Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Avengers Half-Marathon @ Disneyland

I am a true proponent of wishes, goals, and dreams. Erin has a goal to complete a few more half-marathon races and I'm there to cheerlead her on her way. Of course I love visiting Disney any time of the year.

Disneyland and RunDisney sponsored the inaugural Avengers Half-Marathon last weekend and we scuttled over to participate and enjoy the first weekend of the holiday season. So much fun!!

We stayed in the Grand Californian for the weekend and it is absolutely beautiful. It's quite reminiscent of the Wilderness Lodge at Walt Disney World, one of our favorite hotels ever. The dramatic wood-paneled great room with fireplace, rockers, and comfortable seating impresses upon check-in. As does the incredible service (it's the Disney way!) The Grand Californian (www.disney.com) is located in the heart of Downtown Disney within easy walking distance to the entrance of both parks and the starting line for the race. I highly recommend a stay here if you can swing it!

Up early at the crack of dawn for the run - brisk weather and a peaceful Downtown Disney. All the lights in the trees and on the buildings are twinkling and Disney music trills in the background. Rounding the corner to the start of the race the adrenaline and pre-race jitters kick in with the booming music, bright lights, and swarms of runners in various costumes. If you're gonna run a 10K or a half-marathon - go Disney. They are so much fun. Erin loves Hawkeye, so she went all purple!




 Even with the horrible wind for 1/2 the race, she's all smiles when we get out to the parks.


Disneyland and California were festively be-decked for the holidays with lights, décor, and costumed characters. It truly is the Happiest Place on Earth, especially at Christmas.






Even Santa makes an appearance flying high over the parade route!

 
We love both parks and all our favorite rides were available. The Haunted Mansion becomes the Nightmare After Christmas Mansion and It's a Small World turns on the holiday charm. Even the Jungle Cruise becomes the Jingle Cruise!





California Adventure turns on even more of the holiday charm with some groovy Christmas trees.

 
 
 
 
 
We tried a couple of new (to us) dining adventures while visiting. The Storyteller's Café in the Grand Californian has a nice buffet for dinner, but we opted for something from the menu. Loved the hand cut pasta with duck and the linguine and roasted veggies. The bread is hot and fresh, and service was quite good. We also tried Flo's V-8 at California Adventure and really enjoyed it. Motown music blaring from the stereo and I'm wanting to sing and dance along with it. The food was very tasty - loved the half chicken with mashed potatoes and veggies and the turkey sandwich with gravy and a pasta salad. We couldn't skip a sundae at Ghirardelli - it's our tradition. The black cherry vanilla ice cream with dark hot fudge is delectable!!
 

 


Here's wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving and a wonderful holiday season with family and friends. I'll be chatting with you very soon!!

:) Deb

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

It's All In the Planning...

Half the fun of travel is the planning and here I stand in front of my computer doing just that. I can't seem to get enough of researching and fine-tuning the details of my future gamboling. I've researched some trips up the wa-hootie and come away completely satiated and fulfilled. Other times I've floated along on a whim and made the most amazing discoveries not only of the place I'm exploring, but also about myself. There are quite a few things I've learned and I'll share a couple of tidbits here with you.

1. Good planning (usually) = a good travel experience. There are historic sites that require timing, adventures that require a visa, amusement parks that require tickets, transportation that needs to be arranged, and dining that requires a reservation. Super important if you have an agenda. If you don't... not a problem!! A surprise along the way can be most welcome. That little cheese shop in Charleston made all the difference to two hungry travelers wandering the city.








2. Go directly to the source. I mean it - go directly to the source. Book direct for hotels, airfare, cruises, and the like. You may get a smokin' good deal on a discount travel website. But you may be sitting in the last row of the aircraft (near the stinky toilet) or on the backside of a noisy airport hotel, or even in a cruise cabin below sea level. Not a problem - if you're in it for the deal. Save money, get a deal, go for it! I'm all for saving money in so many different ways when I travel. But I need a little legroom on my airplane, and want a bit of a view from my hotel or cabin.




 
By the way... my neighbor has booked through a large travel website for a trip of a lifetime to Europe and her air itinerary has been changed three times to three different carriers... SO frustrating for her.

3. Embrace the culture, sample unique foods, check out local haunts, and experience a new you. Isn't that what travel is all about? By the way, I'll sample anything but meatloaf and the stuff that doesn't like me back (mushrooms, onions, and calamari ... damn it.)

4. Go ahead and read the reviews for hotels, restaurants, cruise ships, and public spaces. But remember that everyone has an opinion and it may not match yours. You be the judge and do what moves you. In the end you may agree with them or be glad you forged out on your own.

5. Be open to surprises and photo ops along the way.

It could be a chance cemetery that catches my eye in South Carolina,




or a great looking cow in Switzerland,




a family of sandpipers racing in the Pacific Ocean near Carmel,

 



or Mary Tyler Moore tossing her beret in downtown Minneapolis.




Relax and enjoy - whatever you choose. We do.
:) Deb

Friday, November 7, 2014

Three Days (yikes!) in the Big Apple

I debated long and hard about whether or not to write here about my whirlwind weekend in New York City because I forgot my camera! I love to post pics of my travel because they say so much more than words do in many cases. So if you aren't in the mood to read, skip this one.

What the hell ... here's what I've got.

Friday: Early morning flight out of Phoenix with arrival in Newark at 2:30pm. We boarded the Air Tran to the train station and took the train into the city, toted our single bag down 5th Avenue past all the gorgeous shops and a single slice of NY-style pizza, arriving at our hotel at 4:00pm.

We checked into the Marriott East Side NYC (www.marriott.com) and then boogied out for the evening. Rockefeller Center beckoned with its shops, crowds, and ice rink. The line to ride to the top was way too long for us - next time (and with a pre-purchased ticket.) Royce Chocolates were next up after reading about their delicate confections - on the money!! Super rich, creamy, delightful little nuggets of cocoa. So glad we stopped (www.royceconfectusa.com) in for a sample and a little bag of chilled chocolates with a chiller!

Dinner you ask? Reservations were made at Momofuku Ma Peche (www.momofuku.com.) Try saying that incorrectly! Teeny little location with friendly upstairs bar service and a very cool local who regaled us with stories of working as a designer for Macy's menswear collection. Fascinating - just like Project Runway (almost.) The scent of delicious food wafted upstairs and we couldn't wait to be served the Lamb Ribs with white grapes and peppers, the soft pork belly buns, a substantial broccoli salad, and the dim sum cart strolling by. Dim sum along with a smallish menu of divine goodness ... yes please. No dessert here - looking forward to our Royce chocolates later.

Saturday: Up early and ready for a walk uptown and through Central Park. We have NEVER seen so many dogs!! Dogs of every size, shape, breed, color, and temperament and most of them off-leash in the park. It was amazingly cool. Chill little Chihuahuas and groovy old Afghans pouncing with sweet Bernese Mountain Dogs and tons of poodle-mixes. Such a great vibe on a cool October morning. We're from Phoenix so we're not used to boots, jackets, hoodies, gloves and the like in October ... but there it was and it was gorgeous. I especially loved seeing the Alice in Wonderland statue but had to turn away when a couple of toddlers were straddling the top hat of the Mad Hatter. It was sooo high up there! My mommy-self just couldn't watch.

Across the park and past the gorgeous apartments (including the Dakota where John Lennon lived and died) to our breakfast treat - Good Enough to Eat on the upper west side of Central Park. (Get that NYC lingo ... upper west side?) Loved my pumpkin bread French toast and amazingly thick crisp bacon. Service is terrific here and worth the line out front (30 minutes guys.) Loved the choice of coffees and teas but way too full to try those luscious desserts in the bakery case. Next time.

Weaving our way back towards the theatre district and our afternoon entertainment at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre - "It's Only a Play" starring Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Stockard Channing, Megan Mullally, F. Murray Abraham, and Rupert Grint. Hilarious - absolutely hilarious. You must know Broadway to enjoy this one and the cast is superb. I read that Martin Short will be joining the cast the first week of January. Not sure who he will replace. Anything you see in NYC on Broadway is a treat and this show was no exception. Delightful!!

A quick stop into Beer Authority for a sampler of our choosing. Loved the Nebraska Brewing Brunette Brown, and the local Brooklyn selections. Good service, nice vibe, and on to our dinner reservations.

You gotta have Italian in New York and we settled on Carbone Ristorante on West 38th Street. SO happy we chose this place. Fresh red vine-ripened toms on the crispy bruschetta. Sturdy spaghetti and meatballs and a luscious piece of fish - Branzino Mediterranean Style. Oh My Gawd delicious. Fresh, flavorful, lightly seasoned in the Italian style. Tremendous! That and the limoncello were to die for.

Wandering through Bryant Park on our return to the hotel and visited all the little pop-up shops and dessert shops. Perfect weather on a perfect night.

Sunday: Early to rise and we headed out for bagels. Thick, New York style bagels with (no kidding) Tofu Cream Cheese!!!! So happy for this non-dairy treat on my bagel. This place was seriously crowded with everyone in the neighborhood picking up their Sunday eats. Ess-A-Bagel (www.ess-a-bagel.com) has what you need and you won't be disappointed. Honest.

This dream day had us taking the subway to Brooklyn to visit the original Jacque Torres Chocolaterie (www.mrchocolate.com) for the richest hot cocoa ever. We could barely finish it because it was so velvety (even with soy milk!) Then a short walk to the stairs for a lovely walk over the Brooklyn Bridge. Did you know that the area below the Brooklyn Bridge was known as the "DUMBO" neighborhood? Neither did I. I'll let you look it up and be surprised as to what it stands for. I've wanted to make a trek across famous bridges for awhile now. Two years ago we biked the Golden Gate Bridge and last weekend we walked the Brooklyn Bridge. I am so lucky. Gorgeous sunny day with a hint of a breeze  - Lady Liberty and Ellis Island sharing space with sailboats floating in the bay. Along the way, I was enlightened regarding a disease called "Primary Immunodeficiency Disease" by a mom who was walking for her son. This disease is closely related to horrible allergies and a lack of immunity for colds and flu. If you'd like to find out more or even make a donation go to www.primaryimmune.org for more info. Thanks Lakeshia for sharing your story with us.

We stopped into Anthony Bourdain's restaurant "Les Halles" for lunch. I'll save you money and time - skip it. The best thing about the place was that the bathrooms were clean.

But ahhh.... the World Trade Center Memorial. There is nothing quite like this emotionally riveting spot. Erin and I first visited New York City about 6 months after the bombing and never saw the towers in their glory. We saw the broken windows, boarded buildings, construction tape, and the pervasive sense of sadness throughout the area. This time around we encountered a peaceful space with waterfalls and engraved names surrounding the site of the brand new tower. I don't want to go into too much detail because I think it is a space that should be felt in person. Go and visit, you'll understand what I mean.

Brooklyn to Mid-town ... 5 chocolate houses, 5 brew-houses, 5 neighborhoods through Chinatown, Little Italy, Greenwich Village, the FlatIron District and along the Hudson River. Such a great way to see the city and all it's vibrant parts. I do recommend that you walk this city. Sure you can take the subway or a taxi and you'll have to do that eventually. But to really get a feel for New York, you must walk. I especially loved the Marie Belle Confectionary (www.mariebelle.com) and Neuhaus Chocolates (www.neuhauschocolate.com) as well. As for beer, you can't take a step without wandering into a great place for beer but we especially loved The Ginger Man (www.gingerman-nyc.com) for it's great beer selection and local beers too. The crispy potato chips were impeccably seasoned with a creamy dip. Yum.

Our last NYC meal was a little Jewish Deli called Second Avenue Deli (www.2ndavedeli.com.) I can't possibly visit this city without hitting up a new deli. They too are found just about everywhere. I had probably the best matzo ball soup I have ever tasted with the dilliest and butteriest (like those words?) pickles. Smacking my lips just remembering them. Jeff's liverwurst sandwich did not live up to our expectations and that was disappointing. But service was excellent - just like your grandma serving you dinner... if your grandma cooks!

New York City is crowded and dirty and gritty and bright and shiny and delicious. I love this city for a visit - and once a year wouldn't be a bad thing IMHO. But money is always a concern and this city is expensive. Plan ahead and make a visit. You CAN do it in a weekend. I did.

Bring out the hoodies people - it's Autumn!!
Deb :)