As a native South Dakotan, it’s a little weird for me to highlight something there as a travel find.  This is especially true in Sioux Falls, since I lived there for four years as a college student.  That said, I’ve visited Queen City Bakery on each of my last few trips home and it definitely deserves a mention.

Like me, the owners spent a few years in Brooklyn and, as a result, the bakery has a subtle New York vibe.  The coffee is from Gimme! Coffee in Ithaca, the hot chocolate is from Jacques Torres in Brooklyn and the tea is from SerendipiTea on Long Island.  Also, and perhaps more important for my recommendation, every baked good that I’ve tried there has been fantastic.

In additional to the bakery’s excellent offerings, it’s also located in my favorite part of town: near downtown, by the river (hello, memories of my 21st birthday).  And, it’s housed in a charmingly renovated industrial building. Good food, good coffee, lots of character; stop by the next time you’re passing through town.

I’ve been taking a lot of quick trips this winter: Lisbon, Barcelona, Glasgow and Paris, so far.  Along the way, I’ve found a few gems.

Paris

Via a recommendation from a friend-of-a-friend, I spent a boozy afternoon at Le Baron Rouge, an awesome wine bar on Rue Théophile Roussel in the 12th.  Wine is served straight from the cask and is remarkably reasonably priced (all about €4-5 a bottle).  We also enjoyed a fantastic cheese board and were tempted by the plates of fresh oysters that several other tables were enjoying.  Reviews suggest that the bar is often crowded but we found that rolling in mid-afternoon on a chilly Saturday awarded us both a table and quick(ish) service.  The Hip Paris Blog has a nice write-up here.

Barcelona

I went to Barcelona in January for a friend’s hen do (bachelorette party, for the Americans).  On our last day, we spent an afternoon at Aire de Barcelona, amazing Turkish baths in a renovated warehouse.  The baths are a series of pools and steam baths in a gorgeous cave-like setting.  Spa services (facials, massages, etc.) are also available.  Honestly, I was a bit skeptical of the idea pre-visit but after two hours of baths and a very reasonably-priced massage, I was not only blissfully relaxed but also felt refreshingly detoxed after the booziness of the previous days.

Pic courtesy of Secrets of Barcelona

Lisbon

Tasc’a Quinta is a tiny, cozy restaurant on Rua de São João da Praça in the Alfalma district of Lisbon.  It’s only open on Thursdays and our visit was a mix delicious Portuguese food, performance art and crowd participation (we learned to spin plates on the cobblestone street outside).  We lucked out and were able to get a table without a reservation, but I think that was out of the ordinary.

Glasgow

After attending a wedding at the beautiful Oran Mor, my boyfriend and I spent an afternoon exploring the West End of Glasgow.  Along the way, we wandered into the quirkily charming Hillhead Bookclub.  It was the ideal spot for a restorative pot of tea and I suspect that it’d be even more fun for evening cocktails.

Pic courtesy of The Skinny.