Under the Sea

I've been itching to go to the National Aquarium in Baltimore for some time, and in celebration of my birthday (and because they are also 12-year-olds at heart) my friends agreed to go with me. :)

Like I said, I was really excited.  (Find nail decals here.)

I was especially looking forward to the seahorses because I'm in the midst of reading this:

But alas, only one seahorse species remains.  Boo!

There were bright fish, dull fish, odd fish, stingrays, sharks, turtles, snakes, birds, and so forth.  

Something new and different was the Jellies Invasion exhibit.  Now, generally, I'm not a big jellyfish fan because I was stung more than once at the beach as a child, but behind glass, they're pretty.

We ate at Hard Rock Cafe out of desperation.  Overpriced, mediocre food if you ask me, but we weren't going to trudge across the Inner Harbor during a heat wave in search of something better.  (On a side note, we followed two people inside with bags that referenced a Pressure Vessels and Piping Conference.  Never knew there was such a thing.)  We were seated in close proximity to a creepy bronze bust of Mick Jagger, but while we waited for our food, we rocked out to Journey on the television screen.

Special thanks to the lovely ladies who accompanied me!  Always remember, love will find you!

food, glorious [San Franciscan] food, part I

Having just returned from visiting Blake in San Francisco, it seems I should chronicle what I did there. Of course, what I mostly did was eat, something I have no regrets about since something like 9/10 of my pre-trip to-do list was food-related.

This is as close as I've ever gotten to Alcatraz.

As for those things on my food list that I didn't get to, I'm most sad at having missed my chance to experience Schweet Boks Cereal Bar & Cafe; Blake's been talking the place up pretty much since it opened but, alas, it has closed after a mere six months. I can only hope that Dexter will some day find the capital to reincarnate it elsewhere in the city. So what did I eat and how was it? In (somewhat) chronological order:

Fish tacos from The Taco Shop at Underdogs:

I've always resisted going here because it is essentially a bar (a sports bar no less), and Ali doesn't do bars. But I was persuaded, finally because 1.) it was only 5 or so in the afternoon 2.) both our first and second choice for dinner were closed and 3.) having fallen in love with fish tacos at Fiesta Mexico (i.e. the Mexican restaurant in York that isn't El Serrano's or El Rodeo and USED to be Hardee's), I was ready to brave the hipster crowd for a chance at a first-rate taco.

And my pollo taco, "Nick's Way," was brilliant, in both idea and taste. "Nick's way" = one grilled crispy corn tortilla & one soft tortilla filled with Monterey Jack cheese, pinto beans, pico de gallo & guacamole. In other words, the crunch of a hard taco coupled with the structural integrity of a soft taco. Like I said, brilliant!

The fish taco ("Beer battered fish in two soft corn tortillas with cilantro, cabbage & red onions. Lime & roasted tomato salsas") I ordered was, at Blake's recommendation, NOT Nick's way. The fish taco I received WAS Nick's way, and since I didn't press the issue, I can't rightly complain, even though it cost extra. All I can say is that I'm not in a position to comment upon the awesomeness of this particular fish taco because all I could taste was guacamole (although very good guacamole).


Indian Pizza from Golden Gate Indian Cuisine and Pizza:

"Special Spinach Curry sauce, fresh Ginger, fresh Cilantro, fresh Tomatoes, Red Onions & Tandoori Chicken with Mozzarella Cheese."

Blake and I serendipitously stumbled upon this place and its Indian lunch buffet on one of our treks to Ocean Beach. We were intrigued enough by the idea of Indian pizza to order one once and since then... let's just say this place was the ONLY San Francisco restaurant whose number made it into the memory of my phone and was officially #1 on my food to-do list. Indian pizza = even better a day or two later, once the spices have had a chance to absorb into the crust.


Tea Leaf Salad from Burma Superstar:

Were it not for Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma would tie with Laos for "Southeast Asian country whose existence I'm least likely to remember." That is, until I got a taste of the food.

My introduction was another serendipitous event, a visit to the Thai/Burmese lunch buffet at Pagan. The buffet was nearly over and the food was mostly cold, but even so the food was so good (and the hostess so nice) that we were looking forward to the awesomeness of having it freshly prepared.

Wynne @ Sutro Baths

That opportunity arose during Wynne's visit, when her friend suggested Mandalay for dinner (it has the distinction of being the 1st Burmese restaurant in SF), where we had the scrumptiously beautiful 20-ingredient-mixed-at-the-table Rainbow Salad. But THE place for Burmese in San Francisco is Burma Superstar. We've never passed the place without there being a line out the front door. Which is why when we passed it this time (during our EPIC 8 mile Saint Patrick's day walking tour) and there WASN'T a line, we just HAD to stop. So we did, and shared the Tea Leaf Salad and equally awesome Black Bean Chicken Lotus and Asparagus. The Tea Leaf Salad gets top billing only because it's been featured on Food Network. 

  To be continued...

Ice Music

After reading a blurb on CNN, I am now fascinated with Geilo, Norway's IceMusic Festival and instruments made of ice.

"The moon decides the time and the weather decides the music."

I don't know that I'd want to actually be present for this festival because I enjoy feeling my extremities, but Norway is a beautiful, beautiful country. When I was 15, I had the pleasure (?) of taking a 12-hour bus ride through the Norwegian countryside, as well as a brief fjord ferry, visiting Lillehammer, Flåm, and Oslo.

Caledonia

I've always loved Dougie MacLean's "Caledonia." So beautiful.

I wish I had spent more time in Caledonia aka Scotland, but here's a glimpse of some of what I saw during my brief visit. Lovely, just lovely.

Princes Street, Edinburgh.

View from Edinburgh Castle.

Someone's creep-ass Chucky doll in Edinburgh.

Hamish the Highland Cow.

Sheeps!

At least all of that rain produced a rainbow!

As a predictable tourist, I ate haggis, and as a Pennsylvanian German, I liked it. But I'll pass on the black pudding next time.