A Great Bar In Florence: Plaz

Enjoying the warm March weather at Platz

Plaz is a bizarrely German-sounding name for an Italian bar, but it was where my Florentine friends wanted to go after an evening of pizza, so why not check it out?

I was not disappointed. Despite the name, Plaz is pure Florence: the decor is a modernized version of Renaissance luxury, they have live music at night, and they even offer a cocktail list - and if you've ever tried to order something more complicated than a gin-and-tonic in a European bar, you know what a triumph a cocktail list is. Following my tendency to order anything I've never had before, I tried my first Rossini that night, a bubbly concoction perfect for celebrating an evening out with good friends.

I've been back to Plaz many times since that first night in March. They offer a wide selection of wine, beer, cocktails, and simple eats. They also have an excellent aperitivo - the Italian version of happy hour, where buying a drink grants you access to a table full of tasty appetizers. During the summer, you can sit across the street under one of Florence's many public porticoes and enjoy some good people-watching with your glass of chianti.

Plaz is located at Via Pietrapiana 36r, across from the Piazza dei Ciompi.

Food: Good basics and a tasty aperitivo spread
Atmosphere: Modern Renaissance with a hint of goth
Price: Reasonable (8-10 euros for a glass of wine, but that's pretty normal for Florence)

Bottom Line: A nice stop for an afternoon drink, and live music makes it great for a night out


Copyright 2010 Sara Harding

Caffe degli Spiriti

The chic and fun Caffe degli Spiriti in Cagliari

The Caffe degli Spiriti is one of my favorite bars - ever, period, full stop. Located on top of the Bastione San Remy in Cagliari, Sardinia, Caffe degli Spiriti offers great views, contemporary surroundings, and a delightful sense of fun. My favorite way to enjoy the Caffe is to order a glass of wine and lounge in one of the rope hammocks in back - a particularly romantic option if you're squeezing up against the one you love.

Looking out over the city is beautiful by day, but even more gorgeous by night, and as the night wears on, Caffe degli Spiriti rapidly becomes one of Cagliari's hottest hang-outs. Go early to claim the good spots, and settle in with a bottle of Sardinia's signature red wine, cannonau. It depends a little on who's serving - and how cute the customer is - but a bottle of wine will often come with a selection of local cheeses and cured meats. Sit back and enjoy the delicious traditions of Sardinia - in one of its chicest bars!

Food: No full menu but the bar snacks are great
Atmosphere: Chic, contemporary, fun
Price: Reasonable (20 euros for a bottle of good wine)
Bottom Line: A sexy spot to party the night away

A lazy afternoon at the Caffe - by midnight, it'll be packed!

Copyright 2010 Sara Harding

Home Again... On The Michigan Flyer

Back in the Detroit airport... long before I wanted to be.

So... I'm home again. I had a wonderful trip in New York and returning home is a bit anticlimactic. I already miss my boyfriend, too - so much so that I'm going to write a short post and then put on my pajamas and eat candy.

The big thing I want to share isn't my post-boyfriend depression, however, it's a useful resource I discovered while trying to find a way home from the Detroit airport. A friend dropped me off for my outgoing flight, but no friend was available to pick me up on my way home. Of course, I put off thoughts of leaving until the very last minute, so at 9 pm the night before my departure I found myself cross-legged on my boyfriend's bed googling ways to get home.

Of course, there's a cab stand at the Detroit airport and there are lots of shuttle services, but I'm trying to save money so I wanted something a little cheaper than the $35 shuttle service that was my most economical option. Fortunately, I happened upon a useful bus service called the Michigan Flyer. Prices range from $15-$30 one way depending on your destination: Ann Arbor, Jackson, or East Lansing. There are also small discounts for round-trip tickets and/or multiple passengers. Booking online - even the night before - was fast and simple and the bus driver was impressively courteous and helpful. He offered us complimentary bottled water and also offered to arrange for taxis to meet us at the bus's drop-off points.

I know this is a rather specific travel tip, but I hope some of my fellow Michigan residents find it useful. If you live in Ann Arbor, Jackson, or East Lansing and you need a way to the airport, the Michigan Flyer offers great service and convenience at a great price.

Copyright 2010 Sara Harding

Mill Korean Restaurant

Mill Korean Restaurant, 2895 Broadway, New York

As I wander around New York, I'm loving the abundance of good food to be had conveniently and inexpensively. For example, I love the “green carts” that sell fresh produce to passers-by on the street. Why don't we have these in Michigan, where the greenest food you can get from a street vendor is a hotdog with extra pickle relish?

I also love the restaurants here in New York. I haven't exactly been checking out the haute cuisine, but I have seen an abundance of small restaurants offering tasty-looking dishes for less than I would pay back home. Today I decided to check out a Korean place on Broadway near my boyfriend's apartment. Mill Korean Restaurant packs about 15 tables into a cosy interior with a few more tables out on the sidewalk (New Yorkers seem determined to dine al fresco until there's actually snow falling on them). The ethnic wooden decor and the old newspaper clippings on the wall give the restaurant a lived-in, comfortable feel that made it the perfect place to spend a cold afternoon. Lunch started with dishes of delicious cold appetizers, then moved onto miso broth, then to our entrees: beef bibim bap for my boyfriend and stir-fried rice noodles for me.

The food was spicy and memorably good, the green tea was nutty and complex, and the price was fantastic: everything together came to under $20, including my 20% tip. My curious nature generally leads me to try a new place whenever possible, but Mill Korean Restaurant is going on my list of restaurants to return to.

Food: Very good Korean food
Atmosphere: Cosy
Price: Inexpensive ($7-$8 for lunch)
Bottom Line: A great lunch spot on a cold day

Copyright 2010 Sara Harding

The Hungarian Pastry Shop

The Hungarian Pastry Shop: 1030 Amsterdam Ave, NYC

My dear, busy boyfriend is working today (not just on a Sunday, but on a Sunday that is also Halloween!), so I ventured out on my own again. I got paid on Friday, so I thought I'd hit up an ATM and return to the Hungarian Pastry Shop, where my lack of cash prevented me from buying breakfast on my Thursday morning walk. I'm told the Hungarian Pastry Shop is a local institution. It certainly was packed when I wandered in this afternoon, so full of escapees from nearby Columbia University that I wasn't sure I'd find a seat. Stickers on the door told me the shop is Zagat rated and recommended by City Rover and Let's Go!, so my expectations were high as I placed my order for a slice of carrot cake and a small coffee. The service is the kind of brusque I expect in NYC (is that just a Midwestern prejudice?): the woman behind the counter seems mildly irritated by my attempts to pay and motions me to have a seat in the small, crowded room. Apparently, they will bring me both my food and my check.

The atmosphere is the kind I look for in a coffee shop. It's dim and funky, with walls covered in random posters and mis-matched art, big plants in the windows, and vintage light fixtures over the tables. Now that I've found a table, I like the crowd. It's amusing to eavesdrop on the studying undergrads and the constant, loud hum forms a protective barrier – I could sit here all day and no one would bother me. There's no wireless available – it's always a downside when you can't work in a cafe – but this would be a pleasant place to hang out or a good place to suggest you and your secret crush go for coffee.

When my carrot cake arrives, however, I'm underwhelmed. I come from a family of exceedingly talented cooks and bakers (is this a gift or a curse?), so it's hard to impress me with food. The carrot cake is nice, but I'm not blown away – I'd rather have my aunt's carrot cake any day. I feel slightly guilty that I didn't order the shop's “specialty” - I didn't even ask what it is – and maybe it isn't fair to judge the Hungarian Pastry Shop against a beloved family recipe. Still, my current impression is that the pastries here are a step above standard coffee shop fare, but nothing to write home about. Though it is nice to see Eastern European specialties like sacher torte on the menu.

My carrot cake may be so-so and my coffee only fine, but it's still a pleasure to sit here, listen to the two girls beside me studying Bourdieu, and write this review. Given that there aren't many independent coffee shops in the near vicinity, I would probably come back, but not before I had explored what else the neighborhood has to offer.

Food: Average

Atmosphere: Dim, cosy, crowded

Price: Inexpensive (coffee and carrot cake for $6)

Bottom line: Go if you like crowded, funky coffee shops - the food isn't the draw

Copyright 2010 Sara Harding

A Little Jaunt to the Big Apple... on Spirit Airlines

Struggling to pack chic, but light

I haven't mentioned anything about my relationship status in a while. It was very much on my mind when I started the blog, because at the time I was struggling to put a relationship together. Then it was on my mind in Paris, where I spent two weeks alone in spite of having invited my boyfriend to join me in the most romantic city in the world. I'm happy to say, though, that things have been going well since I've been back in the states, and tomorrow morning I head off to spend a week with him in New York.

Which gives me an opportunity to write a little about in-country travel. Getting over the oceans is really my thing, but there are lots of great places you can go without leaving the USA, and New York is surely one of the greatest. Don't expect too much of me - I am going to visit my boyfriend after all and blogging isn't going to be my priority - but I promise to fill you in on the highlights.

But for today, how am I getting to New York? I'm flying Spirit Airlines. If you don't already know about Spirit, it's a great way to get around major US hubs on the cheap. Most of the airports Spirit flies to are located in the eastern half of the United States, and flights to Florida, the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and Mexico make it great for vacations. Flights to New York, Washington DC, Boston, Chicago, and Los Angeles make it great for work, too.

Spirit gets high marks for being affordable. You choose each segment of your flight separately and can see when the cheapest flights are available - if your travel plans are a bit flexible, this can really save you money. Spirit's flights are generally fairly inexpensive, but they're even cheaper if you join Spirit's 9 Dollar Fare Club. For $40 a year, you have access to rock-bottom prices. To put it in perspective, I joined the 9 Dollar Fare Club AND booked my roundtrip flight to New York for less than a major airline would have charged me for the ticket alone.

The downside, of course, is luggage. Spirit is particularly restrictive, even for a budget airline. You may only take a personal item without paying, something like a small tote. Bringing even a standard-sized carry-on will cost you an extra $20. Even so, including the charge for my carry-on and my membership in the 9 Dollar Fare Club, my flight cost me under $200. And now that most major airlines have begun to charge for the first checked bag on a domestic flight, I would have limited myself to just a carry-on even if I had paid major airline prices.

Although Spirit may not fly everywhere you want to go, the low prices make it worth checking out. And who knows - maybe some of the sunny destinations will inspire you to take a mid-winter break!

Copyright 2010 Sara Harding

Sixbeds Hostel, Rome, Italy

All the bits of paper are thank you notes

Really great budget accommodation is hard to find. Generally, you have to give something up. Maybe it's convenience or cleanliness or service, but chances are if you're spending less than 60 euros, you won't have a remarkably pleasant stay.

That's what makes Sixbeds Hostel in Rome an absolute stand-out in budget accommodations. Sixbeds has it all: it's clean and comfortable, it's located close to the train station and directly next to a major subway stop, and it provides important amenities like bed linens, towels, and in-room safes. It also provides the little extras like a book corner where you can pick up a book for the road or leave one you're finished with.

Most importantly, Sixbeds provides the big extra, which is fantastic service. Recognized by Hostel Bookers for the excellence of its service, Sixbeds goes out of its way to help you make the most of your time in Rome. When I arrived, even though I was only in town for one night, Max - Sixbeds' gregarious owner - sat me down with a complimentary map of the city and showed me how to get to all of Rome's famous monuments. He asked me what I had seen before and told me about new places I'd never been. Then he provided me with the train schedule for the following morning so I would be sure to get to the airport on time. I couldn't believe how helpful and welcoming Max was.

The book nook at Sixbeds

When I left Sixbeds, I left Max a thank you note. His walls are already full of them, but I hope mine is now up there, too. Being welcomed in a foreign city makes all the difference in the world to a tired traveler. I speak Italian and have spent over a year living in Italy, and I was still grateful for Max's help. If you're heading to Rome for the first time, I can't emphasize enough that you should stay at Sixbeds.

Size: Small (one single, one double, one triple)
Rates: Budget (a single room cost 40 euros a night)
Bathroom: Shared
Breakfast: Included
Cleanliness: High
Convenience: High
Languages spoken: English, Italian
Service: Outstanding!!!!
Overall rating: 10

Copyright 2010 Sara Harding