travel zen on friday: pemaquid point lighthouse

One of Maine's many lighthouses. The one pictured below is in Pemaquid, ME.

Pemaquid Point Lighthouse.

travel zen on friday: portland head light

Maine has plenty of lighthouses. One of them, the Portland Head Light, is seen in the picture below. It was commissioned by the first president of the United States, George Washington, in 1790.

have you ever wondered where the buffalo wing was invented?

Have you ever wondered where the Buffalo Wing was invented?

The Home of the Original Buffalo Wing.

restaurant review: eventide in portland, maine

Eventide Oysters.

Portland has been getting a lot of love in the food world. Portland, Oregon, that is.

And, that's great. Portland, OR is a great eating city. But, I have to argue that Portland, Maine is just as great, if not better.

The Scene

Eventide is a small seafood restaurant on the outskirts of downtown Portland near the port. Although, Portland is so small that being on the outskirt is not really all that far. When we stopped in for brunch, most tables and the bar area were full. Luckily, we found a great spot near the oysters at the bar.

travel zen on friday: sunset in seabrook, nh

Sunset behind Brown's Lobster Pound.

brown's vs. markey's: the battle for the best lobster rolls

Sunset behind Brown's Lobster Pound.

In a small town located in New Hampshire's tiny coastal stretch are two fairly famous lobster restaurants. On a recent road trip of New England, Mr. Sazy Rock and I decided to wade in on the local argument as to which Lobster Pound was better: Brown's or Markey's.

The drama could not be better. These establishments are literally (not figuratively) across the street from each other. Only a somewhat busy highway separates them.

We decided not to get a whole lobster because we only had so much stomach and so little meals between us. After all, this was an impromptu stop on our way to dinner in Portland, ME. But, to make it fair, we decided to get lobster rolls from both.

lubec: thoughts on visiting the easternmost town in the contiguous usa

Lubec.

Mr. Sazy Rock's mantra in life - and subsequently, mine - is to "Go Everywhere, Eat Everything." Inevitably, we visit different places and sample the cuisine. But, on top of that, we like to - as much as possible - meet the locals. 

On our recent trip to Lubec, Maine - a small town that boasts of being the easternmost city/town in the contiguous US - we saw, we ate, and we met the locals. It was an amazing thing. 

Lubec's Main Street.

First, Lubec borders the Canadian border. Getting there is a matter of crossing a short bridge behind the town's post office. 

That is the bridge to Canada, just behind the Lubec Post Office.

Second, Lubec used to be a striving fishing town until about 22 companies left in the 1970s and 1980s. But, there are still a few lobster and sea urchin fishermen/women that remain. The population is about 1,200 and "swells" to about 2,500 during tourist season. 

Water St. Tavern. Behind it is Canada.

Third, it's a great place to see the sunrise (especially by the West Quoddy Head Lighthouse) because at certain times, such as during the Equinox, the first place the sun shines its rays on in the USA is in Lubec. 

We saw West Quoddy Head lighthouse and the marker for the easternmost point of the contiguous USA. The lighthouse was commissioned by Thomas Jefferson. 

Marker for the easternmost point in the contiguous USA.

West Quoddy Head Lighthouse.

We ate at Water Street Tavern & Inn (the easternmost tavern in the contiguous USA) and feasted on a two and a half pound fresh Maine lobster. It was fresh and sweet.

A two-and-a-half pound lobster at Water St. Tavern.

We drank at the Lubec Brewing Company (the easternmost brewery in the contiguous USA). The Red Ale was rich and deep. 

Lubec Brewing Company.

But, more importantly, we met locals. At the brewery, we chatted with Julie the bartender and her husband Bob, Leroy and Steve, but we missed Gale - the owner and Brewer. We heard stories (or myth?) about the drunk surveyors who drew up the the US/Canada map, which resulted in the island next to Lubec becoming a part of Canada instead of being part of the USA. We also heard about war stories from our new veteran friends, their ancestries from England, local gossip, and even got the lowdown on the application of macro economics in Lubec. At the tavern, we met Jim the proprietor, Valerie the server, Matt the cook, and Theresa the former cook and Matt's mother. From them, we heard more of their backgrounds and individual stories.

We ended up not seeing the sun rise - in May, the weather was still ghastly. It was raining and the temperature was in the 40s and 50s. But, it was still a special visit meeting great food and wonderful people. 

Our visit was not just a matter of saying that we've been and eaten in the easternmost town/city in the contiguous USA. It was a matter of meeting people from everywhere and anywhere. Trips like this make our mantra to "Go Everywhere. Eat Everything" a lot more meaningful. 

travel zen on friday: lush puerto rico

Puerto Rico is not just beaches, although it certainly has a lot of beautiful ones. Its interior is lush and green. I took this picture in the town of Morocovis, and this is the view from Los Amigos on the Ruta de Longaniza.

Puerto Rico's interior.

puerto rico's ruta de longaniza

During our visit to Puerto Rico in 2015, we visited the Ruta de Lechon (Roast Pig Route). This year, we decided to check out the Ruta de Longaniza (Sausage Route). 

Unlike the Ruta de Lechon, the Ruta de Longaniza comprised of two different main highways. And, at least two towns host sausage-centric restaurants along the road. 

fine dining recommendation in san juan, puerto rico

If there was one restaurant I would recommend in San Juan for fine dining, it would be Bodegas Compostela. The food there is fantastic and the proprietor is super friendly. 

During our last visit to San Juan, Mr. Sazy Rock and I wanted to try the fine dining scene. Local chefs recommended that we check out Bodegas Compostela. I am glad they did.

The cuisine is Spain Spanish, which we adore. The owner, Rey, and his and chef partner are from Galicia near Santiago de Compostela. That is why they called their restaurant, Bodegas Compostela. It has been around for 33 years. 

The Scene

travel zen on friday: escambron beach in san juan, puerto rico

The lovely Escambron Beach in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Fun fact: Saborea Puerto Rico (or Taste of Puerto Rico) is usually held here. So not only do participants get to try good food, they also have this great view.

Escambron Beach.

hotel review: sheraton new orleans

(New Orleans, Louisiana).  I've been to New Orleans many many times, but this is the first time I've stayed at the Sheraton New Orleans on Canal Street.  Normally I prefer staying in the French Quarter at a classic New Orleans hotel such as the Hotel Monteleone with its famous Carousel Bar or a charming airbnb rental, preferably with a balcony.  But it was French Quarter Festival and I mistakenly believed there would be a lot of vacancies.  Boy was I wrong!  Most of the hotels and good condos were booked, and the remaining rooms were surprisingly expensive.  I settled on the Sheraton for three reasons - first, the price was still reasonable (averaging $260 a night), second, it was a Starwood hotel so I could get extra points, and third, the location was actually very convenient to many of the festival music stages.

Awesome view of the river and the festival.

So how was my stay overall?

sazy rock's top 10 tastes of 2015

The tuna auction in Tokyo, Japan.

I have spent most of 2015 traveling to eat in Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Thailand, Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), and in 20 states in the United States. In fact, after this post goes live, I will be off to Israel and Jordan. Although a few bites have been disappointing, for the most part, it has been a very delicious year (and I suspect will continue to be delicious during the remaining two weeks of 2015).

A memorable lobster dish from Azurmendi in Bilbao, Spain from 2014.
Yes, I still think fondly of this dish to this day.

I've been fortunate to eat an array of food from so many different parts of the world - some I have written about (click on the name and city of the restaurant to get the link to the post) and some I have not. Although I could easily list more than the 10 below, I had to force myself to be disciplined. My list could also change tomorrow. 

travel zen on friday: alaskan beaver

This beautiful Beaver plane holds about 8 people including the pilot and co-pilot. Alaskans told me that one in 6 people in the state fly planes like this.

A Beaver.

lessons from road tripping usa

Washington, DC.

Recently, Mr. Sazy Rock and I embarked on an extended road trip across the USA to promote a new book called, Fed, White, and Blue, one man's journey to American citizenship through the prism of food. We were on the road for three and a half months and the trip took us through 20 states plus the nation's capital, Washington, DC. We did break up our trip into segments with short breaks in between segments to take care of other business back home or elsewhere. It was an incredible journey.

What lessons did I learn from that trip?



1.     Americans are nice. Sure, nine out of the 15 cities on a recently released list of "unfriendliest cities" in the world are in the US. My experience, however, has taught me that, when it boils down to it, Americans are friendly, hospitable and kind (and I'm not just saying that because I am one). Mr. SR and I have met many strangers who opened their homes to us, or have shared meals with us. I'm happy to say they are now our friends. But, even when Americans are not being friendly, they are still nice about it; in the South, when someone tells you "bless your heart," that usually means he or she is not thinking highly of you.

2.     The United States really is that beautiful. I can honestly say that the US is as beautiful and diverse as many other countries I have visited around the world. From the sandy beaches in Cape Cod, MA to the historical cities of Winston-Salem, NC to the vineyards of Willamette Valley, OR to the beautiful art deco buildings in Detroit, MI, to everything else in between, the US can easily compete with the best of them.

Provincetown in Cape Cod, MA.

Salem, OR.

Willamette Valley, OR.

3.     Detroit is such an underrated city. Despite getting a lot of press about hard times in the city, I found that the city still boasts beautiful buildings, nice people, and good food (yes, good food -- see, for example, Chartreuse and hot dogs).

Detroit, MI.

4.     Small towns are well worth a stop. From the BBQ options in Lockhart, TX, to the pulled pork in Marianna, AR, to the picturesque town of Fairhope, AL, to the friendly people in Mansfield, OH and Saxapahaw, NC, to much, much more, small towns may provide not only much needed respite from the monotonous drive but also much needed nourishment for the stomach, the eyes, and the soul.

Fairhope, AL.

5.     Visitor Centers have funny signs. If you like to take pictures of those road side signs that welcome people to a new state, don't stop on the side of the road. It is dangerous. Most states (although not all - I'm looking at you: Oregon and Washington border on the I-5) have visitor centers that have those "Welcome to (name of state)" signs where you can take pictures safely. They are usually located one or two exits from the border. Plus, stopping at a visitor center provides an opportunity to use the facilities.

6.     Renting a car through Costcotravel.com is usually cheaper than renting through other sites. Make sure you comparison shop, but, if you have Costco membership, it pays to also check out their website for car rental prices. Only once did I find other consolidator sites to have cheaper rental rates than those I found at Costcotravel.com. Plus, with Costco, we did not have to pay in advance and they automatically included an additional driver in the price.

A sunflower at Love Apple Farms in Santa Cruz, CA.

7.     Save money by using your home car insurance policy. Check with your car insurer but mine covered rental cars so I did not have to pay extra for car insurance. Plus, the credit card you use to pay for the rental might also cover you.

8.     Highways are more picturesque than freeways. Yes, the interstate roads are the quickest routes from Point A to Point B but highways generally have better views. 

A wildflower in Austin, TX.

9.     California is huge. It's easy to say California is huge when seeing it on a map, but quite different when actually driving it. On my way back from Seattle, WA, I planned on breaking up the journey back to Los Angeles, CA. But, I decided last minute to drive all the way home without hardly any stops. Only about five hours of that 17 plus hour journey was driving from Seattle through Oregon to the northern tip of California. The rest of that driving time was all California driving. (And, that time only included up to Los Angeles; it did not include driving all the way to the southern tip of California to the Mexican border.) Or, maybe the lesson here is that I am insane.

Mt. Shasta in Northern California.

10.    Most states have better roads than Los Angeles. What is up with that? From Nevada to Arkansas to Mississippi, Los Angeles' freeways (I'm looking at you: 10 Freeway) have more potholes than most of them.



What do you enjoy most about road trips?

travel zen on friday: turnagain arm, alaska

An Athabascan native told me that the name of this body of water is called "Turnagain" because when Captain Cook turned this way, he found that it was a dead end so he kept on "turning again."

Turnagain Arm

restaurant review: pecan lodge in dallas for some bbq

Pecan Lodge.

Texans take their BBQ seriously. In fact, some of the best brisket and sausages I have had were in Lockhart, TX. So, on a recent trip to Dallas, the hubby and I decided to check out Dallas 'Q at Pecan Lodge. 

restaurant review: posh in phoenix

The entrance to Posh.

On a recent trip to Phoenix, Mr. Sazy Rock and I met some friends and business associates at an "improvisational" restaurant called, Posh, located in the suburb of Scottsdale. During the dinner, the hubster shared a tidbit about where the word "posh" came from. He said it was based on an acronym for "port out, starboard home," which referred to the lodging preferences of rich folks who traveled between England and India. Whether that is true or not is up for debate, but the story is a plausible one.

As for the restaurant itself, below are my thoughts.

travel zen on friday: portage lake, alaska

Portage lake was created from glacial water - Portage Glacier. Thirty years ago, there was no lake... just a massive glacier.

travel zen on friday: alaska

Viewing this momma bear stand up was a pretty glorious sight... Scary. But, still glorious.