Seattle 2018 Trip

Huge shout out to my cousin Diana for being a fantastic host on my recent trip to Seattle. Feel free to use my travel notes as a guide for your future visitors (including myself!).

Fun

Starbucks Roastery (Seattle location), Capitol Hill)
I took a leisure walk to this place on my first full day. I ordered a coffee ((Pantheon 2018, pour over) and did some people watching (so much to see!). On my last day I went to the shop again and got some freshly roasted beans (also Pantheon). They of course also have food options, tons of coffee (made with your favorite brewing method) and plenty of Starbucks Reserve goodies. I can't wait for the NYC roastery to open up soon.



Seattle Center International fountain
Best place to enjoy a bit of sun (on those sunny days in Seattle, lucky me!) and people watching. and also a great place to snap a pic of the Space Needle.

I looked into the music a bit more when I was organizing my trip notes and found some great resources below:

• article about the DJ from the Stranger
• actual playlists!
• I haven't listened to this specific playlist but the date range matches when I visited the fountain. 

Tours

KEXP tour (Seattle Center)
Having listened to KEXP live in studio performances podcast, I was intrigued by the station tour and also the setup of the space. They have a rotating coffee place and also a record store in the lobby. The tour was clearly well-advertised because we had people from all over the world (including Scotland and South Africa). I haven't watched too much of their youtube channel but it is also very popular around the world. The actual studio had glowing, pulsating blue LEDs that are surprisingly calm (note for my future lighting project, ha). I was really impressed with the massive CD library. Each CD also had personalized notes from the DJs. The collection is already being digitized and everyone was relieved to hear that the CD notes will also be scanned and stored as part of the effort. The space had a lot of neat artwork, this one showing the skyline of Seattle was my favorite.


Mount Rainier National Park (2 hours drive from downtown)
Earlier this summer I went to the Grand Canyon and caught the national park fever. Given Seattle is so close to several national parks, I had to visit one! After searching, I found a tour group called Evergreen Escapes and went on a small group tour to Mt Rainier.

We got lucky with the weather and had possibly one of the best days ever for hiking. We were surrounded by beautiful colors of the fall and also amazing old growth trees/forests. I'm glad I took this tour closer to the beginning of my trip (since I traveled from East coast and still woke up at 3am on my first few days in Seattle). The tour specs included a round trip from downtown in a comfortable van. Our tour guide also provided water, snacks, and lunch so we didn't have to bring much. I would definitely do this same trip (perhaps a diff season) and other outings with this company again.





Underground Tour (Pioneer Sq)
I went on this highly recommended tour when I first went to Seattle but my cousin Diana hasn't experienced it yet (because tours are for tourists, not locals)! We joined a bunch of people during a weekend session and had fun walking around underground and looking for purple glass (skylights).  If you go on this tour, you will be causing sidewalk traffic jams like proper tourists. I enjoyed the storytelling part of the tour more so than the so-called 'relics' and 'artifacts' but decide for yourself! 

Theo Chocolate Factory Tour (Fremont)
On the last full day of my trip, I woke up to a gray and rainy day. I skipped my plans for the zoo/garden and ventured out to Fremont for a chocolate factory tour instead. The tour gave a description of the bean to bar process, a peak inside the factory through clear observation room, and of course chocolate samples. I picked up some bars at the store afterwards.

Colorado Trip Notes

I visited Colorado for the first time and wanted to share some sights and tips from my visit. I enjoyed both Denver and Boulder and would definitely come back for more fun. Some specifics around restaurants / hikes / beers / food stuffs have all gone out of my head. hopefully S. and T. have better notes and/or memory and can add a bit more.

day 1 Denver

beautiful airport with tent structure and fantastic lighting http://www.flydenver.com/

16th st free mall ride http://www.rtd-denver.com/FREEMallRide.shtml

state Capitol building. restoration of house and senate chambers (check it out next time). hall of president portraits. http://www.denver.org/listings/Colorado-State-Capitol/3679/

Tattered Cover Bookstore with coffee and ice cream shop (reminds me more of Powell's than Strand) http://www.tatteredcover.com/

Wynkoop Brewery. http://www.wynkoop.com/ Rail yard Amber ale (also part of the downtown brewery listing from the visitor center. food was also pretty good. I ordered trout with polenta.

Union Station. yet another station that’s prettier than our Penn Station. I didn’t take the train and we walked inside where they had many food shops and even décor for Halloween.

day 2 Boulder

We took Green Ride from Denver to Boulder. http://greenrideboulder.com/

walking around on Pearl St. one memory store was the puzzle store and one memorable street art was watching people make art by sticking leaves and flowers on the rock with water slowly running down it. http://www.boulderdowntown.com/visit/history-of-pearl-street

tried a pumpkin cannoli from this shop: https://pieceloveandchocolate.com/

hiking and panorama views (photo from S.)

French restaurant near pearl st. I think it was brasserie ten ten? great happy hour specials https://www.brasserietenten.com/menus/happy-hour/

SFjazz Michael Jackson tribute (with jazz interpretation) http://www.sfjazz.org/events/2015-16/1022/collective

day 3

origami convention

west end tavern rooftop – forgot which beer I had? smoker selection (pork, chicken, sausages) http://www.thewestendtavern.com/

day 4

flat iron coffee. http://www.flatironcoffee.com/

flat hiking around Sawhill Ponds https://bouldercolorado.gov/osmp/sawhill-ponds-trailhead

celestial seasoning tea tour http://www.celestialseasonings.com/tours learned about herbal infusions and the overpowering “mint room”. of course sample all the teas there ( I liked watermelon zinger and chamomile lavender) and buy some gifts for your friends and family back home! I enjoyed reading about the history and also looking at the illustrations that they have for each tea.

teahouse lunch (amazing décor outside and inside, visit it!) we sipped some tea and I loved the Mediterranean salad which came with hummus, grape leaves, and olives  http://www.boulderteahouse.com/

street art near the teahouse

more hiking with more slope and views Chautauqua https://bouldercolorado.gov/osmp/chautauqua-trailhead

chophouse and tavern (??) split lamb chops with T.

we sampled java porter (coffee flavored beer) at mountain sun bar and caught haymarket square 'punkgrass' band performance. http://haymarketsquares.bandcamp.com/ the bar also offered prime people watching opportunity. we saw poker players, board game groups, dancers, couples, visitors, and more. http://www.mountainsunpub.com/

day 5

the buff for breakfast http://www.buffrestaurant.com/

Next Time:

• Denver Visitor Center Tips
  • Appaloosa grill 10pm music http://appaloosagrill.com/
  • Jazz at Jack's http://www.jazzatjacks.com/
  • http://www.denver.org/things-to-do/day-trips-around-colorado/denver-beer-triangle/
• Coors Field baseball stadium tour http://colorado.rockies.mlb.com/col/ballpark/
• Denver zoo http://denverzoo.org
• various parks and stuff
  • http://estes-park.com/peak-peak-scenic-byway
  • http://peaktopeakguide.com/

Resources:

• Colorado Beer Tour iOS App. I consulted this along with Yelp for a few good outings. https://appsto.re/us/LL6zz.i
• University of Colorado at Boulder
• Visitor Centers and Trail Maps

Autumn Trip Notes from in Cambridge, MA

Make a list of lovely autumn things and you will find them in abundance in Cambridge: fall foliage, crisp weather, classic buildings, seafood, good apples, and more. This past weekend I spent a pleasant autumn weekend in Cambridge with my friend Ying and took the opportunity to explore the streets, neighborhoods, and Harvard/MIT campuses. On the train ride back, I jotted down all the notes as basis for this entry. Not meant to be a detailed review but rather a collection of pictures, reference sites, and food thoughts.

above: my favorite shot of the trip. a colorful branch from Harvard courtyard.

Highlights from MIT Campus

I didn’t get a chance to photograph the “infinite corridors” (wiki entry) but it’s a fun “to-do” for every MIT visitor. Should start at the 77 Mass. entrance for the small dome, take a pic of the medallion and then walk through the different hallways until you get lost and found again. I discovered a lot of interesting wall art/exhibit/lab scenes this way.

Foliage from Harvard Campus

Good Eats

Ying was the one who suggested that I start a blog (was all about food)years ago. So this section is dedicated to her. The foods are grouped by meal as opposed by day.

Breakfast was exclusively at Flour for two days. While the chocolate almond croissant was nice, the regular croissant fresh out of the oven is highly recommended. Both coffees (French roast and house blend) were great. Watch out for weekend seating but outdoor seating works on a sunny day too. I loved their version of the French toast (yet another way/variation of French toast).

More food and fun after the break.

Hunting Cherry Blossoms in Snow: DC Trip

While most people are satisfied with photos from their trip, I like to write about it. This means that after I finally uploading photos, I’m still not done. Taking trip notes helps this blogging process but self-selection and editing renders most of those notes useless. Similar to my IndieCade blog write up (link here), I’ll capture only the highlights. What better to represent highlights than my single sighting of a cherry blossom tree! Since I booked my trip before the cherry blossom forecast, I was in DC too early to see proper peak season around the Tidal Basin. Peak season this year is April 3-6.

Day 1: Monument Walk

J. and I stayed at a place within walking distance from the National Mall which meant we were also quite close to the monuments and main cherry blossom walk around the tidal basin. We passed the Washington Monument (still under construction after last year’s earthquake), World World II Memorial (fountain was off), and Martin Luther King’s Memorial before reaching Jefferson Memorial. Below is a photo from across the Tidal Basin. It was a warm day and we were able to walk around the monuments and memorials without the usual crowd. Mostly likely everyone was more on top of the cherry blossom forecast than I was.

There were also a number of treasures inside the Smithsonian Castle. My favorite item is the cup&saucer set designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Day 2: Catching Up

B. moved closer to the metro recently so of course we had to crash his place. We browsed through the Netflix selection and watched Thor (with snarky commentary of course). Overall it was a decent movie and makes me want to read more about the series and find that children’s book on illustrated Norse Mythology. Prior to this, my only exposure to Thor was through reading Marvel Civil War. His character didn’t really make an impression on me (not going to spoil it for the rest of you). Most of the other highlights of Day 2 were food related so I will leave that for later in the post.

Day 3: Sculpture Garden in the Snow

I’ve been to the National Gallery Sculpture Garden (see my fav sculpture) and the Ice Rink but somehow missed the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden all these years frequenting the National Mall. While I was waiting for the museums and galleries to open at 10:30am, I wandered around the mall and found this sculpture garden. Perfectly timed with light snow falling. Most of the signs indicating artist names were snowed over so I will have to update this next time I get the names.

Food Round-up

We ended up going to eat in Gallery Place / Chinatown several times.

• Gordon Biersch http://www.gordonbiersch.com
  Long wait for dinner but once you get going, great food, drinks, and service. I wasn’t crazy about the Miso Mahi but J’s Märzen burger looked good.
  Märzen: our favorite beer (I found this while my family tried the beer sampler at another location).
• Crepe on the Walk http://www.crepes-a-gogo.com/Menu.html
  We fought over dessert for a while but really enjoyed this place. I got the strawberry, lemon, and sugar. J. got something with nutella. The real issue with crepes is that I haven’t been to Café Bonaparte [old review] in a while and I miss it. Next time I will need to make a trip over there.

NYC Autumn/Winter Guide 2012– Preliminary Listing

Seems I haven’t updated my city guides in a few years. Looking back (link to 2009, 2010), I really did take advantage of all the events NYC had to offer. Now that I live in New York, NY proper, should look into more events that I missed in the past while living in Queens. With the retirement of awesome NewYorkology site which listed tons of daily activities, I will have to do a bit more research. To be fair, my 2009-2010 events listings were pulled from various sources as well. This winter reason, I hope to write up some of the activities, instead of just providing a straight up listing. I will take these favorites and them to my guestbook and also my NYC welcome corner. Think of it as my NYC picks for winter (to be followed by the other seasons!)

Updated Nov 2012. (continuously updated throughout winter)

Winter/Holiday Outings
//Bryant Park Ice Skating Rink [link] until march 3, 2013
Free ice skating (if you bring your own skates and a lock) in the middle of the city surrounded by skyscrapers. You can also juggle with BPJugglers on Tuesday evenings and daily during lunch. A few things had changed about the Pond since I last wrote about it. For one, they opened up a chic lounge called Celsius (it’s only exotic to us Americas since we only use F while the rest of the world is on C). The place is conveniently located near the rink so you can relax and have a drink. While the holiday shops more or less stayed the same (I love the Star Wars one, every year), I noticed they have included more food/drink options (including food truck stars). Makes perfect sense to me!

//Radio City Christmas Show [link] until dec 30, 2012
Sadly, after 6 years of living in New York, I still haven’t seen this show. Everyone I know still recommends it so I’m going to keep it on my guide.

//Nutcracker at Lincoln Center [link] until dec 30, 2012
Ditto.

//Holiday Trains at Grand Central Terminal

//Even more Trains at NYBG in Bronx

//Stroll on the High Line

Various Trees and Lightings 2012
//Rockefeller Center: W Nov 28. The biggest tree in NYC. More lights than tree. If you haven’t followed @30rocktree on twitter, go read him now! Other favorites in the area are Saks snowflake show. Personally I’ve never skated there due to crowds.

//Bryant Park: Tu Nov 27. They always have great ice shows and ornaments on this tree.

//Natural History Museum: Famous origami tree. While you are at it, take some origami classes or join an origami meetup! (disclaimer: I’ve been to the class and meetup before)

//Metropolitan Museum of Art: medieval tree. like angels? you’ll love this. If you’re at the Met for any of their exhibits this season, do make your way to this tree.

//Christmas Stars at Columbus Circle

Indoor Happenings
//B&N Readings (Union Square Listing)
Great authors. I just saw Tony Bennett today and was inspired to update this winter activity list. Fired up Spotify to check out his new duets album Viva Duets as well. If you like Rachel Ray, looks like she’s coming Dec 4. Check out the holiday shops in Union Sq. before the book events too!

//Strand Books Readings (Calendar)
Even if you don’t make it to the readings, just walk around the bookstore and browse five areas that you wouldn’t ordinarily read. There’s a big world of books out there. I also like their cards selection the best, if you still like sending out cards with stamps (yea, old school).

//Jazzy events at Lincoln Center
http://jalc.org/multimedia
I can’t find the listening parties that I’ve attended in the past but the online live-cast and media archive is great for a cold day when you just want to get some music at home with a cup of hot chocolate.

//karaoke 
http://www.karaokeduet.com/

Other interesting stuff
http://bkbazaar.com/
http://www.bigonion.com/
http://www.theskint.com/
http://www.walkingoffthebigapple.com/

Portland–City of Roses and Water

Without looking at my travel notes, I can narrow my Portland trip down to two major impressions: the best bookstore experience and the numerous fountains (both the drinking kind and the decorative kind).

After sorting through my notes, I realized I had forgotten about the informative city walking tour, the dazzling and overwhelming rose garden, as well as the Japanese garden, the Chinese garden, vibrant life in Pioneer Square, and more. There is a lot to Portland that cannot be photographed. I also spent good number of hours browsing the magazine rack at the famous Stumptown coffee.

By the way, I have never been to Portland before, and didn’t see Portlandia [tv series] until I went to Seattle right after my stay. I really didn’t have too many expectations (high or low) but did hear great things about the bookstore. Having experienced major sightseeing spots and downtown’s efficient public transit along with the best weather one can hope for, I came away with a very positive impression of the city.

Seattle– The first 24 hours

Seattle was the fourth leg of my west coast trip from August. My one-week stay last year [entry] was substantially longer and slower-paced than this quick two day stopover.

Cast of characters
me – Arrived by BoltBus and looking to wrap up my 10-day trip. What, we’re going hiking and a show?
E. – My gracious host who moved recently to a new apt with a view of the space needle. Attempting to complete his mountaineer program while entertaining me and J, who are both visiting from out of town.
S. – E.’s friend from college, visiting Seattle for the first time. Originally from NY and based in Chicago. Huge radio lab fan and avid traveller.

The Night Before
Sushi, sake, and funny Portlandia show

The Prep
Breakfast: E. made scrambled eggs with turkey, spinach, tomato, mushroom for all of us. Way to start out the adventures with a bang!Coffee pickup: Caffé Vita [http://www.caffevita.com/]
Lunch pickup: Bahn mi place that I can’t remember the name of. We got awesome sandwiches though.
Backpack contents: 2 jackets (one fleece, one windbreaker), water, blue Gatorade, chocolates, trail mix, Bahn mi sandwiches for lunch, camera, extra shirt, socks.

The Road Trip
Mt. Si is a few hours away so we spent time talking, listening to podcasts (mainly SYSK and Radio Lab I think?) and NPR. I don’t have a pic but we actually made a make-shift iphone speaker out of a camping cup. E. and S. would make for good road trip buddies.

The Ascent
Besides taking a few photo breaks here and there, I used most of the climb listening to our hiking footsteps (quite relaxing), chatting, and just letting my mind wander. The hike was tough but incredibly rewarding. I will let the photos speak for themselves:

Mt Si VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Best pizza outside of NY
During my previous visit in Seattle, E. introduced me to Verde Primo pizza from Pagliacci Pizza. I liked it so much, I actually requested to have it again. Here’s the description from their menu: Artichoke hearts, mushrooms, pesto, goat cheese, garlic and mozzarella on our seasoned tomato sauce. We also tried some Mac & Jack beers on tap from the place.

It’s (Radio) Show Time

Before the show I only knew Radio Lab as a cool podcast (I loved the Colors episode!). Props to S. for suggesting this awesome live show, especially as there probably was zero chance to ever even get near tickets in NY. The only unfortunate part was we were so exhausted from the hike, we ended up missing a portion of the show. Some highlights that would sound incomprehensive to people who haven’t seen it: space part near the end, lights in the audience, dancing eyeball people with eye patches. Go check out the live show if they are going to your town. Or if you don’t get a chance to, check out the podcast.

Stay tuned for the next 24 hours:
-Pike’s Place Market
-Coffee / Cafes
-Lowell’s
-Meeting J.
-Shopping

San Diego–Bonus Chapter

San Diego was the first stop on my four-city West Coast Trip. While it was my first time visiting the city, I only did enough research to narrow down my “to-do-list” to Coronado Beach (Voted number one by Dr. Beach in 2012) and Fish Tacos (the hype lives up). My friend and travel companion E. recommended the San Diego Zoo (one of the world’s best, didn’t you know?). I liked the fact that the Zoo was inside Balboa Park, another popular sight mentioned by various San Diego guides.

Outside of the main three attractions, I considered all the other stuff we saw along the way extra bonuses. This entry is all about those bonuses, and also a celebration of taking “side-trips”, “detours”, and “spontaneous adventures” before heading back to the main road and final destination.

Tribute to Classic Baseball Stadiums

Petco Baseball Stadium was one of these bonus side-trips. We were heading towards Coronado Ferry/Coronado Beach and decided to stop by the the stadium for some photos. Once we got there, we find out the stadium tour had just started so we ran halfway around the stadium to catch up with leader. Last year I took E. to AT&T Park in San Francisco (2011 blog writeup) and had a fun time. Could this be the start of a new travel tradition? (note to self, start a separate entry listing all the baseball stadiums/tours/etc).

Out of the many stadium photos that I took, this is the only one that features the western metal supply building.

The old building kept most of its original structure and columns on the inside. I loved walking inside it and running my hands along the brick/wood structures. Keeping this one old building to build a stadium around it… what an idea.

One word of caution for SF Giants fans and NY Mets fans (myself included) who love their stadiums: Petco stadium doesn’t try to look too grand or luxurious. The “canyon” feel of the stadium as well as its many tributes to classic stadiums (Wrigley, Old Yankee Stadium, Camden Yards, Fenway, etc) make it understated yet very special. The paintings of famous players found in the VIP section are unique and lovely and provide a decidedly different feel than classic ball game photos that are featured more prominently in other areas of the stadium. Another nice touch for the fans is the slanting of the stadium seats on the sides towards the home plate, without straining your head. Regular stadium seats that are on the side simply direct attention to what is in front of you whereas everyone is inclined to sit facing pitcher’s mount/ home plate.

The Harbor had a few boats

Architecture around Balboa Park

Wishing well and nearby fountain

Santa Barbara Station - The most postcard-perfect tree

More to come:

• San Diego main entry (Beach, fish tacos, and giant pandas!)
• San Francisco (Where we caught the mist over Golden Gate Bridge)
• Portland (Where I spent way more time than is healthy at Powell’s and went to three gardens)
• Seattle (Where I hiked Mt. Si, saw Radio Lab, and chilled out in Pike Place Market for an entire day)
• Trip notes as recorded and organized in tiny memo pad, with more virtual links
• and of course… tons of photos

Food Adventures in New Orleans

Also known as the Big Easy, Crescent City, NOLA, and New Awlins, New Orleans is not short on music, food, or the various nicknames. J. and I visited the beautiful city for a few days and I also got to experience the annual JazzFest (New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival). Full disclosure, this is my first trip to the city, so I don’t have any tips about Mardi Gras. Food in this post, jazzfest in separate post [link TBD], and attractions in yet another.

Jackson Brewery Bistro and Bar
http://jacksonbrewerybar.com/
Near street cars, Jackson Square, and Cathedral. You’ll see a building with JAX sign on top. To give you some context, J. and I arrived in New Orleans late at night so didn’t make it to French Quarters etc until midday next day. After stumbling upon the Old U.S. Mint, we wandered until we found this Brewery for a late lunch. Great first impression of the city since the food, drinks, and service were all superb. Would also come back for dinner/concert upstairs next time.

// southern pecan from lazy magnolia (MS), this beer is so good both J. and I loved it. nutty, sweet, rich, and awesome. (update: according to beermenus there’s none available near me in NY, bummer) http://lazymagnolia.com/
// abita amber. support the local brewery, try their beers when you’re in town. http://www.abita.com/
// crawfish etouffee: light and quite tasty, I got the small portion.
// boudin burger: tasty, although I still don’t know what kind of boudin it was.

Mothers Restaurant
http://www.mothersrestaurant.net/
Near Harrah’s casino, Riverwalk market, Magazine street galleries.
My colleague D. recommended this casual corner restaurant (it’s her fav in NOLA) that has a laid back look and feel. It just happened to be a close walk from our hotel so we took a look. Overwhelmed by the menu, I resorted to ordering their Ferdi special in an attempt to get a sampling of everything. Their sign upfront claims world’s best baked ham, which is no small claim. and they lived up to it. (Why can’t we get better ham in the northeast?) The space also has nice photos/local news/etc. I need to come back for breakfast/brunch.

// Ferdi: Ham and Roast Beef on bun with slaw. Below is a pic of the “smaller” portion. Very filling!

// Roast Beef: Same as above, without the ham.

Mandina’s
http://www.mandinasrestaurant.com/
One out of the many recommendations from my college buddy G. from a few years back when I first started to put together a trip plan for NOLA (glad I finally made it), one of his recommendations “Janita's” unfortunately closed down. I didn’t make it to Jacque Imo’s, so wanted to try this place Mandina’s because G. mentioned their fish selection is great. Located along the Canal St. streetcar line, a bit ways out from downtown. We caught the street car to and back, luckily they run frequently.
//  trout bayou style: this was a daily special. grilled trout topped with shrimp etouffee, with a side of baked potatoes and vegetables. superb fish and shrimp (quite a number of shrimp, by the way) in yummy sauce.
//veal parmesan with spaghetti – Italian food in New Orleans? sure, why not. I know J. loves veal so very happy see him enjoy this dish to his heart’s content.

Cafe du Monde
http://www.cafedumonde.com/
This cafe is on everyone’s top 10 so I had to include it in mine. Great for morning, afternoon, and late night people watching and taking a break from all the walking you’ll be doing. We ended up going there twice during our trip. Good stuff
// cafe au lait (hot): puts all other chain coffees to shame, if you’re not sure if you like chicory in your coffee, don’t worry, just do it! I contemplated buying a can of coffee there but realized I can never quite transport the charm of the shop and nearby streets of NOLA with me. Leave it for my future trips to enjoy and savor. Some things lose context once removed from their homes. 
// beignets (with liberal amount of powdered sugar): don’t even think about sharing one order (they come in threes). lovely with cafe au lait.
// cafe au lait (frozen): looking for a treat to cool off in the hot and humid weather? look no further, order a frozen cafe au lait and your energy level will go right up. I can almost eat it with a spoon!

Spirits Bar (inside Hilton Riverside Hotel)http://www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hotel/MSYNHHH-Hilton-New-Orleans-Riverside-Louisiana/index.do
Nice place to chill and have a cocktail. Funny enough I got a Manhattan (a tad homesick?) and J. ordered a Tom Collins (there needs to be more gin-based drinks, you know?). They also serve pretty good food even late at night. I had their portabella and spinach sandwich which came with great sweet potato fries.

DC Winter Fun

MLK weekend isn’t typically the weekend people leave town but I decided it was a needed trip after a “not-so-quiet” December. You know, the dead time when people take vacations and the people who go to work get to do organizational stuff and 2-hour lunches? Yea, definitely didn’t happen. Anyway, went to stay with T. for a weekend and thankfully the weather worked out.

I made a list of things to write about and given it’s been 2 weeks, I’ll just have to pick my battles… On with the highlights!

Pies and Music - We ate savory and sweet pies at Dangerously delicious pies [link]before heading to Rock n roll hotel (link, not an actual hotel) for a live show. The space would have been awesome for a summer night because there was a rooftop. Having already had my booze fix from the pie place, I just got some cider and water instead. I have to say I’m not that crazy with standing room only concerts… but the place was really cool and nothing beats live concerts. 

Travel Planning – One of the things T. and I. always complain about is we never get to hang out and plan fun stuff since we don’t see each other very often. Besides all the sightseeing and going out, we did use the weekend to work on a couple of fun projects. You may be aware of the travel list we’ve kept for a few years [link] and haven’t been put into action. Well, this year we’re planning our first trip – New Orleans Jazz Fest. note to self, need to start a new blog for our first trip. and no, it wasn’t not even on our original list (but it’s always undergoing revisions). Anyway, besides nailing down a weekend (which took forever, and we still haven’t gotten tickets/hotels…sigh), we also worked on our Amazing Race application just for fun. It’s not an easy process, after reading the fine print (and certifying that we’re ok with dangerous travelling), I kind of chickened out and don’t want to submit the app now. But it’s still kind of fun. I suppose the video will just have to wait for another day. Prior to the DC trip, I also signed up for Tripit.com just to try it out. It worked out pretty well and I was able to do my planning in the tool itself (including train tickets/times/concert listings/contact info).

MLK memorial on MLK day – I heard about the new MLK memorial [link] but didn’t realized I actually got to see it on MLK day. Many people showed up (local and visiting) to read through his quotes and take photos around the statue/tidal basin. I’m always on the lookout for good quotes. So here’s one:
Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.


Mt Vernon [link]
I’m just amazed that I’ve never visited Mt Vernon during my college years. The exhibits are well put together with tons of multi-media. The house/farm/surrounding are gorgeous without being overly elaborate, nice example of the First Family of the U.S.

The Rest:

Domestic travel list
Keeping travel resolution article [link]
Apples to apples [link]
Modern Family
Setting up OverDrive Media+Adobe eBooks
Cards against humanity
Making vegetable pasta
Family dinner
Corcoran Gallery
Potbelly
Corner Bakery
Liberty corner brunch
Reading on iPad . Eleven minutes. Triumph of cities
Charlie Haden and jazz
Train ride

C. and T. Travel List

intro:
My friend T. is probably one of the two people in the world that I would pick for an Amazing Race team. Between her Japanese, French, and my Chinese, Spanish, and enough street smarts and toughness and travel happy New Yorker spirit in us, I’m pretty sure we will wow the television viewers and find our way around obscure streets and airports and even cuisine. But since we’re not planning to sign up for the race show any time soon, we have discussed ways to fill up our passports in other ways. We added some domestic places just for kicks. Some of these places will be repeats, but the point is we have to travel together before crossing it off.
motivation:
Basically, through working too much and not having employment and being students, T. and I barely travelled together! Besides the occasional  anime convention and outing in NYC, we always talk about the time when we will have enough time, money, and energy to travel. Well, maybe that time is now, where we don’t have “enough” anything but try our best anyway!. It’s time to put our talks to action.
mission:
We’ve put our foot down and compiled a draft list (to be revised and crossed off as we complete them) of places to visit together before we each get married to some lucky soul. Why such a strange condition? As cynical as it sounds, free time and energy truly belongs to the young and unattached citizens of the world. We will likely start a tumblr or separate blog for photos or something when we make our first trip. Just making it up as we go along!

Updated July 30, 2011
Progress: I went to SF finally, but was unable to set up any travel plans with T. in the meantime.

Europe
Czech: Prague
England: London
France: Paris
Germany: Berlin 
Greece: Mykonos 
Italy: Venice, Florence, Milan, Rome  
Spain: Barcelona, Madrid  
Turkey: Istanbul

Asia
China: Shanghai
Japan: Kyoto

Americas
Canada: Quebec  
USA: San Francisco, Chicago
Peru: Machu Picchu
Brazil: Sao Paulo, Rio

America’s Beloved Capital: Day 2

A continuation of my Oct post [link to day 1].

Stamps and letters
Next to Union Station, there is a Post Museum [link] that I managed to miss during my four years of living in DC. Beautiful space with plenty of educational and fun exhibits for kids and adults alike.
My family has always enjoyed collecting stamps so I grew up saving and looking at different stamps. I suppose this museum will be equally fascinating and mysterious for kids growing up today without knowing anything about snail mail or stamps.

Some exhibits that I enjoyed:
-Victory mail: You’ve probably heard about war time letters between soldiers and their family/sweethearts, but did you know they had developed vmail in order to reduce the amount of cargo weight? Reading their letters made me nostalgic for the days when people captured their feelings through handwritten letters, and waited quite a while for a response. Receiving a letter then must have been an exciting event and a relief. With technology today it is possible to text/call/tweet/IM/Skype but people find it harder to express their feeling in coherent ways.

-International stamp gallery [link]: Ever wondered what kind of stamps other countries used? This small room with pull-out plates holds a vast amount of stamps. If you want to see everything you may need a day. I recommend Italy, France, Japan, and Spain. They had really unique and artistic stamps.

-Stamps A-Z: Educational but such a short-lived exhibit! I wish they had made a book or a pamphlet of the alphabet.

The souvenir store also has many goodies for stamp lovers. I bought a series of travel related stamps for my parents: trains, ships/boats, planes, and overall transportation (including hot air balloons!)

A little bit of art
I dragged T. to the National Gallery of Art [link], mostly for the Edvard Munch exhibit [link]. Besides his famous Scream painting, he’s done plenty of other works that deserve attention. I liked all of the prints where he depicted people and their interactions in a fluid manner. The way people curved and surrounded each other was interesting. He also captured red flowing hair of the female subjects that is both dreamlike and dynamic.

T. recommended that we check out the Arcimboldo exhibit [link]. How do you merge people and fruit/vegetables? He’s found a way, even as early as the 16th century. My favorite series was the 4 seasonal one. Four different portraits with seasonal produce! Below is a statue someone built in his style.

I tried to introduce Rothko to T. without too much success. I don’t even remember when I started to appreciate Rothko’s works. Most likely after seeing enough exhibits in MoMa and Whitney and realizing that although abstract, those paintings had a certain mood and texture that was not found in other works. 

New find
Every time I find a new space somewhere in DC and NYC I’m always wondering why it took me so long to discover it. T. and I both enjoyed photo ops in front of the Capitol Building (my favorite in DC), Library of Congress, Archives Building, and more. In any case, the Navy Memorial Plaza [link] gave us a chance to rest our feet and enjoy the autumn weather. Note to self, check out the heritage center next time. One of the buildings also had intricate and navy themed stained glass window art.

Tapas and sherry to end the day
After much walking and adventuring, T. took me to Tasca [link], a tapas restaurant. I would do a full review but of course I’ve since forgotten what we’ve ordered. I do remember Serrano ham, fig and cheese, tomato garlic toast and grilled octopus…along with some others. They had a wine special that night and sherry was included. We had a bottle that we couldn’t finish…I hope T. found a way to use it in her cooking or entertaining. I’m pretty sure we got the sponge cake for dessert which was just perfect. How can you go wrong with condensed milk and evaporated milk? The place also gets bonus points for great decor and ambience. I loved the framed mirror and lighting.

Awesome weekend spent in DC. Looking forward to (re)discovering more places next time I visit.

America’s Beloved Capital: Day 1

For Columbus Day weekend, I dragged J. to DC with me. I haven’t been back to that city in two years. A much needed return and change of scene from New York City, which is getting colder and more crowded by day.

Train
We started out at Union Station, the only way for visitors to enter DC, in my opinion. How grand is Union Station? and I thought Grand Central Terminal was gorgeous. Now if only the new Penn Station can be like the old Penn Station.

Bakery Blend rocks
After looking around for my coffee shop on the lower level food court and failing, we stopped by the Corner Bakery (did they used to be on the lower level?) for coffee. In fact, it was such a good idea that I ate there for breakfast for the next two days too. After walking around DC and trying Wifi and being disappointed, I’m happy to report that the cafe has good Wifi. On the third day I was by myself and I was blissfully reading the NY Times (on my phone) and sipping my coffee. Good times.

Underground Fun
After much lazying around and buying crumb cake, we took the Metro (ahem, DC’s fancy subway, with colorful lines/cell phone signal/internet but no food or drinks! I was surprised I didn’t get stopped when I forgot about that rule and took my coffee along for the ride. oh the damn ignorant New Yorker that I am.) to meet our host T. who welcomed us warmly. By the way, if you’re lazy like me, do make use of the escalators and don’t walk up them. Relax, you’re on vacation, not trying to catch the connecting train like those crazy commuters in NYC. T. lives near a mall and a metro stop, and her place has huge windows. Why she doesn’t have a few house plants is beyond me. I suppose there are enough trees outside though. I’m envious. I get a view of Citifield and U.S. Open, not that there’s anything wrong with that. Sigh. but definitely no trees.
Tip for droid users: Get the DC Metro Transit Info app for your station map and next train notices.

a hop to Virginia
J. had his heart set on the Patent Office and I was curious about their food exhibit so we all headed out for Alexandria. Before finding the museum, we randomly went into a restaurant called Hard Times for lunch. It ended up being quite tasty burgers! I didn’t personally like their chili but then again, I’m quite picky when it comes to that stuff. I got the Whiskey River BBQ Chicken which was in an nice smoky sauce with bacon! Win!
Fun food innovations (almost always accidental!).

hoyas forever
 
entering on front gates at 37th and O is the proper introduction to Georgetown University campus and of course Healy Tower. We managed to cover all the basics: front lawn, red square, darnall cafeteria (oh wait it’s a real restaurant with booze now! shock!), leavey center, uncommon grounds (why did the decor change? they got rid of drapery and old overstuffed couches i think…blah. almost bought a new mug but my old one was so much better), vittles (and obligatory purchase…yea Corp keeping up the good work), bookstore (I miss my old Bleed Hoya Blue shirts), esplanade, koi pond, new MSB building (ridiculously shiny), Dahlgren courtyard, fountain, seal (yes!), and even the visit to our favorite library (yea right). T. and J. were ready to shoot me after all the walking uphill (come on, our campus is tiny!)

a Georgetown tradition
B. joined us at front gates to walk over for dinner. I have a soft spot for Tombs ale and crab n’ artichoke dip. I got both which made me a happy camper. Our waiter forgot the marinara sauce with our calamari at first, which created massive confusion. Thankfully that was fixed.

Friendly competition
I miss college where people all crowded around a small tv in a dorm and played video games or shared youtube videos. We took it easy by heading back to T’s place and playing rounds of fighting games (I’m no expert so I mostly observed). B. and B. were hilarious. I think most people in NYC live far from each other and the concept of taking it easy and hanging out just doesn’t happen very often. We’re always spending time eating dinner at restaurants or finding the best sushi and happy hour. Anyway it was nice to relax and laugh over games and a movie.

Day 2 to follow: where I actually go around DC with T.!