ategory of Travel & Travel Tips
In a new series on Matador Network’s blog, The Travelers Notebook, we take a look at the lives of travel writers. In this first video, travel writer and TV host Robin Esrock tells viewers a bit about his life and career:
Sign up for Matador’s new Travel Writing School and get the skills you need.
Video: Francisco Collazo
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Last week, we posted an article about bohemia in Puerto Rico. Here’s a video that takes you to two popular bar-restaurants in San Juan where noches de bohemia are held weekly: Diego’s and Amadeus Bistro Bar, both of which are located in the neighborhood of Hato Rey:
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La semana pasada publicamos un articulo sobre el fenomeno de las noches de bohemia en Puerto Rico. Aqui, les presentamos un video que les lleva a dos bares-restaurantes muy populares en San Juan donde ofrecen noches de bohemia cada semana: Diego’s y Amadeus, ambos ubicados en el vecindario de Hato Rey.
Text: Julie Schwietert Collazo
Photos: Francisco Collazo & Julie Schwietert Collazo
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In June 2008 Francisco and I went to New Orleans to work with the Culinary Corps, a voluntourism organization I profiled in this article.
It was Francisco’s first time in the city and my third, but for both of us, it was our first post-Katrina visit and we were astounded by the amount of recovery work that still needed to be done. The photos below are from that visit.
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New Orleans’ Charity Hospital, closed after Katrina.
A tattered American flag that hadn’t been replaced, three years after the hurricane.
What do you do when your country hasn’t listened to you?
If even City Hall hasn’t been razed or rehabbed, what can we possibly expect for the rest of the city?
It’s always striking how some fragile items remain intact.
A house “tattooed” with search, rescue, and recovery information.
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To see the rest of our New Orleans photos, visit our New Orleans album on Flickr.
Other articles we’ve written about New Orleans:
*Top 6 Volunteer Experiences in New Orleans
*Top 10 Reasons to Travel to New Orleans NOW
*5 Tips for a New Orleans Escape
Text: Julie Schwietert Collazo
Photos: Francisco Collazo
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Perhaps it wasn’t coincidence that I spent the past two summers away from New York City.
I’d become disenchanted with summer in the city, cranky with crowds and disgusted by the fetid smell of the subway between June and August. Even the summer activities I’d once loved here and waited all year to enjoy–the free movies, concerts, and performances–had lost their appeal.
Summer’s been slow to arrive this year; it seems like it just showed up this week. For this reason, it’s been easier to be here, and at seven months pregnant, it’s probably not smart to stray too far from home.
Fortunately, this summer also offers a few new activities and escapes, both in the city and out. We’ll be featuring several of them on Collazo Projects over the next few weeks, outlining an itinerary for those of you who live in or near the city, and posting photos and reviews of the experiences for those of you who can only enjoy them from afar. Today we bring you the first one in our series: the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival.
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What It Is:
The Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival is one of the country’s many summer Shakespeare events. Held outside at the Boscobel estate in Garrison, New York, the festival dates back to 1987. The 2009 season kicked off on June 16 and runs through September 6, with shows offered every day except Monday. This year’s productions include “Pericles,” “Much Ado About Nothing,” and “The Complete Works of Shakespeare {Abridged}.” The full calendar can be found here.
Why You’ll Enjoy It:
If the weather’s right, the outdoor setting at Boscobel allows for enjoyment of much more than the play itself. Get to the town of Cold Spring early and wander up Main Street, which is lined with antique shops and boutiques.
If you’re coming up after work, be sure to get to Boscobel by 6 PM at the latest– you’ll have just enough time to walk around the grounds of the estate. Be sure to bring your camera- Boscobel is perched high on a hill overlooking the Hudson River.
If you can get there earlier, so much the better. Boscobel’s grounds open at 5 PM. You’ll have time to spread a picnic blanket on the soft grass and relax before show time.
Festival staff start requesting picnic clean-up around 6:30 PM. “Curtain” time is at 7.
The show is outdoors under a tent; the setting is intimate. After adjusting yourself to the outdoor acoustics, you’ll enjoy the spirited acting of the company, many of whose members are making their second, third, or fourth festival appearance. We saw “Much Ado About Nothing,” which was packed with laughs.
How to Go:
You could drive–a good option if you’re going up on the weekend and want to do some more leisurely exploring of the Hudson Valley region. It’s a mostly straight shot up Route 9.
You’d be better off, though, taking Metro North’s Hudson Line train from Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan to the Cold Spring depot just a couple miles away from Boscobel. You won’t be sitting in bumper to bumper traffic during rush hour; instead, snag a window seat and enjoy the scenery as the train heads north with river views the whole way.
The ride is about 70 minutes. Be sure you choose a train to Poughkeepsie that makes a stop in Cold Spring!
If you take the train, make an advance reservation for the Festival’s shuttle bus (“Bard Bus”) service, which will pick you up at the depot, take you to Boscobel, and bring you back again afterward.
You can make a Bard Bus reservation by calling 845-265-9575. The cost per person is $6.00. When you exit the Metro North train, continue walking down the platform in the same direction the train is heading. At the far end of the platform, you’ll exit at the depot, which is on the corner of Depot and Main Streets. The shuttle will pick you up right there, and is clearly identifiable.
Travel tip: If you do take Metro North, be aware that peak hour ticket prices differ from off-peak prices. PM peak prices going north go into effect on the 4:01 train; if you catch the 3:50 train, your ticket will be a few dollars cheaper. Go ahead and buy a round trip ticket to avoid any problems on your return journey.
What to Know:
If you don’t want to pack your own picnic, the Festival offers a concession stand with pre-made wraps (featuring, among others, the Twelfth Night Turkey and Hamlet Ham and Cheese), chips, cookies, popcorn, ice cream, beer, wine, water, and soda. If you plan ahead, you can also order a gourmet picnic, choosing among these six options: sliced chicken breast, pear, blue cheese and walnut salad; vegetarian salad trio, assorted cheeses with prosciutto, fresh fruit, hummus, and pita chips; grilled tandoori chicken breast served with Asian noodles and cole slaw; Thai beef salad with sesame noodles; or roasted salmon with dill sauce and a summer salad. If you prefer this option visit the Festival’s website to pre-order your picnic, which can be picked up at the concession stand upon your arrival.
You can photograph and video the grounds, but no photography or video is allowed during the show.
Tickets can be ordered online or by calling the box office at 845-265-9575. Prices range from $30-$46, depending on the day of the show. Discounts are offered to seniors and students; children 12 and under get a half-price ticket any night except Saturday. No children under 5 are admitted to performances, however. If you’re planning to take the family, you might want to visit on July 7, 14, or 22, when the Festival offers a family night special: $80 for a family of four.
Text: Martin Pei de la Paz
Photos: Brayan Collazo; Indrani Soemardjan
Translated by: Julie Schwietert Collazo
[vease abajo para la version en espanol]
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Every day, millions of people around the world consume chocolate in some form. Chocolate can be found in candies, drinks, and toiletries; it’s even been used in clothing designs and in the manufacture of exotic objects. If you’re a chocolate aficcionado and you happen to be in Havana, be sure to stop by the Chocolate Museum.
With a name like “Chocolate Museum,” perhaps you imagine a museum like any other, full of items with historical value, rare objects, antiques, precious artifcats, and an extensive collection of books, photos, and documents on display.
This museum isn’t exactly like that. This museum is for the display of the ordinary and the common, not just from Cuba, but also from Spain, Belgium, and Mexico… but what is true is that all the items in this “collection” are somehow related to the culture of cacao and chocolate.
Master chocolate makers from Belgium came to Havana to train an elite group in artisanal chocolate-making so they could open a store in Havana where chocolate truffles, bon bons, and bars would be made in front of visitors.
Bears and tobacco leaves are some of the whimsical figures this new generation of Cuban chocolate artists is turning out. The chocolates also run the gamut with respect to the percentage of cacao and sugar each piece contains; there’s bitter, dark, milk, and white chocolate on display here.
The museum is climatized and well furnished, offering several tables from which guests can enjoy the museum’s collection and watch the chocolate makers at work.
And remember– the chocolate museum isn’t really a museum at all, but a cafe where you can enjoy this delicious aphrodisiac hot or cold.
Besides the candies, the Chocolate Museum has an extensive variety of tempting drinks, like the Aztec hot chocolate, mixed with black pepper and nutmeg. It really is a drink for the gods.
Ironically, the museum is located on “Bitter Street” (Calle Amargura), which gives it a special touch! It’s open to the public each day from 10 AM until 7:30 PM. Stop by for a visit– just be careful to keep your temptation and weight under control!
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Millones de personas en el mundo consumen a diario chocolate o los derivados de el mismo. Este se encuentra en golosina, bebidas, lociones, e inclusive se ha utilizado para la construccion de piezas de vestir y en objetos exoticos. Si es usted uno de estos consumidores que esta en La Habana con confianza acérquese y visitelo.
Al escuchar Museo de Chocolate quizas su mente asocie e imagine un museo como cualquier otro, lleno de piezas de gran valor historico, objetos raros, colecciones antiguas y preciosas con extensa coleccion de libros, fotos, y documentos. Bueno, no exactamente. El museo del cual les hablo a decir verdad tiene piezas ordinarias y comunes, no solo de Cuba, sino tambien España, Bélgica y Mexico. Todos relacionados con la cultura del cacao y del chocolate.
Maestros chocolateros Belgas con mucha experiencia en el tema llegaron a La Habana para entrenar y formar un grupo de elite que tendría la tarea de encaminarse en el arte de la chocolatería y abrir en La Habana un lugar donde elaborar frente al cliente, bombones y tabletas de una manera diferente, artística y artesanal.
Desde un oso a un tabaco se mueven las caprichosas figuras que nos presentan los artistas de nueva generación de chocolateros cubanos. No solo se diferencian de la forma sino de la cantidad de cacao y azúcar en cada mezcla, dando lugar a los amargos, oscuros, con leche y blanco.
Climatizado y bien amueblado cuenta el museo con varias mesas desde donde se puede apreciar la colección del museo y a la vez a los chocolateros trabajando. De hecho el museo de chocolate no es un museo, sino una cafeteria donde se puede consumir este delicioso afrodiciaco frio o caliente.
Una gama de ofertas de bebidas que exhibe el museo es extensa y tentadora, como la taza de chocolate azteca mezclada con pimienta y nuez moscada es deleite para dioses para decir verdad.
Ironicamente este museo se encuentra hubicado en la calle “Amargura” la cual le da un toque especial! El mismo abre sus puertas al publico todos los días de 10:00 am a 7:30 pm. Y mi unica sugerencia es cuidado con las tentaciones y su peso.
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