Gaper's Blog

Tales of Two Road Trips (Part 3: The Conclusion)

It was a rust belt summer for me.  In May (yes I know, May is technically Spring--work with me) I managed a quick trip to Pittsburgh to visit Jeff R.  And in typical Ken vacation fashion, I squeezed a lot into a brief 48 hour visit.  Perhaps you read about it here, or click  the link if you missed it or wish to relive the magic all over again.  The thing is, I once spent a week in Providence, Rhode Island back in 1991 and did almost nothing for the seven days I was there.  I mean, I did do a few things, like play basketball every day and saw Fugazi at the Living Room, which was cool.  But aside from that, I just kinda drank a lot and slept in, it was my Spring Break.  Here I was a hour's train ride from Boston and I couldn't be bothered to make the trek.  I've always regretted that which is why now whenever I'm in a new city, I cram as much as possible into those visits, in case I may never make it back.  So when the opportunity to go to Cleveland to witness the wedding of some good friends presented itself, I saw road trip potential.

We could've taken a Southwest flight for $119 per person roundtrip and been there in an hour but where's the fun in that?  We'd have to rent a car anyway, so why not cram the MINI's boot full of luggage and make the six hour journey via car?  I'd never driven the MINI more than three hours, so I was psyched that we could make it on a tank of gas each way and actually spend less on fuel than airfare would've been anyway.  Plus we'd get to see the splendor that is Northern Indiana and Western Ohio, which is nearly as mind-numbingly dull as the drive across Nebraska.  But geting there is half the fun, right?  One highlight was the absolute delight in the discovery of a street that crossed over the Ohio Turnpike called...Fangboner Road. 

I've been hearing great things about Chick Fil-a Restaurants for years: great healthy fast food, friendly service,  but closed on Sundays and only available in 38 states, none of which are named Illinois.  I remebered that one of states with Chick fil-A's is Ohio and found one right off the interstate, which is where we had lunch just outside of Cleveland.  We told the 60-something gentleman manning the counter that it was our first ever visit to a Chick fil-A and he gave us free sodas and coupons good for our next visit, whenever that may be.  The legendary chicken sandwich lived to the hype, as did the chicken nuggets.  If you've had McDonald's new chicken sandwich, it's a pale imitation of Chic fil-A's signature menu item, right down to the sole condiment of two dill pickle slices. 

We pulled into our hotel parking lot at 2PM, with just under an hour to check-in, change clothes and drive back down to downtown Cleveland to catch the 2:55 start of the Indians/Angels game.  Now in just about any major city--including Chicago--that would've been impossible but Cleveland is remarkably easy to navigate and maneuver around.   We found secure parking two blocks from Progressive Field (formerly Jacob's Field) for only $10 and bought upper deck box seats and were sitting down before the Indians came to bat in the bottom of the 1st inning.  Built in 1994, Progressive Field is among the newer parks in baseball and HOK (the architectural firm who designed it) clearly learned from the missteps they made with the "new" Comiskey Park.  While not as cool as PNC Park (Pittsburgh's park has a better skyline and lots of bridges) Progressive is among the better new parks.  The day we were there was "Turn Back The Clock Day", in which the game was presented as it would've been presented in 1948.  This meant the Jumbotron in left field was relagated to being a giant, 'virtual' manual scoreboard and the P.A. was only used for player announcements, no music in between innings.  Of course when they do these promotions, they never turn back the prices, do they?  Then again, Cleveland is still smarting from ten cent beer night.  The food was standard ballpark fare and beer was actually fifty cents more than at Wrigley but they do get credit for a clever take on the standard soft pretzel, the Progressive Field version is shaped in the Indians' trademark script "I". Very cool and tasty.  The Indians lost.  After the game, we had a few drinks and dinner at pub across the street from the park.  When we got back to the hotel, Carla was wiped and went to bed so Curtis and I watched Michael Phelps make Olympic history over Ketel Ones in the hotel bar.

Thankfully the wedding ceremony wasn't until 5PM, which gave us time for a hearty breakfast and then then the closest thing I have to a hajj, a trip to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  Now I'd be happy to join any of you in a discussion about the R&R HoF, such as why certain artists aren't in yet (Cheap Trick) but some dubious artists are (Dave Clark Five anyone?) but all quibbling aside, it's an impressive collection of artifacts housed in a remarkable building.  Among the expected items (guitars, outfits, etc) are unique items like Janis Joplin's Porsche, Roy Orbison's Corvette and pieces of the plane Otis Redding died in.  Alan Freed, while dead, is also there--literally--in ashes form as his urn is on display.  Perhaps the most impressive display for me personally was an entire  10' x 5' case dedicated to Joy Division/New Order inlcuding Peter Hook's first bass guitar, Ian Curtis' handwritten lyrics for "Love Will Tear Us Apart" an unused ticket for Joy Division at Tut's in Chicago and the first test pressing and early artwork for New Order's "Blue Monday" 12" single.  It wasn't until after we left that I discovered there is a part of the Hall where plaques of the inductees are on display, something the program didn't point out very well.  Next time, I guess.

We dashed back to the hotel to get into our formalware and grab the shuttle to the wedding.  The wedding ceremony and reception were both held at a gorgeous tudor mansion that was once the home of a former Federal Reserve Bank President which had been converted to a private club.  It was a tradtional Jewish ceremony for which the groom had coverted to Judiasm, prompting the father of the bride to remark that the groom likely knew more about their faith than anyone else in the family at that point.  The weather was perfect for the outdoor setting.  There were some terrific speeches, the band was great and the food was top-notch.  I vaguely remember some dancing and also some Grey Goose but more of the latter than the former.  There's just something about an out-of-town wedding that bonds all the guests who travelled to get there.  We are both asleep by 1AM as we had a 7AM wakeup call to get back on the road home because I had to work that afternoon. That return trip always seems so much longer.

Ever been to Cleveland?  The Rock  & Roll Hall of Fame?  An Indians game?

Tales of Two Road Trips (Part 2)

Last time, I chronicled the first three days of our Wisconsin trip.  Here's the next three days.

Loon Day is always the fulcrum upon which the week turns.  There's a certain magic to a mid-week party; then again, when you're on vacation, every day is a weekend.  After a day of arts and crafts, loon calling, eating carb rich foods, on-street drinking and three days in Utopia, it was time to switch venues.  On to Long Lake.  The best way to cap off Loon Day is a boat cruise with snacks and beverages in the late afternoon twilight, dogs allowed. We weren't counting on the fuel line seizing up but it all worked out and we made it home just fine.

The day after Loon Day is usually the night of the Bob Turner show, a private performance by Denver singer/songwriter Bob Turner.  It's a massive BBQ with cocktails followed by a performance by Turner and local Walleye Willy.  Always a treat, live music in the Northwoods.  It's like FitzGerald's (Way) Up North. 

Since Long Lake is only a few miles south of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, a trip to Michigan is an imperative, usually saved for a rainy day and should involve a pasty.  In the absence of bad weather, I played golf with my dad during midday (and got schooled) and the wife and I made the annual trek to Ableman Clothing in Bessemer, MI.  Ableman is an outfitter that places like R.E.I. and Erewhon were based upon.  Sort of an L.L. Bean of the UP.   Since the UP is famous for pastys, one must have one while there.  We asked for a recommendation at Ableman's and they suggested La Panneteria. I wondered how well an Italian bakery would handle a pasty but they elevated the pasty to a calzone-like version of a Cornish/Finnish dish.  Best of all, two pastys, two iced teas, a tip and a loaf of housemade sourdough rye cost less than $20--total! Score!

We managed to elude the compelling allure of supper clubs but had to pull the trigger and choose somewhere to eat on Friday, our last night up north.  It was a close call but  Bell Chalet won out.  The Pines put up a good fight but we had enjoyed The Pines' cuisine at Loon Day so Bell Chalet it was. For me to even mention a salad as a menu item worth trying oughtta say something, just figure one salad will easily feed four people.  While the housemade pasta and trad. Italian dishes are certainly tasty, the pizza is terrific and what you should order the first time. They also have a gourmet Italian food shop adjoining the restaurant worth checking out.

For those of you who've never been to the Northwoods, Lucky's was the Long Lake tavern/resort of choice for thirty years but closed in 2006.   The Fisher Lake Inn has filled the 'post-Lucky's void' quite nicely and while Carla begged off (file photo) I had to toss back a few with Dave & Sally.  It was the perfect ending to a worry-free week up north.  After waking at 6AM and making everyone bacon, eggs and rye toast, we made the sad journey back down to Illinois.  Five more days of work and then the next roadtrip would commence.....more on that later.

Tales of Two Road Trips (Part 1)

Gas prices be damned, we put a collective 1500 miles on our cars in the past three weeks. The first trip was our somewhat annual pilgrimage to Northern Wisconsin.  I say somewhat because due to my finite vacation time, I was unable to go last summer so as to save vacation time for our trip to Italy, so this year's trip was extra special.

It's difficult to describe to someone who's never been but there's a certain magic to the Northwoods you just can't find anywhere else.  It's the perfect combination of scenery, weather, people and pace.  I turned off my cellphone upon leaving Cook County and didn't turn it back on until returning, ditto my e-mail account, it sat collecting e-mail and spam for a week without my giving it a second thought.  What a wonderful feeling.   By complete coincedence, both of our families have cabins in the same Northwoods town (different lakes though) which makes the vacation plans  a snap.  The only questions are which nights to spend at which cabin and whose favorite supper clubs and bars will be frequented as there's never enough time for everything. We managed to strike the perfect balance.

The first week in August is always when we head up north because of Loon Day, a daylong festival involving arts and crafts, a carnival atmosphere and, of course, the loon calling contest.  It's a day so richly American that it almost seems cribbed from a Garrison Keillor story or Norman Rockwell painting.  The town of Mercer, WI is called "The Loon Capital of the World" because it actually is; Mercer has more loons than any other town in the world. At around noon, at The Heart of the North Bar hosts a loon calling contest which features entrants from different age groups competing against each other to determine whose 'call' is the most authentic. Representatives from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources are on hand as judges.  There are actual favorites and if Vegas had any smarts, they'd handicap the event. ESPN2 could broadcast live.

That's only the first three days of the Northwoods experience, more to follow.

Gone Fishin'

I'm on vacation.  I don't really fish much but I do like to visit the Northwoods.  It's good for the soul. I'll be here until Wednesday.

 

Then midweek, Loon Day happens and we take part in that.

Then we move over to the other cabin for the rest of the week.

Then it's supper clubs the rest of the week,

Don't be expecting an Unheard Music this week.  I'm on vacation.  Buy the new Hold Steady record.

See you in a week.

Ken

Picksburgh Recap

I'm not sure if the navel-gazing gets any more inward than the travelogue of a 36-hour trip to Pittsburgh but hey, it's what I did last weekend, you're gonna hear about it.  My observations:

Southwest Airlines certainly has something going on but the whole 'pick your own seat' thing is only good if you're among the first sixty people on the plane, after that it's 'big guy in a middle seat' which sucked on the way   out but the flight's only an hour, so it could've been worse.  I guess if you check in online up to 24 hours before your flight you can get a better letter/number combination but as a first-timer, I got stuck with B-33 both ways, which is like drawing A-1 in the draft. Lesson learned. Bottom line, it was either pay $638 for the cheapest equivalent non-Southwest flight (US Airways) or $150 for Southwest, that's a no brainer. Onto the actual trip.

I found Pittsburghers to be either overwhelmingly accomodating or incomparably rude.  Upon arrival, I got my suitcase and made my way to the bus.  I knew the bus ride was exactly $2.60 but only had $3, so I went back inside to get change from one of the airport shops.  Problem was, the cashier had already begun to ring up the purchase (and therefore couldn't open her cash drawer) of a man who was completely oblivious to the presence of other human beings and literally (and I mean literally) spent four minutes preparing two hot dogs and a cup of coffee.  Four minutes.  After about three minutes, the cashier opened up her own purse and managed to scrape up enough to   change my dollar.  I got back to the bus stop with about a minute to spare and through a Pitt professor's help, was able to clairfy which stop I should exit to be closest to where I was staying.  I finally got to Jeff's suite around 9PM Thursday and we promptly made our way to the Oakland neighborhood for some decent Mexican food.  My streak of kind people continued when we met two nice Pitt co-eds sat who down next to us.  They were there for the half-price food which began at 11PM.  I guess when I was in college waiting til 11PM for half price food wouldn't seem that unusual but at our age, we were happy to have finished eating and had three huge margs in our system by 11 but we did stick around for another drink or two.  We found a bar in the basement of an Indian restaurant that was hopping due to it being karaoke night.  When you're easily a decade older than anyone in the bar and know you will never see any of those people again, karaoke seems like the right thing to do, so we did.  I did my standard "Surrender", which I nailed and then watched Jeff attempt a Duran Duran song which was decent, then shaky, so I had to step in and finish it for him.  By 2:30AM, bed seemed like a good idea.

We actually made it up by 9AM Friday and had some sublime pancakes at Pamela's before getting our tourist hats on.  First stop, the Andy Warhol Museum.  Born in Pittsburgh, Warhol is certainly worthy of having a museum named after him even if Andy's arguably most famous work hangs in other museums.  The museum's definitely worth a trip, especially for Andy's time capsules and the collection of ephemera from his association with the Velvet Underground. There are also enough art pieces to keep the Andy fan happy as well as a stuffed Great Dane and a stuffed lion that were both mainstays at Andy's Factory Studios.  There are also a few galleries dedicated to other non-Warhol works both contemporaries of Warhol and current artists as well.

Well, I mentioned it before leaving, so I had to visit at least one of the two funiculars Pittsburgh has to offer. And it was at this point in the trip that we experienced two of the most unpleasant people Pittsburgh had to offer.  After a stop by PNC Park to purchase our Pirates tickets for that night, we set off walking across the Roberto Clemente Bridge hoping to reach the Duquesne Incline on foot.  That's actually impossible to do without crossing a major four-lane highway, so we hailed a cab.  The problem with cabs in Pittsburgh is that unless you're going to the airport--which is an automatic $50 fare--nobody wants to take you anywhere else.  After getting in the taxi and asking the driver a simple "How you doin'?", we were subjected to a profanity-laced tirade that would've made two sailors proud.  The above picture was taken moments after our bitter cab ride.  Prepared to shake off the brief ugliness of the cab we attempted to provide the necessary fare to ride the train up the mountain.  The fare is $2 each way but we didn't know was you were expected to pay for the round trip ahead of time, so when we each deposited $2 each into the fare box, we were soundly accused by the fare collector of ripping him off.  Had he simply said, "Please pay for the entire fare here", he could've avoided the yelling.  To make matters worse, neither Jeff nor I had less than a $20, so I now had $16 in Sacagawea dollars in my pocket.  I will say the view atop Mount Washington is remarkable.

After a trip to Carnegie-Mellon to visit Jeff's campus and have a cheesesteak (I know, wrong city) we were off to PNC Park for a Pirates/Braves game, which also happened to be Willie Stargell Bobblehead Giveaway Day.  I've heard nothing but good things about PNC Park and must say, I was not disappointed.  The layout is quite similar to the re-vamped U.S. Cellular Field but with a far superior view: the Pittsburgh skyline and the Roberto Clemente Bridge.  Despite a fairly constant mist throughout the game we enjoyed a picher's duel for the first six innings including future Hall of Famer Tom Glavine, now back with the Braves.  This wasn't   the most happening sporting event in P'burgh that night though as the Pens were facing off against the intrastate rival Flyers in Game 1 of the NHL Eastern Conference Finals, so score updates were met with applause and sighs throughout the night.  The crosstrown vibes must've made their way to PNC Park as the Bucs pulled out a 2-out 9th inning victory; Willie Stargell would've been so proud. As we were leaving the park and crossing the Clemente bridge, someone got a text that confirmed that the Penguins had defeated the Flyers, resulting in cheers and a spectacular fireworks display we could see at Mellon Arena a mile up the hill.

All in all it was great to see Jeff--who I hadn't seen in a few years--and see a city I likely wouldn't have even seen otherwise. How was your weekend?

Batteries Fully Charged

About a month ago, we were with some friends, lamenting what--even then--had been long, brutal winter and how nice it would be to plan a quick trip and get away.  Now I've spent my entire life enduring Midwestern winters but between the constant snowfall and much lower than normal temperatures, this winter has been one of those in which we really earn what I hope to be an amazingly long and mild summer.  A few years ago, after a particularly mild winter, I did a post about how we didn't deserve the summer we were about to get because our preceding winter was so tame, the tamest on record.  We deserve a good summer this year. 

Back to that discussion with our friends, we decided that we needed to get away together, preferably somewhere warm.  Jamaica?  Bermuda?  The Bahamas? All great suggestions but we decided instead to take on Mother Nature full-bore and head up north 375 miles or so and revel in the spoils of winter.  You say you have two feet of base and two inches of fresh powder?  That's what a pair of Rossignols is for.  The roads are still icy and snow-covered in March?  Arctic Cat makes a machine to handle that sort of problem.  Sick of frozen pizzas and local take-out?  Northern Wisconsin is teeming with Supper Clubs.  And the problem of expensive hotels and airfare?  A gas card and family accommodations--largely unused in the winter--handled us warmly and cheaply.

After a valiant attempt to get on the road by 7AM fell by the wayside, we did manage to get out of town before noon and arrived by dinnertime. One of the many charms of being up north is the prices.  A full four-course meal with drinks and tip for four hungry adults at Pine Lake Lodge on Friday night barely cracked $100 total, for everyone.  All four of us had a dinner together at an 'authentic' supper club in the Chicago area last March and the bill was twice that before the tip and we still had to fight traffic on the Edens on the way home. 

Despite being together nearly a decade, Carla and I had never skied together.  I've been skiing twice since we met but not with her.  Now even the best ski hill in Michigan's Upper Peninsula will won't make you forsake Vermont or Colorado, but Big Powderhorn in Bessemer, MI is only a 45 minute drive from where we where staying and lacked the long lift lines and prices of say, Vail.  Plus, just down the road and back over the Wisconsin border, is Fontecchio's Bell Chalet, featuring the best Caesar salad and pizza you could ever expect to have in Northern Wisconsin and just about anywhere else, for that matter.  We all gorged and made it back to home base in time to catch SNL, where I think I was the only one awake for Wilco's second song.

After I made us scrambled eggs and bacon on Sunday, we managed to make it through Michael Clayton on DVD (our second attempt) and then took the snowmobiles out for a spin.   We also made trips to Heart of the North for a drink and further afield for a few more pre-dinner drinks at Fisher Lake Inn.  When a round of drinks costs $10, it's tough to leave. Our final dinner, at O'Leary's Club 51, was perfect: all-you-can-eat ribs. 

I had picked up a real estate circular at O'Leary's and when we got home, we thumbed through it and realized that there was a pretty remarkable selection of resorts, taverns and Supper Clubs (including O'Leary's) for sale.  This of course sparked fantasies of the four of us quitting  our downtown Chicago jobs and mortgages and moving up to Northern Wisconsin and running a restaurant/tavern together.  It might be fun.  At the very least, the whole weekend has me wondering if there's any extra room next weekend when my brother and his friends go up to the same town for many of the same activities.

How was your weekend?

Italy (Part 2): Roma

The last post while informative, was a big on the long side, I'll try and rein it in a bit.

Day 4: Florence/Rome: After a wonderful few days with Jiffer and Ingo in Florence, we met them at a cafe for one last cappuccino before they made their way back north and we left Florence for Rome.  It's funny, I don't drink coffee in normal everyday life but took to cappuccino quite readily. Where our train trip to Florence from Rome was quite leisurely and we had the whole car to ourselves, our return trip to Rome was quite the opposite, crowded and rushed.  Part of my initial apprehension about out trip was what I'd read specifically about Rome, so  I was a bit on edge when we arrived.  We hailed a taxi at the Rome Termini train station to get to our hotel, the Hotel Isa, near the Vatican. Upon arriving at the Isa, we were told there 'was a problem', they didn't have a room for us.  There was no back story like someone was sick (like in Florence) but the clerk said he'd pay for our taxi to the hotel they'd arranged for us to stay at for one night.  The problem was, we specifically chose the Hotel Isa for it's elegance, proximity to everything and the beautiful rooftop terrace where they served breakfast. It was one night, not a big deal and the Hotel Bramante ended up being nice and even closer to the Vatican. After getting settled, we did a bit of walking around the Vatican neighborhood and staked out a place to have dinner.  Since it was still late afternoon, we also found a place to have a small bite for lunch.  As with Florence, in Rome there was no shortage of small cafes with simple Italian fare and we settled on their special, which was a pizza and a beer for only 5 Euro.  Afterwards, we strolled around the Vatican area and had another great dinner at Ristochicco where Carla got to showcase her Italian speaking abilities again.  They had an amazing creme brulee cheesecake. 

Day 5: After a nice breakfast at the Hotel Bramante, we got a taxi back to the Isa, where we dropped our bags and headed to The Vatican.  While in line for St. Peter's Basilica, we met an American with whom we exchanged some travel tips.  While St. Peter's was impressive, we were disappointed that: A) The Pope was in Naples, so he wouldn't be presiding over mass and B) The Sistine Chapel was closed, so we'd miss out on seeing that with so many other sights to see and precious little time. After a nice lunch, we took our first tip on Rome's Metro system to the Spanish Steps.  A set of stairs would hardly seem like a star tourist  attraction but it ended up being a nice stop.  We climbed to the top and sat down amongst many other tourists and just enjoyed the ambience for an hour or so.  As would be expected of a heavily travelled tourist stop, the vendors were out in full force.  After another full day, we decided to save a few Euro and just get some take-out pizza near the hotel and stay in and relax.  The table wine we'd bought at a grocery store was what you might expect for table wine that came in a carton and only cost 2 Euro.  At least the pizza was great.  We watched Italian MTV, which still actually shows videos and saw some good rock blocks from R.E.M. and U2.  The Britney "Gimme More" video was shown no less than five times in about three hours, for real.  It was nice to just stay in for a change. 

Day 6: This was our last full day in Rome and we'd saved the Colosseum for  last.  Our previous day spent using the Metro was limited to the 'A' Line, which was state-of-the-art: LED signs and audio indicators of the next stop and on which side the doors would open, the 'B' line left a lot to be desired, it was like we'd gotten on the '6' train to Pelham in the Bronx, no audio and only the signs in the stations indicating which stop were at.  It was a bit odd to get off the the train at 'Colosseo', step out of the station and see one of the most famous buildings in the world right in front of you.  You should have to take a horse-drawn carriage or chariot to get there, not a dingy, grafitti-covered subway car but that's one of the interesting contrasts of Rome, an ancient city surrounded by modern buildings and conveniences.  The division of labor so far on the trip was Carla handled the language (and did so quite well) and I handled the historical perspective but when you're dealing with something as significant as The Colossuem, it's best left to experts, so for the first time on our entire trip, we actually took a guided tour.  We had a funny Italian, English-speaking guide who led us through in about an hour.  After the Colosseum, our guide handed us off to an Austalian woman who led us on an additional tour of Palatine Hill.  It was fortuitous to have this second guide as she imparted a great deal of history and actually knew which ruins were which.  If we had explored Palatine Hill by ourselves, the lack of any signage whatsoever would've meant we would've been looking at a bunch of marble ruins with no insight as to what we were seeing and no historical background at all.  After the Colosseum, we stopped off to see Trevi Fountain (whose water had been dyed red by vandals the previous day) which was probably the most congested of all the stops we made in Rome or Florence but still worth visiting. 

There was a restaurant on the same street as our hotel that we'd walked by a few times and decided to make our destination for our final dinner in Rome.  Our unblemished streak of great meals presented by gracious servers was finally broken, the meal was good but we had a bad waitress. In every other ristorante, trattoria and cafe we'd eaten, our (mainly Carla's) attempts to speak Italian were met with gratitude and good will. Not here.  The standard response to the Italian  'grazie' (thank-you) is usually 'prego' (your welcome) and numerous grazies were unanswered by our server.  And after a mild miscommunication regarding one of the specials on the chalkboard, instead of working through the question in rudimentary Italian, the server just summoned an English-speaking server who was helpful and answered our question.  Despite the service, I did have the best calzone I've ever eaten, hands down.  We decided to wash off the bad experience with a trip aorund the corner to an Irish pub for a nightcap. 

Day 7: Rome----> Chicago:  We were all packed and ready to go and enjoyed our last rooftop breakfast at the Isa with oven-fresh croissants, fresh-squeezed orange juice and fresh-cut pineapple. We had ordered a car service for the trip to the airport and we got to the lobby our driver was waiting with a nice Merecedes.  At first the trip through the city proper was congested but once we got out on the highway he opened it up a bit.  About a mile away from the airport, I looked over to Carla and saw the telltale convulsions that only meant one thing: vomit was on the way.  Carla had always claimed a proclivity towards motion sickness and the only other time I saw evidence of it was on our honeymoon in Mexico on a boat to Cancun from Playa Del Carmen, she was green.  She didn't vomit then but was unresponsive to my joking about her discomfort.  Luckily, in the cab there were a few moments to prepare and I quickly grabbed a plastic bag I had in my carry-on which contained the vomit that didn't end up on her brand-new track jacket. Amazingly, none of the vomit ended up anywhere in the cab, nor did the driver even have a clue what happened. 

All-in-all, it was a great trip for both of us, great food, amazing sights, a chance to catch up with Jiffer and Ingo and due to all the activity, I actually came back a few pounds lighter.  So much for brevity...

Italy (Part 1): Firenze

I'll admit it now, I was a bit apprehensive about going to Italy.  I was certainly psyched about getting away with my wife for eight days for only the second out-of-the-country trip since our honeymoon and the first trip that was just the two of us that wasn't to someone else's wedding or up to Wisconsin. It's all the logistics involved with a big  trip that make me anxious: passports, flights, train trips, taxis, hotels, foreign currency.  You know, all that stuff, even if you cross all the t's and dot all the i's, there are still other factors out of one's control that can go awry. Throw in a foreign language I don't speak and all the travel websites I visited that cautioned tourists about pickpockets, thieves and disease and I was a bit skittish about the whole thing. With but a few minor snafus, we had an amazing time and I was hesitant to get back to reality.

The last time I visited Europe (England in 1999), I had the good fortune of knowing someone who worked for United Airlines who upgraded my seat to First Class, so my only previous trans-continental flight experience was in the lap of luxury.  I'm a big guy so even a garden variety short hop can be trying, nine hours is a different matter.  Nine hours in steerage (coach) on a 767 sucks, especially since their entertainment system was broken. 

Day 1: Rome/Florence-  Arrived in Rome at 7AM local time (Midnight  for us) grabbed a train to Firenze (Florence).  Even though 'everybody speaks English' in Italy, our train conductor didn't. No biggie, my rock star wife speaks Italian; crisis averted.  Lovely scenery on the 90-minute train trip, lots of rolling hills, olive groves, vineyards.  Walked the four blocks from the train terminus to the hotel but the desk clerk told us 'our' room was still occupied as one of the occupants was in the hospital but they made alternate arrangements at another hotel right around the corner.  We checked into our new hotel (Unicorno), rallied (still hadn't slept yet) and walked over to the Ponte Vecchio for some pizza and gelato.  After the food and a nice walk, we're fading and decide to unpack and nap.  Post-nap (9PM, 4AM on our body clocks) we dined at La Spada (The Sword) which was fantastic, exactly what we wanted for our first proper meal, I had some superb gnocci.  We immediately went to sleep upon returning to our hotel.

Day 2: Florence: The Uffizi Gallery- It's funny, at most American hotels, Continental breakfasts consist of stale donuts and OJ from concentrate, they do it right in Europe: scrambled eggs, fresh OJ, croissants, cereals, toast, yogurt and cappuccino. Fueled and well rested, we set off for The Uffizi, prepared for a wait and wait we did, for 2 hours. If you like paintings of  Madonnas and children, crucified Jesuses and statues of naked men, The Uffizi is your kind of museum.  Bonus points for having a hermphrodite room, not many museums can make that claim.  We walked back to the hotel (in fact we walked everywhere in Florence, never took a cab or bus) to freshen up as we were set to meet Jiffer and Ingo, our companions for the next 36 hours.   After a trip to an open air market we then walked to Frescobaldi Wine Bar/Ristorante for libations and starters including some delicious meats and cheeses and yes, lard (!).  We were tempted to stay for dinner as the waiter/maitre 'd was impressed by Ingo and Jiffer's fluent Italian and he kept giving us new things to sample but we had reservations at Acqua al Due, which we honored.  A great evening of catching up (we hadn't seen J & I since our wedding as they live in Hamburg) and great food and wine, including a beef dish with a chocolate and balsamic vinegar sauce. After a nightcap, we returned to our respective hotels to rest up the next big day we had planned.

Day 3: The Duomo/Boboli Gardens - Following another fantastic breakfast, we walked to The Duomo (di Santa Maria del Fiore).  After a tour of the basilica, we ascended the 463 steps (8 stories) to the cupola.  It was a helluva climb but the view was worth every step. En route to Jiffer's old neighborhood (she studied in Florence) we stopped at another open air market and an indoor one as well to shop for souvenirs.  We got to Jiffer's old hood (Michelangelo's old hood as well, it  turns out) to see her old apartment building and to pick up the best paninni on the planet. Sandwiches (and beer) in tow, we walked a few miles over to the Boboli Gardens.  It was another steep climb to the gardens (and at 14 Euro, a bit steep in price) and we found a nice shady bench on which to sit and eat our paninni and drink our beers.  The paninni did not disappoint and the beers were a nice reward for a whole lotta walking.  Despite spending another 2 hours in the gardens, we barely scratched the surface of what they have to offer. As the sun set, we walked back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.  I was pretty wiped from all the walking (we estimated it was about seven or eight miles altogether) and I needed a nap but we rallied once again and had some wine with I & J at their hotel.  Our dinner that night (our last together) was at a great ristorante called Il Latini.  At first when we arrived, they were getting close to closing and weren't sure what would be left for us to eat.  After drinks and starters, the dishes just kept on coming.  Among the antipasti was some crostini with what Ingo thought was a bean puree but ended up being chicken liver pate, which was good because if I had known it was pate, I would've likely passed but instead I ate it and liked it.  Another dish I ate prior to knowing what it was was a wild boar penne pasta, which was indistinguishable from pork to me, therefore, delicious.  When we got there, the restaurant was still pretty full but by the end of our meal, four courses,  cappuccino and limoncello, we were the last patrons there.  Our server gave each couple a bottle of their house label wine to take home.  Since it was our last night in Florence and also our last night with Ingo & Jiffer, we decided to go back to the Ponte Vecchio one more time and have a gelato.  We weren't paying attention to the posted prices and were shocked that three gelatos in waffle cones cost a whopping 32 Euro, that's nearly $16 a cone!! And to top it off, our concensus on gelato was this: it's a fancy name for ice cream, no better or worse than premium American ice cream. Would you pay $16 for a Ben & Jerry's waffle cone?  Doubt it.  Lesson learned.

Part 2 (Roma) later this week.  Sorry for the length of this post but a lot of you asked about the trip, so until we can get together in person, this will have to suffice.

The Patron Saint of Quality Footwear

First off, I'd like to congratulate Jeff R. and his wife Lorraine on the birth of their first child Justin Timothy (8 Pounds, 7  Ounces) at 4AM this morning. Mom and child (and dad) are doing fine.  I guess the pressure's on me now as I'm the last of the 'Rational Actors' (our high school rock band) without an heir, yet.

So, congrats again to Jeff and Lorraine, get some sleep and enjoy parenthood.  For the record, Justin's only hours old but already has an e-mail account at Gmail, he's that ahead of the curve.

We've returned from a wonderful vacation to Italy and I just woke up from a twelve hour slumber. I plan on a proper post or two with details on the trip later but wanted to write a quick post extolling  the virtues of the shoes that got me through the week.  Just before we left, I talked with some friends (including new dad Jeff R.) with more European experience than me (I had only been to England) and the concensus was to avoid sneakers so as to look less like a tourist, which meant my trusty suede Converse trainers were out.  On our last day stateside, Carla and I bought some last-minute items (money belt, hiking socks, clothes) for our trip at REI.  She strongly urged me buying a pair of Merrell shoes, which I did.  That purchase made all the difference in the world in keeping my feet blister-free all week long.

While I'm not as active as I like to be, I do walk a considerable amount both with and without our dog.  When I know I will be walking a great deal, I usually plan accordingly with the proper shoes and for most cases my 'running shoes' do the trick.  Since we would be doing a great deal of travelling on foot over cobblestone streets and uneven terrain, I knew these shoes would have to serve multiple purposes: be comfortable, be lightweight and double as semi-dress shoes at night as we were packing light. They handled all three tasks with aplomb. One day in Florence, we walked from our hotel to The Duomo, to the top of The Duomo (eight stories high, 463 steps) then through Florence back over to The Boboli Gardens and through most of the gardens themselves.  By our conservative estimates, it was about six or seven miles total.  I didn't have as much a callus, let alone any blisters.

I've put my money and my feet behind my Merrells, what's your footwear of choice for multi-purpose hiking/walking? What are your shoes to avoid?

When In Rome....and Florence

Our five year wedding anniversary is coming up and when we talked about something special to do, Carla suggested a big foreign trip and I agreed. With the exception of our honeymoon, the bulk of our travels have been to weddings in various U.S. citites, we wanted to go somewhere without any agenda other than fun and sightseeing. Since we don't have any kids (yet), we figured we should do it right, go somewhere we've never been and perhaps may not be able to get to for awhile. We decided on Italy.  The problem with a country like Italy is that there are so many amazing places to see and experience that it's impossible to do it all in one fell swoop.  I mean let's be honest, you could take twenty trips to Italy and barely scratch the surface. 

After a lot of discussions and tough decisions, we decided on Rome and Florence.  I lobbied hard for Rome for all the historical sites and it just seems like a must-visit, kinda like going to France and having to see Paris. Venice was also high on the list but it didn't make the cut, maybe next time.  Again, so many choices, so little time.

We've already talked to some of our friends who've been and recieved some great tips about places to see and restaurants to try.  Also Carla's childhood friend Jiffer (who's been spending a lot of time in the Middle East for the last few years) and her husband Ingo are meeting us in Florence for a day and a night, which should be great.  Now I'm soliciting your tips and suggestions.  Have you been to Rome and/or Florence? What are the 'must see's' and what may be too hyped and okay to skip?  Do you know a little trattoria/ristorante that has the best _____ you've ever had? Or, if you haven't been, what places do you most long to visit? Also, what general travel tips do you have? I've heard that Rome and Florence specifically have some of the best pickpockets in all of Europe.  Any and all tips/suggestions are welcome.