But, they do have Gus's Chicken! So all is well. Oh, and a new grandchild, our first girl! And our grandson is adorable, as is my daughter's son, our first grandchild, who also visited, so we got to see all three of our grandkids in one fell swoop.
Monday, September 3, 2018
If it's July, it must be granddaughter time!
For the third summer in four, we spent time in Oxford, MS. Year one, stepdaughter's wedding. Year two, grandson was born. Year four, granddaughter was born. It's a nice place to visit, but I much prefer the cooler months. This time, we actually ended up there while Oxford's Ole Miss was filling up with new students, which really, really, puts a damper on your "quick trip" to the grocery store.
But, they do have Gus's Chicken! So all is well. Oh, and a new grandchild, our first girl! And our grandson is adorable, as is my daughter's son, our first grandchild, who also visited, so we got to see all three of our grandkids in one fell swoop.
But, they do have Gus's Chicken! So all is well. Oh, and a new grandchild, our first girl! And our grandson is adorable, as is my daughter's son, our first grandchild, who also visited, so we got to see all three of our grandkids in one fell swoop.
Tuesday, July 17, 2018
San Diego, or "How we took advantage of the Panama Canal"
We had a nice time on a weekend getaway in lovely San Diego. My mom and dad had a vacation there way back in the mid 50's as dad was mustering out of the Navy. Then they spent a week up in Los Angeles with his sister before they got married later that year. Mom likes visiting San Diego and when in Tucson, if the temp drops below 90 and there's a breeze from the west, she always exclaims "Feel that nice ocean breeze? All the way from San Diego!" We checked into a very basic Rodeway Inn in Pacific Beach and visited De Anza Cove beach, which was 4 minute drive away. The water in the cove was very warm and I was happy to ascertain that it was warm enough for even me to swim in, as I like water to be "Gulf warm" before dipping more than a toe or two in.
Mom and my sister Naomi have visited twice before in recent years, but this was my first real visit since a quick Zoo stop about 20 years ago on the way to Disneyland with my four little ones. I was really not sure what to expect, except that I know the ocean is not the Gulf of Mexico and that I much prefer swimming in warmer water. San Diego is a really great beach town that's more like a string of beach villages up and down the coastline. We sampled Ocean Beach, Seaport and Pacific Beach areas during our stay as well as the northernmost Torrey Pines State Park near La Jolla.
Torrey Pines is a lovely, rustic park with a great old lodge on site, which was closed when we were there. We took the online advice and showed up really early, which allowed for easy parking and a crowd-less hike to an overlook from the mountaintop lodge, which serves as the information center. The pine cones are huge and the trees have a prehistoric look to them. We found a great coffee shop on the salt marsh down below and then tooled over to the Balboa Park area.
What a treasure this park is! It sits in the middle of San Diego and is referred to as the Central Park of San Diego. We stumbled on a great arts and crafts festival and mom bought some local art. Then we heard a magnificent organ playing and listened in to one of several practicing artists who were playing. The organ has over 3000 pipes, the largest of which is the diameter of a trash can and 20 feet long, the smallest of which is the size of a pencil.
Then we moved onto a beautiful building that houses the miniature train museum. Dad's father, Paul, was a train engineer, who ran away from home at 16 and ended up shoveling coal on trains that ran guns down into Texas and New Mexico to Pancho Villa. True story. So in honor of them, we went into the train museum. One room was like walking into an explosion of Christmas, there were trains everywhere along with a Where's Waldo sign. We not only found Waldo, we stumbled onto an outdoor exhibition that had a miniature of Balboa Park with two running trains. Mom pressed the buttons to watch those trains run. That's when we learned the history of the park from the nice attendant.
San Diego was a sleepy beach town with some military bases when they finished constructing the Panama Canal. The town powers that be decided to host an exposition to try to attract commercial and tourist interest in the area. As the southernmost port in the US at the time, they were the ones closest to the Canal, so of course this made sense to them. Most of the buildings from the exposition are still standing and house numerous museums, including the Art Museum, Botanic Park and Train Museum. There is also an "International" area that has houses set up from countries around the world and a quaint gift shop whose proceeds support UNESCO.
The trick worked and San Diego was well on its' way to becoming the booming destination we know today. Home of Padres, Shave Ice and Torrey Pines.
We finished with a look at the free Timken art museum, which houses a Rembrandt of all things. http://www.timkenmuseum.org/about/overview/history/ Then it was onto dinner. Mom and Naomi had a fabulous Thai dinner, but as it turns out, the outstanding Santana's Chorizo burrito 2303 Garnet Ave, San Diego, CA 92109, 3 cups of strong coffee and a hot dog at lunch triggered my 3rd ever bout of heartburn and I stayed in. Ugh. And I still highly recommend Santana's Burritos as well as one of the best ever Chili Rellenos I've ever had. All those surfers aren't wrong, they really are terrific burritos. We sampled the Machaca one as well.
Thankfully the heartburn was gone by morning, so we made our Seal amphibious boat tour from Seaport and connected with my oldest and his girlfriend for lunch. They live in LA and it was nice to get to visit with them. Seaport was a pleasant area and I'd like to spend more time there, but the Seal tour was less impressive for mom and sis the second time around. Not enough sea lions and seals and no tour of the naval boats as there had been on a previous tour they had completed.
I enjoyed it because I had nothing to compare it too and there was some great San Diego history shared by our wonderful guide Bret and his Captain Diego. There were brown California Pelicans, tons of seagulls, and we were ON the WATER, which is always a plus when visiting any beach town. Funky hats and pictures to be shared. Bret shared more on the incredible Panama Canal Exposition as well as some insight into an early drought and a desperate city willing to pony up $10,000 to a Mr. Hatfield to make it rain over San Diego.
Mr. Hatfield built a tall tower and apparently seeded clouds. The resulting 40 days of rain caused millions in damages and killed a few people in flooding so the mayor refused to pay up unless Mr. Hatfield agreed to pay the several millions in damages. San Diego is a desert, made green solely on the power of the Colorado River. Appalling news to me, actually. Most of the plants there are imports. The city re-channeled the San Diego river not once but twice, flooding and dredging and shaping the city to it's needs.
We then went to Ocean Beach and toured some antique stores, had some delicious shave ice http://www.wailuashaveice.com/ and the kiddo went body surfing. After a quick dry off at our hotel we went for dinner for mom's birthday at a great place in Pacific Beach that overlooked the water. Terrific food, including Kobe beef sliders with fried pickle slices, sushi, Beef short ribs, and Korean Lamb Lollipops with smoked rice patties. We highly recommend this place. Free parking with dinner. https://www.t23hotel.com/jrdn/ A nice slice of Tiramisu for the birthday girl, who is 82 now, rounded off the evening.
I can't wait to go back and prowl through Old Town, the Gaslight District and see Coronado Island!
Mom and my sister Naomi have visited twice before in recent years, but this was my first real visit since a quick Zoo stop about 20 years ago on the way to Disneyland with my four little ones. I was really not sure what to expect, except that I know the ocean is not the Gulf of Mexico and that I much prefer swimming in warmer water. San Diego is a really great beach town that's more like a string of beach villages up and down the coastline. We sampled Ocean Beach, Seaport and Pacific Beach areas during our stay as well as the northernmost Torrey Pines State Park near La Jolla.
Torrey Pines is a lovely, rustic park with a great old lodge on site, which was closed when we were there. We took the online advice and showed up really early, which allowed for easy parking and a crowd-less hike to an overlook from the mountaintop lodge, which serves as the information center. The pine cones are huge and the trees have a prehistoric look to them. We found a great coffee shop on the salt marsh down below and then tooled over to the Balboa Park area.
What a treasure this park is! It sits in the middle of San Diego and is referred to as the Central Park of San Diego. We stumbled on a great arts and crafts festival and mom bought some local art. Then we heard a magnificent organ playing and listened in to one of several practicing artists who were playing. The organ has over 3000 pipes, the largest of which is the diameter of a trash can and 20 feet long, the smallest of which is the size of a pencil.
Then we moved onto a beautiful building that houses the miniature train museum. Dad's father, Paul, was a train engineer, who ran away from home at 16 and ended up shoveling coal on trains that ran guns down into Texas and New Mexico to Pancho Villa. True story. So in honor of them, we went into the train museum. One room was like walking into an explosion of Christmas, there were trains everywhere along with a Where's Waldo sign. We not only found Waldo, we stumbled onto an outdoor exhibition that had a miniature of Balboa Park with two running trains. Mom pressed the buttons to watch those trains run. That's when we learned the history of the park from the nice attendant.
San Diego was a sleepy beach town with some military bases when they finished constructing the Panama Canal. The town powers that be decided to host an exposition to try to attract commercial and tourist interest in the area. As the southernmost port in the US at the time, they were the ones closest to the Canal, so of course this made sense to them. Most of the buildings from the exposition are still standing and house numerous museums, including the Art Museum, Botanic Park and Train Museum. There is also an "International" area that has houses set up from countries around the world and a quaint gift shop whose proceeds support UNESCO.
The trick worked and San Diego was well on its' way to becoming the booming destination we know today. Home of Padres, Shave Ice and Torrey Pines.
We finished with a look at the free Timken art museum, which houses a Rembrandt of all things. http://www.timkenmuseum.org/about/overview/history/ Then it was onto dinner. Mom and Naomi had a fabulous Thai dinner, but as it turns out, the outstanding Santana's Chorizo burrito 2303 Garnet Ave, San Diego, CA 92109, 3 cups of strong coffee and a hot dog at lunch triggered my 3rd ever bout of heartburn and I stayed in. Ugh. And I still highly recommend Santana's Burritos as well as one of the best ever Chili Rellenos I've ever had. All those surfers aren't wrong, they really are terrific burritos. We sampled the Machaca one as well.
Thankfully the heartburn was gone by morning, so we made our Seal amphibious boat tour from Seaport and connected with my oldest and his girlfriend for lunch. They live in LA and it was nice to get to visit with them. Seaport was a pleasant area and I'd like to spend more time there, but the Seal tour was less impressive for mom and sis the second time around. Not enough sea lions and seals and no tour of the naval boats as there had been on a previous tour they had completed.
I enjoyed it because I had nothing to compare it too and there was some great San Diego history shared by our wonderful guide Bret and his Captain Diego. There were brown California Pelicans, tons of seagulls, and we were ON the WATER, which is always a plus when visiting any beach town. Funky hats and pictures to be shared. Bret shared more on the incredible Panama Canal Exposition as well as some insight into an early drought and a desperate city willing to pony up $10,000 to a Mr. Hatfield to make it rain over San Diego.
Mr. Hatfield built a tall tower and apparently seeded clouds. The resulting 40 days of rain caused millions in damages and killed a few people in flooding so the mayor refused to pay up unless Mr. Hatfield agreed to pay the several millions in damages. San Diego is a desert, made green solely on the power of the Colorado River. Appalling news to me, actually. Most of the plants there are imports. The city re-channeled the San Diego river not once but twice, flooding and dredging and shaping the city to it's needs.
We then went to Ocean Beach and toured some antique stores, had some delicious shave ice http://www.wailuashaveice.com/ and the kiddo went body surfing. After a quick dry off at our hotel we went for dinner for mom's birthday at a great place in Pacific Beach that overlooked the water. Terrific food, including Kobe beef sliders with fried pickle slices, sushi, Beef short ribs, and Korean Lamb Lollipops with smoked rice patties. We highly recommend this place. Free parking with dinner. https://www.t23hotel.com/jrdn/ A nice slice of Tiramisu for the birthday girl, who is 82 now, rounded off the evening.
I can't wait to go back and prowl through Old Town, the Gaslight District and see Coronado Island!
Thursday, July 12, 2018
T-town, Tucson, The Old Pueblo
I gave a rather restrained 7 pages of recommendations recently to a friend who was really looking for 2 or 3 items to recommend to out of town wedding guests. Oops. There are also so many new things that I hadn't yet tried here in Tucson that I thought I'd squeeze a couple of those into my now multi week trip. The wedding was preceded by a memorial service, you see. And we said good bye to my first mother in law, an amazing little package of grace, good will and giftedness who always had kind words for everyone and an astonishing repertoire of dance, song, book, movie and game night shenanigans up her sleeve. Everything from calligraphy elegance on every note to all the best episodes of Seinfeld and Fawlty Towers. She encouraged my four children at every turn, and "Cassdini the Magnificent" did his first magic show at her house. All the kids were roped in to put on a play for us ala "our gang" one year. There was truly never a dull moment with her around and it was a delight to have known her.
There used to be a separate tree trimming party after Thanksgiving for the massive 10 footer they would purchase every year. Coupled with the overnight extravaganza on Christmas Eve, this holiday ranked as her favorite. I would start shopping for the grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and children in January to stockpile up for the momentous occasion on our single wage earning budget. The kids loved helping her feed the animals. From deer to javalinas to roadrunners to hummingbirds, they all ended up outside the windows. The occasional scorpion would sometimes end up inside the windows and poor oldest son got bit three times by one scorpion while pulling on his pants after an overnight once.
It was fitting that hummingbirds were all over the place at her memorial. And the next time I visited the house, there were roadrunners outside, although we hadn't seen any up there for quite some time. My daughter came with my grandson to keep grandpa company. They are still there as I write this. And she loves Thai food, so we have stumbled across a new favorite. The Dao Tai Pan on Wilmot has outstanding Pho, Pad Thai and Vietnamese Crepes. Something for everyone, and the pork dumplings were very good as well as the Thai Iced Tea and the Thai Iced Coffee. Keep trying new things.
But like the Girl Scouts always sang, make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold. I've enjoyed one on ones with mostly old friends in recent weeks but had a wedding with mostly new ones as well. Lunches and dinners with friends and family in small groups and one on one has been a joy. A reminder of what is truly important in life, the people that you have in it. It's a quick and fast ride, so enjoy it, and find ways to squeeze joy out of simple things. The bats flying out from under the bridge, the fresh figs hanging over the fence in the alley, the lovely smell of creosote before the monsoon rain, the most incredible, thin tortillas from your favorite restaurant, and a magical sunset with fairy lights at an old friends ranch like property tucked into the middle of the city.
I feel blessed.
There used to be a separate tree trimming party after Thanksgiving for the massive 10 footer they would purchase every year. Coupled with the overnight extravaganza on Christmas Eve, this holiday ranked as her favorite. I would start shopping for the grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and children in January to stockpile up for the momentous occasion on our single wage earning budget. The kids loved helping her feed the animals. From deer to javalinas to roadrunners to hummingbirds, they all ended up outside the windows. The occasional scorpion would sometimes end up inside the windows and poor oldest son got bit three times by one scorpion while pulling on his pants after an overnight once.
It was fitting that hummingbirds were all over the place at her memorial. And the next time I visited the house, there were roadrunners outside, although we hadn't seen any up there for quite some time. My daughter came with my grandson to keep grandpa company. They are still there as I write this. And she loves Thai food, so we have stumbled across a new favorite. The Dao Tai Pan on Wilmot has outstanding Pho, Pad Thai and Vietnamese Crepes. Something for everyone, and the pork dumplings were very good as well as the Thai Iced Tea and the Thai Iced Coffee. Keep trying new things.
But like the Girl Scouts always sang, make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold. I've enjoyed one on ones with mostly old friends in recent weeks but had a wedding with mostly new ones as well. Lunches and dinners with friends and family in small groups and one on one has been a joy. A reminder of what is truly important in life, the people that you have in it. It's a quick and fast ride, so enjoy it, and find ways to squeeze joy out of simple things. The bats flying out from under the bridge, the fresh figs hanging over the fence in the alley, the lovely smell of creosote before the monsoon rain, the most incredible, thin tortillas from your favorite restaurant, and a magical sunset with fairy lights at an old friends ranch like property tucked into the middle of the city.
I feel blessed.
Friday, May 4, 2018
White Sand, Emerald Water
Destin, FL was once "my beach". I was nearing 12, and the late 1960's showcased all these wonderful beach movies. I couldn't wait to be a teenager! So many bonfires, so much surfing, rock and roll music and such great fun to look forward to! We were living in Fort Walton Beach. Then my dad lost his job to a defense contractor downsizing. And we moved to Georgia. Warner Robins, GA. Red Clay and giant sixth graders. They started school later in Georgia than they did in Florida. I was the shortest girl in my class, except for the girl with dwarfism. We became friends, along with the tallest girl in class, Kathy Hershey. True story.
My final husband, to whom I am still married, also grew up in the south, in Memphis. Destin, FL was his family's "Red Neck Riviera" and growing up, they had an annual pilgrimage to a cinder block "cabin" near that same beach. We discovered this in various story telling over the years. Then we went to Destin five years ago and stayed in a lovely complex called Shoreline Towers, taking my mom along a month after my dad had passed, her first trip in over two years as she had cared for our Parkinson's afflicted father. Husband's daughter, son, dad, mom, step dad, sister, brother and two cousins also came along. We had two condos and it was packed at mealtimes.
This year, my step daughter asked for help with a yard sale, which was not going to be "fun". So we did what we do, we looked at all angles to see how to make "obligatory" fun! We flew to Memphis, and drove down to Oxford and had a nice time sorting, pricing and organizing for the yard sale. We also got to play with the two year old grandson and then the four year old grandson when my daughter arrived from Memphis to assist for the weekend. We netted a nice sum for the yard sales two days as well, in spite of rain. Then we picked up items on Monday at Ikea in Memphis for their future Airbnb rental for football weekends. Ole Miss is crazy for football.
Then we took off for New Orleans from Memphis. In a train! Yes, Amtrak still runs trains and we love train travel. And it was $50 per person. Unfortunately, the 7AM train was changed to 4:30AM due to construction, so it was a god-awful early day. But lovely travel down through Mississippi, with several small town stops along the way. Green trees, meandering streams, cropland, and then a fabulous finish over brackish swamps and lakes, while I looked keenly for a gator. Alas, I saw only herons along the way. At one point we were slowed to about 25 miles per hour over Lake Pontchartrain.
Next it was time to eat our way through New Orleans for two full days. I loved that we could catch a trolley from the train station and get to within a couple of blocks from our hotel in the French Quarter, the Maison Dupuy Hotel, which we recommend. We loved the room, and the AC was fixed within one hour of our call to the front desk. We used and liked their concierge as well. Great little pool, which we did not enter, but we enjoyed the poolside patio to eat breakfast on our last morning.
We had a blast finding some new restaurants. Katie's is great, try the Muffaletta or "The Legend" sandwich. http://www.katiesinmidcity.com/ And revisiting old favorites including Deannie's Seafood, owned by the fishermen https://www.deanies.com and Pierre Maspero's https://originalpierremasperos.com/ for really great BBQ Shrimp, which is not what you think it is. Get gumbo everywhere. And Bread Pudding. Not to confuse you, but ask for Katie as a server at Pierre Maspero's, she's awesome and has been there for seven years.
We visited one of the Brennan restaurants for the first time, the Palace Cafe, and had happy hour and the original Bananas Foster table side. https://www.palacecafe.com/ The upstairs Black Duck Bar area has a great view of the entire restaurant and live music every day. Lauren Brennan Brower, one of the owners, was there, and she does it right, pitching in and bussing tables if that's what's needed. She shared the family lineage of restaurants with us, but suffice it to say the Palace Cafe gets it right. She confirmed our trifecta of items were the best of the best small plates. The staff were exceptional as was the menu. We especially loved the Brie de Meaux Fondue "with the fried oysters". Yes, please. And the Turtle Soup and the "Crabmeat Cheesecake". It was a delightful meal at happy hour prices with live music.
We walked through the area, or took trolleys, but in addition to the obligatory stop (which we skipped, because we have had them many times and it was packed) at Cafe du Monde for biegnets, we re-found the little jewelry store on Royal street that we liked so much. Additionally, we had never actually been through the entire French Market area, with a flea market vibe and lots of local art. We picked up some very reasonable photos from a great artist and a lovely ink drawing from a street artist at Jackson Square. I'm happy to say I framed the photos with thrift store finds for a whopping $3 for both frames. I do love a bargain:) Next time, we vow to visit the WWII museum that was fundraised by Tom Hanks. We didn't have time this time.
While we stayed at the Maison Dupuy, we ate breakfast at the Vacherie Restaurant in the hotel a block away. Their breakfast was fantastic and Cajun to the core. They serve exceptional coffee there as well. The restaurant is accessible through their corner coffee stand or from within the lobby. Our hotel served bagged "Community Coffee", and in New Orleans, that is not acceptable. http://www.hotelstmarie.com/vacherie-restaurant-bar/ After picking up our rental car, we found a recommended butcher, Cachon Butcher. We always ask everybody for recommendations. The butcher was from our breakfast server, and it was spot on. The James Beard award winning restaurant has a small butcher shop around the corner from the main restaurant, and also serves some grab and go sandwiches that looked delightful. We picked up Boudin sausage and Andouille to cook up in Destin, FL, which was our final destination. It's only a 3.5 hour drive from New Orleans, and we were able to book another condo in Shoreline Towers for our final five days. The kids all drove down to join us, so we had daughter, four year old grandson, step daughter and her hubs, and two year old grandson.
Condos are great for family, you can cook in and avoid expensive restaurants. We had three grocery stores in 15 minutes, including a Whole Foods. And our favorite meal was the fish we bought at the wholesale market and cooked ourselves along with Jambalaya with fresh gulf shrimp and the Andouille sausage. Wowsers!
It wouldn't be a trip to Destin without a trip to The Donut Hole. Their Key Lime Cheesecake is the best I've ever tried and we picked up a new coffee mug to boot. Other than that, we cooked most meals, from a Cajun Benedict with the Boudin sausage to basic spaghetti.
On day one, we had the very best conditions, a nice breeze, a low surf, pretty good ocean temperatures and lofty, billowing clouds skittering along all day. Day two had a bit more surf, and more wind, but that was the day the dolphins showed up! It was great to see them swimming along, just beyond the shoreline, heading north. Day three had a bit more surf, and it was partly cloudy that day. There were a tremendous amount of jellyfish along the shore, which we did not touch, and we stayed out of the water that day, for the most part. Thank you to my son in law for the amazing Ole Miss tent, it was easily the best idea to be comfortable in the shade on the beach. The best shell I found was, unfortunately, still occupied, so we left it in the ocean.
One morning the girls and I took off shopping, and found a little consignment store that also had gifts. We picked up a whole sand dollar for four year old grandson, because he kept finding the pieces on the beach, but had no idea what a whole one looked like. He was a diligent shell collector for the duration. The shop owner assured us that there are great shells, but because of the "drop", the best shells are about 300 feet off the shoreline, which we were not going to reach without a small boat. Maybe next time.
The boys absolutely loved the ocean. Sandcastles and wave running and seashell collecting were the games for the four days of sunshine. We went to the nearby malls, and a visit to the Bass Pro Shop aquarium and an ice cream shop on the one day of rain. I really hope we can do this often for our grandkids and kids. It's a wonderful tradition and late April means you miss the crowded high season. The hardest thing about it is realizing that we are now "the old folks" on the beach:)
Cheers!
My final husband, to whom I am still married, also grew up in the south, in Memphis. Destin, FL was his family's "Red Neck Riviera" and growing up, they had an annual pilgrimage to a cinder block "cabin" near that same beach. We discovered this in various story telling over the years. Then we went to Destin five years ago and stayed in a lovely complex called Shoreline Towers, taking my mom along a month after my dad had passed, her first trip in over two years as she had cared for our Parkinson's afflicted father. Husband's daughter, son, dad, mom, step dad, sister, brother and two cousins also came along. We had two condos and it was packed at mealtimes.
This year, my step daughter asked for help with a yard sale, which was not going to be "fun". So we did what we do, we looked at all angles to see how to make "obligatory" fun! We flew to Memphis, and drove down to Oxford and had a nice time sorting, pricing and organizing for the yard sale. We also got to play with the two year old grandson and then the four year old grandson when my daughter arrived from Memphis to assist for the weekend. We netted a nice sum for the yard sales two days as well, in spite of rain. Then we picked up items on Monday at Ikea in Memphis for their future Airbnb rental for football weekends. Ole Miss is crazy for football.
Then we took off for New Orleans from Memphis. In a train! Yes, Amtrak still runs trains and we love train travel. And it was $50 per person. Unfortunately, the 7AM train was changed to 4:30AM due to construction, so it was a god-awful early day. But lovely travel down through Mississippi, with several small town stops along the way. Green trees, meandering streams, cropland, and then a fabulous finish over brackish swamps and lakes, while I looked keenly for a gator. Alas, I saw only herons along the way. At one point we were slowed to about 25 miles per hour over Lake Pontchartrain.
Next it was time to eat our way through New Orleans for two full days. I loved that we could catch a trolley from the train station and get to within a couple of blocks from our hotel in the French Quarter, the Maison Dupuy Hotel, which we recommend. We loved the room, and the AC was fixed within one hour of our call to the front desk. We used and liked their concierge as well. Great little pool, which we did not enter, but we enjoyed the poolside patio to eat breakfast on our last morning.
We had a blast finding some new restaurants. Katie's is great, try the Muffaletta or "The Legend" sandwich. http://www.katiesinmidcity.com/ And revisiting old favorites including Deannie's Seafood, owned by the fishermen https://www.deanies.com and Pierre Maspero's https://originalpierremasperos.com/ for really great BBQ Shrimp, which is not what you think it is. Get gumbo everywhere. And Bread Pudding. Not to confuse you, but ask for Katie as a server at Pierre Maspero's, she's awesome and has been there for seven years.
We visited one of the Brennan restaurants for the first time, the Palace Cafe, and had happy hour and the original Bananas Foster table side. https://www.palacecafe.com/ The upstairs Black Duck Bar area has a great view of the entire restaurant and live music every day. Lauren Brennan Brower, one of the owners, was there, and she does it right, pitching in and bussing tables if that's what's needed. She shared the family lineage of restaurants with us, but suffice it to say the Palace Cafe gets it right. She confirmed our trifecta of items were the best of the best small plates. The staff were exceptional as was the menu. We especially loved the Brie de Meaux Fondue "with the fried oysters". Yes, please. And the Turtle Soup and the "Crabmeat Cheesecake". It was a delightful meal at happy hour prices with live music.
We walked through the area, or took trolleys, but in addition to the obligatory stop (which we skipped, because we have had them many times and it was packed) at Cafe du Monde for biegnets, we re-found the little jewelry store on Royal street that we liked so much. Additionally, we had never actually been through the entire French Market area, with a flea market vibe and lots of local art. We picked up some very reasonable photos from a great artist and a lovely ink drawing from a street artist at Jackson Square. I'm happy to say I framed the photos with thrift store finds for a whopping $3 for both frames. I do love a bargain:) Next time, we vow to visit the WWII museum that was fundraised by Tom Hanks. We didn't have time this time.
While we stayed at the Maison Dupuy, we ate breakfast at the Vacherie Restaurant in the hotel a block away. Their breakfast was fantastic and Cajun to the core. They serve exceptional coffee there as well. The restaurant is accessible through their corner coffee stand or from within the lobby. Our hotel served bagged "Community Coffee", and in New Orleans, that is not acceptable. http://www.hotelstmarie.com/vacherie-restaurant-bar/ After picking up our rental car, we found a recommended butcher, Cachon Butcher. We always ask everybody for recommendations. The butcher was from our breakfast server, and it was spot on. The James Beard award winning restaurant has a small butcher shop around the corner from the main restaurant, and also serves some grab and go sandwiches that looked delightful. We picked up Boudin sausage and Andouille to cook up in Destin, FL, which was our final destination. It's only a 3.5 hour drive from New Orleans, and we were able to book another condo in Shoreline Towers for our final five days. The kids all drove down to join us, so we had daughter, four year old grandson, step daughter and her hubs, and two year old grandson.
Condos are great for family, you can cook in and avoid expensive restaurants. We had three grocery stores in 15 minutes, including a Whole Foods. And our favorite meal was the fish we bought at the wholesale market and cooked ourselves along with Jambalaya with fresh gulf shrimp and the Andouille sausage. Wowsers!
It wouldn't be a trip to Destin without a trip to The Donut Hole. Their Key Lime Cheesecake is the best I've ever tried and we picked up a new coffee mug to boot. Other than that, we cooked most meals, from a Cajun Benedict with the Boudin sausage to basic spaghetti.
On day one, we had the very best conditions, a nice breeze, a low surf, pretty good ocean temperatures and lofty, billowing clouds skittering along all day. Day two had a bit more surf, and more wind, but that was the day the dolphins showed up! It was great to see them swimming along, just beyond the shoreline, heading north. Day three had a bit more surf, and it was partly cloudy that day. There were a tremendous amount of jellyfish along the shore, which we did not touch, and we stayed out of the water that day, for the most part. Thank you to my son in law for the amazing Ole Miss tent, it was easily the best idea to be comfortable in the shade on the beach. The best shell I found was, unfortunately, still occupied, so we left it in the ocean.
One morning the girls and I took off shopping, and found a little consignment store that also had gifts. We picked up a whole sand dollar for four year old grandson, because he kept finding the pieces on the beach, but had no idea what a whole one looked like. He was a diligent shell collector for the duration. The shop owner assured us that there are great shells, but because of the "drop", the best shells are about 300 feet off the shoreline, which we were not going to reach without a small boat. Maybe next time.
The boys absolutely loved the ocean. Sandcastles and wave running and seashell collecting were the games for the four days of sunshine. We went to the nearby malls, and a visit to the Bass Pro Shop aquarium and an ice cream shop on the one day of rain. I really hope we can do this often for our grandkids and kids. It's a wonderful tradition and late April means you miss the crowded high season. The hardest thing about it is realizing that we are now "the old folks" on the beach:)
Cheers!
Saturday, April 7, 2018
Tucson will always be home
A friend asked me to put together a list of things to do and to see. And restaurants. So I started writing and ended up with seven pages of recommendations. Whew!
Thirty seven years of living there as both a teen and an adult, and raising four kids there on both the east side and in our rural enclave, two acre horse property, I've got some things to recommend. Just a few:)
And as for wedding venues. I have to recommend Z Mansion. It’s a charitable organization, an historic downtown mansion, restaurant/catering options that hire the mentally ill, a friend’s local florist is featured, and they feed the homeless on Sunday with the leftovers. It’s also a beautiful venue.
Thirty seven years of living there as both a teen and an adult, and raising four kids there on both the east side and in our rural enclave, two acre horse property, I've got some things to recommend. Just a few:)
Things to do:
Day trips:
Go visit the Titan Missile Museum. Only place to see the size of the nukes we had to protect us from the Russkies back in the cold war. Cool history. The Asarco Copper Mining tour is another option nearby. Mom liked it, I haven’t seen it.
Combine this lovely trip with a drive down to Tubac, a lovely arts area filled with great shops and restaurants. A little bit further south is
Santa Cruz Spice Company, a great place to grab some great chili powder and ancho seasoning. The Tumacacori church is pretty photogenic down there as well.
Then there’s the other solid day trip to:
Tombstone, where you can watch the recreated OK Corral fight, visit the Courthouse and the Graveyard (all cost money) then go visit artsy Bisbee, take the mine tour and shop with some of the country’s oldest hippies.
Kartchner Caverns, buy tickets in advance for the very coolest world’s only “living” cave tour with spectacular formations. Get both tours. This is a must see in my view.
For a cool overnight, stay in the haunted “Copper Queen” in Bisbee and visit the hummingbird canyons near Sierra Vista (Ramsey Canyon is famous for bird watching).
Tucson to do:
Sonoran Desert Museum, my #1 favorite, I can get the ex hubs to docent you through with advance notice, he works there now.
Saguaro National Park East 17 mile loop drive. Great bike ride or drive through the east side park. My favorite for tourists. Dad’s ashes are there:) Stop and eat at basic Saguaro Corners restaurant for the nice views. Unpretentious watering hole offering tavern eats & spirits, plus an outdoor patio/bar & live music.
Address: 3750 S Old Spanish Trail, Tucson, AZ 85730
When you miss the mountains, head up to Mt. Lemmon, chill out at Windy Point, and I think there’s still the world’s smallest ski resort up top. No snow making, so it’s not open often. Rose Canyon Lake is up there.
For other skiing we always drove 5 hours into the White Mountain Apache resort. Sunrise Ski Resort.
For other mountain trips, there’s a great tiny town called Greer. If you like fishing, Greer has a nice little river nearby. Research fishing licenses. Some you can only get up there, as they are on Indian reservations.
Pima Air & Space Museum. JFK’s Air force One is here. You can pay for an optional bus ride through the famous airplane boneyard as well, which is where Tom Petty filmed one of his music videos.
For the quirkiest used books, go visit the Speedway “Bookmans” It’s not just for books. It’s like a giant used and new bookstore coupled with upscale thrift all in one. Eat at the homegrown “Beyond Bread” store, some of the best sandwiches and soups Tucson has to offer, but go BEHIND that Beyond Bread to get their true calling, The Pies. It’s called the “Back Dough” :)
So many hikes! The Catalina’s have some great hikes, Finger Rock is a good one, pretty challenging, from the end of Swan Road. Down south in the Santa Rita Mountains, just east of Green Valley is Madera Canyon. Great Hiking and the Tres Amigos mexican restaurant afterwards is a good bet. And at the end of Speedway you can hike up into the Rincon Mountains. The Ranger Station is a longish hike of about 20 miles, and it’s a backpacking overnight. There used to be a cabin up there you could rent, not sure anymore. Reddington Pass is another popular hiking area, four wheeling and there’s sometimes water flowing.
Sabino Canyon, you can walk instead of pay for the tram, I love the Seven Falls hike, which is 2 miles in, if you take the tram, much longer without the tram. BRing swimsuits, but not everyone will be wearing them.
There used to be a hiking club, and they do night hikes during the summer.
Check out the observatory on the UA campus, it’s free to the public, There’s also a day trip to Kitt Peak Observatory, which I always loved. Higher elevation, cooler than Tucson. Big solar telescope. You are on the reservation down here. If you see a tamale stand, buy some.
Shows:
The Centennial Hall line up is usually pretty good, but even the UA campus level stuff can be quite good.
Rialto Theater downtown
Hotel Congress still has shows
Fox Theater downtown
Temple of Music and ARt is a beautiful venue
The Gaslight Theater is always fun and boisterous laughing good time.
Tucson Community Center and McKale have the big shows, but I understand so do the Casinos now. Desert DIamond and Casino del Sol. This is also host for the Tamale Festival
Attractions/Art:
DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun, I used to be lucky enough to work next door, up north on Swan Road.
Tohono Chul and their Tea Room Also a good opportunity to purchase native plants.
Old Tucson-if you like history and movies, this is pretty cool now that they re-opened
Arizona History Museum on campus at UA
Arizona State Museum if you like southwestern and Indian things. Also near UA
Tucson Botanical Gardens *and gallery Another native seeds and plants place. You should see some of the very natural transient deterrent fences and options of Tucson here:) Ocotillo living fences, agave and prickly pear near windows and fences are all we need. No barbed wire!
I like rocks, so this was one I would visit often when at UA.
Fourth Avenue Street Fair. Anymore, find parking near the UA and ride the trolley in. Parking is a bitch.
Tucson Meet Yourself is sort of like Denver’s People’s Fair. International Food and fun and music once a year.
Food:
First of all, Tucson is a UNESCO gastronomic city. Very cool. https://www.visittucson.org/press/news-releases/2017/tucson-named-first-unesco-city-gastronomy-usa
Second, TORTILLAS are real here, and are not the Faux Foam of Denver:)
I get mine freshly made from Tucson Tamale Company at Broadway on the east side, but there are lots of options. Also, the green corn tamales are a thing of beauty here. You can dine in very casually, or get a dozen to go.
Sonoran Tamales that are “red” will have a green olive with a pit in the center. Don’t ask me why, but it is delicious and I miss them here in Denver.
Arizona Inn for special occasions, take a walk on the grounds with the peacocks.
El Güero Canelo for the best of Sonoran Hot Dogs, a unique hot dog experience:) We go to the one on 22nd street. Use all of the toppers!
Pico de Gallo for fish Tacos, it’s in south Tucson near the VA hospital and worth the drive.
Jonathan’s Cork is nice for dinner. Jonathan Landeen is a Landmark graduate, and he did my dad’s 70th birthday party. Great little venue, tucked off of Grant/Wilmot.
El Berraco on north 1st for Mexican seafood. Don’t knock it, the Baja is closer than you think. *Rocky Point is your nearest beach. Aka Puerto Penasco.
My favorite Mexican food is at Mosaic Cafe Grant and Silverbell location. They have the very best green corn tamales and the Tia makes the tortillas fresh in front of you so order the flour if you get the choice. The Arturo special is a nice sampler plate of Sonoran style meats. I think El Charro is overrated and touristy, but it’s a lovely location.
El Minuto Cafe for a giant cheese crisp. Get the ones with green chili. Nothing like this in Denver. You will love them.
Janos Wilder “Downtown Kitchen”. Haven’t been to this one, but all his restaurants are phenomenal.
The Blue WIllow on Campbell used to be a hippie hangout. A Chocolate Du Jour and some kind of vegetarian special. Cute gift shop in front.
The Hilton Hotel East side has a lovely picture window overlooking the Catalina Mountains, so for a pricey Sunday breakfast but a fabulous view, I recommend.
I love AJ’s Fine Foods. Up in the foothills for groceries. Find and buy my friend Laura Santi’s family made Biscotti. Whole Foods carries it too.
You can’t go wrong with any restaurant in Casas Adobes Shopping center, we’ve tried them all and they’re all good. It’s a great little shopping venue too. There was a gelato place there that I liked “Frost”? hope it is still there. New one:, Cajun! The Parish! LEt me know how it is.
Indian Oven on Campbell
For Chinese: http://tucson.com/thisistucson/eat/tucson-s-best-chinese-restaurants-according-to-local-chefs-and/article_3ec86e6c-1119-11e8-8a1d-97f9c534eaa3.html I’ve been to Gee’s Garden dim sum, weekends only.
Prickly Pear flavoring. It’s real, it’s good. Jams, jellies, sauces, desserts, meat glazes, syrups, and candies. If you like cooking, foraging for prickly pear fruit and making your own is a fun weekend activity.
There is so much good food, and new food! There’s an annual Tamale festival that started 10 years ago. We went two years ago, worth the trip. Bring cash, and enjoy the Mariachi music.
Eegees has two special flavors I love, Watermelon in July and Root beer in Rodeo Week (Feb?) You can ORDER special flavors in advance for pickup any time of the year! In the party pack size only.
Bars and Miscellaneous:
Only open in Jan/Feb during Rodeo, the Rodeo museum! For the longest non mechanized parade in the country. Used to be Tucson’s first airport site. Go see the parade and go to the rodeo at least once. It’s a Tucson tradition.
4825 S. 6th Ave., Tucson, AZ
Directions:
Northeast corner of S. 6th Ave. and Irvington.
Hours:
Jan 4-Mar 26: M-Sa 9:30-3:30. Closed Su, holidays, parade day. (Call to verify)
Phone:
520-294-3636
Admission:
Adults $10, Seniors $7, Military ID (and family) 50% discount.
“When does the ice break on the Santa Cruz River”? Is the annual contest of what day it will break 100 degrees.
The invasive type of Desert mistletoe that grows in mesquite and ironwood trees has small flowers that bloom in winter and when blooming is one of my all time favorite flower smells. Natives used to eat the fruit once it turned translucent, but the plant is toxic so we never chanced it.
The scent of water coming, as humidity rises is unique in the Sonoran desert when there are Creosote bushes. Petrichor. The name of that before rain smell everywhere. The Indians used the bushes to produce lamp oil. You will grow to love it and miss it when it’s gone.
The very best and easiest way to remove cactus needles that do not have barbs is to highlight them with iodine and then use duct tape to remove them. Stay very far away from cholla cactus. :)
When hiking in the desert *or anywhere, take a few backwards glances, you may have missed something. Sometimes a shed antler, a devil’s horn plant, sometimes one of the rarer rattlesnakes, of which there are several types. The racoon ribbed black and white tails are easier to look for than rattles. :) Think of them as scared bunnies in tube socks, they are truly more afraid of you then you are of them. They don’t waste venom on things too big to eat, so back away. They can only strike ⅔ of their length. http://www.azgfd.gov/i_e/ee/resources/posters/rattlesnake/Rattlesnake_Poster_2007.pdf
“Valley of the Moon” is a real place, handmade by a contemporary of Walt Disney in the 1920’s. An amazing man I got to meet, George Phar Legler. They do a few shows per year, usually spring and fall, currently owned by Boy Scouts I think. Rocks, grottos, and more, I spent many years helping to tame the place and getting it up and running again once some close friends found George living on the place on Ensure back in the early 80’s. It’s a little magical rockscape. George used to train rabbits, and dress them in top hats and do shows out there when it was the only thing out there. Surrounded by homes now. Linda Rondstadt grew up in the neighborhood. Tucson used to have Magic Carpet Golf with a ton of magnificent, large cement sculptures, many of which are now housed at Valley of the Moon.
Speedway Blvd has won “nations Ugliest road” many times over the years.
There are a couple of quirky bars that are fun. Kon Tiki. It is a rite of passage for people turning 21 and authentic Tiki bar for decades. Get a Mai Tai. For reals.
The Shelter. Literally everything good from the 60’s and 70’s. It never changed and it’s cool again.
Traildust Town and the Pinnacle Peak steak restaurant. It’s a pretty good little bad guy/good guy western show and a pretty good steak. Good for tourists, and I’ve enjoyed the show very much over the years. The gazebo is a famous wedding location there. I’ve been to a number of weddings here.
There is weird art all over this city. The invisible mare/colt on Houghton road, the Tall Miner with frequently stolen Ax on Stone Ave or 1st st? (police are hazed by being told to go investigate large man with an ax at this address), The El Toro bull in front of Speedway’s Casa MOlina, which is an authentic Mexican place we also like. The Junk Sculptor whose work is now all over the city since his death and the auction, the Rattlesnake Bridge on Broadway is a fine piece of art, and the Kay Malek designer tiles that tell the history of bowling on the side of the old and quirky Tucson Bowl (behind the best Ace Hardware store ever at Kolb and 22nd street.) I love that Ace Hardware store. It has literally everything you can think of. Need parts for your Sunbeam mixmaster? They’re in stock! Any fastener in the world? In stock! All sizes of weird screws? In stock! And knowledgeable and helpful support staff. Really, go to this Ace.
Finally, Picture Rocks. The easiest and closest are road accessible. The Catholic Diocese sold this retreat fna “Picture Rocks Retreat’ to avoid paying lawsuits out for child abuse. But beyond that, it’s a lovely little hike, just west of the buildings. Down the wash on the west side of the buildings and then on the rock outcroppings to your left are the petroglyphs. On the right is a Stations of the Cross little walk. Bring water everytime you walk in Tucson:) Great trip for the visiting tourists!
“The Picture Rocks petroglyphs are along a short trail at the Redemptorist Renewal Center at 7101 W. Picture Rocks Road.
The center’s website notes that visitors are welcome to view the petroglyphs, but visitors are asked to check in at the front office and refrain from climbing on the rocks.
Scores of petroglyphs are visible on a steep rock outcrop at the site.”
And as for wedding venues. I have to recommend Z Mansion. It’s a charitable organization, an historic downtown mansion, restaurant/catering options that hire the mentally ill, a friend’s local florist is featured, and they feed the homeless on Sunday with the leftovers. It’s also a beautiful venue.
Tucson has four main mountain ranges. North is Catalinas, East is Tanque Verdes in the foreground and taller Rincon in the background, West is the newest range, the prehistoric looking Tucson mountains and south is the Santa Ritas. So instead of “towards or away” of Denver, you need to memorize four ranges to know where you’re going Enjoy Tucson!
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