Coming Soon
Hotel:
Omni New Haven Link to my review
Restaurant:
Rusty Scupper Link to my review
Le Petite Cafe Link to my review
New Haven: Le Petit Café (December 2005)
: We
dined at Le Petit Café on Christmas Eve in December 2005 with four family
members. The tiny Branford
bistro has been owned since 1997 by the husband-and-wife team Roy and Winnie Ip.
It is intimate, accommodating, and pretty. Diners are often greeted at the door
by one of the owners, and regulars are on a first-name basis.
New Haven: Omni New Haven (December 2005)
We stayed at the
Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale for one night in December 2005. The hotel is
located in downtown New Haven, just steps from the historic campus of Yale
University, the New Haven Town Green, a wide selection of museums, the Shubert
Theater, and boutique shopping. Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale is close to Union
Station, home to Metro North and Amtrak Railway, and just fifty miles from
Hartford's Bradley International Airport. The hotel restaurant is called John
Davenports.
New Haven: Rusty Scupper (December 2005)
My spouse and I ate lunch at the Rusty Scupper in late
December 2005. The Rusty Scupper offers seafood by the sea! Good food and great
view on the waterfront. Large menu with choices from just appetizers to
full-course entrees. Large bar area and equally large dining area. This restaurant
offers "Seafood by the sea!"
It serves great food with a great
view of the waterfront area.
New York City: Josephina (November 2005)
My spouse and I dined at Josephina for lunch in November 2005. This tranquil, upscale restaurant (from the owner of nearby eateries Citrus and Josie’s) attracts the Lincoln Center crowd, but the food deserves more than pretheater buzz. The menu is marked by fresh, predominantly organic produce and free-range meats—pink seared duck with nutty cranberry-almond rice, rack of lamb with cardamom-scented lentils and asparagus—as well as seasonal fish and pasta dishes. If you are catching a show, take advantage of the early prix fixe.
New York City: Yale Club (November 2005)
My spouse and I stayed at the Yale Club for one night in
early November 2005 to attend a wedding on-site (otherwise, this is not a public
hotel; it is a private club and hotel for graduates of Yale and reciprocal
schools). Steps from Grand Central Terminal, The Yale Club of New York City was
designed in 1915 by James Gamble Rogers, architect of Yale’s Sterling Memorial
Library as well as the Harkness Quad and Tower. With over $10 million in recent
capital improvements, the 22-story neoclassical clubhouse combines traditional
elegance with contemporary amenities. The Yale Club is located at 50 Vanderbilt
Avenue on the corner of 44th Street, across from the western entrance to Grand
Central Terminal. Within the club, you have all kinds of options: from the
magnificent views from the rooftop terrace to the newly renovated Tap Room to
the comfy and casual Grill. Meet for drinks at the Main Bar, or relax by the
fire in the Lounge. On the fifth and sixth floors, you’ll find state of the art
cardio and weight training equipment as well as free weights, squash courts,
and a plunge pool. Both the mens’ and womens’ locker rooms come with sauna and
steam rooms and access to the massage studio. Whether you’re coming to the city
for a special event, or just stopping over on your way to some faraway place,
consider the club your home away from home. With a choice of single rooms, doubles,
or two-room suites, you’ll find that every room is pleasant, with cable TV and complimentary
wireless Internet access. The Yale Club of New York City also offers an elegant
setting for any special occasion. Whether you’re planning a lavish wedding or a
high-tech training seminar, a large holiday party or small board meeting, our
professional event planners can work with you to make sure every detail is
covered.
Pittsburgh: Palomino (November 2005)
Palomino, located on the street level of the Gateway Center building, is a vibrant "Urban Italian" restaurant, bar, and rotisserie famous for its style, hardwood-fired Mediterranean cooking and versatile, imaginative menu. Palomino, although a casual restaurant and bar, is famous for its stylish ambiance. It specializes in providing Europe-inspired regional American cuisine. The restaurant s menu includes salads, soups, pasta, pizzas, and beverages. Its menu also features a variety of seafood and chicken and meat specialties.
New York City (November 2005)
Coming Soon!
Hotel:
Restaurant:
Hotel:
- Yale Club Link to my review
Restaurant:
- Josefina Link to my review
- Eammon's Link to my review
- Dave and Eve's Wedding
- Theatre: A Light in the Piazza
Theatre: The Light in the Piazza at Lincoln Center (November 2005)
The Light in the Piazza is a musical with a book by Craig Lucas and music and lyrics by Adam Guettel. Based on a novella by Elizabeth Spencer, the story is set in the 1950s and revolves around Margaret Johnson, a wealthy Southern
woman and her developmentally stalled daughter, Clara, who spend a
summer together in Italy. When Clara falls in love with a young Italian
man, Margaret is forced to reconsider not only Clara's future, but her
own deep seated hopes and regrets as well.
The score breaks from the 21st century tradition of pop music on Broadway by moving into the territory of Neoromantic classical music and opera, with unexpected harmonic shifts and extended melodic structures, and is more heavily orchestrated than most Broadway scores. Many of the lyrics are in Italian or broken English, as many of the characters are fluent only in Italian.
The Light in the Piazza was developed as a musical at the Intiman Playhouse in Seattle in June 2003 and then at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago in early 2004. After 36 previews, the Broadway production opened on April 18, 2005 at the Vivian Beaumont Theater in Lincoln Center, where it ran for 504 performances and closed on July 2, 2006.
On June 15, 2006, shortly before its closing night, the show was broadcast on the PBS television series Live from Lincoln Center, and drew more than two million viewers. The cast consisted of Victoria Clark (Margaret Johnson), Katie Rose Clarke (Clara Johnson), Aaron Lazar (Fabrizio), Chris Sarandon (Signor Naccarelli), Patti Cohenour (Signora Naccarelli), Michael Berresse (Giuseppe Naccarelli), Sarah Uriarte Berry (Franca), and Beau Gravitte (Roy Johnson).
Synopsis:
ACT 1
In the early morning of their first day in Florence, Margaret reads from her guidebook to Clara as the piazza around them is waking up and coming to life ("Statues and Stories"). A breeze carries Clara’s hat off her head and across the square where a young Italian man, Fabrizio, miraculously catches it, mid-air, and returns it to her. The two are instantly smitten. But Margaret steers her daughter away from the encounter, bringing her next to the Uffizi Gallery where the reaching figures in the paintings speak to Clara of her own yearnings ("The Beauty Is"). Fabrizio appears, hoping to arrange a time to meet with Clara, but once again Margaret intervenes.
Alone, Fabrizio sings in Italian his declaration of love at first sight for Clara, along with a heartfelt cry of fear that she could never love anyone as lost and without position as he ("Il Mondo Era Vuoto"). Fabrizio begs his father and his brother Giuseppe to help him dress more presentably for Clara. Giuseppe attempts to teach Fabrizio some dance steps as well ("American Dancing").
At the Duomo, Fabrizio once again catches up with Margaret and Clara, and this time Fabrizio’s father, Signor Naccarelli, is able to help penetrate Margaret’s resistance to any further involvement. They all agree to meet at sunset to take a walk and admire the view of the city from above at the Piazzale Michelangelo ("Passeggiata").
Margaret and Clara are invited to have tea at the Naccarelli home. Giuseppe’s wife, Franca, takes Clara on a tour of the apartment, and alone in a separate room, she warns Clara about how quickly love can stale in marriage ("The Joy You Feel"). Though the Naccarellis are universally impressed with Clara, Margaret tries without success to share her deep reservations. When she looks in Fabrizio’s eyes and sees the love there, she can’t bring herself to disappoint him, as much as she feels she must; for there is something about Clara that none of these people know. Clara secretly makes plans to meet Fabrizio at midnight near the hotel.
Margaret calls her husband Roy, who is back in the states. She tries to tell him what is happening with Clara and Fabrizio, but he is brusque and not very understanding, cutting short the conversation. Margaret, alone in her hotel room, reflects on the loneliness in her marriage ("Dividing Day"). She checks in Clara’s room, and finds that she is missing.
On her way to meet Fabrizio, Clara becomes lost in the maze-like streets of Florence. She loses all poise and control, becoming hysterical and screaming like a child ("Hysteria"). Her mother takes her back to the hotel and, as Clara sleeps, reveals the source of her disquiet. When Clara was a young girl, she was kicked in the head by a Shetland pony, and the accident has caused her mental and emotional abilities to develop abnormally. Margaret feels that she must take Clara away from Florence at once, and she steps down into the lobby to have a drink. While she is away, Fabrizio comes to the room, distraught; he cannot find the right words to express his feelings, and Clara urges him to use any other means; Clara accepts Fabrizio’s proposal of marriage, and the two are embracing, half undressed, as Margaret walks in on them ("Say It Somehow").
ACT 2
Margaret takes Clara to Rome to distract her and put an end to the affair. Back in Florence, the Naccarelli household is in complete chaos. As the family despairs, Signora Naccarelli translates in an aside; Fabrizio believes he has ruined everything with Clara, his father attempts to comfort him, and Giuseppe and Franca desire finer details ("Aiutami").
No matter what Margaret tries, her daughter refuses to give her an inch, culminating into a painful confrontation wherein Margaret slaps Clara across the face. Clara erupts with a torrent of feeling, centered on Fabrizio and the nature of love ("The Light in the Piazza"). This causes Margaret to relent, to set aside her doubts and considerations, and to no longer stand in the way of the wedding. The two return to Florence.
Clara is instructed in the Latin catechism in preparation for converting to Catholicism while around her everyone in the extended family sings of their feelings, stirred up by the immediate presence of such intense, young love ("Octet Part 1"). Franca, in an attempt to arouse her husband’s jealousy, kisses Fabrizio right on the mouth, and Clara witnesses it, breaking into a furious rant that ends with her throwing a drink on Franca. As Clara breaks down, Franca commends her for her bravery and declares her own desire to fight for Giuseppe. She toasts the upcoming union and is joined by the rest of the family ("Octet Part 2").
At the wedding rehearsal, Clara and Fabrizio are filling out the necessary forms when Signor Naccarelli sees something on Clara’s form that causes him to call off the wedding and take his family away at once. Clara wants to know what is wrong with her, but her mother says there is nothing at all wrong. With Clara sobbing and broken, alone in one of the pews of the church, Margaret reveals her worst fears and her shame at having been the source of her daughter’s lifelong suffering. She resolves to do whatever it takes to give Clara a chance for happiness ("The Beauty Is [Reprise]").
Margaret tries to reason with Signor Naccarelli, who saw Clara's childlike handwriting as she completed her marriage form. Seemingly unconcerned with her immaturity or her handwriting, Signor Naccarelli admits that he saw Clara write her age on the forms – 26 – and that this makes her an unsuitable bride for his son who is only 20. Relieved that he has not discovered their secret, Margaret begs him to change his mind, but he will not. She invites him to take a walk with her, and the two wander from one end of Florence to the other as the sun slowly sets and the night comes on ("Let’s Walk"). By giving him time to mull things over and by not pressuring him, Margaret succeeds in putting the wedding back on track; Signor Naccarelli says he will meet them at the church the following morning.
From the hotel room, Margaret calls Roy to tell him about the wedding. As might be predicted, he insists that Clara cannot handle the responsibilities of marriage. Clara, in her wedding dress, stands in the shadows, overhearing her mother’s side of the conversation. Margaret says, “Just because she isn’t normal, Roy, doesn't mean she's consigned to a life of loneliness. She mustn't be made to accept less from life just because she isn't like you or me.” Shattered, Clara slips out of the hotel room and runs once more through Florence ("Interlude"), meeting Fabrizio at the church in order to tell him that she cannot marry him; she won’t allow herself to cause him any pain. Fabrizio assuages all of her fears ("Love to Me").
Moments before the wedding, Clara tells Margaret she can’t leave her; Margaret assures her she can. Left alone, Margaret breaks open all the repressed doubts and yearnings that she has carried for years on end about love, realizing at last that the chance of love somehow outweighs the terrible risks. She joins the wedding ceremony ("Fable").
Link to the Variety review here
The score breaks from the 21st century tradition of pop music on Broadway by moving into the territory of Neoromantic classical music and opera, with unexpected harmonic shifts and extended melodic structures, and is more heavily orchestrated than most Broadway scores. Many of the lyrics are in Italian or broken English, as many of the characters are fluent only in Italian.
The Light in the Piazza was developed as a musical at the Intiman Playhouse in Seattle in June 2003 and then at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago in early 2004. After 36 previews, the Broadway production opened on April 18, 2005 at the Vivian Beaumont Theater in Lincoln Center, where it ran for 504 performances and closed on July 2, 2006.
On June 15, 2006, shortly before its closing night, the show was broadcast on the PBS television series Live from Lincoln Center, and drew more than two million viewers. The cast consisted of Victoria Clark (Margaret Johnson), Katie Rose Clarke (Clara Johnson), Aaron Lazar (Fabrizio), Chris Sarandon (Signor Naccarelli), Patti Cohenour (Signora Naccarelli), Michael Berresse (Giuseppe Naccarelli), Sarah Uriarte Berry (Franca), and Beau Gravitte (Roy Johnson).
Synopsis:
ACT 1
In the early morning of their first day in Florence, Margaret reads from her guidebook to Clara as the piazza around them is waking up and coming to life ("Statues and Stories"). A breeze carries Clara’s hat off her head and across the square where a young Italian man, Fabrizio, miraculously catches it, mid-air, and returns it to her. The two are instantly smitten. But Margaret steers her daughter away from the encounter, bringing her next to the Uffizi Gallery where the reaching figures in the paintings speak to Clara of her own yearnings ("The Beauty Is"). Fabrizio appears, hoping to arrange a time to meet with Clara, but once again Margaret intervenes.
Alone, Fabrizio sings in Italian his declaration of love at first sight for Clara, along with a heartfelt cry of fear that she could never love anyone as lost and without position as he ("Il Mondo Era Vuoto"). Fabrizio begs his father and his brother Giuseppe to help him dress more presentably for Clara. Giuseppe attempts to teach Fabrizio some dance steps as well ("American Dancing").
At the Duomo, Fabrizio once again catches up with Margaret and Clara, and this time Fabrizio’s father, Signor Naccarelli, is able to help penetrate Margaret’s resistance to any further involvement. They all agree to meet at sunset to take a walk and admire the view of the city from above at the Piazzale Michelangelo ("Passeggiata").
Margaret and Clara are invited to have tea at the Naccarelli home. Giuseppe’s wife, Franca, takes Clara on a tour of the apartment, and alone in a separate room, she warns Clara about how quickly love can stale in marriage ("The Joy You Feel"). Though the Naccarellis are universally impressed with Clara, Margaret tries without success to share her deep reservations. When she looks in Fabrizio’s eyes and sees the love there, she can’t bring herself to disappoint him, as much as she feels she must; for there is something about Clara that none of these people know. Clara secretly makes plans to meet Fabrizio at midnight near the hotel.
Margaret calls her husband Roy, who is back in the states. She tries to tell him what is happening with Clara and Fabrizio, but he is brusque and not very understanding, cutting short the conversation. Margaret, alone in her hotel room, reflects on the loneliness in her marriage ("Dividing Day"). She checks in Clara’s room, and finds that she is missing.
On her way to meet Fabrizio, Clara becomes lost in the maze-like streets of Florence. She loses all poise and control, becoming hysterical and screaming like a child ("Hysteria"). Her mother takes her back to the hotel and, as Clara sleeps, reveals the source of her disquiet. When Clara was a young girl, she was kicked in the head by a Shetland pony, and the accident has caused her mental and emotional abilities to develop abnormally. Margaret feels that she must take Clara away from Florence at once, and she steps down into the lobby to have a drink. While she is away, Fabrizio comes to the room, distraught; he cannot find the right words to express his feelings, and Clara urges him to use any other means; Clara accepts Fabrizio’s proposal of marriage, and the two are embracing, half undressed, as Margaret walks in on them ("Say It Somehow").
ACT 2
Margaret takes Clara to Rome to distract her and put an end to the affair. Back in Florence, the Naccarelli household is in complete chaos. As the family despairs, Signora Naccarelli translates in an aside; Fabrizio believes he has ruined everything with Clara, his father attempts to comfort him, and Giuseppe and Franca desire finer details ("Aiutami").
No matter what Margaret tries, her daughter refuses to give her an inch, culminating into a painful confrontation wherein Margaret slaps Clara across the face. Clara erupts with a torrent of feeling, centered on Fabrizio and the nature of love ("The Light in the Piazza"). This causes Margaret to relent, to set aside her doubts and considerations, and to no longer stand in the way of the wedding. The two return to Florence.
Clara is instructed in the Latin catechism in preparation for converting to Catholicism while around her everyone in the extended family sings of their feelings, stirred up by the immediate presence of such intense, young love ("Octet Part 1"). Franca, in an attempt to arouse her husband’s jealousy, kisses Fabrizio right on the mouth, and Clara witnesses it, breaking into a furious rant that ends with her throwing a drink on Franca. As Clara breaks down, Franca commends her for her bravery and declares her own desire to fight for Giuseppe. She toasts the upcoming union and is joined by the rest of the family ("Octet Part 2").
At the wedding rehearsal, Clara and Fabrizio are filling out the necessary forms when Signor Naccarelli sees something on Clara’s form that causes him to call off the wedding and take his family away at once. Clara wants to know what is wrong with her, but her mother says there is nothing at all wrong. With Clara sobbing and broken, alone in one of the pews of the church, Margaret reveals her worst fears and her shame at having been the source of her daughter’s lifelong suffering. She resolves to do whatever it takes to give Clara a chance for happiness ("The Beauty Is [Reprise]").
Margaret tries to reason with Signor Naccarelli, who saw Clara's childlike handwriting as she completed her marriage form. Seemingly unconcerned with her immaturity or her handwriting, Signor Naccarelli admits that he saw Clara write her age on the forms – 26 – and that this makes her an unsuitable bride for his son who is only 20. Relieved that he has not discovered their secret, Margaret begs him to change his mind, but he will not. She invites him to take a walk with her, and the two wander from one end of Florence to the other as the sun slowly sets and the night comes on ("Let’s Walk"). By giving him time to mull things over and by not pressuring him, Margaret succeeds in putting the wedding back on track; Signor Naccarelli says he will meet them at the church the following morning.
From the hotel room, Margaret calls Roy to tell him about the wedding. As might be predicted, he insists that Clara cannot handle the responsibilities of marriage. Clara, in her wedding dress, stands in the shadows, overhearing her mother’s side of the conversation. Margaret says, “Just because she isn’t normal, Roy, doesn't mean she's consigned to a life of loneliness. She mustn't be made to accept less from life just because she isn't like you or me.” Shattered, Clara slips out of the hotel room and runs once more through Florence ("Interlude"), meeting Fabrizio at the church in order to tell him that she cannot marry him; she won’t allow herself to cause him any pain. Fabrizio assuages all of her fears ("Love to Me").
Moments before the wedding, Clara tells Margaret she can’t leave her; Margaret assures her she can. Left alone, Margaret breaks open all the repressed doubts and yearnings that she has carried for years on end about love, realizing at last that the chance of love somehow outweighs the terrible risks. She joins the wedding ceremony ("Fable").
Link to the Variety review here
Pittsburgh: Bravo Franco (October 2005)
Whether you are catching a Pirates or Penguins game, have an evening at Heinz Hall or the Benedum Center, or are conducting a business meeting, Bravo Franco offers something for everyone.
Pittsburgh: Sonoma Grille (October 2005)
Restaurateur Yves Carreau, owner and proprietor of the Big Y Group, hails from Lyon, France, where he attended and graduated from the highly acclaimed Thonon Les Bains Culinary Institute in 1978. Yves took his apprenticeship in the French West Indies, known for vibrant Caribbean cooking with a strong French influence. Ever the adventurer, Yves came to the United States and established himself in Los Angeles, where he worked at the famed “La Serre” restaurant in Studio City. In 1984, Yves moved to Pittsburgh and was hired to manage the kitchen at the Churchill Valley Country Club. A few years later, he opened his first solo venture, Asiago, a French and Italian restaurant, located in One Oxford Centre downtown. Today, Yves brings his diverse culinary palate and business savvy to the Pittsburgh and Baltimore restaurant scenes with all of his Big Y Group restaurants. Following the immense critical success of his flagship restaurant Sonoma (a west coast kitchen and wine bar) and its Penn Avenue sister Seviche, he took Seviche’s Nuevo Latino tapas concept east to debut Talara in Baltimore’s bustling inner harbor. Yves opened New Orleans jazz brasserie Nola On The Square in March 2011, and shortly punctuated his Market Square presence with the premiere of Pittsburgh’s sexiest new bar and champagne lounge, Perle, in the summer of 2012. After the evident success of Sonoma and Seviche, Yves was named 2007 Restaurateur of the Year by the Western Chapter of the Pennsylvania Restaurant Association.
Peru (August 2005)
(including Lima, Cusco, Aguas Calientes, Machu Picchu, Sacred Valley)
Restaurants:
We used Taca to fly one way
and Lan Peru to fly the other. Taca was a lot cheaper, but only had one flight
per day, whereas Lan had many. I believe that we paid about $65 per person
one-way on Taca and $95 per person one-way on Lan.
It's very inexpensive to
eat in both Aguas Calientes and Cusco, so you won't need to budget a lot for
food.
They stored luggage at the
entrance when I visited last August. We stayed at the Sanctuary Lodge, so we
didn't actually USE the storage facilities, but they seemed secure and
well-organized.
We had trouble exchanging several $100 bills in Peru last August. We went to several national banks, as well as local cambios, without any luck. Apparently, we had a series of new bills that was recently put into circulation, and the serial numbers didn't appear on any valid list of numbers that they had. We had no problem using them once we got back to the US, but it did leave us a bit short on cash while vacationing. I guess I should ask for older bills next time.
I travelled by train from Cusco to Aguas Calientes in August of 2005. I seem to recall that if you are picking up the train tickets at the station (which isn't the actual station that the train leaves from, by the way), that you must go the day before your trip, not the day of. We flew from Lima to Cusco on a Saturday, I believe, which was the day before our train trip to Machu Picchu. I think that the ticket office closed at noon on Saturdays, before we even arrived in Cusco, making it impossible for us to pick up our tickets. Our only option was for the hotel to arrange the tickets, which they did, and we were also able to charge them to our room, which was nice. We stayed at the Monasterio, which may have helped, since both the hotel, and the train to MP are owned by Orient-Express, and we were also staying at the Sanctuary Lodge once we arrived in MP--another O-E property. On the other hand, we stayed at the Novotel in Cusco upon our return, and I feel confident that they, too, could have arranged the train tickets for us. I think that I tried to do just what you are asking--find a local agency to get the tickets--but I didn't have any luck (but that was nearly a year ago). Just please verify everything beforehand--you wouldn't want anything to negatively impact what will be an absolutely incredible trip!
-
Day 1: Newark to Lima on Continental Airlines (Business/First) www.continental.com
- Day 2: Lima to CuscoMonasterio Hotel (Orient-Express Hotels)
- Day 3: Cusco to Aguas CalientesMachu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge (Orient-Express Hotels)
- Day 4: Aguas Calientes to Cusco
- Day 5: Sacred Valley Tour (Chincheros, Ollantaytambo, Pisac)Novotel Cusco (Accor Hotels)
- Day 6: Cusco Tour (Sacsayhuaman, Quenko, Koricancha)Novotel Cusco (Accor Hotels)
- Day 7: Cusco SightseeingLunch at Baghdad CafeNovotel Cusco (Accor Hotels)
- Day 8: Cusco to LimaJW Marriott Lima (Marriott Hotels
- Day 9: Lima SightseeingJW Marriott Lima (Marriott Hotels)
- Day 10: Lima to Newark on Continental Airlines (Business/First)
Restaurants:
- Link to my review of Blueberry Lounge
- Link to my review of Inka Grill
- Link to my review of MAP Cafe
- Link to my review of Pachacutec Grill and Bar
- Link to my review of Vivaldino
- Link to My Review of the JW Marriott Lima
- Link to My Review of the Novotel Cusco
- Link to My Review of the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge
- Link to My Review of the Hotel Monasterio
I believe the entrance fee
to MP has risen to $25 per person per day. I think the backpacker now costs
about $85 from Cusco, with the Vistadome costing $102 and the Hiram Bingham
$435 (which includes meals and entrance fees).
Sweaters are everywhere, it
just depends on the quality that you want. I got a great lesson on the
differences in quality of llama, baby llama, alpaca, baby alpaca, vicunya, with
samples of each shown. You can really tell the difference. For a 100% baby
alpaca sweater (plain, one color, V-neck or crew neck), plan on spending about
$75. Sweaters with unique designs were selling for $120. (They were giving
about a $5 discount for paying cash versus using credit cards.) For lesser
quality, there were tons of sweaters sold on the streets and at the markets in
Pisac and Chinchero, but they were acrylic blends that were machine made. Those
could be purchased for about $20. But once you see how nice the handmade ones
are, it´s tough to settle for something cheaper.
I just returned at the end of
August from Peru, including Lima, Cusco, and Machu Picchu. Definitely take the
Machu Picchu trip! The Hiram Bingham train looked really luxurious sitting in
the station. We took the Vistadome train on Peru Rail instead because the HB
didn't run on Sundays, and that was the only night that we could get a
reservation at the Sanctuary Lodge. The Orient-Express hotels in Peru are
beautiful. You might be staying at the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge if the trip
is organized by Orient-Express, although it only has 33 rooms and is often
booked a year in advance. The only other hotel of that quality is down the hill
in Aguas Calientes and is called the Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel. It is larger
than the MPSL, and many people say they like it better except for the fact that
it isn't right onsite at the ruins. On second thought, you will probably do a
day trip to MP on the HB. I think it leaves Cusco about 9:00 am and returns
about 9:00 pm. In that case, you might be staying at the Orient-Express hotel
in Cusco called the Monasterio, which someone mentioned previously. We stayed
there, too, and it was fabulous. Orient-Express is really pricey, though, as
I'm sure you are aware. The HB train was $421 per person (that included 2 meals
and admission to the ruins), 1 night at the MPSL was $567 (although that
included 3 meals per person), and the Monasterio was $385 per night. Still, it
is an experience that you will never forget and will be worth the money (which
must be running you about $600 per person for train and hotel). As for Lima, I
liked it more than I thought I would (I had heard the horror stories, too), but
we didn't do any museums there (we ARE museum people, but are primarily
interested in French Impressionist art which wasn't found there). There's no
contest, however. Lima is like any big city anywhere in the world, while Cusco
and MP are from another era. You can check out the www.orient-express.com or www.perurail.com websites for
more information on the hotels and trains.
We had trouble exchanging several $100 bills in Peru last August. We went to several national banks, as well as local cambios, without any luck. Apparently, we had a series of new bills that was recently put into circulation, and the serial numbers didn't appear on any valid list of numbers that they had. We had no problem using them once we got back to the US, but it did leave us a bit short on cash while vacationing. I guess I should ask for older bills next time.
I travelled by train from Cusco to Aguas Calientes in August of 2005. I seem to recall that if you are picking up the train tickets at the station (which isn't the actual station that the train leaves from, by the way), that you must go the day before your trip, not the day of. We flew from Lima to Cusco on a Saturday, I believe, which was the day before our train trip to Machu Picchu. I think that the ticket office closed at noon on Saturdays, before we even arrived in Cusco, making it impossible for us to pick up our tickets. Our only option was for the hotel to arrange the tickets, which they did, and we were also able to charge them to our room, which was nice. We stayed at the Monasterio, which may have helped, since both the hotel, and the train to MP are owned by Orient-Express, and we were also staying at the Sanctuary Lodge once we arrived in MP--another O-E property. On the other hand, we stayed at the Novotel in Cusco upon our return, and I feel confident that they, too, could have arranged the train tickets for us. I think that I tried to do just what you are asking--find a local agency to get the tickets--but I didn't have any luck (but that was nearly a year ago). Just please verify everything beforehand--you wouldn't want anything to negatively impact what will be an absolutely incredible trip!
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