DJ Cunningham

Real Del Mar and a New Start

Posted on April 6, 2019 by DJ CunninghamApril 25, 2019

Traveling to a new destination is always a thrill. I’ve made several repeat visits to a lot of places over the last 10 years. I’m never bored in the places I return to again and again. Often times, I relish the thought of returning to some of my favorite spots – hello, 11th Moon in Laguna Beach! But it is always good to shake things up a bit and explore new territory. That is precisely what happened on my trip to Real Del Mar, Mexico.

Technically, it was a work trip—my first shoot for the Meet Me There series. But it couldn’t have come at a better time. I was reeling from my father’s recent death. My whole world had been turned on its head. When I traveled to Real del Mar, I was just coming off of my Dad’s funeral the week before. Some alone time on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, even with some work thrown in, was just what I needed. In fact, I’d never needed it more.

I was excited for this first shoot, and a little nervous. As the first one to arrive at the house, I had the views all to myself, and I settled into a lounge chair by the infinity pool and took full advantage of the solitude. It felt nice. Really nice.

View to a Chill

I couldn’t help but think about my Dad and the trips he’d taken with me over the last 8 years. He would have LOVED Real Del Mar. Dad was the kinda guy who liked to sip on a cocktail and “shoot the breeze” about everything from his latest building projects to his new favorite recipe. We had done just that very thing on every trip we’d taken together. Dad was thrilled about the Meet Me There series and knew how excited I was about the project, too. It broke my heart to think he wouldn’t get to see any of it come together.

Surf’s Up

But as soon as my feet hit the ground the next morning, the team and I were off and running on an unforgettable Mexican adventure. It was my first time in Real Del Mar, so I signed myself up for some other firsts—like surfing!

I confess—I am not a huge fan of water activities. Sure, I like to swim in the pool and hang out at the beach, but you’ll never catch me clambering for a boogie board or spending hours playing volleyball in the pool. I’m a leisurely, poolside kind of gal! The water is a side attraction, not the main event.

But I’d recently made a list of my personal 10 Commandments—at the top of the list is a promise that I will take the leap, every time—no matter what. I couldn’t break my own Commandment.

Hangin’ 10 and a few fingers

Nothing motivates you to get up on a surfboard like a video crew “audience” on the shoreline and a photographer floating next to you a camera up your ass, it really motivates you to get up on that surfboard. I knew I had to deliver…something…or I’d have brought us all out here for nothing. So I went for it and found myself surfing! In the Pacific Ocean! On my very first attempt to stand up. Mission accomplished! And I looked amazing (thanks to Henry, a whiz with the camera!) I never dreamed I could do it. Sadly, my honors performance on the surfboard really cut down on the number of water-soaked, four-letter rants for the blooper reel. Sorry kids!

Mingling with the Gypset

I’ve met a lot of characters while traveling, but I had my first real encounter with a gypsy in Sayulita. But Natalie is not just a gypsy—she’s part of the Gypset. What the heck is a Gypset? According to Urban Dictionary:

Gypset
…Fusing the ease and carefree lifestyle of a gypsy with the sophistication of the jet set, Gypsetters are artists, surfers, designers, and bon vivants who live and work around the globe, from Jose Ignacio, Uruguay and Ibiza, Spain, to Montauk, New York. Gypset Style explores the unconventional, wanderlust lives of these high-low cultural nomads and the bohemian enclaves they inhabit, as well as their counterculture forbears, such as the Victorian explorers, the Lost Generation, the Beatniks, and the hippies.

Natalie is a gypset lifestyle guru and the eccentric owner at Pachamama, an amazing little shop and gallery. As soon as I stepped into her store, I was totally mesmerized. I couldn’t stop touching things, like the black tahitian pearl jewelry strung on leather cords and the handmade, locally designed bags. I played dress-up in a hand-embroidered dress that ended up coming home with me. I also snagged some amazing gold spiral earrings! I haven’t decided if I’m going to wear the dress or hang it on the wall. It is simply stunning and so colorful!

Natalie was dressed like a gypsy goddess. Not too many women can pull off a look that includes no shoes, a slinky slip dress, face paint, and an enormous feather in the hair, but she did just that.

The Essentials

When I think of Mexico, my monkey brain immediately goes to tacos and tequila. Mama Lucia tequila factory was an essential stop on our trip. We took a tour and did a little tasting. Well, maybe more than a little. But the tequila did not disappoint.

Triple Threat at Mama Lucia

You can’t drink tequila without a toast. So with each shot, we did a different toast. I had to stop somewhere after four or five “toasts”. After all, I was working, and the fear of an embarrassing blooper reel surfacing still loomed large in my head. So when you see me swirling around in the episode with a shot of tequila in my hand, I’m not drunk! That was all part of one of our hula/shake-your-money-maker/throw-back-a-shot-of-tequila toasts! I promise.

Bottoms up!

The food in and around Real Del Mar was yummy. I’d spent the previous week in Arkansas with my family, eating more than my fair share of Southern comfort food. I was reluctant to overindulge on food while on the shoot—I had a swimsuit to wear, after all, and the camera doesn’t lie!

But when I arrived at Tacos on the Street, my dreams of moderation went straight out the window. The restaurant delivers exactly what the name suggests – Tacos on the Street. The food was fresh and the flavors melded together brilliantly. The tacos were so good, I ordered seconds and ate every last bit.

Tacos on my plate!

After two weeks in shock, a trip to Real del Mar was exactly what the doctor ordered. It was relaxing, invigorating, and never, ever boring. I learned a few new tricks and got way out of my comfort zone…and liked it. I’d go back in a second. But next time, I’ll work on my surfing and indulge in a few stiff margaritas and a few plates of tacos. But this time, I’ll leave my cameraman behind. My adventures—and my bloopers!—will be mine alone.

That’s a wrap – with my camera man Henry!

Real del Mar – Meet Me There

Posted on March 18, 2019 by DJ CunninghamApril 25, 2019

Seeing a place for the first time is always exhilarating. Real del Mar was no exception for me. Dad had just passed away suddenly and I was circling in a whirlwind of emotions. The drastic change of scenery was exactly what I needed. This particular trip was also the start of a new chapter in my career after coming out of an early-retirement of sorts after getting married and raising a family. I think it was only fitting to start in Mexico with tequila, surfing and a fascinating gypsy! Watch the episode here!

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Gypset Chic in Sayulita

Posted on March 17, 2019 by DJ CunninghamApril 25, 2019

Living in New York, I see a lot of really well dressed—and often over-the-top dressed—people on the streets. In my neighborhood, I often see one of New York City’s best dressed men. His adorable daughter and my handsome son are in the same grade. On Fifth Avenue, it’s all about high-end labels, handbags, shoes, and jewels. Seriously, some of these women, from head to toe, sport at least $100K worth of clothing and accessories. Further downtown, it’s street chic at its finest, from club kids to cross-dressers.

When I hit the streets of Sayulita in Mexico, I was not expecting to be wowed by the fashion scene, much less meet a fashion inspiration. Little did I know that I was about to be blown away by Sayulita’s gypset fashionista—Natalie, the owner of Pachamama gallery and boutique.

Natalie from PachaMama
Photo by: Stefanie Michejda

I’ve talked before about “gypsetters”—those lucky artists, surfers, and bon vivants that you find flitting between places like Montauk, Ibiza, and, yes, Sayulita. Not only is Natalie a card-carrying member of the genre, she’s so much like the wind that she’s nearly impossible to track down. We showed up in Sayulita with our fingers crossed, hoping to cross paths and convince her to speak with me on camera. To our joy, she said yes, but only after she could get “camera ready.” I already liked this woman! She may be part of a carefree lifestyle but she knows when she needs to look her very best!

While she primped and prepped, I wanted to show off the store’s wares on camera for my episode of Meet Me There – Real del Mar. I couldn’t resist a short version of the gorgeous hand-embroidered caftans on sale. Each one was a piece of wearable art.

Then I spotted the jewelry case! Displayed casually in the black case were several exquisite necklaces made of black Tahitian pearls strung on soft leather cords. They called out to me! So with a triple strand of pearls around my neck and one arm wrapped up in a fringed snakeskin cuff, I had appropriately worked myself up into a retail lather when Natalie walked back into the boutique.

The first time I saw her, she was chic enough. But when she glided back into the shop, she looked like a Mexican gypsy goddess, dressed in a long silk slip dress that hung perfectly over her tanned, slender frame. She had adorned herself with tribal body paint with a trail of white dots marking the middle of her face. To top it off, and I mean really top it off, she had a HUGE – like three-foot-long – bird feather tucked into the top of her hair. And she wore it like she pulls off this look on a regular basis without a lot of fanfare and drama. I mean, I wake up thinking, “it feels like a Rag and Bone Jeans and boots kind day” where Natalie probably wakes up and thinks, “I’m gonna wear tribal body art and a three-foot-long bird feather in my hair”.

We talked about life, passions, black Tahitian pearls, family, art, and sailing to Mexico from Europe – which she did, of course. All of the things she loves are incorporated into her boutique, which is really an extension of her own family. Their photos hang all around the gallery, and each of her children looks like they stepped out of a magazine spread.

I love stumbling across a fabulous travel treasure, and Pachamama in Sayulita is one of my favorite hidden gems. After wearing the amazing caftan around the boutique for nearly an hour, I had to buy it. It’s stunning, colorful, and handmade by a group of local women. So I wasn’t just shopping, I was funding the local artisans!

Loved it – bought it!

I left the boutique feeling inspired as I headed off to my surfing lesson. I wondered if I’d ever see Natalie again. People like her seem to pop up in your life only once.

Fast forward three months:

I’m at the MOMA with Corbin, who wanted to see Van Gogh’s Starry Night, because, according to him, it’s the second most famous piece of art in the world. (We were just a few days away from our Paris trip, where he wanted to see the most famous piece—the Mona Lisa).

As I walked up to the desk to pay for our ticket, I spied a tall woman standing a few feet away, wearing an AMAZING long, silk, tie-dyed dress, and guess what? A bird feather in her hair! No. It couldn’t be Natalie. But there she was. Natalie the gypset goddess was standing next to me—at the MOMA, of all places, thousands of miles away from the shores of Sayulita. We exchanged hellos and talked a little, clearly both stunned to see each other. You really never do know who you’ll run into in New York!

Pachamama details: This magical spot doesn’t have a website, or a social media presence, or anything else. It’s way too cool for that. If you wanna shop there, you gotta get yourself to Sayulita! And when you do, tell Natalie you heard about it from me.

Hawaii Reset

Posted on March 7, 2019 by DJ CunninghamApril 25, 2019

I consider myself a travel addict.

“Hi, my name is DJ. My last trip was 7 days ago.”

I have laid my eyes on many stunning places over the years. And probably like you, I’ve snapped endless photos of sunsets, a few sunrises, buildings, cathedrals and castles along the way. To anyone other than me, these photos produced a lot of yawns and some moments of radio silence. In one word were are BORING! But as an “addict”, I can’t stop snapping pictures. So my subjects over the years have changed moving away from things to people. Primarily MY people like Corbin, Leo and my family and friends. And of course myself. Hello, Selfie!

In June, I spent 7 glorious days in Hawaii. It was my first visit to the Big Island and it will not be my last. My one and only goal for this trip was to do whatever was necessary to hit my reset button. So instead of vacation days full of sight seeing, shopping and eating. My vacation plan consisted of the following.

1. Sleep

2. Eat

3. Chill out – without worrying about Corbin’s schedule, talking to lawyers, discussing the future, over eating, blowouts, makeup, dry cleaning, bikini waxes, recycling the trash, grocery store lists, appointments, etc. This proved to be challenging until #5 kicked in. Keep reading!

4. Exercise

5. Enjoy an adult beverage

6. Repeat all of the above as needed

I stuck to my plan and can say that for the first time in a very long time I finally felt as if I had a solid amount of sleep! And of course along the way, I started snapping photos on my iPhone. By the way, do any of you travel with a real camera anymore? I haven’t in years but pulled it on on my recent trip to Antarctica with Exclusive Resorts. I snapped a great shot of the sunrise on my first morning because I woke up at my normal East coast time which is six hours ahead of Hawaii. I’m NOT a fan of sunrises! I captured many sunset photos, too! All very pretty, but yet still BORING!

On my last day, I took what I can only say are two of my favorite travel photos yet.

One is of this fisherman I met at a local market, Da Fish House.

The Catch of the Day

He was getting out of his little Toyota truck as I was walked up. Why do big, giant men drive tiny trucks? Always makes me laugh when I see this. He spoke in a Hawaiian language that my Exclusive Resorts concierge Lahela told me was more of a local dialect. If you look closely you can see that his eyes are kind of gold in color. And then there are the tattoos and the fists full of yellow fin tuna. I could not stop checking this guy out. He was a site to behold. I kept trying to calculate how many dollars worth of sushi he was holding in his hands. Not to mention the shear size of this guy! Check out those man boobs! He and his friends had been fishing about 10 miles off the coast all night and were delivering the load of fish to the market.

A picture is worth a thousand words. This one is for sure. I only wish I would have put a mic on him (not sure what I would have clipped it to) and gotten his story on camera for our Meet Me There – Kohala Coast episode ! Guess that means, I should just go back,right? I mean, it is time for another trip. I’ve been home for seven days as I mentioned above. That’s long enough, don’t you think?

Oh, so you want to see my second photo? Here it is.

Wow. Just Wow.

My friend Hadley and I were walking over for our last island cocktails and dinner when I snapped this one. I think I spiffed it up with a filter on my iPhone but it didn’t need a lot of editing. Mother Nature never does really. This one is all about the clouds and is not BORING in the least.

Feel free to share some of your favorite travel photos from Hawaii below if you’d like. I’d love to see them!

It’s Been a Minute

Posted on August 9, 2018 by DJ CunninghamAugust 10, 2018

Wow! It’s been long time since I’ve posted anything on my website. Are you still there? I certainly hope so. I have a lot to talk about and to fill you in on since I last posted. If you keep up with me on social media you know a lot has happened in my life.

Let’s start with the biggest change. I am now a divorced woman! It took an excruciating amount of time and a shit load of money to make it happen, but I am free. At least legally speaking. I actually felt free the day he left us and I had the apartment to myself. Funny how that works when emotionally and financially controlling people move on and you reclaim your life.

Let me re-introduce myself! I am DJ Cunningham. It’s a totally pain in the ass to change all of the accounts, passports, social security cards, e-mail addresses and eventually the very name of this website, but I am a Cunningham. I always will be one. Thank God I didn’t engrave all of my sterling silver!

Over those four long years, I reinvented myself professionally. I created my dream job as an on-camera host, creator and producer of the travel series “Meet Me There”. How’d I do that? I was a member of the luxury travel club Exclusive Resorts. I’m a tv personality who likes to tell stories. I’ve traveled like a gypsy most of my adult life. I merged all three of those things and, voilà, I had my own travel series. I’ll be doing it again soon.

I took a huge leap and stepped back into the world of television news. I’ve spent the last few years at Inside Edition, the most successful syndicated show in television history in case you were wondering. If you find yourself competing on Jeopardy that fact may come in handy one day, so you’re welcome. Nearly a year to the date after I started, I was promoted to Entertainment Manager. It has been a fantastic experience during one of the most insane times in the news business. The experience is interesting to say the least. Stay tuned for more news!

Overnight, I became a single working Mom. Talk about a big change. I always wanted to work and have my own career but we found reasons not to pursue it after we married and Corbin was born. The biggest reasons were so I could stay at home with Corbin, we could travel as a family anytime we wanted and we didn’t really need the extra income. It’s important for Corbin to see me work and re-boot my career. Being a strong female role model for him is important.

My Dad died. Just like that. He was here one day. He was gone the next. That’s how it is for everyone. But it was out of the blue and a total kick in the teeth when it happened. I’d always called my Dad when I needed to talk. He was always my biggest cheerleader when it came to my career and anything else for that matter. Losing him just weeks after my marriage completely imploded was a real blow. I hate that Corbin didn’t get to spend more time hanging out with him and doing those things that granddads do with their grandsons.

I fell in love again. It’s amazing to be able to really FEEL love and give it back to someone who is receptive to it. My sweetheart has been in and out of my life since my years at the University of Arkansas. I’m so grateful we reconnected. Even more grateful to have a partner that can communicate with me, travel, explore, laugh, love, etc. It is a deep connection that I wasn’t sure would happen again for me. But it did. I love having him in my space and being in his. And coming from a woman who likes her own space, that is saying a lot!

So is that me in a nutshell since my last post? Pretty much! There will be more to come soon and under my name DJ Cunningham so keep an eye on your in-box.

Living the Dream in New York City

Posted on October 3, 2014 by DJ CunninghamOctober 3, 2014

Living the Dream

When I was anchoring the morning news cast at KTAL-TV in Shreveport, Louisiana, my dream was to move to New York City and take over for Katie Couric. I thought I’d look fantastic alongside Matt and Al. (Some days, I still think that!) But sometimes life takes you on the scenic route. That’s what happened to me. Fast forward—A few years later, I was no longer in television news. I was married and soon after nursing a baby and changing diapers. Fast forward to now…

All Smiles from the Sheep’s Meadow in Central Park

I am living in New York City and loving every minute of it. So half of my dream came true. But Katie, you can sleep easy. I’m no longer gunning for your job! So how did I get here? I would have never in a million years thought that my repeat vacation destination would later become my home town, thanks in part to our Exclusive Resorts Concierge in New York.

From Arkansas to the Apple

One day, at our home in Jonesboro, Arkansas, my husband and I had a serious discussion about moving to New York City. It went like this:

“DJ, what do you think about moving to New York City?”, said Mark.

“I’ll be ready in five minutes!”, DJ exclaimed.

It was one of the most decisive conversations we’d ever had.

We’d lived the majority of our lives in Arkansas, but from the first Exclusive Resorts trip to Manhattan, we were in love with the Big Apple. There wasn’t just one thing about the city that drew us here. There were a lot of different things. From the people and food, to the museums and lights of Broadway, the city captivated us in a way like no other city in the country.

After a few weekend getaways, we found ourselves scouting out apartments instead of sightseeing. Our ER concierge encouraged our curiosity. On her days off, she would go to real estate open houses and then call us with the scoop.(Talk about service that goes above and beyond!)

“It was awful. Total fixer-upper.”

“Those on-line photos have been photoshopped to death”

“It was AMAZING, D.J., you’d love the kitchen! But it’s under contract.”

It was a process. But finally, we found the right place for the whole family. We moved on August 10, 2010, and it was a day I will never forget. We walked into our beautiful new apartment on the Upper West Side with just a few suitcases and Leo, our dachshund.

My Living Room featured in Lonny October 2011

I knew I was no longer just a visitor in New York City. There would not be a car waiting to pick me up in a few days to catch a return flight to Arkansas. Or a packed schedule of things to see and do. All I had to do was put down my bags, kick off my shoes and exhale! I was home and I was over the moon excited about this new chapter in our lives.

Settling In

When we moved, I knew New York pretty well—for a visitor. But as you can probably imagine, living in New York City is a totally different experience. I moved from Jonesboro, Arkansas, a town of roughly 60,000 people, to one of the largest cities in the world in a matter of hours. Everything was different. You can’t just zip across town to the grocery store and park your car in the lot. I learned to love the subway, which is hands down the fastest and easiest way to get around NYC, other than walking!

All-weather gear was not anything I spent much time worrying about before I moved. Proper outwear is essential every day of the year in New York. It is a walking city and you need to be dressed appropriately all the time. Rain, sleet, snow or sun, I don’t want to be stuck in midtown without the proper gear in the event of a downpour or a blizzard in January. Or caught in the sweltering heat of July without my sunglasses and a hat! Without the sanctuary of a car to duck into, it’s just me and the elements most days. Although a taxi or the subway isn’t usually too far away.

Full Contact Shopping

About that grocery store, and shopping in general? It’s not easy to trek four blocks from the grocery store with heavy bags in tow! I learned to shop for a few days at a time so I could carry the bags home—or better yet, have them delivered. I can even order groceries on-line and have them delivered….all from the comfort of my bed! Grocery delivery definitely comes in handy when snow is piled high on the side walks and the temperature drops below freezing.

Maneuvering in a Manhattan grocery store is like living in a bad video game. The aisles are tiny and so are the grocery carts. The energy in my local store, Fairway, is similar at times to what you’d feel at a boxing match. You can feel the anticipation of someone about to take out a shopper with a one-two punch at any given moment, for no reason other than they aren’t moving fast enough!

School Next Door—And Everywhere

Some things are more convenient in New York than they were in Jonesboro. Corbin started kindergarten in the public school right next door to our apartment – no morning commute for us. In Jonesboro, I’d have to get Corbin in his car seat and make the drive across town to his school every day. But now it was just a short three-minute walk to the front of the school! Reading, writing, and arithmetic just steps away from home.

Corbin and the Hairy Creature at the Zoo

And let’s talk about the field trips! Corbin and his class have visited the Central Park Zoo, the Bronx Zoo, the Natural History Museum, and Ellis Island. He even has an upcoming trip to Washington, D.C., and a trip to London in his elementary school future. Growing up in Carlisle, Arkansas, I remember one time we checked out a local dairy farm and once even made a trip to the state capitol and the Little Rock Zoo! New York City itself is a classroom for Corbin and the rest of us, too.

Do Not Enter

What’s not part of my New York Experience? Two words: Times Square. Sure, I’ve done the touristy things in the city, and still do on occasion. But I only venture into Times Square if I’m on the losing end of a bet with Corbin and have to take him to the indoor Ferris wheel at Toys R Us to settle up. Other than that? Forget it. Even if I have theater tickets I’ll sidestep the whole area to avoid the chaos. (We did shoot ONE scene of the NYC episode of “Meet Me There” in Times Square. It was NUTS, even more so than usual. After we wrapped the episode, we found out that there had been a crash involving some tour busses a block away from where we were shooting!)

Escaping the Times Square Bus Crash Insanity

It’s been four years since we moved to New York City but it feels like I’ve been here much longer. I may be Southern by the grace of God, but I’m a big city girl at heart. As for the other half of my dream? I’m living it right now with Exclusive Resorts, getting to create “Meet Me There.” Sharing my adventures with you and introducing you to new people and places is also something my 22-year-old self would have never thought possible! See, dreams do come true, and sometimes turn out even better than you expected.

Not Your Mama’s Cookies – In Search of the Perfect Maracon

Posted on September 16, 2014 by DJ CunninghamSeptember 17, 2014

With all of the the trips I’ve taken, my favorite souvenirs are not tangible objects, although I’ve snagged some fun things along the way. (Hello, Cartier bracelet!) My favorite souvenirs are the experiences and memories created along the journey.

The Challenge

My recent trip to Paris was no exception. My Aussie friend Jackie Brown gave me a fabulous idea. When she went to Rhode Island, she set out on a quest to find the best clam chowder. The Black Pearl in Newport won out. (I’ve had their clam chowder numerous times and I’d have to agree.) She challenged me to do the same—find the best…something…in all of Paris. My first thought was to set out to find the best flute of champagne!! About two seconds later I decided my son didn’t need to be trotting around Paris with his Mom half lit from the bubbly.

Then I thought about the macaron. If you aren’t familiar with a macaron, it is a perfectly sized, meringue- and almond-based cookie sandwich, simultaneously light and chewy, filled with delicious flavors—everything from raspberry to caramel to green tea. As an Oreo addict, I like to think of a macaron as the Oreo’s upscale, cultured French relative.

Meet the Macaron – photo courtesy of Laduree

So off I went, across the Atlantic, with nearly 50 pounds of luggage and my one and only son in tow, in search of the perfect macaron. Within two minutes of landing at Charles De Gaulle, Corbin and I had a sighting—a delectable little macaron beckoning to us from airport’s Ladurée counter. But tempted as we were, first things first—we needed to get to the hotel to decompress from the long flight.

Our Welcome Macaron

But we didn’t have to wait much longer—walking into our beautiful apartment at the Hotel Raphael, we spied a full spread of treats, including a bucket of chilled champagne, a lovely note from Norbert, the hotel manager, and our first macaron contender. Our quest began. Strawberry, bite-sized, delicious—the macarons were the perfect welcome to the City of Lights – or the “City of Love,” as Corbin insisted on correcting me about daily!

Diamonds in the Rough

After some sleep and a hot shower, we set out along the Champs Elysees and bought more “classy Oreos”. They came from, of all places, the Publicis Grocery store around the corner, nowhere near as fancy as the Raphael. And they were fantastic! Simple and delicious, they hit the spot.

Temple of the Macaron

For our second macaron stop, we made a pilgrimage to the temple of macarons— Ladurée, the esteemed French bakery and inventors of the macaron as we know it. When we arrived, the line out the door let us know we were in for some serious yumminess. There were two lines – one to sit and eat and a second line to just walk in and buy a box of macarons. After lunch, we munched on the Strawberry, Raspberry, salted caramel, and rose. Corbin devoured two after committing to share them all with me and then reneging once the waiter put them on the table. Of course, they were divine–though the rose macaron was a bit weird to eat. While I love the smell of roses, the taste of rose really threw my senses off. Don’t get me wrong, it was really good. But I wasn’t compelled to order another rose macaron anytime soon. I just like to smell a rose and not taste a rose.

Sharing a salted caramel macaron

Our third macaron sample came from Ramella, a little shop in the Marais, one afternoon before we set off on a picnic in a nearby park. We went straight for our favorite flavors strawberry and raspberry. These were good, but I wasn’t blown away. The workmanship was not nearly as neat as the previous two competitors. If you find yourself in the area, though, I highly recommend you pop in and put together some things for a picnic lunch. It was scrumptious, though, I admit, a bit lost on me. By this time in the trip I was over fancy French food and was really craving a quinoa and spinach salad.

This is all that was left!

We made our fourth and final macaron purchase at an amazing store called Dalloyau. Corbin and I spied the store as we were walking out of the Jardin de Luxembourg after sailing boats.

Sailing, takes me away…Jardin de Luxembourg

I’d been encouraged to try a macaron “store” near Jardin de Luxembourg—was this the place? The store was immaculate. The display counters were simply beautiful. I bought one of everything. Corbin yelled at me from across the store, interrupting my impulse-buying spree. He had found the macarons. We bought four and headed out to find a taxi, just as it started to rain.

Dalloyau Deliciousness- photo by Market Manila

As soon as I bit into the first salted caramel macaron, I knew I’d possibly found the best macaron in Paris. This one had the right amount of firmness and just the perfect amount of soft, sweet filling. It was crafted with the kind of precision that would make an Army sergeant proud. These perfect specimens were so pretty to look at and admire that I almost didn’t want to eat them.

Empty sack #2 from Dalloyau

So where is the best macaroon in Paris? Drum roll, please! I have to give the crown to Dalloyau. From the taste, texture and presentation, they swept the competition. And guess what? I found out later that Dalloyau was actually NOT the store my friend recommended after all—that was a place called Pierre Herme! I guess this means I’ll have to make a return trip, right?

Despite crowning Dalloyau the winner, my advice is this: Next time you’re in Paris, stop and buy macarons whenever you see them! They’re like gelato in Italy – it’s all good! You can’t go wrong. My only caveat? Remember that the calorie exchange rate is exactly the same in Paris as it is in New York City. So leave your skinny jeans at home!

And anyway, half the fun is in the hunting—the time I spent with Corbin taste-testing macarons is what I will treasure long after the cookies are gone.