Grease is the word! In fact, all the words to all the songs in Grease will be sung out loud all over the US in a major Grease sing-a-along. Girls Night Out, Date Night, or your High School Reunion: do it!

Yes, get your calendars out and find a theatre near you! Starting July 8 theaters across the country will be playing the original 1978 Grease with the words dancing across the bottom of the screen, begging you to sing-a-long with Sandy and Danny and all the gang from Rydell High.

Grease: You’re The One That I Want! ooo ooo ooo, honey!

Where Grease is playing in some of Moi favorite cities:

• NEW YORK
  AMC VILLAGE
  66 3rd Ave
  New York, NY 10003-5506
  (888) 262-4386

• CHICAGO
  AMC RIVER EAST
  322 East Illinois St
  Chicago, IL 60611
  (888) 262-4386

• MIAMI/FT LAUDERDALE
  SUNRISE GATEWAY
  1820 East Sunrise Blvd
  Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304-3040
  (954) 763-7994

Bonjour a  tous!

First stop in Paris: PAUL for croissant aux amandes (almond croissant), Moi absolute all-time favorite pâtisserie.

I can’t imagine, and don’t want to know, how many calories are in this seriously decadent croissant filled with almond paste and dusted with sliced almonds and powdered sugar. But I do know one bite makes me happy for hours. And I never have just one bite. (Don’t be fooled by a plain croissant flecked with almonds, it must have the almond filling inside.)

PAUL is a boulangerie pâtisserie with shops all over France, in many other European countries, Asia, and the Middle East. There are several PAULs in South Florida, and when I’m in SoFlo I’m sure to stop and enjoy a croissant aux amandes under the palm trees, with one of their fantastic café crème.

I’ve been assured that the SoFlo stores import their flour from France. We’re also fans of their breads, tarts, cakes, sandwiches, eggs: in fact, TBG and I happily eat anything on the PAUL menu. After we finish our croissant aux amandes.

Moi tip: If you are ambitious, Clotilde at Chocolate & Zucchini has a recipe to make your own croissant aux amandes. I haven’t yet tried it…but I will!

The past couple months I’ve shared some of my favorite shopping destinations in Delray Beach; here’s where we like to eat in Delray, and why:

• Lemongrass Asian Bistro: 561.278.5050, 420 E Atlantic Avenue
  • Lobster Monster
  • Holy Snapper

  

• Kilwin’s: 561. 278.0808, 402 E Atlantic Avenue
  • churned ice creams
  • fudge
  • pecan turtle apples

  

• Vic and Angelo’s Enoteca: 561. 278.9570, 290 E Atlantic Avenue
  • pizza
  • grouper sandwiches

  

• City Oyster: 561. 272.0220, 213 E Atlantic Avenue
  • Seafood Risotto

  I haven’t been able to convince them to give me their recipe, but I got the list of ingredients! Tip: City Oyster’s is still better.

• Boston’s on the Beach: 561. 278.3364, 40 S Ocean Blvd
  • Lobster Burger

  When London S ate here, she couldn’t stop talking about eating a lobster burger in January under the palm trees, watching the ocean!

• Caffe Luna Rosa: 561. 274.9404, 34 S Ocean Blvd
  • Brunch

  This is the line at 8am on Sunday morning, by 10am its down the block and around the corner!

• Starbucks, bien sur! two locations: 205 and 502 E Atlantic Avenue

There are dozens more great restaurants in downtown Delray, and more opening every season: The Office, Café de France, and Linda Bean’s Perfect Maine Lobster Roll are recently opened… and we’ve sampled many of them. Every type of food is available from fine dining to Philly cheese-steaks to crêpes to sushi to pizza. But these are the ones we go back to everytime, and sometimes twice in a single visit! Do you have a favorite restaurant in Delray Beach? I’d love to hear it!

Bon Appétit!

We’re back in SoFlo, grabbing some sunshine and palm trees to escape the NYC monsoons. First stop, Furst in Delray Beach. Sacre Bleu: they’re gone! A little investigation and desperation later, we discovered Furst just moved up the block, and are still in business. And had a sale going on!

An hour later, this shiny red bag belonged to Moi!

We discovered Ronald and Flavie Furst several years ago, at their Delray Beach shop. I experienced a bit of déjà vu when I entered the shop, then realized I had seen similar handmade, one-of-a-kind bags in some of my favorite shops in NYC: Furst had a store there for years, and his bags are still carried in NYC boutiques. I liked the bags because:

• they’re practical: light weight, multi-functional straps, weatherproof
• they’re unique: the color combinations, style and flexibility are stand-outs
• they’re affordable: typically $200-400 with great sales!

Sold! TBG gifted me Moi first Furst: a large black fold-over ostrich skin with both handles and a shoulder strap, I bought a longer strap so I could also use it hands-free as a messenger bag. It is my go-to bag: you’ve seen me in it!

Since then, I’ve succumbed to a backpack, perfect for when I’m running errands on my bike, and a golf bag! TBG had a briefcase made for himself: if you don’t see the combination you like, Ronald has a large selection of fabrics and skins for you to custom design your own bag. On on a SoFlo girls trip, CoMo bff S scored a Furst bag:

But there’s more! Ronald is married to the gorgeous Flavie, a jewelry designer. Together they stock the store with their one-of-a-kind bags and jewelry. Previously, they’ve had shops in Paris and Japan. Now the Delray stop is their only location (but that might change soon) but their bags and jewelry are carried in shops in Paris and Japan, as well as on-line.

the details:

]]> http://shesshoppingnow.com/furst-in-delray-beach/feed/ 1 http://shesshoppingnow.com/native-sun-in-delray/ http://shesshoppingnow.com/native-sun-in-delray/#comments Wed, 24 Mar 2010 10:00:46 +0000 Moi http://shesshoppingnow.com/?p=1938

…it was time to move in…

TBG, Mignette and I flew to Florida on a cold November morning to close on our new condo, and a couple days later, accept delivery of our scarily huge shipment of household soup-to-nuts that had been in storage up North for over 6 years. We brought a couple suitcases of summer clothes, and purchased a blow-up mattress to use until our shipment arrived. We had 10 days vacation to get organized and settled, before we had to return to Europe. As we landed at the Palm Beach airport, we waited at the baggage carousel for our new life to begin.

And waited, and waited. Moi bag did not arrive. As we prepared to head over to the claims department and try and track down my missing suitcase, TBG suddently realized he knew where the bag was: in the trunk of our car, parked at LaGuardia airport in New York City. Most of the bags had fit into our back seat, but my extra-large suitcase was stuffed into the trunk. Mignette was my carry-on. I had not one item of clothing, nor cosmetics, no books: nothing. (But TBG had both his carry-on and his suitcase, and his briefcase; even Mignette had everything she needed for the next 48 hours). Dilmena.

As usual, when faced with a dilemna, I took 2 steps:

1. go to Starbucks
2. throw money at the problem

So we drove into downtown Delray Beach, parked our rental in front of Starbucks on Atlantic Avenue, and TBG went inside while I waited outside with Mignette. And found immediately next door my new bff, Native Sun. Native Sun is a women’s boutique that carries every item needed to get by in Delray Beach Florida for the next 72 hours, except cosmetics. So while TBG was buying 2 frappucinos, Mignette and I were in the friendly hands of Christine and Kathy, and the pile next to the cash register was growing by the minute.

Typically, I don’t try clothes on. I prefer a slightly loose look, so I can usually eyeball for fit. And in a pinch, I’m a fast shopper. When TBG emerged with his hands full of foaming cold drinks, he quickly saw us through the huge picture window, and joined in the selection process. 30 minutes later, I had clothes to last the next few days, until I could get to Target and a mall and organize a slightly more extensive wardrobe.

To date, j’adore and still wear the outfits I bought on that first visit to Native Sun. But I have been back many many times. And so have my friends. And at Native Sun, we all buy.

The details:

You keep asking: why Delray Beach? And so I’ll tell you…

Without question one of Moi favorite getaway spots is Delray Beach, Florida. A charming little coastal village on the Atlantic shore, halfway between Palm Beach and Boca Raton, Delray attracts a wide range of visitors from the decidedly seniors-trying-to-be-forever-young to families with young children to singles looking for a hotspot north of South Beach.

This is my SoFlo for the past 6 years. While living in Europe TBG and I decided we needed a US home-base, and we Northerners decided it should be Florida, with easy international access through Miami (though my personal experiences with MIA ranks it one of the world’s worst airports), and easy connections to the rest of the US. For nearly a decade one of us had a business trip to Florida in February, most frequently Naples or Palm Beach. We had been to Disney too many times and wanted nothing to do with Orlando. My brother and his family lived near Daytona. Puppy friendly, golf, sunshine, water and year-round warm weather were the requirements.

Then fate and a casual conversation intervened. I was headed for a week-long stay in Boca to search the area for potential. And one of my Paris bffs, now my Berlin bff The Antiques Diva, was reading one of her stacks of travel magazines, and tore out and presented me with a short article on Delray Beach, with a photograph of an oh-so-charming Colony Hotel.

I landed in NJ and was preparing for my flight to SoFlo when Hurricane Ivan struck. My flight was canceled by the airline. My hotel reservations were canceled so area residents could find refuge. SoFlo house-hunting was off.

But then, just as suddently rescheduled for a short 36 hour visit before my return flight to Europe, and the upcoming Hurricane Jeanne. Street lights weren’t working. ATMs weren’t working. Ice was in high demand. But down I went, and the realtor gave me an abbreviated tour of the Boca area, with a quick drive through Delray. Electrical wires snaked in nearly deserted streets: businesses were closed, and residents were home managing the storm damages. But Starbucks was open, and with a frappuccino in hand, on a gorgeously sunny warm day, I first cruised Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach. It was love at first sight.

Saw a few houses and condos, nothing appealed, or it was out of our price-range. Then we drove by the iron gates of a community that sat on the Intracoastal Waterway. The gates were locked, and the electricity was out so they couldn’t be opened. No one was in the office. Disaster and destiny intervened, and I flew back to Europe without a look.

But once home I quickly got on the internet and tracked down some properties for sale in the gated community. And knew Delray Beach was to become our US home.

A few months later TBG was back in the US on business, and took a quick weekend trip to SoFlo. The realtor showed him around Delray, and through those iron gates.

We were on the phone for 3 hours wracking up international long distance cell phone bills, but 3 months later we moved our US household, locked up in storage for over 6 years, behind those gates.

And then…

I just got a tip from Moi fave pilates studio, Pilates Shop/Yoga Garage, that they’re being featured on Groupon. This is the 2nd time in 24 hours I’ve heard of Groupon: my daughter just told me I have to sign-up in NYC, she’s a member in Chicago. So, I decided to check it out. And am I glad I did!

Groupon describes itself as: collective buying power:

1. Each day we feature something cool to do at an unbeatable price.
2. You only get it if enough people join that day… so invite your friends!
3. Check back the next day for another awesome Groupon!

The results:

• the deal: $49 for 3 group pilates classes, normally $120, minimum 20 buyers, limit 1 per person
• I bought at 7:15 am, 2 had already been sold, 16 hours left
• At 9:12 am, I was notified via email that 20 deals had been sold, and I got 3 pilates classes at Pilates/Shop Yoga Garage for $49: a 59% discount! I received a link to print out my paid coupon, and present to PSYG

Like many other online shopping clubs, Groupon offers a $10 credit to your account  if you refer a friend and they make a purchase, so the more people who end up buying, the more you save!

Moi tip: If you’re traveling, check out Groupon for the city you’ll be visiting. I signed up for the daily newsletters in NYC, Chicago and SoFlo, as those are cities where I hang out, but I’m also checking for other cities I’ll be visiting in the coming months.

Bonus: there’s an app for that: you can download a free iPhone app for Groupon at iTunes, or follow Groupon on twitter . Groupon even offers gift certificates!

Everyone, get your Groupon!

the details:

ps: sorry international readers, so far Groupon is just in US cities: but check it on your way to the US for some great deals!

Mark Your Calendars!

Festival of the Arts BOCA is returning to Boca Raton March 5 – 13.  This year’s fest recognizes the film, literature, and dance of Russia, including

• Grammy award winning soprano Renée Fleming returns for an evening of opera arias
• jazz protegee and Grammy nominee Eldar Djangirov
• stars of the American Ballet Irina Dvorovenko and Maxim Beloserkovsky
• historian and Pulitzer Prize winner, Doris Kearns Goodwin; former advisor and speechwriter to President Kennedy and to Senator Robert F. Kennedy

Festival of the Arts Boca will also include master classes with authors and performers, open rehearsals, and workshops for area students  to learn from the masters. In addition, this year’s Festival will also offer  free public events including “Film in the Park Series” offering  Anastasia, From Russia with Love, and Doctor Zhivago.

For a complete Festival schedule and to purchase tickets, visit Festival of the Arts BOCA.

I lucked out in the sister-in-law department. And since Moi has 5 brothers, this makes Moi very lucky. SoFlo sil H is the Crafty Lady. It’s actually a family thing: all the girls in her family, including her mother, knit, sew, crotchet, bake and otherwise manage to keep pretty busy. And on the lucky occassions when I go to visit Crafty Lady, I am lucky enough to benefit from her craftiness!

This Christmas I was triple gifted:

• a gorgeous handmade lavender felted flower pin
• wrapped in a beautiful handmade blue and cream gift box
• along  with the instructions on how to make the boxes myself! (She’s not crazy: no bothering to give me instructions on making the flower!)

Crafty Lady’s sister Kathleen recently opened at yarn store in Daytona Beach – who knew they’d want wool down in Florida? Smart girl! She Sells Yarn specializes in high quality yarns and all that goes with it for knitting, crocheting and spinning. Best of all, She Sells Yarn offers classes in all things yarn, including making felt flower pins! sil H took the class back in November, and voila! I have a gorgeous lavender felted flower pin.

Crafty Lady then took some left-over scrapbooking paper and made the cutest little paper boxes to nest the flower pins. She found the site fold something and followed the instructions for Square Box 1. Crafty Lady tip: To make the smaller, inside box I just shaved off a meager 1/4 inch from two perpendicular sides of one of the squares

And best of all, I have a gorgeous pin, a beautiful box, and instructions on how to make the box for my own gifts!

Merci bien, sil H!

I love finding something special when I’m not even looking. Whether it’s for Moi or a gift, the surprise find brings extra pleasure.

Last week I visited the recently completed Seagate Hotel & Spa in Delray Beach, Florida. We’ve been watching the construction for several years, and reading the signage each time we passed by, and TBG and I were excited to walk in and finally have a chance to investigate. First stop: the shops.

etc. café & gifts is filled with magazines and sundries, gourmet foods and candies (indulged in 2 boxes of Fran’s Smoked Sea Salt Chocolate Caramels), palm leaf shaped serving trays and glitzy utensils, logo-ed sweat shirts, sparkled Christmas ornaments, and lots of fun beach accessories, toys and souvenirs. But tucked in the corner of a shelf I spotted a small plexiglass display housing 10 slim, gold pens with beaded tops.

So different than anything else in the shop, I quickly got the scoop:

A warehouse in Maine burned down and someone had salvaged a box of early 20th century glass beads and semi-precious stones. Someone else (no one seemed to know who made the pens, I’d love to share their name with you) had fashioned these little antique treasures into one-of-a-kind pens. And 10 of these pens styled with antique beads found their way to the newly opened Seagate Hotel and Spa.

And now, for only $20, a slim gold pen with a blue and gold beaded fob is tucked inside my bag, ready to dazzle as I autograph my credit card receipts.

Moi tip: if you’re staying in the charming seaside village of Delray Beach I’m loving the Seagate to stay a few days, enjoy the spa, lunch at the Atlantic Grille, or just browse the shops.