Our Getaways: Part 2

San Francisco (February 2006)
We have visited this city quite a few times over the years but the first time was one of the first trips we took together. We stayed in a tiny room near Union Square, and visited the Fisherman’s Wharf and Ghirardelli Square and walked through China Town and Little Italy neighborhoods. We also loved going up the look out points and seeing spectacular views of the bridge and the city below. In all of our visits we have crossed the bridge and ended up in the picturesque town of Sausalito and stopped short of heading North due to lack of time.

San Diego (October 2006)

This was a great city for a long weekend. We had dinner in Old Town San Diego on Friday. On Saturday, we spent the day at the San Diego Zoo, which is one of the best in the world. The next day we visited Sea World. In the evenings, we spent time at the beaches and the downtown area.

Disneyland,Orlando (December 2006)
This was my first trip to Disney and we were there right after x-mas to take in the parks in its seasonal splendor. We stayed in Orlando and visited Epcot, Magic Kingdom and MGM studios over 1.5 days. Our favorite was the sustainable living exhibits at Epcot.The world showcase was fun walk through though too gimmicky for adult visitors. The x-mas parade at Magic Kingdom was another great reason for visiting at this time of the year. We also enjoyed walking through Disney downtown for a leisurely lunch.


South Beach Miami (December 2006)
After our Disney tour, we headed south to Miami for a day. We arrived in the evening
and had a great outdoor dinner in South beach. This was also a great area for shopping. The water was relatively warm and we enjoyed some beach time next morning before heading back to Tampa via St. Petersburg, where we rang in the new year.

Monterey,CA (February 2008)
Nelson planned this three day getaway after a conference in San Jose. This is a beautiful area with very scenic driving including the 17mile drive in Pebble beach. We visited Big Sur, Carmel, downtown Montery and stopped at the Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz on the way back.

New Orleans (April 2008)
While I was attending a conference, Nelson and I spent a weekend where we stayed downtown near the convention center. We walked about the vibrant French Quarter and treated our selves to some great sea food. We were also close to the Riverwalk Market Place, where I had lunch before my talk. One of my favorite memories was eating beignets at Café Du Monde, a must do for a tourist.

Las Vegas (December 2008)
We stayed at the Hilton at the end of the strip but explored most of it through 2.5hr days with the help of the monorail. We watched Folies Bergère, a typical Vegas type show and Believe, a more modern performance by the illusionist Criss Angel. We did many of the typical Vegas activities that included, walking through the maize of shopping at Ceasar’s Forum shops, taking a Gondola ride at the Venetian, visiting the Secret Garden that houses dolphins and white tigers at the Mirage and watching the water fountains soar into air at the Bellagio among many others. We squeezed in a lot of sightseeing into our short trip and left happy and exhausted.

Grand Canyon National Park (December 2008)
We left Vegas early on the last day and did a one day trip to the Grand Canyon. The trip was possible due to good weather and Nelson's willingness to drive for more than 8hrs in one day. Since it was winter we were able to drive through the park in our car. The pictures don’t really capture this natural wonder and it was
unique to see parts of it covered in snow. We drove around the park for a couple of hours and then headed back to catch our redeye home.

Our years in grad school granted us with the opportunities to travel to fun places for conferences. Austin, Madison and Portland were some cities we got to visit. At the time, I wasn't as passionate about documenting our adventures, so I have no photographic evidence.

Catching up at home

This past weekend was spent mostly at home. On Saturday we had a visit from a dear friend, Sudhamsu who is now based in SF. We had lunch at home and headed to town for some coffee and dessert at Cidade Cafe. On Sunday we did more household chores and I relaxed after a much needed massage to recover from the weight training classes I've been taking. We needed this laid back weekend to recover from all the excitement of the past few weeks.

A. R. Rahman In Newark

Nelson got tickets to see A. R. Rahman live at the Prudential Center in Newark. On our way we had dinner at Bhoj restaurant in New Jersey. I had Kati rolls which were way too spicy for me but Nelson's chicken dish was really good. The concert started 45mins late in typical Indian standard time but it was so worth the wait. Our $50 tickets gave us a great a view of the stage. The backup singers and the background dancers were a treat to watch. It was an AMAZING experience. I can't imagine any concert being done better.

Nelson's Birthday Surprise!

I have been planning this weekend for months. So it was amazing to see everything fall into place without a glitch. Nelson was truly surprised to see his family at our front door on Saturday afternoon. After some snacks at home we had a nice dinner at Peter Pratt's Inn in Yorktown Heights. The food and the service was really good. We were the first to arrive for an early dinner at 6pm. But the restaurant started to fill up soon.

These are the birthday cakes I ordered from two different bakeries. The cappuccino flavored one was from Jean Jacques. The citron mouse and hazelnut base was from La Tulipe Desserts. I also got a great mix of cookies and macaroons from there.

After much research, I had picked Ocean Grill, part of the B. R. Guest restaurant group, on the upper west side for Sunday brunch. The location was great as it was close to the park and a random street fair made it even more vibrant on this beautiful sunny day.
Ocean Grill offered a menu that please everyone. They had a raw bar, a great seafood selection, sushi and regular brunch options. Any meal also included a choice hot and cold beverages which was very economical for a large group. We were also treated to more free drinks for signing a waiver due to our table being located near a photo shoot. My sushi was really good and all of us enjoyed our respective meals.

We walked around Central Park and Columbus Circle and treated ourselves to Pinkberry before parting ways. It was an unforgettable weekend for all of us. I'm thankful to the Chowhound suggestions that led me to these restaurant choices. The look on Nelson's face made it all with it.

Dinner in Irvington

On Friday evening we headed South to Irvington. After a brief walk at the park with a great view of the city we looked for a place for dinner. I was craving pizza so we settled on Il Sorriso Ristorante. Though it wasn't too crowded when we arrived, it was getting busier as we left. This could be a great place for brunch with its beautiful views of the Hudson river. We were happy with the food. I really loved my brick oven pizza with fresh mozzarella cheese. Ammi really enjoyed her ravioli too as she didn't leave any leftovers.

Biking at Riverside

I had hoped to reserve a tandem bike through Bike And Roll for Saturday morning. But they only do reservations for half day or full day rentals. So we headed to the city early hoping to get the only tandem available at the Riverside Park location. As luck would have it, the bike was waiting for us. First we rode North till the George Washington bridge was on sight, then headed back through the park and went down to around 40th street. The weather was perfect with a nice breeze on a bright sunny day. Though the paperwork indicated that there was a 2hr minimum, we were only charged for 1hr despite having used the bike for more than an hour. The customer service of Bike And Roll is exemplary. They have been so prompt and helpful with their email correspondence and I'm already looking forward to our next ride.

It was an ideal day to walk in the city. We headed uptown to a great brunch spot that I've been meaning to try for a long time. Cafe Lalo is a favorite among many and their all day brunch from around the world is delicious.I had the "French Kiss", a perfectly made quiche with mushrooms while Nelson had the savory "Moroccan Delight". His iced cappuccino was really good too. The cafe was a typical New York experience. We had no room for their great desserts but certainly plan to come back Cafe Lalo again.

After brunch we walked through the Park and met up with my mum and sis who were shopping in the 59th & Lex area. Then headed back west through Columbus Circle where an Indian wedding procession was taking place in grand scale. With blasting Bollywood songs and the groom arriving on horse back surrounded by people dressed in colorful traditional attire it was a scene from a Bollywood movie. On September 11th 2011, this was a great scene to celebrate the diversity of this great city.

The weather was gloomy on Sunday. Besides some shopping in White Plains it was a laid back day.

Bermuda: More Sight Seeing

On Sunday, we had three things on our sight seeing itinerary. Our first stop was at the Crystal and Fantasy caves ($27pp). These were caves of spectacular stalactites and stalagmites formations. Both caves were about 90 steps underground and had well lit path ways. At a growth rate of is around 0.13 mm a year, these structures give a subtle indication of the world. We had good tour guides for both caves. Though there are similarities between the two, it was worth seeing both caves. As our guide said the crystal caves was a very romantic place that transports to you a magical world.

The caves were located just off the road from Swizzler Inn, where we stopped for lunch. We shared a delicious pizza and a rum swizzler and it was a great dining spot. We enjoyed out door dining with a refreshing light breeze. It was also very conveniently located opposite the bus stop on the main road. So after lunch we took the bus to St. George, the oldest city in Bermuda.

We walked around the downtown area but most of the stores were closed. We saw the St. Peter's Church, which is oldest surviving Anglican church in continuous use outside Great Britain. We walked by the City Hall and took in the beautiful sights by the ocean before heading to the Aquarium. It was a nice way to spend an hour as we walked around the Aquarium and Zoo. The entrance was very reasonable at $10pp. Though the grounds were small, there were a few interesting animals such as the kangaroo, monkeys, that we enjoyed seeing.

Our last dinner on the terrace at the hotel.The food was pricey but very good. Next morning, we had a quick dip in the pool and relaxed poolside before heading out for brunch at the near by Bouchee cafe. I really enjoyed my fluffy pancakes. Soon after it was time to say good by to Bermuda and to the omnipresent Bermuda shorts!!!

Bermuda: Day of Exploring

We headed out of Hamilton on the ferry to Dockyard, the principal base of the Royal Navy in the American independence war. After its closure as a naval base it has been restored as a tourist site with the arrival of cruise ships. Several of the buildings in the area, which have served as warehouses have been converted to promoting craft works. Our first stop was at a former food storage, which now housed a crafts market where I purchased a cute necklace and a few souvenirs.

We decided to visit the Bermuda Maritime Museum which is largest museum in Bermuda. It's entrance fee was very reasonable at $10pp. Located in the old fortress, the museum stretched over a large area with several buildings. We were greeted by a flock of sheep as we entered the complex. We spent a few hours learning about Bermuda's colonial history and immigration. We were also treated to spectacular view of the city and the ocean. The museum was also home to a dolphin interactive facility. We had lunch a light sushi lunch at Freeport Seafood Restaurant, and walked around the clock tower mall and a few other artistic shops catered towards tourist. Then we took the bus back to Hamilton taking in the different sites Bermuda.

Early evening we headed to tea at the hotel's restaurant, Heritage Court. Despite the steep price (~$40pp), we decided to indulge in what is marketed one of the ten best afternoon tea experiences in the world. We each picked one of the two types of tea menus available. Each was slightly different in terms of the savory and sweet snacks offered. The food was really good, and we enjoyed the tea. As there were too many desserts in the assortment, we had some leftovers for later.


After tea we took the hotel ferry to the sister hotel at Hamilton Southampton. From the ferry we transfered to a shuttle bus which took us upto the hotel and then we walked down to the beach. First we visited the public Horseshoe beach. The landscape was beautiful, though the sand wasn't really pink. But the hues of pink due to the coral was clear. The creations of the annual sand castle building competition were entertaining and showcased some good talent. Then we headed next door to the private beach owned by the hotel. I was surprised by the size and discontinuity of beach area due to the large rocks and reef. I'm used to expansive beaches that stretch for miles at end in Sri Lanka. After walking around the beach for a while we headed back to Fairmont Southampton and explored the hotel. It was much bigger than Hamilton Princess and had a separate entertainment area/arcade for kids. The golf course was picturesque just as I seen in photos. We had dinner at Bacci, an Italian themed restaurant at the hotel. The pasta dishes were great and we headed back feeling satisfied. Though the ferry service between the hotels had stopped were able to make use of our two day transportation pass and take the bus back. In the distance we saw the famed Gibb's light house shining in the distance.

Bermuda: First Evening in Hamilton

We made it to Bermuda on Friday afternoon without any travel hassles. Our hotel The Fairmont Hamilton Princess was about a 20min ride from the airport. The hotel was a large complex of pink buildings located on the main road. The hotel borders the water and offers a beautiful view of the harbor from the terrace.

The hotel was about a 10min walk from the downtown Hamilton area. We walked there in time for lunch with a list of restaurants in mind. Most of downtown is along the main street which borders the bay. The British influence was very prominent with a number of English pubs around. We had lunch at The Pickled Onion, partly because we loved the name. The wraps and burgher combos we had turned out to be really great too. The Bermudian fish chowder was a specialty we really enjoyed.

After relaxing in the room, we stepped out to town again. For dinner, we went to Hog Penny, a well known pub that Cheers in Boston was modeled after. They also served a few Indian curries with rice. I had fish and chips and Nelson ordered a beef strudel, though I tried in vain to convince him to try steak and kidney pie! Nelson also tried his first rum sizzler. After dinner, we explored the by lanes of Hamilton which was mostly shopping and a beautiful public library grounds. Our evening was topped off with great dessert at the hotel restaurant.