Getting Lost

I found this post as I was browsing through travel blogs on my WordPress Reader. It expresses, in the end, what travel can be if you let yourself go—or go with the flow. My wife and I did a bit of this in Venice and wished we had more time. With thanks to Niti.

NitiFromBoston's avatarNiti From Boston

IMG_1582Last September, I went to Venice for a weekend with my roommate from Rome. Countless friends had told me that half the fun of the trip would be getting lost in the city and spending the subsequent hours wandering around. Getting lost? Not having a destination? How can that be fun? I thought to myself. Little did I know that it was exactly what I needed.

As a Type A planner by nature, I always needed to know what lay five steps ahead. Then, lo and behold, I encountered this sign. If I went right, it said, I would reach S. Marco Rialto. If I went left, I would reach S. Marco Rialto.

I figured, no matter which way we went, we’d get to S. Marco Rialto. But we kept going in circles. Or zig-zags, or some polygonal path that certainly was not getting us to where we needed to go…

View original post 532 more words

Bò Kho at The Lemongrass (Little Saigon, Seattle, WA)

One of the great Vietnamese adaptations of French cooking is bò kho (beef stew), although its precise origin is somewhat murky. The French connection is not only that it's a stew of braised beef but that it can be eaten with a baguette as popularly as rice or rice noodles. That's where the similarities end... Continue Reading →

Pho at Than Brothers

For quick and inexpensive pho, I generally go to Than Brothers. At $5.45 for a small bowl, enough to fill me up, I usually get a pho bo tai nam (rare eye of round and well-done flank). Available for $6.25 is a medium bowl, all the way up to extra large for a mere $7.25. This... Continue Reading →

Eh, What? A Subaru Commercial?

Let me get straight that this blog is definitely not in the business of promoting cars or featuring commercials. With that said, I came across this remarkable Subaru commercial that demonstrates a new safety technology called Eye Sight, sort of a collision-avoidance system. But the thing that struck me about this ad, aside from being... Continue Reading →

What’s Up with Happy Hour at Ruth’s Chris?

A meal at Ruth's Chris can be a king's ransom, as it is at many steakhouses these days. (Incidentally, where did they get that name that just doesn't roll off the tongue?) By all accounts, you can expect to pay even more dearly at the nearby John Howie Steak at the Bravern. I doubt that I'll... Continue Reading →

Back to Pestle Rock

I pondered whether to submit yet another review of Pestle Rock, the outstanding Isan Thai restaurant in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle, but a couple of unusual dishes (unusual for us who live thousands of miles from Thailand) tipped the balance in favor of it. The original post was a lunchtime meal; the other a... Continue Reading →

Pizza Magic at Stoneburner

The recently opened Stoneburner has two meanings, our waiter informed us. Not only does it refer to the stone hearth oven in the kitchen but also to the namesake chef, Jason Stoneburner, who is also the executive chef at Bastille, only a block away in Ballard. The waiter added that the menu is Italian-inspired, much... Continue Reading →

Ramen Fujisan (San Gabriel, CA)

"Thick noodles or thin?" "Heavy, medium or thin broth?" "Lean pork or pork belly?" "Firm, medium or soft noodles?" "How much oil do you want?" (more on this below) These are the battery of questions you get asked by the wait staff when you order ramen at Ramen Fujisan in San Gabriel. On top of... Continue Reading →

View at the Top: Christchurch Gondola (NZ)

My son-in-law pointed out the earthquake rubble below us. To my untrained eyes, they just looked like rocks littering the side of Mt Cavendish, but from the gondola car making its way to the top, you could see that many rocks were not covered in lichen, signifying recent movement from their original spots. So many... Continue Reading →

Phoenix Rising: The Optimism of Christchurch

Yesterday's news that a large 6.5 earthquake hit Wellington, New Zealand's capital, following a 5.7 rattler only two days before, was yet another reminder that New Zealand remains seismically active. When I was here earlier in the year, Mt Tongariro on the North Island erupted. Volcanic activity and sudden earth movement are alive and well... Continue Reading →

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑