Category: Travel
March 17, 2008
Nofis vs. the mountain, round 2
Nofis: 2, Stowe mountain: 1
I'm giving us two points for surviving our second-ever day of snowboarding, but I'm giving the mountain a point for leaving me with bruised ribs and whiplash!
We're quickly becoming hooked on snowboarding, although your guess is as good as mine as to why we are are such gluttons for punishment. A few people have told us that it gets much easier after the first few days, and maybe we're depending on that. Or maybe we have Stockholm Syndrome.
We were doing really well in the morning - I even managed not to fall at all on my second run of the day! Feeling cocky, we decided to try an insanely long trail after lunch. The trail, though rated easy, crossed over several intermediate runs at poorly-marked intersections, causing both Greg and I to tangle with steeper slopes than we were prepared for. I found my way back to the easy trail, but was already feeling too tired to really use good technique. Then, about halfway down the mountain, the ground lunged up and punched me in the ribs, leaving me sprawled on the ground, entirely unable to breath. As I sat there, chest ineffectually heaving, I contemplated waving down a snow patrol and enjoying a little snowmobile ride. Instead, I rolled back over and gingerly started down the mountain again, slightly slower than before. I did make it down the mountain, and even managed another successful run on the bunny slope after a short break, but I think I'll be taking another lesson before I challenge a slope like that again!
One thing that is 100% sane, however, is a post-slope roast beef dinner with all the fixins, a great crowd, and a tipsy game of pop-culture trivial pursuit.
About Travel, by Erica McDaniel at 9:30 PM | C (0) | TB (0)
February 19, 2008
California Vacation, Part Three
The last part of our trip was spent in San Francisco and Palo Alto. Over the weekend, we spent several hours each at the Ferry Building farmers market, the Golden Gate Park, the Haight, the Symphony (Debussy's La Mer, Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique, excellent), the Mission, Hayes Valley, Chinatown, and on foot almost everywhere in between. It was the most sightseeing I've ever done in a city I've been to so many times. In Palo Alto we enjoyed hanging out and walking in the pleasant hills over Stanford.
Of course, we spent most of that time eating. So I'll be back with the restaurant reviews soon!
About Travel, by Erica McDaniel at 5:37 PM | C (0) | TB (0)
February 6, 2008
CA Trip Part 2,
On Thursday we headed north, driving from Ojai to Santa Cruz. We stopped along the way several times - the first time just to enjoy the windy beach views and watch the pelicans. We took a bit of a detour to Lompoc, to visit Mission La Purisima. I visited this mission once when I was young, and really didn't remember it well, so it was nice to go back. It's a bit out of the way, but really a beautiful and interesting place. Plus, they've got some awesome shaggy sheep!
After La Purisima, we continued to San Luis Obispo. We were planning on just stopping very quickly for lunch and having time to drive up HWY 1 to see the elephant seals before the weather got too bad, but unfortunately, we decided to peek into the mission here too, and while doing so, locked the car keys inside our rental. Even though the locksmith was speedy, it was late by the time we were back on the road, and the rain was coming down. We had to just take the 101 and try to make it up to Santa Cruz in time for dinner.
Unfortunately, we didn't see much of Santa Cruz - between the rain and our tiredness, we ended up just crashing in our hotel room. We got up the next morning ready for a breathtaking drive to San Fransisco through the Big Basin Redwoods State Park... but awoke to more rain. We drove through the park anyways, and while it certainly was breathtaking, some of it was a little more "I hope the road isn't closed up there!" than "wow, that tree is tall." I only hope I get a chance to make the same drive in better weather.
We made it into San Fransisco just in time to buy an umbrella before our lunch reservations. That evening, after getting settled in, we met up with Naomi, Jon, Ish and Aseem to enjoy a night of food and drink... an excellent welcome to the city!
About Travel, by Erica McDaniel at 8:48 PM | C (0) | TB (0)
February 1, 2008
California Vacation, Part One
We spent the first part of our trip in southern California, mostly in LA and Ojai. Our main occupation was eating, but I'll get to that later. We started our trip with a bang by getting up at 4 am to hit the slopes. The slopes being Big Bear, and the hitting being done with snowboards. Neither Greg nor I had ever snowboarded before, but with Mike's advice and some lessons, we were spending more time upright than not by the end of the day. I honestly couldn't even sit in the car on the way back, I fell down so many times, I had to sort of lounge on my hip. Despite that, I enjoyed it immensely, and I hope we'll be doing it again soon. That evening we squeezed in dinner with our friend David before succumbing to exhaustion.
The next day we slept in and then took a hike in Sisar Canyon, in Ojai, with my Mom and our friends Karen and Nathan. It was beautiful, and full of that distinctive oak woodlands smell. We skipped rocks and climbed trees and enjoyed the light drizzle. Then we were treated to a perfect rainbow as we turned for home.
Tuesday was a day for family visits, and on Wednesday we made a misguided attempt to visit MOCA in LA, which was closed for an exhibition installation. We enjoyed a rather damp walking tour instead, topped off with a decadent tea at the Biltmore.
More photos on Flickr
About Travel, by Erica McDaniel at 7:54 PM | C (0) | TB (1)
October 15, 2007
A autumn weekend and a belated birthday surprise
About Travel, by Erica McDaniel at 6:28 PM | C (3) | TB (0)
October 9, 2007
RISD Alumni Sale
Over the weekend I went down to Providence to go to the Rhode Island School of Design Alumni Sale. Providence is really a charming city, and makes a great weekend trip; it has plenty of great restaurants and charming views. Saturday was perfect for an outdoor sale - clear and surprisingly hot - and the selection of art, accessories and jewelry was impressive. It was also surprising to see how many designers I was familiar with turned out to be RISD alumni. I came away with a nice print, some cards, earrings, and the star of the show, a new necklace (you can see it in one of those photos up there).
I also came away with a need for more frames, so on the way home we stopped off at Ikea - and of course, four hours later, left with not only the frames I needed, but also enough new furniture to keep me busy with assembly and arrangements all day Monday. The good news: we are no longer using a computer desk as a TV stand. The bad news: I have giant bruises on my palm from banging pegs and pieces together.
About Travel, by Erica McDaniel at 9:01 PM | C (0) | TB (0)
September 3, 2007
The last bit of the Dresden photos...
On the last day of the conference, we visited the absolutely crazy Green Vault and the painting gallery in the Zwinger courtyard, and in the evening, there was a dinner at the Volkswagen Transparent Factory, and tours of the (spotless) factory floor. All the photos are on Flickr.
About Travel, by Erica McDaniel at 4:45 PM | C (0) | TB (0)
August 28, 2007
Dresden Trip, Sunday-Thursday
The second set of photos from Dresden is up on Flickr. Starting on Sunday night, I was officially on the clock, observing the social and tourism program of the conference with my boss and coworkers. Monday through thursday, we took walking and bus tours of Dresden, visited the nearby city of Meissen and the porcelain factory there, and toured Schloss Mortizburg, Schloss Pillnitz, and Festung Konigstein. Every evening, except Thursday, there was a social event, either a reception, dinner or concert. You can see more notes in the Flickr set. The last of the photos should be up soon.
About Travel, by Erica McDaniel at 8:36 AM | C (0) | TB (0)
August 18, 2007
Traveling Alone
This is the first time I have been in a foreign country by myself. I expected traveling alone in Germany to be lonely, to be hard work, and to be possibly scary or confusing. It has not been any of those things. What it has been is SO EMBARRASSING! I swear, for every interaction that has gone smoothly, there have been three that resulted in me, bright red, unable to tell someone what kind of ice cream I wanted, pointing at the mustard, holding up a line, forgetting my change, or waving my hands at my luggage. I invariably forget any word I look up immediately upon closing my phrasebook. The phrase "I can't speak German" has taken me the entire two and a half days to master, and even now that I know it, I am more likely to adopt an idiotic look and make small, panicked, umming noises. Thank goodness for the patience of people well used to tourists.
My own increasing unwelcomeness among the street-vendors of Dresden notwithstanding, everything has been fantastic. Dresden is a great date - she is absolutely beautiful, and we share many interests, including christmas ornaments, biking, beer, and all forms of pork. Since I arrived, I have walked all around the city, taken a day trip to a nearby town, Bautzen, and rode a riverboat to Schloss Pillnitz, Also, this weekend is Dresden's Stadtfest, or City Festival, so the city has been one giant crowded party since Friday. All of downtown on both sides of the river and in every direction is filled to overflowing with booths, biergartens and people. One area is a children's carnival, another is medieval food, drink and goods. There is an area devoted entirely to cheese. Everywhere there is beer, music, and meat. It is like every fair and festival I have ever been to, all being held at the same time and place.
About Travel, by Erica McDaniel at 4:20 PM | C (4) | TB (0)
September 20, 2006
Ithaca
Greg and I spent last weekend in Ithaca, where we had a lovely time - we went sailing, and as usual, consumed vast amounts of incredible food and wine. As a result, I have a two recommendations for anyone in the area:
Dano's Heuriger on Seneca Lake, whose website does not adequately express how incredibly elegant and beautiful it is, serves yummy and affordable Austrian food. The food was very good, but it was the sublime style and delightful view that made this such a wonderful experience. We ate piles of bread, sauerkraut and sausage, washed down with a nice local Riesling, a hearty and comforting lunch.
Gimme Coffee. This is THE BEST COFFEE I HAVE EVER HAD. Seriously. I had an Americano with an extra shot, and although I was dangerously close to having my heart explode, I was in love. And it wasn't just the elaphantine dose of caffeine: Aseem's cappuccino was even more delicious. Apparently they have a location or two in NYC, and you can also buy their coffee over the internet. Do so now.
About Travel, by Erica McDaniel at 10:42 PM | C (1) | TB (0)
July 27, 2006
Alaska Museum Day
On our last day in Alaska I had wanted to go sea kayaking in Kenai Fjords National Park, an endeavor that was abandoned when we woke up to a damp and chilly morning (although the price tag was an effective deterrent as well). Instead we visited the Alaska Sealife Center in Seward and the Anchorage Museum of History and Art, so the day turned out to be both entertaining and professionally interesting (museums, remember? I know it’s been a while!).
There was a distinct contrast between the two places, and I’ve been thinking a lot about the experiences since. The Sealife Center was brand-new and quite expensive to attend, but the interior was stark and full of plastic dividers and walls like bare drywall, and the exhibits were pretty much dominated by lift-the-flap interactivity (which you may recall I despise.)
Actually, a quick aside here for that – see, ok, those lift-the-flap things originated as an inexpensive, easy way to give visitors a chance to self-quiz. There are good lift-the-flap exhibits. For example, flaps with different kinds of fur on top that ask, “Whose fur am I?” That’s good – you have to think a little, and you get the fun of finding out the answer. The most memorable flaps at the Alaska Sealife Center had a photo and the name and position of a researcher on the top, and a description of their research underneath. Huh? Why!?!? No questions, no thinking, and no reason to interrupt the reading process with a flap-lift - it boggles and upsets the mind.
Ugh, the other really annoying exhibit that I just HAVE to mention – A big panel on a study about the effect of diet on sea lions (or maybe seals) that neither disclosed the results of the study NOR said that it was ongoing. It just said “we did a study in 2002.” Good for you! Way to leave the reader hanging and frustrated!!
Fortunately for the Sealife Center, the impressive marine life, like brittle and basket stars, sea lions and seals, king crabs and puffins, spoke for itself. They also had one of my personal favorites, a touch-pool, full of tidal-pool critters to poke and prod (gently!). They had a huge variety of sea stars, from the traditional firm-fleshed ones, to giant puffy ones that were so soft and loose that you could barely tell you were touching anything at all and little blobby ones that felt like sandpaper. So, in the end, I was happy with the experience, but I was also really glad that part of my admissions fee was going to the active research of the center.
The Anchorage Museum of History and Art, on the other hand, was old and cheap, but quite elegant and attractive. They house a solid collection of Alaska-related art on the first floor, which is well organized and labeled. They also have a temporary exhibit space, which was housing a very nice exhibit on birds of prey from the Science Museum of Minnesota. The second floor, though - DIORAMAS!!! WOOOO!!! Man, I love those things. BEST. And they were really excellent dioramas too. From little tableaus of native peoples hunting caribou and catching salmon to life-size models of the houses of natives and settlers, the exhibit covers the history of Alaska from the first people across the land bridge to the oil pipeline with a wealth of artifacts, awesome dioramas and timelines. I was seriously entranced through the whole exhibit, and I didn't lift a single god-damn flap!! This exhibit does it old-school, and it does it right. So in the end, the advantage goes to the AMHA – plus, they also house the totally cool Marx Brother’s Café, for those foodie museum-goers out there.
Lastly, I observed a lot of the interactions going on in both museums. For families with younger kids, the Sealife Center was definitely better at engaging their attentions and encouraging family interactions. It was awesome to walk through it and hear parents and kids asking each other questions about the animals. There was not much reading going on, but the exhibit materials are entirely secondary to that kind of interaction – it’s nice if they provide the answers to the kid’s questions, but they don’t drive the experience. For older kids and adults, the AMHA provided the more stimulating material. The traveling exhibit on birds of prey deserved special mention in this category, even though it is technically from another museum – the use of interactivity and well-designed exhibit materials seemed to really encourage visitors to talk about the issues at hand. There was one sad case of missed opportunity, however – a boy and his father were sitting at adjacent computer screens, the father watching a documentary clip and the son doing an opinion survey about the impact of land-owners choices on birds of prey. The boy tried to get his father interested in the question he was reading, asking for his dad's opinion, and was repeatedly and rudely brushed off, to the point where the dad is yelling about how he is BUSY... poor kid! He just wanted a little ethical guidance! Worst of all, I have a feeling that if it had been another adult acquaintance asking his opinion, the father probably would have gotten interested, or at least looked up from his video to give a polite answer. Good museum visits are the responsibility of the visitor too!!
About Science, Education and Design, by Erica McDaniel at 6:34 PM | C (9) | TB (0)
April 11, 2005
Mini-Break in the Triangle
North Carolina was lovely. It may have been that we lucked out, visiting exactly when all the trees were blooming, but Greg and I were left feeling like maybe we should scrap this whole New England thing and just move down there.
Friday was unfortunately a bit stormy, but we toured around the Triangle, seeing a bit of Duke, and the gorgeous Duke gardens, with Greg’s college friend and law student B. After that we enjoyed a Durham Bulls game from the party deck, complete with complementary hamburgers and hot dogs, thanks to our friend K’s company get-together.
Saturday was our indie rock day. We spent most of the day bumming around in Chapel Hill record shops with K, coming away with a shamefully large pile of cds. After a big plate of BBQ (when in Rome.. ) and the best hush puppies ever, we went to a show at the Duke Coffeehouse. Man, it was like being back in college – I kept looking around and seeing these people that could have been clones of the kids I went to school with, and expecting someone I knew to step out from behind them. I guess if you’ve seen one hipster college coffeehouse, you’ve seen them all.
We were there to see The Strugglers, K’s friend’s band, who were opening for The Circulatory System. The Strugglers put on a great show. I found the singer’s voice and style very familiar but couldn’t quite place it – the best comparison I could muster was a male Cat Power – he’s got the same kind of drawn-out, warbling sound and pacing to his singing. He’s backed by a solid guitar-drums-keyboard combo, and accompanied by a violinist whose simply amazing work gave the music a folksy twinge.
I can’t say the same of The Circulatory System – assembled from the disbanded Oliva Tremor Control, who are second only to Neutral Milk Hotel in my Elephant 6 pantheon, I expected to really enjoy them. I haven’t heard their cd, and it may be that they sound much better in the studio, but I was really disappointed by their performance. While they were clearly skilled musicians, the music just didn’t seem to hold together too well. The straight-up rock segments were fine, but the vocals were straggly and distracting, and whenever the music took a break for the exotic (where OTC shines) it seemed to fall apart a little. It didn’t help that a small legion of college boys in a stunning array of bad hats – who had wandered around distractedly and talked loudly through the opener – were doing their best impressions of worms struggling on fishhooks in the front row.
We took off partway through The Circulatory System's set and did a little bar-hopping, rounding out the collegiate feeling of the night by hanging out at a dance party in a dive bar that felt for all the world like a house party, full of sweaty, smoking hipsters sardineing together to eighties classics. It was a blast, actually, and made me miss house parties just a little.
We arose late the next day and enjoyed an excellent south Indian buffet lunch (I have got to find a south Indian place around here – Chowhound, here I come!) before flying home, getting back just in time to have a too-short dinner with C and her family, who were in town for the weekend. It was great to see them, however briefly.
About Travel, by Erica McDaniel at 12:22 PM | C (0) | TB (4)
April 7, 2005
Away for the weekend
Greg and I are in North Carolina for the weekend. See you all on Monday!
About Travel, by Erica McDaniel at 6:07 PM | C (0) | TB (6)