While I was in Santa Barbara recently, I discovered a little gem of a restaurant on State Street. Point me in the direction of a bookstore, a museum or a great restaurant and I can wile away hours quite happily. A friend, who just returned from Rome, said she didn’t dine out in the evenings, as she was alone. People watching in a foreign city with the babble of their language swirling about me is an intensely satisfying experience. One of my best dinners alone was at Le Meurice Dali restaurant at 11.30 pm following the Opera Garnier in Paris – alone- it was heavenly. Jazz band swinging, beautiful and interesting people, champagne of course, all French…loved it.

Just up a few blocks from the Santa Barbara Museum of Art on State Street, is a charming Argentinean restaurant, yes there is a recent theme. Transport to Café Buenos Aires, lovely outdoor patio, traditional interiors and on various week nights Tango or Latin musicians performing classic Argentine music and dance. Excellent empanadas, simple country fare, combined with a great setting, stroll here and linger after an hour at the Museum.

Argentine cooking classes at Tante Marie –San Francisco, if it is inconvenient to escape to Santa Barbara or Argentina!

Librophiliac Love Letter: A Compendium of Beautiful Libraries

Well, the subject is Books – of course, it makes perfect sense that I would be enthralled with over the top libraries! My dear friend, Jonathan, sent me this amazing link to a collection of beautiful libraries. Seems appropriate, as he is the most proficient fact researcher I’ve ever met, always a treasure trove of details or he knows how to best research needed information.

I have actually visited a few of the listed libraries and remind my clients of these exquisite gems on their forays. I love the Morgan Library on Madison in New York, so convenient and always a new surprise, I can linger here for a few hours. Not a traditional library, Pierpont Morgan’s immense holdings range from Egyptian art to Renaissance paintings, Chinese porcelains and a fine collection of important manuscripts; a focus on the written word. Who needs an electronic reading device, NEVER for me, I love the feel of a book in hand, turning the pages, fully absorbed, such simple pleasure. The electronic vs. paper debate continues in the pages of the New Yorker, on line etc. I can’t imagine a world without paper books. As a child, I frequently won the summer reading contest for most books read at the Ojai Library. I loved the quiet coolness of the library housed in a historic building; the solid wooden tables, chairs that practically had to be pushed over to move them; for a small town, the library was quite impressive, I spent much time there.

Browse the link of stunning and exceptional libraries:
http://curiousexpeditions.org/?p=78