7 Food Treks For Recent Grads
You aced your finals, donned the cap and gown, and received your diploma. Worried that graduating from college signals the all-too-soon cross over into a world of responsibility and adulthood? Fear not. Before entering the real world, why not celebrate your Bachelor's degree with a foodie-style vacation? Whether it's dining al fresco in Florence, uncovering the eclectic market scene in New York City, or venturing off the beaten track in St. John, we've compiled a list of gourmet getaways to whet any post-grad's palate — on a student's budget, of course.
Treat yourself to a vacanza in Italy and journey from Milan to Napoli on Italy's cheap and easy regional rail system — Trenitalia. Milan's industrial side will be long forgotten when you taste the salumi e formaggi at the vast Peck Market while Rome's Dar Poeta has pizzas so fresh you'll understand why there's always a wait around the clock. Or if la cuisine francaise is more your thing, leisurely make your way through each arrondissement in Paris discovering gigantic boules of café at Le Coquelicot in Montmartre and spending precious Euros on the best prix-fixe menus in the city.
Skip Times Square and cultivate your culinary aptitude at New York's food stands like the ones at Hester Street Fair or Madison Square Park for scrumptious — and frugal — eats. Or use city's many ethnic neighborhoods as a culinary tour of foreign foods starting with Madangsui in Koreatown for bi-bim-biop and bulgogi and stopping at Christina's Polish Restaurant in Brooklyn for delicious babka and borscht.
The islands of St. John and St. Croix are often lauded more for their sandy beaches than their tasty bites, but cheap and delicious eats, perfect weather, and friendly people are all great reasons to venture off the beaten path and make the Virgin Islands your foodie paradise. Or if you're yearning to feel the pulse of a bustling city, try the lively food scene of Buenos Aires where everything from food carts to fine dining is inviting.
School's out forever — so we've done the work for you and compiled a cheat sheet of destinations to celebrate graduation, food-lover style. (We've even got a great burger-foraging road trip!)