normandy coast to Musee du Debarquement in Arromanche, where we climbed the beach head. Drove to the American Cemetery at Omaha Beach. Stopped at Longues sur Mer and Pointe du Hoc, then visited the Memorial Museum of Peace in Caen, which was THE BEST MUSEUM I've ever visited. Ate our picnic in the car enroute to Rouen. Checked in at the Hotel de la Cathedrale. Strolled Rue St Germain to the Cathedral lit up a night. This is the Cathedral where Joan of Arc was both burnt at the stake and consecrated as a saint, and which Monet famously painted over and over again. Walked down to the Gros Horloge then back to the hotel.
• Saturday: up early to stroll main pedestrian route to Eglise de St Jean with nice market, to Gros Horloge, Palais de Justice (with bullet strafe marks from WWII), cathedral, St Maclou, skull and crossbones cemetery for plague victims. Then we packed the car and headed back to Paris. Parked the car near Canal and took the RER to Tour d'Eiffel, which was closed due to a strike. Rain. RER back to Notre Dame, where we climb the tower stairs, pat the gargoyle heads and famous bell, and re-tour the church interior. Eat crepes avec jambon et fromage under awnings before taking the RER back to the car, which we then drive to the airport and fly to Spain.

MADRID:

• Saturday night: fly from Paris (CDG) to Madrid. Encounter many Metro stairs with our bags and Halloweeners before arriving at Hotel Anaco.
• Sunday: sleep in. Metro to Prado where Sundays are free and we visit the Goya rooms. Follow the Fodor's guidebook for stroll from Prado to Puerto del Sol (pastry shop) to Plaza Mayor to Palacio Real (picnic of bocadillos). Sun/warmth/ease of language/quaint beauty puts us in better moods. 2 hour nap at hotel. Dinner at locals' hangout, Restaurante Pozo Real (yummy veggie stew, rosemary lamb & flan).
• Monday: walk to Opera Metro (stop at Puerto del Sol pasticerria for warm pastry) and take train then bus to Segovia. Walk thru medieval walled city with moorish exteriors and Roman aqueduct built 300 BC. Yummy cookies in Plaza Mayor. Walked around old Gothic spired cathedral, bought moon art, walked to Alcazar and toured it from top to bottom. Bought more cookies and sandwiches for the long bus ride home, watching Mission Impossible en Espanol. Bocadillos to go from Pan and Co. for in-room picnic.
• Tuesday in Toledo: Metro to bus to Toledo. Walked up hill to Plaza Zocodover, where we eat stand up tapas lunch at the Bar Parilla. Bought tour book and wandered around Toledo, where we saw: El Greco painting, ancient synagogue, various churches, post office, and bought scissors before heading back to main cathedral, which is very impressive (especially Transparente). Catch local (ugh) bus home to Madrid, where we eat Pizza Hut (oops) and go to bed.
• Wednesday: Catch bus to El Escorial. Tour it, including basilica and biblioteca. Try to order bocadillas in bar outside bus stop, but are ignored so leave in time to catch bus to Valle de los Caidos, Franco's fascist inside-out basillica containing 50K dead from Spanish civil war. Cold and spooky. Bus back to Madrid, where we change for tapas stroll: Las Bravas for "patented," original "patatas bravas;" then on to Casa Alberto (first tapas bar in Madrid) for croquettes jamon and chorizo. Back to hotel for short evening on the patio.
• Thursday: last day in Madrid. Wake early to be at Prado by 9:15. Tour almost whole Prado by 12:15 (including cafe con leche break in cafe). Walk through thru Retiro Park, where we see Crystal Palace and Alphonso XII's monument in the Estanque. Metro to Puerto del Sol, where we walk to Plaza Mayor, then Palacio Real's Plaza de Oriente, where we grab lunch at the Cafe de Oriente. Tour Palacio Real with Pharmicerie, then Metro to Reina Sofia to see Picasso's "Guernica" and other modern art. Metro back to hotel, pick up bags, then metro to train station for overnight train to Barcelona.

BARCELONA:

• Friday: arrive by overnight train from Madrid at 8am. Drop bags off at our hotel, Meson Castilla, where we have a little patio off our room. Stroll Las Ramblas. Stop at St Josep's Mercateria - an explosion of butchers, fishmongers, cheeses, bakeries, and more - where we assemble a picnic lunch. Tour Gaudi's Palau Guell, then eat on dock at the end of Las Ramblas, opposite the Christopher Columbus monument. Metro back to hotel, just in time to meet Colleen for coffee at a cafe around the corner! Shower and naps before meeting Colleen and Aaron onboard Redwings for cava, cheese and jamon. Walk to Calle Merce for tapas (ham and salted potatoes, tinto) at La Jarra, and octopus at La Polporia. Finish with pizza in Placa de George Orwell, then home to bed.
• Saturday: walk to Picasso museum, lunch at 11 Caffe de Roma near Jaume metro, walk back through Gothic quarter. Dinner at Siete Puertas with Colleen and Aaron, then night stroll to Gothic Quarter's cathedral to Las Ramblas, then to bed.
• Sunday: hotel breakfast. Walking tour of Moderniste Eixample buildings, including tour/museum/roof of Gaudi's Casa Mila Pedrera. Metro to Sagrada Familia - tour, museum and elevator to tower, where I experience vertigo for the first time). Metro to hotel, with stop for patatas bravas at Cervecas d'Or. Pack for return home. Stroll down Las Ramblas for flowers for Colleen, because we are having dinner onboard Redwings. Good food, great company!
• Monday: Up at 5am, taxi to airport for 7:20am flight to Paris, where we catch a noon flight home to San Francisco.

Oh the places I've been (map)

This is a fun map I'm building that shows all the places I've been in France.
View France in a larger map

Versailles

Versailles is 30 minutes outside of Paris. You can drive, or we took the train from Paris. It's open every day except Monday.

Let's pick a date!

When to go?  These are notes from when I was planning a trip with my folks starting around Labor Day.

• Remember that the French do DD/MM/YY when writing dates. So September 5, 2011 may be 9/5/11 to Americans, but it is 5/9/11 to the French.
• Generally, flights are cheapest on Tues/Wed, sometimes Thurs.
• Avoid the congestion of French families on vacation:  http://www.provence-hideaway.com/120-1.html  
• September is a big convention month with a Crafts fair and Fashion Week toward the end of the month, so book far in advance.
• Early September can still be hot, so make sure your hotel has AC. 
• Always pack a brolly.

For my 2011 trip, we were trying to decide whether to go before/during/after Labor Day, but that was also the end of French vacations, so we discovered:

• The later we go, the slightly cheaper it is - for example, flying 9/6 - 9/20 is $100 cheaper than flying a week earlier (8/30 - 9/13) plus vacation rentals will go down slightly after 9/5 - and until they do, Paris hotels may be a little cheaper (because Paris will be empty).
• 9/5 is not only the end of school vacation in France, but our Labor Day, so that's a free vacation day. So another option is to use Labor Day to stretch ourselves a little longer - flying Sat 9/3 and returning Mon 9/19 only costs an extra $100 over the cheaper days of the week - and it gives us an extra 2 days in France.
• My only hesitations about arriving in Paris on 8/30 are: will Parisians still be on vacation (so will things be closed) AND will summer tourists (like us) be clogging the sights? Or will Paris be returning to normal, and tourists heading home? 
• Either way, we won't get to Provence until after 9/5, so we should have less crowds/competition for a countryside rental. 
• What does Rick Steve advise?

Le Petit Zinc...yum

Speaking of restaurants, Tom's brother/sister-in-law recommended Le Petit Zinc, and it was fantastic. We had a fruit de mer plateau bigger than your pillow, and tasted like the sea (as it should). I'll have to find the review that Tom sent me...

Wine hunting

Interesting article about Loire valley & Rhone wine hunting and restaurants.

Provence Markets

Here's the schedule of markets in Provence.

Cooking schools

Please add to this post with cooking school suggestions/links.
Did you want a class in Paris or Provence? For a day or the week?
Here's a primer from Food & Wine: http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/french-cooking-school-vacations
This dude does day classes/tours and has a handy "what's fresh when" calender that is making my mouth water thinking about it. http://www.cuisineprovencale.com/calendar.html

Bookmark this: currency converter

Trust me: you'll want this currency converter bookmarked while you search rentals...

Rental agencies

Please add to this post as you find a good rental agency.  I rented from Tim at Just Provence. We all know how that went in 2008, although I don't fault him.  He has nice properties, which is why my folks and I rented from him again in 2011. Great find!  Tom and Cathy found their rental through Holiday Lettings.  There's also VRBO, aka Vacation Rentals By Owner.

Another article about Provence

The Vaucluse is the region known as Provence.
http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/the-secrets-of-provence

Carpentras: Gateway to Provence

In 2008, I was supposed to stay in a tiny hilltop village called Le Barroux in a little apartment next door to chanting monks, but I ended up in a 3 story mas in Carpentras. It ended up being perfect: Carpentras is the gateway town to all the other areas in Provence, with a large market and plenty of services. Here's an article about how Carpentras is also the gateway to the Rhone wineries.

School vacations end 9/5

OK, step one: avoid all the congestion of French families on vacation. Remember that the French do DD/MM/YY when writing dates. So 5/9/11 is 9/5/11 to us Americans.
http://www.provence-hideaway.com/120-1.html