There is a really nice running path next to the Schuylkill River. To get there, head west along Walnut Street until you get to the steps on the eastern side of the bridge over the Schuylkill River. Go down the steps and you're on the path. The path only goes about .25 miles south of this point. If you go north, you will get to the Art Museum. At this point, the path branches out to be on the east and west sides of the river (the cross walk here is a little dangerous, so be careful) and goes for about 4 miles to the Falls River Bridge. You can do a big, nine-mile loop if you feel so inclined.
This is a good website: http://www.walkjogrun.net/routes/route_list.cfm?lg=-75.18360614776611&lat=39.96485249194248&zmlevel=2
Saturday, April 11, 2009
MY FAVORITE HISTORIC SITES
Rob is putting together a walking guide for old city (you'll get that when you get here), so basic information on those sites will all be covered. These are my personal favorite sites.
1. Eastern State Penitentiary, 22nd and Fairmount in the Fairmount section of the city (http://www.easternstate.org/): This is the earliest penitentiary in the city and it by far my favorite historic site in the country. It is in a ruin state and creepy as all. Steve Buschemi narrates the audio tour. It is super.
2. The Philadelphia Museum of Art, Benjamin Franklin Parkway (http://www.philamuseum.org/): The building is gorgeous, the view from the front is beautiful, and the collection is pretty great. Definitely worth a visit.
3. Boathouse Row and the Waterworks, on the eastern banks of the Schuylkill River just north of the PMA (http://www.fairmountpark.org/Rowing.asp). This is part of the Fairmount Park system, which is the largest urban park in the world. The park has dozens of historic houses, hundreds of sculptures and public art, and several thousand acres. Boathouse Row and the Waterworks is arguably the most lovely section of the park. The Waterworks Museum is really interesting and admission is on a voluntary basis -- it is all about how we get our water. Here is a link to an interactive map of the park: http://citymaps.phila.gov/ParksAndRec/cmFairmountParkMap.aspx?ADDRESS=KELLY+DR+%26+LEMON+HILL+DR&PX=2686309.60588735&PY=242312.900673455
4. Rittenhouse Square on a Nice Day: If it is nice out, Rittenhouse Square is beautiful and it makes for some of the best people watching you can find.
5. Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Broad and Arch, just north of City Hall (http://www.pafa.org/Museum/Research-Archives/The-Buildings/Landmark-Building/63/): This is probably my favorite building in the city, designed by Frank Furness. It was restored to all of its Victorian-Hoo-Ha grandeur about 10 years ago and it is really beautiful. But, I'm sort of a building nerd.
6. The Basillica of Saints Peter and Paul, On the Parkway at 18th Street (just north of Logan Circle) (http://www.sspeterpaulcathedral.catholicweb.com/). If you want to go to mass on Sunday, this would be the place to do it. Gorgeous. Stunning.
1. Eastern State Penitentiary, 22nd and Fairmount in the Fairmount section of the city (http://www.easternstate.org/): This is the earliest penitentiary in the city and it by far my favorite historic site in the country. It is in a ruin state and creepy as all. Steve Buschemi narrates the audio tour. It is super.
2. The Philadelphia Museum of Art, Benjamin Franklin Parkway (http://www.philamuseum.org/): The building is gorgeous, the view from the front is beautiful, and the collection is pretty great. Definitely worth a visit.
3. Boathouse Row and the Waterworks, on the eastern banks of the Schuylkill River just north of the PMA (http://www.fairmountpark.org/Rowing.asp). This is part of the Fairmount Park system, which is the largest urban park in the world. The park has dozens of historic houses, hundreds of sculptures and public art, and several thousand acres. Boathouse Row and the Waterworks is arguably the most lovely section of the park. The Waterworks Museum is really interesting and admission is on a voluntary basis -- it is all about how we get our water. Here is a link to an interactive map of the park: http://citymaps.phila.gov/ParksAndRec/cmFairmountParkMap.aspx?ADDRESS=KELLY+DR+%26+LEMON+HILL+DR&PX=2686309.60588735&PY=242312.900673455
4. Rittenhouse Square on a Nice Day: If it is nice out, Rittenhouse Square is beautiful and it makes for some of the best people watching you can find.
5. Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Broad and Arch, just north of City Hall (http://www.pafa.org/Museum/Research-Archives/The-Buildings/Landmark-Building/63/): This is probably my favorite building in the city, designed by Frank Furness. It was restored to all of its Victorian-Hoo-Ha grandeur about 10 years ago and it is really beautiful. But, I'm sort of a building nerd.
6. The Basillica of Saints Peter and Paul, On the Parkway at 18th Street (just north of Logan Circle) (http://www.sspeterpaulcathedral.catholicweb.com/). If you want to go to mass on Sunday, this would be the place to do it. Gorgeous. Stunning.
Friday, April 10, 2009
DINNER / BAR RECOMMENDATIONS
This is just a select list based mostly on proximity to the hotels. You can always call me/us if you need more specific recommendations. This is only the Center City West/Rittenhouse Area, so there are plenty more options only slightly further a field.
Monk’s, 264 S 16th StPhiladelphia, PA: I love this place. Even though the attitude and service kind of sucks, they have an epic beer selection and make, what are, quite arguably, the best burgers and fries in town. Mussels and salads and sandwiches are actually all great. It gets super packed in the evenings, so you’ll have to wait for a table, but it is also good if you’re having a drinking lunch. Beer is pricey, but epic and delicious. Burgers run about $8 and you’ll want to order a side of pommes frites to go with.
Audrey Claire, 276 S 20th St, Philadelphia, PA: Good little Mediterranean BYO. I remember entrees running in the $14-22 range, but it has been a while since I’ve been there.
Melangrano, 2012 Sansom St, Philadelphia, PA 19103: I love, love, love this Italian BYO and it was also the site of our proper first date. You know, for food. It’s code. They make fantastic pastas, but I am particularly fond of the papardelle with mushrooms, truffles and cheese. Pastas I think are in the $14-18 range, and meat entrees are in the low $20s.
The Good Dog Bar, 224 S 15th St, Philadelphia, PA 19102: I stand by the fact that the Good Dog Burger here is the best in town. That is, assuming, that you order it medium or medium rare---otherwise all the cheese melts out and it loses the magic. Also of note: the grilled cheese, the FRIES are superb, the cheese steak empanadas are truly magnificent. They also generally have a pretty good beer list with some good local beers. This is a little pricier, but more than you can reasonably eat – I think that the burger runs about $9.
Parc, 227 S 18th St, Philadelphia, PA : I haven’t actually eaten here, but it has gotten pretty good reviews. It is right on Rittenhouse Square and it is a beautiful space. It is an expensive and good bistro with a full bar. It is owned by Steven Starr who is a semi-famous restaurateur in the world, and a well-known restaurateur in Philadelphia. Full bar.
Mama Palma’s, 2229 Spruce St, Philadelphia, PA: This place makes super pizza, if you are into the wood-fired, gourmet variety of pizza. It is BYO for wine, but they serve beer (ask Johnny about the beer here). Delicious.
Black Sheep, 247 S 17th St, Philadelphia: Good Irish bar, pretty good food. Site of the Rehearsal dinner after party.
La Viola, 253 S 16th St # A, Philadelphia, PA: Good little Italian BYO and pretty reasonably priced. I remember being particularly enamored by the arugula salad.
Alma de Cuba, 1623 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA. Expensive and fancy Cuban food by Steve Starr. It is fun and they make mean cocktails.
Tequila’s, 1602 Locust St, Philadelphia, PA: Delicious but pricey Mexican in a beautiful setting. Dining room is one of the prettiest in the area. Full bar. Good margaritas.
Pumpkin, 1713 South St, Philadelphia: Great little seasonal BYO that focuses on fresh, seasonal and local ingredients. We both really like it.
Tria, 123 S. 18th Street, Philadelphia or 1137 Spruce Street, Philadelphia: Two locations, one near Rittenhouse (19th and Sansom), one in the Gayborhood (Spruce and 11th). Rob proposed to me at the Spruce Street location. Awww. They have a great, reasonably priced list of wines by the glass, a super beer list, great sandwiches, salads and snacks. We love it here.
Porcini, 1137 Spruce Street, Philadelphia: Super teensy Italian BYO. I really like this place, but Rob hasn’t been, so blame me if you don’t like it.
Matyson, 37 S 19th St, Philadelphia, PA. Delicious BYO. It is a little pricier than some of the other options, but delicious.
Continental, 28 S 18th St, Philadelphia, PA. Hip place by Steven Starr that focuses on comfort food in sort of Jetson’s-ish setting. Great cocktails and is rumored to have a pretty good roof deck (the crowd here can get a little annoying though)
Nodding Head, 1516 Sansom St, Philadelphia, PA: Microbrewery that is at least partly owned by the people at Monk’s. Good beer, great fries, and good food in general.
Shiroi Hana, 222 S 15th St Philadelphia, PA: Good sushi and they have a pretty good lunch special.
La Bistro Baia, 1700 Lombard St Philadelphia, PA. This is the BYO I went to almost weekly while in grad school. It is really good and the prices are totally reasonable. Get the gnocci.
The Fountain 1 Logan SquarePhiladelphia, PA: Rob recommended this. It is fancy and I’ve never been.
Le Bec Fin/Bar Lyonnais, 1523 Walnut StreetPhiladelphia, PA: I believe that Le Bec Fin is Philadelphia’s only 5-star restaurant. It is the site of the best meal of my life, although it is horrendously expensive. The bar is supposed to be good and much more reasonably priced, but I’ve never been. Totally worth checking out if you want bistro food.
Rouge, 205 S 18th St, Philadelphia, PA. Super location (right on Rittenhouse Square), good wine list, good burgers. Expensive. But lovely.
Top 5 Places to Get a Great Cheesteak
1. Jon’s Roast Pork, 14 Snyder Ave., Philadelphia, PA: This is Rob’s favorite. Super easy to get to by car from Center City.
2. Jim’s Steaks, 400 South St, Philadelphia: Ian likes this best. Christine thinks that the meat/cheese ratio is all wrong here though. On the upside, you CAN walk here from Rittenhouse (and you’ll need to after eating a cheese steak.
3. Tony Luke’s, 39 E Oregon AvePhiladelphia, PA. Drivable, not-so walkable. Generally liked by one and all.
4. Delasandro’s, 600 Wendover St Philadelphia, PA. Christine’s favorite because they have the correct meat/cheese ratio. Kind of far – you could take a long bus ride or drive there.
5. Sonny’s Famous Steaks, 228 Market StPhiladelphia, PA
Monk’s, 264 S 16th StPhiladelphia, PA: I love this place. Even though the attitude and service kind of sucks, they have an epic beer selection and make, what are, quite arguably, the best burgers and fries in town. Mussels and salads and sandwiches are actually all great. It gets super packed in the evenings, so you’ll have to wait for a table, but it is also good if you’re having a drinking lunch. Beer is pricey, but epic and delicious. Burgers run about $8 and you’ll want to order a side of pommes frites to go with.
Audrey Claire, 276 S 20th St, Philadelphia, PA: Good little Mediterranean BYO. I remember entrees running in the $14-22 range, but it has been a while since I’ve been there.
Melangrano, 2012 Sansom St, Philadelphia, PA 19103: I love, love, love this Italian BYO and it was also the site of our proper first date. You know, for food. It’s code. They make fantastic pastas, but I am particularly fond of the papardelle with mushrooms, truffles and cheese. Pastas I think are in the $14-18 range, and meat entrees are in the low $20s.
The Good Dog Bar, 224 S 15th St, Philadelphia, PA 19102: I stand by the fact that the Good Dog Burger here is the best in town. That is, assuming, that you order it medium or medium rare---otherwise all the cheese melts out and it loses the magic. Also of note: the grilled cheese, the FRIES are superb, the cheese steak empanadas are truly magnificent. They also generally have a pretty good beer list with some good local beers. This is a little pricier, but more than you can reasonably eat – I think that the burger runs about $9.
Parc, 227 S 18th St, Philadelphia, PA : I haven’t actually eaten here, but it has gotten pretty good reviews. It is right on Rittenhouse Square and it is a beautiful space. It is an expensive and good bistro with a full bar. It is owned by Steven Starr who is a semi-famous restaurateur in the world, and a well-known restaurateur in Philadelphia. Full bar.
Mama Palma’s, 2229 Spruce St, Philadelphia, PA: This place makes super pizza, if you are into the wood-fired, gourmet variety of pizza. It is BYO for wine, but they serve beer (ask Johnny about the beer here). Delicious.
Black Sheep, 247 S 17th St, Philadelphia: Good Irish bar, pretty good food. Site of the Rehearsal dinner after party.
La Viola, 253 S 16th St # A, Philadelphia, PA: Good little Italian BYO and pretty reasonably priced. I remember being particularly enamored by the arugula salad.
Alma de Cuba, 1623 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA. Expensive and fancy Cuban food by Steve Starr. It is fun and they make mean cocktails.
Tequila’s, 1602 Locust St, Philadelphia, PA: Delicious but pricey Mexican in a beautiful setting. Dining room is one of the prettiest in the area. Full bar. Good margaritas.
Pumpkin, 1713 South St, Philadelphia: Great little seasonal BYO that focuses on fresh, seasonal and local ingredients. We both really like it.
Tria, 123 S. 18th Street, Philadelphia or 1137 Spruce Street, Philadelphia: Two locations, one near Rittenhouse (19th and Sansom), one in the Gayborhood (Spruce and 11th). Rob proposed to me at the Spruce Street location. Awww. They have a great, reasonably priced list of wines by the glass, a super beer list, great sandwiches, salads and snacks. We love it here.
Porcini, 1137 Spruce Street, Philadelphia: Super teensy Italian BYO. I really like this place, but Rob hasn’t been, so blame me if you don’t like it.
Matyson, 37 S 19th St, Philadelphia, PA. Delicious BYO. It is a little pricier than some of the other options, but delicious.
Continental, 28 S 18th St, Philadelphia, PA. Hip place by Steven Starr that focuses on comfort food in sort of Jetson’s-ish setting. Great cocktails and is rumored to have a pretty good roof deck (the crowd here can get a little annoying though)
Nodding Head, 1516 Sansom St, Philadelphia, PA: Microbrewery that is at least partly owned by the people at Monk’s. Good beer, great fries, and good food in general.
Shiroi Hana, 222 S 15th St Philadelphia, PA: Good sushi and they have a pretty good lunch special.
La Bistro Baia, 1700 Lombard St Philadelphia, PA. This is the BYO I went to almost weekly while in grad school. It is really good and the prices are totally reasonable. Get the gnocci.
The Fountain 1 Logan SquarePhiladelphia, PA: Rob recommended this. It is fancy and I’ve never been.
Le Bec Fin/Bar Lyonnais, 1523 Walnut StreetPhiladelphia, PA: I believe that Le Bec Fin is Philadelphia’s only 5-star restaurant. It is the site of the best meal of my life, although it is horrendously expensive. The bar is supposed to be good and much more reasonably priced, but I’ve never been. Totally worth checking out if you want bistro food.
Rouge, 205 S 18th St, Philadelphia, PA. Super location (right on Rittenhouse Square), good wine list, good burgers. Expensive. But lovely.
Top 5 Places to Get a Great Cheesteak
1. Jon’s Roast Pork, 14 Snyder Ave., Philadelphia, PA: This is Rob’s favorite. Super easy to get to by car from Center City.
2. Jim’s Steaks, 400 South St, Philadelphia: Ian likes this best. Christine thinks that the meat/cheese ratio is all wrong here though. On the upside, you CAN walk here from Rittenhouse (and you’ll need to after eating a cheese steak.
3. Tony Luke’s, 39 E Oregon AvePhiladelphia, PA. Drivable, not-so walkable. Generally liked by one and all.
4. Delasandro’s, 600 Wendover St Philadelphia, PA. Christine’s favorite because they have the correct meat/cheese ratio. Kind of far – you could take a long bus ride or drive there.
5. Sonny’s Famous Steaks, 228 Market StPhiladelphia, PA
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
CAFES / BREAKFASTS / LIGHT LUNCH RECOMMENDATIONS
In general, the Rittenhouse section of town really lacks for decent breakfast options. There’s one kind of crappy diner (Little Pete’s, but I wouldn’t recommend it), but mostly it is fancy brunch places on the weekends or cafes. If it is nice out, it is nice to picnic in Rittenhouse, if you’re into that.
La Colombe,
Le Bus Bakery,
DiBruno Brothers,
Café Loftus,
Honey’s Sit ‘n Eat,
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Wedding Weekend Schedule
Hi Everyone! I hope that this post finds all of you well.
We wanted to give everyone an idea of the preliminary schedule for the weekend so you can better plan your trip.
On Thursday night, we were going to host a BBQ at our house (216 Myrtle Avenue, Havertown, PA 19083). We'll provide burgers, salad, and beer. And maybe a pie or Bitter Nana Squares, if you're lucky.
Friday will be pretty low-key with the planned events. The wedding party and nuclear families will go out for an early-ish rehearsal dinner and then we will meet up with everyone at a bar (TBD) somewhere around Rittenhouse Square.
Saturday is the wedding. The ceremony will begin at 5 pm sharp. After the wedding reception, we are planning on heading back to the bar at the Sofitel.
Sunday, we'll host a late morning brunch at our house -- just bagels, pastries, fruit and coffee on paper plates. Then we have to leave for the airport around 2 pm that afternoon to leave for Venice.
If anyone wants to come in to town earlier than Thursday, let us know and we'll plan dinner or something.
Next post: "Best Restaurants and Bars in the Rittenhouse Square Neighborhood."
We wanted to give everyone an idea of the preliminary schedule for the weekend so you can better plan your trip.
On Thursday night, we were going to host a BBQ at our house (216 Myrtle Avenue, Havertown, PA 19083). We'll provide burgers, salad, and beer. And maybe a pie or Bitter Nana Squares, if you're lucky.
Friday will be pretty low-key with the planned events. The wedding party and nuclear families will go out for an early-ish rehearsal dinner and then we will meet up with everyone at a bar (TBD) somewhere around Rittenhouse Square.
Saturday is the wedding. The ceremony will begin at 5 pm sharp. After the wedding reception, we are planning on heading back to the bar at the Sofitel.
Sunday, we'll host a late morning brunch at our house -- just bagels, pastries, fruit and coffee on paper plates. Then we have to leave for the airport around 2 pm that afternoon to leave for Venice.
If anyone wants to come in to town earlier than Thursday, let us know and we'll plan dinner or something.
Next post: "Best Restaurants and Bars in the Rittenhouse Square Neighborhood."
Monday, January 5, 2009
Hotel Information
HOTELS
We have been in the process of researching hotels for everyone to stay at for the wedding. Here's a starting point:
COURTYARD MARRIOTT
21 N Juniper Street
(2150 496-3200
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/phldc-courtyard-
philadelphia-downtown/
This hotel is about .7 miles from the wedding site (easily walkable through a nice part of town), located just east of City Hall. We have reserved a block of rooms at this hotel under "Cruiess/Miller." We were quoted a rate of $129.00 for a double room. In order to get this rate you must call the hotel directly, and the rooms must be booked by March 15, 2009.
SOFITEL
120 South 17th Street
(215) 569-8300
http://www.accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-2741-sofitel
-philadelphia/index.shtml
We have a block of 10 rooms for Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights here. Rob and I are planning on staying here and it is literally two blocks from the wedding location and it is a pretty nice hotel chain. The pricing I have reserved is quoted was $140/night for a room with one king-size bed, and $160/night for two double beds. The double-bed rooms are not technically part of the block, but are on an as-available basis. These rates are only valid through March 15.
CLUB QUARTERS
1628 Chestnut Street
(215) 282-5000
http://www.clubquarters.com/loc_philadelphia.aspx
This hotel is approximately 2.5 blocks from the wedding location. The problem is that you can't reserve a block of rooms unless you are a member. However, you can book rooms here through hotels.com, expedia.com or the like. The average rate per night was about $150.
We have been in the process of researching hotels for everyone to stay at for the wedding. Here's a starting point:
COURTYARD MARRIOTT
21 N Juniper Street
(2150 496-3200
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/phldc-courtyard-
philadelphia-downtown/
This hotel is about .7 miles from the wedding site (easily walkable through a nice part of town), located just east of City Hall. We have reserved a block of rooms at this hotel under "Cruiess/Miller." We were quoted a rate of $129.00 for a double room. In order to get this rate you must call the hotel directly, and the rooms must be booked by March 15, 2009.
SOFITEL
120 South 17th Street
(215) 569-8300
http://www.accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-2741-sofitel
-philadelphia/index.shtml
We have a block of 10 rooms for Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights here. Rob and I are planning on staying here and it is literally two blocks from the wedding location and it is a pretty nice hotel chain. The pricing I have reserved is quoted was $140/night for a room with one king-size bed, and $160/night for two double beds. The double-bed rooms are not technically part of the block, but are on an as-available basis. These rates are only valid through March 15.
CLUB QUARTERS
1628 Chestnut Street
(215) 282-5000
http://www.clubquarters.com/loc_philadelphia.aspx
This hotel is approximately 2.5 blocks from the wedding location. The problem is that you can't reserve a block of rooms unless you are a member. However, you can book rooms here through hotels.com, expedia.com or the like. The average rate per night was about $150.
Friday, November 14, 2008
SAVE THE DATE
This post will serve as the official save the date announcement for our wedding.
DATE:
18 April 2009 at 5 PM
WHERE:
Colonial Dames National Headquarters in PA
1630 Latimer Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Information regarding hotels and other pertinent details will follow.
Can't wait to see everyone!
Love, Christine and Rob
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Catching up
It’s been a while since we did any real posting here, but that’s not to say we didn’t have many adventures in the past two months. This being the first day of November I thought I would run down some of the higher points from the past couple of months.
Christine goes to her first Phillies and Eagles games – in the same week. What makes these adventures so great are:
1. Both teams won their respective games.
2. With that Phillies win, they tied the Mets for first place (and eventually go on to win the division over the course of the next 3 games, and head to the playoffs –first time in 14 years!!!)
3. The Eagles take on the lowly Detroit Lions – Christine’s home team – and soundly stomp them. In fact Donovan has a career game this day. Plus it was finally a win.
Sticking with the Eagles theme here – I sit behind Donovan on a plane flight to Atlanta.
1. First thing I notice is the distinct limp that he has. That leg is not 100% by a long shot.
2. For a man who makes millions he dresses like a guy who makes minimum wage.
3. Only one person asks for an autograph. Not that I think it’s a good or bad thing, autographs are just not my thing. For someone so well known, he was able to move around just like the rest of us. Nice.
Ian hits two shows in one week. First up was Spoon.
1. The opening act was The Pony’s.
2. The opening act didn’t show. Causing us to sit around for 2 hours waiting for Spoon to go on.
3. This band is just great. Why aren’t they huge?
4. That said, not nearly as thrilling live as I would have hoped. They give a sound performance, but not a real stand out.
5. Ian has a blast! Sings along a bunch of the songs. For an 11 year old he sure does have good taste (see blog entry below about building the perfect music child).
Second up was The New Pornographers
1. I have to start with how good Neko Case is (check out earlier post on Neko).
Not that she carries the band by any stretch. It’s just that when she sings you have to stand and watch. She is amazing.
2. They played a ton of stuff from the new album, as well as Twin Cinema.
3. These guys are a fun band to watch live. The sound itself wasn’t a real stand-out, but they do play the songs well.
4. When Bones of an Idol came on during the second encore Ian was totally singing along. (once again building that perfect music child).
Next up is another trip to Napa. That makes three trips there this year. Damn that makes us sound like wine snobs or drunks…..or maybe a little of both. Either way it’s my b-day and I’m going to have a blast.
Reading back over this post I realize there really isn't all that much meat to the post. Oh well, will be sure to provide more next time.
Next update soon.
Christine goes to her first Phillies and Eagles games – in the same week. What makes these adventures so great are:
1. Both teams won their respective games.
2. With that Phillies win, they tied the Mets for first place (and eventually go on to win the division over the course of the next 3 games, and head to the playoffs –first time in 14 years!!!)
3. The Eagles take on the lowly Detroit Lions – Christine’s home team – and soundly stomp them. In fact Donovan has a career game this day. Plus it was finally a win.
Sticking with the Eagles theme here – I sit behind Donovan on a plane flight to Atlanta.
1. First thing I notice is the distinct limp that he has. That leg is not 100% by a long shot.
2. For a man who makes millions he dresses like a guy who makes minimum wage.
3. Only one person asks for an autograph. Not that I think it’s a good or bad thing, autographs are just not my thing. For someone so well known, he was able to move around just like the rest of us. Nice.
Ian hits two shows in one week. First up was Spoon.
1. The opening act was The Pony’s.
2. The opening act didn’t show. Causing us to sit around for 2 hours waiting for Spoon to go on.
3. This band is just great. Why aren’t they huge?
4. That said, not nearly as thrilling live as I would have hoped. They give a sound performance, but not a real stand out.
5. Ian has a blast! Sings along a bunch of the songs. For an 11 year old he sure does have good taste (see blog entry below about building the perfect music child).
Second up was The New Pornographers
1. I have to start with how good Neko Case is (check out earlier post on Neko).
Not that she carries the band by any stretch. It’s just that when she sings you have to stand and watch. She is amazing.2. They played a ton of stuff from the new album, as well as Twin Cinema.
3. These guys are a fun band to watch live. The sound itself wasn’t a real stand-out, but they do play the songs well.
4. When Bones of an Idol came on during the second encore Ian was totally singing along. (once again building that perfect music child).
Next up is another trip to Napa. That makes three trips there this year. Damn that makes us sound like wine snobs or drunks…..or maybe a little of both. Either way it’s my b-day and I’m going to have a blast.
Reading back over this post I realize there really isn't all that much meat to the post. Oh well, will be sure to provide more next time.
Next update soon.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Cruise '07
This is the year of vacations.
Rob, Ian and I went on a cruise in the last week of August, from Saturday to Saturday, on a MASSIVE Royal Caribbean ship called the Liberty of the Seas. Aside from a few unpleasant incidents, we had a really great time.
On the first day, Saturday, we boarded the ship in the late afternoon. We checked in, found our room, had some dinner, toured the ship – it was pretty uneventful. Ian checked out Adventure Ocean, the clubhouse thing for 9-11-year-old kids. Ian, AKA Babaganoush, AKA Baba Ganoush, ended up hanging out there most evenings after dinner – he had a blast there and made a bunch of friends.
Sunday was a day at sea, headed to our first destination. We swam, used the unfortunate FlowRider without incident (more on that later), had lunch at Johnny Rockets, Rob and I got sunburned, and that’s about it. I almost got in a fist fight with a snotty teenage girl who dripped water all over the book that I was reading, but that was the only drama for the day.
Monday we got to Haiti… or DisneyHaiti. The town was called Labadee and is RC’s own private, walled town in Haiti. The beach there was just great. Somehow, even though both Rob and I sat in the shade and wore SPF 30, we still managed to get MORE burned. Ian, of course, did not get burned at all. We bought a small folk-artish painting for more money than it was worth, but I didn’t have the heart to haggle over five dollars with the Haitian man. It was a fun, relaxing day at a great beach.
Tuesday was Jamaica. I wasn’t super crazy about the town itself, but we went to a pretty nice beach, with clear, clear, blue water. Also, the beach had water trampolines which were a ton of fun.
Wednesday at Grand Cayman was, in my own opinion, BY FAR, the highlight of the trip. We found a company, Captain Marvin’s Watersports, to take us out to snorkel and swim with the sting rays. The first reef was just incredible – there were like 12 million fish in the water, in every color you could imagine. This reef was a little deeper – I would guess about 12-15 feet deep. The second reef was way shallow, like only 4-12 feet deep and also had a million fish swimming around.
After that, we went to this sand bar and totally hung out with like dozens of sting rays. Crazy. Apparently, some years ago, all of the fishermen in the area would go to this particular sandbar to clean their fish, and the sting rays would come and eat all of the fish guts. Eventually, the sting rays became pretty tame. Now, every time a boat pulls up to the sand bar, the sting rays swarm the boat looking for their squid bits.
I won’t lie, I was completely terrified of the sting rays. COMPLETELY. We got out of the boat and the guide gave us pieces of squid and told us to hold it like an ice cream cone. Then you take the squid and put it under the sting ray’s mouth and they suck it up. It was WILD. It also got my thumb a little bit, which was just the weirdest thing ever. So after you feed them, they come ‘round looking for more food and bump into you and swim between your legs and what not. Apparently they like to be pet – they sort of have the texture of a wet mushroom that sort of still has some dirt on it – they’re sort of spongey.
Thursday we were in Cozumel and took the journey to the Mayan ruins at Tulum. The ruins were grand and spectacular. Ian and Rob had been there before, but it was the first time I had ever seen any Mayan ruins. On the downside, half the site was closed, along with the beach… which pretty much sucked because it was approximately a million degrees out. The beach looked incredible, even though we couldn’t get down to it.
Friday was another cruising day to head back to Miami. The morning was pretty nice, pool, Adventure Ocean for Ian, the kids’ sprinkler water park (which I LOVED), and the damn FlowRider. Which brings me to the Both Ankle Tale:
I was all body surfing on the same damn FlowRider… doo doo doooo…look at me, I’m surfing... And then the wave caught me, and I didn’t expect it. I went over the top of the hill and was slammed feet first into the back wall and both feet snapped in. They had to shut the water off, everyone around was talking about how “oh my god, it looks like she fractured both ankles,” and I was laying there starting to panic with a vision of trying to survive 6 weeks with both feet in casts and in total shock from the pain. (Oddly, the sprains hurt worse than when I actually did break my ankle) And I had to be stretchered out because I couldn’t walk. Here is my word of caution: stay away from the FlowRider.
But at least it happened in the afternoon on the last day of the trip, right?
Saturday we had to get to the airport for our flights back to Philadelphia. Basically, I spent most of that day in a wheelchairs at airports. I maybe cried a little bit sitting there waiting for my flight…
Rob, Ian and I went on a cruise in the last week of August, from Saturday to Saturday, on a MASSIVE Royal Caribbean ship called the Liberty of the Seas. Aside from a few unpleasant incidents, we had a really great time.
On the first day, Saturday, we boarded the ship in the late afternoon. We checked in, found our room, had some dinner, toured the ship – it was pretty uneventful. Ian checked out Adventure Ocean, the clubhouse thing for 9-11-year-old kids. Ian, AKA Babaganoush, AKA Baba Ganoush, ended up hanging out there most evenings after dinner – he had a blast there and made a bunch of friends.
Sunday was a day at sea, headed to our first destination. We swam, used the unfortunate FlowRider without incident (more on that later), had lunch at Johnny Rockets, Rob and I got sunburned, and that’s about it. I almost got in a fist fight with a snotty teenage girl who dripped water all over the book that I was reading, but that was the only drama for the day.
Monday we got to Haiti… or DisneyHaiti. The town was called Labadee and is RC’s own private, walled town in Haiti. The beach there was just great. Somehow, even though both Rob and I sat in the shade and wore SPF 30, we still managed to get MORE burned. Ian, of course, did not get burned at all. We bought a small folk-artish painting for more money than it was worth, but I didn’t have the heart to haggle over five dollars with the Haitian man. It was a fun, relaxing day at a great beach.
Tuesday was Jamaica. I wasn’t super crazy about the town itself, but we went to a pretty nice beach, with clear, clear, blue water. Also, the beach had water trampolines which were a ton of fun.Wednesday at Grand Cayman was, in my own opinion, BY FAR, the highlight of the trip. We found a company, Captain Marvin’s Watersports, to take us out to snorkel and swim with the sting rays. The first reef was just incredible – there were like 12 million fish in the water, in every color you could imagine. This reef was a little deeper – I would guess about 12-15 feet deep. The second reef was way shallow, like only 4-12 feet deep and also had a million fish swimming around.
After that, we went to this sand bar and totally hung out with like dozens of sting rays. Crazy. Apparently, some years ago, all of the fishermen in the area would go to this particular sandbar to clean their fish, and the sting rays would come and eat all of the fish guts. Eventually, the sting rays became pretty tame. Now, every time a boat pulls up to the sand bar, the sting rays swarm the boat looking for their squid bits.
I won’t lie, I was completely terrified of the sting rays. COMPLETELY. We got out of the boat and the guide gave us pieces of squid and told us to hold it like an ice cream cone. Then you take the squid and put it under the sting ray’s mouth and they suck it up. It was WILD. It also got my thumb a little bit, which was just the weirdest thing ever. So after you feed them, they come ‘round looking for more food and bump into you and swim between your legs and what not. Apparently they like to be pet – they sort of have the texture of a wet mushroom that sort of still has some dirt on it – they’re sort of spongey.
Thursday we were in Cozumel and took the journey to the Mayan ruins at Tulum. The ruins were grand and spectacular. Ian and Rob had been there before, but it was the first time I had ever seen any Mayan ruins. On the downside, half the site was closed, along with the beach… which pretty much sucked because it was approximately a million degrees out. The beach looked incredible, even though we couldn’t get down to it.
Friday was another cruising day to head back to Miami. The morning was pretty nice, pool, Adventure Ocean for Ian, the kids’ sprinkler water park (which I LOVED), and the damn FlowRider. Which brings me to the Both Ankle Tale:
I was all body surfing on the same damn FlowRider… doo doo doooo…look at me, I’m surfing... And then the wave caught me, and I didn’t expect it. I went over the top of the hill and was slammed feet first into the back wall and both feet snapped in. They had to shut the water off, everyone around was talking about how “oh my god, it looks like she fractured both ankles,” and I was laying there starting to panic with a vision of trying to survive 6 weeks with both feet in casts and in total shock from the pain. (Oddly, the sprains hurt worse than when I actually did break my ankle) And I had to be stretchered out because I couldn’t walk. Here is my word of caution: stay away from the FlowRider.
But at least it happened in the afternoon on the last day of the trip, right?Saturday we had to get to the airport for our flights back to Philadelphia. Basically, I spent most of that day in a wheelchairs at airports. I maybe cried a little bit sitting there waiting for my flight…
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Neko Case has the best voice in music today.
Neko Case has the best voice in music today. I’m not 100% sure that is a true statement, but it is one worth an argument. We cut out of work early (as in 11:00 AM) to go catch Neko along with Rufus Wainwright at The World Café Live this past Friday. It was one of those free at noon concerts that WXPN has each Friday. The show only lasts 45 minutes, and since it was a split bill (and Rufus getting top billing) Neko only played for 15 minutes. That said her 15 minutes were amazing. The woman looked as if she just rolled out of bed (probably just out of the tour bus), walked up to the microphone, and proceeded to blow away the crowed with 5 songs. That was it. 15 minutes was all we were going to get. The thing is when you see her live it’s the voice. Her voice is simply amazing. So damn unique. You can’t take your eyes off of her while she sings, simply because you can’t believe that voice is coming out of her. I advice everyone to check her out. While I have her last two discs (one live, one studio), and I am a fan, it wasn’t until I just saw her live that it really sunk in. Neko Case possibly has the best voice in music today.
She comes back to Philly in late October with her other project The New Pornographers. After her performance on Friday I plan to catch her every time she comes to town.
As a quick side note – Ian thoroughly enjoyed Neko as well. He was also totally blown away by her voice. He was commenting all afternoon on how great she was, and how he wished she had played longer.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Phillies take on the Nationals
Ian and I decided to take a road trip down to Washington to catch the Phillies take on the Nationals. Thank God that team is getting a new ballpark. RFK is by far one of the ugliest ballparks (or straight up stadiums for that matter) in baseball. That said, I am getting a little ahead of myself. We made the two hour drive down to DC, pull into the parking lot, and luck would have it a generous Nationals fan walks right up to us as we are getting out of the car and gives us two tickets to the game. I'm talking out of nowhere. Not only do they give us two tickets, these tickets are 13 rows from the field at thrid base. Amazing - 50 dollar - tickets. We were all set to get there and buy the cheapest tickets available, but no - we get to go in for free, and sit in amazing seats. DC might get a bad rap, but their fans sure are nice.
Well, the Phils are in second place, 3 games out, and taking on the last place Nationals. I figured that this is the Phils chance to win a few and creep up on those pesky first place Mets. What happens - we lose. Not a bad loss......well, maybe it was, the Phils just didn't hit. No offense. None whatsoever. They ended up losing 4-2. Totally wasting some great opportunities that those Nationals were giving them.
Anyway, it was a fun side trip. You gotta love watching your home team on the road. Just about anywhere is a good place to go to watch baseball. A win would have been nice, but, oh well, it was fun just the same.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Crowded House & Pete Yorn
This weekend we took in a show by Crowded House and Pete Yorn. Turned out to be Ian's first (paid for) concert. Actually, he saw G. Love a few years ago at free concert down on Penn's Landing, but this was his first "paid to go see" concert.
So, Crowded House has been around since the early 80's. Doesn't seem that long, but I guess it has. They had some hits as early as 1983! Quite some time ago. Well, after taking a few years off they are back with a new album, and a tour to support it. For a bunch of guys who took 10 years off they seem pretty tight. The show itself was solid - musically and visually. The played the hits - Something So Strong, World Where You Live, Don't Dream it's Over - played a bunch of new songs, and a couple covers. What got me was the crowd. I remember working at the Mann Music Center when I was in college. One of the bands to perform while working there was The Moody Blues. At that time I remember thinking "these guys are pretty good, should be a pretty good show." What turned out to happen is the band was solid. Not great, but not bad. It was the crowd that flipped me out. The crowd - and this is the mid-80's - was mostly folks in their 50's and 60's. I would say a good 75% of the crowd was just a few years away from being able to collect social security. What got me about Crowded House is that the crowd was full of folks in their late 40's and early to mid 50's. At least 20% were possibly in their 60's. Christine made the comment that she was the youngest person there, with the exception of Ian. Usually when we go see a show I am pretty conscious of the fact that I am older than most there, but on this night I was clearly on the younger side of things. Just the same I enjoyed them. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being a great show and 1 being a totally sucked show, they get a solid 5.
Pete Yorn on the other hand put on a solid show. I would clearly give him a solid 7. This guy is a really good song writer, and has a pretty tight band to support him. While he only played about 10 songs, each one was a real standout. Ian, really only being familiar with him - not so much with Crowded House - had a blast while he was on. Christine stated that there was no comparison - Pete Yorn was way better. I wonder if it was because he is a solid 20 years younger than the guys in Crowded House? I do love the version of Splendid Isolation (the Warren Zevon son) he does. Probably my favorite song of the night - followed by The Man.As for Crowded House - strangely enough they are doing this Dixie Chicks song. Not sure of the title, but they clearly stated it was a Dixie Chicks song. I thought it was pretty good. The new stuff sounds good, but not too exciting. They were a clean sounding band back in the 80's - easy to digest - and the same holds true today.
Anyway - it was a rather uneventful show for Christine and me, but Ian had a blast. Saying it was the best show he has ever seen (granted he doesn't have much to compare it to - he doesn't even remember the G. Love show). Up next is the WXPN show this Friday with Rufus Wainwright and Neko Case. That should be fun. Two concerts in one week. Ian will at least have something to mention back at school.
Friday, August 10, 2007
AC/DC vs. Fergie
I have made every effort to raise a child that is musically diverse. Someone who appreciates all types of music. Understands what makes a song a “good song” and what makes a song a “crappy song.” Someone who loves music, not because it is something to pass time with, but something that shapes ones life. Honestly – I really am out there trying to build him in my own image. Anyway – what’s wrong with having him grow up on a steady diet of classic rock, punk rock, electronica, jazz, heavy metal, etc. Nobody should be out there playing Barney tapes to their kids. It’s just criminal.
I was off to a good start. By the time Ian was in kindergarten he could sing along with “God Save the Queen” and “Purple Haze.” You could play a game of musical trivia with him, and I’m betting he could hang with most adults by the time he was 8. I always find it comical that when we are in the car with other people – friends or relatives – Ian will be picking out what goes in the CD player. He will be in the back seat, and will shout out “Dad, can you put on The White Stripes?” or “Dad, can you put on some Stevie Ray Vaughn?” What happens next is usually the guest in the car will start to laugh, and then say to me “what are you doing to that kid?” The answer is really “nothing.” I am just exposing my child to music – lots of it. Lots of different stuff too. The idea being the more he listens, the more he will find stuff he likes (granted most of it, if not all of it, is rooted in what I like – not really a choice in the selection most of the time).
So, as with any other time someone is in the car, Christine was a passenger when we were driving someplace. She had an idea that Ian loves music, but it didn’t hit her until this ride. On the radio was Blues Image’s “Ride Captain, Ride.” She looks into the rearview mirror, and watches Ian sing along – word for word – with the song. Here is this absolutely obscure song from the 70’s, that lots of people know, but have no clue who it’s by. As with everyone else she starts to laugh. The next song – J.Giles “Musta Got Lost” gets the same reaction. Followed by Rare Earth – “I Want To Celebrate.” Ian singing along word for word with each song.
I have done my job, and I have done it well. Not only can Ian sing along with Iron Maiden, he can air guitar to Voodoo Chile, and drum along to Trouble with Dreams. He is just as comfortable listening to Blue Train as to Highway to Hell. Heck, his favorite song at the moment is Low Spark of High-heeled boys – he not only can sing along word for word, he has all the instrument parts down cold. He loves his music, and he loves good music.
But…….
Friggen Peer Pressure! Society. MTV. Shit radio. I don’t know. Somewhere along the line he also – and I’m going with a combination of all of the above – started to like Fergie, Chamillionaire, Akon.....basically all that is bad in music. I have this theory that there must be a balance. That there is this big pile of shit on one end, and this big pile of good stuff on the other end. For every Good, The Bad, and the Queen there is a Daniel Powter. For every Wilco there is a Justin Timberlake. There needs to be this balance so that we can appreciate what is good. I always had this fear in the back of my head that there would be a chance that Ian might stray. That he might pick up a song or two that could be considered a guilty pleasure, but that would be it. Not a whole stack of bad stuff. Heck, I’ll admit – I have a few of them. Kelly Clarkson? She is on my guilty pleasure list. Granted not her whole catalog, just a song or two. A few. That should be it, but he straight up likes whole catalog's by some really bad bands.
Ian though, while keeping it real with loving Traffic, has crossed over to the dark side with his love of Fergie, All American Rejects, and Fall Out Boy. I understand Fergie somewhat – with her lovely lady humps and all – but I can’t for the life of me understand the rest. Except, that I knew it would happen. I knew that sooner or later he would be singing “Cause I had a bad day” – giving me a bad day. It had to happen with peer pressure and all. I just didn't want to see it coming. I made every effort. Keep a steady diet of amazing music in the car. Play the best stuff at home. Still, it finds it’s way on to the computer’s iTunes. Coming from under his door. I hear it at his school when I’m picking him up at the end of the day. It’s on TV. It's friggen everywhere.
With all that, as I sit hear and type this – The Flaming Lips on my iTunes playing a cover of Black Sabbath's War Pigs – Ian is rocking out. He is sitting here comparing it to the Black Sabbath original. The fact that he appreciates it for it’s effort, and totally digs the original, gives me hope. I might have to deal with Justin Timberlake telling me about how sexy he thinks he is, but at least Ozzy still has a place in my house. Maybe someday he will cross back to the good side, and Fergie will only be a guilty pleasure. Just the same - I guess I will continue to make Slayer mix tapes for him to take to school. You know, a little Reign in Blood cheers everyone up.
I was off to a good start. By the time Ian was in kindergarten he could sing along with “God Save the Queen” and “Purple Haze.” You could play a game of musical trivia with him, and I’m betting he could hang with most adults by the time he was 8. I always find it comical that when we are in the car with other people – friends or relatives – Ian will be picking out what goes in the CD player. He will be in the back seat, and will shout out “Dad, can you put on The White Stripes?” or “Dad, can you put on some Stevie Ray Vaughn?” What happens next is usually the guest in the car will start to laugh, and then say to me “what are you doing to that kid?” The answer is really “nothing.” I am just exposing my child to music – lots of it. Lots of different stuff too. The idea being the more he listens, the more he will find stuff he likes (granted most of it, if not all of it, is rooted in what I like – not really a choice in the selection most of the time).
So, as with any other time someone is in the car, Christine was a passenger when we were driving someplace. She had an idea that Ian loves music, but it didn’t hit her until this ride. On the radio was Blues Image’s “Ride Captain, Ride.” She looks into the rearview mirror, and watches Ian sing along – word for word – with the song. Here is this absolutely obscure song from the 70’s, that lots of people know, but have no clue who it’s by. As with everyone else she starts to laugh. The next song – J.Giles “Musta Got Lost” gets the same reaction. Followed by Rare Earth – “I Want To Celebrate.” Ian singing along word for word with each song.
I have done my job, and I have done it well. Not only can Ian sing along with Iron Maiden, he can air guitar to Voodoo Chile, and drum along to Trouble with Dreams. He is just as comfortable listening to Blue Train as to Highway to Hell. Heck, his favorite song at the moment is Low Spark of High-heeled boys – he not only can sing along word for word, he has all the instrument parts down cold. He loves his music, and he loves good music.But…….
Friggen Peer Pressure! Society. MTV. Shit radio. I don’t know. Somewhere along the line he also – and I’m going with a combination of all of the above – started to like Fergie, Chamillionaire, Akon.....basically all that is bad in music. I have this theory that there must be a balance. That there is this big pile of shit on one end, and this big pile of good stuff on the other end. For every Good, The Bad, and the Queen there is a Daniel Powter. For every Wilco there is a Justin Timberlake. There needs to be this balance so that we can appreciate what is good. I always had this fear in the back of my head that there would be a chance that Ian might stray. That he might pick up a song or two that could be considered a guilty pleasure, but that would be it. Not a whole stack of bad stuff. Heck, I’ll admit – I have a few of them. Kelly Clarkson? She is on my guilty pleasure list. Granted not her whole catalog, just a song or two. A few. That should be it, but he straight up likes whole catalog's by some really bad bands.
Ian though, while keeping it real with loving Traffic, has crossed over to the dark side with his love of Fergie, All American Rejects, and Fall Out Boy. I understand Fergie somewhat – with her lovely lady humps and all – but I can’t for the life of me understand the rest. Except, that I knew it would happen. I knew that sooner or later he would be singing “Cause I had a bad day” – giving me a bad day. It had to happen with peer pressure and all. I just didn't want to see it coming. I made every effort. Keep a steady diet of amazing music in the car. Play the best stuff at home. Still, it finds it’s way on to the computer’s iTunes. Coming from under his door. I hear it at his school when I’m picking him up at the end of the day. It’s on TV. It's friggen everywhere.
With all that, as I sit hear and type this – The Flaming Lips on my iTunes playing a cover of Black Sabbath's War Pigs – Ian is rocking out. He is sitting here comparing it to the Black Sabbath original. The fact that he appreciates it for it’s effort, and totally digs the original, gives me hope. I might have to deal with Justin Timberlake telling me about how sexy he thinks he is, but at least Ozzy still has a place in my house. Maybe someday he will cross back to the good side, and Fergie will only be a guilty pleasure. Just the same - I guess I will continue to make Slayer mix tapes for him to take to school. You know, a little Reign in Blood cheers everyone up.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Movies and the Art of the Double Dip!
Well it was a rainy Sunday so it seemed like the perfect day to go see a movie. Thing is for me the cost to see a movie (10 bucks a ticket) seems just way to high. So, when I go I try to get the most for my money. I have this little theory about going to the movies. When you buy a ticket to a movie you are actually just buying a ticket to enter the theater. Granted the money from the purchase price of the ticket goes to the film which is printed on your ticket, but the overall cost grants you admission not just to that film but to the entire theater. For example if I purchase a ticket to see The Godfather, and Dirty Harry and The Wizard of Oz are also playing at the same theater you are more than welcome to see any of those three films once you have completed your viewing of The Godfather. Heck, you don't even have to go see The Godfather you can walk in and see the other two films instead. While Christine tells me "it's my way of sticking it to the man." I look at as more of a loop hole in the system. I call this the Art of The Double Dip (and when I'm feeling extra special I may take in a third film, and as you might have guessed it the Art of the Triple Dip).
So, back to my story of it was rainy and it was Sunday so we went to the movies. Ian is a pro at the Double Dip, being a veteran of multiple Double Dip missions. Christine on the other hand is new to it, but was up for the challenge. We wanted to check out Transfomers and
The Simpsons movie, but due to some unforeseen traffic we ended up getting to the theater a little late and missed the start of Transformers. To fill in some time we went over to Trader Joe's, picked up some drinks, popcorn, some other snacks, and made some sandwiches and headed back to the theater. We went in and picked up some tickets to see The Simpsons Movie (so this film will see our funds, as opposed to any other film we might catch that day). Thankfully we walked in just as the previews were ending.
The Simpsons Movie sorta felt like I was home on a Sunday night. It felt like I was watching an episode of the Simpsons on television, except it was just a little more edgy then television (not to mention that it runs a full hour longer then a TV episode). What to say? It was a blast of a film; as funny as the best Simpsons episode, and without the commercials. It was also nice to see that Arnold becomes President. We all loved it.
Right when that movie ended we walked right into the next theater and caught the very start of Rescue Dawn. Now this wasn't a movie on our watch list - especially since it appeared that it might be too violent (which by the way, I asked Christine why Transfomers, which appeared to be very violent was okay, and Rescue Dawn wasn't. Her reply was that Transformers violence was fake violence, and Rescue Dawn was real violence. These are movies.....right? The violence is all fake.....) Rescue Dawn also seemed like a rather adult film since it dealt with the Vietnam War. That said, Ian loved it. It was a fantastic film. The acting was amazing. Christian Bale is bound to win an Oscar some day. He is just such a damn good actor.
In all we were at the theater a solid three and a half hours. Not bad, two films in the same amount of time that it would take to watch one of the Lord of the Rings movies. Christine was feeling pretty good afterwards. I think she is now a Double Dip convert, and up for future missions. Ian on the other hand wanted to stick around to watch Transfomers (I could have hung with him too, but Christine has not worked up her skills for the Triple Dip). I think we have our game plan down for next time we go too. Bringing the sandwiches, popcorn, drinks, and snacks. All toll we probably spent 30 bucks for the three of us to see two movies and have lunch. Heck the week before when we went to see Harry Potter we dropped almost 50 bucks and that was for two kids and two adults, a couple drinks and a large popcorn. Clearly a savings.
All in all it was an exciting adventure (albeit low key) for a Sunday afternoon!
So, back to my story of it was rainy and it was Sunday so we went to the movies. Ian is a pro at the Double Dip, being a veteran of multiple Double Dip missions. Christine on the other hand is new to it, but was up for the challenge. We wanted to check out Transfomers and
The Simpsons movie, but due to some unforeseen traffic we ended up getting to the theater a little late and missed the start of Transformers. To fill in some time we went over to Trader Joe's, picked up some drinks, popcorn, some other snacks, and made some sandwiches and headed back to the theater. We went in and picked up some tickets to see The Simpsons Movie (so this film will see our funds, as opposed to any other film we might catch that day). Thankfully we walked in just as the previews were ending.The Simpsons Movie sorta felt like I was home on a Sunday night. It felt like I was watching an episode of the Simpsons on television, except it was just a little more edgy then television (not to mention that it runs a full hour longer then a TV episode). What to say? It was a blast of a film; as funny as the best Simpsons episode, and without the commercials. It was also nice to see that Arnold becomes President. We all loved it.
Right when that movie ended we walked right into the next theater and caught the very start of Rescue Dawn. Now this wasn't a movie on our watch list - especially since it appeared that it might be too violent (which by the way, I asked Christine why Transfomers, which appeared to be very violent was okay, and Rescue Dawn wasn't. Her reply was that Transformers violence was fake violence, and Rescue Dawn was real violence. These are movies.....right? The violence is all fake.....) Rescue Dawn also seemed like a rather adult film since it dealt with the Vietnam War. That said, Ian loved it. It was a fantastic film. The acting was amazing. Christian Bale is bound to win an Oscar some day. He is just such a damn good actor.In all we were at the theater a solid three and a half hours. Not bad, two films in the same amount of time that it would take to watch one of the Lord of the Rings movies. Christine was feeling pretty good afterwards. I think she is now a Double Dip convert, and up for future missions. Ian on the other hand wanted to stick around to watch Transfomers (I could have hung with him too, but Christine has not worked up her skills for the Triple Dip). I think we have our game plan down for next time we go too. Bringing the sandwiches, popcorn, drinks, and snacks. All toll we probably spent 30 bucks for the three of us to see two movies and have lunch. Heck the week before when we went to see Harry Potter we dropped almost 50 bucks and that was for two kids and two adults, a couple drinks and a large popcorn. Clearly a savings.
All in all it was an exciting adventure (albeit low key) for a Sunday afternoon!
Monday, July 23, 2007
Amazing Sunday Dinners
This Sunday was not really an "adventure," but it was still pretty good. It ended up being somewhat of a culinary tour of Philadelphia. First, it started with coffee and pastry at Bucks County Coffee in Philadelphia, where we had a very meager book club meeting. Then we went into this amazing little specialty grocery store in Manayunk called Ingredient (http://www.ingredientfoods.com/). They had absolutely gorgeous food at really reasonable prices. I controlled myself and bought only this flat artichoke pasta, which we had for dinner last night.
After coffee, we went down to the Italian Market to split a Sarcone's hoagie (delish) and went to DiBruno Brother's House of Cheese on 9th Street (http://www.dibruno.com/). Don't be fooled by how gussied up-i-ness of the Center City DiBruno Brother's - the Italian Market store is far and away the better choice. We went in for some pancetta to cook up with the pasta, but ended up leaving with an aged, Italian, cow's milk cheese for shaving on the pasta, something delicious and English, wensleydale, I believe, some balsamic vinegar and some less-fancy pasta.
Dinner that night consisted of one of my own personal creations:
After coffee, we went down to the Italian Market to split a Sarcone's hoagie (delish) and went to DiBruno Brother's House of Cheese on 9th Street (http://www.dibruno.com/). Don't be fooled by how gussied up-i-ness of the Center City DiBruno Brother's - the Italian Market store is far and away the better choice. We went in for some pancetta to cook up with the pasta, but ended up leaving with an aged, Italian, cow's milk cheese for shaving on the pasta, something delicious and English, wensleydale, I believe, some balsamic vinegar and some less-fancy pasta.
Dinner that night consisted of one of my own personal creations:
- Cube pancetta in about 1/4 inch cubes (about 1/3 cup total) and crisp up in a sauce pan until the bacon starts to get crispy on the edges.
- Add two stalks of finely sliced leeks, using only the white and the light green parts and give it a good stir. Let it cook down a minute. Add a couple of cloves of chopped garlic
- At this juncture, if I had had a bottle of dry white opened, I would have added about 1/2 to 1 cup of it to add flavor... but seeing as I did not, I added about a cup or so of chicken broth and let it cook down for about 5-7 minutes.
- In the meantime, I started cooking the flat disc-shaped, delicious pasta.
- To the pasta sauce I combined:
- a cup or so of rinsed, frozen peas
- about a 1/2 cup of mascarpone cheese
- a smidge of grated parmesan
- a handful of fresh, chopped basil (totally from my garden)
- two more cloves of chopped garlic
- Remove the sauce from heat
- Drain pasta and mix with the sauce
- Shave a good, firm, aged, sharp cheese on top to taste with freshly-cracked pepper.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Marcus and Ranaye's Wedding
To continue the Colorado post...
The wedding ceremony, as previously stated, was unbeatable. Easily the most beautiful wedding I've ever seen. The downside of the ceremony was the hour that we waited at the top, without sunscreen. I got totally totally burnt to a crisp.
The reception was a party. It started out tame enough, with open beer and wine, but a cash bar for liquor. However, as the evening progressed, it appeared that the bartender was inebriated, and sheer chaos ensued. The bar was literal anarchy. For example, Eric was pouring Jack for everyone at the bar. By the end of the night, the bar was completely ransacked. Pretty fun.
Do you remember that SNL skit with Jimmy Fallon and Tina Faye called "Drunkgirl"? Drunkgirl was a frequent guest on the news segment. At any rate, I am afraid that Drunkgirl made an appearance at the wedding - at one point, she was at our table making out with a guy (let's call him Handsy), while drinking beer out of a pitcher, and then proceeded to THROW UP in the same pitcher, only to actually continue making out with Handsy. It was spectacular. Truly.
The night ended with these Princess Leia-esque shenanigans,
which is not one of my prouder moments...
The next day was rough for me. Rob, no matter how much scotch, scotchy scotch scoth (it goes down, down into my belly) he consumes, he is never ever as hung over as I am. But, Sunday was the last day he was in town, so it was the only day left to go to the Maroon Bells.
We just did a little bit of very easy hiking because I felt like crapola.
No matter what though, it is easily one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. The color of the sky has this intensity that you never see on the east coast. All of the colors, in general, are way more intense and everything just looks crisper somehow. The water in the lakes was so clear and about 34 degrees.
The highlight of the last couple of days was going into the ice caves that are up the pass from Aspen. Very easy hike, which had perhaps the highest concentration of pretty per linear foot of trail. There was tons of rock features, rapids, falls, caves, and ICE caves with glacial ice. Totally fun.
The wedding ceremony, as previously stated, was unbeatable. Easily the most beautiful wedding I've ever seen. The downside of the ceremony was the hour that we waited at the top, without sunscreen. I got totally totally burnt to a crisp.
The reception was a party. It started out tame enough, with open beer and wine, but a cash bar for liquor. However, as the evening progressed, it appeared that the bartender was inebriated, and sheer chaos ensued. The bar was literal anarchy. For example, Eric was pouring Jack for everyone at the bar. By the end of the night, the bar was completely ransacked. Pretty fun.
Do you remember that SNL skit with Jimmy Fallon and Tina Faye called "Drunkgirl"? Drunkgirl was a frequent guest on the news segment. At any rate, I am afraid that Drunkgirl made an appearance at the wedding - at one point, she was at our table making out with a guy (let's call him Handsy), while drinking beer out of a pitcher, and then proceeded to THROW UP in the same pitcher, only to actually continue making out with Handsy. It was spectacular. Truly.
The night ended with these Princess Leia-esque shenanigans,
which is not one of my prouder moments... The next day was rough for me. Rob, no matter how much scotch, scotchy scotch scoth (it goes down, down into my belly) he consumes, he is never ever as hung over as I am. But, Sunday was the last day he was in town, so it was the only day left to go to the Maroon Bells.
We just did a little bit of very easy hiking because I felt like crapola.
No matter what though, it is easily one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. The color of the sky has this intensity that you never see on the east coast. All of the colors, in general, are way more intense and everything just looks crisper somehow. The water in the lakes was so clear and about 34 degrees.The next day, Rob left for Atlanta to start his new job, leaving me with my parents for Monday night. Monday was pretty uneventful - I did the nature hike and some super easy mountain biking, which was really fun. Monday evening I got to go horseback riding with a pack of Millers up near the Maroon Bells.
The highlight of the last couple of days was going into the ice caves that are up the pass from Aspen. Very easy hike, which had perhaps the highest concentration of pretty per linear foot of trail. There was tons of rock features, rapids, falls, caves, and ICE caves with glacial ice. Totally fun.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Fathers Day in Fairmont Park
This past weekend was Fathers Day, and it was a hot one. Just over 90 degrees. A perfect day for a bike ride. Christine and I decided to take Ian on a short 11 mile bike ride through the park. Poor Ian is stuck somewhere between a small bike and a larger bike. So, while he has one of each, he rode his small little mountain bike. He could have easily ridden 20+ miles if he was on a better bike; since he was on the small bike the 11 miles kicked his butt. Just the same it was a beautiful afternoon, and the ride felt great.
So many people who live in the
Anyway, let me get off my soap box. It was a great day trip into the city this past Father’s Day. After our bike ride we headed to my favorite water ice stand - John's Water Ice, over on 7th and Christian. The best Pineapple Water Ice around! While there we saw one of my favorite musicians, Mr. ?uestlove - drummer for The Roots! We topped the day off by going home, and cooking some burgers on the grill. The end to a great day. Not really an adventure, but fun just the same.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
My vacation hiatus is OFFICIALLY over
We had a great trip to Colorado in June! I was there for a full week, and Rob there for a little bit less.
Friday morning we got up and went for a nature hike on the nature trail outside the hotel. We went with Douglas, AB, SBB. From the nature guide, we learned that these trees smell like Butterscotch:
That evening we went to the crawfish boil/rehearsal dinner for Marcus and Ranaye, at a really great park near their house.
Saturday morning, Rob, Mike and I went for a hike on a trail out past Aspen. It was very beautiful, but I was not feeling super acclimated yet, so I ended up being a big ole sissy and had to make everyone turn back at some point. Oh well.
Saturday night we all went to the wedding - it was easily the most beautiful ceremony that I had ever attended. See?
But I am afraid that the reception may require a post all of its own - it was definitely a good time.
To Be Continued...
The trip was wonderful. We got in on Wednesday and stayed the night in Denver. Thursday morning we had a lackadaisical drive down to the Aspen/Snowmass area. We took the highway until we got to 91, and we took that down to Leadville, stopping along the way. We stopped at a picnic area, went across Independence Pass, and then to a ghost town called Independence.
We arrived at the Pokolodi (Pokemon) Lodge on Thursday afternoon, and had dinner in Aspen Highlands at a pretty good pizza place that evening. Correction: the food was really good, but the exceedingly poor service turned out to be a harbinger of what was to come. Of all the meals we ate out in the Aspen area, we consistently had great food but TERRIBLE service.
Friday morning we got up and went for a nature hike on the nature trail outside the hotel. We went with Douglas, AB, SBB. From the nature guide, we learned that these trees smell like Butterscotch:
That evening we went to the crawfish boil/rehearsal dinner for Marcus and Ranaye, at a really great park near their house.
Saturday morning, Rob, Mike and I went for a hike on a trail out past Aspen. It was very beautiful, but I was not feeling super acclimated yet, so I ended up being a big ole sissy and had to make everyone turn back at some point. Oh well.
Saturday night we all went to the wedding - it was easily the most beautiful ceremony that I had ever attended. See?
But I am afraid that the reception may require a post all of its own - it was definitely a good time.
To Be Continued...
Weekend in Chicago
Well we headed to Chicago for a short weekend. It was a blast. As soon as we flew in that Thursday we headed to the Cubs game. Check Christine out in her Cubs shirt. She actually looks like a real fan. Thursday was an amazing day. The weather was beautiful. Sunny and warm. Great day for a game. What a trooper Christine was too. I made her try one of those foot long Chicago dogs. For those who don’t know what a Chicago dog is - it is made up of a foot long hot dog with chili, mustard, relish, onions, pickles, tomatoes, and hot peppers. It’s a bear to eat, but oh it’s so good. Goes so well with a cold Old Style beer – which we had a few of that day. Sadly the cubs lost to the Pirates 6-4, but it was a blast just the same. Later that night we headed over to this amazing Tapas joint called Café Iberico – a ton of food, plus a pitcher of sangria all for 34 dollars!!! We met up later day with Christine’s cousins at the James Hotel for some drinks. A nice ending to a wonderful day.Friday turned cold. Where in the world did the beautiful weather that we had on Thursday go to? So early in the morning we headed to the Original Pancake House. Wow, amazing stuff there. One of the best breakfasts I have ever had. Since I was there for work I needed to put in some time over at the school district offices. Christine headed out for some shopping and lunch with the cousins. Later that evening we met up with everyone for some dinner at Giordano’s. After giving their pizza three try’s now I have to say I’m not that crazy about it. Oh well.
Saturday the weather gets better, and we wandered around the city for a good bit of the day (after another trip to the Original Pancake House - did I say these were the best pancakes I have ever had?). Fantastic. We headed over to Millenium Park - the big Bean is so cool.
The Art Institute was packed, but is just such a great museum. We ended up spending a few hours there. Then some linner with the Miller family over at PF Changs. From there we headed over to Lindsey’s for some beers with everyone (we grabed some great beer at Trader Joes - why can't they sell beer like that here in Pennsylvania?). Made for a great day.Some items for next trip – a trip to Greektown, a White Sox game, visit the original site of the White City, and walk out to the observatory. Next trip.
Friday, June 8, 2007
A trip to Napa
Well - it was a while ago that we were in Napa, but I thought we would start with this post.
Day 1. So, Napa is beautiful. The ordeal of getting here - 6 hours in a plane, fighting with USAir to simply get seats together, the 2.5 hour drive from San Francisco (stuck in lots of traffic) - made for a long day. All of that just seemed to fade away as we drove through Sonoma, and by the time we hit Napa our whole attitude had changed. It was so green, with rolling hills, vineyards everywhere you looked. As we drove all we would say to each other is "I want to move here.....we should live here....this place is amazing!!!" Granted, by the time we checked into our hotel, went to find some dinner, and got back to the hotel we were wiped out.
Day 2. While we were waiting for Melissa and Kathleen to get here (they were not due until evening) Christine and I hit the wineries - but first we discovered SWEETIE PIES!!!! This absolutely amazing little bakery/restaurant about a half mile from our hotel. It's amazing what coffee and a little bit of sugar can do to your attitude. Anyway - Sweetie Pies should be on the top of anyone's list for breakfast while in the Napa area.
Off to the wineries - all 7 of them on this glorious day. We started with Frogs Leap - which as it turns out requires reservations. That said, the folks there were wonderful and gave us a nice glass of Zinfandel, and let us wander the grounds. Frogs Leap was probably my favorite in terms of walking around beautiful. From there we went to Provenance. Nice, the wines were good, the people were very nice, but the place was rather basic. Not much to write home about. From here we slipped over to Whitehall Lane. Nothing to write about here. The wine was rather so-so, and the folks at the tasting room were not too friendly. We then decided to head over to St. Suprey. This place is probably one of my all time favorites. Yes it's big, and yes they are one of those mass producers, but the wine is pretty good and the place is so friendly. We actually only intended to go in grab a few tastes and then head out to lunch. Instead we ended up trying just about every wine they had opened, and a few more that I asked them to open. Let's just say when we walked out we had two bottles of wine in our hands, and were members of the wine club.
A lot is often said about the Oakville Grocery - and just about all of it is good. We decided to stop by here for lunch, which was a pretty good idea since it was early afternoon at this point. This was the right move; if we were to visit one more winery with out having some food we would have totally crashed and burned. The setting is nice at the Grocery; rustic, with nice picnic tables out back to eat. The food was pretty good, not great, but pretty good. Just the same it was a great experience as you get to sit at the picnic tables and eat while surrounded by vineyards. Wonderful - and got us back on our feet, as we had many a winery still to visit.
The next winery we hit that day was Cakebread. This place is pretty good. Nothing fancy, but you get to take a short tour of the storage facility with a private group tasting. They pass out recipes for meals that will pair well with the wines they serve. The wines themselves are pretty good. They also give you the glasses to keep; very nice. From here we went next door to Sequoia Grove. Pretty nice inside, you feel like you are in a log cabin. The wines themselves were pretty good. The grounds were pretty basic. Since it was getting a little late we shot over to Peju Winery. This place is very pretty on the outside. Looks like a French chateau (look at picture above). Since it was almost 6:00, and most of the wineries are closed, Peju is jumping with guests. We were able to go up to the top tasting room where Ron was our server. Well tasting went well, and we struck up some conversation with the group of folks next to us. Finally as they were about to close up, the other group and us were the last folks there....and since we were the last group, and Ron had a bunch of bottles open, we were given the task of polishing off the rest of the wine - about a bottle and a half. Thing is Ron says to me "go ahead and pour for everyone." Which I took to mean "give everyone a glass." This seemed to be the wrong assumption. Ron flips out at the amount I am pouring, and starts dropping F-Bombs like mad. Seems I was pouring to much in each glass, they should be 1 ounce pours (which would have taken us about another hour to kill all that wine). Just as quickly as he got mad, he turned sad (Manic Ron we shall call him). He apologized like crazy - let us have our wine tasting for free, and gave us a free bottle of wine. Gosh, I like Manic Ron.
We got back to the hotel in time to catch Kathleen and Melissa. After a little siesta (we were pretty drunk), we gathered ourselves together and made for some dinner. A big THANK YOU goes to Mr. Howard Shapiro who tipped us off about the restaurant for that night - The Bounty Hunter. A great wine bar and barbecue joint. The food was FANTASTIC. So good we went back the next night for drinks. If you ever go try the pulled pork or brisket sandwich's. Amazing.
Day 3. After a little breakfast at Sweetie Pies (of course), we headed out for our mission of some more wine. First stop though was Trader Joes. We stopped to pick up some cheese, bread, fruit, and water for lunch. Great idea by the way, the Trader Joes is right off the main Hgwy in Napa. Nice to pick up some stuff to take that's cheap. Our first winery of the day is Heitz Cellars. Great place, as the wine tastings are free. Yum on the wine too. The pourers are so friendly, and will give you a nice lesson on wine while there. A very nice place to visit. From there we were off to Turnbull. Small place, with pretty grounds. The wine was decent. Nothing outstanding about this place. Off to Plumpjack winery. Lots of attitude at this place. The pourers are trying to be really hip, the wine is pricy, but overall this place is nice. Good wine, but expensive. From here we swung by Groth – I really like this place. The grounds are beautiful, and the people were so damn nice. We thoroughly enjoyed the wine here – so much so we picked up a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc to have during lunch (they were even nice enough to provide us with an opener).
Lunch was back to the Oakville Grocery. We just pulled in, grabbed a table out back, unpacked our lunch from Trader Joes, ran inside grabbed some glasses, and dove into a terrific lunch. What a setting.
After lunch we drove back to Silver Oak (right across the street from Groth). Silver Oak only serves two types of wine – the $100 type and the $80 type. Both are amazing! What is so nice about this place is that for 10 bucks you get to taste both, and keep the glass. What is even nicer is that you can keep going back for more of each (not that I think that they want you to, it’s just that we did). We must have had another 3 glasses of each. A steal at 10 dollars. And the wine is fantastic – if not a little too expensive. From Silver Oak we drove down the street to Silverado. Perched up on a hill overlooking a good bit of the Stags Leap district, Silverado is a great place. The wine flights come in two varieties – the 15 or 25 dollar type. We opted for the 15, and just went back for seconds (another case of I’m not sure this is allowed, but we did it anyway). Wine was good – in fact I really liked their Zinfandel – but the setting is what makes this place. You sit up top and just enjoy the view with a glass of wine in you hand. Awesome. From Silverado we drove over to Robert Sinsky. Talk about attitude. Honestly the wine comes in these pretty cool looking bottles, but honestly is not that great, and the service sucked. The only upside is that they offered up some appetizers that were not to bad. Next stop was Chimney Rock – last stop of the day (can you believe 8 wineries in 1 day!). Another place that wasn’t all that it was cracked up to be. Wine was good, but service was slow. In the end we were wiped out, and headed back to the hotel. Dinner reservations at 7:30 at Bistro Don Giovanni.
Bistro Don Giovanni is this Italian place –inside I swore I was at Olive Garden – but the food was pretty good. Christine and I shared a salad and a pizza – both of which kicked butt. After that we headed back to the Bounty Hunter for good night beer (I had way too much wine that day to keep up with more).
Day 4. We got up and planned on only hitting one winery, but that turned into two. Actually, Kathleen and Melissa hit two, we just were along for the ride. First stop was Domain Chardon, sparkeling wine, not my thing. Nice place – in fact we picked up some storage boxes to bring our wine home in – all 16 bottles we bought.
While those guys were there Christine and I drove around Yountville – this is the place. The perfect little Napa Valley town. Pretty, great little homes, fine restaurants, good little downtown, and close to everything. This is the town if I had my way I would live in. Eventually.
Next stop was V. Sattui. This place is a sideshow. Packed with so many people. Tip to the wise – tastings are free here during the week, on the weekends it’s 5 bucks. We did a little wine tasting, picked up some lunch, and then headed over to Muir Woods.
For those who don’t know Muir Woods is a short 30 minute drive from downtown San Francisco. It has nice hiking trails, and is full of Redwoods. Some of the tallest trees in the world are found in this little park. We got here with about an hour or two to spare, and did a short hike. Great, great, great.
After Muir Christine, Melissa and I headed over to San Francisco while Kathleen headed home. Melissa was taking the red eye, and we were headed to the Plump Jack Café. For the night though we checked in to the Sir Francis Drake hotel, just off of Union Square. An old hotel, with small rooms, but has great character. One of the fun places to stay in that town.
Dinner at the Plumpjack is great. A stylish little place, with a fun menu. One great thing is that they have this nice wine list that has no markup. So if the wine is 40 bucks at the winery, it’s 40 bucks at the restaurant. Awesome.
This concluded our fun weekend in Napa/San Francisco. We had an absolute blast. One of the best vacations I can ever remember.
Now – I’m sure I can throw in a later posting with the story of the pole, Target, and the bug cleaner, but that’s a story for another time.
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