For Sant Jordi we went to Barnes and Noble in Lincoln Center and enjoyed some Catalan music and snacks, and of course, books and roses. We also met some new friends belonging to the Catalan-American dating network and had a late afternoon brunch at Cafe Mozart. (Stay away from the mimosas – they contain pulp! the horror!) Also, for anyone who hasn’t visited the uptown B&N, you really need to check it out. It’s five floors of heaven.

Although the Sant Jordi book-giving tradition starting as a marketing gimick, I have to say that I find it much more satisfying to exchange books than candy as we do on Valentine’s Day (also a marketing gimick).

In other news, Endy Chavez gets a gold star for the day.

Due to certain connections in the New York Catalan community, I was able to enjoy an incredible feast at Mercat on Sunday night. We braved the rain and were rewarded with a wide selection of tapas including:

• pa amb tomaquet (toasted bread rubbed with tomato and olive oil
• arbaquines (small Catalan olives)
• calamarcets (fried baby squid with lemon)
• rap amb romesco (monkfish with romesco)
• beef with eggplant (can’t remember what it’s called)
• fideus negres (noodles with squid in its own ink)
• crema catalana
• fried dough with chocolate
• espresso
• rose cava
• …all washed down with a Spanish rioja (okay, not Catalan but still nice)

Tell all your friends!

Our trip to the Berkshires gave us a chance to get out of the city and breathe some fresh air. We stayed at Hampton Terrace in a private suite, enjoying fine hospitality, a huge breakfast, and our own jacuzzi and fireplace.

How did we spend our days? Well, I’ll tell you.

Friday

• Driving up the Taconic with Oscar at the wheel.
• Pit stop in Lee for some outlet shopping.
• Arrive at the b&b. Settle into our digs.

Saturday

• Big ass breakfast.
• Morning in the emergency room to deal with a nasty throat infection that decided to emerge overnight. Sweet.
• Stop at the wine and cheese shop for indoor picnic supplies.
• Sleep for hours and let meds work their magic.
• Head to Stockbridge for dinner and live music at the Red Lion Inn.

Sunday

• Big ass breakfast.
• On a tip from Stan, the innkeeper, we headed to the Clark Institute in Williamstown and the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge.
• Music and a pint of Guiness (Coke for the invalid).

Monday

• Big ass breakfast.
• Check out of our palace.
• Drive down through Great Barrington and on to Millbrook to visit some friends and enjoy a little more fresh air before heading back to NYC.

If anyone is looking for a nice place to get away, try Hampton Terrace. I have stayed in a lot of nice places, and this one was far and away the best. I know I’m looking forward to going back when I can.