Matt and Alissa's Blog

Snow Day In Victoria!!!

2012-01-18T23:08:00.000-08:00

Alissa's school shut down

Matt shoveled snow all day.... yey...

It's our very first snow day!

Qinque Terre: Beaching It On the Med

2011-09-14T18:23:00.000-07:00

Matthew was reluctant to part from Lucca and wanted to stay another day but Alissa was eager to get to the Mediterranean Sea as she was told that hiking along the Qinque Terre was the best, most romantic thing you could do in Italy. We were also told we would never be able to find a room in any of these five small secluded cliff fishing villages in peek season, and this was confirmed by our hotel receptionist in Lucca after trying unsuccessfully for an hour to book us a room. In the end he told us that, that we could be sleeping on the beach without a room. He said our best chance would be to go to the largest of the five villages, Monterosso al Mare, and see if anyone pulled out from their reservation last minute. And so we took a risk...

The trip to Qinque Terre was long and required three train transfers. The long day of travel was worth it the second the older train, which effortlessly hugged the rocky cliff face and peek-a-booed through tunnels, gave us our first breathtaking view of the emerald waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Just as we laid our first glace on the water, it started to rain.

When we arrived at the train station in Monterosso, the last stop of the five cliff villages, the rain was steady and getting heavier. Alissa had a feeling about where to go to try to find a room and it paid off. We nailed one down the first place we tried, and took it on the spot. Latter that night we would spot a group of tourists that weren't so lucky and had to spend the night under the train overpass.

We arrived late afternoon and spent the rest of the day marveling at the beauty of the sea- even on a dreary day it was beautiful. Wondering through town we picked up some local meats, cheese, and, of course, wine- a red DOC Colli di Luni called AUXO LVNE. The red DOC wine from the region is spicy and flavourful and cheap.

The rain stopped, so that we could enjoy a romantic night eating an assorted platter of the famous local sardines (salted, pickled, lemon, and smoked) and just a few more glasses of wine- this time very local Cinque Terre DOC, a white that is very light, citric, and fruity and paired wonderfully with all that fish.

The next day we spent all day at the beach.

Lucca: Partying and Picnicking Within Renascence Walls

2011-08-31T15:14:00.000-07:00

We had a few sources strongly recommend that we spend a good few days in Lucca. When we asked why Lucca was their favourite place in Italy they said, "There's no big tourist attraction in Lucca, the walled city center, its people, and their way of life is the attraction."

One thing that you just must do in Lucca is get horribly lost in the old town center. We had no problems with that and within entering the old, narrow labyrinth that is old walled in Lucca we found ourselves hopelessly going in circles trying to find our bed and breakfast down roads that only made sense a thousand years ago.

Another thing you must know about Lucca is that the locals are unmistakably friendly and fun loving. In fact the only reason we found our guesthouse was completely by coincidence. A very old Italian man stopped to chat and after a wonderful conversation about the city we found out that he just happened to live in the same old, weather worn palace where our bed and breakfast was to be located. The place we stayed at called La Magnolia B & B and was the most interesting of the places we stayed in Italy- a bed and breakfast in an old, almost falling apart, Renascence era place- fairly cheap, very romantic, and incredibly Italian.

The locals in Lucca love to party- we found that out that first night when we went to eat in the main town square of Piazza Anfiteatro. The party pumping, bar/restaurant with a DJ spinning danceables outside in the old square was served by the local police after about an hour or two of dancing in the old Piazza. Fun time.

The we slept well that night and the next day we were eager to explore the city. We devised a brilliant plan of going to the local deli- picking up some of the local cured meats and cheeses, going to a bakery- picking up some of the local breads, going to a grocery store (or wine shop- if the grocery store was not an option or simply had a poor selection)- and picking up a local wine. Brilliant, delicious, romantic, and very cost effective! We would do this almost everyday from now until the end of our trip but our first full out experience was here in Lucca.

We packed up these supplies and simply walked on top the completely in tacked mura (ancient city walls) and walked around the grassy cannon-ball-proof hundred year old walls until we found the perfect spot for a picnic. The view was beautiful, the man at the deli paired the local creamy sheep cheese marvellously with the ultra-sweet famous local bread called buccellato. We both agreed- this was the best bread we had tried in our young lives- it was sweet with raisins and fennel... so good and matched again so perfectly with the light bodied, somewhat fruitier, Lucchesi wine we had help selecting. MMMmmm....

We spent most of the day on that wall just taking it in. After we made our way back into town, we admired another Pisa Romanesque style church, San Michele in Furo, which just happened to be visible from the window of our new bed at the nothing too special Puccini Hotel. There is a old strange looking copper-green Archangel Michael that locals claim actually flaps its wings during special occasions atop this, once Roman Arena, now cool looking Catholic Church. Guess our visit to the city wasn't that special to Michael? Haha..

That night we stumbled upon a Ben Harper show and realized that we had just missed one of our favourite singers by a few days, Amy Winehouse. We were talking of tracking her down on her tour of Italy. A few days later we would find out that she had died- so sad! We had unsuspectingly arrived during the Lucca Summer Festival- perhaps a reason for the fun loving feel of this city.

Instead of buying $50 tickets to the show we just ate at a restaurant nearby and enjoyed listening to it for free. The sight of locals dancing in the street while we ate local specialties such as Lucca's preferred pasta, tordelli (a local pasta similar to tortellini), with wild boar meat sauce and another type of noodle pasta with white truffles- of course we tried the famous local wine, Colline Lucchesi. The night couldn't have been more fun!

We love Lucca!

Pisa: Graffiti and Pisa Romanesque Architectural Style

2011-08-21T21:54:00.000-07:00

From Florence we decided to day trip Pisa. It was the only day trip we took during our escapade through Italy. Although we day tripped Pisa, I think we still did it up pretty good- forgoing the quick bus ride to the leaning tower and going with the walk through town instead.

The first thing we really wanted to see was Keith Haring's last public work, Tottomondo, a wall of his famous graffiti art. Kieth Haring has be a curiosity of Matt's since seeing his work grace the cover of the Very Special Christmas Albums. It was fun to strike a pose in front of this funky wall of art.

We then made our way past old buildings, worn churches, and famous colleges. Alissa took a momment to once again pose infront of some student graffiti which this college town is apparently notorious for. We didn't even make it to the leaning tower before stopping at Panetteria Antiche Tradizioni, an old school Italian restaurant and bakery. We we in need of a few cold Peroni's on this hot day which were followed up with a cutting board of local cured meats and cheeses. MMMmmmm.... When we left we had a lot of food and more than enough drink in us.

Making our way to the leaning tower, we did the "pushing the tower back" pose. Then found us a chill spot on the tidy golf green lawn and just admired the unique Pisa Romanesque style of the Cathedral, Baptistery, and famous crooked tower. It is amazing how all those little pillars make these big buildings look so fragile and cute.

Florence (Part 3): Famous Art Galleries and The Perfumery of Santa Maria

2011-08-18T17:26:00.000-07:00

The next day in Florence was a busy one. Matthew had reserved us a spot in line at both the famous Accademia (home of Michelangelo's David, the most famous sculpture in the world, among many others) and the Uffizi (the greatest collection of Italian paintings anywhere in Italy featuring all the famous artists who the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were cleverly named after).

It was a long day of ogling priceless masterpieces- think Alissa almost lost it and vowed not to set foot in another gallery on this trip. And yes, Michelangelo's David is truly amazing- totally worth it! Besides, he has such a nice bum. Alissa spent a good 10 minutes staring at it and Matthew pointed out that it looked a lot like his.

After hitting both galleries and getting our fill of renascence art we headed to something we were both eager to check out, a thousands year old, Dominican monk ran perfumery. It is called Farmacia di Santa Maria and is located on the grounds of the famous 13th century Church of Santa Maria Novella. The building and grounds where they grow the herbs for the products were brilliantly preserved. The odour in the place was hypnotic and waifed out the large wood door, down the old street, and into the night...

Florence (Part 2): Wondering the Streets of Florence At Night

2011-08-17T20:53:00.000-07:00

After filling up on food we loved just wondering the streets of Florence. Although it was quite touristy it still retained a beautiful local feel to it, not lost in the bustle of camera toting tourists like us... Hahaha

Watching a tight group of white shirted Italian teenage boys trailing a group of sundressed-out-on-the-town teenage girls on the streets was like being in an Italian movie. The set was these narrow streets with enormous oversized wood doorways and street cafes. The girls would glace back at the boys and the boys would whistle and cat call them in return. This young romantic dance played out for a few blocks before the girls slipped into a cafe.

We were lucky enough to have a few of these wonderful nights in Florence, which was always capped off by a gelato at Grom. We, with the local Italians and some tourists, waited in line which tailed down the street for what would turn out to be the best gelato of our trip.

Florence (Part 1): Back to the Renascence

2011-08-06T19:55:00.000-07:00

We got out of Rome the next day and headed on a breathtakingly scenic train through Tuscany to its most famous city- Florence.

We nailed a cheap room with a gorous view (this is key when traveling in Italy). It was on the third floor and overlooked Florence's Famous Cathedral Dome which is considered one of three of Italy's most famous bulidings (the other being the Colleseum in Rome and the Leaning Tower in Pisa). Also supplied a close view of the famous Medici tower and Cathedral which the window was directly above.

We got in at a good time and immediately got dressed up for a nice lunch. We landed by recommendation into the tiny little wine cellar/ bakery/ cafe of a place a few blocks from the old cathedral called Cantinetta dei Verrazzano. The food exploded our minds- we ordered the tagliere di focacce, a sampler platter of many local focaccia sandwiches, as well as a cutting board of cheeses and cured meats from the Florence region. We were well taken care of by maybe one of the most famous servers in the city named "Johnathan". He set us up good.

The wine we had there was also our first Chianti Classico. Can't remember the name of the estate but it was in the Castellina in Chianti area. The 2004 Reserva was a delectable glass of wine all for less then a glass of "house red" back in Canada- ahhh... we were here and living the life in Italy.

After gorging we just spent the afternoon wondering the Florentine streets gocking at the famous cathedral, looking at all the old artisan shops throughout the narrow streets. When turning the corner before facing the cathedral, Alissa literally let out a gasp because it is so utterly beautiful (this in compete contrast to her giggle when seeing the replica David statue in Piazza della Singoria).

Wonderful day capped by a delicious authentic Tuscany style minestrone soup and a walnut and cream sauce, hand made ravioli at a tiny restaurant called Resturante Le Fonticine. We had a bottle of Chianti Gallo Nego- wine, wine, wine, food, food, food.

After the meal we made a pact to never eat two sit down resturants in one day and to always drink at least one bottle of wine per day- a pact which we maintained throughout our Italian trip.

Rome: The Sun Setting Over the Colosseum and Getting Stuck in a Political Fundraiser

2011-08-03T18:17:00.000-07:00

We probably had the best trans continental flight of our lives on our flight to Rome. We arrived early afternoon, took the train from the airport, found a cheap place, got all dressed up, and ready for our first night of our honeymoon. Rome was a hot place that night.

We wondered almost instictually to the Colosseum. When we turned the corner the setting sun was throwing hues of pink and orange behind the old Roman staple. We stood in awe, hand in hand, walking around the ancient structure, our minds raced to images of Gladiators battling tigers and slaughtering early Christians. It was romantic as is was mystical and surreal.

Our bellies soon grumbled and we were on the hunt for some "real" Italian food.

We found it in an unlikely place- in a large park near the Colosseum. On a stage there were tables with the typical red and white check pattern, most were filled with satisfied Italians and the food looked great!

We ordered our first Italian pastas Matt's was Mezzi bombardoni (needed the pasta list to remember that one) with a very pungent cheese and red cabbage- sounds simple but, in reality the taste defied space and time- it tasted like nothing I've ever tasted before making the taste incomparable. We can assure you that it was amazing! Alissa had a similarly mind blowing pasta with chopped octopus in it. We washed it down with a mixed varietal wine that was inexpensive but extremly good.

After dinner we found out that we were actually at a fundraiser for the Partito Democratico!

That pretty much set the tone for the trip.

The Wedding and the Honeymoon

2011-08-03T16:41:00.000-07:00

Before we start bombarding you with posts from our Italian honeymoon, we just wanted to say that our wedding rocked.

For a nice synopsis see Jolean's posts here and here.

So how was our honeymoon you ask...

Wedding Planers Dread This...

2011-06-26T14:17:00.000-07:00

Yeah, we have some stuff in postal limbo right now.

Wedding, Wedding, Wedding

2011-06-13T20:42:00.000-07:00

We've spent allot of days here in our suite over the last few months planing and planing for that big day! Nice place to plan though.

NYC Day 15 (Part 1) Westside Village, Strawberry Fields, & A Cat Fight Between Barb and A Gay Man

2011-04-24T09:54:00.001-07:00

Ahhh… NYC… this is a continuation of our series on our New York trip that took place a year from now… ahh memories!

We made a detour in the morning and Matt picked up a used 700mm Macro Lens for his camera at the wild Jewish electronics megastore B&H. You have to go here just to check out their traditional dress- it is a spectacle! We ran some errands with Barb in the morning which took us to the swanky Upper Westside. When there we checked out a few high end thrift shops (great oxymoron) scattered amongst the luxury boutiques.

In one of these shops Barb tried on a ridiculous 5th Ave outfit that was beautiful but did nothing for her. When she returned it to the flamboyant (I’m talking wearing a feather boa with sunglasses on) clerk he demanded she hang the five piece outfit properly on the hanger. Barb just shoved into his hands and walked away as he shouted lisping sarcasm our way. We ran out of that place as fast as we could!

When we got out of there, we headed down Madison Ave until we found a nice French place with a patio called Nice Matin. Still remember the "House Smoked Trout Salad" which was one of the most creative tastes we tried the last year. Alissa had the "Roasted Eggplant Panino" probably the dud of the whole trip (guess the lunch menu doesn't change much see here)

After a nice lax patio lunch we headed to the famous Dakota, the place of John Lennon's death. The building is the oldest in the area looks so proper overlooking Central Park to check out Yoko Ono’s (and what used to be John Lennon’s pad) and the Strawberry Fields Memorial. The serenity of the memorial with old men strumming their tributes to Lennon was truly a memorable moment on this busy trip.

Before heading back to the apartment we went for a nice stroll through Central Park on this particularly hot spring day. We were thoroughly entertained by the strange couples rowing about in rented row boats. The we thought we would rent boats too- but not row boats, remote controlled boats. We played like little kids again until we almost got heat stroke and had to go home.

Luna The Puppy

2011-04-22T09:12:00.001-07:00

Luna is a seven week old female miniature Australian Shepard. Jake and Laura adopted her last week. We played with her all night- so cute, so smart.

Snow, Wind, and Tsunamis

2011-03-20T19:40:00.001-07:00

The last month was a strange one here in Victoria.

We both had three consecutive days off in a row over spring break and planned a little get away. We were supposed to head to a secluded cabin on Quadra Island but got completely snowed in. The snow stayed on the ground for a good week. It was probably best anyways as Alissa was fighting cold symptoms the next day.

We did what we do, herbs, herbs, and more herbs.

Goodbye 27...

2011-03-20T19:16:00.001-07:00

A walk down Dallas Road on a cloudy Spring day.

A St. Valentines Day At Home

2011-02-17T19:29:00.000-08:00

Alissa and I decided that we were going to do a St. V-Day at home this year. It was nice. Alissa cooked up a vegetarian goat cheese lasagne and Greek Salad, it was great! We wined and dined the night away.

Desert was chocolate fondue made from a giant few pounds brick of Bernard Callebaut chocolate that was given to Matt a few days a go from a stranger who appreciated his humour. We used up all the fruit in the house and paid the price when the chocolate was gone!

We decided on a walk cause we were so full. It was such a beautiful night that we couldn't resist a drink at our new favourite place in town, The Superior. We listened to the bar tender spin jazz on vinyl as we sipped back some winter ale, a Salt Spring Island Fireside that was better than any we tried before.

Couldn't imagine a better St. Valentines Day.

The Surf At Cox Bay...

2011-02-16T15:33:00.000-08:00

Check it out right now.

Hiking Schooner Cove Trail in the Misty Rain of Pacific Rim National Park

2011-02-08T14:08:00.001-08:00

After our first day of surfing we were ready to stretch our bodies out before heading back into the surf for another day. A hike was in order. We choose Schooner Cove Trail, the favourite trail of the lonely girl working the Parks Canada Visitor Centre.

The misty rain added a refreshing ambiance as we made our way through the trail. No matter how many times you hike this one, there is always such a good feeling when you break through to the beach.

Cox Bay Beach Resort and Surfing Cox Bay

2011-01-26T17:38:00.000-08:00

We went to Tofino to surf and surf we did! We got basement prices on a condo at Cox Bay Beach Resort and took some surfing lessons. By the second day we were hitting some nice surf and spending a lot of time on our boards. Playing in the water all day was like being a kid again. It was novel to think that the big O'Neil Cold Water Classic surf competition was held on this very beach. The waves in Cox Bay beat us up a bit (click here to see the live Cox Bay Web cam). Nothing the hot tub and infrared sauna couldn't take care of!

It didn't take us long to understand something fundamental about surfing- its all about being in harmony with the environment, the waves, the currents, the water, the sand, and the surf. Nurturing this relationship with nature is what it means to truly be a surfer.

Hiking Cathedral Grove In The Snow

2011-01-23T15:58:00.000-08:00

Garret came up for a visit and we did many fun things. We spent half of our time up island. This was his first encounter with giant old growth trees here in MacMillan Provincial Park. The combination of these towering giants covered in green moss and the pure white snow made for a mystical sight when hiking the soggy trail.

Games Games Games

2011-01-22T21:10:00.000-08:00

Christmas Gift Opening At The Fessers

2011-01-17T19:55:00.001-08:00

Four (Back-to-Back) Meals of Christmas

2011-01-08T18:31:00.000-08:00

This Christmas we had four Christmases! That meant four Christmas meals!

The first was just us on Christmas Eve. We made appys but kept it simple. The truffle goat cheese was our favourite.

The second Christmas meal pictured here was with our friend and chef, Cassie and her partner, Chris. Didn't think she could top this years Thanksgiving meal, but she came through.

Traditional made from scratch apple pies greeted us as we came over to their cozy little suite. We had a few glasses of Kalona white and red then partook in the main event- the turkey (pictured above). She had removed the brest from the bird, wrapped it completely in bacon, and then slow cooked it.... amazing!

The classic mashed potatoes and gravy and bacon stuffing was the icing on the cake. Good conversation, lots of laughs, great people, great food. Great Christmas night meal.

When we arrived in Regina on Boxing Day we were treated to slow cooked, chipotle raspberry ribs and homemade seafood dip with crackers. The main meal was ham, scalloped potatoes, and cabbage rolls. Once again we couldn't imagine it tasting any better! What was better than our third Christmas meal was spending time with the whole family on Matt's side.

The next night, the day after Boxing Day, we had a beautiful Christmas meal at the Fessers. This time garlic roast beef was on the menu, Greek salad, Italian roasted vegetables, gravy, and mashed accompanied the meat. Everything was SO good. But not nearly as fun as the crazy family game we all participated in later that night!

Great Grey Owl Outside Our Window

2011-01-07T18:37:00.000-08:00

We truly live in a wild place. In November Matt literally got ran over by a reindeer... okay actually it was just a normal doe but it actually knocked him over when they met face to face between the fence and the side of the house.

Today we spent the whole day watching an endangered Great Grey Owl that was perched on one of the branches on the giant cedar a few meters from our window. We couldn't manage to get a good pictur of it but it spent most of the rainy day sleeping, waking, and occasionally dry its wings. It really really is hard to spot due to its camouflaged feathers.

Pretty Cool.

Although Its Been Said Many Times, Many Ways...

2010-12-25T14:00:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas!

The Annual Salmon Run At Goldstream Provincial Park

2010-12-21T20:34:00.000-08:00

With the scent of hundreds of visible wild chum salmon literally rotting in the water, we made our way from our parking spot at the mouth of the park and walked down Goldstream river. We hoped to bare witness to nature's raw spectacle of life and death- the annual salmon run.

We first visited under the bridge where we could see a handful of pale dead chum floating lifelessly in the water. However being the furthest the salmon travel upstream, there was many more living, rowdy, mating salmon than dead salmon. You see, it is the wonderful cycle of life and death that plays out here before our eyes. The male and female salmon swim up stream from the ocean to mate, lay eggs, and then die.

More downstream was a mass grave of fish carcases just floating in the water. The birds were huddled around the banks gorging themselves on this once a year buffet. Although there are a diversity of different salmon species that spawn in Goldstream, chum outnumbered all others, being the most visible and abundant of those salmon spotted. After having had enough of this interesting event. We walked back to the car and made our way to Mount Douglas.

Trying To Remember Remembrance Day With Tieghen

2010-12-18T21:55:00.000-08:00

Teighen came up over Remembrance Day long weekend last month with the main objective of getting us organized on our wedding. Beside doing a bunch of wedding related stuff we also had great fun around Victoria. On Remembrance Day we partied hard in remembrance (of course) and funnily enough can hardly remember that night!

We took Teighen on a walking tour of Cook Street Village then walked along the seacoast and along Ogden Point Breakwater then to the Fisherman's Warf and the Inner Harbour. After recharging at home we went to our favourite oyster place, Pescatores. We ordered 48 oysters and rounds of drinks and never looked back.

The night spanned the downtown hopping from place to place before things got a bit cloudy. Anyways, the next morning there was a friendly Japanese man from Osaka named Naoto sleeping on our couch. Later he sent me these shady photos of how the night went!

The Change of Fall To Winter In Victoria

2010-12-17T21:45:00.000-08:00

Have been getting some flack for no recent posts. We have both been quite busy... too much work and not enough fun. The leaves fell off the walnut tree just outside our window and soon it was bare and covered with snow. Winter came early to Victoria as there was a whole week with snow on the ground for much of it in November.

Some of the highlights of the past few months have been Alissa passing her last exam for her bus licence, Matt finally finishing all his exams, going to a Stuart McLean Christmas show, a few Christmas parties/ pot lucks, and Teighen's visit in November (more on that one next post).

There have also been lots of wedding stuff that we have been trying to squeeze in. Oh yeah, Alissa bought her wedding dress and tomorrow we meet with the Catholic wedding prep people.

Cousin John Vicker's Pumpkin Art

2010-11-20T14:09:00.000-08:00

Every Halloween Matt's second cousin John Vickers puts on a fundraiser in Victoria. He displays hundreds of carved pumpkins in all sorts of cool themes. He carves all of them from plastic pumpkins and displays them annually for charity during Halloween. He has garnered international fame from his pumpkin carvings which have gone on display in NY and at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto.

John also is the current director at The Victoria Truth Center and is currently putting together the first Victoria International Buskers Festival which will début this summer.

Here are some of our favourites pumpkins.

Halloween House Partying In Victoria: It Got A Lot Crazier Than This!

2010-10-31T09:53:00.001-07:00

Cookin' With Cassie: Traditional Thanksgiving Meal Done By A Chef

2010-10-30T14:46:00.001-07:00

This fall we have been quite busy. Some of the highlights of the last month or two has been the removal of all of Matt's wisdom teeth, Aunt Eileen's Visit to Victoria, Matt's Half Marathon, and Alissa getting her school bus licence (get off the road kids!).

Thanksgiving was also a very interesting one this year. We spent it with Alissa's work pals. The meal was, sorry Grandmas and parents, the best home cooked Thanksgiving meal we've ever had!

Alissa's co-worker is a fully trained and experienced cook (not to mention a perfectionist) she was hosting us in her mother's house a few blocks away.

The meal was a week in the making. Everything was made from scratch and purchased from local farms. Alissa was the acting sous-chef so met with Cassie, the head chef, to pound out the details of this epic giving-of-much-thanks meal a few times during that week.

The pumpkin pies were probably the most tedious as they involved slow baking, pureeing, setting, curing, crust making, and baking. They turned out phenomenal though- a few traditional pumpkin pies and a few not-so-traditional pumpkin torts. The crust was perfect the filling was fluffy like a cloud but with depth. MMMmmmm...

The turkey was juicy, not a dry piece of meat on the whole bird, the stuffing a flavourful addition that also was far from being dried out, the buns were fresh out of the oven. Everything turned out perfect, that alone is something to be thankful for.

A Quadra Island Party

2010-10-27T19:23:00.000-07:00

Matt took a weekend in September to head to Tony's cabin on Quadra Island. Jess packed the car up and we all headed down. The ferry ride from Campbell River was made nice by the colours of sunset. Matt spend a day as Tony's sidekick, preparing a clearing in the forest for the big party the next day. There were projected images on a screen, a D.J. booth, a dance floor, and, of course, a fire pit. Great times. These pics were snapped as we were leaving.

Hye Jung's Last Visit (For A Long Time)

2010-10-10T13:48:00.000-07:00

At the end of August our good friend Hye Jung left Canada for a few month long backpacking of Europe then home to Korea. She came up at the end of August for one last visit. We went for fresh local oysters at Pescatores, then took in some live music at the Scottish pub, Bard & Banker. The next day we chilled out at the Oak Bay Marina, then had some sustainable seafood at the ultra popular, Red Fish, Blue Fish.

Have a fun, safe trip Hye Jung.

A Cougar In Our Driveway

2010-09-13T23:34:00.000-07:00

Upon coming home from a late night run the neighbour across the street stopped Matt. She said that she just saw a cougar come out of our driveway and had phoned the police. Apparently Vancouver Island has the highest density of Cougars in North America and they commonly come into the city to find food at the end of summer. Our new place is truly a page out of Natural Geographic.

Whale Watching With A Friend: A Bunch of Orca and A Lonely Adolescent Grey Whale

2010-09-11T13:12:00.000-07:00

Alissa and her good friend Ali went whale watching a few weeks back. A friend of a friend of a friend worked for Five Star Whale Watching so they got the family and friends (very distant friends) discount.

Alissa and Ali had a wonderful experience that foggy morning. They saw many killer whales and even a lonely teenage grey whale that was hiding behind the rocky coastline. The naturalists on board said that he is likely feeding and gaining energy for his migration out at sea where he will find his first mate. Who would have thought the odours emitted from the grey whales blow hole could be so revolting.

They enjoyed the sounds of these giant mammals taking in deep breaths, the mist from their blowholes dampening their on looking faces. Very cool.

Check out some of the pictures they saw that morning here.

Just Outside The Window

2010-08-28T19:58:00.000-07:00

Our new place is quite scenic and purveys the feeling of being in the forest. Last month we came home to two adolescent female deer in our parking spot. Last week the old, lichen covered walnut tree outside our window was constantly busy with a variety of different coloured squirrels stripping the tree of its nuts. Our entertainment for the week was watching the gorging just feet from our big windows. With the windows framing the action. it feels like we were watching some kind of nature documentary.

Three Days And Three Nights With Hye Jung & Mike: An Early Morning Hike of Willowbrae Trail and Half-Moon Bay

2010-08-22T22:05:00.000-07:00

With the sun rising through the trees we hiked Willowbrae Trail. We broke on through to Half-Moon Bay as the sun reached over the tree tops. This is morning in the Pacific Rim National Park.

Three Days and Three Nights With Hye Jung & Mike: Worst Hostel Experience Ever and Drinking Under the Full Moon

2010-08-21T21:58:00.000-07:00

Ukie Days were taking place in the small unpretentious town of Ucluelet. We claimed our bunks at C&N hostel earlier that day. We were very fortunate to get beds considering it usually fills up around the busy season, and of course the traffic might have been a bit heavier for the Ukee Days Festival.

That evening we picked up some Granville Island IPA and headed to the historic Ukee lighthouse. The night was very chill as we howled at the full moon and its reflection in the sea. Our minds just kind of unravelled in the peace of the overly lit night. We chatted about this and that and tossed opinions around about the origin of the strange noises that nature supplied. After having a few beers in the nearby Wild Pacific Trail, we agreed that we should get a good nights sleep so we can get an early start the next day. So we retired to the hostel.

At 5:00AM we all awoke to the sound of projectile vomit hitting the linoleum flooring from high above us. Its origin was from a young man on the top bunk who clearly had a little bit too much fun at Ukie Days! The rain of vomit and resulting inhuman stench splattered and filled the room.
Luckily for us he was at a bunk on the other side of the dorm (I guess that's luck???).

Gagging and holding our breath, we threw everything into our packs and got out of their as fast as we could. It was an unexpectedly early start to a beautiful day!

Three Days and Three Nights With Hye Jung & Mike: Best Fish and Chips In Tofino and Sunsets From Radar Hill

2010-08-17T19:43:00.000-07:00

We drove into Tofino looking for a good seafood restaurant, a local recommended we head a bit out of town to Wild Thing Grill. We followed the recommendation and were rewarded with some of the best fish and chips ever consumed. Alissa had the halibut and Matt had the wild salmon- the batter was flavourful and fresh, not at all oily and of course the fish was fresh... delicious!

After dinner we drove up to Radar Hill to take in the setting sun with a few bird friends. It really looked like something out of this world.

Peace

Three Days And Three Nights With Mike & Hye Jung: Pacific Rim National Park's Florencia Bay Trail, Wikinninish Trail, & South Beach Trail

2010-08-13T19:08:00.000-07:00

A day after visiting Salt Spring Island we hauled to Pacific Rim National Park. We picked up park passes and headed to Florencia Bay Trail, the sight of an old shipwreck, it is just a short hike to the beach where we unpacked our lunches and had a picnic while taking in the waves. After lunch we hiked Wikinninish Trail which took us through an ancient bog of Labrador tea trees and miniature pines that were hundreds of years old.

We did the short South Beach Trail which dramatically ends with a clearing, a big totem pole, and then that famous Long Beach. These three trails are all connected so it made a nice route. There is something truly out of this world about Long Beach.

Three Days and Three Nights With Hye Jung & Mike: Salt Spring Island Vineyards & Salt Spring Island Cheese Company

2010-08-10T21:46:00.000-07:00

After peacing out in the lavender for a while, we jumped back in the car and drove down the country island roads to Salt Spring Vineyards. Here we sampled 4 of their wines paired with local appetizers from the island. The 2007 Millotage (which we tried on Alissa's Birthday last time we were on the island), Blanc de Noir, 2009 Aromata, 2008 Blackberry "Port" were the wines we sampled. We decided on a bottle of the 2007 Millotage to drink in the garden by the pond down in the vineyards. It was a great way to take in the summer day!

After drinking all that wine, we hunted down the Salt Spring Island Cheese Company a few kilometres away. We were greeted by a goat that shat & peed right in front of us as he stared at us blankly. We put that bizarre event behind us and went on to look at the cheese factory. There we gored on cheese and a variety of olives until we couldn't stomach it anymore!

Great day on Salt Spring Island!

Three Days and Three Nights With Mike & Hye Jung: Salt Spring Island Lavender Fields

2010-08-02T11:25:00.000-07:00

With the relaxing, constant hum of feasting honey bees and heavely scents which insect and human could both appreciate, we took our time strolling through the vibrant purple fields. If the ferry ride over and the market didn't chill us out, time in this purple paradise certainly did.

Three Days and Three Nights With Mike & Hye Jung: Saltspring Island Saturday Market

2010-08-02T10:59:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Mike, Hye Jung, Alissa and Matt took a morning ferry to Saltspring Island. While on the way, a friendly local shared some Saltspring Island produce with us. After that everything was good.

We picked up a local hitchhiker who gave as a guided tour into town. We headed straight to the famous Saltspring Island Saturday Market. It definitely gives the Moss Street Market in our hood a run for its money!

Simply taking in the mid-twenties weather and people watching more than kept us entertained. All the cool, creative, and fresh stuff was just a bonus.

NYC Day 14 (Part 2): Thrift Shops In East Village, The Sunset at the Highline, & Dinner At A Diner

2010-07-28T22:38:00.000-07:00

On our way back to the house to meet friends and family for dinner we decided to jump off the subway line for a bit and check out East Village. It is a cool little area of Manhattan that has a lived in, thrift shop at every corner, kinda feel- we like this feel.

We didn’t spend a lot time there but liked what we saw which was mainly the cool little shops in the basements of old early 19^thcentury homes. Most of the shops were either little bistros and restaurants, thrift or specialty shops, or coffee shops… we like these things.

We did a loop of the area then hopped back on the train in the direction of our place. When we got there we had a few beers before finally going out.

Rick had been researching a classic diner, Manhattan Diner, to take friends Mike & Maureen so we headed there for a late dinner.

As we walked to the meatpacking district dark rain clouds were approaching over the setting sun. A beautiful sight. We thought we would take a detour on the Highline to catch the natural spectacle unfolding.

Set up on the highline was a group of amateur astronomers, apparently tonight was some special night where three planets were visible by the naked eye. Matt was the envy of the gang of expensive telescope wielding nerds when he spotted the first planet, without a telescope.

When we got to the diner we ordered some classics, a chicken wrap for Alissa and Mac & Cheese for Matt, we shared a strawberry shake- it was alright. It wasn’t until half-way through the meal that we realized that we weren’t even in the classical diner but instead were in “The Diner” in the Meatpacking District.

Our conclusion: there are too many restaurants in NYC!

NYC Day 14 (Part 1): Shopping & Eating In Brooklyn

2010-07-26T21:20:00.000-07:00

We woke up early a took the subway to Brooklyn. We walked down Nassau St and peaked in the cool shops in this old warehouse district. Our place of interest was Beacon’s Closet, a popular thrift shop recommended to us. It just happened to be across from Brooklyn Brewery, too bad it was closed to the public today. The area was very chill though with patriotic urban art littering century old warehouses, some of which have been converted in the niche shops.

After picking up a few items we had lunch at festive LoKal Mediterranean Restaurant and Bistro. It was sunny and hot and the patio was calling our names. We grabbed Americanos across the street at the classic vintage storefront of Five Leaves NY.

With coffee in hand on this hot spring day we strutted down the historic Green Point Ave and loved the Little Poland feel of the place.

Back to the NYC Posts: NYC Day 13 (Part 2): Art, Soul Food, and Czech Cafes

2010-07-22T16:21:00.000-07:00

We got out a bit late then made our way down to the Met Museum of Art. When we got there we found that it is closed on Mondays. They recommended the famous Guggenhiem Art Museum, we went there. The line up wrapped around the famous snail-shaped building like the head emerging from the shell. The line up moved quickly and before we knew it we were admiring some renowned cubic works which formed the genre, Picassos (there is no lack of Picasso in NYC), a touching Canadian photography exhibition by a Manitoba artist, among many other amazing pieces.

After the museum we went for a stroll through Central Park and then back to Harlem for, what could have been our favourite meal on the trip- soul food at Manna's Soul Food. We finished our plates almost licked them clean at the weigh your plate buffet.

With our gycymic index through the roof we decided to break that shit up with some Americanos in a very hip, artsy, Czech café and a Greenwich village favourite, Doma.

Later that night we view NYC from the Empire State Bld and finished the night off with pints and burgers at Corner Bistro.

The Moss Street (TD) Paint-In

2010-07-20T17:45:00.000-07:00

Our new place is only one block from the Victoria Art Gallery on Moss Street. This past Saturday was the free annual Moss Street Paint-In where famous local, national, and even some international artist had booths from one end of Moss to the other. To give you an idea of the enormity of the event, the booths spanned about 14 city blocks!

What makes this even special is that the artists actually work on their art right in front of you! Of course they also have their art displayed to sell as well.

The above picture is of probably the most famous living Canadian Painters, Ted Harrison. He is one of Matt's favourites. To see this 85 year old in action was truly amazing!

Of course, we also loved the Japanese ceramicists and their tea related pieces.

A Smashed Window & Our Move

2010-07-10T20:28:00.000-07:00

We arrived home from Regina to glass scattered on the floor and a rock on our end table. Apparently someone hucked a rock through our window. Because we have made no enemies in Victoria (only friends), we suspect a random act of violence.

Kinda scary but no damage besides the window. No worries, we were moving at the end of June.

The last few weeks have been busy with Alissa working doubles, Matt working full time with school, and a move. Our new place is in the study of an old Victorian mansion on top of the hill. We are settling in nicely.

As we write this post we sip wine watching the old growth pine in the front yard swaying slowly in the slight summer breeze as the sun in the distance sets behind the rooftops of old houses.

Fesser Family BBQ At Rhea & Ryan's New House

2010-06-24T18:52:00.000-07:00

On Sunday the Fessers gathered at Rhea & Ryan's house in Grand Coulee. The house was beautiful. It still needs a lot of work but had a wonderful feel to it. The prairie view of Regina was amazing at sunset.

It was nice having the family all together like that and eating lots of BBQesque foods. The real shocker of the gathering- Ed is quite good at charades!

Fuchses' Legendary Wedding: Grandpa & Granddaughter Playing In Prairies Fields

2010-06-22T19:28:00.000-07:00

Fuchses' Legendary Wedding: Fishin', Drinkin', and Eatin'

2010-06-22T19:10:00.000-07:00

The ceremony was fast, beautiful, and painless. The bar opened a few minutes later and we had over two hours to enjoy the horseshoes, bacchii ball, fishing, and Bushwakker kegs.

Matt caught the big one. Thanks to Joice it slapped him right in the face!

To get the deets on the food click here to check out Jolene's Everyday Foodie Blog.

... damn fish...

Fuchses' Legendary Wedding: Prairiescapes

2010-06-22T18:51:00.001-07:00

Fuchses' Legendary Wedding: The Ceremony Short and Sweet

2010-06-22T18:16:00.000-07:00

The ceremony took place at 3:00 a few minutes after we pulled up. Just as we got to the venue, Truely Unique Country Weddings, the clouds finally lifted and bright sun shone down on the ceremony... could it get any better than this???

Fuchses' Legendary Wedding: All The Clowns Showed Up To The Circus (Including Us)

2010-06-22T17:46:00.000-07:00

It was nice to see these faces again and share some drink and good conversation.

A Happy Birthday BBQ At Stella And Mike's House

2010-06-22T17:32:00.000-07:00

Can't believe Matt spent the whole day with Stella... What was he thinking?!? Thank God Mike was there. And Klempner. And Klempner (and Tracy)'s dog, Rocky.

Stella proved his frendmanship by setting an excellent party pace though.

Pictured above is Rocky... Stella was definitely too homely for my camera lens.

Hahaha

Click here for link to hilarious B.P. Coffee Spill Video

Click here for link to Louis C.K. "Suck A Bag of D!*&$"

Moose Jaw: Temple Gardens Mineral Spa

2010-06-22T17:09:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we arrived in Regina. Our family met us at the airport and took us to Rock Creek for a late lunch- Bohemian on tap... Mmmmm... one of Matt's favourites. Later that night we decided to drive to Moose Jaw and go spaing at Temple Gardens Mineral Spa. We left our troubles in those mineral waters and started our holidays on a relaxing note.

NYC Day 13 (Part 1)- Views From Atop The Empire State Building

2010-06-08T20:38:00.001-07:00

NYC Day 12- Coney Island

2010-06-05T19:36:00.000-07:00

After the bomb scare we got the hell out of town and all went to Coney Island. It only made sense as the temperatures hung around 30 degrees, the beach was the logical place to go.

The subway ride was long but worth it. We were almost immediately rewarded by the most famous hot dog stop in the world, Nathan’s Famous- home of the international hotdog eating contest, still in its original location. We ordered our chilli, cheese, bacon, onion, and sauerkraut covered hotdogs with fries and beer and ate them out on the picnic tables. The beer was cool and so was the sea air.

We walked the famous boardwalk with the backdrop of old amusement parks which creating classic picturesque scenery. We really chilled the hell out here. Talking to local fisherman and listening to a Latino band comprised of very old men on the dock was the flavour of the day.

When we got down to the actual beach we fell asleep in the sand for an unknown amount of time and woke up when Rick came back for us… really chill.

When we went back home after a day of cool relaxing on this scorching Sunday we went for dinner to a Japanese ramen restaurant on near Union Square- we don’t have these in Victoria or Regina so it was quite a treat. It was called Ramen Takumi (formally Ramen Setagaya) and it felt authentic from the Japanese woman servers to the towel-headed Japanese boy cooks. Cold noodles by the open window was the perfect finisher for a hot day like today.

A Visit From 'Big D' and 'Little D'

2010-06-03T22:04:00.000-07:00

Our friends from Calgary came for a visit a few months back. They came to visit family on the island and came down to Victoria for the weekend. Alissa went out and had drinks and oysters with them at our favourite oyster bar in town, Pescatores. The next day, a little hung over, we did the harbour tour. This time we walked from our place to Fisherman's Whorf then around inner Harbour to Canoe Club. Managed to cram in a bit of shopping on Historic Johnson Street too before they flew out.

We had a great time with the two 'D's.

NYC Day 11- French Cuisine, A Tea Party, Life Jazz, And The Times Square Bombing

2010-06-02T20:33:00.000-07:00

We woke up late and took our time out the door- no rush, we’re on holidays. We decided to take an early light lunch as we had dinner plans. It was a scorcher out! Just a block away from the house and Matt was already breaking a sweat. We agreed that we must stop somewhere that had room outside. The problem was that it was a beautiful Saturday afternoon and everyone else in New York had the same idea!

After passing a few full patios in the Village we came across a quaint little French restaurant called La Ripaille and took a spot outside. Matt almost sweat through his shirt so we moved from our sunny spot to the shade. The lunch at La Ripaille was the favourite of our trip. This was one of the oldest restaurants in Greenwich. It came with a classy weathered ambiance, magnificent service, it was located in building with a old warn red façade, fresh flowers at each table, and food that was so authentically French. Alissa had the crape with brie and greens. Matthew the fresh green salad with berries and goat cheese.

After such a satisfying lunch experience we headed to Brooklyn to meet up with some fans of Matt’s tea blog for a tea session. The whole experience was nice (but intensely tea nerdy) as we drank some of the first green tea from this season amongst people who knew way too much about tea. We escaped early and headed to meet Mike, Maureen, Rick, and Barb for our reservations at La Cabonara. Dinner was not as satisfying as the lunch we had there last week but it was still quite good.

After dinner the others headed to Times Square to catch Broadway shows and we headed back home for a few beer before we went on the town.

We ended up going to the energy filled Arthur’s Tavern in Greenwich to catch some Jazz. The place was a dive, grimy, classic pub style jazz club as evidence by the dusty, stained faux wood paneling. The crowd was really a mix bag but the music was irresistibly toe tapping.

When we got home we heard of the horrible attempt at car-bombing Times Square. It made it quite difficult for everyone to make it to their Broadway shows but they made it and life goes on in NYC.

Hye Jung & Mike's Victoria Visit: The Nanaimo Harbour

2010-06-01T10:24:00.000-07:00

After hiking the trials at MacMillian Park, we dropped Hye Jung and Mike off at the ferry terminal up island. We said our good byes and they were off.

Since we had to drive through Nanaimo anyways, we decided to go down to the harbour and enjoy the nice sunny evening before driving back to Victoria. We walked the boardwalk and looked at all the ships and seaplanes that were busy coming and going. We picked up some coffee at a coffee shop and soft ice cream at an ice cream shop on the boardwalk called Waterfront Confections- it was amazing... definitely one of the best dipped cones we've ever had (they are supposed to be the best in town).

Basically we just chilled out, played with some dogs, talked to some sea hands, watched the seaplanes land and take off, looked at the mountains in the distance... ahh ... relaxing night...

Hye Jung And Mike's Victoria Visit: Wallowing Amongst Giants In MacMillan Provincial Park

2010-05-29T14:58:00.000-07:00

Mike really wanted to go see some big trees so we packed a lunch and drove a few hours up island until we hit MacMillan Provincial Park. The easy trails were filled with enormous ancient trees! We took our time exploring these old giants... absolutely amazing!!! The park is famous for Cathedral Grove, a patch of oversized old growth trees that are so tall they create the effect of being in a gothic cathedral. We had so much fun the whole time in awe of such large growth.

Hye Jung And Mike's Victoria Visit: Inner Harbour

2010-05-29T14:08:00.000-07:00

The weekend after we arrived back from NYC (we'll get back to those posts later) our friends from Korea, Hye Jung and Mike came for a visit. We spent the whole day in and around the harbour. First we went to the James Bay Market and the Fisherman's Wharf, Alissa's favourite. We enjoyed admiring the unique houseboats, watching the harbour seals and eating some famous fish and chips at Barb's Fish & Chips.

Later we made our way to Canoe Club for some drinks, and then walked around the harbour to Spinnakers for dinner. It was cool outside but we still managed to have fun. We made sure Hye Jung kept warm by chasing her with bugs.

NYC Day 10- Walking the Brooklyn Bridge, Sun Bathing at the South Street Seaport, & People Watching in the Meatpacking District

2010-05-27T23:10:00.001-07:00

We woke up on this beautiful hot, sunny day, ate our daily breakfast of bakery fresh muffins, croissants, and bagels and took the metro to City Hall. With the weather so nice we couldn’t resist a little stroll across the historic Brooklyn Bridge- the first steel wire suspension bridge in the world. Neither of us was particularly excited about coming here but did because of a strong recommendation by Rick & Barb. When we got there and started to take in the web of cables and clear Manhattan views we really, really feel in love with it.

Afterwards, we went around a few blocks to the South Street Seaport. The appetite from the walk demanded drought beer and hot dogs from a street stand and so we gave in, and ate them on the dock in the warm sun. The atmosphere on the wharf was a great a mix of business men on lunch breaks, tourists, and some families. We did some shopping in the old brick buildings of the Seaport for a while then returned home.

At home we ate dinner and had a few beers. Matt got a bit tired but Alissa insisted that we got out at least for one drink. We decided to go to Dos Caminos mainly because of location right on the pizza slice intersection of 14^th , Greenwich and Hudson- the entrance into the party hungry Friday nighter’s favourite- Meatpacking District.

We sipped on our drinks at our outside table watching the drunken spectacle unfold around us… ahh …. New York.

NYC Day 9- The View- Risking It All for Gwyneth Paltrow

2010-05-26T20:19:00.000-07:00

We woke early in hope to get wait list tickets to The View. Alissa‘s favourite actress Gwyneth Paltrow was being taping on the show that day so this was a great opportunity. After going down to the ABC Studio and waiting in line for three hours we were given a dilemma: Because we were 6-9^th in line we were guaranteed to see the first taping (with guest Hulk Hogan) or we could be at the very front of the line for the second taping (with guest Gwyneth Paltrow) but were not guaranteed to get in.

We put it all on the line for Gwyneth Paltrow, after all she was the reason we went to try to get tickets in the first place. We had about 2 ½ hours to kill before the second taping and were guaranteed our spot in line. We decided to snoop around the lower section of the Upper West Side. We went through the small farmers market in Lincoln Square and some box store shops around the neighbourhood in the shadows of famous apartment buildings that house New York's famous. It was cool to think that we were walking the same streets where the real life events from the famous musical The West Side Story.

We had a very original lunch at Nanooish, a fresh, modern Mediterranean and hummus restaurant. Our lunches were light and smart, and the atmosphere was funky. Matt had the Hummus Mushroom Wrap made with hummus, tahini, organic greens, organic mushrooms and organic onions. Barb had the Nanoosh Green Salad with organic arugula, organic carrots, organic raisins and organic walnuts with walnut and grapefruit dressing (oil free) or XV olive oil and citrus dressing. Alissa had the Quinoa Salad with organic quinoa, red peppers, red onions, organic walnuts, dried cranberries, organic raisins. So good. But we hardly had time to enjoy it before we had to make it back to the studio.

We got there and waited a bit more until finally someone came out and broke the real shitty news that they are full and aren’t accepting any standbys. Well that sucked! So we decided to shake it off and spend the rest of our afternoon shopping at Macy’s because we had a 45% discount coupon.

When we got home the Mochanazes (Mike & Maureen) had arrived from Regina. We had a few beers before going out for dinner with them at nearby Mexican favourite Benny’s Burritos. The place was packed as usual and the margaritas were $3.00 as usual! We had a few rounds with our complimentary homemade tortilla chips and salsa and burritos. By the end of the meal we were all stinking drunk and spent the remainder of the night down at times square, mainly in Macy’s, doing some drunkin' shoppin'.

NYC- Day 8- Reflecting In The Flatiron District, Lunch In Korea Town, & Shopping In Soho

2010-05-24T13:48:00.000-07:00

Ahh… with Garret gone our pace in NYC slowed down considerably. We woke up slow and made our way down to the Flatiron District, stopping in shops along the way. We chilled out in Madison Square Park appreciating the architectural beauty of the Flatiron Building, the Met Life Tower, and the other buildings old and new that stood around us. We quite enjoyed the art exhibition, Event Horizon. It featured 31 life size nude bronze cast statures of artist Antony Gormley, that were placed on buildings and in and around Madison Square Park. The exhibition created a feeling of surveillance, of being watched from above and below, the piece gives you a sense of place.

We were starting to get hungry so made our way down to Korea Town. When we got there, Korea Town seemed more like Korea Block as all the businesses were densely clustered on 32^nd between 5^th and Broadway. But the feel remained overwhelmingly Korean with buildings arranged architecturally similar to Korea’s big cities and with just as much sign population as well.

We carefully walked down the street and scouted out the best option for authentic Korean food. We chose Kunjip, it was packed with Koreas and lined up out the door- a good sign! The tables were crowed, the place was loud, the service and atmosphere was fast-paced, verging on hectic, and the only cooks in the kitchen were old Korean grandmas- we thought we were back in Korea! The menu was also extensive and offered many local dishes that you probably would have a hard time finding anywhere in the city. Alissa had the classic Kim Chi Jji Gae and Matt Bu Dae Jji Gae- both were better than what you would get at some restaurants in Korea.

After filling up on our meals and a few refills of some of the side dishes, we made our way to SoHo by subway.

We took the afternoon exploring the back roads and main streets of Soho. The shopping here was some of the most interesting in NYC. We broke up the shopping with a pint in Puck Fair, a funky Irish pub that manages to retain its historical feel.

We made our way all the way down to TriBeCa before we realized that it is 6:00 and we are missing dinner! We took the stuffed-to-capacity subway home.

NYC Day 7- The High Line, Courtney Love & A Robbery At Knife Point (Ooooo… Sounds Bad Ass!!!)

2010-05-21T21:15:00.000-07:00

Garret had the morning before he flew back home. He wanted to pickup one more pair of new runners (the Canadian dollar was at par about right now so why not?). We shopped around Union Square and Soho, found some shoes, then headed to the High Line- one of NYC’s newest attractions.

The High Line is a park built on old, elevated freight train tracks that runs through the Meatpacking district. It offers wonderful views of the city, runs through a hotel, displays natural floral and fauna of the area, and has a bunch of cool architectural elements, and it even has urban influenced art throughout. It is pretty cool, really we’ve seen nothing quite like it before.

The last meal with Garret was lunch at La Carbonara. The place is just a few shops down from Rick & Barb’s place and boasts a nice balance of homey and classy Italian atmosphere. All of our meals were tasty. We couldn’t resist an afternoon bottle of wine too!

After saying our, “see you laters” to Garret we were off to the Late Show With David Letterman. Although Matt considers himself more a Jimmy Fallon fan, the Late Show was hands down a much better experience. Everything from the organization and waiting times to get in, the size, space, setup, and atmosphere of the studio, the quality of the show, the guests, and the jokes from Dave.

The main guest was Courtney Love and she mainly talked about the time she fell off the coke wagon and flashed Dave in a 1995 interview. She preformed a new song titled “Skinny Bitch” and also Michael Caine was interviewed- amazing storyteller.

Speaking about good stories- on a dimly lit residential street at around 10:30pm, on our way to find the apartment from the sitcom Friends just a few blocks from Rick & Barbs place, within an arms length distance away from us, we witnessed a horrible mugging at knife point…

Some stories are best told in person.

NYC Day 6 (Part II)- Garret’s Last Minute Run Around- Harlem To Madison Ave And Everything In Between

2010-05-18T19:37:00.000-07:00

Between getting a number for Late Night in the morning and attending the taping in the evening, we did a lot of stuff! This was partly because Garret found out that his ticket home is for tomorrow and not the day after as he initially thought. So we had things on the to do list that had to be done.

First was visit the restaurant from Seinfeld. It was the same on the outside but completely different on the inside. Instead it was filled with memorabilia from the popular NY sitcom. We ate lunch there, soup and sandwiches, pretty good standard dinner stuff.

After lunch we took the subway to Martian Luther King Drive (125^th Street) and did a quick run through past soul food restaurants, your typical chain stores, and the famous Apollo theatre in Harlem.

It started to rain as we made our way to Central Park. On our way we were sidetracked by the magnificent Cathedral of Saint John the Divine. The fourth largest Christian Church in the World, it is a mix of many different architectural styles and country influences but its mainly Gothic feel is overwhelming. The feeling of being overwhelmed reaches a head as you step inside and are dwarfed by enormous stone pillars that stretch 70.7 meters into the air!

The most amazing thing of all is that the whole church is built using only traditional masonry techniques in which no metal is used. When the pipe organ sounded, chills were sent down our spines.

Admiring the wild Peace Fountain outside in the gloomy rain added to the dark feel of the day.

We walked in the rain through the empty Northern part of Central Park before making our way to the Upper East Side. When we got to the posh Madison Ave the rain stopped as we passed by all the top expensive designer stores. We made it back home in time to get into some dry clothes for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

NYC Day 6 (Part I)- Late Night With Jimmy Fallon & Corner Bistro Burgers

2010-05-18T08:44:00.000-07:00

Spent the first few hours of our day waiting in line for tickets for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. We secured standby tickets and had to return in the early evening for the taping.

When we came back for the taping, they pulled Garret, Alissa, and Matthew out of line just before we entered the studio and asked us if we wanted to dance onset to the musical guest. We agreed and as a consequence were seated at the very back of the studio until the band came out- shitty trade off!

The main guest was Kathie Lee Gifford. The musical guest that we got to groove out to was some Eastern European band (tricky name escapes us). The highlight was probably being entertained by the Roots, the funk house band of Late Night- they were addictively toe-tapping!

Dinner was to “the last of the Bohemian bars in Greenwich Village”, Corner Bistro, for 2.50 ales and famous cheese burgers- Matt and Barb got theirs medium rare…

Is there anything better than eating Bistro’s bloody burgers, pint in hand, surrounded by a century old interior and jovial atmosphere?

NYC Day 5- A Lazy Sunday & A Broadway Musical

2010-05-18T07:52:00.000-07:00

After last night we woke up late and a tad hungover. We went to nearby Chelsea Market and spent a good three hours there. This place is a must see in NY even if just for a stroll through the restored building, the old Nabisco Cookie Factory, and a listen to the classy live performers. Alissa & Barb must have spent half of that time in the trendy clothing shop Anthropologie.

After Chelsea Market, we went to Times Square to wait in line at the TKTS booth for discount Broadway tickets. We were undecided between Billy Elliot and American Idiot. We went with American Idiot. None of us are really theatre lovers so it was a good choice (at 40-60% off, any show would have been a good choice!).

Before we took in the show, we went to Junior’s for dinner. We ordered way too much food- the potion sizes in NY was something that we never got the hang of. Rick the Grill Cheese, Barb the Buffalo Shrimp, Garret the Mac & Cheese, Alissa the Cobb Salad, and Matt the Hungarian Goulash. Rick insisted on getting the cheesecake, one of the best in NYC and Puff Daddy’s favourite!

We gorged, then waddled to St. James theatre to rock out to Green Day!

NYC Day 4 (Part II)- A Saturday Night In the Meatpacking District

2010-05-17T18:27:00.000-07:00

With Garret leaving in a few days, we hoped to have a good night out on the town. We primed ourselves by drinking beers at our pad on 14^th Street while watching the NHL playoffs. After feeling it, we headed just down the street to the Meatpacking District.

Our first venue was the Gaslight, the place was pumping and the beer went down fast. They had bottles of our favourite American beer, Brooklyn Brewery Lager. We took turns buying rounds, mingled with some of the locals to the backbeat of safe club hits of the last 5 years. We all agreed that this should have been a place we hit at the end of our night. Reluctantly, we decided to move on, we tried to meet some friends of Garret’s that were visiting but couldn’t find their club, Kiss & Fly.

After walking around a bit we decided on a quick sake stop the Japanese Restaurant and Bar, Tanuki Tavern. Garret couldn’t stomach the warm sake shots and Matthew could barely stomach the over-the-top Japanese décor.

We headed into Greenwich village in search of one of NYC best beer pubs, Blind Tiger, but was sidetracked by Bleecker Street Pizza, Jimmy Kimmel's favorite, on the way. The pizza was thin crusted with zesty sauce and a classic pizza feel. We chowed down then headed down the block to Blind Tiger. They had only microbrews on tap but, shit, there was a lot of choices- lots of good beer.

We then went for a long walk that went nowhere so we decided to make a B-line to Cafeteria, the lively and vibrantly gay restaurant and bar we ate at for dinner last night. The gouda and bacon mac & cheese that Rick ordered yesterday was the perfect late night remedy. When we got there they had just started a line and it began to rain. We jammed out and finally met up with Garrets friends, attempted to go to the best burger place in NY, Corner Bistro but the kitchen was closed when we got there and the run down pub just announced last call.

NYC Day 4 (Part I) Chinatown & Little Italy

2010-05-17T16:46:00.000-07:00

Garret, Matthew, and Alissa woke early to try to nab tickets to SNL but were thwarted by subway construction and detours. So we were forced to turn back home.

After getting our beauty sleep in we took the metro to Canal Street and walked the streets of Chinatown. Some of the highlights were the knockoff markets, the streets packed full of Chinese shops, the old Chinese men playing traditional Chinese instruments and checkers in peaceful Columbus Park. The park that wasn’t always so serine though, it was once one of the most dangerous in the USA and portrayed in the film Gangs of New York.

Matthew and Alissa challenged Rick, Barb, and Garret to some real Chinese food. So for lunch we found a tiny, rundown restaurant in Chinatown with the front window full of dishes ready to serve and packed full of old Chinese men. There were no deep fried items here folks just strange sea food, unrecognizable meats, and prepared Chinese vegetables. Rick and Garret left half their plates but Barb actually finished hers!!! Way to go Mom!

We went for old aged oolong tea at Nah Wah Tea Parlour, it hasn’t changed much since it opened a long, long time ago.

After tea we toured the Buddhist temple and read all of our fortunes- Alissa had the best outlook out of all of us…

Wonder if bad luck is genetic!

We walked from Chinatown to Little Italy. The smell of pasta and cheese filled the air and we unanimously decided to stop for a bottle of Italian wine and drink it in the sun under the umbrella. An old tinted Buick in pristine condition slowly rolled down the street with classical music blaring from inside… it felt like we were in a scene from The Godfather.

NYC Day 3 (Part III) Times Square at Dusk

2010-05-14T21:13:00.000-07:00

NYC Day 3 (Part II)- Dead Bodies, Naked Bodies & Deep Fried Pickles

2010-05-14T19:55:00.000-07:00

Garret was on a mission to find the famous Wall Street Charging Bull Statue, we found it. It didn’t take Matt long to strike another ridiculous pose.

After finding the bull we decided to go down to the South Street Seaport to catch an exhibition of real dead bodies titled “Bodies”. Garret and Matthew brushed up on their anatomy on the cadavers in poses shooting a basketball, throwing a foot ball, and so on. Our favourite was the circulatory system of blood vessels with everything else removed… very cool.

We got out of the bodies exhibit and realized that we didn’t have much time before the free line at MoMa opened (every Friday at 4:00PM). We had our first taste of New York Street Food by the Seaport then caught the subway to the Modern Museum of Art vowing to come back and spend more time on the South Street Seaport later in our trip.

The free line at MoMa almost wrapped around the whole building but surprisingly at 4:00PM they let everyone inside. When we got in we understood why- this was an very big gallery.

The art gallery is amazing there is definitely something for everyone. We saw Picassos, Renorirs, Whorhals, Gauguins, one of the most beautiful Cezannes we have ever seen, even the famous Stary Night by Monet. The exhibition of William Kentridge titled Five Themes, whom none of us have ever hear of, had awesome charcoal stop motion movies that touched on difficult themes. The Tim Burton exhibition was very cool and displayed costumes, prototypes, and story boards from all of his famous films.

There was much buzz around town about Marina Abramovic’s exhibition: the Artist is Present. Rightly so. Behind the veil of seemingly lewd displays of self-mutilation and uncensored nudity, her exhibition is a shimmer of brilliant light and clarity that pushes the viewer into the present moment only to transcend the experience of viewing art from the outside by jolting them into the present, to be apart of it. In her pieces Abramovic delves deep into the human psyche like a Zen monk in unwavering mediation. The longest performance piece attempted by Abramovic was taking place live. Those in the audience were allowed to sit on a chair across from Abramovic and quietly stare at her (click on this link to go live to the performance during daily museum hours).

The ability to be apart of her art rather than just observe it was especially apparent in the piece where a naked woman and man stood facing each other and you had to squeeze between them. Inevitably forced to choose to face either the naked man or woman and incidentally rubbing up against them. Or the piece where a naked woman is suspended from the wall on the seat of a bicycle and is trying to hold her hands up in the air for as long as possible. Her eyes search the room focusing on those viewing, trying to absorb the energy from the audience members, making eye contact with those who silently transmit their energy to her cause.

Hands down the most brilliant work we’ve ever seen. Period.

After the exhibition we went to Manhattan’s top rated brewpub, Heartland Brewery for beer and appys. The beer was good but not as interesting as the deep fired pickles!

NYC Day 3 (Part I)- The Financial District

2010-05-13T23:14:00.000-07:00

We woke early and did the free Staten Island Ferry thing and saw the mini statue of Liberty (the Ghostbusters movie sure made it seem bigger than it really is!).

After Going to Staten Island (and almost losing Alissa) and then back we cruised around FiDi. It was a mighty powerful feeling being dwarfed by massive skyscrapers all round. To us this is one of the quintessential feelings of being in a big city- we love this feeling.

We passed the New York Stock Exchange and walked down Wall Street. Matt goofed around next to the George Washington statue in front of the Federal Hall National Memorial. After peaking inside at some very historical pieces we made our way to the very out of place, Trinity Church.

NYC Day 2 - All Over the Map

2010-05-11T19:30:00.000-07:00

Today we were all over the frickin’ map.

First we tried to get some tickets to David Letterman, but we were turned away after being put on a list for the next few days. Barb went home to man the phones for a call to the show that never came. Garret toured us around Union Square. We picked up a coffee nearby and drank it under the Lincon statue.

Garret decided he wanted to catch the Phily vs. New Jersey game so we went to Times Square to hunt some tickets down. We ended up finding some at Macy’s of all places. The banter by the three old black ladies behind the counter was priceless. According to Garret they would be only out done by the crude chants of hockey fans later that evening. “Suck My Balls” and “Kovol-choke” were some of the most memorable at the game.

Alissa, Matthew, and Barb went for a stroll in Greenwich before deciding on a place for dinner. With a mix bag of locals young and old we decided to take our chances with the Greenwich Village Bistro. The bar stools were all occupied by happy drunks, there was a senior in a wheel chair playing checkers in the middle of the place, and a mother and her toddler in the far corner. As soon as we sat down a man pushed a piano though the front door and immediately began playing. An old drunk lady whisked Barb out of her seat on to the dance floor. We decided to escape the action a bit and go out onto the patio afterall it was a beautiful evening and it looked right onto the action on Father Demo Square.

The food wasn’t the greatest. Matt had the marinated tofu in orange vinaigrette and greens, Alissa the mussels and fries, and Barb the mesculin with goat cheese truffle salad. Matt’s was the best of the three. The beer menu was much better than the food though.

After dinner we headed to the famous historical Village Vanguard to take in some serious jazz. The place was exactly how you’d picture a old jazz club. The music put us into a trance. Wonderful second day!

NYC: Our First Day in the Big Apple

2010-05-08T22:48:00.000-07:00

We are experienced travelers. Within just minutes of landing in LaGuardia Airport we had 2 week transit passes and were busin’ it to the subway line. The bus traveled down streets lined with identical conjoined brick houses with every second house or so adorning the stars and stripes mounted above the front door. We jumped off the bus and on the E line to Rick & Barbs pad at Chelsea.

The family toured us around on ‘Rick’s Rapid tour of Greenwich Village’- a brisk walking of the hood. It was exciting but not nearly as exciting as the paparazzi scrum, the Times Square bomb attempt, Broadway musicals, live jazz shows, a robbery at knife point, and theft of high end goods that we would soon experience in NYC!

Chillin' At The Falls In Goldstream Provincial Park

2010-04-17T13:56:00.000-07:00

After hiking the path along the stream for a while we got to the falls. It isn't a large waterfall but the pool of water it dumps into and the surrounding area are peaceful. We took our time absorbing such beauty sitting on rocks and logs lodged up on the shore. The mist from the falls made the air around us seem so fresh and pure.

The path we took back to the car took us through old growth rainforest and along a marsh- a staging ground for the orchorstra of croaking frogs celebrating spring.

The next day Rhea and Ryan headed back to Regina- we had a great time with them and felt closer as a family in the end.

Days later, looking back at the time we spent together one question still remained in our heads...

Why does Rhea have such constitutionally weak ankles???

Hiking Goldstream Provincial Park

2010-04-13T21:18:00.000-07:00

The last big outing with the family was to Goldstream Provincial Park just 20 minutes outside Victoria. We followed the running water up the trial. The sound of trickling water throughout the hike set the tranquil mood. We all wondered what this site would look and feel like during the annual salmon run- bald eagles feasting on the helpless salmon, tourists creating even more of a frenzy?

Alissa Ended Her Birthday Weekend With The Usual...

2010-04-13T20:53:00.000-07:00

Opening Birthday cards and presents, getting phone calls from family, "Happy Birthday Songs", and blowing out candles on melting DQ ice cream cakes- standard B-Day stuff!

Exploring Ruckle Farm- British Columbia's Oldest Working Farm

2010-04-11T10:30:00.000-07:00

Initially we though were were on the 10KM hiking loop around Yeo Point, but soon realized that we were circling back to Ruckle Farm at the parks entrance. No Prob.

Walking around the farmyard was pretty cool. You almost felt as if you were in a movie about some old farm a long time ago. In many ways this place felt like the Anne of Green Gables Farm that we had visited in the summer. Because it is still a working farm a few farm hands were out doing some maintenance. The apple orchard, sheep pasture, and turkey coop on the wood-fenced, green gassed, cleared land of the farm made for an picture perfect sight.

It seemed as though it was meant that we had not taken the trail to Yeo Point because the fluffy clouds ahead had gotten offaly dark. Just as we got back to our car it started to rain.

Hiking Ruckle Provincial Park On Saltspring Island

2010-04-10T22:50:00.000-07:00

The skies were filled with fluffy clouds, the grass was vibrant green, and the ocean waters were still- this hike along the coast at Ruckle Provincial Park couldn't be better on a day like today. We took our time walking though the empty campsites on our way to the historic Ruckle family farmhouse.

Hiking In Burgoyne Bay Park On Saltspring Island

2010-04-10T16:55:00.000-07:00

The next morning we awoke a tinny bit hung-over and headed to Burgoyne Bay to do a hike. We could see the beautiful cleared green patches of farmland leading to the beach and dark turquoise waters of Burgoyne Bay from high atop Mt. Maxwell the day before. Today it was interesting to look back at the cliff face of Mount Maxwell from the bottom.

Alissa's B-Day On Salt Spring Island: Osyters, Harbours, Birthday Shots, and Live Reggae Music

2010-04-06T21:54:00.000-07:00

Alissa had a Birthday to remember. Rhea, Ryan, Matthew, and Alissa started the night off in Ganges at Oystercatcher Seafood & Oyster Bar that overlooked the cities small harbour. The food and wine was delightful- the local muscles in cream sause and local 2007 Salt Spring Island Winery Millotage made for an excellent starter in front of an open gas flame.

After some nachos, and dry ribs and a few more glasses. We headed to Moby's Oyster Bar to catch some live music. Tonight was a reggae band from T.O. We did some shots, drank some Salt Spring Island Brewery Whale Ales and danced the night away until Alissa's real B-Day after midnight.

What a night!

Mount Maxwell At Salt Spring Island

2010-04-05T20:04:00.000-07:00

After arriving on Salt Spring Island we went into the largest town on the island, Ganges. There we ate breakfast in a cosy restaurant built into a tree called The Treehouse Cafe. They had little heaters under each table and blankets to keep us warm.

After warming and filling up, we headed out of town to hike Mount Maxwell. It turns out that the road to the park wasn't meant for the little Toyota Echo- it soon turned into a bit of an off-road adventure. The views from the top and hike along the cliffs edge rewarded us when we managed to get to the top.

Ferrying To Salt Spring Island

2010-04-03T16:58:00.000-07:00

A day after Rhea and Ryan returned from a two day trip to Tofino, we were off on an early morning ferry to the biggest gulf island, Salt Spring Island.

Feeding the Wild Harbour Seals At Fisherman's Warf

2010-03-31T18:53:00.000-07:00

This is Alissa's newest favourite thing to do in Victoria- visiting the Harbour Seals at Fisherman's Warf. No doubt we hit this place up a few times with her family while they were down.

Fisherman's Whorf is, in itself, pretty cool. Thirty-three floating houses make up this funky fishermany neighbourhood. There are some really fresh seafood to eat and buy.. but of course these cute seals are the main attraction.

"Are We On the Trail?" Finding Our Way Down Mount Douglas

2010-03-28T18:51:00.000-07:00

We decided to take the trail less traveled on our way down. We choose to explore the North face of the mountain and were rewarded with majestic Arbutus trees (Canada's only broad leaf evergreen trees)and wild lilies. We kinda got lost and then ran into a Arbutus tree with Ryan's initials carved into the natural peeling trunk. We knew that it was a sign that we were on the right path. Before we knew it we were down the mountain. But when we finally got there, we realized our car was on the other side!

Here is a link to the map...

Something we probably should have printed off before going on our hike:

link

A View From the Top Of Mount Douglas

2010-03-28T18:36:00.000-07:00

At the summit we were rewarded with a clear sunny sky and 360 degree views of Victoria, Cordova Bay, and the Gulf Islands. We even spotted Salt Spring Island- a place we would visit a few days later.

The Climb Up Mount Douglas

2010-03-28T17:55:00.000-07:00

Alissa's sister and brother-in-law were in town. The first full day they spent in town we decided to climb to the summit of Mount Douglas. These are some of the sights from that hike.

Sunbathing In Ucluelet

2010-03-14T13:22:00.000-07:00

Spent the last afternoon on our trip to the Pacific Rim National Park in the little town of Ucluelet, situated opposite Tofino-just below the National Park. The clear sunny skies encouraged temperatures to try to creep into the mid-teens. After days of hiking, the soothing mid-day sun beating down on us and the sound of hurried waves breaking the rocky shore was a lullaby that put us into a lazy nap.

Learning About the Old Growth Trees: A Hike On Rainforest Trail In Pacific Rim National Park

2010-03-14T12:50:00.000-07:00

This the entrance to this trail was once cleared for Cold War surveillance stations. As it grew back, it displayed how this type of temperate rainforest regenerates itself. The further you go into the trail the closer you gradually get to the original growth of the ancient rainforest. Cool stuff.

Fun At Low Tide: Schooner Cove Trail In Pacific Rim National Park

2010-03-14T12:01:00.000-07:00

After a short hike through ancient forests on Schooner Cove Trail we are thrust upon the picturesque cove. With the tide low and the beach to our selves we climb over the rocks and play with the green sea anemones, muscles, and purple shore crab. You can just walk out to the island just off the sore. We take in the sea air, soft breaking waves, and accompanying view. If we had any stress residing in us by now it has surely melted away like mist vanishing into the blue sky above.

A Hike Out To The Cove: Schooner Cove Trail In Pacific Rim National Park

2010-03-13T22:53:00.000-08:00

Views From Radar Hill In Pacific Rim National Park

2010-03-08T19:38:00.000-08:00

After chillin' at Long Beach for a little while we did a small hike around Radar Hill. This lookout used to be an old cold war radar station, but is now a wonderful vantage point where you can view the surrounding area.

It is also a Korean War memorial for the heroic Canadians of 2nd Battalion Princess Patricia's Light Infantry who called in artillery fire on their own positions as they were being over ran by Communists in the battle of Kap'yong.

The dismantled radar station and war memorial only augments the peacefulness that pervades this nice view.