If you have followed this blog for any length of time you know that Roberto loves his pizza. Being from Rome, Italy, although not THE capital of pizza that Naples is, he still knows a thing or two about what pizza should really be like (if you would like to see what we think makes a pizza great, check out this article ). So as always, when we change living locations we are always on the quest for the best pizza around (if you want to see where the best pizza in the US is that we have found so far, check out this article ).

If you live in Saint Augustine, Florida or have ever spent time here, you know there are tons of pizza joints. One night we were in the mood for a slice so we decided to check out Pizza Time’s Brooklyn style pizza on St. George’s Street. Now as you know, generally we are not big fans of New York style pizza. The crust is much more floppy than the classical Italian version and so it never quite meets up to our crunch standards. But Pizza Time displays many of their pie choices in the window and they looked really good. Plus I loved the sign in the window saying: “I’m Italian, I don’t need a recipe!”
Continue Reading »

BY KARI HOEL
PHOTOS BY KARI HOEL

I think most visitors to Bangkok are struck by the size of the city. It is big, both in terms of geography and population. And not all of it is pretty. But the city has it all – culture, history, shopping and nightlife. You just need to bring a good guidebook in order to find it all.

My husband and I stayed in the Siam Square area, which is the primary shopping district, and we used our guidebook a lot (Thailand Travel Guide and Bangkok Encounter Guide, both published by Lonely Planet), which made it possible to find some wonderful places. We lived it up a bit, and stayed at the Amari Watergate Hotel and Spa. Everything was very nice: The room, the service, the view, the food, not to mention the pool area on the 8th floor. It is a big business-like hotel, so you do not get a warm fuzzy feeling when walking into the large, air-conditioned lobby. However, when you are determined to spend some time shopping, the Amari Watergate is a good location as the big shopping centers are very close by.

I have already mentioned the s-word. Bangkok is famous for its shopping opportunities, and rightly so. I spent a lot of time at MBK, Paragon, Siam Center and Central World Plaza – four large shopping complexes. As we stayed in Bangkok both in the beginning and end of our trip, I did ”research” in the beginning, then went back and actually spent money when we returned. I was a bit surprised that it was difficult to find stores that had Thai-inspired clothing. Last time we were in Bangkok was four years ago, and I am not sure if there were more non-western brands back then, but there were probably fewer shopping centers. The price is still a bit lower than Europe, but it might be a close race. The selection, however, is good! And if you are able to find a good tailor, you can get some great deals on custom-made suits, dresses etc.

As for the more lasting experiences: Most of the cultural/historical sites are in the Ratanakosin District. As this was our second time in Bangkok, we had seen many of the temples the first time we were there. This time we took a boat trip on the Chao Phraya river, which was a very pleasant way to spend a few hours and at the same time see Bangkok from a different angle. The boat left from Saphan Taksin, which is at the end of one of the SkyTrain (metro) lines.
Continue Reading »