The Future Danny Ocean

The giant squid was more impressive than the Hope diamond at the Museum of Natural history. We ate at dinner at Mehak, the best chicken tikka masala ever, and we witnessed 5 DC cops take down a guy in the middle of the street right in front of us! It was just like the movies...

The Washington Capitals

We went to the National American Art and Portraiture Museum before the hockey game. There was a special Georgia O'Keeffe Ansil Adams exhibit that was unforgettable. After that we went to a tapis bar were they served free paella for happy hour! Finally we made it to the Caps game...it was an awesome first NHL experience for me. The Caps beat NJ and the fans were insane! We finished the night at Capitol City Brewery. I got to show off the G1 to some capitol hill'ers!

Good old Chuck Lindbergh

We started out at the Air and Space museum where we saw the Spirit of St.Louis, Apollo 11, and the Wright Bros plane. The museum was very special. We had lunch and then we went to the Hirshhorn museum where Johnny got into a lively debate with an art docent named Stephanie about how he feels about modern art. The exchange was priceless. We made our way to the national archive to see the constitution and the bill of rights...it was ok, felt a little like Chevy Chase in Vacation at the Grand Canyon.

DC day 1

The Capitol building is already preparing for Obama's big day. Our tour guide was a 60 year-old lady on a power trip with a voice that reminded me of nails on a chalkboard. If she wasn't leading us I might have enjoyed myself more. We had a pretty darn good lunch at Good Stuff Eatery owned by Top Chef contestant Spike...the guy who wore the fedora style hat all the time. Anyway, after a wedge salad and a burger we made our way to 1600 Pennsylvania AVE, or so we thought. We had really walked the opposite direction towards 1600 Pennsylvania AVE SE and we were steadily approaching Virginia! We ended up skipping that, having dinner in Chinatown, and seeing the Jefferson Monument at night (a scary walk, but cool). All in all it was a good day!

A brief intermission in Detroit

Detroit...yeah, I'm pretty sure this is one of the most impressive sights. Its a long tunnel with glass sides and lights here at Detroit Metro. Next stop-Ronald Reagan!

Balloon Dog at Versailles

Today, we braved the metro and after some initial confusion, we made it from Paris to Versailles. After we suffered through the hour long ticket line, we walked up to the entrance and there it was, a huge Jeff Koons piece! I recognized it immediately, and to my very pleasant surprise, his most famous works were on exhibit throughout the entire chateau (including Michael Jackson and Bubbles! If you haven't seen this, Google it!). It was surreal to see modern art mixed in amongst the overwhelming opulence of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette's digs. After Versailles, we came back to the city,took a recommendation from Rick Steves, and hit Rue Cler. The pedestrian street is full of produce stands, cafes, wine, and cheese shops. We had an amazing meal and picked up some fresh bread and cheese for back at the George V. It was a perfect last day in France!

I met Mona!

I had a very busy day! Between Mona and Venus de Milo, I was able to see my favorite Delacroix painting of all time! The Louvre was a tad overwhelming, but it inspired me to make the most of my day. I hit the musee d'Orsay next to check out the famous impressionists collection. I got to see tons of Van Gogh, including his bedroom for the second time, along with Degas statues of dancers and Monet's waterlilies. The museum is set in an old converted railway station which is beautiful, but in my opinion not optimal for a "logical" tour of the collection. After that we walked to the Latin Quarter to check out the Pantheon (where Voltaire is buried) and the Sorbonne. We had lunch on Rue Mouffetard, one of the oldest street markets in Paris, before taking the subway back to our hotel. My feet don't like me very much, but I was able to get a lot covered today. I'm thinking of checking out the view from the top of the Eiffel tower tonight. Should I be cheap and take the stairs? or spring for the lift? If you know me, you know the answer to that...

Money ain't a thing

Apparently if you are with Janet Jackson you are canonized as a Saint in France...

Flying Buttresses

Notre-Dame (Our Lady) is a breathtaking gothic masterpiece. The stained glass windows, some dating back to the 13th century, are like nothing I have ever seen. We moved to the George V today, the crown jewel of the Four Seasons in Europe, and I am very pleased with the large antique chandelier over my bed! I think it might be fashion week here, or perhaps they are gearing up for fashion week, but Nina Garcia was spotted, and there are models everywhere!

Breakfast of Champions

We dedicated our entire day to shopping. Highlights included Galeries Lafayette and Dehillerin. It was a good thing I had such a wholesome breakfast. It rained today, but no one messes up their ensemble by wearing a hood or a hat here...strictly umbrellas or nothing at all. This is our last night at the Westin and we were invited to a big party they are having here to celebrate the relaunch of The Westin Paris. The dress code = chic...I'm a lot of things, but "chic" isn't one of them so I decided to pass. Tomorrow we move to the George V!

Centre Georges Pompidou

Architecturally speaking, France's museum of modern art is one of the most interesting buildings I have ever seen! The designers' idea was to turn the building "inside out". It is truly unique in every way. I think I read the building inspired a Nike shoe. You might have to Google that... We also hit Sacre Coeur and the artsy Montmartre district. The views were breathtaking from winding streets of this "bohemian" community. We finished the night off at Harry's New York Bar which was supposedly a legendary watering hole for F Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway. All I can say is that we had some great Whiskey!

The view from my room

It's pretty quiet on Sunday in the city of light. None of the shops or stores were open, so we spent most of the day wandering around the banks of the Seine, the Jardin des Tuileries, and Champs-Elysees. There is a scam that people run in the parks where they pretend they found a lost wedding ring, offer it to you, then ask for money. It's the most elaborate panhandling scheme I have ever seen, but it definitely catches people off guard. I've decided croque monsieurs were put on this earth especially for me. Jet lag is setting in...Au revoir

There are 2 types of people in the world

The people who like black licorice and the people who don't...its one of those clubs that you are either in or not, there is no gray area. I love the black licorice! You are either with me or you are against me. Sambuca is the same in Vancouver as it is anywhere- delicious, smooth, cold, puts its ugly step sister Jagermeister to shame! Go black licorice!

I have some work to do!

Clearly I have some work to do. 4% is pretty weak but I have some travel ideas in the hopper. I'm definitely thinking Asia is in my future, perhaps 2009. Currently I'm taking French in anticipation for my Paris trip this fall. Au revoir!

Opfuchueche

That is Swiss/German for apple flan. It was homemade by my stepmom's mother who is very Swiss...it was delicious! We made it back to England from Nice in one piece. My brother filled out his immigration card with his place of birth as "USA #1 !" and coincidentally the immigration officer totally messed with us. It sucked! Johnny claims his paperwork had nothing to do with the pissy attitude we got, but I kind of doubt it. We had dinner at The Raj, a tandoori restaurant. It was the best Indian food I have EVER had! The curry was amazing, and all of the other dishes had a "healthy" option which just meant that they added tons of garlic. I feel sorry for the people sitting next to us on the plane tomorrow!

Monaco

We decided to take the train to Monaco for lunch today. Its a unique place where if your car is worth less than 100k you are a total loser. The casinos in Monte-Carlo are surreal! The whole place is 1 1/4 square miles, the smallest state in europe after the Vatican. We headed back to Nice to join the locals for more soccer. The Spain vs. Russia match was pretty uneventful, but I was cheering for Spain and they killed it! I was able to scream "GOAL!" so the night was a success. I think its over...I'm turning into a "football" fan.

Marc Chagall...GOAL!!!

Today was pretty fun. My brother and sister forgot they hated each other and I was able to hear my own thoughts! We went to the Musee d' Art Moderne and the Musee d' Marc Chagall. Marc Chagall is clearly an artistic genius without question! We ate at China Park again for dinner...if you actually find something my sister likes it pays to just repeat. Johnny and I went out to the pubs and watched soccer with the rest of Nice. Germany won tonight, but I was cheering for Turkey. I was fun to yell "goal" with 50 other people! GOAL!!!

Day 11

It took 11 days of traveling with my family for a total and complete meltdown to occur. I needed this giant glass of wine at the end of my day. Without going into details, my brother and sister almost killed each other right on the promenade des anglais. People were staring, I wanted to hide. As I type this they are fighting over who is better, Obama or Hillary...hello?! Christ on a bike! I wish I had my own room!

My view

This is what my view looked like for most of the day. The other view I had was from about 50 feet in the air when Johnny and I went parasailing. The view alone was worth the 30 euro! Later we ate dinner at a place called China Park. The food was so good that I actually worked up the courage to try a piece of my brother's duck. I blocked all of the images of mallards and little ducklings out of my head and I just chewed. It was my first time and it might be my last.

Nice is nice

So far the French people have lived up to all of the stereotypes in every way. They are topless on the beach, rude to the loud Americans...too cool for school in general. This is our hotel and the cool thing is the French Ironman race is taking place right in front of us. Cheering the runners and cyclists on has been fun...I could eat bagettes on the beach all day. Its beautiful!

Buckingham surprise

We thought we would try and catch the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace, instead we stumbled upon a dramatic "pageant" celebrating the Territorial Army's 100 years of service. They drove past in vehicles from 1908-2008...some of the old Land Rovers were pretty cool. The rest of our day was spent shopping at the Portobello Market in Notting Hill (over-priced junk, good flowers and fruit), at Whole Foods (my Dad insisted, apparently its the largest Whole Foods in the world), and at Harrods (I insisted, and it was worth it!). Johnny got hit by a double-decker bus. He is fine, it just clipped his arm and left a bruise, but it was a close call. Au revoir London! Tomorrow we are off to Nice!

oh Tate...you're so great!

The Tate Modern is perhaps one of the most avant-garde museums I have ever seen in my life. Every piece of art in the place made you feel something. From confusion, disbelief, appreciation, disgust...the emotions that you feel walking through this magnificent space seem limitless. I could have spent 3 days here at least! We also hit the Tower of London and saw the crown jewels, nothing compared to the Tate, but they sparkled quite nicely. Later we did some pub crawling in Soho, the west end, and china town. Beware of $5 all-you-can-eat Chinese buffets...you get what you pay for!

Wessex

Traveling around the English countryside in a tiny car with 5 full grown adults can be challenging, but the stunning scenery made it all worth it. My brother's deep rumbling voice was occasionally able to penetrate my MP3 player, but for the most part I was able to escape and immerse myself into the rolling hills and the charming villages that we passed by. We spent the night in Bath, a magnificent Georgian town complete with Roman Baths which were totally worth the $20 entry fee. Built in the 1st century, the remarkably intact complex is one of Britain's greatest memorials to the Roman era. It was Britain's first spa! After we explored Bath we headed to Avebury. I have to say that Avebury was a pleasent surprise! The Avebury Stone Circle was awesome, and unlike Stonehenge, you can walk through the circle and touch the stones. Silbury Hill (pictured above) is Europe's largest prehistoric earthwork. Built around 2750 BC, acheologists still can't determine what it was used for. I snapped this picture from the my "first class" seat in the Merkur.

Looking for Druids

I finally made it! My mecca...Stonehenge. Its impossible to describe the feeling I got as I walked up to this great wonder of the world. Just 4 days before the summer solstice, I have wanted to visit this site since I was a small child. It didn't matter that I was wedged in the back seat for a cramped 3 hour ride from Hatfeild...it was well worth the journey! It sounds corny, but the place genuinely feels mystical. Oh yeah, the original copy of the Magna Carta from 1215 in Saulsbury was pretty amazing too.

St. Albans

St. Albans was the first British Christian martyr. The town named after him, with 2000+ years of amazing history, is rich mix of cathedrals, Tudor buildings, and ancient ruins. The Roman city of Verulamium, where Alban was from, is right outside the city center. The highlight was definitely Ye Olde Fighting Cocks, believed to be England's oldest surviving pub. My pint of Old Speckled Hen Ale was delicious!

Piccadilly

The British Museum, the National Gallery, and Piccadilly Circus were on the agenda today. Highlights included the Rosetta Stone, the Elgin Marbles, Van Gogh's Sunflowers (I snuck a picture and I got scolded), too many priceless works of art to name... We spotted an unattended bag on the tube and Maria did her good deed for the day and reported it.

Heathrow

I have arrived in London...FINALLY! We had to wait on the tarmac for 45 minutes because Airforce One landed a few minutes ahead of us. Apparently Bush is visiting the Queen. I found the vending machines with prepaid SIM cards interesting.

"Fancy Cupcakes"

I snapped this picture while I was in Seattle at the Dahlia Bakery. Tom Douglas may call them "fancy cupcakes", but I have been frosting my cupcakes like this since '98 when I worked Pasta & Co. My technique (I called them"rock star cupcakes") was obviously imitated...we all know that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery...

a timeless classic

I realize it has been over ten years since this amazing moment in pop culture history but I really think its necessary to pause and remember it every now and again...ahh, ok I'm good for a few more years.

The hot music, the hot music...

The Roots performance June 5, 2008 was fantastic. Erykah Badu wasn't half bad either. There is still some debate as to whether or not her hair is real, but I can testify it is mammoth! Concerts at Marymoor Park are pretty sweet...its funny to hear the artists yell "Hello Redmond Washington!".

Its a party in your mouth

Recently I was in Vancouver BC and I had the pleasure of trying a Japa Dog. The one on top is the Terimayo dog consisting of seaweed, teriyaki sauce, japanese mayo, grilled onions on a 100% beef hot dog. Sounds "interesting"I know, but the experience was out of this world. The Oroshi dog (a Brat with green oinions, japanese grated radish, daikon oroshi, and special soy sauce) was equally interesting but in my opinion a little less impressive. The next time you are in Vancouver on the corner of Burrard and Smithe St you should check it out...Stephen Seagal and Ice Cube did.