Some of My Spots and Art Exhibit NYC

The weather here is changing very quickly; the temperature is already in the 50s and 60s, and some leaves are starting to change to their autumn colors. And I am starting to feel very much adjusted to my new home. With the help of some exploration and the English psychologist I'm interning for, I have found some good spots that are making their way into my weekly rounds:

Thai's Asian Food Shop - Although I've yet to buy anything here, this hole-in-the-wall spot offers all the ingredients needed for making Asian dishes. None of which are in typical Czech grocery stores. Tofu, spices, frozen shrimp, etc.

Francouzka 66, Praha 10

Sahara Cafe - a little more expensive than most Czech restaurants, which tend to very inexpensive, but the food here is very good. The cuisine is mostly Mediterranean, and definitely worth a visit if you come to Prague.

Namesti Miru 6, Praha 2 

Country Life - a vegan buffet in old town. This place offers many simple, healthy options and is often quite good. I really like when they have vegetarian versions of tradition eastern European dishes, such as the soy meat goulash. 

Melantrichova 15, Praha 1

Musso Patisserie - a cute spot owned by a French couple (quite possibly the nicest people in hospitality positions I've met, definitely not displaying the typical czech coldness). They have some of the best pastries (macaroons, tarte tatin, etc.) I've had in Prague, a town filled with many bakery shops, pecivo in czech.

Italska 212, Praha 2

Shakespeare and Sons - a really cool little English book store and cafe in one of the hilly cobble stone streets of Prague 10. The spot is kind of a romanticized dark, older European bookstore; like, I usually go for a cognac and a fine cigar and to discuss Greek philosophy. 

Krymska 12, Prague 10

Harley's Bar - although a little more expensive (actually a lot, but still, we're talking about 3 dollar beers) than the average czech bar, this lively spot always offers American music, which is refreshing to hear when you a little drunk (for some reason, a lot of younger czech people seem to like heavy metal and intense house music, which, at least for me, makes quite a few places unpleasant). And, of course, the VH1 classic music videos playing on the wall are always a stitch. Old Prince videos rock. It also attracts an international crowd; we made a Chilean friend, Jaun Pablo, last night (who convinced us, embarrassingly easily at 4 am, to stop at Mickey D's after).

Dlouha 18, Praha 1

For those in New York, I  came across an article in the New York Times today about an exhibit in NYC at Aperture Gallery on Josef Koudelka, a wonderful photographer who documented the Soviet invasion of Prague in 1968 after the period of much political and cultural progression called the Prague Spring. Here are some of the images on view:

Invasion 68 Prague

Josef Koudelka

Aperture Gallery

547 West 27th Street, 4th Floor