blog

May 2012: I just got the job of a lifetime traveling around Europe for 2 months making travel videos for Viator.com. We started in Dublin, then to Amsterdam and now we’re in Berlin. We only stay in each city for 4 days or so, so it’s a whirlwind trip but we’ve been able to experience some of the best that each city has to offer. Here’s a link to the send-off video that Viator put together. In a month or so, the rest of our videos from each city will be posted as well.

http://youtu.be/A3-0ahz8lnU (read more…)

April 26, 2012: After a full day of flying, we landed in Dublin at 7am.

We quickly realized we were in a bit of trouble. We didn’t have an address/map or internet with directions to our AirBnB that we knew was only a few miles away from the hotel. We also hadn’t realized that they drive on the other side of the road in Ireland. So I felt a bit like I was on Amazing Race — trying to get somewhere but not sure how.

People were very friendly when we asked them how to get from point to point, however, I only understood portions of what they were saying through their thick Irish accents. After heading down a one way street and running straight into a cop car, we finally had some luck. We told him we were a little lost. “YES you are!” he said. But sweetly, he said “Follow me”, turned on his flashing lights and escorted us straight to our building. 3 hours after landing, we finally made it to our bnb.

We took a 3 hour nap where we passed out immediately after having not slept for almost 24 hours. And then had to force ourselves to get up and go on our first tour of the Guinness Brewery Storehouse. A private guide led us around while we filmed and we ended the tour in Gravity Bar which is at the top of the factory where we enjoyed a complimentary pint of Guinness and a  360 degree view of Dublin . Even though it was a rainy and foggy day, it was a perfect way to begin our journey in Ireland.

The tour was well worth it – we got a history of Guinness – Arthur Guinness signed a 9000 year lease on the place so he obviously had a lot of faith that people would love his beer. The 7 story building is shaped like a pint glass and we even learned to pour a perfect pint of Guinness. BTW: it takes 119 seconds for a glass of Guinness to settle!

A great first day. (read more…)

March 24, 2012: I’m not a vegan but my cousin who is, is in town. On his recommendation we headed to Gracias Madre in the Mission for Vegan Mexican food. I didn’t know this even existed. It was a bit crowded and sat at a community table with four others.

A little skeptical, I ordered the guacamole for an appetizer and tacos for my main dish. Shortly after, a bowl of fresh guacamole served with warm handmade thick soft corn tortillas showed up. It was very good, but nothing compared to the tacos that followed. I had a choice of three types of tacos and ordered the roasted acorn squash, sauteed mushrooms with garlic, and
seasonal greens (kale) sauteed with fresh garlic and chiles. All were topped with cashew cheese. It was one of the most delicious meals I’ve had.  The food is all made with local organic ingredients from their farm. And you can taste the freshness.

I was pretty full but my cousin insisted we have desert. They were out of the chocolate cake so we ordered the pear cobbler served warm with dulce de leche ice cream. I don’t even know where to begin. I never knew vegan deserts could be so delicious. It was tasty without being too sweet (sweetened with agave nectar rather than sugar). It is a mystery how they made such good ice cream without milk, cream or butter. I can’t wait to return and try the other dishes and especially the deserts!

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March 16, 2012: I’ve been here for two weeks now and it has not stopped raining/drizzling/pouring and everything in between. I must be in denial because I still haven’t bought an umbrella or raincoat. I am constantly soaked and cold. But it’s not stopping me from going out and today I am on an architecture tour with Rick Evans (http://www.architecturesf.com/). It is one of the best tours I’ve ever been on and I highly recommend it to locals and visitors. He’s voted one of Travel and Leisure’s “World’s Best Tour Guides” and it’s $20 for 2 hours.

A little known fact: SF has over 50 Privately Owned Public Open Spaces (POPOS) which are beautiful hard-to-find spaces that are open to the public. For a list of these places check out: http://bigthink.com/ideas/21494

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March 15, 2012: I need a hard drive from the Apple store near Market Street. I have no idea what I am in for in the 2 mile walk there. The crazies are out in abundance. Everywhere I look are homeless people and schizophrenics screaming profanities. As I cross the street, a one legged woman drops her bags in the middle of an intersection. I quickly bend down to pick her stuff up. Her root beer can has sprung a hole and is spurting out the side all over me. I ask if she still wants it and she says yes. As I lift all the groceries and hand them to her, I finally get a look at her– she is definitely a meth addict –  scabs all over her face, missing teeth, and scary eyes.

I’ve lived all over and I’ve never felt as unsafe as walking to the Apple store. Soon I am running down the street, then sprinting trying to avoid people. It is a great workout and if I ever begin training for a race, I will use Market street as my training ground. (read more…)

March 14, 2012: I am exploring San Francisco as much as I can while I have some free time. Today I’m hiking up to Twin Peaks – a famous spot in the city where you can get a view of the entire city.  It’s drizzling as it has been since I arrived in SF, but when I make it to the top, the view is worth it. On the left in the distance I can see the Golden Gate Bridge and in front of me the entire city. The sound of the city has disappeared and it feels very peaceful at the top with the rain now starting to pour.

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March 13, 2012: I am amazed by all the stunning houses – unique and colorful. I want to take pictures of them all. I’m continually impressed by their intricate design and details. I am at an open house that a friend has gutted and decorated. It is probably one of the most gorgeous houses I’ve seen. A 5 bedroom, 4 story house with a beautiful backyard, a view from the roof of the entire city. Unfortunately it is a little out of my price range at 5 million.

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March 12, 2012: I am at the local library in the middle of the day to use internet and it seems more like a hospital than a library. Crazies are everywhere. I find the one open seat next to a man who looks fairly normal, dressed in cackies  and a blue striped sweater. No sooner did I sit down, than he pulls out 2 dolls with pink hair from a large plastic bin that he has next to him. He starts arranging them in front of him, posing them and taking pictures. Then he pulls out some more dolls from his bin to join them. I might think he was is just another creative person in SF, but he is looking around surreptitiously to make sure no one is watching him. This is definitely a fetish.

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March 11, 2012: Today I am walking around the Mission (where my cousin lives) to get a sense of the area. I end up on Castro street and as I’m looking for a place to eat, I walk right by two completely nude men eating bagels. I am shocked and look around and wonder if anyone else sees them. No one seems to notice or care. I quickly look on my iphone to see if nudity in public is illegal in SF. It’s legal. (read more…)

March 10, 2012: I am fast asleep at my cousin’s apartment…and all of a sudden the bed starts shaking. I think it’s my cousin shaking me awake. Still half asleep I open my eyes and she is not in the room. The bed continues to shake. I have just experienced my first SF earthquake!! (read more…)

March 9, 2012: I had an overnight flight and am going straight into shooting in DC for the Travel Channel pilot. With two hours of sleep I hope I can still function and make sense on camera. I’m learning a lot about these cities as I prepare for this weeks’ episode…Hawaii has an annual SPAM JAM festival which celebrates Spam. Did you know that Spam’s name is derived from “spiced ham” and over 7 million cans of Spam are consumed every year in Hawaii? For the show I am forced to taste Spam for the first time. It smells like cat food and tastes how I would imagine cat food to taste. And it’s super salty. It is the first and last time I will be eating it.

One of my absolute favorite breakfast places in Hawaii (Oahu) is Boots and Kimos. They serve macadamia nut pancakes and delicious Portuguese sausages (and I’m vegetarian…usually!) The fish in Hawaii is the freshest I’ve ever tasted. And you have to make sure to get some Poke (marinated small chunks of fish) for a picnic on the beach — it’s the Hawaiian version of ceviche.

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March 5, 2012: It’s only my third day in SF but I am spending this entire week in LA for a computer editing class. And then on Friday I head to DC to film another episode of a Travel Channel Pilot. This time it’s Jamaica, Hawaii, Stowe and Aspen. The only place I haven’t been out of these is Jamaica.

I think I could live in the SF airport — there are gourmet restaurants, huge red leather lounge chairs by my gate, a yoga room and even huge desks with computer outlets and free wifi. I love this place!

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March 4, 2012: Headed to Tahoe for a weekend of skiing. What a beautiful place. My cousin rented a house for the season right next to the mountain. I haven’t been since last year and need to rent some skis. I’ve found the skiing on the West coast is better — nicer weather and not as icy. I don’t even have to wear a ski jacket today  — just a fleece! I’m certainly not used to this after growing up on the East coast.

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March 2, 2012:  Today I am headed to SF for my cousin’s birthday. Two days ago I decide that this will be a perfect opportunity to actually move to a new city. So I pack two bags and get on a plane from Boston to SF. It is not well thought out. I have no place to live and no job. But it’s exciting to get to live in and explore a new city. (read more…)