Boulder

Took a training course which is pretty easy. According to the New York Times, the sun shines 300 days a year. Unfortunately, I happened to show up when it was anything but sunny. No hiking or outdoorsy stuff this time around. At least this is Quizno's home turf. Have also eaten at Hapa Sushi and Sherpa's Adventurers, although I OD'd on the fried appetizers at Sherpa's and the service was somewhat pokey. Pearl Street is pretty cool too. Driving back to the airport (which takes more than half an hour, especially on the non-toll road) was fun with the snow and lack of visibility. So was de-icing the wings.

RIP Filomena

Long story short - drive new guy home, after fighting no less, back on Southern State Parkway, WHAM!, hit and run, I'm ok, car is not. :'(

Guess I'm not taking any roadtrips for a while....

Working in Midtown now. People seem cool so far. Have been very flexible with my recent trauma. Going to Boulder, CO Wed-Fri.

Au revoir!

I miss Paris already. Thursday was a little crazy - Beverly and Monica left early for maximum Carte Musee usage, and got separated at the Musee d'Orsay (which isn't too hard considering the maze-like layout of some of the rooms). My mom and I hit the Louvre and Musee d'Orsay, had a drink off Place Dauphine where some guys were playing petanque (I think the same square was on Sex and the City - need to check). The evening was a little chaotic as we were trying to reunite, but all was well, and after a group hug we went to Chez Omar, which was brilliant. The fantastic food and service made up for the rude Arab waiter at Leon Bruxelles on Boulevard St Germain de Pres. The owner even welcomed the Americans back to Paris (I'm sure he missed our wallets). Had a lovely dinner to close out the trip chez Emilie et Olivier, where they worked wonders with a tiny kitchen. It was so nice to have familiar people with whom to sightsee and dine or get drinks. Luckily we did a considerable amount of walking so the calories have not adhered to my hips.

Back to Baltimore next week for one final hurrah. Wonder where I'll go next.....

Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

Bon vivant

Paris is magnifique and exhausting! We are walking everywhere and have seen Notre Dame, Saint-Chapelle, the Left Bank (although we got sidetracked by shopping and never made the DaVinci pilgrimage to Saint Sulpice), the Rodin Museum and the Picasso Museum, with the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay, and the Eiffel Tower tomorrow. I really wanted to go to the Pompidou, but there's always next time. The thought of another museum may cause me to pass out.

Waistline be damned, I am eating everything and anything I want - rack of lamb, croissants, cafe au lait, bière blonde, you name it. The walking to and fro and climbing four flights of stairs to our flat is keeping my jeans from bursting open. The food here is absolutely incredible. The Marche across the street sells this great, inexpensive Côte du Rhone - I plan to bring home several bottles. Plus there is this great Moroccan food stand, from which emanate the most tantalizing smells. We served a tagine and a roast chicken from a rotisserie around the corner when Monica's friend Emilie and Andy came over for dinner. How do French people stay so thin?!

The only edible that has freaked me out so far were the live snails. Monica ordered them at a small restaurant near Emilie's house; someone told her they were cockles. After I tried one, I heard someone mention that they were not dead yet, but I chose to pretend the wine was hitting me hard and ignore it. I don't think I will ever eat mollusks ever again.

Tonight we went to this amazing Spanish tapas place - Caves St. Gilles. (forget Barcelona, this is the best!) I think we are still drunk. My Spanish came in handy with the waiter, even though it couldn't get us a table. No worries, being relegated to the bar didn't make a difference after a couple bottles of wine and once two platters of food arrived, one hot and one cold assortment. We practically licked the plates.

Salutations de Paris!

Just a few thoughts in my jet-lagged head:

• Long-haul flying is made all the easier with Ambien, especially when in coach. It's all about better living through pharmeceuticals.


• Paris has dog sh*t everywhere!!! Don't people believe in picking up after their pets so they don't mess up their chaussures? Dragging our suitcases from the Métro to our apartment was like walking through a minefield.


• In France, all dieting must be suspended. The food is too good to pass up, plus walking everywhere cancels the calories out. Visions of pain au chocolat, crepes and wine have been cancing in my head for weeks.

Even though I can barely stay awake, I am still giddy about being in Paris for the first time. Le Marais is a really awesome neighborhood. We searched for a two-bedroom apartment on Vacation Rentals by Owner, which is a really awesome site, but the one we ended up with is only listed on ParisForRent.com - fantastique! Le Marché des Enfants Rouges is a really incredible outdoor market right across the street from us. Waiting for Monica and Bev to arrive so we can do more exploring, especially in the old Quartier du Temple (old Knights Templar Quarter for all the DaVinci Code fans out there).

Lunchtime

Just got back from lunch - I am a big fan of Weiss Deli after that hunk of pastrami sandwich I just ate. The locals refer to Lombard Street as "Pastrami Row". Being a food snob, I must point out that the delis here are not strict kosher - they serve pork products and meat and milk mixed. Plus, they don't even serve horseradish anymore - bitterness over a local plant closing. Come on people, get over it!!! Luckily, a co-worker brought his own. V happy and v full right now!!! :)

Bmore

Baltimore is OK. The Inner Harbor is nice but somewhat commercial. What ever happened to character and uniqueness; why does the GAP et al. have to overrun everything? Absoultely will not take a water taxi after one capsized a couple of weeks ago.

I am so sick of the Amtrak Acela. The trains never leave on time, and they always get stuck behind other trains that have problems. So much for high-speed rail service. Though I must say, I can board the train like 5 minutes before it leaves and not have to deal with airport screening and such (not sure if that's a good thing), plus the fact that we don't leave the ground is good. Counting down to Paris!!

Greetings from Bal'more, Maryland

Getting ready to eat lots of crabcakes. This should be a short work stint, which is good because traffic is going to get awful near my office once baseball season starts. I would like to catch an Orioles game at Camden Yards. We'll see what the next few weeks bring.....

Oh la la!

Lots of travels coming up!

Hooray - I got another out-of-town assignment. Yeay frequent flier miles (in this case Amtrak points) and frequent guest points, especially on the company dime. I'll be in Baltimore, Maryland for two weeks, maybe more. Will definitely post information on where to have fun, especially since baseball season starts in April. Plus, I hope (fingers crossed!) that the weather is a touch warmer there. There's also a one-week jaunt to La Cité Lumière! Stay tuned.....

Happy V-Day!

Had a lovely, decadent day with some girl pals from work. Side-by-side manicures at Rescue Beauty Lounge (the NoLIta outpost), followed by high tea at the Ritz-Carlton in Battery Park (almost left my Tiffany Paloma Picasso ring in the bathroom, but luckily people are classy). Then did some shopping, got some yummy Greek food at Aegean, and then it was par-tay time. The Majestic Hotel has a phenom view down Times Square - great for showing out-of-town buds.

Avoid Alert: Apparently the Hudson Hotel bar is "too cool for school". The bouncer hassled my friends about getting in. Someone should let Napoleon know that the mohawk revival went out last year and that it really doesn't add much to his height.

Back home

I am so jet-lagged - waking up at 5am to watch infomercials.

Pictures are up!!!

Three words - Intercontinental Bustan Palace!!!!

This made the four-hour torture drive on the unpaved coastal roads all the more rewarding. You must at least visit this place if you venture to Muscat. Don't get me wrong, the Intercontinental Muscat is great, but this is ..... opulence!!! Plus, the price was great considering the plush surroundings - approximately $130/night. An equivalent hotel in New York City would easily run $400 minimum. God Bless Internet Rates!!! The beach is splendid, and the lobby is great for high tea. Try the Arabian. I felt like an Omani Eloise with my book, Arabian-blend tea, and Middle Eastern pastries.

Do I have to go home?

Swek

Today we went "swekking" in Wadi Bani Khalid

It's amazing how quickly the Bedouin kids zip along the rocks, while I took the slow-and-steady route so as to avoid bashing my skull against a cliff. This wadi is pretty tough, especially considering I've never been rock climbing before. The hiking and swimming were the easy parts. Note for all you swek wannabes - bring AquaSocks, wear shorts, and for God's sake, if you don't have a waterproof backpack (darn lying salesmen in Chinatown), wrap EVERYTHING in Ziplocs. It looks a lot like a smaller Grand Canyon. The pictures came out great.

We didn't get to see much of Sur, but it didn't seem like there was much to see, except the beach with tons of trash scattered about (hello Jones Beach), and Russian singers with a Mafiya goon backing them up on keyboards flirting with locals (who were drinking!!! Bad Muslims!!!!) in the dinky hotel bar. The hotel bartender had no concept of a double vodka with tonic. My aunt's fiance was quite frustrated. Here's another tip - import your own potables!!!

Camel Jockey

Today we went for a camel ride in The Wahiba Sands

What a way to recharge after a week of wedding parties! Weddings are celebrated much differently here than in the West. Men and women have functions separately, and there is no alcohol(obviously), music or dancing. I guess this eliminates drunk relatives doing the funky chicken. The food is fantabulous, and there were 700 women at the henna and the wedding ceremony. One interesting tidbit - there is no concept of lining up politely for the buffet. No matter, my years of boarding NYC subways prepared me for this.

Before we arrived in the desert, we saw the local market in Sinaw. They have an open-air square for everything you could need, from fresh fish to frankincense. The women wear a strange mask to cover their face, almost like a Batman Halloween costume. They tried to sell one to my aunt, and Michele almost bought her one as a joke.


Truth be told, this isn't completely a desert, as there is some vegetation, albeit very sparse. We met up with a Bedouin family who offered us coffee and dates. Riding a camel is quite fun, except for when the camel gets up and sits back down. I got a huge cramp in my side when it got up. My uncle affectionately referred to his camel, and all other after that, as Joe (God bless American advertising). Afterwards we arrived at a campsite for the evening. It was comfortable yet rugged, the cots were sleepable, and there was running water, though I avoided the cold shower.

Ahlan!

Today I am in Muscat, Oman




This is one of the coolest places I've ever been. It's great that there are still not too many tourists here, although I am hearing German, Russian, English and Italian around the pool. It is a great mix of cordial hospitality to foreigners and preservation of centuries-old culture and tradition. It also is not completely developed, so there is some great unspoiled natural beauty. However, this is changing quite quickly. The weather beats the hell out of New York at this time of year, although the heat is completely unbearable in the summer, so I'm told. If you need a vacation, come here NOW. The wedding festivities start on Monday, but unfortunately I can't post any pictures here because it is considered indecent for women to be photographed "immodestly" (i.e., without hijab and abbaya).

Welcome to the stream of consciousness that is my life!

Today I am in New York, home sweet home....

but not for long. In about 11 hours, I will set out on an 18-hour, three-leg flight to Muscat, Oman. My friend is getting married, and not being one to turn down a wedding invitiation, I gladly accepted. After shopping for dresses for five different parties, checking State Department travel advisories daily, and booking a desert trek, I am all set to go. More from me next week!