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Cigarettes Piast, originally uploaded by Gatochy. "Piast The best cigarettes"

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It feels slightly surreal to be writing this mere hours after Trump announced a month-long travel ban to Europe, considering I just returned from a weeklong vacation to London and Paris on Saturday. While our friends in London were good-naturedly indulging in gallows humor (and stocking up on toilet paper), things in both places generally felt like life as usual. Granted, our flight home was less than half full, and in retrospect, some things were definitely a bit emptier than normal (but more on that later). That said, we had a wonderful time and are glad we went, regardless of when we'll be able to return. Here's how we spent two days in Paris, just as the Coronavirus began to spread. Day 1 We had been staying with friends in London and took the Eurostar to Paris, which was super easy and fairly quick (slightly over two hours). While it probably would have made sense to stay on the Right Bank, closer to Gare du Nord, where the Eurostar arrives, I was determined to do the Left Bank this time, having not made it there at all on our last Paris trip. That said, we took the Metro to our hotel, checked in, and were sitting at an outdoor table at Cafe de Flore before sunset. A croque monsieur and glass of Bordeaux were just the right thing to tide us over until dinner, although I could have sat there all night due to the amazing people-watching. In spite of having been to Paris countless times, I'd never been to Le Bon Marché, the famed Left Bank department store. Since it was open till 8pm, we decided to swing by before dinner. If you have limited time to shop in Paris, you kind of can't go wrong here—it has nearly every designer from Sezane to Isabel Marant, plus an amazing beauty floor that includes Biologique Recherche. Speaking of beauty products, we stopped by the famous Citypharma on the way to dinner. You can probably find most of these products on the Internet in the US, but the prices in Paris are way better. I stocked up on Bioderma, Embroylisse, Nuxe, Panier des Sens soap, and other hard-to-find-brands; the store was absolutely mobbed by tourists, so obviously the word is out. Still, it's totally worth a visit, especially if you're a French beauty junkie. We wrapped up the night with dinner at La Boissonerie, which I'd been wanting to try for ages. Its owners also run Semilla, Freddy's, and a bunch of other restaurants on the same block of Rue de la Seine, and the vibe is very foodie yet neighborhoody. Everything we ate was gorgeous to look at and delicious yet light on the palate. Day 2 Our hotel was on the eastern edge of the 7th arrondissement, which made it easy to get to the heart of St. Germain but also convenient to everywhere else, including the Eiffel Tower. We had meant to walk over there just to take a peek and maybe some photos, but when we got close, we realized there were no lines whatsoever, so we decided to fork over 25 Euros and go all the way up. (In retrospect, I'm now realizing why there were no crowds, but at the time, we were just happy to experience it.) I hadn't been inside the Eiffel Tower since I was 13, and while it was definitely colder than the last time, the views were even better than I remembered. The restaurants near the Eiffel Tower tend to be either touristy or super fancy, but thankfully we ended up at Bistro Saint Dominique, which was mostly filled with locals (usually a good sign). We gave ourselves away as tourists by ordering soupe à l'oignon and escargots (and with my super-rusty French) but it was totally worth it, and delicious. On a random tip, we decided to check out the Museum of Modern Art on the Right Bank, and I'm glad we did. First of all, it's free. Secondly, it's filled with a bunch of Matisse, Chagall, Modigliani, and Delaunay works I'd never even seen before. You can do the whole thing in under an hour, or longer if you prefer to linger. After that, we strolled over to Avenue Montaigne, which is home to some of Paris' most storied couture houses and also the flagship Celine store. After months (or possibly years) of debating which bag I wanted (and dragging Sean into every Celine boutique I spotted), as well as researching the best time and location to shop, I finally pulled the trigger on the medium Cabas Phantom tote in taupe. I will probably do an entire blog post devoted to this process, but let me say that the experience was a delight, I'm SUPER happy with my bag, and the price was right. After one drops a significant chunk of change on a bag, one needs a stiff drink, so we hightailed it to the bar at the Four Seasons Georges V. I love the Hemingway Bar at the Ritz—and it's definitely something I suggest experiencing—but when it comes to 28E cocktails, the Georges V may have it beat. Also, everyone working there is gorgeous and super friendly, to the point that I almost forgot I was in Paris. Speaking of which, we took a spin down the nearby Champs-Elysees afterward, another place I hadn't been in nearly 30 years. It still feels like Paris, albeit with a little Times Square thrown in. One works up an appetite while shopping, so we headed to Le Relais de l'Entrecote for dinner. It's a mini chain, and literally all they serve is steak frites; it feels like the House of Prime Rib of Paris, minus the theatrics. Also, it's delicious, especially thanks to the green sauce they slather on everything. We capped off the night with more wine at Le Bonaparte, which has a lovely heated, enclosed patio. We may or may not have been seated next to some boisterous Serbian mobsters, but that did not impede our enjoyment in the least. Day 3 Due to a strike (how French!), Sean had never been to Musee d'Orsay, so that was our first order of business on our last morning. (Plus, it was a five-minute walk from our hotel, if that.) If you love Impressionist art, there is no better museum in the world, except maybe the Art Institute in Chicago. And on a somewhat related note, though we had every intention to make it to l'Orangerie this time, it had stopped raining and so we elected to spend the rest of our day outside instead. Next time! I had stupidly taken out a bunch of cash that I hadn't spent (note to self: no one uses cash anymore, even in Europe), so we went back to Le Bon Marché, then to Buly, where I spent an embarrassing amount of money on a bar of soap (that, admittedly, smells amazing). I also snapped up some macarons at Ladurée, which I know they have everywhere and may be thawed from frozen, but whatever, they're delicious and have the best packaging. Finally, we wrapped up our day with a late lunch at La Palette, which is my second-favorite café in St. Germain (they have better food and more reasonable prices than Flore, but Flore wins for people-watching). It rained on and off, but we were snug as bugs under our awning (with heat lamp) with our glasses of wine. I could have stayed there all day—hey, I could still be there! But we had a train to catch. And travel ban or not, I'll be back. Where we stayed The hotels on the Left Bank, especially those in the more prime locations, tend to be on the smaller side, so I was glad we upgraded to the most spacious room at Hotel Verneuil. It's located on a quiet side street just a few blocks from the Seine and right across the street from Serge Gainsbourg's graffiti-covered former home. The hotel was recently renovated, and our room was clean and super comfy; everyone who worked at the hotel was super friendly and approachable. It was pretty much the perfect location for us, and I'd definitely recommend it, especially if you want a romantic Left Bank experience. For what I wore in Paris in March, please check out this post.

When I was a kid, we mostly went to the beach or lake for vacation—my family was not super outdoorsy, and we definitely weren't campers. I still love a good beach vacation, and living in California, it may seem like a pretty obvious choice, but with all the Covid craziness still in full effect, we wanted to stay away from people and be outdoors as much as possible. Neither Sean nor I had ever been to Yosemite, so when it reopened with limited capacity, we decided to tack it on to our Big Sur trip. So while we got a week-long pass, we ended up going only three days; you could definitely hit the major sights all in one day if you got an early enough start, or you could spend an entire week in the park—there's so much to see and do there. Oh, and did I mention how insanely beautiful it is? It's kind of surreal to see in real life things you've seen in so many photographs and movies—sort of like the first time you go to Paris or New York, but it's all nature. Now that I sound like a total city slicker (which, of course, I am), here's how we spent our three days in Yosemite. Day one Yosemite Valley is where you can access most of the notable sights, and unless you're driving up from Southern California, you'll most likely enter from the west, along Route 140. As you get into the Valley, the main road turns into a one-way loop; most people take the small detour to Tunnel View, which you'll probably recognize from Ansel Adams photos, however we meant to do this on the second day and kind of forgot, so that's on the list for next time. Instead, we stopped at Bridalveil Falls, which indeed looks like a bridal veil, thanks to its mistiness. The (easy, we're told) trail was partially closed when we were there, but we were able to get close enough. When you park at Bridalveil Falls, you also get a perfect view of El Capitan, the 3,000-foot cliff that may look extra familiar if you've seen the movie Free Solo (which I'd highly recommend, if you need something new to stream). We spotted a verrrrry tiny someone climbing the face of it while we were there—equally terrifying and cool. We stopped for a picnic lunch at the Swinging Bridge, which, full disclosure, does not actually swing, but there's a little beach area there, and you can wade into the Merced River. There are also trails leading into the adjacent meadow, and you can get a nice view of the surrounding peaks. If you want to do an easy hike, you can also do the Cook's Meadow Loop, which is totally flat and allows you nice views of El Capitan, Half Dome, and Yosemite Falls. Speaking of which, the Lower Yosemite Falls trail was definitely the most crowded trail of the day, but also the most accessible one and, of course, totally worth it. We stuck our feet in the creek afterward, which felt lovely after several hours of hiking. Day two Our AirBnB (more on that later) was equidistant from the western and southern entrances, so on our second day, we decided to hit the southern part of the park, coming in via Route 41 and Wawona Road (this is how you'd enter the park if you're coming from Southern California). I will say, I definitely liked the vibe of this area better—it felt more off the beaten path. Our first stop was the Mariposa Grove, except the parking area was closed, so we did a 2-mile hike there and back from the welcome center. I'd call the hike moderately challenging—it's very uphill on the way there—and note that once you get to the Mariposa Grove, it's another half mile to see the Grizzly Giant. As the risk of sounding weary, I will say that we elected not to do that, knowing that we still had to hike 2 miles back to the car, and living in California, we've seen our share of huge Sequoia trees already. If you're visiting from afar, the hike is probably worth it, but under ideal circumstances, the parking lot would be open and you could save your feet for a more interesting hike. After a late lunch along the south fork of the Merced River, near the Pioneer Center, we headed north along Wawona Road, which according to Sean, would have been an amazing road to drive had he not had to contend with a speed limit, park rangers, or tourists. We branched off onto Glacier Point Road en route to Glacier Point, which is another of the most famous points of view in the park, because you can see Yosemite Falls, Half Dome, and the valley from the top down. I also loved the vibe along Glacier Point Road, and had we had more time, I would have loved to explore some of the trails along it. We did hop out of the car at Taft Point on the recommendation of a friend, who said its views were just as good as Glacier Point's, but there's no barrier and only a fraction of the tourists. She was right (I'm assuming)—you have to do a two-mile hike each way, but it's easy, and the views were so beautiful, we ended up staying there for sunset. We never made it to Glacier Point but, again, we'll save it for next time. Day three Considering we did 21,500 steps the previous day (no, I will not shut up), we decided to take it easy on our final day in Yosemite. Previously, we had noticed several groups of people floating down the Merced River on rafts; under normal operating conditions, you can rent one, but the rental office is unfortunately closed for 2020. Sean, however, had the genius idea to buy one, so we're now the proud owners of a three-seat inflatable raft (with paddles), which we christened Sea Señorita. We parked at the Sentinel Bridge, launched our raft on the east side (just past the bridge, toward Curry Village), and drifted lazily down the Merced for the next few hours. Ok, I sort of lied about the lazy part—there are definitely portions with a strong current and/or obstructions that Sean had to steer us through. But it was a pretty fantastic experience all around—we may have brought some adult beverages to enjoy along the way—and we got some amazing views of the park. We got out at Sentinel Beach, deflated Sea Señorita, and walked a little over a mile back to our car. I'd highly recommend seeing Yosemite via raft—it was super fun and, for the most part, incredibly relaxing. Where we stayed As I mentioned earlier, I am not a camper and we were trying to remain as socially distant as possible, so we rented an AirBnB near Mariposa, which is a cute little town about 50 minutes west of Yosemite. (Midpines is even closer.) There are a bunch of nice-looking hotels inside the park and just outside, to the west and south, if your risk-averseness is higher than ours, and of course, there are plenty of places to camp inside the park, although many of them require advance reservations. We had a hour-long drive to and from the park every day, but I loved coming back to our cabin, particularly because it had a hot tub. We cooked dinner every night in the outdoor kitchen and slept like bears. Important things to know Speaking of bears, we didn't see any, but they're apparently rampant in the park—if you're camping, you have to lock up your food, and all of the trash cans have an elaborate clasp so that bears can't get into them. Apparently if bears start eating human food, it changes their behavior and causes all manner of problems for them and for humans, which is not good. So don't feed the bears! We did, however, see several deer. The other thing I wanted to mention is that when you get your pass, make sure you are actually planning to enter the park on the first day you're registered for. I had added in a day of buffer on ours (we technically didn't go into the park until our second day) and the park ranger gave me a really hard time about it and almost didn't let us in—apparently this "rule" is disclosed in the terms and conditions, but perhaps it should be more prominently noted! Ok, one more thing: there are normally buses that run through the park, but those are also out of commission for 2020. You can, however, rent bikes at the Yosemite Lodge, and I should note that since reservations are highly restricted at the moment, there are far fewer people in the park than normal. We felt kind of spoiled seeing Yosemite this way (there was very little traffic too) but were incredibly glad we did. If you've never been to Yosemite—or have been wanting to go back—now's the time to go!

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Have you ever traveled somewhere and almost instantly started plotting how and when you can return? That's how I felt about Tokyo. It was not an immediate feeling—Tokyo has 38 million (!!!) residents, and it can seem incredibly overwhelming at first—but halfway through our second day there, I started to get a sense of the different neighborhoods and their unique character, finding the quiet moments of discovery amidst all the hustle and bustle. Having several Japanese (and Japan-loving) friends, we were armed with a wealth of recommendations for where to eat, what to do, and how to get around, and we barely scratched the surface. So obviously a return trip is in order (and next time, maybe not in summer when the temperatures are above 90 degrees every day)! But until then, here's everything we did during our 5-day stay in Tokyo. Day 1: Shibuya We luckily flew into Haneda airport, which is much closer to the city than Narita; after clearing customs (I highly recommend registering ahead of time with Japan's tourism site to expedite the process), we hopped in a taxi and had a quick 25-minute ride to our hotel in Shibuya. Our hotel was right across the street from Sushi No Midori, which a friend recommended for affordable sushi, so that was our first stop. It did feel a little weird to be eating in a mall, but as we quickly found, this is where some of the best food is! We then braved the famous Shibuya Scramble crossing, which is far less intimidating in person, once you're actually walking through it. Right next to the scramble is Hachiko Square, which has a statue of a dog who famously waited for his human to come home work every day, even years after his death (I'm not crying, you're crying). People line up to take photos with the statue (Japan is so orderly!), but the line moves quickly. Just northwest of the scramble is Hands, which has a gazillion floors and feels like a cross between a Michael's, a Ricky's, and an Ace Hardware. Highly recommend for souvenirs or just a unique glimpse into Japanese life. After a much-needed shower, we had our first of many gin & tonics of the trip at Bar Piano, which was recommended by our friend—it's on a tiny, tucked-away street with even tinier bars and restaurants, most of which only seat 4 or so people. I have no idea how anyone found anything in Japan in the days before smartphones and Google Maps. Once our friends arrived, we met up for dinner at Tsukishima Monja Kuuya, a restaurant where you kind of half cook your own food on a hibachi grill in the middle of the table—it was delicious but service was on the slow side and we all smelled like grilled meat afterward. It seemed to be a good place to go after a night of drinking. Day 2: Harajuku & Omotesando After Kisseki pancakes for brunch at Flipper's, we walked through Yoyogi Park, the Central Park of Tokyo, which was hosting a dance festival—it was fun to watch all the different types of dance (and the performers' immaculate costumes and makeup) as we walked to the Meji Jingu shrine. I am generally not a fan of church tourism when I'm in Europe, but I do appreciate a good Eastern temple or shrine, as I find them to be more approachable, calming, and connected to nature. A short walk later, we landed in the polar opposite area, Harajuku, which used to be a center for over-the-top cosplay (culturally appropriated/made famous in the Gwen Stefani song) and is still quite the happening spot for young Japanese fashionistas. Takeshita Street is the very crowded main drag, and the store So La Do is a fascinating look into Japanese street fashion micro-trends. The surrounding streets are filled with cool streetwear and vintage shops, as well as the coolest location of Beams, which reminded me of Barneys Co-op (RIP). Just to the southeast of Harajuku is Omotesando, which is one of many neighborhoods in Tokyo filled with super high-end, big-name designer boutiques; I highly recommend wandering around the smaller streets off the main drag—there are a bunch of really unique boutiques and the window-shopping is off the charts. We stopped for a quick bite at Tsukiji Tamazushi Sasashaguire inside the Omotesando Hills mall (our second mall sushi, in case. you were counting). Aoyama, home to the famous Herzog & de Meuron Prada store, is just a few blocks further east. For dinner, we ended up at the cozy Uoshin Izakaya back in Shibuya, and the seafood was mind-blowingly fresh (and affordable)—I almost never have uni at home but it was so delicious here. Afterward, we hit The SG Club, which is on the 50 best bars list; the drinks were solid, but it wasn't my favorite bar of the trip. Day 3: Ginza & Ebisu American-style breakfast is not always easy to find, but we were happy to get on the subway and veer off the beaten path to Parklet Bakery, which felt like home and reminded us of Tartine Bakery in San Francisco. We then walked to Ginza, which is another big shopping area with even more over-the-top designer boutiques. Some favorites: Itoya for all things stationery, the super high-end Ginza Six mall for the incredibly well curated Cibone concept store (and an Aperol spritz upstairs at Eataly, which was a surprise), and of course the Muji flagship store. If you need an afternoon pick-me-up, Glitch Coffee is a classy place to have an espresso martini. After post-shopping drinks at Udagawa Café, we walked south from our hotel toward Ebisu, which felt like a quieter but trendy neighborhood, with a slightly older crowd than Shibuya. We ended up having dinner at Itasoba Kaoriya Ebisu, which specializes in soba noodles served either in a wooden tray with dipping sauce, or traditionally with broth (I had mine with duck, which was delicious). We ended the night with several rounds of drinks at Bar Trench, a postal stamp of a bar with delicious cocktails and a very welcoming atmosphere. Day 4: Roppongi Tokyo has the most Michelin-starred restaurants of any city in the world—and French chefs have famously sent their kitchen staff to train in Tokyo for years—so I wanted to make sure we enjoyed one totally decadent meal on our trip. We landed on Narisawa, which has two stars and is a textbook example of seasonally-driven kaiseki cuisine. We had 11 courses with wine (and sake) pairings, and we were so full, we didn't eat again until breakfast the following day. It was one of the most memorable meals I've ever had, and I don't think I'll ever forget it. I definitely recommend it if you can afford the splurge (which, by the way, was probably half of what we'd pay for a similar experience in San Francisco). Full of seafood and sake, we took a taxi to the Mori Art Museum, which sits 52 floors above the already hilly Roppongi neighborhood and is worth the trip for both the modern, primarily Japanese artwork and the sweeping city views. After a very long nap, we ventured out for a nightcap at Bar Ginza Panorama, which took an inordinately long time to locate (it's on the third floor of what looks like a residential building) but was worth it for the jovial bartender, mesmerizing model train set, and cozy atmosphere. Just make sure you bring only one guest—there are only six seats in the entire bar. Day 5: Daikanyama & Shinjuku I hesitate to say we saved the best for last, because it wasn't completely intentional, but Daikanyama was my favorite neighborhood, to the point that I felt like everything there was curated just for me. Our first stop was the Tsutaya bookstore, which blew my mind in terms of its breadth in every category. I could have spent hours (and hundreds of dollars) there—it might have dethroned Powell's as my favorite bookstore in the world. There, I was happy to see that print magazines are alive and well in Japan, so I bought three of them. This neighborhood also has a Buly store (I stocked up on my favorite Mexican Tubereuse soap), a his-and-hers A.P.C., a Maison Kitsuné, and my favorite store of the trip, Okura, a wonderland of Japanese denim, indigo dyes, and seasonal dressing. I bought two tops there and am kicking myself for not buying more, as they were the most gorgeous yet understated clothes I came across the entire trip. And in case you thought the day couldn't get any better, we had pizza at Seirinkan, a Beatles-themed spot on the Michelin Bib Gourmand list. I didn't hit as many department stores as I'd hoped to on this trip, but I'm glad I made it to Isetan in Shinjuku, which started out as a kimono shop (the top floor is still very traditional) and now feels like Bergdorf Goodman on steroids. It's worth a trip alone for its first-floor food hall, where you can buy every type of prepared food you could possibly imagine. There's also a huge Beams in the neighborhood, as well as additional branches of many luxury stores (yes, they're everywhere). We started out the evening with drinks at New York Bar in the Park Hyatt, where most of Lost in Translation takes place (I watched it on the plane and it still holds up). I recommend getting there for sunset, because the views are out of this world (I could even see Mount Fuji). We then headed over to Omoide Yokocho, otherwise known as Memory Lane (and sometimes as Piss Alley), another narrow street with a string of tiny yakitori restaurants and bars. Amazingly, we were still hungry afterward, so we ended up at Ramen Nagi in Kabukicho, a.k.a. the red light district, and it was definitely worth the wait. Ordering ramen in Japan is a whole experience—usually you press a button on a machine (if you're lucky, there's a translation, but otherwise you look at the photo and hope for the best), hand the cook a ticket, and out comes the most umami dish you've ever tasted. Where we stayed Several of our friends recommended staying right in the middle of the action in Shibuya, and I'm glad we did. We had lots of good restaurants, bars, and shops within walking distance, and the experience felt very true to Tokyo (versus Ginza, where I saw the most tourists at any point in the trip). We chose the Cerulean Tower Hotel, which was larger and more ritzy than what we normally go for, but it had the most comfortable hotel bed I'd ever slept on, our room was huge by Japanese standards, and the location was absolutely perfect. It also had a curling iron in the bathroom, which was an amenity I'd never experienced before, and one that came in handy given the wild humidity in the summer. I wouldn't hesitate to stay there again—because even after five amazing days, I couldn't get enough of Tokyo and definitely want to go back. Stay tuned for my Kyoto travel diary coming next week!

Archival pigment print 100 x 63cm, edition of 7 75 x 47cm, edition of 10 Further information: -The making of […]