How to Be a Champion in 72 Easy Steps

Everyone's gonna fly now at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Obviously.

 

Escape from Brooklyn

You know what's great? Bolt Bus is great. Especially when you're a girl in need of a little time out of town.

My friend Zovig and I took a minute to jet down to Philly this weekend and spend some time at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It could NOT have been easier--not only did we get last-minute tickets on the relatively new (and nice, and clean, and cool) Bolt Bus service, but we also each only had to pay $26 roundtrip for them. (And if we had planned a little earlier, we could have gotten seats for $1. Either way, it's so much cheaper than taking the train or renting a car.) Get on the bus, ya'll! Destinations include Boston, D.C., and even Baltimore.

(Anybody up for a quick trip to grab crab cakes this summer?)

Down in Uptown Charlotte

I've made it back to Brooklyn! I've made it back to Brooklyn! But before I left Charlotte, I got a chance to visit the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, which opened up almost a year ago. GREAT collection--we really enjoyed it. And since you can't take photos inside, we made our own art in the reflection of artist Niki de Saint Phalle’s Firebird sculpture outside.

What's your favorite souvenir?

I attended a lovely dinner party over the weekend with some folks who I haven't seen since I'd been back from my trip to China. As you've no doubt experienced after vacay, several questions were asked about where I'd gone, what I did, what I saw, and where I posted my photos (here, in case you were wondering). My favorite question, however, was, "What did you buy?"

The answer is that I didn't buy much this time--the trip was expensive enough, and I didn't want to lug too many things around with me for two weeks. But I did score a few choice items closer to the end, though: an small antique teapot; a great shoulder bag; books from the Shanghai Museum; tea from the Yunnan province that's so very real that I have to wash the leaves twice before brewing it (hard core!).

When I travel, I usually like to buy two things: art and local foods that are hard for me to find back home. Above are some of my finds. Note that many of the containers (the olive oil, the wine, the box of tea) are empty--I just can't seem to throw them away (and I am really good at throwing things away, so this is a rare thing indeed). Here's the rundown:

• Honey and herbs from a trip to Paris


• The bag from China


• The bad-ass tea from China


• Olive oil from Greece (read about this stuff here--it's AMAZING)


• Shells and stones from various beaches (Anguilla, North Carolina, Nice, Málaga, Cabo)


• Pinot Noir from New Zealand


• "Two Years in the Forbidden City" by Princess Der Ling (I'm obsessed with China's "Dragon Lady")


• A tea strainer from Shanghai that I've turned into a tea-light holder


• Tea from Ladurée in Paris

Er, so, really, just lots of tea.

What about you? What souvenir do you always buy when you're on vacation?