Food - Eataly

Mario Batali has done a wonderful job at creating a European style open air market. It was well into the 90's in Manhattan and to escape into an air conditioned food theme park was about as wonderful of a thing as I could ask for. Meats, cheeses, fish, pasta the list of goodies seemed endless. We had to start somewhere, so we ordered a dozen oysters. Sweet, briny, and topped with freshly grated horseradish, lemon and home made hot sauce. They were a perfect cool treat after the 90+ heat outside.

I forgot to mention the wonderful fragrant bread they brought before the oysters, but what shined through even more then the bread was the olive oil. Barbera Lorenzo #3, this oil had a delicate floral note with a spicy pepper finish, it complimented the house made bread perfectly.

New York Citay!

I want to be a part of it! Well, not really, but I like to visit from time to time. 

We left Meeker yesterday morning to get to Denver to make our flight, in the late afternoon.  It was a bit of a drive, but it was beautiful.  The Glenwood Pass was spectacular.  When we finally made it to Denver our first stop was REI.  I could live there.  This was their flagship store, so it was huge and like 3 stories.  We got a safari shirt for Seth and picked up my sleeping bag.  It was a wonderful store.

Then, thanks to Yelp, we found a restaurant called The Euclid Kitchen.  I'm so happy Seth found and chose this place, because it was the most interesting, creative menu I've seen in a while.  Everything is house made, which is a huge deal.  We started off with their mushroom poutine which was complex and earthy and oh so good.  How can you go wrong when there's thick, brown mushroom gravy, Wisconsin cheddar cheese curds, mushrooms and fries in one place? Well, you can't.

We, also ordered their house pickles.  If you know me, you know I adore anything pickled, and this was no exception.

 So, for my entree, I ordered the sausage sampler.  Man, oh man, it was one delectable tube of meat after another! They came on a bed of cidered cabbage, which was good, but I was busy with the sausage.  The plate came with four of their house made mustards, which were pretty good, but once again, were overshadowed by the sausage.  And, though they were all very good, my favorite was the beef kielbasa.

It was so good that I ended up eating just enough sausage and drinking just enough amazing beer, that my stomach was angry with me for a few hours.  Let's hope I don't make this a habit!

Denver International Airport was way less of a hassle than LAX ever is.  Driving into the airport was simple and there weren't police sent there just to tell you that you have to move after standing still for 3.5 seconds, and security lines were quick and efficient.  The flight was ok from Denver to New York.  It's going to be interesting to compare all of the airlines that we sample throughout our trip.

So, New York City!  After sitting on the tarmac for about 45 minutes, we made it into the city at about midnight.  We are staying with Amy, one of Seth's good friends from College.  Right off the bat, we were able to experience something that I've noticed that many New Yorkers take a lot of pride in; the heat.  There happens to be a heat wave in the city right now, but many refuse to use their AC units if they have them, or to go buy one if they don't.  It's almost like a rite of passage.  Amy's place was hot, but Seth wasted no time in noticing her AC unit on the wall, and turning it on for the first time.  It kinda worked.  Needless to say, we're going to have to get used to sleeping in warm places.

The next morning, we woke up and Amy made us cold mimosas.  Yum!  Then, we braved the city heat in search of some camera supplies and delicious food.  We ended up visiting Eataly, Mario Batali's indoor European style market.  It was heaven.  Meats, cheeses, and seafood everywhere!  We shared a dozen amazing oysters, a charcuterie plate, and poked around the aisles, enjoying the air conditioning.  This place is a must for anyone in the NY area.  We finished off our visit to Eataly with some gelato that turned into soup immediately after leaving the Eataly doors.  Yep, it was still hot outside.  

We did a lot of walking around the city.  We walked along the Sky Walk (I think that's what it was called), an old railroad line that extends across the city above the streets.  It was really nice.  It was quieter and green and we were able to view the city from a different vantage point that was refreshing.  

We ended up meeting Louie and Flute at their place for drinks before we scrambled for a dinner spot.  We ended up at Marlow and Sons, and my cousin Jesse and his girlfriend Molly, joined us, along with Amy and Aaron.  It was really nice to have a group of our friends, whom we don't see very often, around a table sharing a meal.  I, always, think it's amazing when people are brought together like that.  It feels so good.  Though I was so excited to see everyone, it was a special treat to see my cousin Jesse.  Though I could probably count on my hands how many times we've spent time together, it's always so easy to talk to Jesse.  He's a good guy and I wish we could spend more time together.  And it was really nice to finally meet Molly.

Dinner at Marlow and Sons was amazing and dessert was spectacular.  Truffle toast, oysters, rabbit and mussels, and sweet cream ice cream drenched in candied pine nuts and olive oil.  A feast!  New York never disappoints my taste buds.  And though there are many things about the city that I really like (public transportation and the forced visibility of all its residents, food, central park), I don't think I could live here.  I could probably swing a year living in NYC, but after that I may go crazy.  It's too much of a city.  And, I don't feel clean at the end of the day.  I feel I need to shower if I'm going to be at 'home'.  Maybe that's the LA girl inside of me talking, but I can't hang with the city grime! 

More Colorado Fun

Wednesday we started off by doing a bunch of Japan planning with Joan.  I am looking forward to Japan with so much anticipation, but it's going to be a lot of hard work.  So, we debated between hotels, vacation homes, and Ryokans.  We're still not sure what we're going to do.  But, one thing we are sure of is that it's going to be expensive.  I'm looking forward to the food, surprise.

I felt like running around so I slapped on my work out gear and started experimenting.  I wanted to jump rope, but we didn't have one, so I started with Joan's hula hoop.  That wasn't cutting it.  Even with the altitude, I wasn't breaking a sweat.  I found an extension cord, wrapped it around my hands, and tried to jump rope.  I don't know if it was the cord or the uneven dirt and grass, but jumping rope wasn't happening.  I was getting frustrated, so I went into the house to mope.  Seth, jokingly, offered to hop on my back and get carried across the yard at a run.  I said yes.  Now, I didn't get a picture, and I'm kinda disappointed by this, so I am going to paint a picture for you.  Picture my husband, hopping on my back in proper piggy-back form, me wrapping my arms around his extra long legs and trotting (as fast as I could) across the front yard.  But, that's not the end of it.  Mochi is always excited for us to join her outside (in 'her territory'), so when I began running she decided it was a game and began running with us.  But then, the puppies saw what was going on and I think they were kind of confused, that they weren't completely sure what we were, or what we were doing.  Then they began to chase after us and bark like crazy.  This put Mochi into the defensive, trying to keep the puppies away.  So, there I was, toting Seth on my back, barreling across the yard, with three dogs barking like crazy while circling my feet.  Quite a scene.

Lucky for us, we were able to spend Joan's birthday with her.  To celebrate we headed over to Glenwood Springs to have lunch at The Pullman.  It happens to be a really good restaurant with really good drinks.  I had the lamb meatballs with feta gnudi.  What the heck is gnudi?  Well, I'm told it's kinda like gnocchi, but it's more cheese than potato.  It was really delicious.  I tried a bite of everyone else's dishes and they were very good as well.  We ran some errands then headed back to Meeker. 

This morning, we woke up and it was already hot.  So, we filled up the baby pool and attacked Mochi with the hose.  Don't worry, she loves this.  She's a bit apprehensive at first, so we soak her, then she wants to play.  She streaks after the stream of water and tries to eat it.  It's awesome.

Then, Seth made a picnic lunch to bring up to the ranch.  We had lunch at the ranch with Steve, Joan and some friends then borrowed the 4-wheeler to go for a ride.  Seth, Joan, Mochi and me went for an adventure.  Steve mentioned that they had cleared the fence line, so we decided to check it out.  Adventure.  Bushes, bugs, and branches.  It was like a roller coaster.  But, at the top of one hill I turned to my right to see a herd of about 35 elk spotting us and running away.  Super cool.  And the property is absolutely beautiful.  Then, on our way back, as we passed a puddle, slowing to search for a bear track near it, we heard a splash as we continued on.  After a moment or two, I turned around to check on Mochi in the back like I was doing every so often.  And she was gone.  Seth stops and I frantically hop out.  And she's right behind the 4-wheeler, but she's covered in brown sludge.  Gross.  We can't be sure, but our guess is that when we slowed to check the mud around the puddle for the bear track, Mochi saw the 'water' and hopped out for a swim. It was really hot and she's a fluffy black doggie.  But, what she didn't know about that puddle, or did but didn't care, was that this particular puddle is where male elk pee and 'squirt' in during mating season.  Gross.  More than gross.  We were running out of gas so we headed back to the office and dunked Mochi in the river.  That wasn't enough, so when we got back to the house we washed her in the baby pool.

Then we went through our packs.  So, it turns out that it's going to cost like $600 to send a box of needed items to Africa.  Go figure.  So, we have to carry our sleeping bags and fleece the whole time.  So, we decided to go through our stuff and cut out as much as we could.  I took out a bunch of stuff from my bathroom kit, like 5 of the 7 chapsticks, night face lotion, and things like that.  It was tough, but I think it will be worth it.  I, also, took out one of my dresses.  I think that's it.  I pick up my smaller sleeping bag from the REI in Denver on our way to the airport tomorrow.

If you couldn't figure it out, mine is the pile on the left, and Seth's is the one on the right.

We're off to Denver tomorrow! NYC here we come!

Food - Beer steamed mussels and chorizo

These steamed mussels were both my entrée and a massive hit at our table. We drove over an hour and a half to get to what is currently my favorite restaurant on the western slope of Colorado, The Pullman in Glenwood Springs. It's been open just over 3 years and I make the trip every time I come out to visit my parents in Meeker. It was my 31st birthday on the 22nd and my moms birthday on the 27th, we decided to make the drive and catch a late lunch. The mussels were perfectly cooked and had a wonderfully sweet flavor that balanced out nicely with the heat from the chorizo. Topped with home made fries and garlic mayo, dipping those in the sauce at the bottom was the best part.

Food - Leftover Chicken, Salad

Who says my wife doesn't cook? Well mostly I say that, but she made me a great salad for dinner tonight. She tossed some of the leftover grilled lemon parsley chicken breast on top of butter lettuce, red romaine, crunchy carrots, radishes, and sliced scallions. Topped with some of my mom's home made blue cheese dressing.

Thanks wife!

A Day of Preparation

Hello, all! Today was a day of preparation.  We spent the day at home organizing and ironing out details.  For example, suspending cell phone service, alerting credit cards that we're leaving the country, and making sure we have a bunch of cool travel apps on my iPod.  But also, we packed our backpacks and made sure we had everything.  So, here it comes, a detailed list of everything in my backpack that will live with me for the next six months, or, at least until it's done or broken. 

In my backpack:

So this is what the innards of my backpack will look like at any given moment.  Obviously, some of it will be on my person.  Now, let's break it down:

These are pack it cubes by eagle creek.  They are made of a super light weight material and they are translucent, so you can kind of see what's inside.  But, let me show you what's inside:

These are all my clothes.

2 lightweight quick dry dresses (1 Patagonia, 1 random)

1 long underwear (Smartwool) shirt

2 pairs quick dry pants (1 North Face, 1 Exofficio)

1 short sleeved Patagonia merino wool shirt

1 long sleeved Patagonia merino wool shirt

1 convertible long/short sleeve Columbia shirt

1 Patagonia rain jacket (will also be used as windbreaker)

1 Exofficio undershirt

1 bikini

8 pair Patagonia quick dry underwear

2 bras (1 Patagonia, 1 Travelsmith)

1 sports bra (brand unknown)

8 pairs Smartwool quick dry socks

1 pair of Columbia shoes

1 pair of Teva sandals

That is all I'm bringing to wear.  Since i had such a hard time finding information about ladies' undergarments for travel online, I'm going to show you just how seductive they can be:

So, here it is.  I bought, wore, and returned so many bras and underwear to land with these.  The Patagonia underwear is amazing. You can do anything in it.  I've been using it at the gym and it stays put.  They, also, dry really fast so I could, potentially, wash them in a sink and wear then shortly thereafter.  Te he…  The bras were difficult.  I don't think there are enough options out there for travel bras that are quick dry and functional.  But most of all, they need to be cuter.  They are not sexy at all.  Someone needs to get on top of that.  

Then, there's my bathroom kit.  All of the stuff on the right easily fits into the beautiful Eddie Bauer bag on the left.  I'd give you a breakdown of what is in it, but I believe it is quite self explanatory.  If you have any questions, go ahead and ask.

Make up? A topic of contention with many of my lady friends.  This is all of my make up I will be bringing.

That is all.  It may be too much and some may be tossed/donated along the way.

This is my fun stuff bag.  It includes:

A journal (blue)

Deck of cards

Earbuds

iPod touch

Kindle

Sunglasses

dice

belt

headlamp

Cocoon travel sheets

Agenda 

PacSafe purse/wallet with my important documents

We have prescriptions in a water tight bag, but I haven't shown those.  If you would like to see our super cool medication organizer, for things like pills to combat malaria, Delhi belly, and altitude, see our earlier posts. 

And that is my backpack's innards.  It really was a lot of work to come to these decisions.  If you have any questions at all, just throw them at me!