A View of Boston

Bean Town

Although our visit to the city of the Sox was a short one, it gave Stacey an idea of what Boston was all about (she had never been there before). After navigating the crazy one-way streets, we found our hotel and would have been content just lounging and watching t.v. for the evening. But we were hungry, so we ventured out and had an expensive and non-descript Italian meal. Wanting to make up for the lackluster food, we spied a Whole Foods, desirous of a bit of chocolate and good beer. To our surprise and sadness, no alcoholic beverages. But across the street we found a liquor store that sold…yep, you guessed it. Dogfish Head 90-Minute IPA. We crawled back under the covers, cuddled up with come Milano cookies and IPA, and zoned out.

The next morning, after oversleeping and almost missing our late checkout time, we decided to explore Boston for a bit. Maneuvering through the meandering streets, we went to Quincy Market and Fanuiel Hall (a.k.a. giant food courts), then through the Commons. Since it was Veteran’s Day, there happened to be a parade. People came out of the woodwork to view the marching bands and hear their bagpipes. Working our way back to our car, we gaped at the gorgeous brick buildings and wondered what it would be like to live in Boston. It didn’t take much deliberation to come to the consensus that even though the Sox call this their home, we will not.

“New” Pictures

The News: Jersey & York

We spent six nights on the east taking in the sights and sounds of New Jersey and New York.  Here’s a rundown of our adventures:

Thursday—Philadelphia just happened to be on the way to Jersey, therefore we just had to stop for a couple of Philly cheesesteaks at Pat’s.  A couple hours later, we arrived in Montclair, a suburb of Newark, hence a suburb of New York City. This is where Collin, Galen’s brother, is a manny of Rebecca and Gabby, the daughters of Sarah and David (whew!). After dinner, we hopped back in the car and headed to NJIT to watch a girls’ volleyball game with Collin (NJIT won!) and then, because we were hanging out with the bottomless stomach (Collin), went out for some Brazilian hamburgers. We didn’t think we were hungry, but then again, we had never had these tripled-meated, egg and potato crisp delights!

Friday—We caught a bus into New York City and were deposited right in the heart of 42nd Street and Broadway. Much to Galen’s chagrin, the crowds were thick with Yankee fans, so we hightailed it out of there (after eating a horrible piece of New York pizza) and found a quiet spot atop the rocks in Central Park overlooking the decked out playground. On our way to the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), we saw street performers and sampled hot nuts. Despite the massive amounts of tourists and rude foreigners, we were thoroughly impressed with the MOMA’s collection, especially Picasso’s The Charnel House, Dali’s The Persistence of Memory, Van Gogh’s Starry Night, and Munch’s The Storm. Then we jumped on the subway to Inwood, the northernmost point in Manhattan and home of Mark and Jamie, our friends from Tahoe. We were welcomed with hugs, a home-cooked meal, hookah, aged stout, and excellent company!

Saturday—Walking around Lower Manhattan, NoHo, and the Financial District, our bellies needed sustenance; we found a bakery with flaky pain au chocolats (chocolate croissants) and a few uppity locals. The site of the World Trade Center was an interesting mix of photo-snapping gapers, thoughtful onlookers, construction workers, and conspiracy theorists (building 7, anyone?). After a few subway transfers, we emerged in Brooklyn, only to be surrounded by…hipsters, we had somehow transported back to Seattle! Once again, hunger struck, but luckily a satisfying falafel and a quintessential NY pizza slice did the trick. We met up Kyra, Galen’s cousin, who took us out to Shachi’s, a Venezuelan restaurant, for a delicious and unique dinner: a nicoise-like octopus salad, cornmeal empanadas, arepas (we fell in love with these lovely delights), and sangria. Thanks, Kyra. It was great catching up with you! Barcade summoned us afterwards, and Mark joined us for beer, arcade games (including the classics Tapper, Ms. Pacman, and Centipede), and a riveting comparison of Michael Jackson and O.J. Simpson’s innocence/guiltiness.

Sunday—This was the perfect chill day. Mark and Jamie made breakfast. Collin came over, and the five of us grabbed some cachapes (more Venezuelan food, this time corn pancakes stuffed with goodies) and picnicked by the river. Our lazy stroll back to the house ended on the sofa, where we watched episodes of Top Chef and Project Runway, sipped wine, devoured chicken stew and focaccia (Galen whipped it up), and fell asleep to the movie W.  Mark and Jamie: Thanks for such a great weekend, for your generosity, and for your friendship.  We look forward to next time!

Monday—Collin told us we must go to the Strand, a bookstore with over 18 miles of books. Slightly overwhelmed, we needed New York bagels before going back to Jersey. Yummy! Our agenda for the evening: cook dinner for Collin and the family, which included rosemary roasted chicken, orange-thyme gnocchi, brussels sprouts, and apple galette with cider. Thanks, Sarah and Dave, for your hospitality!

Tuesday—We packed it up in the morning and hit the road. Coming up…Boston!

A Day in the Life of a Mid-Atlantic Boozehound

After leaving Lynchburg, we headed towards Washington D.C., with our end destination for the day a long-awaited treat: Dogfish Head Brewery in Delaware.  Our one-day drive was chock-full of cool stops and sights:

• Albemarle CiderWorks in North Garden, Virginia: This family-run cider house offered tastings of three ciders (not for kids!) and plenty of information about heirloom apples.  Not only did we purchase a bottle to go, we also decided that we want an apple orchard when we finally settle down.
• Belmont Farm Distillery in Culpeper, Virginia: In operation since the year prohibition was abolished (or at least that’s what our host told us), our friendly and fun tour ended with a purchase of Virginia Moonshine and Virginia Whiskey.  We are patiently awaiting an occasion to savor these unique flavors.
• Smithsonian Museums in Washington, D.C.: Strolling through the halls of the National Gallery of Art, we checked out Flemish art, a double-sided Da Vinci, and some old photography circa 1860s.  After being kicked out promptly at 5 p.m., we headed over to the Natural History Museum to check out the reassembled dinosaur skeletons.  Cooooool.  After being kicked out from that museum at 5:30, we attempted to drive around the Lincoln Memorial in rush hour traffic.  What a dumb idea.
• Dogfish Head Brewery in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware: Although we may have driven slightly out of the way to go here, it was the perfect ending to the day.  Dogfish Head handcrafts some of the best beers around, including our choices for the day: Pumpkin Ale, India Brown Ale, Wet Hop American Summer, Chicory Stout, and a vintage 2006 World Wide Stout that we drank in New York with Mark and Jamie later on that week.

All in all, it was an action-packed day with memorable stops.  Next up: The New Stops (Jersey & York).

Old Friends In New Places

Since September, our friend Jess has been calling us religiously, wondering if we were almost in Virginia.  We finally arrived in Lynchburg and had a wonderful few days hangin’ with Jess and Whitney, our friends from Tahoe.  Our days were filled with what we love to do best:

• Eat, Drink, & Be Merry: One of the great things about friends is being able to use their kitchen, enjoy great meals together, discover a new brew, and play a friendly yet competitive game of Clue or Trivia Pursuit.  Homemade pizza, fresh baked cookies, steak and potatoes, eggs and biscuits, Jomo Lager, Biscuitville…there was no shortage of food and drink to fill our bellies.
• Ride Bikes: Jess is a crazy downhiller, but he has been able to find some singletrack nearby.  Each day brought a new biking adventure, with Galen and Jess building jumps in the backyard, scoping out possible jumps, and jumping.
• Throw Discs: We got out on the courses every day to play disc golf.  One course made us feel like superstars; the other course didn’t.  Needless to say, we hit up the first course quite a few times.
• Frighten Childen: Galen finally got to don his Luchador mask on Halloween as El Guapo.  Although only a handful of kids came to the door that night, he was still able to scare the living daylights out of a couple of them.  Picture this: A grown-ass man jumping out at you in a shiny mask and a vintage vest yelling, “Bwhoohaahaahaa!”  Scary, isn’t it.

Thanks, Jess and Whitney, for a fantastic five days of fun and friendship.  Ginger, thanks for the hospitality, and Vicki, thanks for the dinner fixin’s!  We definitely are looking forward to our next visit.

Country Roads

The perfect picnic spot on the Blue Ridge Highway.

The fall colors were in full bloom. What a delight for Stacey, first time leaf peeper.

Picture our tent here. We set up in the dark and awoke next to a river tucked in the mountains of Asheville.

Our campsite in Asheville had more than one level.

Another great sunset capturing the city of Asheville and the Smoky Mountains in the distance.

Even the classy, old money Charleston, SC, has urban artists.

A small graveyard was tucked away in between a barbeque joint and a 300-year old church.

The capitol building glistened in the light rain. Little did we know tornadoes were pending.

Anyone know who gets this shout-out? Sorry the spelling is wrong.

We stumbled upon this picturesque spot in Brunswick, Georgia.

Southern Style

Sidenote: Once again, we apologize for the delay in our posts!  Sorry, moms!

We traversed four states in four days (This doesn’t happen in the west) after fleeing Florida and discovered a few gems along the way:

Brunswick, Georgia—After walking around downtown, we went north in search of some down-home cooking.  What we encountered did not disappoint: the First Mate’s fish fry, complete with shrimp, deviled crab, mullet, clams, hush puppies, cole slaw, and a baked sweet potato.  It was just what the captain ordered!

Savannah, Georgia—Sunset in Savannah offered stunning views of the river, a glistening clock tower, and a microbrewery pouring Taters, a sweet potato beer with a streusel-lined rim.  Although we did not originally plan to spend the night here, our plans quickly changed after hearing the sirens warning of a tornado!

Charleston, South Carolina—This place is as humid as Satan’s crotch (for real, we could hardly breathe) and the houses are ridiculously ginormous.  Galen had barbeque on the brain, so we choose to grub at a garage saler’s recommendation.  Stacey was not disappointed because the plate featured…sweet potato mash!  Mmm, mmm, good!

Asheville, North Carolina—If it snowed here, this might be the town for us.  Tons of unique shops, a bursting food scene, and one of the coolest bike shops we’ve ever patronized.  Frank at Hearns Bike Shop (the oldest in the U.S.) hooked it up and helped Galen get one step closer to a fully functioning road bike (thanks, Frank!).  We discovered Gaelic, a tasty local brew, and a fun riverside trail linking our campsite to town.  On the way out of Asheville, we just had to stop at 12 Bones for some authentic North Carolina-style BBQ.  This was Galen’s choice for best ribs of the road trip!

The Blue Ridge Highway, North Carolina & Virginia—Of course, we could have taken the direct and quicker route to Virginia, but what kind of scenic drive would that be?  Instead, we opted for the Blue Ridge Highway, complete with fall colors for Stacey’s leaf-peepin’ eyes, stunning views of the valleys below, and speed limits of 45 miles an hour (35 at times, and even slower with the low-lying fogginess).  If you ever get the chance, it is a must!  At nightfall, with our visibility limited, we jumped on the highway and headed to Lynchburg, home of our good friends Jess and Whitney.  Look out guys; here we come!

Photos of Florida

Sorry it took so long!  We’ve been too busy riding bikes, throwing discs, and having fun!  Well, here it is.  The long awaited…Florida pictures!

Sunshine & Gators

When life gives you the cold shoulder, where should you go? Cuba, of course. But if you can’t make it that far, then head to Florida, where everything is poisonous and life is hot and sticky. Here’s a brief timeline of our week in Florida:

Wednesday night: After a long day of driving from Pensacola to Naples in order to visit Nana, Galen’s grandma, and Penny, his aunt, we were rewarded with freshly baked oatmeal blueberry chocolate chip cookies.

Thursday afternoon: The four of us had a competitive game of putt-putt golf; Nana swiftly defeated us all with her putting skills while Penny distracted Galen with golf clubs and verbal jabs.

Thursday night: Nana and Penny took us out to a nice restaurant where Stacey had salmon almondine and Galen had rack of lamb.

Friday afternoon: We ventured out into the Everglades, enjoying a 15-mile bike ride at Shark Valley in search of gators (we saw 2), snakes (1), birds (too many to count), and Florida panthers (none).

Friday night: T.V. mysteries, baby! Not having cable, we don’t get a chance to watch these all that often; it was an entertaining treat.

Saturday afternoon: Naples Zoo (formerly Jungle Larry’s) housed a plethora of wild creatures, including lions, tigers, bears, wallaby (almost extinct, at one point), panthers, monkeys (they had their own islands), zebras (which are, in fact, black with white stripes), and gator feeding (boy, are those suckers big!). Afterwards, while Penny and Nana hit up mass, we scoped out downtown Naples, including the beach and Café Lurcat.

Saturday night: Galen cooked a simple yet tasty meal: pork chops topped with sherry apple compote and sautéed rainbow chard. Stacey contributed cream cheese wontons (see Featured Recipe page for wonton variations) for an appetizer and brownies for dessert.

Sunday: Jumped on the highway and headed for St. Petersburg, where we went to the Salvador Dali Museum. Highlights: Abraham Lincoln depth of field exercise, clock-on-a-hanger sculpture, a Venus de Milo painting, and numerous Freudian hang-ups. We were also told to go to the best Cuban food around, but we weren’t told the name. However, being ingenious, we discovered it anyway, only to find that it was closed. So we found a barbeque joint in the middle of the ghetto.

Sunday night: Arrived at Mikki’s house. Galen hadn’t seen his cousin in ten years; they had so much fun catching up that we decided to stay an extra night and cook for her, knowing that she probably wouldn’t be able to make it back to New Hampshire for Thanksgiving.

Monday afternoon: Mikki and Riley, Mikki’s daughter, treated us to pizza and then a walk through Payne’s Prairie in hopes of glimpsing wild horses and bison, but the only animal we encountered was the Tickle Monster!

Monday night: Galen cooked a few classic Spanish dishes for Mikki, Riley, and Phil: papas a la pobre, apple and cheese salad, mixed greens salad, Tortilla Espanola, gnocchi with confit tomatoes, manchego, and roasted cubanelles, and pomegranate bourbon sauce with brownies and chocolate chunk ice cream accompanied by everyone’s favorite, Woodford’s Reserve. We finished off the night with a remade horror classic: Night of the Living Dead. It was frightfully awesome.

Tuesday: We bid farewell and headed North.

Thanks, Nana, Penny, Mikki, Riley, and Phil, for making our visit a blast. We’ll have to do it again soon!