ramblings of a Seattle travel, food and photography hound
Is this a face that only a mother could love? Don't tell that directly to the weedy scorpionfish who has a bit of a venomous bite. Kidding aside, Rhinopias frondosa is spellbinding, even beautiful to look at. It doesn't swim so much as crawl on its lacy fins. I saw this specimen at the Georgia Aquarium.
It's rare to see frogs anymore, so I was surprised to stumble upon this Southern cricket frog on the grounds of the Chattanooga Choo Choo last October.
Front Street in downtown Issaquah is diverse, culinarily speaking. BBQ, Mexican, Chinese, Italian, pastrami and seafood restaurants are within easy walking distance of each other. And, of course, in a class by itself is Max's World Cafe. A friend and I were headed to Max's today for lunch when we spotted Coconut Thai Restaurant, across the street from... Continue Reading →
I love staring at jellyfish at aquariums. So do a lot of other people. They are among the most beautiful and hypnotic of creatures. The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, CA, has a terrific collection, among them these splendid sea nettles. The aquarium may not compete with some of the nation's more well-known and larger ones,... Continue Reading →
I've posted before that Noodle Boat in Issaquah serves some of the best Thai food in the Seattle area. The current special is called Rice 'n Spicy, which seems like deconstructed fried rice. What made it extraordinary was saucy and spicy rice, likely a combination of nam pla and sweet soy sauce, with plenty of tongue-searing heat (I... Continue Reading →
It won't win any prize for names. Chinese Seafood Noodle recently opened in Lake Hills Village. The former Lake Hills Shopping Center that used to host Paldo World, Liebchen Delicatessen and Wonton City, has been demolished and replaced by a fancier, mixed-use complex of housing, office space, restaurants and the Lake Hills Library. If the Village ever gets completed—it's... Continue Reading →
I'm partial to thin-crust pizza with simple toppings. I should be able to count the ingredients on one hand. A crust crisped on the outside, chewy on the inside. If the pie doesn't sag in the middle, even better. This doesn't mean I won't appreciate another style. Antico Pizza Napoletana serves Neapolitan pizzas in Atlanta. In 2012, Zagat conducted a survey of the best... Continue Reading →
I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw them. Giants. The world's most colossal fish is a shark. The only whale sharks in U. S. captivity live in the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. Despite their membership in the shark family, they are filter feeders that eat plankton. They're rather harmless to humans, which still doesn't lessen their... Continue Reading →
I thought I'd seen almost all the interesting orchids there were to see. I'd been to several world-class botanical gardens, each with very fine orchid specimens. When I walked into the Fuqua Orchid Center of the Atlanta Botanical Garden, I knew from the outset that the collection was exceptional. What I saw was only a portion of... Continue Reading →
Hurricane Joaquin was whipping up chaos along the lower Atlantic coast. As of last week, forecasts predicted heavy rainstorms, including inundation of the Great Smokies where we were headed. Plans we had for hiking around the Gatlinburg area of Tennessee hung in the balance as we contemplated our next move from the relative calm of Nashville. Suddenly, the... Continue Reading →
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