Posts Tagged ‘travel’

MUGARITZ, SAN SEBASTIAN, SPAIN

Posted: November 29, 2014 in Food, restaurants, travel
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Mugaritz, San Sebastian, Spain

Mugaritz, San Sebastian, Spain

Mugaritz is one of the top restaurants in the world: ranked #3 or #6, depending on who you ask. And I’m just a guy with a blog. But on a recent trip to San Sebastian, Spain, my family and I had a chance to dine there.

The main kitchen from outside.

The main kitchen from outside.

The dishes that acclaimed chef Andoni Luis Aduriz created were some of the most original we’ve ever enjoyed. There was a flow to our experience…a reason why one dish followed another. It was like a concert, with Aduriz at the helm as director and composer.

Mugaritz has about twenty tables. And one seating. You are there for the night. Well over twenty courses, small bites to be sure, but all intense and rich with flavors and textures that complimented each other.

The kitchen at Mugaritz.

The main kitchen at Mugaritz.

Every table got a private tour of the kitchen. And though we didn’t meet chef Aduriz, we did get to talk with his second in command: chef Ramon Perise.

Mugaritz, as Perise explained it, has three kitchens: a lower level for preparation…a middle kitchen on the main floor for cooking all the food, plating it and making it look beautiful…and then an upstairs kitchen, the laboratory, where they come up with their newest creations.

Hangin' with Ramon Perise.

Hangin’ with Ramon Perise.

With our kitchen tour, we saw the chefs setting up rows of small iron bowls on wooden stands: individual mortar and pestles for each person in the dining room. It was going to be a dish that was served to everyone at the same time, no matter where they were in the course of their meal. So when we finished our kitchen tour, we sat down, and the mortar and pestles were brought out.

Inside the iron bowl were some wet and dry ingredients: what looked like corn nuggets, a colorful cube of gelatin and other ingredients. We were instructed to grind up what was in our bowls with our personal pestle. The entire restaurant was filled with a ringing sound, like church bells going off somewhere in the distance. For a few precious minutes, every patron shared this special perfectly choreographed event as we ground up the contents of our bowls. They called it the “linking dish.”

Then, one by one, the grinding stopped. The iron bowls continued to ring for a few seconds until the sounds faded away into silence, replaced by the low murmur of conversation. And we all went back to our meals.

The linking dish.

The linking dish.

Our sommelier, Guillermo Cruz, was a bright, knowledgeable and enthusiastic young man that offered us thrill rides in a glass, including a much-needed digestivo half-way through the meal so that we could continue our dining experience!

A grappa-like Fillaboa digestif from Gallicia that was made from the local Albarino grapes. Helpful in making room for more food!

A grappa-like Fillaboa digestif from Gallicia that was made from the local Albarino grapes. Helpful in making room for more food!

As chef Perise said to us (paraphrasing): “When you leave this place…and weeks afterwards…you’re not going to remember the food. But you’re going to remember the emotions you had and the feelings you had when you were here. And that’s what we’re working for.”

Shaved ice cream with cheese: one of many desserts.

Shaved frozen apple with cheese: one of many desserts.

Could there have been too many dishes? Is there such a thing as too much of a good thing? Is less really more?

These burning questions can only be answered with another visit to Mugaritz. I hope it’s sometime soon!

 

 

 

ROADTRIP: CRABAPPLE WHITEWATER IN THE FORKS, MAINE

Posted: September 29, 2014 in Cocktails, Drinks, Food, Maine, MARTINI, travel
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I’ve been rafting with Crab Apple Whitewater in Maine, Massachusetts and Vermont for 25 years, on close to 60 rafting trips: the Deerfield, Miller and West Rivers in Massachusets and Vermont…and the Dead and Kennebec Rivers in Maine. Family run, they are the best in the business. And if you’ve got the guts, you’ve still got a couple of weeks before the 2014 season ends! Contact them at 1-800-553-RAFT or go to http://www.crabapplewhitewater.com.

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CrabApple’s main building in the Forks: headquarters, offices, gift shop, restaurant and pub. Outdoor hot tub and heated swimming pool are around back.

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The interior of the main building:

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CrabApple offers rooms at their Forks location, from rustic to these: the luxury suites with jacuzzis for two inside.

 

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The pub is where everyone meets at the end of the day, to discuss important world issues.

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They’re even nice enough to feature one of my own cocktails! (at the bottom)

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The scenery on the way up…

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…and a couple of interesting stops along the way…

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All the necessary food groups!

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BOTIN, MADRID: THE OLDEST RESTAURANT IN THE WORLD

Posted: September 22, 2014 in Carnivore!, Food, pork, restaurants, Spain, travel, Uncategorized
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Restaurante Botin, in the great old city of Madrid, Spain, is a must-visit. At first, I thought it might be more of a tourist trap. But this establishment, which holds the Guinness Book of world records for oldest restaurant (it opened in 1725), has some fantastic dishes that you just can’t get anywhere else.

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The suckling pig at Botin is world-famous. If you’re a vegetarian, you’ll probably be freaked out to see the row of little pigs on plates, waiting to be placed in the almost-300-year-old wood burning oven. These suckling pigs were only 20-something days old when they became dinner, and the slow-roasted flavor of this pork is like nothing you’ve ever had before. The roasted baby lamb, a gamier lamb than most Americans are used to, thanks to its grass-fed upbringing, was also exquisite.

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imageCroquettes are big in Spain, as popular with the kids as nuggets are here in the states. And the croquettes at Botin, breaded and fried to a perfect crisp on the outside, with an oozy, creamy cheesy center, are addictive.

The servers, handling three levels of dining rooms, are fast and efficient, but also have time for a sense of humor.

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Just around the corner from the Plaza de Mayor, the city’s best people-watching location, Botin is my kind of attraction: a food museum where they still create many dishes like they did hundreds of years ago. In fact, the famous artist Goya was a dishwasher here in his youth, back in 1765.

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Walk around the restaurant, and check out the different rooms that have been renovated over time…and the ones that have been there all these years. It’s a fascinating trip through history.

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HATZIDAKIS WINERY, SANTORINI, GREECE

Posted: September 11, 2014 in Drinks, Food, Santorini, travel, wine
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We have friends on their honeymoon in Santorini right now, visiting many of the places we’ve suggested, including the Hatzidakis winery. Here are photos from our adventure in 2013…

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They don’t have a fancy tasting room. They don’t do tours. They don’t have an amazing view of the water or the island. They don’t even hold regular visiting hours. They simply have the best wine on the island.

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And that’s exactly why you need to go. Have your hotel call ahead and make an appointment.

Haridimos “George” Hatzidakis is all about his grapes. Ask anyone on Santorini what the best wine is, and you will get “Hatzidakis” as the answer every time.

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Sure, there are huge wineries with tasting rooms that overlook the water. That’s where the tour buses take the cattle that arrive in Fira on cruise ships. Why would you want to hang with them?

Hatzidakis wine is about the soil, the grapes, the climate. It’s also about the passion of the handful people who work hard to make it.

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You can’t find Hatzidakis in the United states (unless you look in my wine cellar, because we bring home as much as we can!!) Much of it is scooped up and exported to France…and much to our happy surprise, we’ve had a bottle of the Hatzidakis Assyrtyko in Paris at Le Baratin.

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But for the most part, you’ll have to go to Santorini to experience the magic of this incredible wine. And that’s not a bad thing. Because the wine is much like the people of Santorini: beautiful and worth every bit of travel hassles to get there.

 

Cheers!

“TEN CON TEN” IN MADRID: YOU GOTTA FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHT TO PARTY

Posted: September 8, 2014 in Food, restaurants, Spain, travel
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We were in Madrid at the end of August, 2014…still vacation time for most of the city, so our restaurant choices were somewhat limited. The concierge at the Westin Palace Hotel, where we stayed for 3 nights in Madrid, suggested Ten Con Ten. We were told that despite this being the place where all the so-called “beautiful people” hang out, it is a legitimate foodie destination.

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We arrived: my wife, my 7-year-old daughter and I…and immediately were the center of attention as we were clearly the only people who ever even considered bringing a child into this place. We were spoiling the vibe of the party. (We’ve taken our daughter to fine restaurants all over the world and never had a problem. She’s better behaved than most of the adults in the room.)

We sat down at our table, were greeted gruffly in Spanish by our server, a young woman who clearly disliked us from the start, and were asked if we wanted a drink before ordering dinner. I had vodka on the rocks, served promptly. My wife ordered cava, a sparkling wine, and it was forgotten. However, that didn’t stop 3 separate managers from coming to our table and asking what we wanted to eat…all in a span of 4 minutes, before I even had the chance to take a second sip of my drink. When my wife commented that she’d like to enjoy her drink first (which still hadn’t arrived), they left in a huff.

A lovely elderly couple from Denver, at the table next to us, told us that they were completely rushed through their dinner and plates were removed from under them before they even had a chance to finish…like a scene from a bad Chinese restaurant. They complained loudly as they paid their bill, in part I think, to set the stage for us to at least enjoy our dinner at a more leisurely pace. I wish I knew how to get in touch with them to thank them for that!

When a fourth manager asked for our order, that’s when we politely said we were hoping to have the table for the night. He rushed off to confer with the reservations chick with the clipboard, and he finally agreed with a sigh that it would be alright. When we told him we had eaten at 2 of the top 10 restaurants in the world, Arzak and Mugaritz in San Sebastián just a few days earlier, I think he finally understood that we were there for the food and not all the posturing.

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All this was so unlike any dining experience we had in Spain, that it really caught us off guard. But once we established that we were staying and taking our time–kid and all–they relented and started serving us with a different attitude. In fact, the manager that was assigned to us (our grumpy server now relegated to simply clearing our plates) was great, and soon we were able to establish a fun and friendly dialogue with him that really made the evening special.

We wanted to try many dishes, but obviously couldn’t eat them all. Our new manager friend specially ordered smaller portions for us. When we couldn’t decide which plates to choose from, we let him do it, much to his delight. A white wine we ordered was not available at the proper temperature, so he chose another for us–excellent. Our bottle of red came from a private stock that wasn’t even on the menu–again, his choice.

And when our daughter a hand wrote a small thank-you card to the staff for a wonderful meal, you could’ve knocked them over with a feather. The staffers literally made a receiving line toward the door as we left, shaking our hands and thanking us for dining with them…our manager friend being the very last to say goodbye.

The food was excellent and seasonal. The menu changes all the time. We had toro tuna tataki, pasta with a morel sauce (featuring a touch of foie!), pasta with a sea urchin sauce, veal scallopine, what they call “yellow” fish (it commonly is caught alongside tuna), oxtail hamburgers, and more…and wonderful desserts.

Dining in Spain starts at 8PM for the most part, and it was clear in the beginning of our night (we had an 8:30 reservation) that they planned on turning that table over a lot. Our manager friend told us that, despite the fact that the restaurant was already full, the party “really” only started at midnight! So rushing people in and out was the way to make some serious coin for these folks. And he said it got even worse once the vacation season was over and everyone was back to work in Madrid!

The secret to enjoying Ten Con Ten is to stake your claim: don’t let them push you around. Make it clear that a rushed meal is not acceptable. The staff may grumble at first, but eventually let you have your way. And then… it can be a great experience.

PROVINCETOWN, MASSACHUSETTS

Posted: June 18, 2014 in Cape Cod, Drinks, Food, seafood, travel, Uncategorized
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I recently spent a long weekend in P-Town with my wife and daughter…my wife enjoying an art conference while my daughter and I enjoyed the sunshine. We’d meet at the end of the day for dinner, and share our stories.

P-Town has a bit of a reputation…and I was told by some friends that after sundown, we should bring our 7-year-old daughter indoors if we wanted to avoid her asking a lot of uncomfortable questions. Well, there were no red leather chaps, no circus freaks. I’m sure that there are certain weekends that may be a bit less family friendly than others, but generally speaking, today’s Provincetown is not the same as the town I visited back when I lived on Cape Cod in the 80’s.

Families walk the main street, Commercial Street, late into the night. Shops, restaurants and galleries cater to all tourists and lifestyles. And why not? A small waterfront town like this relies on its very short summer season to make its money. Why turn people and their wallets away?

There are many restaurant choices in Provincetown, and if you’re looking for top-notch big city fine dining, you won’t find it here. However, there are many good restaurants with creative dishes. And there’s incredibly fresh simply presented seafood that is a staple in New England: clams, oysters, cod, halibut, tuna, and scallops.

 

VICTOR’S

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Victors is a fun place. They serve tapas, and they make it very easy to share by dividing each plate beautifully and simply. The ingredients are fresh and the ideas are pretty good. Sometimes, though, they just don’t hit the mark. The fish taco with halibut was delicious. Duck sliders, however, were too salty. The Caesar salad came out in large, individual pieces of Romain lettuce, sprinkled with the Caesar ingredients on them. An interesting presentation, and again, easy to share. But not exactly what you want in a Caesar salad. Raw tuna Napoleons were good. The bar knows its cocktails and they serve them strong. Service is excellent. Basically, Victor’s is a perfect example of any Provincetown restaurant: good but not great. In a seasonal town, it is hard to maintain quality to the highest standards. But it’s a fun place to go to.

 

MEWS BAR & CAFE

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When a bar boasts 300 vodkas from around the world, I need to check it out. And that I did! I always start with my signature Stoli Elit and then work my way from there. I asked for and received a written list of all the vodkas in stock and being Lithuanian, I was happy to see there was a Lithuanian vodka on the list. I challenged them to present the bottle to me, and it appeared within seconds! Naturally I had to have a drink with it. The bar staff was swamped but always courteous and service was excellent. The bar itself is old and funky and really a lot of fun. I will come back someday for the food, but this time it was all about the martinis. One cool feature was that the olives for my martini were on a skewer that hung on the outside of the glass, and not in the drink. Sort of like truck nuts for a martini. Funky and fun.

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MAC’S PROVINCETOWN

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Mac’s does not have a great view of the water. It’s on a rather busy street that offers no scenery whatsoever. But what they lack in views, they make up for in fresh fish and delicious sushi! Everything we had was spectacular: the mini baked hand grenades (rice, shrimp, scallop, dynamite sauce and eel sauce) should not be missed. The sashimi–we had fresh halibut–was superb.

Sushi at Mac's, including the Hand Grenades in the black dish

Sushi at Mac’s, including the Hand Grenades in the black dish

The broiled yellowtail collar, what they call “Hamachi Kama” in the big city, was the best I’ve ever had. We were there for lunch, so no big drinking going on. But a peek inside showed a beautiful, clean (new) space that could get hoppin’ on any given evening around the raw bar. And next door is their own seafood shop…probably the cleanest I’ve ever seen, selling impeccably fresh fish.

Broiled yellowtail collar

Broiled yellowtail collar

 

 RED INN

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The biggest disappointment on our trip.

After my wife had a pretty good trout dinner at the Red Inn several nights before, we decided we would try again for a Friday night dinner. The place was crowded and it seemed that the wait staff was overwhelmed. Everything on the menu sounded good but all of it tasted like it had been cooked two days earlier and then just reheated before service. The bacon wrapped fried oysters that came with my Caesar salad were greasy, rubbery and cool. The avocado foam on my wife’s beet salad could’ve been anything… it had no flavor at all. The slow braised pork shank special lacked seasoning and it sat on top of a rather flavorless pile of grits. It seemed that the best dish on our table that night was the Kobe beef sliders our daughter had ordered. (And was it really Kobe? I think not, since it can only come from Japan and it’s really expensive. I’m guessing it was Wagyu, the American version of Kobe. Mislabeled menu.)

 

EDWIGE

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Our best dining experience of the weekend.

The soup of the day was an unlikely and fantastic mushroom and lobster soup. We thought the lobster would be lost with the intensity of the mushroom stock, but it was a delicious balance of flavors…really addictive! The tuna tartare was equally excellent. A main course bowl of seafood in a coconut sauce again showed a delicate hand by the chef and was delicious. And a flank steak was moist and tender, despite it being cooked beyond medium when I asked for medium-rare, set on top of a mound of irresistible wasabi mashed potatoes.

Infused vodkas that later infused me.

Infused vodkas that later infused me.

Cocktails are serious…and there’s a choice of house-infused vodkas at the bar: pineapple, ginger, cranberry, pepper. A bit of an issue with the wine list…but it’s an issue with every wine list we’ve seen in every restaurant we’ve been to in P-Town. Looks like one distributor has all the rights to wine in this town, so the lists are the same from place to place. Kinda sucks.

THE PROVINCETOWN INN

The view of town outside our room

The view of town outside our room

 

This is an old resort that has taken a beating over the years. The rooms aren’t fancy, but they are clean. And you absolutely cannot beat the location and the views: right at the end of Commercial Street and right on the water! Considering this is a town where you don’t come to stay indoors a lot, the rooms are perfectly fine. We stayed in the Captains Suite A, which had a full kitchen, and though we didn’t cook meals here, it was nice to hard boil an egg in the morning and keep our snacks in a full-sized refrigerator. They have a private beach (nothing fancy) and a swimming pool (very nice.)

 

 SURF CLUB RESTAURANT AND BAR

One look at the place and you know this is no fancy dining establishment. But the cocktails are strong and the food is fresh. It’s right on MacMillan wharf, so you can grab a bite, like we did, right after your whale watch trip. Great kids’ menu. I had the broiled seafood platter and it was a fresh as it could be.

 

DOLPHIN WHALE WATCH

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A fleet of beautifully maintained boats with professional crews and expert naturalists to narrate your trip. Indoor areas with snacks as well as plenty of seats out in the sunshine, and great views from anywhere on the boat. I’m sure the boats get crowded in season, but we went before the season really kicked in and had a great time. We saw 12 humpback whales over the course of 3 hours…some very close to the boat! There are other whale watch companies out of the Cape, but this is the one to go with. Highly recommended. http://www.whalewatch.com

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RACE POINT BEACH, HERRING COVE BEACH

Huge expanses of sand. Beautiful dunes. You can spot whales out in the distance.Two great beaches that shouldn’t be missed. In season, they do charge a $15 parking fee.

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“AUSSOME” AUSSIE MEAT PIES IN BOSTON

Posted: April 4, 2014 in beef, Food, lamb, restaurants, travel
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It’s interesting how we sometimes stumble upon great food finds. After taking our daughter to the Boston Museum of Science on a recent Saturday, we decided to eat at a small family run Italian restaurant in a blue-collar neighborhood in East Boston, one that was featured a few years ago on the Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” with Guy Fieri. It’s called Rino’s Place, and we’ve been waiting for the opportunity to try the food there for a long time.

Rino’s Place opens at 3PM. We got there at 3PM. The line was out the door and down the street, with a 3-hour wait. (They don’t take reservations for parties smaller than 6.) I don’t care how good the food is supposed to be…I’m not going to wait 3 hours to eat pasta. So, disappointed, we drove off, hoping to perhaps visit Rino’s on a less popular weekday some other time.

Meanwhile,  my wife, the artist, was scanning the neighborhood and found an interesting art gallery, Atlantic Works, nearby. We decided to check it out. There wasn’t much to see, but the ladies that ran the joint told us that Rino’s, in their opinion, was good but overrated. The exposure Rino’s got from DDD was so huge that they even bought the convenience store across the street from the restaurant and converted it into a bar for those that chose to wait for their tables. Total cash cow.

Just down the road from the Atlantic works, the ladies told us, was a funky little joint that made authentic Australian meat pies. That sounded good. They said it was tucked away inside a funky old marina that featured bizarre metal sculptures on the roofs of the buildings. That sounded intriguing. Off we went.

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A few lefts and rights…a little loss of GPS at one moment…and we arrived at the Boston Harbor Marina. Definitely the slow season, as many of the boats were still shrink-wrapped, but you could see this place had potential in the summertime, with huge metal sculptures of fish and mermaids on the property. And sure, enough, tucked away in a far corner was KO Catering and Pies, our Aussie meat pie joint.

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It was cold and windy outside, but some brave souls were sitting at the picnic tables outside, enjoying their meals. We chose to buy a bunch of frozen pies and take them home to re-heat.

They were awesome: beef with cheese, braised lamb shank, beef stew…all surrounded by some of the most delicious and flakiest pie crusts you ever bit into.

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KO has another location in south Boston as well. Either one is worth a visit. Start here: http://www.kocateringandpies.com

“KEYS TO THE CURE” EXHIBITION OPENS TOMORROW IN PALM BEACH, FLORIDA

Posted: March 19, 2014 in travel
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Kelly Milukas, my incredibly talented wife, debuts her “Keys to the Cure” exhibition at the Palm Beach Photographic Centre tomorrow, March 20th! The show runs through May 31st!

http://www.workshop.org/museum_exhibits.php

 

KELLY MILUKAS
KEYS TO THE CURE

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New Exhibitions By Artist Kelly Milukas Visually Explores the Mysteries of Science and Art

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Regenerative Medicine Foundation’s
1st Art Contest & Gallery Showing
THE ART OF SCIENCE: Under the Surface

Exhibition Opening Will Include Lecture by Anthony Atala, M.D., Global Expert in Regenerative Medicine

Lecture & Opening Reception

Thursday, March 20th, 2014 – 4:00pm
On View March 20 – May 31, 2014

“Keys can open hearts, they can unlock mysteries behind closed chambers, and they can set people free,” says artist Kelly Milukas, whose provocative new exhibition spans the broad symbolism entwined with keys, and the mysteries of the body.

Comprised of more than 50 multi-media artworks, KEYS TO THE CURE is a dynamic interplay of photography and sculpture to tell the incredible story of stem-cell research and regenerative medicine.  Handmade keys float off painted color fields representing the interior tissue and organs of the bodies, while glowing keys hang from above, giving abstract visualization to the human body’s complex systems.

“I wish to convey my artistic interpretation the simple beautiful science we have around us, creating an accessible and identifiable place for people to understand, embrace and celebrate the body can renew and heal itself,” says Ms. Milukas.

Also on exhibit will be THE ART OF SCIENCE: Under the Surface, pictures taken through a microscope that draws the viewer into the world of regenerative medicine and the human body – images that have clear scientific value but are also stunning works of art.

Originally commissioned by the Regenerative Medicine Foundation, which promotes exploring “the body’s natural ability to heal itself,” the joint exhibition at the Photo Centre reflects “a unique collaboration between art and science (as it) visually captures this extraordinary science revolution,” adds Ms. Milukas.

Late last year, the Regenerative Medicine Foundation issued an international call for macro-photography of regenerative medicine images taken through a microscope, The first Science Photo Art Contest was open to scientists working in the field of regenerative medicine and more than 80 entries were submitted, Milukas was a co-juror along with Dr. Linas Kudzma, an award-winning macro-photographer and scientist.

The ART OF SCIENCE exhibition will include stem cell and other “Under the Surface” regenerative medicine photos representing scientists from the United States, Australia, Canada, Germany, Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Among the photos to be presented is the contest’s Grand Prize Winner: Cells Performing Secret Handshakes bySebastian Barreto.

Opening Lecture & Public Reception
The March 20 opening of KEYS TO THE CURE will include a 4 p.m. lecture by Anthony Atala, M.D., Director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine where his work focuses on growing and regenerating tissues and organs. He oversees a team of more than 300 physicians and researchers working together to develop healing cell therapies and grow replacement tissues and organs in the lab. A recognized pioneer in the field, Dr. Atala’s team engineered the first lab-grown organ to be implanted into a human – a bladder – and is developing experimental fabrication technologies that can “print” human tissue and organs on demand.

Dr. Atala has received many awards, including the US Congress funded Christopher Columbus Foundation Award, bestowed on a living American who is currently working on a discovery that will significantly affect society. Dr. Atala’s work has twice been included in Time magazine’s “Top 10 Medical Breakthroughs of the Year.” He is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. He has published over 400 journal articles and has applied for or received more than 200 national or international patents.

Geared toward both the scientific and artistic communities, both the lecture by Dr. Atala and his introduction by artist Milukas will focus on the positive impact of art on the healing process.

The lecture will be followed at 5:30 p.m. for the opening reception for the exhibition, to which the public is invited to attend for free.

WINTER IN NEWPORT, RI

Posted: March 3, 2014 in Rhode Island, travel
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“The Wave” needed a little warmth!the wave

AN FAO SCHWARZ SECRET

Posted: December 20, 2013 in New York City, travel
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Anyone that plans a trip to New York City for the holidays with the kids (or even without the kids) better end up at FAO Schwarz, if they know what’s good for them! It’s a great store with loads of history and two huge levels of candy, toys, games, and the world-famous “Big Piano,” as seen in the Tom Hanks movie “Big.” Toy soldiers greet you at the door, inviting you into a world as far away from the hassle of Manhattan traffic as anything on 5th Avenue and 58th Street could be!

Most people don’t know that they can get a 45-minute private tour of FAO Schwarz, one hour before the store opens, guided by their own toy soldier. It’s a really fun experience that we had a couple of years ago, when my daughter turned 5 years old. But you can’t just show up. And there’s limited space. (We found that signing up for a tour after Christmas was the way to go.)

We found out about the private tours from a small ad in a local magazine: Time Out New York. There was no web address…just a phone number. I called…I made an appointment for the tour…it cost a ridiculously small amount of money…and we were in!

We showed up at our designated time and met our Toy Soldier, who led us through the entire store, giving us all kinds of information about the toys and the history of the building itself. The awesome part was that we were the only ones in the building, with the exception of store workers getting things ready for another day’s enthusiastic crowds.

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And the best part of the tour: we got to dance around on The Big Piano privately, before the store’s doors opened up and the wild crowds rushed to get in line to take advantage of their 3 minutes on the piano. We got almost 15 minutes to dance around, take pictures and simply have a great time.

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If you’re trying to think of what you can do to bring your next holiday trip to New York City to whole new level, this will make you a real hero with the kids.

Here’s a link I found with more information:

http://www.fao.com/shop/index.jsp?categoryId=3810526

And by the way…tip the toy soldier well. He still has to pay the rent!

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