Category Archives: 3) DESTINATIONS — in the U.S.

January 8, 2016 · 5:19 pm

free T ride from the airport, The paramount, bar Lola — Boston

imageI really did try to pay for my T ride from Logan Airport to Beacon Hill but failed and was even admonished by a transit guy in the process. Outside Logan, I got on the Silver Line (which, oddly, is a bus not a subway)  which was advertised as free. When I got off at South station to switch to the red line to Charles street I couldn’t find anywhere to pay. I even went through the exit, tied to figure out th self pay machine. When I explained to the transit guy what I was trying to do, he said “you shouldn’t have gone out. here just go back in” and he let me back through without laying.

“No wonder the T is losing money” at least two Bostonians exclaimed when I explained what happened. The same ging happened a day later when I unexpectedly found myself at the airport, needing to return to Back Bay where It had a great visit with my best friend from high school Polly and her husband Jamie.

I didn’t get time to explore the city (much of my time was spent at a work meeting in Worcester) but did get to Bar Lola for tapas (in back bay) and the great Paramount, a diner/ coffee shop(since 1937!) on Charles Street. And I got to  see Charles street,  which always reminded me of London when I lived in Boston in the mid 1980s.  Pulling my roller bag along the brick sidewalks, making a loud rumble, I felt like a young traveler again. Sort of.

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July 29, 2015 · 4:38 pm

for future reference: Wallowa County Oregon

Met someone from Wallowa County almost 1.5 years ago and have been wanting to go there ever since! This article reinforces that! Someday….

Heritage and Healing

BY TIMOTHY EGAN

Ranchers whose great-great-grandparents may have stolen land once vital to the Nez Perce now sit side-by-side with Indians.

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May 26, 2015 · 5:49 am

Catalina state Park- Vivace-wildflower-Magee trail- beyond bread- rosa’s: Tucson

LuLuWe got crazy lucky with the weather here. Rather than scorching hot temps, as expected, the highs were in the low 80’s, sunny with a breeze. pretty darn perfect. so we could easily do early morning hikes (our standard loop at Catalina and a trail Just off Magee.

We stayed in a condo we rented from VRBO/Homeaway about 7 minutes drive from my dad’s in Oro Valley, off La Canada, just north of Naranja. Good deal $135 per night for two bedroom two bath, plenty of room to spread out. Not my choice of decor (bachelor pad bad) but good bed, reasonably clean, good backyard with hot tub. My sister found an even nicer place for $100 a night near the el conquistador hotel.image
Also did some fine dining to mark my father’s 80th birthday– the reason my siblings and I came here – including Italian food at the new location of Vivace, up the road on Campbell from the previous location, with a stupendous view of the city from in high; excellent birthday brunch in Sunday at Wildflower. Today, we went to Beyond Bread after our hike and were grateful it was open (on Memorial Day). And excellent tuna melt. Tonight we went to Rosa’s Mexican restaurant on fort Lowell. The food wasn’t as good as we remembered but nice ambiance and good service. all good. Happy 80th to my dear dad!!! Xox

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March 26, 2015 · 3:30 pm

Miller Union/Atlanta turns out to be James Beard nominee – and Iowa place!

I  was somewhat surprised to see Miller Union – the restaurant I ate at on Monday in Atlanta – among the nominees  for best chef: Southeast from the James Beard Foundation. The place didn’t bowl me over but, again, not sure I selected the right things. The only Iowa nominee was Archie’s Waeside, a steak joint in the out of the way northwest town of LeMars, of Blue Bunny ice cream fame. Who knew? http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/25/dining/the-2015-james-beard-award-nominees.html?smid=nytcore-ipad-share&smprod=nytcore-ipad

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March 25, 2015 · 11:49 am

Centennial Park, Decatur, cakes & ale: Atlanta

Centennial Park

Centennial Park

Camellias near MLKings's birthplace

Camellias near MLKings’s birthplace

We didn’t have much free time today (a work day) but when we did, I grabbed it, in part because the weather was gorgeous. And the trees are starting to bud. – pear trees, red buds, camellias, plus daffodils. I took a quick walk to centennial park which I found too vast and spread out. But I followed the street car tracks back to my hotel stopping against at sweet auburn market which didn’t have much in the way of light breakfast options but I did buy an apple turnover at the savory pie place. For dinner tonight four of us piled into a black SUV and drove out to Decatur, which was full of gorgeous old stately homes on vast lots with, yes, flowering trees. The downtown was bustling with restaurants. We had a really good meal at cake & ale (once we found it. We discovered the newspaper article I had about it was from…2012 and the place had since moved. Fortunately  not far.) anyway, very good food, fairly simple but with just very fresh ingredients, cleanly served and prepared, with nice flavors.

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March 24, 2015 · 2:55 am

MLK Historic sites, sweet auburn market, modern tribe, miller union: exploring Atlanta

Ebenezer Baptist Ebenezer Baptist

Must say that the last thing I expected to see as I walked along an inner city neighborhood en route to the MLK National Historic site was a story selling “Jewy goods.”  Say what? But sure enough, the little shop called Modern Tribe was full of the most clever Judaica (Jewy goods) and with Passover fast approaching, I couldn’t resist the matzohs patterned toilet cover that says “Let My People Go” although I didn’t buy the book “how to raise a Jewish dog” (although I was tempted.)

sweet auburn market sweet auburn market

It was one of several discoveries in the neighborhood, including the Sweet Auburn Market, an old brick building full of fruit vendors and butchers and take out places from afro Caribbean to soul food to arepas. I had an excellent pulled pork sandwich on Texas toast with the best sautéed brussel sprouts,  at the BBQ place there.

On to the MLK sites, where I lucked into a last minute ticket on the last tour of the day inside the early 20th century house where MLKing was born and spent his first 11 years. Only 15 people tour the place at a time and is been told the tix were gone for the day (spring break here) but managed to…

Modern tribe.com Modern tribe.com
MLK Birthplace, Auburn Street MLK Birthplace, Auburn Street

Get a tix when I was inquiring about how to get a ticket tomorrow. We had a terrific tour guy who told all kinds of interesting stories about the young “ML” including that his best friend when he was three was the son of a white family that ran a local business… Until the boys were six and the white boy suddenly announced that they could no longer be friends, his father had decided. That was a formative experience, apparently. The tour guide was blind which made him all the more impressive.

Sitting inside the Ebenezer Baptist Church, with a tape of MLKing giving one of his stirring sermons also packed a punch.  I took the new streetcar (still free) over to centennial park but couldn’t quite get a feel for the place. Tonight I had dinner with a nice friend of my aunts  at Miller Union. The food didn’t blow me away but not sure I ordered the right thing. Cool place though, kind of industrial chic meets southern porch.

 

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January 29, 2015 · 2:50 am

ben’s chili bowl, rosa Mexicana : Washington, D.C.

IMG_1121Didn’t have much time to be a tourist this trip but I did go to a reception at Rosa Mexicana, which had good -you guessed it – Mexican food — near the gallery metro stop (and hotel Monaco, where my work meetings were). I also had a bowl of chili at the Reagan national airport outpost of the famous Ben’s chili bowl. Didn’t bowl me over. But it obviously lacked the more urban atmosphere of the original Ben’s.
I had hoped to go to the ramen noodle place, daikaya izakaya, my sister highly recommended, also near the gallery metro but ran out of time. Next trip.
Last night I made my requisite pilgrimage to Politics and Prose, a longtime favorite bookstore on Connecticut. Always have to buy a book there, every DC trip!

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January 25, 2015 · 5:49 pm

Coppi, Newt, 14th street, Amsterdam falafel : Washington, D.C.

At good wood in DC

At good wood in DC

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I’ve been reluctant to go to Italian restaurants in the u.s. After two weeks of eating the real deal in Italy last fall but Coppi, a small neighborhood place in DC’s Cleveland Park neighborhood was excellent. My sister and I shared an appetizer sized plate of pasta with tomatoes, grilled shrimp, feta and then pizza. Also had an easy flight –direct– from Des Moines to DC — and this being Iowa, my fellow passengers included Newt Gingrich, his helmet-haired wife and lots of reporters who had been attending a conservative Republican gathering of possible presidential candidates in Des Moines.

Today my sister and I walked around 14th street, exploring the little boutiques and vintage stores there. had a very good lunch at Amsterdam falafel. (Excellent grilled eggplant side). Some good stores including: good wood, millennium, and home rule.

Went to a trader joes where the check out lined snaked throughout the store. I have never seen such a thing and apparently it’s routine on weekends (and not just because DC is bracing for a snowstorm.)

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December 5, 2014 · 9:06 pm

Even more reasons to go to Chicago in 2015: “the 606”, David Adjaye show at Art Institute

The 606Just heard the Art Institute of Chicago will  host the first show of work by British architect David Adjaye next September. He first came to my attention thanks to a profile last year in The New Yorker. He’s designing the new  National Museum of African American History and Culture, on the Mall in Washington, D.C.

Also new next summer – “the 606” – the Chicago version of NYC’s High Line. It includes parks and trails along 2.7 miles of a former elevated train track connecting four neighborhoods (see the606.org)

And as always, some new restaurants to check out:

– Chicken Shop, which serves free-range rotisserie chicken at the new Soho House hotel.

– GT Prime (a meat place from the chef who owns GT Fish & Oyster)

 – A Mexican food brewpub from Homaro Cantu (of Moto)

Thanks to the travel Mag AFAR for these suggestons.

Cover Photo

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November 23, 2014 · 3:41 am

Bouldin Cafe, Lost luggage…Austin

Also had breakfast with an old friend who grew up in Austin at a friendly hippie dippie place, Bouldin Cafe, in an old house in First Avenue just west of south congress in a neighborhood full of small gentrified houses and new modern homes squished onto lots where other small houses presumably once stood. The neighborhood reminded me of East Nashville, full of interesting activity and creative types. It was a fun neighborhood (albeit a little hilly) to explore by bike. I was dying for something cold to drink when I came upon this funny guy in a giant lemon, really, who was selling “cups of happiness.” And so they were! Cute name for his business too “Austin City Lemons.”

At the Austin airport, I passed a good live band playing on a stage in front of an open air bar that was packed with travelers. Couldn’t get a seat. shades of south by southwest. I foolishly volunteered to check my luggage at the gate (since the plane was so full) and as a result went home from the Des Moines airport without my bag. Thanks American Airlines (it did arrive today).

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