How airport security changes your mood...

[via]

np:

Rumba Rumbero, Desi Arnaz & His Orchestra

Juke, Little Walter

Mighty Long Time, Sonny Boy Williamson

Barcelona Wine Bar

New Haven just had its Restaurant Week.  Since I was working there again, I partook of all prix fixe meals for lunch AND dinner.  The cost was so reasonable, it was within my daily meal allowance for work.

[click here for the entire recipe]

The Roasted Olive tapa is olive-y, but with very unexpected bright notes.  Absolutely delicious.  If you are wandering around Yale campus.  Check them out.  They are at 155 Temple Street in the same building as the Omni Hotel.  They are very hip and do not have a sign.  Just look for the wood slats and go in the door.  Yum.

And for the most amazing Riojas, try Cerro Añon 2004 Reserve.  A bottle is ~$19 -- not so bad for a special occasion. 

np:

Ten is the Power by Children Ask

Murder in the Space Station by The Science Fiction Corporation

Morning Sun Flower by Dirty Filthy Mud

Things that make me happy...

...when I am stuck at the airport.

Portland International Airport [PDX] has an exhibit called 'From Junk to Funk' [not a great name IMO].

Appropriate for any runway, here is a dress made from miniblinds. [via Stuck at the Airport]

The layered ruffles of this evening gown are made from coffee filters.  [via Stuck at the Airport]

Probably the coziest wedding dress I have ever seen -- a beautiful, white comforter is used as the skirting material. [via hovering]

You can see these and more fashions through September 2010 in Concourse E.

np:
Gonna Rise and Fly, Greg Hale Jones
Sun Cycle, Blue Cheer
Walk on By, Isaac Hayes

Bad behavior!!

Why do people behave so badly??????  Anyway, I substituted my own picture into the article.

np:

Free, UPO

Beatnik, The Royal Jokers

Don't Let the Devil Ride, Sonny Treadway

---

April 8, 2010:  And an update from today's Christian Science Monitor.  I love it.

Another passenger, Matt Erickson, sent a text message to his wife after being held for more than four hours, according to the Los Angeles Times.

His message read: "Only in America ... a Qatari diplomat decides to light up a cigarette in the bathroom and then uses his shoe to put it out," Erickson wrote. "He then jokes about it to the guy sitting next to him, who happens to be the freakin' air marshal."

Today in travel history

On this day -- today, 2010 -- Spirit Airlines announced that they will now start charging up to $30 for carry-ons that do not fit under the seat in front of you.  Damn you, Spirit Airlines.  Now everyone will start copying.   Looks like I'm going to have to start using my backpack again.  Looks like I'll be ruining my clothes again, too.  damn you...

 BUSINESS   | April 07, 2010
Fewer Bags, More Revenue
By CHRISTINE NEGRONI

Airlines in the United States started charging for luggage in 2005 by instituting a fee for passengers with more than one bag to check. Soon, even the first bag wasn’t free. Now, Spirit Airlines says it will charge as much as $30 each way for carry-on bags that are too big to fit under the seat. 

np:

Fly, Lamb

Lobo, Ali Farka Toure

No Mind, Happy Campers

Aimless wanderings - New Haven

Back from another week in New Haven.  The weather was better this time and I was able to do some aimless wandering at lunch.  The English Building Market is an antique/vintage shop in the Chapel Street near Yale.  (Get the britishisme [a word I just made up right now]?)

[I'll be bahk.]

Their extensive collection of mid-century glassware makes me think of a candy store for orange juice glass enthusiasts.  If I weren't so squeamish about breaking up a set, I could have bought one glass for each morning of the year.

An old picket fence highlights this christening gown very nicely.

np:

Nitrogen (pt 2 v), Juno Reactor

Ti Ki, Sigur Ros

Death in Silence (Pollution mix), Fun 'da' Mental

Orla Kiely is trying to kill me...

I mean, c'mon!  How can I resist these things????  Forget the mortgage.  I shall have to live in a tent.

  

 

[all via flight 001]

Or perhaps I could live in this bus.

 

[via apartment therapy]

np:

Another Brown World, Coil

Candy Man, Monte Cazazza

Angry Chair, Alice in Chains

On this day in travel history...

On February 21, 1804, the world's first railway journey took place as Richard Trevithick's  steam locomotive hauled a train along a tramway -- near Merthyr Tydfil in Wales.  I truly love traveling by train and it's a shame we don't have more of it in the US.  I looked all over the place for some enticing pictures of train travel in the US and guess what?  I couldn't find any.  :(

 

[sleeping accomodations on the Fanxipan Express]

I think that traveling by train is far more civilized than flying and it might be my favorite mode of travel.  For less than a plane ticket, you can travel first class on Amtrak from NYC to Washington, DC.  First class gets you a big chair that reclines, wait service, help with your bags and a decent menu.  And on any train in any class, there are outlets at every seat, so you can recharge whatever you like.  Door to door, it is not much longer than going to the airport.

The bathrooms vary, but this train through Canada [via flickr] has very nice amenities.

Women can still bring train cases on the train.

There is something about train travel that makes me feel free.

[via blinking against the brightness]

I'd be corny and celebrate this day in travel history by watching "Some Like it Hot" with Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis.  I love the party on the train in Josephine's berth.  Any drink they make [Harvey Wallbanger or some such nonsense] will do.

 

p.s.  I *love* all of the drawings on ami.underground.  They are sketches of people on the subway.  The artist captures so much energy in these pictures -- even from sleeping people!

np:

A Namorada, Carlinhos Brown

The Man in The Santa Suit, Neil Halstead

III, Jacaszek

Pics from my mom's

I was stuck in NJ all week because of the snow.  Luckily, I was at my mom's house.  Since I was cooped up and bored, I took a bunch of pictures...

 

Ping is a semi-feral cat that my mom and her friend

adopted to keep mice out of the barn.

She decided that she wanted to be an indoor cat instead.

Her brother (Pong) still keeps his rough-and-tumble 

home in the barn.  They are both very good mousers.

I was at the kitchen sink and noticed that the objets on the
window sill might make a nice picture.

 

 My mom comes from a long line of doll collectors.

SERIOUS doll collectors.  These two overlook the bed I slept in.

(I think they are creepy, but they don't glow in the dark so it's okay.)

The doll on the left has cute little pink stockings.  

This might be my favorite picture of the week!

np:

Eternal Life, Jeff Buckley

Awaken, Disturbed

Warm Liquid Event, Jarboe

Parking lot at Bon Apetit, Princeton, NJ

While I will fervently defend NJ against any Rosanne Rosannadanna, there is a reason that I no longer live here.  If you are anywhere, within SPITTING distance of a cute little store, there will be 700 people Up. Your. Ass.

No lovely little rows of sumptuous dairy products for this little amateur photographer.  No heaps of decadent pastries behind a quaint piece of glass.  No warmly lit shelves of exquisitely packaged spice jars.  Nooooooo.

Instead, I present...

Shots of food

from my CAR

WOOOO!

np:

Head Rush on Lafayette, David Holmes

Shanghai Noodle Factory, Traffic

I Should Know, Dirty Vegas

Staple-free staplers

On my last few passes through security, I've been selected for special screening because of my office supplies.  I travel with paper clips, binder clips, tape and a teeny stapler that takes normal-size staples.  Yesterday, they took the stapler out of my laptop case and rode it through the scanning belt by itself.  It looked very cute as it rode along.  [I wanted SO DESPERATELY to take a picture, but they had already patted me down and I didn't want to provoke any more examination.]

I've wanted one of these staple-free staplers for a while.  They are only $3 or so, but shipping is usually around $8 and I couldn't bring myself to pay $8 for something that weighs less than an ounce.  I am beginning to think that this senseless expense is actually worth it.  

Anyway, here are some pictures of staple-free staplers.  They are all so cute, I don't know which one to pick.  Maybe I'll get them all and coordinate with my outfits.  If the package weighs 10 lbs, I might feel better about the $8 for s/h.

np:

Alden Strikes, Amon Tobin + Jim Dooley

Down By the River, Buddy Miles

Hook, PJ Harvey

All My Friends are Dead, Brother Russell

Might as well have gone here...

It took me 11 hours to fly from Newark to Charlottesville, VA today.  I could have made it to Bhali (at least 3/4 of the way).

[via vagabondish]

An oasis in a crazy city...

Stepping into Grand Central Terminal can
be a maddening experience.
However -- I do love to visit the Grand Central Market.
Even if there are a thousand briefcases in there,
everything just falls away
and I can enter a quiet place.

A row of yogurts made from local creameries,
a tiny package of nuts, a gourmet candy bar -- these are things
that make me feel good to be alive.
Or perhaps I am too obsessed with food...
In any case, it gives me the fortitude to get on to work.

So in honor of the 'happy place', here are a few pictures of yummy
and unique things from this little oasis in a crazy city.

 

[entrance from inside GCT]

Click here for detailed pics and reviews from someone with better skills than I.

 
[dishes]

[Maple Hill Creamery at Murray's Cheese]

  [ca$hew cow zzang bar also at Murray's Cheese]

np:

Bryan Ferry, a small good thing

Toungere, Ali Farka Toure

Immortal Egypt, Hoasam Ramzy

Scenes from breakfast 2010-01-29

From the Omni on a sunny morning.

 

 

My first OOTD!

Live, from the Omni Hotel!

 

I brought my camera to take pictures of the Yale campus.  Sure there's a lot of cool stuff, but the snow is blowing HORIZONTALLY, so walking against the wind means getting snow in your eyes.  Here is the scene from a warm hotel room. 

np:

Tuna in the Brine, Silverchair

Mirrored in You, Troum

Boya's Adventur, Sola

What a rainy day...

Off to Yale.  I am drunk with the power of driving.  I can pack a 72oz bottle of shampoo if I want!

np:

Sunday, Lo-Pro
 Intellegentes, Kodo
Criminal, Fiona Apple

This day in travel history

On January 14, 1943, Franklin Roosevelt became the first president to travel on official business by airplane.  The trip from Florida to Casablanca took 4 days, with stops in the Caribbean, Brazil and Gambia.

After a successful meeting with Winston Churchill, as well as some sightseeing and visits to the troops, Roosevelt retraced the route back to the United States, celebrating his 61st birthday somewhere over Haiti.

Celebrate this day in travel history by... by...

I can't tell you to watch Casablanca!

I just can't!

Here.  FDR also repealed prohibition.  Have this:

FDR's martini recipe (yes, both olive and lemon...)

• 2 parts gin
• 1 part vermouth
• 1 teaspoon olive brine
• Lemon twist
• Cocktail olive

Rub the lemon twist around the rim of a chilled cocktail glass and discard the peel. Combine gin, vermouth, and olive brine in a cocktail shaker with cracked ice and shake well. Strain into chilled glass and garnish with olive.

And for a funny article about FDR's strange bartending skills, check out this article from Modern Drunkard Magazine.

np:

The Bait, Lalo Schifrin

Lucky Like St. Sebastian, Momus
Lorke Lorke, Siluetler 

Loew's Coronado Bay Resort, San Diego, CA

[the constellation room -- one of the fine meeting spaces at loews coronado bay]

 

I had a meeting here this past Saturday.  It was 10F when I left NY on Friday morning.  When I emerged from the SAN airport -- still on Friday morning -- the sun was so bright and stunning that I had to text BF about it.  I hadn’t seen sunlight like that in about 3 months.

THE BOTTOM LINE (at the top)

For those of you who just need the poop: this hotel has outstanding service, which is great for a business traveler like me.  The food is excellent.  They get big props for being dog friendly.  The rooms are fine.  This place seems to have a lot of families, so although the martinis are VG, I'd go elsewhere in San Diego for grown-up fun and games.

THE ROOM

The soaking tub!  It was everything I could have wanted.  The room was otherwise perfectly fine, but unremarkable.

THE POOL

I got in at noon and didn't have to meet anyone until dinnertime.  I spent about two hours by the pool – in the sun and fresh air.  It was pretty quiet at this time of day (~1 – 3pm on a Friday).  They provide huge towels and cucumber water and you can get room service delivered as well.  By some freak celestial alignment, I had finished ALL of my work the day before, so I had nothing to do.

So I did nothing at the pool.

For 2 hours.   

Do you know how good that feels?  (No, really -- do you????)

THE SPA

Whenever I have a meeting at this kind of place, I always book a spa service.  I did the "Spa Tasting Menu" at the Sea Spa.  I chose the Traveler's Relief massage and the paraffin hand treatment.  Both were great.

My massage therapist was Elizabeth.  She was AMAZING -- and I am NOT just saying that.  I always want a deep massage – the more sadistic the better.  I often have trouble getting people to be as intense as I would like, but not Elizabeth.  She gets in there and gets the job done.  We worked on all of my traveling muscles and it felt wonderful.  If you ever find yourself at the Loews Coronado Bay, book a massage and ask for Elizabeth.

[oh yeah, that's me in the picture... lol!  i crack myself up!]

THE FOOD

The food was *excellent* -- particularly the mahi mahi sliders, which were delivered to me poolside.  You can get food delivered to you wherever you are on the campus – they will just bring it to you.  These were so good, I almost didn't have time to take the picture before I inhaled them.  I really have to make these.  BTW, they have avacado aioli on them.  Maybe I will make some for my Super Bowl party?  Maybe I will just make them and eat them myself...

...but I digress.

The Berry Butler:  This resort made a little news last year when they retained the services of a Berry Butler.  I had wanted to find the Berry Butler himself, but had to settle for just the smoothies.  They served them during one of the meeting breaks.  They were good, but not awesome.  But I’m not particularly into smoothies, so I don't even know why I am writing this.

The restaurant does not know how to make iced coffee – at least not on the morning that I got one.  Coffee -- straight out of the urn -- onto some defenseless ice.  [I found out later that there is a coffee shop that serves SBUX coffee, but I didn’t try it.]

They do make a good martini.  Their buttermilk pancakes are great – fluffy and luxurious.

THE SERVICE

The service was quite fantastic.  Everyone was friendly, efficient and intelligent.  While I was there, they found my sweater that I had dropped someplace between the airport and my room.  They will deliver food or drink to you anywhere you want.  You can throw anything at the front desk and they will have it sent to your room. 

THE SHOPS

They have just a couple of shops, not awesome, but nice.  (If you want to book a hotel with shops, go to The Del.)

•  In addition to the normal gift shop/sundry fare, the lobby gift shop has some very nice clothes of the ‘glam-yoga’ variety -- beautiful [cotton? modal?] open cardigans, with extra-long sleeves and tasteful ruffles.  They were all black or brown (as I recall).  Prices were *slightly* less expensive than a similar resort shop.
• There is a shop on the other side of the lobby that just sells beach-themed T-shirts. [blech]
• The third shop is part of the spa and they have very typical luxurious bath robes, slippers and more glam-yogawear.  They also have the requisite beauty products.  The prices were not out-of-hand.  I was glad to see that they sold travel size versions.  Some hotels don’t [wtf].  I bought this solid perfume.  It smells heavenly and doesn't have to go in the baggie (not yet).

Pacifica Waikiki Pikake - jasmine and sandalwood

 THE PRICE

This is a 4-star resort and spa in San Diego, CA.  It's expensive.

THE SWEETIES

This resort is very much a family place.  There were lots of kids running around.  However, this hotel is DOG-FRIENDLY.   I personally got to smooch with an adorable plush bulldog, a cutie Papillion-ish mix and a toy poodle with beautiful long ears – all with families attached, but who cares, I still got to be foolish with dogs.

They also have birds.  There is a bird cage in the corridor just off the lobby with these cute little finch-type birds. They were grey with red hats, but they were camera shy.

THE CONS

I wouldn't call these earth-shattering, but nonetheless...

• The front door is not automatic and is not revolving.  It’s pull-open, but the bellmen were not always there, like when we walked in with our luggage.
• The anemic little hair dryer in the bathroom does not go to the higher speed – either disabled or broken; but I didn’t have the time to ask for another one because I had a plane to catch.  So I hated my hair the entire way home.
  
• The intake vent in my room had a carpet of dust on it (it was in the ceiling at the entrance).  I doubt that it has ever been cleaned.
• Waste receptacles in the spa bathroom stalls were gross.  They looked rusty and moldy.  They are step cans, which is inconvenient when you don't want to touch the lid -- what are you supposed to do, rotate on your throne to get your foot over there?

_______________________________________

Side trip to Hotel del Coronado
We went here for drinks after the meeting on Saturday.  The lobby was appropriately gorgeous.  I *did* actually gasp when I walked into the lobby.  The bell captain was happy to explain a lot of history.  He was very patient with us.  (I think we were a little noisy and obnoxious.)

Here are some facts that I learned (but that everyone else in the world already knew):

• “Some Like It Hot” was filmed at this hotel. 
• This was the first hotel to get electricity.  Although the electrical system was designed by Thomas Edison, contrary to popular belief, he did not install it himself.  Back in the day, guests could have their choice of gas-lit or electricity in their rooms.  Some people didn’t know enough about electricity and were fearful of starting a fire, so they chose gas.
• L. Frank Baum wrote "The Wizard of Oz" while living at the hotel, but he did not base the Emerald City on it.  Baum had already written about the fictitious setting before ever visiting the hotel.  Someone told me that a sidewalk there inspired the yellow-brick road, but that was not corroborated.
• The Del is one of the largest all-wood structures in the United States.  [The bell captain knew all of the types of wood used in the lobby.  It was breathtaking, actually.]

We had drinks on the Sun Deck around 7 – 8:30pm on a Saturday night.  It was pretty barren (but of course it was 'winter').  There were lots of seating areas surrounding gas-lit fire pits.  Had it been light out, we could have seen the ocean.  Drinks were reasonable by NYC standards.  The bartender on duty did NOT know how to make a dirty martini.  I do not know where they got their olive brine from, but it tasted strange and there was waaaaay too much.  [I like to joke that I like olive brine with a shot of vodka -- but I think this was the very ratio that the bartender used.  Guess I can't make that joke anymore...]

_______________________________________



_______________________________________ 

THE MEETING PLANNER

I have to give a shoutout to Liz Fordi and everyone from Miller-Tanner.  It’s a bad sign when you and the meeting planner have seen each other so many times that you greet each other like old friends, but we use this group whenever we do a meeting.  They really take care of you, I mean really.  They find you anywhere in the hotel, shepherd you to the meeting room, change flights and bring your new boarding pass to you wherever you are [in the bar].  They will ship any binder or meeting detritus anywhere you want.  I love to see their names on the ‘save the date’ invites to any prison-camp meeting that I receive. 

_______________________________________

p.s.  This was in the bible drawer.  Pretty cool.