Some snaps from last week's day trip to Monterey and Carmel-by-the-Sea (talk about pretentious nomenclature, sheesh). Thoughts and reflections coming soon!
Mural at McAbee Beach in Monterey.
A seagull paces outside our window table at A Taste of Monterey.
Fog covering the coast.
The Lone Cypress along 17 Mile Drive.
Carmel Mission Basilica.
See the rest on Flickr.
Some of my favorite moments from my week in New York City. And, yes, there was a lot of memorable eating.
Stained glass at the Cloisters.
Quiet day at Fort Tryon Park.
Poncie takes a bite from the BEST smoked salmon from Russ & Daughters.
View of downtown from the Sky Room at the New Museum.
Secret lemon confit from Morgenstern's Ice Cream.
See the rest here.
After several days of sunshine in Dallas, I moved on to the frigid east coast springtime, starting in Washington, DC. The last time I visited the capital was some time in elementary school, when our family tagged along with my mom, who was attending a conference. Mostly I remember being upset that my poor father (whom we dispatched at some ungodly hour) was unable to procure tickets to visit the White House. Also I made everyone trek to Arlington; I've harbored a fascination with death and cemeteries from a young age.
Highlights from this recent jaunt include: winning science night at The Argonaut (the project not the trivia), visiting NPR HQ (seeing not one but two Tiny Desks and taking a nap on the couch behind my friend's desk), having delicious Spanish food at Jaleo with my mom (again in town for a conference), crashing my friend's family's elaborate Easter celebration, and buying some cool art from the Torpedo Factory Art Gallery in Old Town Alexandria.
Pictures below.
The Reading Room in the Library of Congress.
Jessie Ware (far right) sound checking before her Tiny Desk concert at NPR. Her acoustic rendition of Champagne Kisses was lovely.
Washington Monument.
Inside the National Cathedral.
Faux cherry blossom.
See more of the capital and a few snaps of Old Town Alexandria here.
Some scenes from the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.
An installation in the Nasher Sculpture Center garden in downtown Dallas.
A sample at Mohr & Sons Brewery in Fort Worth. For $10 you get a commemorative pint glass and three samples (read: three full pints of beer). I felt uncomfortable being surrounded by so many DUIs in the making.
Cattle "run" at the historic Stockyards in Forth Worth.
People flock to Fort Worth to experience the real Texas.
One of many statues belonging to a wealthy family in the Turtle Creek neighborhood. Apparently their passion is to swoop in when authoritarian regimes fall and collect statues of political figures.
See more here.
My roommate took me to the local pasar (market) for a much different glimpse of Jakarta than we get at the glitzy shopping centers that we tend to frequent. Stuffy and smelly, the multi-level market and surrounding streets are packed full of all kinds of goods - meats, fruits and other types of food, as well as fabric, knockoff shoes and accessories, random house wares, etc. I picked up a couple batik items for souvenirs, but left the street food alone despite the enticing aroma; a previous eating experience had already depleted most of my Immodium supply.
Tailor's stall.
Unidentified bones in the meat market.
Makeshift kitchen. I like the dilapidated payphone.
Makeshift table.
Martabak - an omelette fried in a thin pancake.
Eat. Swim. Sun. Repeat.
Add a little shopping, snoozing and boozing, and last weekend's jaunt to our friend's villa in Bali can be summed up by the above.
I had previously stayed with said friend on my last (and first) visit during the great 'round the world trip of 2013, and she didn't disappoint by taking us around to all new places to eat. (This is to say new to me; not necessarily recently opened). Being the only part of Indonesia that is predominantly Hindu rather than Muslim, a significant amount of pork was consumed by all. After spending time in Jakarta you do start to miss it.
Highlights include decadent ribs at Naughty Nuri's in Ubud followed by cocktails and an inspirational tasting menu at Room 4 Dessert, as well as brunching on traditional food at Nasi Ayam Kedewatan (everything tastes better when consumed in a neat little hut) and a lovely farewell dinner of freshly grilled seafood at the beachside Menega Cafe, where our prime table rested not even fifty feet from the waves lapping up on the shore and a five-piece Indo mariachi group played English-language hits by the likes of John "Lemon."
I tried to photo-document the weekend, but only ended up with the paltry five pictures below. Guess I was too busy stuffing my face and basking under the blue sky that's never visible in Jakarta.
Church visible from the villa balcony.
Dog watches his owner's kids surfing.
The ribs.
The pool at the villa.
Brunch at Nasi Ayam Kedewatan.
My mom managed to find a book on self-guided walking tours in Jakarta at the library and, despite everyone's derision and skepticism (see previous post), I convinced one of my roommates to tag along with me.
We began not far from Plaza Indonesia in central Jakarta (the first and swankiest of the city's shopping centers) , and wound our way east through the affluent residential Menteng neighborhood, passing numerous parks, embassies and even Obama's childhood school (there is a statue of him as a 10 year old named Barry). Vast mansions, some vestiges from the early 20th century expat community and others new, hid behind tall wrought iron fences. Under the canopies of the leafy green trees and isolated from the noise of traffic, it was easy to forget where we were.
Our tour ended at the antiques market at Surabaya, where my friend helped haggle the price of the mask I bought from $25 to $10. But, more importantly, the leisurely afternoon helped thaw some of the more persistent and negative impressions my roommates have of the city, which will hopefully translate into more future excursions.
Until next time...
See the rest here.