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Home » Travel travel_eats » flea market in Warsaw

flea market in Warsaw

by Allison on June 17, 2011 in Travel, travel_eats · 18 comments

flea market

Flea markets really don’t exist in Utah.  We have a plethora of enormous thrift stores {my favorites are Deseret Industries and Savers}, and we have crappy yard sales aplenty, but no flea markets.  So when we got to Warsaw and I read about this enormous flea market every Saturday and Sunday on the outskirts of the city, I was determined to go.

vintage typewriter

Viktor really hates stuff like this, so it took some, uh, convincing.  We even delayed our trip to Krakow by a day so I could go check out the goods.

On a sleepy Sunday we took the tram to a really sketchy area of Warsaw {the East side, which looked like the projects in N.Y.C.} and all of a sudden, there it was.  Striped tents, Gypsies, and accordion playing Russians.

russian

Viktor was astonished.

flea markets

fur hat

And 2.2 seconds in, we realized we should all stop speaking English immediately.  In all honesty, the only time Viktor spoke English was inside our apartment, and even then very grudgingly.  But between the Gypsies, the Russians, and the accordion playing Polskies, we figured it would be best for all English-speaking members of our family to close their mouths.  *Ahem*.

If there was something I was really interested in I would give Viktor a significant look and keep walking.  We did this all the way around the square and then Viktor would go back and inquire about prices in Russian or Polish, depending what the circumstance required.

flea market

There an really *ugly American* woman trying to dicker over prices using Euros, speaking English. Poland is on the Zwoty z?oty not the Euro, and the Euro is worth a lot more than the American dollar right now.  P.S. not one of the shopkeepers spoke a word of English.  You should have seen the shop sellers; they were flocking like vultures to this dingdong, fighting over who got to swindle her.  We tried to be a little more discreet.

In all honesty everything was really expensive, and I wasn’t super comfortable dickering over prices.  This is not usually a problem for me, I mean, I feel ripped off at D.I. if I spend more than $8 on a glass pitcher, but I was totally out of my element.

furniture

vintage dishes

I didn’t know what should cost what.  I mean, a full Russian spacesuit?  How much do those go for these days?  The individual rolls of toilet paper the Gypsies were selling?  I don’t know.  Charmin’s about a dollar a roll, right?  What about a Nazi license plate?  A German gun circa 1939?  A WWII Soviet helmet?

gypsies

I really wanted to buy up all the WWII stuff, but we were a little, uh, worried about bringing that stuff back through customs.

furs

What really floored me was all the furs the Russians brought in.  I was totally 100% overwhelmed by all the fur.  Who sees fur around anymore?  Aside from my grandmother’s closet from the 1930′s, I haven’t seen fur in YEARS.

When we got home and I told my friend Carina about stall after stall of fur hats, coats, gloves, vests, and mink stoles, she almost strangled me {no really, physically strangled me} for not buying anything.  But really, when am I going to wear fur Carina?  To the grocery store on Saturday?  Truly, I was pretty convinced I couldn’t get it through customs on the way back into L.A. so I didn’t even look at any of it.

candleabras

In the end all we bought was some Russian dominoes for Charming and a TAG Heuer stopwatch for Viktor {he’s obsessed with all things TAG}.

But the smells, the memories, the accordion playing Russians?  Those were free, and the memories will last a lifetime.

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Home » Travel travel_eats » trying oysters for the first time

trying oysters for the first time

by Allison on February 4, 2011 in Travel, travel_eats · 41 comments

I’m still going to tell you all about the Jennifer Garner event in L.A. from a few weeks back, but first, I have a story to tell.  *SIGH*

raw oysters

After the event we went back to the hotel {The W in Hollywood} to grab a bite of dinner in the hotel restaurant with my friend Jyl Pattee and and her family.  It was a pretty swanky, expensive place filled to bursting with Hollywood types; socialites, movie producers, Hollywood housewives.

We were eating along, just having normal food and fun conversation when Jyl suggested we try the oysters.  I mean, we were in California, right by the ocean, so it’s not like they could be that bad right?

raw oyster

Preocious was game, naturally.  She’ll eat anything once.  I decided if my 11-year-old could eat oysters without complaining, they couldn’t be so bad.

Right?  Riiiiiiight?

Precocious slurped hers down, said they weren’t too bad and that I needed to cowboy up and try one.

nervous

Deer in headlights?  Yep.

scared

I had to psych myself up.  “You can do it!  You’ve had PICC lines, and three knee surgeries, and delivered two babies, you can do it!”

eyes

It was when Jyl told me to grab on with my teeth and tug that I started feeling really queasy.  Sick to my stomach.

disgusting

The texture.  Oh the texture!  Oh, oy, um.  I just.  I can’t.  I can’t tell you.

puking

Once my mouth was filled with slime and seawater I had to swallow, but man, it was terrible.  If I’d been at home I would have made a run for the kitchen sink, but I was trying to be a rational human being.  Brave, mature.

puke

And then I started dry heaving.

napkin

And acting like Tom Hanks on Big.  You know where he tastes Caviar and wipes his tongue on the napkin?

gross

It was all very civilized, ladylike, grown up.

This is me trying to be mature and try new things, be adventurous, not sit on the sidelines and watch people.

My motto for 2011 is: Do Hard Things.

I know trying oysters for the first time isn’t like my ancestors who, you know, walked across the frozen plains of America with bare bleeding feet, but man.

Oh boy.

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Home » Travel travel_eats » Where to Eat in Park City.

Where to Eat in Park City.

by Allison on September 24, 2010 in Travel, travel_eats · 10 comments

tomato soup

I know I got sidetracked by life for a little while.  Hijacked is more accurate.  But I’m back, and I want to finish out the Park City series.  I started out with a post about where to stay in Park City on vacation, and I have two more in me.  This one on where to eat while you’re there, at least if you stay at The Canyons, and what to do in Park City.  Besides ski.

So.  Where were we?  If you stay in Park City, The Canyons has got your back.  Yes, that.  And, they totally have delicious food to boot.  The second day there Viktor hauled me out of bed to head up the mountain on a gondola ride and have lunch midway up the mountain at Red Pine Lodge.

No judging.  I was tired from all the New York nonsense.  If he hadn’t woken me up it would have been dinnertime before I found the light.

cranberry chicken salad

Red Pine served us some extremely delicious tomato bisque soup ever {me}, a chicken salad for Viktor, and, wait for it….the best Tiramisu I’ve ever eaten in my life.  Ever.  I’m no stranger to a good dessert; I ate two of these babies at EVO in one sitting, but the third piece tasted just as delicious as the first.

coffee dessert

Great, now I’m hungry.

Later that night, after the kids returned from their first foray into Kids Camp at a resort {it wasn’t terrible, it included: swimming, golf, a trip to a park, arts & crafts, and a catered lunch from the hotel chef. stinkers} we got fancy and headed to Spruce Park City, the restaurant inside the Waldorf Astoria on The Canyons property.

spruce park city

waldorf astoria park city

It’s fancy there.  The kids were warned to within an inch of their lives to behave, and of course, Charming took issue with that, as six-year-old boys are wont to do.

kids in a fancy restaurant

Precocious was a little more relenting.  She usually is.

tired children

It’s not news that the food at Spruce was ridiculous.  They introduced me to the Watermelon Salad that changed my life.

watermelon salad

The sparkling water and lime wedges were perfection.

sparkling water with lime

The beignets? Don’t even get me started.  I shoved my own children aside so I could pop most of those in my mouth before they could get their dirty paws all over them.

beignets with cream

And? I dipped straight into those pots of sugary, creamy confections.  Sue me.

failed family portraits

We even tried to take a family portrait for Christmas cards. Fail.  As are many of our family portrait sessions.  Total fail.  My kids don’t care if it’s low-light, half-light, moonlight, midnight.  Jerks.

This is where I neglect to make a proper segue into the next meal, the one that sort of blew my mind.

Our last night in Park City we headed to Talisker’s Outpost.  Talisker is a private club at Deer Valley, a members opt-in sort of thing for the very rich.  The very, very rich.  Out on the back side of the mountain of Deer Valley is a little outpost for Talisker members to go experience the outdoors in a controlled, luxurious way.

talisker's outpost

Did you ever watch Gilmore GirlsI’m a little obsessed with it.  Maybe it’s my prep-school upbringing, but there’s something to the brilliance and spot-on capture of prep-school girls at Chilton that makes me completely happy.  Anyhow.  When Rory goes to Yale she joins a super exclusive group, The Life and Death Brigade where they go “camping” in the outdoors, pull all kinds of stunts, sleep in tents and wear luxury gowns to evening dinners with champagne.

cowboy hat

Talisker reminded me of that.  They provided horseback riding, archery for the kids, horseshoe, a campfire dinner cooked by a chef, s’mores by the fire, and cowboy poetry.  It was completely amazing, even if it isn’t totally up my alley.  In fact, if I hadn’t grown up with a cowboy father and own a horse myself, I probably would have been completely swept off my feet.  Everyone else was.

park city

The food was delicious, and the service was completely 5-star.

chicken skewer

s'mores kit

kids' archery

And now Charming knows how to wield a mighty bow and arrow.

archery for kids

Win.


This is part two in a series of three about our most recent family vacation to The Canyons in Park City, Utah.  We were guests of The Canyons for our vacation, and I’ll love them until forever.

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hyatt resort huntington beach.

by Allison August 4, 2009hotels

We travel to Southern California on a regular basis and Huntington Beach is my absolute favorite. The actual beach, I mean. I went as a little kid with my family and have glowy, sunny, happy memories of watching professional surfers and thinking incredulously “they get paid to play in the ocean all day?” Fast forward [...]

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7 tips for your vacation diet.

by Allison June 21, 2009Travel
grill chicken breast

So I went on vacation. And gained at least eight pounds, of the non-muscle variety. I’ve made a lovely little list for you so you too can gain a full pant size while on your own summer vacation. 1. The first chance you get, find a Trader Joe’s and head to the frozen aisle. That [...]

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eat at the blue lemon bistro.

by Allison March 24, 2009Travel

One of the perks of blogging {no, not the explaining to everyone I know what I do and getting blank stares in return} is getting invited to cool stuff. I feel like actual press. And guess what, actual press? life’s a little more cozy where they live. Backstage passes, premieres, restaurant openings. You know, business [...]

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road trip.

by Allison December 31, 2007Family

This set is perfect for the family road trip on whichwe are about to embark.Enough pieces to cover all yourfeeding/drinking/storingneeds. {delight.com}$25. var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www."); document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E")); var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-3347741-1"); pageTracker._initData(); pageTracker._trackPageview();

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