Last morning in Mass

Of course for our last morning, we had to head over to my favorite little Coffee and Tea Shop in Salem. We each had a great (and huge) cup of tea before heading to the airport ... to miss our flight! We got on the next one though :)

Night in Boston

After, of course, getting a bit turned around on the interstate, our friend righted us and we headed into downtown Boston for the evening. We walked through Boston Common and watched people ice skate on Frog Pond, which was fun (and funny). We weren't up for the 1.5 hr wait, so we just watched. We saw kids learning to skate, teenagers on hockey skates, and one interested 40-something man who seemed to be performing his latest ice-skating routine all for himself.

Then we headed across the park and walked the length of Newbury Street. It's always fun to window shop those nice stores. We ate a great dinner at Sonsie and then got some hot tea at Tealuxe, which made the walk back to the car much warmer. Very fun night.

Day in Rockport

We drove up the coast a bit and visited Rockport, MA. This town is so cute and the drive through the area was beautiful! We drove around a lot and then stopped in the old town (Bearskin Neck) to do a bit of shopping and coffee drinking. We also saw home-made candy canes being stretched and formed, which was fun (it was most fun watching the little kids see this happen). There were a few ridges to drive or walk out on to from where you could get a great view of the ocean and see all around Cape Ann. The view was great and the houses were so pretty among the bare white trees. We didn't remember to bring our camera, but this is a good view (credit: gullcovehouse.com).

Weekend in Salem

Since the Lynnfield office holiday party was this weekend, we went up north to the snow (Ok, not a lot by Mass standards, but still, there was some snow.) Friday night we went to the office party which was fun - it was nice to hang out with everyone and meet some new people. We even got the bird while driving there - I am apparently way too slow. But overall everyone up there is so nice and they know how to not freak out when there is snow! We also enjoyed the people at Red's Sandwich Shop the next morning, which is a great diner in Salem.

Omelet Headquarters

Wow! I got my Tom and Linas to try a new place to eat lunch!!! :) We ate at a great little hut called Omelet in Wakefield, and it used to be an old train station. Perfect atmosphere, including the interested commentary about the artwork in the place (none of which was drawn on the correct perspective).

Chicago with Shimai

Chicago Trip with Lesli

We are having so much fun! We have walked all over the city, we've had delicious food and done a bit of shopping. We ate at two great Italian places (Osteria and Trattoria #10), an excellent sushi place (Sushi Samba Rio), French brunch (Margot's in Old Town), and I took my sister to Toast. One night we found a place called the Redheaded Piano Bar which played tons of old songs to sing along t, which was tons of fun. And another day we a long time at the Art Institute of Chicago. I had no idea this museum was so amazing! Picasso, Monet, Manet, and more and more! It was great. Here's my album of art at the AIC.

Chicago for Conference

I am in Chicago for a work conference. Great event - made a few new friends. We ate a great tapas restaurant downtown called Emilio's.

Fun Day in Boston

The team had our "Fun Day" in Boston today, which was a blast. First, we had the requisite Dunkin Donuts downtown where we all met up (I'm pretty sure it was the second coffee for half of us).

Then we took an adventure to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. This museum used to be the home of a woman of Boston who left her treasures for the city to enjoy. She had all kinds of quirky preferences that have been kept in tact. For example, below one painting of a woman and flying cupids/angels, she has a sculpture of a cupid lying down sideways on a table, to give the impression that it fell out of the painting.

For lunch, we ate at the very hip LTK - Test Kitchen for Legal Seafoods. Good food, crazy waitress, and great location.

Finally we went to an exhibit on modern design showcased at the ICA - Institute of Contemporary Art. The structure itself is a work of art, with a huge overhang over the Boston Harbor. The design exhibit was just up our alley, with interesting pieces such as the newest design of Target Rx bottles, the clay pieces used by Pixar for animation, the Boeing plane being designed for passengers' space and comfort, and more. A very apropos show for us to see!

Thanks to Rob for more pics, too.

Lynnfield, MA

I'm in my Lynnfield office today visiting my team. I like working here - it's so quiet. But there is not much to do, see or report. Tomorrow we are taking a "fun day" off work to see some sites in Boston, so more to say then.

Pictures of Trip to Australia

Sydney Trip 2007

'Ow ta speak Australian

How're you going? -> that is used in place of "how are you?" or "how's it going?" when you great someone.

Dinner menu:

• Entree - this is an appetizer
• Main - this is the american entree.
  

Coffees: Australian cafes have fantastic coffee! Here is the translation, as taught to me by the cafe manager at the place across the street from my hotel:

• long black - this is what you order instead of "regular coffee". It is made from the fancy espresso machine so it has that incredible foam layer on the top. Thicker than drip coffee.
• short black - this is a single espresso.
• long black, drippio - this is a double espresso.
• flat white - from what i can tell, this is a long black with warmed milk/cream included.
• skinny latte - this is a latte made with skim milk
  

Bondi Beach

This may have been my favorite part of my trip (and it was just a couple of hours on the last day)! Bondi is a great little surfing town that's about a 30 minute cab ride from downtown Sydney. We got out early and arrived just before town came alive. Surfers were already waiting for their waves, and joggers were going down the beach. We walked along the beach for a bit, and then the breakfast shops started to open so we had a great breakfast. Fresh fruit juice, English-style bacon, tropical fresh fruit salad and excellent coffee is the norm (plus some egg-selent eggs).

I also picked up a pair of the Oz flip-flops - havaianas. They aren't much, but good grief - everyone in the city wears them; very authentic ;-)

Surry Hills Shopping

Karen and I did some great boutique shopping in Surry Hills, just a few miles outside of downtown Sydney. We found one great shop with a crazy lady who had all kinds of interesting things to say. We had lunch at a little Italian cafe - great pizza. While we were there, the waitress's Vespa was delivered and she was ecstatic.

The Opera

We went to an opera at the Sydney Opera House called Il Trittico, which is a set of three Operas in one show. The second one was by far the best of the three - I cried. The theater itself was much smaller than I would have guesssed - every seat was a good one. We had great seats, very close to the front. Love the opera!

Rockpool

Ok, new restaurant tops the list! Karen and I ate at Rockpool - a sensational menu! It was a fixed price menu of five courses - absolutely delicious. We had a sashimi starter, followed by cod, then my main was lamb, and dessert was a passionfruit sufflee. With coffee at the end we were served absolutely scrumptious salted caramels (and we stuffed some in our clutches for later). We also had a fantastic Australian sparkling wine. Dinner was loads of fun :-)

Day on the Water

I took the ferry to Manly Beach today, about 30 minutes beyond Circular Quay. It rained a bit but it was a cute little town. There is a lot of surfing in Australia. I ferried back, had my second icecream cone of the trip (Coppenhagen flavor called Honeycomb and Butterscotch - it was awesome) and did a bit of window shopping down George Street.

Loads of eateries

Jan and I decided to have a drink at a bar that used to be a hotel, which made for great architecture and scenery. I must say, if we had been single, the ratio would have been quite beneficial ;-)

For dinner we surprising realized we were walking in front of the place we were looking for - "est." or "Establishment". It was so froo froo that we passed and walked on (although Karen and I hit up the bar for a cocktail later in the week). Jan spotted a great place for dinner - Redhouse Brewery Restaurant. We had a "tasting board" which included four tastings of an interesting little nibble of food paired with a taste of their beer - the Organic Hefeweisen was the best. Also interesting was that although we had traveled a 2 hr flight from the conference we were attending, one of our clients found us in this restaurant! Pleasant to see someone, but he wanted to talk work :( Bugger.

Circular Quay

The area called Circular Quay (pronounced in French, like "key" in English) is only a few blocks from my hotel. That is the area that has the wharf with ferries, the Contemporary Museum of Art, The Rocks (old area of town), lots of fancy restaurants, the Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House.

Next to the Opera House, which is beautiful, is next to the Botanic Gardens. We walked all through the gardens and saw beautiful trees and flowers, including the "spring walk" which is covered in spring flowers like Cherry Blossoms, tulips and camellias (it's early spring in the Southern hemisphere). We also saw an enormous amount of bats!! There was a tree full of them - they were waking up, stretching their wings when we came by. Very interesting.

BYOB in Australia

Went to a Tapenyaki Japanese restaurant last night with some coworkers and it was bring-your-own-beverages for alcohol. They didn't even charge an opening fee. I read an article on the flight over and apparently this is also becoming popular in the US in cities like Chicago and some others that I can't remember.

Electric Slide... sort of

I am at a casino for a conference. The result of this is that many old people vacation here so I see so many interesting things. haha!

Tonight some coworkers and I got a drink at one of the hotel bars. There was a live band but it was definately the old school bar band kind of thing. But then a bunch of senior citizens got on the dance floor and struted their stuff! It seems that the "Electric Slide" of Australia (ok, at least the Gold Coast) is more involved with more spinning. Everyone was doing it on the dance floor.

My friend and I were asked to dance, but beating us by 10 drinks and 40 years, we were forced to decline.

Nicer in the Southern Hemisphere

I new that people from the South are the nicest, but I didn't realize that applied to hemispheres, too :). Aussies are so considerate! When we got on the shuttle for United airlines in San Francisco, two Australian men got up and insisted that me and my female coworker take their seats. When we got to Gold Coast and had another airport shuttle to take, it cost 5 Aus$ (crazy, I know, and the bus driver literally blamed George Bush for it), one man didn't have any cash and another man ran after him and said "Hey buddy - I'll get it for you. Return it to someone else some day."

Such nice folks here.

Down Under

I arrived in Gold Coast, Australia today! Man, that was a long flight from DC - 24 hrs. I took an ambien and slept most of the way. I was lucky to have a window seat with no one in the seat next to me, so it was not bad at all. Also, my coworker helped me get into Economy Plus, which gave me a bit of extra room - lucky me :)

I am only a bit jet-lagged so I went right to the gym when I checked in, which made me feel better. I've had to lay on the caffeine, but it's not bad at all. The hotel isn't great, but it is a casino, which should make for a fun conference.

Gold Coast reminds me of Florida, Chicago and California - and none of the above. Lots of surfing around here. My hotel room has great view of the river in two directions overlooking houses with spanish-styled roofs and the blue mountains in the distance. I can also see the business district a couple of miles away with a significant number of tall buildings, but not as condensed as Chicago.

I ate lunch with my friend at Koi - a hot little joint in town that we took the monorail to. It won an award this year for the best new restaurant in the area. It was interesting - dolled up dates, chic older women, and casual neighborhoodies all in one.

I'm looking forward to getting out and exploring more later, but that's all for now.

Carter in Birmingham

We spent this weekend in Birmingham, AL to see the brand new nephew, Carter. He is the most adorable baby ever! 4 weeks old and 8 lbs 1 oz. We took tons of photos and video and are in the process of getting his very own website up and running for the family.

Walk & Shop Chicago

Today we did a TON of walking. We walked around North Pond, along Lake Michigan and all around and through the Lincoln Park Zoo. It was great to walk in the shade with nature all around but then look up to see an amazing city scape - that reminded me of Central Park in NYC.

We ate a fantastic breakfast at Toast, and then did some major fancy shopping along Magnificent Mile, which is a mile long of shopping - everything from The Gap to Neiman-Marcus to Saks 5th Avenue to Coach to really anything you can think of. It also has some great architecture including the city's Water Works, which strangely looks like an old castle.

Then we had a great dinner at Tizi Melloul which is Moroccan. We have eaten so much good food this week it has been insane! I heart Chicago!

New restaurant on the Top 5 for me

North Pond is a fantastic restaurant! The decor is art-deco/Frank Lloyd-Wright. The service was perfect. The view was great, as it opened up to the pond in the park. The food was one of the best meals I've ever had. The menu changes frequently as they use local farm produce. This description serves the taste no justice, but just to record it, here's what I ate:

• Beet salad with horseradish sauce
• Duck with peaches and risotto
• Blackberry topped chocolate cake with cheese on the side and port to match
  

Chicago Neighborhoods

We did so much walking today! We ate some great food, then did some excellent shopping, and walked through a few different neighborhoods of Chicago:

• Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba usually serves tapas but also weekend brunch. We had a sort of eggs Benedict but it was on cornbread; very tasty.
• Shopping in Lincoln Park near DePaul University is great! Favorite store was Francesca's Collections.
• We walked through Lake View, Lincoln Park, North Side and Old Town. See more on neighborhoods.
  

Chicago Culture

First of all, everyone is Chicago is somehow the most stylish, hip and beautiful people ever. How did they all get in this city?

Good Eats:

• Sushi Samba - fantastic grilled peppers as an appetizer; excellent mojitos with crushed fruit in the bottom; I had blackberry.
  
• Chicago Cupcakes - favorites are the traditional and tres leches
  
• Ann Sathers - great breakfast but the best part is the fruit salad b/c it's not just the normal fruit that most places serve
• Excellent Mexican but I can't recall the name of it.

Crazy Things:
We went to see "Jerry Springer Show: The Opera" which received rave reviews when it began in London. It was absolutely bizarre. Jerry goes to Hell and has to get Jesus and Satan to compromise on a special edition of the show. It was insane. I don't exactly recommend seeing it but it was a fun night.

Great Sights:
Millennium Park is beautiful; there are statues, flowers, family fun shows, and a fantastic outdoor theater. We also walked up Grant Park, past the enormous Buckingham Fountain (yes the one in Married with Children) and took a water taxi back to the Navy Pier. The water taxi was a surprisingly wet ride but the Ferris Wheel view at Navy Pier was worth it.

Chicagoland

I HEART CHICAGO!

Chicago is amazing. I am visiting friends who live here for the summer and I am convinced that I should move here too. Their condo is amazing - looking out of their windows you can see the cityscape (which is extremely tall with the Hancock building, the Sears tower and more), the park that stretches for miles, Lake Michigan, the beach on the lake, and the Navy Pier with the ferris wheel! It's such a great view.

Salem Again!

I stayed in a new hotel this time - so much nicer, but stale. The best thing about this trip was the coffee shop. I was all set to use the free wifi but it was down for the day (boo) - but I still enjoyed it. Jaho seems like quite the local hang out. It has great treats (gelato, cakes, breads) and fantastic teas and strong espresso. After working there for 3 hours and then eating breakfast there the next morning, it's a little bit of a Salem Home for me now.

Weekend in Annapolis

My bf and I went to Annapolis for the weekend! I highly recommend this place for weekend get-a-ways. I was actually able to relax, we ate great food and the weather was perfect. Best restaurant was Maria's (Italian) and best icecream was Annapolis Old Icecream Shop (strawberry). People are incredibly nice in this town, even with all of the tourists, surprisingly - which means that DC-ers have no excuse. There are all kinds of people here - strange, leathered old people with speedboats with far too little clothing, all the way to the very stylish Yacht Club members. A great escape only one hour or less from DC.

Morning Walk

I got out around 6:45 this morning so I walked through the town along the little red line painted on the sidewalks for tourists. The town is so quiet and friendly - I wish I could have a second home here.

I had breakfast at Red's Sandwich Shop which is more like an old diner but in a brick house. The waitresses were older and very friendly - they knew everyone that walked in the door. I walked by the shops - including a fantastic looking yarn shop - but they were not open that early of course. I also saw The Burying Point (just what is sounds like) circa mid-1600s. People buried there include one captain that came over on the Mayflower as well as many members of The Witchcraft Court (spooky).

The wharf where The Friendship of Salem is docked is so nice to walk by and it seems to be a common place for walking dogs and taking a morning jog. Ice cream and coffee houses are everywhere, and the beautiful old houses are marked with "this house built for so-and-so" with a date.

Cute Salem, MA

Iam visiting our office in Lynnfield and staying in Salem at the Hawthorne Hotel which is so cute. It is a historic building (small) made into the hotel. I ate dinner on the habour with (what else) a sam adams lager. Lots of chocolate and ice cream shops here. Can't wait to see the rest tomorrow on the morning walk.

Need for Grease

The morning following our night on the town we awoke to a dire need for greasy breakfast. Excited to see the old town and do some shopping, we head out on foot. But wait. Turns out, this town is closed on the weekend! We do satisfy our need by finding the ONE place open and serving food - a bar/restaurant/deli. He sees our need and offers to just make us up a nice greasy breakfast sandwich. Perfect :). We love W-S now.

Winstom-Salem: the Fashion and Jazz Capital

I am visiting Winstom-Salem with my friend to attend an old friend's wedding. Of course we are too snobby to stay at the recommended La Quinta, so we opt for the Mariott in Old Town. "Great!", we think. "We'll see the little old town, art galleries, treat ourselves to dinner - it will be fun."

On my blackberry we discover a little place only a block away that is highly recommended for a nice night out on the town, with live Jazz! "Eclectic and interesting with great food." Sounds perfect! Not really. Or I'm a snob. Yep, probably that.

We get all dressed up in our fun-night-out attire appropriate for the East Coast, but probably only for DC or farther north. We make reservations and show up to find that we are so drastically overdressed that we get stares. Not only are we essentially wearing black from head to toe, but we are not wearing jeans or sweatpants. Oh well. Dress the part.

And, no, there is no live Jazz. But there is a live band - playing Rocky Mountain High as local townsters clog in the front of the restaurant.

The college-aged waiter is aiming to convince us that he is an actor and heading for New York, recommends dishes that taste like they were microwaved and finally asks "So, I assume you are going to finish this bottle right?", pointing to the "delicious" wine he recommended. ha. Yes.

While I sarcastically relay this, we did in fact have a fantastic time.

Baguettes

I almost forgot to post this. Although stereotypes originate from reality, it's always fun to see one that is realistic. In Nice, every morning I saw women walking with a small bag of groceries and -yes, it's true- a baguette poking out of the top of the bag. Love it. I wish I had a little market to walk by and purchase my daily baguette.

Airport Security

Good grief. I had no idea getting through security from Nice to DC would be so insane. Let me just draw it out for you:

• Line 1: security questions at check-in with delta - receive stickers on everything you are carrying and checking.
• Line 2: give them your bags
• Line 3: bag screening through security
• Line 4: entering the gate walkway
• Line 5: show passport again and answer security questions before getting to the plane
• Finally! Get on the plane and arrive at JFK in NY.
• Line 6: wait to enter the customs area
• Line 7: wait for a customs desk to stamp your passport
• Wait for your baggage
• Line 8: wait to make any declarations with customs
• Line 9: RECHECK my baggage!
• Line 10: security screening AGAIN!
• Line 11: wait to get through the gate after the plane is an hour late
• Finally made it. I wont include any waiting that I did at IAD for the stupid people-mover.

I could have traveled to Nice twice in the time I stood in lines yesterday! I'm glad to be home but I will miss Nice with its turquoise ocean front and 70 degree weather.

St. Paul-de-Vence

I went with some friends to an ancien ville that was a fortress. It is now quite touristy but it is beautiful. Until I can load my pictures, here is a view from the hill overlooking the old cemetary. We had fun shopping, looking at art and just walking through the old streets over cobblestone. This map shows the travel from Nice to St. Paul-de-Vence.

French keyboards

The @ sign is where the English shift key is. C'est difficile pour moi!

C'est Bonjour!

I read in my book Culture Shock (highly recommended) that it is imperative to speak to the shop keeper when you enter a store in France. Today I went to La Pharamcie (to get that darned toothpaste) and le monseuir did not hear me say "Bonjour!" because of the morning traffic outside. He was clearly irritated and with a sarcastic voice and eyebrows raised he leaned toward me and said "bon. jour." haha.

No toothpaste

If you ever come to France and forget your toothpaste, don't bother asking the front desk: "Toothpaste? I don't think so. Let me check." ::dialtone::

I love ordering in French

I realized that my French classes have done me well in teaching me how to order - that's when I feel successful in speaking :) I ordered a pretty good dinner for myself and two coworkers and the garcon de cafe was patient and nice. I left him a tip even though they dont really tip here. He was nice.

Vieux Nice Exploration

My hotel room was not ready so I've was "forced" to go exploring instead of work - yay! Vieux Nice is wonderful and within walking distance. There are nooks-and-crannies that have small market shops and cafes every two feet. I can't tell if this is normal to Nice or just in this old part of town. I successfully order lunch, coffee and icecream today in French! Voila!

Riding the bus in Nice, France

I came to Nice very unprepared. I didn't look up how to get from the airport to the hotel and I wasn't even sure if it was far or close. The airport information desk said it was only 4 euros to take the bus so that sounded worth the investigation.

I spoke my first French sentence in France and it worked! I asked the bus driver if she knew the hotel and she told me which stop to get off. Success!

I even made friends on the bus with a native of Nice. From what I can tell on the bus ride, this place is beautiful! There is a pedestrian area going all along the waterfront where people walk, run, take thier children and fish. Super-bonne!