• Home
• Blog
• About
• Advertise
• Store
• Contact

A Perfect Day

Or, should I say a perfect Birth-day?  Shhhh. Don't tell anyone.

Chris asked me what I wanted to do this year for my Birthday, I told him I wanted to go to the city. 

New York City that is.

We haven't been down since the Christmas Holidays.

So, we both took the day off and we are braving the 1 hour 40 minute train ride from hell to NYC as we speak.

The possibilities of things to do are endless. 

The one and only thing I have on the agenda is a Moroccan food dinner.  We found a great place (or at least we hope it's great) Zerza, located in the East Village, where we will be dining tonight.

Tagine's here we come!

Oh,and a much needed trip to Grom for authentic Italian Gelato!!!

Hmm, do I see a pattern here?  I am a sucker for good food.

Other than that we are wide open.

We were considering Top of the Rock, a Central Park balloon ride, flea markets and shopping in Soho. But there are also museums,Broadway shows, Little Italy, Greenwich Village and on and on.

My question to you:

What would be your Perfect Day in New York City?

Love Thursday : Love Leaves

Watering my garden can be a daunting task. 

With watering can in hand, I make trip after trip between kitchen sink and porch, trailing tiny water droplets along the way. 

It’s a tiring job, especially when I need to water twice a day in the 95 degree heat.

But just look at my reward.

Here’s a closer look.

A green leaf.  Can you see the heart?  Can you feel the love?

Happy Love Thursday, everyone!!

On Pastis

photo credit: enjoyart.com 

Vintage Pastis posters, like the one pictured above, scream classic French Riviera to me.

With summers arrival in the south of France, there is a good chance you'll see an increase in the Pastis being passed around the tables at local Provençal cafes.

The waiter will pour a generous amount of the cloudy chartreuse liqueur in the bottom of a glass and bring it to the table along with a separate carafe of cool spring water.  This allows you to add the proper amount of water for your palate to the Pastis and create your own strength of the beverage.  

Travel Tip Tuesday : Delta Wi-Fi

For the first time ever, I have lied to you.  Not intentionally of course, but I did, just the same.

Last week, I told you we would be talking about zip-lock bags today, but alas, I have postponed that until next week to bring you some more relevant news.

Contrary to the sound of the title, this is not about a new sorority or fraternity.

Nope.  It is about something much more exciting.

At least it's exciting to me.  I hope it is to you as well.

News broke last week about Delta Airlines plans to have wi-fi service for laptop users in the air on all domestic flights by this time next year.

Can I get a Woo-Hoot??!!!  An Amen??!  A Hallelujah??!!

Because of the noise issue and the possibility of disturbing other passengers, you still won't be able to use your cell phone. Any sound created as a result of the laptop, must be muted by wearing headphones.

But still, how great is this news!  Anything I can possibly do to entertain myself and avoid the uncomfortableness that is flying is a bonus for me! 

That coast-to-coast flight will go a lot quicker if I can read my favorite blogs, surf the net and maybe write a blog post or two in the air.  I could even upload and organize my vacation photos on the flight back!

For domestic flights under three hours, the you'll pay $9.95.  Flights over three hours, $12.95.

You know I am not a fan of extra fees, but I'd rather pay for this service as opposed to two bucks for water, or paying for a pillow and blanket.

I am crossing my fingers that the service does so well that Delta has no choice but to expand the program to international flights.

So, what are your thoughts?  Will you be taking advantage of this if flying Delta?  Do you think it is a reasonable fee?  Will this encourage you to fly Delta on your next trip?

Cherrye has some Travel Tips for you today too, so don't forget to bop on over to see her.

Happy * wireless connected* Travels!!

Newport : Ten Mile Drive

You can't go to Newport and not take the Ten Mile Drive, also known as Ocean Drive.  You just can't.

Part of the Ten Mile Drive is Bellevue Avenue, which is the street lined with the famous stunning mansions.  The Elms is the official start, and I will talk much more about the Elms in another post.

You could rent a scooter, but we preferred to drive our car.

 

The day was a hazy, hot and humid one, and even though visibility was low, the view was still spectacular.

Fishermen were out in full force.

The real estate here is amazing, jaw-dropping and out of my price range.  This one reminded me of something in the South of France.  Provence perhaps?

We stopped at a little cove and got out to get a closer look.

A close up of the shale reveals layers of grey, white and terracotta.  

There were sailboats at every twist and turn.

We stopped at Fort Adams State Park for a quiet and secluded picnic with a view of Newport Harbour.

And it sure didn't disappoint.

Chris decides to explore, while chicken little (me) stays ashore and snaps photos.

We even saw some water fowl along the way.

And of course, you pass by the beach.  This is Easton's Beach.

Castle Point is another stunning stop along the Ten Mile Drive, but I took so many wonderful shots, including the resort, sailboats and the lighthouse, that it deserved its very own post to follow.

Hope you enjoyed the drive.  The best part, it is free of charge!

Advertising Rates

All advertising rates are in US Dollars.  Transactions are seamless with paypal.

My Mélange does not advertise sites with inappropriate language or content.  I reserve the right to approve all advertising.

Text Links

Text Links will be placed on the main page of the blog and I offer two options.  The more text links you place, the more you save!

Yearly                            Monthly

one link      $ 150                 $ 25         
two links     $ 275                 $ 45
three links  $ 400                 $ 70
four links    $ 550                 $ 90

Banner ads

You must provide the banner artwork and HTML code.

Size                Monthly            Yearly

125 x 125        $  30             $ 225

To discuss other options not listed here or to advertise please contact me at mymelange@yahoo.com

Thanks so much for your interest and support!

Vegetable Tian

Tis the season for fresh veggies.  Farmers markets are just brimming with home grown zucchini, tomatoes and eggplant. I have all I can do to make sure I can take advantage of Natures Bounty with out getting bored with the same old thing.

Love Thursday : Lavender Honey Love

A few weeks ago, I showed you Dot, my ladybug.

Well, this week I was lucky enough to be admiring my French Lavender plant, when I saw my resident honeybee buzzing from stalk to stalk, enjoying his nectar on the deep indigo blossoms.

It reminded me of three things I love, all rolled up into one.

Lavender, honey and feeling good about helping Mother Nature do her thang.

Nothing more lovely than that!

Happy Love Thursday everyone!

On Italian Soda

I can't remember the last time I had a Pepsi.  Or a Coke. I am strictly a water, wine and coffee drinker. 

I don't even like soda that much.  Soda in the States is full of, pardon my French, crap.  As the story goes, our soda will clean the corrosion off a battery.  Imagine what it does for your stomach lining?

And I like my stomach lining, thank you very much!  So, I stay far away.

But last week I was perusing the aisle of my local TJ Maxx and found these.

image courtesy of oldworldfoods.com

Agrumi Italian Sodas.  Where had they been hiding?

Italian soda is made from all natural flavors and/or syrups and blended with seltzer.  They are very effervescent and refreshing!  Especially in the summer heat.

Agrumi is an Italian word that refers to all things citrus.  

So, it would only be fitting that Agrumi is soda that comes in citrus flavors, like lemon, lime, grapefruit and tangerine.

Of course I had to scoff some up and drink them right away.  They are fresh and delish.  The lemon was just tangy and tart with just enough bubbles and the tangerine was sweet, but not overly so.

You can buy Agrumi here, here here and here.  

Coincidentally, yesterday I stumbled across another brand name at Trader Joe's.  Villa Italia comes in blood orange or grapefruit and costs only $2.99 a bottle!  These are made with carbonated mineral water from Italy.

traderjoesfan.com

And last but not least, Cost Plus has their own line of Italian Soda.  Imported right from Italy in the classic citrus flavors, lemon and blood orange and a special flavor..pomegranate!  At only $1.99 a bottle these are a steal.  Sign me up!

courtesy of Cost Plus World Market

So, I can no longer say that I am not a soda drinker.  I am however, an Italian Soda drinker.  And with natural flavors and antioxidants in the pomegranate variety, I can also say they are a healthy alternative to the ubiquitous caramel color, preservative laden Diet Crap, oops, ahem, I mean, Diet Coke that Americans love to guzzle.

Which flavor is your favorite?

Travel Tip Tuesday- Doin’ Double-Duty

I love when travelers use a bit of ingenuity when reusing or making additional uses for things they already own.

Not only does it save money, but in reusing or finding multiple uses for items, we also keep our planet greener.

Less waste. More recycling.