If you don't post a pic on FB did it ever happen?

At the end of every year I set goals for myself. Milestones as well as small personal achievements populate the list. I did not create a 2013 list, and I'm not sure why. (Wait, I do. I was too busy having a good time in Vegas and New York to worry about making lists...) Instead while we were in New York over the holidays we agreed that we need to make a greater effort to travel, especially during the low season when tickets and hotels are cheapest.

The trip to New York was eventful and upon my return to Vicenza I was easily engrossed with work. A week before Martin Luther King Jr. day Ryan asked what happened to our grand plan to take advantage of the long weekends. I did some research and found a pair of cheap tickets to Barcelona. With the tickets out of the way I went apartment hunting. This site is my favorite. It is easy to navigate and the owners are responsive. Within 24 hours I found a terrific two bedroom apartment in the Born district of Barcelona. It's a trendy neighborhood with an obvious bohemian bent. Lots of narrow streets lined with tatoo parlors, bakeries and art galleries. Surprising little squares populated with seesaws and running children.

The apartment was exactly as it was advertised. A perfect, modern hide way with all the amenities we needed. A spacious fridge, large bathroom with a heated towel rack, Wifi and a huge bed. There was the issue of the fifth floor walk up, but it was quiet and peaceful up there. We even had a second bedroom, but the apartment wasn't quite big enough for us and another person.

We immediately spotted Mosquito on our first venture around the neighborhood. I love Asian food but, most of the time I think Vietnamese is my favorite, but don't hold me to that. The shrimp dumplings at Mosquito were delightful. Robust flavor and good construction do a good dumpling make! The beef Pho is also another treasure. A complex broth with tender beef served with a plate of Pho fixins: cilantro, basil, bean sprouts and a few scary slices of chili peppers.

There were a few other restaurant visits on this trip, but it is easy to say this was the most memorable. 

Upon my return one of my friends asked if I took pictures of anything else besides food. I did but, I didn't post them on Face Book. Which leads to an interesting question: If you don't post a picture on Face Book did it really happen?

Two weeks of mostly eating

I am back after two exciting weeks of mostly eating in the States.  It was actually a little over two weeks but, I am the only one counting. They were exciting weeks because Christmas eve, Christmas Day, a trip to Vegas, my birthday, New Year's Eve and New Year's day were included in the trip.

This was my first Christmas at home with family since I moved to Vicenza in 2010. It was the longest time I spent in the States since then. Not much has changed. What has changed is my awareness of the diversity of the people, places and things to do. I could go on here for hundreds of words detailing my first visit to Italy in 1993 as part of my college's undergraduate program, and how that semester abroad radically changed the course of my life, but I won't. I will say that I have been fascinated with Italy and Italians for as long as I can remember. At times the intensity recedes about the country and it's people, but it always returns.

All that being said, living here can be a hassle for a few key reasons that were highlighted after a brief jaunt to my NYC hometown. First things first: food.

As we drove past Red Lobster I stared longingly out the window, and said, "Wow, Red Lobster! Sure wish I could go there..." My dad chuckled,"If you want we can stop at Red Lobster for dinner?" My response: " I wish! It's 5:30 pm. No restaurants are open at this hour." My dad looked at me as if I had gone mad. Of course it was open and crowded. There was a 15 minute wait to be seated. Eating at restaurant anytime, day or night, that you want. One of the many things American city dwellers take for granted. In Italy most restaurants and shops close from 2 pm to 4 pm for reposo. Gives them enough time to eat and take a nap in the middle of the day. I forgot Americans do not indulge in the ubiquitous Italian practice.

Another change I noticed at home was how nice everyone is. New Yorkers are infamously rude and mean. I think we earned this back in the bad old days of the 1970s and 1980s when New York was sort of a scary place. Things began to change in the 1990s and the people of my hometown have grown to be much nicer. For the most part strangers were super nice and curious about me. The curious part was a little of a surprise. Everyone assumed I was from somewhere else.

Perhaps it was my wide-eyed expression when I walked into the new Joe Fresh store on on Fifth Ave. Or my confusion about when I would receive the $5 coupon I would earn if I signed up for a Duane Reade card. Upon bumping into my former boss from Deutsche Bank outside of Lord & Taylor she hugged me and remarked that I looked very foreign. The irony of her comment is that I was not wearing the fancy little Italian coat I bought in Vicenza. Instead I was wearing an old coat I bought at Macy's years ago but, it had a hood and it was freezing in New York so  I wore it.

The trip to Vegas was much tamer than in the past, but much more rewarding visiting with Ryan, a Vegas virgin who fell in love with the place with the same intensity I did my first.