TRAVEL HERE; SEASONS, THE SHOPS AT LEGACY

Concept is everything!  But if somebody doesn’t get the concept, then the restaurant is in trouble. We tried something new to us: Seasons 52. And it has a new concept.

The Season 52 Concept

I confess, I didn’t quite get the concept when my mom told me there was something new coming to The Shops at Legacy.  She’d read about it in the Dallas Morning News and whatever she said they said just didn’t stick.  The next time I went to The Shops on Legacy, I saw the sign and thought the 52 was a 32.  So basically, I was running around clueless.

Let me explain the concept to you, in case you were clueless, also.  Seasons 52’s name comes from their menu.  They have four seasonal menus and fifty-two weekly menus.  That’s seems simple enough, but between my mom and misreading the sign, I was trying to figure out which thirty-two seasonings these people put in their food.  Now that this is straightened up, let me tell you about my visit.

The Restaurant

I immediately noticed how dark colors created a warm and cozy interior for Seasons 52.  I suppose it could be a little oppressive, but a big fire was roaring and lots of people were wearing sequins, so it didn’t seem that way on my visit.  As we settled in our seats, I realized there was live music in the bar and it set just the right tone.  The booth was a little tight for four of us, but the hostess took our coats and then we were fine.

When we looked at the menu, our first surprise was reasonable prices.  Entrees start in the mid-teens.  From the location and the rich atmosphere, I was expecting it to be more expensive.  Then I turned over to the wine list and had the same pleasant surprise.  Very decent wines-by-the-glass started around $7.25 and the bottles were comparable.  Knowing we weren’t breaking the bank made the whole thing even more enjoyable.

So what did we order and how was it?  I had the lamb.  It had been ages since I’d eaten lamb and Seasons 52 didn’t disappoint.  Cooked to perfection, seasoned just right and very tender.  Yum, yum, yum.  Two folks at the table opted for trout, one of them  being my husband.  He raved throughout the meal about freshness.  That’s high praise.  After ten years in the restaurant business, he’s a tough customer.  The other member of our party had salmon.  He’s another finicky eater, but from a different standpoint.  He doesn’t like fussy food.  He just wants the basics and that’s what he got, so he was very happy, too.

So, yes you should go to Seasons 52.  It’s delish and you won’t break the bank.  Browsing the website I saw there’s one at Northpark, too.  I was embarrassed, because I’m at Northpark weekly and hadn’t noticed it, but you can bet I’ll be looking for it.  I’m Seasons 52’s newest big fan.

TRAVEL THERE: SOUTH-OF-THE-BORDER JEWEL IN THE PEARL

While researching our trip to San Antonio, two lines of interest converged – The Pearl and restaurants. I knew I wanted to experience the Pearl and since it’s a hotbed of culinary delights, it made sense for our first meal in the city to be there.

The Pearl and The Jewel

Do you know The Pearl?  It’s the premiere venue for everything San Antonio nowadays.  It used to be the old Pearl Brewery, but now it’s a complex of shops and restaurants – oh and the Culinary Institute of America (CIA).  It’s the sight of a weekly Farmer’s Market, an annual Tamale festival and more.

Along with a handful of other interesting restaurants run by budding entrepreneur chefs, the CIA runs NAO – New World Flavors.  I wouldn’t necessarily say Bill and I are foodies, that requires a lot of devotion, but I can say with confidence that we love food.  To us, eating at a restaurant run by the CIA just made sense.

We arrived in San Antonio just ahead of The Polar Express, but things were beginning to chill up nonetheless.  I’d envisioned an evening of strolling around the venue and ending up at NAO.  It was chilly enough that we made as direct a flight as we could to our restaurant of choice.

It’s not the most obvious place at The Pearl, but after a few wrong turns we scurried into the chic, upscale restaurant.  Concrete floor, minimalist tables and chairs and interesting artwork were our initial impressions.  The kitchen is wide open and patrons can see what the CIA chefs are up to.

The menu is very different.  You find familiar entrees prepared in ways you never dreamed of.  The dish at the top of this post was my dinner.  It was halibut or sea bass, but look at the flowers, the heart of palm and swanky mushrooms.  The purple stuff under the fish was potatoes.  OMG!!  Heavenly!

Bill’s choice was just as tasty.  He also chose a fish dish, but by mistake.  He read about the way the filet was to be prepared and assumed it would be beef.  He was only mildly disappointed to get fish instead and after the first bite he was thrilled with it.  The green things are soybeans, the pearls are couscous and that sauce – heavenly!

I’ve mentioned that I’ve been dieting and I’ve been very good, but there was no way NOT to have dessert at NAO. Bill even got a post-dinner cordial.  I forget all the details of the duo, but chocolate was the primary force of nature blasting away our taste-buds.  On South Beach you can have three bites of anything, so I indulged, carefully.

Obviously, I think you should go to NAO.  Bill said if we lived there we might just have dinner there every night.  That’s not to say it was the perfect dining experience.  Our waiter was inexperienced and the decor is a little chilly for our tastes, but the food?  OUT OF THIS WORLD!

I regret that our stay didn’t include Saturday. I’d have gladly gone back for the Farmer’s Market, Tamale Festival and Saturday morning brunch at NAO.

TRAVEL HERE: A LITTLE BIT OF TURKEY IN DFW

Well, Cafe Istanbul is not a turkey in the derogatory sense of the word or even in the holiday bird sense, but it is a little bit of Turkey right here in the Metroplex.  Let me tell you about our latest visit.  You may want to visit as a deviation from traditional holiday fare.

Getting Out of the House on Friday Night

Dragging Bill out into the world on a Friday night is not something I accomplish with any great regularity.  When I do, we scoot over to someplace close to the house for a quick bite, from which Bill can get home in time for his Friday night ritual – enjoying a bowl of apple tobacco in his hookah with wild Arabic music throbbing from his iPod.  The smoke irritates my lungs and even though I understand the music is sung by a virtuoso, I haven’t developed a taste for it, so I usually read or play computer games in another part the house.

But for Julie’s birthday, he roused himself from his ritual.  Julie’s in our small group from church and has us over all the time, always treating us to some delicious creation from her kitchen.  She rates with Bill.  I had no difficulty getting him away from his computer and out into the car in what we thought was plenty of time for a 6:45 appointment.

Since we don’t get out on Friday nights, we didn’t know The Shops at Legacy were such a happening place.  Oh, we knew it was happening, because we go there a lot, but not on Friday nights.  “Hah, I’m here with three minutes to spare,” Bill smirked, as we approached the corner of Legacy and Parkwood Boulevard.  The light turned red, so he made a right and snuck up a side street. (Yes, I know snuck is not proper, but sneaked just doesn’t sound right.)  Then we found chaos.

Whatever suits your culinary fancy, you can find it at The Shops at Legacy.  We’re regulars at Gordon Biersch, Taco Diner and Main Street Bakery.  When the cool nephew came in, we took him to Jaspers.  This was our first visit to Cafe Istanbul, but to get there we had to park.  Sure there’s valet, but Bill’s not about to use it, even if it meant being late.

Unlike a lot of hot spots, The Shops at Legacy have a lot of parking, but on Friday nights, I think they need to start a shuttle from Cowboy Stadium.  That’s the only place I can think of that might have enough spaces.  You’ll see all kinds of cars from Maserati to milquetoast and the real fun begins when you try to match the hordes of people to the cars they might have gotten out of.  The Maseratis and Mercedes will be be pulling up to the valet parking, but the rest of us peons will drive in circles around and around the parking garages.  Here’s something you may not know.  The view from the top floor of the garage is outstanding.  We wouldn’t have known it either if we hadn’t been the ones to get the last available spot there at the upper reaches of the garage.

Cafe Istanbul

But Cafe Istanbul?  Outstanding.  It really is a little bit of Turkey right there in Plano.  The mezza is marvelous!  They have this delicious large pita-ish thing for the bread, that’s not exactly pita, because it’s lighter.  We scarfed down the hummus and baba ganoush with it in no time flat.  Dolmas? Delightful!  In truth, Bill and I would have been satisfied with the mezza, but had to keep ourselves entertained while everyone else had dinner.  So we shared the Adana Kebob.  My eyes had been on the kofte, but when a waiter heard me exclaim over it, he said I’d like it in the kebob format better than the cheesy meatballs.  Maybe I would have liked the cheesy meatballs and maybe I wouldn’t, but the kebob was great.  Later some baklava appeared on the table and Bill declared it sumptuous, but it’s always sweeter than my sweet tooth, so I save my calories for other things – like the wonderful chocolate cake someone had made for Julie.

And then there was the bellydancer, but the picture tells it all.  Excuse the shiny eyes.  Someone in the group took it with their phone, but I thought you guys might enjoy it.  So, do go to Cafe Istanbul, but if you want to find a place to park, don’t go on Friday night.

TRAVEL HERE: CHINESE LANTERN FESTIVAL AT FAIR PARK

Remember the State Fair? I don’t know about you, but I could use a Fletcher’s Corny Dog just about right now. Well, corny dogs aside, one of the big features of this year’s fair was The Chinese Lantern Festival – but we didn’t see it. Twenty dollars a pop seemed a little steep when we’d already coughed up twelve each to get in and were making regular stops to the coupon kiosks so we could get corny dogs and beer.  I told you guys to let me know how it was if you saw it, but all I got was the sound of crickets.

So I Checked It Out Myself

Lo and behold, the Chinese Lantern Festival got held over.  It’s

not some traveling show that merely stopped by on the way to somewhere else, so we didn’t preempt another city getting to enjoy it.  This display of craftsmanship and technology was designed specifically for the lagoon at Fair Park.  I can only imagine what that cost.  I’ve been speculating on why they held it  over.  Did other folks stay away in droves during the fair creating the financial need for an extended run or was it just so successful that they couldn’t afford to shut it down?  You’d have to ask them.

The show is still twenty dollars a pop if you go on the weekend, but that fit our date night budget better than it did our fair budget.  So on a recent Sunday night we headed down to Fair Park.

Should you go to the Chinese Lantern Festival?  I think my answer has to be yes.  I’ll give you some tips on making it more affordable, but first, let me tell you why you should see it.

Kids Will Love It

If you have kids, they’ll love it.  I think the last time I saw so many

kids with saucer eyes, I was at a Disney theme park.  Maybe one of the reasons the kids were so enchanted is that there’s a lot of very Pixar/Dreamworks/Disney-ish things to see at the festival.  Take the Mermaid Garden for instance.  The mermaid has brown hair, not red, but she sits atop her throne holding a great pearl aloft, surrounded by fish that look a lot like Elmo.  And there’s a large display of ant characters doing very human things like playing instruments and dancing.  I wonder where they got that idea? Not to mention the inspiration for frolicking pandas.

Grown Kids Too

But it’s not all for the kids.  Imagine holding hands as you visit the Peking Opera or stroll through peach blossoms promising a life of one thousand years.  Structures representing important Chinese landmarks dot the landscape among the pandas and antz, oops I mean ants.

Several structures go beyond the show of silk and lights which animate most of the displays.  A huge dragon made out of porcelain dinnerware is one of the highlights of the show.  Part of the fun is picking out which type of plate, cup or bowl has been used to create the different attributes of the dragon.  A quadruplet of foo dogs seemed to be made of glowing jewels, but were actually built from small medicine bottles filled with colored water.

The Chinese tipped their hats a couple of times to their host, the great state of Texas, with a herd of longhorns and a

stand of bluebonnets.  Oh, and there was also a Statue of Liberty.  But I didn’t love all of the show.  I realize they had the challenge of building it around things which already existed, but one of those things is a life-sized faux dinosaur with an attitude.  A very loud attitude.  The Chinese provided the roaring dinosaur with a lot of colorful dino buddies, but did the faux dino appreciate it?  Not one bit.  The perpetual roars sort of detracted from the magpies and peacocks around the corner.

Warning! Take everyone to potty before you get to Fair Park.  The only restroom facilities open to the public is in front of the band-shell which is not exactly convenient.  It wasn’t the five minute hike the lady at the entrance told me it would be, but in the dark it was a little spooky.  She also told me there were no restroom facilities inside the festival, which was a little bit of a white lie.  There are porta-potties in the vicinity of the porcelain dragon, but I’d already taken the hike to the band-shell.

Parking Suggestions

So do go to The Chinese Lantern Festival, but go during the week,

because it will be five dollars cheaper per adult.  And don’t park your car inside the gates.  Fifteen dollars, friends!  FIFTEEN DOLLARS!  We scoped out the fast food restaurants nearby and a church parking lot, but were scared by the threatening signs.  However, the BBQ joint seemed like a safe bet, so we freeloaded.  After the show we exited onto a side street and catty corner to the BBQ place was J.P.Jackson Transit Center.  Two-hundred free parking spaces for the taking.  You’ll need to hike a couple of blocks to the entrance of the park, but for my money, walking a couple of blocks is well worth fifteen dollars and after the Mexican food we’d eaten before the show, we needed it!  Oh, and you could grab a soda and make those potty stops beforehand, too.

Before I leave, I’ll show you a few more shots Bill took.  The Festival is a visual feast.

TRAVEL HERE: DENTON’S ABBEY INN

Gino Dal Cin is a very talented young artist who attends UNT. Thanks to my friendship with his mother, I already have dibs on his watercolor we call The Bicycle Picture. I’ve known Gino’s mother since before she met his father.  In fact, I’m Aunt Jane and since Gino and his brother don’t have any other official aunts, I’m pleased to fulfill that role.

Recently I had the pleasure of seeing another piece of his work being shown in the lobby of the UNT Art Building.  The visit to Denton was a real family affair, even Gino’s dad, now an ex-husband, was there and we met THE GIRLFRIEND Gino has confessed to having.  Then we had the pleasure of a meal at The Abbey Inn in downtown Denton. December is a great month for meeting family and friends for a meal, so maybe you’d like to check it out.

Dining in Denton

Going to Denton is always fun.  The city throbs with the heartbeat of the University.  I used to date a rugby player whose games were held up there and have fun memories of those Saturday afternoons.  A lot has changed since the late eighties and from what I saw on that Thursday evening, it’s all for the good.

There were six of us to feed that night and Gino directed us to the Courthouse Square where the energy is palatable.  Traffic maneuvered around a cop car with lights blinking, patrons of the cafes spilled into the sidewalk and groups of students lingered on corners, discussing chem labs and term papers.  A part of me is always a detached observer and that part couldn’t quit looking for a camera crew, it was the perfect setup for a movie scene.  We opened the door to one of the establishments and the cigarette smell was so strong that we reversed course and walked away.

Abbey Inn Feels More Brit than Yank

Not to worry.  We turned the corner of the square and ended up at The Abbey Inn.  The door opened and I was immediately somewhere in The Potteries.  The floor plan was Americanized, but the furnishings were spot on.  The patina suggested the place had been there since before The Abdication.  Bloody hell chaps,  I crossed the pond when I stepped over the threshold.

Since there were so many of us, they seated us at a large round table next to the plate glass front.  The drama of the cop car continued to play out behind me so I have no idea how it was resolved, but I had a good perspective of the restaurant.

The first thing I noticed was a plate of Fish & Chips.  They serve them with peas and onions.  I realized these guys knew what they were about.  Rarely do I see fish with that particular crust, which I’d first fallen for in Brighton.  When I glanced down at the menu, I saw that they also served a British Breakfast all day long.  I was in heaven, but my husband is on a health kick, so he nixed the Fish & Chips.  I settled for a steak with some sort of mushrooms and cheese, which turned out to be as deadly to my health as the Fish & Chips, but it slid under his radar.

Two things one might expect at a college town joint were completely absent:  loud music and poor service.  Looking back on the evening, one thing that stands out is the conversation, something not available when the background music takes over the room.  It had been at least a decade since we’d seen the ex-husband and we were eager get to know Gino’s girlfriend.  The ambient noise level made conversation a joy.

And the service?  Perfect!  For me perfect service means I never have to look for a waiter, but I also don’t feel as if they waiter has decided to become a member of our party.  That’s exactly what we got at The Abbey.  We enjoyed some experiments from their extensive beer list.  I also spied some gorgeous, delicious looking onion rings that made me want to rebel against my husband’s health kick, but I restrained myself.

The food was as good as it looked on those other plates.  I had the Gaelic Steak.  I doubt there is really any ties to a Gaelic entree, but it and the mashed potatoes were scrumptious.  My fellow diners had everything from hamburgers to halibut and everyone agreed the food was wonderful.

So, do go to Denton for the University buzz and eat at The Abbey Inn.  You’ll be glad you did.  Do you have any other Denton restaurants we should visit next time we go?  I’m sure Gino will have more art on display, soon.

TRAVEL HERE: PARIS POSTERS, BECAUSE THERE WASN’T AN APP FOR THAT

If you lived in Paris in the 1870’s there was no iPhone. You couldn’t google your favorite group to see where they were playing or text your mates. So how did Parisians know whether to go to the Moulin Rouge or Le Chat on any given evening?  Posters were the answer, but Parisians called them affiche artistique .  Thankfully the world was not as green or electronic in those days, so we still have access to these delightful windows into the era and the Dallas Museum of Art has a wonderful exhibition, right now, highlighting this unique genre .

Paris Posters

Parisian posters began humbly enough, simple lithographs touting local bars, but a man named Jules Chéret made such eye-catching posters they eventually became an art form.  Talouse-Lautrec is perhaps the most famous of the affiche artistique gang and his status as a member of the aristocracy gave the genre a certain je ne sais quoi.  Before long, poster collectors were so avid about collecting that the best ones were taken down by fans before the glue even dried.

As much as Parisians enjoyed the posters, there were a few problems.  If you had one, then someone had probably stolen it from somewhere.  Though that may have given the whole thing a certain buzz in some circles, your average nice guy didn’t want to have stolen posters on the living room wall.  Enter the entrepreneurial spirit.  Gallery owners started paying the poster-makers to whip up a few extra copies of the more popular types of posters.  That seemed to satisfy people somewhat, but most of posters of the era were about night club entertainers, so that wasn’t quite nice either.  Since lithography is a multi-step process, the galleries started requesting copies of the poster sans paroles , without words.  Problem solved.

But that brought along a whole new problem.  Remember when My Space was cool?  But then everybody got in on the act and the cool people moved to twitter.  (And now they’re probably someplace else, but I’m not cool enough to know where.)  Well, the same thing happened to posters.  Poster artists started creating posters that had nothing to do with what was on at the Folies Bergere.  You too could afford to buy an affordable poster for your living room wall a la The Bradford Exchange or Thomas Kinkade Collectibles.

Once the eclat was gone, posters became the province of the mundane.  Bicycles, cigarette papers, biscuits…any old product could be advertised with an  affiche artistique.  The style is familiar even today, but the panache is gone.  However, there’s still magic in the work of those early poster artists, so don’t miss the opportunity to visit the DMA before January 20, 2013.

An Interesting Connection

For my faithful blog followers, you’ll remember my visit to the Maryhill Museum of Art when I was touring Oregon (and stepped over into Washington for a few hours).  I said it was one of the best museums you’d never heard of.  Well, it had an interesting link to this DMA exhibit.  One of the women friends of Sam Hill, instrumental in turning his abandoned building project into a museum, was Folies Bergere dancer, Loie Fuller.  Ms. Fuller figured large in the DMA exhibit, just as she did on the walls of the Maryhill.

A few more things while I’m talking art in the DFW Metroplex.  Chihully has been extended at the Dallas Arboretum until the end of December.  The Chinese Lantern Festival has been extended past the fair, until January 6, 2013.   The Dead Sea Scrolls will be in Fort Worth until January 13, 2013.  And while you’re at the DMA, visit Klyde Warren Park.  If you miss any of these you’re really missing access to some pretty spectacular stuff!

TRAVEL HERE: SAMANTHA BROWN VISITS DALLAS

My favorite speaker at the recent Dallas Travel & Adventure Show was Samantha Brown. That’s probably because she’s also my favorite travel personality. This was the second time I’d seen her live but I still got all giddy.

Samantha’s News

The exciting news was that she’s in the family way – twins in fact.  One has to wonder whether she’ll start reporting on travel for families when her dynamic duo arrives.

One of the things I like about her is that she manages to keep her humble-person-seeing-the-world attitude in spite of the fame she’s garnered.  Often when I read/view something by other travel authorities, I feel like what they say has nothing in common with my travel experience or priorities.  I realize that the travel pros have a wide audience and that any many cases I’m not even the one they’re talking to – but with Samantha, I feel like she’s always talking to just me and I’m being generous by letting others listen in.

Samantha’s approach-ability was very apparent in the subject she chose to speak on at the show, “My Globalization of Mishaps.”  She shared everything from her frustration with plastic covered soap to her broken nose in Marseilles.

Here’s the bits I liked best:

• Learn to say “please, thank you and hello” for whatever non-English speaking country you go to.  That’s usually enough to earn points with the natives.  She tried one of those language tapes on her first trip to France, but ended up in tears outside a Parisian bakery.
• Never ask, “do you speak English.” You’ll sound rude  and your audience might feel put down.  Instead apologize for not speaking their language.  Nothing fancy.  “Lo siento no espanol.”  Whoever you’re talking to usually figures out the fact that you speak English.
• And if you’re in the Far East, use a translator.  She even got “Hello, I’m Sam.  Thank you,” wrong in Taiwan.  The audience greeted her with a standing ovation and even though she got the syllables right, she used the wrong inflection.  It’s her most embarrassing moment, yet.  (I’d say ever, but with her willingness to try most anything, she might have a worse one and I’ll love her even more for it.)
• She recommends always taking the first flight out in the morning to wherever you are going, because the plane being used was the last one to come in last night.  There’s one personal caveat I have to add to that.  Sometimes that last flight in doesn’t make it in, so you might run into a problem anyway, like I did on the way to Portland this year.  She also said they were usually cheaper.
• She says that the “arrive two hours before your flight” rule needs to be amended.  It should be two hours before it boards, not two hours before it departs.
• And here’s one I never thought of, but I realized immediately how valuable it might be.  One of the first things she does when she gets to a new hotel room is run the water to see how long it will take to get hot.  If you wait until morning to figure that out, you might be late to wherever you’re headed.
• She also recommends following whatever airline you’re flying on twitter.  You’ll get announcements earlier sometimes and she’s also found that she gets answers to her questions faster that way.

Thanks Samantha!

What do you think?  Are those some great tips?  If you’d heard them before, would they have saved you some grief on one of your trips?

TRAVEL HERE: HEY MAN ARE WE IN CHICAGO?

OK! I’ll admit it. Chicago is pretty cool. Not only are they right there on Lake Michigan, they’ve got that whole Museum District thing going on. I wouldn’t be so bold to ask the Chicago question, but I couldn’t help overhearing someone ask it a week or so ago, at the opening of the new Klyde Warren Park right here in my Dallas.

Celebrating a Special Day

To celebrate a friend’s birthday, Dallas donned her best weather.

When my dear friend and her son picked me up, our first destination was Toulouse, our favorite brunch spot, but we had a lot on the agenda.  After glasses of champagne and Crab Florentine, we were on our way downtown.  Since it was opening day for the new park (which abuts my beloved Dallas Museum of Art) we parked for free (membership has its privileges) in the DMA underground parking and visited the festivities at Klyde Warren.

Like a cat traveling in a car, I barely knew which way to look,

but one of the first things I noticed was that a lot of dogs had brought their owners to check out the park.  Then I noticed a lot of kids had done the same thing.

Once loosed into their separate portions of the park, the reactions of the dogs and the kids was somewhat similar, “All this for me?”  Both two-legged and four-legged sorts were running about frenetically trying to grasp the magnitude of their domains.

But the park is not only for dogs and kids.  And you’re not supposed to just look at the park or jog through it.  Developers claim it will be an urban space with yoga, board games, movie screenings, book signings and whatnot, everyday.  I hope they’re right.  Dallas could use that, especially in the downtown area.

For the Grand Opening they certainly had things hopping.  Though the promised restaurant is still a year away, there were rows and rows of food trucks.  Folks were playing chess, checkers and mah jongg.  A stage and seating were set up with a schedule of performers.  But the big excitement was really over in the kid section.

We all have a little kid somewhere inside.  On some level we all respond to leaping fountains, jungle gyms and treehouses, but what I loved about the kids section was the squishy stuff beneath your feet.  I had on high heeled boots and it was a great break from walking on concrete.  And don’t worry about walking on the grass – it’s fake, so have at it!

But the park was just one stop during a busy day, so after taking it’s measure we moved on to the museum to see the Posters of Paris Exhibit.  Not to worry.  I’ll tell you about that later.  For now, enjoy a few more shots of the park.  (I know these pictures aren’t as good as the ones Bill takes, but he didn’t come with.)

TRAVEL HERE/TRAVEL THERE: PAULINE FROMMER AT THE DALLAS TRAVEL & ADVENTURE SHOW

Earlier this month I visited the Dallas Adventure and Travel Show.  I hope you followed my advice and did the same.   The first seminar speaker I heard was Pauline Frommer of the famous Frommer Guides.  Her talk was chockful of fabulous advice.  I was so busy writing down the websites she recommended I nearly got writer’s cramp.

Travel Wisdom

The biggest ah ha moment?  Well, I’m planning a cruise for next year and I’d always heard you were supposed to book your shore excursions with the cruise lines or you could find yourself on shore watching your cruise boat float away.  If the independent operators made you late returning to the boat, you were just out of luck.

Seems there’s been a change in recent years.  Now there are operators that guarantee to get you back to the boat in time and if they don’t, they will get you to your next destination on their own dime.  Ms. Frommer recommended crusingexcursions.com, shoretrips.com and viator.com.  I’m going to do a little more research on it, because I wonder what would they do if your next few days were actually at sea, but since they recommended the same thing in a cruise seminar later in the day, I’m guessing they’ve worked out the kinks.

Though Ms. Frommer had me nodding my head in agreement with most of her scrimp vs splurge suggestions, on one item I differed with her.  She panned “hop on/hop off tour buses.”  She doesn’t think their guides are any good and feels the time could be better spent.  She also pointed out the temptation to mark an attraction off your list, when you’d only driven by.

I agree that some of the  hop on/hop off trolley drivers are not among the most knowledgeable guides available.  That being said, they usually know more about their route than the average tourist.  Many a time I’ve stumped a trolley driver with one of my questions, but I’m not average.  Few people put as much time into researching their destinations as I do.  For most folks, I think the canned speech is plenty.

These hop on/hop off tours are particularly good if you only have a few hours in a town with a lot of things to see.   The first time I was in London, I was only there for the day.  I planned to come back through later in the trip, but I only had a few hours before heading off to Dover.  I took a bus tour and eagerly listened to the canned schpiel.  Sure, I was coming back and would spend hours wandering through the museums, but using the bus to drive past many of the monuments and buildings was a great introduction to an overwhelming city.  I’ve done the same thing in many other cities very satisfactorily.  It’s better to have driven past the Tower and Buckingham Palace than never see them at all.

Even though a goodly number of these trolley drivers do well to get their canned speeches out, it doesn’t mean that’s the case with all of them.  More times than I have fingers to count, I’ve had the privilege to meet a trolley driver who has deeply enhanced my visit to their city.  Sometimes they have a personal connection to a particular attraction or historical event.  Other times their family has been in the area for generations and they can share local color better than any guide, on or off the trolley.

I also find hop on/hop off tours to be an invaluable tool for another reason.  When I’m in a strange city, finding places to park near the attractions I want to see and fighting the traffic can really take the fun out of a trip.  For instance, when I was in Chicago for a week, I used Gray Line Trolleys and Chicago’s Free Trolley System every day.  My husband was in a training seminar on the north side of town.  I’d drive into the city by myself, park my rental car and then use the trolleys all day long.  The driver’s were very helpful.  I became a regular fixture on a few of the routes and they were anxious to see that I visited everything I wanted to.  They helped me make decisions about what to miss when I was running out of time, warned me about rip-offs and suggested great places to eat.

Overall, I think Ms. Frommer suggested great ways to save money on trips.  However, I also think she’s a seasoned traveler with a lot of miles under her belt.  When you listen to suggestions from someone like her, you have to weigh the information you receive and compare it to what works for you as a casual traveler.  Is it OK to merely drive by the Lincoln Memorial?  Well, of course it would be better to spend some time there, meditating on the life of Lincoln, his presidency and the artistry put into the memorial.  Not to mention, reading everything you could get your hands on and seeing the new movie that’s out.  But it’s also better to say you’ve actually seen it, rather than be in the city and miss it completely.  At least that’s my opinion.  What do you think?

TRAVEL HERE: DALLAS INTERNATIONS ART, ANTIQUE & JEWELRY SHOW

The Palm Beach Show Group has my number. They knew I’d ignore anything they sent to my email inbox. So, they sent an invitation for the Dallas International Art, Antique & Jewelry Show right to my snail mail. They knew my husband, too. For him they included a free VIP card for the Opening Night Preview.  Once they got him there, they fed him wine and cheese.

Even though you’re more likely to get my attention with snail mail than through my in box, you’ve got to do more than send me some 4X6 post card or a flyer printed on newsprint.  The Palm Beach Show Group’s cardstock alone would have gotten my attention, but look at that invitation.  There was no way to resist it.

If you were going to make a list of things that I love, art, antiques and jewelry would be right there at the top of the list right behind travel and when I travel, I want to see art, antiques and jewelry.  Throw in wine, cheese and holding hands with my handsome husband?  I’m all over it.

I’m not exactly sure how I got on their list in the first place.  Was it zip code? My blog?  My membership at the museum or arboretum?  Maybe my credit card account at Neiman Marcus.  I don’t know who to thank, but I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Visiting the Show

On Thursday night, we dressed up like people who could afford art, antiques and jewelry  and made our way to Market Hall.  Valet parking was available, but not included, so we found our own parking space and followed the crowd into the east side of of Market Hall.  That was a real shock to the senses.

It was the right time, but I’d entered the wrong door.   I was all geared up for the finest in decorative arts and East Hall just didn’t match my postcard.  At the door, a lady at the ticket desk immediately recognized us as people who were in the wrong place, even if it was the right time.  “Go right on through to the back and make a left,” she said.  I was expecting golden candelabra and silver chafing dishes, so the leopard printed t-shirts and rhinestone covered plastic handbags on our way to the rear exit were quite disconcerting.  I’m not sure what show we’d wandered into, but it was all wrong.

A few moments later we spied luxury sedans being driven by uniformed valets.  It seemed we’d found it.  One of the courteous valets opened the door for us and a sequin wrapped woman handed me a glass of champagne.  Even if I hadn’t gotten to the right place, no one would have been able to get me to leave.

I’m a sucker for flowers, so the first thing I noticed was the huge urns of fragrant fresh arrangements.  The whole hall was redolent with roses and lilies.   I’d found my happy place.

The next thing to catch my eye was diamonds – lots of them – sparkling like a jewel thief’s heist.  Is there anything more seductive than diamonds?  Even though I’m not one of those women who lives for jewels, I found myself drawn to the bright exhibit of facets displayed by Rosenberg Diamonds.

Almost as soon as my feet headed to the diamonds, an oil painting in the Guarisco Gallery booth lured me in that direction.  I literally didn’t know which way to go.  The problem continued throughout the evening.  I’d head one way, only to find myself drawn in another.  After about my third time around the show, Bill was finally able to convince me to go home.

Palm Beach Show Group did something else.  They handed me a glorious catalog as we departed and reminded me the VIP card which admitted me into the Opening Night Preview would get me in for the rest of the show.  Saturday I had big plans for the Dallas Travel and Adventure show, but you know what?  Once the travel seminars were over and I’d picked up all the brochures I could carry, I headed back to Market Hall.  This time, instead of my husband, I had my best friend with me.  She was as delirious as I was among all the spectacular merchandise.

Dallasites, I have great news for you.  The show doesn’t close until today, so if you drop what you’re doing right now and hurry over to Market Hall, you can see it, too.  But you can’t borrow my VIP card, because I may be returning for one last look.  There’s a star sapphire ring and a painting of lions that I can’t get out of my mind.

If you don’t live in Dallas, don’t fret.  The Palm Beach Show Group has shows in several locations across the nation.  Check out their website for the venue closest to you.