Florida Fun

July is a travel-filled month for Katja, so just a few days after returning from Mexico City it was back to Newark, this time to hop on a plane to visit friends in Boca Raton. Thankfully she was able to detox during her few days in New York, as even a jet-setting party girl needs some calm and healthy every now and then (and, of course, her ballet classes).

Her trip got off to a good start when she was upgraded; Katja felt very classy drinking her Coke Zero out of a proper glass instead of the usual plastic cup. Plus there was a good selection of snacks from which to choose.

She was curious about the Pasta Chips (her main question being why chips made of pasta would be particularly appealing to anybody), but not certain they were a wise choice. Luckily the nice flight attendant let her take a few backup treats in case the Pasta Chips didn’t hit the spot. They sort of just tasted like flavored crackers.

Although Florida is known for its beaches, Katja is not a lie around the beach kind of girl. Even when wearing sunscreen she’s convinced sunbathing will give her wrinkles, plus she’s much too hyperactive for inactivity. She does, however, love long evening walks and cocktails by the beach. So, a few hours after arriving at her friend's house they made their way to JB’s by the Beach, where they enjoyed a beautiful sunset and indulged in decadent frozen cocktails, the type Katja usually avoids due to their high sugar to alcohol ratio, but which are an integral part of any beach holiday. She also had a slice key lime pie, one of her favorite desserts, and a must have treat any time she visits Florida.

Katja is not a morning kind of girl, yet she found herself up relatively early her first full day in Boca…it must have been the Florida sun. She was thus in dire need of caffeine, so headed to The Seed, a charming local coffee shop with fun decor, good coffee and lots of tasty baked goods (including delicious pies).

As she lives in New York City it’s a treat for Katja to go to a proper shopping mall, so she spent much of the day at the massive Town Center at Boca Raton. Luckily she had enjoyed a hearty lunch at the Tin Muffin Café - another local spot with delicious baked goods (she does have quite the sweet tooth), and perhaps the most elaborately decorated bathroom she’s ever encountered (current theme, Fourth of July) –

so she had lots of energy to wander around the mall and check out the seemingly endless stores. She’s a stylish girl who loves her fashion, and was particularly pleased with her purchases from francesca’s.

Of course there was also some wandering along the beach - she hit both Spanish River Park and Delray Beach. She also just enjoys strolling down the palm tree lined streets, spotting the many little lizards, which she thinks are ever so cute.

All the meandering around town in the Florida heat provided her with the perfect excuse to indulge in lots of frozen yogurt (not that she ever really needs an excuse). It’s one of her favorite treats, and one she’s sampled in more cities and yogurt shops than she can keep track of. Yet she must say that she was quite impressed with the stuff at the Yogurt Emporium, the peanut butter and the mint chip being particularly tasty.

She was, however, much less impressed with the outfits and numerous bad dye jobs she saw on her night out in Delray. But, the company was good,

as were the so many she can’t remember how many appetizers she shared with friends at The Office. It was, however, the restaurant’s cocktails that she enjoyed the most (surprise, surprise), her strawberry and jalapeño margarita being just slightly more sophisticated than the frozen concoctions she had been drinking earlier in the trip. And, since weekend getaways are never the time to practice moderation, she decided more cocktails were necessary, and made her way to Cabana el Rey, where she had a very tasty passion fruit pisco martini (or at least that’s what she thinks she ordered…it was that kind of night).

Although Katja is a true big city girl, she thoroughly enjoyed her Florida getaway. She even brought a bit of the beach back with her, which she admired over a glass of rosé (the perfect summer wine). It is, after all, always best to ease oneself back into things after a trip. And, of course, to start planning the next escape.

México Lindo y Querido

Mexico City holds a special place in Katja’s heart; it’s a wonderful, crazy city, perhaps not for the faint-hearted, but so culturally rich, with beautiful neighborhoods and parks, great art, friendly people, and delicious food (and cocktails). She thinks it’s one of the world’s great cities, and wishes more people would visit because there’s just so much to see and discover. And, like New York it’s a city that doesn’t really sleep, so there’s always an adventure to be had.

Katja's favorite place to stay is Las Alcobas, a lovely boutique hotel in Polanco, a neighborhood filled with lots of restaurants, shopping, and interesting museums (that said the whole city seems to be filled with wonderful museums). Besides the hotel's convenient location and friendly service, she loves the comfy bed, luxurious shower, and lavender bath products, not to mention the free mini bar treats (she does love her treats).

Katja spent her first (rainy) day in the city wandering around the neighborhood, first stopping by one of the many Mexico City museums she loves, the Museo Soumaya. The beautifully impressive building is made of more than 16,000 hexagonal aluminum plates, and was designed by Mexican architect Fernando Romero.

It houses a great and diverse collection, which is spread over six floors that are connected by an exposed spiral ramp (and an elevator in case you're feeling lazy).

And, conveniently, the Museo Jumex, which has great contemporary exhibitions, is located right across the street. Katja also likes to stop by the nearby Antara shopping center when she’s in town. Perhaps heading to a mall seems silly, as most of the stores there can also be found back home in New York, but it’s a beautiful outdoor space, and great for people watching, especially at the very popular food court. While doing the latter she indulged in a sundae from Nutrisa.

Since Nutrisa is a health food store it bills its treats as healthy; Katja's not convinced, but then again she doesn’t really care as she thinks the store's ice cream is rather yummy, not to mention the fact that calories don’t count when on vacation.

The following day Katja made her way to the Centro Histórico for an afternoon of more museums, shopping (she recommends stopping by the Museo Mexicano del Diseno's shop), and food. She first hit the Palacio del Iturbide, where she saw the exhibition El Retorno de la Serpiente – Mathias Goertiz. Goertiz was a German painter and sculptor who moved to Mexico, and is perhaps best known for his collaboration on the Torres de Satélite. There were many beautiful works in the exhibition, however Katja was particularly fond of Mensaje Autorretrato (c. 1964), simply because it made her smile.

She then made her way to the Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso, a 16th century Jesuit college turned exhibition space/cultural center. Besides perusing great exhibitions (currently the XI Bienal Monterrey and an exhibition of Islamic art), visitors can enjoy the tranquil courtyards, one which houses a sculpture by British artist Anthony Gormley, and murals by Mexico’s great muralists, Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco and David Siqueiros.

Taking in all that art and culture made Katja rather hungry, so she decided to stop by Café de Tacuba for a lunch of chilaquiles, washed down with a large glass of horchata (two Mexican treats she loves, although there really are so many Mexican treats she loves, because the cuisine is simply divine). She enjoys dining at Café de Tacuba as it’s a charming art-filled restaurant, and there are always musicians

serenading the hungry customers. Katja knows she could probably get better Mexican food elsewhere, but eating there has become a tradition. And as much of a forward thinking kind of a girl that she is, she still loves her traditions.

Fueled by lunch, Katja found the energy to hit one more museum, the Museo Nacional de Arte (a beautiful building with a magnificent staircase). There she saw Yo, el Rey, an exhibition of the Hispanic monarchy in art. The show includes a great assortment of paintings, objects, and documents, as well as two beautiful 19th century dresses. Katja thought that the blue one trimmed in black pom-poms from the house of Worth would look especially lovely on her, but then again, she has a way with fashion, so what wouldn't look good on her. And of course no trip to the Centro Histórico would be complete without a stop at the Pastelería Ideal, to admire and indulge in some of the bakery's wide array of pastries and cakes. Katja is, after all, the kind of girl who expects to have her cake and eat it too.

After a day of culture it was time for dinner – since it had been Mexican for lunch she decided on Italian for dinner, and chose La Nonna for some al fresco dining (unfortunately she also got some rather bad, and loud, singing with her meal). Of course her beloved red wine goes wonderfully with Italian food, and while Mexico might be better known for tequila and beer, the country produces delicious red wines. That evening she opted for a wine called Minotauro, which she admits she chose for its name and label; she’s a sucker for such things. Luckily her choice also happened to be delicious, because as much as she’d like to recommend the Little Penguin wine, which of course has the cutest label out there, she just can’t (although perhaps for sangria or Glühwein).

On the final day of her trip Katja made her way to San Angel, a charming neighborhood in the southwest part of the city. It’s home to beautiful little parks and some not so little houses, and one can pass hours just walking around checking out the neighborhood’s many nooks and crannies (and the homes’ fantastic architectural details).

On Saturdays it’s also a fabulous place to shop, with stalls selling handicrafts, jewelry, paintings, and other assorted things scattered around the Plaza de San Jacinto, as well as the popular indoor market, Bazaar Sábado. Katja had quite a successful afternoon, and picked up numerous gifts for friends, as well as a few things for herself (it’s important to treat oneself, after all). Of course all the shopping and wandering made her hungry, so she stopped by the Fonda San Angel for a delicious chile relleno de queso Oaxaca.

And it wouldn’t be a trip to San Angel without heading to the Restaurante San Angel Inn, once a Carmelite monastery, for a delicious margarita (or two) in the restaurant's lovely courtyard. Because it all feels so very civilized she always breaks her no drinking in the afternoon rule, as it would be such a shame not to indulge.

And, as I believe she’s said once or twice before, rules are only made to be broken...just make certain not to get caught if they're somebody else's rules...

Déjà vu

As Katja writes she finds herself exactly where she was just three weeks ago, in the United lounge at Newark (not pictured above, she's just pretending it's as nice as the fancy New York lobby where she met someone earlier this week), waiting for a flight and once again eating snacks she doesn’t need. This time, however, she decided to pass on the wine; she’s not an afternoon drinker, and with all of the socializing she’s been doing lately she knows she should probably take a break, well at least until she arrives in Mexico City, which is where she is currently headed.

The past few weeks have been nonstop, with numerous visitors (one coming from as far away as Bangkok), and, not surprisingly, lots of dance related events and performances. Among the highlights was the Joyce Theater Foundation’s Annual Gala, which this year featured the Royal Ballet. Katja is lucky she actually made the gala, as Mother Nature was not in a good mood that day, leashing a torrential downpour upon the city. Thankfully Mother Nature seems to have needed a break from her storm-making, during which Katja was able to get herself to the Lincoln Center, arriving dry, albeit somewhat flustered. But still looking very fashionable and cute, of course.

The evening began with a performance of Frederick Ashton’s The Dream (based on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream; the dancers looked great although Katja has never particularly been a fan of his work. She’s more of a contemporary loving girl and much preferred Wayne McGregor’s Infra, with music by Max Richter, which was part of the second program (and which she saw on another very rainy day later in the week – Mother Nature must be upset with someone). After the gala performance it was time for dinner, lots of red wine (alcohol always seemingly more plentiful than food at these events), and dancing. Thankfully she had a fun table, as she wasn’t in the mood for an evening of dull small talk; although after a few glasses of wine even that can become somewhat bearable.

There was also lots of wine and bubbly to be had at a reception she attended the following evening at the Phillips Gallery, which is currently showing Complicities, an exhibition of Brigitte Lacombe’s photography. The evening was in honor of Larry Keigwin, the first choreographer to create a dance on the Paul Taylor Dance Company, as part of Taylor Company Commissions. Katja is looking forward to seeing his piece, but she’ll have to wait until next year, as it won’t premiere in New York City until the Company’s Lincoln Center season.

Katja also found the time to see the Polish National Ballet at the Joyce, where it was making its New York debut. The program, which Katja enjoyed, featured two works by Krzysztof Pastor, the Company’s director, and one by Emanual Gat. She also caught one of New York Theatre Ballet’s Legends & Visionaries programs at its new home in St. Mark’s Church. And, she even ventured from her usual dance going routine (it’s always important to expand one’s horizons, after all) to see a friend in The Pavilion, a play at the Barrow Group Theatre. The acting is great and the play has just been extended for two weeks; she recommends you see it if you live in New York and have the chance.

When not attending performances it’s been nonstop socializing with visitors from DC, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Thailand. Luckily, despite all of this activity she was able to resume her usual schedule of ballet classes, and even find the time for some extra ones, as she’ll be missing many with her travels. Also, she finds that being constantly on the go makes her much more productive with her research, writing, and anything else that needs doing on the various Robert Indiana projects with which she's assisting.

Or maybe she just likes to tell herself that so she can justify squeezing in that extra class or two…

…because she really does love to dance.