Travel: NYC

According to Zagats, You Can Get Grimaldi's Without Waiting in Line
News flash for pizza fans - you can check out the pizza that has folks lining up day in and day out without the wait. Or without even leaving Manhattan. Sure, hanging out on the sidewalk at Grimaldi's may be "part of the experience" for out-of-towners, but New Yorkers can get their pies at the Limelight Marketplace, where a stand-alone branch opened a while back with little fanfare. It's open, and the checkered tables are usually pretty empty and there is never a line situation.

Nomad -  Luxirare tells us why.


Kiosk - Say YES! to Hoboken tells us why.

Mokuba for lots and lots of trims.

Travel: London

Twighlight Tour of the Tower of London
The Doctor Who Experience...  for the Daleks!
4 Princelet Street (via Poupée Mechanique) - not a destination, necessarily but super cool nonetheless
These candy stores.
Liberty of London
Champagne Afternoon Tea at The Dorchester (Thank you, Luxirare)

Travel: Rome

Rome... with Biggity.

The inspiration came from Hugh Garvey's article on travelling to Rome with the kiddos (keep in mind that he seems to be a professional food/travel writer).

More, more, and more recent, intel from Jordan Ferney's trip.
Design Mom asks her kids what to do/see.

Travel: Paris

Magasins:
Achête Avibon!
La Case de cousin Paul - light balls (bring an empty valise!), courtesy of Oh Happy Day!
Repetto shoes, courtesy of Paris Breakfasts
La Droguerie - Oh Happy Day! tells us why.

Lists:
8 Hours of Paris Shopping with Jordan Ferney of Oh Happy Day!
Jordan Ferney's kid-centric list
A kid centric list at Frog Mom
Jordan Ferney's Paris Picnic Guide
Sprizee's links to lists
Kiss My Spatula lists 10 reasons to go in the winter.


Manger:
Le Boulanger des Invalides Jocteur, courtesy of Paris Breakfasts
Luxirare at Les Cocottes de Christian Constant - she recommends it for lunch.
Luxirare's Park Hyatt breakfast
Luxirare's L'Atelier Robuchon dinner


With Big Boy (many plucked from Oh Happy Day! who goes into greater detail):
Gusto Italia veggie pizza.
Seine Boat Tour, starting at Ile St. Louis.
Puppet shows at Jardin de Luxembourg and Champ de Mars (Oh Happy Day recommends Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday afternoons).
Sailboats at les jardins de Luxembourg and Tuileries.
Parc Floral - good children's park furniture.
The Cité des Enfants - children's museum.
Le Centquatre - for the bug carousel.

Grown-ups Only(?)
Paris By Mouth Food Tour, courtesy of Paris Breakfasts
YSL Studio Tour, courtesy of Paris Breakfasts

Travel: Tokyo

Grub:
Sukiyabashi Jiro (すきやばし次郎 Sukiyabashi Jirō), Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo.

Souvenirs:
Diamondokeito/Diakeito, DiaScenery/Diamusee Fine Yarn- more info at Moonstitches

~5ocm long colour repeats
100% wool
40g / 220m, fingering
gauge: 30-32 stitches x 42-44 rows
knit with 2.4 - 2.7 mm needle

Travel: Vancouver

Grub:

CREATIVE CURRIES, courtesy of The New York Times
Mark Bittman, a food columnist and blogger for The Times, once called Vij’s “among the finest Indian restaurants in the world.” It’s certainly among the more expensive. For a cheaper thrill, pop in next door to its colorful sister, Vij’s Rangoli (1488 West 11th Avenue; 604-736-5711; vijsrangoli.ca), which looks like a takeout diner. Memorable combinations include a goat meat and jackfruit curry with a coconut cabbage salad (15.50 Canadian dollars).

We might be taking Big Boy to Vancouver.

Highlights at Travel for Kids.
Find Family Fun has a huge, hot-linked list.
Granville Island - they have a Kids Market and an Adventure Zone.
Kid Space at Science World
Vancouver Aquarium - and you can "encounter" some of the residents for a fee

The suites at 910 Beach have in suite washers/dryers!

Toy Rentals
Wee Travel equipment rentals

Travel: Santa Rosa

Pacific Coast Air Museum
2230 Becker Blvd.
Santa Rosa, CA 95403
707-575-7900

Things I Would Like/Ought To Do

Get comfortable with the manual setting of my camera
Polish up my French
Spinning ... on spindle or wheel
Travel more but not for work ... to Africa/Asia/Europe.
Wing Chun! ... but sometimes Krav Maga.

Wing Chun might be more" woman-friendly" (i.e., not so dependent on assumed body strengths ... from what I have read, it was developed by a woman to address these very concerns).

RETIRED (and, in some cases, what was I thinking?):
More effective Baby Signing (For the Record: I do it all the time ... my audience seems receptive but not participatory).

Travel: Hamburg

Knuffingen Airport: Kleinster Flughafen der Welt - The world's smallest aeroport in action at the Hamburg aeroport. See it in action here.

Travel Copenhagen

Tivoli Gardens - especially for Biggity

René Redzepi's Noma - excellent article on Noma at The New Yorker.

Gavin - children's clothing

Travel: Charleston

I don't really want to visit Charleston, per se. But I do want to visit Sean Brock's two restaurants, which happen to be there:
Husk
McCrady's

The reason being this excellent article about Sean Brock's cooking at The New Yorker (you may need a subscription to view this).

Travel: Seattle

Sights:
Observation Deck of the Columbia Tower - best, free overlook of Seattle ( with Starbcks at hand) courtesy of Not Martha
Food:

Eats:
High 5 Pie

Big Boy:
Frantic Foodie's staycation with kids

Travel: Hawaii

KAUAI

THINGS TO TRY
Ukuleles

Why buy one
How to choose one
How to play one

FOOD
Koloa Fish Market, 5482 Koloa Rd., Koloa, Kauai, (808) 742-6199 - get the poke, lau lau, and kalua pork

Rentals:
Shells at Poipu, 1660 Kelaukia Street, Poipu, Kauai
Plantation Cottage, 2254 Pane Rd., Poipu, Kauai
Marriott Timeshare Villas - kids activities and Marriott points but the nearby beach is rough
Waimea Plantation Cottages
Kiahuna Beachside - calm beach and " a GREAT toddler kiddy pool lined with sand" (BPN).

Things to see and do:
Slow Travel USA's kid-centric itinerary
Marriott Kauai Beach Club - feed the koi daily at 9:00 AM
Hilo Hattie's - they'll give everyone a shell lei at the entrance
Poipu Beach - you can see the sheltered area here in the background
Kauai Plantation Railway - at the Kilohana Plantation
Lydgate Beach - calm with lifeguards ... and fish!
Kamalani Playground (next to Lydgate)
Poipu Beach/Poipu, Kauai - good beach for kids ... with a nearby park
Dangers of Kauai
National Tropical Botanical Gardens - an easy toddler "hike"
Little girls' hula dancing at Coconut Marketplace, Wednesday at 5pm
Strings and Things, 5 5190 Kuhio Hwy., Hanalei, Kauai, (808) 826-9633 - LYS

Christy says:
Puka Dogs, Poipu Shopping Centre
The Fish Hut across form the P.O. in Kiloa Town
The Old Movie House, Kiloa Town
Roy's and Kioki's, Poipu Shopping Center
Toddler Beachwear - UV t-shirts from GAP + sunblock + umbrella
Whalers Cove - nice and right on the beach.
The Kauai Tree Tunnel is beautiful
Wild chickens
Hamura Saimin, Lihue, 2956 Kress St, Lihue, HI 96766, (808) 245-3271 - order "the special," large ... and the lilikoi pie!
Koloa Landing Cottages
The Whaler (condos – right on the ocean)
The Sheraton
Suite Paradise
Marriot Waipoli

Per the Berkeley Parents Board:
Baby's Away - equipment rentals

"Don't bring a stroller, there are no long paved places in Kauai to use them. It's all road or beach."

"I've heard that the north is better weather in the summer months, and the south has better weather in the winter. But you know the south is nice year round and has more baby friendly beaches ..."

"The North Shore is at it's best in the summer (June-September I think). Outside of those times it can be rainy and the surf can be rough."

OAHU

Things to see and do:
Matsumoto's Grocery, Oahu, Hawaii - Shaved Ice, Oahu

HAWAII

Things to see and do:
Yarn Basket, 50 East Puainako Street, Hilo, HI 96720, (808) 959-0034 - LYS
Tink n Ink, 73-5568 Olowalu Street, Kailua Kona, HI 96740 (808) 326-2820 - LYS

Travel: San Francisco

Yeah, I live here. But I might not forever.
And maybe someone is planning a trip here?
And maybe I might need to entertain some visitors?


Saint Francis Fountain - Oldest
What/Where to eat in SF - according to 7x7, their 2010 version
Mighty Girl's handy-dandy Map Version of 7x7's list
Mighty Girl's list to visit like a local.

Must try:
Ilaria and Chinotto at Una Pizza NapoletanaMission Chinese, courtesy of Siri

Kid-Friendly Hikes courtesy of SF Gate

Big Boy: Travel

What to bring for distraction.

Eye Like Sticker Books

Dover Little Activity Books like Little Airport Sticker Activity Book

DIY Magnetic Play Set at Chez Beeper Bebe

Travel: New Orleans

What to eat there according to Mighty Girl!

Travel: Stockholm

How About Orange's trip

Travel: China

Pleco for hanji translation app for ipad/pod/phone

Trunks: Louis Vuitton for John Nollet

From American Vogue, March 2011

Initially, this image was swipe for an acquaintance. They are the bespoke trunks made for M. John Nollet by Louis Vuitton. I do not have the same talent or passion for hair as these gentlemen but I do admire the trunks. Here are other images from John-Nollet.com

Camping

Better start making a list now in case Big Boy wants to go camping some day.

The Pines at Yosemite
Costanoa at Santa Cruz