#which was fun i went to a museum and then did some market and bookstore shopping

[supercantaloupe]

i wish i had a good excuse to just like go and spend 2-3 days in another city across the country

[alexascasella]

Scavenger Hunt

I thought the scavenger hunt was really fun and it was really interesting to be able to see new places and explore around NYC with classmates. The first stop we went to, we went all together as a class and it was the New York Public Library. I have actually been here before, so I knew the answer right away! I also saw a movie being filmed on these steps just a few weeks ago.

We then headed behind the library and ended up in Bryant Park. I’ve also been here before and have eaten lunch at one of the tables when the weather was nice. I do really want to attend one of the movie nights I think it would be super fun to do.

After the park, we headed across the street to a bookstore called Books Kinokuniya. I have never been here before or have even heard about it, but it seemed interesting.

After the bookstore, we went to the giant button and I pass this every day on my way to school, so I am very familiar with it. The kiosk under the button is the garment district alliance. The holes in the button also stand for F for fashion.

This next one was very confusing for all of us and took us a while to figure out. We started walking up and down the street and couldn’t find the plaques anywhere. I then looked it up and it said it was between certain streets so we back tracked and looked in between those streets and still couldn’t find them. We then ended up asking some man if he knew where they were and he told us they had to get rid of them because they were too slippery to walk on when it rained. So we unfortunately didn’t get to see the fashion walk of fame, so we took a picture of us all frowning to represent how we felt for this one.

Next, we headed over to Mood fabrics which we all have been to before from our first study tour class. The swatching policy here is that they are free, which I really appreciate and think is a great thing since we are always needing swatches for different projects.

After Mood we went to 223 West 35th street, which was All-In-One Suppliers Inc., I have never been here before nor did I know what they sold. Once we arrived here though we saw that they sold mannequins, hangers, price tags, and anything else one would need for retail.

After the retail supply store, we headed over to Macy’s. I love going into this Macy’s it is so unique and crazy inside. My favorite part is the shoe floor with all the different shoe brands and having shoes go from $30 - over $1,000.

We then walked down the block and saw Herald Square. I pass and go to Herald Square all the time. Anytime I need to run to target real quick I always go to the Herald Square one, because it is so close to my apartment.

Right across from Herald Square is H&M which stands for Henns and Mauritz. I actually already knew this answer previous to the study tour. 

After H&M, we went up the street to M&J Trimming. I have seen this place before in passing, but I have never been inside. We all went in together and it was really cool to see. I loved all the patches they had, I really want to buy a bunch and attach them to a jean jacket sometime.

After the trimming store we headed onto the subway, which I have become very familiar with and headed downtown. Once we got downtown as we were coming out of the subway, we came across the farmers market in Union Square and all looked around for a bit. We then headed over to the Paper Presentation which I have never heard of before either, but they had a really pretty fall window display. 

After the Paper Presentation, we went to Muji, which I have also never heard of before. I didn’t get a chance to stop because we were running short on time, but I plan on going back and exploring around there. 

Lastly, we headed over to FIT which stands for the Fashion Institute of Technology and saw that the museum is showing “Ravishing the Rose in Fashion.”

[aupairadventures]

The Nelsons Take Nantes (And Paris, too!)

Last month, my Mom, Aunt, and sister came to visit me here in France. Without a doubt, this experience was one of the top highlights of my year abroad. For months, I had been looking forward to this moment. In fact, from the second I landed in France last August, I couldn’t wait for my family to come to visit. I knew that they would fall in love with this beautiful country just as much as I have. The way that I feel about France is no secret, and couldn’t wait for my family to understand exactly why I feel this way. My mom and I talk frequently over the phone, and there’s always so much to share with each other and catch up on. During our chats (which are so very dear to me,)  I’ve described many different things to her; I’ve told her about the peaceful river in Vertou, about the majestic castle in Nantes, or the colors in last night’s sunset. I’ve told her about my host family, about my friends, about funny stories and embarrassing moments. During our phone calls, we’ve both shared laughter and shed tears, and been there for each other through all our days, both good and bad. After months of describing what my life here looks like, I couldn’t wait for my family to experience it firsthand and turn their obscure imaginations into reality.

I felt so excited that we would all be embarking on a new adventure together and so proud of my family, especially my sister, for doing something that they’d never done before; This was the first time that my Aunt visited Paris and northern France, the first time that my Mom visited Europe, and the first time that Trinity left the United States. I love being able to say that the first time that my Mom and sister ever crossed the Atlantic ocean was to come to visit me.  

To say that their visit was magical would be an understatement. When my family was here, I had one of the most perfect and happiest weeks ever. Every moment that we shared together was so special, and their presence brought a golden, rose-colored light to my world.

On Thursday morning, the day after I returned to Paris from Budapest, I went to Orly Airport to greet them. I was so excited and impatient that I could barely contain myself, and my excitement led me to practically jumping off the shuttle bus like a crazy woman, leading to me getting reprimanded by a French security guard. (Long story!)

I’ll never forget the moment when I went into the airport and found my mom’s face through the whirling airport crowd. I ran towards her at a breakneck pace and tackled her in a hug, feeling happier than ever to finally see her again. I’ll never forget how I laughed at Trinity’s reaction delayed reaction, either. We looked over to see her sipping a cappuccino at the airport Monop’ cafe, saying, “Oh! I didn’t even see you there!” before laughing and wrapping us up in a group hug. 

Our first day in Paris together was nothing short of spectacular.  The three of us explored the city, saw the Eiffel Tower, stood on the Trocadero, ate macarons, and saw Monet’s Water Lilies in l’Orangerie, (fulfilling a lifelong dream of my Aunt’s).  I felt so happy when I looked over at my family and saw the stars in their eyes as they gazed around them with a sense of childlike wonder. I loved experiencing the city through their eyes, with a totally fresh perspective. It reminded me of how I felt when I came to Paris for the first time, and reminded why this magical place is so dear to my heart. Seeing my family being so joyous in a city that I love so much made me happier than anything, and was the best gift ever. 

Thursday night, after going to the Eiffel Tower to watch the sunset and see the tower sparkle after nightfall, we went out to dinner together to celebrate our first night in France. Tucked away on a small, hidden street a few blocks away from the Eiffel Tower, we found the most amazing little Italian restaurant. While the outside might not have looked like much, the people there were so friendly and the food was absolutely to die for. The honey and goat cheese pizza, spinach lasagna, cheesy ravioli, Caprese salads, and tiramisu were so incredible that we came back a second time the following night! 

On Friday morning, we took a long walk around the area, enjoying each other's company and the beautiful blue skies and golden sunshine. Trinity’s dream was to find a Brandy Melville and go shopping there, so we did just that. On our way there, we wandered through a lovely fashion district filled with gorgeous little boutiques and extremely expensive designer stores. To be honest, I have absolutely no idea where we were or what the name of this neighborhood was; all I know is that this area was absolutely beautiful. 

After another delicious lunch, we took the metro to the Louvre, which is one of my favorite places on Earth. As I knew that they would, my family absolutely loved the Louvre and were totally in awe of its beauty and opulence. We spent the whole afternoon there, exploring all of the different collections, gawking at the impressive architecture and artwork, as well being up to no good and laughing a lot, as can be seen in the pictures below: 

That night, we decided to go to the Eiffel Tower to see if it would be possible to go up to the top. We got extremely lucky with the line and only had to wait about 30 or 40 minutes total. I’m so glad that I waited to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower for the first time with my family and that I saved this special moment for them. This memory was one of the highlights of our week together. I was especially proud of my mom, who’s scared to death of heights, but was so brave and conquered her fear. While I’m not particularly scared of heights, I am very afraid of elevators, so my mom and I clung on to each other tightly while my daredevil Aunt and sister felt no fear at all, even daring to try to lean over the edge of the fence, declaring, “Look! There’s a soccer game down there!”

We decided to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower at the perfect time of day, as we got to see Paris in all her beautiful forms. We watched as the bright blue sky was lit up with golden sunlight before fading into shades of pink and purple as the sun began to set, and watched the glowing lights of the city below us come alive as the sky darkened and fell asleep. Seeing Paris from above was one of the most beautiful views I’ve ever seen, and made me love this city even more (If that can be humanly possible).  

We started out our last day in Paris by visiting a boulangerie-patisserie and snacking on some chocolate eclairs as we walked to Le Musee d’Orsay. This was my first time visiting this museum, and I absolutely loved it. This museum is actually housed in a former train station built in the last 1800s, making for gorgeously interesting architecture. My favorite part of the museum was the top floor because of the beautiful impressionist paintings and an incredibly photogenic clock tower. 

After spending the morning at the museum, we walked to the Shakespeare and Company Bookstore and Café, (one of my favorite places in Paris,) and gawked at the beauty of the Notre Dame Cathedral, savoring our last moments in Paris before taking the train to Nantes to begin the second part of our French adventure.

Trinity and I managed to turn the usually mundane 2-hour train ride into a fun occasion as we ate pizza together, watched our favorite John Mulaney comedy special on Netflix, and tried as hard as we could to not laugh too loudly.

After a long train ride, walk from the train station to the bus stop, long bus ride, and a short drive back home, we were all so exhausted and so overjoyed to finally arrive at my host family’s house. After all the traveling I had done, I hadn’t been home in almost 2 weeks, so finally coming home felt so lovely. There’s nothing like sleeping in your own bed after being away!

On Sunday, we had an absolutely lovely morning. After sleeping in late, we went to the Vertou farmer’s market together, where we bought lots of fresh veggies, salad greens, raspberries, and some impressive looking lavender goat cheese. After a delicious lunch together at home, we got in the car and headed to Nantes to spend the afternoon showing my family the city that has become my home. I took them to all of my favorite places: Le Jardin des Plantes, la Cathedrale, le Château, my favorite boulangerie, all the little shops in the Bouffay quarter, my favorite thrift store, Place Royale, and le Passage Pommeraye. My mom said that le Jardin des Plantes was her absolute favorite place in the city because all the nature, flora, and greenery reminds her of the Berkshires, where I grew up. (I think that she enjoyed feeding the goats there as well!) It felt so special to finally show my family around the city that has become so dear to my heart, and that I have told them about countless times. Seeing my Mom, Aunt, and sister in all of my favorite places in this city made me feel like my two worlds were colliding and made me realize that now,  in my memories, there would forever be a little piece of Lenox, Massachusetts halfway across the world in Nantes, France.

    At the end of the day, when we arrived back to the house, my host family had just returned home from their weekend trip. As I watched my family and my host family greet each other, introduce themselves, and exchange hugs, I felt a wave of happiness wash over me. Watching my two families, two groups of people that I care so deeply about, come together for the first time was such a beautiful and special moment to witness.

   That night, we all had the first of many amazing aperitifs and dinners together. My host dads (the absolute perfect hosts in every way,) went above and beyond to welcome my family and make them feel at home, for which I am so grateful. They showed my family such kindness and generosity, just as they have done for me since the moment that I met them. That week, every night during dinner, surrounded by lots of smiles and laughter, I could feel my heart glowing as I looked around the table.

   That week, my host kid Mathilde, my family and I, embarked on many other adventures. We returned to Nantes to visit L’Ile des Machines, see the gigantic robotic elephant and ride Nantes’ huge, three-story carousel. On a sunny, blue-skied day, we took a lovely road trip to a little seaside town called Pornic, which is about 45 minutes away from Vertou. We had a little picnic by the ocean, walked around the charming town and visited the little shops along the way. 

During our last day together, we went on another little road trip to Clisson, one of my absolute favorite little villages. I wrote about Clisson last October when I visited it for the first time with my friend Ellie, but I’ll write about what it’s like again, just because I love it there so much! Between the cobblestone streets lined with lovely shops, the creperies and ice cream stands, the picturesque river and stone bridge, the beautiful hiking trails, all the little vine-covered houses with terracotta roofs and brightly colored shutters, and the ruins of a medieval castle, Clisson is one of the most adorable places I’ve ever seen. On that sunny Wednesday, we saw the sculpture covered ground of Garenne Lemot, strolled through the forest, and walked through fields of yellow and purple wildflowers. We ate crêpes for lunch and basked in the sunshine as we ate gelato and explored the ruins of the castle. The five of us spent a magical day there, and it was a great way to bring my family’s first adventure in France to a close. 

   Early on Thursday, it came time for my family to take a train from Nantes back to Paris, and then catch their flight back home. We left the house before the sun had even come up and drove to the train station, my heart feeling heavy the whole time. I’ve always hated saying goodbye, and never been good at handling the emotions that come along with it. As we stood on the train platform before they boarded, I hugged them all fiercely as tears ran down my cheeks. I felt so heartbroken to have to say goodbye to them and was missing them before they had even left. However, I felt comforted by the knowledge that we had all had the most incredible time and had created so many beautiful new memories together. I am infinitely grateful for this experience and will cherish them forever. I’m looking forward to seeing my family again soon in just a few months, as I know that any more adventures lie ahead, and we have many more memories to make.

[coarticulation]

i am so tired and i probably need like 14 hours of sleep to try to catch up but i’m not ready to let go of this weekend yet so i’m going to try to unpack it here a little bit before i pass out

-on thursday night after i landed in seattle and got to my hotel i decided to go check out the bar near campus where some of the current grad students were hosting an informal hangout and ended up meeting two other really sweet and fun prospectives from middlebury! i’ll also be able to see them both again at later visits. after we left the bar we wandered around near campus and ended up at a little mediterranean place for a late dinner -friday morning i went to a bioanalytical info session and a one on one meeting with a professor whose work and personality i clicked with SO well. this kind of colored who i focused my attention on for the rest of the weekend, but i really do think i would be happy working for him so that’s…amazing -after lunch erin and i walked down to the lake / waterfront adjacent to campus and talked. it’s really nice to meet new people who are in similar situations and i can get along with and enjoy talking to and i really hope we can stay in touch (or even both end up nearby each other???!) -talked to a couple of grad students from the lab i’m most excited about for more than an hour at the poster session and i really liked them too! they were easy to talk to and it seemed like i might be a good fit in the lab. fingers crossed anyway -met another new friend at dinner who’s interested in the exact same field of research as me and we both spent the entire meal talking to the professor i’m / we’re really interested in and then afterward one of his grad students who was really funny and a great source of info -after dinner when to a gay bar in capitol hill chaperoned by some current grad students. got to take the light rail downtown and then watched a drag show at the bar which was a new (and really fun) experience. after that, they opened up the dance floor and a whole group of us went right into the middle and just went all out for a long time. ended up dancing with aforementioned fellow mass spec friend and just having an absolute blast -took an uber xl back to the hotel with everyone and then went up to my new friend’s all to himself hotel room and hung out for a few hours watching garbage tv and just talking. we connected really well and got along and it ended up being so late and we were so tired and i stayed over with him and i’ve missed sleeping with another person so much. the way one person will wake up in the middle of the night and move around and somehow you always end up closer together i just love being touched! i love physical contact! i didn't want it to end and i suffered on saturday once i realized how similar we are and how much i could like him if i had the chance, but at the time i couldn't have asked for anything better -woke up and went on a bus tour of the city to pike place market where we walked around and checked out all the stalls and booths and street performers and strangers with my new friend. got world famous chowder for lunch and ate outside in the cold before we walked down the waterfront and explored a little -went to the seattle art museum, the highlight was their seeing nature exhibit with a few monets and an okeeffe !!! ben and i were both so exhausted though that we had to keep sitting down and taking breaks to watch the little a/v pieces and mini documentaries throughout the galleries -left the art museum and walked to the waterfront again. walked by the ferris wheel and navy pier lite and then walked a mile to a cool bookstore near capitol hill that someone had told me about. it was an independent bookstore with a little cafe inside and we looked at this hilarious book about grammar and one with comics and then split up and looked at our own stuff. i got totally sucked in by this novel about georgia okeeffe. eventually we realized it was getting late ish so we went to a thai place for dinner and talked and talked and talked about music and what we like to do for fun and then reflected a little about the weekend. -finally went back to the airport, said goodbye to my new friend who i felt like i should have known a lot longer after a whirlwind 30 hours and took a red eye back to austin. i don’t think i’ve ever felt as tired in my entire life -did nothing all afternoon and then went to hang out with amy and danielle at w 24th. we painted our nails and played bananagrams and it ended up being a really relaxing and gentle end to my wild weekend -decided to let myself off the hook on going into lab in the morning. beyond excited to talk to taylor and nick (and kayla and nikita and lab friends and anyone else who’ll listen) about seattle. -other things i wanna remember from this weekend: across the street from the pike place market how I realized i absolutely could see myself living in this city, one of matt’s grad students telling us his best piece of advice being to find a source of self motivation and having a real prophetic flash of it, getting kissed on the cheek and held steady while the night tossed and swirled and sped by around us

[borngeek-blog1]

LA has never been my favorite city. Maybe it’s because I grew up in NYC and there’s some east coast vs west coast rivalry ingrained in me. Maybe it’s because it’s a driving city instead of a walking city. Or maybe it’s that ridiculous pollution that meant I always got sick on every visit I made there. I’d been to LA numerous times for work, and while I had found parts that I liked about it, it simply wasn’t my favorite place.

But the hubster’s best friend is from Iceland (the same one who went with us to Knysna), and he gave us a list of cities where we could rendezvous, and LA was the one we could drive to that seems intriguing. So we agreed to a week in LA to hang out, catch up, and maybe take in some of the sights. Of course our almost 3-year-old was along for the ride. I searched every guide I could find on the internet, claiming to have the best places in LA for a toddler. We went to most of them. So now, here’s MY guide on the best things to do for a week in LA with a toddler.

Visit Griffith Park, Observatory and Planetarium

This was, by far, my favorite tourist attraction we went to on our trip. Griffith Park is way up in the hills and offers some of the best views of the Hollywood sign. We parked slightly down the hill, but definitely not at the bottom. It was metered parking at $6 per hour, but totally worth it. It was a relatively short walk up the hill, and I made use of our awesome baby carrier for Harley… until she decided that running around was a way better idea.

When we arrived, the Planetarium wasn’t quite open yet. But it was fine because we walked around the grounds a bit. They have a scale model of the Solar System built into the front garden, and it’s such a great way to understand the true distance between the various orbits of the different planets. Harley could easily walk from the Sun to Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars, but even just reaching Saturn was a much longer walk than anticipated.

Once inside, the Planetarium has TONS of free exhibits to look at. I really liked the ones that showed how the moon moves and why it goes through phases. But there were also cool ones about the different planets that included buttons to push – always a key part of an attraction for a kid.

We ended up going to the first show of the day, the only one that Harley was allowed in. So if you’re going with a kid under 5, make sure you’re there for the 12:45 show. It was all about water in the solar system, and potential for life on other planets. It was fairly interesting. Not mind-blowing, but intriguing. Harley was… mixed with it. A lot of the kids started crying with the fake rain, and when it got REALLY dark in the theater. It was still cool to an extent for her but will depend on your kid how much they like it.

But Maybe Not the Tar Pits

Harley, like most toddlers/kids, has developed quite a fascination with dinosaurs. She really thinks they’re so cool and loves to play games with them or read books or do anything dino-related. So we thought the La Brea Tar Pits would be a fun excursion. And it was in many ways. There are numerous active tar pits in the area, and plenty of grassy areas for picnics, etc. We didn’t know that before we went, though, so we ended up basically walking around and then going into the museum itself. It’s not a bad museum, as there are some cool animatronic displays and cool fossils to look at – there’s even an interactive exhibit where you can pull rods out of tar and imagine if you could get yourself out of the tar pit. You can even watch the scientists working on stuff they’ve unearthed from the tar pits.

But there aren’t dinosaurs. It’s all ice age animals. Yes, like the movie. It was still fun to see the fossils, to touch the exhibits you’re allowed to touch, and generally wander around for about an hour. Only, if your kid is really into dinosaurs, they might be disappointed. And for the price of admission, I’m not totally convinced it was worthwhile.

We went to the Grove shopping center after the Tar Pits, so at least we extended our wander around in the area. There are some cool water features and fountains, as well as a giant Barnes and Noble bookstore, an American Girl Doll shop, and all kinds of high-end shopping. Doing LA with a toddler meant we couldn’t browse the finer things in life in those stores, though. There’s also a “farmer’s market” that’s really just a giant food court, so I’d suggest grabbing lunch there.

Have fun at Huntington Beach

One of my favorite excursions was the one hour drive to Huntington Beach. It’s not far from LA, but feels like a world away. The beach is GORGEOUS, and there are all kinds of great stores and restaurants. We found a fun Irish pub and pretty much passed the day there. The beer was way cheaper than in LA, and they had some decent food. I actually ended up venturing out for fish tacos that were excellent, and there are plenty of places to find them there.

In fact, we liked Huntington Beach so much that I think Dean and I are planning that our next California vacation will be just that. You know, just a week of lounging by the beach, letting Harley play in the sand, and enjoying all the cheaper food and drink. Maybe I’ll even take surf lessons – it is the surf capital of the States, and every other store you pass offers clothing, wetsuits, surf lessons, and boards so that you can be a part of the local culture.

And be aware at Venice Beach

I really liked Venice Beach and Santa Monica when I’d been to LA before. That’s why I decided we’d stay in Venice Beach for our trip. It was a really nice location, with plenty of excellent restaurants in the area. I liked the beachfront itself, and I ate the most amazing crab cake sandwich at the Venice Beach Ale House. Oh, and bottomless mimosas at The Venice Beach Bar.

But there is a huge homeless population in the area. Walking along the beach, there were tons of tents and clearly homeless people wandering around. Walking from the beach back home, we passed a tent city. In fact, just going to the local grocery store to buy some more diapers/nappies and some drinks to enjoy in our holiday home meant parking next to a huge number of homeless people. I know that they need to be somewhere, but it can really be a bit daunting, and led to some difficult questions from the kid, too.

We did walk the Venice Canals, though, which was really picturesque. In fact, there was a small kid’s park tucked away in there that a local had told us about. It had DUCKS! So there’s the normal kid’s play area, and then a cordoned off spot with ducks. Harley was rather intrigued. At least for a little while. But again, the walk in and out of the area with canals isn’t exactly free from homeless people, so you’ll just want to be aware.

My favorite part of Venice Beach, other than the beach itself, was this incredible French restaurant and market. I found it for our breakfast on the first day there, and it ended up being where we went almost every day. Fresh croissants, perfect crepes, bagels with cream cheese and smoked salmon and capers. Plus, there was a nice outdoor seating area and they were incredibly nice to Harley. Before we came home, I bought their phenomenal vinaigrette, as well as some imported sweets and other deliciousness.

Drive to take pictures at The Last Bookstore

Every single guide post that I found for LA included recommendations to visit The Last Bookstore. You all know that I love books, and I’ve instilled that same love in Harley. So of course, we went there. It was… fine?

I mean, parking in downtown LA isn’t fun, but we found a decent spot that was fairly close. There are some incredible displays that worked for some fabulous pictures of Harley in the bookstore. Pretty much, the whole place is just an ideal Instagram photoshoot location. There are also artists studios and some cool, unique items available.

But, when you get down to it, it’s a used bookstore. It made me happy to see a kid’s section with certain books I grew up with, but I’m not always a fan of the messaging in classic kid’s books. Even finding rare books isn’t as much of a mission as it used to be before the days of Amazon, so I’m not quite sure I see the value as far as bookstores go.

As a result, I think it’s a great place to go and take pictures, but not a MUST SEE place in LA. Also, there aren’t any public bathrooms in the store, so make sure that you’ve got another plan in place for any potty breaks with the little one.

And eat all the dumplings in Korea Town

One of my absolute highlights of the trip was our journey to Korea Town to Myung In Dumplings. This is the place where Anthony Bourdain (RIP) ate dumplings in LA, and it is phenomenal. It’s basically tucked away in a strip mall in the middle of a busy part of Korea Town, so make sure you get the turn in traffic correct.

The woman in charge welcomed us and had us sit wherever we wanted, and then brought over cold water, kimchi and a variety of other Korean salads/condiments. Then I ordered dumplings. So many dumplings. I was prepared to become a dumpling.

I love them. Like, LOVE them. And Harley is also a big fan of dumplings. Dean enjoys them to an extent, but it was clear that I would be doing most of the heavy lifting when it came to eating the dumplings. And I did. They were phenomenal. So fresh, so delicious. And so MANY! I had never been outdone by dumplings before, so this was a first for me. We ended up getting a box to take them home, where I was able to enjoy them again another day. Go there. Eat dumplings. Find happiness.

I also saw recommendations for the Natural History Museum, but we didn’t get there on this trip. Older kids might enjoy a visit to Universal Studios, but it seemed like a waste with a toddler – maybe we’ll go back when Harley is a bit older. Do you think we missed any essential LA spots that you love going with a kid?

Develop a kid’s inner scientist – A week in LA with a toddler LA has never been my favorite city. Maybe it's because I grew up in NYC and there's some east coast vs west coast rivalry ingrained in me.

[weditchthemap]

A Week in Seattle and Surrounding National Parks

Our drive into Seattle was one of our longest days on the road.  The trip from Glacier National park to our Airbnb was 530 miles and took us all day.  We were tired and just wanted a quick meal so we went to a Subway to split a veggie sub.  The doors were locked but the place was clearly still open so I gave a firm couple of knocks and waited a few minutes.  After a while a greasy man unapologetically opened the door while pointing to the open sign, which apparently was not lit up.  As we entered he said, “I heard you knocking and was squeezing very hard”.  Sylvie and I looked at each other and without a word knew the other’s thoughts.  Let’s get the fuck out of here!  We found another Subway 5 minutes away, but our Chagrin the price was even higher.  Can you believe we paid $8.50 for a sub with only veggies on it?  No meat, not cheese, no tofu, just the normal fixings.  At least we weren’t overly concerned about getting E. Coli! 

2 Days in Seattle

Although we typically shy away from large tourist attractions our first day in Seattle actually took us through the top 3 attractions in Seattle—Pike Place Market, the Space Needle, and the Ballard Locks.  During our next day we walked around Pike and Pine street in the Capitol Hill Neighborhood, International District, and 5th Avenue.

Pike Place Market:

After shopping around for reasonably priced parking we settled on a garage charging $18 for 10 hours.  We made sure to get to the market early because we had read it can get packed.  We walked the multitude of layers of the market as various vendors set up for the day.  We were a bit disappointed by the market itself.  There were only a handful of produce vendors and their food was grossly overpriced.  I couldn’t help but compare it to Reading Terminal, an enormous market I visited often in Philadelphia.  I found that Pike Place Market came up short in almost every comparison.  It had far fewer food venders and the ones they did have were less unique.  It’s clear that Pike Place Market exists solely for tourists and a local would never be caught dead in that place.  Who in their right mind would pay $9.99 for a single dragon fruit?  No thank you!

The Space Needle:

We spent the day walking through several popular neighborhoods.  The Space Needle was in our path so we took a glance.  We took a few seconds craning our heads and then moved onwards.  I guess that’s another box we can check off on some arbitrary list? 

Fremont and Ballard Locks:

We walked various hilly streets in Queen Ann admiring the various houses.  I was shocked to see boarded up and condemned buildings immediately next to multi-million dollar modern homes.  After a few miles we crossed over the Fremont Bridge, where Google had a local campus, and walked into the Fremont neighborhood.  Fremont is a small hip area that consisted of a few streets filled with brew houses, ethnic food, and cafes.  We walked onwards for another couple miles until we reached the Ballard Locks.

Ballard Locks:  “Officially known as the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, the Ballard Locks is one of Seattle’s most popular tourist attractions, especially during the sunny months. The grounds also feature a fish ladder and the Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden — one of the most beautiful park settings in Seattle”. Read more about the locks here!

In a shared Uber we took back in the direction of our car we talked with another passenger and she provided us with some advice for the city along with call out to a vegan ice-cream parlor called Frankie & Jo’s.  We checked it out prior to walking back to our car and tasted the Golden Milk and the Chocolate Date flavors.  Frankie and Jo’s was generous and let us taste many of their flavors.  They tasted pretty good considering they use coconut milk, but I prefer ice-cream made with real milk. Frankie and Jo’s is located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood.

We hightailed it back to our car with 1 minute to spare before our $18 parking charge increased to $25.  For our first day in Seattle we walked over 30k steps and logged more than 10 miles.  We were left mostly unimpressed by the central downtown areas and decided to concentrate our next day in the Capitol Hill neighborhood.

Capitol Hill – Pike/Pine Streets

We started our second day in this university left-leaning neighborhood.  Gay pride flags, tattoo parlors, hip cafes, and even a Trader Joe’s make Capitol Hill a fun liberal area to pass some time.  We ventured into a large bookstore called Elliot Bay, but I thought it smelled like dirty cat litter so I didn’t stay too long.  Sylvie thinks it was just the smell of books.  Wooden electricity/phone poles were decorated 8 feet tall in flyers and pamphlets—most were monotone and slightly gothic in feeling.  I’ve noticed that many people here in Seattle wear very muted colors.  Black is definitely the most popular, but grey doesn’t fall too far behind.  Grudge is alive and well here in Seattle.  Although everyone we met was very kind I found that most people in the streets seemed very serious.  This is in stark contrast to our recent experience walking through the small towns in Wyoming and Montana.  It may just be that we haven’t been in a large city for a while but even Denver felt more ‘bubbly’ that here.

Seattle had quite a few game stores that sold board games and let people play while eating cheap pub food and brews.  Many bars and cafes had pinballs machines set up for customers to play for a small fee.  There were so many that it makes me think that Seattle’s history is somehow connected to pinball games.  Did I mention that Seattle has a pinball museum that consists of dozens of machines spanning a multitude of decades?  $15 for all you can play per person was just too steep for our budget-conscience pockets.

5th Ave & Chinatown-International District

We happened to stumble onto 5th Ave, which is a key shopping area in downtown Seattle.  We were almost trampled by commuters, a stampede only matched by those found in Manhattan.  We exited this area as quickly as we found it.

Before long we made our way to the Chinatown/International District, a Neighborhood hosting many of Seattle’s Asian communities.  We stopped into a large indoor Asian grocery called Uwajimaya and walked around for a little.  There were half a dozen food stands lining the entrance to the grocer.  Sylvie and I have been a bit spoiled when it comes to Asian markets—we’ve been to some of the largest ones in the world.  Considering Seattle’s closer proximity to Asia I had higher expectations for Chinatown—granted we didn’t spend too much time wandering around.  I was a bit shocked on how modern and Americanized many of the establishments were.  What I value a Chinatown is the authenticity of the food and overall atmosphere.  I imagine the Asian communities in Seattle have done well for themselves and it does show.  If you hoping for the grit-filled streets you would uncover in Manhattan’s Chinatown, then you’ve come to the wrong place.  We have been extremely spoiled living in Philadelphia with the enormous Chinese and Vietnamese communities so places take these comments with a grain of salt.

1 Day in Mount Rainier National Park

We enjoyed a great quick loop hike along the Skyline Trail Loop, which is located in the main south side hub park. This are is called Paradise and is the most impressive part of the park. The first part of the hike was paved but as we gained altitude the trail got a little rockier.  The hike was better than average and we enjoyed our time and our great views of Mount Rainier during autumn.

Give yourself a day to travel from the Seattle area to Olympic National Park if you plan to set up camp in the evening!

2 Days in Olympic National Park

We found a free campsite near a logging road west of Olympic National Park (about 2 hours west of Port Angeles). The campsite is located off of Swan Bay and is a primitive site with 1 fire pit. You may be able to set a couple tents on the site but probably only one vehicle. Here is the camping information.

We watched sunset at a small boat dock down the road and crossed paths with two other long-term travelers.  The young couple had been on the road for 3 months so far and still had another 2 months.  The guy had spent several months gutting and rebuilding the inside of a van for the trip.  He showed us everything he had done.  He added insulation to the new wood ceiling and floor along with a gas stove, refrigerator, and faucet with a 28-gallon reservoir.  Wooden cabinetry lined the van and a bed resided in the rear.  It was all powered by 3 solar panels affixed to the van’s roof.  Not too bad for a house that also gets 20 mpg. The next day we drove a short distance to hike a 9-mile loop known as Ozette Triangle Trail (it’s also known at the Cape Alava Loop).  The first and last 3 miles were through a thick rainforest, while the middle portion of the hike took us right up to the Pacific Ocean.  The 3 miles along the coast was definitely the most beautiful scenery I’ve seen in the United States so far.  We managed to make it to the ocean during low tide so we got to witness a craggy and kelp-ridden shore.  Upon walking down to the water’s edge I could actually hear the billions of flies consuming the kelp.  It was like a scene from a Hitchcock movie.  We met up with two older hikers, Dick and Mike.  We enjoyed a leisurely stroll for several hours as we learned more about these 70-year-old outdoorsmen.  They talked about their childhood adventures on the very same beach and how it has become a bit more touristy over the years, however still remaining largely untouched.  They pointed out how lucky we were to see the coast at low tide and that during high tide navigating over the terrain was much more challenging.  Dick picked up various sea specimens and educated us.  We talked about his travels which were quite impressive.  He worked in a small Maasai village conducting oral surgeries for a month.  He talked about his upcoming travel plans to sail the Dalmatian Islands for 3 weeks.  Mike reminisced about his time working for the parks department during his college summers.  Do yourself a favor and hike the Ozette Triangle, it may be the pretties and most unique hike an American National Park has to offer.

After the hike we drove to Cape Flattery and hike a short while to watch sunset over the ocean. There were numerous picnic tables and designated areas to sit down and we enjoyed a warm meal for our sunset.

The next day we hiked up to Hurricane Ridge but were moderately disappointed.  The view was average and the hike was relatively boring.  Many sources state, “If you only have 1 day at Olympic National Park you need to hike to Hurricane Ridge”.  I disagree, if you only have 1 day go do the Cape Alava Loop (Ozette Triangle) Trail. 

[randoreviews]

OTTAWA REFLECTIONS

     Let’s reflect. Where is Ottawa? Just past those three stars in the sky and down the rainbow road a ways. No, if you’re going from New England, you have to go through Buffalo. Buffalo will let you know that you shouldn’t be sad to be leaving America. Even if you like a good wing, you can get that anywhere now, with as much blue cheese as you want.      Once you’re in Canada, the land flattens out to reveal power lines and stations stretching on for miles and miles. They look like electric scarecrows. If now you get a faint tinge of homesickness, again think of Buffalo. We went in the summertime, in August, but if you go anytime between November and April, this will be a winter oasis. The swirls of wind and snow will almost seem to be carrying your car along. (I know from going to Quebec City many times in the winter... dear old Quebec.) Take heart in the snow: it’s not cold, it’s comforting. Aren’t you warm in your car? But this was August and no rain, and my friend kept talking about how he could see how the rail system was all connected. (He had just read a book about trains and had a fever for talking about it.) Once you get somewhere abroad, even if it’s on the highway in the middle of nowhere Canada, you start to think you see things with a fresh eye. This may in part be due to the fact that we all leave some baggage behind in our home countries, as soon as we cross the border.      I was a little homesick. I always think I want to travel across the world, but as soon as I get ten miles from my house I start to think about my friends and my houseplants, etc. It’s quite the dilemma being a person. We’re all just walking question marks. We got to Ottawa (which I’ll point out, is the capital city) at sunset and I immediately thought I had made a mistake in bringing us here. It seemed small and nondescript. It seemed like something that would hardly be a city in the U.S. Well, we would at least have three days to see how boring it was. Sometimes it’s fun to see just how bored you can get. It’s a fun, fully immersive activity. We met our AirBNB host, who, do I even need to tell you, he was Canadian so he was friendly. (Not as many French Canadians in Ottawa, to my knowledge, so they are apt to be more friendly.) He was a male hairdresser and we were staying behind his salon off of a little gated courtyard with a little fountain, and he made haste to introduce us to his wife, I think to prove to us right away that he wasn’t gay, even though he was a hairdresser. (Still could have been gay... and who cares anyway? Be as gay as you want.) The apartment was a sleek little place, what you would expect from a hairdresser. White everything.      We turned on the local news and started to drink some beer. Of course we connected to the WiFi and I responded to a couple friends’ texts telling them that I was in Canada, to make it more real for myself. Aren’t you jealous? I’m in Ottawa. How can you travel and not watch the local news? It really puts you there. If they’re having a pumpkin festival the next day on the outskirts of town, or a lumberjack competition, don’t you want to know? Just for your own edification? Thinking about it, we got the beer in Burlington, where me and my friend went to college. So we didn’t go through Buffalo. I made that up, I guess just to talk some shit about Buffalo. (Sorry all you Sabres fans.) And the beer was strong, and before we knew it we were drunk. I was playing songs on my phone. John Coltrane, Bob Marley. Legendary Americans to remind us of home. (Okay, Bob isn’t American but we’ve basically adopted him.) Once a friend asked how I was doing and I never really know, but I told them I could play any song on my phone, so that was at least something.      A stones throw from our place was a bar called Atari. I figured they would have some arcade games — not that I would want to play, I just like looking at them. For aesthetic pleasure. You understand. It was a bit of false advertising because they didn’t have any games, but they did serve strong drinks. We sat on the roof and our server (he was definitely gay... and friendly), he sold us on one, two, three drinks. My friend doesn’t drink very much, but will drink if that’s what we’re doing. We became best friends with our server for that hour or so. He told us that Ottawa was okay but that when he graduated college he wanted to move to Toronto. Toronto is like the LA and New York and Miami of Canada all combined. Ottawa isn’t the Washington D.C. It’s more like... Richmond, Virginia, or some place like that. EXCEPT...      ... EXCEPT... where the government buildings are it is beau-tee-full. It’s called Parliament Hill and it’s like all of a sudden you’re in London, without all the smog and the congestion and people throwing acid in your face. It’s real chill. And international! Canada’s immigration policy is more lax than Uncle Sam’s, and if you’ve just moved to Canada from, say, Ethiopia, you want to see the capital with your family. You want to go to Parliament Hill and see the Peace Tower, which is like Big Ben, but again, more chill. I saw some high-class pretty women who, maybe this is my bad but I just assumed they were prostitutes and I thought, politicians DO work here! The Hill is on a river, not too far-fetched of a name, the Ottawa River, and it’s a pretty idyllic scene. I live in a suburb, pretty much all white, so really it was just good to see some black and Middle Eastern and Asian people.      We paid for those drinks, I mean the following morning we paid for them, and after we got coffee the following morning, which wasn’t quite strong enough to be a silver bullet, my friend went back to the place to rest more and I sojourned around the main market that’s near The Hill. I saw a picture of Obama from when he visited the market a few years back, shaking someone’s hand, and thought to myself, this place is all right. I stood in front of the U.S. Embassy, took a good long gander at it. It’s not a modest building, I’ll say that. It almost looked more like the real seat of power. It has what looks like a steel spine running down the middle, like a combination of Alien and Predator, like it could get up and shoot lasers and eat the rest of the city. It’s probably the only thing in the city that isn’t chill. If we somehow got in a mishap about some stolen poutine, my friend and I, we would seek refuge in this building. Not only are we Americans, our I.D.s would show them... we’re from Massachusetts, basically the birthplace of the country, if not of all civilization.      That second night we didn’t do anything besides to tell ourselves we weren’t drinking. And we didn’t. I can’t drink more than once a week. Thankfully my body revolts. Besides that drinking is fun, it’s almost worth drinking to then not drink the next night and just eat and sleep and watch TV, to remind yourself of the good, quiet life. I’m pretty sure I did some stretching that night too, just in the little corner of the kitchen. Made it my little impromptu yoga. Felt so good. We also happened to get the Lions-Patriots preseason game, because we were close enough to Detroit. Home has a way of finding you wherever you are.      Now the THIRD day (technically the second DAY we were there)... the third day was the big day. Hangover... gone! The gay bartender was great people but we hadn’t gotten pulled in by him again. The third day late morning we went to the National Gallery. First we stopped in an antique bookstore and I looked at the spines of all these books about traveling to Antarctica and taking a dogsled across the Yukon. Crazy shit, man. How bad does your wife have to be for you to be like, fuck it, I’m traveling to Antarctica! I may not make it back! Was Ernest Shackleton’s wife just one of the worst people in the world? Or was she lovely and Ernest simply had the exploring bug? Something must have been going on there. Then when we went to the National Gallery we saw all these paintings of people in canoes and dogsleds, and houses in winter, and rivers... lots of rivers. Canada, man. You know what’s north of Canada? The North Pole. That’s how far it goes up. Do you know how cold it is in Canada in the winter? Like, everywhere in Canada in the winter? It’s fucking freezing. Do you know what extreme conditions do to people? It makes them make great art.      The most famous group of Canadian artists is the Group of Seven. I only really knew Lawren Harris’s work from this group, but the member probably most central to the group, who drowned in a damn lake, is Tom Thomson. Tom Thomson is one of those artists like Van Gogh who, although not nearly as prolific as Vincent, you just fall in love with him right when you see his paintings. Or you fall in love with his work... but isn’t that the same as loving the man? Trees blowing in the wind. Trees standing stalwart way up on the side of a mountain overlooking a lake. Trees in the deep woods next to a river. From the little I know of his death, I got the impression that some folks have tried to make it more of a mystery, possible foul play, but probably he just drowned and it’s their way of making him more of a legend. I have to get a hamster or something and name him Tom Thomson. Such a strong name.      Anyone who knows me knows I’m an art and museum lover, and less the sports bar kind of guy, but you reach a point in a museum where you say, no more, please. Please! You’ll bring the Mona Lisa to me personally right now and I can look at it close up with no one else around? I’ll punch a hole in that bitch’s face. My point is you reach a saturation point. If you don’t reach a saturation point, that means you haven’t been absorbing anything, which probably means you’re a robot. We retired to the AirBNB to sit and look at our phones and stare at the wall and not look at any art of any kind. We then went to a medicinal shop and imbibed some medicine, allowed by the government, and then the art could really blend and distill in me. We walked around The Hill and, jeez, it was one of the most beautiful late afternoons I’ve ever seen. Sun shining, the sunlight twinkling off the water. Real magical travel shit. We walked down by the river and canal and inspected the lock system. My friend has a very curious mind. Maybe in his next life he’ll be an engineer.      The big boxing match happened to be the last night we were there, and we went to a pub beforehand and the female bartender sold me on a place to go to. At first I thought she was just being nice to me because maybe she liked me, and then about eight seconds in I was like, nope, she’s selling me on something. I could die in a fiery car crash in a ravine and she would sprinkle down advertising cards to her friend’s club on my dead body. Come to think of it, I’ve never met a female bartender who you could describe as, Oh, she seemed shy and genuine. I get it because they have to deal with so many people, so many assholes, so they have their shtick and their guard up, but it’s never a good feeling when someone treats you like an easy mark. To further perfectly emphasize my relationship with women (not that I was interested in her), we ended up going to her friend’s club, because I told her I would go and I stupidly stupidly have integrity or whatever when it comes to that stuff, and it was at full capacity. A woman who I didn’t even like who I was just trying to be nice to swindled and sold me on something that I was then shut out of. Kind of wish I was a politician so I could just fuck high-class prostitutes and not care. But then do you even have a soul at all? Could you appreciate the Tom Thomson paintings?      It’s funny, I have no idea what we ate for breakfast the next morning before we left. Totally gone from my mind. (I am writing this on my phone on a red eye at about three in the morning.) It wasn’t a crepe, I would have remembered a crepe. It wasn’t chicken wings, I don’t eat too many of those. I’m desperate to remember in part because I’m hungry right now. Maybe a chocolate croissant? Chocolate croissant is my best guess. Always my best guess. As we got close to the border and our phones really started working again, we picked up the baggage again that we had sort of kind of left for a few days, back to our regularly-scheduled lives, but with the sunlight flickering on the water in our minds in the late afternoon sun.

[eugesounds]

Phoenix

It’s a pretty nice town. We visited to celebrate my step-daughter’s graduation from Physician Assistant school and decided to build a little vacation around the momentous event. As is the norm, we did a bunch of research before we left, looking for interesting food choices and cool spots to visit.  I’m happy to report that Phoenix delivered on all fronts.

We arrived on Wednesday, July 26th and stayed just north of Sky Harbor airport at the Hilton Garden Inn. We checked in and took the train to meet the graduate and her roommate at Postino Wine Cafe in the north west area of the city. It’s a really cool spot serving yummy small plates, Italian sandwiches, and cold beer. If you didn’t already know, it’s HOT in Phoenix, and hottest in July. So after a long day of traveling from Dallas and a decent walk in the heat from the station to the restaurant, a cold beer was certainly welcome. 

On Thursday morning we decided to make our way to Matt’s Big Breakfast, it was one the items “not to be missed” in Phoenix. It’s a small, homey, bustling, spot that should definitely be on your list if you’re traveling through town. The thick cut, maple-pepper bacon will change your life. Real ingredients, freshly cooked, the old style diner way,... sublime. 

After breakfast we made our way to the Arizona Center, a small touristy area right downtown and close enough to the school so we could meet the graduate on her final lunch break of the semester. I had been to the center years ago with an old colleague and it brought back fond memories of him and the Music Educators National Conference that we attended together.

We poked around downtown for a while and then made our way back to the hotel. I went to the pool to relax a while, and the beautiful Gracie took advantage of the time to grab a nap. The Hilton is nice, a little “out of the way” but quiet and clean with a very friendly staff. Their shuttle service to and from the train station came in handy a number of times and the cucumber, grapefruit, and lemon water in the lobby was a welcome sight just about every time we got back in from the heat. 

On Thursday evening we checked off another “must” from the list. Pizzeria Bianco has been featured on the food network and is evidently a favorite of folks like Oprah and Giada DeLaurentiis.  It must have been our lucky day as we basically walked in and sat down.  It’s a small place, with maybe 12 tables, a giant brick oven in the center, and a 2 to 3 hour wait is evidently, not unusual. The pizza lived up to the hype; with terrific, fresh ingredients, everything in perfect proportion, and a crust that was pretty much perfect. While there, we encountered a really friendly table of folks who were having a great time photo-bombing our pictures. (File that in your memory).

On Friday morning I went on a small “hike” with the grad-to-be and her roommate. The North Mountain is a favorite for locals who want a relatively quick, but steep climb. It took about 30 minutes at a brisk clip to reach the top and it was worth the effort. The early morning temps made it bearable and I hung in there pretty well for an old guy, keeping up with the 20 somethings pretty much step for step. The view from the top was great, with the city below shining in the morning sun, and the distant mountains on all sides awash in blues and browns. It was an unexpected bonus and pleasant surprise added to this trip. 

On Friday evening we attended the graduation ceremony and much to the surprise and glee of everyone, our graduate received the Outstanding Scholar Award for finishing tops in her class! She is a great kid who has a bright future and she’s worked super hard to achieve her goals. Afterward we trained out to Tempe and had dinner on Mill Street. It’s a huge college town (Arizona State University) but this area is a bit too grungy (if not downright dirty) for my taste. Dinner at the Mellow Mushroom was fun though and the evening was a nice celebration of our grads accomplishments. 

On Saturday afternoon we attended the Real Wild & Woody Beer festival at the Phoenix convention center. It was a comedy of errors that led us there, but in the end we both loved it and had a super time. It’s a Conference and Trade show with 65 of the Southwest’s best craft brewers handing out samples of over 350 beers. I’m not really a “beer guy”, but I must say we had a blast trying lots of crazy ales and sampling some yummy food. The Blueberry Basil Brew was surprisingly good and I had never had pork rinds before (when in Rome?).

 As fate would have it, we saw the folks who photo-bombed us at the pizza place!  They were actually brewers from THAT Brewery and The Shop Beer Co. so we had a good laugh and more “selfies”. THAT Brewery’s wooden keg aged brew was one of the only ones I had twice, super yummy. We met lots of fun folks (who’s not happy and outgoing at a beer festival?) and really had a great time. Afterward we made our way to another spot on “the list”, the Cafe at Phoenix Public Market. 

It’s listed as “a casual urban cafe offering breakfast, lunch, and dinner” but it’s just as much a cool “hang” for those in the know. Almost all of the ingredients are local and served fresh, sourced directly from the adjacent farmer’s market. It’s a “health-focused menu” but it’s not pretentious. The portions are hearty, bread is baked in-house, and the wood rotisserie adds a nice aroma in the place. Gracie and I are still talking about the Rainbow Salad and Cubano sandwich we shared. Again, if you’re in Phoenix, do yourself a solid and check this place out. Get a chocolate chip cookie to go, they’re really super.

After sleeping in a bit on Sunday, we walked to a place called Speedy Street Tacos just around the corner from our hotel. It was pointed out to us by the shuttle driver Nor, on the way in. “There are many locations,” Nor said, “but this one is best. It looks not so good, but it is good”.  We decided to give it a try and we’re so glad we did. The stand looks like a run-down, single-family house at best. There’s no seating inside, just a few wooden tables bolted to the ground at which, should you choose, you stand in the shade and eat. When we arrived in the afternoon the cook was tending the outside grills, stoking the “Mezquite” charcoals and turning the beef and chicken like a boss. We decided to try a combo of beef and chicken in 4 tacos and 2 quesadillas... to go. The pico and the red and green salsa/sauces were super fresh, and when we got back to the hotel we enjoyed quite the spread. Nor was right.

After the good eats we hired a Lyft and made our way to another item on the list, Whozitz & Whatzitz about 5 miles north of the hotel. Though it had an amazing amount of goofy curios and trinkets, it was much smaller than I had envisioned and wound up having only slightly more interesting items than what you’d find at a typical beach town or boardwalk shop. On the way out we spotted a “psychic bookstore” in the same plaza and decided to pop in. It was exactly what you’d expect; incense, new-age music, “psychics” giving readings at several tables, and a vast array of crystals and healing potions. I did score a few sticks of nice incense and a great smelling candle though, and it was fun to eavesdrop on the “Madam Marie” readings.

On Sunday evening we met the graduate for one more celebratory meal at Oregano’s, an old fashioned, mom and pop, Italian restaurant. The wait was long, but the food was good and the decor was fun to peruse. Sinatra memorabilia, black and white photos, vintage signs, and old “family” movies on well placed TV’s make the atmosphere very homey, especially for a kid from south Jersey. If you’re looking for hearty portions at decent prices, this is your place.

On Monday morning I took one last dip in the hotel pool as Gracie was packing up to leave. The pool is small but clean and I had it to myself every time I went. After we checked out and stored our luggage we headed to breakfast at a cool place called the Fair Trade Cafe. It’s an eclectic, hippie joint serving good coffee and decent sandwiches close to our next destination, the Heard Museum. 

As fate would have it, there was an extensive Frida Kahlo and Diego Garcia exhibit happening and I was happy to have the opportunity to take it in. The show was fantastic with over 30 iconic paintings and 50+ photos of the artists, their friends, and families. It was the perfect cap to a terrific week in Phoenix. Gracie is not a fan of the heat, but she was a real trooper hoofing it all over the city. It’s back to the grind for us now, with a mad dash toward fall and the end of another eventful year.  Recharged and ready!

Bunches of pictures posted here:  

https://www.instagram.com/eugesounds/

[andy-abroad]

Seoul_02

July.01.2017 Hello, hello! Greetings from Seoul! It's been a wild ride getting here, but I'm finally in the motherland and very excited to be here. I woke up to my alarm at 8:30a and I was very tired, so I snoozed until 9:00a! I woke up and checked in with the family and some friends - it's weird being 13 hours ahead, but kind of nice. Almost a symmetrical cycle - I'm sleeping when people are awake, people are awake when I'm sleeping, haha. I got ready and realized that even I went to bed at like 2:30a, the beds were all empty. When I woke up, everyone was back! I felt bad making so much noise, but it wasn't that early, so I just tried to be as quick as possible. I threw on the first shirt and pair of shorts I could find, packed my bag, and then jammed out the door! My first stop of the day (and what turned out to be my only stop) was the palace! I got my traveler card, topped it up, and got on the train. Thankfully the trains are very easy to find, are easy to navigate, and are super clean! I had one transfer, but didn't have any major issues. I got to the end and was right in front of the palace! It was still pretty early, so it wasn't that hot, but it was still humid. I paid my ticket and got the local price! I walked around the palace grounds and really enjoyed the trees. It's interesting to know that the Japanese destroyed the compound twice, but it was rebuilt as a replica in the 1980s. Kind of sad to think about, since it's not the original, but it's wood so I don't think it would have lasted from 1350 anyways. The colors were so beautiful and the architecture was very unique. Kind of a mixture of so many styles: Japanese and Chinese. It was the most interesting for me to see how the ancient complex was preserved right in the heart of Seoul. It shares the Seoul skyline and seems to defy the current, modern era. The trees are so beautiful and I'm glad I went earlier as there weren't as many people. It's funny, as a lot of Koreans were there and were annoyed that there were so many foreign tourists. This is a sign of a healthy economy, as people from other economies that are heavily dependent on tourism don't go to tourist sites, and don't complain about foreigners. I felt strange because I am a foreigner as well, but kind of not! I got to the inner courtyard where there was the palace party plaza, as I call it. It's a beautiful two story structure that is where royalty had parties and spent time during the summer months, as it's on a man made lake, which keeps it cooler than the rest. I spent some time there doing a water color! It was weird because people kept calling me an artist and I kept saying it's just a hobby, but I was flattered. It was here I saw a bunch of people dressed in 한복. First I thought they worked there, but in reality they rented them for a few hours and were just there to take photos and have fun! It seemed really cool and I was jealous I wasn't doing it. I finished my watercolor and walked around some more! I found the national folk museum, which was my second stop. I didn't realize it was the inside the palace grounds. It was.. an okay museum. The history seemed to brief, but I did learn a lot about the three kingdoms, and how Koreans unified with the advent of iron tools! The most interesting part was that from before the war to after the war, in a short amount of time, capital and industry BOOMED. The quality of life took off and they never looked back. It's like they never really had time to adjust, it was almost overnight. I read a lot of articles that people in korea really struggle with identity and with being part of the globalize economy as they are still figuring out what it means. The older generation have raised us and taught us, and it's a new age, but same people. I finished the museum and mama texted me about lunch. I hadn't eaten all day and was actually realizing how hungry I was! I guess I was so excited I didn't want to eat. I left the palace and followed my map just across the street to a noodle restaurant. 깔국수 + 만두. I had to wait about 15 minutes for a seat which was a good thing. I saw a bunch of locals eating there, and it's actually Michelin rated I think... amazing! I got a seat upstairs and the 이모 was so nice. I got both the 깔국수 + 만두. Ate it all! So much food but so good. Really hit the spot after such a long day of travel, and a long time without eating something that I really was craving. I finished up and then paid downstairs and left. My plan was to go immediately to the national museum of modern and contemporary art, but on my way to the restaurant, I passed it and it looked... empty. I decided I needed to digest anyways, so I walked up and down he street admiring the cafes until I found one I liked! It's called radio m and they had a really neat radio collection and played good music, both western and Korean! I got a coffee, and at first, I just tried to order in English out of habit, but the girl behind the counter turned to her friend and said she thought I was Korean, so I switched to Korean. I think that took her aback. I paid and went upstairs to wait. My buzzer went off and I got my coffee. It was actually perfect. Cold and iced, and strong. I sat sipping and wished I had brought my book. Instead I wrote some postcards that I had picked up from the museum. They were expensive, but really cute so it's alright. I enjoyed being with other Koreans just living their daily life. It was one of the first moments I felt like a local, or not so much as a tourist. I drank my coffee and watched the people on the streets. When I finished my coffee, I decided to look up the museum. It turned out they are in between exhibits, and the art that they have there, I wasn't really interested in. I didn't want to waste my time or money walking through, so I decided to do something.. better! I decided to go and get traditional Korean robes, and go back to the palace! I'm so glad I did. It was kind of expensive, but so funny and so worth it. I got some great photos and had a really fun and good time just walking around. It was so hot, and I sweat like crazy, but that's alright! My two hours were almost up so I returned to the shop and changed out. The woman working was so nervous I sweat so much she gave me water and made me sit for five minutes, haha! I said thank you and sorry and left to go home. I didn't end up seeing the bookstore mama told me about, but I think I want to come out this way again. I headed home as I was in desperate need to shower and to pay for my stay. The train ride back was painless. Everything is so well laid out. And in english as well as Korean! During this commute I also realized I needed some cash as I was nervous I didn't take out enough (spoiler, I did). It took me a while to find an ATM that would accept my card. Korea is strange about foreign debit cards, so I now know that NH accepts but 1st bank doesn't! I got my cash and headed to the hostel. I went up and as I was paying met an Australian guy and his girlfriend. They were paying, too. I spoke with Mary, the owner, in Korean and she was so impressed with my Korean and I was so flattered! She said my parents did a good job (ㅎㅎㅎ). I got back to my room, immediately plugged in my phone, connected to the wifi (which is free... I was mistaken) and showered. I feel like a new person! The couple invited me to go with them to this night market, called the 밤 도깨비! We got ready and went out and about. The plan was to go and see the market, get something to eat, and then go to a few bars. On our way to the market, we stoped at a 7-11 and got some soju! It was a very authentic way to start the night, as we drank right outside the store, and then got on our train. We got off on the wrong stop by mistake, and ended up walking about half a mile to the market, but it was so nice out, I didn't mind. It actually drizzled a little bit. By the time we got to the market, they had closed, as it had rained a little harder while we were on the train and it was too wet to have the market. Kind of defeated. We took the train back after walking around the 한강. The skyline is so beautiful and the river is so pretty! Really loved it. We got off one stop early (this time on purpose) and walked down the streets, just following the crowds, the noise, and the smell of food. We ended up eating at this KBBQ place (불고기), and it was super tasty. I was confused because the stove had some kind of soup in the pan! For vegetables I guess. It was a good dinner! After dinner we kept walking around and decided to drink more soju and beer at this convenience store that had a big seating area for people to drink at. Chairs, tables, umbrellas were all set up. We got some drinks and ended up sitting with these two locals, as the tables were all full. They were really cool and were great at English, as they studied in the United States for a while. They were both trying to get a job, but couldn't get s visa so had to come back home. By this time it was almost 1am, and I was exhausted! We were close to the guest house, so I said my goodbyes and walked home. The others went to a club and I am just too old for that now, haha. I brushed my teeth, changed and fell right asleep.

[frecklesandthenerd]

An Overindulgence in Parisian Food and Drink

Story by Nicole

On Thursday we slept in (it’s challenging not to sleep in when the earliest you can end dinner is about 9:30). We had some pizza for brunch and went to Sainte-Chapelle, which came highly recommended by several people. We walked past a ridiculously long line at Notre Dame and straight into Sainte-Chapelle, which was a nice feeling of victory. The cathedral is behind the guarded gates to the courthouse area, which made for an odd mix of suited professionals and confused tourists.

Sainte-Chapelle is just as gorgeous as everyone tells you. It has amazing nearly floor-to-ceiling stained glass panels on three sides, and an incredibly intricate rose window on the fourth. They are just finishing a painstaking stained glass restoration project (doing glass restoration on something so old and well renowned sounds terrifying), and almost everything was back in place.

Sainte-Chapelle (Photo/Jason Rafal) Sainte-Chapelle (Photo/Jason Rafal)

From Sainte-Chapelle we headed to the Panthéon - which we did not go inside of, you may be noticing a trend - and sat on its steps for a while contemplating the day. From there we headed to Shakespeare and Company, one of the oldest English bookstores in Paris. And it is a fantastic bookstore. It’s loosely organized on two floors, and the upstairs experience included a sleeping cat, a man playing the piano, and a donated library and reading room. Definitely worth a stop if you’re in Paris and love books.

Shakespeare and Company (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Another great thing about Paris is the water fountains everywhere. Frequently while wandering the city you’ll see a beautifully carved water fountain, and you can hold your hands or water bottle directly up to the lips of an engraved god to receive your drinking water.

One of the city’s many water fountains (Photo/Jason Rafal)

We then got on the metro and went to Montmartre, where we got off the train partway up the hill and climbed up several flights of stairs on residential streets to reach the Basilica. It was flooded with tourists, as expected, but the view is lovely. It’s fun to people watch and hear all the different languages as well.

Climbing the steps to Montmartre (Photo/Jason Rafal) The view from Montmartre (Photo/Jason Rafal) A view of the Eiffel Tower from Montmartre (Photo/Jason Rafal) The Basilica of the Sacré Cœur (Photo/Jason Rafal) A garden in a ball in the park below Montmartre (Photo/Jason Rafal)

We had our best meal in Paris that night at a little restaurant called L’ange 20. When we first arrived, the waiter told us that we were out of luck without a reservation, but then offered that if we came back in half an hour, he would seat us if one of his 7:30 pairs didn’t show. When we came back, he gave us seats near the bar, where Jason enjoyed his view into the kitchen. The food was French with a creative spin (my entree had guacamole in it, along with angel hair pasta-wrapped shrimp and a delicious spicy sauce), and everything we had was amazing. We would highly recommend it.

On Friday we did a cooking class, which was great. We went to a market, walked to the ruins of a crumbling Roman amphitheater, and then spent several hours preparing a three-course lunch under expert and teasing guidance. We learned useful facts, including how you can dye pears brown to cover any unsightly brown spots by putting a tea bag into the water while they are poaching. We also learned a cheater way to sous vide chicken. At the end, we enjoyed our lunch of cauliflower soup; chicken with mashed potatoes, deglazed vegetables, and red wine sauce; and poached pear with chocolate sauce and homemade ice cream.

Chef Jason (Photo/Nicole Harrison) Our fancy kitchen (Photo/Jason Rafal) Meal in progress (Photo/Jason Rafal)

After our cooking class we went to the Jardin des Plantes, which is Paris’s botanic garden. It’s beautiful and an excellent example of why Paris is so good at parks. I would highly recommend it, and it’s free so you can just stroll in and out on your way somewhere else.

At the Jardin des Plantes (Photo/Jason Rafal) A talented bug (Photo/Jason Rafal) Skeletons of varying sizes in a building at the Jardin des Plantes (Photo/Jason Rafal)

I’m really not quite sure whether to recommend the night cruise to people. I will say that if it’s your dream to get really drunk and enjoy a good view of the Eiffel Tower when it’s lit up at night, the cruise is probably worth it. If those things don’t interest you, you can probably skip it and save the money.

The cruise gave us aperitifs when we got there, and then we had an entire bottle of champagne and a bottle of wine. Because champagne is too sweet for Jason and we didn’t want to waste the alcohol, I ended up drinking an entire bottle of champagne by myself over the course of two hours. We were planning to take the metro back, but when we got off the boat we were drunk enough that it seemed like too big of a risk to attempt to navigate the metro correctly, so we set off walking. I became progressively more drunk as we walked, and because I’m the automatic navigator when around Rafals, this resulted in us walking at least an extra mile trying to get home. We did find some delicious ice cream on the way, though.

Walking to the boat in the rain (Photo/Jason Rafal) The Eiffel Tower all lit up (Photo/Jason Rafal) A lot of drinks (Photo/Jason Rafal) Boat selfie (Photo/Jason Rafal) Nicole getting tipsy on the boat (Photo/Jason Rafal) Wandering home after the boat ride (Photo/Jason Rafal) Amazing midnight ice cream (Photo/Nicole Harrison)

On Saturday, we nursed our hangovers at breakfast (crêpes are delicious) and lunch (Italian food for variety). Then we boarded a bus to see Monet’s garden at Giverny.

If you only have a couple of days in Paris, I wouldn’t use five of those hours to explore Giverny. It’s a lot of travel time. But because it was rainy, we had already been in Paris for a few days, and we were too hungover for museums, it was a good side trip.

Monet’s gardens are really wonderful. There are a variety of colorful flowers scattered everywhere - I was amused to see columbines, colorado's state flower - and there are many trellises that make the garden feel cozy and secluded, even when it's filled with tourists. The water lily pond is also incredibly beautiful, and in a much softer way than the impressive historical monuments in the area. The light rain just made everything even more soft and welcoming.

Monet’s gardens (Photo/Jason Rafal) Monet’s gardens (Photo/Jason Rafal) Monet’s gardens (Photo/Jason Rafal) Monet’s gardens (Photo/Jason Rafal) Soft water (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Monet lived in Giverny with his second wife, and children starting in 1883. It's a lovely house. The kitchen was especially great, with beautiful tiling and copper pots everywhere. There was also a pot filler, which Jason argued was grounds for getting one ourselves.

Monet’s kitchen (Photo/Jason Rafal)

The rain was lightening as we got back, and we enjoyed a last night in Paris.

A man dressed as orange juice for no explicable reason (Photo/Jason Rafal) Outside a typical Paris cafe (Photo/Jason Rafal) Sunset light (Photo/Jason Rafal) Goodbye to Notre Dame (Photo/Jason Rafal)

[the-pbd]

3.31.17 | Taipei

Every time one of my Singapore friends learned that I was going to be in Taipei for a few days, they would immediately give me a ton of suggestions for things to do. 90% of these suggestions usually involved eating some kind of street food- which was fine by me. I love street food. I love the idea of not having to commit to sitting down in a restaurant, sifting through too many choices, waiting for forever for my food to come, eating like a dignified human being, and spending too much money on the experience because sometimes I literally. just. want. the food.

So yeah, street food is my jam. I was pumped for Taipei.

I landed on Friday night around 9pm to meet my friend @Cole (shoutout to him for being such a homie and traveling with me again) at Taoyuan International. We took the airport train over to the Taipei MRT and eventually located my mom's friend's place, only after knocking on a few wrong doors (sorry, old guy who lives on the other side of the block) and then finally being rescued by a nice delivery girl who let us use her phone. It was too late and rainy to explore by the time we got there, so we just went to bed to get an early start the next day.

My mom's friend (auntie Martha) lives right next to Taipei National University, so there were a ton of cafes and little restaurants and convenience stores nearby. We were also within walking distance to the Chiang Kai Shek memorial, which is a huge outdoor garden with a beautiful temple in the middle dedicated to Taiwan's first president. We spent most of the morning exploring this area, which was nice because it was early enough to where there weren't that many tourists out and about yet.

After that, we decided to check out what was called the Songshan Cultural Creative park. On the way we stopped at a random food stand and got breakfast. My Chinese is pretty bad (and in Taiwan they use Fan Ti Zi, which is a style of written Chinese that's like cursive but 100 times worse) but we were able to point at the food we wanted and get by.

On the way to the park, we ran into a Hello Kitty cafe (Taiwan was occupied by the Japanese for about 50 years and as a result, they have a ton of authentic Japanese food and vestiges of Japanese culture like Hello Kitty) which had a lot of little desserts that were SO CUTE but also SO EXPENSIVE so we didn't get anything. 

The culture park ended up being a really cool stop. It kind of reminded my of Ponce City Market in Atlanta where there are just a ton of little stores selling bougie homemade products ranging from socks with animal faces on them to delicate jewelry to tiny carved wooden figurines set up in nativity-like scenes. There was also some photography exhibition there shedding light on Taiwan's migrant workers. All in all, a worthy excursion.

We walked from there to the Ximending area, which is basically just Taipei's main shopping district. There was only one thing I was interested in seeing there, which was the famous Modern Toilet restaurant, where all the guests sit on toilet seats and eat out of tiny toilet-shaped bowls (!!!) There's just something about eating green curry out of a toilet-shaped bowl that makes it look like something other than green curry. The food was really good, though, and so was the chocolate ice cream. It was kind of gross, kind of fun, and I'm glad I stopped there but it's not a restaurant I'd be able to eat at every day. 

After that, we took a bus an hour north to the National Palace Museum, which houses one of the greatest collections of Chinese art. I have to admit, I'm not as huge a fan of Chinese art as I am of European art, but there's something to be said of the painstaking process it takes to create a scroll with immaculate watercolors and then write in beautiful calligraphy an accompanying poem on top. A lot of poems are interpreted by their brushstrokes (where the poet chose to emphasize certain words or how they chose to paint certain lines within a character) and that in itself was a kind of art- painting and literature all in one. It was pretty cool.

Shilin Night Market, Taipei's largest and most famous night market, is very close to the National Palace Museum, so naturally it was our final stop of the day. We got dropped off at the southern end and walked north. As we imagined, the streets were packed full of people queuing for stalls that offered everything from candied tomatoes to noodles to bubble tea to crepes to sausages to dumplings to lots of other foods that I didn't recognize. The first thing we ate was a freshly baked pancake/scone thing. After that we had some pigeon eggs on a stick. We then moved onto a huge savory crepe, and then finally splurged on octopus, fried in dough, covered in cheese, with soy sauce, hot sauce, and wasabi drizzled on top. It was wild and extra but so, so good.

After that we didn't have the capacity to do anything else. We made it home and fell asleep in a great food-induced coma.

The second day, we woke up and met my auntie Martha for lunch at Tim Ho Wan, which is a dim sum place (Hong Kong food instead of Taiwanese, but delicious nonetheless). One of my favorite dim sum items is sesame mochi balls. Usually they're filled with red bean paste but at Tim Ho Wan they were filled with liu sha (drool) which is basically this beautiful, golden, sweet, custard-y egg yolk filling. In retrospect, I probably should've ordered like 10 plates of those and just nothing else but I guess I'll know for next time.

After that big brunch, Cole and I made our way over to Elephant Mountain where there was a hiking trail that led up to a great view of the Taipei 101 tower. The day before had been kind of overcast but that day was absolutely beautiful, sunny and 75 with clear blue skies and a nice breeze. After so long in the sweltering humidity of Singapore, Taipei's weather was a welcome relief. The hike itself was short but steep. We camped out on some large boulders and admired the view for a while, then decided to walk to the tower to see if we could afford tickets to the observation deck (spoiler alert: we couldn't).

We walked around the downtown area after that, ran into a pet convention (so many little doggies!) saw another Cultural Creative park (this one was outdoors, with little stalls set up kind of like a night market), and then spent some time in Eslite bookstore, which was voted the #1 bookstore in Asia on account of its size and the fact that it's open 24 hours. Then, we made our way back to the south part of the city to eat some beef noodle soup (super hearty and filling) and xiao long bao, which are soup-filled dumplings. 

For dessert, we waited in line for bubble tea (invented in Taiwan!) which was SO GOOD. I know I've said that about everything I've eaten here but as a self-proclaimed connoisseur of bubble tea I have to say that the boba I had in this tea was probably the best boba I've had in my life, hands down. They were soft and chewy and super fresh and sweetened with brown sugar and other syrups that altogether made some damn good boba. I was a fan. We were close by to two night markets (Shida and Gongguan) so we strolled around those for a while. Shida had a lot more clothes and Gongguan seemed to sell a lot more fruit than Shilin. Both were less crowded so it was really nice to just walk around and check out what the vendors were selling and not get accosted by crazy tourists and hungry mobs. It was a great way to end the weekend.

I think the thing I liked the most about Taipei was the atmosphere- even though it's definitely much more urban than Singapore is, with huge skyscrapers everywhere and a bustling financial district, it still has a great, laid-back vibe to it. The people all seemed really nice. In lieu of bars, they have an incredible array of cafes, some of which are uniquely themed and all of which seem worthy of checking out. I was really surprised by how many little coffee shops there were, given that Asia is kind of big on tea, but despite the Western influences there were still a lot of traditional aspects imbued into everyday life. According to my coworker, "Taiwan is the only place I’ll keep coming back to.”

(*Side note: I talked to my friends and apparently I DID TAIWAN ALL WRONG by wasting an entire precious meal on dim sum because it's not authentically Taiwanese. Also, apparently I forgot to try a bunch of foods like oyster omelettes and some beef rice dish and also sweet soymilk with fried Chinese doughnuts so OKAY I GET IT it seems like I need to go back to do eat those things. Whatever, it was an awesome vacation and even better eating extravaganza nonetheless).