Monday, October 29, 2007
Speaking on Spokane
Egads...where has time gone? Two states later I'm getting around to posting on Spokane.
It was a gorgeous time of year to be there with the leaves changing colors. Fall is my FAVORITE time of year. The cool breeze, the vibrant colors, the smell of burning leaves...ahh!!
The hotel I stayed at was right on the riverfront with a trail that led to Riverfront Park. Spokane is a great weekend destination (a week would be way too much time unless you plan to spend some time in the great outdoors nearby). The majority of my time was spent downtown however, I did venture out for a drive to Idaho (a 30-45 minute drive). Coeur d'Alene is the closest big city after you cross the Idaho line. The lake there attracts alot of tourism from what it sounds like yet, I heard some interesting comments from locals about how toxic the lake has become unbeknownst to the general public. I have a pic of the lake in my slide show below. It is beautiful...amazing how something so toxic can look so beautiful.
Food highlights:
It was a gorgeous time of year to be there with the leaves changing colors. Fall is my FAVORITE time of year. The cool breeze, the vibrant colors, the smell of burning leaves...ahh!!
The hotel I stayed at was right on the riverfront with a trail that led to Riverfront Park. Spokane is a great weekend destination (a week would be way too much time unless you plan to spend some time in the great outdoors nearby). The majority of my time was spent downtown however, I did venture out for a drive to Idaho (a 30-45 minute drive). Coeur d'Alene is the closest big city after you cross the Idaho line. The lake there attracts alot of tourism from what it sounds like yet, I heard some interesting comments from locals about how toxic the lake has become unbeknownst to the general public. I have a pic of the lake in my slide show below. It is beautiful...amazing how something so toxic can look so beautiful.
Food highlights:
- Frank's Diner-I had lunch here (see pics in slideshow) one day. Very cool place...the oldest railroad car converted to a diner in the state of Washington (there are many of them around). It was a diner in Seattle for about 60 years and then moved to Spokane about 12-13 years ago. The little booths were all full so, I sat at the bar and watched them cook the food. I heard at breakfast time the line is out the door as it is a big local spot. I had the Monte Cristo sandwich (which happens to be my favorite sandwich). Normally, the Monte Cristo is a deep fried sandwich served with raspberry or strawberry jam/jelly. This diner had a slight variation with the sandwich being served on French Toast and a side of syrup. Still was very good. Also had a huckleberry shake which was yummy. Huckleberry is a big thing out west. I saw lots of food items with huckleberry in Montana as well.
- Soulful Soups-This cafe was SUPERB!! It was a tiny little cafe in downtown Spokane with a variety of homemade soups made fresh daily and yummy beer bread. Normally, I have to slather butter all over bread...the beer bread there was so yummy I could have had a loaf without butter! I've tasted other beer bread that wasn't quite as delicious so, apparently there was more than just beer that made the difference in their bread...hmm....vodka? lol Who knows? I had their Taco Soup with sour cream and shredded cheese on top. Sooooo good! They are only open for lunch but, if you are ever in the area you MUST go there!
- Ripples on the River restaurant-I ate dinner here the night I arrived in town due to the late hour. Not so great...there are plenty of better options around.
- The Onion-this is a local restaurant that has been around for years. I think there is one other one...both locations are in Spokane. I had a delicious burger and fries here. The service was great as well.
- Sawtooth Grill-I ate at this restaurant inside the River Park Square Mall (not a very exciting mall). The burger and fries I had there were decent but, not worth writing much about it. The atmosphere was cool with a lodge feel to it and the service was good.
- Dutch Brothers Coffee-this is a chain that is prominent in the western part of the U.S. however, I was not familiar with it so, I decided to try one of their lattes which was pretty good.
Attraction highlights:
- Spokane's Finch Arboretum-I must say that I often find the best spots purely by mistake. I was trying to get my bearings of the area when I first arrived and stumbled upon this place. A couple of my favorite fall pictures in my Spokane slideshow are from this arboretum. It is 65 acres of beautiful scenery. Unfortunately, didn't spend much time there...just enough time to snag few great pics.
- Riverfront Park-a definite must is to take the trail through Spokane and see this park which includes the Clock Tower, Pavilion, Looff Carousel (a historic carousel), Bloomsday Sculptures, a garbage eating metal goat (you push a button to vacuum up the garbage from your hand), a huge Radio Flyer wagon for kids (or adults for that matter since it was so big) to climb on and then slide down the handle, and the gondolas that take you over Spokane Falls (which unfortunately were only open on the weekends so, I wasn't able to go). There is an IMAX theatre but, it didn't really interest me compared to other IMAX theatres. The trail also takes you through several scenic spots including an Inspiration Point, an old bridge, the Willie Wiley Rock (say that ten times fast), a couple of old totem poles, and the Upper and Lower Spokane Falls.
A couple of interesting items:
- I spotted an old firehouse that had been converted into a dentist office. They were taking full advantage of this for their marketing. There was an old fire truck out front with a banner saying "The Old Firehouse Dentist Office" (see slideshow). I wonder if kids beg their parents to go to THAT dentist?
- Another cool item...while I was driving the interstate into Idaho I noticed the interstate signs had George Washington's head as the image for the interstate graphic (where it would normally be an outline of the state you were in...see slideshow). I guess that's the advantage of living in a state with the same name as a historic president.
- I was also impressed that there weren't a zillion casinos around like I failed to mention about Montana. Bozeman, MT had casinos like they were fast food joints. They were everywhere...stand alones, inside gas stations, inside restaurants, and on and on.
All in all...Spokane is one of those cities you should visit at least once but, you don't need to spend more than a weekend. I actually think it would be a great location for a General Conference due to the close proximity of restaurants, attractions, and hotels to the convention center.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Friday, October 12, 2007
Head for the mountains of...
err....Montana. Did you think I was going to say Busch? =)
Okay, I'm long overdue to post the highlights of my Montana trip...
My co-worker (who I will refer to as "B" from here on out to preserve her privacy) and I flew into Bozeman on Sunday afternoon last week. My first observation was, "Wow, I forgot what it is like in a regional airport." I think the last time I was in one was when I flew to be in a friend's wedding in Louisiana. I think it was the Lafayette airport?? It only had one gate and looked like a garage. Bozeman, however, was a bustling airport with FIVE gates! WHOA! and woe was me when I had to drag my luggage down a flight of stairs. Yep, that's right! No escalator in this metropolitan airport. Other than that the airport was quite nice. Very rustic and appropriately decked out in wood and animal sculptures.
As we were standing in line to get our rental car, the people in front of us asked the rental clerk, "Where is the closest liquor store?" Aghast at their audacity, I muttered under my breath to B, "Don't drink and drive." Apparently I must whisper like a freight train as they started chuckling and turned around saying, "Yea, we know it is weird to ask a rental car clerk where the nearest liquor store is but, really we don't drink and drive." Did I really say that out loud??? Make note to self: whisper quieter.
The drive from Bozeman to Big Sky (where we stayed) was GORGEOUS! We had to drive through a canyon to get to Big Sky and every bit of the drive was pure, untouched natural beauty. The view was like living inside a 12 month nature calendar...perfect and pristine. I had a great view of the mountains from the window in my room. Montana is just another piece of evidence that God's handiwork is certainly unparalleled. (Did I mention that there were also some cowboys in the locale that fit into that category?) Texans always say they're in God's country...sorry, I've been all over Texas and Montana has ya'll beat by a long shot.
Now before I go any further, let me explain the cute, pink pigs in my pictures. My employer has various items to promote our services. One of them is a cute, pink piggy bank that is a stress ball. B and I decided to make the pig our department mascot. We asked our co-workers to each take a pig on their various meetings across the U.S. AND take a picture with the pig to document the pig's travels. Later, when we have all returned from our journeys we plan to make a photo collage titled, "This little piggy went to..." Somehow, I think that B and I have enjoyed traveling with our pigs more than our colleagues but, the verdict is still out. Anyway, be on the look out for Miss Piggy in my upcoming travel pics. Who said pigs couldn't fly?
Finding food in Big Sky made me relate somewhat to the pioneers...most restaurants didn't open until 5 p.m. and some were closed because it was still off season. (Big Sky is skiing country.) We ended up finding a restaurant in one of the villages (Allgood's...which happened to have a sign that read "It's All Good" in their restaurant) to eat our lunch. I had a smothered green chili burger...not bad...interesting how they added sour cream on top. Later, we ate at the Thai restaurant in the same village (can't recall the restaurant's name) and I ordered their Pad Thai. You know...it was okay. I mean what do you expect in the boonies of Montana AND it was the off season? But, wow...it made me miss my Simply Thai in St. Louis. Did I mention it was the off season??? The owner of the Thai restaurant felt the need to explain numerous times to us in our brief carry-out interaction that business was slow because of the off season.
Monday we headed back into Bozeman (which was about a 45 minute drive) and checked out the town. It's a cute and quaint western town. We checked out the thrift shop named "Sacks of Bozeman" and some other shops. We were moseying around town because we were SUPPOSED to go paragliding on Monday. Long story short, we attempted to go just about every day we were there but, didn't get to go due to rain one day and severe crosswinds the other days. Was so totally bummed...I was psyched about getting to paraglide. So, we headed back to the lodge to eat dinner at the restaurant onsite due to the weather, windy roads, and slim pickings on eateries. I was adament on having wild game while I was in Montana and ordered wild boar. YUM...tasted like a good, tender steak! The lodge restaurant has won various awards for their food however, B and I had a nice chuckle since I ordered boar and she ordered the bison plate yet, the plate presentation was almost identical. The food was great...it just didn't seem like much creativity had gone into making the plates appear distinctively different. We mused whether or not the chefs back in the kitchen used their experience at the lodge restaurant to build up their resume before applying for the big ski resort restaurants.
Tuesday we headed to Billings (a 3 hour drive one way) for some work research which took most of the day between the drive and the visit. We headed back into Bozeman in hopes of paragliding but, again the weather was uncooperative. We ate dinner at Montana Ale Works before we headed back to Big Sky. The food was good...I ordered Bison Meatloaf.
Wednesday we went to Yellowstone National Park! The west entrance visitors center is in the small town of West Yellowstone, MT. There were painted bulls (see slide show below) everywhere that reminded me of Jerusalem. In Jerusalem (and other parts of Israel for that matter since I recall seeing one in Tel Aviv) you will find elaborate statues of lions (symbolic for the Lion of Judah).
Not too long after you pass through the west entrance of Yellowstone you actually enter Wyoming. Yellowstone was great...we sighted buffalo, elk, and deer. I've always wanted to see Old Faithful so, that was definitely a highlight. Old Faithful was not so faithful though as it was 10 minutes late. The Morning Glory pool was an incredible sight with its rainbow of colors. We walked one of the designated trails (about 3 miles) around various geysers and pools. Thankfully, we had great weather until we headed out of the gift shop to our car and it started snowing and raining...perfect timing!
Wednesday night we headed back to the lodge for dinner due to the weather again. I went for the wild pheasant which was delicious. Yup, tasted like chicken! =)
Thursday and Friday were filled with work activities so, not much exciting to note there. Friday morning, I failed to look out the window before I left my room so, I was shocked as I opened the door to see a winter wonderland! Fortunately, I had packed adequately for the weather. We went from 30 degrees and snow Friday morning back to 90 degrees that evening in St. Louis! Before we left though, we had all the meeting attendees pose with us and our pigs (see slide show). Then we made sure to capture Louie and Miss Piggy playing in the snow together.
Louie (B's pig) is heading off to the beaches of FL next week without Miss Piggy. Miss Piggy and I head off next to the great state of Washington. We are happy for Louie and B...the mountain air has a way of affecting one's speech. We hope that B's onset of symptoms dissipate in a warmer climate. =) We will certainly miss the whiplash and sudden photo op stops alongside the road every 5 seconds. I am glad I was able to tag along with B...I mean after all...who would warn her to get back in the car and drive as traffic quickly approached from behind during her photo ops?? =) I frequently reminded her of the crosses alongside the highway and my desire to see my 30th birthday.
Oh yea, if you read my San Francisco post, you might remember me bragging on T-Mobile? Well, apparently I spoke to soon...service is available in the Pacific Ocean but, not so much in the mountains of Montana folks. B and I discovered a pattern though. She has a different carrier and whenever one cell service was roaming the other was not and vice versa...go figure.
All in all...I don't consider myself an outdoorsy girl and never thought I would care one way or the other but, I definitely want to go back to visit (NOT live in) Montana.
Okay, I'm long overdue to post the highlights of my Montana trip...
My co-worker (who I will refer to as "B" from here on out to preserve her privacy) and I flew into Bozeman on Sunday afternoon last week. My first observation was, "Wow, I forgot what it is like in a regional airport." I think the last time I was in one was when I flew to be in a friend's wedding in Louisiana. I think it was the Lafayette airport?? It only had one gate and looked like a garage. Bozeman, however, was a bustling airport with FIVE gates! WHOA! and woe was me when I had to drag my luggage down a flight of stairs. Yep, that's right! No escalator in this metropolitan airport. Other than that the airport was quite nice. Very rustic and appropriately decked out in wood and animal sculptures.
As we were standing in line to get our rental car, the people in front of us asked the rental clerk, "Where is the closest liquor store?" Aghast at their audacity, I muttered under my breath to B, "Don't drink and drive." Apparently I must whisper like a freight train as they started chuckling and turned around saying, "Yea, we know it is weird to ask a rental car clerk where the nearest liquor store is but, really we don't drink and drive." Did I really say that out loud??? Make note to self: whisper quieter.
The drive from Bozeman to Big Sky (where we stayed) was GORGEOUS! We had to drive through a canyon to get to Big Sky and every bit of the drive was pure, untouched natural beauty. The view was like living inside a 12 month nature calendar...perfect and pristine. I had a great view of the mountains from the window in my room. Montana is just another piece of evidence that God's handiwork is certainly unparalleled. (Did I mention that there were also some cowboys in the locale that fit into that category?) Texans always say they're in God's country...sorry, I've been all over Texas and Montana has ya'll beat by a long shot.
Now before I go any further, let me explain the cute, pink pigs in my pictures. My employer has various items to promote our services. One of them is a cute, pink piggy bank that is a stress ball. B and I decided to make the pig our department mascot. We asked our co-workers to each take a pig on their various meetings across the U.S. AND take a picture with the pig to document the pig's travels. Later, when we have all returned from our journeys we plan to make a photo collage titled, "This little piggy went to..." Somehow, I think that B and I have enjoyed traveling with our pigs more than our colleagues but, the verdict is still out. Anyway, be on the look out for Miss Piggy in my upcoming travel pics. Who said pigs couldn't fly?
Finding food in Big Sky made me relate somewhat to the pioneers...most restaurants didn't open until 5 p.m. and some were closed because it was still off season. (Big Sky is skiing country.) We ended up finding a restaurant in one of the villages (Allgood's...which happened to have a sign that read "It's All Good" in their restaurant) to eat our lunch. I had a smothered green chili burger...not bad...interesting how they added sour cream on top. Later, we ate at the Thai restaurant in the same village (can't recall the restaurant's name) and I ordered their Pad Thai. You know...it was okay. I mean what do you expect in the boonies of Montana AND it was the off season? But, wow...it made me miss my Simply Thai in St. Louis. Did I mention it was the off season??? The owner of the Thai restaurant felt the need to explain numerous times to us in our brief carry-out interaction that business was slow because of the off season.
Monday we headed back into Bozeman (which was about a 45 minute drive) and checked out the town. It's a cute and quaint western town. We checked out the thrift shop named "Sacks of Bozeman" and some other shops. We were moseying around town because we were SUPPOSED to go paragliding on Monday. Long story short, we attempted to go just about every day we were there but, didn't get to go due to rain one day and severe crosswinds the other days. Was so totally bummed...I was psyched about getting to paraglide. So, we headed back to the lodge to eat dinner at the restaurant onsite due to the weather, windy roads, and slim pickings on eateries. I was adament on having wild game while I was in Montana and ordered wild boar. YUM...tasted like a good, tender steak! The lodge restaurant has won various awards for their food however, B and I had a nice chuckle since I ordered boar and she ordered the bison plate yet, the plate presentation was almost identical. The food was great...it just didn't seem like much creativity had gone into making the plates appear distinctively different. We mused whether or not the chefs back in the kitchen used their experience at the lodge restaurant to build up their resume before applying for the big ski resort restaurants.
Tuesday we headed to Billings (a 3 hour drive one way) for some work research which took most of the day between the drive and the visit. We headed back into Bozeman in hopes of paragliding but, again the weather was uncooperative. We ate dinner at Montana Ale Works before we headed back to Big Sky. The food was good...I ordered Bison Meatloaf.
Wednesday we went to Yellowstone National Park! The west entrance visitors center is in the small town of West Yellowstone, MT. There were painted bulls (see slide show below) everywhere that reminded me of Jerusalem. In Jerusalem (and other parts of Israel for that matter since I recall seeing one in Tel Aviv) you will find elaborate statues of lions (symbolic for the Lion of Judah).
Not too long after you pass through the west entrance of Yellowstone you actually enter Wyoming. Yellowstone was great...we sighted buffalo, elk, and deer. I've always wanted to see Old Faithful so, that was definitely a highlight. Old Faithful was not so faithful though as it was 10 minutes late. The Morning Glory pool was an incredible sight with its rainbow of colors. We walked one of the designated trails (about 3 miles) around various geysers and pools. Thankfully, we had great weather until we headed out of the gift shop to our car and it started snowing and raining...perfect timing!
Wednesday night we headed back to the lodge for dinner due to the weather again. I went for the wild pheasant which was delicious. Yup, tasted like chicken! =)
Thursday and Friday were filled with work activities so, not much exciting to note there. Friday morning, I failed to look out the window before I left my room so, I was shocked as I opened the door to see a winter wonderland! Fortunately, I had packed adequately for the weather. We went from 30 degrees and snow Friday morning back to 90 degrees that evening in St. Louis! Before we left though, we had all the meeting attendees pose with us and our pigs (see slide show). Then we made sure to capture Louie and Miss Piggy playing in the snow together.
Louie (B's pig) is heading off to the beaches of FL next week without Miss Piggy. Miss Piggy and I head off next to the great state of Washington. We are happy for Louie and B...the mountain air has a way of affecting one's speech. We hope that B's onset of symptoms dissipate in a warmer climate. =) We will certainly miss the whiplash and sudden photo op stops alongside the road every 5 seconds. I am glad I was able to tag along with B...I mean after all...who would warn her to get back in the car and drive as traffic quickly approached from behind during her photo ops?? =) I frequently reminded her of the crosses alongside the highway and my desire to see my 30th birthday.
Oh yea, if you read my San Francisco post, you might remember me bragging on T-Mobile? Well, apparently I spoke to soon...service is available in the Pacific Ocean but, not so much in the mountains of Montana folks. B and I discovered a pattern though. She has a different carrier and whenever one cell service was roaming the other was not and vice versa...go figure.
All in all...I don't consider myself an outdoorsy girl and never thought I would care one way or the other but, I definitely want to go back to visit (NOT live in) Montana.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Friday, September 28, 2007
San Francisco comments
Yea, I know that my San Fran pics are posted farther down on the page but, I'm trying to get caught up on my posts before I go on my next trip in a couple days.
A couple notable restaurants that will definitely be on my return list:
A couple notable restaurants that will definitely be on my return list:
- la Mediterranee-Aaaaaaaaaaah! This was divine. In fact, you'll see a pic of our table full of food in the below San Fran slideshow. When I lived in Jerusalem, I went to this Morrocan restaurant that had an incredible dish called Pastilla Fassia (Phyllo pastry stuffed with cornish hen and almonds decorated with powdered sugar and cinnamon). I've craved it ever since with no real luck. St. Louis doesn't have any Morrocan restaurants. BUT...this restaurant had a dish very similar that rocked the house. We also had dolmas, hummus, baba ghanoush, tabuleh, pomegranate wings, and some other Mediterranean food....YUM!
- Java Restaurant-is a great Indonesian restaurant on Clement St. I highly recommend going to Clement St. if you want an authentic experience. I didn't even bother going to Chinatown. I would say Clement St. is somewhat like Devon St. was in Chicago...where the locals go when they want authentic food but, Clement St. was not nearly as packed with restaurants and shops like Devon St. in Chicago.
- Also had some great Bubble Tea on Clement St...my fav is always the Taro Milk.
As to activities, let's see...
- Of course, we had to do the Golden Gate Bridge. It was a perfectly clear day when we went which was a God-send since the very next day was overcast.
- Fisherman's Wharf...had some good ol' clam chowder in a bread bowl and had my pic taken with a sourdough bread alligator (see slideshow below)
- We also watched the fireworks at the Wharf since we were there on the 4th of July. Froze our backsides off there on the Bay. Amazingly enough, some idiots decided to swim out in the Bay with just their swimming trunks on in 40-50 degree weather (can't imagine the water temp but, the Pacific is supposed to be cold) DURING the fireworks. Folks, you can't teach stupid.
- Alcatraz was a must-see for me so, I took off to go there for an afternoon while Chy went to Chinatown. In case anyone is wondering, my cell phone worked on the Rock! Go T-Mobile!!!
- We went to see Lombard St. (supposedly the crookedest street in San Fran...it technically is not...I forget the name of the street that gets that honor)...see the slideshow for the pic
- Did a ride on the infamous streetcars...it's kinda crazy when you are at the top of the hill and the guy is switching gears for the car to head down the hill. Made me wonder how they train the car operators to do their job...I mean really...quality control?? One mistake at the gears and everyone's a goner.
- We did some thrift shopping...hmm...the part of the city is slipping from me...but, saw some great vintage clothing. Unfortunately, I'm no longer a size 2 and didn't purchase any of the clothes. People think models today are too thin...I think the general population from the 1950's-70's had to be anorexic. Those of us in size 8 or 10 must have been considered Plus Sizes.
- OH! How could I forget?? I was thoroughly impressed to find a chocolatier at the Wharf that made chocolate covered potato chips. Amazingly enough my extremely cultured buddy, Chy, had never experienced this delicacy until that point. Seriously, it is considered a high end product...hard to find and not cheap...but oh, so good...sweet and salty...mmmmm!
- We headed back to the Sacramento area for the weekend (I flew into San Fran and out of Sacramento) and we went to the lake. I kayaked for the first time...I instantly fell in love with it. I'm really not an athletic, outdoorsy girl but, that was a blast. Chy took me to her fav Thai restaurant in her hometown before I left...very good!
All in all...San Fran is definitely one sweet city to visit.
Chicago continued...
Okay, so a month or so later is better than never. Notice I managed to get the food portion of my trip up much quicker? Let's see most of my time in Chicago was spent couped up in a training class but, managed to do some fun things on the weekend. Chy and I went to catch an outdoor concert at Lincoln Park, walked around Navy Pier and saw their fireworks (I think they do it twice weekly). Also, went to the Museum of Science and Industry which was great...we did the CSI special exhibit while we were there.
The hostel (http://www.arlingtonhouse.com/) we stayed at was a renovated nursing home north of the the city. It was decent...but, definitely not as nice as some hostels I've stayed at. (Of course, keep in mind I had just spent the week in one of Chicago's finer hotels (http://www.burnhamhotel.com/) during my business trip so, the polar extremes shocked my system, I do believe.) It was tight quarters in the elevator, definitely not for the claustrophobic and seeing that we were on the 4th or 5th floor, dragging our bags up multiple flights of stairs didn't seem the better option.
One night when we came in there were some people in the lounge that offered for us to join their small party. Chy kindly informed them that we were not the drinkin kind. Next morning, when Chy headed first to the ladies shared showers, she was greeted by the not so pleasant aroma of...well...let's just say the drinkin kind got to enjoy their liquor one more time from the opposite direction. Alas, our showers were taken on a different floor that morning. =)
Hotel Burnham on the other hand (right on the corner of State Street...Nordstrom Rack immediately next door, Filene's Basement across the street...) wow, a traveler of my type really shouldn't stay at hotels like this...it is likely to spoil you forever. I'm used to bare essential lodging so, when I come in from a night out on the town with my room curtains closed, lights dimmed, music (which I did not turn on when I left the room) playing softly...Well, it scared the snot out of me. Who was in my room?????? When I mustered up enough courage to make my legs work I also noticed my bedding was all turned back, in addition to chocolate and the TV remote control on my pillow. OOOOoooooooh yea, I've read about hotels like this...this must be how the other half live!
Chy really wanted to see the Broadway show Wicked so, she nabbed some great tickets...we were like on the 10th row I think?? I must say I was somewhat skeptical of the show going into it but, ultimately thought it was a great production (singing, costumes, storyline) with only a couple things that I had issue with in the storyline. I'm glad I got to see it though.
Oh, I guess I did forget to mention one restaurant we went to...the Samba Sushi...somewhat close to Greektown. It was a fusion of Brazilian and Japanese food. We just had to try it because it sounded so unique. Chy got a sushi plate and I got this Brazilian seafood gumbo type dish. One great reason why Chy and I make great travel buddies is that we know what the traveling is all about...FOOD! We have this agreement to always get different items and split with each other to get the full effect of the places we eat at. I need to get paid to be a food critic or something.
The hostel (http://www.arlingtonhouse.com/) we stayed at was a renovated nursing home north of the the city. It was decent...but, definitely not as nice as some hostels I've stayed at. (Of course, keep in mind I had just spent the week in one of Chicago's finer hotels (http://www.burnhamhotel.com/) during my business trip so, the polar extremes shocked my system, I do believe.) It was tight quarters in the elevator, definitely not for the claustrophobic and seeing that we were on the 4th or 5th floor, dragging our bags up multiple flights of stairs didn't seem the better option.
One night when we came in there were some people in the lounge that offered for us to join their small party. Chy kindly informed them that we were not the drinkin kind. Next morning, when Chy headed first to the ladies shared showers, she was greeted by the not so pleasant aroma of...well...let's just say the drinkin kind got to enjoy their liquor one more time from the opposite direction. Alas, our showers were taken on a different floor that morning. =)
Hotel Burnham on the other hand (right on the corner of State Street...Nordstrom Rack immediately next door, Filene's Basement across the street...) wow, a traveler of my type really shouldn't stay at hotels like this...it is likely to spoil you forever. I'm used to bare essential lodging so, when I come in from a night out on the town with my room curtains closed, lights dimmed, music (which I did not turn on when I left the room) playing softly...Well, it scared the snot out of me. Who was in my room?????? When I mustered up enough courage to make my legs work I also noticed my bedding was all turned back, in addition to chocolate and the TV remote control on my pillow. OOOOoooooooh yea, I've read about hotels like this...this must be how the other half live!
Chy really wanted to see the Broadway show Wicked so, she nabbed some great tickets...we were like on the 10th row I think?? I must say I was somewhat skeptical of the show going into it but, ultimately thought it was a great production (singing, costumes, storyline) with only a couple things that I had issue with in the storyline. I'm glad I got to see it though.
Oh, I guess I did forget to mention one restaurant we went to...the Samba Sushi...somewhat close to Greektown. It was a fusion of Brazilian and Japanese food. We just had to try it because it sounded so unique. Chy got a sushi plate and I got this Brazilian seafood gumbo type dish. One great reason why Chy and I make great travel buddies is that we know what the traveling is all about...FOOD! We have this agreement to always get different items and split with each other to get the full effect of the places we eat at. I need to get paid to be a food critic or something.
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