20.10.11

Wondrous Wanders: San Francisco & Paris

Today we feature the third post in our latest guest blog travel series.  The series highlights favorite travel destinations that inspired wonder in the guest blogger as they wandered there.  Today's post is from Benet Wilson about her wondrous wanderings in San Francisco and Paris.  Benet self-describes as a Mother; Multimedia journalist; aviation geek; excessive traveler; NABJ & ONA member; social media goddess; quilter; and your 'Aunt Benet!'  Find out more about Auntie Benet online!

I’ve been traveling since I took my first trip on an airplane – Pan Am, JFK Airport to London Heathrow – when I was six years old.  And truth be told, I haven’t slowed down since.
I’ve traveled the world, including Brazil, spots across Europe, Israel, Singapore, Seoul and even to Greenland (that’s for another post). When I was asked to pick my favorite place to visit, it proved to be a daunting task. So I’m not going to choose – I’m picking two.
First, is the city of my heart – and my birth – San Francisco.  Tony Bennett sums it up best:
I left my heart in San Francisco
High on a hill, it calls to me.
To be where little cable cars
Climb halfway to the stars!
The morning fog may chill the air
I don't care!
It has everything you want in a city – arts, culture, tourism, shopping, world-class dining, sports and funky neighborhoods, including the largest Chinatown in the United States.  The city makes a fortune selling sweatshirts, because, to (allegedly) quote Mark Twain “The coldest winter I ever saw was the summer I spent in San Francisco.”
Three things you MUST do in the city by the Bay: eat a meal at Hang Ah Tea Room, which serves fantastic dim sum, tea and Chinese desserts; visit The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, which has a world-class collection; and ride on the cable cars. Yes, it’s tourist and hokey, but it’s also a great ride and a wonderful way to see the city.
I told you I was doing two, and my second choice is Paris.  I vaguely remember going when I was in elementary school, but I went back as an adult in 1995 to cover my first Paris Air Show.  I was over there for almost 2 weeks for other work-related things, so I got a small taste of what it was like to be a Parisian.  I ate breakfast at a patisserie every morning, and spent time in the ubiquitous French cafes and bistros. 
I am an art museum fanatic and my favorite, by far, was the Musée d'Orsay, home to a wonderful collection of impressionist and post-impressionist paintings.  I also took a half day of cooking lessons at Le Cordon Bleu, visited the Rodin Museum, shopped at the many flea markets, took mass at Notre Dame Cathedral and ate a superb meal at Guy Savoy’s little bistro – great food at a fraction of the price of his three-Michelin-starred restaurant.

So you can’t go wrong at either of these world-class cities.  Enjoy your travels! 

Have you traveled to either of these fantastic cities?  What are some of your favorite spots to get lost in wonder in San Francisco and Paris?

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