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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!!!)

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

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.