A Great Autumn Weekend in the City

It seems that fall weather has finally arrived to New York. We enjoyed a glorious weekend, with temperatures generally in the upper 60s with plenty of sun. A major storm arrived on Sunday, which gave us a great excuse to just relax in the apartment and enjoy each other's company. But Saturday we stayed busy. Here are the highlights:

Settled in to Life on the UES

This academic year we are in New York living on the Upper East Side. We're fortunate to have a leave from our usual work in Knoxville to focus on research and writing as Visiting Scholars at the Russell Sage Foundation, located in the city. We've now been here for about a month and have settled into live here easily and well.

An Embarrassment of Culinary Riches in Lima

We are long back from Lima by now, but I wanted to write down a quick take on a number of restaurants and coffee shops we visited on our summer 2017 trip. Bottom line here is that Lima has an amazing number of very high-quality dining options. All of the places mentioned here are good enough to recommend, though you'll see I'm much more excited about some than others. The coffee scene is still developing, but it has progressed markedly over the past couple years (our last visit was in 2015). All of the places I mention here are in what I would consider the top tier of coffee spots in Lima. There was no clear winner, but these are all worthy options. This list just scratches the surface. I'll perhaps add to it as I think of more places and make more return trips.

Peruvian Independence Day is July 28th. But in reality the entire month of July in filled with a variety of events that help to celebrate the culture of Peru. For the past two years, the Ministry of Culture in Peru has partnered with many other cultural institutions in Peru to sponsor the "Retablo Sinfónico." We heard it was a great and fun performance, so we decided to get tickets we are so glad we did.

Lima History and Culture

Last weekend we had fun taking a trip to the historical center of Lima on Saturday. It ended with a surprise that made the Little Lady very happy.

A Fun Father's Day Weekend

Last weekend was Father's Day. Beyond one meal, we did not really do anything specifically to celebrate the holiday. But the meal we had was really remarkable. And the other things we did, which could have been any other weekend, added to the enjoyment. Here is a quick rundown.

Horse Show and Lunch at Dpaso Mamacona

Peru has a very strong equestrian tradition. Horses arrived to Peru during the Spanish conquest, and particular breeding practices gave rise to the Paso, or Peruvian Smooth-Gait Horse. The most distinctive feature of the horse is the way it walks. Peruvian breeders wanted horses that were comfortable to ride and easy to control So in their breeding decisions, they focused on maintaining horses with good temperament and a smooth gait. Therefore, on of the most distinctive characteristics of this horse is that it does not trot. It has a four-beat gait that is very smooth and comfortable. This weekend we went to a show featuring the Peruvian Paso, and it was great fun!