kas_vic's Profile

we rented apartments for our last trip to Italy - we were 3 - 5 days in any one place. So much nicer than a hotel for all the reasons you list. Also liked having laundry at hand, and having a living room to sit in at the end of the day - instead of both piling on the bed.

We did make a point of renting places that were purpose rentals - not someone moving out of their house for the week we were there. So, a minimum of personal tchochkes, but comfortable, well maintained, and near where we wanted to be.

Another good source I found
is TripAdvisor's Vacation Rentals tab - particularly all the reviews.

There are certain places to go to and things we have to eat at when I travel back to visit the family - arrival times have to be scheduled to fall within a reasonable meal hour for Rae & Jerry's Steak House (a Winnipeg icon). One of Mom's egg salad sandwiches, or her hamburgers is required. A steak, or an egg sandwich just isn't really 'right' anywhere else. Well, they're good - they just aren't proper.

Almost all other travel has had to do with either visiting friends and family, or exploring new cities. The friends and family trips rely on going to places that they recommend. New cities - the goal is local, non-chain, and the best in my price range for the area.

I'm very fond of our Miele dishwasher for all the reasons coconut hill lists - including how it answers my OCD needs ;-). It is also very, very quiet, which is important in our open-plan condo. With all the adjustable racks in it, I'm continually amazed at how much I can fit in there.

It was approx. $1600 CDN, which is ridiculous, but that included taxes, delivery, installation by the approved Miele tech, and a 10 year warranty (which was the 'sale' feature). If we have to move, I'd be sorely tempted to take it with me.

Another excellent book is "Home - A Short HIstory of an Idea" by Witold Rybczynski. He's an architect who's interested in how we live in the spaces we do.

I've wanted that Ikea sofa bed for our office/guest room too. When folded out, you sleep width-wise on it (head at one armrest, feet at the other), so it doesn't require the same floor space for deployment.

my lunch is frequently an english muffin with goat cheese and some sort of jam - currently it's fig jam. This looks so good that the goat cheese may be displaced!

My problem is that I set the vents, load up the drawers, and then totally forget what goes where by the next time I get back from the store.

I'm going to have to put the lists above on paper, and put them in the drawers, too.

The first time we went, we stayed in the Duodo Palace Hotel, which is near the Fenice Opera house, and around the corner from the house that George Sand lived in while she was there. It was a great location, a beautiful hotel, and a lovely experience. The second time we went, we rented an apartment in San Marco. It was way less expensive, and so nice to be able to 'come home' at the end of the day. There was the added bonus of laundry facilities, too! And spending breakfast watching the delivery barges negotiating the narrow canals.

I don't remember street musicians in Piazza San Marco - I would have thought that the cafe orchestras would have something to say about that! But, there's nothing to beat sitting in a cafe - particularly on a less-touristed square or fondamenta, drinking a spritz and enjoying the life of the city. We spent a lovely half hour listening to a man explain to his two lolling pugs that they needed to get up soon, or they'd miss the next vaporetto. Again.

That the setup in my kitchen, and it hasn't been a problem. I've even run the cleaning function on the oven - which softened the laminate on the cupboard on the other side of the stove, but showed no damage to the fridge. It didn't even feel hot to the touch. The only downside is that you can't hang anything on the exposed side of the fridge - anything non-flammable I've stuck up there just ends up all greasy and sticky.

We have the Zyliss one, and love it. And have loved it for over 6 years. I've just gone to look at it, and I don't have any of the pitting or marking mentioned, which I'm assuming is because I don't put it in the dishwasher. I don't trust metals other than stainless steel to the dishwasher.