Random Gripes: Vacation!!!

Vacation time is here once again! Over the past couples days I've been running around getting what I need to ensure that my upcoming summer vacation will be a success. I did some last minute shopping, picked up a book for the ride, and got a lovely blowout as well as a much needed pedicure (which I promptly messed up when I got home and stubbed my toe- classic klutz!) But nothing will dull my excitement at this much needed break. My bags are packed and friends, food, and fun await. All thats left for me to do is enjoy!

*will update when I can*

Mini-Road Trip: California

I recently returned from a week-long vacation to California. It was my first visit to California and surprising, it was not as warm as I thought that it would be. Temperatures hovered around the mid-60s and when we did make it to the beach, the water there was very cold. Still, the trip was a nice and mellow one and rather than give you an extensive list of all the things that we did, I’ll provide a few details in 10 bullet points of what I remember most clearly. Of course, the ultimate highlight was spending a week catching up with friends but as we all know, its all about the experience:

1. I have a rule about street/subway performances: if it’s entertaining, I will give a dollar; more if I love it. But a smart aleck-y, annoying street performer at the Walk of Stars almost made me want to take my dollar back. After his ragtag group did a little dancing, the self-proclaimed “little Mexican” proceeded to whine and curse his audience, probably hoping to shame us out of more of our money. Well, that didn’t work in the least (the audience dispersed fairly quickly) but he was funny and it was entertaining watching him try to run game on us.
2. Again at the Walk of Stars, a man came up to me and asked me to buy him a beer. Shouldn’t he be offering to buy me a drink?
3. Realizing how truly tiny the feet of some of Hollywood’s leading men really are was a snickering moment. Unfortunately, I can’t think of any names at this time.
4. Being locked out of the place where we were staying in Redondo Beach and sitting in our car waiting for our host because we selected the wrong house keys was not very fun. Admittedly, there were three of us so we probably should have gotten it right but in our collective defense, the directions were misleading.
5. Being advised not to order the fish cakes by our waitress at a Thai restaurant was a first for me. Of course, Thai Elvis is the premiere form of entertainment so the fish cakes are not the only things that are fishy about the Palms Restaurant.
6. My friends and I were referred to as “light, brown, and dark” by an overweight, middle-aged white man at the beach. No comment on that one.
7. We spent a lot of time eating at various restaurants but Broadway Grill, which featured Motown Mondays, was one of the better ones. The food was so-so but the entertainment was what made this place great. Of course, we kept the party going in our little corner after the band wrapped up their set.
8. Being splashed, several times, during our whale watching tour (where we didn’t see any whales and few other sea creatures during our 2 hours plus boat ride). We were too lazy to move from our perch and we ended up serving as entertainment for our fellow passengers.
9. Being pulled over by the cops after we made an illegal left turn was mildly exciting. It wasn’t completely our fault and we got off without a ticket but that cop in California is the nicest one I’ve ever encountered.
10. Pebbly sand and cold water are what I now think about when I think about California beaches

Things we learned from our experience:
A road trip throughout California is not easily achieved in a week; expect lots of driving.
A free breakfast is the best breakfast i.e. stay at Embassy Suites

*pictures featuring the beautiful scenery and places we visited will follow shortly*

Vacation is Here

Not much to say except I'm on vacation! Happiness ensues. Unless I can get computer/internet access while I'm away, I will not be posting again until the end of the month. If I'm not too lazy, I'll keep notes on my travel that I can share here when I get back. If not, there're always pictures. Please try to carry on without me :)

Vacation Almost In Sight

Over the past couple weeks I’ve been preoccupied with my upcoming vacation. All plans seem to center around my vacation, from what I need to get done at work to what I need to buy or get done at home before I head off to have fun in the sun. I have no doubt bored some of you with these details but it's almost over. I hate the thought of adding to the pile of work that will be waiting for me when I get back so the goal has been to get through as many of the pesky tasks that I have avoided doing until now. And, more than anything, I fear forgetting to pack something that I will need so needless to say, I’ve been running through a mental checklist of what I’ve done, what I’ve packed, and what I still need to do. This is in addition to planning details of the trip as far as hotels, activities, transportation, flights etc. In a word, it’s been an overwhelming experience which is probably why I so enjoyed the distractions of this past weekend.

Hanging out with K and T is always a fun experience and this past Friday was no different. During this outing, we visited Café Habana in Nolita. I especially liked my snapper dish as the smoky flavor reminded me of the shellfish that I grew up eating on my home island. From there we made our way to Emack and Bolio’s Emack and Bolio’s so that we could have something sweet to “cleanse our palates.” The ‘chocolate eruption’ ice cream flavor was tempting but I went with the mango instead. We capped the evening off with a movie at The Angelika and while The Brothers Bloom is not something that I'd had any intention of seeing, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I highly recommend it for a good laugh and intelligent story line.

The rainy weather on Saturday thwarted my plans and made staying in seem an attractive prospect but I made up for it with my trip to City Island with family the next day. It had been a long while since I’d been there so I was once again surprised at the small town feel of it. It seems that every time I venture outside the slice of New York that I’m familiar with I’m surprised, happily so, that these places exist so close by. It was definitely a nice pace from the rat race that is city life. But, the weekend is over now and my vacation is even closer at hand so it’s back to the rat race, the mental lists and last-minute planning.

Grounded Traveler

I’m the worst sort of traveler. I fantasize and make plans for vacations that I hardly ever take. It’s not that I’m unwilling to leave my home or even that I don’t have the means to do so. I am and I do. It’s more that I like company when I travel. If I don’t have a friend accompanying me or one awaiting me on the other end, then the idea loses appeal. Suddenly, the fantastic trip that I had imagined is clouded with images of me holed up in my hotel room (only coming out in the daytime to take in the sights) due to my fear of being accosted on foreign soil. So much for soaking up the culture! But a woman traveling alone can’t be too careful right?

I would like to think of myself as an adventurer but if I’m being honest, I’m really not. And forget spontaneous (I believe in having a plan). Paranoid is a much more apt description. If there is anything that could go wrong, I imagine that it will happen to me. So, instead of being the type of traveler who jets off to three or four countries each year, I find myself-more often than not-grounded. Like now! I’ve been talking about going to Italy for awhile but now that I know I would have to make the trip alone, I find myself reconsidering. Ok, not just considering. The trip is definitely off as far as the immediate future is concerned. Still, Italy is at the top of my list of places to visit and even though I won’t be seeing it in the next couple months, I am hoping to get there within the next year. Hopefully.