DLDGLG Goes Griswold: First Day In Paris

The following post is part of a series called "DLDGLG Goes Griswold" highlighting my recent trip to Europe from December 19th to the 30th. Stay tuned for additional posts in the coming months...

“Forget Paris,” Ahmad Wright wrote, undercutting my romantic impressions of being a writer.

I was struggling with my work and coming to terms with my life’s ambition when I began corresponding with Wright, a thriving freelancer.

Seeking his professional advice on becoming a successful freelance writer myself, I was hoping Ahmad would steer me in the right direction. He continued:

“I don't know if you've been there, but I haven't. I will no doubt, but the notion of the expatriate writer making millions off of novels and socially conscious, hip articles, while seducing the women of the world is the dominant literary fantasy […] okay well maybe it's mine (smile) but it will not help you get published. Forget lattes and big bottles of wine.”

As I prepared for me and Nic’s trip to Europe, I considered the experiences that I’d be trying to capture. Yet, I couldn’t get this advice out of my mind.

At least, I couldn’t erase the notion that the reality of something is often a far-cry from the fantasy.

Would I be able to resist the shiny veneer so often placed on “The City of Lights” by other writers like Gertrude Stein or Ernest Hemingway? I was sure I’d be capable.

And yet, I can’t “forget Paris” now that I’ve been there. I’ve seen their world with my own eyes. I can only express what I saw, fantasies and clichés be damned.

When Nic and I landed at Paris-Charles de Gualle Airport, we were half asleep and groggy. The pocks of Nic’s eyes opened carefully like little morning glories. It'd been a long trip.

When we exited the jet airliner, we dragged ourselves and our luggage through the airport to the metro train.

I sunk into the metro seat, soaked in jet lag, but happy to be at our destination.

We arrived at the Saint Michel-Notre Dame stop in the center of Paris and the city opened up before our eyes like a kid’s pop-up book, with the overwhelming and gothic Notre Dame Cathedral filling our view.

It’s was early and brisk. It was also a workday for Parisians who were scurrying along, business-as-usual.

 

We pushed on, down a handful of busy blocks absorbing the beauty of the architecture along the grand boulevards: sagging roofs, Beaux-Arts balconies, neoclassical columns and sculptures.

Our hotel, Jardin de l'Odeon, was a stylish auberge that sits in the bosom of the Latin Quarter.

It was cozy from the start as we checked in to a smiling and warm concierge. Since Nic and I were early and our room wasn't available they stored our luggage and we were free to survey the city.

The Capital Grille Chevy Chase Invites DLDGLG To Lunch!

True Story: the last time I was at The Capital Grille downtown, I literally almost ran into Republican Senator Scott Brown of Massachusetts and Republican Senator John Thune of South Dakota. But that's just the kind of place downtown Washington D.C. is.

I haven't spent a lot of time at the Pennsylvania Avenue location, but Nic has. She’s spent more time at that location than some of the wait staff employed there.

One thing’s for sure - we both love the atmosphere and wouldn’t miss a chance to eat there again.

So I was intrigued by an invitation I received to visit Capital Grille Chevy Chase for a taste of their new "Plates" lunch menu.

For $18, guests can select three plates from nine options - a soup or salad, a sandwich, and a side dish. I don't get out for lunch often so I was excited to make the reservation.

According to the Sales and Marketing Manager, Shelly Goorevich, this Capital Grille opened in 2009 just before Thanksgiving.

In those two years, Chevy Chase has tried to distinguish itself as a location where DC-area folks can enjoy the same high-level Capital Grille experience without making the trek downtown.

DLDGLG Embarks On Its First Event With CSOWG For The 2011 Drink.Write Conference

You gotta love booze bloggers...

The Cocktail & Spirits Online Writing Group (CSOWG) held their 2011 Drink.Write Conference in Washington D.C. last December, and boy was it a blast.

Hosted by the incorrigible SeanMike Whipkey of Scofflaw’s Den, the conference encompassed a weekend of events designed to bring like-minded writers together for their appreciation of “the sauce” in whatever form that may take.

Among the Drink.Write attendees: Marshall Fawley III, Whipkey’s co-editor at Scofflaw’s Den; Chris Hwalek (a.k.a. DJ Hawaiian Shirt) of Spirited Remix; Matt Browner Hamlin of A Jigger of Blog; Courtney Randall of Cocktail Quest; Stevi Deter of Two at the Most.

"There’s something strangely satisfying about incorporating booze into your cooking, isn’t there?"

DLDGLG writes for DC Füd about its first five ideas for booze in desserts!

"This convenience store may be the oddest place in North America to enjoy some of the best beers around -- a quirky testament to Seattle's redoubled passion for the frothy stuff..."

"Convenience stores occupy a strange niche in our landscape. We're always grateful for them when we need them -- that midnight run for smokes, or cough syrup, or overpriced milk for the baby. Yet who doesn't feel a small relief to escape their racks of porn and their late-night flourescent melancholy? You don't linger at the mini-mart. Their whole raison d'être is speed: You get in, you get out.

That's why perhaps the most interesting thing about Super Deli Mart isn't the beer at all, but what beer has wrought: community."