The Perpetual Tourist

I landed in Boston yesterday for the 2008 Fall North American Bridge Championships. There are few other reasons I would agree to visit New England in the late Fall. It’s effing freezing here! And seeing as how it’s still not totally cold at home yet, this cold weather might well be more uncomfortable for me than, say, dead-of-winter in Boston, when I’ve had a few months to get used to the cold weather at home. Ah well. For the next six days, I’m resigned to freezing my nose off each day, all for some good card games.

Seriously, Boston is a rad place. I’ve been here a couple of times before, and I’ve always enjoyed it. In the summer, the weather is perfectly agreeable and the city is quite beautiful. It’s hard for me to appreciate Beantown’s beauty with my head wrapped in scarves and bowed against the wind. The sidewalks here are just OK.

As the land of the Pilgrims, Boston does have some touristy stuff going on for Thanksgiving, though most everything I’ve seen advertised is for special Thanksgiving meals and mall sales. These are not things worth suffering through the cold and wind, if you ask me. I heard from a questionably reliable source the last time I was here that Boston is actually windier than Chicago, the “Windy City.” I’m not sure if it’s true, but it’d definitely believable. The forecast may call for highs in the 30s, but the wind chill keeps the outside air at a brisk negative forty or so.

Copley Square, where I will be playing cards all week. No flowers in November, though.

Have I made my point yet? It is cold here. Unless you have a damn good reason to be here in the non-summer months, like competitive duplicate bridge or getting a degree from Harvard, I recommend staying away until the weather perks up again. Besides, if you don’t do Boston in the summer, then you’re going to miss out on what I think is the number one reason to come here anyway: Red Sox games at Fenway Park.

Boston loves its Sox

The New England Patriots may be Boston’s best pro team, and the Celtics have a recent title, if I’m remembering correctly, but the Red Sox are the real heart of Boston sports, and the true Boston experience has to include a game at Fenway — which you can only see in the summer.  If you want to see the Celtics, Bruins, or Patriots play, try going to one of their away games in Arizona or Texas.

Nothing against Boston.  The people here are cool, the accents are nifty, and there’s a lot to see and do here, really.  I’m just sayin’, do it all when it’s warm.  Then the city’s windiness will feel great.  And don’t you want a home-cooked meal for Thanksgiving anyway?

It’s hard to believe that Election Day is finally almost here, after what seems like decades of campaigning. If you’re heavily invested in the outcome of any of the races next Tuesday (how can you not be?!), you should plan to get together with other like-minded individuals. That way you have people to clink glasses with when your candidates win, or people to drown your sorrows with if the election goes badly.

My college always hosted a “Politics & Popcorn” party to watch the returns, but that was jointly hosted by College Republicans and Young Democrats, and it was always a pretty tense atmosphere. I highly recommend sticking with just your own political party on election night. The likelihood of a fist fight is much lower that way.

There will be huge rallies for each presidential nominee in each of their home states. Barack Obama, known for his ability to draw enormous crowds, is hosting his party in Chicago’s Grant Park. You can sign up for the ticket waiting list here. John McCain’s party will be held at the Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix, but his campaign has said that due to space limitations, the Republican candidate will address reporters on the hotel lawn, and will not likely be present for much of his own party. Your age is showing, Senator….

If you’re not nearby or can’t get tickets to these A-list events, that doesn’t mean your party hopes are dashed. There will be hundreds if not thousands of election watch parties on November 4. Nearly every candidate for every office being contested next week will be hosting a shindig somewhere. Most of these events are free and open to the public. Call your local political party headquarters for information about election night events. With the notable exception of John McCain, most politicians plan to show up at their election parties — this could be your chance to schmooze with your representatives and influence policy in the coming term.

If you want to stay home on election night, you can always throw your own party. Here’s an article with good recipes and ideas for your election night party, and this MSNBC article is a good guide for what you’ll want to know when the returns start coming in. Be prepared for a long night, though — ever since that awful mess with Florida in 2000, analysts have been very slow to call any close races one way or the other. Don’t expect guests to clear out before all the important races have been decided, and many of those are very, very tight.

Forgive me for all this focus on Portland lately, but I’ve been spending a lot of time here. We only flew back to Virginia a little over a week ago, but now we’re back for a previously unplanned 9-day stay. When we landed at PDX at noon on Saturday, lunch was our first priority. My in-laws picked us up, and I remembered my mother-in-law saying there was a restaurant called Nick’s she loved in Portland for its tabouli, so I suggested going there.

Had I known that it wasn’t Nick’s (a sandwich-shop sounding name), but Nicholas Restaurant, a Lebanese diner, I may not have suggested the place. I’m a very picky eater, and don’t like to try new things when it comes to food. I’d never had Lebanese before, and I wasn’t in a particularly adventurous mood. My mother-in-law kept saying how wonderful the tabouli would be, but that did little to improve my outlook. I’m not a tabouli fan.

A look at the menu perked me up. There were lots of choices, many vegetarian and vegan (I’m a strict vegetarian and love it when a restaurant offers more than one option for me), and while most were things I’d never heard of before, a look around at the other tables got my mouth watering. Everything looked and smelled very good.

My father-in-law told me that he first discovered Nicholas Restaurant years ago when a Lebanese friend of his brought him there, saying that it was the best Lebanese in Oregon. I don’t know how many Lebanese dining options there are in the state, but it’s good to know I was starting at the top.

When the food came, it didn’t take long for me to drop the last of my reservations. I’d ordered the Spinach Pie with feta, which was described as a traditional Lebanese pizza. When it arrived, it looked more like a calzone and tasted nothing like pizza, really, but the first bite won me over. Delicious, four stars, can we come back tomorrow, please?

The portions are enormous, and combos come with a huge (I estimated about 20″ in diameter) pita and some of the yummiest hummus I’ve ever tasted. I didn’t love the tabouli, but liked it at least as well as any other tabouli I’ve ever had, and we all felt very satisfied with our meals. There were enough leftovers to feed us all for dinner, too, while the prices were lower than most meals half this size anywhere else.

My only criticism of the restaurant is that everyone’s meals came out at different times. The soup I’d ordered for an appetizer came several minutes after my entree, and my father-in-law and I had finished our meals before my husband and mother-in-law got their entrees. That was annoying, but the meal was so good that it’s easy to overlook this problem. The enormous pita that came out at the beginning was enough to keep everyone happy while waiting for the last of their meals. The entire small dining space was crammed full of customers while we were there; perhaps at a less busy time, the kitchen would keep up with orders better.

Nicholas Restaurant is located at 318 SE Grand Ave, Portland, OR 97214; phone: (503) 235-5123. Open Mon-Sat 10-9pm; Sun 12-9pm. This picky eater gives it her highest recommendations. Bon apetit!

Hurricane Ike makes landfall on the Texas coast

Earlier this month, Hurricane Ike made landfall in Texas as a strong Category 2 storm. Ike drenched Texas and Louisiana, causing long power outages for millions and over $27 billion in damages. Now a week after Ike’s landfall, many Texans remain without power, and it could be many days or even weeks longer before power is restored.

But those who are simply without power may count themselves lucky. Ike’s widespread devastation includes whole neighborhoods ripped apart to splinters, water damages to buildings that managed to withstand the winds, and dozens of deaths. The cleanup and rebuilding efforts will be a large task, and volunteer help is needed.

If you can find a few days in your schedule to make a trip down to the gulf, your help will be greatly appreciated. Organizations like the Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity send volunteers to disaster sites both to help with the immediate aftermath and in the weeks and months that follow, to help with rebuilding efforts. Some areas that don’t get help immediately after the disaster will not get the same assistance that others do, because the volunteer fervor dies down over time, or attention shifts to a new disaster. But the truth is that it will take years to get these areas back to normal, so whatever you can do, whenever you can do it, will be helpful.

Flooding in Galveston, TX

If you can’t get to the gulf coast for hands on volunteering, you can still help by donating money, food, clothes, books, and toys through organizations like the Red Cross. Please be careful to send donations only through reputable charities; scammers often take advantage of disaster to solicit donations that never actually make it to the intended recipients. If you choose to donate money, check to see if your employer has a gift matching program. You could double the good of your help if they do.

A giant mess still remains after the flood waters recede.

Ike is the disaster du jour, because it’s freshest on everyone’s minds, but hurricane relief is an ongoing process that can take years. Parts of Florida, Mississippi, and Louisiana are still working on rebuilding efforts from storms two, three, four years ago and more. Habitat for Humanity remains active in all of these places. Call your local chapter to find out what you can do to help.

National Aquarium in Baltimore, MD

I have to admit that I don’t love Baltimore, Maryland.  It’s only a few hours away from my hometown, and I’ve visited many times, but it will never be my favorite place to go.  It’s difficult to get around, really expensive, and generally intimidating.  But there are redeeming qualities — reasons to go in spite of all this.  Number one is the National Aquarium.

When you visit the aquarium, you’ll want to leave the whole day open, because it will take hours to see everything, including special shows and various exhibits.  The exhibits at the aquarium are home to more than 16,500 animals.  I used to go on school field trips here as a kid, and I still love the place as an adult — it’s ideal for an educational family excursion.

The aquarium isn’t all fish, all the time.  There are reptile, bird, amphibian, and mammal exhibits to check out, along with the thousands of fish you’ll see.

Australian Frilled Lizard

One of the featured exhibits right now is Animal Planet Australia:  Wild Extremes.  Many Australian species evolved on the island continent isolated from other similar species, and represent the closest living connection to prehistoric animals on Earth.

Another exhibit your family will love is Frogs! A Chorus Of Colors.  You’ll get up close with all different shapes, sizes, and colors of frog, and experience their music in the making.  Check out frog mp3s here.

Some exhibits are hands-on, allowing you to touch animals that you’d never get close to in the wild.  Kids especially love this experience.

As with all good museums, the National Aquarium has a large theater called the 4D Immersion Theater.  Currently showing is Planet Earth: Shallow Seas™ 4-D Experience, a film that explores life in coastal waters and coral reefs.  The film is 3D, while smells and other sensory special effects combine for the fourth “D.”

My favorite part of the aquarium experience, both as a child and now as an adult, is always the dolphin show.  You have to purchase a separate ticket for this, but it’s a must see.  Dolphins are fascinating animals, and I always leave the show wishing I’d worked harder toward a dolphin-training career path.

Dolphins Perform at the National Aquarium

As I mentioned before, Baltimore is pricey — tickets to the aquarium start at $21.95 for adults, but a day here is well worth the price of admission.

Mmm, tofu...

I’ve been a vegetarian for sixteen years. When I was a kid, I was really self-righteous about it, but I’ve mellowed. I don’t like to be the reason people bend over backwards, so usually if a group I’m with wants to go out to eat, I just quietly order the soup and salad, or maybe a vegetable quesadilla, and I don’t bitch about it.

Honestly, I don’t mind ordering the same two or three things every time I go out, so as long as there’s at least one vegetarian item on the menu, I’ll make do. It’s actually easier than when I tell people I’m a vegetarian, and they all want to take me out to an Ethiopian restaurant, because all carnivores think that all vegetarians’ favorite food is Ethiopian.

Meh. Some vegetarians love Ethiopian food, and so do some meat-eaters, but for some reason, everyone who knows I’m a vegetarian always wants to take me out for Ethiopian. Or Thai. And I’ll tell you a secret: I’d rather have a soup and salad at your favorite steakhouse. I don’t like Ethiopian or Thai. For more on the plight of the modern vegetarian, I found this hilarious essay on Slate that pretty much sums up my feelings on the matter.

But now it’s time to turn our attention away from the complaining and onto the kudos. LocalEats is a website that identifies the 100 best restaurants in each of the 50 largest cities in the US — through careful criticism and thorough taste testing, not just polling the residents.

In addition to listing the best food by city, there are top ten lists by category, including the top ten vegetarian restaurants in America.

Five-Grain Croquettes with Carrot-Leek Glaze and Thyme at Angelica Kitchen

It’s no surprise that first on the list is located in New York City, where most of this nation’s finest food is found. Not only is the food at Angelica Kitchen green, the whole restaurant is — environmentally friendly, that is, “where sustainable agriculture and responsible business practices are the main ingredients,” according to the restaurant’s website. You don’t have to spend a fortune to enjoy this top restaurant — you’ll eat here for under $25.

The eastern half of the US dominates the vegetarian list, but I was surprised to find Texas with a restaurant in this top ten category. (When I visited Texas, my only gripe was the lack of vegetarian fare.) Spiral Diner & Bakery in Fort Worth made the list for its superior all-vegan menu.

Spiral was the 2007 VegNews Restaurant of the Year, and has recently opened a location in Dallas as well. The menu prices can’t be beat — expect a hearty vegan meal for under $10.

Looks like meat -- tastes much better; www.spiraldiner.com

The others in the top ten are Beans & Barley in Milwaukee, WI; Blue Sage in Southampton, PA; Cafe Brenda in Minneapolis, MN; Green Zebra in Chicago, IL; Greens Restaurant in San Francisco, CA; Irregardless Cafe in Raleigh, NC; Real Food Daily in Los Angeles, CA; and Tommy’s in Cleveland Heights, OH.

Most meat-eaters scoff at vegetarian eateries, certain they can never be satisfied with such rabbit food. But note that the above establishments are not called the best restaurants for vegetarians — they are the best vegetarian restaurants, for everyone. Try something off one of these menus — I bet you won’t even miss your meat.

Whenever I visit Vegas, I feel like my trip ends too abruptly. There’s just so much to see and do, and for all that I get to experience, there’s so much more that I feel like I’ve missed. Oh well. Vegas will still be there when I go back, hopefully soon.

I do enjoy the casino scene, and on my last visit, I got to check out some new (to me) casinos and games. I am not by any means a high roller, so my definition of best casino is one that has low-limit games, a nice variety, good comps, and a fun atmosphere. On my latest visit, I spent most of my time at the following casinos: The Las Vegas Hilton, The Riviera, Circus Circus, Slots-A-Fun, The Sahara, and Planet Hollywood. None of these are really A-list locations on the strip, but like I said, I didn’t have the bankroll for the A-list.

Consensus among my wealthier companions is that the Bellagio is the best casino for high rollers in Las Vegas. I did not check it out for myself, but I also recently finished a great blackjack book that mentioned that the best blackjack tables in Vegas (as far as the player’s advantage) at also at this casino. But getting back to what I know…

I don’t really mess around with slot machines. The house edge is so high it just feels like paying taxes, and there’s no social interaction. One of my favorite things about casino gaming is meeting other players and dealers and enjoying the roller coaster with them. I like blackjack because it’s got the best odds in Vegas (when you know what you’re doing) and craps, because it’s a really exciting game with decent enough odds that you probably won’t lose the farm.

Of the casinos I visited last week, Slots-A-Fun is one of the most popular. Owned by Circus Circus and located at the far north end of the Vegas strip, Slots-A-Fun is one of the few casinos in town with $1 tables. Most casinos have a table minimum starting at $5 during slower times and $10 in the busier times, so cheap tables like this are few and far between. That’s pretty much the only thing Slots-A-Fun has going for it — it’s an otherwise dumpy place, and the crowds can be overwhelming. You can also get a half pound hot dog for 99 cents, but that doesn’t excite this vegetarian very much. The soy burgers there are nine bucks.

The Hilton is nicer than the Riv, but both have about the same offerings as far as games and minimums. I only saw a few $5 tables at either place, and they were always full when I walked by. One thing I noticed about the fancier casinos is that there was less smoking inside.

My favorite casino of this visit was Planet Hollywood. It was here that I learned to play craps, thanks to some friendly dealers and helpful fellow gamblers. The PH casino had lots of variety and nice, low table minimums during the daylight hours when I was there. It was clean and attractive, the free cocktails were tasty, and best of all, the dealers made it tons of fun.

Having a good dealer can make or break a gambling experience. The guys at my craps table at Planet Hollywood helped me with the rules, chatted with us while we played, and definitely earned the tips I threw their way. Carlos from Pitney, a particularly animated dealer at PH, was a blast — try to find his table when you visit, and win or lose, you’ll have a good time.

No one paid me off to say that — in fact, I lost $200 in my afternoon at Planet Hollywood, and I didn’t even sign up for their comp card to earn anything back. (That was my mistake. You should always sign up for the comp cards.) But I did drink two and a half free (or very expensive, depending on whether you win or lose…) margaritas, and I had a good time, so I’m considering it $200 well spent on an afternoon of solid entertainment.

I’m eagerly anticipating my next Vegas trip to continue my research into the best casino on the strip. But while I’ll definitely try some new places, I really look forward to poking my head back inside Planet Hollywood and trying to get some of my money back from Carlos. If you see him there, tell him Meg from Virginia says hi.

Don’t forget to tip your dealers!

My husband and I arrived in Las Vegas at 1am this morning. Our trip here was uneventful and painless, which I decided to interpret as a good omen.

We’re here for the 2008 Summer North American Bridge Championships, and we have reservations with our team to stay at Circus Circus. I’ve never stayed at Circus Circus before, but it’s got kind of a cruddy reputation. It’s located at the ass end of the strip, it’s one of the older, less fabulous casino/hotels here, and it’s billed as the most family friendly place in Sin City, so it’s overrun with children.

But it’s cheap.

When we checked in, the front desk attendant told us that the rooms were sold out for the night, so they’d upgraded us to “one of the nicest rooms in the hotel!” Shame our reservation is broken into two parts, and this one is only for one night. After signing all the check-in documents, we were directed to the Honeymoon Suite. Hey, we are sort of newlyweds. Perfect!

So what does “one of the nicest rooms” at Circus Circus look like? Well, it’s not exactly out of the pages of a magazine. The room would be classified “luxury” at just about any hotel, but Vegas luxury is a much higher standard. This room is indeed very nice. It has a small kitchen, large living area, huge bedroom, and a large bathroom, all decorated with only the finest fake flowers and strange artwork.

There’s no balcony swimming pool or jacuzzi in the room, no bottles of champagne and scattered rose petals to greet us upon our arrival, and the toilet paper is still single ply. But the room smells good and looks clean. It’s far from what I imagine when I think of Vegas luxury, but for $42, it’s like hitting a modest jackpot on the nickel slots.

But then there’s the bed. Granted, after a nine-hour drive and then eleven more hours of air travel/waiting in airports, we would have slept comfortably in any bed. But the bed in the Honeymoon Suite at Circus Circus is, I am sure, the most comfortable bed that has ever existed. It is like sleeping on a very supportive king-sized cloud. If I could spend the rest of my week in this bed, I don’t think I’d even miss the casinos, the games, the shows, and the food.

And let’s not forget the pillows. I’ve got expensive, fancy pillows at home. Comfort is definitely something worth investing in, and I think my bedding is quite nice. But these pillows are a whole new world of comfort. I’ve never stolen from a hotel before, but I’m not sure I can live without these pillows now, having tasted the experience for one night. I am not going to steal these. I’m just going to hope someone will tell me where I can buy them, and then that I win enough money playing blackjack that I can afford them.

We have to check out of our Honeymoon Suite in a few hours, but we’re here in Vegas for the next seven days. Here’s hoping our luck continues!

For the past two months, I’ve been on the road. I just got word that I’m wanted on the west coast again, so it looks like I’m flying back out there this weekend. For one short week, I get to enjoy being home. I may not be around here much, but of all the places I’ve been, I can’t think of a better place to call home than Charlottesville, Virginia.

I’m not the only one who feels this way. Every year, Charlottesville is named on various top ten lists, mostly having to do with being the best place to live. It has its negative qualities just like anywhere else, but I feel like this big small town has enough charms to make up for any of its failings, the worst of which are the humidity and the pretentious UVA students.

I’d like to embark now on a virtual tour of my favorite part of good ol’ C-ville — the Downtown Mall. This is not some giant shopping complex where all the kids hang out after school. It is where the cool kids hang out, but it’s not known for the shopping. The Downtown Mall is an open-air pedestrian mall in the heart of the city, six blocks long from end to end, packed from first to last brick with great food, entertainment, and even shopping.

Summers are a great time to enjoy the mall, because the city hosts a weekly party called Fridays After Five. Every Friday, street vendors, activists, and entertainers fill the bricks of the Downtown Mall, and at the Pavilion on the east end, professional musicians put on free concerts lasting well into the evening. There’s beer, there’s wine, there’s dancing, and there are lots and lots of friendly people. It’s a great way to unwind after a long week at work or school, and you’re sure to bump into old friends and make new ones.

On top of the Fridays After Five festivities, if you come to the mall on the first Friday of the month, you can partake in the First Fridays celebrations as well. On the first Friday of every month, all the Charlottesville art galleries — many of which are right on the mall — open their doors to the public for free receptions. You can meet and mingle with the artists and chow down on free refreshments while taking in a rich variety of art.

It’s true that the best things in life — even the things that are usually quite expensive — are free, right here in C-ville.

Of all the storefronts and restaurants on the Downtown Mall, only one that I know of is a true chain (Five Guys) — so don’t go there. You have literally dozens of fantastic restaurants all within a 2-minute walk of anywhere you’re standing on the mall. For lunch, I recommend Himalayan Fusion, and Indian restaurant near the Pavilion end of the mall. They have an inexpensive all-you-can-eat buffet that changes daily, but always includes rice, naan, four vegetarian dishes, three meat dishes, and a dessert. I could eat there every day, and when my office was on the mall, I did. For dinner, Himalayan Fusion is still a fine choice, but my top pick is Zocalo. Featuring an eclectic Mediterranean menu, Zocalo has been consistently voted the best restaurant in Charlottesville since it opened a few years back.

Sticking with Best of C-ville winners, I like to spend my evenings at the Gravity Lounge. It’s an intimate music venue with a great wine and beer list, comfortable seating, and the best music that comes through town. Because of its size, Gravity doesn’t draw a lot of big names, but I’ve never had a bad experience there. The music may not be popular, but it’s excellent.

For the finest hotel in Charlottesville, you don’t even have to leave the mall. The Omni Hotel offers luxury accommodations at the west end of the mall. I’d argue that you could have a fantastic vacation week in Charlottesville without ever traveling more than six blocks away from your hotel room when you stay at the Omni. It’s true, but then you’d be missing out on all the other great things my home town has to offer. More on that another time.

A kid at the beach can be completely entertained with nothing more than a shovel and a bucket in the sand, but unless you want to come home with a fried child, you’re going to want to limit the time you spend at the ocean and mix up your activities a bit. At a place like Myrtle Beach, your choices are endless.

My nieces are 2 months old and 4 years old, and they are here with us this week. Our schedule most days has been to go to the beach as soon as the girls wake up, and stay until 11am or so. This gives the girls — well, the oldest one, anyway — plenty of play time in the sand and water before the sun gets too strong. After lunch and a nap, our afternoons are reserved for other activities.

Our first priority was to try out one of the many miniature golf courses here. My niece couldn’t have cared less that we were playing golf, but she loved the pirates and the bright green water. All the mini golf places here have unnaturally bright water. They have names and themes, too, but we identify them as the place with the pink water, the place with the green water, and the one with the blue water. My niece picked green, which was also the place with the pirates and the ice cream when we were done. Most towns have a mini golf course or two, but if you want the courses with wild obstacles and crazy decorations, then you want to play mini golf at the beach. There are lots of courses both indoors and outdoors. I think playing outdoors on a warm evening is the best.

If the ocean doesn’t provide enough water fun for you, Myrtle Waves is South Carolina’s largest water park, with rides, slides, and hours of aquatic enjoyment for all ages. Ticket prices are completely reasonable, compared to other water parks I’ve visited. Park officials suggest coming on Sundays to avoid big crowds, as these are “by far” their slowest time of the week.

If you’re a family of sports fans, then you should definitely check out the Myrtle Beach Pelicans while you’re in town. This Single-A Braves affiliate baseball team draws a big crowd for its Carolina League games, no doubt thanks in part to all the entertainment at the games. There’s the standard between-innings promotional dizzy bat races and the like, but also a large kids’ area and a really cute tradition after each game where they let kids onto the field to run the bases.

Of course there’s lots more to do here, but we try not to push ourselves too much. Going out every day would be a little excessive with two little ones and a large, expensive family. For a more low-key activity, a walk around the fishing piers can be a nice way to spend a couple of hours. The one nearest our vacation house — on 37th Avenue — costs $1.50 per person to enter. The guys went fishing and caught some sharks (just eight inches long or so — not terribly fearsome) while my niece had her hair done in braids yesterday afternoon. The braids are a nice beach tradition — they’re festive and they keep the hair out of her eyes while she swims.

I’ve loved coming here ever since I was a tiny tot, and now that I’m older, it’s great fun for me to spend this time with my nieces. It’s also perfect being here with the whole family, because while the kids can just go and go, I like to have some down time in my day. Having lots of adults willing to take kid shifts will keep you from getting worn out.

For more ideas of things to do with your family at Myrtle Beach, the Sunny Day Guide has a very long list here.