I was more of a Royal Oak gal growing up in suburban Detroit than a Berkley gal. But today I discovered Berkley anew, while visiting my family here. I generally thought of Berkeley’s business district as being along Coolidge road but turn the corner heading north on 12 mile and there is some interesting entrepreneurial stuff going on, the kind I associated with Royal Oak.
We had a charcuterie board at The Rind, therestaurant in the shop Mongers (as in cheese mongers), which also has excellent fresh soups (tomato, mushroom) and sandwiches (grilled cheese with bacon; a hefty muffuletta). The gourmet food area next to the dining area has lots of well-chosen cheeses (Pleasant ridge!), cured meats, chocolates etc. The cheese monger world is tight knit. The Monger owner told me he’s hung out with other cheese mongers I know including my cousin in Great Barrington, MA (@ Rubiner’scheesemongers) and in Des Moines (TheCheeseshop).
Next door we found a gift store I first visited in Ann Arbor, Catching Fireflies, which turned out to be the original store, in Berkley for some 20 years. Who knew?
Dinner was hearty Italian food at the old school Cafe Cortina in Farmington which has been around since the 1970s, I believe.
A complete thrill to see West Des Moines-native basketball phenom Caitlin Clark in person as she effortlessly (or so it seemed) made one of her signature “logo threes” — this one, 36 feet from the basket. We were in the packed U of Iowa basketball arena, Carver-Hawkeye. (Just watching her jaw-droppingly astute passes almost would have been enough.) This was Caitlin’s first return to play at UI since her senior year, only a year ago. Seeing her in action as a WNBA player was like seeing a famous rock star, but with the unusual added familiarity of the star being an Iowa kid. Caitlin is Iowans’ rock star/next door neighbor.
This outing was even better with my friend Jane beside me. (she also snagged the hard-to-snag tickets.) Jane has covered women’s basketball in Iowa since way before its current popularity. She patiently answered my newbie-fan girl questions. For more see her excellent substack account: https://janeburns.substack.com/p/an-expedition-of-joy-and-basketball
As Jane explained, a logo shot (for three points) is when the player shoots from the logo design inscribed on the center of the court. In this case, Caitlin shot from beyond the 22 logo on the court. (22 is Clark’s retired Iowa jersey # and now her Indiana Fever number.) It’s a long way to the basket from there! The crowd (my three friends and moi included) went wild. The discreet 22 logo on the court (next to a larger Mediacom logo) is the spot where Caitlin, in her U of Iowa heyday in 2024, hit a logo three to break the NCAA’s all-time scoring record (that’s for women and men, my veteran basketball fan husband reminded me). To honor her achievement, the “22 Clark” was inscribed on the court.
This time, Caitlin dribbled down to mid-court, jumped into the air and shot the ball over her head, which soared in an arc above the court and right into the basket, hitting nothing but net, no rim. (I’m getting a lingo assist here from my husband). She made it look effortless. Graceful. She leapt like a dancer.
The Indiana Fever was in town to play a pre-season exhibition game against the Brazilian national team. The Brazilians got clobbered (100-something to 40-something…I soon ignored the score) and seemed as much in awe of Caitlin Clark as the older women and little girls in attendance. The Brazil players waited in a cluster with the little girls to have their photo taken with Caitlin. The stadium was packed with proud Iowans in #22 shirts. (I wore my #22 sweatshirt until it got too hot.)
Courtside
This exhibition game was unusual but for future visitors going to Carver-Hawkeye to see the Iowa women (or men) play, a few tips: We had excellent reserved parking for $20 in the lot across the street from the arena and there’s a grassy area with shade from trees for picnicking, but no tables or ledges. (Bring a fold up table and/or chairs.) A few others were tailgating. The arena has no AC and has a reputation for being hot. I didn’t find this an issue but it was a cool day in May. Also remember to bring a see-through bag. My not-see-through bag is small but wasn’t small enough. (It was oversized by 1/2 inch width and height.)
We continued our sentimental tour of Des Moines, stopping at favorite spots and remembered how much we enjoyed life here. first to Graziano’s Italian Import store where I had to restrain myself from buying too much at the deli counter. but I did get cacciatore, smoked provolone, salami, spicy green olives, for a gathering here.
Nadia’s
We stopped at Moglea, which few people in Des Moines seem to know about but has its colorful paper products prominently displayed in fancy stationary stores and art museum gift shops in places like Chicago and New York. It’s Des Moines production print shop has a little retail space and better yet, some good sale merch so I stocked up on gifts.
Moglea
Onto a little French bakery called Nadia’s near the governor’s mansion at Terrace Hill. The pastries looked good but we went to Zanzibar, an old favorite for coffee and met our friend Veronica at La Mie, another favorite bakery and lunch spot.
Busy day in my old stomping ground. I had an excellent lunch downtown at Allora, a sophisticated but casual lunch place in the very cool Krause Center, a 2018 Renzo Piano marvel, formerly home of the Kum & Go, that is now practically empty after the sale of that awkwardly name gas/convenience store company. The food was terrific.
I had a salad with long strip so of crispy prosciutto cooked like bacon, slices of Parmesan, apples, pecans, walnuts on greens. My friend Judy had a delicous creamy polenta with grilled mushrooms, carrots, garlic and onion. Excellent flavor. And there’s the Des Moines sculpture park to look at across the street.
Art center installation (with video screens inside)
I was sad to see that Bauder’s Ice cream on the now nicely named Ingersoll Ave is no more but Judy gave me the tip of the day: nearby Tandem Brick (frame shop/gifts) has a cooler full of bauder’s famouse peppermint ice cream sandwiches, so you don’t have to wait until the iowa state fair to get them! (The also sell the killer peppermint ice cream pie with chocolate cookie crust and a layer of chocolate fudge.😳
Next stop the fantastic Des Moines Art Center which has an interesting one-room exhibit of Haitian art borrowed from the famous collection in Waterloo. I dropped by Worn, one of my favorite resale shops and scored big time with two pairs of my favorite jeans, Democracy; also stopped at Gateway Market, picked up worlds best bread from South Union bakery. For old times sake, I ripped off a piece of chewy choibattta in the car to eat as a midday snack.
This afternoon, my friends Kathy and I went to an anti-Trump rally at the state Capitol. So good to see so many people there, resisting!
We made such good time on our drive from Chicago to Detroit – and the weather was suddenly sunny and a balmy 57 degrees- that we had time to stop en route for lunch at zingerman’s in Ann Arbor. I wisely called ahead to order our sandwich (lean corned beef, coleslaw, emmenthaler cheese, Russian dressing on hardy bread) so it was waiting when we arrived. Otherwise the wait time was one hour for a sandwich. I also got some outstanding chopped liver (from Amish chickens, supposedly.)
We had fun looking at all the cheeses, including Lively Run, a Finger Lakes fav (NY) and cured meats and Michigan products including American spoon (red haven peach preserves) and CherryRepublic.
We explored a farmers market across the street and Catching Fireflies, a fun shop with Michigan gifts. We were apparently in the Kerrytown Shopping area, with historic 19th- century buildings from lumber and agriculture purveyors in this town best known for the University of Michigan.
Whistlestop
On a dreary rainy Sunday we went to the Emagine (yes, E not I) theater to see the new Bob Dylan bio pic, which was excellent. This was our second movie theater outing since 2020 (pre-pandemic). We sat in snazzy fake leather recliners, reserved in advance, row D not too close to the giant screen. The sound was loud but fortunately the movie was full of music not noisy battles from some blockbuster action movie.
We had a pleasant late lunch/brunch (good eggs, sausage, blt) at The Whistlestop cafe in Birmingham and dinner (upscale Mediterranean/middle eastern) earlier at Phoenicia in Birmingham.
Music by Laura Nyro, my favorite singer when I was a teenager, was blaring in the Alvin Ailey exhibit at The Whitney Museum when we entered, surely a good sign. I never connected the two although apparently there was a connection. What it was I never did learn. The exhibit was a bit obtuse that way, with lots of interesting, often provocative, artwork juxtaposed beneath a huge wrap-around wall screen airing films of Ailey dancers, accompanied by various musical scores. I tried to join a tour that might have tied things together but my audio didn’t work so I opted to wander and just soak it all in. I left with more questions than answers but maybe that’s okay? The landscape show on the floor above deserved more than our brief visit but it was time to move onto the High Line for a brisk walk in chilly but bright and sunny weather.
The day’s dining highlight was the fantastic. Spanish food at Mercado, Little Spain, a food hall below Hudson yards created by renowned chef (and humanitarian/anti-hunger crusader) Jose Andreas. Although there are three sit down restaurants, we opted for the food court/hall route, planting ourselves at a table in the center then taking turns going to various counters to pick up a plate or two to share between three of us.
It was Myra Monday, with a visit from my longtime pal, so the food court at 3 p.m. was also a place to sit comfortably for several hours, catching up. A NYTimes story on the 20 best things to eat was very helpful as was a list of the 100 best restaurants in NYC in 2024 which included the food hall!
Paella and tortilla de patatas
Highlights: paella with savory brown rice, chicken, grilled artichokes, peppers; a tortilla de patatas, a fluffy egg omelette filled with creamy potatoes, a long narrow baguette with salty dried ham, an empanada de cerdo that was a thin piece of savory pie filled with stewed pork; an orange tangy gazpacho (akin to one of several versions I make), perfect sangria ( not too sweet or alcoholic), light churros sprinkled with sugar and served with a small cup of hot bittersweet chocolate to dunk them in.
There were several more items on my list but we were full, and lost track of what we spent (each item, was $9-12) so it was time to stop. Must return to try: tarta de queso (Spanish cheesecake), pina borrach (“drunken pineapple”), gamba Al estilo de El Bulli (shrimp from the famous chef-driven restaurant) chistorra con patatas frites (potato and sausage bites), pomelo en texturas (grapefruit dessert), lacon con patatas ( potatoes and ham) pan de Cristal con tomate (bread rubbed with tomatoes), and cardinal (meringue plus sponge cake).
I don’t know how I’ve missed going to Old John’s Diner, since it’s been in my relatives’ upper west side neighborhood since 1951. I don’t even remember having walked on the block of 67th street that it’s on (between Amsterdam and Broadway).
But tonight, we got there, with our niece Erika, nephew Jonathan and his girlfriend Calista and it was really fun. I was worried it might be dead on a Sunday night, and more of a breakfast or lunch place but it was busy enough.
And the food was very good diner food, not fancy restaurant. We also had excellent service and a nice big table where we were welcome to linger. My aunt, who has hearing issues, would like it because she would be able to hear the conversation. We enjoyed hearty chicken soup, matzoh ball soup, a tuna melt (alas the tuna had relish in it, which I dislike but Jonathan was fine with), crispy chicken sandwich, Greek salad, fries – all good and some inventive (the Greek salad had romaine lettuce and fried chickpeas) and excellent fries. The desserts were great too especially the lemon meringue pie and ny cheese cake. The carrot cake was tasty but a little dry, according to our table’s expert, dirck. We’ll be back!
In the 70s, near Central Park West, my brother also recommends Yasaka for sushi, on 72nd, and Solid State coffee on 71st between Columbus and Amsterdam.
We took the Jitney (private bus) back from the Hamptons (Water Mill) family thanksgiving on Sunday at 1:35 pm. The bus was comfortable and well-run but packed, and a long haul. It made several stops including near LaGuardia airport, and with holiday traffic took over 3 hours (an hour more than usual/advertised). Next time, we’ll leave Saturday night or Sunday morning to try to beat the traffic.
The weather finally turned on us, getting rainy and cold (30s) but that didn’t stop us from one final day in central London, seeing two old friends (Una and Patti) and visiting old stomping grounds (CoventGarden and surrounds).
The National Portrait Gallery is a favorite and recently remodeled, we’re told. And free! I went to the contemporary portraits (Judy Dench, Maggie Smith, Dua Lipa, the most recent queen Elizabeth…) while dirck headed to the old folks (Shakespeare and Cromwell, Queen Elizabeth #1, Queen Victoria). Then we briefly visited the excellent gift shop. In Covent Garden we happened past a cafe run by Petersham Nursery, which we’ve visited in Richmond so we shared a very salty prosciutto and mozzarella sandwich. Covent Garden has more American chains (shakeshack) and luxury brands but still some interesting stuff including the seven dials market and old favorites (Neal’s Yard cheese, Monmouth coffee.) and I still love the tight little lanes lined with shops, even if they’re too expensive.
In the once decrepit now hip spitalfields neighborhood in the city financial district, I spent most of my time at the Bishopsgate Institute, a quirky old place that is home to the Great Diary Project, although you’d never know it. The signage for the archive highlights the UK’s largest LGBTQIA+ (IA+ ??) collection.
I read some old diaries in a cramped reading room with a handful of other researchers. Una later joined me and found an amazing WW2 diary a woman wrote complete with hand drawn maps of Europe. I was obsessed with the 1980s “Dairy Diaries” which were offered as promotions by the now defunct Milk Marketing board. The entries were dull (rundowns of the often “dull” weather, comings and goings) but the pre-printed material especially the recipes for various cheesy dishes (Kipper soufflé, chicken chaudfroid) were fun to read and a telling look at the diet of that day (or aspirational diet). Dirck wandered around the shops and met as at the pleasant old worldy Market Coffee House for drinks.
With UnaBishopsgate
Next stop, dinner with Patti in Primrose Hill at Lemonia, a long-standing Greek restaurant, surrounded by a few blocks of attractive shops. (I bought a furry head band at a shelter housing second-hand charity shop and a baguette at a bagel store.)
Covent garden
Now we’re waiting on a British Airways plane to take off – we’re delayed as we wait for luggage to be loaded but the flight is not packed. Dirck and I have row of four seats to ourselves, although we can’t get the antiquated entertainment system to work.
Hard to believe such a momentous event occurred near the deserted beach by our hotel on June 6,1944 but we learned more about it at the powerful D-day disembarkment museum next door, with a compelling audio guide accompanying displays of maps, artifacts, soldiers accounts and models of the remarkable artificial harbor created to allow the British troops to unload their tanks, jeeps and equipment.
D-day disembarkment museum
The Normandy American cemetery and Memorial at Omaha Beach in colleville-sur-Mer, a short drive west through rolling green countryside along narrow roads lined with tan stone walls and hedges, past small lovely villages with old stone buildings, that recalled war movie sets.
Omaha beach
But the reality of war was on full display at the museum, with a short film and displays about soldiers who lost their lives.
The sight of so many white marble crosses and occasional Jewish stars, laid out on a green lawn in impeccably straight rows above the ocean and Omaha Beach was as powerful as expected.There were other ww2 battlefields and museums but the three we visited (including the 360 film) offered a good rundown and feel for the past.
Bayeax
In nearby Bayeux, we visited the famous Bayeux Tapestry in a solemn stone building in the pretty old city center. Hand embroidered probably by women in the 11th century, it is displayed horizontally in a lit glass case that wraps around a dark room, with numbered panels detailing the conquest of England by William the Duke of Normandy. It looked like the ancient precursor of a comic strip, with graphic scenes of battle meticulously sewn with colored thread.
We had delicious galettes and pear cider near Bayeux’s gothic cathedral (lit at night for extra drama) at popular L’Insolite, a creperie on a cobblestone lane with old stone and half-timber buildings.
Arromanches
We joined locals in Arromanches (including our waiter from the hotel) at Mary Celestepub in a cozy stone building, where the fellas drank beer and f & I drank hot chocolate. We introduced the Brits to the card game, hearts. And laughed a lot.
The rain we expected finally arrived the next day as we were leaving Normandy after one last breakfast in the hotel dining room with picture windows looking out on the waves crashing onto the shore, we drove to the Caen gare, dropped off our rental car at the Sixt office and stopped at Mollard, a classic brasserie in Paris circa 1867 for a late lunch in a gorgeous l’art nouveau dining room with wall and floor mosaics. I dared to eat dishes from my youth – steak tartare (my dad’s favorite) and crème caramel (my mom’s speciality). A little rich but delicious. (I couldn’t eat anywhere near the full tartare.)
After a stressful rush hour taxi search and ride to the second train station (we arrived at gare du saint lazare and had to get to gare du nord)‘we are now safely on board the Eurostar in what we suspect are special”senior seats” back to London, playing hearts with a pack of 32 (not the standard 52 😳) cards F bought at the station. more laughter.
La Marine Hotel reminds me of the Michigan house I grew up in — white brick with a mansard roof. Except that we are surrounded here in the small village of Arromanches by the Atlantic Ocean and famous World War Two battlefields. My childhood home was 1930’s “French eclectic” architecture, popular with soldiers returning from Europe after the First World War.
Arromanches is pretty, with a tight cluster of buildings by a wide expanse of sand leading to the English Channel. We lucked out with a corner room offering spectacular window views of “port Winston” (as in Winston Churchill) the artificial arrival harbor created for the d-day landing.
Houlgate
We walked up the bluff to a 360 theater for a sobering 20 minute film about the D-Day offensive by American, English, and Canadian that began here on June 6, 1944, 80 years ago. About 100,000 people died during the Normandy campaign. That alone is sobering but there is added poignancy given this months US election, and rise of a right-wing, potentially isolationist government that doesn’t seem to value the alliance that fought back the Nazis.
Driving along a two-lane road along the coast, we passed some stunning mansions just east of Honfleur but the resort towns of trouville and Deauville seemed overbuilt and lacking the charm of Honfleur. (Granted, we didn’t stop to explore or find the charming old bits.) The seaside town of Houlgate was more low-key and inviting so we walked through the center ville and along the beach promenade past tall eccentric brick homes, stopping at a cheerful restaurant for hot chocolate and popping into the covered market to gawk at the prepared foods, cheeses, and foie gras selection.
TakeBetsywithyou 