It's Official!

It's official - the Frenchman, David, who has been staying with us this past week has declared that "York is a very romantic city". When a Frenchman says it's romantic - who would NOT believe him?!

I have to agree, I think York is a very romantic city too.

What makes York romantic? It could be that it is an intimate city with cobblestoned streets and snickelways (little alleyways that take you from one street to the next) where you can meander from shop to shop. Could it be the beautiful architecture from the medieval "Shambles" and Georgian houses to the impressive Victorian buildings or the majestic York Minster? Even the Aviva building constructed in the 1980s is a beautiful piece of modern architecture - I think Prince Charles would even approve! Or maybe it's the wine bars and restaurants. Or possibly a combination of it all that creates a lovely atmosphere of charm.

What I will say is York is NOT a pretentious city - it is a city for everyone from country folk to urban dwellers, people from all walks of life cannot help but fall in love with it. Maybe that is what makes it romantic.

Food for thought

Just got back from a quick bite to eat with the kids in town. And I have to say, I really enjoyed our little independent restaurant - Tuscany, located right next to the Mansion House (the home of the Lord Mayor of York). www.york360.co.uk/restaurants/tuscany.htm

I can't say the food was outstanding - it was fine - good Italian food. I would recommend the pizza, the dough was tasty. And I really like the contemporary rustic decor. Does that work together?! - yes.

But what I liked best was when I went to the loo, it was IMMACULATE!

Now, in my youth, I worked with a very special lady who was an editor at Harper's Bazaar. And whenever we went out on a business lunch, she would send me to the powder room shortly after sitting down and ask me to report back. I always assumed it was because she wanted a quiet word with whomever we were dining with. This was possible, but she was equally interested in what the powder rooms looked like. Between the two of us, we discovered there was a direct correlation between clean and well looked after loos and good food!!

Just a thought!