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After traveling over 10 hours on a nonstop flight from Los Angeles, I was ready to stretch my legs in Frankfurt. I exited the aircraft and made my way into the terminal. I was shocked to find that that Frankfurt airport felt like a ghost town. Considering this city is a big travel hub, I wasn’t expecting that, but it sure made it a breeze to go through border control. There was literally no line. Hallelujah!
Frankfurt’s airport is also super convenient for getting into the city since they have a train station connected to it. I was able to easily buy myself a seat on the train going to the main Frankfurt station (Frankfurt Main Hbf). Though the train was slightly behind and a bit costly (17 euros, really?), it was also very convenient if you’re tired from a long day of traveling. As I exited the train at Frankfurt Main Hbf, I was greeted by a sea of people. I walked out of the station and didn’t have the “wow” moment you sometimes get after arriving in Europe. Truth be told, the area felt super sketchy (and I live in LA, so that's saying something). The good news, though, is that there are a lot of people walking around and once you move further into the city it gets a bit better. My hotel, Hotel Dusseldorf Hof, was about a 10-minute walk from the train station. Unfortunately, you also have to pay a city fee, which was about 4 euros. The rooms in this hotel are hilariously tiny. The bed pretty much takes up the whole room. I'm kind of curious how the cleaning staff is even able to change the sheets. After relaxing a bit and getting a second wind, I made my way over to Römerberg. This is definitely one of the cuter areas of Frankfurt and is close by the river. Römerberg has a great center square surrounded by more of that traditional German architecture and outdoor restaurants. As I sat down for a celebratory beer, I suddenly remembered the reason why I couldn’t actually live in Europe: the cigarette smoke. When one person stopped, another lit up, and the smoke always seems to make it in my direction. In America, we may have insane hormones and unhealthy ingredients in our food, but I’d love to know the lung cancer rates across Europe. Day Two My only full day in Frankfurt began with a morning coffee. I then had to kill some time before Frankfurt’s Jewish Museum opened at 10:00 a.m. My ticket to the museum was just 12 euros, and while the security people were a bit standoffish, the gentleman who sold me my ticket was very kind and helpful. Frankfurt’s Jewish Museum was honestly my favorite part of the city. Considering Germany’s dark past, it’s really great to see the efforts they’ve made in generations since. The museum also has a cafe inside of it where you can get food. I ordered a plant-based “beef” carpaccio that came with challah bread. It was pretty good, though the bread was my favorite. After the museum, it was time to make my way to the river boat cruise. The great thing about Frankfurt is that it’s really walkable, as are many other major European cities. I had prebooked my ticket ahead of time and was able to pull it up on my phone. The boat itself is huge and can fit a lot of people. They have indoor and outdoor areas for viewing. This was a cool way to see the city via the river. The beginning of it certainly shows the prettier side of Frankfurt, but the further downriver you went, the uglier it got since it was just industrial buildings and trash (literally!). We even encountered what appeared to be a massive fire without a huge cloud of black smoke. Between that and the chain smokers, I may need to get my lungs checked. It was during the cruise that I started to get seriously tired, but I still wanted to explore a bit more before turning in for a nap. I wandered over to the Kleinmarkthalle Market, which is also adjacent to a major shopping district here in Frankfurt. Chaotic would be an understatement. There were so many people it made Times Square feel like a walk in the park. In this case, I recommend going to this area on a weekday so it's hopefully less crowded. After my much-needed nap, I wandered over to a local gelato shop, Eis Fontanella, for a cone of their mint-chocolate gelato. Honestly, it was probably one of the best gelatos I’ve ever had. Reflecting on my time in Frankfurt, I would definitely recommend only taking a day or even just half a day here. Although it’s a major hub, I wasn’t terribly impressed, and there were definitely some sketchy areas near the main station that made me feel uncomfortable. For this year’s Europe trip, I managed to find another non-stop flight from LA. Last year, it was to Barcelona, but this year, the destination was Frankfurt, Germany. And the airline? Lufthansa.
This German airline has been around since the 50s and is a well-known commodity. If you’ve never flown them before, you might be wondering if they’re any good. And if you’re American, you may wonder how this international airline stacks up against U.S. ones. Lufthansa Check-In Process Check-in with Lufthansa was super convenient. I was able to check in online and obtain my boarding pass through email and the airline’s official app. For the passport part, I simply had to manually put in that info. This saved me plenty of at LAX airport too. All I had to do at that point was go through security. Once I got to my gate, an airline rep just had to verify that I physically had the passport. Are Lufthansa Flights On-Time? This one’s kind of hard to nail down since probably every airline has delays at some point. In my case, my flight's take off time was delayed 50 minutes, but since I didn’t have any layovers it wasn’t an issue for me. I imagine if you had a tighter layover, it could impact things though. Lufthansa In-Flight Experience Since I was going on an 11-hour flight and have a bladder the size of an acorn, I prebooked my seat. I was in economy but selected an aisle seat on the left side of the aircraft. This plane was huge. It was columns of two, four, and two seats. While the lady next to me wasn’t pleased with the seat space, I was pretty used to it since I often fly economy or basic economy to save money. What most impressed me, however, was the two meals we got on the flight. I’ve been so used to not getting a meal on flights (or at the most some peanuts and ginger ale), that the idea of a meal, let alone two, on a long-haul flight felt like a luxury. I was actually able to select ahead of time if I wanted a special meal. I ordered the vegan option. Both the dinner and breakfast were good, though I liked the breakfast one slightly more. Also, did I mention I got free wine too? As far as turbulence, we had a little in the beginning, but most of the flight was smooth sailing. All-in-all, I would recommend Lufthansa. LA is full of swanky, trendy restaurants; some of them you may have seen via Instagram, and others are perhaps frequented by your favorite celebrity or even featured in a movie. But when you dine out in style, that also means you can expect higher prices, and if you’re going to be spending your hard-earned money on a nice meal, you want to know that the experience (and the food) is actually worth it.
Over the course of my 12 years in LA, I’ve been able to try out some of these places and am here to break down my honest thoughts on which high-end, well-known LA restaurants are worth it. 1. Musso & Frank Musso & Frank is the oldest restaurant in Hollywood. Famously featured in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, this cozy venue used to serve the likes of Charlie Chaplin, Marilyn Monroe, and Elizabeth Taylor (to name a few). Musso & Frank Pros
Musso & Frank Cons
Is Musso & Frank worth it? Yes! 2. Ka’Teen Ka’Teen is another Hollywood hotspot. Not a historic venue but rather popular with the ‘influencer’ crowd, this place is designed to be reminiscent of being in Tulum (ironically, another place deteriorated by influencers). Ka'Teen Pros
Ka'Teen Cons
Is Ka'Teen worth it? Honestly, for the prices, I think you can find better spots in LA. I would pass on this one. 3. Formosa Cafe Formosa Cafe is another historic Hollywood spot where legendary actors used to dine. Here, they serve Chinese food, and part of the venue includes a train car where you can sit and eat. Formosa Cafe Pros
Formosa Cafe Cons
Is the Formosa Cafe worth it? Yes, I think this one is worth checking out, but I would only go during their happy hour. 4. El Coyote El Coyote is a Mexican food restaurant that was also featured in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as it was the restaurant Sharon Tate went to the night she and others at her home were murdered. El Coyote has been around since 1931, so if you like historic spots, this is another option. El Coyote Pros
El Coyote Cons
Is El Coyote worth it? Yes, I would recommend this one, especially sitting outside on a nice sunny day. 5. Gracias Madre Gracias Made is a pretty West Hollywood restaurant on Melrose that caters to vegan-friendly dishes. Gracias Madre Pros
Gracias Madre Cons
Is Gracias Madre worth it? I would recommend this one for those who are vegan. It's a great date night spot, in particular. 6. Cecconi’s Another Melrose hotspot in West Hollywood, Cecconi’s is a swanky restaurant with an emphasis on Italian food. Cecconi's Pros
Cecconi's Cons
Is Cecconi's worth it? I would skip this one. If you want Italian food, I would instead go to Miceli's in Hollywood. It's the oldest Italian restaurant in Hollywood, and the food is way better. |
About the author
Jill Zwarensteyn is a writer and comedian who has been featured on Amazon, truTV, The New York Times, Matador Network, BUST Magazine, Sleep Advisor, Tiplr, ARTRPRNR Magazine, YourTango, Thought Catalog, GoMad Nomad, Mashable, The Daily Mail UK, the Cannes Film Festival, LaughFest, Women's Lifestyle Magazine, and the Funny Women Festival LA. For more info visit: http://www.jillzwarensteyn.weebly.com Archives
July 2024
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