Frommer’s guide that went to St. Martin with me

Google recently bought out Frommer’s – the company that creates hundreds of print travel guide books each year. And now they’ve decided to stop publishing any. Here’s the link to the story.

I love books and I love travel, so I am a Frommer’s fan. I don’t go anywhere without buying the Frommer’s and Fodor’s guides for that location.  And I do buy both guides because they have different styles and include different information. Often by cross-referencing the two I can isolate the best restaurants, best hotels, and best things to do if the books agree.

I do a lot of online research before I travel (TripAdvisor is very helpful, as are local tourism web sites), but I find that a print guidebook organizes all of the important information for me in one place. It  has small localized maps that are easy to read. Most online sites redirect you to Google maps, which is fine, but it’s nice to see a map with all the restaurants or sights clearly marked, so you can easily gauge what is where.

I like to have a guidebook in my purse or bag when we are out and about. We may plan to go to one restaurant and get there and find it’s a dump. The guidebook offers a quick way for me to find other restaurants I’ve marked in that area, rather than trying to navigate UrbanSpoon or TripAdvisor for help (and if you’re in a spot with no internet access they do you no good!).

I will sorely miss Frommer’s guides and may now have to give in and buy some other brand (Rick Steve’s, Rough Guide, or Moon – all of which I’ve tried and just don’t like as much as my Big Two!).

What resources do you use to prepare for a trip? Will you miss Frommer’s guides?

Google recently bought out Frommer’s – the company that creates hundreds of print travel guide books each year. And now they’ve decided to stop publishing any. Here’s the link to the story. I love books and I love travel, so I am a Frommer’s fan. I don’t go anywhere without buying the Frommer’s and Fodor’s … Read more →

Art from St. Martin

I love to visit new places to experience the culture, soak up the scenery, enjoy the food, and immerse myself in a different life. But let’s be honest here, the thing that gets me the most excited is the shopping (to the dismay of my teenage son).

Caribbean islands are tough nuts to crack when it comes to local artisan shopping. Although there are seemingly many artists who make their homes in this area of the world, seeking them out is harder than it should be. St. Martin was no different.

Philipsburg

St. Martin has a French side and a Dutch side. There are two large cities, Philipsburg (Dutch)

Palm leaf basket

and Marigot (French). Philipsburg has the largest number of tourists due to the cruise ships that dock here. Colombian Emeralds and Diamonds International make me shudder. I want locally created crafts and art. The only shop worth visiting in Philipsburg was the Guavaberry Emporium, where you can buy guavaberry, an alcoholic spirit that is a specialty of this island. I was hoping to find some other guavaberry items in the shop, but other than honey, everything is alcoholic in nature. My daughter brought home a bottle of this to add to her limoncello from Italy.

Marigot

Marigot was another disappointment to me. There is a lovely harbor in this town but the shopping is disappointing. If you want designer goods, head to the West Indies Mall. Gucci is not a souvenir I need

Coffee table book

however, so instead we went to the Marigot market which happens every Saturday and Wednesday right on the harbor. The market is similar to those you’ll find in most other Caribbean ports – lots of goods made in China or India, very few from the island. This market did offer some locally produced goods, but not as much as I had hoped. There was a booth filled with hand painted tiles showing scenes from the island. There were a few painters scattered throughout. But all in all, I was not impressed. I did buy a small wooden turtle box for my son, but I doubt it was made in St. Martin.

Cupecoy

Bookmarks and magnet

The Cupecoy beach area on the Dutch side sounded promising. There is in fact a small courtyard with a cute collection of shops. Unfortunately all but one were closed the afternoon we made it there (I really wanted to visit the Bloomin’ Baskets shop).  I did go in the Shipwreck Shop here. The Shipwreck shops are an island chain with several locations – I’d breezed through one in Philipsburg, but this shop didn’t feel like a junky souvenir shop as the one in Philipsburg did. There were some very nice collections of Fresh Produce clothes (a brand you find in Florida and the Caribbean) as well as some other beach-y brands.

My daughter bought a very cute bathing suit cover up here. I found 2 notecard sized prints of

Guavaberry and souvenir mugs

paintings I liked, a set of two bookmarks, and I bought a wooden box with hand-painted tile set in it.  I also found a coffee table book of St. Martin (I always buy one wherever I go). And I found my magnet (another item I always buy). I almost bought a small steel drum that had been hand painted, but walked away from that.

Grand Case

I’ll be doing another post about the food in Grand Case (not to be missed!), but it was also the place with the best shopping. We actually shopped this tiny town twice (which is easily walkable from one end to the other). Many shops are open in the evening, when the restaurants are open, which is when we shopped.

Larimar

Tuesday nights are when the town has its weekly street festival and this is when you really want to be sure to go. The main street is closed to traffic (meaning you park outside of town and hoof it – it wasn’t too far however). The street is lined with vendors selling jewelry, handcrafts, art, food, and alcoholic drinks, in addition to the regular shops.

In a funny little shop called Oops we each bought a piece of larimar jewelry. Larimar is from the Dominican Republic and is sold throughout the Caribbean. It’s a beautiful light blue stone with more marbling than turquoise. I bought the necklace and my daughter got the ring. The shop sold the jewelry according to weight, which was an interesting method. At the same place I bought a sheep. I have a large flock of sheep that I tend to and am always adding to it. This sheep was made of something I’d never seen before. It’s called vegetable ivory and is made from the seed of the tagua palm tree. The seeds fall from the trees, harden into what looks like ivory and are carved. This was a fantastic find and one I will definitely treasure.

Vegetable ivory sheep

There are several clothing and jewelry shops in Grand Case, and my daughter bought a scarf with silver and blue beading at the ends of it at one of them. We ogled but did not buy the many white flowy tops and dresses at one store, as well as a shop that sold a variety of fine Dogeared.com-style necklaces with the tiny round charms.

Grand Case is home to Tijon, a perfumery. They sell a full line of lovely fragrances for men and women and also offer classes.

At the street fair I found an artist I liked, named Asif Hakh. Originally from Guyana, he lives and works on St. Martin. Although he gave me instructions for how to find information about him online, all of the pages are no longer working, so I can’t share any links with you! Asif had a large collection of prints, of which I bought two (one shows Orient Beach the most famous beach

Tile box

on the island, and the other shows the Radisson Blu where we stayed). He also had some original work that incorporated rope or string to create multi-media pieces of hammocks or wicker chairs in a tropical scene (I’m adding these to the gallery in my mind).

A small table near the end of the street held baskets freshly woven from palm leaves – and the artist was making them as we watched. I’ve seen this method before on other islands and have a flower made by a peddler who went around a restaurant in Puerto Rico. What intrigued me was the beautiful pattern in the center of the basket, so I was happy to bring one home to add to my basket collection. It’s still green, so it will be interesting to see how the basket changes as it dries.

I was happy with my finds, but wouldn’t you know it? As we drove to the airport to leave, we passed a handcrafts store? No time to stop, so I’ll always

Cover up and scarf

wonder what I might have found there….

I love to visit new places to experience the culture, soak up the scenery, enjoy the food, and immerse myself in a different life. But let’s be honest here, the thing that gets me the most excited is the shopping (to the dismay of my teenage son). Caribbean islands are tough nuts to crack when … Read more →

Lent is fish fry season here in Buffalo. Every Friday, most restaurants offer a fish fry. If you’ve never been to Buffalo, there are many things that make our fish frys special.

1- The fish must be beer battered

2- Haddock is the fish of choice and the ends should ideally hang off the ends of your plate

3- The gold standard for fish fry accompaniments are: cole slaw, fries (sometimes potato salad replaces this but that’s not the preferred choice!), macaroni salad and at some places you even get a cup of soup and a slice of bread. Why yes, we have an obesity problem, are you shocked?

Fish frys are practically a competitive sport around here. As soon as Lent begins, we begin scouring the entertainment section of the paper for ads for the best price with the most authentic meal. We gossip about who had a good fish fry where and people leave work early on Friday to get to them early. The best fish frys are normally served in a restaurant with square tables with those plastic fuzzy-backed table cloths and the black metal stacking chairs with the barely upholstered seat. The restaurant is usually quite dim and you can bet there’s a neon beer sign on the wall somewhere. You will be asked if you want your fish fried or broiled and Lord have mercy on those who go for broiled. People will wait in line for a good fish fry. Some churches will hold fish frys and make a fine buck doing so.

Since fish frys are such an important part of the Lenten season (no matter what religion you are) here, learning I am gluten intolerant was a blow to my fish fry search. Not only is the fish coated in a batter containing gluten flour, but it’s also made with beer which also has gluten! I thought my fish fry days were over. Obviously being a true Buffalonian, I couldn’t face that life sentence, so I had to make my own.

In a great show of restraint I made only fish fry, French fries and coleslaw for our meal.

Cole Slaw

1 head cabbage

1 cup baby carrots

4 tbsp sugar

3/4 cup light mayo

2 tbsp milk

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1/8 tsp salt

Shred the cabbage and carrots with a grater or use the grater piece on your food processor (this makes it very quick work!). Stir all the other ingredients into the vegetables and then refrigerate at least an hour. This is often better the next day.

Gluten Free Battered Fish Fry

4 haddock fillets

1 cup Bob’s Red Mill gluten free all purpose flout

1 cup Cup4Cup flour

salt and pepper

1/8 tsp paprika

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1 egg

2  3/4 cup ginger ale

peanut oil

Pat the fish dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in 2 heavy duty deep sided skillets to 375 degrees on high. Mix all other ingredients, whisking. The batter should resemble thick pancake batter. Dip each fillet in the batter then place in the pan. Place two fillets per pan. When they become golden brown on the bottom, flip them. When both sides are golden, remove from pan and place on a paper towel, patting the top as well. Serve immediately.

You’ll want to serve ketchup on the side as well as tartar sauce and lemon wedges. Feel free to substitute any gluten free flour you like in this recipe. This recipe will also work for fried shrimp and scallops (if you’re really feeling ritzy in Buffalo you might get the fried seafood platter which would include shrimp, scallops as well as a big ass piece of halibut, but your dining companions will think you are a pig, not to mention filthy rich).  You could also use gluten-free beer instead of ginger ale, but I could not tell it was ginger ale at all.

The meal was a complete success and got thumbs up all around the table. No need to give up fish fry for Lent anymore!

Lent is fish fry season here in Buffalo. Every Friday, most restaurants offer a fish fry. If you’ve never been to Buffalo, there are many things that make our fish frys special. 1- The fish must be beer battered 2- Haddock is the fish of choice and the ends should ideally hang off the ends … Read more →

I have a Facebook page for this blog at: www.facebook.com/PuttingItAllontheTable. Won’t you join me there? I post links to my new blog postings here, but there’s also lots of content that just goes there. Photos, links, etc. I’d love to interact with you there and would love to follow you as well!

I have a Facebook page for this blog at: www.facebook.com/PuttingItAllontheTable. Won’t you join me there? I post links to my new blog postings here, but there’s also lots of content that just goes there. Photos, links, etc. I’d love to interact with you there and would love to follow you as well!

Today I did my changeover from St. Patrick’s Day decorations to Easter and decided it was time to move some other things around. Although I have a collection of antique blue glass that was my grandmother’s, it is the absolute wrong color on this runner, so instead, I went shopping in my house (which is always fun – trying to see the things you own in a new way) and pulled together different blue pieces for this display. The little blue pieces in the front sides are called Caprice glass: this is my new obsession. I love the color and the swirls in the pattern. The blue cake plate on the left was a gift from my daughter a few years ago. She found it at an antique shop. I just bought the stacked blue cake plates at TJ Maxx for a song. The vase with the squares is from Murano, Italy. The hydrangea plate is from Capri, Italy. The turquoise vase is from Bath, England. The runner is from Sorrento, Italy. I’m not sure where the blue round vase in the front came from – that was a gift.

I’m still looking for a paint color to replace the pink in this room. I hate it. But I can’t find anything that’s right.

Today I did my changeover from St. Patrick’s Day decorations to Easter and decided it was time to move some other things around. Although I have a collection of antique blue glass that was my grandmother’s, it is the absolute wrong color on this runner, so instead, I went shopping in my house (which is … Read more →

My mom and I each have a gallery in our minds. The galleries are beautiful, with perfect lighting, neutral walls, and welcoming spaces. And they are completely filled with things we didn’t buy on our trips, but we wish we had.  (If you were wondering where I got the travel shopping bug from, it’s definitely from my mom).

My mom’s gallery includes a carved leather coat from Calgary and an Inuit bear from Calgary. There is also a sculpture from New Orleans.

My own gallery is becoming quite large. I may need to expand to a larger space and hire a curator. The gallery includes a stunning stone mosaic (called intarsia: see Wiki page here with some images of this beautiful craft) I saw in Florence (I just couldn’t spend $500 on it!) and a seascape and dunes painting I just saw in Florida (the artist’s web site is here, with one similar painting – again, it was lovely but just more than I could spend). There were beautiful, crazy-expensive quilts made by the Amish in Sarasota, FL and also in Chautauqua County, NY that I would have loved to own (I get a little crazy over quilts. My grandmother had several made by her mother. There was one made up of pieces of dresses my grandmother used to wear as a child and she used to point to the pieces and tell me about the clothes. I guess quilts take me back to that moment).

I still remember a vase covered in turquoise I saw in a shop in Santa Fe. It was stunning, but it was ungodly expensive and the inside was black, which didn’t excite me. That doesn’t stop me from wishing I had bought it.

A watermelon

Very similar to the turquoise vase I didn’t buy

tourmaline necklace from Maine and a vase painted with the New Mexico sky were on the list until my husband bought them for me as Christmas gifts after our trips. I have longed for larimar jewelry after seeing a piece on a trip to Colorado (of all places, since larimar is from the Dominican Republic: I actually just took this one out of the gallery when I bought a necklace in St. Martin — details in an upcoming post about that trip!).

Then there is the Capri watch. I saw this in a free magazine we got on the train in Italy then I saw it in a jewelry store on Capri. I fell in love when I first saw it in the magazine (the woman across the aisle from me did too – she held it up to show her husband). I had trouble in the store finding one that was right. I don’t think they had the one pictured here – it might be the perfect one. Note to family: hint, hint.

Then there was the small table, which was almost a step stool but not quite, that was made of inlaid wood showing a mangrove tree. We saw this in a gallery in Matlacha, Pine Island, Florida. I literally went back to that store 3 times to look at it. The kids gave up and sat in the car. We moved it into the light, out of the light, next to chairs and all around the shop. In the end, we didn’t buy it because I just couldn’t picture where I would put it.

In Jerome, Arizona, I saw an amazing puzzle box of a chicken I should have bought for my mother, who collects chickens. That one haunts me. Lesson to self: do not allow husband to talk you out of things you are certain of!

At the SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) shop in Savannah, GA I saw a huge, beautiful multi-media painting. It had pieces of music glued into the painting along with things like buttons and other items I can’t remember anymore. It was stunning but where on earth would I put something so huge? There was a mosaic mirror frame made of broken pottery and with Scrabble letters used to spell out words in it that I saw on Captiva Island, Florida. At the time, I couldn’t picture where I would put it (my solution to this was I made my own mosaic frame for a bathroom mirror, but I didn’t include the Scrabble letters).

It actually gives me great satisfaction to write about the gallery in mind. Actually recording the items here somehow makes them more real for me!

Do you have a gallery in your mind? What’s in it?

My mom and I each have a gallery in our minds. The galleries are beautiful, with perfect lighting, neutral walls, and welcoming spaces. And they are completely filled with things we didn’t buy on our trips, but we wish we had.  (If you were wondering where I got the travel shopping bug from, it’s definitely … Read more →

View from the beach

My daughter and I just returned from a relaxing girls’ getaway in St. Martin for 5 days. It’s a lovely place and I’ll be posting more about the island, what to do and where to eat in later posts (not to mention the shopping!). First things first though is the hotel. And I have a lot to say about it, so I thought I’d do a whole post.

We stayed at the Radisson Blu, in Anse Marcel, on the French (north) side of the island (the southern part of the island is St. Maarten and is Dutch). It is located north of Marigot, the main French town, and very near Grand Case, which is where the best restaurants are. It is also close to Orient Beach, the best known beach on the island.  We wavered a bit about where to stay since this hotel does not offer oceanview rooms. The property backs up to the ocean and the rooms have either garden views or marina views. I generally prefer to have an oceanview when I’m staying in a place that is all about the ocean, but we decided we probably wouldn’t be spending much time in the room anyhow. We reserved a superior room with marina view.

Getting There

The hotel web site provides driving directions from the airport so we brought those along in

The resort – and the mountain you drive over!

case our GPS did not work. When we arrived, it wasn’t working (of course!). I also asked the car rental place for directions. Both sets of directions combined were a bit vague. St. Martin has only a handful of stop signs and traffic lights. There are roundabouts and very few road signs. It is difficult to distinguish a main road from a side road since most roads have no center markings and none are in very good condition  All of this made getting to the hotel extremely challenging! It’s hard to know when to turn when there are no signs. We missed a turn and got a little lost, but finally figured it out.

The next challenge in getting to the hotel is that you must literally go up and over a mountain to get there. The road to the hotel is narrow, very steep and filled with blind hairpin turns. When we arrived it was dark which made it even more terrifying. The hotel doesn’t post signs along this road. There are turnoffs where it would have been helpful to have a little sign guiding me!

View of the hotel from the mountain

At one point, there is a breath-taking view of the cove the hotel is in, but there is absolutely no way to pull over since it is on a hairpin turn. We discovered a spot to leave the car just below this and were able to hike up the hill to get the photo (St. Martin is filled with photo opps like this. You will be driving up a giant hill and suddenly at the crest, you will gasp at the sight below you, but there is nowhere to pull over to get a picture and you are always being tailgated by someone who is annoyed by your driving.

Check-In

We finally managed to find the hotel, which is hidden behind a manned entry. The exterior of the hotel is very pretty  – white with big colored curtains. My photo did not turn out well, but

Hotel entrance (excuse the poor quality)

I’m sharing to give you a sense of it. I pulled the rental car up to the front door and we went in to check in. There was no bellman in sight. The front desk was very busy and the woman who checked us in was unfriendly, soft-spoken, and difficult to hear. Part of our package included membership in the My Time program, which entitled us to perks like a fruit basket in the room and a food and beverage credit during our stay (both of which we did get). We were also supposed to be greeted with a cold towel and a tropical drink. This did not happen. We were supposed to be given a special My Time card to show during our stay. I learned later that the little paper business card with our room number handwritten on it was this card (would have been nice if someone explained this, but I’m not sure what good this card would have done us). The program was also supposed to include a call on the third day of stay to ask how things were. No one ever called.

The lobby

The My Time program also allowed late check out, but when I asked, I was told I would have to ask on the morning of departure, which defeats the purpose since we couldn’t plan to be able to stay.

On the plus side, we were told we had been upgraded to a deluxe room.

While we were checking in, a bellman came and asked me for my keys since my car was in the way. He moved the car and removed some of our luggage and brought it in.  He did not bring all of our belongings and he didn’t tell me where my car was (I assumed since they moved it, they would retrieve it).  The next morning, my daughter and I had to wander the three parking lots to find our car – there was no accountability for where it had been parked.

About 10 days before we left, I contacted the hotel to let them know I am gluten intolerant and to ask if their chefs would be able to accommodate me. I got an email back saying one of the chefs would be emailing me. No one did. Two days before we left I responded and let them know no one had contacted me. No response.  At check in I asked

Lounge chairs on the beach, and in the waves

again and was told a chef would call me in my room. This didn’t happen. At breakfast one morning I tried to get some assistance and the response was quite poor.

The Room

After the nonsense at check-in, we were happy to go to our room which had a king size Sleep Number bed (you can adjust the firmness on each side), a table and chairs, armchair and stool, balcony, and large bathroom. The room was a soft yellow and very comfortable. One feature I liked was that in addition to a chest of drawers, there were huge baskets under the nightstands for storage, as well as two closets and small storage baskets near the minibar.

Lounge area just above the sand (with beach bar behind it)

The bathroom was huge with two sinks, but it wasn’t very usable since the tub/shower had a glass door and the toilet area didn’t have a door, so essentially only one person could use the room at a time.

I don’t think I would call our view a marina view. I could barely make out some boats through the trees. Despite this, I was very pleased with our room which appeared recently renovated and was spotless. I do not believe the room was vacuumed during our stay however, since the same crumb remained on the floor by my side of the bed the entire stay.

The Resort

View from the lobby

I have nothing but glowing things to say about the grounds of this resort. The lobby area was open to the outside and there were many comfortable couches and chairs in the area. There is also a lobby bar. The grounds have beautiful flowering shrubs. There is a bocce ball court and a ping pong table. There is a spa, but we did not visit it during our stay.

The place where we spent all of our time was the beach and pool. The resort backs up to a big

crescent-shaped beach that is shared with several other resorts, however it is not crowded or busy at all. The waves come all the way up to the retaining walls, so there is not a lot of space to actually sit on the beach (and there seem to be no tides, since the water was always up to the edge). On our first morning, there were lounge chairs on the sand, so we sat there. The waves would wash up under our chairs. It was nice, but I was constantly worrying about our bag, which I kept lifting in the air to keep dry. After that morning, no lounge chairs were allowed on the beach, but they were right next to the beach, set up underneath palm trees with a spectacular view. There is a beachside bar with one waiter who makes the rounds. We got one round of frozen drinks and didn’t think they were very good.

Heaven is an infinity pool

The sand is soft and flat with no shells or rocks to speak of. The beach is in a little cove and there are boats anchored there. You can see Anguilla across the way. It is a magical little cove. Be aware that the beach is tops optional! The beach is long enough for a nice walk, which we enjoyed several times. The water had a bit of an undertow, but once you got past where the waves broke it was pleasant to just float in the turquoise water.

I am still not recovered from the glory that was the pool. This was the biggest, most comfortable pool I’ve ever been in. There are 4 sections. There’s a rectangular area where a water fitness class was happening one day. The next section has a sand area next to and no steps – you just gradually walk in like you would at a beach. This was not very deep and was perfect for children.

There was an intermediate area that was a bit deeper, then it opened up to the infinity pool section that was about 5 feet deep. The infinity edge meant that not only could you look out over the ocean as you swam, but there were no waves or splashing, since the water cycles

over the edge of the pool.  It was so big that 4-5 times around this section of the pool

The lovely Anse Marcel beach

constituted my half hour daily swim.

There were plenty of chairs, umbrellas and palm trees around the pool. There were a few cabanas for rent but really were unnecessary since you could find so much shade. There are two resident iguanas my daughter saw casually swimming across the pool!

The pool bathrooms were pretty dirty and rarely had toilet paper, so that was the only complaint I can offer.

I would go back just for the pool and beach area alone.

The resort seemed to be very popular with families from France. There were also many couples (some young, but many in midlife) who were American. It never felt crowded or busy and the atmosphere was relaxed and delightful.

If you’re looking for a wonderful getaway, you will find it in this resort!

My daughter and I just returned from a relaxing girls’ getaway in St. Martin for 5 days. It’s a lovely place and I’ll be posting more about the island, what to do and where to eat in later posts (not to mention the shopping!). First things first though is the hotel. And I have a … Read more →

One of the other hats I wear is as a textbook writer, and part of this job requires me to look at a wide variety of textbooks about lots of topics. I was reading part of a psychology textbook about memory and there was a fascinating section on flashbulb memories. These are very vivid memories of very dramatic events in our lives. For example, 9/11 is a flashbulb memory for many people.

This made me flip through my own file of flashbulb memories. It’s almost as if they are a stack of postcards in my mind. I can see each one clearly. They include our wedding, holding our babies for the first time, giving our first puppy a bath, leaving our old house for the last time, a night when we stood outside and could clearly see the Milky Way, and lots of travel memories. There are also sad or upsetting memories: falling through a dock holding my infant son, funerals, opening the front door to see my son holding a giant snake, and times when family members were injured. I try not to look at those snapshots very often!

It’s fascinating that our brains store these memories as still photos. And they are indeed very vivid to me, so much so that I can see a lot of detail in them.

What are your flashbulb memories?

One of the other hats I wear is as a textbook writer, and part of this job requires me to look at a wide variety of textbooks about lots of topics. I was reading part of a psychology textbook about memory and there was a fascinating section on flashbulb memories. These are very vivid memories … Read more →

Naples beach

Shopping is always a primary concern of mine when traveling. And generally what I’m looking for are items handmade in the local area, usually specialty items from the area. Naples, FL is a lovely place to visit with wonderful white sand beaches, warm weather, and lots of conveniences nearby, but it doesn’t ring my bell when it comes to handmade treasures.

Art Shows

Your best best for beautiful handmade items in Naples is to look for an art show. There seems to be

Painting from art show

one almost every weekend (check the Naples Daily News Friday edition for details on upcoming events). I’ve been able to find one every time I’ve been there. They are often in parks – Cambier or Wiggins Pass. I’ve also been to one in the parking lot of a mall. Keep your eyes open for these. They are wonderful events with lots of artists from around the country, but there are often local artists there also. I bought this lovely palm tree painting (which is textured – hard to see that in a photo) in a show in Cambier Park last year from a local artist.

Fifth Avenue

The most popular area in Naples is Fifth Avenue South. This main shopping area of the city is a few blocks long and has many restaurants as well as a theater. You’ll also find some lovely shops tucked in among there. There are clothing shops (I like Fresh Produce for clothes that feel like Florida – and they sell plus sizes).  Blue Mussel carries beautiful shells (not cheap!) if you’d like a memento of the sea. Royalty and Hollywood Jewelry sells reproductions of famous pieces of jewelry. They’re less than the real stuff, but again, not inexpensive. Stop into the Wind in the Willows for an overwhelming experience of a crowded store filled with clothing and a woodland fairy theme. It’s worth an hour or so of your time to walk up and down the strip.

Painting from the Ship Store

Most people talk about 3rd Street South in the same breath when they mention 5th Avenue, but I don’t go here anymore. There aren’t many stores and those that are there aren’t interesting or exciting.

Malls

Naples has lots of malls. The Coastland Center is your typical suburban mall. Nothing of note there, but if you need some basics, it’s the place to head. Inside downtown Naples you will find Venetian Village. It’s a beautiful setting – a mall set right on a bay. There are numerous restaurants and the malls has an underground passageway under the street that kids love. It’s worth a stroll, but I find the shops overpriced and frankly quite small. It’s especially pretty at night.

Another popular spot is The Waterside Shops. I recommend it only because it’s a lovely setting. The stores are arranged around pools of water with fountains. There’s lots of greenery and it has a very peaceful feeling. Unfortunately, the shops don’t excite me at all.

Instead, I recommend heading north to North Naples and Estero. North Naples has The Mercato. This is designed to look like a small city. Stores on the first floor and condos are on the higher floors. There is a Whole Foods, a movie theater and many restaurants (try The Counter for burgers ordered to your specifications). The shopping again, is not local, but they do have a Sur La Table, a Coldwater Creek, and a fun little spot called Charming Charlie’s which is filled with reasonably priced accessories grouped by color. Z Gallerie is a fun home decor shop with a table of quirky books we spent a lot of time browsing. Grace and Shelly’s sells cupcakes you’ll want to sample while there.

Heading a little further north, I recommend The Best of Everything in Bonita Springs. There

Tropical print from gallery near Ship Store

is another outlet in downtown Naples, but I like this one better. This store is nuts. It’s a discount jewelry store with tables upon tables of jewelry. It’s always completely packed with people. When you come in, you’re given a velvet lined tray to put your finds in. I never leave without finding something. This year it was a sterling silver necklace with tiny gold beads for $11. You will be overwhelmed but you will find some great buys.

And a bit further north is Coconut Point, a mall so big you can’t see from one side to the other. It has nearly every shop you can think of. I like to go for World Market, which reminds me of what Pier One used to be like 30 years ago – imported items from around the world, with a really interesting selection (including types of sodas you can’t find anywhere else). I always find something to bring home.

Local Flavor

If you’re desperate for some local flavor, as I always am, I’ve got just the spot for you. Head

Alligator head from The Ship Store

over to the Naples Ship Store, located next to the Naples City Dock on Naples Bay in Crayton Cove. This is an authentic ship’s store, where people docking at the city dock come to buy parts and supplies, but it also has a fun selection of gifts. There are tons of t-shirts and hats (including ship captain’s hats), but there is also jewelry, dried alligator heads, shell art, local paintings, maps, and lots of knickknacks. We go every year. When our kids were little they always used to find something they wanted. I bought a lovely tropical print there last year.  Stroll past the pizzeria next door to the two little art galleries in the same plaza. One is quite pricey, but the other has some affordable pieces. I bought a small print there a few years ago for just a couple of dollars. If you’re hungry, I recommend The Dock, right across the street for great seafood and a lovely view.

If you want to be a tourist, go to Tin City. This complex appears very quaint but it has that Disneyfied feel to it. This complex on the Gordon River was originally used for fish processing and shipping, but now it’s main goal is to take your cash. This is where to go if you desperately need some t-shirts from your visit, but there’s nothing handmade or nice to be had here. It’s all tourist junk, which your kids may love but it’s unlikely you will find anything. Frankly, we avoid this place at all costs.

Every year I come back to Naples and hope for more shops with locally made items!

Shopping is always a primary concern of mine when traveling. And generally what I’m looking for are items handmade in the local area, usually specialty items from the area. Naples, FL is a lovely place to visit with wonderful white sand beaches, warm weather, and lots of conveniences nearby, but it doesn’t ring my bell … Read more →

I am super picky about eggs. Each type of egg prep has its own specific rules for me. When it comes to scrambled eggs, I do not like wet, partially uncooked eggs. But I also don’t like them dry. Achieving this is a fine line to walk.

The solution? Butter. I know you’re thinking this sounds high fat, but it’s not. Here’s the deal. Put two eggs in a bowl. Then take a knife and make super tiny thin scrapes along the edge of a cold stick of butter. We’re talking paper thin transparent scrapes. I know that in this photo it looks like a lot of butter, but it’s barely 1/8 of a tablespoon. Scramble the eggs with the butter and pour them in a pan that’s been sprayed with oil (I use my trusty olive oil Misto for this!). Cook over medium high heat. Let the eggs sit until it looks like they’re starting to set on the bottom, then scramble them, moving them around to get them to cook evenly. Take them out of the pan once the egg is completely set, but before anything browns. The result is fluffy, moist, perfect scrambled eggs.

I am super picky about eggs. Each type of egg prep has its own specific rules for me. When it comes to scrambled eggs, I do not like wet, partially uncooked eggs. But I also don’t like them dry. Achieving this is a fine line to walk. The solution? Butter. I know you’re thinking this … Read more →