Beirutista

What an incredibly rare chance we get as parents to share with our children the same experiences that brought us so much joy as children ourselves. Last week, Toys R Us ushered in guests at its first stronghold in Lebanon inside ABC Mall of Verdun during an exclusive ribbon-cutting event complete with a visit by the mascot Geoffrey the Giraffe, a live band, hors d'oeuvres, balloons and goodie bags for the little ones.  This event was catered to the little ones! It was epic! All the name brands you'd recognize from overseas, including Mattel, Playmobil, Marvel, Play-Doh, and hundreds more, were on marvelous display, as children rushed to have a go at various demo tables and to explore the winding aisles. Demo tables are everywhere inside Toys R Us Lebanon! In truth, I was heartbroken years ago when I discovered a beloved fixture from my childhood in California -- none other than Toys R Us -- had filed for bankruptcy in North America and was shuttering its branches in my hometown...

If you’re like me and launched a blog during the heyday of the blogosphere – back in the early 2010s, when Twitter and tweet-ups reigned on high – you’re probably feeling like a fish out of water these days. I know I am. Assailed from every direction by Tiktok accounts, followers in the tens to hundreds of thousands, fancy reels, and a lexicon I can’t even decipher, I feel like a helpless fixture from the past harkening to a day when words were once swords and readers tuned in to validate our self-appointed journalistic endeavors. I started Beirutista in the summer of 2012, drawing inspiration from the prolific profiles of BlogBaladi (Najib Mitri), Gino’s Blog (Gino Raidy), Ivy Says (Dana Khairallah), and Plus.961 (Rami Fayoume). I had recently transplanted to Lebanon only a year before, and I ardently felt a need to document my adventures in the motherland as somebody who grew up abroad yet identified strongly with Lebanese-ness. My lens was unique, and I was eager to share it with ...

For more than a decade, I wrote zealously and defiantly about the beauty of Lebanon. In fact, the primary objective behind my blog Beirutista.co, launched in 2012, was to paint a picture of truth about what life is like in this tiny Mediterranean bastion. I had recently relocated to Beirut, Lebanon, and found myself composing long letters to friends overseas who knew nothing but the biased image of Lebanon that the media rehashes time and again. Questions like “You have trees there?” and “Do people get around on camels?” pained me not only for their reductive and uninformed nature, but for how poorly this country has been portrayed throughout the years. Lebanon has been around for thousands of years. In fact, the word “Lebanon” is mentioned over 70 times in the Bible and is thought to derive from the Phoenician root lbn meaning “white,” in reference to Lebanon’s snow-capped peaks. This country seemingly has it all, bordered on the west by the moderate Mediterranean Sea, and replete wit...

You haven’t really adult-ed if you haven’t flocked to a coffee shop at least once in the past week, am I right? Admittedly, I was a little late to the game. I started sipping on caffeinated brew when my eldest was born, about six years ago. I’d place him in his stroller and lap around the mall for an hour or two, and when he drifted off to sleep, I’d slide into an armchair at Dunkin’ and order a donut, croissant-wich and coffee combo (yep, that was the ultimate trifecta.).  Fresh-brewed dark roast coffee, served piping hot with the steam blanketing my visage to deliver facial-like effects. Those few moments of uninterrupted peace formed my golden hour. I’d sit back, sip on my cup of joe, and quietly take in the scenes surrounding me. To this day, I love hanging out aimlessly at a coffee shop, merely to study the behavior of other patrons and try to deduce their craft. Here are the most common profiles I’ve encountered. My favorite indulgence at a coffee shop: donut and a cup of ...

For the past three years, I’ve been shuttling my kids to and from school. It’s always a treat to greet them as their scholastic day draws to a close and they melt into your arms, eager to head home.  Right up there after that gratifying reunion is the entertainment value you derive from your encounters with other parents milling around the school building threshold in the minutes leading up to end of day. So amusing is the range of characters you’ll meet – whether they be grandparents filling in for parents tied up at work, or parents able to carve out time to pluck up their offspring – that I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to blog about it. Here they are in no specific order. Can you relate?   1. The Haughty Mama : her favorite hand accessory is her smartphone, which she’s either holding to her lips transmitting nonstop nonsense voice notes, or scrolling furiously through her Instagram feed. Her hair is perfectly coiffed, with the essential extensions. She’s got those...

It had been decidedly too long since my first visit to the Crowne Plaza Beirut, tucked in the heart of Hamra along the main drag. Standing tall – a formidable 21 floors to be exact – with sweeping panoramic views of the Lebanese capital city, the Crowne Plaza, an IHG (Intercontinental Hotels Group) property, has so much going for it. To begin, the underground self-parking facility cannot be overlooked, as parking is typically nightmare-inducing elsewhere in Beirut. At just 200,000 LBP (USD 2.20) for up to four hours, this is a bargain. Alight the elevator at the ground floor, where a few steps westward will land you at the threshold of the Crowne Plaza. The hotel boasts 190 rooms, and I’m told that you can nab a room with complimentary breakfast buffet including VAT for about $100. You really can’t beat that in or outside of the city! Last Friday, we forayed into Hamra with the aim of trying the Iftar, a traditional Ramadan feast enjoyed at sunset, at Crowne Plaza’s Vivaldi restaurant...

For many of us, the undisputed beauty of Lebanon lies in the quality of food and drink available to denizens. If we Lebanese are blessed with one thing, it’s a highly discerning palate and a deep-seated appreciation for food, no matter the cuisine or category. Here are a few of my newfound favorites bejeweling the Lebanese frontier, from the coast to the mountains! Gilbert’s Burger Bites Having grown up in California, I know a good burger when I see (and sink my canines into) one. The Lebanese have always had a love affair with burgers, but if you grew up in the 90s, a burger around here ubiquitously meant a thin kafta-like patty smothered with coleslaw and fries, tucked inside a sesame seed bun large enough to bury a baseball. While nostalgia-inducing, that specimen belongs in our past. Since moving to Lebanon in 2011, I’ve enjoyed a number of decent burgers. But the crowning jewel is without doubt Gilbert’s Burger Bites. I’m not sure why it’s dubbed “Bites,” because their burgers are...