NEW YORK CITY - Katz's Delicatessen New York

Yes, I know, everyone has the name of some great delicatessen in New York City that one MUST visit while in Manhattan. But really, if Katz's Deli is not the best in town, it surely warrants a visit for a close second.

Katz's Deli has been around since 1888, serving memorable meals and monumental pastrami sandwich that can almost dislocate your jaw as you try to take that first huge bite out of your sandwich. They are that big! I promise!

The place is casual and it attracts a cross section of city customers. There are the famous, the local police (to eat), New York politicians, tourists, artist, actors, travelers on their way to or from the airport, locals, across-towners, etc. It's a destination, it's that good.

The New York Magazine claims it's the "grandest deli" in the city and Katz's customers claim they get the best hot dogs in the world at Katz's. So do yourself a favor next time you pass through Manhattan, take a cab down to the Lower East Side and stop by Katz's Deli. Try one of their memorable Pastrami Sandwiches or some other delicious deli platters and please, don't forget to tip the sandwich maker! It's a Katz's tradition.

Once you get your food and find a seat, take a look around, you may see Barbara Streisand or Bill Clinton eating a sandwich like yours in a table nearby.

For more information on this small heaven that feeds the masses, click on the following link and enjoy your meal. Katz's Delicatessen New York

Buenos Aires - Museo Quinquela Martin

Next time you visit the port area of La Boca and Caminito in Buenos Aires, make a quick detour just a half block away from the pedestrian mall and right along the water. There you will find the entrance to the home and painting studio of Argentina's premier painter Benito Quinquela Martin now the Museum Quinquela Martin.

"Quinquela", as he is normally referred to in Argentina, is one of the most famous painters of this country. He was born around the 1890's in the port area of la Boca and during his life, he acquired world fame with his large format paintings created with dramatic, thick brush strokes and luminescent back lighting. His favorite subjects? the local dock workers and the port.

Mr. Quinquela lived his whole life in the barrio of La Boca and his last home and studio, is now the lovely, small museum named after him, The Benito Quinquela Martin Museum.

The museum is a little tricky to find. It sits right next to a local school and it's entrance can easily be mistaken for the entrance of the school. Look for the number on the blue door ( see the enclosed photo of the entrance door). If you have any trouble, just ask anyone around. The locals will direct you to the right place.

Once inside the museum, you'll find that it has 3 floors, plus a rooftop and a series of open air exhibit areas in the rear of the house. These back open decks are nice areas to leisurely explore during a sunny day. On the main floor and the second floor, the museum hosts various art exhibits. But it's on the top floor where you will find the private world of Benito Quinquela Martin. There is his bedroom, laid out much like the bedroom that VincentVan Gogh painted in the 1800's. There is a studio with an easel and some paints, as if the painter had just stepped away for a few minutes from his work. There are also a series of stunning, large format Quinquela paintings that will take your breath away.

If you wish to visit this museum, take a taxi there and back and check the enclosed web-link for additional information on their hours of operation and their exact address. Museum of Decorative Arts of Quinquela Martin, Buenos Aires

Enjoy! and let us know if you like it when you go.

Museo Quinquela Martin
La Boca

DUBAI - Visit an Ancient Oasis

For a fantastic trip into Dubai's past, head to the lovely city of Al Ain, located on the border with Oman, about 100 miles away (or 1.5 hours drive) from Dubai or Abu Dhabi.

Al Ain, which means "the spring" in Arabic is literally, a garden city in the desert and "where it all started" in this region. Fed by numerous, natural underground water springs, it also has archaeological sites that date back 3,000 years to the Bronze Age. In addition, Al Ain is the birth place of Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the beloved first president of the United Arab Emirates.

As a day trip or a weekend destination, it's fantastic! It offers cooler weather than the coastal cities of Dubai or Abu Dhabi and it has fascinating historical attractions. Some of these attractions are the Al Ain Natural Museum, the Al Ain Palace Museum, several restored ancient mud forts from the 1890's and the amazing Al Ain Oasis in the city center.

I took a day trip to Al Ain City this past month with some friends. While there, I visited the Al Ain Oasis, which is an ancient forest of date palms located in the center of the city irrigated by underground, 1,000 year old filtering methods. This Oasis, is one of seven in the area, in a region that had been settled as far back as 3,000 years ago.

If you visit the Al Ain Oasis, you can get lost wandering through peaceful and shaded paths that cross the oasis. On the other side of the Oasis, you will encounter the ancient mud walls of a beautiful Palace (photos enclosed) - the Al Ain Palace. This palace, is a wall enclosed structure that sits at the edge of the Oasis. It was the former residence of Al Ain rulers and it is now a beautifully restored (free) museum. If you visit, plan to spend a leisurely one hour to see all the period, furnished rooms and the impeccably kept royal gardens.

After visiting the Oasis and the Palace, we stopped at the Al Ain Jahli Fort, just a short drive away from the Palace. This fort is one of several restored forts from the 1890's. A beautiful mud structure that looks more like a giant sand castle with thick walls and circular towers. Today, this fort houses an impressive photo and video collection on the history of the area.

When we visited, we were fortunate enough to catch a session of traditional singing by locals dressed in Omani styled robes and headgear that took place in the inner courtyard of the fort while the sun was setting. A real cultural and historical treat for our foreign eyes and ears.

If you decide to visit the city of Al Ain, google each site we mentioned for more information on this fascinating, historical area. Also, for additional information on the Al Ain Oasis, click on the following link - AAW. : Al Ain City - Oasis in the Desert.

FYI, to visit Al Ain City, you need to either rent a car to drive yourself there or hire a taxi for the day to take you to each site. The ride will take an easy 1.5 hours through through impeccable highways that cross the desert. On the way, you will surely see camels roaming the dunes in a typical desert landscape.

enjoy!

DUBAI - Radisson Dubai Dhow Dinner Cruise

A fantastic way to wind down in Dubai is to take a Dhow Dinner Cruise on the Dubai Creek during sunset hours. From one of these boats, you will get a different perspective of the city while you enjoy the stunning views of the Dubai skyline, the historic Dubai Heritage Village and the Old Souks.

For our cruise, we chose The Al Mansuour Dhow (a traditional wood boat) owned by the Radisson SAS Dubai Hotel. We each payed $55.oo dollars for two hours of enchanting local music, ocean breezes, gorgeous city views and delicious international and Middle Eastern food.

The boat was very easy to find. It was docked right in front of the Hotel Radisson SAS Dubai, on the shores of the Dubai Creek. The service was attentive and friendly and the boat, spacious and comfortable, with two decks for public use - one opened, upper deck and one lower, closed and air conditioned deck.

Our boat boarded at 8pm and departed at 8:30pm and floated towards the Arabian Gulf for about two hours.

If you want more information about this dinner cruise, please check the enclosed link. In it, you will find the cruise reservation page in case you wish to make a reservation in advance. Radisson SAS Dubai Cruise - Dubai Dhow Cruise - Tours and Excursions in Dubai, United Arab Emirates - Also offers Hotel Reservation

Enjoy your evening cruise and if you go, let us know what you think.

Do you have any favorite places in Dubai?

DUBAI - � The Dubai Fountains at The Dubai Mall

When in Dubai, do as the locals and head for the mall. Which mall? why the biggest mall in the world of course, The Dubai Mall!

So where is this Dubai Mall? Right next to the tallest building in the world, the Burj Dubai in the Burj Dubai Complex of Dubai. So why go there and not to any other mall in Dubai? Because of all the amazing attractions available in this mall. It has the world's largest Gold Souk, The Dubai Aquarium, an Olympic sized, indoor Ice-Rink, 22 Cineplex movie screens a SEGA REPUBLIC indoor theme park with over 150 amusement games, 160 food and beverage options and 1200 shops!! phew!

And that's not all! The centerpiece attraction of the Burj-Dubai Complex is the Dubai Fountain Water Show. One of the world largest fountains in the world (what a surprise), 25% larger than the Bellagio Fountains at Las Vegas.

So really, how big is this mall? try the size of 50 soccer fields and it attracts more than 750,000 visitors every week. ouch!

FYI - Malls in Dubai are popular "all day" destinations, because they offer a refuge for families from the extreme desert heat.

For more up-to-date information about the Dubai Mall and it's activities - shark feeding hours, movie times, Dubai Fountain schedules, etc. - please visit the enclosed link and enjoy your visit! Entertainment � The Dubai Mall

Do you have any favorite places in Dubai?

DUBAI - Great Book about Life in Dubai in the 1950's

If you're planning to visit Dubai anytime soon, you may want to read this book, "The Sand Fish" by the Emirati writer, Maha Gargash. Her book describes the lifestyle of a young Bedouin woman who lived in the Dubai desert in the 1950's.

My friend Milena who currently resides in Dubai, just read the book and recommends it, specially if you're interested in understanding the local Emirati history and culture.

To preview the book click on the enclosed link by Amazon and enjoy the book!

Amazon.com: The Sand Fish: A Novel from Dubai (9780061744679): Maha Gargash: Books

BUENOS AIRES - El Obrero Restaurant

After reading in a New York Times restaurant review that El Obrero (The Worker) Restaurant in the La Boca district of Buenos Aires, had "some of the best food in Buenos Aires", I decided it was time to grab a friend and visit the place - El Obrero - Reviews and Ratings of Restaurants in Buenos Aires - New York Times Travel

After checking with the hotel's concierge, my friend Mark Firnhaber (iadsw) and I, decided to go to El Obrero for lunch. We were warned by the concierge not to walk around that "shady area" of La Boca and to make sure to take a taxi there and back. Too bad, we had to scrap our plan to walk after lunch, to the touristy Caminito Area of La Boca, just 15 blocks away.

In case you didn't know, El Obrero belongs to the Bodegon category of restaurants in Buenos Aires. Neighborhood cafes or Social Clubs where the food served is abundant, cheap, non trendy, home made and of Italian or Spanish origins. El Obrero is owned by two Spanish brothers, so the food in this establishment, has a Spanish twist.

Bodegones started in Buenos Aires as "bodegas" or small neighborhood markets. Once they began to sell prepared foods to their customers, they expanded to include seating areas to accommodate their growing needs.

Getting back to El Obrero, the restaurant will not impress you from the outside. It actually looks ragged and run down, a bit suspect. Don't turn around and leave in your taxi. Just go inside because the interior, I promise, is a different world. The place is lively, warm and inviting, filled with soccer memorabilia and crowded with a mix of regulars and curious tourists like us. It's also very clean and the servers are friendly and eager to please.

El Obrero specializes in "parrilla" - grilled food and Spanish dishes. On the recommendation of a local who claimed to eat there every day, we ordered a Spanish Omelet made with potatoes and spicy salami as an appetizer plus a salad and a steak to share.

The Spanish Omelet was delicious, the salad fresh and large enough for two, and the steak huge, but not a great cut. We both agreed we had better meat in other Buenos Aires restaurants.

However, although the meat we received was a disappointment, we loved the neighborhood atmosphere of the place and the friendly service and price!!! Our meal was less than $12 dollars each with drinks and bread included.

El Obrero is a must visit to experience the "old Buenos Aires". Go for lunch with a friend and take a taxi like we did and enjoy a real "working man's" or Obrero's lunch.

ps- bring cash, no credit cards accepted

El Obrero
Restaurant Parrilla
by the Castro Brothers (Marcelino & Francisco)
Agustin R. Caffarena 64
Republica de La Boca
Buenos Aires, Argentina
(closed on Sundays)
4362-9912