I'm freshening up my Travelling Woman network of sites. As part of this process, I'm moving this blog to WordPress here; any new posts will be there. This original blog will remain here.
Hope to see you there!
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Monday, November 12, 2012
Boulder, CO 10.10-10.12.12
After leaving Denver, I drove to Boulder's Pearl Street Mall, which I'd heard was a nice place to hang around. There was an interesting array of stores and restaurants there: A natural market and a chocolate shop just beyond Pearl Street Mall proper, Snooze and H Burger, Gaiam (to cater to the yoga crowd), food carts (I really wanted some tacos from one). Places like Cheesecake Factory have residence on the mall but seem incongruous--shouldn't this mall have more local-type stores?
After leaving my car at a parking garage near the mall (and getting a surprisingly good photo op for a parking garage), I stopped into a coffee shop because I was cold an in need of some hot chocolate. Amante Coffee was close by, and while small, it was a good place to stop. After getting my bearings, I made my way up to Pearl Street, serendipitously happening upon the aforementioned chocolate store, Piece, Love & Chocolate, which I'd heard about from a fellow chocoholic I follow on Facebook. I was torn between the chocolate salted caramel pumpkin cream pie, pumpkin chocolate cake, and dark chocolate pumpkin cheesecake. It was a bit early in the day for dessert, so I ventured forth, promising to come back later. (I made good on my promise and ordered the dark chocolate pumpkin cheesecake, and I enjoyed it even though I couldn't quite finish it.)
After leaving my car at a parking garage near the mall (and getting a surprisingly good photo op for a parking garage), I stopped into a coffee shop because I was cold an in need of some hot chocolate. Amante Coffee was close by, and while small, it was a good place to stop. After getting my bearings, I made my way up to Pearl Street, serendipitously happening upon the aforementioned chocolate store, Piece, Love & Chocolate, which I'd heard about from a fellow chocoholic I follow on Facebook. I was torn between the chocolate salted caramel pumpkin cream pie, pumpkin chocolate cake, and dark chocolate pumpkin cheesecake. It was a bit early in the day for dessert, so I ventured forth, promising to come back later. (I made good on my promise and ordered the dark chocolate pumpkin cheesecake, and I enjoyed it even though I couldn't quite finish it.)
I walked up and down Pearl Street for a while, and wasn't overly impressed by any of the stores. I hunkered down on a bench to find a place to eat and warm up. Of the options nearby, I chose West Flanders Brewing Company, which had only opened a couple of weeks before my trip. I was very impressed by the service and the food--for a place that hadn't been open long, the staff seemed to all have their acts together. I chose the Maui pizza for a lunch, a departure from a typical Hawaiian pizza, and I was very, very glad I did. The crust and the ham were glazed with honey and the pizza (which included scallions and of course pineapple) was covered in mozzarella and gruyere, which was a welcome addition. Thinking of this pizza now makes me wish I had more. Since it was only about noon when I stopped in, I only had a sample of one beer, which I enjoyed. If I make it back to Boulder one day, I will definitely visit West Flanders again.
I got a message from my AirBNB host Andria that the house was available to me, so I drove there after lunch. I wanted to shower, chill and regroup because I knew it would be a late night--I was going to see New Order! I was surprised to find that 1stBank Center reminded me of a somewhat larger and much nicer high school gym and that there were no seats on the floor, but since there would be lots of dancing, having no seats on the floor made sense. 1stBank Center is a little more than halfway from Denver to Boulder and can be seen from the highway. Along the highway, there is an odd smattering of places to shop and eat; I'm pretty sure that there are two AMC theaters and Targets within maybe five miles of each other along that highway.
The next morning, I set out for Rocky Mountain National Park. I drove up to the cute town of Estes Park, which serves as a gateway to the park. I think it also is a bit of a resort town or getaway for locals--there seemed to be lots of families and older couples there at the time. There were several fires throughout the park, which caused some sections to be closed off to visitors. A number of pictures that I took featured the smoke from those fires in the background.
I drove through the park for probably an hour or two, so paying $20 to get in stung a little (the ticket was good for a week, but was non-transferable). The weather on the drive toward the park had been great, but now dark clouds were moving in rapidly--I remember seeing a sign noting that the weather changes quickly in the mountains. On the ground, it was around 70 I think--gorgeous weather. But once I got to about 11,000 feet I saw snowflakes! It was at that point at the Forest Canyon Overlook that I got the best pictures of my trip.
Heading back to my home base while in Boulder, I stopped in Lyons for a coffee shop break. I'd made a note to stop in town on the way back from the mountains because Lyons looked like such a cute town. In a tiny blink-and-you-miss-it town, there's a sushi joint, a pizza place, coffee shops, boutique-type stores, and a brewery. I got a chai and a pumpkin cream cheese brownie from the Barking Dog Cafe (which has fantastic Yelp reviews). That brownie was so good that it spurred me to try to replicate the recipe at home (I met with moderate success).
Once I got back to Boulder, I ran into awful traffic because the University of Colorado was playing that night. (I'd passed through the campus on my way to Pearl Street Mall the day before and thought how beautiful a campus it was.) I could definitely hear the roar of the crowd from the house where I stayed. Because traffic was so bad, I didn't want to venture too far from the house, and I lucked out because there was Indian food very nearby at Tandoori Grill (there are great Yelp reviews of this place). The service was good, and so was the food. I ate it all so that I wouldn't have leftover the next day, which was probably a mistake, but it was definitely enjoyable. Afterward, I got some frozen yogurt from a place in the same shopping center (gotta cool off after spicy Indian food, after all); sadly, dessert was nowhere near as enjoyable.
On my final morning in Colorado, I decided to really go all-out for breakfast. It's rare that I really get a huge, heaping breakfast or brunch, so I figured I needed to work on that while on vacation. Nothing really stood out to me when searching the internet for options--that is, until I found Lucile's. A New Orleans praline waffle was on the menu and I couldn't resist. Who doesn't love a good Belgian-style waffle, especially when studded with pecans? Locals LOVE this place, and rightfully so. I was fortunate to get there when I did, as I snagged the last table. When seating is scarce, tables become communal, so a couple of friendly locals (one of whom is the co-owner of Two Sole Sisters, a highly-reviewed shoe store on Pearl Street Mall) who got in after I did got seated with me, and we chatted for a bit. The hot chocolate I ordered was tasty, but nothing could prepare me for this...
That was a delicious, mammoth waffle with loads of whipped cream and strawberries--it was several minutes before I discovered the banana slices underneath the cream.
I was also determined to find Avery Tap Room before I left. I hadn't been to any Colorado wineries and I hadn't had much beer (or at least not much that I'd cared for), so I felt I needed to make up for it. They opened at 11 a.m., which suited me because I needed to be back at the Denver airport by 2--all the other wineries and breweries didn't open until later in the day. My iPhone was not the best at providing directions, and so by 11:15, when I arrived at Avery, the place was already full--I kid you not. I got seated with some other visitors from out of town, and we chatted and sampled each other's beers--there were so many beers to choose from, you could not feasibly sample them all in one visit unless you really are a glutton for punishment. I ordered a chicken wrap to accompany my beer samples, knowing I'd have to drive back to Denver before too long.
Before long, I was back on the road, rapidly accruing tolls as I drove along a highway that went through the middle of nowhere (no, seriously, it was rapid--the speed limit was 75, and it was awesome). I checked my rental car back in with Hertz (a very easy, painless process) and wandered around the Denver airport, searching for wine and sustenance (mainly wine--why aren't there more wine bars in airports?!) before my flight. (As far as sustenance goes, you should really get one of the Hope's Royale cookies from Hope's Cookies. Those things are CRAZY good.)
While I liked Colorado and I'm glad I went there and there are things that I would possibly like to go back there for, I found Colorado very weird. For example: A Starbucks next to corn fields and oil drills? Really? Its scattered communities and malls along the highway from Denver to Boulder and Denver's really odd and disjointed organization were nonsensical. But maybe that's supposed to be part of Colorado's charm...
Monday, October 15, 2012
Denver, The Mile High City: 10.7-10.10.12
People complain about having to go to airports. You have to stand in so many lines, there's nothing to do, blah blah blah. I don't mind airports generally because it means I'm going somewhere (although Terminal A in VA's National Airport leaves a lot to be desired...).
So when I got the itch to go somewhere over the summer, I looked at a couple of different places, like Philadelphia, which is close enough to where I live that I could drive to it in under four hours. But then everything hit me: I wanted to fly somewhere. I wanted to see mountains. I wanted to go somewhere I hadn't been before. So I started looking at Denver; flights here were very well priced, so I couldn't pass it up ($265 roundtrip, non-stop via Frontier). I was looking at going in August, but when I saw that a band I liked was playing in Denver (and not DC--I'm a little bitter about this) in October, during a week when I already had a day off, I thought, "I can wait. What's a couple more months?"
Now admittedly, I did some legwork for this trip but had no solid plans day-to-day. On the one hand, this leaves a lot of flexibility. On the other hand, I had more downtime than I feel I should have. Add to that the fact that I didn't e-mail Susan, an acquaintance from college who lives in Denver, more than a few days prior to my trip, and I feel very disorganized.
That said, I have done some cool stuff. I flew in on Sunday, got a car, and drove to my temporary digs that I'd found on Airbnb. In March, I used Airbnb to secure two nights in an apartment for me and three friends in NYC and that worked very well (well, most anything would have worked better than paying hundreds of dollars for a hotel), and decided to give it another go, as Denver hotels were too expensive and hostels were out of the way or just didn't work for me. The apartment was comfy with everything I needed and the host, Brian, is cool. He'd put together a list of decent restaurants and things to do in Denver, and on the list was a burger joint called H Burger. I looked it up online and saw that they also had milkshakes (of the non- and alcoholic variety) and all-day happy hour on weekends. I felt the need to investigate immediately.
I ordered a small Nutella Marshmallow shake (sans alcohol, although they do have an "adult" version of it) and a quarter pounder that came with fries. I enjoyed both (although the taste of the Nutella didn't come through much in the shake), and marveled at the rest of the menu, which includes a full-on bar menu and items like fried jalapeños with Sriracha-ranch sauce and cilantro sour cream.
On Monday, I covered beer and botany, although not in that order. First, I went to Snooze for breakfast; it had been recommended by one of my host's previous guests and was near enough to walk to. Don't let the name fool you; this place is far from a snoozefest. Not only do they serve things like breakfast margaritas and platter-size pancakes, the place is crawling with people. I waited 15 minutes for a seat at the bar--a short wait, really, and definitely worth it. I had the Fluffernutter S'mores French Toast, which was pretty amazing, and a breakfast margarita. Yes, you read that right (the margarita comes in spicy and regular). And they were both as delicious as they look.
So when I got the itch to go somewhere over the summer, I looked at a couple of different places, like Philadelphia, which is close enough to where I live that I could drive to it in under four hours. But then everything hit me: I wanted to fly somewhere. I wanted to see mountains. I wanted to go somewhere I hadn't been before. So I started looking at Denver; flights here were very well priced, so I couldn't pass it up ($265 roundtrip, non-stop via Frontier). I was looking at going in August, but when I saw that a band I liked was playing in Denver (and not DC--I'm a little bitter about this) in October, during a week when I already had a day off, I thought, "I can wait. What's a couple more months?"
Now admittedly, I did some legwork for this trip but had no solid plans day-to-day. On the one hand, this leaves a lot of flexibility. On the other hand, I had more downtime than I feel I should have. Add to that the fact that I didn't e-mail Susan, an acquaintance from college who lives in Denver, more than a few days prior to my trip, and I feel very disorganized.
That said, I have done some cool stuff. I flew in on Sunday, got a car, and drove to my temporary digs that I'd found on Airbnb. In March, I used Airbnb to secure two nights in an apartment for me and three friends in NYC and that worked very well (well, most anything would have worked better than paying hundreds of dollars for a hotel), and decided to give it another go, as Denver hotels were too expensive and hostels were out of the way or just didn't work for me. The apartment was comfy with everything I needed and the host, Brian, is cool. He'd put together a list of decent restaurants and things to do in Denver, and on the list was a burger joint called H Burger. I looked it up online and saw that they also had milkshakes (of the non- and alcoholic variety) and all-day happy hour on weekends. I felt the need to investigate immediately.
I ordered a small Nutella Marshmallow shake (sans alcohol, although they do have an "adult" version of it) and a quarter pounder that came with fries. I enjoyed both (although the taste of the Nutella didn't come through much in the shake), and marveled at the rest of the menu, which includes a full-on bar menu and items like fried jalapeños with Sriracha-ranch sauce and cilantro sour cream.
On Monday, I covered beer and botany, although not in that order. First, I went to Snooze for breakfast; it had been recommended by one of my host's previous guests and was near enough to walk to. Don't let the name fool you; this place is far from a snoozefest. Not only do they serve things like breakfast margaritas and platter-size pancakes, the place is crawling with people. I waited 15 minutes for a seat at the bar--a short wait, really, and definitely worth it. I had the Fluffernutter S'mores French Toast, which was pretty amazing, and a breakfast margarita. Yes, you read that right (the margarita comes in spicy and regular). And they were both as delicious as they look.
I went back to the apartment and took a little time to formulate a plan. I decided to go to the Denver Botanic Gardens--it was going to be around 70 degrees and there was hardly a cloud in the sky, so the weather would be perfect for a stroll.
I couldn't have asked for better weather at the Botanic Gardens. It was ironic that they had already begun decorating for Christmas considering how warm it was outside. Of course, not many things were in bloom, but I still managed to get some really great pictures.
I had a tasty Cuban panini at the cafe near the entrance (the only food vendor that was open) and perused the gift shop before thinking about how I wanted a beer. I decided to check out Great Divide Brewing. Three samples later, I left feeling a bit disappointed--I enjoyed one of the samples enough to finish it, but was turned off by the Yeti and Oak Aged Yeti. I dig dark beers, but these were far too bitter for my taste. I took solace in the fact that the samples were only $3 for the three ($1 per sample after) and all proceeds go to charity. I chose not to stay for the tour, which happens at 3 and 4 p.m. on weekdays.
I finally responded to Susan's e-mail on Monday, and she mentioned two magical words: Red Rocks. Why this hadn't crossed my mind before, I don't know. About 30-40 minutes outside of Denver, Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre hosts a slew of good concerts every summer, as well as other events such as movie viewings. Artists like U2, Peter Gabriel, Depeche Mode, The Clash, The Eurythmics, Blues Traveler, Jason Mraz, Deadmau5, James Taylor, Carole King, and a host of others have played here in its 60-some year history. I defy you to find a more scenic concert venue. And when they have such great bands, who wouldn't want to come here?
It was cooler Tuesday than I'd anticipated, and naturally I neglected to bring a hat and gloves on my trip, since I expected it to be 70 every day. So I ducked into the Ship Rock Grille at Red Rocks for a hot lunch. They had no hot chocolate or dark chocolate torte, and my Eldorado Elk Sliders lacked flavor and looked less and less appetizing the longer they sat on my plate.
After perusing the more expansive (and more touristy) gift shop at Red Rocks, I made a plan to head back to Denver. I drove to Cheesman Park (right by the Botanic Gardens) but didn't get out of the car because the weather was beginning to look a bit like rain and I wasn't dressed as warmly as I'd have liked. I can definitely see the park being a great place for frisbee or football in the summer, as it has lots of green space. Susan had said the parks in Denver were definitely worthwhile and had recommended Cheesman Park because of the surrounding architecture.
I drove back to the apartment to regroup. Susan and I had made plans to go to Vine Street Pub for dinner at 8. I was really glad we went here, because the food and beer were great and reasonably priced (be aware that the place is cash only). Plus, I'd passed D Bar Desserts on the way, which was very serendipitous. Susan said it was really good but couldn't make it, so I walked a few blocks back. My chocolate hazelnut souffle was good, but the best part was the little donut-hole-sized bites that reminded me of churros that had chocolate icing in the middle. I got two truffles, each of which were $2 (even truffles in DC aren't that expensive!), but the waiter and I had chatted and he gave me his favorite, passionfruit, because he thought the other two looked sad in the package by themselves.
At dinner, Susan had told me about this amazing muffin shop in an alley by a bike shop in a less-than-lovely part of town. But come Wednesday morning I would not be deterred, considering how highly she had spoken of Martine's Muffins. The owner and namesake was very pleasant as she walked me through all the many choices there were, highly recommending that day's special scone, the pumpkin cheesecake (I'm not a fan of scones, but I kind of wish I'd gotten that). She noted that she didn't recognize me--I think she must have a lot of regulars. I got the chai tea muffin, the sausage quiche and a big chocolate chunk cookie, all for $6.50. The muffin was surprisingly light and airy, the cookie a bit harder than I'd anticipated, and the quiche decent. I wasn't over the moon about any of the food, but I'm still glad I went. Before long, I was packing up my stuff and on my way to Boulder.
Now I found Denver to be a rather odd place. To me, it made no sense as an urban area. As someone (probably Susan) explained it, the city wasn't planned out, which seems like an obvious reason for why there are skyscrapers scattered throughout the city amongst much smaller buildings as opposed to being concentrated in one area. That said, there were some impressive and very cool modern-looking skyscrapers. I was also caught offguard by the very visible homeless population, something very unexpected. There were panhandlers everywhere. Walking to Snooze, I passed a block where maybe 20 or 30 people had congregated. I never felt unsafe or anything; I was just surprised.
Check back soon for my post about Boulder!
I finally responded to Susan's e-mail on Monday, and she mentioned two magical words: Red Rocks. Why this hadn't crossed my mind before, I don't know. About 30-40 minutes outside of Denver, Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre hosts a slew of good concerts every summer, as well as other events such as movie viewings. Artists like U2, Peter Gabriel, Depeche Mode, The Clash, The Eurythmics, Blues Traveler, Jason Mraz, Deadmau5, James Taylor, Carole King, and a host of others have played here in its 60-some year history. I defy you to find a more scenic concert venue. And when they have such great bands, who wouldn't want to come here?
It was cooler Tuesday than I'd anticipated, and naturally I neglected to bring a hat and gloves on my trip, since I expected it to be 70 every day. So I ducked into the Ship Rock Grille at Red Rocks for a hot lunch. They had no hot chocolate or dark chocolate torte, and my Eldorado Elk Sliders lacked flavor and looked less and less appetizing the longer they sat on my plate.
After perusing the more expansive (and more touristy) gift shop at Red Rocks, I made a plan to head back to Denver. I drove to Cheesman Park (right by the Botanic Gardens) but didn't get out of the car because the weather was beginning to look a bit like rain and I wasn't dressed as warmly as I'd have liked. I can definitely see the park being a great place for frisbee or football in the summer, as it has lots of green space. Susan had said the parks in Denver were definitely worthwhile and had recommended Cheesman Park because of the surrounding architecture.
I drove back to the apartment to regroup. Susan and I had made plans to go to Vine Street Pub for dinner at 8. I was really glad we went here, because the food and beer were great and reasonably priced (be aware that the place is cash only). Plus, I'd passed D Bar Desserts on the way, which was very serendipitous. Susan said it was really good but couldn't make it, so I walked a few blocks back. My chocolate hazelnut souffle was good, but the best part was the little donut-hole-sized bites that reminded me of churros that had chocolate icing in the middle. I got two truffles, each of which were $2 (even truffles in DC aren't that expensive!), but the waiter and I had chatted and he gave me his favorite, passionfruit, because he thought the other two looked sad in the package by themselves.
At dinner, Susan had told me about this amazing muffin shop in an alley by a bike shop in a less-than-lovely part of town. But come Wednesday morning I would not be deterred, considering how highly she had spoken of Martine's Muffins. The owner and namesake was very pleasant as she walked me through all the many choices there were, highly recommending that day's special scone, the pumpkin cheesecake (I'm not a fan of scones, but I kind of wish I'd gotten that). She noted that she didn't recognize me--I think she must have a lot of regulars. I got the chai tea muffin, the sausage quiche and a big chocolate chunk cookie, all for $6.50. The muffin was surprisingly light and airy, the cookie a bit harder than I'd anticipated, and the quiche decent. I wasn't over the moon about any of the food, but I'm still glad I went. Before long, I was packing up my stuff and on my way to Boulder.
Now I found Denver to be a rather odd place. To me, it made no sense as an urban area. As someone (probably Susan) explained it, the city wasn't planned out, which seems like an obvious reason for why there are skyscrapers scattered throughout the city amongst much smaller buildings as opposed to being concentrated in one area. That said, there were some impressive and very cool modern-looking skyscrapers. I was also caught offguard by the very visible homeless population, something very unexpected. There were panhandlers everywhere. Walking to Snooze, I passed a block where maybe 20 or 30 people had congregated. I never felt unsafe or anything; I was just surprised.
Check back soon for my post about Boulder!
Saturday, December 03, 2011
Rules of making a travel-themed Christmas tree
I had the bright idea of trying to do a travel-themed Christmas tree this year. An Atlanta Olympic ornament found a place on the tree because I went with Mom to Atlanta when I was a kid. An Empire State Building ornament is there as a reminder of the trip I took to NYC in spring of 2010. A Hallmark ornament representing my trip to Vegas in 2009 made it onto the tree. There are some ornaments from local places, too, such as the National Law Enforcement Officers' Memorial in DC and George Washington's home, Mount Vernon. (I love the Mount Vernon one because it's a globe--how fitting for a travel-themed tree. The ornament is modeled after the globe George Washington had.) Some ornaments are on the tree purely because they were bought on vacations and may or may not actually represent the places they came from: Jacques from Cinderella is on the tree because Mom and I got him when we were at Disney World in Florida when I was too young to really remember; Belle from Beauty and the Beast is there because I apparently got her during a trip to the Outer Banks in 1992 (I only know this because Mom wrote it on the back).
Needless to say, it wasn't long before I was making up far-fetched reasons for putting some of the ornaments on the tree. Various Snoopy figurines are snowboarding/sledding/skating--if it's a mode of transportation, it counts (right?). Detective Snoopy must be searching out great travel deals online while Woodstock takes notes. Snoopy and Woodstock ride WWII Flying Ace Snoopy's Sopwith Camel, clearly a great way to fly (I bet he wouldn't charge checked bag fees!). No fewer than three Snoopy ornaments possess typewriters because clearly Snoopy would write books about his adventures. (Side note: Why are there so many Hallmark Snoopy ornaments with typewriters? Have an original idea already!) Snoopy and Woodstock play guitars for another ornament, which I could rationalize as representing the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a place I hope to visit one day (I went to the short-lived branch of it in NYC, so I guess that counts). I could say I put all these Snoopy ornaments on the tree because last year I went to Charles Schulz's longtime home of Santa Rosa, California, although none of the ornaments actually came from the Charles Schulz Museum. But how could I explain Wall-E's presence on the tree other than to say that he's traveled farther than almost anyone else--from Earth to space and back again? Yeah, it's a stretch.
I have an ornament that I believe was a party favor at the wedding anniversary party for a couple who are friends of my parents. It's from Holland and features windmills. I won't put it on my tree because I haven't actually been there, nor do I have any real desire to go to Holland.
Clearly the answer to my dilemma is that I have to travel more and collect more ornaments. I pull out the ones I have and fondly remember my time in the place where I got the ornament and who I was with while there. I figure it's better than getting tchotchkes that sit around my apartment all the time that only take up space and collect dust--I don't have room for things like that. I can take hundreds of pictures while traveling, but how likely am I to look at them again? Not very, unfortunately.
I am a bit sad to think that there were places I've been that I didn't get ornaments from. It's not that I wasn't trying in Utah, but I wanted an ornament that represented one of the locations I went, such as Red Butte Garden, not an ornament that simply came from its gift shop. (I really wish I'd hit up that Christmas store in Park City.) I don't think I got an ornament in Italy, so instead I have a Hallmark ornament representing Italy on my tree. I don't remember getting one in Yellowstone either. I know I bought ornaments from Asheville, NC, where I was just two weeks ago, and Natural Bridge, VA, where I went back in September with some friends, and even though I just relocated them the other day, I can't remember where to.
Hopefully by this time next year I'll have collected more ornaments. In the meantime, merry Christmas and happy holidays, and a happy new year to you.
Needless to say, it wasn't long before I was making up far-fetched reasons for putting some of the ornaments on the tree. Various Snoopy figurines are snowboarding/sledding/skating--if it's a mode of transportation, it counts (right?). Detective Snoopy must be searching out great travel deals online while Woodstock takes notes. Snoopy and Woodstock ride WWII Flying Ace Snoopy's Sopwith Camel, clearly a great way to fly (I bet he wouldn't charge checked bag fees!). No fewer than three Snoopy ornaments possess typewriters because clearly Snoopy would write books about his adventures. (Side note: Why are there so many Hallmark Snoopy ornaments with typewriters? Have an original idea already!) Snoopy and Woodstock play guitars for another ornament, which I could rationalize as representing the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a place I hope to visit one day (I went to the short-lived branch of it in NYC, so I guess that counts). I could say I put all these Snoopy ornaments on the tree because last year I went to Charles Schulz's longtime home of Santa Rosa, California, although none of the ornaments actually came from the Charles Schulz Museum. But how could I explain Wall-E's presence on the tree other than to say that he's traveled farther than almost anyone else--from Earth to space and back again? Yeah, it's a stretch.
I have an ornament that I believe was a party favor at the wedding anniversary party for a couple who are friends of my parents. It's from Holland and features windmills. I won't put it on my tree because I haven't actually been there, nor do I have any real desire to go to Holland.
Clearly the answer to my dilemma is that I have to travel more and collect more ornaments. I pull out the ones I have and fondly remember my time in the place where I got the ornament and who I was with while there. I figure it's better than getting tchotchkes that sit around my apartment all the time that only take up space and collect dust--I don't have room for things like that. I can take hundreds of pictures while traveling, but how likely am I to look at them again? Not very, unfortunately.
I am a bit sad to think that there were places I've been that I didn't get ornaments from. It's not that I wasn't trying in Utah, but I wanted an ornament that represented one of the locations I went, such as Red Butte Garden, not an ornament that simply came from its gift shop. (I really wish I'd hit up that Christmas store in Park City.) I don't think I got an ornament in Italy, so instead I have a Hallmark ornament representing Italy on my tree. I don't remember getting one in Yellowstone either. I know I bought ornaments from Asheville, NC, where I was just two weeks ago, and Natural Bridge, VA, where I went back in September with some friends, and even though I just relocated them the other day, I can't remember where to.
Hopefully by this time next year I'll have collected more ornaments. In the meantime, merry Christmas and happy holidays, and a happy new year to you.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Flying Solo in Asheville, NC - 11.19.11-11.21.11
It was a short trip designed around the fact that I wanted to see Lykke Li and had missed her DC show because it was sold out. Also, I wanted to see the Biltmore in all its Christmas glory. I couldn't talk anyone into going with me, so I just said, screw it, I'll go it alone. It was my first trip alone, and Asheville proved to be a good place for such adventures--a very manageable, small, walkable city, albeit with a lot of hippies.
I flew US Airways from Reagan National to Asheville via Charlotte. I remembered having been through Charlotte very briefly (literally running from one terminal to another) and thinking that it looked really nice, and it lived up to that memory. There are rocking chairs, real trees, a piano, and a giant mobile sprouting from a sushi joint in the main area between the concourses. There's some decent shopping to be done if you have time, some good restaurants, and even a spa.
I got into Asheville about 5 hours before the concert Saturday night, so I got my rental car, pulled out my GPS and was on my way. I got my car through Enterprise (hurrah for work discounts) and although I had asked for a compact car, I got a Chrysler 200. As soon as I sat in it, I decided I liked it.
My GPS, although it has outdated maps, led me to the Asheville Hostel and Guest House, a place I had very serendipitously found on Google Maps while plotting out potential things to do in the city. It's downtown, walking distance from a bunch of cool stores and restaurants (Asheville has at least three chocolate shops, although I only visited one, as well as a champagne bar/used bookstore, Battery Park Book Exchange and Champagne Bar (is there a greater concept? I think not)). I met up with the hostel's proprietor, BJ, who suggested a bunch of great places to eat, such as Asheville Brewing Company, literally one block over, within sight of the hostel. I'm not much of a beer drinker, but occasionally I do venture into that realm, so I did a flight of five beers along with my delicious and very garlicky Greek pizza. I did manage to finish three of the small glasses of beer. I walked back to the house, glad to have leftover pizza for breakfast the next morning, then walked a few blocks over to the Orange Peel for the show.
A number of venues, such as DC's 9:30 Club and Richmond's The National, seem to have adopted the "standing room only" idea, and the Orange Peel is yet another. I felt a bit out of place with all the hipsters at the show, and since some of them were even taller than me, I did have a little difficulty seeing the stage well at times. The show was enjoyable and the venue seemed all right, despite reviews I'd seen online stating that staff were at best apathetic to concertgoers' needs and wants.
I was up early the next morning so I could be at the Biltmore as soon as it opened. My parents visited the Biltmore last year and had really nice things to say about it, which had spurred me to want to visit. My mother recommended the audio tour, so I paid the additional $10 and was glad that I had; the provided booklets are interesting but not nearly as detailed and in-depth as the audio tour. The sheer size of the building is itself a shock; it's the largest residence in America. Not only is the mansion big, but the whole Biltmore premises is spread out; the Antler Hill Village, where the winery is, is a four-mile drive from the parking lot for the house, which is itself a few minutes' walk or shuttle ride from the parking lot. The house was indeed gorgeous, all dolled up for Christmas. To give you an idea of how big the house is, the library is enormous but doesn't hold all of the 23,000 books contained within the house. I was told that it would mean reading six books a week for 80 years to finish them all.
After I finished my tour of the house, I perused the garden and the conservatory. I had seen a weather report stating that it was supposed to be in the upper 60s and sunny on Sunday, but when I had set out that morning, it had been overcast and I worried that it wouldn't be very warm. Fortunately, the clouds did dissipate after a little while and the weather did warm up--after all the walking/hiking I did (there is much walking to be done, and proper hiking if you so choose), I was sorry I had worn long sleeves. The flowers in the conservatory were lovely, and I am a sucker for orchids, of which they have a number of different and wonderful plants.
I required lunch before I endeavored any further onto the Biltmore grounds. I had wanted to have brunch at a restaurant at the Inn at Biltmore Estate, but when I realized it was four miles away and had a dress code--nice pants and blouse for women, something I wouldn't want to wear all day--I figured I would eat somewhere near the mansion itself. I ate at the Stable Cafe, literally situated in the old stables (you can tell by looking at the inside). I enjoyed the Carolina barbecue (it would be wrong to go to NC and not have barbecue), but enjoyed the chocolate cake even more. The chocolate cake was in celebration of the Tiffany exhibition (also at the Antler Hill Village) that goes through the end of January 2012. The cake was delicious and came with a piece of white chocolate decorated with a Tiffany-style dragonfly. I hope this cake becomes a permanent addition to the Biltmore menu and doesn't leave with the Tiffany exhibit.
After lunch, having already visited the gift shop by the mansion, I was curious to see the statue of Diana at the top of the hill in front of the house. The hill is a tiny bit of a hike (well, it is if you're in less-than-wonderful shape, as I seem to be), but it is so worth the view. The hill would be splendid for rolling down or sledding in the winter, and the mountains behind the house and the trees surrounding frame the mansion so perfectly.
I drove over to Antler Hill Village, the location of the winery and more shops and restaurants. A wine tasting is included with your ticket to the Biltmore (by the way, if you go to the Biltmore, buy your ticket online at least seven days before you plan to visit--you'll save $10), and you can taste as many wines as you want from the ones on the extensive menu. The store at the winery sells the wines, hats, cookbooks, food, and various other Biltmore- and non-Biltmore-related tchotchkes. I bought a cookbook for the sale price of about $18, having envied the one my mother bought last year (many of the recipes were quite tantalizing). The lines were incredibly long because tour buses had dropped off visitors--the lines were so long that they didn't get to leave on time.
Originally, I had planned to do the Red Wine and Chocolate tasting as well as the Biltmore Bubbles tasting, but I decided I'd had enough to drink and had spent enough time on the premises. My tickets couldn't be refunded, but I was given a gift card for the value of the tickets, which I promptly blew at the confectioners' shop back at the mansion. (Not all of the chocolate was for me, thank you very much.)
I was eager to get back into Asheville, and even though I knew the hostel was walking distance from downtown, I didn't feel like walking anymore. I finally found public parking for $3 across from French Broad Chocolate Lounge, one of the places in Asheville I'd wanted to visit. (FYI: French Broad is a river near Asheville, not a derogatory slang term for a woman from France.) The line was long, so I figured I'd come back later since they're open until at least 11 p.m., even on Sundays. I had seen a used music store nearby and wanted to see what it had to offer, and realizing it was mostly records, I moved on and found another one just a couple doors down, again with not much of a CD collection though (I am not cool enough to own a record player, and it's not like I could have fit any vinyl in my already over-stuffed carryon bag). I wanted a burger, and when I spied the menu at Boca, it sounded promising, as all the burgers I saw were about $8 and sounded delicious. I stepped inside, not realizing that it was just before the restaurant actually opened at 5:30, but a waitress was nice enough to seat me and get me a menu before finishing up the staff meeting I'd interrupted. Unfortunately, burgers were not on the dinner menu, but I was intrigued by some of the things I saw there. The waitress was kind enough to bring me some complimentary jalapeño-cheddar cornbread, something I had spied on the appetizer menu but hadn't ordered; I was glad I had received it free, as I felt it was lacking the jalapeño heat I was expecting, although it wasn't bad. I enjoyed the blueberry-braised pork shoulder taquitos I ordered--I figured I would branch out and get something a bit different. My waitress boxed up the remainder of my dinner and I wandered over to Downtown Books and News across the street. It's kind of a hole-in-the-wall that hipsters would love, and had a great selection of books on any topic you would hope to find in a proper bookstore. I picked out a current magazine to read while in the airport/on the plane the next day before heading back to French Broad Chocolate Lounge to pick out a few pieces of chocolate, all of which I found enjoyable.
I had planned to spend Monday morning walking around downtown Asheville, but many of the places I wanted to visit didn't open until 11 a.m., and since I'd seen a bit of downtown Sunday evening, I decided to throw the plan out the window. After heating up the leftover taquito in the microwave in the hostel's kitchen (there are also free supplies for making coffee and pancakes), I drove aimlessly for a bit, winding up at the Starbucks by the Biltmore entrance, then I drove over to the enormous Western North Carolina farmer's market, thinking it was just something like the ones in Northern Virginia, where I could walk through in half an hour or less. Not so. There were several large aisles of stalls, aisles big enough to drive cars through, with oodles of fruits, vegetables, and other standard market fare. I drove on to the North Carolina Arboretum, which serendipitously happened to be right by the entrance to the Blue Ridge Parkway. I'd decided that I liked my Chrysler 200 rental so much that I wanted to take it for a proper drive, not just commuting around town, and I'd passed under the Parkway going to the hostel from the airport. Parking for the Arboretum was $8 and I could come and go as I pleased. Being that it's November, there wasn't a whole lot to see, although the Bonsai exhibit was unexpectedly very cool. It's outdoors, and fortunately the weather wasn't too cool. I explored both buildings of the Arboretum and the path between them in about an hour, so I drove onward to the Parkway. I drove south for about an hour, stopping frequently to take pictures of the view. Many of my pictures probably look the same, and I tried to discipline myself not to take so many and just to see the view for what it was, not through a lens, something Lykke Li had chastised some concertgoers for at her show Saturday night.
As I drove back from the Parkway toward the highway (I forget which one), I saw a mall and decided to stop in search of food. Note well: Don't ever go to Biltmore Square Mall. It is a sad, depressing place and there is no joy to be found there, especially not in their awful Christmas music. I drove further, bypassing a probably local place calling itself a tavern in favor of a Wendy's that may or may not have been out of my way. There was also a Dairy Queen at the local gas station, so I decided to have a mini Blizzard as a celebration of not accidentally filling up the Chrysler with diesel. (Because I hadn't already had enough junk food to eat that weekend.) Fun fact: The Dairy Queen had the highest cleanliness/sanitation score of the restaurants at which I observed the scores; all received As, but the Dairy Queen had gotten a 99.5 (I'll assume out of 100) and was actually rather nice for a DQ.
I arrived at the airport shortly before 2 p.m., two hours before my flight. I was somewhat sad to return the car. I got through security after having my bag scanned at least twice (I'd forgotten about the unopened canister of hot chocolate mix) and bought some bottled water, as I'd planned to settle in a bit while waiting for my flight. Fun facts: There are only seven gates at the Asheville airport, which is a half-hour flight from Charlotte. I got to my gate just in time to have a woman working for US Airways offer to let me get on the flight that was literally leaving any minute, and I very happily boarded. With my original flight schedule, I worried that my one-hour layover in Charlotte might not be sufficient to get to my connection to Reagan National if my flight from Asheville was late, so this worked perfectly for me. I could wander around the Charlotte airport a little more, having gotten to know it rather well from traversing the whole thing during my two-hour layover two days before, and get a meal before boarding. Oddly, there was an earlier flight to Reagan, leaving about an hour or so before mine, and when I asked if I could board it, I was told it would probably cost me $50. I was surprised and ultimately decided to just camp out at Charlotte--besides, a friend had already committed to picking me up from the airport around 7 p.m. anyway. I hunkered down in Bad Daddy's Burger Bar, which was adjacent to my gate. I had a delicious turkey "burger" with brie and bacon and probably the best sweet potato fries I've ever had (complete with chipotle ranch dressing) as well as a couple drinks (the large glass of wine is nine ounces, which doesn't sound like that much...). The only reason I held back from getting a spiked milkshake was because I'd had Dairy Queen earlier in the day. There are two Bad Daddy's locations outside the airport, both in Charlotte.
More notes about the hostel: It was great, rather clean and in great proximity to downtown; bathrooms are communal, but I had no problems with availability or anything. There's a communal computer as well as free WiFi. The hostel was certainly more economical and much closer to town than the hotels I was looking at. It's a bit bare and maybe the tv doesn't work, but you're probably not going to be there all that much anyway, right?
The trip was good, and while there were plenty of places I wanted to go in Asheville that I didn't get to, I'm not quite in a hurry to go back, although I would love to see the Biltmore and the Arboretum in the spring/early summer. Hopefully I'll do that in the coming years, since Asheville is relatively close by and inexpensive.
Lykke Li: http://lykkeli.com
Asheville Hostel and Guest House: http://avlhostel.com/
Asheville Brewing Company: http://ashevillebrewing.com/
The Orange Peel: http://theorangepeel.net/
The Biltmore: http://biltmore.com
French Broad Chocolates: http://frenchbroadchocolates.com/
Boca: http://bocaasheville.com/
Downtown Books and News: http://www.downtownbooksandnews.com/
Bad Daddy's Burger Bar: http://baddaddysburgerbar.com/Home/
I flew US Airways from Reagan National to Asheville via Charlotte. I remembered having been through Charlotte very briefly (literally running from one terminal to another) and thinking that it looked really nice, and it lived up to that memory. There are rocking chairs, real trees, a piano, and a giant mobile sprouting from a sushi joint in the main area between the concourses. There's some decent shopping to be done if you have time, some good restaurants, and even a spa.
I got into Asheville about 5 hours before the concert Saturday night, so I got my rental car, pulled out my GPS and was on my way. I got my car through Enterprise (hurrah for work discounts) and although I had asked for a compact car, I got a Chrysler 200. As soon as I sat in it, I decided I liked it.
My GPS, although it has outdated maps, led me to the Asheville Hostel and Guest House, a place I had very serendipitously found on Google Maps while plotting out potential things to do in the city. It's downtown, walking distance from a bunch of cool stores and restaurants (Asheville has at least three chocolate shops, although I only visited one, as well as a champagne bar/used bookstore, Battery Park Book Exchange and Champagne Bar (is there a greater concept? I think not)). I met up with the hostel's proprietor, BJ, who suggested a bunch of great places to eat, such as Asheville Brewing Company, literally one block over, within sight of the hostel. I'm not much of a beer drinker, but occasionally I do venture into that realm, so I did a flight of five beers along with my delicious and very garlicky Greek pizza. I did manage to finish three of the small glasses of beer. I walked back to the house, glad to have leftover pizza for breakfast the next morning, then walked a few blocks over to the Orange Peel for the show.
A number of venues, such as DC's 9:30 Club and Richmond's The National, seem to have adopted the "standing room only" idea, and the Orange Peel is yet another. I felt a bit out of place with all the hipsters at the show, and since some of them were even taller than me, I did have a little difficulty seeing the stage well at times. The show was enjoyable and the venue seemed all right, despite reviews I'd seen online stating that staff were at best apathetic to concertgoers' needs and wants.
I was up early the next morning so I could be at the Biltmore as soon as it opened. My parents visited the Biltmore last year and had really nice things to say about it, which had spurred me to want to visit. My mother recommended the audio tour, so I paid the additional $10 and was glad that I had; the provided booklets are interesting but not nearly as detailed and in-depth as the audio tour. The sheer size of the building is itself a shock; it's the largest residence in America. Not only is the mansion big, but the whole Biltmore premises is spread out; the Antler Hill Village, where the winery is, is a four-mile drive from the parking lot for the house, which is itself a few minutes' walk or shuttle ride from the parking lot. The house was indeed gorgeous, all dolled up for Christmas. To give you an idea of how big the house is, the library is enormous but doesn't hold all of the 23,000 books contained within the house. I was told that it would mean reading six books a week for 80 years to finish them all.
After I finished my tour of the house, I perused the garden and the conservatory. I had seen a weather report stating that it was supposed to be in the upper 60s and sunny on Sunday, but when I had set out that morning, it had been overcast and I worried that it wouldn't be very warm. Fortunately, the clouds did dissipate after a little while and the weather did warm up--after all the walking/hiking I did (there is much walking to be done, and proper hiking if you so choose), I was sorry I had worn long sleeves. The flowers in the conservatory were lovely, and I am a sucker for orchids, of which they have a number of different and wonderful plants.
I required lunch before I endeavored any further onto the Biltmore grounds. I had wanted to have brunch at a restaurant at the Inn at Biltmore Estate, but when I realized it was four miles away and had a dress code--nice pants and blouse for women, something I wouldn't want to wear all day--I figured I would eat somewhere near the mansion itself. I ate at the Stable Cafe, literally situated in the old stables (you can tell by looking at the inside). I enjoyed the Carolina barbecue (it would be wrong to go to NC and not have barbecue), but enjoyed the chocolate cake even more. The chocolate cake was in celebration of the Tiffany exhibition (also at the Antler Hill Village) that goes through the end of January 2012. The cake was delicious and came with a piece of white chocolate decorated with a Tiffany-style dragonfly. I hope this cake becomes a permanent addition to the Biltmore menu and doesn't leave with the Tiffany exhibit.
After lunch, having already visited the gift shop by the mansion, I was curious to see the statue of Diana at the top of the hill in front of the house. The hill is a tiny bit of a hike (well, it is if you're in less-than-wonderful shape, as I seem to be), but it is so worth the view. The hill would be splendid for rolling down or sledding in the winter, and the mountains behind the house and the trees surrounding frame the mansion so perfectly.
I drove over to Antler Hill Village, the location of the winery and more shops and restaurants. A wine tasting is included with your ticket to the Biltmore (by the way, if you go to the Biltmore, buy your ticket online at least seven days before you plan to visit--you'll save $10), and you can taste as many wines as you want from the ones on the extensive menu. The store at the winery sells the wines, hats, cookbooks, food, and various other Biltmore- and non-Biltmore-related tchotchkes. I bought a cookbook for the sale price of about $18, having envied the one my mother bought last year (many of the recipes were quite tantalizing). The lines were incredibly long because tour buses had dropped off visitors--the lines were so long that they didn't get to leave on time.
Originally, I had planned to do the Red Wine and Chocolate tasting as well as the Biltmore Bubbles tasting, but I decided I'd had enough to drink and had spent enough time on the premises. My tickets couldn't be refunded, but I was given a gift card for the value of the tickets, which I promptly blew at the confectioners' shop back at the mansion. (Not all of the chocolate was for me, thank you very much.)
I was eager to get back into Asheville, and even though I knew the hostel was walking distance from downtown, I didn't feel like walking anymore. I finally found public parking for $3 across from French Broad Chocolate Lounge, one of the places in Asheville I'd wanted to visit. (FYI: French Broad is a river near Asheville, not a derogatory slang term for a woman from France.) The line was long, so I figured I'd come back later since they're open until at least 11 p.m., even on Sundays. I had seen a used music store nearby and wanted to see what it had to offer, and realizing it was mostly records, I moved on and found another one just a couple doors down, again with not much of a CD collection though (I am not cool enough to own a record player, and it's not like I could have fit any vinyl in my already over-stuffed carryon bag). I wanted a burger, and when I spied the menu at Boca, it sounded promising, as all the burgers I saw were about $8 and sounded delicious. I stepped inside, not realizing that it was just before the restaurant actually opened at 5:30, but a waitress was nice enough to seat me and get me a menu before finishing up the staff meeting I'd interrupted. Unfortunately, burgers were not on the dinner menu, but I was intrigued by some of the things I saw there. The waitress was kind enough to bring me some complimentary jalapeño-cheddar cornbread, something I had spied on the appetizer menu but hadn't ordered; I was glad I had received it free, as I felt it was lacking the jalapeño heat I was expecting, although it wasn't bad. I enjoyed the blueberry-braised pork shoulder taquitos I ordered--I figured I would branch out and get something a bit different. My waitress boxed up the remainder of my dinner and I wandered over to Downtown Books and News across the street. It's kind of a hole-in-the-wall that hipsters would love, and had a great selection of books on any topic you would hope to find in a proper bookstore. I picked out a current magazine to read while in the airport/on the plane the next day before heading back to French Broad Chocolate Lounge to pick out a few pieces of chocolate, all of which I found enjoyable.
I had planned to spend Monday morning walking around downtown Asheville, but many of the places I wanted to visit didn't open until 11 a.m., and since I'd seen a bit of downtown Sunday evening, I decided to throw the plan out the window. After heating up the leftover taquito in the microwave in the hostel's kitchen (there are also free supplies for making coffee and pancakes), I drove aimlessly for a bit, winding up at the Starbucks by the Biltmore entrance, then I drove over to the enormous Western North Carolina farmer's market, thinking it was just something like the ones in Northern Virginia, where I could walk through in half an hour or less. Not so. There were several large aisles of stalls, aisles big enough to drive cars through, with oodles of fruits, vegetables, and other standard market fare. I drove on to the North Carolina Arboretum, which serendipitously happened to be right by the entrance to the Blue Ridge Parkway. I'd decided that I liked my Chrysler 200 rental so much that I wanted to take it for a proper drive, not just commuting around town, and I'd passed under the Parkway going to the hostel from the airport. Parking for the Arboretum was $8 and I could come and go as I pleased. Being that it's November, there wasn't a whole lot to see, although the Bonsai exhibit was unexpectedly very cool. It's outdoors, and fortunately the weather wasn't too cool. I explored both buildings of the Arboretum and the path between them in about an hour, so I drove onward to the Parkway. I drove south for about an hour, stopping frequently to take pictures of the view. Many of my pictures probably look the same, and I tried to discipline myself not to take so many and just to see the view for what it was, not through a lens, something Lykke Li had chastised some concertgoers for at her show Saturday night.
As I drove back from the Parkway toward the highway (I forget which one), I saw a mall and decided to stop in search of food. Note well: Don't ever go to Biltmore Square Mall. It is a sad, depressing place and there is no joy to be found there, especially not in their awful Christmas music. I drove further, bypassing a probably local place calling itself a tavern in favor of a Wendy's that may or may not have been out of my way. There was also a Dairy Queen at the local gas station, so I decided to have a mini Blizzard as a celebration of not accidentally filling up the Chrysler with diesel. (Because I hadn't already had enough junk food to eat that weekend.) Fun fact: The Dairy Queen had the highest cleanliness/sanitation score of the restaurants at which I observed the scores; all received As, but the Dairy Queen had gotten a 99.5 (I'll assume out of 100) and was actually rather nice for a DQ.
I arrived at the airport shortly before 2 p.m., two hours before my flight. I was somewhat sad to return the car. I got through security after having my bag scanned at least twice (I'd forgotten about the unopened canister of hot chocolate mix) and bought some bottled water, as I'd planned to settle in a bit while waiting for my flight. Fun facts: There are only seven gates at the Asheville airport, which is a half-hour flight from Charlotte. I got to my gate just in time to have a woman working for US Airways offer to let me get on the flight that was literally leaving any minute, and I very happily boarded. With my original flight schedule, I worried that my one-hour layover in Charlotte might not be sufficient to get to my connection to Reagan National if my flight from Asheville was late, so this worked perfectly for me. I could wander around the Charlotte airport a little more, having gotten to know it rather well from traversing the whole thing during my two-hour layover two days before, and get a meal before boarding. Oddly, there was an earlier flight to Reagan, leaving about an hour or so before mine, and when I asked if I could board it, I was told it would probably cost me $50. I was surprised and ultimately decided to just camp out at Charlotte--besides, a friend had already committed to picking me up from the airport around 7 p.m. anyway. I hunkered down in Bad Daddy's Burger Bar, which was adjacent to my gate. I had a delicious turkey "burger" with brie and bacon and probably the best sweet potato fries I've ever had (complete with chipotle ranch dressing) as well as a couple drinks (the large glass of wine is nine ounces, which doesn't sound like that much...). The only reason I held back from getting a spiked milkshake was because I'd had Dairy Queen earlier in the day. There are two Bad Daddy's locations outside the airport, both in Charlotte.
More notes about the hostel: It was great, rather clean and in great proximity to downtown; bathrooms are communal, but I had no problems with availability or anything. There's a communal computer as well as free WiFi. The hostel was certainly more economical and much closer to town than the hotels I was looking at. It's a bit bare and maybe the tv doesn't work, but you're probably not going to be there all that much anyway, right?
The trip was good, and while there were plenty of places I wanted to go in Asheville that I didn't get to, I'm not quite in a hurry to go back, although I would love to see the Biltmore and the Arboretum in the spring/early summer. Hopefully I'll do that in the coming years, since Asheville is relatively close by and inexpensive.
Lykke Li: http://lykkeli.com
Asheville Hostel and Guest House: http://avlhostel.com/
Asheville Brewing Company: http://ashevillebrewing.com/
The Orange Peel: http://theorangepeel.net/
The Biltmore: http://biltmore.com
French Broad Chocolates: http://frenchbroadchocolates.com/
Boca: http://bocaasheville.com/
Downtown Books and News: http://www.downtownbooksandnews.com/
Bad Daddy's Burger Bar: http://baddaddysburgerbar.com/Home/
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Utah, 7/6-7/11
Earlier this year, a good friend of mine moved back to Utah, his long-time home, and the more he'd talked about Salt Lake City, the more I wanted to visit. I was long overdue for a vacation anyway, and his moving back gave me an excuse to get away for a few days.
I got in Wednesday night about 9 p.m. and had the most amazing view of the mountains. Normally I opt for an aisle seat, but this time I'd made sure to get a window seat. I would have killed to have had my camera out for this view. I did take some video on my iPod. I'll admit, I was rather taken from my first glance. My friend met me at the airport and on the way out of the parking lot, I asked him to stop the car so I could get a picture of the sunset. It was breathtaking.
We drove to the Great Salt Lake, not far from the airport, and were staggered by the fantastic views there at sunset (I believe it's Antelope Island that can be seen in the picture). It should be noted that it was here that we encountered more mosquitoes than I have ever seen in my life, but the view was worth it.
We drove downtown from there, walking around the Utah State Capitol and through several parks nearby, including City Creek Park (none of those photos turned out as well as I'd hoped, sadly). We saw the Mormon Temple, which looks like a somewhat sinister version of Cinderella's castle, but it's still an attractive building.
Thursday we woke up late and had an enjoyable breakfast at Finn's (the chocolate croissant was a meal in itself). Afterward, we decided to visit Sugar House Park, which was really nice. A number of families had decided to visit for the afternoon. We saw a number of joggers as well. It's a great place to just read or have a picnic with the family...or roll down a hill, as we did.
That afternoon we did some hiking in Mill Creek Canyon. It had rained some as we drove up, but we decided to make a go of it anyway. The path we took was a bit slick, but we had no real problems. The forest was lush and green and the hike was a little challenging but still good--I think we got above 9000 feet here. We saw snow, which I thought was an odd sight to see in July.
I had seen a sign for a farmers market right next door to my friend's house and asked if we could check it out, and we were both glad we did. It was the first day of the market, and we found several great food carts that had cupcakes and curry, someone selling many varieties of olive oil, people selling jewelry, another stand featuring vegan chocolate and cashew-based vegan chocolate ice cream (our sample of it was good). There was even a section specifically for kids. I began to get a bit jealous that my friend had such a cool market right next to his house; I live in Northern Virginia, where there are oodles of farmers markets, and I haven't found one I like as much as his, and certainly none are as close to my apartment.
My friend had gotten tickets to see Goldilocks Capone and the Three Amigos at the Desert Star Theater in Murray. Mashups of different pop culture touchstones are apparently a specialty here. We enjoyed the show, and afterward an emcee who was part of the cast pointed out couples celebrating anniversaries and people celebrating birthdays. Then the whole cast performed several patriotic songs and had some good skits in between parodying politicians like Sarah Palin and the Mormon presidential candidates Jon Huntsman and Mitt Romney, as well as celebrities like Lebron James.
After the play, we decided to go to a club downtown called Area 51, which has '80s night every Thursday (they also had some great-sounding parties over the weekend, such as a glow stick party Friday night and another celebrating the turn to Cancer zodiac sign, which would feature tarot readings and other New Age-sounding stuff that has little more interest to me than fun kitsch value). Upstairs was the 18-and-up party, which was fun and got pretty crowded with people of a wide range of ages, featuring music from David Bowie, New Order, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Def Leppard, Depeche Mode and countless others; downstairs was a far-less-populated but no less enjoyable darker '80s mix (The Smiths, Depeche Mode, etc.). We were there for a very fun four hours, and kept saying around 1 a.m. that we were going to leave after whatever song was on, but then good songs kept playing and we couldn't bring ourselves to leave.
Friday we again woke up late and went out for pancakes. In the afternoon, we went to Red Butte Garden, quite possibly one of the most beautiful places I've seen. Probably half the pictures of the roughly 350 I took on vacation were taken here. A fire had broken out in the mountains above the gardens a couple of weeks prior to our visit, but it had been contained fairly quickly; however, we could still clearly see where it had been and how close to the building it had gotten. The gardens sit up on a mountain, so you get a great view of the city below. There's also an amphitheater there, and some great national acts like Sheryl Crow were performing there this summer, as well as buzzed-about acts Fleet Foxes and Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings. I couldn't believe how great the venue was--not only was it beautiful, but it hosted great concerts too! A wedding and its reception were also taking place there that evening--easy to see why someone would want to get married there. The gardens are huge (I'm not sure my friend and I traversed them all), full of beautiful, colorful flowers and trees, and also feature a great kid's area with a fountain and a giant flower pot that has a tree growing from it (my friend egged me into trying to climb it). This was only the second full day of my trip, and my camera battery gave out while at the gardens--I thought it was fully charged beforehand, so maybe I had taken so many pictures that the camera just wouldn't hold a charge anymore. I was disappointed, but at least my cell phone takes good pictures.
That night, we met some of my friend's friends at a Nepalese/Indian restaurant named Kathmandu, which made a particularly good chicken tikka masala.
Saturday we went to the Utah Museum of Fine Art on the University of Utah campus, also up in the mountains a couple of miles from Red Butte Garden. I particularly enjoyed the Egyptian pieces in the African gallery, but I liked the European gallery as well. My friend and I had a good time trying to interpret Don Olsen's modern pieces, which were displayed in a huge gallery with a high ceiling that also housed a piano--clearly a room meant for events. I think we walked through the entire museum in about three hours, then took off outside to venture across the University of Utah campus, eventually making our way back up by the University's Rice-Eccles Stadium, home to many events from the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City. We drove out to Big Cottonwood Canyon in the Wasatch National Forest that evening, which was a great drive a little ways from my friend's house (we made sure to eat at In-N-Out Burger on the way). We encountered more snow that actually covered part of the trail around a lake (not sure which one). It had rained on us a little driving up, and I'd wondered aloud if we'd see a rainbow. Not only did we see a rainbow, but we saw the most vibrant one I'd ever seen, and it had a double!
I must have taken about 20 pictures just of the rainbow. It was rather awe-inspiring. We drove back down the canyon only to encounter a sunset that made me gasp aloud and again ask to stop the car.
Sunday we got an even later start than before and drove to Diva's in Salt Lake City to get a drive-through lunch and cupcakes. My friend enjoyed his caramel macchiato (I forget what he had for lunch) and I munched on a good chicken salad sandwich before I tore through the chocolate chocolate cupcake (sadly, they were out of chocolate peanut butter). We wished we'd been able to partake of brunch, as they had $3 mimosas and live music, but time didn't allow. We were heading to Park City that afternoon to take on the alpine slide. I had had some reservations about being on a slide that was going down a mountain--how steep is it? how fast?--but they were all absolutely unfounded fears. The slide is a lot of fun. We'd talked about ziplining too, but there were thunderstorms only about 20 minutes away, so we would barely have time to get down the slide. We had only just gotten off the ski lift before we heard thunder, and originally we were told we wouldn't be able to go down the slide because it was raining at the bottom of the mountain, and sled brakes on the slide won't work in the rain. We were told we'd have to wait for a suburban to come fetch us, then shortly after we were told they could let some people down the slide, so there was a mad dash to get sleds and run back to the slide. There are four slides, and one is marked for people who prefer to go a bit more slowly, so being a first-timer, I took that one. Needless to say, my friend quickly disappeared from my view and was waiting for me at the bottom. Scary though it is to be on a mountain during a thunderstorm, it was also pretty cool and I wish I had been able to get pictures.
It did start raining not long after we got off the slide, so we decided it was time for dinner and went into town to Adolph's Restaurant. The bartender, Sweet Jonny D, was rather personable and gave great recommendations for dinner. I was glad I'd taken his advice and gotten the shrimp linguini--it was so good. My friend also enjoyed his chicken francese and even had leftovers for the next day (I managed to eat my entire dinner). We shared a brownie sundae, which was also delicious. This restaurant is clearly a favorite of locals, as several of the patrons who came in struck up conversations with Jonny about mutual acquaintances and such. Dinner was pricey, but my friend and I really loved it.
That night we went back into Salt Lake City to catch a movie and got chai lattes afterward. The first coffeehouse we went to was full of obnoxious hipper-than-thou types loudly cheering at an open mic night. We stood in line for a couple of minutes before leaving, as the line hadn't moved since we'd gotten there and the crowded, loud atmosphere was a turnoff. I forget the name of the place where we ended up, but the chai lattes were good and we ran into one of my friend's friends, who had been camping out there for a while reading and dining at one of the many tables. My friend maintains that coffees and teas are done better west of the Mississippi, and I might be inclined to agree.
The next day was Monday, which meant it was time for me to go. I was sad not only to leave my friend, as we'd had a fantastic time seeing what we'd seen, but I had also gotten used to the mountain views and the crisp, dry air in Salt Lake City. Every morning I'd sat on the back porch at my friend's house and read, enjoying the lovely weather and the sounds of the creek that runs through his backyard. It was great to enjoy a definite change of pace and attitude for a few days and to see things that I don't see on an everyday basis. Even if I saw the mountains every day, I don't think the view would get old.
http://redbuttegarden.org/
http://umfa.utah.edu/pageview.aspx?id=25861
I got in Wednesday night about 9 p.m. and had the most amazing view of the mountains. Normally I opt for an aisle seat, but this time I'd made sure to get a window seat. I would have killed to have had my camera out for this view. I did take some video on my iPod. I'll admit, I was rather taken from my first glance. My friend met me at the airport and on the way out of the parking lot, I asked him to stop the car so I could get a picture of the sunset. It was breathtaking.
Thursday we woke up late and had an enjoyable breakfast at Finn's (the chocolate croissant was a meal in itself). Afterward, we decided to visit Sugar House Park, which was really nice. A number of families had decided to visit for the afternoon. We saw a number of joggers as well. It's a great place to just read or have a picnic with the family...or roll down a hill, as we did.
That afternoon we did some hiking in Mill Creek Canyon. It had rained some as we drove up, but we decided to make a go of it anyway. The path we took was a bit slick, but we had no real problems. The forest was lush and green and the hike was a little challenging but still good--I think we got above 9000 feet here. We saw snow, which I thought was an odd sight to see in July.
My friend had gotten tickets to see Goldilocks Capone and the Three Amigos at the Desert Star Theater in Murray. Mashups of different pop culture touchstones are apparently a specialty here. We enjoyed the show, and afterward an emcee who was part of the cast pointed out couples celebrating anniversaries and people celebrating birthdays. Then the whole cast performed several patriotic songs and had some good skits in between parodying politicians like Sarah Palin and the Mormon presidential candidates Jon Huntsman and Mitt Romney, as well as celebrities like Lebron James.
After the play, we decided to go to a club downtown called Area 51, which has '80s night every Thursday (they also had some great-sounding parties over the weekend, such as a glow stick party Friday night and another celebrating the turn to Cancer zodiac sign, which would feature tarot readings and other New Age-sounding stuff that has little more interest to me than fun kitsch value). Upstairs was the 18-and-up party, which was fun and got pretty crowded with people of a wide range of ages, featuring music from David Bowie, New Order, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Def Leppard, Depeche Mode and countless others; downstairs was a far-less-populated but no less enjoyable darker '80s mix (The Smiths, Depeche Mode, etc.). We were there for a very fun four hours, and kept saying around 1 a.m. that we were going to leave after whatever song was on, but then good songs kept playing and we couldn't bring ourselves to leave.
Friday we again woke up late and went out for pancakes. In the afternoon, we went to Red Butte Garden, quite possibly one of the most beautiful places I've seen. Probably half the pictures of the roughly 350 I took on vacation were taken here. A fire had broken out in the mountains above the gardens a couple of weeks prior to our visit, but it had been contained fairly quickly; however, we could still clearly see where it had been and how close to the building it had gotten. The gardens sit up on a mountain, so you get a great view of the city below. There's also an amphitheater there, and some great national acts like Sheryl Crow were performing there this summer, as well as buzzed-about acts Fleet Foxes and Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings. I couldn't believe how great the venue was--not only was it beautiful, but it hosted great concerts too! A wedding and its reception were also taking place there that evening--easy to see why someone would want to get married there. The gardens are huge (I'm not sure my friend and I traversed them all), full of beautiful, colorful flowers and trees, and also feature a great kid's area with a fountain and a giant flower pot that has a tree growing from it (my friend egged me into trying to climb it). This was only the second full day of my trip, and my camera battery gave out while at the gardens--I thought it was fully charged beforehand, so maybe I had taken so many pictures that the camera just wouldn't hold a charge anymore. I was disappointed, but at least my cell phone takes good pictures.
Saturday we went to the Utah Museum of Fine Art on the University of Utah campus, also up in the mountains a couple of miles from Red Butte Garden. I particularly enjoyed the Egyptian pieces in the African gallery, but I liked the European gallery as well. My friend and I had a good time trying to interpret Don Olsen's modern pieces, which were displayed in a huge gallery with a high ceiling that also housed a piano--clearly a room meant for events. I think we walked through the entire museum in about three hours, then took off outside to venture across the University of Utah campus, eventually making our way back up by the University's Rice-Eccles Stadium, home to many events from the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City. We drove out to Big Cottonwood Canyon in the Wasatch National Forest that evening, which was a great drive a little ways from my friend's house (we made sure to eat at In-N-Out Burger on the way). We encountered more snow that actually covered part of the trail around a lake (not sure which one). It had rained on us a little driving up, and I'd wondered aloud if we'd see a rainbow. Not only did we see a rainbow, but we saw the most vibrant one I'd ever seen, and it had a double!
Sunday we got an even later start than before and drove to Diva's in Salt Lake City to get a drive-through lunch and cupcakes. My friend enjoyed his caramel macchiato (I forget what he had for lunch) and I munched on a good chicken salad sandwich before I tore through the chocolate chocolate cupcake (sadly, they were out of chocolate peanut butter). We wished we'd been able to partake of brunch, as they had $3 mimosas and live music, but time didn't allow. We were heading to Park City that afternoon to take on the alpine slide. I had had some reservations about being on a slide that was going down a mountain--how steep is it? how fast?--but they were all absolutely unfounded fears. The slide is a lot of fun. We'd talked about ziplining too, but there were thunderstorms only about 20 minutes away, so we would barely have time to get down the slide. We had only just gotten off the ski lift before we heard thunder, and originally we were told we wouldn't be able to go down the slide because it was raining at the bottom of the mountain, and sled brakes on the slide won't work in the rain. We were told we'd have to wait for a suburban to come fetch us, then shortly after we were told they could let some people down the slide, so there was a mad dash to get sleds and run back to the slide. There are four slides, and one is marked for people who prefer to go a bit more slowly, so being a first-timer, I took that one. Needless to say, my friend quickly disappeared from my view and was waiting for me at the bottom. Scary though it is to be on a mountain during a thunderstorm, it was also pretty cool and I wish I had been able to get pictures.
It did start raining not long after we got off the slide, so we decided it was time for dinner and went into town to Adolph's Restaurant. The bartender, Sweet Jonny D, was rather personable and gave great recommendations for dinner. I was glad I'd taken his advice and gotten the shrimp linguini--it was so good. My friend also enjoyed his chicken francese and even had leftovers for the next day (I managed to eat my entire dinner). We shared a brownie sundae, which was also delicious. This restaurant is clearly a favorite of locals, as several of the patrons who came in struck up conversations with Jonny about mutual acquaintances and such. Dinner was pricey, but my friend and I really loved it.
That night we went back into Salt Lake City to catch a movie and got chai lattes afterward. The first coffeehouse we went to was full of obnoxious hipper-than-thou types loudly cheering at an open mic night. We stood in line for a couple of minutes before leaving, as the line hadn't moved since we'd gotten there and the crowded, loud atmosphere was a turnoff. I forget the name of the place where we ended up, but the chai lattes were good and we ran into one of my friend's friends, who had been camping out there for a while reading and dining at one of the many tables. My friend maintains that coffees and teas are done better west of the Mississippi, and I might be inclined to agree.
The next day was Monday, which meant it was time for me to go. I was sad not only to leave my friend, as we'd had a fantastic time seeing what we'd seen, but I had also gotten used to the mountain views and the crisp, dry air in Salt Lake City. Every morning I'd sat on the back porch at my friend's house and read, enjoying the lovely weather and the sounds of the creek that runs through his backyard. It was great to enjoy a definite change of pace and attitude for a few days and to see things that I don't see on an everyday basis. Even if I saw the mountains every day, I don't think the view would get old.
http://redbuttegarden.org/
http://umfa.utah.edu/pageview.aspx?id=25861
Saturday, January 23, 2010
San Francisco, January 2010
My mother and I decided that as a birthday present to ourselves, we would take a long weekend in San Francisco. It didn't take much prodding or convincing, as it's a place we've both wanted to go for a long time. I had a coworker who had just been with his wife, so he was giving me recommendations about where to go--Alcatraz, Lands' End, Coit Tower. He let me borrow his guidebooks as well, although most of the stuff in them was stuff my mom and I may not have been most interested in, or was stuff that could have appealed to me but not her.
I was appreciative of his recommendation to go to Alcatraz, though. I didn't expect to enjoy it so much--the historical value of certain things and places can be lost on me. You don't have to be a big history buff to enjoy your visit here though, although the history is much more interesting than you'd think, as my coworker had told me. There is also a surprising amount of greenery and plant life here--a garden that was tended by families of the prison guards who lived on the island, maybe even tended by prisoners themselves (I don't remember if that was the case or not). Beautiful and enormous white calla lilies could be found all over (I'll be honest, that was the only flower I really recognized). Of course, it was overcast/foggy that day, so my pictures of San Francisco from the island didn't really turn out well, but I can only imagine seeing the city from Alcatraz at night. They say in the audio tour of the island (which is a national park) that that was one of the things about Alcatraz--it was so close you could hear the sounds of the city coming from across the bay. I can imagine what torture that would be--so close to civilization, and yet so far. My coworker also told me about a walking path around the island, but my mom and I opted not to go that route. We got enough exercise wandering up and down the island.
That was the same day we traversed several blocks and large hills to climb up to Coit Tower in Pioneer Park. It also affords decent views of the city, although again it was a bit cloudy when we were up there. I was almost disappointed that we didn't have to climb the stairs up the tower--we had climbed up hills already, so I was primed to do more climbing.
We made our way over to the Ferry building to check out what was more or less an indoor farmer's market. I love farmer's markets, so this was a great experience. I definitely recommend the chocolate sorbet from Ciao Bella (very rich and deliciously dark) and the fish taco at Mijita. Best fish taco I've ever had. Granted, I haven't had that many, but this one blew the others out of the park. We also had cupcakes from the Kara's Cupcakes Kara-van stationed at another market-type place outside across the street. My mother raved about the carrot cake one. My coconut cupcake was pretty good. Kara's Cupcakes is located in Ghirardelli Square (where we had been the previous day) next to Wattle Creek Winery's tasting room.
While on that subject of wine, I will say that I found the red wines I tasted at Wattle Creek's tasting room to be difficult to distinguish from one another. They were also so dry that I felt the moisture being sucked out of my mouth and so strong that I had to drink water between each sip to cleanse my palate. I did enjoy the sparkling wine and of the reds, I found the petite syrah to be enjoyable, so I bought two bottles. The muscat was also good.
While in San Francisco, Mom and I stayed literally across the street from Fisherman's Wharf. I had been pressing to stay somewhere not touristy or a slightly niceish hotel chain if possible (my mom made fun of me, saying I wanted to stay at the Ritz-Carlton--not true. I would have settled for Sofitel, although that is a bit out of our price range, maybe Hyatt or Hilton), but the hotel we stayed at was decent and there were a lot of restaurants within close walking distance. We had a tasty chicken salad sandwich for dinner at Boudin and breakfast there the next morning--sourdough French toast and a ham and gruyere croissant, both delicious. We of course did a bit of souvenir shopping in the area, and the Wharf is not a far drive from any of the places we went in SF. From that standpoint, I was sad to not see any of the funkier neighborhoods of SF, and I felt maybe we had deprived ourselves of seeing some of the real character of the city because we didn't really venture out beyond the touristy stuff. I did thoroughly enjoy what we did see though.
Saturday we drove up to Santa Rosa, about an hour north of San Francisco. It was a much bigger "town" than I realized. It was the adopted home of Charles Schulz, creator of the Peanuts comic strip, for much of his adult life, which was why I wanted to visit. I found the Schulz Museum to be just that--a museum about his life, so if you are anticipating a Peanuts Museum, you'll be disappointed. For those of you not familiar with his life and background, I would recommend it. He wasn't perhaps the happiest of people, but it's interesting to know the story behind him and the influences on the comic. I think my mom and I walked through it in about an hour, to our surprise. We wandered over to the Redwood Empire Ice Arena across the street, which was owned by Schulz. They still had the Christmas decorations up, which was nice--it was neat to see the ice rink surrounded by the lights and decorations. We ordered chili dogs at the Warm Puppy, the on-site cafe where Schulz would get breakfast and lunch--I didn't realize that they were $6.50 until I paid, but when we got them, we understood why. These aren't some wimpy hot dogs with a scant amount of chili on top served on styrofoam plates. These were served in actual dishes with knives and forks (very useful), the hot dogs themselves served in a bowl, covered in so much chili you could barely see the bun. Very good. I would also recommend the Peppermint Patty (peppermint hot chocolate).
My mother isn't a wine drinker, but I dragged her to Rosso Pizzeria and Wine Bar in Santa Rosa anyway. She seemed less than thrilled about the idea, but I was pretty keen on it so she acquiesced. I had read about it in Budget Travel magazine a couple of months ago and thought, "Hey, if I ever actually get to Santa Rosa, this could come in handy." We waited about 30 or 40 minutes for a table. This place seems pretty popular with the locals--Mom noted that a number of the people there seemed to be familiar with the managers and staff. I was surprised to see the number of families there with children--this is not a typical pizza joint. They were pouring syrahs at the bar (I have a particular weakness for syrah, but I didn't give in this time), so the hostess recommended that we try them while we waited. There was no room to sit at the bar, so Mom and I stood and looked at the menu. She didn't seem too enthused about any of the choices, but said that whatever I chose she could probably deal with. We decided to split a salad and a pizza, which turned out to be a good decision. We got a Tuscan wedge salad with bleu cheese, gorgonzola dressing, pancetta and roasted tomatoes and a Beppo pizza with red sauce, housemade mozzarella (!), black olives, pepperoni and red onion on it. I asked the waiter what a good wine would be to go with this odd pairing of salad and pizza, and he suggested a tempranillo, which turned out to be a good choice, and at $6 a glass, I was pleased with the price as well. Dinner came down to about $16 each, not including tip (I paid since I dragged Mom there). The pizza was really good--the crust is really thin, not really thick enough to support the toppings, but it still has a crackle and crisp to it. My mom and I aren't really thin crust devotees but we both enjoyed this.
We flew jetBlue in and out of Oakland from Dulles because my mother found it to be less expensive than flying in and out of SFO. JetBlue gets major points for having DirecTV and Sirius XM satellite radio on board, although movies are $6 and they don't serve real food (you do get a selection of free snacks). They scored even bigger by getting us to Oakland 40 minutes early and leaving Oakland for Dulles 10 minutes early. The flight attendants are also super cool. I was personally a bit scared of the idea of being in Oakland, much less staying a night there as we did (our flight in got in around 10 pm), but the airport was pretty nice and had an interesting exhibit on ukeleles and guitars and how they're made. I wish I'd been more attentive to that and taken some pictures. The part of Oakland we stayed in seemed nice enough and the hotel we stayed in was decent as well.
All that being said, I definitely enjoyed my trip but I intend to go back to San Francisco one day to see and experience more of the city.
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