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:
Friday, June 27, 2008
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:
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