January ’12 in a nutshell

Posted in Adventures, People, Photography by Nelle

I’m really not in the mood to study so I am procrastinating yet again. I think I’m more efficient when I don’t feel like studying because I will do everything else except hitting the books. I may regret this later but here’s a little snapshot of what my January ’12 was like. Consider this as another addition to the blog.

***

It was awesome. 2012 is off to a good start! I quit the gym and started using the great outdoors for walking and jogging. Then I sweat it out in a Bikram Yoga studio. I have shed a few centimetres and I can finally fit into the bridesmaid’s dress.

I promised to start eating healthier too so even with buttery goods right before my very eyes I learnt to say no. Breaks my heart but sometimes you just have to do the right thing. Or I should really just stop going to places where food is temptation.

2012 is also when I finally took out my polaroid camera out of its box. I got this as an advanced birthday/2011 Christmas present from K when we were holidaying in the US of A. It’s part pink and funky and shoots out film. I love it!

What did I do with the camera then? Tested it out during Australia Day, of course. Mind you, the films are more expensive than the camera itself so I’m trying to budget film use because I only bought a few boxes from New York. I was really happy with the photos…even the overexposed ones – that just goes to show how sunny it can be in Perth!

I hope everyone is having a fantastic start to the year too!

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5Dec2011

Exploring Perth 2: Perth Hills

Posted in Adventures, Perth, Travel by Nelle

Thanks to a car breakdown incident, I have discovered a new place in Perth. It’s not new per se but it’s unchartered enough that it brings me all kinds of excitement whenever I pay it a visit. Of all the years I have lived in Perth, I have not once set foot in this part of town; a town called Kalamunda, part of what is otherwise known as the Perth Hills.

Left crippled without a car, I decided to ask the company I work for, after being fed up with public transportation, if we had any spare vehicle that I may borrow while my car is being fixed. Luckily, there were quite a few spares! A colleague and I drove up to Kalamunda to pick up the spare vehicle – it’s also safe to say that I can now cross out driving a pick up truck from my bucket list – and it was the conversation I had with her during the ride that sparked my interest in exploring Perth Hills. The drive up made me realise that Kalamunda is not that inaccessible from where I live (as I previously thought); about 30 minutes from home and 15 minutes from the office by car without traffic jams.

My quest to look for a decent cupcake shop in Perth made me trek my first official visit to Kalamunda. That visit was enough to make me want to come back for more. I was pressed for time then so I only took about half an hour or so to stroll around. The shopping area, located along Haynes Street and its surrounds, is not that big but also not that small. It is small enough that it has a very close-knit community feel to it yet big enough to provide you with whatever you need (supermarkets, Bunnings, cafes, restaurants, shopping…).

One Sunday, after much Googling about Perth Hills, I went to the Kalamunda Farmer’s Market. This market is open until 12pm every Sunday so Auntie C and I rushed off after an early breakfast to get there before it closes. Big mistake regarding that breakfast. There was so much to eat at the markets that we should’ve just eaten breakfast there! A few cafes were open and there was also a creperie stall. Being full would not stop us from eating more anyway; it would just make us extremely full and skip lunch altogether. A few of the things you’ll find at the market are:

specialty bread
fresh fruits and veg
seafood
olives/olive products
crepes
plants for sale
honey
macarons

So after a stoll on a fine spring day, we decided to cool down with some homemade ice ceam at Collodel. This is one of the best homemade ice creams I have had in a while. It was smooth and not too sweet. Just perfectly divine. I had the creme caramel flavour and it was yum yum yum.

Since we were already in the area, Auntie C and I headed out to Gooseberry Hill; a neighbouring suburb that is like a 2-minute drive. The main reason for going there was to go to this French cafe and patisserie called Le Croissant du Moulin. It is tucked away in a very small village shopping centre along Railway Road that I missed it while cruising down the street. Thankfully there was a round-about nearby. All the cakes looked enticing that I really really want to buy them all. Okay, we limited ourselves to just 3 (because we didn’t have enough cash left). Two words for the sweets – tres delicieux! I have concluded by now that Perth Hills houses some of the city’s best kept food secrets.

On the way home, we drove through the scenic zig zag drive that is worth a visit too. I never knew Perth had a scenic, let alone a zig zag, drive. It is a sight of the city from a different point of view.

That’s half a Sunday well spent.

4Nov2011

Just another day in Perth with The Queen

Posted in Adventures, Perth by Nelle

I know this post should’ve been made 1 week ago but I have to be honest with you – life got crazy with work, expiring coupons/voucher that I had to use, social life. Phew. It’s just one of those weeks where life caught up with me.

Another thing I was busy about was chasing Her Majesty, The Queen. No biggie. This was just another day in Perth where we get to see Her Majesty, The Queen and HRH Prince Philip. Except it was a very big deal. A very big deal to me because I willingly waste my time chasing celebrities/famous people that I like if I know they are going to be in the same city as me. For other people as crazy as I am and the city of Perth, the 29th of October 2011 is one to remember. After all, how often do you get to see the Queen in person and hear her speech live? Not that often right? So pardon me for getting way too excited. And also because Perth never gets to be chosen for anything.

No I won’t go through the arguments of why monarchy should be kept or abolished like some people do because, quite frankly, I have mixed emotions about this. But seeing the Queen brought back so many happy memories from my Uni days. You see, I used to do a course called European Studies back in the olden days. We were taught about European history, European governance of selected countries including the UK, European economics, international laws and things like that. At some point in time during the course, my thesis partner and I became obssessed with UK politics because there is so much history (and let’s face it, I’m a sucker for history) and it was so interesting that almost all our research work were based on this topic. People at home think I’m crazy for wanting to go see the Queen who wouldn’t even have a fraction of a clue as to who I am but only my thesis partner would understand my joy of seeing Her Majesty in person. Really.

You may be wondering by now why The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh decided to set foot in our city. Well there is something called CHOGM (the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting) and the venue for such a meeting this year was Perth. I know nothing about what went on in that meeting and it really does not interest me. All I know is that one of the issues they talked about was abolishing the law that only males can inherit the throne.

For the rest of us non politically inclined people, the fun started on 29 October 2011 at 9am. If you were an early bird it could’ve started at 6am. Perth hosted the Big Aussie BBQ in a park overlooking the river to welcome the Queen and Prince Philip to our city. Auntie C and a little cousin went with me because they, too, are a tad crazy. By the time we got to Downtown Perth it was already quite busy. Sausages are sizzling and people were already lining up along the railings to catch a glimpse of royalty. It was a fine day I might add. A fine day to start with that turned out to be a very hot day. We stood in the burning sun for 2.5 hours squashed amongst everyone else and for a minute there I swear the railings were going to topple over and I was going to be crushed.

So finally after the VERY long wait the Swan Bells started chiming indicating Her Majesty’s arrival. It all went by so quickly. As in in a blink of an eye. Security cars went ahead of her and then there she was. The Queen riding down along the streets of Perth waving at us. With a big camera on one hand, I waved back with the other oblivious to the fact the she doesn’t really care who I am. For a moment there I was awestuck. And starstruck. In front of me was a lady who has been the head of state for decades, obviously aged with history written all over the lines on her face. And I caught a glimpse of her for a mere second. The photo below is the sole photo I have of her because, like I’ve said before, it all went in a flash and Prince Philip was blocking her face.

Then she took to the stage and gave her only public address to the people of Perth. With the crowd and the very open air I could hardly hear what she was saying but it all ended with a roaring crowd.

And that was it. She headed back to the UK that very same day. This could well be her last visit to our city and all I could be was happy. Happy to have been part of history.

12Oct2011

I love you New York. Will you marry me? Part 3

Posted in Adventures, Travel by Nelle

The last 2 full days of our trip to NYC were full on. As you may recall I went back to the hotel quite early the night before (but didn’t sleep til late anyways) so I started my 3rd day in the city that never sleeps super early, as in 6am, with only a few hours of sleep. Why? Because I wanted to watch The Today Show to see the people who have been keeping me company in the mornings. That, and also for my 15 seconds of fame. This was one of those days when I am very thankful for staying in such a convenient hotel. Nobody wanted to accompany me to the show so I went by myself and I had to walk in the dark because I had to be at Rockefeller Center before everybody else to get a good spot. I got there around 6:45am. It wasn’t full yet but there were only a few spots left where you can lean on the railings. Being shorter that almost everyone at the set I really did need to be in front. Let me tell you this - the experience of watching the show on TV is completely different to actaully being on the set and wanting to be on TV. When you watch it on TV it seems like so much fun. Of course it’s only fun on the set when they actually get to your corner. You have to know where the hosts stand so you can greet/shake hand/chat/take photos with them at the first instance; otherwise it’s gonna be a long wait. It didn’t take me long to realise that I would be at the set for quite some time. I was at the opposite end of where the hosts first did their recordings and all that. Then they vanished back into the studio; and then come out again each time going to a corner other than mine. Because of that a group of frustrated middle aged ladies left 15 minutes before Jennifer Garner came out. I’m glad that I stayed back – for a further 3 hours. It became less crowded towards the end as the audience has started leaving once they get their screen time and autographs. Although it was getting frustrating towards the middle of the show it ended well. I got to see the hosts (except for Matt Lauer), Jennifer Garner, Deidre Hall and someone else from Days of Our Lives, whom I don’t even know), took some photos, and got on TV. Wow, what a great start to the day.

After being starstruck and all I met up with K and V and we ventured off to the Museum of Natural History. K and I were really excited at first because we thought that this was where they filmed Night at the Museum. We found out some time later that the movie was a scam. All but two of the “history pieces” they featured were nowhere to be found. Only Rexie and Dum Dum were there. Even though we were disappointed in that regard we still had a great time there, me specially. Out of all the museums in New York that I went to the Museum of Natural History has got to be my favourite. The other museums are too artsy fartsy for my uncultured brain to comprehend. But anyway, we spent a good deal of time looking at the frozen animals on display and I even had a free admission to a show about stars held inside a planitarium that gave me nothing but headache. Yeah, 2 things that make me feel sick: non linear spaces and 3D shows. It was an informative show but I found that there was too much information to digest for half an hour.

After all that brain stimulation, we decided it was time to go for a stroll in Central Park. This park has the same feel as Vancouver’s Stanley Park on a smaller scale. We didn’t really spend much time here other than sitting on a park bench eating lunch and going to see the small castle up in the park somewhere.

Much of what’s left in the afternoon was spent in what I’d call a photographer’s heaven. V brought us to B&H Photography and I almost went crazy. I’m not a pro photographer of any sort but I love checking out cameras and their gadgets. If only I had the whole day to spend there. Well, I almost did damage to my credit card but the guy at the counter convinced me that I do not need a new camera no matter how much I wanted to upgrade. He had a point. I left empty handed but we came back the next day because we just couldn’t get enough of cameras. By we I meant me and V. K was rather indifferent but she did buy me a pink/white polaroid camera as an advanced birthday present.

MP met up with us for dinner at Chipotle after her class and us girls had a girls’ night out. V bought us tickets for Colbie Caillait’s show and it was well worth it. I wasn’t a huge fan of hers before the show but I’m beginning to become a convert now. She is such a good performer and a great singer – sounded exactly like the CDs. Now that was a fun and relaxing way to end the night.

Onto the next day…

I woke up earlier than everybody else, as usual, even though we all went to bed at the same time after our midnight trip to the Empire State Building. No lines during midnight. Hurrah!

So onto this day, with my CityPass, I decided to go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I know nothing about art and ditto for this museum so I didn’t know beforehand what to expect. My only goal was to use all the ticket passes in my CityPass. Well, it’s safe to say that the Met is a huge ass museum full of art and artifacts that I absolutely do not get. Rather than being an avenue for those who truly understand art and all its glory I think this is one of those many museums that is really just a tourist trap (okay, I’ll admit it. I am one of those tourists). A clear sign of this are the many flags displayed at the info desk indicating which languages the museum tours are offered in. It’s also always so crowded that it becomes less enjoyable because I prefer quiet (really, I prefer dead silent) museums where you can just sit in one of the benches and drift away into fantasyland. Not in New York museums. I quickly rushed through the whole building that is so confusing it’s almost like a maze hoping to have enough time before lunch to visit the Guggenheim (also because of the CityPass). I ended up not going though and strolled around Upper East Side instead then met K and V for lunch at the Shake Shack. This place has the most amazing burgers. The shakes are not so good but the burgers are so tasty I don’t know why people would eat a MacDonald’s burger. Oh right, I do know why. It’s because it’s too pricey for such a small albeit filling burger. I suppose you get what you pay for. The burger bun is way too good too; it’s not the usual white bread bun but is a butter bun, as in it tastes like butter and is yellow in colour. Very similar to Asian bread if you know what I’m talking about.

The next adventure was at the Financial District. We got there very late in the afternoon so it was not busy anymore which is a good thing because you don’t get shoved by rushing business people for walking slowly. K wanted to take a picture with the stock market bull (more like the bull’s testicles for good luck apparently) so we searched for it only to find out it was barricaded. We can still go in and take a picture but there are guards around and there was a line. The jumping photo is now a no-go so we just stood stoically beside the bull and hurried out so other people can go in.

While waiting for MP to finish her class we dropped by some pier to catch a glimpse of the Brooklyn Bridge. It was a spectacular view at night with all the lights lit up. The cool breeze from the river that night did not hurt either. V wanted to have dinner at Hagi so we took a much rather expensive cab ride back to Midtown. There were more of us this time so we were able to sample more Hagi food and a pitcher of Sapporo beer. I really cannot stress enough how amazing the food is at Hagi. Twice I’ve been here; twice the amazement.

And so the night ended.

Before any of us knew it, it was time to say goodbye to my love, New York City. But not before squeezing in a trip to the Museum of Modern Art, for me anyway. While the rest of the gang were busy getting pissed the night before, after the dinner, I managed to crash and sleep like a log. My body is really just wired for an earlier bedtime and not being able to withstand alcohol. The rest of the gang were still sleeping when I left to line up for tickets. As with the other museums, I went there because it’s a cliche. All I wanted to see was Van Gogh’s Starry Night but it made me realise that I really like Monet’s works too. Maybe a little more research and preparation beforehand would have me appreciate art more. I have had a bad expeirience with an art class in Uni before so maybe that’s why the museums just do not have that impact on me. But let’s not ruin what’s left of that little impact it has on me by talking about a certain professor; that’s not the memory I’d like to think of before I wave goodbye to New York.

6Oct2011

I love you New York. Will you marry me? Part 2

Posted in Adventures, Travel by Nelle

Despite continuous rain and thunderstorm weather forecasts New York has been really good to us. It wasn’t exactly always sunny with blue and cloudless skies; rather it was cloudy with imminent rain. But, hey, I’d take cloudy over rain any time when I am travelling. What better way to spend this non raining day than to pay Miss Liberty a visit. The whole gang (me, K, MP and V) have decided the day before to do something else but, given the sunny day, I convinced them that today was the perfect day to go to Liberty Island. It’s bad enough that I get seasick but what’s worse is riding in a ferry when it’s raining. I just always have this vision that the ferry will capsize at any stage during the trip due to roaring waves and the ferry filling up with rainwater. This really is an irrational fear of mine.

Anyway back to our journey to Liberty Island.

We always hear people warning us that the line for the ferry to the island is super long and in order to avoid this you should get there earlier than everybody else. Of course that didn’t happen. We have been sleeping later and waking up even later so we arrived at Battery Park around 11am-ish. Yes the line was indeed long but not as crazy long as I expected. And then, as luck would have it, a new line opened up and we were able to jump the queue. We got into the security screening area in no time and boarded the ferry onto Liberty Island. Once there I scuffled hurrily to get a good spot for taking photos. It was quite a challenge to take a photo of us and the whole Misss Liberty all in one frame but we managed. Hurrah! Aside from this there wasn’t much else to do in Liberty Island. You could go to the other side, though, for a view of NYC from the other side.

After much shopping at the gift shop where I ended up buying a replica of the Statue of Liberty (which I later had to jam into my suitcase), we took the next ferry out of the island and back into Manhattan but not before getting off at Ellis Island by mistake. You should’ve seen the confused look on our faces because Ellis Island certainly did not look anything like the port where we originally boarded the ferry.

Between the heat, hunger and indecisiveness of where to go in the afternoon, we landed in Greenwich Village somehow. And let me tell you I sure don’t mind spending the whole day in this part of Manhattan. First up was a late lunch at A Salt and Battery for some fish and chips. M, our friend from Toronto, has recommended this place and he was right. Almost everything is deep fried to perfection – very crispy on the outside and steaming hot and soft fish on the inside – except of course those sides like mashed peas and coleslaw. The onion rings were pretty good too.

MP claims that she knows this area better than other parts of Manhattan because she comes here frequently. She then took us to her favourite bookstore by Marc Jacobs called Bookmarc. It is a quaint little shop that is overcorwded. Bookwise there isn’t a lot of variety so I guess it’s for a selected clientele only. I also found the Marc Jacobs trinkets to be too expensive. While the rest of the gang were inside the store, obviously getting tricked by marketing into buying stuff, I waited outside perplexed by the massive crowd going in and out of Magnolia Bakery just across the bookstore. That bakery is way overrated in my opinion. What’s so good about a tasteless cupcake and sugar whipped frosting? The cupcakes don’t even look that appetising, to be honest. I was already forewarned by 2 people that this bakery is not worth a try but, given the hype, I thought why not? It’s either I prove my friends wrong or I prove them right. Turns out they were right. Not worth my $3.50.

I did find better cupcakes though inside the Chelsea Markets. Those belong to Elenis. Elenis specialises in cookies but they also make cupcakes. They were not superb but are far better than Magnolia’s. And what’s even better is that those cupcakes go on sale during the last trading hour of the day. Half price cupcakes baby. Needless to say I ate more than I should have. I love markets and this market here just takes it to a new level. Unlike the ones I go to in Perth, Chelsea Markets is in an actual building with more stores and more variety other than just fresh produce and quirky things. We stayed there until we got our cupcake fix.

Later that night I met up with a friend from Uni all the way from 2004. She suggested we go to Sake Bar Hagi near my hotel so I knew exactly where it was. Not a bad choice. In fact, a great choice. I don’t usually like Japanese food but I’m starting to rethink this after eating at Hagi. It’s a tapas style Japanese restaurant and everything we had was simply divine.

I went home earlier than usual that night in preparation for something that I had planned for the next day.

1Oct2011

I love you New York. Will you marry me?

Posted in Adventures, Travel by Nelle

source: http://www.listal.com/viewimage/1638229

No one could have said it better than Chandler Bing when he exclaimed, and I quote, “New York is AWESOME”! To say that I heart New York is an understatement. What’s a deeper level of love? Adore? Nevermind what that word is; the bottom line is that out of all the cities I’ve been to on this trip, New York is my favourite. The lights, the sounds, the smell and the people – what’s there to hate? We had a mere 4 full days to spend in this city so we knew every single day was to be maximised as much as possible. In hindsight, we should have kept New York to 5 full days as originally planned. But no matter how tight the days were I think we did a pretty good job squeezing most of the things that need to be done in New York in 4 full days.

Welcome to NY. As soon as we landed K and I made our way to the hotel, checked in, waited for a friend then headed off to dinner at Sapporo in Midtown. It was a good Japanese dinner, also evidenced by the number of people waiting to be seated. You may have read how I love the Miso Katsu from Taka’s in Perth so I was all excited to see this item on the menu in Sapporo. The verdict? Taka’s wins. The miso sauce at Sapporo tasted more soy sauce-y than miso but the chicken was good. And just to make us even fuller, we shared a plate of gyoza that was very delicious!

Since our hotel is located in a very convenient location (we stayed in Midtown) there was no problem with us getting around Manhattan. The first destination of the night was Times Square; and I thought Dundas Square in Toronto was cool enough. Times Square in Manhattan is just unbelievable – larger than life lights and ads in an overly crowded space. Now that feels just like New York. Even late at night with the rain the city is still bustling with people. Seriously, where do all these people come from? I have already almost forgotten what it’s like to live in a busy city and by the end of my first night in New York I have concluded that I should move and live there permanently.

Top of the Rock & All That Jazz. I woke up earlier than usual the next day so that I can fit in as many things as I can. I left K behind because she was feeling unwell and wanted to rest so I went ahead to Rockefeller Center and went up the Top of the Rock to see some foggy views of New York City. The line wasn’t long at all. I guess going there solo made it easier to squeeze into lines. A cloudless sky would have made the view more fantastic but, given that the weather forecast was thunderstorm, I am just glad that there was not a single drop of rain that day. As I made my way out of Rockefeller Center I stopped by the NBC Experience store and got dragged in to joining the NBC Sutdio Tour. I have already decided not to do the tour the day before but I just had to go and ask the guy at the counter what time the next tour was. He said it was in half an hour and I had time to spare so I just joined it anyway for $20. It was pretty cool touring the sets of Dr. Oz’s show and Saturday Night Live. They were actually preparing the stage and sets of SNL’s season premier (the one with Alec Baldwin as host) when we visited so that was indeed very awesome.

After that I went strolling around 5th Avenue. No I did not go shopping because I cannot afford anything there.

Afternoon came and I met up with K again and another friend, MP, who lives in New York. We dub her as a fake New Yorker because, even though she lives in New York, she hasn’t been around as much as we thought. It turned out to be that we were giving her the tour around the city. We grabbed a quick lunch and headed on to Broadway to watch Chicago starring Kara DioGuardi. It wasn’t until MP told us that I realised she was in American Idol before. I was more surprised to find out that Best Buy Theater is merely a small theatre unlike that of Burswood Theatre. Well, there are tons of plays going on at the same time in various theatres every single day in New York so I really shouldn’t be surprised with the size of the venue. Unlike Perth where plays and musicals are on for only short seasons we need a bigger space to accommodate everyone. In New York, just pop by the theatre and sometimes you can score cheaper tickets on the same day. Another thing I found unusual was that almost everyone who went to the theatre was every casual. Everyone except me, K and MP. It’s a habit of ours to dress up a bit whenever we go to the theatre so we brought something dressy and high heels for this show only to find out that New Yorkers are very casual when it comes to this. Jeans and flip flops to the theatre? Oh well.

SoHo shopping. We went back to the hotel to change into more comfortable clothes after the show. On the way we met a stranger, V, who popped by New York to see his girlfriend. V is K’s boyfriend, by the way, and you just can’t imagine my reaction. Even more so for MP. I haven’t had that “confused” look in a long time. Anyway, MP took us to the subway station and showed us how to ride one. The subway map looks exhausting, seriously. I didn’t even bother learning how to ride the subway and just went with the flow. MP says we take N-Q-R we take N-Q-R; easy peasy. We wound up in SoHo for a little shopping – a little only because if we went all out it would take the whole night! For me SoHo is way too crowded on a weekend. Everywhere you turn you bump into someone. It is a great place for shopping though. Just about every store is in SoHo.

Chinatown, NY-sytle. Feeling hungry after that little shopping, we decided that we want Chinese food because, first, we haven’t had a lot of decent Chinese food for this whole trip, and, second, Chinatown was very close by. By that I meant walking distance from SoHo. Wow. New York’s Chinatown is huge and, you’ve guessed it, very China-like. Here are my justifications (and guide for an awesome Chinatown) why NY’s Chinatown is superb.

The chaos – There is chaos amongst the streets and people. Vendors trying to get customers and customers trying to get a bargain. People shouting here and there. Fake stuff for sale. It’s almost impossible to breathe and walk without tripping in Chinatown.

The smell – The smell is…garbage. When you walk the streets of Hong Kong and smell something funny you’d know for sure you are in a Chinese town. Same thing goes for NY’s Chinatown because it smells like the streets of Hong Kong – garbage. Big black rubbish bags tied up and piled high on the streets. There is stench everywhere.

The bakeries – Chinese bakeries are different from Western bakeries and seeing those Asian bakeries reminds me of home. The bread is different, the cakes are different, and there are other Asian treats like sesame balls that I love. Well, there’s pretty much bubble tea in almost all the bakeries too.

The signs – These signs and shop names include the words golden, century, horse, lucky, dragon and Mr someone’s-last-name or the number 8 and are in red or yellow or gold colour.

The people – do I really need to elaborate this one?

The food – “Authentic” Chinese food everywhere. A lot of them claim to be authentic but, really, only a few are worth trying. A guide to which restaurants are good is the number of Asian people dining there. The number of Asian people should outweigh the number of Western people. No, I’m not trying to be racist but that’s how you’d really know which Chinese restaurants are good.

Based on the above, New York’s Chinatown is 4.5/5. Yay. We originally wanted to have dinner at this Peking Duck restaurant but it was very full and we had to wait for another 40 minutes or so for a table. Well our tummies were not up for that so we went to the restaurant across it, a Shanghai restaurant whose name I can’t remember. The xiao long baos, pan-fried dumplings and hot and sour soup were very good. Other dishes we had were a little off taste-wise. They were sweeter than saltier and I find that strange. Like a soy sauce based dish is sweeter that saltier.

Remembering 9/11. After dinner, which finished late, we walked around Chinatown still looking for dessert. Most shops were already closed by then so we thought we’d head off to the financial district while it’s not crowded at night. We passed by the 9/11 memorial but sadly it was all fenced out due to construction. We needed a ticket to actually see the memorial and offices were already closed. Plus, they only allow a certain number people to go in and see the memorial. I really wanted to see the memorial so I walked around here and there, up and down, and finally found a spot where one could see a glimpse of the memorial.

Stay tuned. New York City and I are getting married soon.

26Sep2011

So wait, Quebec is in Canada?

Posted in Adventures, Travel by Nelle

Six years of studying French and 6 sentences later…this is how my ability to speak French culminated: getting in and around Montreal and Quebec City. I knew that Quebec is the French speaking state of Canada; in fact I almost came here years ago for an exchange program at McGill University. I just did not anticipate the extent to which the Quebecois spoke French. It was surreal. It was almost as if I was in Paris. I heard more people speak French than English and when they did speak English it was with a French accent. I find this strange yet amusing at the same time. How on earth is this state still a part of Canada is all that I could think of. Quebec was certainly très très different from the likes of Vancouver and Toronto. Whilst I really enjoyed the old century feel to both Vieux-Montreal and Vieux-Quebec my admiration for Quebec would remain only at that tourist type of affection. If you ask me to live there I would probably hesitate.

So here is a run down of what went on in Quebec. Let’s start with Montreal.

Arrival by VIA Rail Canada. This was the only leg of our trip that wasn’t by plane. The ride from Toronto was only 5 hours and the price was cheaper than travelling by plane so we thought why not give VIA Rail a go. The train looked so much more worn out than the pictures on the website which was disappointing. But that wasn’t much big of a deal because once you’re tired no matter how bumpy the ride was you will get a good night’s sleep – which is exactly what happened to me. I slept like a baby on board the train, after checking out the view of course. They were only corn fields so I thought I could give that a pass. If the view were of mountains and lakes I would’ve stayed up.

Hiking up Mont Royal. They said high up Mont Royal gives the best view of Montreal. People who said that sure were right. It was a little but confusing getting to the peak of the park because our map was not of great help. But after asking around en français K and I managed to find our destination. Although the sky was gloomy when we got there the view was still spectacular. There wasn’t as many tourists as I thought there would be so there was ample space for everyone to enjoy the view. Even locals come here to unwind and enjoy the view.

L’Oratoire St Joseph. M, our friend from Toronto, gave us a list of places to visit in Montreal and this the Oratory of Saint Joseph was on top of his list. It was not a far trek from Mont Royal once you figure out which bus to take. Ask the locals if you need to – this was exactly how we got there. Now to get inside the church is a long trek. There were 3 flights of stairs and it was a very humid day so by the time K and I got there we were roasted. The oratory looks magnificent from the outside because it stands tall amongst everything else but I found it to be a bit too commercialised. If you are scared of scary things like ghosts I’d suggest you don’t go to the 4th floor. That was where I got the biggest shock of my life thinking I saw the “ghost” of Father Andre but that which turned out to be just an amazingly lifelike replica of him. It is super human like it’s creepy. It was a miracle I didn’t have nightmares that night.

Shopping & Dining at Saint Denis Street. M told us that Saint Denis Street was like Toronto’s Yorkville with boutique shops and chic places to eat. After much debate as to when we should do our shopping, we went to St Denis Street after visiting the L’Oratoire Saint Joseph, first, to get some bagels from St Viateur Bagels, then go shopping. Of course plans don’t usually happens the way they are supposed to. We went shopping straight away and did some damage. I must say that this is a pretty good place to shop. There are cafes and restaurants everywhere so after a tiring shopping spree you can find just about everything you want to eat in this street. K remembered a restaurant from Anthony Bordain’s show called Au Pied de Cochon (see below) so we had dinner there.

Dinner at Au Pied de Cochon. This restaurant is insanely packed on a Monday night. It’s just a little off St Denis Street and a little hard to find because there are no obvious indicators which tells you that this is Au Pied de Cochon. The whole street is full of restaurants but this and one other restaurant are the only places that you have to wait, or make reservations to get in. We were lucky enough to get seats at the bar area where you can watch the chefs cook. The bar was a bit too high for me so all I could see was this chef making mashed potatoes and I swear that the 2 hours we were there he did not cook much else but mashed potatoes. Anyway, we had a tuna tartare sushi style to start then a foie gras tart and then a duck maigret with mushroom sauce to finish. The tuna tartare was amazing! Explosion of flavours in every bite and the fish was very fresh. The foie gras was very tasty and buttery. It came with a pastry base and mashed potatoes in the middle with a ring of foie gras around the mashed potatoes. I loved it so much. K is weak and couldn’t finish her half because it was too rich for her. You know that feeling when you eat too much butter by itself that you just want to yak it out afterwards? Yeah that was what she felt about the foie gras. I guess there’s only so much foie gras one can eat, huh? As for me, I polished off my plate. Yes I’m a pig like that. Then we waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. It took the duck more than half an hour after we finished the foie gras to come out. I don’t know what took so long but when we asked the waitress to check on our order all she said was “it’s coming soon” without even asking the kitchen. And so we waited even more. Finally it came out and it was nothing but mediocre. The first bite was good but the rest after that was just not good enough. The duck breast was so rubbery even a streak knife couldn’t cut through it. I had to chew like mad so I can swallow it.

Let me just say this – food-wise, I think Au Pied de Cochon is worth trying. If you are expecting to be treated like a god or goddess, don’t get your hopes up because their customer service is as shitty as shit can be (for lack of better words to describe it). Service was rude and slow and it was almost impossible to flag down a waiter.

Dessert at Rockaberry. M’s girlfriend, who is a Montreal native, recommended Rockaberry to us just in case we needed something sweet after dinner. Well she wasn’t kidding when she told us they had a lot of pies. So many pies to choose from I couldn’t decide which one to get. There are over 12 pie flavours some with chocolate, fruit, or both. I ended up getting a Banana Split with Chocolate which I ate whilst watching trashy TV shows back in the hotel room. Overall taste was good but a little too sweet and the cake underneath was dry.

Notre Dame Basilica. K has been bugging me to go to Notre Dame Basilica even before our trip. I was indifferent because I do not appreciate church structures. I mean those century old churches are beautiful and all but that is all I can appreciate. I can probably appreciate more the historical significance behind the structures than the architectural style because I know nothing about architecture. But I once I stepped into the basilica I must admit that I was awestruck. Oh my. The interior was just amazing with intricate details, statues and colour. I haven’t been to any of the churches in Europe so I don’t know how this Notre Dame in Montreal compares. It was just wow.

Chinatown. Is it weird that I feel at home in Chinatown? If I’m craving for some soup then this is probably the best place to get it because I love Chinese/Asian soup. M advised that the Vietnamese food in Chinatown is close to authentic because of the large Vietnamese population in Montreal. I think it was Pho Saigon that we went into and I had one of the best lunches I’ve had for this trip. The pork chop was very fragrant and sweet and the pho soup with lemon leaf was the best way to warm up your tummy. I still dream about the pork chop.

Vieux-Montreal. Old Montreal is probably the reason why people visit Montreal. Old walls and structures with cobblestones and French speaking make you feel all the more like you are in Paris. It was a good change to see this area because it was nothing like Downtown. Loaded with tourists though. I wonder how many locals actually walk through the streets of Vieux Montreal? We stopped by this maple products gift shop to do our souvenir shopping and met the friendliest person ever in Canada. He was the owner of the shop and he sure knows how to take care of his customers. He made recommendations, gave us samples and really talked to us. He knew I love maple syrup so he spoilt me by giving me tasting of just about everything I wanted to taste and also some stuff he force fed me.

And we’re off to Quebec City.

Quebec City was not actually part of our planned itinerary but everyone we met, M and some other strangers and fellow tourists, told us that if they only had a day to spend in Quebec they would rather spend it in Quebec City. We did have a day to spare in Montreal so we made an off the plan decision and took a 3-hour train ride from Montreal to Quebec City. We left early morning and came back to Montreal with VIA Rail’s last train departure.

With about 5-6 hours in Quebec City, the only place we actually spent time in was Vieux-Quebec. Where else would we go? Okay, M and the strangers were right – Quebec City is indeed more beautiful than Montreal. I think the area of Vieux-Quebec is bigger than Vieux-Montreal so there was much more to see. It’s a bit more walk uphill and downhill compared to Montreal but it is worth it.

20Sep2011

At Niagara Falls we meet again

Posted in Adventures, Travel by Nelle

Today, an old friend and I met again after 13 years. This is the same friend whose brother took us around Toronto as previously mentioned. It was a good feeling to see old friends after such a long time. It brings back childhood memories and the funnily stupid things that we used to do.

It was an hour or so drive from our point of origin to Niagara and that gave us enough time to catch up with each other. All that chatting made the trek seem much shorter. I had an impression that Niagara Falls is one giant waterfall where you can hear roaring waters miles away from the actual falls. I’m a little surprised to see that the actual falls were not as I expected. They seem smaller and not as scary as I thought they would be. Maybe it was because of where we were standing; or perhaps it was just high expectations. But that doesn’t mean that I did not have a great time at the falls. Big or small, I am always left awestruck by mother nature. I think the falls would’ve been better if the surrounding areas were more in sync with nature. I just feel that the town of Niagara is much too commercialised with casinos and Vegas-style strips and shops. Around the falls were railings to prevent accidents (although some people still choose to ignore warning signs and climb the railings), which I understand completely – safety first. My only point is that if the area were more like how Banff National Park is set up visitors would probably have a much better view of the falls. I accept that no 2 things are alike so I just try to appreciate however way Niagara Falls is meant to be enjoyed.

So there were 6 of us who went to the Falls. We had a great time running around chasing rainbows and getting showered in mist. In essence, it is always raining in the Falls area? I guess that’s part of the fun. We did not do any of those Maid of the Mist boat tour, nor the Journey Behind the Falls tours, nor the Helicopter tours. Instead, we stayed on ground armed with our cameras trying to get that perfect shot of the Falls. Let me tell ya, that was very hard to do with all the mist and people and railings and other obstructions but I am quite happy with the photos I managed to take.

After the Falls, we decided to pay Niagara-on-the-Lake a visit. Good decision. Niagara-on-the-Lake is such a picturesque town – quaint, peaceful, and unique with all its boutique shops. Even the Starbucks there blends in with the setting. We walked around the town snapping photos of the beautiful houses.

En route to Niagara-on-the-Lake we passed by a very unique stall; something I’ve never seen before – a stall that sells Grape Pie. Yes, like apple pies but with grapes. The lady told us that the grapes come from the vineyards but are not wine grapes although the grapes do have a wine taste. It was a shortcrust pastry base with grape filling topped with crumble. Oh my God it was so good. They also have grape jam for sale. These grapes come and go with the season so these pies are not available all year round. We bought 2 boxes of 9 and polished off 1 box in the car. Guess we were lucky to have visited Niagara at this time of the year.

20Sep2011

Sleepless in Toronto

Posted in Adventures, Travel by Nelle

Toronto is awesome. Toronto is cool. What’s even better is having locals show you around the city and beyond. And that only means that sleep is minimal in Toronto – not that I’m complaining because we got to see a lot of places and things and shops in and out of Toronto in like 24 hours.

Now, rewind to a day before we met the locals. We are exactly halfway through our holidays and fatigue has finally caught up with us. K and I started the day too late seeing as nobody heard the alarm and we overslept until about noon. So we opted to have a rather relaxing day by heading to Streetsville in Mississsauga and we both had an impulse haircut. I got more that a haircut. I now have highlights too. Yep, I went halfway around the world to find the “new” me. The hairdressers at Salon Bardot were really cool. They were friendly and they know their stuff so I was very much happy with my semi new hair. No regrets with that. Well that took the whole afternoon essentially leaving us with just enough time for dinner before calling it a night. With our hair all done nicely K suggested we go somewhere where we can have drinks for dinner. We ended up in West 50 across the hotel (just in case we get too pissed and can’t make it home anymore, kidding) and had a heavy dinner. This place has about or over 100 taps of beer! The bar is really cool and the waitstaff really know their beers so go check it out. Alcohol made me sleep like a log.

The next day was a full day ahead. My friend’s (from grade school, or middle school, or however its called) brother, M, came to pick us up and off we go sightseeing in and around Toronto. We went all the way to Scarborough, east of Toronto, for dim sum and it’s a good place for chinese food because Scarborough has a massive Asian community. We went to this restaurant called Ginger and Onion Cuisine. What on earth is a ginger and onion cuisine?? But it was a good lunch. We’ve been having a lot of potatoes and burgers that Chinese food never tasted so good. This was only the second time we’ve had Chinese food for this whole trip and it was definitely a better experience than the one we had in San Francisco. After lunch was a short stroll at Pacific Mall near the restaurant. Walk into the mall and it feels like you are in China.

Then we went Downtown. My friend gave us a list of places to visit so I passed it on to her brother and we pretty much covered everything on the list in a day. We are that efficient! Let’s see…CN Tower, Waterfront, Chinatown, Dundas Square, Queen St West, Distillery District, Old City Hall, St Lawrence Market, Art Gallery of Ontario. I think that was it. In between all these places we took the subway, bus, and streetcar all in 1 day. Good job, eh? I’ll be honest and say that we didn’t actually go into all the places like the CN Tower and the Art Gallery. It’s more like we walk past them and admired them from the outside. After that rip off experience with the Vancouver Lookout I really do not feel like paying about $30, as I’ve been told, just to see the views. It was pretty late when we finally settled to have dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe in Yonge Street. It felt like we were in Manhattan’s Times Square. I got a souvenir glass for keeps with my mocktail. Oh great, that’s another space gone in my luggage. I hope it makes it back home in 1 piece.

The day after was a more relaxed day. Or so I thought. M came to pick us up again and we went to Cora’s for brunch. This is one cool breakfast/lunch spot serving all meals with fresh fruits. I realised that I haven’t had much fruit the whole time I was away from home that I literally ate way too much fruits. I had a fruit cocktail to begin with and then I ordered a crepe with fruits and custard that looked small on the menu’s photos. It turned out to be 1 massive piece of crepe with chunky pieces of fruits. I can hardly breathe after all that fruit but I left healthier (overlooking the fact that it came with custard and cream).

It was already 3pm when we finished our brunch. Who knew that time flew so fast? The agenda for the rest of the day was to go to Toronto Island. So we took a ferry from Waterfront and got to the island within 10 minutes. This island is like Vancouver’s Stanley Park but on a much smaller scale. It’s a great place for picnics, biking, strolling and relaxing. M found out that the lighthouse somewhere in the island is the oldest stone building in either Canada or Ontario, I can’t remember which, so he made us walk all the way there to see the haunted lighthouse, as he calls it. We finally made it there and the lighthouse was a mere small structure. I was expecting a far more majestic structure but I guess this little one is impressive in its own way too. Legend has it that the first lighthouse keeper went missing and a body was found near the lighthouse sometime after. We had a great time trying to peek through the keyhole to see if we could see an eyeball on the other end.

We headed back to Toronto for a fancy dinner at Biff’s Bistro. Food was great! But dessert was disappointing. You can get a 3 course prix fixe dinner for around $35 and the serving was substantial. The mushroom soup was phenomenal, as we all agreed, and the fish I had was good too. K had the duck confit and it was delicious but the one I had in San Francisco was better. Biff’s duck confit came with duck livers though and I really enjoyed munching on that. After dinner M took us to Yorkville, comparable to New York’s 5th Avenue, and this was already about 11pm. We spent the night checking out the condos and houses in the area simply because they were so beautiful, and pricey if I may add.

It was about 2:30pm when we finally got back to the hotel and I don’t even know how I managed to wake up the next day.

17Sep2011

Oh my Banff

Posted in Adventures, Travel by Nelle

Is there any place else more spectacular than Banff? Probably, but I definitely consider Banff to be one of the most spectacular places on Earth (I know, that just sounded like the tagline from Water for Elephants – a great book, by the way, so go read it if you haven’t done so already). Mountains after mountains, valleys after valleys there isn’t anything I do not love above this little town that is a national park.

It’s all pretty much nature and tourism in Banff. Tours around Banff and the surrounding areas are all about introducing nature at its finest. We touched down in Calgary and took Brewster’s Banff shuttle for another 2 hours of road time to get to Banff. Upon arrival we were greeted by a surprisingly hot weather. We were expecting cold and chilly weather so we packed all those thick jackets and coats that took up so much luggage space. But no, we had to take away layers and layers of clothing. Is it strange that I got sunburnt in Canada? Weird. Now I’m going back home a shade darker just in time for summer in our part of the world and end up another shade darker so I’ll be a brown moose by the time winter comes to Australia. But anyway, sunburnt and all, I still had an awesome time in Banff. We arrived late in the afternoon so the agenda left for the night was to ride the gondola and have dinner up in the observation deck. Boy was the gondola steep. I’m not afraid of heights but every time the gondola passed a tower and swayed my heart skipped a beat. It was, after all, still miles and miles away from the ground and if anything happens…okay, I refuse to think of what will happen if something does happen. We made it to the top of Sulphur Mountain and the scenery was just breathtaking. We had a fantastic Canadian Prime Rib dinner, which we rushed about eating in order to go outside and take sunset photos. While out there we saw the cutest mountain goats too.

Late at night we strolled around Downtown and it was a busy weekend night with all the tourists and Canadian locals coming to Banff for the weekend. We ended up chatting with a Korean girl at the fudge shop and bought a caramel apple covered in peanuts and dark chocolate.

The next day, we had an early start. Woke up early for a free breakfast at the hotel and we are off to the streets to wait for our tour bus that took forever to arrive. K and I signed up for a tour that took us to Johnston Canyon, Lake Louise, Valley of the Ten Peaks and crossed over the border to British Columbia to visit Yoho National Park. Each scenery has its own unique features but each one of them is breathtaking in its own way. Take Lake Louise for example – mountain in the background, clear and blue lake that freezes up during winter and becomes a natural ice skating rink, and Fairmont Lake Louise right beside the lake. If that is not spectacular enough wait until you see Lake Moraine. Just because it doesn’t have a Fairmont hotel beside it it doesn’t mean it is any less grand than Lake Louise. In fact, I think I like Lake Moraine better than Lake Louise. Yeah, it’s a battle of the lakes. Lake Moraine is bluer and by that I mean extremely blue that you would think you are in a postcard. The colour of the lake is simply surreal; with seven of the ten peaks of the Valley of the Ten Peaks showing in the background. Do bring proper walking shoes though when you go on these kind of tours because there are uneven walking trails, which is really the only way you can get as close to nature as possible.

Our last day in Banff was a very relaxing one. I took a stroll around Downtown and the surrounding areas/streets and pretty much walked the whole of Banff centre.

I can go on and on about how wonderful Banff is but, really, words and pictures do not do justice to this gem. You have to see and experience it to believe it.

12Sep2011

Home away from home in Vancouver

Posted in Adventures, Travel by Nelle

It is amazing how Vancouver closely resembles Perth that I almost forgot I was in a foreign city. There is the obvious difference of Vancouver being livelier and busier even during the night but, apart from that, I can totally see myself living there and adjusting to this new city within a matter of days. Plus, food is much cheaper too. A bento box in Perth that would normally cost me $10.90 costs only $6.45 in Vancouver! And you get more food in the box too.

The area i loved most is Yaletown because this is where the atmosphere is most like Perth. It is not as rowdy as Downtown but is still busy enough to keep you occupied. I’ve heard that Canadian are known to be amongst the friendliest bunch. True enough. As soon as we got out of the train station, a seemingly nice guy approached us and asked if we needed help with directions as we were helplessly confused with the map. Need more evidence? We walked into a hair salon to ask the owner, Sue, how much a haircut is blah blah blah. Before we walked out she spotted my huge ass camera, making us look very touristy, and started chatting with us and recommending all the places we need to go and highlighting all those places in the map. I couldn’t love her more!

For a more relaxing late afternoon arrival, K and I decided to go to the Vancouver Lookout. This, in my opinion, is a major rip off. Yes you get to see the “spectacular” views of Vancouver and all that but that’s about it for $15. The inside was pretty dingy and there was no photo souvenir no nothing. Guess I was just expecting a little bit more than just the views. And to top it off, they have this display of the tallest buildings in the world and how this Vancouver Lookout compares. It doesn’t even come close to the second shortest building in comparison!

One good thing did come out of the trip to the lookout though. K saw this little info about a Steam Clock in Gastown, a neighbourhood not too far from the lookout so it was walkable. This clock is powered by steam and chimes every 15 minutes to the tune of the chimes in Westminster Abbey in London, according to the brochure. We crossed over to Gastown to hunt for this clock and there is was surrounded by tourists like us waiting for it to chime. Finally a quarter of the hour arrived and the clock chimed complete with steam blowing out from it. Even diners at the italian restaurant in front of it were awestruck. This neighbourhood here is much like Leederville or Subiaco in Perth with all its pubs, restaurants, cafes and specialty shops. It was already dark when we popped by so we did not actually walk into any of the shops; but we did have dinner there at The Old Spaghetti Factory, which is an iconic restaurant in this part of town. If you are looking to get your teeth on some spectacular spaghetti meals, don’t get your hopes high. They were nothing but ordinary and the bread was not even good. After that we headed home and bid Vancouver goodnight.

On the next day, our first official Vancouver sightseeing day, K and I went to the famous Capilano Suspension Bridge. The main reason for the existence of the said bridge is to cross from one mountain to another. We hopped on the free shuttle and about 20 minutes later we arrived at the bridge. Aside from the bridge and the new Cliffwalk attraction there isn’t much else to do. Do cross the wobbly bridge though for the sake of saying you have crossed the bridge. When we headed back down they gave us a certificate for crossing the bridge. Not too shabby, eh? Whilst waiting for our shuttle to go back to Downtown we stopped by and chatted with an info centre staff named Gemma. She is really awesome because, apart from telling us where to go and which beaches are prettier, she recommended the most awesome dessert cafe ever called True Confections, which we will eventually head off to after dinner. When we got to Downtown we searched and searched and finally asked a local where the Japadog stall is. Japadog is like a normal hotdog in a bun only it’s Japanese style which means that it is way better that frankfurts with ketchup and mustard. This stall has all kinds of Japanese-style hotdogs in a bun topped with Japanese mayo, seaweed, bonito flakes. Whatever you want. Oh, there is also that wasabi mayo. It’s a little pricey for about $7 to $9 that does not fill you up that much but I am so willing to pay for that second hotdog.

After lunch we decided that we needed to burn off some of the calories we just consumed so where better to do this than Stanley Park? I really though walking to the park would be a no-brainer but it turned out to be very far so onto Plan B. We took the Capilano free shuttle to the Westin and walked from there. This was way easier than walking from Downtown. Walk, run, jog, hop…whatever you want to do at the park you will see really great views of people’s boat moored around the marina. We followed a short trail heading towards the beaches whose names I can’t remember aside from Sunset Beach and I had way too much fun spotting wildlife I don’t get to see in Perth. We saw racoons in daylight, squirrels and Canadian geese crossing the street. How cool is that? An hour or so later we made it back to Downtown under the blinding Canadian sun and had a Greek/Persian dinner at some restaurant in Denman Street. We had the chicken shawarma and it was delicious! We cooled off with desserts at True Confections a few blocks down the road. When Gemma told us that they make the biggest cakes you’ve ever seen she was not kidding. The cakes were really ginormous, height-wise, having about 4 layers of cake and 4 layers of cream. I had the strawberry shortcake and this could easily be the best strawberry shortcake I have ever had. What made it so good was the use of fresh strawberries. The cream filling wasn’t too sweet and it was loaded with huge chunks of fresh strawberries. Top that with strawberry sauce. And by that I meant mashed strawberries seeping through the vanilla sponge cake. O.M.G. I almost died of goodness. When you have the cake you will not be left feeling super heavy because they slice the cake very thinly. Height is big but width is small so it’s like having a regular sized slice of cake.

A little walk around Downtown to get us all digested for the night and we bought the most amazing bargain we have ever had. An office shirt of good quality for just $2.18.

Onto the next day and our major sightseeing day was devoted to Grouse Mountain. Again, there was a free shuttle from Downtown that goes to the mountain and it fills up really quickly so we had to wait for the next available scheduled departure. We took a gondola to the top of the mountain and there were all sorts of activities up there like bird shows, “theatre in the sky”, ranger talks…etc. We made it to the bird show and learned about the bald eagle, owl and turkey vulture. On a regular day I’d try to stay away from these birds because, first, they are, quite frankly, scary; and, second, they are ugly. Now that the hottie who gave the talk about the birds enlightened me about the birds they don’t seem that scary anymore (if you know, of course, what they can do). Okay, I’ll admit it. Those birds were kinda cute too, at certain angles that is.

After sitting in the heat for a good half an hour for the show we took the chair lift to go to the “eye of the wind” attraction but we did not actually go into the attraction because that’s extra moolah we’re talking about. We just rode the chair lift to the peak of Grouse Mountain and back just in time for the Lumberjack show. It was mostly an awkward show due to poor and obviously scripted hosting but the hunky lumberjacks were an eye candy. We had a photo taken with them afterwards. After half a day in nature we headed back to civilisation and had a stroll around Robson Street for some shopping. Feeling hungry after shopping we had dinner at a ramen place that was so delicious I still could not get over it.

The following day was our last day in Vancouver. K had some errands to do so I was on my own until noon. What did I do? Something I wouldn’t usually do on holidays – exercising. Dressed in my gym attire I went for a jog around the other side of the marina near Yaletown-Roundhouse Skytrain station. The views were absolutely fantastic and the posh apartments certainly made the jog more fun. At the end of my light exercise I gained back even more of the calories I burnt by having breakfast at The Templeton. This was a classic diner with remnants from the 50′s and they serve good food. K and I met up with an old school friend the night before and she took us here where we had a BBB Burger, poutine, raspberry and peach cobbler and deep fried mars bar. I enjoyed eating here so much I resolved to give their breakfast a try (a New Denver omelet) and it did not disappoint. Soft and fluffy omelet with rosemary potatoes and toast.

I met up with K again later in midday and we were off to do some laundry. It was a mission to carry bags of laundry to a “nearby” laundromat. We left our clothes at the laundromat ad headed off to lunch at Vera’s Burger Shack. We really are such gluttons because we ordered a burger each, poutine and sweet potato fries. Sounds alright until you see the serving size. We did not expect the serving size to be THAT big but we did manage to finish both our burgers and half each of the poutine and the fries. Vera’s has a commitment to carbs and calories so do expect their burgers to be big and all that. It has everything you can ask for!

Our last tourist stop in Vancouver was the Granville Island, particularly the Granville Island Public Market. We walked to the island and got a little lost. It looked easy enough to just follow where your eyes lead you because we can see the island from the bridge but we couldn’t figure out where the exit or the entrance to the island is. Even with help from locals it was confusing. We did reach our destination in the end. The market has stalls that sell fresh fruits and veggies, baked goods, soaps and all the other quirky things. Outside the market were little shops for souvenirs, mountain gear, hammocks, and restaurants. For the way back to Downtown we decided to take the bus instead of walking the bridge again.

We called it a night and slept early for an early flight onto the next city the next day.

8Sep2011

Onto the iconic Golden Gate Bridge…and Fremont?

Posted in Adventures, Travel by Nelle

Two Californian “locals” came to meet us today for some catching up. I haven’t seen these two ladies for about 2 years now and we didn’t really have a plan on what to do that day so we all went to see the Golden Gate Bridge. After all, it is the most iconic and touristy place in San Francisco, isn’t it? A trip to San Francisco wouldn’t be complete without a photo with the bridge.

We took public transport to get there because, let’s face it, my plan of walking there would just end up killing us all. Have you seen the steep hills of this city? I went up one street and I am already out of breath! So we took the numbers 5 and 28 busses and finally got to where the other tourists are. It was a challenge finding a spot to take a photo without other people’s faces in it but I did manage to find that spot after half an hour and countless test photos and my friend’s patience (Thanks Joy!).

That was it for the major part of the day – just us and the bridge. It was already 4pm when we got back to Downtown. Somewhere in the middle of all that photo-taking we lost track of time, well, not that we went there early to begin with. Once we got back to Downtown we had either a very late lunch or a very early dinner at Pinecrest, a 24-hour diner that serves “the best char-broiled hamburgers in San Francisco”, says their banner. I had a Penny Melt burger that was a hamburger with sautéed onions and American cheese served with fries. The bread was too greasy and the patty was tasteless. K and Joy had the Chili Dog, a footlong hotdog on a bun with mexican chill. A huge hotdog that no one can finish! It’s so big you have to eat it with a knife and fork because it’s impossible to eat it like a normal hotdog on a bun. My other friend has the Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce. She said it wasn’t anything special. She was happier eating the side of bread with butter and jam.

So it’s time for the 2 “locals” to go back home and we walked them to the train station and said our goodbyes. Then an idea came upon me – why not check out what Fremont is like? It is, after all, only a 30 minute train ride and we will be back in San Francisco before dark. Off we went and it was a good experience to see what suburban California is like. Fremont is definitely a very quiet city. Not at all hustly and bustly like San Francisco given the absence of any buildings. To me it felt like a good retirement place. It’s a good place to be if you are looking for a peaceful town but I will definitely not thrive there. I already find Perth too quiet so Fremont is even quieter than Perth.

We came back to civilisation and went on a little shopping. A good and productive day indeed.

6Sep2011

Following the trails of ye old faithful grape in Sonoma & Napa Valley

Posted in Adventures, Travel by Nelle

Sitting outside San Francisco is a town covered in magnificent vineyards. Today we headed an hour away from San Francisco to Sonoma and Napa Valley to discover and taste Californian wine. We went to 3 vineyards altogether with each giving wine tastings of their best and popular products. I must warn you though that I do not know the names of the wines that we had. I can only remember the pinot noirs that we had and 3 others that I just absolutely loved from Sutter Home.

First stop was Nicholson Ranch Winery. Maybe it’s because we have had better wines in Australia but we were not at all impressed with their wine. All that we sampled tasted watery. I am not a wine connoisseur but, to me, the wine was simply not that good. They were not strong wines, red or white, so I guess they suit those who prefer a smoother drink. Well, different grapes different products. The setting was very idyllic though. We were told that a wedding was going to be held that night so preparations were going under way when we went there.

Next was Madonna Estate. Wines that we sampled here were a big improvement from Nicholson’s produce. They have a more pungent flavour and we sampled one red that had a chill taste. It smelled spicy too. I was busier window shopping for souvenirs than tasting wine. I was very hungry to by this time so I figured I better hold off drinking plenty lest I want to end up with a hangover the next day. Yes that’s right – alcohol hates me. A full glass will send me off right to sleep.

At last our tour guide, Gordy, told us we were stopping for lunch in Napa Valley. My tummy cried out for joy! As he drove past the restaurants, delis and bakeries he gave us some tips and hints about which restaurants are good, expensive or better suited for quick bites. One restaurant that stood out for me was Bistro Jeanty simply because Gordy said this is a Michelin star awarded restaurant. I think he said that there were 3 Michelin starred restaurants in that area in Napa Valley. Well K was sleeping on our way there so she didn’t really hear the choices. All she knew was that Bouchon Bakery was a must try, apparently. When travelling we must eat as much as we can. I convinced her to have a very quick lunch at Bistro Jeanty then head over to Bouchon Bakery for dessert. The restaurant was very chic and we were given a table straight away. We told our waitress when we placed our orders that we were pressed for time and she said “no problem“. Food came out in less than 10 minutes after placing our order. Impressive. K had the beouf bourguignon and I had the sole muniere. Both were very delicious and right up to standard. The beef cubes were so tender that it falls off when you stick a fork in then. The serving looked small but it was actually very filling. The sole was perfectly cooked – crispy on the outside with flesh that melts in your mouth. The mashed potato that came with the fish were very tasty too. It was not overly smooth with tiny chunks here and there. Top that will butter, lemon and capers and it was heaven. I came home that night to discover that the Michelin star given to the bistro was revoked in 2010. Oh well, it was still good without the star in 2011. Their complimentary baguette was very tasty too. Give me the whole loaf and I’ll gladly eat the whole thing.

We rushed straight to Bouchon Bakery after paying our bill and there was a long line waiting to get inside the bakery. The bakery is not big at all so that’s probably why only a few can go in at one time. Plus there was so much to choose from people just take their sweet time deciding what to get. With 5 minutes to spare before our bus leaves K and I managed to get 4 macarons (raspberry, pistachio, espresso and mocha), a chocolate bouchon and a blueberry lemon tart. The macarons were huge compared to the ones I normally have in Perth for the same price! The shells were good but nothing special with the overall taste. Flavours are not that unusual so I really wouldn’t buy them again. The chocolate bouchon is essentially a chocolate brownie. This was sinful – very dark and rich and moist. The lemon tart was only so-so. I like my lemon tarts super tangy and i still couldn’t decide whether the blueberries made this tart better or destroyed its taste. Some berries were sweet so that took away the tanginess of the lemon and some berries were sour and not in a good way. This was apparently a Michelin starred bakery too.

After lunch we were off to the last winery for the day and this is where I fell in love with sweet wine. Sweet wines are my type of wine even before this trip but, out of all the ones I’ve had, the White Zinfandel, Sweet Red and Muscat of Alexandria from Sutter Home have got to be the best ones yet. They were very smooth so they were easy to drink and had enough pungency that was not too overpowering for my body to take. Yes, I am weak. The winery itself is beautiful as is the gift shop. They sell dips and salsas too and the wines also come in a very tiny bottle. The bottle is made of plastic so it is very handy to bring them overseas. One of the staff assured me that they’ve done tests with the bottle to ensure that its material does not affect the taste of the wine.

Sonoma and Napa Valley is a very picturesque town. You see vineyards and vineyards splashed across the hills almost straight out of a postcard. All that wine did not react so badly within my system as it usually does but, on our way back, it sent me right off to sleep – one of the better sleeps I’ve had on our trip. I awoke to find traffic jam on the Golden Gate Bridge and fog all over the place. Great.

4Sep2011

Day 2 in SFO: chowder, sourdough and crazy fog

Posted in Adventures, Travel by Nelle

We’re onto our second day in the wonderful city of San Francisco and after waking up at 2am the previous day I survived another 20 hours on the road without any rest. Oh boy it sure was a long but fruitful day.

First up was breakfast at an all-American diner – Lori’s Diner. It’s a very 50′s diner complete with memorabilia and red and white diner seats. When they say food in America is super sized they are not kidding. I am one who usually eat up everything on my plate no matter how full I am but this is the 2nd meal in San Francisco that I cannot finish no matter how hard I forced myself to chew and swallow. I ordered Lori’s famous french toast plus an Oreo milkshake, thinking that serving size would be just like the ones in Perth – substantial but not overly filling. Boy was I wrong. The french toast came in 3 thick slices of bread cut in half essentially giving me 6 freaking pieces of bread. Don’t get me wrong, it was good but way too much. The milkshake was good too. It’s not like the usual runny liquid-y ones we get in Perth. This one was t-h-i-c-k, almost like a smoothie consistency. I dare not even think how many scoops of ice cream are in there. They serve it in a milkshake glass and give you the leftovers. It was enough for 2 people and I managed to consume 3/4 of it.

After breakfast we planned to take the cable car, or trolley as San Franciscans call it, to the Fisherman’s Wharf area. You know that cable car stop on Powell and Market Streets? Here’s a hint: Either you get there super duper early or take alternative transportation instead if you wake up late. Walk a few blocks up and you might find a shorter line. The thing is that the trolley can only take a few number of passengers and they won’t usually fill it up in order to accommodate passengers from other stops. We got there late so the waiting time was close to, or at least, an hour. Not wanting to waste any more time K and I decided to take the F-line, like the trams in Melbourne. It’s not as fun as the cable car but takes you to right in front of Pier 39. Pier 39 is not the wharf exactly but is a must go and see. It’s like Disneyland but without the rides and characters. You can find everything in there – fruit stalls, souvenir shops, ice cream shops, chocolatiers and, of course, restaurants that serve seafood freshly caught early morning. A must try is the clam chowder sourdough bread bowl – creamy soup served in a Boudin Bakery sourdough cob. I am not a huge fan of sourdough bread but Boudin may have just converted me. We make sourdoughs in our bakery back home but this one here in San Francisco is way better. Well, after all, San Francisco is famous for its sourdough bread. Perfectly crusty and very tasty. I can’t really explain it but you just know it when you chew it that it is one tasty bread.

Then we’re off to visit Alcatraz Prison, home to Al Capone and the Bird Man, America’s once toughest prison, closed down in 1963. We were lucky because a couple sold us their extra tickets for a cheaper price and for the tour that was just departing. Remember to bring a jacket with hood when you go there. Head to the top deck of the cruise boat and fog and strong cold wind will be right in front of your face. Upon arrival a ranger briefed us about safety what nots and gave a us short history of the prison. Just keep walking uphill to where you get your audio tour and follow the instructions. It was a very smart way of guiding people, really, without the need for a tour guide. It tells you of the history, escape attempts, warden profiles and the like. I’m actually surprised that the prison itself is not as gloomy and claustrophobic as I thought it would be. The individual prison cells were claustrophobic though specially the solitary confinement cells. It gives you time to reflect when you visualise how the prisoners lived. Mostly, it just gave me the chills. Here’s another tip – don’t make the same mistake as I did – wear sneakers and not flats. The roads are uneven and when you start running downhill your toes will begin to hurt in flats.

After taking the cruise boat back to Pier 31, K and I had a long debacle on whether or not to take the cable car up to Lombard Street to find the crookedest street. Again, this is where wearing sneakers comes in handy. We ended up walking there because it is really not that far from the wharf. San Franciscan blocks are not that big of a block so it was walkable. With us on lower hill, it was such a trek to get up to the crookedest part of Lombard Street. When you get to the base of the crookedness try looking back and you would see just how steep the streets are. There was such a sense of accomplishment on my part when I saw that I managed to climb up that hill of a street. Oh yes, another tip here: take the photo from the base of the crookedness. Once you get to the top to try to take a top view photo you wouldn’t really see anything. Unless you are really really really tall, standing on one of the posts there holding up a self-timered camera screwed on a really long tripod, all you will see is a fog covered city and plants. After that climb there was no way I was going back down that hill – I felt a little nauseous at the sight of the steepness. K felt the same way so we crossed to the other side of the street where there is a cable car stop. Being on the top of the hill in an extremely foggy day (is that normal in San Francisco?!) we almost froze to death waiting for the cable car that either took forever to arrive or is too full to pick up passengers. Okay, feeling the fog on your face was cool for the first few minutes but when it started getting colder and colder I couldn’t help but curse the cable car. Half an hour later it finally arrived and we ran towards it when the conductor yelled he had space for 7 passengers.

Riding the cable car was such a fun experience. It was like riding the trams in Hong Kong only this was much smaller and had no second floor. It costs $6 one way! We bought a City Pass to allow us to ride on Muni transportation unlimited. What made the ride fun was going up and down the hill and making turns. K and I were standing inside packed with other passengers and holding on with 1 hand does not really help when you are going downhill. Everyone slips forward and you hear people go ooooooh. The conductors will forewarn you though if the trolley’s going downhill or making turns to ensure that you hold on tight.

What better way to end the day than retail shopping? We got off near Union Square and went shopping at Macy’s and H&M. Though there wasn’t really anything to spend on it was good having a look around and trying on things. After the shops closed we had a very late dinner at Chipotle, a Mexican chain. This restaurant gave me a new liking to burritos and that is all they sell.

We got back to the hotel after 20 hours and I dropped dead. Okay, not dead, more like drifted off into an uninterrupted sleep.

joie de vivre

gastronomic diary of a foodie at heart

Category Archives: Adventures

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Following the trails of ye old faithful grape in Sonoma & Napa Valley

Day 2 in SFO: chowder, sourdough and crazy fog

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