To: New Experiences in the City

19 04 2013

We had a short opportunity to explore the city and it seemed like the theme of this visit was…..Brooklyn.

We went for dinner at Talde, a restaurant in Brooklyn that is run by Top Chef winner Dale Talde and ate a delicious meal of Korean Fried Chicken, sweet hawaiian bun sliders with pork, fish and portabella mushrooms, pretzel pork and chive dumplings, crispy oyster and bacon pad thai, banana leaf sticky rice and a whole roasted branzino.  The meal was delicious and of course we couldn’t leave without dessert.  Their specialties of the night:  an award winning salted chocolate cookie crumb square, which was given the seal of approval from Cookie Monster, himself, and a Talde take on the Filipino dessert – Halo Halo.  Nothing could prepare you for this dessert, and sadly I don’t have a photo, but when I describe it, I think you’ll get the idea.  Shaved ice with evaporated milk.  Coconut pieces, fresh grapefruit and mango slices.  Tapioca squares and Captain Crunch.  What???  Yes.  Captain Crunch.  Everything mixed together in one big bowl.  At one point Nathan asked if there was a piece of fish in his dessert, it turned out to be the mango, but we wouldn’t have been surprised if there was.  It was the oddest dessert we’ve ever had (and we’ve had a lot) and you couldn’t even get used to it because every single bite was a surprise.

Saturday, aside from making an early stop to Carlo’s Bake Shop, we took advantage of the sunshine and headed into the city. We headed in with the intention of heading to the oyster bar at Grand Central Terminal, but in a snap decision we ended up heading towards Battery Park (an area of town we haven’t explored in the 4 years we’ve been going to New York).

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Statue of Liberty (view from Battery Park)

 

 

In an effort to do something a little bit different during this trip we walked through the Financial District, strolled down Wall Street, saw the infamous bull, and Nathan visited his money at the New York Stock Exchange (apparently it didn’t recognize him).  And then we had a couple hours to kill ….so, decided to tackle the Brooklyn Bridge.

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My intention was to make the trek across to visit Jacques Torres for a cup of rich, creamy hot chocolate….but we stopped at the halfway point before realizing that we had to be on our way to Wolfgang’s Steak House to enjoy the best thick sliced bacon I have ever had and an aged steak that I wish I could share with everyone.  And that’s not even counting the chocolate mousse cake with homemade schlag…….yum!

And after a glass or two, or three, or four of wine, the tastiest steak I’ve had the pleasure of eating, and the sweet chocolate mousse cake and key lime pie for dessert, it was time to say good bye to Tribeca and head out of the city.

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NYC after a Great Night!


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Categories : New York City

Next Stop: Somewhere New

9 04 2013

After four years of traveling around the US, I have made it to 41 states, and have realized that the country truly isn’t that big.  But with that being said, 4 years of travel included a lot of the same roads travelled to a lot of the same places.

So  it was a great opportunity to travel some highways and byways and get…not lost…but rather find some new places to explore.  Traveling up the Eastcoast from Jacksonville, FL to Newark, NJ we managed to stretch out the 900 mile drive into three days of travel.  And I discovered a couple places that I had never been to before.

First Stop:  Savannah, GA (and when you say it, you have to say it like you’re from the south)

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A cute little downtown area that has a downtown shopping/outdoor plaza that reminds me of Faneuil Hall in Boston.  Lots of outdoor parks and some great eating opportunities.

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Our intention was to have some good ol’ southern home cooking at Paula Deen’s Lady and Sons restaurant.

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But after seeing the line up, and not being able to get a reservation for another three hours, we started asking around, to see if it was worth the wait.  Turns out, the locals don’t think too highly of the place and at the first mention of the restaurant, their faces started pinching up like they had eaten a sour grape.  So I can’t give the restaurant or its food a fair review, but I can say that the locals love their BBQ, and sent us to a little hole in the wall place called Angel’s BBQ that you might have passed by if not for the little BBQ flag that hung outside its door.  And for dessert, tiny morsels of tart sweetness with key lime cookies from Byrds.  

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The best part, they have a sampling station at the front of the store so you can try out flavours from chocolate chip and chocolate macaroon to lemon, key lime, peach and apple crunch.

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Second Stop:  Myrtle Beach, SC

What can I say, it was dinner time.  And before we even made it to the Myrtle Beach city limits we started seeing signs for roasted oysters, stuffed clams and other delightful treats.  We made it as far as The Hot Fish Club in Murrells Inlet, a restaurant that has a history dating back before the civil war and who’s first club house was located on a place called Drunken Jack Island (who doesn’t love that!).  Fresh gulf shrimp, Alabama oysters (coming for a Pacific NW’er, I can say they had a great taste), Seafood Paella, Lobster Pot Pie and key lime pie for dessert.  Yum!

So needless to say, by the time we rolled into Myrtle Beach, SC it was dark and I’d had a couple glasses of wine, so I can tell you nothing about the beach.  I assume it is glorious and the reason why so many people were walking the streets that were filled with All-U-Can-Eat Seafood Buffets (some of them boasting up to 200 items) and surprisingly, one after another, giant neon/fluorescent lit beachwear stores and each time there was a store so bright it hurt your eyes, it was followed by a huge, elaborately built mini golf course.  What is going on Myrtle Beach?  It was nothing like I expected, and kind of reminded me of Niagara Falls (the Canadian side), which considering it has been named the ‘Honeymoon Capital’, surprisingly has a lot of Ripley’s Believe It Or Not type places, wax museums, and gaudy souvenir shops.

Third Stop:  North East, MD

I don’t know that this little east coast town would have ever been a destination for me, if Nathan hadn’t stumbled upon it 7 years ago.  He always thought he’d make it back around, it just took him a little while.  Cute main street and a great casual seafood place, called Woody’s Crab House.  Their specialty:  Hard Shell Blue Fin Crabs – pride of the Chesapeake Bay.  Too bad they’re scared of cold water and the waters are cold in Maryland right now….brrrr.  So, we’ll have to find another opportunity to visit North East, Maryland, hopefully in less than seven years.

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All in all, a great little road trip.  Fun to see new places and to have those places surprise you.  I love to plan things, but there’s no way that I could have planned the meandering trip that we had along the coast.  Sometimes it’s best to just let things happen and let the trip find you.


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Categories : Eastern Seaboard, Maryland, North Carolina, Savannah, South Carolina

Just like Rules…Routines are Meant to be Broken!

2 04 2013

There is something comforting and familiar about routine.  I’ve spent the last few weeks establishing a pretty good rhythm of learning spanish, working out, knocking out puzzle after puzzle, doing a little bit of work, and of course…. stalking seal pups.  But just like rules, routines are meant to be broken.  And it was definitely time to shake up the grey, drizzly weather of Seattle.

So off to Vegas I go, for sunshine and Vitamin D, and some much needed quality time with Nathan.  As I landed in Vegas, seeing the sun glinting off the Mandalay Bay, I thought, ‘finally.  Some sunshine.  I can’t wait to feel that warmth on my face!’.  But as we’re used to in the Pacific NW – sunshine does not mean warm!  It was still cold with the wind whipping my hair around me.  And, I took a look at the weather forecast in Seattle, and wouldn’t you know – sunshine….every day and 60+ degrees, which in Seattle terms = heat wave.

Well nothing knocks out the routine like landing in Vegas and seeing a car hauler driving down the road, and knowing that that’s your ride.  A strange thing to see a big truck and know that that type of vehicle is your most familiar mode of transportation criss crossing around the country.

Nothing normal about the week that we just had.  We spent the weekend hanging out with some of the feistiest, sassiest women I have ever met.  Yes, they were in their 70’s but you would think you were watching the antics of the best of friends in the early years of university (before that last year when you start panicking that you need to figure out what you’re doing with your life).  It was so great to see all that energy and craziness.

We started the week drinking Landshark and soaking up some rays puttering around Lake Havasu.

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Landshark Spokesman

But once we hit the road it was a blur of saguaro cacti reaching out their arms in strange angles in the desert as we passed through Arizona.  On a side note:  I just started reading ‘The Host’ by Stephanie Meyers and we drove past Picacho Peak – what a coincidence!

Wednesday morning was a 2am wake up call in Deming, New Mexico and watching the sun come up over the hillside early in the long drive through Texas.

Texas Sunrise in 'the middle of nowhere TX'

Texas Sunrise in ‘the middle of nowhere TX’

It seems crazy that you can drive all day and still be in the same state.  Aside from the sparse sightings of Texas Blue Bonnets, the highlight of my day – I swear I saw a zebra eating hay in the Texas hill country.  That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

And just when you think that you’ll never, ever, get out of Texas, we hit the bayous in Louisiana, crossed over the 16 mile bridge over Lake Pontchartrain and made our way into Alabama.

Finally…finally, we found ourselves driving through the dark outskirts of Jacksonville, FL and wound our way to the oceanside at Jacksonville (Jax) Beach.  Three days and 2200 miles later, we finally found our landing spot for some much needed R&R.

Such a different week than the ones I’ve spent the last few months, but strangely enough, I can’t say that it’s a week that I haven’t had before, or one that I’m sure to have again.  Funny to see what becomes ‘normal’ over the years.


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Categories : Arizona, Lake Havasu City, Las Vegas, New Mexico, Texas

A Confession

17 02 2013

I think that it might be time to admit to a problem.  At first I thought it was just a natural interest, maybe an infatuation, but I think it might actually be an obsession.  I think I’m a Seal Pup Stalker!

West Seattle does a great job at protecting the seal pups that find their way to the beaches to rest and catch some sun for a while.  They post signs, set up caution tape perimeters and have a ‘Seal Sitter’ keeping a watchful eye out for the pups.  It’s taken me a whole year to finally see these pups.  At first I would always see the caution tape, but when I peeked past the perimeter on my tip toes, I would never see anything.  Either the perimeter was too good, or the seal pup had already gone back into the water.

I have finally FINALLY found them.  First, it was just one seal pup, from behind, so really it just looked like a grey blob on grey beach rocks, but I still count it.  Now, I’ve actually found their hang out!

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Six Seal Pups, hanging out on an old decaying dock.  They found their way during high tide and decided it was the perfect place to snooze for the day.   This was the best energy boost pick me up, since I first discovered the Pixar blue bird video.  I clapped at the seal pups and they looked right at me.  Well, most of them were sleeping but there were two that were all cuddled up together and one in particular that seemed ready to put on a show.

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So I clapped at them….for them…..spent a little bit too long watching them from what I have named the ‘Seal Look Out’.  And eventually I was dragged away.

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But I’ve gone back.  Although I did check out the Seal Sitters blog to find out that seal pups have very good hearing.  And to clap at them, is essentially harassing them.  So now, I watch them quietly, most of the time.  Although sometimes I can’t help it and I chirp and coo at them as if I was trying to get a cat’s attention (what do you expect from a person who grew up with cats?).  I still feel a little guilty and look around for witnesses.  

Since my six seal pup day, I haven’t had the same luck.  Sometimes there’s one or two there, or I almost miss them because they blend in with the dock, sometimes they aren’t there at all.  But, it’s addicting, to know that they could there means that I just have to check, just in case.  The reward of seeing these seal pups is worth the extra half a mile walk, and I can’t help but be drawn to something that has the power to make my day.  Can’t help but love these seal pups!

 

*  I should probably make a note.  The close up shots….zoom lens all the way out and cropped right down to nothing.  I kept my distance…


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Categories : Seattle

Tired of Being a Raisin

16 01 2013

As tough as it is to leave the constant (and guaranteed) sunshine of the desert in Parker, Arizona, I’m a little bit excited to have a little moisture in the air.  To be honest, I’m a little weary of drying up like a raisin in the desert air.  And surprisingly I miss falling asleep to the raindrops falling outside my window.  I don’t know how long that will last, but fingers crossed the clear skys and high pressure system that’s hanging out in Seattle will stick around for a little while, or at least the skies don’t try to drown me out too quickly.

A couple last images of the clear desert skies, sun-kissed mountains and the Bill Williams River.

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Categories : Arizona, AZ, Lake Havasu City, Parker

Brrrr…It’s Cold in Here….

14 01 2013

Here I thought we were heading to the warmth of the desert in Parker (Lake Havasu City), AZ.  Well there’s definitely sunshine, but where’s the warm kiss of the sunshine on my face?  Highs of 45 degrees and Lows of 25 degrees?  What is that all about????

The orange tree that we just planted is struggling.  It may actually be holding onto dear life as it shivers in the wind at night.  We’ve done our best by putting blankets over it and taping cardboard around its trunk when the sun goes down – hey it’s definitely not pretty, but hopefully it’s providing some protection.

And with all the buzz about the flu epidemic?  Well, this part of the desert has not been exempt.  I think everyone I have come in contact with the last few weeks has been hacking away and by some miracle, despite the fact that the three other people in my household have taken their turn as a self-designated ‘sickie’,  (Well, maybe not so much as self designated, but that’s what I’ve been calling them), I have still remained unscathed.  I like to think it’s because of my superhuman immune system and strength of mind, but who we kidding, I’m usually the first one sick and give in to it like a little baby. So, I guess I have to thank the round of immunizations that I had to have during the process of getting my green card.  I resisted them at first, but looks like I won out in the end.

Well I can’t say I have any advice for dealing with the cold temperatures (besides looking at the views from inside the cocoon of warm blankets while sitting by the fire) or battling the germs in the area other than unexpectantly planning ahead with a full round of vaccinations.  But I do recommend healthy doses of Vitamin C and if you’re ever in the area of Mesa, AZ, you’ve got to stop by B & B Citrus Farm, because they have got some tasty fruit on their trees!

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Categories : Arizona, AZ, Lake Havasu City

F(l)ight of the Hummingbird

8 01 2013

To get a photo of one hummingbird in flight is one thing….

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To get a photo of two hummingbirds fighting over sweet nectar is a feat!

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Categories : Arizona, AZ, Parker

A Difference in Surroundings

3 01 2013

It’s funny what a difference a change in scenery has on your mentality.

While trying to stay dry during a very soggy November and December in Seattle, you get used to constant cloud cover.  It’s expected really.  You start to make distinctions between heavy clouds, light cloud cover, and of course, rain clouds.  It could be misting outside, or it could be drizzling, sprinkling, light rain, and this Fall we saw constant consecutive downpour days.  This winter I was introduced to ‘Lumpy Rain’ as well, as the temperature fell and the rain clouds rolled in, it was just not cold enough to snow and instead produced raindrops with just a little bit of ice, making those raindrops fall just that much heavier.

Anyway, my point is that with so much weather that you’re trying to dodge throughout the day, it makes it difficult to get outside for that vitamin D your body craves, especially if you hate to walk around in the rain.  You become obsessive about the hourly weather forecast, trying to time your outdoor activities in between the 1 – 2 hour breaks from the rain during the day.  A glimpse of blue sky makes you giddy, and full out sunshine, well you barely have time to get your shoes on before your body is jumping outside and heading to the waterfront.  In Seattle, you take advantage of any non-rainy weather.  Period.

But what do you do when you find yourself in constant sunshine?  A place where the norm is sunshine and when a couple clouds find their way in the horizon, it’s a hot topic of conversation.  You find yourself indoors, that’s what!  You take that sunshine for granted and when you look outside and see bright sunshine and moonscape views, you think, ‘oh – another sunny day. It looks a little cool and breezy out though.  Maybe an inside day….’.  And when there are a couple clouds in the sky and surprisingly a few raindrops, well, it’s a HIBERNATION DAY.  Turn the fire on, grab the blankets and let’s watch a movie.  Where in one place the raindrops are the norm and their absence is an opportunity you take advantage of, in the desert, a few drops are cause for hibernation.

Well, today we made a trek out into the desert in the front yard.  A path of crumbling rock, sprouting cacti (and their skeletons) and the panoramic views from up above.

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Categories : Arizona, Parker

Wait….Am I Boring?

10 12 2012

Sometimes it takes a question as simple as ‘what’s new with you?’ to make you jump up and realize that things need to change.  Or sometimes to make you realize that things have changed.

Someone asked me that simple question a couple weeks ago, ‘what’s new with you?’ and I realized that for the first time in a long time, I had nothing to report.  After four years of a life that was constantly in motion, where I was in a constant stage of waiting for the next leg of the trip, with no need to make plans because something would always come up, and inevitably, any plans that I did make would have to be cancelled, the fact that I had nothing exciting to report, nor did I have any immediate plans, kind of threw me.

At first I rushed into immediate plans.  I headed to the city to get lost in the hustle and bustle of downtown Seattle, trying to wake myself up from the West Seattle haze I had found myself in.  Don’t get me wrong, I love West Seattle, but not a ton of excitement minus the orca whale sightings.  I scoured the event listings and bought tickets for the Seattle Symphony, the holiday show at the 5th Avenue Theater, and found myself at the Showbox at the Market on a Monday night seeing ‘Walk Off the Earth’ live (who would have thought that youtube video we watched a year ago would come back around like this?). 

Showbox at the Market (Seattle, WA)

Showbox at the Market (Seattle, WA)

Walk Off the Earth "Somebody I Used to Know"

Walk Off the Earth “Somebody I Used to Know”

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Summer Jammin’

After that initial panic that I was wasting away my days, I realized that not being on the road and traveling constantly was actually a good thing.   It’s true that in the past few years I never had to make any plans for adventure because there was no way I could avoid a last minute trip to NYC, a weekend in Chicago, an opportunity to see Martha’s Vineyard, have access to concerts, or have the opportunity to sing ‘on the road again’ again and again as we drove straight across the country for the 5th time that year.  But for the past few years I never made plans.  It seemed like I could never make a dr’s appointment, much less attend a neighbour’s holiday party or BBQ.  I sounded like a recording stuck on repeat, ‘who knows where I’ll be.  I’ll let you know, but probably won’t be able to make it’.  And it’s a little hard to make new friends when you can never commit to spending time with them.

It hit me suddenly that now I have the freedom to MAKE PLANS.  To commit to a schedule.  What??  The value of having the freedom to commit to a schedule?  Who would have thought that that was important?  Well, I have now thrown myself into ‘planning’ wholeheartedly.  A girl’s night, a weekly grocery shopping trip, a holiday ornament exchange, hosting a Christmas Cocktail Party, attending a friend’s holiday party – all things that I can say have happened in the last week, or will be happening in the week to come.

So, what at first seemed like a horrible realization that the excitement in my life was dependent on the twists and turns of work (which means I’m actually a very boring person), has now turned into the fantastic realization that I’m in control of my own adventures (and that I’m not actually a boring person by nature), and part of that adventure is this new opportunity to put down some roots!


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Categories : Seattle

The Power of the Written Word

19 10 2012

I’m having a weird reflective moment that I’m not quite sure how to explain.  I just read a blog post  (http://thehandwrittenlife.wordpress.com/2012/10/17/burning-bridges) that was about burning bridges; about making a decision whether or not to turn your back on someone who has been a part of your life, a part of ‘who you are’, but being torn because as much pain as you’ve felt because of that person, you’ve also felt the love – and which one is stronger?

Now, I think that that scenario and personal experience is something that everyone can relate to, in some shape or form.  But what made me react so strongly is to see how everyone else reacted so strongly.  Because if you are riding that same emotional roller coaster, or have just gotten off (or thrown off) that ride, well I think it would be hard not to feel ‘moved’ by the writing.  What was written has the ability to tug at your emotions and provoke you to respond because it strikes a chord in your memories and can dredge up some painful personal memories and experiences (and tears, probably a lot of tears).

So my odd reflective moment is seeing this all from a distance.  Yes – I have been torn in the past about whether or not to let someone go.  But, since that was long in the past (and I’m really quite happy right now), I’m impressed with the power of writing about a personal experience and all of the different ways it can be received and reflected upon and how it can provoke  such a strong response (written and emotional), depending on where the reader is in their life.

Last year I wrote a post inspired by the ‘Dear Me: A Letter to My Sixteen Year Old Self’ series.  I read some of the letters, it inspired me to write my own, and despite knowing that it was personal, I wasn’t unleashing any deep, dark secrets.  But the response was overwhelming – greatly appreciative that I shared my story, a feeling of personal connection, a solution to their own personal reflection, a lot of personal stories shared with me, and only a few negative comments about how trivial my problems were (but it still made a big enough impact to provoke a response, right?).  In my efforts to write something that was worthy of the jolt of inspiration I felt, I never imagined that it would strike a chord with so many people.  But I guess that’s my ‘aha’ moment today.  You never know who’s reading and what effect you can have on others – whether it’s deeply personal turmoil, or ‘tongue and cheek’ reflection, when you write from the heart, you have the ability to connect emotionally and sometimes, inspire.


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Categories : Miscellaneous

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