{"id":2183,"date":"2015-09-08T15:41:59","date_gmt":"2015-09-08T15:41:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.diningtraveler.com\/?p=2183"},"modified":"2015-09-10T10:17:15","modified_gmt":"2015-09-10T10:17:15","slug":"exploring-expo-milano","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diningtraveler.com\/2015\/09\/exploring-expo-milano.html","title":{"rendered":"Exploring Expo Milano"},"content":{"rendered":"
Earlier this year, I went to the New York Times Travel Show.\u00a0 There, I visited the USA Pavilion<\/a> exhibition where they were planning for\u00a0Expo Milano<\/a>. \u00a0Before the Travel Show, I knew very little about the World Expo.\u00a0 However, the USA Pavilion awoke in me the desire to be part of something I am passionate about: international relations through food.\u00a0 Whether it is business or leisure, I always find food brings people together in ways we sometimes cannot even imagine. \u00a0Recently, I finally had the opportunity to discover the Expo. All about it….<\/p>\n Getting there:\u00a0<\/strong> Before Expo Milano, the Dutchman and I took a short holiday to Liguria<\/a>.\u00a0 With\u00a0a rental car and two early flights on two separate days, we decided to stay near the airport at the Hilton Garden Inn in Malpensa in order to have free parking and not have to wake up as early.\u00a0 When I inquired about transportation to the Expo at the Milan Malpensa Airport Expo Milano booth,\u00a0 I was informed about the pre-paid parking option.\u00a0 I booked my parking spot<\/a> for 12,50 at the Arese parking spot online and was ready to go.\u00a0 The check-in process was very easy at the parking lot as I just had to scan the barcode provided on my confirmation email. There were plenty of spaces to choose from and it took around 15 minutes to get the the Expo grounds. \u00a0Dining Traveler Tip: head to Expo Milano on a weekday, less crowds! There are also plenty of public transportation options if\u00a0not traveling by\u00a0car.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Being There:\u00a0<\/strong><\/em> From my trip planning<\/a>, I had an idea of what I wanted to see at Expo Milano and which pavilions interested me the most.\u00a0 However, no prior prep could have prepared me for the massiveness of the Expo.\u00a0 Due to my travel schedule, I had only one day to\u00a0spend\u00a0at the Expo.\u00a0 If you have time, I highly recommend you take three days to explore the Expo as the lines to certain exhibitions (for example, Japan had an 80 minute wait!) are pretty long.\u00a0\u00a0 I had my heart set on going to the Japanese Pavilion but with time of the essence, I decided to explore other exhibitions.<\/p>\n The theme of Expo Milano is food and sustainability. \u00a0Whether it is vertical farms or\u00a0aquaponics, e<\/em>very nation involved had its own version on how to address the theme.\u00a0 Upon entering the grounds, the first thing that caught my eye was an organic supermarket.\u00a0 You can get everything from snacks to natural cleaning products with comparable supermarket prices.<\/p>\n USA Pavilion:\u00a0<\/em> <\/strong>I continued to the USA Pavilion which, as all things American, was massive!\u00a0 I enjoyed the open area of the exhibition as it did not require a wait to get in.\u00a0 The first thing that catches your eye upon entering are the moving hydroponic vertical farms with greens\u00a0followed by big screens with President and Mrs. Obama welcoming guests to the Expo.\u00a0 The exhibition involved interactive exhibitions talking about the changing face of the American food movement. If you head to the top floor of the USA Pavilion, there is a rooftop bar with a beautiful view of Expo Milano. \u00a0Stay tuned for an upcoming detailed post about USA Pavilion and the James Beard American Restaurant<\/a>.<\/p>\n Netherlands Pavilion:\u00a0<\/strong><\/em> Another exhibition which caught my eye was the Netherlands Exhibition.\u00a0 Instead of having a closed display, the Dutch had an open exhibition, lined with colorful food trucks with all the Dutch classics: pancakes, fries, and meatballs.\u00a0 The scene was festive with attractive young men and women running the food trucks with upbeat techno music. \u00a0As you snack on your fries, you can check out their interactive display on sustainable farming.<\/p>\n Belgian Pavilion:\u00a0<\/strong><\/em> Of course I couldn\u2019t help to check out the pavilion of my former home!\u00a0 As you enter the wooden structure, you are taken by the scent of chocolate.\u00a0 As you follow the exhibition, you then are entered into a different world: an\u00a0aquaponic<\/em> farming display with water tanks filled with fish.\u00a0 The Belgian Pavilion also has several beautifully decorated restaurants to choose from.\u00a0 If you are craving frites and beer, this is the place for you.<\/p>\n It was disappointing to see the lines for some of the exhibitions I was looking forward to were so long!\u00a0 I had my heart set on Japan, South Korea, and Colombia, but the lines were insanely long.\u00a0 I did not want to miss out on exploring other parts of the expo when I had such a short period of time.\u00a0 Sadly, I left my wallet behind in my car and was not able to indulge the way I wanted to at the Expo when it comes to the abundant dining options.\u00a0 Thankfully, there was a kind soul at the USA Expo which lent me some Euros to get by.\u00a0 Be aware that there is no reentry to the Expo grounds!\u00a0<\/strong> <\/em>You are required to purchase a new ticket if you want to return.\u00a0 However, there were a few food concepts I was able to taste.\u00a0 I went for a tasting of Citterio, a classic Italian cured meat company.<\/p>\n I was overwhelmed with the Eataly dining complex.\u00a0 Plenty of goodies to choose from! I felt like a kid again at the Nutella concept caf\u00e9 at Eataly.\u00a0 While waiting for my crepe, I printed a Nutella label with my name.\u00a0 Wine lovers like myself will love the Wines of Italy exhibition.\u00a0 You have the opportunity to speak to Italian sommeliers and purchase a wine tasting with hundreds of wines to choose from. (10 Euros for 3 tastings).<\/p>\n I heard conflicting impressions about Expo Milano before my trip.\u00a0 Some people love it, some hate it. \u00a0In my opinion, is it worth it? Absolutely.\u00a0 This is an interactive event for people of all ages to enjoy.\u00a0 It\u2019s the perfect setting whether you\u2019re traveling solo or multi generational travel.<\/p>\n Dining Traveler Tips to make the most of the experience:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Have you been to Expo Milano? What were your impressions?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Earlier this year, I went to the New York Times Travel Show.\u00a0 There, I visited the USA Pavilion exhibition where they were planning for\u00a0Expo Milano. \u00a0Before the Travel Show, I knew very little about the World Expo.\u00a0 However, the USA Pavilion awoke in me the desire to be part of something I am passionate about: […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":2190,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,357,2,56],"tags":[358,359,377],"class_list":{"0":"post-2183","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-food","8":"category-italy","9":"category-travel","10":"category-travel-tip","11":"tag-expo-milano","12":"tag-italy","13":"tag-world-expo"},"yoast_head":"\nMy Impressions of Expo Milano:<\/h2>\n
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Expo Milano Exhibition Highlights<\/h3>\n
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