Thanksgiving in Geneva

Growing up, I always wanted the big family winter holiday events and of course snow! (Snow, not very realistic for a Californian!) Only my immediate family lived in the States, so there weren’t any big family events, and my Mom use to always tell me how lucky I was…

When the holidays rolled around, we often celebrated with friends or better yet, traveled! Now, that I’m older and maybe a tiny bit wiser, I understand why my Mom use to say we were lucky (and this has nothing to do with my extended family :) - as they’re all AMAZING!!!). I was fortunate, because I developed a love for discovering new places and meeting new people at an early age. Plus, over the years, since it was never an obligation for me to be with my immediate family, and sometimes not a possibility, I’ve been invited into the homes of many friends, which has fulfilled many of those childhood desires.

My most favorite Thanksgiving memory was a family trip to San Felipe in Baja California. A small beach town, located on the Gulf of California, known for its unique ecosystem, where the desert meets the sea, and where it’s supposedly always beautiful and sunny. Umm… unfortunately, that was not the case for us that weekend; it was cold and rainy the whole time. Instead of sun and surf, we ended up strolling the small town, meeting the locals, and discovering fish tacos. It was a fabulous weekend!

Nowadays, my family is even more global, with my brother in Vancouver, my parents somewhere between Florida and Montreal, and me in Paris, so a family get-together is pretty much out the window. No problem! Perfect excuse to go visit Carmen! Geneva here I come!!! :)

Obviously, must be the best store in Geneva!

I arrived in Geneva, and Carmen whisked me off to a place called Halles des L’îles, with the disclaimer that Geneva doesn’t get any better than this … Halles des L’îles is the current posh hip bar/restaurant located on a small island in the Rhone River.

During dinner, I became friendly with the table next to us, and got some Geneva recommendations, and maybe even a future job contact in NYC. Off to a good start, I would say! Afterwards, we headed to the bar for a couple of drinks before we headed over to the club Le Baroque.

Le Baroque was it’s own special little world. One of Lucy’s friends had a table, with a humongous bottle of Belvedere that has it’s own special contraption so you can pour the thing, and glows so everyone in the club can see that you spent a ridiculous amount of money on vodka. Lucy mentioned that this bottle was worth about $10K, and that they regularly purchase these things. Personally, not impressed! Really, you’re just going to pee it all out! Come on, it's just Belvedere vodka! I rather spend that money on a Hermes handbag or an awesome vacation, it just seems so much more logical to me :)

The most exciting part of Le Baroque experience was that Redman was a surprise guest DJ. We were already on the upper level of the club, so I was able to wiggle my way right up next to Redman (I literally had the best spot in the house), and took about a dozen videos and pictures of him.

After my weekend, the best way I can describe Geneva’s nightlife is interesting, and I guess, entertaining… A lot of testosterone heightened egos floating around, that’s for sure!

When in Switzerland, you must have fondue, and the best fondue in Geneva is at La Buvette (the snack shop) at Les Bains de Paquis (the baths of Paquis). Les Bain de Paquis is located on a jetty on the lake, and it’s a place where you can go swim naked in the lake and go to the hamman. [Paul, this place is right up your alley!] In the winter, their snack shop turns into one of Geneva’s best fondue spots. You order outside, then find a spot on one of the many picnic benches, and eat away. They are famous for their fondue because it's made with Crémant instead of the traditional white wine.

Since it was Thanksgiving weekend after all, we celebrated on Sunday when everything is closed, and quite in Geneva. Carmen and I started cooking around 11:00PM Saturday night, and woke up bright and early, to bake the pies and cook the turkey. Carmen’s first turkey, came out delish! A house full of New Yorkers, Ralph Lauren employees, and me, celebrated Thanksgiving in style; we ate and drank like it was our last meal!