My birthday brunch Chez Oskar

Outside Chez Oskar with Bill and Michael

Inside Chez Oskar with Erin, Michael, Bill and Reema

Note the pretty rose in the Bellini

Chez Oskar is one of my favorite restaurants in  Brooklyn. An unpretentious French bistro, it serves marvelous French traditional dishes at reasonable prices.   Michael, Erin, and I all chose the salade nicoise composed of salmon rather than tuna.  Bill went with a classic French omelette and my niece Reema with eggs benedict.  We all appreciated our selections and finished our meal with a mouth watering warm flour-less chocolate cake.  What a fun week of dining out in the Big Apple!

After brunch, Bill and I head  to Tribeca to view  the Banksy in New York exhibit. According to Wikipedia, "Banksy is a pseudonymous England-based street, political activist and film director whose real name and identity remain unconfirmed and the subject of speculation."  I first learned about Banksy during a street art tour in Tel Aviv.  Israelis honor Banksy by dedicating  and preserving blocks and blocks of his art. Unfortunately,  Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City, considered street art to be undesirable graffiti when Banksy did a residency in the city in 2013. Sadly,

a lot of Banksy's street art ended up destroyed.  But as the top photo's message states "THERE IS ALWAYS HOPE." 

 

Happy Anniversary to Erin and Michael!

Chocolate dipped matzoh and caramel ice cream 

Lemon meringue  and blueberry pie


We celebrated Erin and Michael's eighth anniversary with some very special treats. My sister had sent me an article about this limited edition  Zabars Passover ice cream with chocolate covered matzoh chunks and caramel in a vanilla ice cream base.   Only three of the Zabars stores carry it. I chose the shop at the Grand Central market after meeting a friend at the Campbell Bar located inside the station. The Campbell Bar  gives off a distinct  European vibe with its elegance and old world charm. My friend and I really could have spent all evening, chatting,  but I felt eager to pick up the ice cream.  Since the ice cream would not be available after this last day of Passover, I actually called and reserved a pint.  Clearly, I take my ice cream seriously.  Erin met me at the market. I invited her to pick out a couple of pies to go with the ice cream.  We enjoyed pie and ice cream after dinner the next day.  What a delicious celebration for my favorite couple!

 

Chinatown

After visiting the French book store, I head downtown  to meet Bill and Michael in Chinatown.  Bill read about  one of the oldest authentic Chinese restaurants, Hop Lee at 16 Mott Street, which still offers lunch specials for $7.50. For this price, you get bean soup, a main dish with rice, and of course the mandatory fortune cookie and orange slices.  We pick our lunch specials and wait for a server to take our orders, and wait and wait and wait . At the large table next to ours gathers what looks like the entire restaurant staff in red jacketed uniforms, partaking in their own family style lunch. Clearly, we could not expect any service until after they finished their meal.   They eat rather quickly, and it pleases me to see how the staff connects over lunch.  Luckily, none of us feels desperate to eat so we sit chatting patiently. The server who finally arrives at our table apologizes. We place our orders: mine shrimp with scrambled eggs, Michael 's ma po tofu, and Bill's green beans with garlic.  The server returns with our orders in record time. I love my shrimp and scrambled eggs. I hardly ever get to eat shrimp so this is a special treat.

Daniel living vicariously through us from Paris, requests that we try Fong On,  at 81 Division Street, the oldest family run tofu shop in New York City. I suggest we go there for dessert. Not a lot of dessert options, but we decide on tofu pudding, which is served with three possible sweet syrups.  Surprisingly, the pudding consists simply of silken tofu served warm and a little soupy.  We pour our syrups over it. As Michael comments, we are glad we tried  tofu pudding, but maybe once is enough. Other toppings with more texture are available and  might change our opinion if we do try this dessert again. As you can see, we enjoyed our tofu pudding sitting outdoors as the amazing warm weather continues.

 

tofu pudding in Chinatown

 

Back to Brooklyn

Can you spot Bill at the machine buying our AirTrain tickets?

Here we are back in New York City to visit Michael and Erin, our son and daughter-in-law. I miss them so much that seeing them  again feels like recovering a lost part of myself. 

As soon as we exit the plane, my ear picks up a multitude of foreign languages.  I get the impression of having landed in Europe, or Asia, or the Middle East.  At the  Airtrain Tickets kiosque, people struggle to figure out the confusing vending machines.  Although in English, the instructions and options confond native speakers. Even Bill, the public transportatin expert seems flummoxed. I observe the international travelers battling  with the machines and admire their patience.  Fortunately, several  subway agents  show up to assist from time to time.  Eventually, everyone gets sorted, and off they go to enjoy the Big Apple.  Adventures await.

Angelina from Paris in New York City

The next day, I head to Albertine,  972 5th avenue,  a truly amazing French Book Store , the best in the United States.  On the way, a very familiar attractive  shop window grabs my attention. Angelina from Paris here  in  New York City!   Resisting temptation,  I venture on. Suddenly, being in this crowded, bustling, diverse, and sensory overloaded city feels weird. My inner big city woman needs quick  activation. The sunny weather after weeks of damp Oregon also takes some getting used to. For the first time, in weeks , my water proof boots are replaced by street shoes. But I love it all. After repeatedly negotiating crossing busy streets darting out of the way of turning cars and shoulder to shoulder people,  my inner big city woman comes alive and breathes a sigh of relief. I am at home once again  in New York City,  Brooklyn born and raised, and very proud of it.

 

Is Maggy going to Europe or to the beach?

Did we overpack?

  

We are at the beach in a torrential rain storm.  I did manage to walk Maggy and find some food carts near the house. All the dog friendly restaurants closed their patios due to the weather.  Luckily, I brought my salad fixings for lunch and Bill went off to find an Impossible Burger. Unlikely we will starve, but my fantasy of enjoying an outdoor patio dining experience with Maggy is fading fast. 

Where am I?

Mom braved the elements to walk me.

Now Maggy is snoring peacefully. Perhaps she is dreaming of sandy beaches in Tahiti.   In all fairness, We  did promise her a lovely beach walk . Although I explained to her several times that this is the ultimate Oregon beach experience, she is not buying it.  Guess, I will just have to make it up to her in treats. Looks like my next activity will be watching Brothers and Sisters on Hulu. Bill is always asking me why the people in that series are shouting so I shout back that it's a family drama and that is what some families do, especially those on an Oregon beach vacation in the pouring rain.

She's back, but it was not easy.

Le Jardin des Plantes Light Festival

Water Lilies

You can guess this one,

 

Daniel and Erin


Erin and I  left for Paris on December 19. Well, actually our tickets said December 19, but after 3 long delays, we board our direct flight on December 20 at 3 A.M.   Bill and I arrived the day before in NYC. Bill planned to stay in New York with our older son Michael while I took Erin to Paris to visit younger son Daniel working in Paris and enjoy the holiday festivities.   Despite the jet lag, I managed to keep up with both Daniel and Erin who are 32 and 27 years younger than I am respectively.

Our first highlight was the Winter Lights Festival at the Jardin des Plantes. Entitled Mini Monde, it featured the worlds of insects, flora, and fauna with informational plaques along the way. The French never seem to miss an opportunity to educate . I am all for that.  At first, we felt  stumped.  Were we looking at stained glass, or lights, or what?  It turns out amazingly, that the impressive display before us was constructed entirely in fabric.  The depth of color and fascinating shapes exuded genius.  

  

Au Revoir

Wishing for a grand-daughter!

 Tomorrow I fly home. What a trip filled with magic, and so much kindness and caring not only from friends but from random strangers!  Vacation magic Melanie and I call it. As an example, I am sitting sipping coffee at a cafe on the square at Monflanquin. I am explaining to my friend Diana that I am considering going to Paris for Chanukah since Daniel will still be there. Diana does not seem to understand the word Chanukah. Okay, so it is not French. I repeat Chanukah five times rather loudly. Diana finally gets it. A few minutes later a woman approaches me. She says she wants to  wish me Shana Tovah,  Happy Jewish New Year which is actually this week. I look at her with bewilderment. She must have overheard me yelling Chanukah five times. It turns out this lovely woman is from Israel. We speak Hebrew a little bit. She wishes  me a new year filled with good  health and good energy. How did she come to to visit Monflanquin? The old fashion way. She read about it in a guide book. What are the chances?

In Paris, we experienced the good fortune of attending one of the city's oldest and exquisite orthodox Jewish synagogues.  The men sit downstairs and women above in the balcony. It is a rare privilege to visit a synagogue anywhere in France due to high security.  I did see one in an organized tour of the Marais, but this is my first time to attend services.   I stood the entire time because my view was totally blocked while sitting down. So different from the congregation where I belong at home.

Am I ready to go home?  Always a mixed bag of emotions. I feel so alive in France and fortunate to own a home in the gorgeous French countryside.  But my non vacation life resides in Portland where I enjoy fun and meaningful  activities.  Plus next month, I volunteered to help my sister babysit three of her grandchildren under three years of age while the parents go to Paris. The above picture features vibrant children's clothing from the French clothing line Jacardi!  Ok, universe. How about a bit more magic?