Great Book Stores and Libraries
Here is a collection of many great and exceptional book stores and libraries in Canada, U.S., Europe and around the world.
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One of my favourite things to do while travelling is to have a cocktail somewhere with a nice view, preferably high up, from where you can see the whole city. Here are some of the best rooftop bars and restaurants I’ve tried in the US, Canada, and Europe. If you have any tips for other nice rooftops, please let me know!
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I have been living and working in Denmark for almost a year now and have been going to Copenhagen for work and for fun almost every month. I collected a few recommendations that I checked out myself, and will keep adding to this list as time goes by (as I do with all the places I revisit regularly and recommend here). Enjoy this lovely city!
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Last summer I got a chance to explore Helsinki and other cities, and trace all the location of artist and writer Tove Jansson all across Finland. Even if you haven’t read any of her Moomin Troll books as a kid, you will come across Tove’s art and books everywhere you go in Finland. Don’t miss the lovely Moomin Theme Park in Naantali, close to Turku on the West coast, about a 2-hour drive from Helsinki.
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Kiel HighlightsKile is a lovely norther German city – very progressive, liberal, and sustainable. It’s particularly nice in the summer when you can swim in the fjord, go to all the great beaches, and bike along the promenade. It was a great gourmet foody culture and very good restaurants and cafes.
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Aarhus HighlightsAfter moving to Denmark for work, I started exploring different Danish cities and beaches, and can report that Aarhus is my favourite city in Denmark! It reminds me of Montreal and has so many different music and art scenes, great museums, great beaches, and really great food!
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Exploring the West Coast, don’t miss this progressive U.S. city with great book stores, restaurants, beaches, and mountains! Here are some of the highlights organized by neighborhoods!
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Honolulu is one of the best vacation destinations in the world! It offers some of the best beaches as well as amazing restaurants and many cultural attractions on Hawaiian and American history.
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If Honolulu is like Vancouver or Seattle, Maui is more like Victoria, smaller and quieter. It has some great food, and amazing, pristine beaches with the clearest water. There is a North Shore with all the surfers and some less touristy corners here and there, and some surfer villages that are fun to explore and walk through. But need to rent a car to get around the island.
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Bellingham is only a 20min drive south of the border from Vancouver and is a great small city with amazing food (all local, fresh, organic) and really nice bookstores! I went for a conference at the Western Washington University for a few days and really enjoyed exploring the downtown, Fairhaven, and the university neighbourhoods. Definitely will go back again!
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I’ve been to Seattle five or six times and each time I discover a great new place I want to return to and recommend to friends. I finally took the time to write them all down here.
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This is my second time staying in Florence for a week at a time, and this time I wanted to find the good places that most tourists don’t know about. With the help of my friend Federico and some other local recommendations, here are some of the gems that I found.
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I spent some time in Vienna one summer working on research for a book sequel to Berliner Chic. I met different local designers, journalists, academics, and many other people in the fashion industry. I also had a chance to explore the culinary treasures, and show them off to friends who came to visit me there. Here are some of the most memorable ones.
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Last summer I got to discover some more hidden and known treasures in Berlin, and I hope you like the recommendations (please send me your feedback). Thank you to everyone who suggested these places to me while I was there, and to everyone who came with me to discover them! I also decided to add some book stores to the list because there are so many great ones. Here are just a few that I got to hang out at the past summer.
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St. Petersburg is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, it has also become one of the most gourmet places for Russian and international cuisine, with the most roof-top restaurants in a European city.
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I’ve lived in Toronto for a year when I did my Masters, and now I go there at least once a year. It is always a pleasure to visit old favorite places and discover new ones. Friends always take me to amazing places, and I thought I will share the culinary wisdom.
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People often ask me for restaurant recommendations in Montréal. Here are some of my favorite places (in alphabetical order to avoid hierarchies). In selecting these places, I have a very basic but stern selection criteria. I have been to all of these places multiple times and had a great experience every time. I will be updating this list every time I discover a new favorite, so please feel free to check back, leave comments, and let me know about your favorites!
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I come to Vancouver at least once or twice a year, and love to try out new cafés, pubs, and restos, or go back to old favorites. Vancouver has some of the best pubs and breweries. And lots of outdoor patios and terraces in the summer. Here are some of the best I’ve found so far. It is primarily limited to the downtown areas, but I will try to branch out in the future.
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Victoria HighlightsI’ve lived in Victoria for over 15 years and know its café and food culture quite well. I come back once or twice a year, and I am always pleasantly surprised by new quality food places and coffee shops. Of course there are also the good old favorites, like Spinnakers that never lose their charm. Here are some of my recommendations.
Kat Sark
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Concernant les lieux servant des cocktails tout en jouissant d’une vue époustouflante sur la ville je ne saurai mieux vous recommander le “Raphaël” à Paris. Il s’agit de la terrasse de cette hôtel ( de luxe) ouverte à tous et qui permet d’avoir une vue inoubliable de la capitale pour un service irréprochable; Evidemment à faire lorsque la ville n’est pas plongée dans la pollution urbaine – ce qui n’est pas si rare que ça- .
Cet établissement de surcroît a un certain passé historique que je vous invite à découvrir sur leur site dédié.
Pour ma part étant de la région parisienne je n’y vais que rarement mais lorsque j’ai des hôtes qui sauront apprécier je n’hésite pas.
A bon entendeur!