Travels with Maria–Best of . . . 2014

Best of lists are always subjective and this one even more so. This list refers only to 2014 and it should in no way be perceived of as a best of ever list (unless noted).

Best Fashion Blog: What is Reality Anyway? In case you were wondering where Anthropologie and Free People poached their ideas from….

Best Hamburger: Hamburger Mary’s West Hollywood. (this is from my husband since I do not eat meat). According to my husband, the best hamburger ever can be found at the Fillmore in San Francisco.

Best Cheese: The Allgäu Alpenkäse in Oberstdorf, Germany.

Best samosas in the world: Woodlands Indian restaurant, Penang, Malaysia.

Best Cocktail: The CUT, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

Best Skiing: the Montafon Alps–Schruns, Austria. Even Hemingway liked this place.

Best Dining experience: Jule Vernes Restaurant in the Eiffel Tower in, well, you know, Paris. Please note: this is the best dining experience, not the best food.

Best Musical experience: Cibo Matto Benefit Show, and also T.V. on the Radio, both at Henry Miller Memorial Library in Big Sur, California.

Best miso soup at Burning Man: MisoHorny.

Best Book: I’m sorry, but I did really enjoy The Goldfinch. I would have to say that Laird Hunt’s novel, Neverhome is also one of my favs of the year, it would have been a New York Times bestseller if Amazon hadn’t screwed with his publishing house Hachette. Amazon calls these smaller publishing houses gazelles because they (as lion of course) can easily take them down.

Best Short Story Collection: The Dubliners by James Joyce. The story “Counterparts” is second to none. Best published this year: Kim Addonizio’s Palace of Illusions.

Best Poetry Reading Series: The Monday Echo at the International Bar, Dublin, Ireland.

Best Poetry: hmmmm, now that’s a hard one cuz as you should know, I read an ass-ton of poetry. Ilya Kaminsky’s mini-collection from his upcoming book, Deaf Republic is some of the best poetry I have or will ever read. It can be found in the 2014 issue of Ping-Pong. Please remember you saw it here first when this collection comes out and wins the Pulitzer.

Best Play: Jean Genet’s The Balcony.

Best Char Koay Teow: most street vendors in Penang, Malaysia, the best is in Tanjung Bungah next to the wet market. One time I didn’t have enough money to pay and the owner of the stall said, “that’s o.k. pay me next time.” Never had that happen in America.

Best Sunset: Joshua Tree National Park. Of all time: well, that would have to be the one I saw in my husband’s eyes when he asked me to marry him on that undisclosed mountain top. (sap alert!)

Best Poetry Reading: Shakespeare and Company. As reported here earlier, nothing quite beats reading your poetry while looking out at Notre Dame Cathedral.

Best Art Exhibit: Van Gogh and Artaud at the Musée d’Orsay, “The Man Suicided by Society,” Paris, France. Seconded (barely) by the Mapplethorpe and Rodin exhibit at the Musée Rodin.

Best Hike: Great Wall of China. It really is something. Don’t go to the touristy parts, do the illegal parts. Eat at one of the farmhouses. Best mandarin pancakes of my life.

Best Blog posting of the year: Poetry Crush 2014, “Everyday is Valentine’s” Vols. I and II.

Best Chapbook: A is for Absence by Christine Hamm.

Best son: my boy. (Remember I said at the beginning these lists are subjective).

Best travel destination: Home.