Now that I am back home in New York - jobless for the first time in my adult life, I am actually pretty excited to take advantage of my time off by doing the NYC things I never seem to have time for.  While I am starting to think about work and what I really want to do next, I am not going to rush into it.  So I have at least a couple of weeks to be a tourist in MY city, and I put together a checklist of my top wishes.

I love summer in the city!

EAT / DRINK

• North River Lobster Company - A lobster restaurant / bar on a boat that sails around the Hudson River for 30-minutes at a time but you can stay on as long as you want!

• Grand Banks - An oyster bar / regular bar on a sailboat that stays docked on Pier 25.

• Roof at Park South Hotel - Just looks like a cool rooftop bar that I have never been to.

• The Cannibal - On east 29th, this spot features craft beer and artisanal meat with an outdoor garden.

• Ninja - Japanese restaurant with ninja theme - may be a little too kitschy but I still kind of want to see it.

• WD50 molecular gastronomy restaurant (closing its doors on November 30) & Alder cocktail bar by same owner
• Dinosaur BBQ - I've still never been to this BBQ staple in Harlem (and now Brooklyn as well).
• NYC Restaurant Week - It is more than just a week!  July 21 - August 15, many notable and expensive restaurants are featuring special and affordable three-course menus.

Wednesday, July 16 (Drogheda & Dublin, Ireland) – Somehow the day has arrived – the last day of my first edition of Stacy Takes Flight.  I can't believe I have to go back to New York today.  But honestly, it almost feels like any other day where I’m heading to the airport to embark on my next adventure (as this is going to be my 17th flight!), but in the back of my mind I know the flight will be longer than the rest and when the doors open, the familiar JetBlue terminal at JFK will welcome me home (Aer Lingus has a partnership with JetBlue).

I was lucky to be able to spend my final 24 hours with some of the people who helped shape me as a person while growing up.  I stayed with my childhood babysitter, Lucy, and her family.  I had seen them for a quick coffee when I first arrived in Dublin three months ago, which was our first meeting in close to 20 years, but this time I was able to stay with them!  It meant so much to spend my last night with them, reminisce about the past but also share highlights of my entire trip with them before anyone else.

They live in Drogheda which is a suburb of Dublin.  We spent most of our time together just hanging out and chatting, but this morning we did a bit of touring in the town, mainly because the town is known for something completely random that I have not seen anywhere else in my travels:  a preserved head.  Saint Oliver Plunkett was decapitated after being hanged in 1681, and after different body parts have made their way around the world, his head has been preserved and put on display at the (beautiful) local Saint Peter's Church.  It is pretty creepy, and kind of gross, but it was cool to see!

Then we went to a modern art gallery in a space that used to be another church.  The art was extremely modern and (no offense, art enthusiasts) brought us all closer together through laughing – especially their youngest, shyest daughter Mary.

After absorbing a bit of culture and grabbing a bite to eat, it was time to go to the airport.  It was such a strange feeling being in the car with people who made such an impact on my life, people I care about so much, people who were an important part of this trip, but also people who I honestly may never see again – or at least not for a long time. 

I believe people come in and out of your life for a reason and in addition to Lucy, Patrick and their family, I met so many incredible people along this journey who helped shape my experience one way or another – as I did for them as well.  

As we said our goodbyes at the airport, I had to fight to hold back tears – partly at saying goodbye to Lucy, and partly at saying goodbye to my trip.  I can’t begin to explain the mixture of feelings all hitting me at the same time, and I’m sure it is just the beginning of what will be an interesting transition back into ‘real life’.  I will continue to post after this trip – but not quite as frequently.  So for now… thanks for reading and see you in the States!

Saturday, June 28 (Madrid, Spain) – In 2005 I visited Madrid for the first time with a friend from high school.  Nearly a decade later (wow), I am back for round #2.  While I did a bunch of the main attractions the first time, I wanted to revisit some while learning more about the history and culture of the city.

So I started my time in Madrid with a free walking tour through the company Sandeman’s New Europe, which offers free tours in 18 cities!  The tour was particularly crowded (about 250 people) so multiple tour guides arrived and split us up into smaller, manageable groups.  Throughout the tour I saw a lot of the key sites with the proper context, and I learned some interesting things...

Madrid is home to the oldest restaurant in the world, Botin Restaurant, which opened in 1725 (fact)

Tapas were originated to prevent poor farm workers from getting too drunk during lunchtime to be productive in the field in the afternoon.  Since they had little money, they couldn’t afford to eat and drink at lunch, so they often chose to drink… on an empty stomach.  So a rule was set that each alcoholic beverage served must be accompanied by a small plate of food.  (legend)

The name ‘tapa’ means cover and originated because people would cover their beers with their small plates of food so that the wind would not blow dust and sand into their beverage.  (legend)

The symbol of Madrid – a bear leaning against a tree reaching for berries – was originated because bears used to roam the streets and eat the berries from this particular kind of tree (madroño tree).  The berries would ferment in the bears’ bellies, and would ultimately make them very drunk.  

Madrillenos – who love to drink wine – saw a bit of themselves in the bears, so decided to use the image in their coat of arms. (fact or legend?)

I happened to walk by the world-famous art museum, the Reina Sofia, around 1:15 in the afternoon (on Sunday), and there was a bit of a crowd growing in the massive courtyard by the entrance.  To my surprise, (TIP) the doors opened for FREE at 1:30 as they do each Sunday, saving adults eight Euro each!  I was on my way to Retiro Park, but I had a change of heart and decided to go to the museum.

The Reina Sofia is famous for its collection of work from Picasso ("Guernica" in particular) and Salvador Dali, among many others.  I started in one of the current exhibitions about Playgrounds.  It was an interesting portrayal of the evolution of public play spaces as art.  It also showcased the common struggle between the need for free time and the need to work - something I know many of us are faced with!

After being inspired by the Playgrounds exhibit, I resisted the urge to find a swing set and made my way to the museum's holy grail:  Guernica.  Although I am not an art buff by any means, I got really excited knowing I was approaching this extremely impactful and important piece of art.  I even got the chills when I finally walked into the room and saw the 25ft painting against the wall.  One of my favorite parts was actually the wall opposite Guernica, where a companion of Picasso's had taken photographs of the painting throughout its stages of being created.  It was very cool to see how he worked and get the slightest glimpse of his process.

Ok, definitely saving the best for last.  The main reason I decided to stop in Madrid on my way to the eastern coast of Spain was to visit Mr. Shaw (ok, I guess it is "Oliver" now).  Oliver was my Spanish teacher in high school - 8th or 9th grade actually - and was one of the reasons I have become so obsessed with the language.  He moved to Madrid about ten years ago, and I haven't seen him since.  After reconnecting on Facebook, he graciously invited me to stay with him in Madrid, and it was such a great reunion!  I had a blast with him and am so glad I was able to stay in a real home and neighborhood.  


I was excited but nervous to speak Spanish in front of him, but I think (hope) he was proud of my skills over a decade after taking his class!?

Saturday, June 14 (Vienna) – Most of my friends didn’t grow up listening to classical music or watching operas.  Like playing bridge or watching soap operas, opera sort of died out for my generation.  I was lucky enough to be exposed to opera from a young age because my cousin is a professional opera singer and I would go to see him whenever he performed at the Met in NYC.  Still, I never got all that into it and didn’t think much of it.  Then I arrived in Vienna.

Vienna is the land of classical music, and opera in particular.  My opera-singing cousin lives here, and there are performances any given night at the multiple opera houses in the city.  Since it is such a rich part of the city’s culture, I was thrilled to be invited to a premiere of an opera called “Feuersnot” at the Volksoper while I was in town. 

The show was semi-staged which means that there is no scenery, very simple costumes, and not much movement on stage.  At first I felt like I was at a rehearsal, but then I realized this is the official production and I kind of liked it.  With less attention to staging, more attention can be focused on the singing and the story.  Unfortunately for me, the opera was in German, and the lyrics were printed (in German) on a screen above the stage, so I am not quite sure what the story line was!

After the opera there was an after party where the director of the opera house spoke and acknowledged the performers who were all present – including about 30 kids ages 8-14 from the children’s chorus who did an amazing job in the show as well!

Friday, June 6 (Istanbul) - Throughout my travels, I have been extremely lucky with weather.  Other than a 10-minute rain and hailstorm in Ireland and short-lived downpour in Italy, I have had sunshine just about every day.  Then I arrived in Istanbul and the rain began.  I was originally going to take a trip over to the Asian side of Istanbul, but with the rain and choppy water, I felt that was not the best idea.  But there are a lot of things to do when it rains in this city, so here are my recommendations.  (I didn’t have time to do all of them, but they were all recommended!)

The Blue Mosque and Aga Sofya are both indoor sites, so those are good bets and must-sees, as long as you didn’t do them already.  There is a line at Aga Sofya because there is an admission fee (the Blue Mosque is free and no line) so keep that in mind if you are umbrella-less.  Fore more tips about these places and others, read this post about what to do in Istanbul.

I really enjoyed Istanbul Modern Art Museum, especially their permanent exhibit “Past and Future” which looks at the evolution of contemporary and modern art in Turkey since its inception.  Not all of the pieces are what you would consider ‘modern art’ because it is more of a stroll through Turkish art history, so there is definitely something for everyone. 

One of their current exhibitions is a photography collection called “On the Road:  Images of Turkey from the Nar Photos Archive” that documents current events in Turkey – political, social, lifestyle – in unique, thought-provoking ways.  I wasn’t allowed to take any photos in that room, but some of the prints were extremely powerful.

Some other museums to check out (that I would have visited with more time) include the Istanbul Archeology Museum and the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum.

You may remember my post about my first Hamam experience in Morocco… well, I tried again on this rainy day in Istanbul.  Tali and I were recommended a place by a woman who worked at the café where we had breakfast, so we went to check it out.  Maybe we should have known by the dead cockroach on the floor, but it wasn’t the nicest of places.  Long story short, we sat in a hot, humid room with a bunch of men and women – including one towel-covered gentleman who was getting a soapy bath – for about 20 minutes before deciding to bail.  We will try again in a TripAdvisor-approved Hamam in either Cappadocia or Antalya.  BUT, there are tons of reputable, beautiful spas to get a Hamam treatment in Istanbul, and it is the perfect thing to do on a rainy day.  Just do your homework a little better than we did!

Istanbul – particularly the Taksim area – is filled with live music!  When the weather is dreary and you don’t want to sit outside, live music is a great reason to go inside and have fun.  Modern Turkish rock is really great and regardless of the genre, who doesn’t love a man with a guitar?

Saturday, May 31 (Florence) – After being a bit turned off by the crowds on the first day in Florence, I wasn’t sure I had the strength to brave them once more and enter some of the world-famous museums like the Uffizi.  But I tried anyway, and everything just seemed to fall right in place into my favorite day in Florence! Here are some of my favorites ... "Stace's Places"!  

We toured the Gucci Museum which is in the center of town but somehow not very crowded.  It was surprisingly interesting… I didn’t know that Guccio Gucci got started after working in a luxury hotel and being inspired by the types of travel cases the guests would use.  I loved seeing the evolution of his work in the world of travel luggage, cases and accessories.  I can’t imagine carrying some of those massive wardrobe cases on my travels, but they were extremely innovative at the time.


TIP:  Walk over to the cafe and take a look at the sugar made into Gucci logos!

The Uffizi is the museum in Florence that features famous works such as Botticelli’s  “The Birth of Venus” and “Primavera” paintings as well as hundreds of other prominent Renaissance pieces.  It is one of the places that requires a reservation in advance in order to guarantee entry, but it is much better to do with a guide so you make the most of your visit.  As I was about to stand on line to try my luck at a day-of ticket, a woman announced there would be an English guided tour in ten minutes.  My mom and I thought the price was right and the tour company seemed legitimate so just like that we skipped the line, got right in and had a wonderful guided tour of the Uffizi. 

The museum is packed, mostly with tour groups but a few people on their own here and there.  TIP:  I definitely recommend booking a tour to get a good backstory of what you are seeing in the museum, but when you are booking, find out how many people are on the tour.  Unless your guide has a microphone, it is impossible to hear your guide in a group larger than about six.  I am not an art history aficionado and as much as I enjoy art, I don’t know much about the different styles.  But one thing that stuck wit me about Renaissance paintings is that it introduced three new things to the art world:  perspective, movement and landscape.  Learning that, I was able to understand the importance a little more and appreciate some of the great works of the time.

If you cross the river from the center of town, such as the Ponte Vecchio bridge, and turn left, you will walk along the river for a while until all of a sudden there is a small beach!  Complete with sand, beach chairs, hammocks, and a bar, the beach on the Arno River was a perfect place to relax for a half hour after the museums to soak in the sun and have a cold beverage. 

Walking along Via San Niccolo, I came across a workshop / gallery / store(?) of Alessandro Dari, a sculptor, pharmacist and goldsmith from Florence.  His specialty is creating extremely unique rings that look to be large enough to weigh your hand down.  The work is beautiful and intricate, albeit a bit impractical.  The artist was in his small workshop off to the side while people walked in and out to get a good look at his displays.  This was the most interesting and unique place I found in Florence for sure.  The whole surrounding area was actually really nice and quiet, filled with galleries and workshops.