We'd made a plan to drive south to the Everglades for an air-boat tour, aiming to set off early for the 2 3/4 hour drive, although Stefan estimated around 2 hours to get there. This failed more or less immediately with us struggling out of the trap for around 11.
It was a lovely drive down the gulf coast and baking hot as we pulled into airboat station, situated in about 200 sq. miles of privately owned swampland, the advantage being is that they'd set it up as a one way 'track', so no danger of hitting other boats and being able to MAX the craft across the water. The engine incidentally was a 500BHP 496 cubic inch (whatever that means) V8, meaning that maxing certainly provided a lot of thrills in our half empty boat, with the culmination in a big lake of a full throttle 360 turn. Great stuff.
The tour lasted for around 3/4 hour, unfortunately not seeing any 'gators, but plenty of other wildlife (jumping mullet, coots, moorhens and so forth) and unusual flora - principally mangroves, but a large variety. Great experience.
After the tour, we got back on the road north and stopped off for some grub - pretty standard fare (and large), but also allowed for the sampling of margheritas excepting driver B. Following this, three of us were feeling fairly tired and emotional and had a gentle snooze while our driver bore us peacefully to our destination. Upon regaining consciousness, our driver excitedly commented that she'd seen some racoons along the way that were alive and not roadkill.
Tea was planned, but we were all still so full from the afternoon lunch that it was impossible.
Saturday, 2 February 2013
Tampa - 4/2/13
The Day After The Superbowl.
It's amazing that anything happens at all in this country after superbowl sunday, as I'm sure 90% of people would have got completely wrecked. That's certainly how it felt anyway!
Today we went to St. Petersburg, home to the Dali museum. This was very interesting and made me aware of something that I was not previously: his surrealism period for which he is best known in pop culture, only lasted a few short years before he fell out with the 'organisers' of the surrealist movement. I suspect that this falling out came about at a similar time that Dali got together with his future wife & muse Gala, at the time the wife of Paul Eluard, one of the founders of surrealism.
The exhibition was excellent - he started painting at the age of 12 with his early work being very colourful and impressionist in nature. The gallery was organised in a rough linear time with a clear progression of skill and his interests, finishing up with his masterworks that around 4 meters in height and 2 1/2 wide each taking maybe a year to complete. The one technique that did re-occur throughout his middle-later work was the optical illusion - making a larger picture become apparent from lots of smaller images cleverly combined together and often only obvious when standing 20 feet away or more. A talented chap.
After this, we went for a walk in St. Petersburg, having been told that it was a place for little independants & boutiques. There were a few open, and a lot of galleries & art supply shops, but also mostly closed - no doubt due to the rigours of the previous evening.
That evening, we'd been promised a trip to Bern's Steak House. Stefan told us that all the meat that they sell there is reared on their ranch; the cutlery and cooking steel is made specifically by them for the restaurant by their steel shop down the road. All the fresh produce is also grown on their farm and all staff are apprenticed on the ranch/farm for about 4 years before they are allowed in the restaurant. This trip sounded pretty attractive. Valet service for the car with the main reception being fabulously opulent: you can always tell when somewhere is posh, pricey and good - as it's full of the well-heeled older generation.
Sitting down, cocktails were ordered and were given menus. The wine menu was about 1cm thick - all held in their cellar, as they are also famed for having over 5000 different wines, ports, brandies, sherries, you name it. In their collection is the only 2 surviving ports from 1870 in the world ($400/1 1/2 ounce measure). The steak menu (A4 sized) could only be called absolute. Any (decent) cut in sizes from 8oz to 64oz (for a party) could be ordered, and the price included a french onion soup starter, house-made onion rings, carrots, spinach and incongruously, a baked spud. B and I opted for Rib Eye, Stefan for a specially aged fillet and Joy the same. We ordered a side of creamed spinach (which wasn't as good as the Austin steak house's as it goes, but still great). Included in the menu was extensive description of how they prepared the different cuts of meat, the thicknesses and recommended cooking time. Unbelievable.
The steak was fabulous. Really, the nicest that any of us had ever eaten, with the exception of Stefan who had been there before.
After the meal, the restaurant has this scheme where they escort your party around the kitchens, which was also excellent; Stefan had arranged a special visit to the meat locker (not even the manager gets to go in there) as he knew one of the head chefs - the smell hits you first, a delicious aroma of curing meat, categorised and aging - a rough (conservative?) guess of the value in the meat there was maybe $20,000. Following the kitchen tour was a wine cellar tour - all fully temperature controlled, neatly labelled and ordered, and while being in a few rooms, we were informed that it was barely 1/5th of their entire collection. A very serious operation.
After the tour, we went upstairs for dessert. Yes, they have a dessert floor, with individual booths (complete with closing doors and period entertainment system with modern internals). B had an aged port (not the 1870 one though!) and enjoyed it very much.
All in all a thoroughly entertaining experience and surprisingly cheap, considering. Despite the excellence of the food, I think it worked out to roughly $70/head - putting the final nail in the utterly feeble coffin presented by Scammo's back in SF. Bern's was a very impressive place, and would definitely put it as number 1 place to eat for steak when we come back.
Tampa - 3/2/13
Superbowl Sunday! The game was starting at 6.30 EST, but the buildup had already started by 9am.
Attempted Daily Eats again - similar wait time today, but there was no rush so we waited. The place lived up to expectations and everything was awesome.
Back to the apartment and spent a few hours chilling (after all the driving that we'd been doing we were bent on taking it easy for a few days!) before driving to Stefan's friend's place for the Main Event.
Got there to find a table laden with food, to which we added our own, and a stacked fridge. US fridges being what they are though, there was plenty of room for our own booze and the other 20 people's that also arrived.
The game started to a packed couch, so I hovered around, standing up until about half an hour into the 1st Qtr (length: 15 minutes), when the couch emptied somewhat. Surprised, I swiftly took a place directly in front of the tv and didn't move for the rest of the game. Meanwhile, everyone else was moving around, standing in the kitchen chatting - for such a huge buildup there seemed remarkably little interest and we (B&I ) came to the conclusion that the superbowl was just an excuse to have a party. No arguments from us though!
At half time, the Baltimore Ravens were trouncing the San Francisco 49rs, and Beyonce appeared for the half time show along with Destiny's Child. Apparently the rumours of a reunion are true, I'm reliably informed by my pop gossip (B). As the game restarted, the 49rs were in need of some heavy scoring immediately but the Ravens had other ideas and executed a 109 yard running return, a superbowl record. Shortly afterwards, half the power to the stadium went out, causing a stoppage. Conspiracy theories abounded about the 49rs paying off someone or other to remove the Ravens' momentum; whatever the reason, the momentum was lost, as the 49rs scored 17 points within about 2 1/2 minutes of game time putting them in the position of needing just 1 touchdown for victory. What was seeming like a whitewash turned into a nailbiter - the final 49rs pass into the endzone which would have netted them the trophy for the 6th time in the last minute of game time was fumbled (or interfered with according to 49rs fans!) leaving the Ravens victorious. And there was much rejoicing. (Not at our party though).
B also discovered a new fave drink, called Reddes. This is an cider ale, actually very tasty.
Attempted Daily Eats again - similar wait time today, but there was no rush so we waited. The place lived up to expectations and everything was awesome.
Back to the apartment and spent a few hours chilling (after all the driving that we'd been doing we were bent on taking it easy for a few days!) before driving to Stefan's friend's place for the Main Event.
Got there to find a table laden with food, to which we added our own, and a stacked fridge. US fridges being what they are though, there was plenty of room for our own booze and the other 20 people's that also arrived.
The game started to a packed couch, so I hovered around, standing up until about half an hour into the 1st Qtr (length: 15 minutes), when the couch emptied somewhat. Surprised, I swiftly took a place directly in front of the tv and didn't move for the rest of the game. Meanwhile, everyone else was moving around, standing in the kitchen chatting - for such a huge buildup there seemed remarkably little interest and we (B&I ) came to the conclusion that the superbowl was just an excuse to have a party. No arguments from us though!
At half time, the Baltimore Ravens were trouncing the San Francisco 49rs, and Beyonce appeared for the half time show along with Destiny's Child. Apparently the rumours of a reunion are true, I'm reliably informed by my pop gossip (B). As the game restarted, the 49rs were in need of some heavy scoring immediately but the Ravens had other ideas and executed a 109 yard running return, a superbowl record. Shortly afterwards, half the power to the stadium went out, causing a stoppage. Conspiracy theories abounded about the 49rs paying off someone or other to remove the Ravens' momentum; whatever the reason, the momentum was lost, as the 49rs scored 17 points within about 2 1/2 minutes of game time putting them in the position of needing just 1 touchdown for victory. What was seeming like a whitewash turned into a nailbiter - the final 49rs pass into the endzone which would have netted them the trophy for the 6th time in the last minute of game time was fumbled (or interfered with according to 49rs fans!) leaving the Ravens victorious. And there was much rejoicing. (Not at our party though).
B also discovered a new fave drink, called Reddes. This is an cider ale, actually very tasty.
Tampa - 2/2/13
Had a lazy morning. We were taken to a place called 'Daily Eats' - were promised that it was an incredible breakfast/all day place. However, Joy had to work, and the waiting list was too long, so back home Stefan made us bacon & eggs which were delicious. Duly sated, B went shopping in the early afternoon and I did... not a great deal actually. It was great!
When B returned, we were chatting about what to do and Stefan mentioned that there was a big ice hockey match that evening - Tampa Bay Lightning Vs New York Rangers. I was pretty keen on this, as we'd failed to see hockey when we were in Canada; however it was touch and go as to whether there would be any tickets available but we got some for $50 apiece. The seats themselves were as far from the rink as possible: right in the back top row, although this wasn't a bad thing in my opinion as we got to see the entire stadium and rink with no problems at all. The Bolts (Tampa) scored first, but eventually succumbed to the Rangers at 3-2.
I was glad I'd finally got to see a hockey game - the basic rules are pretty easy to grasp, with the minutiae to cover special cases not particularly important to know for the evening. Great fun!
When B returned, we were chatting about what to do and Stefan mentioned that there was a big ice hockey match that evening - Tampa Bay Lightning Vs New York Rangers. I was pretty keen on this, as we'd failed to see hockey when we were in Canada; however it was touch and go as to whether there would be any tickets available but we got some for $50 apiece. The seats themselves were as far from the rink as possible: right in the back top row, although this wasn't a bad thing in my opinion as we got to see the entire stadium and rink with no problems at all. The Bolts (Tampa) scored first, but eventually succumbed to the Rangers at 3-2.
I was glad I'd finally got to see a hockey game - the basic rules are pretty easy to grasp, with the minutiae to cover special cases not particularly important to know for the evening. Great fun!
New Orleans - Tampa - 1/2/13
Had to get up early - this one was going to be a big one! Nearly 700 miles in one day was necessary. On the road by 8, and reached Tampa about 11 hours later, 8 pm. The extra hour came from moving through another time zone.
Pretty tired, but the drive had been relatively easy; Arrived at Stefan's house and went out for dinner with his and his g/f Joy, picked up some beers on the way home and went to bed soon afterwards.
9 1/2 hours - 659 miles!
View New Orleans - Tampa in a larger map
Pretty tired, but the drive had been relatively easy; Arrived at Stefan's house and went out for dinner with his and his g/f Joy, picked up some beers on the way home and went to bed soon afterwards.
9 1/2 hours - 659 miles!
View New Orleans - Tampa in a larger map
New Orleans - 31/1/13
Out in time to get to our meeting spot for the swamp tour pickup. The bus driver was called Rene (Rennay? not sure), and while on the 3/4 hour journey to the tour base, he was pointing out the damage of Katrina, and the rebuildilng that was still ongoing. Plenty of derelict building lots, boarded up houses and even one theme park in the distance, rusting slowly. He explained that how after Katrina hit, there were people who couldn't come back, or didn't want to due to family members and friends who had been lost in the disaster. He made you realise - whilst you might be aware of the city's circumstances - how much of it is based on reclaimed land and swamp, and how hard it must be to return to the place that was the scene of so much devastation.
Arriving at the swamp tour, we were introduced to our guide, Captain Bishop. He took us on an interesting tour of the swamp, obviously looking for 'gators', but saw lots of other wildlife such as tree snakes, wild feral pigs, turtles sunning themselves, blue herons, egrets & a red tailed hawk. After much speeding around the byways, again with an explanation as to how Katrina had changed the shape and course of the river & swamp area (filling in some areas, blowing out others, house boat & ship wreckage etc.), we eventually located some alligators. This was Bishop's 'secret' place for seeing 'gators, and we weren't disappointed. This is currently gator hibernation season as the water is still a bit cold for them - however, as it was a sunny day, we did see some sitting on logs warming up.
It is illegal to hunt alligators, unless you have a licence. The licencing works by allocating tags to people that may want them, with one tag to be used per 'gator caught - this way the numbers can be regulated in a manageable manner. The tags are apparently allocated on a lottery basis - however we did get the inkling of the political nature of tag assignment, as our guide said it always seemed to be the same people who got the tags! No change there then.
The whole tour was really good fun, and Bishop was a great guide with lots of knowledge of the flora & fauna - unsurprising as it turned out he lived in the more populated area of the swamps, with his own jetty, boat etc. all of his life. Getting back to NO around 3.30, we decided to try crawfish (boiled and in etouffe) & alligator as recommended by our Captain at a particular restaurant, entertained as seems the norm here, by a live band with a 2 hour slot. The area was starting to fill up with the superbowl crowds, but still not that busy, but you could see glimmerings of the chaos to come. [Crawfish are more or less mini lobsters, about as long as your thumb, and fiddly to eat and boiled with bay leaves which is abundant in the swamps. Although they tasted ok, the bays overpowered the flavour.]
After lunch, we checked out Cafe Du Monde, a place famous for their beignets. These are almost exactly the same as doughnuts, but in a pillow shape, and covered in icing sugar. Whilst eating these, we meandered back home absorbing the atmosphere and got home around 5pm. Beignets, while celebrated around here, weren't that exciting. They were nice, but not necessary to get from Cafe Du Monde in particular we think - european bakeries all produce cakes that are far nicer.
That evening, we walked back to Frenchman street to check out 'The Spotted Cat' which had been recommended for its music by the tourist information guy. Next door to it, there was a local craft market still open (8pm) that we had a quick wander around before popping into the Spotted Cat. Inside the Cat, there was a 3 piece playing - but we weren't really feeling this, and soon after sitting down, they finished for a break. Just across the road was Cafe Negril, so scooted over and into the old favourite. If somewhere that you visited once 2 days before could be considered 'old', that is. For those of you who watch the HBO show 'Treme', you might (or not) be excited to know that in Negril was Davis (Steve Zahn) checking out the band and eating tacos. Ordering tacos ourselves, we sat down with a beer to enjoy the 7 piece, who did not disappoint. It was getting late-ish by this point, so we left to walk home, as tomorrow was an early start and a mammoth drive.
Arriving at the swamp tour, we were introduced to our guide, Captain Bishop. He took us on an interesting tour of the swamp, obviously looking for 'gators', but saw lots of other wildlife such as tree snakes, wild feral pigs, turtles sunning themselves, blue herons, egrets & a red tailed hawk. After much speeding around the byways, again with an explanation as to how Katrina had changed the shape and course of the river & swamp area (filling in some areas, blowing out others, house boat & ship wreckage etc.), we eventually located some alligators. This was Bishop's 'secret' place for seeing 'gators, and we weren't disappointed. This is currently gator hibernation season as the water is still a bit cold for them - however, as it was a sunny day, we did see some sitting on logs warming up.
It is illegal to hunt alligators, unless you have a licence. The licencing works by allocating tags to people that may want them, with one tag to be used per 'gator caught - this way the numbers can be regulated in a manageable manner. The tags are apparently allocated on a lottery basis - however we did get the inkling of the political nature of tag assignment, as our guide said it always seemed to be the same people who got the tags! No change there then.
The whole tour was really good fun, and Bishop was a great guide with lots of knowledge of the flora & fauna - unsurprising as it turned out he lived in the more populated area of the swamps, with his own jetty, boat etc. all of his life. Getting back to NO around 3.30, we decided to try crawfish (boiled and in etouffe) & alligator as recommended by our Captain at a particular restaurant, entertained as seems the norm here, by a live band with a 2 hour slot. The area was starting to fill up with the superbowl crowds, but still not that busy, but you could see glimmerings of the chaos to come. [Crawfish are more or less mini lobsters, about as long as your thumb, and fiddly to eat and boiled with bay leaves which is abundant in the swamps. Although they tasted ok, the bays overpowered the flavour.]
After lunch, we checked out Cafe Du Monde, a place famous for their beignets. These are almost exactly the same as doughnuts, but in a pillow shape, and covered in icing sugar. Whilst eating these, we meandered back home absorbing the atmosphere and got home around 5pm. Beignets, while celebrated around here, weren't that exciting. They were nice, but not necessary to get from Cafe Du Monde in particular we think - european bakeries all produce cakes that are far nicer.
That evening, we walked back to Frenchman street to check out 'The Spotted Cat' which had been recommended for its music by the tourist information guy. Next door to it, there was a local craft market still open (8pm) that we had a quick wander around before popping into the Spotted Cat. Inside the Cat, there was a 3 piece playing - but we weren't really feeling this, and soon after sitting down, they finished for a break. Just across the road was Cafe Negril, so scooted over and into the old favourite. If somewhere that you visited once 2 days before could be considered 'old', that is. For those of you who watch the HBO show 'Treme', you might (or not) be excited to know that in Negril was Davis (Steve Zahn) checking out the band and eating tacos. Ordering tacos ourselves, we sat down with a beer to enjoy the 7 piece, who did not disappoint. It was getting late-ish by this point, so we left to walk home, as tomorrow was an early start and a mammoth drive.
New Orleans - 30/1/13
Made it to the cookery school about 20 minutes before it started - no hardship, as it was located in a spice shop, so plenty to look at.
We were called in by name by order of booking. We were the last called, and our host/cook for the next few hours introduced herself - Anne, born and bred (white)NO. She gave us a quick precis of the culinary history of NO. While this was happening, an entree of what the American's call 'biscuits' - a scone basically. Accompanying this was a sweet sauce, made from molasses and brown sugar - similar to Ruebenkraut if you know it.
The next three hours were spent learning how to cook gumbo, jambalya, pina colada bread pudding & pralines. Included, of course, was being able to sample all this delicious food. This being the US, 'sample' was more than adequate and we left full. Well worth $29! The next half hour was spent in the shop for 2 reasons - presents and because it was raining heavily.
Back out onto Decateur, we went for a walk through the French Market, which is at one end of the FQ, close to the quay, followed by catching the tram along the waterfront to Canal Street. This last road is the centre of the commercial area of NO - big store names, hotels etc.
Walking back to the flat, still feeling full for a bit of a rest. Again, eating and shopping can get quite tiring.
Around 6 we walked back into FQ and popped into Lafitte's on the way past - me with Kentucky bourbon and B with Jack & coke. Great atmosphere inside, and had the look of a really old English pub - open, crooked beams, exposed brick walls etc. Then we aimed for Mr. B's, a restaurent recommended by Anne for the best BBQ shrimp in town. While we didn't try any other BBQ shrimp, I'd be surprised if anything got close to these, as they were absolutely fantastic. Whole prawns (that needed shelling + bibs) in a roux-based pepper and bbq sauce, together with french bread to mop up the liquid, washed down with more jack and coke & bourbon.
Finished our food and jumped in a cab to the Candle Light Lounge around 8; this turned out to be about 2 hours too early, but never mind. Cover charge (entry fee) was $10, but this also included a bowl of gumbo or two if you got peckish. This place was the NO version of a social club - run for the community by the community - unpretentious and friendly.
The Treme brass band were excellent - the band leader said it approximately 1/3 of the full band (6 on stage), and treated us to a rendition of the theme tune from the HB show 'Treme'. Seeing as it was the same guys who played it on that show, it was pretty damn good, as was it all. The lead singer had a voice as gravelly as Luis Armstrong, and just as good in our opinions. B did a lot of dancing and was chuffed to bits when complimented on dancing by an old black lady. Sent her home with a grin on her face.
We were called in by name by order of booking. We were the last called, and our host/cook for the next few hours introduced herself - Anne, born and bred (white)NO. She gave us a quick precis of the culinary history of NO. While this was happening, an entree of what the American's call 'biscuits' - a scone basically. Accompanying this was a sweet sauce, made from molasses and brown sugar - similar to Ruebenkraut if you know it.
The next three hours were spent learning how to cook gumbo, jambalya, pina colada bread pudding & pralines. Included, of course, was being able to sample all this delicious food. This being the US, 'sample' was more than adequate and we left full. Well worth $29! The next half hour was spent in the shop for 2 reasons - presents and because it was raining heavily.
Back out onto Decateur, we went for a walk through the French Market, which is at one end of the FQ, close to the quay, followed by catching the tram along the waterfront to Canal Street. This last road is the centre of the commercial area of NO - big store names, hotels etc.
Walking back to the flat, still feeling full for a bit of a rest. Again, eating and shopping can get quite tiring.
Around 6 we walked back into FQ and popped into Lafitte's on the way past - me with Kentucky bourbon and B with Jack & coke. Great atmosphere inside, and had the look of a really old English pub - open, crooked beams, exposed brick walls etc. Then we aimed for Mr. B's, a restaurent recommended by Anne for the best BBQ shrimp in town. While we didn't try any other BBQ shrimp, I'd be surprised if anything got close to these, as they were absolutely fantastic. Whole prawns (that needed shelling + bibs) in a roux-based pepper and bbq sauce, together with french bread to mop up the liquid, washed down with more jack and coke & bourbon.
Finished our food and jumped in a cab to the Candle Light Lounge around 8; this turned out to be about 2 hours too early, but never mind. Cover charge (entry fee) was $10, but this also included a bowl of gumbo or two if you got peckish. This place was the NO version of a social club - run for the community by the community - unpretentious and friendly.
The Treme brass band were excellent - the band leader said it approximately 1/3 of the full band (6 on stage), and treated us to a rendition of the theme tune from the HB show 'Treme'. Seeing as it was the same guys who played it on that show, it was pretty damn good, as was it all. The lead singer had a voice as gravelly as Luis Armstrong, and just as good in our opinions. B did a lot of dancing and was chuffed to bits when complimented on dancing by an old black lady. Sent her home with a grin on her face.
New Orleans - 29/1/13
Up late(ish) for breakfast, which had been laid out for us by David. While having breakfast (provided by the owners, which included a delicious fresh blueberry loaf), David came in to tell us of some things that were going on in and around NO in the next few days. Whilst B was chatting to him, he told how Katrina had affected them - 4 feet of water in their bottom floor, so they moved somewhere else for 6 months while the house was getting sorted and upon return, chose to live upstairs. The house had originally been 2 apartments, so there were 2 kitchens, bathrooms, living spaces etc so it was easy to do; once they'd realised that they could live upstairs with no problems, it was a small step to use the bottom floor for AirB'n'B - great for guests!
After breakfast we headed for the French Quarter. This was no more than 15 minutes walk away down St. Philip's street through Treme. On the way we stopped at a house that had a plaque outside; the house it was referring to was the first one to be owned by a 'Free Man of Colour' (f.m.c.) in NO, meaning that that person wasn't a slave. As we were reading, the owner of the house, Alvin Jackson, noticed and came to talk to us about what we were reading on the plaque. He then invited us into his house before giving us an informal history lesson about the neighbourhood and the free people of colour, explained through paintings on his dining room wall that he had commissioned for the purpose. It turned out that Al had travelled a lot, and lived in Europe while in the army & his German was pretty good! We spent about an hour there, and just before we left, he suggested that we visit the 'Candle Light Lounge' just around the corner which hosted the Treme Brass Band on the Wednesday (David had suggested it as well).
Saying goodbye, we resumed the walk to the FQ. Soon after crossing the boundary into the FQ, we passed Lafitte's, a bar that Ory had said was the oldest in NO. Certainly looked that way as well, since it was made of brick (unusual around here) and leaning at a crazy angle. Next up was Bourbon Street - the most famous in NO with tons of bars, and then found Royal Street. This was more of an 'art' street - every other shop seemed to be a gallery. B purchased a lovely Mardi Gras print, which had been painted by a local artist called Mousie, it was a limited print numbered out of 200. At this point we felt the first hunger pangs and enquiries directed us to 'The Praline Connection'. This was on Frenchman Street where most of the non-touristy Jazz bars were located (if that is at all possible).
First up: Gumbo! This is effectively a thick soup with a 'Roux' base. The roux is made from flour, water and spices. Then pretty much anything else is chucked in, depending on what you want - spicy sausage, seafood, veg, rice etc. B had an 'Etouffe' - a stew with chicken and rice and I had a shrimp 'Po-Boys'. A po-boys is a sandwich made with crispy bread, similar to a baguette. I was expecting something light, but no. It was huge. Fully half a baguette with battered prawns, veg and fries. I asked for a sweet tea, but asked for the sweetness to be toned down a bit - the lady said she did, but it was still eye-wincingly sweet. It would have been undrinkable (for me) in it's fully sweetened form. All in all, perfect for our first taste of NO cuisine.
Suitably fed (actually, completely stuffed). Moseyed back into the centre of the FQ via 'Decatour Street' to the tourist info and booked a swamp tour ($49), then back to Royal for more window shopping. Arriving back at the house around 6 to take some time planning for the next day. It was supposed to rain so were looking for indoors-y things to do. Found a NO cooking school - offering cooking demonstrations (and tastings obviously!) which had spaces. After booking this we got a cab to Frenchman Street (still being unsure of the the neighbourhood after dark) and ended up in a place called Cafe Negril ('Open 363 days per year'). This was a great place - food at the back (tacos), stage in the centre and the bar against the back wall. Shortly after we arrived there was a band change, John Lisi and the Delta Funk. These guys were awesome. Good enough, in fact, for me to buy 3 albums after a short negotiation for bulk purchase.
Still being pretty full from lunch, we had a couple of tacos just to top us off, freshly made, hot and delicious. Made it home around midnight. Got the impression that the bar was only just getting going.
After breakfast we headed for the French Quarter. This was no more than 15 minutes walk away down St. Philip's street through Treme. On the way we stopped at a house that had a plaque outside; the house it was referring to was the first one to be owned by a 'Free Man of Colour' (f.m.c.) in NO, meaning that that person wasn't a slave. As we were reading, the owner of the house, Alvin Jackson, noticed and came to talk to us about what we were reading on the plaque. He then invited us into his house before giving us an informal history lesson about the neighbourhood and the free people of colour, explained through paintings on his dining room wall that he had commissioned for the purpose. It turned out that Al had travelled a lot, and lived in Europe while in the army & his German was pretty good! We spent about an hour there, and just before we left, he suggested that we visit the 'Candle Light Lounge' just around the corner which hosted the Treme Brass Band on the Wednesday (David had suggested it as well).
Saying goodbye, we resumed the walk to the FQ. Soon after crossing the boundary into the FQ, we passed Lafitte's, a bar that Ory had said was the oldest in NO. Certainly looked that way as well, since it was made of brick (unusual around here) and leaning at a crazy angle. Next up was Bourbon Street - the most famous in NO with tons of bars, and then found Royal Street. This was more of an 'art' street - every other shop seemed to be a gallery. B purchased a lovely Mardi Gras print, which had been painted by a local artist called Mousie, it was a limited print numbered out of 200. At this point we felt the first hunger pangs and enquiries directed us to 'The Praline Connection'. This was on Frenchman Street where most of the non-touristy Jazz bars were located (if that is at all possible).
First up: Gumbo! This is effectively a thick soup with a 'Roux' base. The roux is made from flour, water and spices. Then pretty much anything else is chucked in, depending on what you want - spicy sausage, seafood, veg, rice etc. B had an 'Etouffe' - a stew with chicken and rice and I had a shrimp 'Po-Boys'. A po-boys is a sandwich made with crispy bread, similar to a baguette. I was expecting something light, but no. It was huge. Fully half a baguette with battered prawns, veg and fries. I asked for a sweet tea, but asked for the sweetness to be toned down a bit - the lady said she did, but it was still eye-wincingly sweet. It would have been undrinkable (for me) in it's fully sweetened form. All in all, perfect for our first taste of NO cuisine.
Suitably fed (actually, completely stuffed). Moseyed back into the centre of the FQ via 'Decatour Street' to the tourist info and booked a swamp tour ($49), then back to Royal for more window shopping. Arriving back at the house around 6 to take some time planning for the next day. It was supposed to rain so were looking for indoors-y things to do. Found a NO cooking school - offering cooking demonstrations (and tastings obviously!) which had spaces. After booking this we got a cab to Frenchman Street (still being unsure of the the neighbourhood after dark) and ended up in a place called Cafe Negril ('Open 363 days per year'). This was a great place - food at the back (tacos), stage in the centre and the bar against the back wall. Shortly after we arrived there was a band change, John Lisi and the Delta Funk. These guys were awesome. Good enough, in fact, for me to buy 3 albums after a short negotiation for bulk purchase.
Still being pretty full from lunch, we had a couple of tacos just to top us off, freshly made, hot and delicious. Made it home around midnight. Got the impression that the bar was only just getting going.
Houston - New Orleans - 28/1/13
On the road by 9.30, destination New Orleans (pron. New OR-lins). The landscape was much different to what we were used to - now mostly swampland - but we soon got used to it again. There wasn't the sense of such a vast landscape as there has been up until now because the freeway/interstates have thick trees either side, opposed to nothing until the horizon as has been hitherto true. Occasionally there was a break in the tree line and *then* you could see water, trees leading into swamp for miles.
Nearing New Or-lins, there was a bridge built into swampland. We were on this bridge for what must have been 3/4 hour, probably nigh-on 60 miles. Then another, of similar length which led onto the southern edge of Lake Pontchatrain. Across the water, could see another bridge that is apparently the lowest in the world - can't be much more than a few feet above the surface of the lake.
Finding our accommodation in NO was more or less straight forward - we were staying in Treme, the oldest Black neighbourhood in the US - but what was pretty hard was the whole network of one way systems around there - we could see the road that we needed, but couldn't get to it.
The house was beautiful. It was owned by an older gay couple who had owned the place for 15 years, and filled it with artwork and sculptures. What we originally thought was a room, turned out to be pretty much the ground floor (bedroom, bathroom, big kitchen and living room) - they had got into the habit of living on the top floor, leaving the ground floor for guests. Great value.
David (one half of the couple) was a great host, gave us a map of the centre, and lots of numbers/ideas of places to visit/eat etc. He said Mardi Gras had started the previous week, but was currently on hold for the Superbowl. Mardi Gras would restart on Monday - how annoying!
We were both pretty tired, so decided not to do a great deal, get some sleep in readiness to explore the city tomorrow.
5 1/2 hours - 347 miles.
View Houston - New Orleans in a larger map
Nearing New Or-lins, there was a bridge built into swampland. We were on this bridge for what must have been 3/4 hour, probably nigh-on 60 miles. Then another, of similar length which led onto the southern edge of Lake Pontchatrain. Across the water, could see another bridge that is apparently the lowest in the world - can't be much more than a few feet above the surface of the lake.
Finding our accommodation in NO was more or less straight forward - we were staying in Treme, the oldest Black neighbourhood in the US - but what was pretty hard was the whole network of one way systems around there - we could see the road that we needed, but couldn't get to it.
The house was beautiful. It was owned by an older gay couple who had owned the place for 15 years, and filled it with artwork and sculptures. What we originally thought was a room, turned out to be pretty much the ground floor (bedroom, bathroom, big kitchen and living room) - they had got into the habit of living on the top floor, leaving the ground floor for guests. Great value.
David (one half of the couple) was a great host, gave us a map of the centre, and lots of numbers/ideas of places to visit/eat etc. He said Mardi Gras had started the previous week, but was currently on hold for the Superbowl. Mardi Gras would restart on Monday - how annoying!
We were both pretty tired, so decided not to do a great deal, get some sleep in readiness to explore the city tomorrow.
5 1/2 hours - 347 miles.
View Houston - New Orleans in a larger map
Monday, 28 January 2013
Austin - Houston - 27/1/13
Up early and feeling the worse for it. Luckily, today was the shortest drive that we will have had to do - a mere 3 1/2 hours to Houston (187 miles). The reason for leaving early was so that we would have time to visit the Johnson Space Centre - the NASA base where mission control is located for all of their expeditions.
It had been suggested in Austin that we visit Franklin's on sunday morning - but as it didn't open until 11, it would have meant delaying leaving and then not having much time at the JSC. Much as the 'best BBQ in Texas' had us salivating, we couldn't really spare the time and thought that we'd get BBQ in Houston. As it happens, that worked out quite well.
Rolled into Houston around 1 and got to the JSC around 1.30. Pretty exciting; (for me anyhow!) As you arrive, you are greeted with two training jets marking the entrance and a life-size mock-up of a space shuttle, imposing its way over the car park.
Entry was $28.50 (including audio apparatus with guidance from astronauts), with the staff being pretty helpful when you tell them how much time you have with regards which attractions in the JSC you should see and in which order. First up was a tram tour of the key buildings in the JSC - Mission Control, Training Area, Rememberance Garden and Rocket Park.
NASA have preserved the original control room on a level of the MC building from the Apollo 11 era - the moon landing in 1969. A short talk in the visitor's theatre told you how the room was set up - the back row the commanders and working forward launch control, systems control, with guidance being at the front. In those days, the computers weren't powerful enough to correct guidance errors, so what they had instead was a team of mathematicians who would be expected to manually work out and return correct guidance adjustments in a matter of seconds. The equipment looked antiquated, as you may imagine, but it was suggested that we think of these desks as car dashboards rather than computers - showing up warning lights and information as and when the sensors flagged up information that the controllers would need. Thus, behind these desks was simply (haha) monitors and wiring. The computer that they used was an old IBM machine with far less processing power than we have in modern day phones.
Next was the training area, with life size module mock-ups in a long thin building from various space agencies around the globe - NASA, ESA (Europe), RSA (Russia), NASDA (Japan). These were exact replicas of the units the astronauts would be using in the various missions - mostly now centred around the ISS.
The Rememberance Garden was there for obvious reasons, with 1 tree planted per lost life. This was indeed a venerated space - it's purpose to never forget those who gave their lives for the boundaries of human exploration and accomplishment. It did its job well.
The final stop was Rocket Park. A gigantic building which housed the Saturn V rocket (on loan from the Smithsonian). It was vast, and split into each individual stage. So called the 'V' because of the 5 boosters from the rocket's first stage. Each booster cone is probably large enough to fit at least 4 people standing on each others shoulders across the diameter. Moving onto the 2nd stage, it had 3 smaller boosters, and then the final stage with 1. The nose cone housed the mission module and living quarters with small guidance boosters to correct spin etc.
Waiting for the tram to take us back to the visitor's centre, it was not possible to see the edges of NASA's property - 16,000 acres with a lot of it, it seems, yet to be built on. Back inside the visitor's centre, there was a lot of things to see and do - IMAX films of launches and past missions, 15 minute talks on the ISS, the current 'Curiosity' program on Mars, a shuttle cockpit, space suits through the ages along with unused designs. All the way along through the tours we were supplemented with the audio tour - well worth the extra few bucks.
We spent about 5 hours there but had to leave as we were pretty wacked. Made it back to the hotel and sought out a local BBQ joint - it was a family run place, VERY busy, VERY popular, set up like a cafeteria with a tray. You request what meat you would like, sides and then head through to the dining area. It was delicious - Brisket (chopped beef), pork ribs (so well cooked that it just slipped off the bone), sausages (3 choices from about 7), all slathered in a tasty BBQ sauce. The sides were awesome too - we had broccolli rice, <side dish>, <side dish>. Being very full, we got back to the hotel and slept - ready for the mission to New Orleans the next morning!
View Austin - Houston in a larger map
It had been suggested in Austin that we visit Franklin's on sunday morning - but as it didn't open until 11, it would have meant delaying leaving and then not having much time at the JSC. Much as the 'best BBQ in Texas' had us salivating, we couldn't really spare the time and thought that we'd get BBQ in Houston. As it happens, that worked out quite well.
Rolled into Houston around 1 and got to the JSC around 1.30. Pretty exciting; (for me anyhow!) As you arrive, you are greeted with two training jets marking the entrance and a life-size mock-up of a space shuttle, imposing its way over the car park.
Entry was $28.50 (including audio apparatus with guidance from astronauts), with the staff being pretty helpful when you tell them how much time you have with regards which attractions in the JSC you should see and in which order. First up was a tram tour of the key buildings in the JSC - Mission Control, Training Area, Rememberance Garden and Rocket Park.
NASA have preserved the original control room on a level of the MC building from the Apollo 11 era - the moon landing in 1969. A short talk in the visitor's theatre told you how the room was set up - the back row the commanders and working forward launch control, systems control, with guidance being at the front. In those days, the computers weren't powerful enough to correct guidance errors, so what they had instead was a team of mathematicians who would be expected to manually work out and return correct guidance adjustments in a matter of seconds. The equipment looked antiquated, as you may imagine, but it was suggested that we think of these desks as car dashboards rather than computers - showing up warning lights and information as and when the sensors flagged up information that the controllers would need. Thus, behind these desks was simply (haha) monitors and wiring. The computer that they used was an old IBM machine with far less processing power than we have in modern day phones.
Next was the training area, with life size module mock-ups in a long thin building from various space agencies around the globe - NASA, ESA (Europe), RSA (Russia), NASDA (Japan). These were exact replicas of the units the astronauts would be using in the various missions - mostly now centred around the ISS.
The Rememberance Garden was there for obvious reasons, with 1 tree planted per lost life. This was indeed a venerated space - it's purpose to never forget those who gave their lives for the boundaries of human exploration and accomplishment. It did its job well.
The final stop was Rocket Park. A gigantic building which housed the Saturn V rocket (on loan from the Smithsonian). It was vast, and split into each individual stage. So called the 'V' because of the 5 boosters from the rocket's first stage. Each booster cone is probably large enough to fit at least 4 people standing on each others shoulders across the diameter. Moving onto the 2nd stage, it had 3 smaller boosters, and then the final stage with 1. The nose cone housed the mission module and living quarters with small guidance boosters to correct spin etc.
Waiting for the tram to take us back to the visitor's centre, it was not possible to see the edges of NASA's property - 16,000 acres with a lot of it, it seems, yet to be built on. Back inside the visitor's centre, there was a lot of things to see and do - IMAX films of launches and past missions, 15 minute talks on the ISS, the current 'Curiosity' program on Mars, a shuttle cockpit, space suits through the ages along with unused designs. All the way along through the tours we were supplemented with the audio tour - well worth the extra few bucks.
We spent about 5 hours there but had to leave as we were pretty wacked. Made it back to the hotel and sought out a local BBQ joint - it was a family run place, VERY busy, VERY popular, set up like a cafeteria with a tray. You request what meat you would like, sides and then head through to the dining area. It was delicious - Brisket (chopped beef), pork ribs (so well cooked that it just slipped off the bone), sausages (3 choices from about 7), all slathered in a tasty BBQ sauce. The sides were awesome too - we had broccolli rice, <side dish>, <side dish>. Being very full, we got back to the hotel and slept - ready for the mission to New Orleans the next morning!
View Austin - Houston in a larger map
Austin 26/1/13
Saturday!
Both felt a little hungover, and debated about whether to go shopping or do something proper. The guilt of wasting time in Austin got the better of us, so headed south about 30 miles or so to New Braunfels. This was a town that was billed as 'charmingly German'. This was clearly not the case, but perhaps Americans thought that it was. Having said that, it was a nice place, and had a villagely feel to it; found a farmers market with loads of delicious local produce - Jerky, Honey, Cheeses and most strangely of all, flavoured olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Had lunch and then set off to San Antonio, which was only another 30 miles south or so. San Antonio has the most 'European' feel to it out of any town that we have hitherto visited - was set out similarly, sunny, relaxed - and of course, the home of the Alamo.
The Alamo is the symbol of Texan resistance, and the root of their individualism. Around the 1830s there was an ownership tussle over Texas between the Mexicans and the then US. San Antonio knew that the attack was coming, but only had 100 or so irregulars manning the fort, bolstered by another 89 men from surrounding states who answered the call for help with Davy Crockett being one of those. The Mexican regular army then attacked and wiped out the defenders, only to be shortly afterwards be removed from the fort themselves as the US regulars arrived - too late to help their countrymen - but numerous enough to beat the Mexicans.
Arriving back in Austin about 5-ish, had a bit of a relax before heading out for steak and BBQ. The restaurant (Lamberts) that had been recommended by the waiter at Snack Bar had a 2 hour wait. Clearly popular and great, but we were not up for waiting for that long. There was another steak place nearby (Bob's Steak and Chop) - a bit pricier, but we reasoned that it would be good. Ensconsed at the upstairs (open air) bar, we chatted to the bar man about steak choice. He recommended rib eye for myself and rack of lamb for B. Our neighbours at the bar inevitably heard our accents and started chatting to us, very nice couple who were from Texas and who we also ended up talking to for the rest of the time there. It happened that the woman had also lived in the same small village as the lawman from Lubbock, 5 miles from where B grew up.
The steaks and lamb were fabulous. Truly one of the nicest I've eaten, and the lamb - again - perfectly cooked, tender, juicy and loads of it. It came served with what seemed like a single, large, raw carrot. In reality it was aldente and glazed in cinnamon, with the potatoes covered in a peppercorn sauce. A side of creamed spinach was also ordered, and again was absolutely fantastic. Despite B being gutted at not getting to try BBQ, she enjoyed her food immensely. The couple next to us also suggested that we visit a BBQ place called 'Franklins'. This is an unusual place, opens at 11am generally, but queues start forming around 9am for lunch. They come down the queue, take your order, and basically serve until they run out of meat.
A short note on steak size - the smallest they offered was 12oz, the largest 24. The barman suggested that 12oz would be sufficient - 16, he said, would be like a double portion, although and I quote, "24 is normal size for a Texan, but double for normal folks." 12oz was sufficient for me - I was tempted by the 16, as who can resist such a large slab of tasty meat? On reflection, it was just as well that I went for the smaller. Not sure who would be able to manage a 24oz steak along with the additionals.
Around this time, a text from Kate and David arrived, so we made tracks via one of the cycle couriers - a pedal powered tuk-tuk essentially, to the bar where their friend was singing. This was a fun evening, and got to meet some of their other mates; towards the end of the night, another musical friend of theirs told us of a party up the road at Robert Plant's house. Somewhat sceptical, we went along, as a party is a party, right? It didn't turn out to be *quite* at his house - that was next door, but he owned the one we were at for renting out. The band that was set up in the kitchen was pretty good although the kitchen was rammed and was difficult to get into and out of. A bit of hanging around chatting to randoms and was time to go home. Kate & David offered us a lift home which was very generous, stumbling into our flat at around 3.
Both felt a little hungover, and debated about whether to go shopping or do something proper. The guilt of wasting time in Austin got the better of us, so headed south about 30 miles or so to New Braunfels. This was a town that was billed as 'charmingly German'. This was clearly not the case, but perhaps Americans thought that it was. Having said that, it was a nice place, and had a villagely feel to it; found a farmers market with loads of delicious local produce - Jerky, Honey, Cheeses and most strangely of all, flavoured olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Had lunch and then set off to San Antonio, which was only another 30 miles south or so. San Antonio has the most 'European' feel to it out of any town that we have hitherto visited - was set out similarly, sunny, relaxed - and of course, the home of the Alamo.
The Alamo is the symbol of Texan resistance, and the root of their individualism. Around the 1830s there was an ownership tussle over Texas between the Mexicans and the then US. San Antonio knew that the attack was coming, but only had 100 or so irregulars manning the fort, bolstered by another 89 men from surrounding states who answered the call for help with Davy Crockett being one of those. The Mexican regular army then attacked and wiped out the defenders, only to be shortly afterwards be removed from the fort themselves as the US regulars arrived - too late to help their countrymen - but numerous enough to beat the Mexicans.
Arriving back in Austin about 5-ish, had a bit of a relax before heading out for steak and BBQ. The restaurant (Lamberts) that had been recommended by the waiter at Snack Bar had a 2 hour wait. Clearly popular and great, but we were not up for waiting for that long. There was another steak place nearby (Bob's Steak and Chop) - a bit pricier, but we reasoned that it would be good. Ensconsed at the upstairs (open air) bar, we chatted to the bar man about steak choice. He recommended rib eye for myself and rack of lamb for B. Our neighbours at the bar inevitably heard our accents and started chatting to us, very nice couple who were from Texas and who we also ended up talking to for the rest of the time there. It happened that the woman had also lived in the same small village as the lawman from Lubbock, 5 miles from where B grew up.
The steaks and lamb were fabulous. Truly one of the nicest I've eaten, and the lamb - again - perfectly cooked, tender, juicy and loads of it. It came served with what seemed like a single, large, raw carrot. In reality it was aldente and glazed in cinnamon, with the potatoes covered in a peppercorn sauce. A side of creamed spinach was also ordered, and again was absolutely fantastic. Despite B being gutted at not getting to try BBQ, she enjoyed her food immensely. The couple next to us also suggested that we visit a BBQ place called 'Franklins'. This is an unusual place, opens at 11am generally, but queues start forming around 9am for lunch. They come down the queue, take your order, and basically serve until they run out of meat.
A short note on steak size - the smallest they offered was 12oz, the largest 24. The barman suggested that 12oz would be sufficient - 16, he said, would be like a double portion, although and I quote, "24 is normal size for a Texan, but double for normal folks." 12oz was sufficient for me - I was tempted by the 16, as who can resist such a large slab of tasty meat? On reflection, it was just as well that I went for the smaller. Not sure who would be able to manage a 24oz steak along with the additionals.
Around this time, a text from Kate and David arrived, so we made tracks via one of the cycle couriers - a pedal powered tuk-tuk essentially, to the bar where their friend was singing. This was a fun evening, and got to meet some of their other mates; towards the end of the night, another musical friend of theirs told us of a party up the road at Robert Plant's house. Somewhat sceptical, we went along, as a party is a party, right? It didn't turn out to be *quite* at his house - that was next door, but he owned the one we were at for renting out. The band that was set up in the kitchen was pretty good although the kitchen was rammed and was difficult to get into and out of. A bit of hanging around chatting to randoms and was time to go home. Kate & David offered us a lift home which was very generous, stumbling into our flat at around 3.
Austin - 25/1/13
Had another really leisurely morning, glorying in the fact that there was no driving to be done.
Went into Downtown Austin to see if we could find some shops to buy another travel bag (so that we could bring back our additional purchases). Downtown Austin wasn't what we were expecting - no shops, just business district and restaurants, all centred on 6th street.
Elected to walk back up to South Congress, this time over the bridge rather than bussing it - turned out to be a lot further than anticipated. These American streets are huge. Walked past the SXSW (South by South West, a music & media festival) building - presumably where it's organised from, as SXSW takes over the entire city around March time. The tickets are insanely expensive if you want to take part in the full thing - $1500. However, it is possible to experience it by not paying, as all the artists that turn up for their gigs will play in other bars (despite their contracts specifically not allowing them to do so), naturally making it cheaper for punters and making the whole city one big party town for a week or so. Would be great to visit then - but book 6 months in advance for accommodation unless you know someone there.
Decided to walk further up SC than we did the day before and stopped at a really nice cafe (called 'Snack Bar' - US business names are very literal sometimes) for lunch. Our waiter, once pressed, told of some places downtown to get good steaks and BBQ (couldn't leave Texas without trying steak & BBQ!) and also mentioned a good live music venue called the 'Continental Club'. A bit further up the road, we stopped in at a sweet shop. They had UK chocolate in there, but at $3 for a Twirl or Star Bar, was not worth it. This shop turned out to be very fortuitous place to visit, as we bumped into a girl from Bradford who had moved there 3 years ago for music college, met someone and got married. They (Kate and David) were both lovely, and we had a chat, swapped numbers and agreed to perhaps meet them on saturday evening at a bar where one of their friends was gigging.
The sun was starting to go down, Kate and David had told of a great BBQ place called 'La Barbecue' (what was that about business names?) which was off down some side streets. This was interesting as we saw more of residential Austin than simply the shopping streets - seemed a nice neighbourhood. We found La Barbecue, but were too full from lunch still, so walked back to the bus stop and got back to the apartment for 'un rechargement' before going out later. Wandering around in the sun, shopping and eating is intensely tiring. Dont'ch'a'know.
We'd been told of an unusual street just out of Downtown, called Rainey street. This was a residential neighbourhood that has gradually over the last 4 years turned from that into a street of bars made from people's homes. Pretty buzzing place. 6th street used to be the place to go out in, but has filled up with students - locals who are a bit older stopped going there, as the surrounding streets got to be so busy that after about 6pm are closed off and made entirely pedestrian. Rainey street seemed to arise from this to cater for the older clientele who didn't want to be wading through youngsters and slipping on vomit.
I had forgotten my passport, but most places check IDs here, which was a minor concern. As it happened, the chap on the door wasn't that bothered and could see that we were over 21 so we got in. A few beers here, and then onto 'Bangers' - a sausage joint. Really nice food here, plus had cask ales. Alas, all sold out, but the thought was there. B experienced her nicest Bratwurst ever, and I had a Louisiana Lighting. This was bloody spicy, but delicious. Cab back, pretty reasonable price. In bed by 1.30.
Went into Downtown Austin to see if we could find some shops to buy another travel bag (so that we could bring back our additional purchases). Downtown Austin wasn't what we were expecting - no shops, just business district and restaurants, all centred on 6th street.
Elected to walk back up to South Congress, this time over the bridge rather than bussing it - turned out to be a lot further than anticipated. These American streets are huge. Walked past the SXSW (South by South West, a music & media festival) building - presumably where it's organised from, as SXSW takes over the entire city around March time. The tickets are insanely expensive if you want to take part in the full thing - $1500. However, it is possible to experience it by not paying, as all the artists that turn up for their gigs will play in other bars (despite their contracts specifically not allowing them to do so), naturally making it cheaper for punters and making the whole city one big party town for a week or so. Would be great to visit then - but book 6 months in advance for accommodation unless you know someone there.
Decided to walk further up SC than we did the day before and stopped at a really nice cafe (called 'Snack Bar' - US business names are very literal sometimes) for lunch. Our waiter, once pressed, told of some places downtown to get good steaks and BBQ (couldn't leave Texas without trying steak & BBQ!) and also mentioned a good live music venue called the 'Continental Club'. A bit further up the road, we stopped in at a sweet shop. They had UK chocolate in there, but at $3 for a Twirl or Star Bar, was not worth it. This shop turned out to be very fortuitous place to visit, as we bumped into a girl from Bradford who had moved there 3 years ago for music college, met someone and got married. They (Kate and David) were both lovely, and we had a chat, swapped numbers and agreed to perhaps meet them on saturday evening at a bar where one of their friends was gigging.
The sun was starting to go down, Kate and David had told of a great BBQ place called 'La Barbecue' (what was that about business names?) which was off down some side streets. This was interesting as we saw more of residential Austin than simply the shopping streets - seemed a nice neighbourhood. We found La Barbecue, but were too full from lunch still, so walked back to the bus stop and got back to the apartment for 'un rechargement' before going out later. Wandering around in the sun, shopping and eating is intensely tiring. Dont'ch'a'know.
We'd been told of an unusual street just out of Downtown, called Rainey street. This was a residential neighbourhood that has gradually over the last 4 years turned from that into a street of bars made from people's homes. Pretty buzzing place. 6th street used to be the place to go out in, but has filled up with students - locals who are a bit older stopped going there, as the surrounding streets got to be so busy that after about 6pm are closed off and made entirely pedestrian. Rainey street seemed to arise from this to cater for the older clientele who didn't want to be wading through youngsters and slipping on vomit.
I had forgotten my passport, but most places check IDs here, which was a minor concern. As it happened, the chap on the door wasn't that bothered and could see that we were over 21 so we got in. A few beers here, and then onto 'Bangers' - a sausage joint. Really nice food here, plus had cask ales. Alas, all sold out, but the thought was there. B experienced her nicest Bratwurst ever, and I had a Louisiana Lighting. This was bloody spicy, but delicious. Cab back, pretty reasonable price. In bed by 1.30.
Austin - 24/1/13
A nice long sleep in - looking forward to a nice rest and a break from driving. Today was Laundry Day(tm). Wasn't so hard, found a laundromat just up the road, not too expensive, took a couple of hours.
In the afternoon, got the bus to Downtown Austin and a short walk out of the city centre to South Congress. This had the feel of Haight in SF to some degree - all independant shops, nice cafes, bars etc. On the walk up to South Congress, stopped off for a quick ramen - I was craving vegetables, as they're not so popular out here it seems, at least when you eat out.
Mooched further up the road to find 'Allen's Boots' - a few days previously, we had been talking about purchasing some 'proper' cowboy boots. The shop was bonkers. Thousands upon thousands of boots, smelled beautifully of leather and a little overwhelming when you first walk in. The boots were organised by size and width, so while there were masses once we'd found that out, it narrowed the search considerably as there was only really your size section to look through, luckily. The pair that I had seen on the shop's website was not in stock - not a huge issue, as seeing a smaller size in the flesh as it were, they didn't look as nice. Ended up with a pair with a nice 'cuban heel' - the old style boots. Incredibly comfortable and really fine lookin'. B unfortunately didn't find a pair that she liked, as the ladies' boots all seemed to be too pointed for her taste.
South Congress was a nice area, pretty relaxed (as most of Austin seems to be), and the weather was really nice - around 20 degrees, comfortable, not too humid, sunny and calm.
After shopping, went and sat in a bar (Doc's) just as dusk was falling, had a few drinks, a basket of wings, and a few more drinks. *Very nearly* missed the bus home, but managed to catch it just in time - driver kindly waited for us to jog to the stop - and much hilarity from B seeing me running in flip flops and trying to flag the bus down.
In the afternoon, got the bus to Downtown Austin and a short walk out of the city centre to South Congress. This had the feel of Haight in SF to some degree - all independant shops, nice cafes, bars etc. On the walk up to South Congress, stopped off for a quick ramen - I was craving vegetables, as they're not so popular out here it seems, at least when you eat out.
Mooched further up the road to find 'Allen's Boots' - a few days previously, we had been talking about purchasing some 'proper' cowboy boots. The shop was bonkers. Thousands upon thousands of boots, smelled beautifully of leather and a little overwhelming when you first walk in. The boots were organised by size and width, so while there were masses once we'd found that out, it narrowed the search considerably as there was only really your size section to look through, luckily. The pair that I had seen on the shop's website was not in stock - not a huge issue, as seeing a smaller size in the flesh as it were, they didn't look as nice. Ended up with a pair with a nice 'cuban heel' - the old style boots. Incredibly comfortable and really fine lookin'. B unfortunately didn't find a pair that she liked, as the ladies' boots all seemed to be too pointed for her taste.
South Congress was a nice area, pretty relaxed (as most of Austin seems to be), and the weather was really nice - around 20 degrees, comfortable, not too humid, sunny and calm.
After shopping, went and sat in a bar (Doc's) just as dusk was falling, had a few drinks, a basket of wings, and a few more drinks. *Very nearly* missed the bus home, but managed to catch it just in time - driver kindly waited for us to jog to the stop - and much hilarity from B seeing me running in flip flops and trying to flag the bus down.
Lubbock - Austin - 23/1/13
Managed to get out and be on the road by 9.15, a trip record. Today was going to be a lot of small roads - no interstates or freeways, so would be likely to take a while longer to cover a similar distance.
On the way out of Lubbock, we passed miles and miles of cotton fields - this was pretty interesting, as while we knew what they looked like, had never really seen them before. This spark of excitement soon passed as we drove through the next 100 miles of it.
Western/Northen Texas is the 'classic' Texas that you may think of: arid, desert-like and flat. There was some soil and clearly people were able to make a living from farming the land (arable and dairy/meat), but it didn't look easy, and as a result wasn't densely populated. The small towns we did drive through looked run down and not too wealthy - either filled with agricultural or chemical businesses. Chalk it up as our least favourite scenery.
What there was a lot of, however, was churches. The Lord has a strong presence here, as you might imagine, but they look nothing like a UK church. All single store, made of tin and wood, with only really a spire giving away it's true purpose: to save, praise be.
After a quick stop and snack, we came into Lampassas, the largest town we'd seen for a while - a lunch stop. Found this nice 'mom and pop' restaurant called 'Country Kitchen'. As you walked in, it was clearly very, very Texan. Nearly spit and sawdust, but not quite. B had brisket, pinto beans, potato salad and 'hush puppies', which are little corn maize balls. I had some fried chicken breast - both were pretty good, although I did get food jealousy after trying the brisket which melted in your mouth and very tasty BBQ sauce. This place also had an array of homemade pies - Pecan (pronouced p-khan over here), Cherry, Apple, Pumpkin, Lemon Meringue and a few others that we couldn't identify. This caused excitement, so after a mandatory purchase of p-khan and apple pies, we left.
As we arrived in Austin, it was rush hour. Nightmare traffic, close to LA levels, but made worse by Austin's completely incomprehensible highway system. Think Spaghetti Junction in Brum, but far bigger and by no means intuitive. After a bit of a struggle, we picked up the apartment keys and did a spot of food shopping. Met an American who has some good friends from Sheffield and loved our accents. Then, with heavy hearts, we tackled Austin traffic again to the apartment itself - again, rush hour, strange highway organisation, made for a taxing last few miles, taking about an hour to get through.
Lacking energy to do much else, we watched a couple of films before passing out. The drive in the main had been a cinch - just those last 20 miles or so had really taken it out of us after the 7 1/2 hours or so previously.
373 miles for this stretch:
View Lubbock - Austin in a larger map
On the way out of Lubbock, we passed miles and miles of cotton fields - this was pretty interesting, as while we knew what they looked like, had never really seen them before. This spark of excitement soon passed as we drove through the next 100 miles of it.
Western/Northen Texas is the 'classic' Texas that you may think of: arid, desert-like and flat. There was some soil and clearly people were able to make a living from farming the land (arable and dairy/meat), but it didn't look easy, and as a result wasn't densely populated. The small towns we did drive through looked run down and not too wealthy - either filled with agricultural or chemical businesses. Chalk it up as our least favourite scenery.
What there was a lot of, however, was churches. The Lord has a strong presence here, as you might imagine, but they look nothing like a UK church. All single store, made of tin and wood, with only really a spire giving away it's true purpose: to save, praise be.
After a quick stop and snack, we came into Lampassas, the largest town we'd seen for a while - a lunch stop. Found this nice 'mom and pop' restaurant called 'Country Kitchen'. As you walked in, it was clearly very, very Texan. Nearly spit and sawdust, but not quite. B had brisket, pinto beans, potato salad and 'hush puppies', which are little corn maize balls. I had some fried chicken breast - both were pretty good, although I did get food jealousy after trying the brisket which melted in your mouth and very tasty BBQ sauce. This place also had an array of homemade pies - Pecan (pronouced p-khan over here), Cherry, Apple, Pumpkin, Lemon Meringue and a few others that we couldn't identify. This caused excitement, so after a mandatory purchase of p-khan and apple pies, we left.
As we arrived in Austin, it was rush hour. Nightmare traffic, close to LA levels, but made worse by Austin's completely incomprehensible highway system. Think Spaghetti Junction in Brum, but far bigger and by no means intuitive. After a bit of a struggle, we picked up the apartment keys and did a spot of food shopping. Met an American who has some good friends from Sheffield and loved our accents. Then, with heavy hearts, we tackled Austin traffic again to the apartment itself - again, rush hour, strange highway organisation, made for a taxing last few miles, taking about an hour to get through.
Lacking energy to do much else, we watched a couple of films before passing out. The drive in the main had been a cinch - just those last 20 miles or so had really taken it out of us after the 7 1/2 hours or so previously.
373 miles for this stretch:
View Lubbock - Austin in a larger map
Santa Fe - Lubbock - 22/1/13
Up at 7.30, had breakfast (waffle machine! Awesome!); sorted out our accommodation for Lubbock and set off at 9.30.
We arrived at Lubbock around 2.30pm, after only stopping for a 15 minute break on the way. Today was the day that we realised that you get a lot more done by starting at that sort of time rather than fiddling around until 10.30-11. Seems obvious in retrospect.
The road we were travelling on was pretty much in a straight line, and was very easy driving. Upon arriving in Lubbock (much bigger than we thought) we headed directly for the Buddy Holly museum. This was $5 to get in - a 15 minute introductory film about his (short) life and a memorabilia room containing his specs (recovered from the crash site) clothes, records, contracts, information, his guitars and so on. So here goes some Buddy Holly facts: we hadn't realised he was quite so young when he died and was touring with Richie Valens and the Big Bopper after falling out with his band (The Crickets). The tour was taking place around the northern states in the winter months, and was a pretty bad winter by all accounts. The tour bus had been freezing and broke down a lot - most of the people on the tour ended up with colds or 'flu. In Iowa, Buddy had decided that he would charter a plane (light aircraft) to take him to the next gig and get there ahead of time. Within 5 minutes of taking off, the plane was flown into the ground due to the bad weather and the pilot being blinded by snow. All 4 occupants were killed. His career had only spanned 18 months, however had changed the history of popular music forever. He was extremely innovative in his sound and techniques and pushed boundaries with every area of his music. He was not afraid to be different and directly influenced some of the greatest bands of the 20th century - The Stones, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, The Grateful Dead and the The Byrds. He was the first person to tour with a band (The Crickets) and set the mold in that way too - effectively changing the way that Rock'n'Roll was performed to live audiences forever.
He had in those 18 months toured the US, UK and Australia - an impressive achievement in itself at this time. A young McCartney and Lennon would see him in the UK and watched carefully how he played so that they could attempt to mimic his sounds and play-style.
One wonders - if he had not died in that plane crash - would The Beatles & The Stones have been as big as they were? Would they have been overshadowed by him continually?
The two things that stuck in B's mind from the museum were how the fashion hasn't changed much in some ways - i.e. Levi's denim jackets, white converse trainers and preppy cardies were as popular then as they were now. Also a letter that his mum and dad had written to the editor of the NME just a year after his death. They imparted a little bit of context to his upbringing, the type of family that he came from and the young man that he was - i.e. not really tarnished by fame and still the unassuming, down to earth character that he was while growing up.
It was well worth the $5 and reminded both of us how much we like his music.
We left the museum around 4 to drive to the local graveyard to see his, erm, grave. The cemetary was in a pretty poor area of Lubbock, looked a bit depressing and probably not so savoury at night. The grave had flowers on so it that looked fresh - you get the impression that a lot of people visit and keep them that way.
Leaving there, we got to our hotel around 5, checked in and tapped up the chap in the hotel for good places to eat. The room was lovely, and again a massive bed - for a 2* place, it was really decent!
The recommended place to eat was more or less in the centre of Lubbock - in the student area. The streets were pretty nice (paved, which is unusual here) and the buildings far nicer than the outskirts, containing a few independant businesses, clothes shops and bars. The place that we had been recommended wasn't yet open - the boss was late for work, to his employee's irritation. 2nd choice was a student place called 'Crickets' - the food though was very tasty and between the two f us plus drinks, came to $16 - not a great deal. B wanted Ice cream and we were sent to a place called Kaleidoscoops.
On the way there, we were stopped for speeding - 50 in a 40. The policeman was a little confused when presented with a UK driving licence, and then came back and said that it is not valid in the state of Texas. A little unusual. Then said that he would 'cut us a break' and let us go - not sure what would have happened if he'd decided to enforce that particular law. Remember thinking at the time that it was a little strange - Texas does it's own thing a lot of the time, so it *could* be true - but other thoughts were that he was alternatively trying to scare us/cover for himself being confused and not wanting to lose face. The chap also turned out to have trained in the UK about 5 miles from where B grew up.
The ice cream shop was closed. B was gutted.
Back to the hotel and a mutual decision to stick to speed limits in Texas (and beyond), as if there was a next time, we might not get off so lightly. (Have since spoken to a few people about this, and none of them have heard about it, or think that he was correct. National (car hire co.) certainly never mentioned anything like that.)
Distance - 313 miles and about 6 hours.
View Santa Fe - Lubbock in a larger map
We arrived at Lubbock around 2.30pm, after only stopping for a 15 minute break on the way. Today was the day that we realised that you get a lot more done by starting at that sort of time rather than fiddling around until 10.30-11. Seems obvious in retrospect.
The road we were travelling on was pretty much in a straight line, and was very easy driving. Upon arriving in Lubbock (much bigger than we thought) we headed directly for the Buddy Holly museum. This was $5 to get in - a 15 minute introductory film about his (short) life and a memorabilia room containing his specs (recovered from the crash site) clothes, records, contracts, information, his guitars and so on. So here goes some Buddy Holly facts: we hadn't realised he was quite so young when he died and was touring with Richie Valens and the Big Bopper after falling out with his band (The Crickets). The tour was taking place around the northern states in the winter months, and was a pretty bad winter by all accounts. The tour bus had been freezing and broke down a lot - most of the people on the tour ended up with colds or 'flu. In Iowa, Buddy had decided that he would charter a plane (light aircraft) to take him to the next gig and get there ahead of time. Within 5 minutes of taking off, the plane was flown into the ground due to the bad weather and the pilot being blinded by snow. All 4 occupants were killed. His career had only spanned 18 months, however had changed the history of popular music forever. He was extremely innovative in his sound and techniques and pushed boundaries with every area of his music. He was not afraid to be different and directly influenced some of the greatest bands of the 20th century - The Stones, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, The Grateful Dead and the The Byrds. He was the first person to tour with a band (The Crickets) and set the mold in that way too - effectively changing the way that Rock'n'Roll was performed to live audiences forever.
He had in those 18 months toured the US, UK and Australia - an impressive achievement in itself at this time. A young McCartney and Lennon would see him in the UK and watched carefully how he played so that they could attempt to mimic his sounds and play-style.
One wonders - if he had not died in that plane crash - would The Beatles & The Stones have been as big as they were? Would they have been overshadowed by him continually?
The two things that stuck in B's mind from the museum were how the fashion hasn't changed much in some ways - i.e. Levi's denim jackets, white converse trainers and preppy cardies were as popular then as they were now. Also a letter that his mum and dad had written to the editor of the NME just a year after his death. They imparted a little bit of context to his upbringing, the type of family that he came from and the young man that he was - i.e. not really tarnished by fame and still the unassuming, down to earth character that he was while growing up.
It was well worth the $5 and reminded both of us how much we like his music.
We left the museum around 4 to drive to the local graveyard to see his, erm, grave. The cemetary was in a pretty poor area of Lubbock, looked a bit depressing and probably not so savoury at night. The grave had flowers on so it that looked fresh - you get the impression that a lot of people visit and keep them that way.
Leaving there, we got to our hotel around 5, checked in and tapped up the chap in the hotel for good places to eat. The room was lovely, and again a massive bed - for a 2* place, it was really decent!
The recommended place to eat was more or less in the centre of Lubbock - in the student area. The streets were pretty nice (paved, which is unusual here) and the buildings far nicer than the outskirts, containing a few independant businesses, clothes shops and bars. The place that we had been recommended wasn't yet open - the boss was late for work, to his employee's irritation. 2nd choice was a student place called 'Crickets' - the food though was very tasty and between the two f us plus drinks, came to $16 - not a great deal. B wanted Ice cream and we were sent to a place called Kaleidoscoops.
On the way there, we were stopped for speeding - 50 in a 40. The policeman was a little confused when presented with a UK driving licence, and then came back and said that it is not valid in the state of Texas. A little unusual. Then said that he would 'cut us a break' and let us go - not sure what would have happened if he'd decided to enforce that particular law. Remember thinking at the time that it was a little strange - Texas does it's own thing a lot of the time, so it *could* be true - but other thoughts were that he was alternatively trying to scare us/cover for himself being confused and not wanting to lose face. The chap also turned out to have trained in the UK about 5 miles from where B grew up.
The ice cream shop was closed. B was gutted.
Back to the hotel and a mutual decision to stick to speed limits in Texas (and beyond), as if there was a next time, we might not get off so lightly. (Have since spoken to a few people about this, and none of them have heard about it, or think that he was correct. National (car hire co.) certainly never mentioned anything like that.)
Distance - 313 miles and about 6 hours.
View Santa Fe - Lubbock in a larger map
Friday, 25 January 2013
Flagstaff - Santa Fe - 21/1/13
We woke up at 7.30, having had a great night's sleep, which was certainly needed. Had breakfast at the hostel, a pretty spartan affair, instant porridge and toast (not terribly exciting). Despite getting up at this early time, we didn't manage to motivate ourselves to get back onto the road to leave for Santa Fe until around 9.30 - mostly on the I-40. - this time we elected the so-called 'fast' way rather than diverting for the 'scenic route' on Route 66, having learned form yesterday's error.
En route we saw signs for the Petrified Forest, also an area that contains the Painted Desert. We had read about this and thought it might be good to see, but hadn't got any further with that idea until we came across it and figured that it would criminal to miss it.
B learned that the process of petrifying is when wood turns to stone, via submerging in oxygen free ash and silt. This then was able to turn into silica over the years and not rot, eventually being uncovered and the proverbial rock hard. (As an illustration of how hard, some cross sections of tree that were cut for the little museum had taken fully 3 DAYS of continuous cutting with diamond/carbide discs and 3 WEEKS to polish).
Luckily, it so happened, it was free admission to the National Park when we arrive, usually $10, due to a national holiday. Within 2 minutes of entering the park, we stopped to look at some petrified tree trunks, just lying around, that were now rock. Even the bark patterns were preserved on some of them, but the inside of the trunks were beautiful colours of quartz and crystal stone - reds, yellows, blues, whites and dark purples. A further 45 minutes of driving through the park led us to the Painted Desert. This was an incredible landscape of pinky/red Arizona sandstone that stretched for miles (more or less to the horizon). It would have been great to have had the time to picnic on the edge of it, but we were aware of the timescale and didn't want a repeat of the day before, rolling into town in the dark. There was a lot to do in the park in terms of 3 mile walks etc. which would have been great if we'd have had the time to complete. We stopped at the gift shop on the way out and bought a lovely sandstone lamp.
Onwards to Santa Fe - on the way we stopped at Denny's Diner for lunch, a US chain set up in the 50s - although as much as we can we have tried to avoid chains, the food was cheap and very tasty. B had pancakes, 2 fried eggs and bacon for $4 and a burrito for myself for a similar price.
Still better than Scummo's.
We arrived in Santa Fe around 5.30-5.45, just as it was getting dark. First time that we have managed to arrive in near daylight! We checked into the Econolodge, a lovely little hotel with a kingsize bed (more like giant size). Well worth $64 for the night including breakfast.
We chilled for a while, not feeling as tired as the day before despite travelling a similar distance and then chipped out for evening tea at a local mexican place recommended by the hotel owners. The food here was delicious. B ordered a sopapilla, which is kind of like a leavened bread stuffed with chicken and guac (her choice of filling). I ordered fajitas, that arrived with some of the nicest, freshest tortillas that I have ever eaten. We were given free dessert, which was plain, sweet sopapillas (rather like a donut mix) that honey is drizzled onto. Very tasty. Once back at the hotel, we both passed out fairly sharpish.
399 miles travelled, approx. 71/2 8 hours with a 90 minute stop for the appreciation of the petrified forest (not really long enough as mentioned) and 45 mins for lunch.
View Flagstaff to Santa Fe in a larger map
En route we saw signs for the Petrified Forest, also an area that contains the Painted Desert. We had read about this and thought it might be good to see, but hadn't got any further with that idea until we came across it and figured that it would criminal to miss it.
B learned that the process of petrifying is when wood turns to stone, via submerging in oxygen free ash and silt. This then was able to turn into silica over the years and not rot, eventually being uncovered and the proverbial rock hard. (As an illustration of how hard, some cross sections of tree that were cut for the little museum had taken fully 3 DAYS of continuous cutting with diamond/carbide discs and 3 WEEKS to polish).
Luckily, it so happened, it was free admission to the National Park when we arrive, usually $10, due to a national holiday. Within 2 minutes of entering the park, we stopped to look at some petrified tree trunks, just lying around, that were now rock. Even the bark patterns were preserved on some of them, but the inside of the trunks were beautiful colours of quartz and crystal stone - reds, yellows, blues, whites and dark purples. A further 45 minutes of driving through the park led us to the Painted Desert. This was an incredible landscape of pinky/red Arizona sandstone that stretched for miles (more or less to the horizon). It would have been great to have had the time to picnic on the edge of it, but we were aware of the timescale and didn't want a repeat of the day before, rolling into town in the dark. There was a lot to do in the park in terms of 3 mile walks etc. which would have been great if we'd have had the time to complete. We stopped at the gift shop on the way out and bought a lovely sandstone lamp.
Onwards to Santa Fe - on the way we stopped at Denny's Diner for lunch, a US chain set up in the 50s - although as much as we can we have tried to avoid chains, the food was cheap and very tasty. B had pancakes, 2 fried eggs and bacon for $4 and a burrito for myself for a similar price.
Still better than Scummo's.
We arrived in Santa Fe around 5.30-5.45, just as it was getting dark. First time that we have managed to arrive in near daylight! We checked into the Econolodge, a lovely little hotel with a kingsize bed (more like giant size). Well worth $64 for the night including breakfast.
We chilled for a while, not feeling as tired as the day before despite travelling a similar distance and then chipped out for evening tea at a local mexican place recommended by the hotel owners. The food here was delicious. B ordered a sopapilla, which is kind of like a leavened bread stuffed with chicken and guac (her choice of filling). I ordered fajitas, that arrived with some of the nicest, freshest tortillas that I have ever eaten. We were given free dessert, which was plain, sweet sopapillas (rather like a donut mix) that honey is drizzled onto. Very tasty. Once back at the hotel, we both passed out fairly sharpish.
399 miles travelled, approx. 71/2 8 hours with a 90 minute stop for the appreciation of the petrified forest (not really long enough as mentioned) and 45 mins for lunch.
View Flagstaff to Santa Fe in a larger map
Las Vegas - Flagstaff - 20/1/13
Up at 8.30, out of the door ~10, on the road heading for the south rim of the Grand Canyon and then onto Flagstaff, Arizona.
We decided to travel down some of Route 66, just to say that we had, but it turned out that there wasn't much to see there apart from desert, desert. And some more desert, with a bit more desert thrown in for good measure. It was exceedingly beautiful, at least at first, but after a while the brain stops noticing things that don't change so much - and you do get used to it after a few hours of seeing nothing but the road stretching out in front of you in a straight line to the horizon with huge expanses of brown dirt and/or grass in every direction.
Route 66 is famous because it was one of the original trans-American highways and originally ran from Chicago due south before bending towards the west coast in the midwest and then pretty much arrow straight towards Los Angeles and the Pacific coast covering a total of 2,448 miles. Good ol' wikipedia.
We were hoping to see some of the old towns that used to be vibrant and no longer - so called Ghost Towns - but there was nothing completely derelict. This may seem a peverse wish, but there is something fascinating about it - there are a lost of great resources on the intertubes with superb photos of these ghost towns and simply looking at photos is really eerie. Actually being there would be something else! Some towns did seem half dead - as you drove through them there were many many buildings un-lived in and businesses closed, but there were still people living there at the other end of town; these tended to be Indian towns in the main (in reservation areas) and it was sad to see the living that some people were only just scratching out.
It was reasonably warm when we left Vegas (~14-16C), but the further and higher towards the GC that we traveled, the colder it became.
First stop was the Hoover Dam - an incredible structure that was almost overshadowed (in my mind) by the interstate bridge which was ginormous. The concrete support arches for the bridge were as wide as a car is long and about as thick. The Dam itself however, lived up to expectations. It had looked tiny from the air, but was fully 800-odd feet high, with either end in a different timezone as the site chosen was more or less on the border of Nevada and Arizona, the latter being in the amusingly (to my mind) named 'Mountain time' zone. The overflows of the dam were gigantic. Hard to describe the size of them - perhaps twice the length of a football field and as deep as a 30+ storey building. Looking down that famous curved face of it was great experience. Aware that time was pressing (and the up until now completely neglected time zone meaning we effectively 'lost' an hour), we jumped in the monster and zoomed up the highway.
We arrived at the GC national park at about 5pm, just as the sun was starting to sink to get some pictures and check out the monstrous gash in the planet's surface, although we definitely thought that it was a shame that we hadn't managed to get there earlier - even 30 minutes would have been better; however on the plus side to see the shadows cast across the ravines and the sun setting behind us lent the visuals something that we otherwise maybe wouldn't have seen. It was really *really* cold up there, snow and ice everywhere, especially when the wind blew hard. It went right through you - rather like when we get the wind from Siberia coming across the UK.
The cost of getting into the park was $25, and lasted for 7 days - shame we only had about 45 minutes before the sun set. It was just getting dark as we left the rim and to drive to Flagstaff. The roads were a little icy in places, and in one place in particular, the ice covered the road for a metre or so. This was a pretty weird experience, considering that a mere 3-4 hours previously had been driving across a baking desert.
We were both flagging badly at this point and didn't arrive at Flagstaff until around 8.30 - part of the reason for misjudging the time so badly was aforesaid timezone issue as well as the large detour that we made to the south rim of the GC.
We stayed in an local hostel, which was fine for the night at $44 for a private room. Pretty much crashed out as soon as we arrived and fell asleep shortly afterwards around 10.30.
View Las Vegas to Flagstaff in a larger map
We decided to travel down some of Route 66, just to say that we had, but it turned out that there wasn't much to see there apart from desert, desert. And some more desert, with a bit more desert thrown in for good measure. It was exceedingly beautiful, at least at first, but after a while the brain stops noticing things that don't change so much - and you do get used to it after a few hours of seeing nothing but the road stretching out in front of you in a straight line to the horizon with huge expanses of brown dirt and/or grass in every direction.
Route 66 is famous because it was one of the original trans-American highways and originally ran from Chicago due south before bending towards the west coast in the midwest and then pretty much arrow straight towards Los Angeles and the Pacific coast covering a total of 2,448 miles. Good ol' wikipedia.
We were hoping to see some of the old towns that used to be vibrant and no longer - so called Ghost Towns - but there was nothing completely derelict. This may seem a peverse wish, but there is something fascinating about it - there are a lost of great resources on the intertubes with superb photos of these ghost towns and simply looking at photos is really eerie. Actually being there would be something else! Some towns did seem half dead - as you drove through them there were many many buildings un-lived in and businesses closed, but there were still people living there at the other end of town; these tended to be Indian towns in the main (in reservation areas) and it was sad to see the living that some people were only just scratching out.
It was reasonably warm when we left Vegas (~14-16C), but the further and higher towards the GC that we traveled, the colder it became.
First stop was the Hoover Dam - an incredible structure that was almost overshadowed (in my mind) by the interstate bridge which was ginormous. The concrete support arches for the bridge were as wide as a car is long and about as thick. The Dam itself however, lived up to expectations. It had looked tiny from the air, but was fully 800-odd feet high, with either end in a different timezone as the site chosen was more or less on the border of Nevada and Arizona, the latter being in the amusingly (to my mind) named 'Mountain time' zone. The overflows of the dam were gigantic. Hard to describe the size of them - perhaps twice the length of a football field and as deep as a 30+ storey building. Looking down that famous curved face of it was great experience. Aware that time was pressing (and the up until now completely neglected time zone meaning we effectively 'lost' an hour), we jumped in the monster and zoomed up the highway.
We arrived at the GC national park at about 5pm, just as the sun was starting to sink to get some pictures and check out the monstrous gash in the planet's surface, although we definitely thought that it was a shame that we hadn't managed to get there earlier - even 30 minutes would have been better; however on the plus side to see the shadows cast across the ravines and the sun setting behind us lent the visuals something that we otherwise maybe wouldn't have seen. It was really *really* cold up there, snow and ice everywhere, especially when the wind blew hard. It went right through you - rather like when we get the wind from Siberia coming across the UK.
The cost of getting into the park was $25, and lasted for 7 days - shame we only had about 45 minutes before the sun set. It was just getting dark as we left the rim and to drive to Flagstaff. The roads were a little icy in places, and in one place in particular, the ice covered the road for a metre or so. This was a pretty weird experience, considering that a mere 3-4 hours previously had been driving across a baking desert.
We were both flagging badly at this point and didn't arrive at Flagstaff until around 8.30 - part of the reason for misjudging the time so badly was aforesaid timezone issue as well as the large detour that we made to the south rim of the GC.
We stayed in an local hostel, which was fine for the night at $44 for a private room. Pretty much crashed out as soon as we arrived and fell asleep shortly afterwards around 10.30.
View Las Vegas to Flagstaff in a larger map
Las Vegas - 19/1/3
Got up late - was great to have a lie-in. Beds were very comfortable. However, it seemed as though a previous tenant suffering from a bout of enthusiasm had been sick in the room. It had been cleaned up, obviously, but there was a very faint whiff now and then, and a wet patch of cleaning fluid on the floor. Ick. We had a leisurely morning in the room planning the rest of the trip, which we pretty much nailed in an hour or two. I went downstairs around 11.30 to get some food and then onto a lesson on how to play 'Craps' - I'd seen people playing it the night before and it was a total mystery to me. B took her time getting ready and had a wander around the shops in the hotel complex.
At 2pm we got the bus with Papillon, the Grand Canyon Helicopter tour company, after a bit of faffing about with their poor organisation. The bus took about 30 minutes to the heliport which was out n the desert to the east. Our pilot introduced himself as Paco - a very friendly guy. He led us to a 6 seater red helicopter, a French number, apparently costing ~$3million, but with a big glass bubble, obviously ideal for sightseeing. A short while later we were airborne. Excitingly, we got to sit in the front, so had full view of everything for the whole trip, pretty much a 270 degree fov. Pretty damn awesome. First part of the trip was flying over Lake Mead - one of the world's largest man made lakes, created by the Hoover Dam. It took 7 years to fill and provides water for Mexico, California and Nevada amongst others. It has 5 marinas, numerous beaches and the shoreline is a distance of ~550 miles. We were told that it is a popular tourist destination during the summer months, as it's only about an hour's drive from Vegas - you could see why. On this particular day, the water was completely flat as well as being deep enough so that there were no speed restrictions on craft of any kind. Having a speedboat and maxing it across that placid surface would be so much fun!
Next up was the Hoover Dam - which holds all the water in. It's an impressive structure for it's size, compared to the amount of water it holds. It did look very small from ~4500 feet and clearly built in a valley that was narrow to reduce construction cost, but an engineering masterpiece for 80 years ago; having said that, some 100 workers lost their lives in the construction - imagine workplace safety was further down the list than it is now.
We passed on from there to fly over the Grand Canyon. No words to describe it's immensity. The colours were incredible: bright reds, dark brows, dirty white, majestic ravines, huge crevices and although we were probably flying at around 150-200mph for about 20-30 minutes over it, I imagine that we barely saw about 1/10 of the natural wonder.
The helo ride lasted for just over an hour; On the way back Paco found out that we were road tripping and gave us lots of handy tips for places to visit as we travelled further east. Interestingly, as we left, Paco also said thank you to us for visiting his country - something that a number of other Americans have also mentioned.
Back to the hotel and had a mission to find a cash machine that didn't charge a fortune ($6!) to withdraw money. This didn't happen. However, we did stumble (!) upon the MGM Grand, one of the larger and more posh casinos, inside of which was great restaurant that was a man-made rainforest, complete with sound & light effects. Great fun. This is where we ate for the evening and drank cocktails. Greater fun.
Then we headed onto the gaming floor, where I was itching to try Craps. One of the croupiers in the MGM was pretty rude as I didn't have my ID on me (not the asking, that was fair enough, it was more the way he shooed me away. His pit boss then ok'd it without the ID but I was irritated with him so didn't want to play at his table; we elected to return to the Luxor where the gaming staff seemed more friendly, were happy to chat and offer advice on the intracies of the game. I went to the Craps tables, B for the slot machines. This brief burst of consumer decision probably had no affect on the casino itself as it turns out that one major corp owns half of the big casinos on the strip and 1 other corp the other half. While chatting to one of the croupiers, and older fellow, said that he first moved to Vegas back in the 70s. I asked him whether he preferred it back when the 'other' guys were running them - the mobsters - and he said yes, most definitely. There was little crime, as the families running the place didn't allow anything untoward to scare the punters away and transgressors were punished. Harshly. Not much imagination needed to guess what he meant... Another advantage he said that was as all the casinos were individually owned, if (as a croupier) you were fired from one, you should walk right into the one next door and get another job. A further interesting point he made: the mob families made enough money to highly educate their children, who then made their way into the companies that now own the strip - so although it's now very much more legal and above board, the families still retain an interest.
Losses? B enjoyed playing the slot machines, put $65 in and eventually won $38 back. Over the day I'd been playing Craps, and was down $200. Arse. Then came that point where I had to make that decision - do I put more in to chase the losses back up? Well. I decided to have one last go and changed another $100 for chips. This went down and down and I got down to my last $40, but then increased it to $80 by the time B came to find me. Then, over the course of the next few hours, we were gaming next to some fun people, 2 novices and a seasoned regular - and some individuals were lasting a long time on the dice. (The way craps basically works is that once a player get their turn to 'shoot', the longer they can roll without rolling a seven, the more everyone (including the shooter) around the table makes money. You just keep your chips down on certain numbers, and are repaid at the various odds when that number that you have your chips on comes up.) As time went on, there were a couple of shooters that rolled for a long time and my stack of chips grew from $80, to $120 to $200 to $340. Then 'moment' around the Craps table seemed to fade as some people left the table as well as the people that we had been playing with - next to, alongside, whatever you want to call it. We decided to call it a day after I'd maxed my winnings around $340 and dropped back down to $303 after a final punt, so I cashed out a fraction up.
The casinos in Vegas give you free booze while you are playing, assuming for judgement related reasons to encourage you to play more and more. We retired around 1, slightly pissed having had a brilliant day.
Craps is great fun, particularly if there are a good group of people around the table, whooping and hollering, high-fiving etc. Sometimes it can be a bit serious with some folk being quite morose, but it's easy enough to leave and find a more fun table and far more preferable. However when someone gets on a roll (i.e. when the point has been established and is not rolling a 7), everyone bets on their dice rolls; pretty soon the whole table is up and cheering, high-fiving everyone else as chips pour into punters hands. It really is quite something to experience.
It's easy to see how gambling can get the better of people.
At 2pm we got the bus with Papillon, the Grand Canyon Helicopter tour company, after a bit of faffing about with their poor organisation. The bus took about 30 minutes to the heliport which was out n the desert to the east. Our pilot introduced himself as Paco - a very friendly guy. He led us to a 6 seater red helicopter, a French number, apparently costing ~$3million, but with a big glass bubble, obviously ideal for sightseeing. A short while later we were airborne. Excitingly, we got to sit in the front, so had full view of everything for the whole trip, pretty much a 270 degree fov. Pretty damn awesome. First part of the trip was flying over Lake Mead - one of the world's largest man made lakes, created by the Hoover Dam. It took 7 years to fill and provides water for Mexico, California and Nevada amongst others. It has 5 marinas, numerous beaches and the shoreline is a distance of ~550 miles. We were told that it is a popular tourist destination during the summer months, as it's only about an hour's drive from Vegas - you could see why. On this particular day, the water was completely flat as well as being deep enough so that there were no speed restrictions on craft of any kind. Having a speedboat and maxing it across that placid surface would be so much fun!
Next up was the Hoover Dam - which holds all the water in. It's an impressive structure for it's size, compared to the amount of water it holds. It did look very small from ~4500 feet and clearly built in a valley that was narrow to reduce construction cost, but an engineering masterpiece for 80 years ago; having said that, some 100 workers lost their lives in the construction - imagine workplace safety was further down the list than it is now.
We passed on from there to fly over the Grand Canyon. No words to describe it's immensity. The colours were incredible: bright reds, dark brows, dirty white, majestic ravines, huge crevices and although we were probably flying at around 150-200mph for about 20-30 minutes over it, I imagine that we barely saw about 1/10 of the natural wonder.
The helo ride lasted for just over an hour; On the way back Paco found out that we were road tripping and gave us lots of handy tips for places to visit as we travelled further east. Interestingly, as we left, Paco also said thank you to us for visiting his country - something that a number of other Americans have also mentioned.
Back to the hotel and had a mission to find a cash machine that didn't charge a fortune ($6!) to withdraw money. This didn't happen. However, we did stumble (!) upon the MGM Grand, one of the larger and more posh casinos, inside of which was great restaurant that was a man-made rainforest, complete with sound & light effects. Great fun. This is where we ate for the evening and drank cocktails. Greater fun.
Then we headed onto the gaming floor, where I was itching to try Craps. One of the croupiers in the MGM was pretty rude as I didn't have my ID on me (not the asking, that was fair enough, it was more the way he shooed me away. His pit boss then ok'd it without the ID but I was irritated with him so didn't want to play at his table; we elected to return to the Luxor where the gaming staff seemed more friendly, were happy to chat and offer advice on the intracies of the game. I went to the Craps tables, B for the slot machines. This brief burst of consumer decision probably had no affect on the casino itself as it turns out that one major corp owns half of the big casinos on the strip and 1 other corp the other half. While chatting to one of the croupiers, and older fellow, said that he first moved to Vegas back in the 70s. I asked him whether he preferred it back when the 'other' guys were running them - the mobsters - and he said yes, most definitely. There was little crime, as the families running the place didn't allow anything untoward to scare the punters away and transgressors were punished. Harshly. Not much imagination needed to guess what he meant... Another advantage he said that was as all the casinos were individually owned, if (as a croupier) you were fired from one, you should walk right into the one next door and get another job. A further interesting point he made: the mob families made enough money to highly educate their children, who then made their way into the companies that now own the strip - so although it's now very much more legal and above board, the families still retain an interest.
Losses? B enjoyed playing the slot machines, put $65 in and eventually won $38 back. Over the day I'd been playing Craps, and was down $200. Arse. Then came that point where I had to make that decision - do I put more in to chase the losses back up? Well. I decided to have one last go and changed another $100 for chips. This went down and down and I got down to my last $40, but then increased it to $80 by the time B came to find me. Then, over the course of the next few hours, we were gaming next to some fun people, 2 novices and a seasoned regular - and some individuals were lasting a long time on the dice. (The way craps basically works is that once a player get their turn to 'shoot', the longer they can roll without rolling a seven, the more everyone (including the shooter) around the table makes money. You just keep your chips down on certain numbers, and are repaid at the various odds when that number that you have your chips on comes up.) As time went on, there were a couple of shooters that rolled for a long time and my stack of chips grew from $80, to $120 to $200 to $340. Then 'moment' around the Craps table seemed to fade as some people left the table as well as the people that we had been playing with - next to, alongside, whatever you want to call it. We decided to call it a day after I'd maxed my winnings around $340 and dropped back down to $303 after a final punt, so I cashed out a fraction up.
The casinos in Vegas give you free booze while you are playing, assuming for judgement related reasons to encourage you to play more and more. We retired around 1, slightly pissed having had a brilliant day.
Craps is great fun, particularly if there are a good group of people around the table, whooping and hollering, high-fiving etc. Sometimes it can be a bit serious with some folk being quite morose, but it's easy enough to leave and find a more fun table and far more preferable. However when someone gets on a roll (i.e. when the point has been established and is not rolling a 7), everyone bets on their dice rolls; pretty soon the whole table is up and cheering, high-fiving everyone else as chips pour into punters hands. It really is quite something to experience.
It's easy to see how gambling can get the better of people.
San Diego - Las Vegas - 18/1/13
Up at 8.30, got ready and packed. Felt very sad to be leaving San Diego, as it was a lovely place to stay with a great atmosphere, helped in a great part by our hostess.
Before we left, we had breakfast at a local Cafe called 'Newbreak' - B had a Californian Omelet (bacon, tomatoes, onions wrapped up with slices of avocado on top). Best one that she's ever had, and she's not usually a fan of omelettes. I had a breakfast burrito - bacon, scrambled eggs, tomato. Delish.
Finally left at 11.30, most of the journey was through desert, and arrived at 6pm, 328 miles later. Traffic was dead busy, then we realised that it was Friday so that there was a lot of folks heading to Vegas as well. Later found out that it was a public holiday on the Monday. There was a couple of accidents on the freeways as well, which caused jams - rubbernecking is as popular here as it in the UK it seems.
As we approached Las Vegas, we could see our hotel from the freeway, as it was (probably) the only pyramid in America with a searchlight shining from it's peak. The Luxor. Walked through the hotel to the reception, which led us past the gaming floor. Hundreds of slot machines, black jack, poker, craps and roulette tables dotted around. Very loud and an assault on the senses.
Our room was on the 9th floor, large with 2 big beds and overlooked the desert with the mountains in the background. Great view, all told. Chilled for a bit after our drive and headed down to the gaming floor to see what was happening. People were gambling. Have since found out that 'Casino' means 'Almost Never'. We got some beers and I played a little on a roulette table and was viciously cheated out of some money. There was every possible choice of food to eat, so we had a delicious ramen each, and then were unable to carry on. Bed by 11.
View San Diego to Las Vegas in a larger map
Before we left, we had breakfast at a local Cafe called 'Newbreak' - B had a Californian Omelet (bacon, tomatoes, onions wrapped up with slices of avocado on top). Best one that she's ever had, and she's not usually a fan of omelettes. I had a breakfast burrito - bacon, scrambled eggs, tomato. Delish.
Finally left at 11.30, most of the journey was through desert, and arrived at 6pm, 328 miles later. Traffic was dead busy, then we realised that it was Friday so that there was a lot of folks heading to Vegas as well. Later found out that it was a public holiday on the Monday. There was a couple of accidents on the freeways as well, which caused jams - rubbernecking is as popular here as it in the UK it seems.
As we approached Las Vegas, we could see our hotel from the freeway, as it was (probably) the only pyramid in America with a searchlight shining from it's peak. The Luxor. Walked through the hotel to the reception, which led us past the gaming floor. Hundreds of slot machines, black jack, poker, craps and roulette tables dotted around. Very loud and an assault on the senses.
Our room was on the 9th floor, large with 2 big beds and overlooked the desert with the mountains in the background. Great view, all told. Chilled for a bit after our drive and headed down to the gaming floor to see what was happening. People were gambling. Have since found out that 'Casino' means 'Almost Never'. We got some beers and I played a little on a roulette table and was viciously cheated out of some money. There was every possible choice of food to eat, so we had a delicious ramen each, and then were unable to carry on. Bed by 11.
View San Diego to Las Vegas in a larger map
Wednesday, 23 January 2013
San Diego - 17/1/13
No driving! Awesome!
Up at 8 and chatted with Rebecca for an hour or so before getting ready and going out to San Diego Zoo. We got there about 10.30 and leisurely missioned our way around particularly as the weather was beautiful and hot (~20 degrees). The best thing that we both thought about the Zoo trip was seeing a polar bear in a huge enclosure with under-water viewing swimming about and doing Polar Bear-ish things. Apart from eating seals. No. Although in general, zoos are not the nicest of places, the greatest purpose of this zoo was to protect endangered species, some of which no longer live in the wild and are entirely domesticated. Definitely worth a visit.
Came back around 2.30 and chatted to our host some more. It was really lovely as the sun was starting to set and we were all just chilling doing our own thing for a bit. Felt really relaxed considering that we were in someone else's home that we had only met the day before.
At 7pm we went down into Ocean Beach town centre, a five minute walk from Rebecca's house to meet her and Ory at South Beach Bar and Grill. It had been suggested because of the Mahi (a meaty fish) Tacos. Pear cider on tap, so B was made up. I had a beer that had been brewed with oranges, and was surprisingly tasty. We ordered peel'n'eat fresh prawns with a tomato and horseradish sauce (lovely and sweet), steamed clams. B had a Mahi Taco, with me having a Shark Taco - all very delicious.
Better than Scammos.
Back to Rebecca's with some of her friends (via the off-licence), most of whom seemed to play the guitar. At one point there was 4 of them playing and singing, which was ace.
Up at 8 and chatted with Rebecca for an hour or so before getting ready and going out to San Diego Zoo. We got there about 10.30 and leisurely missioned our way around particularly as the weather was beautiful and hot (~20 degrees). The best thing that we both thought about the Zoo trip was seeing a polar bear in a huge enclosure with under-water viewing swimming about and doing Polar Bear-ish things. Apart from eating seals. No. Although in general, zoos are not the nicest of places, the greatest purpose of this zoo was to protect endangered species, some of which no longer live in the wild and are entirely domesticated. Definitely worth a visit.
Came back around 2.30 and chatted to our host some more. It was really lovely as the sun was starting to set and we were all just chilling doing our own thing for a bit. Felt really relaxed considering that we were in someone else's home that we had only met the day before.
At 7pm we went down into Ocean Beach town centre, a five minute walk from Rebecca's house to meet her and Ory at South Beach Bar and Grill. It had been suggested because of the Mahi (a meaty fish) Tacos. Pear cider on tap, so B was made up. I had a beer that had been brewed with oranges, and was surprisingly tasty. We ordered peel'n'eat fresh prawns with a tomato and horseradish sauce (lovely and sweet), steamed clams. B had a Mahi Taco, with me having a Shark Taco - all very delicious.
Better than Scammos.
Back to Rebecca's with some of her friends (via the off-licence), most of whom seemed to play the guitar. At one point there was 4 of them playing and singing, which was ace.
Tuesday, 22 January 2013
Santa Barbara - San Diego - 16/1/13
We were up by 8 to find that Arlene had set breakfast out for us. This was a delicious array of cereals, pastries, croissants and fruit. Drinks were fresh coffee, tea and fresh Californian oranges picked from her neighbour's garden. Neither of us had ever tasted orange juice like it - naturally sweet, orangey and fresh. Exactly how it should be. Southern Californians probably drink this all the time and look at you sideways if you admit to drinking concentrate - that's what I like to think anyway.
We chatted to Arlene for an hour or two about her life and adventures until a friend of hers called Larry arrived to help Arlene in the garden. Larry was of similar indeterminate age as Arlene, tanned, healthy etc. Clearly southern Californian life suited them both. Larry was telling us that he'd been watching a flock of Pelicans and a pod of Dolphins having a 'feeding frenzy' (his words) as a school of sardines were gradually reduced in numbers. Time was getting on and we were looking to leave, so we said our goodbyes, got ready and drove to the bay that Larry had said that the event was happening to see if it was still going on - Larry said that he'd never seen anything like it in all the 30 years that he'd lived in Santa Barbara. Unfortunately the sardines had managed to escape or had all been eaten by the time we'd arrived, but we got to see Santa Barbara which was a lovely looking town, but what do you expect when the rich and famous have holiday homes there? Would definitely be worth another visit!
About 12.30 we set off again on Highway 1 to San Diego. We drove through Malibu (predicatably posh) and then unfortunately hit Los Angeles about 2-2.30. The traffic was appalling. It was a good 2 1/2 hours (and 1 Taco Bell stop) later that we finally saw the back of LA. Which was nice. The plus side to this was that we ended up on Sunset beach just as the sun was setting - there's a reason they call it that.
Night seems to fall more quickly than you may expect on the west coast; as we left Orange County it had started to get dark and we finally arrived at Rebecca's house in San Diego at 7pm. Another 6 1/2 hours of driving and 219 miles.
B did all the driving that day and by the time we'd disembarked, her body and brain were more scrambled than usual. (She's just hit me).
Rebecca arrived home at 7.30 and she was lovely and friendly. She lives in an area of San Diego called Ocean Beach, only a short walk to the beach itself - so no car needed!
We were starving, so were advised of good Mexican food at a place called 'Rancho's'. Lovely, fresh, healthy and tasty. Can't beat fresh Guac!
On the way home, we stopped by at a liquor store and B was pleasantly surprised to find that they had cider (of the local kind), called 'Angry Orchard'. Not too sure what to think about the connotations of that name. A slow meander back up to Rebecca's house due to food and sat chatting with her and her friend Ory until around 11. Great end to the day.
View Santa Barbara to San Diego in a larger map
We chatted to Arlene for an hour or two about her life and adventures until a friend of hers called Larry arrived to help Arlene in the garden. Larry was of similar indeterminate age as Arlene, tanned, healthy etc. Clearly southern Californian life suited them both. Larry was telling us that he'd been watching a flock of Pelicans and a pod of Dolphins having a 'feeding frenzy' (his words) as a school of sardines were gradually reduced in numbers. Time was getting on and we were looking to leave, so we said our goodbyes, got ready and drove to the bay that Larry had said that the event was happening to see if it was still going on - Larry said that he'd never seen anything like it in all the 30 years that he'd lived in Santa Barbara. Unfortunately the sardines had managed to escape or had all been eaten by the time we'd arrived, but we got to see Santa Barbara which was a lovely looking town, but what do you expect when the rich and famous have holiday homes there? Would definitely be worth another visit!
About 12.30 we set off again on Highway 1 to San Diego. We drove through Malibu (predicatably posh) and then unfortunately hit Los Angeles about 2-2.30. The traffic was appalling. It was a good 2 1/2 hours (and 1 Taco Bell stop) later that we finally saw the back of LA. Which was nice. The plus side to this was that we ended up on Sunset beach just as the sun was setting - there's a reason they call it that.
Night seems to fall more quickly than you may expect on the west coast; as we left Orange County it had started to get dark and we finally arrived at Rebecca's house in San Diego at 7pm. Another 6 1/2 hours of driving and 219 miles.
B did all the driving that day and by the time we'd disembarked, her body and brain were more scrambled than usual. (She's just hit me).
Rebecca arrived home at 7.30 and she was lovely and friendly. She lives in an area of San Diego called Ocean Beach, only a short walk to the beach itself - so no car needed!
We were starving, so were advised of good Mexican food at a place called 'Rancho's'. Lovely, fresh, healthy and tasty. Can't beat fresh Guac!
On the way home, we stopped by at a liquor store and B was pleasantly surprised to find that they had cider (of the local kind), called 'Angry Orchard'. Not too sure what to think about the connotations of that name. A slow meander back up to Rebecca's house due to food and sat chatting with her and her friend Ory until around 11. Great end to the day.
View Santa Barbara to San Diego in a larger map
San Francisco - Santa Barbara - 15/1/13
Tuesday morning we were up early again so that we could check out of the Hostel, have breakfast in a cafe next door and pick our car up. It was a monster. I'd ordered a 'standard' SUV (Jeep Grand Cherokee or similar. Turned out to be a Chevrolet 'Tahoe LT' V8) so that we could travel in comfort (estimated distance ~4000 miles). It's one of those ones that require climbing into. That kind of size. It's bigger than a Mercedes SUV that we have in the UK. What is a 'full-size' SUV you may ask? I'm going to tell you anyway. Bloody gigantic. Roughly the size of a Mercedes Sprinter van, or Ford Transit. Enormous. Big enough so that we, in our frankly silly-size car, feel slightly intimidated.
We headed south around 10am out of SF with a minor detour due to one-way systems and, er, navigational hitches, headed for Highway 1 - the Pacific Coastal Highway. Weather was bright and sunny, if a little chilly, but as we got further south it warmed up to around 15-20 degrees.
Our view on the right whilst driving was the Pacific Ocean, on the left, National Parks consisting of forests, vertical cliff faces, ravines and awesome vista . Stunning. Better than stunning. Slightly frightening at times with sharp turns that clearly, if not taken, led to a couple of hundred feet straight down into the drink. Neither of us were sure how a piece of arnco might withstand a 2 tonne SUV impact. We stopped at a place called 'Big Sur' around 2pm for lunch. Burritos were chosen, and of American portions. Both of us managed to eat about half before being too full. Big Sur wasn't actually that large, as we soon left it and emerged onto the coastline again.
We arrived in Santa Barbara at Arlene's house (found via Air B'n'B, a great site for finding unusual places to stay) around 6.30pm, after travelling for 8 hours with a half hour break and had covered 361 miles. It was dark and Arlene's place was in the hills above the town and not trivial to find, stuck way up some winding lanes amongst millionaire's houses. All of Santa Barbara looked nice, wealthy, but these houses were a cut above, although Arlene's wasn't as she and her husband had moved here about 50 years ago when it was still quite a small place. Arlene was lovely, probably in her 70s, but didn't look it, fit as a fiddle with a house that was a treasure trove of things that she had collected over the years and enchanting & welcoming. We chatted to her for a while but, feeling hungry, headed out to the Enterprise Fish Company restaurant, recommended by Arlene. When we arrived, it turned out that they had a special on Lobsters for $29 (usually $50) - it was cooked to perfection, served with liquid garlic butter, shoestring fries and grilled vegetables. Frankly, awesome. No other words. I washed it down with Sierra Nevada ale, one of their dark ones, and was suitably tasty while B stuck with a cranberry juice that was, perhaps needless to say, one of the best she or I had ever tried. Still feeling that a small corner could be filled, pudding was a molten chocolate cake (recommended by the waiter - a hot sponge with melted dark chocolate in the centre), served with vanilla ice cream, strawberries and dusted with icing sugar. It sounds heavy, but was deliciously light. B says that she was in heaven.
Got back to Arlene's around 10.30; she was asleep and we flopped into bed completely shattered. It had been a long but fabulous (darling!) day of driving.
View SF to Santa Barbara in a larger map
We headed south around 10am out of SF with a minor detour due to one-way systems and, er, navigational hitches, headed for Highway 1 - the Pacific Coastal Highway. Weather was bright and sunny, if a little chilly, but as we got further south it warmed up to around 15-20 degrees.
Our view on the right whilst driving was the Pacific Ocean, on the left, National Parks consisting of forests, vertical cliff faces, ravines and awesome vista . Stunning. Better than stunning. Slightly frightening at times with sharp turns that clearly, if not taken, led to a couple of hundred feet straight down into the drink. Neither of us were sure how a piece of arnco might withstand a 2 tonne SUV impact. We stopped at a place called 'Big Sur' around 2pm for lunch. Burritos were chosen, and of American portions. Both of us managed to eat about half before being too full. Big Sur wasn't actually that large, as we soon left it and emerged onto the coastline again.
We arrived in Santa Barbara at Arlene's house (found via Air B'n'B, a great site for finding unusual places to stay) around 6.30pm, after travelling for 8 hours with a half hour break and had covered 361 miles. It was dark and Arlene's place was in the hills above the town and not trivial to find, stuck way up some winding lanes amongst millionaire's houses. All of Santa Barbara looked nice, wealthy, but these houses were a cut above, although Arlene's wasn't as she and her husband had moved here about 50 years ago when it was still quite a small place. Arlene was lovely, probably in her 70s, but didn't look it, fit as a fiddle with a house that was a treasure trove of things that she had collected over the years and enchanting & welcoming. We chatted to her for a while but, feeling hungry, headed out to the Enterprise Fish Company restaurant, recommended by Arlene. When we arrived, it turned out that they had a special on Lobsters for $29 (usually $50) - it was cooked to perfection, served with liquid garlic butter, shoestring fries and grilled vegetables. Frankly, awesome. No other words. I washed it down with Sierra Nevada ale, one of their dark ones, and was suitably tasty while B stuck with a cranberry juice that was, perhaps needless to say, one of the best she or I had ever tried. Still feeling that a small corner could be filled, pudding was a molten chocolate cake (recommended by the waiter - a hot sponge with melted dark chocolate in the centre), served with vanilla ice cream, strawberries and dusted with icing sugar. It sounds heavy, but was deliciously light. B says that she was in heaven.
Got back to Arlene's around 10.30; she was asleep and we flopped into bed completely shattered. It had been a long but fabulous (darling!) day of driving.
View SF to Santa Barbara in a larger map
Monday, 21 January 2013
San Francisco - 14/1/13
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| From the Alacatraz boat looking back towards Fisherman's Wharf and the city |
This morning we were up early (7.30) so that we could get the first boat to Alcatraz. That was amazing. Approaching it across the water was definitely foreboding. It was really interesting, with a superb audio tour to accompany you and guide you round. Fab views of SF bay and Golden Gate bridge. The whole place is just fascinating - especially with so much popular history and legend attached to it. Certain places inside the jailhouse were certainly eerie, particularly the solitary confinement cells; both of us had strange chills while standing in one, and I remember feeling relieved when I noticed that the barred doors had chains on them to keep them open. The audio tour mentioned above really enhanced the atmosphere, as it was narrated by ex-prison officers and reformed prisoners (after the experience of Alcatraz!), had recordings of interviews with inmates and also had background recordings of the cells doors shutting, of riots and clattering mugs as new prisoners were brought in. It also got pretty cold while standing outside on the bluffs - the wind really iced you up inside, and looking down at the rocks, and sea currents (which you could see in the patterns on the water's surface) really brought it home how desperate some prisoners must have felt to attempt the 1 1/2 mile swim to the shore. Some of the more poignant recordings of the cons were related to SF directly - saying that if the wind was in the right direction on big 'party days' (for instance New Year's eve) they could hear the sounds of merriment and voices. The recreation yard was fairly small although was probably a bit of a sun trap at certain times of the year, giving the prisoners some welcome respite from the cold, damp and draft of the prison itself; even inside the main block there seemed to be very little protection from the Bay winds, giving you the impression that it was a thoroughly miserable place to be and not just because your freedoms were suppressed.
After lunch (at a restaurant called Scoma's) we hired 2 bikes to go from Fisherman's Wharf to the Golden Gate bridge itself, cycle across it and into Sausalito on the other side and get the ferry back. The ride was around 8 miles, completed in 2 hours or so. The winds whipping across the bridge made it slightly more taxing than both of us thought necessary but it was well worth it. Fantastic to actually be there and so close to such a world-renowned landmark, but sadly I imagine that your average San Franciscan barely sees it any more. People tend to tune out things that are familiar, but as a visitor, it really is impressive. Much longer than it looks too. As we came down the other side, we'd been told that it was all downhill to Sausalito. While this was true initially, it quickly became apparent that this was as big a fib as it was perhaps possible to be, making it necessary to go up a hill almost as large as the one on the other side to get to the bridge proper. Despite this, we made it to the ferry with 5 minutes to spare - otherwise would have had to have waited around another 90 minutes for the next one as well as missing an easy bike return. The sun was setting over the bridge on the ferry back which was absolutely glorious and profiling Alcatraz in shadow. You can see why people rave about SF bay.
Another relatively minor point that San Franciscans perhaps don't notice any more, was the experience of travelling on their trams, confusingly called cable cars. (When I first heard this, I could have sworn I hadn't noticed any large towers suspending cables and it took me a while to associate that that's what they meant). This was great fun, and when busy, the drivers encouraged punters (i.e. B and I) to hang off the running boards holding on while it rattled and clanked up and down those famous hills. Not a health and safety officer in sight.
The lunch that day, incidentally, was distinctly average. As we've got further into the interior of the States, more and more we have been thinking that it was worse than average. A lunch we had a Denny's (on 21/1/12) on the road was better than that lunch, and at roughly a tenth of the cost. Scoma's, alternately christened Scummo's, Scammo's or Smuggo's, depending on the time of day and depth of feeling, has certainly been on the receiving end of some pretty strong language.
San Francisco - 13/1/13
Sunday we were up early-ish, made it back out to Haight for breakfast and a wander about the shops. This is one of those neighbourhoods where every shop is an independant. Not a chain in sight (unless a SF local chain), which is just perfect. At the end of the main street was the Golden Gate Park, a huge place, really pretty. I think it's about 2-3 miles long and a mile wide, of which we walked about half before coming back to Haight and checking out SF's biggest independent record store, Amoeba Music. I think they claim that it's the US' biggest independant store - not sure about that one. There was loads of cool stuff happening in the park - including a boating lake, and a mini roller rink. Someone had got a system up and running, mic'd himself up and was leading a dance session, with others roller-skating, roller-blading, bmx-ing around in a loop, joining in as and when they felt like it. At one end of the park, called the 'panhandle' there was loads of homeless folk, panhandling - guess that's where the name came from. There was also a coffee shop there, next to an organic supermarket, where they served speciality coffee via condensers, vials etc. It was also here that I got used to the 'half and half' milk mix they have over here. 50% milk, 50% cream. Mmmm.
We then made it back to the hostel for a rest in the early evening and went to the cinema in the evening. Fabulous place. Superb screen - Sony 4K digital, great sound and very comfortable reclining seats, for not much more than it costs to go to a UK one ($12 apiece). I would go to the cinema a lot more if our screens were that quality. We saw Quentin Tarantino's 'Django Unchained' - about slaves, one slave in particular, hooking up with a German bounty hunter. Pretty brave subject matter for the States. Definitely worth a watch, but is pretty long at around 3 hours. Another trip to the same sushi joint before bed - yum!
San Francisco - 12/1/13
Saturday morning was a bit of a lie in, got going around 11, did a wee bit of essential shopping (US sim card, three day bus permit etc.), then headed out to the 'Mission' district, situated between 16th and 24th street. The main drag turned out to be pretty run down, and also not - wealth next door to poverty unusually close together; on one street there was an old tramp digging through a bin to get food, while on the side of the pavement was a luxury organic vegetable delivery truck carting expensive food into nice homes. It had quite a nice vibe to it in some parts and not in others - the nicer parts were set back from teh main drag, really pretty townhouses, almost a colonial design with lots of character and colour. We also found a really interesting alleyway that had been painted by locals over the years since the 70s called Balmy Avenue, plus an equally good one on another street that was carrying on the tradition, but only started in the last few years. There was also a really lovely cafe called La Boheme (just off 24th street) which served for lunch particularly nicely. Running parallel to Mission Street was another called Valencia, which looked a lot more fun and lively. We were planning to go out there in the evening, but decided not to, as I'm sure it would have been fine, but was also quite a long way to go.
Saturday evening turned out to be a playoff game for the local American football team for a place in the super bowl, a big deal here, so we watched that and met some friendly Americans. The SF 49rs won fairly easily - great atmosphere as you can imagine. Against our better judgement, it was in an Irish bar in the centre of Downtown which didn't turn to be too bad (just expensive) and B was really chuffed that they served Magners. We had been planning to head out to Haight (another district) for some drinks, but were a bit tired and in need of some refreshment. After the game had completed satisfactorily (to the locals) we headed out to Haight, much nicer that Mission. Although Haight seemed pretty dead, we found a rum bar that was busy, met some more Americans and had a lovely time. There was one chap who's birthday it was - so I introduced him to the delights of Sambucca. Turns out that the rum cocktails in this bar were pretty strong, so we left before I disgraced myself - rolled in around 1am.
B noticed the amount of homeless people in SF in general, and around 90% of them (it seemed) had some sort of mental health problem. Talking to themselves, shouting at doors, riding buses (or 'muni' transport) to keep warm. In the evening it was even more prevalent; it was rare to see an empty shop doorway without a homeless person sleeping in it - we guessed that the homeless situation was so bad because there were just no shelters available, either due to budget cuts or lack of care. It was a pretty sobering thought considering that it is a 1st world country and more than a little bit sad.
San Francisco! 11/1/13
Arrived at SFO about 6pm. Neither of us had had any sleep for about 24 hours, as the plane was pretty uncomfortable. Had a quick bite to eat at a sushi place up the road (delicious), then passed out around 10. Our hostel was pretty much in the centre of Downtown, 5 minutes from Market Street.
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