Herb Lester Maps and Guides

How to Find Old LA

Herb Lester, I think I love you.  At least, I am head over heels for your fabulous maps and guides.  While not strictly for parents or children, these charming little guides highlight particular shades of each city that can work for all ages - for example, the Los Angeles guide is titled "How to Find Old LA"and directs you to "glittering 1920s movie palaces, down-and-dirty bars, ballrooms, diners and pizza joints." Now, you really should avoid taking your child to a "down-and-dirty bar" - but a 1920s movie palace and old-school diner might be just the ticket.

Paris for Pleasure Seekers

Another guide - "It's Nice to Be Alone in Paris" - is certainly directed at the solo traveler rather than the traveller with offspring in tow.  But don't despair - there is also "Paris for Pleasure Seekers" - this one sounds rather adult but includes spots like "belle epoque restaurants, opulent cinemas, and beatnik bookshops", as well as where to find macaroons.  All useful information for the imaginative parent.

With the Madrid map as our guide, "from the relative safety of cable car we gaze down at the vast expanse of the Casa de Campo, explore shops selling gloves, campling gear, old postcards and espadrilles, visit an abandoned station and one with its own forest." I'm not sure whether it's a station or a shop with it's own forest; either one sounds intriguing.

Herb Lester's European Vacation and American Vacation

Coast to Coast Christmas Gift Set

An East London Companion

There is an emphasis on London and New York City maps, but there are maps for Paris, Rome, Barcelona, Madrid, Amsterdam, Berlin, Copenhagen, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Austin. You can even subscribe to the series - Herb Lester will mail you each new map as it is published.  I can't think of a more perfect gift for the sophisticated traveller in your life (perhaps this person is you!).

Stay: IKEA?

Yes, IKEA is planning the launch of a budget-friendly (naturally) hotel chain, to open in Europe in 2014.

It seems like a natural extension of the IKEA brand, although apparently rooms will not actually be furnished with IKEA furniture (though it will have a Scandinavian feel).  One of the things I like about going to IKEA is pretending for just a moment, that we live in one of their tiny model apartments.  I always thought they should get into the hospitality business.  As an IKEA fan and a lover of good deals, I look forward to checking in!

Stay: Berlin Radisson Aquadom

Berlin is pretty high on my list of Places I Really Want to Go, for lots of reasons.  I just keep hearing about how cool it is and about the creative energy happening there.  Lots of artists, lots of ideas, lots of architecture, lots of all kinds of great stuff.  And then I saw this:

Now, I normally don’t fuss too much over hotels – I try to find something clean and affordable in a decent location.  Done.  But the Berlin Radisson is something else.  It’s… spectacular!  Or – is it a ridiculous waste of water and resources?  Perhaps both…  I do know my son would flip out over this.

According to Radisson, the 25 meter high Aquadom holds more than 1500 tropical fish and over 50 species.  The glass elevator at the center of the Aquadom carries 48 guest and one guide; the elevator deposits riders onto a viewing platform just beneath the roof of the hotel. 

I might also flip out.

Arhus, Denmark

The Cathedral

We spent just a few days in Arhus, but we came to really like it – it has a cozy feel, is very charming, and is easy to get around.  We were in town for the SPOT Festival, which features mostly Scandinavian bands.  We saw some great music at night, and during the day, while my husband was working, my son and I explored on foot.  First we wandered over to admire the sturdy brick Cathedral, which has a play fountain in the plaza out front.

We caught a bus in the center of town that took us to the beach just outside of town.  Since I don’t read Danish and was totally confused by the posted schedule, I just crossed my fingers and hoped I picked the right bus – and I did! The beach was low-key and very peaceful, although there was a bit of drama when a dense bank of fog suddenly rolled in, as jet-skis tried to race ahead of it and swimmers fled the water en masse. 

The beach, just south of downtown

One day we visited the large and curvaceous greenhouse in the Botanical Garden.  We wandered from one increasingly humid room to the next, ooh-ing and aah-ing at the incredible flora growing all around us.  The greenhouse backs up to Den Gamle By (The Old Town, a sort of mini historical faux-village representing a variety of time periods), which we skipped although it looked cute (my son wasn’t interested).  Next time!

 Inside the Greenhouse

Instead, we walked up the hill to the Steno Museum, a fascinating museum dedicated to the history of medicine and astronomy.  The museum had an entire room devoted to reproduction, with a giant soft sculpture womb (we climbed in and took a mini-nap), pregnancy costumes for trying on, and all kinds of startling items on display.  This was the type of place that could never-in-a-million-years happen in Texas, and it was great to see the subject explored so straightforwardly, even humorously. 

The Steno Museum also had all sorts of displays featuring historical medicines, prosthetics, equipment, you name it. These were fascinating - and occasionally horrifying.  While the astronomy part of the museum was a little advanced for my son, there were some hands-on exhibits that he was able to enjoy and even learn a little something from.

Arhus is one of those places that I would never have thought to visit (until the invitation to the SPOT Festival came along), but which turned out to be very charming.  We were pleased to meet you, Arhus!