All posts tagged: trip report

Hotel Review: Hotel G in Singapore

A review of Hotel G in Singapore:  I paid: $100 a night Hotel G location: Within walking distance of the National Museum and with easy access by bus/Uber/MRT (Bencoolen) to literally everywhere in Singapore. Hotel G vibe: Industrial-chic co-working space with tiny bedrooms Hotel G food: I got takeaway from the ground-level 25 Degrees, which offers the rare hamburger and French fries I did not enjoy. I didn’t go to the hotel’s other restaurant or bar, but I absolutely did feel underdressed when I walked through them on the way to the sidewalk. They were properly buzzing — I wish I’d made time. Hotel G amenities: There’s a gym I neither saw nor used. No pool. Free, unexceptional wifi. Use of a phone that included free calls to the US, which I used more than I thought I would—the reception was great, considerably better than what I would have gotten on Skype or a $.20-a-minute Project Fi call. The TV had HBO and all the international news channels. The room: This is a itty-bitty little …

kaysersberg

Kaysersberg: 5 Things You Need to Do in France’s Prettiest Village

Kayserberg earned a terrible claim to fame, for a reason that made headlines worldwide. God bless Anthony Bourdain, a true embodiment of the best of France (his father’s home) and his native New Jersey, with all of the passions of the former and the humor and sagacity of the latter.  Weekend destination: Kaysersberg, Alsace Why: It’s the prettiest village in France! Also, hiking.

val du marne roseraie

Paris Field Trip: Roseraie du Val-de-Marne

Destination: Roseraie du Val-de-Marne What’s happening: This is an unbelievably beautiful rose garden within easy reach of central Paris. How I got there: The stupid way. Don’t go this way. Instead of entering the garden into my phone like an adult, I instead headed for the town where it’s located: L’Haÿ-les-Roses. I took the RER B to Parc de Sceaux (well worth its own field trip). From Parc de Sceaux, I had a 20-minute walk — to the center of town. From there, realizing my error, I had another 20-minute walk to the garden itself. On the way back, I went the smart way: Bus 172 to Bourg-le-Reine RER B. That, unlike the original trip, was a snap — about 40 minutes door [of bus] to door [of my apartment].

a view of the pool at aquaboulevard

Aquaboulevard Is the Most Amazing Place in Paris

When one thinks of Paris, many things come to mind: the Eiffel Tower, croissants, the Louvre, the lovely buildings, the blossoming trees, excellent customer service. I’ll tell you what does not come to mind, unless you are a sophisticated consumer of the world’s finest indoor/outdoor water parks, and that is Aquaboulevard, delighting French children and wandering expats alike at the end of line 8.

a view of a translucent gemstone

Paris Spot: A Visit to the New Mineralogy Gallery in Paris

The Mineralogy Gallery at the National Museum of Natural History here has been closed for a millllllion years. But now, it is open, and that is amazing. I love the National Museum of Natural History above all and any others here. The Louvre? The Musee d’Orsay? Pass and pass. Whatevs! The natural history museum—hereafter referred to by its French acronym, the MNHN—is magic. Walk down the street at the right time, and you can look into its galleries from the sidewalk and see dinosaurs. Magic. And of course, the MNHN surrounds my absolute favorite place in Paris: the Jardin des Plantes. I love the Jardin des Plantes so much that I tried to find an apartment next to it—which of course was impossible, but I tried. It is the right first stop on anyone’s trip to Paris, unless that person is an ogre, or someone who objects terribly to loveliness and flowers and being happy.