My Saratoga Post

I recently returned from my too-short summer vacation to Saratoga Springs.  As some readers already know, I go to Saratoga pretty much every year, and it is absolutely my favorite place to be.  Its my family place, a relaxing place, a great food town, a great gambling town, a great parks town, and a great music town.  Those are basically all my favorite things.  You can see some photos from my trip by clicking the flickr box on the top right of my blog page.

This post will be a recap of my trip to Saratoga, and a potential guide of things to do (or not do) if you ever venture there yourself.

Brunch in the Windy City

I had the good fortune of spending the last four days in Chicago, one of my favorite cities.  Among other things, I managed to fit in two (2!) trips to the Handlebar Cafe, my favorite of the Chicagoland vegetarian restaurants.  I wrote about it last time I was in Chicago, in case you want to get caught up.  I got a buffalo “chicken” wrap and it was everything I could have dreamed of, and more!  The more was a side of aged cheddar grits that were, in quite un-grit-like fashion, super fluffy and light, and delicious.

On Sunday morning, Claudia and I went in search of brunch (my favorite meal of the week).  

Being well-fed by others: Bruschetta Pizza in California

BD and I are in California for the week, visiting our friends, and currently, spending a few days at Yosemite National Park.  I’ll have pictures up on Flickr maybe when we get back.  In the meantime, I thought I’d take advantage of the free internet and early morning quiet to tell you about some really good hospitality our friends Eleanor (commonly known as Eleanor THE BEST) and Paolo provided for us when we got to town.  In addition to putting us up in their place, they fed us a delicious dinner!  Paolo made this incredible california-style bruschetta pizza that I ate two and a half slices of even though I was kind of full!

Summertime in Saratoga Springs

There’s no place in this fine country I’d rather be.  This is approximately my 25th summer in Saratoga Springs, 26th if you count the trip my mom took when she was 5 months pregnant with me.  I will have more to say about it at a later date, but I thought in the meantime you might like to see some pictures from this lovely mountain town.

Breakfast in New York: Bar Americain and Norma’s

I’ll be perfectly honest, the days when I miss living in New York are few and far between.  Mostly I love “country living,” but also as time has passed many of my friends have moved out of the city.  On top of that, now that I’m no longer single, crashing at someone else’s place is a bit more of an imposition than when I could just climb into bed with one of my girlfriends at the end of a night on the town, or fall asleep on a recliner in someone’s cramped apartment.  But every once in a while I go in to visit a pal, or see a concert, or just to have a really nice meal.  This weekend, BD and I went to New York to celebrate our anniversary.  

Eating Well and Walking it Off in Portland Maine: The Porthole and The Blue Spoon

 

I’m back from my weekend in Portland Maine.  Claudia and I managed to really get the most out of the weekend, taking panel discussions from the New England Political Science Association conference and hitting the streets to unpack the details of why there wasn’t (and isn’t) more protest of the war in Iraq and how inappropriate and depressing it is to hear political science professors talk about legislative subcommittees such as Education and Health and Human Services as “women’s interest committees” in a presentation on women’s role in legislature. ! 

Vignola: Eating Local in Portland Maine

I’m in Portland for a long weekend of political science and exploring the furthest point northeast I’ve been in the US. I’ve never traveled to Maine before, and as you can maybe tell from previous posts – I love to go places!    

Claudia and I drove a long 7 hours and finally arrived in this lovely coastal town.  After a brief rest in the hotel room, we hit the cobblestone streets and explored for the early part of the evening before finally settling on Vignola for our dinner.  One of my main requirements when I look for a place to eat in a new city (other than something vegetarian on the menu) is an obvious incorporation of seasonal local ingredients.  The menu at Vignola beckoned us with a “cheese menu” and sealed the deal with a listing of the local farms which provide the ingredients to over half the dishes on the menu.  We had a grand dinner, and I’ll give the highlights here.

no food here

I haven’t cooked anything requiring a recipe since that pizza, so my apologies for the lack of updates.

I did go on Spring Break 2009 though and the result is two verses to a new song, lyrics by me.  Please add your own if you can.  It goes to the tune of “That’s Amore.”

When you see a rat and it has scales on its back, Armadillah

If it has a long tail but it hasn’t got hair, Armadillah!

A beautiful sight: The American Bald Eagle

Happy New Year everyone.  BD and I are 2 hours into the Twilight Zone Marathon on the SciFi channel, and its doubtful either of us will be up until midnight, but I’m looking forward to 2009 just the same.  I hope everyone has a safe and happy evening!

On our way home from Gainesville today, BD and I stopped at the Myakka River State Park, just East of Sarasota.  

Warm Mineral Springs: A Taste of Eastern Europe in Southwest Florida

BD and I have been enjoying a few glorious days in Florida.  The sun has been shining and the temperature has been in the mid 80s, and the humidity is low.  My dad’s house here is a wonderful refuge from the depression and stress of the last few months, and I’m glad that BD and I have been able to come.  The house is adjacent to a magnificent pond (pictured here) which is home to lots of lily pads, fishes, an Anhanga, a Great Blue Heron, a Great Egret, some super endangered species called a Scrub Jay, a couple of cool ducks, a gazillion turtles (see one, below), a romp of otters, and a few alligators (seriously).  I could probably come down here and just spend a week gazing out at the wildlife on the pond and watching the birds fish.

I’m moving!

Okay I’m not really moving, the title of this post is a total lie.  

However, I am on a trip to Florida with BD starting today and ending the 1st week in January.  When we left Allentown this morning at 6 am it was about 4 degrees out (or so it seemed), and when we landed in Tampa around 11 am, it was approaching 80 degrees and beautiful sunshine was shining everywhere around us.  I’d move if I could.

Today was mostly low key, just grocery shopping since my dad doesn’t keep any vegetarian food in his house, and showing BD around to a few of the sights.  

For dinner tonight we had black bean burritos.  Black beans are a common food in Florida and one of my favorite foods no matter what my location is.  I expect to eat a lot more over the next two weeks, so…. stay tuned!

*the picture above is a cell-phone shot from a trip I took just over 3 years ago of the sun setting over the gulf of mexico.  I plan to recreate the scene tomorrow night.

Risotto in South Bend

So tonight was my last evening in the Midwest (probably).  Yesterday we spent the day over on campus at Notre Dame, which was every bit as beautiful as all the pictures and movies make it out to be.  Admittedly I was pretty creeped out by some of the over the top Catholic facilities, but can appreciate their existence, at least from an aesthetic point of view.  

A Day in Chicago: Chicago Diner and The Handlebar

So, I am on a trip to the midwest in which I am seeing a few of my long lost ladyfriends (perhaps a post for another day).  I’m staying in South Bend, Indiana, with my brilliant and entertaining friend Claudia – who is in the process of getting her PhD here at Notre Dame.  Yes, I’m envious also…. 

Anyway, yesterday we went on a little trip into Chicago to visit another amazing lady friend, Linette.  Other than the weather, Chicago is my favorite city that I’ve been to.  I love how beautiful it is, I love the way the city is laid out, I love the neighborhoods, and especially, I love the food.  Luckily, every time I’ve come to this town, I have had Linette and her boyfriend Bucky to show me to all the great vegan eateries here, and there are MANY.  Yesterday, we managed to fit in two in one day!