Perhaps it is, perhaps it isn't. The other day, I asked B where he'd rather go for our next (after Puerto Rico) vacation, Jackson Hole or Europe. He said that Europe was a bit vague; could I be more specific, so I offered up Italy, the country whose light has stolen my heart. He thought about it for a moment but came back pretty quickly with "Jackson Hole."
You can't phrase a question as I did and then ignore the answer and go ahead and plan the trip that you want to take, and I knew before I asked that B's answer would probably be different from my own. And believe it or not, I'm ok with that. Jackson Hole is maybe not at the top of my vacation list, but if it's at the top of B's, it's worth strong consideration, especially since he has expressed an interest in going since our honeymoon-planning days.
If you're not familiar with Jackson Hole, you're not alone. Here's what I've learned in the last few days. Jackson, Wyoming is the city; Jackson Hole is the entire valley. The city of Jackson is located (I believe) in Grand Teton National Park and is several hours away from Yellowstone. To the south, Salt Lake City, Provo (home of BYU), and Park City (home of the Sundance Film Festival) are about a 5 hours' drive away. Oh, and some pretty famous people live or have houses in Jackson, including Harrison Ford and Dick Cheney.
Since Jackson is so close to Utah, I figured we could extend our trip by a few days and visit some of the national parks in southern Utah, including Bryce, Zion, and others in the area, and maybe we could stop off at Park City on the way down. And since we'd be in the neighborhood, why not swing by Las Vegas for a night or two? I haven't been there since early 2005 and B has never been there (well, never been out of the airport, anyway), and it'd be a shame to skip it since we'd be so close.
I planned out a careful itinerary, starting in Vegas, working our way across and up Utah through some national parks, finishing in northern Wyoming at Jackson, Grand Teton, and Yellowstone. I figured we could visit most places we were interested in in under 2 weeks, as long as we were ok with not diving in too deep at any of the parks (and we are, especially since it's our first visit to most of these places).
I assumed we'd fly open jaw, into Vegas and out of Jackson, and we'd get a rental car that we'd pick up and drop off at the two airports. Air prices were reasonable enough for the itinerary, but rental car prices, not so much. The first company that I tried didn't allow drop-offs at the Jackson airport. Ok, no problem - I moved on to another company. The pricetag on our proposed little excursion was actually laughable, over $4,500 (!) for a two-week rental of--yes, this is the kicker--a Chevy Aveo. Keep in mind that we could buy a not-too-old Chevy Aveo for that price and we'd get to keep it after two weeks. That itinerary was clearly not compatible with our rental-car plan.
Luckily, logistics are sort of my hobby--give me a problem that involves organization, creative thinking, and logic, and I'll be happy as a clam until I've figured out the best solution--so I identified a few alternative options. Here's what I've come up with.
Our first option involves flying into and out of the same airport, probably Vegas (highest demand of the area airports, and therefore more frequent and cheaper flights ) and completing the same itinerary but instead of flying out of Jackson Hole, we would spend a day driving back to Vegas and fly home from there (according to Google Maps, Jackson to Vegas is about 10 or 11 hours). We'd have to add an extra day and night to the trip, which would add to the expense, but a round-trip flight to Vegas would be cheaper than the open-jaw flights that we investigated. The main downside is, obviously, spending an additional day driving.
Option two involves less driving and more flying. We'd fly open jaw into Vegas and out of Jackson, but we'd buy a one-way ticket between the two cities and split the trip into two legs: the Vegas/Bryce/Zion leg and the Jackson/Grand Teton/Yellowstone leg. We'd spend 5-7 nights in each location and get a different rental car in each location. With this itinerary, we'd miss out on a Park City stop, but as B has visited before and I'm not itching to go, I'm ok with it. A variation on this theme is to fly round-trip to Vegas, and fly round trip to Jackson and then back to Vegas to fly home. The second flight option would be preferable only if it were cheaper, which it might be because the pricing of one-way flights is unpredictable.
B also offered a couple of ideas. He looked into the cost of shipping our car out to Vegas, driving it around, and having it shipped back home from Jackson. This plan, while cheaper than the $4,500 quote, was still too pricey, close to $1,000 each way. He also proposed buying a cheap car in Vegas and selling it when we got to Jackson. I have vetoed this suggestion, mostly because the cars that he has proposed and found on Craigs List are junky pickups and Monte Carlos, and because driving a clunker across empty desert roads sounds like more adventure than I'm looking for.
I suspect that we will have adventures a-plenty with any of the itineraries that we are considering.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
Junk food: Not the treat it once was
Once upon a time, junk food such as chips, cookies, and candy was a big treat, probably because my access to it was so limited during my younger years. However, times have changed, as I learned last night. I got home and attacked a package of gummi bears that we got in Spain (I know, I know - I've shown restraint for this long so I don't know why things changed so suddenly). After eating about half the package, I felt no pleasure and only pain and regret. Junk food is supposed to be a guilty pleasure, but it just makes me feel sick.
I'm not sure when I started falling out of love with junk food. I think the change was gradual. After college, when I was living on my own and working some ferociously long hours, the unlimited soda fridge and chips rack tempted me on many a day, and the occasional bacon McGriddle made many a Friday morning easier to get through. But eventually I cut the soda (and McGriddles) and realized that I felt much better.
While B's and my early relationship involved a lot of restaurant food, we slowly started cooking more and using fresher ingredients. Now the highest part of our grocery bill is from produce. On any given day, we each eat yogurt, three or four pieces of fruit, sandwiches for lunch, and a vegetable-heavy dinner (and the occasional ice cream snack - I'm no saint). I'm trying out a reduced-meat diet (and I don't mean that word in a weight-loss way) and am trying to eat meat at only one meal per day; so far, I'm really happy with how I feel.
But all of these fruits and vegetables have my body spoiled, and she's just not sure what to do when I throw half a package of gummi bears or a box of peanut M&Ms at her. I can't say that I'll never eat so many bears in one sitting, but I will definitely think twice about it next time I am tempted.
I'm not sure when I started falling out of love with junk food. I think the change was gradual. After college, when I was living on my own and working some ferociously long hours, the unlimited soda fridge and chips rack tempted me on many a day, and the occasional bacon McGriddle made many a Friday morning easier to get through. But eventually I cut the soda (and McGriddles) and realized that I felt much better.
While B's and my early relationship involved a lot of restaurant food, we slowly started cooking more and using fresher ingredients. Now the highest part of our grocery bill is from produce. On any given day, we each eat yogurt, three or four pieces of fruit, sandwiches for lunch, and a vegetable-heavy dinner (and the occasional ice cream snack - I'm no saint). I'm trying out a reduced-meat diet (and I don't mean that word in a weight-loss way) and am trying to eat meat at only one meal per day; so far, I'm really happy with how I feel.
But all of these fruits and vegetables have my body spoiled, and she's just not sure what to do when I throw half a package of gummi bears or a box of peanut M&Ms at her. I can't say that I'll never eat so many bears in one sitting, but I will definitely think twice about it next time I am tempted.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Pics from second NYC trip
We didn't take many pics during our second trip to NYC, but here are a few.
One of our first activities was a trip up up up to the top of Rockefeller Center. While pricey, this expedition was worthwhile to me. We lucked out with great weather and enjoyed some great views of the city.
Here is how you might feel after eating at Daisy Mae's BBQ. Note the frozen custard in B's hand; perhaps if you're able to show more restraint, you won't feel as full as we did.
One of our first activities was a trip up up up to the top of Rockefeller Center. While pricey, this expedition was worthwhile to me. We lucked out with great weather and enjoyed some great views of the city.
Here is how you might feel after eating at Daisy Mae's BBQ. Note the frozen custard in B's hand; perhaps if you're able to show more restraint, you won't feel as full as we did.
Here I am in front of the Plaza hotel. We didn't stay there, but we walked around inside--tres posh. The Rolls sitting in front of the hotel has Plaza vanity plates; we were hoping that someone would offer us a ride (to anywhere, really), but it didn't happen that time.
Here is B, happily full of pastrami after a delicious meal at Katz's Deli. Big yum at that place.
And finally, here's a non-NYC pic. We (or rather, a thoughtful stranger) took this one in Wood's Hole on the Cape (I believe it was after lunch but before ice cream).
Monday, July 13, 2009
Sorry, I eat only fancy food
As I mentioned in my previous post, we spent one of our days in NYC at the Fancy Food Show, held at the Javits Center. If you stay in a hotel in NYC, you'll likely see a Javits Center fee on your bill as part of the taxes; I wonder who decided that the city's tourists should have to pay for this facility...
Our hotel, located near the bus terminal, was easy walking distance to the food show, so we trekked over mid-morning on Sunday to get the party started. We didn't know what to expect from the show but were eager to find out.
First, let me say that the Fancy Food Show is for trade people only; you have to be a food supplier, buyer, or other cog in the food wheel to get in. We were able to get passes through one of B's friends and were so glad that we did. It was an experience unlike any other.
As we approached the building, we passed a man giving away bottles of some beverage on the corner; it set the theme for a day of gimme-gimme-gimme freebies.
We entered, picked up our badges from the registration desk, grabbed a program, and headed in to what we learned was the second (international) floor. Signs hanging from the ceiling proclaimed the regions of the world from which the food in the area came; countries from Europe and all over the globe were represented. We decided to save the international flavor for later and headed downstairs to the domestic food and slowly ate our way around the country.
Every booth offered free samples of a specialty food item, from chocolates to candy to chips to hot sauce to soup to casseroles to sodas to ice cream to nuts--if it was a specialty food item, or even a mainstream item like Jelly Belly, they had a booth and were giving away freebies. Because you couldn't take any food out of the building, there was no reason to save anything--and so we ate, and ate, and ate.
Our very first stop was at the Larabar booth; Larabars are one of my favorite snacks and a must for every trip, from an outing to the mall to an international vacation. They have three new flavors coming out soon, including a tropical flavor and peanut butter and jelly (and a chocolate one, but I'm not that crazy about their chocolate flavors), plus a new kids' line that involves crispy rice coming out (didn't try it, but I probably will buy when I see it in stores). I learned that most specialty chocolates, while they might look different from one another, generally taste the same, at least in my mouth, and I don't think that I could tell the difference between the high-end chocolate and the bags of semi-sweet chocolate chips that I use for baking (though if someone wants to set up a taste test for me, I'd more than willingly participate).
Other than Larabar, my favorite booth was of hot chocolate because it brought me back to Venice. We had hot chocolate every night, and the flavor and consistency, while nearly impossible to find here in the States, was replicated perfectly at that booth. Now if only I had written the name of the product down... Oh, hindsight. Perhaps we'll have to go to another fancy food show to find out.
The Fancy Food show was both lunch and dinner (we left for a mid-afternoon nap and then returned) and was a rollicking good time. If you ever have the opportunity to go to such an event, I highly recommend it. The next event will be held in San Francisco in the winter; mark your calendars!
Our hotel, located near the bus terminal, was easy walking distance to the food show, so we trekked over mid-morning on Sunday to get the party started. We didn't know what to expect from the show but were eager to find out.
First, let me say that the Fancy Food Show is for trade people only; you have to be a food supplier, buyer, or other cog in the food wheel to get in. We were able to get passes through one of B's friends and were so glad that we did. It was an experience unlike any other.
As we approached the building, we passed a man giving away bottles of some beverage on the corner; it set the theme for a day of gimme-gimme-gimme freebies.
We entered, picked up our badges from the registration desk, grabbed a program, and headed in to what we learned was the second (international) floor. Signs hanging from the ceiling proclaimed the regions of the world from which the food in the area came; countries from Europe and all over the globe were represented. We decided to save the international flavor for later and headed downstairs to the domestic food and slowly ate our way around the country.
Every booth offered free samples of a specialty food item, from chocolates to candy to chips to hot sauce to soup to casseroles to sodas to ice cream to nuts--if it was a specialty food item, or even a mainstream item like Jelly Belly, they had a booth and were giving away freebies. Because you couldn't take any food out of the building, there was no reason to save anything--and so we ate, and ate, and ate.
Our very first stop was at the Larabar booth; Larabars are one of my favorite snacks and a must for every trip, from an outing to the mall to an international vacation. They have three new flavors coming out soon, including a tropical flavor and peanut butter and jelly (and a chocolate one, but I'm not that crazy about their chocolate flavors), plus a new kids' line that involves crispy rice coming out (didn't try it, but I probably will buy when I see it in stores). I learned that most specialty chocolates, while they might look different from one another, generally taste the same, at least in my mouth, and I don't think that I could tell the difference between the high-end chocolate and the bags of semi-sweet chocolate chips that I use for baking (though if someone wants to set up a taste test for me, I'd more than willingly participate).
Other than Larabar, my favorite booth was of hot chocolate because it brought me back to Venice. We had hot chocolate every night, and the flavor and consistency, while nearly impossible to find here in the States, was replicated perfectly at that booth. Now if only I had written the name of the product down... Oh, hindsight. Perhaps we'll have to go to another fancy food show to find out.
The Fancy Food show was both lunch and dinner (we left for a mid-afternoon nap and then returned) and was a rollicking good time. If you ever have the opportunity to go to such an event, I highly recommend it. The next event will be held in San Francisco in the winter; mark your calendars!
Slacker
It's been ages. I'm embarassed, ashamed, etc. But I'm also back from the land of no blogging, ready to share my tales of the last few weeks.
The past month has been busy. June 13-14, we went to NYC. Two weeks later (that was two weeks ago), we went back. And then the following weekend (July 4), we went to the Cape. This most recent weekend we were home (and therefore ill-equipped with an excuse for the lack o' blog but I'll do what I can to make up for it).
To start with the beginning - NYC. It was fabulous again, as always, like the glamorous friend who is too overwhelming to step out with on a regular basis, but who is always there and ready when you want to get dolled up. We enjoyed a feeding frenzy of decadent treats, starting with a lunch at Daisy Mae BBQ. They have a street cart and a cafeteria-style restaurant that features long communal tables and restroom keys on giant keyrings. As you can tell from my expert detail, we visited the restaurant.
I think the key to getting your money's worth at Daisy Mae is to bring an enormous appetite or, if you're not in the mood to eat till you feel ill, bring friends and split a couple meals among the group. With giant tubs of meat and sides coming in each meal, no one will go hungry. The food is delicious, and the sweet tea in a mason jar is pure heaven. Don't forget to leave room for the frozen custard (like soft serve, but much thicker and maybe less sweet), but again, it's a treat best split with someone else.
For dinner that night, we headed down to Katz's Deli, where that famous scene from When Harry Met Sally was filmed (you know--"I'll have what she's having"). Everyone who enters the door gets a ticket, and when you place an order at the counter, they write the cost of your meal on the back of the ticket. If you lose your ticket (or pretend to lose it after losing your head and eating all the pastrami in the house), you face a hefty fee.
Because we weren't all that hungry after our awesome BBQ lunch, we decided to split a pastrami sandwich (at $16 a pop, splitting is not such a bad idea even if you are hungry). We also got a side of potato salad and some pickles. When you place your order, the man who prepares your sandwich gives you a little plate of the meat that you ordered for your sandwich; we observed others contributing to the tip cups for this thoughtful gesture and followed suit. From our first nibble of the fatty, amazing, mouth-watering pastrami, thoughts of BBQ were driven from our head and we quickly forgot that we weren't very hungry. The restaurant seemed full when we entered but we were able to nab a table in the back; the cafeteria-style serving encourages people not to linger after their meals are complete.
Our sandwich was pure heaven, if your idea of heaven is a sandwich so full that you can't fit it into your mouth and whose filling falls out onto your plate (mmm...like a second course). Needless to say, dessert was not necessary after that meal.
For our second day in NY, we passed the time at a food show, which is worthy of its own post, so I shall save the details for another time.
We enjoyed one more fine meal at an Italian restaurant called Cellini, which I chose randomly while walking back from Pinkberry one afternoon while B was working. (FYI - Pinkberry has new flavors, coconut and passion fruit, and a swirl that combines the two. Passion fruit was *amazing*; this time I got it without any toppings and was not disappointed with my purist decision.)
Well, not entirely randomly; I think it had a Michelin sticker in the window, and if it's good enough for Michelin, it's good enough for me. It reminded both of us of a European restaurant for a few reasons. First, our fellow patrons were all American (har, har), and second, it had great ambience. Of course, we were eating at 6 PM and the restaurant was crowded, so we knew we couldn't be in Europe. Yay for familiar dining customs.
For my entree, I got the envelope pasta filled with a combination of meats and cheeses (and maybe even a--gasp!--vegetable or two). It was pure heaven, as was my caprese appetizer. B's homemade ravioli looked delish as well, but its seafood interior convinced me to enjoy it from afar. The Black Forest cake for dessert was probably good for those who like it, but I don't like the Kirsch flavor, so it was not the highlight of the meal for me.
All in all, it was another great NY trip, made even better by two Pinkberry outings. We're hoping to head back later in the fall with my family to enjoy more of the NYC experience (and maybe Pinkberry will have a new flavor by then...).
The past month has been busy. June 13-14, we went to NYC. Two weeks later (that was two weeks ago), we went back. And then the following weekend (July 4), we went to the Cape. This most recent weekend we were home (and therefore ill-equipped with an excuse for the lack o' blog but I'll do what I can to make up for it).
To start with the beginning - NYC. It was fabulous again, as always, like the glamorous friend who is too overwhelming to step out with on a regular basis, but who is always there and ready when you want to get dolled up. We enjoyed a feeding frenzy of decadent treats, starting with a lunch at Daisy Mae BBQ. They have a street cart and a cafeteria-style restaurant that features long communal tables and restroom keys on giant keyrings. As you can tell from my expert detail, we visited the restaurant.
I think the key to getting your money's worth at Daisy Mae is to bring an enormous appetite or, if you're not in the mood to eat till you feel ill, bring friends and split a couple meals among the group. With giant tubs of meat and sides coming in each meal, no one will go hungry. The food is delicious, and the sweet tea in a mason jar is pure heaven. Don't forget to leave room for the frozen custard (like soft serve, but much thicker and maybe less sweet), but again, it's a treat best split with someone else.
For dinner that night, we headed down to Katz's Deli, where that famous scene from When Harry Met Sally was filmed (you know--"I'll have what she's having"). Everyone who enters the door gets a ticket, and when you place an order at the counter, they write the cost of your meal on the back of the ticket. If you lose your ticket (or pretend to lose it after losing your head and eating all the pastrami in the house), you face a hefty fee.
Because we weren't all that hungry after our awesome BBQ lunch, we decided to split a pastrami sandwich (at $16 a pop, splitting is not such a bad idea even if you are hungry). We also got a side of potato salad and some pickles. When you place your order, the man who prepares your sandwich gives you a little plate of the meat that you ordered for your sandwich; we observed others contributing to the tip cups for this thoughtful gesture and followed suit. From our first nibble of the fatty, amazing, mouth-watering pastrami, thoughts of BBQ were driven from our head and we quickly forgot that we weren't very hungry. The restaurant seemed full when we entered but we were able to nab a table in the back; the cafeteria-style serving encourages people not to linger after their meals are complete.
Our sandwich was pure heaven, if your idea of heaven is a sandwich so full that you can't fit it into your mouth and whose filling falls out onto your plate (mmm...like a second course). Needless to say, dessert was not necessary after that meal.
For our second day in NY, we passed the time at a food show, which is worthy of its own post, so I shall save the details for another time.
We enjoyed one more fine meal at an Italian restaurant called Cellini, which I chose randomly while walking back from Pinkberry one afternoon while B was working. (FYI - Pinkberry has new flavors, coconut and passion fruit, and a swirl that combines the two. Passion fruit was *amazing*; this time I got it without any toppings and was not disappointed with my purist decision.)
Well, not entirely randomly; I think it had a Michelin sticker in the window, and if it's good enough for Michelin, it's good enough for me. It reminded both of us of a European restaurant for a few reasons. First, our fellow patrons were all American (har, har), and second, it had great ambience. Of course, we were eating at 6 PM and the restaurant was crowded, so we knew we couldn't be in Europe. Yay for familiar dining customs.
For my entree, I got the envelope pasta filled with a combination of meats and cheeses (and maybe even a--gasp!--vegetable or two). It was pure heaven, as was my caprese appetizer. B's homemade ravioli looked delish as well, but its seafood interior convinced me to enjoy it from afar. The Black Forest cake for dessert was probably good for those who like it, but I don't like the Kirsch flavor, so it was not the highlight of the meal for me.
All in all, it was another great NY trip, made even better by two Pinkberry outings. We're hoping to head back later in the fall with my family to enjoy more of the NYC experience (and maybe Pinkberry will have a new flavor by then...).
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