A French dinner in vintage pink

A few weeks ago, my hubby and I treated ourselves to a night out in Grenoble 'sans enfants' (no children!). We don't go out for dinner much as I am a pretty good cook and, for the most part, I enjoy cooking for the family. It is also pretty expensive to hire a babysitter and pay for a meal and we try to save our money for holidays.

Here I am in one of my favourite 1950's pink dresses (also featured in this earlier post). Some pink gloves and earrings a deep pink pashmina set off the outfit. I picked up 5-6 pashminas of varying colours on a trip years ago to Turkey - they were very cheap and they come in so handy, particularly when you are dining outside like this and there is a little chill in the air.

Here is my hubby enjoying his beer . . .

Which he is just about to choke on as I have obviously said something hilarious and he is trying not to laugh  

. . . (!). That's what being on a night out without your children and not having to cook does to you. Fabulous!

 

 The restaurant we went to is right in the centre of the 'old town of Grenoble. And as you can see it is beautiful . . . 

I really love France - the people and countryside, food and wine are so beautiful. The only thing they don't do is vintage clothing - which is weird. There are absolutely no vintage clothing shops in Grenoble and only a relatively small number in Paris (and of those, they only have expensive 80s Chanel and not much else). But that is why etsy was invented - yay!

I hope you enjoyed that little look into French life and architecture. Stay tuned for a look at another meal out in a typical French brasserie next week!

Some great art deco New York hotels

I am back in Blogging world now after a short hiatus (or perhaps it was not so short) - sorry about that! I was away on a short vacation and then meeting a work deadline, so I am now able to get back to my first love - travel and vintage fashion! These are my last set of pics from my beloved New York, where I holidayed in May this year with my hubby. What a wonderful place. Our more recent vacation was to a mountain resort in the French Alps - lots of hiking (I did a 20 minute walk- that is my limit) and outdoor activities - not really my scene but my hubby loves that stuff and so I tag along (that is what marriage is about, non?!). I did say to him after a few days though 'I am sick of all this fresh air, I wish I was in New York')(!). So I am feeling very homesick posting about the Green Apple here . . .

This is one of my favourite sights of New York - a yellow cab and a classic old New York hotel.

I was really amazed by how many truly beautiful buildings there are in New York. I have chosen only two buildings here - two old-fashioned Art Deco hotels (in the sense that they have not been extensively renovated). The above 'New Yorker Hotel' is one I happened upon in a walk around the Macy's/Madison Square garden area of New York. I did not get a chance to look inside, but I must go back there on my next trip and have a Cosmo.

This is a better shot of that fabulous sign - I absolutely love that Art Deco font. Classic.

Now on to another old-world, Art Deco hotel, this time a stone's throw from Times Square: The Edison Hotel . . . 

Again that signage is sooooo wonderful. I should have written my PhD with that font. why didn't I???

Look at that classic Art Deco decoration. I would one day love to have an Art Deco house . . . sigh . . .

I would highly recommend this hotel by the way - they have the greatest diner ever - really old-fashioned and full of great characters - like something out of Seinfeld.  The diner does the best breakfasts and at incredibly good prices ($5 for OJ, coffee and toast - good for NY). They do a great bacon and eggs - well done, just the way I like it.

Although my hubby and I did not stay here (we stayed up the road at the Belvedere, which was also great), it has been recommended to me by a colleague and is very reasonable for NY standards. It does seem to get very busy though, so perhaps not a good choice if you want a quiet stay or you are a light sleeper. It is on 47th street so right in the heart of the city and in the middle of the theatre district. But the BEST thing ever is their cocktail bar, 'The Rum House' . . .

Again, this is an old-fashioned piano/cocktail bar which has live music most nights and great cocktails. We loved going here. On one night they had a young guy playing piano and it was right out of something from Billy Joel's 'Piano Man'. Fantastic. It apparently was closed for a number of years and was destined to be sold off but someone came along and restored it (in an old-fashioned way, not modern) and it seems very popular now. It regularly makes the 'best cocktail bars of New York' listings.

So there you are, my last post from New York. Next week I am giving you a glimpse of my life in France, with some great photos of the cobbled streets and old buildings of Grenoble and a pink vintage dress (because its all about the vintage really isn't it?!)