A Weekend in Milan...

So, for the first time since my son George was born in 2004, he went away for the weekend without us. 11 years… long time I know. He went to Rome to do a 3 day Talent Weekend with an organization called "Younite". My best friend Nan runs this amazing company and you should definitely check it out.

Alrighty, so no child for the weekend meant we were FREE... free free free!!! It was definitely time for a weekend away and we chose to go to Milan. I have been feeling really homesick lately (see last post) and needed a big city experience. We left Saturday morning on the Frecce Bianca, which is the fast train here in Italy and got to Milan in just 3 hours. If you are going to be in Milan for at least 24 hours, I suggest you purchase the 24 hour metro/tram pass. Totally worth it at only 4,50.

We stayed at the Nhow hotel (picture above) and it was freaking awesome!!! Super simple to get to on the metro from the main train station with just a short walk through a funky neighborhood and we were there. It was modern, minimalist and chic. Perfect for a getaway weekend with no child. *wink wink*

After we got settled in, we set out to explore Milan. I think we saw absolutely everything in 2 days as according to my Fitbit, we walked more than 40 kilometers! To be perfectly honest, after seeing so much, it's all a bit of a beautiful blur, but here is what we checked out:

- Duomo & La Scala (must see but filled with tourists)
- Brera - San Babila - Via Bagutta (my favorite charming area)
- Corso Garibaldi & all the way up until the new part with the sky scrapers
- Isola (very cool newer area with great shops & restaurants)
- Navigli & Porta Ticinese (great aperitivo places & funky shops)
- Porta Venezia (so many "all you can eat" fusion/sushi restaurants in this area)
- Corso Buenos Aires (many high street shops)
- Via Montapoleone - Corso Venezia - Via dell Spiga (High end window shopping)
- Chinatown (go to Corey's Soul Chicken for lunch)

We of course also went to the highly talked about Eataly which was unfortunately incredibly crowded. Hello Christmas! It is a gorgeous store filled with all sort of yummy Italian food and reminded me a lot of Dean and DeLuca. We also went to the famous la Rinascente which was crazy! It could have been a really beautiful spot to shop at but I felt like we were in Times Square on NYE. Insanity. So many people. Too many people. We also ran across an ice skating rink and Christmas market near the sky scrapers. So pretty and festive.

Eataly

My Man Getting Me Some Coffee To Go At California Bakery

My Man even Carries My Bag When We Travel. 

Can't Remember Where This Was, But It Was Gorgeous!

Ahhh… I Do Love You Italy.

So Milan was amazing and I definitely will be back. I must say that after all of the cultural, chic and interesting places, one of my most favorite finds was "Corey's Soul Chicken" in Chinatown. I know it wouldn't be your classic tourists dream spot as it is fried chicken, homemade corn bread and baked beans, and even pumkin pie! However for this tourist, well... I was in heaven. After more than 15 years living in Italy, meeting Corey from Kentucky (whom by the way is incredibly cool),and eating his amazing home cooked food Louisiana style was the highlight of my weekend. You can take the girl out of America, but ya can't take the American out of this girl.