GlamMa

Shopping Hamptons

Spent the whole day in East Hampton.  Great shopping. 

Best all over book store.

Seven Days in Paris

My dear friend, Sheila, the GlamGal responsible for my daughter's wedding being over the moon spectacular,  is going to Paris for the first time and has asked my advice.  OMG where to start?  Paris is undoubtedly my favorite city.  Yes, the Parisians can be annoying but, so can the Americans and almost any other group of people.... especially when you are tired and cranky from a long flight.  But it's the sounds and smells and tastes of Paris that have captured my heart.

They will be staying at the Westin which is right on the corner of Rue de Castiglione and Rue de Rivoli, across the street from the Jardin des Tuileries where this shot was taken.  As you stroll to the Louve, this is a lovely way to go.   

For information pre-trip, I have two sources I love. 

www.bonjourparis.com is written by Americans living in Paris. You can't find a better site for information on what's happening now.  Unless you try www.timeout.com and go to Paris as the destination.  The hotel will also have a version of our "Where" magazine which will list museum times etc. Of course the French Department of Tourism will have loads of information.  Try www.parisinfo.com

So what to do in seven days?  Don't hope to do it all.  I've been going to Paris for over twenty years and constantly discover new things.   I say on your first trip... be a tourist.  The icons you CAN'T miss incluce (in no specific order)  The Eiffle Tower, The Louvre, The Seine (cruise and walk), Ile de France and Notre-Dame, Arc de Triomphe and Champs Elysee, The Left Bank, Rue Fauberg St. Honore, the Bridges.

DAY ONE: At the hotel, take a shower and ask your concierge for a city map and Galeries Lafayette discount card. 

Then head for the Eiffel Tower.  It's walkable but if you are tired you can take a taxi.   The Tour Eiffel was built for the Universal Exhibition of 1889 and was meant to be a temporary structure.  Don't worry, it's sound.  Visit the third level (905 feet above the city) and get your bearings. When your stomach starts moaning that it's dinner time, check in at the Jules Verne Restaurant (advance reservations a MUST).  The dining and views are some of the best in Paris.  Assuming you are having wine with lunch (why not... you're in Paris) it will be nap time.  Trust me -you will be happier if you listen to your body the first day.   

Dinner the first day should be local.  Again, you are adjusting and want to get on Paris time ASAP. I would suggest a neighborhood choice.

Le Grand Colbert: 2, rue Vivienne, Paris 75002.   01.42.86.87.88

The place “where Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton dined in Something’s Got to Give” (hence, now “discovered by Americans”), this “grand, traditional Parisian brasserie” “within the Passage Vivienne” is a veritable “ville of lights”, mirrors, “ornate plasterwork” and other elements of “old-world glamour”; while “the ambiance beats the food”, the “typical” dishes “do not disappoint” and service is “smiling and swift”; so, come here and “you’ll know what the Belle Epoque was all about.”

Or ask your hotel's concierge. There might be a fab new spot right next door. 

Day Two: Saturday:  Wake up bright and early and have a croissant and some French Cafe au lait.  Be still my heart.  Then head to the left bank ( metro St. Germain-des-Pres 7th arrondisement) where you will wander the multi wonderfull shopping streets. Streets to explore:  Le St. Germain-des-Pres.  The main shopping drag but not the best for boutiques because of the high rent.  You'll find Sonia Rykiel (#175) Sonia, Emporio, and my very fav makeup:  Shu Uemura (#176)

The best shopping streets however are Rue de Dragon, Rue de Rennes, Rue de St-Sulpice and Rue du Bac.   Lots of small shops, cutting edge fashion and young looks. 

Have lunch at Les Deux Magots, renowned, revered and steeped in pre-war history” (“imagine an espresso with Picasso”), this “landmark” Saint-Germain cafe, “though a tourist trap, never fails to delight” those to whom people-watching and “ambiance is all.

Day 3: Sunday:  The last place you want to be is a tourist attraction -- so head to  the Champs Elysee. (8th arrondisement ) Not tourist really!  Lots of stores in Paris aren't open on Sunday and museums are crazy with tourists in for the weekend.  Champs Elysee is only more fun when it is busy.  Start at Ronde Point de Champs Elysee (or walk from your hotel....and enjoy the formal gardens that line the walk from Place de la Concorde to the Rond-Point... designed in 1838 by Jacques Hittorff for the 1855 World's Fair.)   Once you get to the Rond-Point stroll toward the Arc ( you won't miss it). Imagine the French armies marching up this grande avenue after the two world wars.  Close to the Arc  you will find Le Drugstore, a destination for most of the years I have visited Paris, but closed for the last two years. (133 ave des Champs-Elysees). Now open it's better than ever and offers lots of snack/dining/tourist shopping venues. 

There is also fab shopping in this area on rue du Faubourg St-Honore  but this is a visit for trip #2.

This might be a good night for the Bateaux Mouche.  Have dinner and cruise the Seine.  It's touristy and magnificent.  I like it better at night and fun with more people.  Sign up in advance.  Reservations essential. http://www.bateaux-mouches.fr/

Day 4: Real Shopping:  Although Paris is home to beaucoup fantastic boutiques, the best bang for the buck will be to buy in a sweep... kind of like a panzer attack for all the things you know you want to buy.  Thereby read Galeries Lafayette:  www.galerieslafayette.com.  Ask for the 10% GL visitor discount card from your hotel. Then when you enter Galeries Lafayette, find the hospitality desk, ask for your shopping pass (show your hotel's visitor discount card and passport) and seek all vendors who display the red dot indicating they honor the discount.  Don't worry, most big names do.  That on top of the 12% VAT you will get leaving the country ALMOST makes up for the lousy exchange rate.  Here is the GF info on doing the paperwork.  Note:  Do this all in one day to make your to spend the amount needed for VAT. Have lunch at one of the Galeries Lafayette restaurants. 

Info on Detaxe : save 12%

How does the tourist tax refund work?

As a non-resident of the European Union, you are entitled to claim back the 12% tax you pay on your purchases at Galeries Lafayette. -Purchases must total over 175.01 Euros made on the same day in the same store (Lafayette Coupole, Maison and Homme are considered one store)

What to do at Galeries Lafayette:- After making over 175.01 Euros of purchases, bring your sales receipts and passport to the tourist tax refund (détaxe) office located on the mezzanine of the ground floor of the main store (Lafayette Coupole).
- Select a method of reimbursement.*
- You will then be issued a Tax Refund Form ("bordereau de détaxe") consisting of two sheets to be signed by the retailer and yourself. Please note that the person who made the purchases must be present when the tax refund form is issued.What to do when exiting the European Union:  Before checking your luggage, present the tax form together with your purchases, passport and transportation ticket for inspection by Customs.
Email:detaxehaussmann@galerieslafayette.com

Day Five: Culture :  I know shopping is a top priority but at this point you need to justify your trip.  Trust me on this.  When friends say... so what great things did you see in Paris, and all you tell them is shopping, they will wrinkle their noses and condemn you as a blonde.. and I know you are a brunette!!!!   So bring on the Mona Lisa, Rodin Museum, Musee D'Orsee and all the other cultural icons.  You can spend the whole day at the Louvre but your brains will be fried, so I suggest you pick the erass that speak to you and leave in time for a late lunch at the cafe across from I.M. Pei's triangular glass entry.  On the patio.

Cafe Marly : 93 rue de Rivoli   1 49.26 06 60

Days 6-7:  So much left to see.  At this point you need to decide your priorites, There is touring or more shopping.  Let me know. 

My Hollywood-Set Neighborhood

I live in a neighborhood that is so cute it makes you want to put on an apron and cook.  Well, some of us might want to cook.   I just keep hoping for more resaturants. 

This is the gazebo in the middle of town.  The local garden clubs keep up the planting and the village decorates for all holidays.  Can't you just see the marching band?   

Of course every town needs it's Starbucks.

And Sewickley Hotel..which used to be a hotel in the Stage Coach days...but is now a restaurant. 

Aren't those lightposts just tooooo cute?   It is a Hollywood set.  This is the Sewickley Cafe...another great hang out. 

And maybe I love it so much because the main group of stores has my name.  I'm told that the Thomas Building was a theater at one time.

 

Just updated the Galmgal web site

I just about jumped off my exercise ball (yes I sit on it when I'm on the internet... hoping my waist will go from a 40 gazillion to a 30 gazilllion measurement)   Anyway.  If you google Glamgal  the first sites are a weddding shop in Santa Barbara.   But down the list there I am!!!    So I got excited and redid my site.  Check out www.judithevansthomas.com

I found all those cool graphics on the web.  Free.   And I've started a contest to find other glam gals out there.   If you are or have a friend or ton of friends who are glamgals, let me know.  We're starting a network/association/friendship chain... fill int he pc words here.   We want to be in touch. 

Five Couples / One Villa - Positano

Download Untitled_0001.wmv

Sorento to Positano Villa July 16-2

July 16-23: Sorrento and Positano: dining, shopping and death defying trails.

  Positano is a combination of impossibly built cave dwellings with multimillion dollar locations and views. Think Shangra-La  with the town being sunk into a valley surrounded by sheer cliffs.

Getting there isn't easy, especially if you travel the coast road.  Think the windyest road in the world (San Francisco's Lombard Street) and combine it with U.S. Highway One.   Then multiply the twists and turns by ten.  After you learn to focus on a set point...like Nureyev, and your stomach stops wretching at the sight of a full size bus coming at you head on around around a hair-pin curve, it's quite a magnificent drive.  That said, I would highly suggest you not drive it yourself.  Hire a car and driver, take the train, or go on one of the delightful ferries that connect Naples to Sorrento, Positano, Capri and Amalfi. We chose the car and driver because of our luggage.  As usual we brought too much.  Driving services:  www.amalfilimo.com and www.positanobluporter.it    We used the latter and were quite happy. 

On the road:  We set out from Naples around ten a.m and then half an hour outside of the city, returned to our hotel when my hubby realized his cell phone (which didn't work in Europe anyway) was missing.  Of course we later learned that it was safely packed in his Ferragamo loafer and didn't want to be found, but .... well, we won't go there.

Since we couldn't check into Villa i Fisici until five, we stopped in Sorento to shop and dine.  You must understand that traveling with my husband requires dining.   Luckily our traveling companions had a recommendation which we hunted down.  Restaurant Il Buco,is tucked into a cave like setting near the Piazza S. Antonino. The food is divine.  http://tasteofsorrento.sorrentoinfo.com/ristoranti/buco_eng.asp
Restaurant Il Buco:  II Rampa Marina Piccola 5, Sorrento (+39 0818782354) The manager is also the chef (Giuseppe Aversa)  They are closed on Wednesday and usually close for lunch around two in the afternoon.  Get there about 1 PM.   For other restaurant suggestions in Sorrento go to http://tasteofsorrento.sorrentoinfo.com/

Shopping in Sorrento is loads of fun.  Like some of Italy's larger northern cities, Sorrento has a formal shopping street (Corso Italia) and a shopping market alley (Via San Cesareo) chocked full of great boutiques (leather, jewelry, soap, linen, herb, lemoncello, and fashion).  There are also outdoor cafes and gellateria's.  My favorite for buying organic ice cream and limoncello (a specialty of the region) is Aranciolimone at 57 Via San Cesareo (tel.08187734842) And if you've never had limoncello, beware.  The ingrediants include:

• thick-skinned lemons 
• 2 bottles (750 ml each) of the best 100 proof Vodka or a 750 ml bottle of 190-proof alcohol
• 4 1/2 cups (1 k) sugar
• 5 cups (1.2 liters) water if you use vodka, or 8 (2 liters) if you use grain alcohol.   You can find a good recipe on about.com
• Needless to say a little goes a long way.  Don't even think of driving to Positano after having some Limoncello!!!!   That is unless you have a need to die. 

Some of my favorite shopping finds on Via San Cesareo include:
# 14 Pelletteria Iolanda (inexpensive belts and leather goods), #24 Leonard (books), #26, Di Angelis (jewelry), #35 La Lanterna (wine.. buy some local wine with no sulfates!), #49 Lombardi (Lace), #55 L'Aquilone (coral and cameo), # 57 Sorrento Profumi, #62 Cioccia (clothing),  #67 Scotti (leather sandals), #91 Manatthon (ceramics) and #93 Lucy (table linens). 

For more upscale shops visit Corso Italia west of Piazza Tasso.  For marquetry try Salvatore Gargiulo (33 Via Fuoro) or Sorrento 3... at # 12.  more information on the Sorrento area can be found at www.sorrentoinfo.com

On to Positano: 

Positano is a village carved out of the hillside.  No, that is inadequate.  Rocky outcroppings of jagged boulders would be more appropriate. Our villa (Villa i Fisici) dates back to the 1700's and has been in the same family the entire time.   To see the villa and get more information on the area go to http://www.villeinitalia.com/servlet/Catalogue?house=true&name=Villa+i+Fisici

The write up:

"  Positano has been called the Pearl of the Amalfi Coast for its many special characteristics that raise it above all of the other towns on the coast, and we could call Villa i Fisici a pearl among the residential properties along this stretch of coast. Its position allows you to enjoy a unique view of the town of Positano and of the gulf. From its large terraces you dominate, as if on the captain's bridge of a ship, the typical whitewashed houses that slope down, one on top of the other, right down to the sea. Villa i Fisici goes back to the 1700s and after several restorations during this time, it has now been completely renovated with the idea of turning it into a prestigious residence for holidays. And all of the plumbing, electrical system, bathrooms and equipment have been completely overhauled using the latest techniques, and the kitchen has a professional edge with every possible accessory. The furnishings are partly antique and those that are not are inspired by the original era of the villa, which is on three floors, each of which opens onto a large panoramic terrace, elegantly furnished. On the lowest terrace they have made a swimming-pool with sun-bathing terrace and a corner bar with refridgerator and ice-maker. You reach the villa on foot up an attractive little alley-way of about 100 metres, and our guests can use a baggage-carrying service both on arrival and on departure. The beach is reached via a series of stairways. "

Note on the descripton.  "You reach the villa on foot up an attractive little alleyway????????"   Hahahaha.  Yes it is attractive but the slope is something akin to Kilamanjaro.  The poor porter carried our fifthy pound bags over his shoulder...tied together which means he was carrying 100 pound.. up the slope, up more stairs to the villa and then up once again to the sleeping quarters.  And he did it without breaking a sweat.   Mama Mia.

Positano is not for the frail or recovering heart attack patient.  I estimate that we walked 500 stairs down and up each time we went to the village.  There are taxis from town to the bottom of the hill leading to Villa i Fischi but from there it is still a climb.  Staying in a hotel is more accessible and car services are wonderful.  We used the Blu Porter service to take trips to Amalfi and Ravello. They have many different cars and vans, all air conditioned and with drivers who speak enough english to communicate.   (tel. 089.811496)   The good news is that no matter how much you eat, you will sweat/exercise it off! 

Shopping:  The village is accessed by car via the main square, Piazza dei Mulini.  From here to the sea, the only way to get around is to walk. The walkways are cobblestone in places, hilly always and slippery if wet.  Coming into town the upper coast road goes by the name of Via Marconi.  Along this road you will find a few cute boutiques  Bon Bon (#390) and Cabiria (#148).  Then from the town hall to the west is a one way street, Via Pasitea which dead ends into the main upper town square. Along Via Pasitea look for Carro Fashion (#90) La Bottega di Brunella (#72), Nadir (#42/46), Moda Bluff (#330) and my favorite La Sirenetta (# 29-31-33).  Looking for the colorful regional pottery, try Umberto Carro (#98).  On the way out of town the upper road is called Via Cristoforo Colombo and here you will find Ceramica Assunta (#97) which specializes in the charming pottery from Vietri sul Mare. If you are a real collector, it's probably worth a trip to the town of Vietri Sul Mare where you can purchase at the factory store and save about 25% off US prices.  Back to Positano, another must boutique on Via Cristoforo Colombo is the very tony Hotel Le Sirineuse store located across the street at # 103.  Be still my heart. 

Now to the main shopping street and your trek to the sea.  As you wander down Via dei Mulini you will be overwhelmed by  a gazillion shops, one cuter than the next.  For the most part, the clothing stores specialize in gauzy resort wear and bathing suits. There are also a plethora of tee shirt and souvenir shops and even a good art gallery or two.  Ceramic boutiques round out the mix.  As in Sorrento, lemons are the main theme. 

Dining, if not at one of the many lovely hotels, takes place around the beach/port and in the shopping district.  All the restaurant serve divine fresh fish plucked from the sea, usually that day.  See my album photos for the pics.  Lining the pebbly beach, our favorite restaurants were: Buca di Bacco , Le Tre Sorelle (Three Sisters), Chez Black and La Cambusa.

For the more adventurous, there is Da Adolfo (accessed by boat from the waterfront - look for the big red fish on its side) and the two restaurants perched above Positano in the little village of Montepertuso:  Donna Rosa and Il Ritrovo.   Donna Rosa is a little more formal, and Il Ritrovo more rustic.  Both are worth the climb or ride.   

I'm getting hungry.  Prego, the buffala mozzarella.