Birmingham in the NY Times!

Yeah, I'm a little on the late side getting this linked and written about, but here ya go.

Birmingham was featured last month in the NY Times travel section for "36 Hours in Birmingham". They highlighted the best things to do, best places to eat, and a couple good places to stay.

My only disagreement in the food section would be the BBQ choice of Miss Myra's. Nothing against Miss Myra, I'm just a loyal Jim n' Nick's fan!

Me and Scott at Jim n' Nicks.

I also would have reccommended eating a full meal, not just breakfast, at Chez Lulu's.

Me and Scott in our favourite booth at Chez Lulu's!

Check out there article and slideshow of our great city! What changes would YOU make to their recommendations?

J'aime Tout Ce Qui est Francais! (I Love All Things French!)

Most of you reading thins are thinking "Duh Ann Marie...geez". However, this post is to participate in Rhondamum's French Day! I stumbled on her blog somehow last week, and she seems a kindred French spirit!

My collection of French things is varied, and so I have included a few of my favorite things I have collected and a few of my favorite things about France!

One of my truly prized possessions is an autographed copy of Mastering The Art of French Cooking, signed by both Julia and Paul Childs! I scored this jewel in my grandmother's antique store, probably about 10 years ago. I might have paid $10 for it. Shown here is my beloved trio of Julia's French cooking masterpieces: Mastering The Art of French cooking Volumes 1 and 2, and The French Chef Cookbook, taken from her TV show by the same name. While Julia herself was not French, she did indeed master the art, and science, of French cuisine and paved the way for women chefs!

Whoever Ruth Engles was was lucky indeed to have met the Childs! I so wish I could've met Julia before she passed!



This is still one of my favourite photos of Scott and I! I cannot tell you how excited I was to see the Eiffel Tower for the first time! I was giddy like a little girl! We went to the top at night, so we could see the entire city shining below us. This picture was taken the morning we left Paris. Before we caught the Eurostar back to London, I just had to go back! It was one of those classic, misty, drizzly, Paris mornings. The kind of look that I thought only existed in films. Perfect.

While in Paris, we visited the Louvre, fairly running through exhibits to see the highlights. Next time, we will build in a week to visit just the Louvre! My favourite in the vast collection was the Winged Victory of Samothrace. Though she is headless and armless, she bears what I consider the perfect female form, graceful and flowing, even in marble. She was created by an unknown sculptor during the Hellenistic period.