I Heart NY!

This week I was in NY and stayed with one of my greatest friends Laura. It was a weekend of shopping, eating and yes, learning!

We went on two tours (I am not a huge fan of tours I must say, but these were both really good). The first was a food event. We went from place to place tasting foods from the different restaurants on the list. If you want amazing Indian street food, and you aren't in India or London, check out Aamchi Pao. Between restaurants we got a little lesson in the history and culture of the Central and West Village. Did you know that the Central Village (new area being coined...its just next to West Village but to the east) was once a ghetto where people lived who were escaping slavery and finding a home as a new immigrant? Today its one of the most desirable areas in NY to live.

The second tour was at the Tenement Museum in the Lower East Side. A tenement is basically co-op or shared apartments. Back in the 1850's tenements where built with no electricity, no running water and housed many people in one small space. The tenement still had the original architecture, ceilings, floors, etc. It was so cool to hear the stories the museum uncovered about the families who lived in those homes. Mostly immigrants - Jews, Irish, Italians inhabited the tenements as they came to NY looking for work and a new life.

The garmet industry was born out of the Lower East side as many of the immigrants took up this trade. Women were especially important as they made the clothing and in fact made a decent wage at $20- 30 a month.

In the 1800's about 80% of the NY population were immigrants, and when Ellis Island officially opened as a port of immigration in 1892, 450,000 people entered that year. Over the 1900's millions of immigrants came to NY. I am grateful for my immigrant family who made it to the Island and started a life in NY.

Its no wonder there is so much soul and passion running through the veins of New Yorkers!

A Different World in Morocco

Visiting Morocco was not only my first time to Morocco, but also my first time to the continent of Africa! I was so excited to explore this new place and it was one of my favorite trips in a while because it was totally different. I only spent time in Marrakesh and hiking up the gorgeous Atlas Mountains, and know there is so much more to see.

When I arrived, I was dropped off literally in the middle of the bustling street markets in Marrakesh. Donkeys were pulling pallets full of bananas and mint, guys on scooters were wizzzing by and the noise from the chatter was distracting. I made a left and then a right into a small street and then it was silent. We knocked on a wide and short black door and we entered an oasis. It was our Riad (hotel). There are hundreds of Riads, this is definitely the way to stay!
As you enter, you must duck because the doors are short. But then once you are inside its magical. Most Riads are set up with the rooms along the outside and the middle area open with a pool and big chairs to lounge in. The architecture in teh Riad and everywhere in Marrakesh was amazing. Every detail of every shape and color was true to the typical Moroccan style. And most of it was original. Hundreds of years old.

If you have visited Morocco before you know the food is to die for. I mostly ate in the Riads, its like getting a home cooked meal. Plus food in restaurants wasn't as good as the Riad and there are only tourists because locals either go to a locals only spot or they cook at home. The tagine (meat slowly cooked in a clay tent looking pot) and the salads (cooked vegetables with spices) were so delicious. The famous 28 spices is made with many of the foods and its really inexpensive to get at the local market and take home with you. I lived on this for 5 days and could eat more!

The street markets were a maze of foods, clothes and hand made leather. Everyone approaches you so be aware but not scared, they just want to sell you their goods.

The most striking part of my visit was the way people live (at least in the small areas I was in). Its so raw. People are literally cutting meat and hanging it right there. They are carving wood and leather right there. They are arguing on the streets because there is no other place to do it.

The other facet of Moroccan life which is hard not to notice, muslim religion is ingrained in everything. The women are fully covered up. Yes, in 100 degree weather they are wearing black burkas. The call for prayer goes off at 5:00 am (loud horn and call with speakers from the mosques). If you stay remotely near a mosque be prepared to be woken up. If you are not muslim, which I am not, its totally annoying! And finally, women are not allowed to do many of the things men are. Some people have told me Morocco is very moderized in its thinking, however I disagree. Until women have the same freedoms as men in this country, to me they are still light years behind their true potential.

My time in Morocco was fun and eye opening. I am hoping to explore more of Morocco and Africa soon.

Excitement in Edinburgh

I usually try to avoid weddings like the plague since I inevitably am placed at the table with random people who want to tell me their life story between drinks and the first course. To top it off I am always forced to par-take in the infomous bouquet throwing...I never catch it, I try to avoid it and guess what, I am not superstitious. When one of my best friends, Kate invited me to her wedding, I was instantly honored and so excited, however did have a flash of a bad wedding scenario. Before I even asked she said, there will only be 14 people there. Whew!

Kate and Scott, two of my favorite people, couldn't have planned a more perfect wedding. It took place at the Prestonfield Hotel in Edinburgh, Scotland. The estate was an old manor house which had 10 rooms, massive vaulted ceilings with thick dark drapery everywhere and peacocks frolicking the compound. It felt like old Scotland should feel.

One of my favorite parts of the wedding day was getting ready. The girls all woke up at 7am to enjoy the full Scottish breakfast. It was so peaceful and grand and yummy! Then about 8:30, the boys woke up....and all silence ceased. We headed for the suite to get ready, do hair & make up, make sure the flowers arrived and smiled for the photographers who probably took 1,000 of the 3,000 photos just of us hanging out in the suite pre-wedding.

The vows took exactly 12 minutes and the signing of the documents 4 (I know because I taped it with Scott's camera...hope it turned out ok!). The photos of Kate and Scott after the wedding were magnificent. It was slightly dewy which made for some cool shots.
As we sat down for dinner in anticipation, I was blown away at how yummy the food was. I could have eaten 5 plates of the first course which was so carefully crafted. After stuffing the apple tart in my second stomache, thank goodness Kate suggested changing into our comfortable clothes, aka sweats!

After dinner, there was more lounging and eating/drinking available in this cool room where everyone could hang out on the leather couches with antler arm rests.

And then, there was a challenge! Kate's sister's husband wanted to play croquet. I have never played before but was challenged by Luke saying "women can't play croquet!" Oh really Luke?! We headed outside with 4 balls and 4 mallots and wickets (the little wirey things you hit the ball through). It felt a little like playing mini golf. Anyway, I proceeded to kick Luke's a** after what was one of the most frustrating but funny hours that day. Sorry Luke, you may need to line it up better next time :)

After my victory, I was surprisingly hungry again. The towering cake of profiteroles was screaming my name. Scott ate the top one, so figured I could dig in after that. 20 profiterols later, I was begging Scott to get me away from the table. I could have easily stopped at 3 but why deprive myself was my thought.

All in all it was one of the best weddings ever! Thanks Kate and Scott for inviting me to your special day. I hope you have fun in South Africa on your honeymoon!

Back to Barcelona

If you are as lucky as me to have a fabulous friend (Emma!) in Barcelona, you would go back to Barcelona too! This time around, I wanted to do all of the touristy things. Emma and I set on foot with our cameras to see all of the Gaudí art and architecture. In a day we managed to see Casa Milà, Sagrada Família and Park Güell.

At night we went to Emma's friend house, outside of Barcelona and only a few blocks from the beach. They just bought the place and it was amazing! I was an old spanish style house with an open courtyard as you walked through the large green unassuming door off a small street. We ate tons of tapas in the courtyard looking at the stars. It couldn't have been more perfect.

Full from the tapas the night before, the next day we went to the beach and soaked up the sun. We arrived to a sea of umbrellas and glistening water. I heart Barcelona!

Twitter Info Leaked

The leak and then distribution of Twitter's information is absolutely unethical! Financial projections, meeting notes, financials terms of partner agreements have been distributed by many journalists and newspapers. This information is confidential and shouldn't be seen by the public unless Twitter publishes it. If journalists think this is just news, then I ask them, do you want your private life, conversations with your family and future plans published for all to see? I didn't think so.

National British Museum

Today was my first time visiting the National British Museum in London and all I have to say is, wow! The museum houses a comprehensive collection of original Grecian and Egyptian art and artifacts. There is so much to see and the pieces from Greece and Egypt are absolutely massive. The quality of preservation was perfection.
I wandered in a room that looked like a really old library which had books, pottery and artifacts from different centuries, floor to ceiling. There is a special exhibit going on until August 23rd - Garden and Cosmos: The Royal Paintings of Jodhpur, which is a royal collection of art from India.

The great thing about museums is the ability to see amazing historical pieces and be more educated than when you walked in. I started thinking of a couple of things while strolling by sculptures from the Parthenon...

How long did it take all of the men, women and children to create the tombs, tubs, sculptures, and inscriptions? A life time for some.

And the second, who should own all of these pieces? Much of the Grecian and Egyptian art was stolen by the British. Half the Parthenon is in the middle of London! While its very cool to see, and free to the public, should some of the pieces be returned to the original creators? Or has enough time passed by that the stolen items become owned by the thief? The other way to think about it could be the discovery and deciphering of the Rosetta Stone opened what could have been a lost art. Does stealing art and then saving it justify ownership?

The King of Pop

Today, Michael Jackson passed away. Its a very surreal feeling as he was an icon and a huge contributor to music and the world. Of the few records I had as a child, Thriller and Bad were in my collection. While the last several years proved to be tumultuous for Michael Jackson, we will never truly understand what it was like to be in his shoes. In my eyes, he will always be the King of Pop!

iGoogle goes to the artists!

The world is now personalized, and moving further in this direction with 'i' at the center of everything. iGoogle (personalized web page) hosted a contest, asking students to submit themes, using photography. The digital photography art will go into the library of personalized iGoogle page themes. The result was 3,000+ entries from 80 different countries.

I attended the event last night at the amazing Saatchi Gallery in London, where the winner was announced, Daniel Halasz from Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest. The panel of judges also chose a special winner, Aliyah Hussain from Manchester Metropolitan University. All of the finalist entries were very cool.

We also got a personalized tour of the collections at the gallery which are hand picked by Saatchi and his curators. The philosophy of the Saatchi gallery is to host pieces created by artists that would rarely have the opportunity to show their work in a this forum. The gallery gives a voice to the youth, women, unknown and international artists.

I'm a huge fan now and very inspired!

Going Mobile - HTC Hero Launch Event

Occasionally I get to bask in the benefits of working for a cool company...most days its just regular old hard work.

This morning I attended the product launch event for the HTC Hero mobile phone. As the room filled up it was exactly like the movies or TV...lots of camera people jocking for their spot, journalists with their microphones ready to pounce the CEO and everyone with their laptop and mobile phones out taking pictures and shooting video they were instantly uploading and sending back to the home base.

For me, it was exciting because in a time when we are all just sick of the flat-lined economy, there are still companies innovating (if you look closely there actually are many from small start ups to the beloved apple).

The phone is launching in Europe first, which is rare as many products make their debut in the US.

All in all, a very exciting morning!

Modern Madrid

One of my favorite European countries is Spain. The history, heritage and traditions of Spain are fascinating and always continues to intrigue me. Madrid is a magical city that is developing into a modern metropolis, offering an amazing lifestyle, new and old art to enjoy and a diverse crowd. When I arrived in Madrid I got an instant feeling of happiness (maybe it was the cloudless sky and warm sunny rays) and the need to explore.

For those of you who know Spain well, you know that eating tapas, going to the Reina Sofia museum to see the Guernica, one of Picasso's most moving and well known pieces, watching or going Flamenco dancing and enjoying the warm nights with no worry of bringing a jacket, are the staple activities when in Madrid.

If you are able to stay in an apartment (hotels are nice, however with Madrid being business and art/design hub it can get pricey) I do recommend staying in the city center. It feels very much like SoHo in New York. Its super trendy with small side street packed full of shops and cafes. It has amazing tapas bars and new modern restaurants that stay full long into the night. And in the summer there are always shows or music in the plazas.

One of the things I try to do more of when I travel is stay on my work out schedule. I know it sounds sort of boring but it keeps me energized. I found a nice indoor/outdoor pool (which, in a city, far from the beach, is popular) and was able to get a nice swim in and then lay out and enjoy the sun.

Happy travels!

San Sebastian, Spain

I was recently in Spain with one of my best friends Lani, and a colleague/friend Robin. We had an amazing time, I can't wait for our next trip.

Lani and I stayed an extra day in Bilbao, a very cool city. We ate on a roof terrace for breakfast and soaked in the amazing views in front of the Guggenheim.

My friend Laura asked me to do a travel review for her blog 'Laura Reviews'. Check it out!

http://laurareviews.blogspot.com/2009/05/elisa-reviews-san-sebastian-spain.html

Dubai

When I arrived in Dubai I was interested to understand what all the hype was about. The reason for my trip was to visit one of my best friends who moved there last summer for work. I have read and heard many things about Dubai, everything from its grand luxury hotels and palm shaped island to its swift economic decline.

There was really two sides of my trip, the amazing time I spent with my friends & being lucky enough to be taken to all of the nice places, and then seeing/hearing the realities of the land.

Everywhere you go the sweet smell of shisha will lure you in and the mint lemonade is perfect on a warm day sitting outside under an umbrella. We spent much of our time at nice outdoor seating areas soaking up the sun, eating at cool restaurants and of course checking out the local souks and shopping malls. My friend's pad is super chic with an infinity pool over looking the river which is next to the beach. It was like staying at a 5 star hotel! One of the nights we went to feast in the middle of the desert, literally...I think we drove 45 minutes. It was like in the movies where you make a right turn and all you can see is sand for miles and dust behind you. We were greeted with a walkway of carpets on the sand and a little souk. As we walked in, there was a huge area filled with tables with over-sized pillows and grills filled with all the food you could possibly think about eating.

But dont get on your magic carpet just yet. Despite the luxury of Dubai, if you take a closer look, the corrupt mentality (speaking about the government but individuals are playing a part too) may just overwhelm you.
Freedom of speech, a right us Americans have come to know and love... In Dubai, there is no free speech, none, its illegal. There are no worker's rights, no standards of healthcare or acceptance for all people. Labor workers who come to Dubai have their passports taken from them so they are unable to leave for 2 years. The people who have built the city risk their lives and go with little pay and no benefits. The list goes on.

I began to think of all the horrible things people have done to other people through out history and the atrocities which happen every day.
In many countries the reality of harsh work conditions, unequal rights and lands over taken by poverty is an epidemic. Have people learned nothing?

On the surface, Dubai is a place you can enjoy, however the unauthentic feel wont really fill you up. I prefer the real thing.

Thanks again to my wonderful friends who are so generous and lovely!

My Next Trip...

Thank you for voting in the travel poll. The winner is Brazil. I will likely be going to Brazil in January next summer as part of a samba dance group...stay tuned! My next stop is Dubai.

Munich

The best thing about having great friends in Europe, is going to visit them when they dont live a tube stop away anymore. My friend Emma and I easyjetted our way to Munich to visit Nuria, an accomplished PhD, and who just so happened to learn German in, hum, about a minute. (Emma also just finished her PhD so it was a perfect time to celebrate!) I think they say one should hang out with people smarter and wiser than you, and you will become smarter and wiser. Wonder if any of it rubbed off on me...no PhD in my future though :)

Munich is a very nice city with restored historic Bavarian buildings, beer gardens that serve sausage with fries and pretzels...? but somehow the combo works, open street markets and of course night life with some interesting dance expression. If you see someone jumping up and down, twirling and shaking their body as if they are having an out of body experience, don't be alarmed, they are just dancing. Sorry to my German friends, but I just call it like I see it.

Fun times and good laughs, thats what its all about! Gracias Nuria y Emma!

Migrate South...well at least for a week

After one of the coldest and snowiest winters hit London, this California girl needed to head south for some sun! I arrived in Buenos Aires, Argentina gitty with excitement to soak in the sun, eat the oh so famous Argentinian beef and chill with some friends. It just so happened a friend and her bf who were on there way north, with there massive backpacks, were still in BA. We had some good times going to the Palermo market, eating yummy food including empanadas(and super cheap - 5 Pesos to 1 GBP right now), and boating around Tigre. Thanks for the Nesquick chocolate drink...dont think I had one in years.
Polo is a huge sport in Argentina (doesn't surpass soccer of course). While its off season at the moment, I was able to see a practice game at Campo Argentino de Polo de Palermo which was around the corner from where I was staying in Las Canitas.
I met some friendly and amazingly nice people who made my visit that much more fun. The thing I loved about BA is the open airiness about it. I also practiced my Spanish and was surprised at how quickly I was picking it up.
If you haven't been to Argentina, book your next vaca there. You wont be disappointed!

Snowed in!

You would think I was living in NY right about now... nope, still in London. Last night more snow fell to name this day the heaviest snowfall in the last 20 years. Trains, planes, and buses have stopped. The city is...well, quiet. I woke up this morning at 6:30am to go to the gym, which I did :) and the most amazing thing was how peaceful the city felt. No cars, no noise, just white fluffy powder everywhere. And unlike NY, there aren't snow trucks shoveling the snow to make way for the hustle and bustle to continue, just store owners with brooms sweeping the snow from their doorways and foot traffic to clear the sidewalks.
I foresee a slushy mess tomorrow, but for now as I sit by the window, watching the snow falling and the roof deck covered with over a foot of snow, its still.

Girls Night Out

Drunken nights, laughing 'til it hurts and more sex talk than one can bare...yup its girls night out! The old crew got together to reminisce good times and get the scoop on what's new. Girls night out is a bit like Vegas...what happens on girls night, stays in girls night. With the two of us being mommies (nope, not me silly, but Ana and Amy) we didn't get too crazy....or at least as crazy as we once did (that's where the reminiscing of stories comes in).

Thanks for a super fun time ladies! Miss you and cant wait to see you soon!

Happy Hannukah!

To celebrate not only the first night of Hannukah, but her 85th birthday, my grandma flew all of the way from Florida to SF to cook a yummy dinner fit for any exiled Jew crossing the desert. You cant get her matza ball soup anywhere!

To make the holidays even more hectic, we also celebrated Shaheen's (my sister's new bf) birthday in SF and my grandma was able to attend. We have so much to be thankful for this year and mine was being able to see my grandma.

Mazel Tov!

A Christmas Story

I was very much looking forward to joining Kerem for his annual Christmas party, with the infamous signature drinks and story telling. Kerem and the whole crew from work made me feel right at home as we ate and drank the night away. With many backgrounds represented there were Christmas stories told from remembered childhoods and we were even lucky enough to witness Kerem's can-can dancing to "Santa Baby". Thank you for a super fun night and a must-attend for next year!