I mentioned in my last post about the end of Feasting and Fellowship. It was a good run that lasted nearly 2 and a half years. I didn't think it was going to end for a long time. But as life goes, when one thing goes bad, everything else goes bad right along with it. I need to get a few things off my chest.
1) Many guys moved away. Fish to Florida, Nathan to Switzerland, Chuck to downtown Chicago.
2) Some guys got married or hooked up. Daniel, Means, Burns, Court. And if that's not enough, Dave's schedule has changed and he's dropping from an occasional attender to a non-attender.
3) There's no way I want to go on with just me, Keith, and Dec. Yeah, we good have good conversations. But that's just so limited.
4) Timothys, Titus, Hebrews, Revelation, Chan, Nee. I think that's it.
5) Boot drinking, ice cream, Nerf guns, frozen grapes, playing goalie during the Stanley Cup Finals, combines nights at Dec' place and Steph's place. We had some good moments.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Monday, February 06, 2012
Lonely Sunday
1) That was the worst football season ever. I can't remember the last Sunday when I didn't shower, change clothes, or go anywhere. The wings weren't that great. I watched 2 Super Bowl plays and dealt with the rude, disrespectful Giants fans all week. And I thought it was over. I thought I was over it. I thought I was content with seeing Tom Brady and Bill Belichick lose again. Schmiedeberg's Wal-Mart photo today showed that wasn't the case.
2) Living room stickball. 33 innings. Playing till 1 AM. With 3 guys. All younger. All over 300 pounds. What a life...
3) I am officially a fan of Burt's pizza. It was a total dive and Mom and I drive an hour through the snow during Friday's rush hour traffic to get there. It's just one tiny room with lots of old clocks and radios for decorations. We were seated by the door and I saw the staff turn away at least five parties because they hadn't called ahead to place their order. I thank them for serving Scrimshaw beer. I'd never had it before, but I made sure to pick up a 6-pack at Binny's the next day. Great California Pilsner. Our salad was pretty basic, came with a zesty vinigarette.
4) I'll save a separate number just for the pizza. As promised to me, it came out in the pan promptly at 6:30. 18 inches with homemade sausage, mixed bell peppers, mushrooms, and chopped onions. The tomato sauce tasted very bold. There was not much mozzarella cheese on this one, I didn't really mind though. And the pizza came nicely seasoned with parmesan and oregano. So the veggies tasted very fresh and I like the large chunks of Italian sausage too. I would definitely return.
5) And the extra bonus was it turns out the owner also worked at The Inferno in Evanston. And that's where mom used to eat pizza every single week while she was in college. And although we've been living in Chicago since 1997, this was the first time she got to experience that taste again. I think that's just really cool for her.
6) Catherine goes to two straight Rangers games, including another one in Philly, and both were wins. I love her, but I feel I'm missing her life. I just don't know how to think about it all.
7) Jeremy Lin. Amazing. I love this guy. Just an amazing story. And the fact that he is an Asian-American Christian just makes it even better.
8) I rented two books on sports psychology. I was hoping it would talk about the careers. But at first glance, it looks this is targeted to athletes. If it is, I'll send copies to Mike Pelfrey and Mark Sanchez.
9) I feel so alone at times.
10) Mom's gone Friday-Tuesday to Washington DC. And then she's home for three days before leaving on a week-long tour to Destin, FL.
11) Feasting and Fellowship: September 2009-February 2012. Rest in Peace.
Song pick: "The Window Up Above" George Jones
2) Living room stickball. 33 innings. Playing till 1 AM. With 3 guys. All younger. All over 300 pounds. What a life...
3) I am officially a fan of Burt's pizza. It was a total dive and Mom and I drive an hour through the snow during Friday's rush hour traffic to get there. It's just one tiny room with lots of old clocks and radios for decorations. We were seated by the door and I saw the staff turn away at least five parties because they hadn't called ahead to place their order. I thank them for serving Scrimshaw beer. I'd never had it before, but I made sure to pick up a 6-pack at Binny's the next day. Great California Pilsner. Our salad was pretty basic, came with a zesty vinigarette.
4) I'll save a separate number just for the pizza. As promised to me, it came out in the pan promptly at 6:30. 18 inches with homemade sausage, mixed bell peppers, mushrooms, and chopped onions. The tomato sauce tasted very bold. There was not much mozzarella cheese on this one, I didn't really mind though. And the pizza came nicely seasoned with parmesan and oregano. So the veggies tasted very fresh and I like the large chunks of Italian sausage too. I would definitely return.
5) And the extra bonus was it turns out the owner also worked at The Inferno in Evanston. And that's where mom used to eat pizza every single week while she was in college. And although we've been living in Chicago since 1997, this was the first time she got to experience that taste again. I think that's just really cool for her.
6) Catherine goes to two straight Rangers games, including another one in Philly, and both were wins. I love her, but I feel I'm missing her life. I just don't know how to think about it all.
7) Jeremy Lin. Amazing. I love this guy. Just an amazing story. And the fact that he is an Asian-American Christian just makes it even better.
8) I rented two books on sports psychology. I was hoping it would talk about the careers. But at first glance, it looks this is targeted to athletes. If it is, I'll send copies to Mike Pelfrey and Mark Sanchez.
9) I feel so alone at times.
10) Mom's gone Friday-Tuesday to Washington DC. And then she's home for three days before leaving on a week-long tour to Destin, FL.
11) Feasting and Fellowship: September 2009-February 2012. Rest in Peace.
Song pick: "The Window Up Above" George Jones
Sunday, February 05, 2012
Super Agony
1) So 21 hours from now, either the Giants or Patriots will win another Super Bowl. Moving on...
2) Bacon BBQ rub on chicken wings...
3) Found some old cassettes when I was cleaning the basement today. They had some old sports reports I did from when I was in college. I can't believe I did my own voice-overs. Cringe-worthy.
4) Trimming gray hairs is so depressing.
5) Being ignored is just too much to take sometimes.
Song pick: "Livin' For the Night" George Strait
2) Bacon BBQ rub on chicken wings...
3) Found some old cassettes when I was cleaning the basement today. They had some old sports reports I did from when I was in college. I can't believe I did my own voice-overs. Cringe-worthy.
4) Trimming gray hairs is so depressing.
5) Being ignored is just too much to take sometimes.
Song pick: "Livin' For the Night" George Strait
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Something about a Saturday
I don't know why, but whenever I don't have anything to do on a Saturday night, I feel compelled to blog. It's been watching the NHL All-Star skills competition and then Miracle and listening to the Express game against Cincinnati.
1) I am never playing any more of my music for my mother ever again.
2) Albert Nobbs is one horrible movie. Glenn Close is a great actress, but her performance was like the shining diamond in a filed of cow dung.
3) Brought Firefly sweet tea vodka instead of the Jeremiah Weed. We'll see how they compare...
4) Royal Rumble is Sunday night. If I had to pick my top 5, I go Chris Jericho, Wade Barrett, Undertaker (in a surprise return), Randy Orton, and Sheamus. This is assuming no one competing in another match (ie Cena) are in the Rumble as well.
5) In other matches, I pick Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, and a no-contest between Kane and Cena.
6) The cranberry orange walnut bread from Breadsmith is simply one of the best sweets I have ever tasted. The crunch of the nut, the tanginess of the orange, the sweetness of the cranberries. Just great.
7) I wish I could have my goatee back! Maybe there's a way, I don't know.
8) Guess CI and I have taken this thing public!
Song pick: "Colder Weather" Zac Brown Band
1) I am never playing any more of my music for my mother ever again.
2) Albert Nobbs is one horrible movie. Glenn Close is a great actress, but her performance was like the shining diamond in a filed of cow dung.
3) Brought Firefly sweet tea vodka instead of the Jeremiah Weed. We'll see how they compare...
4) Royal Rumble is Sunday night. If I had to pick my top 5, I go Chris Jericho, Wade Barrett, Undertaker (in a surprise return), Randy Orton, and Sheamus. This is assuming no one competing in another match (ie Cena) are in the Rumble as well.
5) In other matches, I pick Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, and a no-contest between Kane and Cena.
6) The cranberry orange walnut bread from Breadsmith is simply one of the best sweets I have ever tasted. The crunch of the nut, the tanginess of the orange, the sweetness of the cranberries. Just great.
7) I wish I could have my goatee back! Maybe there's a way, I don't know.
8) Guess CI and I have taken this thing public!
9) It's a little scary how the years are going past. I'm thinking more of my parents here.
10) One week till hell...Song pick: "Colder Weather" Zac Brown Band
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Utterly miserable
1) I would bet everything in my possession that the Patriots will win the Super Bowl over the Giants. I am so friggin' upset right now.
2) I officially HATE Big Blue.
3) What happens to the Rangers every time they play in Montreal? It's like Alabama playing a high school team in Tuscaloosa.
4) I never signed up for this. No one makes a conscious, logical, reasonable choice to become a devoted, loyal fan of certain teams because it will lead to a happy life. For the most part, it has led to misery, frustration, and aggravation. Yet, it is like cancer, I cannot get it out of me.
5) I am more and more convinced I will never see any of my teams win a title again and the teams I hate the most (Braves, Phillies, Cubs, Yankees, Giants, Cowboys, Patriots, Bulls, Devils, Flyers) will win at the least every four years. Let's look at the numbers since 1986, shall we.
Exhibit A
Exhibit B
2) I officially HATE Big Blue.
3) What happens to the Rangers every time they play in Montreal? It's like Alabama playing a high school team in Tuscaloosa.
4) I never signed up for this. No one makes a conscious, logical, reasonable choice to become a devoted, loyal fan of certain teams because it will lead to a happy life. For the most part, it has led to misery, frustration, and aggravation. Yet, it is like cancer, I cannot get it out of me.
5) I am more and more convinced I will never see any of my teams win a title again and the teams I hate the most (Braves, Phillies, Cubs, Yankees, Giants, Cowboys, Patriots, Bulls, Devils, Flyers) will win at the least every four years. Let's look at the numbers since 1986, shall we.
Exhibit A
Finals/WS/SB tally in my active life time
Hated teams: 30
My teams: 4
Exhibit B
Title tally in my active lifetime
Hated teams: 22
My teams: 1
Thursday, January 12, 2012
More travel? Here we go...NOLA! Part 3
So at 6 AM, we had to wake up. I wanted to stay laying in bed, but those planes don't really wait around. So I packed up most of my stuff, while Nicole and Catherine packed up all of theirs. At 7:30, the cab arrived to take them to the airport. Catherine and I shared a quick goodbye kiss, she got in the car, and I watched it slowly roll down Esplanade St and out of sight.
I headed back upstairs to the tiniest exercise room I've ever seen. I did 10 minutes on both the treadmill and the bike. I had to use the bathroom and it ws at this point I realized there was no toilet paper in the room. I mean, when a maid is cleaning the room, I would think restocking toilet paper should be somewhere on the checklist. I did get some delivered, thankfully! I then showered with my music blasting and the bathroom door wide open. I proceeded to eat the first quarter of the muffuletta and I actually enjoyed it, in spite of the olives.
So I walked down to the river and sat on the bench for maybe an hour while playing music and reading some of Mr. Nee. I then went into the St. Louis Cathedral. Though I'm not Catholic, I was very impressed with the paining on the ceiling as well as the statues. They also display flags of every country that Louisiana has ever been governed by. I said a quick prayer in the prayer room and headed next door to the Cabildo museum. This is basically the building that displays the history of Louisiana. I snuck into the back of a group of high school students and walked through a few rooms with them. I think the highlight for me was the Sala Capitular. This room, which is maybe the size of an average living room, has Napoleon's death mask and is also the site where President Jefferson signed the Louisiana Purchase and where the Louisana Supreme Court met for 50 years. I also checked out some war memorabilia and a rock 'n roll exhibit.
Right outside in Jackson Square, was a 9-piece band playing some R&B. I sat down at a nearby bench and just enjoyed it for a while. I was getting pretty hungry by now, so I headed back towards the river to the Dumaine St streetcar stop (#3 of 9 stops). I waited no less than 20 minutes. And the annoying part was after 5 minutes, a train passed me going in the opposite direction. So I knew it had two stops to go before it would turn around, pick me up, and take me to the CBD. Yet, the car just wasn't moving. It got so ridiculous, I called the RTA and asked what was going on. Eventually, the car came and I walked into Emeril's at the corner of Julia and Tchoupitoulas just after 12 pm.
It wasn’t very crowded, though I wouldn’t expect that for a weekday lunch. The hostess asked my last name and I told her. That led to both my waiters (although I could have called one “the apprentice”, he looked like he had skipped middle school for the day) calling me Mr. Bartolo. Can’t say I minded that.
They served me two different types of rolls, one at a time. I believe one was made with corn flour and one with sweet potato flour, thought I didn’t hear the waiter very clearly. Both tasted hot and fresh. I knew my appetizer would be BBQ shrimp. For $10, I got five shrimp in a classic brown gravy sprinkled with green onions, accompanied by a petite rosemary biscuit. Great flavor on the shrimp. My only complaint was I didn’t have more biscuits to soak up that sauce. I wasn’t as sure about choosing my entrée. I thought about the chicken and waffles, or just a Creole burger with remoulade and homemade pickles. In the end, I took my waiter’s tip and went with the Andouille crusted drum. Now when I first saw it on the menu, I figured it was a chicken drumstick. So I figured how is a drumstick ever going to fill me? Turns out a drum is actually a redfish. It came on a bed of shoestring potatoes with a Meuniere sauce (Brown butter with lemon and herbs) and summer squash. It was certainly a different lunch for me, but I really enjoyed the crispiness of the potatoes to go with the flaky fish. It was a pretty small portion, but I enjoyed it. I suppose I would order it again. But it was dessert that I came for. For the first time since I visited Vegas with my parents, I got to enjoy a piece of banana cream pie and this piece was all mine! The graham cracker crust, three layers of sliced bananas mixed in pudding, fresh whipped cream, caramel sauce, crisp chocolate shavings, and a dusting of powdered sugar. Eight dollars for a taste of pure heaven.
A happy man, I skipped the streetcar and walked back up Tchoupitoulas and then through Decatur St back to the hotel. This was a street I hadn’t traveled down before and I saw some interesting things. I passed the Jean Lafitte site as well a statue dedicated to the founder of New Orleans. I also saw Tipitina’s, which I hear is a very cool jazz club. Right after I crossed Canal St, I got a text from Catherine. Even though they had checked out earlier and explained to the clerk that I would be leaving later, he did not relay that message on to the women working the following shift. And so they called Catherine’s house thinking she and Nicole didn’t check out because my stuff was still in the room. So I hurried back through the French Market and I made it to the hotel in about 15 minutes. I walked in, turned right to the front desk, and the ladies see me coming, and go “Room Three-Twelve?!” Thankfully, I was able to explain the situation and I left the room for good around 2.
That led to maybe an hour of waiting downstairs for the 3 pm Airport Shuttle without a whole lot for me to do. I walked into Fauborg and jumped on the internet, but I rather would have been on my way. The van arrived about 15 minutes late, but I still got to the airport in plenty of time. I took a smooth 2.5 hour flight back to Chicago, during which I finished the last quarter of my muffuleta along with some Sprite. I guess I arrived at 7:45 pm. Thankfully, it was still about 40 degrees, so the climate change wasn’t too shocking on me. Mom picked me up right after she finished work and we got home at 9. I wish I was back in the creepy room.
I headed back upstairs to the tiniest exercise room I've ever seen. I did 10 minutes on both the treadmill and the bike. I had to use the bathroom and it ws at this point I realized there was no toilet paper in the room. I mean, when a maid is cleaning the room, I would think restocking toilet paper should be somewhere on the checklist. I did get some delivered, thankfully! I then showered with my music blasting and the bathroom door wide open. I proceeded to eat the first quarter of the muffuletta and I actually enjoyed it, in spite of the olives.
So I walked down to the river and sat on the bench for maybe an hour while playing music and reading some of Mr. Nee. I then went into the St. Louis Cathedral. Though I'm not Catholic, I was very impressed with the paining on the ceiling as well as the statues. They also display flags of every country that Louisiana has ever been governed by. I said a quick prayer in the prayer room and headed next door to the Cabildo museum. This is basically the building that displays the history of Louisiana. I snuck into the back of a group of high school students and walked through a few rooms with them. I think the highlight for me was the Sala Capitular. This room, which is maybe the size of an average living room, has Napoleon's death mask and is also the site where President Jefferson signed the Louisiana Purchase and where the Louisana Supreme Court met for 50 years. I also checked out some war memorabilia and a rock 'n roll exhibit.
Right outside in Jackson Square, was a 9-piece band playing some R&B. I sat down at a nearby bench and just enjoyed it for a while. I was getting pretty hungry by now, so I headed back towards the river to the Dumaine St streetcar stop (#3 of 9 stops). I waited no less than 20 minutes. And the annoying part was after 5 minutes, a train passed me going in the opposite direction. So I knew it had two stops to go before it would turn around, pick me up, and take me to the CBD. Yet, the car just wasn't moving. It got so ridiculous, I called the RTA and asked what was going on. Eventually, the car came and I walked into Emeril's at the corner of Julia and Tchoupitoulas just after 12 pm.
It wasn’t very crowded, though I wouldn’t expect that for a weekday lunch. The hostess asked my last name and I told her. That led to both my waiters (although I could have called one “the apprentice”, he looked like he had skipped middle school for the day) calling me Mr. Bartolo. Can’t say I minded that.
They served me two different types of rolls, one at a time. I believe one was made with corn flour and one with sweet potato flour, thought I didn’t hear the waiter very clearly. Both tasted hot and fresh. I knew my appetizer would be BBQ shrimp. For $10, I got five shrimp in a classic brown gravy sprinkled with green onions, accompanied by a petite rosemary biscuit. Great flavor on the shrimp. My only complaint was I didn’t have more biscuits to soak up that sauce. I wasn’t as sure about choosing my entrée. I thought about the chicken and waffles, or just a Creole burger with remoulade and homemade pickles. In the end, I took my waiter’s tip and went with the Andouille crusted drum. Now when I first saw it on the menu, I figured it was a chicken drumstick. So I figured how is a drumstick ever going to fill me? Turns out a drum is actually a redfish. It came on a bed of shoestring potatoes with a Meuniere sauce (Brown butter with lemon and herbs) and summer squash. It was certainly a different lunch for me, but I really enjoyed the crispiness of the potatoes to go with the flaky fish. It was a pretty small portion, but I enjoyed it. I suppose I would order it again. But it was dessert that I came for. For the first time since I visited Vegas with my parents, I got to enjoy a piece of banana cream pie and this piece was all mine! The graham cracker crust, three layers of sliced bananas mixed in pudding, fresh whipped cream, caramel sauce, crisp chocolate shavings, and a dusting of powdered sugar. Eight dollars for a taste of pure heaven.
A happy man, I skipped the streetcar and walked back up Tchoupitoulas and then through Decatur St back to the hotel. This was a street I hadn’t traveled down before and I saw some interesting things. I passed the Jean Lafitte site as well a statue dedicated to the founder of New Orleans. I also saw Tipitina’s, which I hear is a very cool jazz club. Right after I crossed Canal St, I got a text from Catherine. Even though they had checked out earlier and explained to the clerk that I would be leaving later, he did not relay that message on to the women working the following shift. And so they called Catherine’s house thinking she and Nicole didn’t check out because my stuff was still in the room. So I hurried back through the French Market and I made it to the hotel in about 15 minutes. I walked in, turned right to the front desk, and the ladies see me coming, and go “Room Three-Twelve?!” Thankfully, I was able to explain the situation and I left the room for good around 2.
That led to maybe an hour of waiting downstairs for the 3 pm Airport Shuttle without a whole lot for me to do. I walked into Fauborg and jumped on the internet, but I rather would have been on my way. The van arrived about 15 minutes late, but I still got to the airport in plenty of time. I took a smooth 2.5 hour flight back to Chicago, during which I finished the last quarter of my muffuleta along with some Sprite. I guess I arrived at 7:45 pm. Thankfully, it was still about 40 degrees, so the climate change wasn’t too shocking on me. Mom picked me up right after she finished work and we got home at 9. I wish I was back in the creepy room.
More travel? Here we go...NOLA! Part 2
Thursday was our one full day together in New Orleans. I was up by 7:45, Nicole woke up maybe an hour later, and we got Catherine out of bed around maybe 9:15. I realize I get ready way too quick and I have to have some patience when waiting for ladies to get ready to go anywhere. We were all out the door by maybe 10:20 a.m. I think in those preceeding 2.5 hours, I did some writing, printed some maps out downstairs, and took a quick walk around the block. Our first stop had to be Cafe Du Monde for some beignets and cafe au lait. I guess that was the one thing I treated for. The donuts themselves tasted amazing. They were soft inside and crispy outside and unlike many donuts and beignets that I've had, they didn't taste very heavy. And with all the powdered sugar, that made them taste even better. As for the cafe au lait (half coffee, half hot milk), well, it was so-so, but still a little too bitter for me. So I took Nicole's advice and threw a bunch of the extra powdered sugar along with some of the granulated sugar right into the cup. I'm sure I used a good half cup of sugar! But that was the only way I was going to drink the thing!
We took the streetcar down to Julia St, thought we had to wait 15 minutes for it to come. And we probably could have walked that distance in not much more than 15 minutes anyway! In any event, we checked out the Central Business District with the Civil War Museum and the Lee Circle with a very tall statue of Robert E. Lee. The museum had a lot of old war artifacts. It was basically one big room, wasn't the best, but it was a decent way to kill an hour.
We walked back up Magazine Street because I heard there was some nice places to shop and possibly eat. Well, apparently we were walking in the wrong section, it was mostly businesses and parking lots. Nicole gave up on it a little bit too early (we should have kept going to Canal St)and we turned east down Podyras Street towards the river. So we went shopping at the Riverwalk Marketplace and it was a cool place. The first thing we found was this memorabilia shop with all kinds of unique merchandise like paintings of Republican presidents shooting pool and paintings of Democrat presidents playing poker. They had the sports heritage banners, statues of animals, personalized photos, newspaper clipping collections on different subjects, etc. It was just a cool place to walk around and explore.
We walked around the mall and got a couple of shrimp po' boys at the food court. They weren't the best, it was a food court after all, but it hit the spot. And thank God they came with tartar sauce and not mayonnaise! We checked out some fine souvenir shops and I have to admit I came close to buying a fedora. But in all fairness, when would I really wear it? The girls stopped for some fudge. Of course, Catherine had a thing for the peanut butter/chocolate fudge, what a shock that was...I stopped into a food store and brought a packet of seasoning for BBQ shrimp. I haven't made it yet, but we'll see how they turn out. Of course, buying shrimp isn't exactly cheap either. We also stopped in this retro shop and it had artifacts from the 1900's. Lots of 60's and 80's music gear, old TV show merchandise, Who's on First posters, Hulkamania t-shirts, a Partridge Family bus. It was like stepping into a time machine.
By the middle of the afternoon, we were starting to feel a little bit tired and we took the streetcar back to the hotel. I headed straight into the creepy room, took of my shoes, laid down on the bed, and turned on my Ipod. Within five minutes, Catherine tells me we're heading back out! So it was more shopping, this time in the French Quarter. We stopped at Central Grocery for some muffuletas that we planned to save for dinner. I think by this point, I was on autopilot. We went to Bourbon St and we each drank a hurricane and Nicole and I "sang" Happy Birthday to Catherine. It was okay, it tasted like a twisted Hawaiian Punch, but I preferred the sweetness of the grenade. Now I figured that was about it for the night. Not quite. We walked back to Jackson Square and into Cafe Beignet for another order of beignets! These were bigger than the ones at Cafe Du Monde too. They tasted good, but I noticed they were heavier than the ones we'd had earlier that morning. But I didn't think too much of it at the time. Plus Catherine was giving way too much love to this cat that was hanging around the Cafe patio...
After a few more stops (I can't remember, the hurricane was getting to me a little bit, probably because I drank it so quickly), we got back to room for the Rangers game against Florida. Actually, the hurricane was really getting to Nicole. She said she didn't like it, yet, she kept drinking it too! I would have offered to help. Anyway, we were all on the couch watching the Rangers and I realized about midway through the first period that I was experiencing some bad stomach cramps. During both intermissions, I actually went in my room and laid down, even falling sound asleep during the second break. Eventually, I felt better, but I decided to skip the muffuletta. I felt much better when Gaborik scored in OT to give the Rangers the win. And right after that, we all got to watch the final episode of 24/7. Stellar. I think I shut up the whole time while I listened to the girls gawk over Del Zotto, Lundqvist, and Girardi.
So I really wasn't feeling too great about the whole thing as I went to bed. But for the second straight night, I was blessed with some company in bed. We kissed, went to bed, woke up around 4, and...
Saturday, January 07, 2012
More travel? Here we go...NOLA! Part 1
So I was supposed to fly nonstop from Chicago to New Orleans at 2:25 on Wednesday. Accordingly, I checked in for my flight online 24 hours prior and found out that the 7:00 am flight had been cancelled. Even worse, that was the only one of the three flights that was a large plane and not an American Eagle. So all those passengers wound up on my flight. That resulted in my plane being booked at 65/65. After some quick replanning, I decided to change my schedule. First, I took all of Wednesday off from work instead of just half the day. I woke up at 3:30 am and caught a seat on the 6 AM flight. I was a little disconcerted by the 300-pound woman sitting in front of me who saw fit to lean her seat back before we even took off. But anyway. I did see a Jets fan and offered my sympathies. We were ready to leave the gate, but there was a fuel leak and we had to get a new plane. That delayed us maybe an hour and fifteen minutes. So we had to board a new plane. And as I walked through the first class section, there was Jet guy! I figured they upgraded him to first class out of sympathy. Anyway, I got to Dallas and it just served to shorten my layover, so no problem there. I wolfed down a steak taco and a chicken taco at Urban tacos before boarding the 12:05 plane to New Orleans. There were maybe ten open seats, so it wasn't that hard. And considering I was going to take a 2:30 plane out of Chicago initially, I landed about 3 hours sooner that what I had planned.
As I stepped into the terminal, I had to make sure I wasn't in Detroit. There were mobs of people sporting Univ. of Michigan attire. They had just beaten Virginia Tech in a bowl game the night before. I felt some trepidation as I waited for my bag. Since it was taken at the gate and had to connect to a second light, it just didn't sit well with me. Eventually, it arrived and I headed to the Airport shuttle desk. The lady called me "Honey" at least three times and "Darlin'" I think twice. I sat down right behind the driver's seat and noticed a good-looking athletic blonde sitting across from me. I recognized her from the Dallas flight, she was across from me then. We chatted and I found out she was Rebecca Bennett, and she does news report and podcasts for K-Love Radio. So that led to talks about travel, church, and so on.
Now there were 15 people on the bus and we had no idea who was getting dropped off when. When the driver said "De La Monnie" I pumped my fist and couldn't help but laugh with Rebecca and Gene, an older guy from Iowa who sat between us.
So I arrived at the hotel somewhere around 2:15. Catherine came downstairs and we shared a hug before heading upstairs. This is a really old hotel, doesn't have much size, it's more about the location right on the border of the French Quarter and Fauborg while the Riverfront streetcar line begins less than a block away. I gave Nicole a hug when I saw her too and after I unpacked my stuff, we all headed straight to the French Market. There were tons of t-shirts (Mostly Saints and trashy stuff), records, hats, jewelry, and so on. For my first drink, I went with a rum spiced cider for six bucks. It's a good drink to warm up with, but the rum added a sour taste that I wasn't in love with. We continued to stroll down Decatur St and I saw Cafe Du Monde, St. Luois Cathedral, Jackson Square, the Cabildo, the Presbytere, and the Jackson St Brewery. Still saw loads of Va Tech and Michigan gear. We headed back to Room 312 to clean up.
Around 5:45, we left to walk to Irene's, a very popular Italian restaurant near our hotel. Nicole said she knew where she was going, so I left my maps behind. I shouldn't have. We wound up on Bourbon St and when we asked a cop for directions, he pointed us in the wrong direction. So it was a 6 pm reservation and we arrived maybe 20 minutes late. But the maitre'd and the owner all greeted us warmly, asked our names, and shook our hands. Catherine started with some escargot and one glass of Sauvignon Blanc. I knew I was getting an entree and a dessert, so I opted for iced tea. And the complimentary bruschetta was awesome. Melted mozzarella, fresh tomato sauce, soft and crispy bread. That's the way it should be! I ordered a duck with a raspberry and pancetta glaze with glazed nuts along with a mashed sweet potatoes and fresh spinach. I enjoyed the crisp skin and I also liked that the duck wasn't too greasy. The sweet potato had a very nice rich flavor too. Catherine went with the roast chicken and Nicole took some veal marsala. For dessert, Nicole got bread pudding, Catherine got a chocolate truffle, and I went with a Creole cheesecake with a Grand Marnier glaze. I liked mine, but wasn't exactly blown away.
So we asked for the check and I figured I would have to throw in maybe 40-45 bucks. Our waiter, Rob, informed us that the check was already picked up. It turned out Nicole's mom made the reservation and also picked up the bill. I was kicking myself! I wished I had some Pinot Noir or Merlot! No, just boring iced tea. But in truth, it was a great gesture.
From there, we went over to Bourbon St, it must have been 8:30 by now. Our first stop was the Tropical Isle for a grenade. Catherine had warmed me about this drink, about how potent it was. We split a large one on the rocks. It came in a tall light, green glass that looked like an actual grenade. The recipe is kept secret, but I hear it's a blend of melon liquer, gin, rum, vodka, and grain liquor, all served in equal parts. Amazingly, it tasted very sweet. I could have probably drank another with no problem. I did opt for an Abita Amber beer, a local brew that I enjoyed. At one point, I had to use the men's room. On my way over there I passed by this machine on the wall, it looked like a typical gumball machine. Except there wasn't any candy in this particular machine. I looked at the sign and it said "grenade flavored condoms". Moving on...
Bourbon St has its own dangerous charm to it. There are just things there that can't be found anywhere else. Lots of performers standing totally still, painted from head to toe. One of them was colored totally silver, had a really long beard. And he was sitting prone, looking down, kind of sad I thought. Then I looked again, there was a long purple balloon sticking out from where it shouldn't have been. Just another one of those OMG sights. And I also liked that we could walk by the clubs and hear live blands playing everything from classic rock to blues to country. It's a cool area to be in, thought I think I would pass on Mardi Gras and New Year's Eve.
So we got back to the hotel around 10. I knew I was sleeping in the creepy room. There was room for nothing except a bed, a tiny nightstand, and an old TV hanging from the ceiling. There wasn't even enough space on the floor for me to open my suitcase completely, there wasn't even a lock on the door. And the doors fold open, kind of like a bedroom closet. Not the most ideal situation, but hey, there was a bed at least! I was probably in bed by midnight, though I had some company by around 4 AM...
As I stepped into the terminal, I had to make sure I wasn't in Detroit. There were mobs of people sporting Univ. of Michigan attire. They had just beaten Virginia Tech in a bowl game the night before. I felt some trepidation as I waited for my bag. Since it was taken at the gate and had to connect to a second light, it just didn't sit well with me. Eventually, it arrived and I headed to the Airport shuttle desk. The lady called me "Honey" at least three times and "Darlin'" I think twice. I sat down right behind the driver's seat and noticed a good-looking athletic blonde sitting across from me. I recognized her from the Dallas flight, she was across from me then. We chatted and I found out she was Rebecca Bennett, and she does news report and podcasts for K-Love Radio. So that led to talks about travel, church, and so on.
Now there were 15 people on the bus and we had no idea who was getting dropped off when. When the driver said "De La Monnie" I pumped my fist and couldn't help but laugh with Rebecca and Gene, an older guy from Iowa who sat between us.
So I arrived at the hotel somewhere around 2:15. Catherine came downstairs and we shared a hug before heading upstairs. This is a really old hotel, doesn't have much size, it's more about the location right on the border of the French Quarter and Fauborg while the Riverfront streetcar line begins less than a block away. I gave Nicole a hug when I saw her too and after I unpacked my stuff, we all headed straight to the French Market. There were tons of t-shirts (Mostly Saints and trashy stuff), records, hats, jewelry, and so on. For my first drink, I went with a rum spiced cider for six bucks. It's a good drink to warm up with, but the rum added a sour taste that I wasn't in love with. We continued to stroll down Decatur St and I saw Cafe Du Monde, St. Luois Cathedral, Jackson Square, the Cabildo, the Presbytere, and the Jackson St Brewery. Still saw loads of Va Tech and Michigan gear. We headed back to Room 312 to clean up.
Around 5:45, we left to walk to Irene's, a very popular Italian restaurant near our hotel. Nicole said she knew where she was going, so I left my maps behind. I shouldn't have. We wound up on Bourbon St and when we asked a cop for directions, he pointed us in the wrong direction. So it was a 6 pm reservation and we arrived maybe 20 minutes late. But the maitre'd and the owner all greeted us warmly, asked our names, and shook our hands. Catherine started with some escargot and one glass of Sauvignon Blanc. I knew I was getting an entree and a dessert, so I opted for iced tea. And the complimentary bruschetta was awesome. Melted mozzarella, fresh tomato sauce, soft and crispy bread. That's the way it should be! I ordered a duck with a raspberry and pancetta glaze with glazed nuts along with a mashed sweet potatoes and fresh spinach. I enjoyed the crisp skin and I also liked that the duck wasn't too greasy. The sweet potato had a very nice rich flavor too. Catherine went with the roast chicken and Nicole took some veal marsala. For dessert, Nicole got bread pudding, Catherine got a chocolate truffle, and I went with a Creole cheesecake with a Grand Marnier glaze. I liked mine, but wasn't exactly blown away.
So we asked for the check and I figured I would have to throw in maybe 40-45 bucks. Our waiter, Rob, informed us that the check was already picked up. It turned out Nicole's mom made the reservation and also picked up the bill. I was kicking myself! I wished I had some Pinot Noir or Merlot! No, just boring iced tea. But in truth, it was a great gesture.
From there, we went over to Bourbon St, it must have been 8:30 by now. Our first stop was the Tropical Isle for a grenade. Catherine had warmed me about this drink, about how potent it was. We split a large one on the rocks. It came in a tall light, green glass that looked like an actual grenade. The recipe is kept secret, but I hear it's a blend of melon liquer, gin, rum, vodka, and grain liquor, all served in equal parts. Amazingly, it tasted very sweet. I could have probably drank another with no problem. I did opt for an Abita Amber beer, a local brew that I enjoyed. At one point, I had to use the men's room. On my way over there I passed by this machine on the wall, it looked like a typical gumball machine. Except there wasn't any candy in this particular machine. I looked at the sign and it said "grenade flavored condoms". Moving on...
Bourbon St has its own dangerous charm to it. There are just things there that can't be found anywhere else. Lots of performers standing totally still, painted from head to toe. One of them was colored totally silver, had a really long beard. And he was sitting prone, looking down, kind of sad I thought. Then I looked again, there was a long purple balloon sticking out from where it shouldn't have been. Just another one of those OMG sights. And I also liked that we could walk by the clubs and hear live blands playing everything from classic rock to blues to country. It's a cool area to be in, thought I think I would pass on Mardi Gras and New Year's Eve.
So we got back to the hotel around 10. I knew I was sleeping in the creepy room. There was room for nothing except a bed, a tiny nightstand, and an old TV hanging from the ceiling. There wasn't even enough space on the floor for me to open my suitcase completely, there wasn't even a lock on the door. And the doors fold open, kind of like a bedroom closet. Not the most ideal situation, but hey, there was a bed at least! I was probably in bed by midnight, though I had some company by around 4 AM...
Sunday, January 01, 2012
SOJ
8-8 finish. Two three game losing streaks. Ten points to make and I'm done with this team for eight months.
1) Mark Sanchez is Browning Nagle with better pieces around him.
2) Eric Smith, goodbye.
3) Wayne Hunter, see above.
4) Brian Schottenheimer, see above and it goes double for him.
5) Matthew Mulligan is the hands down worst tight end I have ever seen.
6) Free agents: Burress (goodbye), Brunell (goodbye), Folk (goodbye), Leonhard (Would give a cheap 1-year deal), O'Connell (goodbye), Pool (goodbye), Pouha (Would bring him back), Strickland (goodbye), Bryan Thomas (Would bring back for a year), Tomlinson (retiring), Rob Turner (OL depth, must bring back-2 years maybe).
7) How can this defense allow a 21 play, 13 minute drive to a Miami offense without Jake Long and Reggie Bush and had Matt Moore, Daniel Thomas, Davone Bess, and Anthony Fasano?
8) I tried to defend Santonio Holmes all season long. After his teammates said he quit today, he is the biggest disgrace for a captain that I can imagine.
9) 43 years and counting for this franchise. 17 for the Rangers (the only title I can remember), 26 for the Mets, 39 for the Knicks. Plus Greg Norman in golf, I'm not going to even start that list.
10) F U to the Giants fans and double to the Patriots.
1) Mark Sanchez is Browning Nagle with better pieces around him.
2) Eric Smith, goodbye.
3) Wayne Hunter, see above.
4) Brian Schottenheimer, see above and it goes double for him.
5) Matthew Mulligan is the hands down worst tight end I have ever seen.
6) Free agents: Burress (goodbye), Brunell (goodbye), Folk (goodbye), Leonhard (Would give a cheap 1-year deal), O'Connell (goodbye), Pool (goodbye), Pouha (Would bring him back), Strickland (goodbye), Bryan Thomas (Would bring back for a year), Tomlinson (retiring), Rob Turner (OL depth, must bring back-2 years maybe).
7) How can this defense allow a 21 play, 13 minute drive to a Miami offense without Jake Long and Reggie Bush and had Matt Moore, Daniel Thomas, Davone Bess, and Anthony Fasano?
8) I tried to defend Santonio Holmes all season long. After his teammates said he quit today, he is the biggest disgrace for a captain that I can imagine.
9) 43 years and counting for this franchise. 17 for the Rangers (the only title I can remember), 26 for the Mets, 39 for the Knicks. Plus Greg Norman in golf, I'm not going to even start that list.
10) F U to the Giants fans and double to the Patriots.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
2011 gone
So it is now 2012. I'm home form the Chicago Express-Greenville Road Warriors hockey game, won by the Road Warriors in overtime on a very controversial power play goal that literally went through the net and out the other side. Feeling a bit lonely tonight, drinking a pint of Hacker Pschorr. Thought I would reminisce by recalling 10 of my most notable moments from the past 12 months, in no particular order.
1) The Jets second straight run to the AFC title game
2) Catherine and trips
3) Meeting Joe Benigno at Wrigley Field
4) Texas Trip
5) WWE Money In the Bank
6) Car Accident
7) Come Thirsty Sunday morning classes end
8) Betrayal by members of Come Thirsty
9) Time with S. Miller
10) California odyssey
1) The Jets second straight run to the AFC title game
2) Catherine and trips
3) Meeting Joe Benigno at Wrigley Field
4) Texas Trip
5) WWE Money In the Bank
6) Car Accident
7) Come Thirsty Sunday morning classes end
8) Betrayal by members of Come Thirsty
9) Time with S. Miller
10) California odyssey
Sunday, December 25, 2011
They Go To San Diego
We wound up arriving at the Argyle steakhouse at the Four Seasons hotel in Carlsbad around 6:30. Some company was having their Christmas party there too, and well, let's just say the walls aren't soundproof. We went with the $99 pre-fixe menu for 2 people and that's the only way I would have eaten at a place this nice. As we sat down, I saw this tiny dish with two powders along with the two tiniest spoons I've ever seen. The two substances were simply salt and pepper. So I could tell right away that this was no ordinary eatery. We started with an included glass of wine each. Then came popovers with a smoky red tomato and roasted pepper and garlic spread. It was amazing. We had a cream of cauliflower soup. For salad, Mom got the iceberg wedge with blue cheese. I got the spinach salad with whole hazelnuts, pears and braised salted bacon. It was hands down the best spinach salad I have ever had. Then again, all I had to do was add bacon!
For entrees, we both had the flat iron steak. Mom had a bleu cheese crust while I had a shallot and red wine sauce. They came with gourmet potato tots (like deep-fried mashed potato) and parmesan jumbo asparagus. They also included a garnish of roasted garlic and roasted tomato. The meat was very tender and the sauce complimented it beautifully. We both ordered sweet potato pound cake with a chantilly whipped cream and we loved it. I wasn't overly comfortable dining in such a fancy restaurant, but I will say Mom picked a fine, fine place. After another 15 minutes of driving, we arrived in Encenitas at David and Jane's place around 8:30. A Stella, some casual conversation, and I was ready for bed!
Day 5 arrived and I awoke early to use the Internet. This thing ran so slow, I think it took 45 minutes to load wfan.com alone. It was just a disaster. Anyway, we left at 10:15 and I had already been awake for three hours. We first went to La Jolla, a bougie coastal town and had breakfast at a place called Brockton Villa for some Coast Toast. Basically, this is like a thicker cut of French toast combined with an orange souffle. With a little bit of their berry preserve spread, it was really good. I would probably return for it, I don't know if it's worth $12 though. And I had a side of thick cut bacon too...There was a guy sitting next to us with his wife. Mom mentioned how nice his hair was, how texturized it was, whatever that term means. But his laugh was so loud and so over the top, people at two tables moved inside just to get away from him. After the guy left, Mom and Jane mentioned to the cute girl server about him. She said "Oh, that's my boyfriend's father." Unreal.
Anyway, right across the street from the BV is a small park and a beach with a ton of large rocks. And the rocks were absolutely overrun by loads of pigeons and seals. I also spotted a stray pelican or two. Throw in 65 degrees and that I was wearing shorts in December, it was a pretty radical departure from life in the Midwest. We then drove south into the Beach towns: Pacific Beach, Mission Beach, and Ocean Beach. PB has a pretty good nightlife reputation and even a bar with every Chicago sports team's flag flying outside of it. MB, directly south, is a smaller, quieter town while OB is all about surfers and used to be a hippie neighborhood. It's a little more of an off-beat, funky spot now. I wanted to get to Hodad's for a bacon cheeseburger, but...the line was out the door, it would have been so good!
Anyway, we went onto Del Mar, a very affluent beach town before visiting Torrey Pines, first the famous golf course of the name. The South course has hosted the U.S. Open tournament, has an annual tournament every January, and is also the spot Scott Peterson was arrested for killing Laci. Anyway, I brought an orange Greg Norman golf shirt, 45 bucks or so. Just for laughs, I checked the green fees of the South course. For San Diego residents, it costs $61. Not too bad. For non-residents, $183. I was hoping that number was pesos. I mean, it costs three times as much? Crazy, crazy. And then we went to the TP state park and hiked the trails up and downhill for almost three hours before reaching the bottom, leading two walking the beach for a half hour to get back to the car. And we got to the end of the beach just as the sun was setting.
We were all pretty spent, so we drove into Del Mar for happy hour at the Brigantine. I had mentioned I wanted to try some fish tacos, and did I ever. They come in a corn tortilla with fried fish filets, cheddar cheese, ranch, pico de gallo, and cabbage. I squeezed on a little fresh lime and hot sauce and wow! The fish was crispy, the veggies tasted fresh. The combo of ingredients sounds strange, but they marry togetyher just beautifully. A typical order of two costs $9.50; each one at happy hour cost just $2.75. Before it was all over, I wolfed down four and washed them down with a pair of Coronas. Thanks to Dave for picking up the check. I also met Zach (Dave's grandson) and Lauren, his GF.
We went back to the house and put up some lights and ornaments on the Christmas tree. A woman named Anne, who I guess works for American Airlines in San Diego, came over and she and I almost duked it out when she started talking about how great Tom Brady was, althought she could not remember his name. What a shock. By this time, I was half asleep anyway, so I just said a subtle good night and headed into bed.
Day 6, my final full day, Christmas Eve Eve. It was about one place all day long and that was the San Diego Zoo inside Balboa Park. With my height issues, I still wasn't totally comfortable taking the Sky tram to the other side of the park, let alone paying $4 to board it! But we did it anyway and headed straigtht to the Happy Feet 4D theater. polar bears pandas elephants orangutans zebras sloth bear tigers giraffe rhino Lunch turned into an absurd adventure. stuffed polar bear and a mouse pad with maybe 11 animals on it.
We left around 3:30 pm and had about 4+ hours to kill before going to Croce's Jazz Bar in the Gaslamp district. We checked out Seaport Village for some window shopping and cupcakes. We drove up India Street, just north of downtown and west of Balboa Park That six or so block stretch is Little Italy. We somehow found a place to park and walked down the street looking for a place. I had read about this place that blended Brazilian steaks and an Italian steakhouse. I think they should just name the place Heaven’s Restaurant. A bit more than we wanted to spend, so we kept going. Eventually, we found a place and I can’t remember the name. We wound up having a few salads (my second spinach salad inside of a week). I liked that on the menu it advertised that the pizzas were made with bottled water and semolina flour. So we took the bait and split a very nice 12-inch pie, made with prosciutto, artichokes, tomatoes, and mushrooms.
From there, we spent 20 minutes driving around the jammed Gaslamp District searching in vain for a parking spot. I wound up swallowing the figurative shoe polish and paying $10 for a spot in a garage. So we walked about three blocks and arrived at Croce’s Restaurant & Jazz Bar around 7:45. We found two open seats at the bar and was very happy to hear Jim Croce music playing. The restaurant is rather smaller than I expected, but it does have some nice memorabilia. So I walked around for a few minutes and observed some of the rare photos of the late great singer-songwriter and his family.
Since Croce's menu is very fancy and expensive, I just ordered dessert and picked the apple tart with butter pecan ice cream and caramel corn. I had never seen a combo like this. It was an acquired taste, but it made sense. The saltiness and crunch of the corn complemented the sweetness of the ice cream and caramel quite nicely. For $8.00, I don’t think I would order it again though. I saw Jim's widow Ingrid very briefly before she disappeared for the night. Although she walked right by me, sadly, I didn't get to meet her.
A blues band played that evening, a four-piece band and a vocalist. It was pretty cool, and I have to point one thing out and it’s awkward. The vocalist was a black woman, around maybe 60. Her chest was so largely out of proportion to her the rest of her body, that I couldn’t even bear to look at her. We were both pretty worn out, so we called it a night pretty early. There was one pleasant surprise though. When we got our bill, we did not see the $10 per person for the cover charge. So we took off for Encenitas around 9:15; we had been out for maybe 13 hours by that point.
And so then there was Christmas Eve. Day 7. It was about the Jets versus the Giants and what a freaking disaster. We left early in the morning following another unsuccessful attempt to use the internet. I got to the Gaslamp District around 9:20 in the morning. There were a few people walking around town, but it was closer to empty. Mom and Jane went off to Coronado for sightseeing and some shopping. After taking a few pictures of Croce’s and some other sights, I walked south on 5th Avenue to Henry’s. As I opened the door to enter, I couldn’t believe what I saw. There were Jets banners hanging from the ceiling, inflatable Jets dolls, and about 30 Jets fans already there. I think we wound up getting to around 100 people by game time. They even had a special menu for Jets fans. Went with a $5.00 breakfast sandwich and I have to say it felt very strange eating breakfast with football about to start.
I met a few interesting people. Rob, the organizer of the group, is a loud fun-loving Hispanic guy and was very welcoming. A little overly optimistic, but that’s ok. Sergio is the photographer and he looks just like Rex Ryan and he actually dresses like Rex for the games. I’m not saying that’s a good look to be sharing, but that’s the way it is. Todd was the first guy I talked to, pretty big guy, very nice. Colin was a little younger than me, I sat at his table most of the day. Brittney and Melissa are both gorgeous, they came across as legit So Cal socialites and they sat at our table too. Britt actually took off during the second quarter and went shopping, never to be seen again. I think I annoyed Melissa since I stated my dislike for mayonnaise. Well, whatever, it wasn’t the first time. I must say I found Michelle very attractive. She lives in Oceanside and is a Jets fan despite living in California her whole life.
The less said about the game, the better. Just one of the worst regular season losses I have ever seen. The Jets absolutely gave that game away. And to see the cocky Giants fans bragging on the internet…it was just disgusting.
So when it was time to leave, I turned on my Ipod and played some classic Benigno rants. I just walked a few blocks west to Nordstrom’s in a complete stupor. I may have let out a couple of loud groans and yells in the middle of downtown San Diego. I came across three Jets fans I saw at the bar, including a girl named Jen and we hugged. It took Mom and Jane about 15 minutes to find the car. When we stopped at some café for lunch, I passed. They had French Onion soup and split some kind of funky salad with chicken, apples, and some other California-esque ingredients. I did wind up eating some leftover French bread, but whatever.
We got back around 5:00 and I drank a couple of Stellas, I think I had five in three days. And so it was time to go. Around 5:20, we took off north up I-5 for LAX. The 2-hour commute went pretty smooth, we just hit a touch of traffic in Orange County. We got in really early, around maybe 7:00 for an 11:20 flight. With the extra time, we split some chicken nachos at On the Border. And when you run out of beverage for 10 minutes at a Mexican joint, that’s a problem with the staff. Getting the flight turned out to be a very close call, we really didn’t know if we’d make it. If we missed, we would have to wait over six hours for the next one. Thankfully, we got the last two seats on the plane. Since I and everyone else with any common sense was sleeping, the 30 straight minutes of turbulence was not a welcome part of the trip. But we got through it, and landed around 5:15 in Chicago on Christmas morning.
We got home around 7:15 and I unpacked while Mom napped. We managed our way up to Willow Creek Church for the Hybels family service at 10 pm and I’m glad we did because it would have been a shame to not at attend church during all of Christmas weekend. But we went, really enjoyed the service, arrived home for the second time at noon, and collapsed.
For entrees, we both had the flat iron steak. Mom had a bleu cheese crust while I had a shallot and red wine sauce. They came with gourmet potato tots (like deep-fried mashed potato) and parmesan jumbo asparagus. They also included a garnish of roasted garlic and roasted tomato. The meat was very tender and the sauce complimented it beautifully. We both ordered sweet potato pound cake with a chantilly whipped cream and we loved it. I wasn't overly comfortable dining in such a fancy restaurant, but I will say Mom picked a fine, fine place. After another 15 minutes of driving, we arrived in Encenitas at David and Jane's place around 8:30. A Stella, some casual conversation, and I was ready for bed!
Day 5 arrived and I awoke early to use the Internet. This thing ran so slow, I think it took 45 minutes to load wfan.com alone. It was just a disaster. Anyway, we left at 10:15 and I had already been awake for three hours. We first went to La Jolla, a bougie coastal town and had breakfast at a place called Brockton Villa for some Coast Toast. Basically, this is like a thicker cut of French toast combined with an orange souffle. With a little bit of their berry preserve spread, it was really good. I would probably return for it, I don't know if it's worth $12 though. And I had a side of thick cut bacon too...There was a guy sitting next to us with his wife. Mom mentioned how nice his hair was, how texturized it was, whatever that term means. But his laugh was so loud and so over the top, people at two tables moved inside just to get away from him. After the guy left, Mom and Jane mentioned to the cute girl server about him. She said "Oh, that's my boyfriend's father." Unreal.
Anyway, right across the street from the BV is a small park and a beach with a ton of large rocks. And the rocks were absolutely overrun by loads of pigeons and seals. I also spotted a stray pelican or two. Throw in 65 degrees and that I was wearing shorts in December, it was a pretty radical departure from life in the Midwest. We then drove south into the Beach towns: Pacific Beach, Mission Beach, and Ocean Beach. PB has a pretty good nightlife reputation and even a bar with every Chicago sports team's flag flying outside of it. MB, directly south, is a smaller, quieter town while OB is all about surfers and used to be a hippie neighborhood. It's a little more of an off-beat, funky spot now. I wanted to get to Hodad's for a bacon cheeseburger, but...the line was out the door, it would have been so good!
Anyway, we went onto Del Mar, a very affluent beach town before visiting Torrey Pines, first the famous golf course of the name. The South course has hosted the U.S. Open tournament, has an annual tournament every January, and is also the spot Scott Peterson was arrested for killing Laci. Anyway, I brought an orange Greg Norman golf shirt, 45 bucks or so. Just for laughs, I checked the green fees of the South course. For San Diego residents, it costs $61. Not too bad. For non-residents, $183. I was hoping that number was pesos. I mean, it costs three times as much? Crazy, crazy. And then we went to the TP state park and hiked the trails up and downhill for almost three hours before reaching the bottom, leading two walking the beach for a half hour to get back to the car. And we got to the end of the beach just as the sun was setting.
We were all pretty spent, so we drove into Del Mar for happy hour at the Brigantine. I had mentioned I wanted to try some fish tacos, and did I ever. They come in a corn tortilla with fried fish filets, cheddar cheese, ranch, pico de gallo, and cabbage. I squeezed on a little fresh lime and hot sauce and wow! The fish was crispy, the veggies tasted fresh. The combo of ingredients sounds strange, but they marry togetyher just beautifully. A typical order of two costs $9.50; each one at happy hour cost just $2.75. Before it was all over, I wolfed down four and washed them down with a pair of Coronas. Thanks to Dave for picking up the check. I also met Zach (Dave's grandson) and Lauren, his GF.
We went back to the house and put up some lights and ornaments on the Christmas tree. A woman named Anne, who I guess works for American Airlines in San Diego, came over and she and I almost duked it out when she started talking about how great Tom Brady was, althought she could not remember his name. What a shock. By this time, I was half asleep anyway, so I just said a subtle good night and headed into bed.
Day 6, my final full day, Christmas Eve Eve. It was about one place all day long and that was the San Diego Zoo inside Balboa Park. With my height issues, I still wasn't totally comfortable taking the Sky tram to the other side of the park, let alone paying $4 to board it! But we did it anyway and headed straigtht to the Happy Feet 4D theater. polar bears pandas elephants orangutans zebras sloth bear tigers giraffe rhino Lunch turned into an absurd adventure. stuffed polar bear and a mouse pad with maybe 11 animals on it.
We left around 3:30 pm and had about 4+ hours to kill before going to Croce's Jazz Bar in the Gaslamp district. We checked out Seaport Village for some window shopping and cupcakes. We drove up India Street, just north of downtown and west of Balboa Park That six or so block stretch is Little Italy. We somehow found a place to park and walked down the street looking for a place. I had read about this place that blended Brazilian steaks and an Italian steakhouse. I think they should just name the place Heaven’s Restaurant. A bit more than we wanted to spend, so we kept going. Eventually, we found a place and I can’t remember the name. We wound up having a few salads (my second spinach salad inside of a week). I liked that on the menu it advertised that the pizzas were made with bottled water and semolina flour. So we took the bait and split a very nice 12-inch pie, made with prosciutto, artichokes, tomatoes, and mushrooms.
From there, we spent 20 minutes driving around the jammed Gaslamp District searching in vain for a parking spot. I wound up swallowing the figurative shoe polish and paying $10 for a spot in a garage. So we walked about three blocks and arrived at Croce’s Restaurant & Jazz Bar around 7:45. We found two open seats at the bar and was very happy to hear Jim Croce music playing. The restaurant is rather smaller than I expected, but it does have some nice memorabilia. So I walked around for a few minutes and observed some of the rare photos of the late great singer-songwriter and his family.
Since Croce's menu is very fancy and expensive, I just ordered dessert and picked the apple tart with butter pecan ice cream and caramel corn. I had never seen a combo like this. It was an acquired taste, but it made sense. The saltiness and crunch of the corn complemented the sweetness of the ice cream and caramel quite nicely. For $8.00, I don’t think I would order it again though. I saw Jim's widow Ingrid very briefly before she disappeared for the night. Although she walked right by me, sadly, I didn't get to meet her.
A blues band played that evening, a four-piece band and a vocalist. It was pretty cool, and I have to point one thing out and it’s awkward. The vocalist was a black woman, around maybe 60. Her chest was so largely out of proportion to her the rest of her body, that I couldn’t even bear to look at her. We were both pretty worn out, so we called it a night pretty early. There was one pleasant surprise though. When we got our bill, we did not see the $10 per person for the cover charge. So we took off for Encenitas around 9:15; we had been out for maybe 13 hours by that point.
And so then there was Christmas Eve. Day 7. It was about the Jets versus the Giants and what a freaking disaster. We left early in the morning following another unsuccessful attempt to use the internet. I got to the Gaslamp District around 9:20 in the morning. There were a few people walking around town, but it was closer to empty. Mom and Jane went off to Coronado for sightseeing and some shopping. After taking a few pictures of Croce’s and some other sights, I walked south on 5th Avenue to Henry’s. As I opened the door to enter, I couldn’t believe what I saw. There were Jets banners hanging from the ceiling, inflatable Jets dolls, and about 30 Jets fans already there. I think we wound up getting to around 100 people by game time. They even had a special menu for Jets fans. Went with a $5.00 breakfast sandwich and I have to say it felt very strange eating breakfast with football about to start.
I met a few interesting people. Rob, the organizer of the group, is a loud fun-loving Hispanic guy and was very welcoming. A little overly optimistic, but that’s ok. Sergio is the photographer and he looks just like Rex Ryan and he actually dresses like Rex for the games. I’m not saying that’s a good look to be sharing, but that’s the way it is. Todd was the first guy I talked to, pretty big guy, very nice. Colin was a little younger than me, I sat at his table most of the day. Brittney and Melissa are both gorgeous, they came across as legit So Cal socialites and they sat at our table too. Britt actually took off during the second quarter and went shopping, never to be seen again. I think I annoyed Melissa since I stated my dislike for mayonnaise. Well, whatever, it wasn’t the first time. I must say I found Michelle very attractive. She lives in Oceanside and is a Jets fan despite living in California her whole life.
The less said about the game, the better. Just one of the worst regular season losses I have ever seen. The Jets absolutely gave that game away. And to see the cocky Giants fans bragging on the internet…it was just disgusting.
So when it was time to leave, I turned on my Ipod and played some classic Benigno rants. I just walked a few blocks west to Nordstrom’s in a complete stupor. I may have let out a couple of loud groans and yells in the middle of downtown San Diego. I came across three Jets fans I saw at the bar, including a girl named Jen and we hugged. It took Mom and Jane about 15 minutes to find the car. When we stopped at some café for lunch, I passed. They had French Onion soup and split some kind of funky salad with chicken, apples, and some other California-esque ingredients. I did wind up eating some leftover French bread, but whatever.
We got back around 5:00 and I drank a couple of Stellas, I think I had five in three days. And so it was time to go. Around 5:20, we took off north up I-5 for LAX. The 2-hour commute went pretty smooth, we just hit a touch of traffic in Orange County. We got in really early, around maybe 7:00 for an 11:20 flight. With the extra time, we split some chicken nachos at On the Border. And when you run out of beverage for 10 minutes at a Mexican joint, that’s a problem with the staff. Getting the flight turned out to be a very close call, we really didn’t know if we’d make it. If we missed, we would have to wait over six hours for the next one. Thankfully, we got the last two seats on the plane. Since I and everyone else with any common sense was sleeping, the 30 straight minutes of turbulence was not a welcome part of the trip. But we got through it, and landed around 5:15 in Chicago on Christmas morning.
We got home around 7:15 and I unpacked while Mom napped. We managed our way up to Willow Creek Church for the Hybels family service at 10 pm and I’m glad we did because it would have been a shame to not at attend church during all of Christmas weekend. But we went, really enjoyed the service, arrived home for the second time at noon, and collapsed.
LA Invasion
So following four hours of sleep on Saturday night, we took the four-hour 6:40 flight from O'Hare to LAX. Outside, the temperature must have been around 60 degrees, but it may as well have been 85. Mom picked up our navy blue Nissan Sentra from Fox Rental Cars and there's no doubt we put a few hundred miles on that puppy, maybe close to a thousand.
Marina Del Rey is two neighborhoods north of LAX and I was very surprised how crammed the neighborhood was. I had visions of a quiet town, very touristy, almost like the eastern end of Long Island. It turned out to be filled with strip malls, a lot of traffic, and construction of condos right next door to the Courtyard we were staying at. We got Room 460, the last remaining room. After setting our room up, we decided to head north up to the mountains. The first stop was Brent's Deli in Northridge, a real Jewish deli. The French dip was decent enough, not great. They had great crisp, fresh pickles and I always like a good Dr. Brown's root beer. But I had a #3-corned beef, pastrami, Swiss cheese, tomatoes, Russian dressing, and deli mustard on double-baked rye bread. Excellent sandwich.
We then headed north to Simi Valley to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum. The drive off RR Blvd to the museum includes flags of every President, which is cool. Lots of audio and video exhibits, some old artifacts from his birthplace, Dixon, IL, a town I know well. I wouldn't call the place a must-see, I would call it good. The highlight was probably the opportunity to step on board a real Air Force One that Reagan flew on for years. We also visited his crypt, located in the Central Garden. And considering how the Republican debates are going and the inadequacy of our current President, I wish we had someone like him leading our country now.
We took a long drive west down the Ventura Highway (And I played the America song of the same name). We got somewhat lost, but found our way to the PCH eventually. The highlight was visiting Malibu during sunset. The mountains just seem to drop revealing houses and a beach road and then the Pacific Ocean. We had dinner at the Reel Inn and had some amazing seafood. I had grilled Cajun snapper, rice, steamed veggies, salad, and a drink, and it only cost me about $16. Mom went with the Cajun orange roughy. And we had a view where we could scope out the PCH and the ocean as the sun set. Just a tremendous restaurant. Thank you Man vs Food Nation. We headed back into MDR through Santa Monica and Venice before shutting down for the night early. I really think I fell asleep by 9:30 at night.
Day 2 was all about Los Angeles. After a solid workout, we began driving northeast into Beverly Hills. We walked through the infamous Beverly Hills Hotel, the site of the cover for the Eagles famous Hotel California album. Of course, I wore my Hotel California t-shirt and it certainly got some laughs from the hotel staff. We then drove down Hollywood Boulevard through the Sunset Strip and past the Troubadour, the Whisky A Go-Go, the Comedy Store, the Laugh Factory, and other famous clubs. We arrived in downtown and saw Grauman's Chinese Theater, the Kodak Theater, and plenty of celebrity impersonators. We probably would have gotten out and explored, had my camera not died. So we headed west two blocks to LaBrea Avenue for Pink's hot dogs. We got three: the Today Show dog (2 hot dogs in one bun, mustard, onions, chili, cheese & guacamole), the Mullholland Drive dog (10 inch stretch dog, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, cheddar cheese & bacon), and I got the Philly dog (dog with Philly steak, American and Swiss cheese, bell peppers, onions, and mushrooms). The Today show tasted okay, but the chili and guac combo is just weird to get used to. The Philly was just tremendous. Drank a cream soda for the first time in maybe 20 years! The fries were okay, nothing special. I would certainly return.
We then headed over to the Hollywood Bowl and managed to sneak our way inside and I took some photos. What's so cool is there are no elevators, it's just concrete, stairs, and ramps. I think we spent the next three hours navigating the tight curves and bends around the plush houses in the Hollywood Hills, trying to grasp a decent view of the Hollywood sign. We tried to find Griffith Park, a huge public park in north LA, because I heard that was a good place to see the sign and they also had a great observatory of the city. We had no such luck getting anywhere near there. So I just called it off and asked Mom to drive to Dodger Stadium, that took maybe 10 minutes. I did notice how close together so many great tourist attractions are to each other in LA. For being such a huge city, it really isn't too hard to navigate if you know where you're going. Unless of course you're driving north on the 405, which completely blows regardless of time or day.
We then began heading west and stopped in Hollywood again, this time to check out the Farmer's Market, which was mobbed. The food was set up just like an expanded Quincy Market. There wasn't a type of cuisine that wasn't featured, there were booths for Brazilian, New Orleans, hot sauces, BBQ, sushi, etc. Wound up getting some ice cream just to validate the $1 parking. Peppermint for mom, pumpkin for me. We walked past the market into the outdoor shopping area that featured a Jamaican band and Santa's Village for the novelty feel. The mall itself had A&F, Nordstrom, an 18-cinema theater, Barnes & Noble, etc. And I must admit it was a great opportunity to look at some beautiful ladies.
We really wanted to avoid the freeways back to MDR, so we took a ton of sideroads through neighborhoods we probably should have avoided. There was one stoned jackoff who ran right in front of our car trying to make us stop. I screamed and of course Mom shut right down on me for a few hours. But we did at least drive through Washington St in MDR all the way down to the beach. We wound up eating at Island's, which is a tropical themed burger place. Happy hour let me sip a 22-ounce golden ale for just 3 bucks! We wound up eating some sliders and I was happy my plate included over a dozen pickle chips and I didn't even need to ask for them. We also got a basket of fries for two bucks and my God, there must have been three potatoes worth. We may have finished half the fries between us and they were cooked exactly how a french fry should be. Skin-on, just a little seasoning, and crispy and tender at the same time.
We headed back to the room around 6 and Mom said she was just going to lay down and nap. I knew what that meant. She was about to sleep for at least three hours. We did think of catching a movie at the cinema right across the street, but I knew that wasn't happening, at least not that evening. I headed over by myself, but $11 for a ticket seemed a bit much, especially after buying lunch and gasoline. So instead, I went over to Barnes and Noble and finished reading the Andre the Giant biography till about 9:30.
Day 3 (Tuesday) started with a trip to the Getty Museum, tucked high in the hills of L.A. Mom really wanted to check this place out, so who was I to object? I learned when a museum doesn't charge admission, the first thing to do is check the parking price. Fifteen bucks. anyway, this is a art museum that displays works from the Middle Ages to the present day. The unique designs of Richard Meier's architecture also make the Getty one of the more unique structures I've seen in a long time. I liked walking around the Cactus Garden as well as the spiral-shaped Center Garden.
For specific art work, a few pieces stuck out to me in particular. Jan Brueghel's Sermon on the Mount was so intricate and detailed. Aert van der Neer's Moonlit Landscape uses few colors, but the shading is great. And I like the fiery orange in the nighttime too. Vinent Van Gogh's Irises is one of the most popular works in the entire museum. The colors are very vivid and it's remarkable how Van Gogh weaves and layers each flower.
We spent about five hours at the museum, leaving around 3 pm. We drove down to El Pueblo de Los Angeles; I heard it was a nice historic site with a lot of Mexican heritage. We walked through a street fair where every vendor seemed to either sell blankets, shirts, miniature guitars, or lucha libre masks. Lunch was a pair of burritos from a street vendor, and they really weren't that good. Even the sodas didn't taste good! After that, we walked over to the historic Union Street train station, which is renowned for its blend of architecture styles and that it has been around since 1926.
After debating a few ideas on where to go, we finally took one more shot at Griffith Park. After a few minutes of driving uphill and past the Greek Theater, we did find the observatory, although Mom had no desire to walk to it since we would have had to park at least a half mile away. So I just got out and snapped a few quick shots of the valley and the observatory itself. We drove back to MDR to C&O, an Italian joint. I loved the decor immediately, with a ton of Rat Pack memorabilia and their music playing on the jukebox. Great garlic knots too! Mom and I did see Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. While the storyline intrigued me, I found the film rather raw and graphic. I understood it I guess, but I have never disliked a hero or heroine in a film more than Rooney Mara's character.
Day 4 was our transition day, and as it turned out, one of the most grueling on us physically and on our Sentra as well. I certainly would have liked to spend a full day at the beach playing volleyball, but the temperature never even exceeded 65 degrees. Anyway, we checked out of the hotel and drove back to the Santa Monica Pier and spent a good hour there. I remember thinking that it reminded me of Coney Island with the style of shops, the street musicians, the Ferris Wheel, and shops, and then I realized the guy who designed the Pier actually came from Coney Island. About all it needs now is a Subway station and a minor leagues baseball team. I purchased a beaded necklace, my first souvenir. It was cool walking to the end of the pier looking out at the water while listening to the smooth piano of the live musician. Very relaxing indeed. As I walked back, I did see three or four people practicing volleyball and I was in my jeans, so it bummed me out that I couldn't play. And the other thing was the walking surface by the basketball courts. It looked like a composite court, except the ground gave way beneath me. It was sort of bouncing up and down. I don't know what the surface is called, but it's a pretty neat invention.
We drove north a half hour to Burbank and toured NBC Studios from noon till about 1:15. This was where they film the Tonight Show, Carson Daly, Days of Our Lives, etc. With it being Christmas week, there wasn't a whole lot of action going on in the lot. I got to visit the set of the Tonight Show, unfortunately we couldn't take any photos. After 20 minutes of driving east, we found ourselves in Pasadena. We had lunch at Stonefire Grill, I had a few other places in mind, but I guess I had to respect Mom's wishes to eat healthy. Against my will, granted. Anyway, I had a lunch combo of BBQ tri-tip and lemon garlic chicken with a salad and breadstick with a drink for 9 bucks. It was a steal. Almost no carbs, juicy meat, and no tip to pay. And the kitchen staff seriously threw big chunks of raw garlic on the chicken, so even I had to go easy on eating garlic!
Our plan was to travel the entire PCH from LAX all the way to Carlsbad, where we had a 7 pm dinner reservation. But Mom became infuriated that we traveled northeast when we were heading south later. I just didn't realize time was an issue for her, I thought 5 hours would more than suffice. Well, after some arguments, I got us back to the PCH, unfortunately none of it became picturesque until we hit Long Beach, so that was kind of a wasted hour all in all. Although it would have been nice to stop and spend time in Redondo Beach or maybe Manhattan Beach. One town that stuck out was Huntington Beach, it is just gorgeous.
Marina Del Rey is two neighborhoods north of LAX and I was very surprised how crammed the neighborhood was. I had visions of a quiet town, very touristy, almost like the eastern end of Long Island. It turned out to be filled with strip malls, a lot of traffic, and construction of condos right next door to the Courtyard we were staying at. We got Room 460, the last remaining room. After setting our room up, we decided to head north up to the mountains. The first stop was Brent's Deli in Northridge, a real Jewish deli. The French dip was decent enough, not great. They had great crisp, fresh pickles and I always like a good Dr. Brown's root beer. But I had a #3-corned beef, pastrami, Swiss cheese, tomatoes, Russian dressing, and deli mustard on double-baked rye bread. Excellent sandwich.
We then headed north to Simi Valley to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum. The drive off RR Blvd to the museum includes flags of every President, which is cool. Lots of audio and video exhibits, some old artifacts from his birthplace, Dixon, IL, a town I know well. I wouldn't call the place a must-see, I would call it good. The highlight was probably the opportunity to step on board a real Air Force One that Reagan flew on for years. We also visited his crypt, located in the Central Garden. And considering how the Republican debates are going and the inadequacy of our current President, I wish we had someone like him leading our country now.
We took a long drive west down the Ventura Highway (And I played the America song of the same name). We got somewhat lost, but found our way to the PCH eventually. The highlight was visiting Malibu during sunset. The mountains just seem to drop revealing houses and a beach road and then the Pacific Ocean. We had dinner at the Reel Inn and had some amazing seafood. I had grilled Cajun snapper, rice, steamed veggies, salad, and a drink, and it only cost me about $16. Mom went with the Cajun orange roughy. And we had a view where we could scope out the PCH and the ocean as the sun set. Just a tremendous restaurant. Thank you Man vs Food Nation. We headed back into MDR through Santa Monica and Venice before shutting down for the night early. I really think I fell asleep by 9:30 at night.
Day 2 was all about Los Angeles. After a solid workout, we began driving northeast into Beverly Hills. We walked through the infamous Beverly Hills Hotel, the site of the cover for the Eagles famous Hotel California album. Of course, I wore my Hotel California t-shirt and it certainly got some laughs from the hotel staff. We then drove down Hollywood Boulevard through the Sunset Strip and past the Troubadour, the Whisky A Go-Go, the Comedy Store, the Laugh Factory, and other famous clubs. We arrived in downtown and saw Grauman's Chinese Theater, the Kodak Theater, and plenty of celebrity impersonators. We probably would have gotten out and explored, had my camera not died. So we headed west two blocks to LaBrea Avenue for Pink's hot dogs. We got three: the Today Show dog (2 hot dogs in one bun, mustard, onions, chili, cheese & guacamole), the Mullholland Drive dog (10 inch stretch dog, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, cheddar cheese & bacon), and I got the Philly dog (dog with Philly steak, American and Swiss cheese, bell peppers, onions, and mushrooms). The Today show tasted okay, but the chili and guac combo is just weird to get used to. The Philly was just tremendous. Drank a cream soda for the first time in maybe 20 years! The fries were okay, nothing special. I would certainly return.
We then headed over to the Hollywood Bowl and managed to sneak our way inside and I took some photos. What's so cool is there are no elevators, it's just concrete, stairs, and ramps. I think we spent the next three hours navigating the tight curves and bends around the plush houses in the Hollywood Hills, trying to grasp a decent view of the Hollywood sign. We tried to find Griffith Park, a huge public park in north LA, because I heard that was a good place to see the sign and they also had a great observatory of the city. We had no such luck getting anywhere near there. So I just called it off and asked Mom to drive to Dodger Stadium, that took maybe 10 minutes. I did notice how close together so many great tourist attractions are to each other in LA. For being such a huge city, it really isn't too hard to navigate if you know where you're going. Unless of course you're driving north on the 405, which completely blows regardless of time or day.
We then began heading west and stopped in Hollywood again, this time to check out the Farmer's Market, which was mobbed. The food was set up just like an expanded Quincy Market. There wasn't a type of cuisine that wasn't featured, there were booths for Brazilian, New Orleans, hot sauces, BBQ, sushi, etc. Wound up getting some ice cream just to validate the $1 parking. Peppermint for mom, pumpkin for me. We walked past the market into the outdoor shopping area that featured a Jamaican band and Santa's Village for the novelty feel. The mall itself had A&F, Nordstrom, an 18-cinema theater, Barnes & Noble, etc. And I must admit it was a great opportunity to look at some beautiful ladies.
We really wanted to avoid the freeways back to MDR, so we took a ton of sideroads through neighborhoods we probably should have avoided. There was one stoned jackoff who ran right in front of our car trying to make us stop. I screamed and of course Mom shut right down on me for a few hours. But we did at least drive through Washington St in MDR all the way down to the beach. We wound up eating at Island's, which is a tropical themed burger place. Happy hour let me sip a 22-ounce golden ale for just 3 bucks! We wound up eating some sliders and I was happy my plate included over a dozen pickle chips and I didn't even need to ask for them. We also got a basket of fries for two bucks and my God, there must have been three potatoes worth. We may have finished half the fries between us and they were cooked exactly how a french fry should be. Skin-on, just a little seasoning, and crispy and tender at the same time.
We headed back to the room around 6 and Mom said she was just going to lay down and nap. I knew what that meant. She was about to sleep for at least three hours. We did think of catching a movie at the cinema right across the street, but I knew that wasn't happening, at least not that evening. I headed over by myself, but $11 for a ticket seemed a bit much, especially after buying lunch and gasoline. So instead, I went over to Barnes and Noble and finished reading the Andre the Giant biography till about 9:30.
Day 3 (Tuesday) started with a trip to the Getty Museum, tucked high in the hills of L.A. Mom really wanted to check this place out, so who was I to object? I learned when a museum doesn't charge admission, the first thing to do is check the parking price. Fifteen bucks. anyway, this is a art museum that displays works from the Middle Ages to the present day. The unique designs of Richard Meier's architecture also make the Getty one of the more unique structures I've seen in a long time. I liked walking around the Cactus Garden as well as the spiral-shaped Center Garden.
For specific art work, a few pieces stuck out to me in particular. Jan Brueghel's Sermon on the Mount was so intricate and detailed. Aert van der Neer's Moonlit Landscape uses few colors, but the shading is great. And I like the fiery orange in the nighttime too. Vinent Van Gogh's Irises is one of the most popular works in the entire museum. The colors are very vivid and it's remarkable how Van Gogh weaves and layers each flower.
We spent about five hours at the museum, leaving around 3 pm. We drove down to El Pueblo de Los Angeles; I heard it was a nice historic site with a lot of Mexican heritage. We walked through a street fair where every vendor seemed to either sell blankets, shirts, miniature guitars, or lucha libre masks. Lunch was a pair of burritos from a street vendor, and they really weren't that good. Even the sodas didn't taste good! After that, we walked over to the historic Union Street train station, which is renowned for its blend of architecture styles and that it has been around since 1926.
After debating a few ideas on where to go, we finally took one more shot at Griffith Park. After a few minutes of driving uphill and past the Greek Theater, we did find the observatory, although Mom had no desire to walk to it since we would have had to park at least a half mile away. So I just got out and snapped a few quick shots of the valley and the observatory itself. We drove back to MDR to C&O, an Italian joint. I loved the decor immediately, with a ton of Rat Pack memorabilia and their music playing on the jukebox. Great garlic knots too! Mom and I did see Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. While the storyline intrigued me, I found the film rather raw and graphic. I understood it I guess, but I have never disliked a hero or heroine in a film more than Rooney Mara's character.
Day 4 was our transition day, and as it turned out, one of the most grueling on us physically and on our Sentra as well. I certainly would have liked to spend a full day at the beach playing volleyball, but the temperature never even exceeded 65 degrees. Anyway, we checked out of the hotel and drove back to the Santa Monica Pier and spent a good hour there. I remember thinking that it reminded me of Coney Island with the style of shops, the street musicians, the Ferris Wheel, and shops, and then I realized the guy who designed the Pier actually came from Coney Island. About all it needs now is a Subway station and a minor leagues baseball team. I purchased a beaded necklace, my first souvenir. It was cool walking to the end of the pier looking out at the water while listening to the smooth piano of the live musician. Very relaxing indeed. As I walked back, I did see three or four people practicing volleyball and I was in my jeans, so it bummed me out that I couldn't play. And the other thing was the walking surface by the basketball courts. It looked like a composite court, except the ground gave way beneath me. It was sort of bouncing up and down. I don't know what the surface is called, but it's a pretty neat invention.
We drove north a half hour to Burbank and toured NBC Studios from noon till about 1:15. This was where they film the Tonight Show, Carson Daly, Days of Our Lives, etc. With it being Christmas week, there wasn't a whole lot of action going on in the lot. I got to visit the set of the Tonight Show, unfortunately we couldn't take any photos. After 20 minutes of driving east, we found ourselves in Pasadena. We had lunch at Stonefire Grill, I had a few other places in mind, but I guess I had to respect Mom's wishes to eat healthy. Against my will, granted. Anyway, I had a lunch combo of BBQ tri-tip and lemon garlic chicken with a salad and breadstick with a drink for 9 bucks. It was a steal. Almost no carbs, juicy meat, and no tip to pay. And the kitchen staff seriously threw big chunks of raw garlic on the chicken, so even I had to go easy on eating garlic!
Our plan was to travel the entire PCH from LAX all the way to Carlsbad, where we had a 7 pm dinner reservation. But Mom became infuriated that we traveled northeast when we were heading south later. I just didn't realize time was an issue for her, I thought 5 hours would more than suffice. Well, after some arguments, I got us back to the PCH, unfortunately none of it became picturesque until we hit Long Beach, so that was kind of a wasted hour all in all. Although it would have been nice to stop and spend time in Redondo Beach or maybe Manhattan Beach. One town that stuck out was Huntington Beach, it is just gorgeous.
Monday, December 05, 2011
Atlanta Blue-Day 2
The alarm woke me up at 7 and I right headed down to the second floor for a workout. It wasn't near the best I've ever experienced; it's really hard to get a good strength workout at a hotel that isn't spectacular. One cable cross machine with no bench. And an elliptical that didn't even have moving arms.
From there, I walked outside, heading west towards the touristy area of downtown. I checked out the Omni Hotel and CNN Tower. Just west of that was the Philips Arena, at the site of the old Omni. Behind the Arena, I could see the Georgia Dome in the distance. Unfortunately, my camera ran out of battery power as I was about to snap my final photograph of the Atlanta shaped steel arches in front of the Arena. I picked up a Green machine Naked juice when I got back. I pretty much knew that would be about my only chance to eat anything healthy all day.
Mom and I headed out together and made the mile walk west to Centennial Olympic Park. I explored the Olympic Fountain of Rings, the many torches, and the brickwalk. Across Baker Street is Pemberton Place, which houses the World of Coke and the Georgia Aquarium, the largest indoor aquarium in the entire world. John Pemberton, a Georgia pharmacist, invented Coca-Cola in 1886. We entered the World of Coke at 10 am. There were artifacts from all over the world: bottles from Argentina, Ecuador, etc. Huge bottle openers, advertising signs, clothing, etc. Then came the animated Happyfication theater. I took my picture with the polar bear, which was quite cool. We also saw the bottling plant, the Milestone of refreshment (lots of interactive games, history, and a display of at least 150 Coke beverage can/bottle designs from throughout the last 120 years). I got to trace the classic logo with my finger and it's really hard to make the holes in the a's and o's.
We headed the the second level to the pop culture gallery. There was the Coke couch from Season 4 of American Idol, a kisok to make my own Coke computer-generated art, and a wall dedicated to the failed New Coke experiment from 1985. Then came the 4-D theater, which has the moving seats and blasts of wind and water, and yes, I got wet. Last, but not least, came the tasting room which offers guests a chance to try 60 different beverages from across the globe.
I probably went through at least 20. I has a lemon soda from England, it was marvelous. The Italian soda called Beverly tasted terribly bitter and tasted more like straight alcohol. Definitely my least favorite. The Mozambique ginger ale was really good and relaxing. The Mexican iced tea featured a very robust lemon flavor. I never had Barq's red cream soda before, and I'm typically not a big fan of cream soda, but I really enjoyed this one. And gingerbread coke could very well become a new holiday tradition for me.
The last stop was the gift shop and Mom and I could not agree. It was my money, I brought a sign and I'm still mad I did not buy a glass. She wanted me to get this big empty bottle, which must have been four feet tall, to drop spare change into. Sounded good, but how was I going to get that into an airplane?
Anyway, we walked another half mile north just past Georgia Tech. It was time for some grub. So many people have told me about the Varsity and have recommended it. It is the world's largest drive-thru and one of the most iconic eateries in Georgia. We ordered two Number 1's:a pair of steamed chili dogs with yellow mustard and beanlesss beefy chili. Mom got the fries and I got the rings. I have to say those were the best onion rings I've had since I was in Mount Morris, so that probably goes back ten years. They're cut not too thin, not too thick and the coating on the outside tasted just tremendous. I found the dogs to be very good. I'm not used to chili The addition of chopped onions added an extra layer of flavor that I think made them better. I passed on the soda and a sweet tea for the frosted orange, which tasted like the thickest creamsicle ever. Tremendous! I can only imagine how much better it would be on one of those hot Georgia summer afternoons. But the thickness was insane. It took 45 minutes of walking to finish it off, I do not exaggerate.
We planned to take the 3:30 flight home, but we got to the airport early and took the 2:15. We stepped off the plane into a welcoming December atmosphere of 30 degrees and rain. Of course, the airline misplaced Mom's lost luggage.
From there, I walked outside, heading west towards the touristy area of downtown. I checked out the Omni Hotel and CNN Tower. Just west of that was the Philips Arena, at the site of the old Omni. Behind the Arena, I could see the Georgia Dome in the distance. Unfortunately, my camera ran out of battery power as I was about to snap my final photograph of the Atlanta shaped steel arches in front of the Arena. I picked up a Green machine Naked juice when I got back. I pretty much knew that would be about my only chance to eat anything healthy all day.
Mom and I headed out together and made the mile walk west to Centennial Olympic Park. I explored the Olympic Fountain of Rings, the many torches, and the brickwalk. Across Baker Street is Pemberton Place, which houses the World of Coke and the Georgia Aquarium, the largest indoor aquarium in the entire world. John Pemberton, a Georgia pharmacist, invented Coca-Cola in 1886. We entered the World of Coke at 10 am. There were artifacts from all over the world: bottles from Argentina, Ecuador, etc. Huge bottle openers, advertising signs, clothing, etc. Then came the animated Happyfication theater. I took my picture with the polar bear, which was quite cool. We also saw the bottling plant, the Milestone of refreshment (lots of interactive games, history, and a display of at least 150 Coke beverage can/bottle designs from throughout the last 120 years). I got to trace the classic logo with my finger and it's really hard to make the holes in the a's and o's.
We headed the the second level to the pop culture gallery. There was the Coke couch from Season 4 of American Idol, a kisok to make my own Coke computer-generated art, and a wall dedicated to the failed New Coke experiment from 1985. Then came the 4-D theater, which has the moving seats and blasts of wind and water, and yes, I got wet. Last, but not least, came the tasting room which offers guests a chance to try 60 different beverages from across the globe.
I probably went through at least 20. I has a lemon soda from England, it was marvelous. The Italian soda called Beverly tasted terribly bitter and tasted more like straight alcohol. Definitely my least favorite. The Mozambique ginger ale was really good and relaxing. The Mexican iced tea featured a very robust lemon flavor. I never had Barq's red cream soda before, and I'm typically not a big fan of cream soda, but I really enjoyed this one. And gingerbread coke could very well become a new holiday tradition for me.
The last stop was the gift shop and Mom and I could not agree. It was my money, I brought a sign and I'm still mad I did not buy a glass. She wanted me to get this big empty bottle, which must have been four feet tall, to drop spare change into. Sounded good, but how was I going to get that into an airplane?
Anyway, we walked another half mile north just past Georgia Tech. It was time for some grub. So many people have told me about the Varsity and have recommended it. It is the world's largest drive-thru and one of the most iconic eateries in Georgia. We ordered two Number 1's:a pair of steamed chili dogs with yellow mustard and beanlesss beefy chili. Mom got the fries and I got the rings. I have to say those were the best onion rings I've had since I was in Mount Morris, so that probably goes back ten years. They're cut not too thin, not too thick and the coating on the outside tasted just tremendous. I found the dogs to be very good. I'm not used to chili The addition of chopped onions added an extra layer of flavor that I think made them better. I passed on the soda and a sweet tea for the frosted orange, which tasted like the thickest creamsicle ever. Tremendous! I can only imagine how much better it would be on one of those hot Georgia summer afternoons. But the thickness was insane. It took 45 minutes of walking to finish it off, I do not exaggerate.
We planned to take the 3:30 flight home, but we got to the airport early and took the 2:15. We stepped off the plane into a welcoming December atmosphere of 30 degrees and rain. Of course, the airline misplaced Mom's lost luggage.
All in all, it was a good 36 hours. There are some nice features of Atlanta, but I wouldn't want to spend much time in the heart of the city. I'm just no redneck.
Atlanta Blue-Day 1
Ever so slowly, I rolled out of bed at 4:45 and we left for O'Hare around 5:40. There wasn't too much traffic on a Sunday morning either, we got to the airport quickly and I navigated my way through the security line in maybe ten minutes. We took the 7:45 flight on American Eagle and this was one of the worst looking airplanes I had ever flown on. I sat down and the inside of my seat had tears in it. There was no armrest in the middle of the two seats and the pilot didn't make it easier. Granted, we were flying through a thick sea of gray clouds for an hour, but the
turbulence was as bad as I ever felt in 10 years. It was so bumpy i asked the flight attendant for a cup of ginger ale on the rocks just to calm my stomach down. And when the pilot landed the plane, he jammed on the brakes like he suddenly realized he had been driving a car on black ice.
So we took a 20-minute ride on the Marta rail north to Peachtree. We got a little lost on Peachtree St, but made our way to the Marriott Courtyard. We couldn't check in because people were still getting ready to leave following the SEC championship game. I was amazed how many people were wearing purple and yellow for LSU. It was like being right in Baton Rouge. We dropped our bags off and started our walk into town.
As we strolled the mile up Peachtree St into midtown, I was amazed how one block evolved into another. One one block, there'd be a Hard Rock Cafe, a Brazilian steakhouse, and an accounting firm. On the next block, there would be homeless people sitting on the lawn overlooking Highway 75. We got to Gladys Knight and Ron Winans Chicken & Waffles for lunch. There were already a dozen people outside by 11:45, so we knew we found a pretty hip spot. The hostess told us the wait would take 35 minutes or less, and that turned into 55 minutes.
Finally, we were seated in the back room. I had a good view of the TV to watch Atlanta vs Houston. We both drank Uptowns, or Arnold Palmers. Huge glasses, that's always a plus. And I was so thirsty at this point, I probably would have felt re-hydrated drinking Nyquil. We started off with some fried green tomatoes, a fine southern appetizer. They had a nice Cajun spice on them and the outside tasted nice and crisp. But the remoulade sauce lacked a lot of flavor and I am a huge remoulade fan. Not this one.
We both ordered the Uncle Ron, which are three-piece fried chicken meals. Three pieces of chicken with two sides. Mom went with squash casserole and a great mac and cheese; I went wit house potatoes (shredded potatoes with peppers, onions, and Creole seasoning) and collard greens. They also came with the fluffiest corn muffins I've ever had. The chicken was incredibly juicy. The breading was nice and crisp, but could have used a touch more spice for my liking, I added a few dashes of hot sauce and that did the trick.
For dessert, we split the sweet potato cheesecake. Just before it came out, our waiter, Claude, asked us the easiest question of all time. "Would you like pecans, whipped cream, and caramel on your cheesecake?" The graham cracker crust tasted smooth ands buttery and not at all overwhelming. The pecans gave a nice crunch and zest, the caramel brought all the flavors together, and well, whipped cream is whipped cream. Just a wonderful dessert.
From there, we took a 45-minute walk southeast up and downhill to the Martin Luther King site. We walked through the Civil Rights Walk of Fame which features many notable Civil Rights figures' footprints. Politicians, athletes, entertainers, businessmen. Hank Aaron, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Rosa Parks, Medgar Evers, Stevie Wonder, Ted Turner, Sammy Davis Jr, and probably a lot of names I don't recognize. I am stunned there is no Oprah.
We then walked through the main exhibit featuring audio and video of Dr. King's life and walked outside to a long pool in the middle of a courtyard, for lack of better words. Right in the middle of the pool were the crypts for Dr. King and his wife.
For me, the highlight was visiting the historical Ebenezer Baptist Church, where his father preached, where MLK gave his first sermon, where his funeral was conducted, and where his mother was assassinated in 1974. We walked in and I was asked to remove my Jets hat. After climbing a flight of steps, we headed into the sanctuary. One of Dr. King's sermons was playing. It was very haunting, I sat in the front row and just let his words about family, following God's plan, and justice wash over me for about 15 minutes. Then, we headed downstairs to Fellowship Hall, which showcased an interview with Coretta Scott King as well as the long and storied history of the church, which goes back to 1886.
We didn't really need to stay another 30 minutes to tour the birthplace, so we walked 20 minutes west back to the Courtyard. It was getting close to 3:30 pm and Mom's feet were starting to ache by now, we'd walked 4-5 miles for the day. Quick sidenote. During this stretch, we faced our third of maybe six panhandlers of the day. I tried to ignore this guy, since I figured the less interaction, the better. Well, he was a black guy, around 60, and he started complaining that I didn't like black people. He screamed not all black people are bad. I didn't respond to the man, nothing good was going to come out of doing that. It was pretty comical. And I know you've got beggars in every major city in America. The difference is, in Atlanta, there is nobody else walking on the street than you can use to shield yourself. You HAVE to face these guys, like it or not.
So we hung in the hotel for two hours. I watched football and tracked the end of the Jets' victory in Washington D.C. For the evening, I wanted to travel north to the posh Buckhead neighborhood, but by now it was 5 pm and we knew all the shops were going to close at 6 pm on Sunday night. So we decided to stay local and hit up Ted's Montana Grill. Wanting to spread a little Mets pride, I wore my Jose Reyes jersey. Amazingly, our waiter Larry, is a Mets and Giants fan! He was a very amiable guy, laughing a lot and cracking a ton of jokes. I got some bison chili and a Philly bison burger and fresh-cut fries. So messy, but so good.
Mom decided to head back to the room since she was really cold and tired. I wasn't ready go head back to the room so I hit up Meehan's Public House, a local downtown Irish pub. It wasn't the best place to go. I drank a Bushmills on the rocks and an Innis and Gunn. 16 bucks. Lame. Granted, i would have tried the buttermilk-battered chicken fingers with the ancho BBQ sauce if I wasn't so stuffed. Furthermore, the bar was pretty dead, I guess downtown Atlanta is not the cool neighborhood. Even worse, I got the news Reyes had all but signed with Miami for 6 years and over $100 million. That's when I ordered my next drink. I got back to the room around 10 pm. Catherine and I talked on the phone for an hour and ten minutes. I came back in and Mom was half asleep but she had "To Catch a Predator" on the TV. I have to admit, I got caught up in it and watched the rest of the show till 1 AM, which is when I went to bed.
turbulence was as bad as I ever felt in 10 years. It was so bumpy i asked the flight attendant for a cup of ginger ale on the rocks just to calm my stomach down. And when the pilot landed the plane, he jammed on the brakes like he suddenly realized he had been driving a car on black ice.
So we took a 20-minute ride on the Marta rail north to Peachtree. We got a little lost on Peachtree St, but made our way to the Marriott Courtyard. We couldn't check in because people were still getting ready to leave following the SEC championship game. I was amazed how many people were wearing purple and yellow for LSU. It was like being right in Baton Rouge. We dropped our bags off and started our walk into town.
As we strolled the mile up Peachtree St into midtown, I was amazed how one block evolved into another. One one block, there'd be a Hard Rock Cafe, a Brazilian steakhouse, and an accounting firm. On the next block, there would be homeless people sitting on the lawn overlooking Highway 75. We got to Gladys Knight and Ron Winans Chicken & Waffles for lunch. There were already a dozen people outside by 11:45, so we knew we found a pretty hip spot. The hostess told us the wait would take 35 minutes or less, and that turned into 55 minutes.
Finally, we were seated in the back room. I had a good view of the TV to watch Atlanta vs Houston. We both drank Uptowns, or Arnold Palmers. Huge glasses, that's always a plus. And I was so thirsty at this point, I probably would have felt re-hydrated drinking Nyquil. We started off with some fried green tomatoes, a fine southern appetizer. They had a nice Cajun spice on them and the outside tasted nice and crisp. But the remoulade sauce lacked a lot of flavor and I am a huge remoulade fan. Not this one.
We both ordered the Uncle Ron, which are three-piece fried chicken meals. Three pieces of chicken with two sides. Mom went with squash casserole and a great mac and cheese; I went wit house potatoes (shredded potatoes with peppers, onions, and Creole seasoning) and collard greens. They also came with the fluffiest corn muffins I've ever had. The chicken was incredibly juicy. The breading was nice and crisp, but could have used a touch more spice for my liking, I added a few dashes of hot sauce and that did the trick.
For dessert, we split the sweet potato cheesecake. Just before it came out, our waiter, Claude, asked us the easiest question of all time. "Would you like pecans, whipped cream, and caramel on your cheesecake?" The graham cracker crust tasted smooth ands buttery and not at all overwhelming. The pecans gave a nice crunch and zest, the caramel brought all the flavors together, and well, whipped cream is whipped cream. Just a wonderful dessert.
From there, we took a 45-minute walk southeast up and downhill to the Martin Luther King site. We walked through the Civil Rights Walk of Fame which features many notable Civil Rights figures' footprints. Politicians, athletes, entertainers, businessmen. Hank Aaron, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Rosa Parks, Medgar Evers, Stevie Wonder, Ted Turner, Sammy Davis Jr, and probably a lot of names I don't recognize. I am stunned there is no Oprah.
We then walked through the main exhibit featuring audio and video of Dr. King's life and walked outside to a long pool in the middle of a courtyard, for lack of better words. Right in the middle of the pool were the crypts for Dr. King and his wife.
For me, the highlight was visiting the historical Ebenezer Baptist Church, where his father preached, where MLK gave his first sermon, where his funeral was conducted, and where his mother was assassinated in 1974. We walked in and I was asked to remove my Jets hat. After climbing a flight of steps, we headed into the sanctuary. One of Dr. King's sermons was playing. It was very haunting, I sat in the front row and just let his words about family, following God's plan, and justice wash over me for about 15 minutes. Then, we headed downstairs to Fellowship Hall, which showcased an interview with Coretta Scott King as well as the long and storied history of the church, which goes back to 1886.
We didn't really need to stay another 30 minutes to tour the birthplace, so we walked 20 minutes west back to the Courtyard. It was getting close to 3:30 pm and Mom's feet were starting to ache by now, we'd walked 4-5 miles for the day. Quick sidenote. During this stretch, we faced our third of maybe six panhandlers of the day. I tried to ignore this guy, since I figured the less interaction, the better. Well, he was a black guy, around 60, and he started complaining that I didn't like black people. He screamed not all black people are bad. I didn't respond to the man, nothing good was going to come out of doing that. It was pretty comical. And I know you've got beggars in every major city in America. The difference is, in Atlanta, there is nobody else walking on the street than you can use to shield yourself. You HAVE to face these guys, like it or not.
So we hung in the hotel for two hours. I watched football and tracked the end of the Jets' victory in Washington D.C. For the evening, I wanted to travel north to the posh Buckhead neighborhood, but by now it was 5 pm and we knew all the shops were going to close at 6 pm on Sunday night. So we decided to stay local and hit up Ted's Montana Grill. Wanting to spread a little Mets pride, I wore my Jose Reyes jersey. Amazingly, our waiter Larry, is a Mets and Giants fan! He was a very amiable guy, laughing a lot and cracking a ton of jokes. I got some bison chili and a Philly bison burger and fresh-cut fries. So messy, but so good.
Mom decided to head back to the room since she was really cold and tired. I wasn't ready go head back to the room so I hit up Meehan's Public House, a local downtown Irish pub. It wasn't the best place to go. I drank a Bushmills on the rocks and an Innis and Gunn. 16 bucks. Lame. Granted, i would have tried the buttermilk-battered chicken fingers with the ancho BBQ sauce if I wasn't so stuffed. Furthermore, the bar was pretty dead, I guess downtown Atlanta is not the cool neighborhood. Even worse, I got the news Reyes had all but signed with Miami for 6 years and over $100 million. That's when I ordered my next drink. I got back to the room around 10 pm. Catherine and I talked on the phone for an hour and ten minutes. I came back in and Mom was half asleep but she had "To Catch a Predator" on the TV. I have to admit, I got caught up in it and watched the rest of the show till 1 AM, which is when I went to bed.
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