travel zen on friday: vancouver bird

Are you looking at my butt?

restaurant review: pine & crane (aka authentic taiwanese food in silverlake)

(Los Angeles, CA).  Los Angeles has long suffered from medicore and over-priced Chinese food, not to mention the astonishing lack of decent Taiwanese cuisine.  Everyone knows you have to travel about an hour towards the San Gabriel Valley to get true Chinese/Taiwanese cuisine, but no one really knows the answer why.
 

Bright and airy with attentive but casual service.

Recently a friend mentioned that Pine and Crane, a new Taiwanese restaurant, had opened in Silverlake (near Sunset Junction) but I (stupidly and with bias) assumed it would be a hipster twist and perversion of my beloved cuisine.  This is what happens when someone is disappointed for years and years...  Then Los Angeles magazine named it as one of the best new restaurants in 2014 and my interest was piqued. 

hotel review: fairmont waterfront and taking skytrain to the airport

(Vancouver, Canada).  The Fairmont Waterfront is what one should expect from an upscale business-oriented hotel - beautiful, clean, comfortable, convenient - all with impeccable service.  The entire place feels very polished, civilized and quiet.

I was attending a conference at the hotel so I didn't have a lot of time to enjoy the facilities and the amazing location (right on the waterfront, next to the Vancouver Convention Center), but it was definitely one of the best experiences in a hotel I've had during a business trip mainly because the food/drink service was outstanding not only in the restaurants and bars, but also at the actual meetings.

hotel review: hotel continental in tangier

Hotel Continental view from the ferry terminal.

Although many people opt not to spend the night in Tangier and either head back to Spain or move on to other parts of Morocco, I opted to stay one night at the Hotel Continental. I used booking.com to reserve a room.

travel zen on friday - cadiz, spain

Cadiz

In addition to the sights, Cadiz is a fantastic eating city. Please do let us know if you've dined there before and share your experience with us.

food truck review: japadog in vancouver and in downtown los angeles (aka not all japadogs are created equal)

Ooooo - intriguing....

During one of our aimless strolls in Vancouver, we came upon a Japadog foodtruck and were drawn in by the growing group of people waiting for food.  This particular truck was run by a nice Japanese couple who appeared very devoted in preparing their specialty Japanese-style hot dogs.  While there were several different flavors, I was most drawn by the "Okonomi" made with a kurobuta pork sausage, Japanese mayo, bonito flakes and fried cabbage.  I think it was one of their "award-winning" dogs based on the marketing splashed on the truck.
 

Waiting... hungry....

We hungrily waited while the couple served the group ahead of us.  When it was our turn, we grabbed our little treasure and found a nice quiet area before taking our first bites.  

Was it worth the wait?

touristy things i did in vancouver (part 2)

(Vancouver, Canada).  My husband and I were in Vancouver for only three days and we didn't want to feel rushed so we visited tourist attractions only if they appealed to us at the moment and fit into our relaxing schedule.  So what else did we do and see besides Stanley Park and Yaletown? (see part 1 here)

video: under the stars with the berbers in the sand dunes of morocco

If you ever wondered what it's like to spend the night under the stars surrounded by massive sand dunes in Morocco with the Berbers, check out the video below:

travel zen on friday: NOLA advice

Wise words Jacques, wise words.

dessert review: bonuage on melrose avenue

(Los Angeles, CA).  Recently while I was strolling around Melrose Avenue waiting for my wax appointment at Wax (my favoritest wax place ever), I came upon BoNuage and I was so happy!  I had seen pictures of their cute meringue cakes on many food blogs and newsletters but I had no idea where it was located.  

I went into the tiny (but very cute) store and was delighted by the display of desserts.  I picked up two flavors - peanut butter and caramel and took them home to share with my husband.

Were they as good as they looked?

touristy things i did in vancouver (part 1)

Convention Center in Vancouver - right on the water!

(Vancouver, Canada).  I am normally a super planner when I travel, but this time I decided to be spontaneous and go with the flow and not "plan" my trip to Vancouver other than for a few restaurant reservations here and there.  Anyways, it was rather chilly in the city so we couldn't do a lot of the outdoorsy activities.  I figured we would just walk around and explore the city and eat/drink a lot!   So what did we end up doing?

restaurant review: hacienda cocina y cantina in cabo san lucas, mexico

The Hacienda entrance.

On a recent trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, one of the pleasant surprises Mr. Sazy Rock, a couple of friends and I truly enjoyed was a meal at Hacienda Cocina y Cantina. See, Hacienda is located inside a time share resort and has a nice view. Usually, that means terrible food. But, not at Hacienda.

travel zen on friday - prague

Prague

Do you know where this picture was taken?

restaurant review: furaibo for japanese chicken wings

(Los Angeles, CA).  There are times I crave Japanese chicken wings and then I'm reminded of Furaibo located on 2068 Sawtelle Blvd. which I frequented a lot back in my law school days.  

It may not be the "best" chicken wing place but it's a great local spot to have some beer/sake, chicken wings (with loads of white pepper) and yakitori (grilled meats, veggies, etc. on sticks) while hanging out with friends for hours on end.  (Note: my favorite LA chicken wing place is probably Kyochon in Koreatown, but it's such a sterile, dull location that I only do takeout.) 

I recently met sazy rock there for a pre-dinner drink and snack and was overcome with nostalgia.  My husband has never been to Furaibo before so I will have to remedy that soon!  Now I just have to round up some chicken wing lovers.....

restaurant review: shu raku in vancouver

(Vancouver, Canada).  On our first day in Vancouver, we checked into our hotel around lunchtime and we were STAAARVING!  The concierge at the L'Hermitage Hotel realized we just wanted something fast, nearby and tasty, so he recommended Shu Raku Sake Bar & Bistro.  It was only a 5 minute walk from the hotel and we arrived just as they were opening (a little before noon) so we were able to snag a table immediately.  Thank goodness because I was about to pass out from hunger (and I was a little bit hangry much to my husband's chagrin).

Did Shu Raku meet our needs?

top 10 tips for hiking half dome in yosemite

View of Half Dome from Glacier Point.

Summer might be over but it is never too early to plan a hiking trip to Half Dome in Yosemite National Park. Planning well in advance will ensure that you can hike this beautiful piece of rock safely. It is beautiful up there. From the top, you can see the verdant Yosemite Valley. Plus, the trail allows you to observe the powerful nature of Vernal and Nevada falls. I have hiked to the top of Half Dome twice and, each time, I've been left exhausted but absolutely in awe of its beauty.

These are my tips for successfully hiking to Half Dome and back.