Centre du Georges Pompidou. Night time museum jaunt. #paris #pariswalk #thelovelist
Napoleon’s Grand Salon. #louvre #pariswalk #paris #thelovelist
Sunday afternoon at the Louvre #paris #pariswalk #thelovelist
I’m in PARIS! Yay! Many adventures to be had and guess what? You’ll get to see the majority of my pics right here on my blog. Later today – it’s 5 am right now – I’ll be meeting the illustrator of #thelovelist for the very first time! Whoohoo 🙂
Here is a pic from my walk yesterday right by the Louvre. So pretty.
Stay tuned…
ELENA:)
Just a stroll by the louvre #paris #pariswalk
Louvre from the outside looking in. #paris #pariswalk
Traffic jam #Paris
Book launch party ready #thelovelist @theexperienceevents @maisonvalentino (at Shangri la vancouver )
I have been coveting the latest Stephanie themed Lanvin necklaces. Sure there is the obvious ‘Happy’ and ‘Love’ but there is something about ‘Beyond’ that speaks to something unexpected. And honestly, do you really want a cry for ‘Help’ to be around your neck?
ELENA:)
Day Five: Ski Dubai!
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Day Four: Abu Dhabi Road Trip. Mosque and Emirates Palace
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Day Three: Spice Souks and Desert Excursions
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Good morning!
ELENA:)
Day One:
Dubai Mall and Spa Treatment at the Palms.
ELENA:)
The day started with chocolate croissants. Yummy.
I like how after 5 or 6 years, some things don’t change. Case in point, the oldest shop in Barcelona, Cereria Subira is still there. It’s a candle shop (a little boring) – but the candles are amazing. Quebo… the fantastic sandwich place – not there…. now is some deadbeat corner store. Oh well.
Gaudi filled the rest of the afternoon, La Pedrera and Casa Batllo (one of my favourite buildings in the whole world!).
Chocolate break at Cacao Sampaka (Thanks Sara!)
And yes, FC Barcelona lost to Real Madrid and couldn’t get reservations for Dos Pallilos – so we checked out this other restaurant called Komomoto Taberna Japonesa Peruana instead, it had great lychee + cava drinks. So wonderful.
ELENA:)
Barcelona Day 0:
Got in after a long flight from London on British Airways. Watched The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Twilight Breaking Dawn: Part One. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo… was so graphic (yikes!) but i can see why Rooney Mara ended up with an Oscar nod.
Wanted to go to Dos Palillos but it was too busy… settled on late night flat bread pizza and wine.
This picture was something we found in a dark alley.
ELENA:)
Let’s talk about Boston and how great it is… the city is amazing. It’s pretty humid now. I have a new job that took me to Boston for a conference. My new work BFF and i decided to be roomies at the Fairmont Copley Plaza which ended up being really fun. Unfortunately for two of the nights one of use slept on a cot because they screwed up the reservation. Oh well.
The red eye flight wasn’t bad expect i had a runny nose and i couldn’t breathe. Minor detail.
On our first day we went to Cambridge and spent some time around Harvard. Then we took the train and walked one of my favorite restaurant in Boston. The Barking Crab where I had a Lobster Roll. So fantastic.
ELENA:)
The other day i was proposed to. In a dream. With earrings. Now, the majority of ladies want a rock to go on the finger. Not me. I want engagement earrings. Preferably something that goes with everything because i will wear them all the time. So i decided to do some pre shopping. You know, see what’s out there. Here are the choices in no particular order. Surprise me.
1) Cartier: Earrings with blossom motif
2) Harry Winston: Sunflower Earstuds
4) Tiffany’s: Garden flower earrings
ELENA:)
The Brit Museum.
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Chandeliers. Can be both tacky or classy. Here is a set in Bath.
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Rosetta Stone at the Brit museum.
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Kevin thought that the cashier where we picked up to non-helpful guide of the Tower of London was cute. I think the audio guide was like 4 pounds or something like that… biggest waste of money ever.
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Horses at the tower of London.
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High Tea. Love it. Go if you can. I don’t know how we all fit on this couch… this is at Fortnum & Mason. We initially wanted to check out the Savoy, but their reservations fill up two months in advance. Crazy!
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The gates at Buckingham Palace.
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Prep for the London Olympics at St. Pancras Stn.
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The London leg of the trip started with a trip to Bath after the 8 hour plane ride. Thank goodness i was flying United, i managed to score three seats to myself. I ended up half sleeping half writing this confession email to someone. Not good.
We stayed at the Halcyon Hotel which was perfect for 2 nights as it was very close quarters. The hotel was walking distance to the train station which was very convenient. Also very convenient, the Marks & Spencer. I love going to groceries stores abroad… they always have interesting eats.
Here is a picture from the Roman Bath.
ELENA:)
I love Chicago. Chicago is like the cousin of NYC. You can walk around. Not get lost. People are friendly. Interesting architecture (Frank Loyd Wright) and great food. Last spring, I went with a bunch of guys. But this time it was all about doing things i wanted to do.
Where did i stay? The Trump Tower. Yup. I have a letter from Donald himself. OK, so it might be a form letter… but i don’t care. The room was incredible and it was the size of people’s condos in Vancouver (600 sq ft) complete with a kitchen and a TV in the bathroom mirror (fantastic).
My first nights’ dinner was at Graham Elliot. So fantastic. I need to go back and try the tasting menu for sure. The popcorn sample at the beginning of the meal was so scrumptous i think that i totally ate our tables’ portion. I think that i had the crab cake. It was amazing. Bravo.
The next few days were spent eating (some more) a lot of drinking and shopping. I heart Potbelly’s sandwiches and WowBao’s hot Asian buns. They definitely take the fast casual (someone taught this terminology and I’m giving you credit) to another level. My favorite breakfast in Chicago has to be at the Old Fashioned Pancake House. The sweet pecan pancakes are spectaular. I totally recommend it.
Enough about food, more importantly I got to test out my shopping skills on a coworker. Although she wears scrubs most of the time, she managed to pick up a few things to enhance her wardrobe at JCrew (I love JCrew!) . It’s tragic that she can’t wear normal street clothes more often, she has the body type that 90% of girls would kill for. Not only does she have a great body, but she is the sweetest resident ever so you can’t even secretly hate her!
Of course, bought a few things from Anthropologie. A long blue dress, a pair of jeans and this cute equestrian hip bag thing. I can’t wait until they open here. Maybe I’ll apply for a job.
I fell in love with these butterscotch patent leather pumps (Prada) at Nordstrom’s, but a lady bought my size and they were sold out nationwide. They are the perfect height and shade. I looked everywhere for them, but there was none to be found. (A little update is that i found them online and they are making their way to Vancouver shortly. Thanks Neiman Marcus!)
One night after dinner we all went bowling (10Pin Chicago) which was interesting to see who was a closet bowler. I believe we actually got flashed at one point.
On Friday night after this wrap up dinner, we checked out the Crimson Lounge, where we found out that not everyone knows how to play spin the bottle. After the lounge we found our way Mother Hubbard’s where we made nice with a guy named John who claimed he was moving from San Fransisco but he had a Midwest accent. I don’t know how that worked out. But he managed to get us inside and bought us a round of shots. Which was not a good idea considering i needed to be sober enough to catch a flight to London later that afternoon.
Next up… why Elena should not drink alcohol and text/email.
ELENA:)
Birthday plans… I turn 30 on the 29th of January. Last year was my “champagne” birthday and it was in a penthouse at the Loden. Cool party. But this year, i am thinking something a bit bigger. Check out this hotel called the Keefer.
ELENA:)
TOP 5 Things I learned on my trip…
1) Learn something new. Sounds simple? It is, but really travelling to a whole new country gives you ample opportunities to try something completely different. Learn something new and enhance your travelling experience. As much as i loved shopping, my feet needed a break. I took a short class on Ikebana (Japanese floral design) at the Ichiyo School of Ikebana in Nakano and learned about technique and function. Very interesting and fun!
ELENA:)
TOP 5 Things I learned on my trip:
2) If you like it, just buy it. Ok. There is this pair of knee high boots that my friend and I fell in love with. Sure they were $600 but they are so fantastic. Alas, they are suede. Rain and Suede do not mix. So i did the sensible thing and left them back in Tokyo. Wrong! Now, after emailing the designer – i have sourced out two people who could potentially buy the boots and ship them over. Sheesh. Should have just bought them when i had the chance.
ELENA:)
TOP 5 Things I learned on my trip…
3) Divide and conquer. I think that if you are travelling with a bunch of people or even just one other person, you should eventually part ways and do stuff on your own. It might not be all the time, but giving yourself a break from your travel partner might be healthy. You may end up fighting because you spend too much time together (it’s happened to me on previous trips). Think of the shopping ground you can cover!
ELENA:)
TOP 5 Things I Learned on My Trip:
4) Pack an extra bag. Ok, this one is kind of lame and usually i do pack a foldable extra bag in my luggage BUT this time i didn’t. The foldable bag serves as a refuge for dirty laundry and shoes at the end of the trip. Even, when you think you are not going to buy alot or whatever… you will need the extra bag. I spent a good chunk of time looking for an inexpensive bag that could serve as my carry on – i ended up using this free bag i got when i bought my swimsuit from Swimco. I fell in love with Porter (which they are selling here for more than double the price they were in Tokyo at the Block) and Sazaby bags. I should have just bought one!
ELENA:)
No matter how many times you visit a place – things can always change. Today we hit the area of Harajuku and realized that alot of the stores had either closed down or moved locations. I guess it was totally a sign of the Japanese economy. Kitson and TopShop have found their way to the streets of Tokyo – unfortunately both had a lame selection of goods. Of course we had to visit Marc by Marc Jacobs and I did contemplate purchasing a plaid scarf but I actually couldn’t justify the shopping purchase.
The day started by visiting a “donut shop” called Love Sweets Antique. The donuts were actually flavored ice cream. I ended up having a green tea cream puff instead. After purchasing a jacket at Laforet we had some ramen. Though I’m not a big fan of pork – I love noodles it filled us up so we could tackle Kiddy land, Anna Sui and Omotesando Hills.
Did you know prescription eyeglasses are cheap in Tokyo? Not designer brands but at the local eye glass shops you can buy fashionable frames, lenses and get an eye exam for less than $100. We checked out Zoft. I may have to purchase a pair.
We walked from Harajuku to Shibuya where we crossed at a famous crosswalk where you can cross diagonally. We had dinner at this super cheap/ super fast place called Pepper Lunch. You buy a ticket and then your beef meal cooks on a hot plate in 4 minutes or less. I got beef with rice and corn. So tasty.
After dinner we checked out one more department store where I found a Tsumori (local designer) wallet that may replace my old one. Can’t wait. Today we will be heading over to Shinjuku for more department store shopping…. i think that i need to buy another bag.
ELENA:)
This wonderful event seems so long ago!
ELENA:)
The first time i went to NYC, I went to the Guggenheim and there was an exhibit on paper trees made out of paper shopping bags. I was thinking about it the other day and I couldn’t remember the exact artist so i googled the topic. I found Yuken Teruya and his Notice – Forest Series. Another noted project is called Cut Up Price, where he does some interesting things will the dollar.
ELENA:)