The Royal Pavilion and Gardens

Astonishing.  That's the word that comes to mind each time I think of the Royal Pavilion in Brighton, England.  In my last post I told you how much I liked Brighton, and the Pavilion is one big reason why I know I will return there.    

In 1815, George IV commissioned John Nash to transform his more modest Marine Pavilion (pictured below) into an Oriental pleasure palace.  

Nash superimposed a cast iron frame over the Pavilion, turning the neoclassical structure into an ornate, domed and turreted wonder.

Photography is not permitted inside the Pavilion, but you can click here for a peek at the opulent interiors, which are not Indian in style, but Chinese.  

In addition to grand rooms like the Banqueting Hall and the Music Room, visitors can see the impressive Great Kitchen where the famous French chef Antonin Careme once cooked elaborate banquets with dozens of dishes for the guests of George IV.

Also on show are George IV's private rooms as well as the apartments where Queen Victoria later stayed on her few visits to the Pavilion before she sold it to the city of Brighton in 1850.  Victoria craved privacy, which was not something she could find in this bustling and fashionable seaside resort.

If you visit the Royal Pavilion, be sure to allow yourself plenty of time to take in the excellent audio tour of the palace.  Once you've seen the inside, you can wander in the gardens that surround the Pavilion.  The gardens are open to the public, and they were full of picnickers and strollers each time I visited.

I think the Pavilion makes for a perfect long morning visit--allow at least two hours--followed by lunch at a cafe or bistro in the nearby Lanes district.  The Lanes are winding pedestrian alleys filled with jewelry stores, antiques shops, and wonderful restaurants.  We met friends and headed over to Riddle & Finns, a popular seafood place with a charming atmosphere.  There I had some of the best bouillabaisse of my life!

If you're in Brighton for a few days, be sure to visit the Pavilion more than once, so that you can take in the sight of its beautiful roofline at sunset.  Its location in the center of the city makes it easy to walk to from almost every neighborhood, and I can't think of a better spot for a romantic stroll before dinner.

I have more to share from the trip, but I needed to give the Pavilion a post all its own.  I'll be back soon with some links to must-see places in Greenwich and Sussex.

While I'm in travel mode, I should mention an amazing giveaway happening over at my friend Vicki Archer's blog.  If you love Provence and have been wanting to visit, definitely head over to French Essence, where Vicki will be giving a week-long stay at her village house, Le Petit Bijou, in St Remy de Provence.  She is celebrating her fifth anniversary of blogging with this incredibly generous contest.   

The Would-Be Archeologist in New York

Times Square

For me, travel is an archeological dig.  On the surface of a place there are the things we expect to find: the statues, fountains, buildings, and parks we see on every tourist website and in every travel guide.  Those things are fine, but they usually have very little to do with the everyday life of a place, and they tend to leave me wanting to run to the nearest hole-in-the-wall diner for a slice of something real.  So, I see an "attraction" like the current-day Times Square as the top layer in my dig.  Everything is obvious, commercialized, boring.  Once I emerge from the subway at 42nd Street, I can't wait to walk a few blocks over to get to the Hell's Kitchen Flea Market.  There, the real fun of the dig begins.  I get to meet locals, haggle for bargains, and discover unexpected treasures. 

Hell's Kitchen Flea Market

A box of chandelier crystals at the flea

Treasures at the flea

I love getting a little lost in Greenwich Village, finding beautiful, one-of-a-kind shops I've never heard of, and eating cannoli at a local neighborhood bakery.

Incredible offerings at Pasticceria Rocco in the West Village

Venus at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

I also love wandering for hours at the Met or the Public Library, finding exhibitions by chance (like the Mary Cassatt prints at the library right now).

In the Reading Room at the NY Public Library

The beauty of traveling in a place like New York is that one's "digging" involves looking up as much as it does looking down--up at the cornices and pilasters and water towers and skyscrapers.  I especially like to stop, turn, and look back at where I've just walked, so I can see it from another direction.  I find some of my favorite discoveries this way.

And last but not least, seeing a city from above is always a good way to get a sense of its scope and scale.  I highly recommend taking the Roosevelt Island Tram (next to the Queensboro Bridge).  Mr. Magpie and I took it at sunset, and the views of Manhattan as we headed over the East River were spectacular.  It only takes a few minutes to get to Roosevelt Island, and then you can go exploring there or hop back on the tram and head back to 59th Street.  

View from the Roosevelt Island Tram at Sunset

Here are few links to some of the highlights from this last trip to New York, in no particular order.  I can't wait to go digging there again soon.

• Kalustyan's ~ A fabulous spice and specialty foods market in Murray Hill.  
• Pasticceria Rocco ~ Traditional Italian bakery on Bleecker Street in the Village
• Cafe China ~ Unique and beautiful Chinese food in a 1930's Shanghai atmosphere on 37th St.
• Alloro ~ Experimental Italian food--I know that sounds like an oxymoron, but the food is wonderful and fun--on the Upper East Side.
• Chelsea Market ~ For a quick and delicious lunch for after you've been walking the High Line, stop by Chelsea Market in the old Nabisco Building.  Yes, it's for tourists, but it's lovely, and the food selection is great. 
• Hell's Kitchen Flea Market ~ It wouldn't be a vacation for the Magpies without a trip to the flea.
• The Frick ~ An awe-inspiring collection.
• The Morgan Library ~ I can't believe I'd never been here before.  Book, library, and manuscript lovers must go here.
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art ~ Always, of course.
• The Mary Cassatt prints at the NY Public Library ~ they'll be up until June 23, 2013.
• Washington Square Park ~ Yes, I love Central Park, but there's something magical about Washington Square.  It's a great place to have a picnic lunch, people-watch, listen to the various street performers, and get a strong sense of the neighborhood.  

Next trip: We'll be heading to the Neue Galerie and Cafe Sabarsky as well as the Noguchi Museum!

Muted New York

The Chrysler Building

Mr. Magpie and I spent last week in New York City, and I decided to take a break from the internet as much as possible while we were gone, which meant much more time for walking, thinking, taking pictures, and, of course, eating delicious food.  

We stayed at the apartment of wonderful friends on the Upper East Side.  I much prefer this to staying in a hotel, as it provides a home base from which to explore.  On this trip it helped me get to know Manhattan much better than ever before. I also spent a full day with my cousin, his wife, and their son, who live in Brooklyn, and they introduced me to fabulous restaurants and sights I never would have found on my own.  

Most importantly, Mr. M. and I both got to know the NYC subway system quite well, so I now feel at ease finding my way around, which makes for much more exciting adventures!  While he is holed away in the library doing research, I get to go exploring places I have always wanted to visit.  I'll have some very colorful photos to show you of sights off the beaten tourist track, but for today, I thought I'd share a few of the more muted shots from the trip.  It was quite stormy, cold, and dark for most of the week, and these photos reflect that, especially the ones taken from the Staten Island Ferry.  I know most of us imagine seeing the Statue of Liberty in a clear blue day, but there is something quite beautiful about seeing her in the middle of a very messy snow/sleet/rain storm.  Mr. M. had family who came to the United States by way of Ellis Island, so I think it was especially moving for him.

One of the famous lions at the NY Public Library

In the lobby of the NY Public Library

Looking up in Bryant Park

Strolling Bleecker Street in a storm

We chose our next house on this street in Greenwich Village  ;)

Staten Island Ferry Terminal in sleet and snow

On the ferry

Looking over at the Statue of Liberty

Greenwich

No matter how I arrive in Greenwich, by boat or by land, I am charmed every time.  This London borough on the Southeast side of the Thames has become a place that makes me linger far too long in front of the windows of local realtors, staring at all the listings that I will never be able to afford.  Can you blame me?

We stayed in Greenwich several nights during this last visit to London, and I do believe it was my favorite trip of the last twelve years.  If you've spent any time in London, you are accustomed to taking the Tube and "minding the gap," but most tourists never ride the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) in East London (a fact that will change this summer during the Olympics, most of which will take place in East London).  The DLR is almost as wonderful a way to get to Greenwich from central London as the river boats.  Nearly the entire trip is above ground, high in the air.  The tracks sweep you through the glittering skyscrapers on the Isle of Dogs before shuttling you under the Thames.  Once you reach the south side of the river, you emerge at the Cutty Sark station beside that famous, and now restored (at least they plan to have it finished in time for the Olympics), 19th-century clipper ship. 

And what you find in Greenwich is a mix of glorious architecture, parks, markets, and shops.  It's a place steeped in history, but very much thriving in the present day.  If you're in London and feeling overwhelmed by the city, a trip here will calm your nerves.

The view above is one I snapped early one morning from Greenwich Park looking back over the Old Royal Naval College and across the Thames to Canary Wharf and those glittering buildings that you travel through on the DLR.  

Greenwich Park is home to the Royal Observatory and the Prime Meridian.  If you climb the steep hill to the top, you are rewarded with the chance to stand in two hemispheres at once.  It makes for fun photos!  The Observatory was founded in 1675 by Charles II as an institution for navigational research.  I love the museum here.  A little side note: if you want to read an interesting story about how an 18th-century clockmaker named John Harrison discovered the way to determine longitude at sea--and how this discovery transformed navigation--I recommend a book by Dava Sobel called Longitude.

If you're not fascinated by clocks and navigational history, the park itself is fascinating and incredibly beautiful.  Rarely have I ever seen so much wildlife in an urban parkland.  In addition to the herd of deer that makes its home here, there are foxes and loads of other animals (including the hundreds of dogs and their owners who walk here every day), as well as dozens of wild bird species.  The pathways are lined with 400-year-old sweet chestnut trees.  My favorite part of the park is the large, enclosed flower garden (no dogs are allowed here), where we found hundreds of camellias blooming.

Situated in the heart of the borough is St Alfege Church.  A church has stood on this site since 1012 when Alfege, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was martyred here by marauding Vikings.  The current church was designed in the early 18th century by Nicholas Hawksmoor, a pupil of Sir Christopher Wren.  I couldn't resist processing the photo above in b&w to feature the beautiful lines of the structure.

The Churchyard at St Alfege is a perfect place to go for peace and quiet.

Perhaps the best and most memorable part of traveling for me is meeting new people.  On this trip, a real highlight was meeting our innkeeper, Julia.  We stayed at a wonderful little place called Number 37, and we looked forward to talking with Julia each morning at breakfast.  When we arrived on our first day after a long, sneezing and wheezing flight (remember my crummy cold) followed by a considerable trek across the city by Tube and DLR, she greeted us warmly at the door, saying, "You both look like you need a cup of tea."  Indeed, we did, and it was one of the best cups I've ever enjoyed, followed by a long nap on an exceedingly comfortable bed. 

Our room opened out to a sweet little garden where the daffodils and camellias were blooming.  As I've mentioned before, I don't need luxury when I travel, but hospitality, comfort, and convenience are absolutely necessary in my book.  This inn exceeded my needs and expectations on all counts.  

If you like to wander through streets filled with character and history, then Greenwich is your kind of place.

And if you like to shop, you will be in heaven.

Wonderful local shops by well-known artists and designers, like the fabulous women at Lush Designs, abound.  And I've written before about my love for the designs of Sophia and Matt.  They used to have a stall at Greenwich Market, but now they have a bright and beautiful shop all their own, and yes, I bought more than one lovely bag there.  Another of my favorite shops is Cedarlia.

When you're out and about shopping, you'll often find sidewalk entertainment.  These guys were really wonderful.  They did the only version of "Sultans of Swing" I've ever liked.

You'll also find loads of restaurants, pubs, and cafes.  The shot below is silly, I know, but I can't tell you how much I love the rosemary skinny fries at Gourmet Burger Kitchen.  Yes, I know it's a chain, but it's not one we have here, and, well, the rosemary and the potatoes and the fat make for some memorable skinny fries.  I'm just sayin'.  That's a falafel burger in the background.  Sigh.

And when you want the most fun shopping experience in Greenwich, head for the markets.

You can read all about Greenwich Market here.  It's one of my favorite markets in London.  The focus here is on crafts, antiques, and foods, and while it's much smaller than Spitalfields or Portobello or Camden, it has a high percentage of quality goods, and since Greenwich has been a market town for hundreds of years, they've had time to get things right.  I love the small weekend market up on the high street, too.

If you're feeling adventurous, you might want to take the foot tunnel that goes under the Thames.  Built in 1901, this tunnel leads you to the north side of the river on the Isle of Dogs.

You will emerge at a spot called Island Gardens, where you can look back across the river at the Old Royal Naval College, which was designed by Wren and Hawksmoor on the site of the Tudor palace where Henry VIII and Elizabeth I were born.

While looking across, you can imagine you are Canaletto in 1752, painting his famous view when the Naval College (which is actually no longer a naval college) was still a hospital (its original purpose).  As you can see, the view remains relatively unchanged.

As pretty as Greenwich is during the day, I truly love it at night even more.

While it doesn't have the frenzy of the boroughs in the center of the city, Greenwich has a bustling nightlife with theatres and plenty of pubs.  The Prime Meridian is lit up in the night sky, and the streetlights cast a warm glow.  

I glanced out a restaurant window one night and snapped a quick shot of the street with the Cutty Sark in the background.  All the reflections in the glass created a palimpsest of past and present, and I felt the life of the city suspended in one moment.

If you travel to Greenwich, take a walk along the Thames at night.  The glittering lights of Canary Wharf will beckon, but you'll be happy right where you are.