Boston, Massachusetts

For those of you who don't know: my girlfriend, Ursa, has a beautiful full sleeve tattoo of works by her favorite artist, Alphonse Mucha. The piece was almost finished, she had only one sitting left with her tattoo artist, James. Unfortunately James had relocated from Denver, Colorado, all the way up to Portland, Maine. (As a shameless plug I would like to encourage anyone in the market to get some ink done to consider an appointment with James at Fianna Studio. Maybe it's a little out of the way, but it's a small trip if it's first class work that you're looking for) So we packed our bags and began the long journey from Alaska to Maine, but we figured that if we were traveling to New England, we'd be remiss if we didn't spend some quality time in Beantown.
We actually stayed in nearby Lexington and took the metro into Boston every day. The transit system is very efficient, and user friendly. I highly recommend it. We were there in September, which was a lovely time of year for a visit. Bring some comfortable shoes though, because there's lots of walking to be done around downtown Boston.

THE SITES

Old South Meeting House

History, history, history. There is no better place to get an up close and personal look at American history than in Boston. Visit places like the Old South Meeting House, formerly the Old South Church, where, in 1773, 5,000 colonists met to debate British taxation. During the meeting, Samual Adams said to the crowd, "Gentlemen, this meeting can do nothing more to save the country." This statement is believed to be a signal to a group known as the Sons of Liberty who then disguised themselves as mohawk indians and raided three British tea ships docked in Boston Harbor. This incident was famously dubbed The Boston Tea Party. The Meeting house was scheduled to be destroyed in 1876 but was saved and became the first successful historic preservation effort in New England.

Quincy Market

Also, make a visit to Faneuil Hall which includes three large market buildings (North Market, Quincy Market, and South Market) and still operates in it's original function as an indoor/outdoor mall, and eatery. It has been in operation since 1742.
One of Boston's most popular tours follows the Freedom Trail which includes sites such as the Boston Common, Kings Chapel, Paul Revere's House, The Bunker Hill Monument, and the site of The Boston Massacre as well as the Old South Meeting House and Faneuil Hall.

USS Constitution in the foreground, Bunker Hill Memorial in the background

The USS Constitution was one of six ships constructed under the Naval Act of 1794. It was a well traveled ship seeing action in the West Indies, Brazil and the coast of Africa during The Barbary Wars, but her most famous action was during the War of 1812 when she fought the British frigate HMS Guerriere. After the battle one of the sailors exclaimed, "Huzzah! Her sides are made of iron!" Earning the Constitution her nickname "Old Ironsides".  She would bring down 3 more British warships during the War of 1812 but her battle with the Guerriere remains her finest hour.

Today the Constitution remains a fully commissioned vessel of the US Navy, and is crewed by 60 sailors and officers. She is the oldest commissioned naval vessel in the world. Her mission today is to promote understanding of the Navy's role in both war and peace through education, participation in public events, and historic demonstration. After a major renovation in the mid 90's the Constitution was finally able to leave port and sail under her own power again in 1997, just in time to celebrate her 200th birthday. She remains berthed at Pier 1 of the former Charleston Navy Yard and is a part of the Freedom Trail.

While in Boston, take a stroll down the eclectic shopping district of Newbury Street. Here the historic brownstones have been converted into shops and galleries that run the gamut from shabby to chic. Sometimes called the "Rodeo Drive of the East", Newbury Street is comparable to the high end fashion districts in New York, Los Angeles, or San Francisco, especially in the realm of hair salons, as salon owner famously quipped, "You go off Newbury Street and you're a second class citizen." The wonderful galleries and boutiques make for a stellar day of shopping. Make sure to bring your appetite with you, because Newbury Street has plenty of great restaurants as well.


THE FOOD

The Union Oyster House, and Union Street

Have no fear my foodie friends, there is no shortage of good eats in Boston. First of all, you have to sample the various Irish Pubs that are located all over the city. Plan on popping into one while exploring the Boston area, for some fish & chips and a pint of Sam Adams. One of our favorites was JJ Foley's, but Solas was also very good.
The one culinary MUST of Boston is The Union Oyster House. The building itself is more than 250 years old. Around 1775 the silk and dry goods store became the headquarters for the first paymaster of the Continental Army, Ebenezer Hancock, and there is little doubt that the area where diners sit today was the pay station where soldiers waited to receive their "war wages". Later, Daniel Webster became a regular customer at the famed oyster bar downstairs, and the Kennedy clan would also have a table dedicated to them. History aside, the food at the Union Oyster House is also every bit as good as advertised. But yeah, the food was great. . . blah, blah, blah, I want to tell you about their coffee. Yes, their coffee. I am not joking when I say that the single best cup of coffee that I have ever tasted was at Union Oyster House in Boston. I ordered a cup of just regular 'ol black coffee and it was fantastic! It was mild and smooth, not bitter at all, and with an almost chocolatey finish. In a word, superb.

And speaking of coffee, being from the west coast, I couldn't help but notice that Boston has a Dunkin' Donuts on every other street corner in lieu of  a Starbucks.  Normally I try to remain as complimentary and accepting of the city that I'm visiting but in this case of east coast versus west coast I've got to tell you Boston, you lose. Across the board every product offered at Dunkin Donuts pales in comparison with Starbucks. I left Boston convinced that I need to buy as much Starbucks stock as I can, because here in the not-so-distant future that company is going to boom when New Englanders finally wake up to the realization of what a vastly superior product they've been missing out on. (Rant over)

Home Cooking

One dish that we had that I enjoy making because it makes me think of Boston, is Fisherman's Stew. We had an especially tasty meal of it at Legal Sea Foods, which had big lumps of wonderfully fresh haddock. This is a recipe that I pirated from Rachael Ray and is very good.

Fisherman's Stew


Seafood Base
1 medium red onion (coarsely chopped)
1 Fresno chili pepper (chopped)
1 Tablespoon lemon zest
2 cloves garlic (minced or grated)
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley (a couple handfuls)
2 Tablespoons thyme
2 fresh bay leaves

Soup Base
1/4 Cup extra virgin olive oil
6 anchovy filets
4 small ribs celery (chopped)
2 starchy potatoes (peeled and diced)
1 red pepper (finely chopped)
1/2 bottle lager beer (6 ounces)
1 28 ounce can of diced tomatoes
2 Cups chicken stock
1 pound cod (cut into chunks)
1 pound sea scallops

1 loaf ciabatta or other crusty bread for serving

For the seafood base: place the red onion, chili pepper, lemon zest, garlic, parsley, thyme, and bay leaves into food processor and whiz into a paste.

For the soup base: heat the olive oil and anchovies over med/high heat. When the anchovies melt into the oil, add the seafood base and stir 3-4 minutes. Then add celery, potatoes, and red pepper and cover the pot for 4-5 minutes to sweat them out, stirring occasionally. Deglaze the pot with beer. Add tomatoes, and chicken stock and bring to a boil, simmer for 20 minutes or until it has been reduced by a third. Turn off heat, cool and store for a make-ahead meal.

To reheat: Reheat over med/high heat. Crust up warm bread in a hot oven. When the soup comes to a boil, fold or nestle the cod and scallops into the liquid, and return to a boil, cook for 5 minutes, until the fish is opaque, and cooked through. Remove from heat and serve immediately, with bread for mopping.

THE TUNES

The Airborne Toxic Event at Somerville Theatre

Both Ursa and I were extremely excited to see one of our favorite bands The Airborne Toxic Event play an acoustic set with The Calder Quartet at the former vaudeville stage, Somerville Theatre. This is an immensely talented band and if you are not yet familiar with them you really owe it to yourself to check them out. Have a listen to their hit "Sometime Around Midnight" or "Gasoline". This performance was everything you hope for: fantastic band, plus string quartet, plus intimate and unique venue equals unforgettable night.

We also couldn't miss out on an opportunity to catch a musical while in Boston. We were lucky enough to get tickets to Wicked, which was showing at The Boston Opera House. The prequel to The Wizard of Oz, was funny and charming and the sets and performance were top notch. If you take the show at face value as a fanciful, fun, family show (pardon the alliteration) then I think you'll leave very pleased with Wicked, though if you try to compare it with other high end touring musicals you may find yourself disappointed. I often have to remind myself of this notion at the movies, not every film has to be Bridge on the River Kwai, sometimes you need Airplane! too. It's theater, and it's allowed to be fun sometimes. Chandra Lee Schwartz as the thoroughly saccharine Glinda (the good witch) was hilarious!  Wicked is currently touring the US, don't let it slip through your town without catching it.



Woody:  What do you say to a cold one, Norm?
Norm:  See you later, Vera; I'm going to Cheers!

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Welcome to one of Europe's most progressive, and cosmopolitan  cities. And really "progressive" is the most apt descrition to sum up Amsterdam. As I walked through the city I was always marveling at how efficient everything was, and how modern everything seemed, which seems a curious thought to have considering that the city was settled in the 12th century. But, truly, that is the juxtaposition of Amsterdam, the modern world blended seamlessly into an old world capitol.

One question that I often get asked regarding travels overseas is about the "language barrier". I would answer that by saying not to let it intimidate you. While every place is a little different, most Europeans are familiar with, if not fluent in English. This is especially true in Amsterdam, where the locals, who normally speak Dutch, were always happy to practice up on their English. Most restaurants will also provide an English language menu. So don't let the language barrier dissuade you from visiting this vibrant city, or any country for that matter.

As far as getting around the city goes, Amsterdam is configured in such a way that you can get anywhere you want by public transit, bicycle or by foot. Driving is a pure luxury and frankly not necessary (and it's a bit of a hassle to boot). Also, the city is nicely divided into specific districts, such as an industrial district and commercial district (where tourists have little interest), and the cultural district in the city center, or Centrum, where all of the interesting "city stuff" is located. The parks, museums, fashion district, and nightlife can all be found here. So wherever you stay, it's easy to catch a metro to Centrum, and walk from there.

THE SITES

Amsterdam is famous for it's canals, and while they have always served a utilitarian purpose, they are also the single best way to get a tour of the city. Spend the day hopping on and off of the boats at key spots around the city such as Vondelpark (the city's largest park), or a tour of the Heineken Experience which is much much more than just a beer museum (although in my opinion a museum of beer would be more than enough to guarantee my attendance). The houses that line the canals in this area are absolutely stunning. Two of the oldest are wooden houses which date back to 1528, but the oldest structure in Amsterdam is the Oude Kerk (Old Church) which was consecrated in 1306.

Musiekgebouw aan't IJ

The boats will also take you out onto the River Ij (pronounced eye) where you can stop off at NEMO, the largest science center in the Netherlands, or see a performance at Amsterdam's amazing concert hall, Muziekgebouw aan't IJ which opened it's doors in 2005. Aside from it's concert hall, Muziekgebouw aan't IJ also houses the Bimhuis which is a stage for jazz and improvised music, you can see the Bimhuis in the photo to the left, it is the black box jutting out from the side of the Muziekgebouw aan't IJ.

Rijksmuseum

Rembrandt Square

There are several wonderful museums to explore in Amsterdam, but none compare to the Rijksmuseum, home to a vast collection of art from the Dutch Golden Age, including Masters such as Rembrandt, Vermeer, Frans Hals, and Jan van Goyen. Rembrandt is particularly well represented at the Rijksmuseum (and deservedly so) in particular his masterpiece Night Watch (also titled The Company of Frans Banning Cocq and Willem van Ruytenburch). The painting is a massive 11 ft 10 inches x 14 ft 4 in. The Rijksmuseum also houses a spectacular collection of Delftware, the blue and white, tin glazed pottery made in and around the city of Delft in the Netherlands, during the 16th Century. Another must-see museum in Amsterdam is The Van Gogh Museum, dedicated to the post-Impressionist painter. The museum contains the largest collection of Vincent van Gogh works anywhere in the world, and also has drawings, sketches, letters and many works by van Gogh's contemporaries. The museum is set up so that you can follow van Gogh's growth as an artist while explaining the context of the art scene and the city and world that the artist painted.

Rossebuurt, also known as the Red Light District

Virtually every conversation I have in regards to Amsterdam inevitably turns into a Q & A session regarding their legendary nightlife, infamous Red Light District, or progressive policies regarding the Narco-Tourism industry; so lets dispel some rumors, shall we? The Dutch have taken the approach that if you can't stop people from doing it, you might as well give them the means to do it in a safe, and controllable manner as opposed to wasting resources trying to enforce laws that have mixed results at best. Take for example prostitution, the "world's oldest profession". Rather than continue to throw women in prison for selling their own bodies, it made far more sense to give them a place to ply their trade that was safe for the women, and the general public, while minimizing any negative affect on the community. Hence the establishment of  the "Rossebuurt" or red light district, where the girls will entice clients through their crimson lit windows, and pull the curtain shut when they are occupied.

The Rookies Coffeeshop

The same principle applies to the establishment of Amsterdam's famous coffeeshops (the Dutch write it as one word). Dutch policy makers did not see the value in wasting resources punishing it's citizens for recreational drug use and viewed the use of marijuana as more of a public health issue than a criminal one. So in 1976 it amended it's drug laws to include a policy of non-enforcement, meaning that laws against the sale of small amounts of marijuana would not be enforced (contrary to popular belief, it is still illegal to buy and sell small quantities of marijuana, it's just not enforced. All other "hard" drugs likewise remain illegal, and their sale is strictly enforced)

So now that we've covered the logistics of Amsterdam's alternative public policies, I suppose I might as well deal with the questions that my friends always seem to want to know. 1) No, I did not personally sample the fare at the Red Light District (C'mon people, I had my girlfriend with me and, as liberal as she is, there's just some stuff that ain't gonna fly) 2) Did I sample the fare at the Coffeeshops? With regards to the fact that my mother reads this blog, as does my boss. . . you bet your ass I did! (Mom always knew when I was lying and my boss isn't dense enough to believe that I didn't) How could I not, it's freakin' Amsterdam! Our favorite coffeeshop was The Rookies which was very relaxed inside, I felt more like I was ordering a latte than a spliff. 3) How was the quality? The white widow is good, but it's not the kind of quality that you can't find in the States. I recommend spending the cash and getting the Blackberry Kush, or Amnesia Haze, but be careful, they pack a real punch.

THE FOOD

Kop Van Jut went from empty upon our arrival to completely full in 10 minutes

Small Talk

Eating in Europe is always a fantastic culinary adventure, with it's bistros, cafes and it's artisan shops, and it's general lack of lifeless chain restaurants, it is always something unexpected. Every morning in Amsterdam, Ursa and I would make the walk from our hotel to Centrum, and more mornings than not we'd stop at the same bistro called Small Talk (left) which had the most fantastic raisin and rum sauce pancakes. But most of the time I ordered the kroket sandwich (see the Home Cooking section below).  We also ate at Kop Van Jut (pictured above) which was a quaint cafe full of more delicious morsels than I could hope to ever indulge myself with. But really, the best way to enjoy eating in Europe is not to seek out specific places and travel to them but to let your travels take you to a place you never knew about. Explore the city, and when you're hungry look around, there's bound to be something wonderful in that little cafe just around the corner.
As both a traveler and a foodie, I try not to view differences as "weird". I try to say that they're interesting, or unique, or eclectic, but in the case of Dutch snacks some of them are, lets face it, weird. Take for example the breakfast staple Broodje Hagelslag which is bread covered with butter and chocolate sprinkles (not dissimilar from the chocolate sprinkles you'd find on a cupcake). Another favorite snack are the Dutch cookies known as stroopwafels, which are caramel or maple syrup pressed between two small cookielike waffels.

One snack that I've developed a serious addiction to is Zoute Drop, or salted licorice. The Dutch, like myself, are licorice fiends (or as they call it drop), and they have the highest per-capita consumption rate of any country in the world (eating about 4 1/2 pounds per person, per year). Licorice is even thought to have medicinal qualities, prompting some Dutch mothers to give their children drop in lieu of other candies, and to offer it as lozenges for sore throats. They have hundreds of kinds of drop, flavoring it with everything from bay leaves to wine and fruit. But by far my favorite is the zoute drop; the saltiness with the strong, barkey flavor is fantastic. For those of you who have a taste for licorice, and I realize that it's something that you'll either love or hate, try Klene Zakkenrollers Zoute Drop, they are nothing short of divine!

Home Cooking

One of the most popular lunch items in the Netherlands is a positively scrumptious deep fried meat paste called Kroketten. It has a wonderful crispy texture on the outside and a delicate, gooey middle. They are eaten either by themselves or cut down the middle and served on a piece of white bread as a kind of open faced sandwich. Either way they are usually accompanied with one of the many varieties of delicious Dutch mustard.


Kroketten


1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 cup hot milk
3/4 lbs leftover roast beef
1/2 onion (diced)

1 Tablespoon Thyme
1 Tablespoon Ketjap manis
1 Tablespoon chopped parsley
1 teaspoon pepper

Crumb Coating
2 eggs (beaten)
1/3 cup milk
1 cup flour
2 cups bread crumbs
vegetable oil for frying

Melt butter in saucepan, and add flour to make a light roux. Cook for about 3 minutes until the roux is starting to brown, slowly add in milk. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Pour into a large mixing bowl and allow to cool.

Place roast beef, thyme, ketjap manis, parsley, and pepper into a food processor and blend until smooth. Scrape mixture into mixing bowl with roux and stir in well to make a thick paste. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or until chilled.

Roll the Kroket mixture into small logs (should make about 24). Whisk together eggs and milk and set up a prep line of flour, egg mixture, then breadcrumbs. One by one, roll the Kroketten in the flour, then egg/milk, and finally the bread crumbs and set on a plate. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Heat vegetable oil in deep fryer to 350 degrees and, working in batches, fry the Kroketten until golden brown. Serve with Dutch mustard.


THE TUNES

Flying Lotus at the Melkweg

What would a trip to Amsterdam be without seeing a techno show, or visiting a jazz club? We went to the multiuse Melkweg to see up and coming electronic artist Flying Lotus (also known as Fly-Lo). As a venue the Melkweg (or Milky Way) is fantastic. The converted milk warehouse now contains a theater, a cinema, a photography exhibition, as well as the live music club. Flying Lotus' music may be recognizable to any of my friends familiar with Cartoon Network's Adult Swim, where his music is used for many of the segues between clips. FlyLo churns out experimental beats that run the gamut between hypnotic and eclectic funk, to jazz fusion, while avoiding sounding too clubby. He has a sound that is smart and thought provoking. Check out his single "...And The World Laughs With You..." which features Radiohead's Thom Yorke.

On another entertaining evening out we saw the very talented improvisational jazz saxophone player Hans Dulfer perform at Cafe Alto. Cafe Alto is a romantic little club in the heart of Amsterdam's city center, and is perfectly suited for a lovely, jazz filled, date night. All the bars and clubs are relatively small, and fill up rather quickly. If you plan on making an evening of the performance I would suggest showing up early for a comfortable table, but the small clubs means that there are a lot of clubs to choose from, so barhopping from one to another to see what suits you best is also highly recommended.
It is also notable that the Dutch government heavily subsidizes the arts, meaning that performing arts such as the opera, symphony, ballet, and theater are all very inexpensive to attend. We attended a ballet performance at Zaantheater which was very good.


Gauw tot ziens iedereen!

Vancouver, British Columbia

I never really knew what to expect when I first visited Vancouver, and I think that's why I ended up loving it so much. I was able to appreciate the city for what it was rather than what I expected it to be. And that's when the city's charm really stood out. Ursa and I made a point to stop and stay for a while as we were driving north from Denver to Anchorage. We were taking our time on the drive, making frequent, prolonged stops in Boise, Portland, and Seattle; so we briefly considered forgoing Vancouver. Thank goodness we didn't. I was immediately awed not only by the beauty of the thoroughly modern metropolis but also by the natural beauty of the area. For anyone traveling to Vancouver I would advise using the public transportation, it is cheap and convenient, and far easier than driving.

THE SITES

Vancouver's Chinatown is a area town that spotlights the city's cultural diversity, and is one of North America's largest historic Chinatowns. Chinese immigrants began settling two streets known as Shanghai Alley and Canton Alley between 1890 and 1920. With it's historic buildings, restaurants and small shops, Chinatown has become one of Vancouver's favorite tourist attractions.

Be sure to visit the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Chinese Garden while in Chinatown. I love Chinese Gardens anyway, but this one is one of the finest that I've seen. There is a masterful balance between the care and precision to which everything is built, groomed and maintained, while still maintaining it's natural garden appearance. It is built upon the harmony of it's four main elements: rock, water, plants and architecture. It is a much needed place of serenity in the heart of a bustling city.
One other interesting Chinatown note is that Vancouver actually has more than one. In recent times a large segment of Vancouver's Chinese-Canadian population has moved to the suburb of Richmond along with many of the Hong Kong and Taiwanese immigrants and the area is now referred to as the Golden Village, which is also well worth visiting.

Gastown is another historic area of Vancouver; in fact, as Vancouver's first downtown core, Gastown is THE historic area. It was named after "Gassy" Jack Deighton, a steamboat captain who arrived in 1867 and opened the city's first saloon. After being incorporated into the city of Vancouver in 1886, Gastown was promptly burnt to the ground by the Great Vancouver Fire that same year, losing all but two of it's buildings. Today Gastown is the hub for visitors and locals alike who come here for the restaurants, nightlife, and boutiques, and in the 70's was referred to a "Haight-Ashbury North".
The famous Gastown Steam Clock is one of the most notable sites in the district. Originally erected over a steam grate to keep the homeless from sleeping next to the  warm grate. The steam mechanism has been recently restored and instead of bells, it's steam whistles chirp the Westminster Chime.

For many visitors to Vancouver, iconic Canada Place will be their first experience. Canada Place is much more than just a port for the cruise ships, it's also a convention center, and Pan Pacific Hotel. Take a walk around the scenic pier for a breathtaking view of the city, and just to the southeast is a little plaza with a equally breathtaking view of Canada Place.

Let's not forget that Vancouver is one of the greatest places on earth for winter sports, and played host to the 2010 Winter Olympics. The skiing at Whistler is legendary, and the neighboring resort community is a vacation unto itself, with plenty of outdoor activities in both summer and winter. Go during the summer months and experience everything from whitewater rafting, to the zipline tours, or their extensive biking trails.

THE FOOD


Lots of good eats in Vancouver. Lots of 'em. We took full advantage of Chinatown and hit the ethnic food pretty hard, the Bao Bei is really good, or for sushi try Shabusen, which is easy to find, just a couple blocks up from Canada Place. Another excellent place we ate was The Wicklow Pub, we went there for a late lunch, but after seeing the beautiful view and the wonderful menu, I kind of wished that we'd made it back for dinner. The Wicklow is located in the Olympic Village, overlooking a little marina and with a great view of the city.

Home Cooking

One dish that everyone should associate with the Northwest, Alaska, and the western coast of Canada is Salmon. This is a salmon dish that I found some time ago and has become my favorite way to cook the fish. Try to use a good, fatty salmon filet; the butter will accentuate it's tenderness. Also, be sure not to overcook the salmon, you're looking for about medium/rare.

Salmon with Creamed Leaks and Red Wine Butter

1 Cup red wine

2 shallots (1 roughly chopped, 1 finely chopped)

8 Tbs butter (6 Tbs softened, 2 Tbs cubed)

2 tsp chopped flatleaf parsley

3 medium leeks (white and light green parts only)

1/2 Tbs marjoram

1/2 Tbs thyme

1 tsp crushed fennel seeds

1/3 cup dry vermouth 

2 Cups heavy cream

1 Tbs lemon juice

4 8oz salmon fillets

3 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 clove garlic

Combine red wine and roughly chopped shallots in 1 quart sauce pan, bring to a boil over high heat. Boil until reduced to 1 Tablespoon, strain into small bowl and discard shallots and let wine cool. Add chopped parsley and softened butter. Stir with fork until well combined. Roll in plastic wrap and chill until firm. This can be done a day or more in advance.

Heat remaining butter in a 12 inch skillet over medium/high heat, add leeks, marjoram, thyme, fennel, and season with 1/2 tsp salt, and cook, stirring occasionally until slightly wilted (about 2 minutes). Add vermouth and cook until almost all the liquid has evaporated (about 8 minutes). Add cream and lemon juice, cook until leeks are soft and cream has thickened (about 25 minutes). Keep warm and covered over low heat.

Heat oven to 275 degrees. arrange salmon on foil lined baking sheet. In a small bowl add remaining shallots, olive oil and garlic. Rub salmon with shallot mixture, roast salmon until medium rare (about 12 minutes). Cut 4, 1/4 inch slices of red wine butter and let melt slightly in oven.

To serve: spoon some of the leeks onto 4 plates, and place salmon filet on top of each, garnish with parsley.


THE TUNES

Sometimes it really is better to be lucky than good, and such was the case when we scored tickets to see punk-pop legends The Offspring playing at Vancouver's Vogue Theater. As expected, the Offspring blistered through a set of classic hits, but sprinkled in some new songs. The highlight was when they went into the wayback machine to pull out "Genocide" off of their Smash album.
Other great music venues to keep an eye on are The Commodore Ballroom, and the city owned Orpheum Theater. And if you see that local punk heros The Japandroids are playing, jump on it! We saw them at Bumbershoot last year and they rocked.

Denver, Colorado

Colorado State Capitol Building

Ursa and I find it sometimes difficult to plan our trips to Denver because we are always trying to balance our time between all the friends and family we have there and our time spent just enjoying what this wonderful city has to offer. We spend so much time in fact, juggling our time with friends and time in the city that we never get much of a chance to take advantage of the outstanding outdoors activities, such as skiing, hiking, or biking; that surrounds the city. It's ironic that our biggest problem with the Mile High City is that there's too much going on and too many wonderful people there.


THE SITES

I love art museums. I hesitate mentioning them in this blog though because usually it is more noteworthy if I find the rare museum that I DON'T like. That being said, the Denver Art Museum is above and beyond what you find in most cities. The outside alone is a must-see!

The new expansion building, called the Fredric C Hamilton Building has become one of the city's great landmarks. It was designed by Daniel Libeskind, and opened to the public in 2006, and is designed to be emblematic of the Rocky Mountains themselves. It now houses most of the DAM's modern art and special collections, while the old building contains it's classic works and native culture exhibits.

Hanging out at The Tattered Cover

Spending a day in Denver's historic Lower Downtown (LoDo) District is a day well spent. Go shopping at the phenomenal book store The Tattered Cover, then head over to Wynkoop Brewing Company for a couple of pints of microbrews for which Colorado is so famous.

Afterword you can take a tour of historic Union Station. Currently the area around the station is undergoing a redevelopment project to become an interchange of several modes of public transit, intended to return Union Station to being a bustling hub of the city's center.
You can also find Coors Field in the LoDo District, home of Major League Baseball's Colorado Rockies. I got lucky enough to score 4 tickets to game 4 of the 2007 World Series at Coors Field between the Colorado Rockies and the Boston Red Sox. Jonathan Papelbon closed out the game for a 6-5 Red Sox win and a sweep of the Rockies in their first trip to the World Series.

Denver has a wonderful art district on Santa Fe Drive. It is an exciting and vibrant area filled with a variety of galleries, a museum and a theatre as well as a variety of restaurants. The art studios banded together in the early '90's as they all started to find Denver's booming downtown area to be too cost prohibitive for such small buisnesses.  But here in their new neighborhood, these little shops make for a wonderful day of art gazing, especially on the first Friday of every month when the Art District on Santa Fe has it's Art Walk.


THE FOOD

Tuscan rubbed New York strip and a Sapphire Negroni at Elway's

On a recent trip to Denver Ursa and I had the pleasure of enjoying a 5 course dinner and cocktail pairing at Elway's. The food was fabulous, but the interesting part was that each dish was paired with a cocktail made with Bombay Sapphire Gin. My favorite was the Hoisin pork belly and spicy ramen noodle paired with a Monkey Gland Cocktail (Bombay Sapphire, orange juice, grenadine, and Absinthe). The funny thing about that dish was that by this time in the dinner the three rather petite women sitting next to us were swiftly approaching their limit for the booze so they all passed their Monkey Gland Cocktails over to me! So by the end of that course I was approaching MY limit as well.

Other wonderful places to eat in the Denver area include: Lucile's Creole Cafe for breakfast. The beignets are heavenly.  For lunch you've got to rock some Famous Pizza for some absolutely awesome Pizza. For dinner we've enjoyed La Fondue. Though honestly, the whole fondue restaurant thing, while it is delicious, is not the kind of dining experience that I want on any kind of regular basis. The food was fabulous and the desert was absolutely decadent, but strangely will I be going back? It could be quite a while. But if you've never eaten at a fondue restaurant before, you really should try it, just to have experienced it for yourself.

Home Cooking

Every time we travel to Denver, we always set aside an evening to eat dinner at Jerusalem Restaurant which really does have some stellar Middle Eastern food. We go there with SUCH regularity, that I now make an almost pavlovian connection between Denver and Middle Eastern cuisine. Now, whenever I post a recipe on this blog, I always make sure to dust it off in the kitchen right before I post it, and cook it up for Ursa and I (some of these I haven't made in a while) but in this case I've never really done much Middle Eastern cooking, so I decided to start with Baba Ghanouj, a easy but delicious dish, which is essentially a dip made from whipped eggplants.

Baba Ghanouj
2 small eggplants (larger eggplants have more seeds and are therefor more bitter)
1/4 cup tahini
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 pinch ground cumin
salt to taste
1 Tbs chopped parsley
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Prick the eggplants in several places with a fork. (If you don't prick them they could explode) Roast eggplants in oven for 30 minutes or until very soft.
Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. Peel skin from eggplants (the simplest way is to wrap them in plastic wrap, then cut off the top of the eggplant and squeeze the insides out like a tube of toothpaste) Place eggplant flesh into a strainer over a bowl. Allow to drain for 30 minutes. If you don't drain them they will be bitter.
Transfer eggplant to food processor, and add tahini, garlic, lemon juice, and cumin. Pulse until smooth. Add salt, tahini, and/or lemon juice to taste. If your Baba Ghanouj is bitter, add a little honey.
Transfer to serving dish and drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with parsley. Serve at room temperature with pita bread.


THE TUNES

Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears at The Bluebird Theater

On our last trip to Denver we were able to catch one of my favorite live bands, Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears playing at the Bluebird Theater. Black Joe plays a rollicking brand of old school, James Brown-style funk. But don't think of them as a throwback band. Their sound is fresh and fun. I liked the way the Bluebird was set up with a tiered floor rather than the open dance floor you so often find, allowing everyone throughout the building to have a good view of the stage. 
If you ever find yourself planning a trip to the Denver area during the summer, make sure you check to see who's playing at Red Rocks Amphitheater first. Red Rocks is arguably the most beautiful place to see a concert in the world. The natural amphitheater sits between two great 300 foot sandstone slabs which have been pushed out of the ground, and offer unbelievable acoustics. Couple that with a panoramic view of the city and you have a concert experience not to be forgotten.
We also recently had the privilege of seeing the insightful, funny, clever, and generally terrifying Henry Rollins doing a speaking engagement at The Soiled Dove. It was there that Mr. Rollins said something that very much gave birth to this very blog. He talked of his own travels and how he understood what a very special opportunity he had been given to travel the world and see things that most people never get to see and do. To experience other cultures with his own eyes. And he said that he came to the realization that it was part of his job to report back to everyone else on what he discovered. I couldn't have agreed more. Thank you Henry, you are as always a source of inspiration.

Until next time, thanks for reading everybody.

Me and John at the 2007 World Series