Vancouver & Whistler 2016: Trip Recap and Photostream

Posted on May 31, 2016 by crystalcarwin

The camp/cabin spot also had cool rusty cars with overgrown wild flowers. I had to stop for photos.

The camp/cabin spot across the road from Shannon Falls had cool rusty cars with overgrown wild flowers on the grounds. I had to stop for photos.

Towards the end of April, I finally decided to book a trip to Vancouver during the month of May. A bit of a whirlwind, I convinced my boyfriend to join me for an extended weekend that would also encompass an overnight jaunt to Whistler and Squamish.

The majority of the vacation was quite low-key; there isn’t a whole lot we did that most who’ve been or have researched anything about Vancouver wouldn’t already be aware of. But, I always like to share my adventures with those that may happen upon this blog, and a big part of that is having a chance to showcase some of my favourite photographs from my holidays.

So, armed with a small duffle bag of necessities and my camera, we set off for four days of visits with friends/relatives, food, shopping, nature and a whole lot of walking.

Day 1

We arrived in Vancouver by 7:30am, and our Airbnb wasn’t going to be ready until about ten o’clock. Making our way from the airport to Main Street, which is where we were staying for two nights, took a little while. The rest of our time was killed at a coffee shop just down the block from our rental and at the grocery store where we picked up some food to cook breakfast after check-in.

Once we settled into the apartment (it was an excellent unit and location, by the way), we met up with my friend at El Camino’s on Main Street for brunch. The Latin American food was so flavourful. I also liked that they were playful with the eggs benny dish I ordered – corn bread replaced the usual English muffin – and the house made hot sauce is awesome.

I couldn’t start my trip off without some doughnuts from Lucky’s. After brunch, we headed north down Main to 49th Parallel to pick some up. They were just as good as I recalled. No word of a lie, I’d been thinking about these desserts masked as breakfast staples for more than a year, and attempts to have them mailed to me or brought home for me were thwarted time and again. Every calorie eaten from Lucky’s Doughnuts was worth it.

With our early rise to get to Vancouver, we took it easy in the afternoon. Following a short cat nap, we strolled to Queen Elizabeth Park, which was about five minutes away from our Airbnb. The gardens there are lovely and the park provides wonderful views of the city’s downtown.

We finished off the night enjoying a meal and drinks with friends at Rogue, and then we ambled through Gastown for a bit before a nightcap of dessert and beer at the Flying Pig.

Brunch at El Camino’s on Main Street between 16 & 17 Avenues.

The cutest puppies can be found exploring Main Street with their owners.

Lucky’s Doughnuts are made fresh throughout the day. This is the Main Street location.

Our first box of Lucky’s Doughnuts during the trip. I’ve been waiting more than a year.

I wrote a story for that magazine my boyfriend is holding. He’s super excited for me.

On a walk towards Queen Elizabeth Park we found a couple of geese.

A goose in a pond in Queen Elizabeth Park.

Geese and ducks just chilling in the pond.

A mama duck and her ducklings.

A group enjoying the lovely weekend weather in QE Park.

Look at those rhubarb plants. They’re humongous.

The pretty landscaping in QE Park.

The Bloedel Conservatory peeks through above the landscaping in QE Park as we cross the bridge.

Just enjoying the view of the park.

Trees at dusk.

I think I fit right in with the group.

A gorgeous view of downtown Vancouver.

On the way to find a train station we came across this little neighbourhood library.

Dinner at Rogue Gastown. The nachos are also quite delicious.

Day 2

Compared to the first day of the trip, this was a relatively relaxed Sunday.

At my boyfriend’s recommendation, we started off with lunch at Jinya Ramen where my cousin and my friend joined us. Sometimes people question ramen as a dish to be appreciated, and I get it. The resemblance to a bowl of instant noodles is uncanny. However, ramen noodles that are made well have a bite that is springy, and the broth should be tasty, yet not overly salty. Jinya Ramen fit the bill. I could have gone for seconds, and I would have, if anyone else was willing to join me. Alas, there were no takers.

One of the best surprises during our holiday was getting to visit with artist Jon Shaw. My boyfriend wanted to catch up with him while we were visiting, and Jon was gracious enough to invite all of us to his studio. Jon had just presented seven Star Wars inspired pieces at a show in his apartment/studio the week before we arrived, so most of them were still up on the walls. I had seen Jon’s work on his website prior to meeting him, and his talent is impressive. In fact, the images online don’t seem to do his art justice. Hopefully, I’ll have a chance to own one of his originals some day.

The rest of our afternoon was spent walking around downtown and then back on Main Street. On Main, I did some more shopping at one of my favourite stores, Front & Company. The shop stocks fantastic pieces of jewellery, and I’m never able to walk out without at least a few items (or ten). I also popped into Barefoot Contessa where I found a couple of other whimsical accessories to bring home with me. The best part about buying jewellery is that the pieces are small enough to fit into your luggage when all you’ve got is a duffle bag smaller than a carry-on suitcase.

Personally, I love Main Street because it’s a quiet neighbourhood that has plenty of coffee shops, food establishments and many shops (tons of antique stores, if that floats your boat) to peruse. It’s sort of an escape from the hustle and bustle of Vancouver’s true downtown, which I really appreciate.

Later in the evening, we met up with more friends for dinner and drinks at Portland Craft, located on Main between 22 and 23 Avenues. This place was chosen on a whim because we happened to be waiting for a bus right in front of the pub’s doors earlier in the day. They have late night happy hour that runs for two hours before close from Sunday to Thursday, and the prices are reasonable. In fact, the pizzas that were served at a mere $8 each were phenomenal. But, honestly, all of the food exceeded my expectations.

The spicy chicken ramen at Ramen Jinya.

Taking in the details of the R2-D2 painting by Jon Shaw.

The cutest pug I’ve ever seen in my life. Just chilling in his side car waiting for his owner to come back.

Metal floral head bands at Front & Company on Main Street.

One thing I’ll say about Vancouver is that the flowers are beautiful and everything is so colourful.

Day 3

Since they would make for a good snack on our road trip to Whistler, we started the day off right with some more doughnuts from Lucky’s. Then we went for a quick drive through Stanley Park before we were off on the winding Sea to Sky Highway (a.k.a. BC Highway 99, north of Vancouver).

In Whistler, we were ravenous, so we hunkered down at BrewHouse for lunch. The pizza I had hit the spot. When we were done eating, we wandered around the shops (my favourite was Ruby Tuesday Accessories) and took photos by the Olympic rings before taking our leave.

With beautiful views on the way to Whistler Village and even more breathtaking ones on the way back as we headed to Squamish for the night, it was a lazy, yet, somehow, tiring day.

Second trip to Lucky’s. Stocking up on snacks for our road trip to Whistler.

The interior of Lucky’s Doughnuts/49th Parallel.

In Whistler Village. The wind perfectly positioned those flags for my photo.

The Olympic rings. Thanks to the two girls who stopped and offered to take a photo of us.

A casting of the ski runs around Whistler.

A view of the mountains from a road stop on the way to Squamish.

Day 4

Fresh from a deep slumber, we woke up to the sight of The Chief through the window of our room at the Sandman in Squamish. We grabbed some breakfast at the hotel for fuel, and then we took the show on the road. We made a few stops between Squamish and Vancouver, the best of which was Shannon Falls. It’s definitely a tourist spot since a lot of buses were parked and waiting. But, it wasn’t overly crowded and it was a nice sight. More photo opportunities were found across the way in the camp/cabin area as well. I can’t remember what it’s called, but it’s literally right across the road from the entrance to the Shannon Falls ramp.

When we got back to Vancouver, my boyfriend drove us up to a viewing spot on Cypress Hill where we were able to get a view of the entire city. Unfortunately, it wasn’t particularly clear out – it was quite smoggy – but I definitely saw the appeal of the location. On a day when the visibility is good, it’d be the perfect spot to grab some panoramic shots.

With time left for lunch, we decided to try a Mexican restaurant that a friend of ours recommended. Sal y Limon is a casual dining establishment where you order at the counter, you’re given a number and they’ll bring the food to you when it’s ready. I felt like having quesadillas. The woman working the till said they weren’t large, so I ordered two: vegetarian and al pastor. Well, they were each a pretty darn big ten inches, and my stomach was more than full by the time I finished them. My boyfriend tried one of the tacos (actually sold individually) and also a torta. He said the taco was great, but the torta was a bit underwhelming. The food didn’t live up to my expectations either. Maybe I’ve been spoiled at home over the last few years. Considering Edmonton is home to Tres Carnales, which has been named one of the best restaurants in Canada, I was kind of comparing the food at Sal y Limon to the flavours there. The al pastor was just very different in taste, but still decent. Surprisingly, I quite enjoyed the vegetarian quesadilla though. I think it was the zucchini and all the cheese.

One more visit to Lucky’s Doughnuts on Main was on the agenda. It was my last chance to have them in who knows how long again. I bought a half dozen to take home with me, and believe me, I carried those things all the way back home like the box was my baby or something. I will say that, apparently, I wasn’t the only one. The attendant who checked me in for my flight back to Edmonton told me I was the fourth person she’d seen that day carrying a box of doughnuts home. It also sounded like mine were the first she’d seen from Lucky’s, so now it may be my mission to find out where the other ones came from. Doughnut taste tests might have to be part of my next trip to Vancouver.

Anyway, a final drink was had at Colony prior to leaving Main and dropping off our rental vehicle downtown. This place has some great daily specials, and it’s a chill spot to hang out for a while.

Popular road stop on the way from Squamish to Vancouver.

A view of the highway and the mountains.

A mossy tree seen on the walk towards Shannon Falls.

Water from the falls streaming over trees and rocks.

Shannon falls

Because we had to have a photo, too.

Right across the road from the Shannon Falls entrance, there was a camp/cabin area with this cute picnic area and a beautiful view of the falls.

Me taking a photo of my boyfriend taking photos.

A close-up of the car that I saw from the road.

Pretty purple flowers.

City view from Cypress Hill.

The popular Mexican joint, Sal y Limon.

Poppies! They’re one of my favourite flowers. So gorgeous, yet fleeting (in Edmonton, anyway). I love that they’re everywhere in Vancouver.

Just a guy standing next to a cool car on Main Street.

I took a half dozen Lucky’s Doughnuts home to Edmonton.

Another spot on Main Street. We hit up Colony for some drinks before heading to the airport.

As always, I hope that those who happen upon these travel posts enjoy my photographs and may also benefit from some of the information shared about each city.

The State of Things: A Nevada Photostream

Posted on March 22, 2016 by crystalcarwin

A trio of landscapes from Death Valley.

It seems that I go to Las Vegas, travelling through the state of Nevada, so often that there wouldn’t be anything left for me to do or see. When it is taken into account that I was just there in November for my 30th birthday, one would wonder what the point is of going again so soon. Partially, I needed a getaway from work. It also turned out to be one of the less expensive options at this time of year, despite the terrible exchange rate at the moment. Lastly, even though we’ve had a much warmer winter than typical of Edmonton, the mid-twenty highs in Las Vegas were still a welcome change.

On this occasion, aside from a couple of shows, my friend and I avoided the Strip. This time we stayed downtown. About a block from Fremont Street, it was a completely different experience from the Strip. With many independent restaurants in the area, it was great to see another side of Las Vegas. My only qualm is that there is live music played every single night on Fremont, and it’s loud. The sound was manageable after the weekend, but, Saturday night, the music was so amplified that we could hear it loud and clear through the shower in our hotel room. The music was also relentless, being performed until at least 4 o’clock in the morning. Thank goodness for the earplugs that the Downtown Grand Hotel supplied to us.

Otherwise, this vacation was really relaxing. We sampled food from some new places, went to play games at the arcade and ventured all around Nevada. As usual, I’m sharing my photographs here in the hopes of inspiring others to branch outside of the familiar in Vegas and to travel, in general.

To read past posts about Vegas and Nevada, please check out the Travel category or do a search on my blog.

A mix of things seen on the trip.

Food

Le Thai

A bowl of the spicy eggplant with tofu.

Affordable meals, particularly at lunch time. We actually missed the lunch specials, but the prices are still good. My friend and I probably could have split one dish and it would have been enough to comfortably fill both of our stomachs.

Portofino

The Moscow Mule cocktail from Portofino.

Ripatelli with Wild Boar

Veal Canneloni

This was a great find on the myVEGAs app. Redeemed for only 9,000 points, we received a voucher that gave us one free entree with purchase of another. The cocktail we each ordered was refreshing. The pasta was delicious, but very rich, and it was a struggle for me to finish my dish, although I still managed to do so. We were surprised that we didn’t know of the restaurant’s existence since we actually stayed in the Mirage hotel on our last holiday in Vegas.

The Perch

Beef Carpaccio

Grilled Salmon

Chocolate Dipped Berries with Fresh Whipped Cream

A cute restaurant located in the Downtown Container Park, we were treated to a lovely, light meal. I had bought a Groupon that included a shared appetizer, two entrees, two desserts and a whole bottle of wine. It was indulgent, yet I didn’t feel overly stuffed, which is a good thing. The beef carpaccio was fresh and thinly sliced, and although there was some cilantro in the salsa verde that topped my salmon, it was a very tasty dish with the roasted Brussels sprouts and asparagus. As for dessert, the kitchen was out of everything that they would normally have had available, but they threw the chocolate dipped berries together for us.

JinJu Chocolates

The chocolate display at JinJu.

Again, I came across a Groupon for this store, which is also located at the Downtown Container Park. The voucher I purchased included their signature box of 64 assorted chocolates. All of the chocolates are beautifully crafted, looking like little works of art. At over $1 CDN per chocolate with the deal, these are not inexpensive, but the Groupon definitely helped.

Pink Box Doughnuts

The coffee zone of Pink Box.

A half dozen classic doughnuts.

On day three of our holiday, we planned to road trip across the border into California and further north in Nevada. Knowing we’d have to be up earlier than most places were open, we sought out any place where we’d be able to stock up on snacks for a full day of driving. Pink Box fit the bill. The Summerlin location is open 24 hours a day, so the doughnuts are made fresh throughout the day. Closer to cake style, they were fluffy. However, I did find that the glazes were very sugary, leaving my teeth feeling less than ideal.

Park on Fremont

Eclectic neon sign and vintage art

Patio decor and flowers

The Philly Steak Mac & Cheese

Chicken & Waffles

The patio bar.

The string light lit back patio.

One of the booths inside the restaurant.

The board outside Park on Fremont.

A really fun restaurant with an enviable patio space, this was a charming and quirky getaway from the hustle and bustle of Fremont Street just a block down the road. Portion sizes were large and filling.

Cafe 6 at Palms Place

Part of the menu at Cafe 6.

My friend’s trio of sliders.

This burger was worth the calories.

One of our last meals in Vegas was at Cafe 6. Off the strip at Palms Place, they specialize in burgers, and great ones at that. I ended up with the Smoke Out, which I’m guessing is a top choice at the restaurant since they use a photo of it in much of their advertising. I can safely say that the ads didn’t point me in the wrong direction.

Attractions

Fremont Street

The El Cortez Hotel during the day. I love the colours and the style of building.

The signs of The Griffin. I recently saw this same sign on a scripted TV show.

Neon signs in daylight.

Fremont East District

La Comida, located just off of Fremont Street.

The El Cortez Hotel.

On Fremont Street. Check out the zip lines above.

Towards the quieter end of Fremont Street at night.

Although we stayed nearby, we really spent very little time on Fremont. We often went out of the area instead. I do love all the bright neon signs down the block. Old and new, they reminded me of our tour through the Neon Boneyard a couple trips back.

Graffiti Art – Downtown Las Vegas

Driving around downtown Las Vegas early in the morning, we attempted to find a bakery to pick up some breakfast before heading to Valley of Fire. The bakery happened to be closed, but we came across some fantastic graffiti art. If I knew of a walking tour, I would have signed us up as I’m curious about the stories behind some of the pieces. The pictures here don’t even account for everything within that area. Maybe next time we can explore more.

Downtown Container Park

A love lock statue in front of the entrance.

A large sculpture at the entrance.

The container park.

This sculpture blows fire in sync to music. It’s hilarious.

A park that consists of shipping containers made into storefronts and restaurant spaces, this was a fun Las Vegas destination. Most of the businesses create an outer circle around a play zone that caters to children. There’s a big screen on the one end where various music videos were projected as we ate dinner at The Perch.

Valley of Fire

We’d already been to Valley of Fire in November, but we only made it through about half of the park. This time, we checked out the Seven Sisters, the Petrified Log, Elephant Rock and Mouse’s Tank. The sunny day saw that the open valley heated up quickly, so even though we started early, it was scorching hot (to us) by noon.

Lake Mead

From afar, Lake Mead looks nice enough, but, up close, it was kind of a sad sight. Other than the fact that you can see just how much the water in the lake has receded over the years, the lake is home to dozens, maybe hundreds of seagulls and very little vegetation. There’s no actual sand, and it seems unappealing to swim in the water. Granted, a lot of visitors to the beach didn’t seem to care.

Clark County Wetlands Park

For a wetlands park, we expected more water than we saw. Also, the park could do with a lot more signage. Whenever there was a fork in the road, we just made a decision and walked. Yet, we really had no clue where we were going or just how far away were getting from the parking lot. There was little wildlife to be seen, too. Perhaps it’s the sort of man made nature of the park that contributed to that sense. Otherwise, it was a quiet, peaceful place that might be better to wander through later in the spring or during the summer.

Death Valley, CA

Aside from the questionable gas fill up at the Alien Brothel on the way to Death Valley in California, this was one of my favourite days on this trip. Within reasonable driving distance from Vegas, this national park is vast with varying landscapes throughout. Unbeknownst to us, we even happened upon a super bloom year (millions of wildflowers growing in the hottest, driest and lowest place in North America due to extreme rain in the fall), which hasn’t occurred in a decade.

Ghost Town of Rhyolite

The ghost town of Rhyolite is just a minute away from the Goldwell Open Air Museum that we had on our itinerary. I’m sure that some of the building were quite gorgeous in their day. It’s actually quite sad to see what’s become of this gold mining town.

Goldwell Open Air Museum

What an oddity this open air museum is. Large scale pieces of art are scattered around a parcel of land in Goldwell, Nevada. If the art, the store, and the barn in the far distance wasn’t there, you’d assume it had been abandoned as well.

Goldfield, NV and the International Car Forest of the Last Church

The most northern location on our road trip, the International Car Forest is easy to miss. We stopped in the tiny town of Goldfield to ask for directions. Turns out the forest was simply a minute’s drive away, but somewhat hidden from the road. While wandering among all the cars that had been left behind and tagged by graffiti artists, I wondered what exactly has gone on in this place. It seemed a perfect location for middle-of-the-night raves, and is apparently the backdrop for a music video. I also questioned how exactly these cars were placed where they were and if anyone could drop their decrepit vehicle there. Needless to say, it’s an interesting vista for photographers, and it’s another random place, dotting the American landscape, for road trippers to see should they be inclined.

Ethel M Chocolate Factory and Botanical Cactus Garden

I really enjoy getting the behind the scenes look at various businesses. Whether it’s touring a brewery or a guitar factory, they’re often fascinating. Ethel M does things a bit differently with a self-guided viewing lane at their chocolate factory. Large glass windows allow you to peek into the factory at the assembly line, and there are plaques and videos that provide information along the way. While we went through during their suggested hours, the factory was actually very quiet that day. Most of the areas lay empty, save for a few maintenance workers checking out the equipment and some staff filling heart shaped boxes with chocolate. It’s still a neat concept though.

Equally as quiet was their botanical cactus garden, located just outside of the factory and store. It is not a particularly large garden, but they have plenty of variety when it comes to cacti, making for a somewhat educational visit through a colourful, dry desert space.

Pinball Hall of Fame

The Pinball Hall of Fame was one of my favourite places. From the outside, the building doesn’t look all that appealing, but once you enter the dimly lit warehouse space, you’re greeted by several rows of pinball machines that span decades. Far from the look, but don’t touch mentality of most museums, the Pinball Hall of Fame is part history, part arcade. You can read the index cards placed inside most of the machines to learn more about the origins of each, or you can play the games as the majority are still in great working condition. It took a few games to get the hang of the pinball machines, but it was a lot of fun. I was reminded of when I was a child playing arcade games at Fuddruckers back when Edmonton used to have one of those restaurants.

The Strip

A husband asleep inside Ted Baker. Parkour in the parkade of Caesars?

Sprinkles, the best cupcakes in the world (as dictated by the store’s theme song).

The Victoria’s Secret window displaying runway looks from their annual fashion show.

As previously mentioned, my friend and I spent very little time on the Strip during this trip. The only reason we were there at all was to see comedienne Kathy Griffin‘s show at the Mirage and Canadian singing sensation, Celine Dion, at Caesars Palace. Otherwise, we likely would have skipped the area all together. However, since we were nearby, we made sure to stop at Sprinkles for our cupcake fix (peanut butter banana is still one of my favourite flavours). We also perused the stores in the Forum Shops at Caesars. Ted Baker had some beautiful pieces that were surprisingly less expensive than expected, but still not within my price range. Lastly, as a fan of the annual Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, I was kind of excited to see some of the actual looks worn by the models being used as window displays. It’d be a dream to work for the VS Fashion Show (and try on a pair of wings). The amount of work that goes into it is insane and, although the clothes are small, the details of each outfit are intricate. It was very cool to see some of the outfits in person.

Unconventional Las Vegas

Posted on December 6, 2015 by crystalcarwin

Christmas on the LINQ Promenade in Las Vegas

To celebrate my 30th birthday a week ago, my friend and I flew down to Las Vegas for a long weekend trip. Itinerary in hand, we had no plans to party or gamble over the four days. This being our third holiday in Vegas within a two year period, we didn’t need to go dancing and drinking until the clubs close at 4am. No, this vacation was going to be different and unconventional – relaxing, eye-opening and filled with great food and a bit of shopping.

A view of the High Roller from the parking lot on the backside of the Promenade

Brooklyn Bowl marquee and the High Roller

Fake snow on the LINQ Promenade

Walking past the fountain outside the Caesars Palace Forum Shops

Here’s the info on where we stayed, what we drove, what we ate and where we went. I’ll try to be as brief as possible and let the photos do most of the talking.

Hotel

Whenever we go to Vegas, we tend to stay at a different hotel. On this occasion, we purchased a flight and hotel package through Expedia that included accommodations at The Mirage. Upon check-in, we were given keys for a non-smoking, two queen bed room on the 15th floor. The room was clean (although the countertop was a bit dusty) and spacious with enough room to lay out our luggage and walk around.

There is a fridge under the counter, but it’s a fully stocked minibar, which I didn’t dare touch because you just never know and my money isn’t going towards overpriced mini bottles of alcohol or bags of candy. I do wish that there was some empty space in the fridge to store some leftovers though. Otherwise, the beds were comfortable and housekeeping never bothered us in the mornings.

Overall, I liked the hotel enough to consider another stay there and I would recommend it to others.

On a side note, I still question why Vegas hotels continue to charge people a daily resort fee. This is especially the case during the colder months when amenities like their pools are often closed for the season. What exactly are we paying for?

Our 2 Queen bed room at The Mirage

Another view of our room

A portion of the minibar in our room

Our view of the Strip from our room window

Car Rental

For this trip, a car was required for drives to the Grand Canyon and Valley of Fire State Park. We rented through E-Z Rent-A-Car because it was one of the cheaper options. It was easy enough to get to the large rental location because of the shuttle bus from the airport, but the problem with E-Z is that we thought what we paid through Expedia would cover the entire cost. Unfortunately, liability insurance (we thought my friend’s credit card coverage would be enough) still had to be added on top of that, meaning we didn’t really save any money. We’ll probably look at other options next time.

The one good thing is that we were upgraded to a nice sage green (they listed the colour as white) Prius for the weekend, which was really efficient on gas.

Shows

Instead of going to Cirque du Soleil or a concert this time, we decided to change things up by checking out some new shows.

Lipshtick

Our first evening in Vegas, we ventured to the Sands Showroom at the Venetian for Lipshtick. They’ve been running shows under this name for the whole year to showcase female comediennes. The headliner for the night was Whitney Cummings who was hilarious. I’m actually happy to have seen her do live stand-up. She can be crass, but she has great rapport with the audience and she’s quick on her feet with jokes and comebacks.

Whitney Cummings will be back in Vegas for another show in January under the Lipshtick banner. I’m hoping that they continue to add new dates because they’ve also had Iliza Shlesinger in the past and her Netflix shows always make me laugh out loud.

The marquee at the Sands Showroom advertising Lipshtick

Mat Franco: Magic Reinvented Nightly

America’s Got Talent 2014 winner (I never watched the series), Mat Franco, now has his own residency in Las Vegas at the LINQ. Neither my friend or I had seen a magic show in Vegas (I’m fairly certain I haven’t), so we were game to check it out.

Mat Franco is definitely a showman and he has got his tricks down. I was impressed with his humour and his sleight of hand. Also, I’m one of those people who doesn’t think about how a trick was done. I don’t need to know. I just want to be amazed.

Food

Jean Philippe Patisserie at Aria

For lunch when we arrived in Vegas, we ate savoury Italian crepes at Jean Philippe Patisserie. The two of us had each redeemed myVEGAS vouchers, so we got to eat for free. The crepes were huge with plenty of veggies for the filling and a good portion of prosciutto on top. This was a satisfying meal.

The savoury Italian crepe from Jean Philippe Patisserie

Sage at Aria

Dinner led us back to the Aria hotel where we indulged in the $89 Signature menu at Sage. To start, we ordered the Pearfection cocktail, recommended to us by our wonderful server. Bread (with butter and salt) was provided as well as an amuse bouche.

The Sage menu

Sage $89 Signature Menu Part 1

Sage $89 Signature Menu #2

Butter with an edible petal and sea salt

A complimentary amuse bouche at Sage

Our Pearfection cocktails

The Signature menu consists of your choice of four courses. Both of us had the wagyu beef tartar. That dish was fantastic. I could have eaten 10 plates. My friend had the salt roasted beets next. It was a beautiful dish that looked delicious. I had the Maine day boat scallops, which were perfectly seared and tender. The salted caramel reduction was rich and went well with the slightly bitter greens and the earthy mushrooms.

Wagyu beef tartar and cocktails

A close-up of the wagyu beef tartar

Salt roasted beets

Maine day boat scallops

48 hour beef belly

Beecher’s Farm whey fed pork loin

For our mains, my friend had the 48 hour beef belly and I selected the Beecher’s Farm whey fed pork loin. The bite I had of the beef belly was really succulent. The pork loin wasn’t as juicy as I would have liked, but it was tasty and not too heavy.

Knowing that I was celebrating my birthday, our server had told the kitchen about the occasion and my pumpkin clafoutis dessert arrived with a candle in it. That was a nice touch that I didn’t expect.

Pumpkin clafoutis birthday dessert

The absinthe cart at Sage

Tableau at Wynn

Before our excursion to the North Premium Outlets on day 2, we stopped at the Wynn for brunch at Tableau. What a gorgeous restaurant. We were seated near the entrance by a window that looked out into the garden. I didn’t see further back, but I think there’s an atrium space with more tables that would have been lovely.

My friend had a juice and I had a smoothie (vanilla strawberry balsamic) to wake us up. Both were refreshing. The smoothie was interesting because the balsamic made the drink more acidic than it would have been without. Judging from the strawberry that was placed on the rim, if it had just been vanilla with strawberry, it would have been very sweet because the strawberry was the best I’d had in a long time. I would love it if we could get such amazingly flavourful berries at home.

Viewing the menu, we both chose the duck hash & eggs. Our server told us that was one of the most popular dishes, so much so that it has never been removed from the menu even when they make updates. The duck was smoky, the eggs were fluffy, the pastry was decadently buttery and the hollandaise sauce was lighter than normal.

Juice and smoothie, together again

Fresh mini donuts

Duck hash & eggs

Fun chairs are part of the decor at Tableau

An advertisement seen on the way to the North Premium Outlets

Sprinkles Cupcakes

Prior to our Vegas visit, I joined the Sprinkles Birthday Club and received an email offer that allowed me to redeem for a free cupcake on my celebratory day.

This turned out to be our quick “dinner” before the Mat Franco show. I ended up getting the pumpkin cupcake (seasonal) along with an additional chai latte flavour, which was my favourite when we picked up Sprinkles in San Diego earlier this year.

Sprinkles cupcakes are awesome. However, I will say that two of them eaten back-to-back does cause sugar overload, and I don’t say that often.

Sprinkles Las Vegas to go box!

Chai latte and pumpkin cupcakes

BLT Burger at The Mirage

After the magic show and a drink at the Seahorse casino bar at Caesars Palace, we were feeling pretty famished, so we decided to head back to The Mirage for some food at BLT Burger.

This was a great choice. The burgers were stacked high and for a decent price you could add a drink and a side of fries (skinny, curly, fat, waffle or sweet potato). My friend opted for the buffalo chicken burger and I went for the sesame tuna. Everything about mine was scrumptious. What was most surprising was seeing that they stacked two steaks (not extremely thick though) of ahi tuna on top of each other for my sandwich. Our crisp sweet potato fries were also accompanied by some ranch dip. Yum!

Late night sesame tuna sandwich at BLT Burger

The Buffet at Monte Carlo

The reviews for the Monte Carlo buffet were less than stellar, but going in with lower expectations meant that I was pretty pleased with what we got for breakfast.

Eating for free because of another redeemed myVEGAS reward made it all the more worth it.

I had some banana bread french toast, hash potatoes, potatoes au gratin, bacon, chicken apple sausage, fruit and a glass of club soda and I was ready to go.

I would have tried more of the food, but I didn’t have a big appetite that morning. If I had, I would have gone for the roast beef, which some reviewers have said is often dry, yet it looked cooked to a nice medium rare when I walked by.

Maybe we can give this place another go.

In-N-Out Burger

On our way to the Grand Canyon, we paused in Kingman, AZ at the In-N-Out Burger for a snack.

My friend had been wanting to try their burgers for a while, so we thought this was the perfect opportunity. Plus, celebrities always rave about this chain.

Sticking to the regular menu (they also have the not-so-secret one), we both ordered a single patty cheeseburger without onion. I have to say that I was underwhelmed.

When we were waiting for our orders, I saw customers picking up their double-doubles and they looked good. However, when I ate my burger, the patty, while fresh, was thinner than I thought it would be. The meat itself wasn’t that seasoned, so most of the flavour came from their special spread. By far, the best part of the burger was the toasted bun.

In-N-Out Burger holiday takeaway bag

In-N-Out cheeseburger

Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill at MGM

Another day, another deal from myVEGAS. This time, we got a free entree with purchase of another during dinner at the MGM Grand’s Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill.

The restaurant is the bees knees. Our server was friendly and quick to offer his suggestions and favourites off of the menu. We each started with a pineapple mojito to quench our thirst. Those were great. I would absolutely order that drink again.

Pineapple mojito and onion bread

A basket was also provided with two types of bread. The onion bread is amazing. In fact, we asked for more and our server practically gave us a whole loaf.

We continued our meal with a plate each of the short rib entree and shared sides of roasted cauliflower and brussels sprouts with pancetta.

Short ribs

Brussels sprouts with pancetta

Roasted cauliflower

The amount of food that came with our order was crazy. We ended up packing half of it with us (bread included) for breakfast and snacks the next day.

If you ever go there, and you like meat, I highly recommend that you try the short ribs. The beef is divine and I swear that they gave us twenty ounces of meat per plate. We could have shared one entree with the same sides and it would have been more than enough to feed the two of us.

Sushi Roku

With just a little over an hour before we had to leave for our flight home, we grabbed a quick dinner at Sushi Roku in the Caesars Palace Forum Shops.

Their happy hour is a great deal and I ended up getting a small order of albacore tataki and three maki rolls – spicy tuna, rock shrimp tempura & jalapeno and salmon & avocado – for $29, including tax and tip.

The service is good and the food is prepared fast while the seafood is fresh.

More info about Sushi Roku can be found in my last post about Vegas.

Fun Stuff

North Premium Outlets

Since we happened to be in Vegas the day after Black Friday, I expected to find better discounts and deals at the outlet mall, but they weren’t as great as I thought they would be.

That’s not to say I didn’t find anything. Actually, we did a lot of damage in five hours, and we weren’t even able to get to every store that we had planned to stop at.

One of the reasons for that is the addition of an extra strip to the mall. An associate at the new Marc by Marc Jacobs outlet store said that they had just opened earlier this year. They also now have a Neiman Marcus Last Call Studio, Saks Fifth Avenue OFF Fifth, Dolce & Gabbana and AllSaints among others, so it was a lot to take in.

Grand Canyon National Park

On day 3, we drove the four and a half hours to the south rim of Grand Canyon National Park, avoiding the exorbitant entrance fees charged by the Hualapai tribe at the west rim.

On the drive to the Grand Canyon; Lake Mead straight ahead

Stopped for gas before reaching the Grand Canyon; Williams, the “Gateway to the Grand Canyon”

Selfie at the Grand Canyon

Once through the south entrance, we drove along making stops at many of the parking lots. We got out to walk along the rim at each location. The best spot that we went to was the Desert View Watchtower. With the canyon and the Colorado River before our eyes, it was a beautiful sight to behold. The watchtower provided various vantage points to take photos and it is also home to an extremely showy raven.

It was windy and cold that day, but nature is amazing and, if we weren’t freezing and it wasn’t going to be dark so soon, we would have stayed there longer.

On the drive back to Vegas, I noticed that the sky was so dark that all of the stars could be seen. They sparkled so brightly. We ended up taking the exit onto the Kingman Wash Access Road, so we could stop and soak it all in.

The starry night sky

Valley of Fire State Park

Rather than revisiting Red Rock Canyon, we decided to go somewhere different during this vacation.

I came across images of Valley of Fire State Park on Instagram about a month before we were set to leave and it looked beautiful.

About an hour away from the Strip, we were able to fit it in on our last day in Vegas.

Although we didn’t quite make it to every feature of the park, we managed to see Atlatl Rock, Arch Rock, Beehives, Rainbow Vista, White Domes and Fire Canyon/Silica Dome within two to three hours. That’s only about half of the sights in the park, not including various hikes that you can do as well. Some Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep also graced us with their presence.

Petroglyphs on the Atlatl Rock in Valley of Fire State Park

We’re certainly planning to go to Valley of Fire again. But, we’ll be a bit more prepared next time. Here’s a tip: bring hiking boots with excellent grip and high ankle coverage. Much of the park is covered in deep sand, which makes for a difficult walk in basic flats or runners.

This was another whirlwind holiday down south. I like that we’re going off the beaten track to explore more of what Las Vegas and Nevada have to offer, and we’ll continue to do so on subsequent visits.

Again, I hope that this information inspires others to expand their horizons whenever they might find themselves there.

Continued Explorations: Autumn in NYC

Posted on October 21, 2015 by crystalcarwin

Grand Central Terminal

Every so often I get the urge to revisit New York City. People always ask me why I go there as frequently as I do. The reason is because it’s a vibrant place to be, but one that I can easily leave behind when I want to go back to the more slow-paced lifestyle that is Edmonton.

This latest trip was one that had been discussed for sometime. However, due to other circumstances, it didn’t come to fruition until this year.

Over a decade since my friend and I had first traveled there together, we made plans to go back and experience the City that Never Sleeps from a more mature perspective.

Hearing that autumn is a gorgeous time of year there, we booked our holiday to run through the first week of October. Although the weather proved to work against us throughout part of our vacation (leading to itinerary changes), it still turned out to be a fantastic several days.

Only ever pausing to sleep in our room at the Seton Hotel, our trip was a mishmash of neighbourhood explorations, music, museums, culture and food as we clocked about 60 kilometers and over a hundred thousand steps through the streets of Manhattan.

The following is a daily account, with pictures, of our adventures. I hope they inspire some of you to explore restaurants and places that are a little off the beaten path.

DAY 1

Accommodations: Seton Hotel

The Seton is a clean, comfortable, renovated boutique hotel. We stayed in a premium room with two double beds and a private bathroom (a number of their rooms have shared baths). It is actually quite spacious if there are only a couple of people staying together. There are a number of spots to layout your suitcases without it feeling overly cluttered. The bathroom is also nice, and while they don’t provide any body lotion for use, they do supply soaps, shampoo, conditioner and packaged makeup wipes.

It’s important to note that your room key must be dropped off with the staff every time you leave the hotel. There is also no in-room safe (the front desk has one) or fridge in each room. But, they have a lovely lounge on the main floor. They also provide free tea and coffee as well as umbrellas that can be taken out on rainy days. On our last day there, the hotel held our luggage between checkout time and when we had to leave for the airport, which was handy.

As with most large cities, there is usually construction nearby and the Seton wasn’t immune. During the weekdays, workers typically started up with the jackhammer just after 8 AM. As luck would have it, we were always already awake, so it didn’t make much of a difference to us. Yet it’s worth noting that you may want to request a room towards the back of the hotel away from the street and the elevator.

The location itself was extremely convenient. Situated on 40th Street between 3rd and Lexington Avenues, the Seton was only a few blocks away from Grand Central Terminal and from Fifth Avenue. Although it was often quiet late in the evening, it always felt safe.

Staring at the art on the walls of the Cafe Duke

Nourishment: Bohemian

Bohemian is an exclusive, referral-only restaurant located in the East Village of Manhattan. It’s hidden behind a butcher’s shop. The address is actually quite easy to find online. However, you do have to obtain an invite directly from the restaurant or get the phone number from someone who has previously dined in order to make a reservation. Walk-ins are not guaranteed a table.

After a while wandering the neighbourhood to kill time before our 9 P.M. reservation, my friend and I opted to go with the 6-course tasting menu. It included a Farmer’s Fresh Vegetable Fondue, Uni Croquette, Washu-Beef Short Rib Sashimi, Pan Roasted Branzino, Washu-Beef Mini Burger OR Sashimi Rice Bowl and a Yuzu Pannacotta.

Vegetable Fondue at Bohemian

Uni Croquette at Bohemian

Washu-Beef Sashimi at Bohemian

Branzino at Bohemian

Sashimi on Rice at Bohemian

Washu-Beef Burger at Bohemian

Dessert at Bohemian

Needless to say, our starving bellies were more than stuffed after our two and a half hour dinner. By the time we worked our way through the majority of the branzino, we could have given up. But, we powered through like champs and finished the entirety of our meal.

The staff were great there and the food is worth the slightly increased effort required to book a table. It’s especially good value for the price – a drink and six dishes came to less than $70 before tax.

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DAY 2

Attractions: Central Park, The Met, Lincoln Center, The Book of Mormon, Times Square

The forecast called for rain, but we seemed to luck out in the morning as we strolled from Norma’s through Central Park to The Met. Having been to NYC several times, this was my first visit in the autumn, and the most time I’ve ever spent in the park. As we meandered through all the areas on the east side of the park between 59th and 85th Streets, we were surprised that the trees were still so green. It wasn’t quite the imagined yellow, orange, red paradise that we expected, but it was still a beautiful and relaxing respite from the rest of the bustling city.

Eventually, we made it to The Met where we spent hours perusing the maze of collections housed in its walls. The American Wing and European Paintings were my favourite. Sadly, the Costume Institute collection on the ground floor was closed off, so we didn’t get to see that, which is unfortunate. Their most recent exhibit, China: Through the Looking Glass, looked like a superb view on fashion, so it’s too bad that it closed before we arrived.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

A random tour guide talking about the meaning of the word “symposium”

Photo bomb

A portion of America Today by Thomas Hart Benton

Stage Beauties by Morris Hirshfield

Grey Line with Lavender and Yellow by Georgia O’Keefe with Bird in Space by Constantin Brancusi

The Cathedrals of Wall Street by Florine Stettheimer

The Great Sirens by Paul Delvaux

A close-up of The Great Sirens

Apartment Houses, Paris by Jean Dubuffet

Bohemia Lies by the Sea by Anselm Kiefer

Close-up of Lucas I by Chuck Close

Lilith by Kiki Smith

Close-up of Autumn Rhythm (Number 30) by Jackson Pollock

Wheat Fields with Cypresses by Vincent van Gogh

The Repast of the Lion by Henri Rousseau

The Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer by Edgar Degas

Faustine Léo by Henri Lehmann

PixCell-Deer#24 by Kohei Nawa; a taxidermied deer covered in marbles

Photo bomb

Street vendor

On our way back to midtown, we cut through Central Park. Unfortunately, we got caught in the rain. The trees helped to shield us a bit, but we were still a damp by the time we managed to make it to Lincoln Centre. My one wish is that we could have seen up-close the two large murals by Marc Chagall that hang in the lobby of the Metropolitan Opera House. The unmistakable style caught my eye through the windows of the building and I didn’t want to look away. If only it wasn’t pouring out, so we could have lingered longer.

Group of Bears by Paul Manship; one of The Met’s sculptures located in Central Park

A small fire station tribute to 9/11

Lincoln Center

A performance of The Book of Mormon at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre gave us a break from the rainy weather. Finally, after years wanting to see this show, I did. Was it worth the money? Probably not, but the Mormon song and dance numbers and the spun stories were highly entertaining, especially for those who are not easily offended.

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As we exited the theatre, our evening finished off in Times Square. Other tourists jostled past us as we found our way to the subway station and we called it a night.

Nourishment: NORMA’s, Whole Foods, Shake Shack

NORMA’s at Le Parker Meridien has been a favourite of mine ever since my cousin took me there for brunch back in 2009. Every trip since, I have made a point of going there. This visit did not disappoint. I’d been thinking about the restaurant’s Waz-Za Waffle for months and it was as good as I remembered. My friend’s Red Berry Risotto “Oatmeal” was hearty and scrumptious as well.

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Later in the day, after our long perusal of The Met and two lengthy walks through Central Park and photos at Lincoln Center, we made a quick pit stop at the Whole Foods at Time Warner Center. We had intended to buy a bit of sushi and eat in their food court area, but it was so full that we weren’t able to get a seat. We ended up trying to sit on the floor of the mall to eat until security told us we had to get up. The guard was nice about it though. He said we could stand and eat wherever we wanted.

The Midtown East Shake Shack just down the block from our hotel was perfect for quick late-night meals or snacks after shows. My friend’s featured bratwurst burger looked so tastily greasy that I was a little jealous when I decided to eat the chicken dog instead. However, the chicken dog was perfectly satisfying and light enough just before bed.

Late night snack from the Shake Shack

DAY 3

Attractions: NYPL Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, Grand Central Terminal, MoMA, Terminal 5

When I was last in NYC back in December 2013, I pretty much just stumbled upon the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building of the New York Public Library. Located on Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, it was so close to our hotel that I had to take my friend there this time. Having studied to be a librarian, I knew that she would appreciate the building and the rooms housed within. We arrived before it opened to the public for the day, which gave us time to take some photos in the rain. So, as soon as the doors were unlocked, we booked it inside.

NYPL Stephen A. Schwarzman Building

The NYPL provides free tours at 11 A.M. and 2 P.M. Mondays to Saturdays. Our original plan was to check out the library shop until the tour started, but we ended up skipping the tour because it was quite crowded and it was hard to hear the guides. Instead, we wandered around on our own and stopped to watch the excellent video about the building in the library’s theatre, which I would certainly recommend.

Following the NYPL, we headed over to Grand Central Terminal for a guided tour led by a docent from the Municipal Art Society of NYC. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable. She took us into different areas of the building while telling us about the history of the Vanderbilt family, the Biltmore Hotel, the decline of the terminal and Jackie O’s part in saving the landmark. Despite tired feet, the tour was incredibly interesting and worth it.

Our tour guide

Track 34; often used in movies because it’s the only one without pillars blocking the train’s view

The ceiling of Grand Central Terminal

If you look closely, you can see the shape of a person in the open pane where the 6 should be

Grand Central Terminal and the Chrysler Building

Art student

Art Student

We took advantage of MoMA’s Free Friday Night sponsored by UNIQLO (if you’re tight on money, you can save a lot by hitting up most of the museums on evenings where entry is complimentary; check out their websites for information). Arriving shortly after 4 P.M., one of the museum staff members told us that the wait to get inside could be up to an hour and a half, but we stuck it out. Thankfully, construction scaffolding shielded us from the rain the majority of the time we were outside, and it really only took about 30 minutes for us to make it around the block and through the doors. That gave us about three full hours to view the top five floors, which we were able to do. Although it was packed in some of the galleries, it actually wasn’t too bad. We even managed to find bench seating every so often when we felt like taking a breather. Some of the rooms even emptied out enough to allow us more time and space to soak in the art.

60 Square Meters and Its Information by Oscar Bony

The Presidential Family by Fernando Botero

Evening, Honfleur by Georges-Pierre Seurat

The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh

Adele Bloch-Bauer II by Gustav Klimt

Mlle Pogany version I by Constantin Brancusi

Reflection of One: Number 31, 1950 by Jackson Pollock

Resting my tired feet

A man playing Tempest by Dave Theurer

I Still Use Brushes by Arman

Broken Dance, Ethnic Heritage Series by John Outterbridge

Moon by Robert Indiana

Warhol

Memorial by Luis Camnitzer (the lights are not part of that piece)

Unstable Talismanic Rendering 27 (with gratitude to master marbler Dirk Lange) by Kerstin Brätsch

Our day finished off at Terminal 5, a nightclub turned live music venue, where we saw The NBHD and Bad Suns. It’s a neat venue with three levels, but its sight lines aren’t the best if you’re not one of the people who gets a spot leaning against the railings.

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Nourishment: Cipriani Le Specialità

I wasn’t feeling all that well during the Grand Central Terminal tour, which I chalked up to hunger. Therefore, as soon as we finished there, we sought out a place to eat. The food court in the lower level was way too warm, so we went outside for some fresh air. Along the way, we came across Cipriani Le Specialità. It’s part of the Cipriani group of restaurants, but it’s a teeny little fast service eatery with a handful of tables where you can either eat-in or takeaway. The day’s feature steak and pasta was actually perfect for a quick meal and I felt much better afterwards.

Steak and pasta for lunch at Cipriani La

Steak and pasta for lunch at Cipriani Le Specialità

DAY 4

Attractions: Shopping at Century 21, New Yorker Festival

Original plans for the day had included a Watson Adventures High Line scavenger hunt. However, the company decided to cancel the event the day before due to the dismal weather. That left us with a fairly wide open schedule. This was the only day that we slept in at all. Thankfully, there was no noise from construction on the Saturday.

A subway performer packing up her things

Once we finished lunch at Time Warner Center, we took the subway over to the Century 21 department store by Lincoln Center, which we had passed by a couple days earlier. It was not my intention to do any shopping during this particular trip, but entering Century 21 quashed that notion. I walked away with a few things, all useful to me, and a bill that indicated savings of over $350. That’s my attempt to look at my receipt with a glass half full.

A dancer practicing his moves

Later in the evening, we went to a New Yorker Festival talk between Lauren Collins and Ellie Kemper. I had to pick up my tickets from will call and then we joined a very long line up. As it turns out, the line up was really for the Patti Smith event in the same venue, but none of the staff pointed that out to anyone. When we finally got to the front of the line, we were turned away and asked to wait outside until they started seating for Ellie Kemper. It still worked out though. If that hadn’t happened, I probably wouldn’t have spotted Damian Lewis of Homeland fame leaving from his talk, and the ticket taker made sure that those who were already at the door for Ellie Kemper were the first to enter. We ended up getting seats right in front of the stage. Ellie Kemper is absolutely hilarious and charming. It was great to end the night with some laughs.

Waiting in line

The crazy long line to get into The New Yorker talk

Damian Lewis of Homeland

A New Yorker Festival staff member

Lauren Collins of The New Yorker interviewing Ellie Kemper

Ellie Kemper of Bridesmaids and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Ellie Kemper

Nourishment: Landmarc at Time Warner Center, Bouchon Bakery, Mira Sushi & Izakaya

As luck would have it, the cousin I stayed in NYC with back in 2009 was in town for a few days. He treated us to a wonderful lunch at Landmarc. We left the decisions to him and were met with delicious appetizers of fois gras terrine, fried calamari, and roasted marrow bones along with shared mains of certified black angus marinated skirt steak with chimichurri sauce and chicken sausage cavatelli. He always has the best suggestions when it comes to food.

My cousin and I, reunited

Bone marrow, fois gras and calamari

Made in-house caramels

Skirt steak…so good

Before we parted ways, he took us next door to Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bakery where we split a lemon tart and chocolate cheesecake between the three of us. As great as both were, the density of the second dessert really pushed us over the limit for lunch.

What to get?

This is a busy bakery

At your service

Dessert

Dinner before the Ellie Kemper talk was had at Mira Sushi & Izakaya in the Chelsea neighbourhood. The restaurant was busy, but not entirely full when we arrived. However, we did make a reservation (on OpenTable) as did others. The Yuzu Lychee Sangria was a little pricey, but they didn’t skimp on the alcohol, ensuring that it wasn’t overly sweet. For our meal, we both ordered the salmon sampler set. The fish was fresh and the rice was perfectly prepared for the sushi. The spicy salmon roll was so tasty, but didn’t quite have the heat that we expected. What really made this supper memorable was the dessert. We shared a matcha green tea brownie s’more and it was heavenly.

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DAY 5

Attractions: The Cloisters, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, Rockefeller Center, Hand to God

The morning didn’t go as smoothly as we hoped. The train that Google told us to take ended up being only an express train on the Sunday, so we had to switch lines part way there. The last stop was further removed from The Cloisters and we stopped to ask a tailor for directions.

Musicians waiting for the train

This ad for a ticket app is awesome

Beautiful subway mosaic

Subway tunnel beautification project

The tailor who helped us with directions to the Cloisters

Cute pup

We eventually made it to Fort Tyron Park, which seemed to have been taken over by a medieval festival. Rather than join the crowd, we bypassed it and followed the signs to The Cloisters building, eventually finding the entrance.

A medieval festival that we happened upon

Views from Fort Tyron Park

The George Washington Bridge

Team Canada competing in something at the medieval festival

I hope she finds her coven

The museum is filled with medieval European art, including the famous Unicorn Tapestries donated by John D. Rockefeller Jr. We almost missed seeing them as we took a staircase down to the lower level of the building and ended up looping past the room all together. But, I made sure that we went back into the galleries before we departed. The gardens are also beautiful and tranquil. I’m not sure how busy The Cloisters is on a regular day, but it was clear that the festival taking place outside brought in more than usual.

We couldn’t find any info on why the cover of the coffins always depicted an animal at the person’s feet…

Giving Jesus bunny ears…we’re really mature.

People from the medieval festival taking in The Cloisters

The Unicorn in Captivity, which is the 7th in The Hunt of the Unicorn series

The coolest looking puppet theatre

A frenchie dressed like a knight being pet

When we were done at The Cloisters, we caught a bus (the coldest bus we’ve ever been on) down to the Cooper Hewitt museum. With exhibits that cover historical and contemporary design, there were some unique pieces on display. What I loved the most about the museum is the digital pen that you’re given for use during your visit. If you see something you like, you can press the pen up to the symbol on the summary cards and it saves it to a URL that is specific to your entry ticket. It gives you a chance to look back at what you saw and takes less effort to document the things that capture your eye.

The cool digital pen at the Cooper Hewitt

This machine manually dispenses exhibit information

I liked this poster because if you look closely you can see YEG ART in there

Prior to our evening performance of Hand to God, we made a quick trip to Rockefeller Center to see if we could obtain a Dwight bobblehead doll from the NBC Experience Store. To our dismay, it was already closed for the evening (silly, considering all the tourists milling about at 6 P.M. on the weekend).

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Since that was a bust, we started walking towards Broadway in search of food. As soon as we finished eating, we met up with the TodayTix staff member who hand delivered the tickets that we ordered using the app. Hand to God, showing at the Booth Theatre is a new American play about an awkward teenager whose sock puppet seems to come to life, bringing to light the many issues that surround him and those closest to him. It was sad, funny and, as our shows often leaned, inappropriate. Hand to God will remain in NYC until January when it moves to London.

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Nourishment: Carve Unique Sandwiches & Pizza, Shake Shack

Food was kind of low on our list this day, so we were starving by the time we got close to Times Square. We tided ourselves over with slices of pizza from Carve. The thin-crust spinach and ricotta pizza was delicious and it hit the spot before the play.

Spinach and ricotta pizza from Carve

Another night, another stop at Shake Shack before bed. I stuck to my tried and true chicken dog, but added a draught root beer (to be honest, the drink was nothing special). My friend got the ShackMeister Dog™. Again, I was slightly envious that I went the healthier route once more.

DAY 6

Attractions: 9/11 Museum & Memorial, The High Line, Bowery Ballroom

The day started with a somber visit to the 9/11 Museum and Memorial. When I was in NYC less than two years ago, the museum wasn’t complete yet. Now that it’s open, I thought it was important to see it, and while I still believe that to be the case, it is a tough one to get through. The exhibits have been carefully curated and are thoughtful despite the subject matter. I cried a lot. The museum covers one of the worst days in recent history and as a remembrance of the event and the people who were lost, it feels like a necessary reminder.

A bike belonging to a firefighter lost in 9/11, which was fixed up by his team as a tribute.

This is cool. These are crystal pieces from the 2001-2002 Times Square Ball, honouring 9/11 victims and heroes. You can see tributes etched into the glass.

What I love about NYC is that there’s always something “new” to do. For me, this was the High Line park. We managed to fit this in on our last full day in the city. Unbeknownst to me, the park (phase one) was established as far back as 2009, but until this year, I hadn’t heard of it. Created from a disused elevated railway, the tracks from 34th Street and 11th Avenue all the way down to Gansevoort Street have now been transformed into a gathering place for citizens and tourists to enjoy the beautiful views of Manhattan’s west side. We spent a couple of hours spotting the public art, large murals and graffiti tags along the route. We people watched, stopped to watch bees pollinate flowers and saw the sun setting over the water.

The Statue of Liberty can be seen in the far distance.

Young love

Our final evening was spent at the Bowery Ballroom where we saw Geographer and Stars perform. Both were excellent. I walked in as a fan of Stars and left loving Geographer just as much. The Bowery Presents runs Terminal 5 and the Bowery Ballroom, and it may come down to the performer each evening, but I have to say that the Bowery Ballroom felt like a better fit for us. The venue was much smaller (a capacity of less than 600 versus 3,000 at Terminal 5) with just two stories and better sight lines. The crowd was closer in age to us and everyone seemed to be respectful of personal space. My only suggestion is that they add a bit more seating to the venue.

Geographer

Geographer

Stars

Nourishment: Bouley, KULU Desserts

When we met with my cousin for lunch on the weekend, he mentioned dinner with his colleagues that same evening at a restaurant called Bouley. He was lamenting the fact that he was in store for a 6-course tasting menu just two hours after eating with us. We couldn’t help him, but we were certainly intrigued, so we looked into Bouley later that night. What we found was the lunch tasting menu, which is an absolute steal at $55 for 5 courses compared to the $185 for the 6-course dinner. Once we found that, we immediately decided to book a table.

We were forewarned that Bouley, located in Tribeca, was more upscale, so we knew we had to dress up a little. I still felt slightly out of place (I packed appropriately to fit in with the Manhattanites, but not so well that I looked like I belonged in a fancy schmancy restaurant like Bouley). However, all of the staff we came into contact with were extremely friendly and accommodating. They made us feel like we were their best patrons. The food wasn’t too shabby either. Every dish I had was fabulous. Even the ones that seemed simple to execute surpassed my expectations.

This was an amuse bouche, compliments of the chef. It was so tasty.

The bread was outstanding

The complimentary chocolate tray

Gorgeous interiors

On the way out of Bouley, the hostess grabbed our jackets for us and then promptly handed us a couple of gift bags. I heard her say something about lemon tea. As it turns out, the bag had a pamphlet about chef David Bouley’s empire and an entire loaf of lemon tea cake. I carried that cake around for the rest of the day because I really appreciated the extra thought that Bouley put into their diner’s experience.

Our dinner that evening wasn’t exactly a real meal. I had purchased a Groupon ahead of the trip for a place called KULU Desserts. The reason why I really wanted to try this place is because they make Asian fusion desserts like ones that I ate in Hong Kong and Singapore from Honeymoon Dessert. Talk about dessert ruining your appetite for supper. $20 worth of food was more than enough to fill the two of us up. We shared the Mango Pomelo, Black Sesame Paste, Matcha Sawdust Pudding and a Papaya Smoothie. Everything was great, but I’d definitely go back for the Mango Pomelo bowl.

Our dessert dinner at KULU

DAY 7

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Nourishment: Zengo

Day 7 of our trip was pretty short. We made a quick, last-minute jaunt to the Library Shop at the NYPL Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, so my friend and I could pick up some gifts before we left. A bit of time was also spent circling the neighbourhood around our hotel because the restaurant we had our eye on didn’t open until 11:30 A.M.

Zengo, a Latin-Asian fusion eatery from chef Richard Sandoval, sat on the corner across from our hotel, so it was the perfect place to relax over a nice meal before we began our journey home. For a little while, we were literally the only people in the restaurant, so the service was excellent. The place did fill up quickly at around noon though, so it’s good to know it’s well frequented.

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I thoroughly enjoyed my bento box, which consisted of the Angry Zengo Roll (spicy tuna), grilled skirt steak, wok vegetables, green papaya salad (not my favourite due to the addition of cilantro) and jasmine rice.

The deconstructed key lime pie was the perfect finish to lunch and, in a way, a good visual of what our vacation was. A mishmash of various flavours and textures that, when brought together, created magic.

West Coast Wonder: Vancouver, A Weekend Getaway

Posted on August 9, 2015 by crystalcarwin

Moonlight from Iona Beach

For as long as I can remember, Vancouver has been the quick and easy getaway for my family. It’s pretty much the fastest trip you can take from Edmonton to see the ocean and mountains all together while still enjoying the feel of a laid-back yet big city.

When I was younger, we would road trip all the way there and back; the numerous hours on the highway were an adventure to me. Now that I’m grown, I don’t think I can sit through such a long drive. What was once seen as fun has become daunting. That’s not to say that the scenery along the way won’t be beautiful and worth it, but it also depends on who’s willing to travel with you and vice versa. Pick the wrong person or group and count yourself in for two to three days of stress filled travel.

Thank goodness for airplanes! With the commute cut down immensely, Vancouver is actually the perfect weekend holiday for us landlocked Albertans. When I visit, I’m usually there for at least four days to a week, but back in April, I went to visit my friend and some of my relatives for a two day jaunt. Surprisingly, you can fit quite a lot into such a short time frame.

That particular weekend included a catch up with my aunt, uncle and cousin, birthday celebrations with my friend, strolls around Granville Island and Queen Elizabeth Park, shopping along Main Street (Front & Company and Barefoot Contessa) and Robson Street, and copious amounts of food from Burgoo, Lucky’s Doughnuts, Sala Thai, Joey Burrard and Kaya Malay Bistro.

Here are some photos from that trip!

Sitting on the pier at Granville Island, taking in the view.

Granville Island

Houses on the water.

Granville Island

Houses on the water.

Boat docks

Trees in full bloom!

All the way from Edmonton, AB!

A goose just minding his/her own business on the streets of Granville Island.

Leaving Granville Island.

Lunch at Burgoo on Main Street.

Stopped into 49th Parallel on Main for some Lucky’s Doughnuts!

Lucky’s Doughnuts for dessert. The PB & J and the Mango Passionfruit were amazing.

The sign outside of Sala Thai.

Sunita’s birthday dinner at Sala Thai.

Brunch at Slickity Jim’s

Where they have room for someone to play, I have no clue.

Queen Elizabeth Park

A view from Queen Elizabeth Park

Flowers at Queen Elizabeth Park

Fountains at Queen Elizabeth Park

The Red Cat Records sign on Main Street.

A view of Vancouver from a secret location.

Other recommendations from my past visits include: the historic fishing village of Steveston, a walk along the narrow jetty of land at Iona Beach Regional Park (particularly gorgeous at dusk) and the Seawall, the Vancouver Aquarium (those famous hand-holding sea otters!), the Vancouver Art Gallery, and running the 10 km Vancouver Sun Run with almost 60,000 other people (the year I ran, anyway).