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A Spring in Our Step:
April at The Purple Passport |
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| Greetings!
Welcome to the April 2012 edition of The Purple Passport Newsletter! Read on to find out how you can "Put Your Stamp On The World" this month. |
| From the Pen of Emily and Jenn |  Ahh, spring is in the air! Dear readers, there's nothing more invigorating to me than breathing in that fresh spring air, gazing upon those budding flowers, and waking to the trilling of the songbirds back from their winter journeys. And while those feathery friends may be returning from a trip, I can't help but start thinking about going on a trip or two. Lately, my thoughts have turned towards Asia, and in particular Beijing, a city that I just can't seem to stay away from.
Springtime in Beijing can be a bit risky with the sandstorm winds blowing in dust from the Gobi Desert, but when you catch those few wind-free weeks, you'll be greeted with a picture-perfect spring scene: trees blossoming, skies a startling clear blue, and people coming out of hibernation to soak up the sunshine in Beijing's outdoor venues. From walking the touristy streets of Wangfujing's night market area to ambling among the ruins of the Summer Palace, Beijing is chock-full of compelling spots...and eats! I love dining alfresco at Source when I'm craving a light Sichuan meal or at Assaggi when I'm looking for some fresh pasta. And let's not forget the nightlife----the arrival of spring means nightlife that extends outdoors through summer, and one of my favorite spots in the world for grabbing a drink with some friends is on the roof garden at XIU in the Park Hyatt. But if your ultimate idea of nightlife is a clear view of the moon, the best place to stay is Commune by the Great Wall, with its architecturally stunning villas nestled amid springtime greenery along the Great Wall just outside of the city. -- Emily, Co-Founder |
| Bikes, Blooms, and Books in Los Angeles | |
 The mild temps and brilliantly clear afternoons of spring have arrived in Los Angeles, and the city is abuzz with activity this month to make the most of the new season. On April 15, Angelenos will turn out in droves for CicLAvia, a semi-annual event where a web of streets feeding into downtown is closed to cars, making way for a bonanza of bicycles (along with pedestrians, skateboarders, etc.). It's a great way to experience downtown sans traffic and pollution, and the people-watching opportunities are unparalleled (you'll see everything from costumed cyclists to groups literally dancing in the streets)! If you're in downtown for the event, don't forget to fuel up at Purple favorites like Daikokuya for Japanese ramen and 1920s diner The Original Pantry Café for french toast or a steak. Also in downtown is the sweet-smelling LA Flower District, a sprawling flower market where you can enjoy the fresh-cut blooms of spring and pick up a bouquet or two.
The following weekend, books take center stage in the neighborhood as the University of Southern California hosts the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. This annual event is a utopia for book lovers, with panels on writing of every genre, talks by bestselling authors, spoken word performances, and oodles of stalls selling books, books, books! Being book lovers ourselves, we find it hard to leave the event without stuffing our Purple Passport canvas tote (see below for our tote bag giveaway details!) with new volumes. But we're also keenly aware that eBooks weigh a lot less on our shoulder, so we love finding out about new titles we can download too.
Speaking of which, no trip to Los Angeles is complete without our recently released eBook guide The Purple Passport to Los Angeles. Available for purchase at the Amazon Kindle store, it'll put the best of the city's hotels, restaurants, shops, nightlife spots, spas, and sights-along with helpful maps and city-orienting information-right at your touchpad-ready fingertips. Plus, the super-mobile format will put an extra spring in your step!
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| Purple Updates - Our eBooks Top Digital Travel Titles | |
 On the eBook tip, we're pleased to share with you that our eBook guides are top sellers among digital travel guides in the Amazon Kindle Store! The Purple Passport to London is consistently a Top 5 Best Seller among Great Britain Travel titles, and The Purple Passport to Los Angeles and The Purple Passport to Paris both hold impressive Best Seller rankings within their respective categories. We'd like to thank all of you, dear readers, for supporting our eBook series. And for those who haven't yet purchased a title, we invite you to see what all of the fuss is about! We're certain that you'll love having all of our Purple Passport goodies in a convenient guidebook format that you can download to your digital device of choice and slip into your bag for on-the-go travel adventures.
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| Purple Giveaway! - The Purple Passport Canvas Tote |  We can't think of a better bag for our on-the-go adventures than our very own Purple Passport canvas tote. The durable (and fashionable! It's emblazoned with The Purple Passport logo...) bag is the perfect size for throwing together all of the day's necessities, and we still have room left over for stashing any purchases we make along the way, whether we pick up books at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books or a couple of baguettes at a Parisian boulangerie. As a thank you to our newsletter subscribers, we're giving away a free bag to the first three responders! Just send an email to promotions@thepurplepassport.com with your name and address (we will discard the info immediately after the contest), and we'll let you know if you've got this contest in the bag! |
| Venue of the Month - Musée Rodin |  Ah, springtime in Paris...what could be more grand? The delicate weather of the season and the blooming gardens (not to mention the latest spring fashions) always make us fall in love with the city afresh. It's hard to stay cooped up indoors for any prolonged stretch, even to view grand art canvases in the city's distinguished museums. Which is why this month, our eye's on Musée Rodin, where we don't have to sacrifice outdoor time to feast our eyes on fabulous art. The highlight of this intimate museum is the a lovely sculpture garden, where you can get up close and personal with famous Rodin works like The Thinker and The Kiss and, by and large, avoid the tourist throngs who dominate at larger museums like Musée du Louvre. There's a small casual café in the garden, which makes a nice spot to enjoy a snack in the spring air. And as far as those spring fashions go...the designer boutiques of the Saint-Germain-des-Prés are just a hop, skip, and a jump away (and trust us, Paris in springtime will have you hopping, skipping, and jumping for joy!).
Photo of Musée Rodin courtesy of dalbera on Flickr Creative Commons |
About The Purple Passport
The Purple Passport was born out of a passion for travel, a love of the world's great cities, and a desire to spread the word. Our founders, best friends Emily and Jenn, have been traveling internationally together for over a decade-with purple-colored passport covers in tow. Now they've created this one-stop-shop, web-based city guide for all your urban travel needs, from researching a trip start to finish to creating an itinerary shared with your own favorite travel companions.
In keeping with our founding spirit, The Purple Passport personally visits every single spot that we review. And we always pay our own way, never taking compensation for covering a venue on the site or in our newsletter, which means you'll get the most honest, unbiased travel information for the world's most exciting cities. It's a portal to a world well-traveled, and we invite you to PUT YOUR STAMP ON THE WORLD!
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