Some Wednesdays, usually around our second glass of champagne, we like to play maps. World maps on our laptops, city maps in the back of travel books, printed maps used as placemats for dinner. By the third glass, we’ve posted everything we own on craigslist. That’s how we lost the coffee table for $20. Spontaneous fundraising for our first glass of champagne at the Ritz in Paris.

Some of our map games, however, have had very different results. Two weeks on a caldera in Santorini. Two hours in the caves of Veuve Cliqout. Late night walks in Deep Cove. That’s what makes the game so fun. Once in while, it’s not a game.  

But it’s dangerous for me to see the world as just “a field full of exits,” instead of looking for entrances. It’s dangerous to go shopping when what I really want is a Joni Mitchell song and an adventure. 

Spanish love
Codorniu Reserva Raventos Cava Brut ($19.95, 750 mL)
Fruity, fresh and a little bitter from the herbal tea and floral touches. But most refreshing is the price. Especially if the night moves you to pour over maps and toast to the real Spain. You will need to save.

- Anthrolpologie Jeans

- A book that makes the perfect champagne tray

- “A field full of exits,” from Ondaatje’s Divisadero