I was never a last minute packer but I guess I am now. Just packing today for our upcoming trip. Plus we booked it last minute too. Just got the tickets yesterday as a matter of fact. I hope I didn’t forget anything, though more than likely I probably overpacked.
Category Archives: Travel
Packing!
Posted by Leaf on March 18, 2011
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The endless week
Posted by Leaf on March 9, 2011
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This week is DRAGGIN’. Maybe it’s always just this time of the year. My boss, during the busiest time for us, decided to go on hiatus for a 3 day training session for the rest of this week. Grrr… So I’m left holding the bag. Oh well. I’m going on a 3 week vacation soon so I shouldn’t talk. Speaking of my big vacation, holy cow, it’s in a week and a half and I have not yet packed a single thing! Usually I have the suitcase laid out by now and I’ve stuffed it and restuffed it half a dozen times. And then there’s the little issue with the tax due date. I better finish my taxes before I leave for the trip. Darn it. It’s my fault cuz I keep putting it off because last year, I was such a dunce about it, I had to do it 7 times to figure out where I went wrong! Who does their taxes 7 times!?!? Me. The tax moron. Anyway, this year, I’m hoping to do it once but I know already that I’m going to do it a second time to check everything. And if 1 and 2 don’t match, you can bet I’ll do it a 3rd time. Yes, this is how I got to do it 7 times last year. And that is why I’m dragging my feet about doing it this year. I make it painful.
Yes, I journaled today. No I’m not going to report on it every day I do it.
Recounting our trip to Florida
Posted by Leaf on January 23, 2011
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We returned from Florida yesterday and even though it was nice seeing the chinchillas, I miss the warm weather and I’m ready to go back!
Here are some of the fine feasts we had while we were there, though we missed some photo ops with some of the best dishes of home cooking. I got a recipe for a coconut ginger soup that I’ll have to try making sometime.
Shrimp Shack’s blackened whitefish and hush puppies
Brew Babies’ Veggie Wrap
Brew Babies’ Pear salad
Some of the other items we had that are a specialty to that region were grouper sandwiches and conch fritters. We even tried alligator tail nuggets which were interesting to eat but not particularly flavorful or anything.
So aside from watching movies, stuffing our faces, and playing Settlers of Catan, we also went to Shark Valley National Park. Acreage-wise, it’s the 3rd largest national park in the continental U.S. (1 is Death Valley, and 2 is Yellowstone). We took a tram tour of the area and spotted alligators and birds everywhere. It was teeming with wildlife. There were no gates or walls between you and the gators either. They just sat around sunning themselves, and people could walk right up to them, though we all gave them some space.
female cormorant sunning herself to dry off (you can tell by its brown neck vs. black on a male)
We ended that day with dinner in Naples and watched the sun set by the Gulf of Mexico.
It’s so easy to relax and unwind in Florida. You get there and it just happens. It felt like one big sigh. Ahhh…
Bliss
Posted by Leaf on January 19, 2011
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Five days in Florida has gone by way too fast. It’s been so relaxing and chill here. The weather is wonderfully warm (of course) with a few quick showers a couple of days. We’ve been playing lots of Settlers of Catan here too. Brought it with us. And of course dining on delicious meals at home and out. Ahhh…it’s like a resort here. Today we went to the beach by the Gulf of Mexico to see the sunset.
Argh!
Posted by Leaf on January 13, 2011
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I’ll miss the babies but not the cold!
Posted by Leaf on January 10, 2011
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We’re headed to sunny Florida in a couple of days. I can’t wait to get out of this cold weather and dark mornings. We don’t have a lot planned but that’s perfect. Just relax, maybe go to the pool. We’re also planning to see some alligators at a reserve called Shark Alley. No one knows why they called it Shark Alley when it’s really to see gators. Oh well. I’m hoping maybe I can try some alligator dishes.
I’ll miss you Marco & Gina!
The road to gout, one bite at a time.
Posted by Leaf on November 17, 2010
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Our five day visit to Cali wasn’t just about food you know. I just don’t remember those non-food related parts as well. And even when we were not eating, we were thinking about where to eat next.
We arrived Thursday before lunch and after meeting and greeting the buns, we headed to Crepevine for lunch.
Their entrees were very large and made with very fresh ingredients. We got the Milano and San Francisco crepes and swapped halfway through. We each liked what the other ordered better but they were both very delicious. These aren’t your typical crepes though. I mean, they’re huge and they are stuffed. The filling is the main event and the crepe seems to just barely make an appearance. If you’re looking for a snack, this isn’t it. If you’re looking for a meal, it is mmm, wonderful!
After Crepevine, we loaded up the bunnies and went with sis & b.i.l to their vet appointment. They recently fostered a 1-year old mini-lop and were considering permanently adopting him. He’s bonded very well with their existing bunny but they wanted to make sure he was in good health before committing to this fairly long-term decision. Turns out, he’s doing great, except for a lot of earwax. A lot.
So even though we got the ZipCar to go to SeaSalt for dinner, it was getting late and I was tired from traveling all morning so I asked for carryout pizza to eat at home instead. Not just regular pizza, this is Zachary’s deep dish.
It is cheezy, tomatoey and the crust is thin and crunchy.
On Friday, we trekked out on our own to explore the nearby campus and stroll through the downtown area. We stopped by Dara Thai for lunch and got duck pad kee mao (drunken noodles?) and summer rolls. The duck version isn’t something we see back home but it was very tasty. After lunch, I wanted to go to Telegraph Ave to shop at all the little street vendors. Last time I went, I got many pairs of earrings. One was a little wooden one which I lost down a sink drain so I was looking to get another pair. This time, I got a bigger one.
For dinner on Friday, we went to eVe.
It had a nice relaxing atmosphere with an open kitchen where you can see the husband/wife chefs whipping up your dinner. I played Sims 3 a lot on Friday too. I think I want to get it.
Saturday. Saturday was amazing from start to finish. We began with a trip to the farmer’s market. After taking a first stroll through all the stalls to decide what we would come back for, we had brunch at the Thai stand and vegetarian taquitos. Sooo good. The crunchy taquitos were in a very spicy green sauce which made my nose run. After we ate, we walked back to buy the olive oil face and body cream and organic brown rice. We also got Hog Island oysters to taste. It was odd eating them for brunch but they were fresh and briny. After dropping off the produce, which was mainly for the bunnies (yes the spoiled little turds eat organic greens, duh!) we set off for Napa to do a bit of wine tasting. The first stop was V. Sattui. What a zoo. The lady who poured tastings for us was very nice and we did buy some wines but it was so crowded we probably wouldn’t go back there again. The next place we dropped by was Milat which was a small boutique winery and it was just us. We asked them to recommend another winery, and ended up at Rutherford Grove and then asked them for a recommendation. And so on and so forth, covering a total of about 5 wineries. The final one was a place that sold $70 – $500 cabs. At $70 or $500, it had better be mindblowing orgasmic. They were neither. On to Yountville for a taste of real mindblowing stuff. Since we were early for our 6PM reservation at The French Laundry, we dropped by the Bouchon Bakery. Also part of the Thomas Keller empire. We got macaroons, a nice reminder of our trip to Europe this past spring.
I’ve already talked about The French Laundry. My first impression of the outside was, it looked like an unassuming cottage. Behind the doors, they have a little garden where we waited for our table.
The food was decadent and to me, the entire experience more than met my lofty expectations. I couldn’t have asked for more. As for whether I would come back, the answer is yes. But, it’s definitely not something I would do regularly. It’s not only a splurge for your wallet, it’s also a splurge for your digestive system.
Thank goodness we did the wine tasting/French Laundry on Saturday. Sunday was recuperation day. We stayed home and played with the bunny buns. Then some board games and then had Gregoire takeout for dinner.
Monday was our last day here. I had lunch with my sis at Taste of the Himalayas. It’s similar to Indian cuisine. We both walked out of the place too full. It wasn’t even a buffet but after I left, all I could say was, “no mo food!” Something about this style of food, once I start, I can’t stop myself!
We ordered mango lassis, eggplant and potato curry and goat and mushroom curry.
Finally before we took off, we headed to Sea Salt for their happy hour dinner. Mmm! I’d say this might have been the 2nd or 3rd best restaurant we ate during this trip. #1 being The French Laundry and #2 Eve. Or maybe Sea Salt is #2. It’s so hard to decide.
Getting some R&R
Posted by Leaf on November 15, 2010
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There’s no vacation spot quite like visiting my sis and b-i-l that gives me homey relaxation. Sleeping in hotels and using hotel bathrooms is fine, but seems to keep me at a constant level of squicked out. I still have a good time but it’s not complete rest. Last night we were all pretty tired from wine tasting so we all decided to have an unplanned day at home.
We played with Fluff and Hellspawn, napped, walked next door, played with the neighborhood cats, then settled into some board games. First it was Carcasonne. The only way to describe it is, conceptually, it’s a lot like Scrabble. But instead of 7 at a time, you draw 1 at a time and instead of words, you are building a map while trying to block others. The next game we played was Settlers of Catan. We had never played this game before and I always thought it would be difficult because of all the pieces. After we started though, it was really not hard and was very fun. Even though you roll die, it’s one of those games that’s more strategy, skill than chance. We played one game of each then decided to eat in, ordering food from Gregoire, a French takeout. When we were waiting to pick it up, I watched the chef cooking up a storm. She was speedy. And the food certainly did not taste like typical takeout. It was very delicious. I got a half of a chicken and it was cooked perfectly. Juicy, flavorful and the skin was spiced well. For dessert we had macarons from Bouchon bakery and a bottle of red wine from the V. Sattui winery. Basically, every trip here is marked with nonstop decadence. I can almost feel my big toe swelling with every sip and bite. We played another round with each of the board games then packed up our things. I was a bit worried we wouldn’t be able to pack up all the wine we wanted but we were able to take home 6 out of the 7 bottles.
Hello bunnies!
Posted by Leaf on November 13, 2010
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We arrived at 9AM yesterday morning and met Fluffa and Hellspawn. They are extremely cute. Fluffa is 8 lbs and only 4 months old. She is very friendly and easy to play with. She’ll basically let you pet her and mess with her ears and do whatever and she’s just as relaxed as ever. Sometimes, she’ll lick you (on your feet) to show affection. Hellspawn is a mini lop and he’s estimated to be a 1 year old. We don’t know for sure though because he was adopted. He’s a little timid sometimes, lunging at you when he wants to be left alone. We went to the vet’s office in the afternoon to get them checked out. The vet dug out some gimongo pieces of earwax from Hellspawn. Overall, they’re in good health.
French Laundry
Posted by Leaf on November 10, 2010
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Anyone who knows me has known of my dream of dining at Chez Panisse and French Laundry. I love food! Last year, I was finally able to go to Chez Panisse and it did not let me down. I loved it! The service, food, ambiance, everything came together to create an enjoyable dining experience. French Laundry however, has been so hard to get a reservation. Let’s just say, I’m a plan-ahead kinda’ person and even planning about 2 months ahead was too late to book a very coveted reservation at French Laundry. So when I heard my sis snagged a reservation through their waitlist, I immediately hopped on the computer, canceled my other reservations (House of Prime Rib and Ad Hoc) and said absolutely yes to French Laundry!! Now I’m not sure whether I’m more excited to meet bunnies 1 and 2 or eat. Anyhow, this changes my trip agenda but I am more than fine with that. Here’s something crazy that I’ve never seen before though which to me kinda speaks to how crazy French Laundry is, they charge customers $100 per person if they cancel a reservation short of 3 days before the reservation. That won’t be an issue for us though because I am very much looking forward to it.
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