Since we spent Thanksgiving in Las Vegas with the Skariyas, they decided to come to Los Angeles to visit us for Christmas. It definitely made for a good holiday memory -full of eating, drinking, games, and laughter...
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Thanksgiving
For Thanksgiving, John and I drove to Las Vegas to enjoy the holiday with Anisha, Vinod, and the kids - Hannah and Jonathan. We had a great time of eating, drinking, eating, driving around Vegas, eating, playing cards, and more eating :) Thank you to the Skariyas for being such great hosts - we look forward to visiting again soon!
Friday, October 31, 2008
Halloween
Chet got back home from Thailand right before Halloween, and they invited us to go with them to their friend's Halloween party. We put together some last minute costumes ... although I did notice that most of the guys at the party had capes on :)
Jeeta was a She-Devil, Chet was the "Phantom," and John and I were the "Count and Countess".... The best was Krishav - as a "biker dude" - in Harley Davidson black vest, fake tattoos on the sleeves, black jeans, and hair that was spiked up with gel... definitely a cute biker :)
Here are some pics from Halloween:
Jeeta was a She-Devil, Chet was the "Phantom," and John and I were the "Count and Countess".... The best was Krishav - as a "biker dude" - in Harley Davidson black vest, fake tattoos on the sleeves, black jeans, and hair that was spiked up with gel... definitely a cute biker :)
Here are some pics from Halloween:
Saturday, October 25, 2008
We saw Oprah!
So while in California, John and I have discovered the world of Event Marketing/Promotional Jobs. We are hired as staff to work at various events through Event Marketing companies. After trying it, we decided to stick with it while we are here because it's a great way to make money, have a flexible schedule, and get to experience so many different events.
So far, we've had the opportunity to work with the Discovery Channel's Animal Planet Expo, a GAP promotion, Zone Perfect Nutritional Bar sampling at the Palo Alto Arts Festival, Colgate's free dental screenings at the back-to-school health & family festival, and a guerilla marketing sampling for Venom Energy drink (that was a lot of fun -we worked with a fun group of people).
The most recent one we worked for was for an event by "O Magazine" (Oprah Winfrey's Magazine). It was a day designed for women and took place at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. There were seminars by individuals affiliated with Oprah, such as Stacy London (you may recognize her name from "What Not to Wear"), financial expert Suze Orman, fitness expert Jim Karas, etc. There were 4000 women who attended (John was maybe 1 out of 15 men who were there, including staff.. he he :)
We were there to help with registration, and then stuck around the whole day to help out with other small things needed. In the middle of the day, it was announced that Oprah was going to make a surprise appearance. Now I admit I am not a huge fan of hers or anything - I've watched the show, but I don't follow it... but after seeing her and hearing her speak, I have a lot more respect for her. She spoke from the heart, and what she was saying made sense and would probably relate to most people we know - about taking care of yourself, listening within when not sure what to do, and believing in a higher power that is in charge. It was also pretty cool to see a celebrity up close :)
Below are a few pics:
So far, we've had the opportunity to work with the Discovery Channel's Animal Planet Expo, a GAP promotion, Zone Perfect Nutritional Bar sampling at the Palo Alto Arts Festival, Colgate's free dental screenings at the back-to-school health & family festival, and a guerilla marketing sampling for Venom Energy drink (that was a lot of fun -we worked with a fun group of people).
The most recent one we worked for was for an event by "O Magazine" (Oprah Winfrey's Magazine). It was a day designed for women and took place at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. There were seminars by individuals affiliated with Oprah, such as Stacy London (you may recognize her name from "What Not to Wear"), financial expert Suze Orman, fitness expert Jim Karas, etc. There were 4000 women who attended (John was maybe 1 out of 15 men who were there, including staff.. he he :)
We were there to help with registration, and then stuck around the whole day to help out with other small things needed. In the middle of the day, it was announced that Oprah was going to make a surprise appearance. Now I admit I am not a huge fan of hers or anything - I've watched the show, but I don't follow it... but after seeing her and hearing her speak, I have a lot more respect for her. She spoke from the heart, and what she was saying made sense and would probably relate to most people we know - about taking care of yourself, listening within when not sure what to do, and believing in a higher power that is in charge. It was also pretty cool to see a celebrity up close :)
Below are a few pics:
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Back to North Cali
So our friends Seema and Suraj will be moving to Fresno, CA in December, and decided to come out for a few days to check out the place, meet their managers, get an apartment, etc. So John and I decided to drive up to Fresno (about a 3 1/2 hour drive from LA), and met up with them on Saturday (10/18). We went out for dinner, crashed at their hotel, and then drove up to Sunnyvale (near San Fran) to meet up with Jeeta (a little under a 3 hour drive from Fresno). It was really nice to see familiar faces, and we are looking forward to hanging out together more when they move here.
Since Jeeta is very pregnant and her husband Chet was out of the country on business, we decided to stay for those 2 weeks to help her out. It was great to see Krishav now and just how much he has changed in the past 2 months alone. He has learned how to talk so much more, although helicopter still comes out "eli-buckle."
John gets "John Uncle" but I get "Shenie Aunty." We're still working on the name Sherine :) We have also taught him to call himself "SuperKrishav" :)
We will be staying with Jeeta until Halloween, and then after that, off to LA for about a 1 1/2 weeks for a job, and then to Vegas for Thanksgiving with Anisha & Vinod. We always seem to be going from one place to the next, never staying and settling in one place, and people have joked we are kind of like "advanced gypsies" :) We are truly enjoying it though - obtaining so many new friends, stories, and experiences along the way...
Since Jeeta is very pregnant and her husband Chet was out of the country on business, we decided to stay for those 2 weeks to help her out. It was great to see Krishav now and just how much he has changed in the past 2 months alone. He has learned how to talk so much more, although helicopter still comes out "eli-buckle."
John gets "John Uncle" but I get "Shenie Aunty." We're still working on the name Sherine :) We have also taught him to call himself "SuperKrishav" :)
We will be staying with Jeeta until Halloween, and then after that, off to LA for about a 1 1/2 weeks for a job, and then to Vegas for Thanksgiving with Anisha & Vinod. We always seem to be going from one place to the next, never staying and settling in one place, and people have joked we are kind of like "advanced gypsies" :) We are truly enjoying it though - obtaining so many new friends, stories, and experiences along the way...
Sunday, September 28, 2008
LA Fair
John and I decided to accept a month long job working for the Los Angeles County week Fair. It is an annual fair that runs 5 days a week for 4 weeks, and is full of carnival rides, vendor booths, food, food, and more food... There are tons of people that show up, and different celebrity performances and attractions every year.
If you want to check it out to get a better idea, the website is: www.lacountyfair.com
John and I were hired to run the "Tie-Boss" booth - which is a tie-down that is quicker and easier to lock than a regular tie-down. Here's the website: www.tieboss.com.
Through working at the fair, we met a lot of different people, had some interesting conversations, saw some cool gadgets, and made some good friends along the way. It definitely adds to our list of new experiences on our journey...
Here are pics:
If you want to check it out to get a better idea, the website is: www.lacountyfair.com
John and I were hired to run the "Tie-Boss" booth - which is a tie-down that is quicker and easier to lock than a regular tie-down. Here's the website: www.tieboss.com.
Through working at the fair, we met a lot of different people, had some interesting conversations, saw some cool gadgets, and made some good friends along the way. It definitely adds to our list of new experiences on our journey...
Here are pics:
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Philly
Although we were looking foward to visiting Philly, we had a slight snag in our trip. The plane had mechanical issues that grounded us for about 5 hours in the Vegas airport (I know - an exciting place - but the airport's really not that exciting :) Finally arrived in Philly around 3:30 am.... A very lucky sister of mine was given the honor of picking us up at that time.. Thanks Christine!! :)
We had a great time at Vaishali's wedding. The NY venue was one of a kind, and the appetizer stations were awesome - we especially enjoyed the Sushi... yummy! The bride looked absolutely gorgeous, and we wish her all the best!!
The next night we had a payoff dinner with John's friends for a bet the guys had lost during a bowling match from the last time we got together. The girls had to give them credit - they made an amazing dinner of cream of mushroom soup, cucumber sandwiches, lasagna, stuffed peppers, and an assortment of cakes. It surprisingly was a really delicious meal :) Good job guys!!
While we were in Philly, we got to visit Abbey and Soby in the hospital, who had just experienced the birth of their first baby, Pailyn Philip. We thank Pailyn for waiting until we arrived to be born. Congrats to the new parents!!
We were grateful for our time spent with family and friends. We were sad it was only for a week, and that we didn't have time to visit all the family and friends that we would have liked to. We are looking forward to our next trip back to visit again :)
Below are some pics of Baby Pailyn and Vaishali's wedding... wait, not the wedding of baby Pailyn and Vaishali, but.... well, you get the point ;)
We had a great time at Vaishali's wedding. The NY venue was one of a kind, and the appetizer stations were awesome - we especially enjoyed the Sushi... yummy! The bride looked absolutely gorgeous, and we wish her all the best!!
The next night we had a payoff dinner with John's friends for a bet the guys had lost during a bowling match from the last time we got together. The girls had to give them credit - they made an amazing dinner of cream of mushroom soup, cucumber sandwiches, lasagna, stuffed peppers, and an assortment of cakes. It surprisingly was a really delicious meal :) Good job guys!!
While we were in Philly, we got to visit Abbey and Soby in the hospital, who had just experienced the birth of their first baby, Pailyn Philip. We thank Pailyn for waiting until we arrived to be born. Congrats to the new parents!!
We were grateful for our time spent with family and friends. We were sad it was only for a week, and that we didn't have time to visit all the family and friends that we would have liked to. We are looking forward to our next trip back to visit again :)
Below are some pics of Baby Pailyn and Vaishali's wedding... wait, not the wedding of baby Pailyn and Vaishali, but.... well, you get the point ;)
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Staying with the Gandhi Family
Our entire trip is based around new experiences. During our 6 week stay in Sunnyvale, CA at "Hotel Gandhi," we've had the opportunity to try different types of Gujurati vegetarian food, made some new friends, took a weekend trip to Napa Valley for a wedding, discovered "Event Marketing" - a whole new opportunity for us to work all across the west coast and probably nationwide, bought our first convertible (Mazda Miata), and the list goes on....
We've enjoyed our stay with our new family, and will miss them as we leave to visit Philly for a week and then on to Los Angeles, CA. A sincere thank you to Jeeta, Chet, and Krishav for being excellent hosts, as well as great company. We are looking forward to coming back to visit soon!!!!
We've enjoyed our stay with our new family, and will miss them as we leave to visit Philly for a week and then on to Los Angeles, CA. A sincere thank you to Jeeta, Chet, and Krishav for being excellent hosts, as well as great company. We are looking forward to coming back to visit soon!!!!
Friday, June 27, 2008
John's Birthday
Today is John's birthday - his last year in the twenties!!! Finally....
To celebrate, we took a trip from Jeeta's place to San Francisco, which is about 45 minutes away. We explored Fisherman's Wharf - but the weather turned out to be a lot colder and windier than expected. Apparently, summer months in San Fran are colder, and some of their best weather is in October - called the "Indian Summer."
At Fisherman's Wharf, we had the famous "Clam Chowder in a Sourdough Bread Bowl."
Mmmmm... yummy. Perfect for the colder weather too... We also visited a candy shop, and saw 1 or 2 performers who were braving the strong winds.
We spent the rest of the day touring the city, driving thru the ridiculously steep streets of San Francisco - it's like riding a roller coaster. We drove along Lombard Street - known as the "crookedest street in the world." We enjoyed the rest of the evening with a dinner at a Sengali restaurant "Bissap Baobab."(www.bissapbaobab.com) Highly recommend it if you visit San Fran and like spicy, ethnic food... yummy for a good price :)
Below are pictures:
To celebrate, we took a trip from Jeeta's place to San Francisco, which is about 45 minutes away. We explored Fisherman's Wharf - but the weather turned out to be a lot colder and windier than expected. Apparently, summer months in San Fran are colder, and some of their best weather is in October - called the "Indian Summer."
At Fisherman's Wharf, we had the famous "Clam Chowder in a Sourdough Bread Bowl."
Mmmmm... yummy. Perfect for the colder weather too... We also visited a candy shop, and saw 1 or 2 performers who were braving the strong winds.
We spent the rest of the day touring the city, driving thru the ridiculously steep streets of San Francisco - it's like riding a roller coaster. We drove along Lombard Street - known as the "crookedest street in the world." We enjoyed the rest of the evening with a dinner at a Sengali restaurant "Bissap Baobab."(www.bissapbaobab.com) Highly recommend it if you visit San Fran and like spicy, ethnic food... yummy for a good price :)
Below are pictures:
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Our stay with Jeeta, Chet, & Krishav
We arrived in Sunnyvale, CA (about 50 miles south of San Francisco) on June 19th with Jeeta (my friend since high school), Chet (her husband), and their almost 2 year old son, Krishav. After a long, adventurous trip across the country, it was nice to see some familiar faces. We'll be staying with our new "family" for about 6 weeks.
Below is a pic of our new little friend, Krishav:
Below is a pic of our new little friend, Krishav:
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Tuesday & Wednesday - Las Vegas, Nevada
Our final stop on our roadtrip before arriving in California was in Las Vegas, Nevada. On the ride there, we passed the Hoover Dam, and stopped there for a few minutes to take some pictures. The water was a bright teal color, which was cool to see. However, if you look at our pics, you'll see a white line. The top of that white section shows where the old water line was, as opposed to what it is today. The level of Lake Mead has been dropping for years, and there is a 50 percent chance that Lake Mead, which was created by the Hoover Dam and the Colorado River, will go dry by 2021 because of escalating human demand and climate change. This will cause a domino effect of the loss of water and electricity for many surrounding cities.
We reached Las Vegas on Tuesday evening, and met up for dinner with our friend, Vinod, who works as a director in the Venetian casino. He treated us to really good Thai food and drinks at a restaurant called The Mainland. (Thanks, Vinod!) Afterwards, the three of us spent some time walking around exploring Las Vegas.
The next day, we continued walking around exploring Las Vegas. We love Vegas - always something to do and see. We ended up going to the Ellis Island Casino & Brewery for an $8.00 bbq meal that was huge... and very good. Best ribs on our trip so far.
In the evening, we walked around till 1:00 am (we walked about 3 miles) taking in the different casinos all lit up, and the show outside the Treasure Island casino. It was supposed to be sirens who were singing and performing a short skit on the ship, which let out flames and fireworks by the end of the show.
Afterwards, we played pool in the hotel lounge until about 3:00 am before turning in for the night.
Next: 8 1/2 hr drive to San Francisco, California
Here are pics from Nevada:
We reached Las Vegas on Tuesday evening, and met up for dinner with our friend, Vinod, who works as a director in the Venetian casino. He treated us to really good Thai food and drinks at a restaurant called The Mainland. (Thanks, Vinod!) Afterwards, the three of us spent some time walking around exploring Las Vegas.
The next day, we continued walking around exploring Las Vegas. We love Vegas - always something to do and see. We ended up going to the Ellis Island Casino & Brewery for an $8.00 bbq meal that was huge... and very good. Best ribs on our trip so far.
In the evening, we walked around till 1:00 am (we walked about 3 miles) taking in the different casinos all lit up, and the show outside the Treasure Island casino. It was supposed to be sirens who were singing and performing a short skit on the ship, which let out flames and fireworks by the end of the show.
Afterwards, we played pool in the hotel lounge until about 3:00 am before turning in for the night.
Next: 8 1/2 hr drive to San Francisco, California
Here are pics from Nevada:
Monday, June 16, 2008
Monday - Sedona, AZ
Sedona, Arizona is known for its breaktaking scenic views. It is surrounded by red rock formations, like a view shown in the old western movies. To get there, we took roads winding around the mountains. Sedona itself is a cute little town, but kinda pricey. Great place for outdoor activities - like camping, hiking, etc... It was our most scenic stop on our roadtrip.
Although not part of our original plan, we decided to stay the night and explore. We drove and saw all the various red rock formations, and ended our drive at the Sedona Airport Restaurant- where we had some great buffalo burger meals for $8.00. Where the Sedona Aiport sits is a great place to watch the sunset over the city of Sedona.
Next: 4 1/2 hour drive to Las Vegas, Nevada
Here are pics from Arizona:
Although not part of our original plan, we decided to stay the night and explore. We drove and saw all the various red rock formations, and ended our drive at the Sedona Airport Restaurant- where we had some great buffalo burger meals for $8.00. Where the Sedona Aiport sits is a great place to watch the sunset over the city of Sedona.
Next: 4 1/2 hour drive to Las Vegas, Nevada
Here are pics from Arizona:
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Saturday & Sunday - Santa Fe & Albuquerque, NM
We arrived in Albuquerque, NM on Saturday afternoon, and really didn't do much other than chill and walk around. Spent the night, and then headed to Santa Fe, NM the next day by taking the "Turquoise Trail" - a scenic route connecting Albuquerque and Santa Fe. It had some nice scenery, but honestly, was the same as what we had been seeing on the last 8 hours of our drive :) The Turquoise Trail was about a 2 hour drive.
Next: 6 hour drive to Sedona, Arizona
Here are our pics from New Mexico:
Next: 6 hour drive to Sedona, Arizona
Here are our pics from New Mexico:
Friday, June 13, 2008
Friday - El Paso, TX
Our only reason for going to El Paso, TX was to visit the Cattleman's Steakhouse - a well-known steakhouse in the desert. Literally, the directions tell you to get off the interstate and drive 5 miles north into the desert. Fortunately, we were moving into a different time zone, so we were able to make it there before they closed. From the balcony of the restaurant, you also get an amazing view of the sunset over the desert.
The food itself there was very good. El Paso is the birth place of cattle ranches, and they sure know how to make a great steak. We have a pic of our yummy steak in our photo album also :)
We stayed the night in El Paso. From our hotel room, you could see the interstate, then the Rio Grande, and then Mexico all lit up on the other side - which was pretty cool. (Didn't look as appealing in the daytime though ;)
Next: 5 hour drive to Santa Fe, New Mexico
Here is the photo album for all our pics from Texas:
The food itself there was very good. El Paso is the birth place of cattle ranches, and they sure know how to make a great steak. We have a pic of our yummy steak in our photo album also :)
We stayed the night in El Paso. From our hotel room, you could see the interstate, then the Rio Grande, and then Mexico all lit up on the other side - which was pretty cool. (Didn't look as appealing in the daytime though ;)
Next: 5 hour drive to Santa Fe, New Mexico
Here is the photo album for all our pics from Texas:
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Thursday - Austin, TX
In Austin, we decided to go to "The Salt Lick" for lunch, which was also featured on the Food Network. They are very similar to Rudy's, except maybe a little more like a restaurant - with waiters who take your order instead of getting in line and ordering for yourself like Rudy's. Although both places were good, John and I preferred The Salt Lick over Rudy's in the end ... except for Rudy's creamed corn. Can't beat that! It's an age old debate about what's the best place for bbq in Texas. If you make it down to San Antonio or Austin, either place is highly recommended.
In the evening, we went to visit the infamous Sixth Street in Austin - a one stop 6 - 7 block resource for live music, clubs, events, dining, lodging, entertainment, art, bands and more. We happened to be there on Bike week, so we got to see some pretty cool bikes parked all along the street. The bars try to run specials to get people to come into their place, so we got $1 and $2 shot specials. We consider it a different version Philly's South Street or Olde City. It is definitely a good place to visit with a group of friends.
Next: 8 hour drive to El Paso, TX
In the evening, we went to visit the infamous Sixth Street in Austin - a one stop 6 - 7 block resource for live music, clubs, events, dining, lodging, entertainment, art, bands and more. We happened to be there on Bike week, so we got to see some pretty cool bikes parked all along the street. The bars try to run specials to get people to come into their place, so we got $1 and $2 shot specials. We consider it a different version Philly's South Street or Olde City. It is definitely a good place to visit with a group of friends.
Next: 8 hour drive to El Paso, TX
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Wednesday - San Antonio, TX
We arrived in San Antonio on Tuesday night. The original plan was to visit the San Antonio Riverwalk that night, and then move on to Austin (which is only 1 1/2 hours away). However, we both fell in love with the Riverwalk, and decided to come back again the next day to fully enjoy it.
The San Antonio Riverwalk is a river that is below street level, and is surrounded by bars and restaurants on each side. It is a great place to visit - can be romantic for just a couple, or can be a great place to hang out with a group of friends. There is also a small boat (like a gandola) that you can take running along the river. At night, the Riverwalk is all lit up, and there are people all around eating, drinking, and just enjoying the outdoors. It is definitely one of our favorite spots on our trip. We highly recommend it as a place to visit for anyone.
There are pics of this in our Texas photo album also.
During the day, we went to Rudy's BBQ for lunch, which was featured on the Food Network, and thru a friend of John's. (Thanks, Gibi!) You can order meat by the pound (1/4, 1/2 and 1 lb), so we decided to order 1/4 lb of each meat and try them all - smoked turkey, brisket, and ribs. It was all pretty good, especially with Rudy's special bbq sauce. The best though was their creamed corn - something they are well known for. Definitely worth trying!
Next: 1 1/2 hour drive to Austin, Texas
The San Antonio Riverwalk is a river that is below street level, and is surrounded by bars and restaurants on each side. It is a great place to visit - can be romantic for just a couple, or can be a great place to hang out with a group of friends. There is also a small boat (like a gandola) that you can take running along the river. At night, the Riverwalk is all lit up, and there are people all around eating, drinking, and just enjoying the outdoors. It is definitely one of our favorite spots on our trip. We highly recommend it as a place to visit for anyone.
There are pics of this in our Texas photo album also.
During the day, we went to Rudy's BBQ for lunch, which was featured on the Food Network, and thru a friend of John's. (Thanks, Gibi!) You can order meat by the pound (1/4, 1/2 and 1 lb), so we decided to order 1/4 lb of each meat and try them all - smoked turkey, brisket, and ribs. It was all pretty good, especially with Rudy's special bbq sauce. The best though was their creamed corn - something they are well known for. Definitely worth trying!
Next: 1 1/2 hour drive to Austin, Texas
Monday, June 9, 2008
Monday & Tuesday - Houston, TX
We arrived at Toby and Joyce's place in Houston late Sunday night. After sleeping in on Monday morning, we just chilled indoors and hung out with baby Luke - one of the most pleasant babies we've met.
In the evening, after Toby got home from work, we went out to eat crawfish for dinner - which we had wanted to do in New Orleans, but never got the chance to. Definitely glad we got to in the end - it was soo good. Very spicy - I think John and Toby together ate about 7 lbs worth :) (Thanks for treating us to such a good dinner, Toby!)
Went home, and chilled with Toby and Joyce before going to bed. Tuesday morning, Toby and Joyce treated us to another Texas treat - Kolaches. They are a pastry/roll stuffed with ground meat or a sausage, cheese, and/or jalepenos. We have pics of it in our photo album. They are very tasty, and a great choice for a quick breakfast or snack.
Although we didn't get to spend a lot of time with Toby and Joyce, it was definitely great to see them. We had a great time, and look forward to going back again soon!
Next: 3 hour drive to San Antonio, Texas
In the evening, after Toby got home from work, we went out to eat crawfish for dinner - which we had wanted to do in New Orleans, but never got the chance to. Definitely glad we got to in the end - it was soo good. Very spicy - I think John and Toby together ate about 7 lbs worth :) (Thanks for treating us to such a good dinner, Toby!)
Went home, and chilled with Toby and Joyce before going to bed. Tuesday morning, Toby and Joyce treated us to another Texas treat - Kolaches. They are a pastry/roll stuffed with ground meat or a sausage, cheese, and/or jalepenos. We have pics of it in our photo album. They are very tasty, and a great choice for a quick breakfast or snack.
Although we didn't get to spend a lot of time with Toby and Joyce, it was definitely great to see them. We had a great time, and look forward to going back again soon!
Next: 3 hour drive to San Antonio, Texas
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Friday thru Sunday - New Orleans, LA
We spent the weekend in New Orleans, LA.
Friday afternoon, we headed to Johnny's Po' Boys. Po' Boys are well known in New Orleans. They are similar to hoagies - just with different fillings. John got a hot sausage po'boy while I got a shrimp po' boy, both with mayo, lettuce and tomato. We were glad to have experienced New Orleans cuisine, but weren't too impressed with the meal itself. A Koch's hoagie from West Philly would beat that any day of the week :)
After that, we drove about 45 minutes to visit several plantation homes. The first one was the "San Francisco Plantation." We found that every plantation charges to see the grounds and the house - so in traditional Indian fashion, I distracted the tour guides while John snuck in pictures of the grounds and slave quarters .. ha ha ha :) It was amazing to see how just a few feet from this huge mansion, the slaves lived in such small quarters.
We decided to take a tour of the last home we saw - our favorite, the "Oak Alley Plantation." The front of the property is surrounded by 28 trees (14 on each side) which have been around for 300 years. The trees were there 100 years before the house itself. We were told the history of the house, and stories about the first and last owners. The last owners actually lived there until the 1970's. 600 acres of the original estate are leased for sugar cane, and 450 acres still are virgin woodlands. 75 acres of residential area surrounds The Oak Alley Foundation property. The foundation owns and operates the Oak Valley Plantation and the surrounding 25 acres. It was a really amazing place, and the pictures don't really do it justice.
Saturday morning, we headed to "The Old Coffee Pot" - a place one of my clients who was originally from New Orleans had suggested for breakfast. The place was cute and cozy, and the food was excellent. It was definitely a good choice. A description of our food is included with the pictures.
After that, we took the streetcars for a tour of the city, going throughout the city to the park, to riding beside the river. We then took a quick ferry ride across the Mississippi, before heading back to the hotel. It was an extremely hot and humid day to be out - probably around 90 degrees, but felt like well over 100. We were going to go out at night to see Bourbon street nightlife, but I think the heat from our day trip got to me, so unfortunately, we ended up staying in. We'll have to make another trip to New Orleans at some point to make up for it :)
Sunday morning, headed to Cafe Du Monde - a well-known New Orleans establishment. It was built by the same people who had built the Oak Alley Plantation. It's a great place to sit and people watch. It gives you a glimpse of what New Orleans used to be like. The only food item on the menu are "beignets" - a type of French doughnut, similar to our "funnel cake." It was crowded, and all the customers had powdered sugar on their face. Our recommendation - definitely don't wear black to this place unless you want it covered in white powdered sugar :)
Next: 6 hour drive to Houston, Texas
Here are our pics from New Orleans:
Friday afternoon, we headed to Johnny's Po' Boys. Po' Boys are well known in New Orleans. They are similar to hoagies - just with different fillings. John got a hot sausage po'boy while I got a shrimp po' boy, both with mayo, lettuce and tomato. We were glad to have experienced New Orleans cuisine, but weren't too impressed with the meal itself. A Koch's hoagie from West Philly would beat that any day of the week :)
After that, we drove about 45 minutes to visit several plantation homes. The first one was the "San Francisco Plantation." We found that every plantation charges to see the grounds and the house - so in traditional Indian fashion, I distracted the tour guides while John snuck in pictures of the grounds and slave quarters .. ha ha ha :) It was amazing to see how just a few feet from this huge mansion, the slaves lived in such small quarters.
We decided to take a tour of the last home we saw - our favorite, the "Oak Alley Plantation." The front of the property is surrounded by 28 trees (14 on each side) which have been around for 300 years. The trees were there 100 years before the house itself. We were told the history of the house, and stories about the first and last owners. The last owners actually lived there until the 1970's. 600 acres of the original estate are leased for sugar cane, and 450 acres still are virgin woodlands. 75 acres of residential area surrounds The Oak Alley Foundation property. The foundation owns and operates the Oak Valley Plantation and the surrounding 25 acres. It was a really amazing place, and the pictures don't really do it justice.
Saturday morning, we headed to "The Old Coffee Pot" - a place one of my clients who was originally from New Orleans had suggested for breakfast. The place was cute and cozy, and the food was excellent. It was definitely a good choice. A description of our food is included with the pictures.
After that, we took the streetcars for a tour of the city, going throughout the city to the park, to riding beside the river. We then took a quick ferry ride across the Mississippi, before heading back to the hotel. It was an extremely hot and humid day to be out - probably around 90 degrees, but felt like well over 100. We were going to go out at night to see Bourbon street nightlife, but I think the heat from our day trip got to me, so unfortunately, we ended up staying in. We'll have to make another trip to New Orleans at some point to make up for it :)
Sunday morning, headed to Cafe Du Monde - a well-known New Orleans establishment. It was built by the same people who had built the Oak Alley Plantation. It's a great place to sit and people watch. It gives you a glimpse of what New Orleans used to be like. The only food item on the menu are "beignets" - a type of French doughnut, similar to our "funnel cake." It was crowded, and all the customers had powdered sugar on their face. Our recommendation - definitely don't wear black to this place unless you want it covered in white powdered sugar :)
Next: 6 hour drive to Houston, Texas
Here are our pics from New Orleans:
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Our drive to New Orleans, LA
The pictures below are from our next drive to New Orleans, LA. There may be a good amount of the car ride, sky pics, and pics of bodies of water in our pics...which are beautiful when driving by it, but we don't know if you'll get the same effect from pictures :)
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Tuesday & Wednesday - Atlanta, GA
Tuesday morning, we went to pick up the car we'll be driving to California.
For those who don't know the story, we found a woman thru Craigslist who had moved from Atlanta to San Francisco. She has a young daughter and didn't want to make the drive with her, so she was looking for someone who would like to take a cross country trip with her car to help bring it to her. So we got in touch with her, and now we'll be using her car to take our journey. All we pay for is gas.... God has a funny way of making everything work out for the best for everyone..
So we picked up the car from her mom's house in Atlanta. We like to call the car...Knight Rider's cousin :)
Wednesday - we spent the whole day relaxing, playing cards, and hanging out with my cousin's kids. We were exhausted from being busy from day to night for the past week, and it was nice just to chill for a day :)
Next: 7 hour drive to New Orleans, Lousiana
Monday, June 2, 2008
Monday - Atlanta, GA
Monday evening, dropped mom and stepfather back off at aiport and then went to have dinner at the home of my cousin's friend. They served us puffs and mango lassi, and then fried rice with baked chicken, along with homemade pysum. (we were very well fed on this trip :)
They have a two year old daughter who is a genius. If you spin the globe and name a country, she can point where it is for you. She also knows the names of politicians. Once when they were at the hospital, the doctor introduced himself as John, and she responded with "McCain?" You say "barrack" and she'll say "obama"... you say "hilary" and she'll say "clinton." Adorable..
Played another late game of 28 before heading home :)
Here are our pics from Atlanta:
They have a two year old daughter who is a genius. If you spin the globe and name a country, she can point where it is for you. She also knows the names of politicians. Once when they were at the hospital, the doctor introduced himself as John, and she responded with "McCain?" You say "barrack" and she'll say "obama"... you say "hilary" and she'll say "clinton." Adorable..
Played another late game of 28 before heading home :)
Here are our pics from Atlanta:
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Sunday - Chattanooga, TN
Sunday morning, took a 2 hour drive out to Chattanooga, Tennessee to have breakfast with the Isaacs - Roby, Heather, Owen, and the soon-to-be Olive. They had some family visiting, so their daughter is in our pics as well. I'm sure they are honored to be one of the first pics in our blog :)
Next: 2 hour drive back to Atlanta, Georgia
Here is the album:
Next: 2 hour drive back to Atlanta, Georgia
Here is the album:
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Friday & Saturday - Atlanta, GA
Arrived in Atlanta late Friday night. We were staying there for almost a week to visit my dad's side of the family. There are probably about 10 different households to visit there. We stayed the entire time with my cousin, Manoj, his wife, Amey, and their kids, Meenu, Anup, and Ashley. - who we loved staying with. They are absolutely awesome - and provided the best hotel and Indian restaurant we have ever stayed at :) They never once gave us the same food - went from biriyani, to palappum to capa and fish to puri and masala to iddiappum and the list goes on and on an on....
Saturday morning, got up to pick up my mom and stepfather from the airport. They had flown in for the weekend to hang out with all of us in Atlanta. We went to visit a few family members that day, so that we could save sunday to play cards :)
Next: Our 2 hour drive to Chattanooga, Tennessee
Saturday morning, got up to pick up my mom and stepfather from the airport. They had flown in for the weekend to hang out with all of us in Atlanta. We went to visit a few family members that day, so that we could save sunday to play cards :)
Next: Our 2 hour drive to Chattanooga, Tennessee
Friday, May 30, 2008
Charlotte, NC
The first stop on our journey was Charlotte, NC to visit my uncle, aunt, and their 2 kids, Janice and Jenson. We ended up leaving Philly later than expected, and arrived in NC around 11 pm. My relatives were nice enough to wait up for us, and we did get to spend some time together before leaving Friday evening. We forgot to take pictures while we were there, but it was really nice to catch up with them, even if only for one day.
Next: 4 hour drive to Atlanta, Georgia
Next: 4 hour drive to Atlanta, Georgia
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Our "Burnt Orange" Departure
It starts with a little irony. The day before, Seema and Jeena were joking about how - from now on - all gifts for us and everything we have must be burnt orange. (it was just part of our wedding theme colors, but for some reason, it has followed us). And then Seema and Suraj were also telling us how great the Chevy Aveo was when they rented it in California.
So we go to pick up our rental car for the beginning of our trip, and of course it is..... a burnt orange Chevy Aveo. It was taken as a sign - it was meant to be.
Next: 10 hour drive to Charlotte, North Carolina
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Our Plans
This blog is to keep all our family and friends posted on our plans over the next year for our "One Year Honeymoon." We started our journey from Philadelphia on Thursday, May 29th, are driving across the southern U.S. and are anticipating an arrival in California around June 19th. We will be staying in San Francisco until August, and then will be settling around the Los Angeles area after that. We are planning on staying on the West Coast for no more than a year before returning back to settling down in Philadelphia once again.
Although we miss everyone, we are looking forward to the adventure and the experience over the next year. We hope to take you along on our journey through this blog..... :) Enjoy!!
Although we miss everyone, we are looking forward to the adventure and the experience over the next year. We hope to take you along on our journey through this blog..... :) Enjoy!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)