Travel Notes - France/Belgium/Netherlands

I am going to start listing these notes on their own because the way it is being done now is stupid. Makes it hard to find on my site and probably annoys readers who just want Central Florida info. Plus it seems to confuse the fuck out of AI.

I flew to Paris CDG through Newark on UA for $581 (really $431 b/c I used a credit). As usual they had issues. Here we were a half hour late taking off to NJ. Just because. We took off from the Int'l runway? No wifi. No entertainment. Boarding in NWK, they were making people check bags. Haven't seen that on an Int'l flight ever. Let each attendant have their own locked compartment! Then we had to wait one hour for a cargo weight issue. The food on the flight poisoned me. On the way back, they pawned us off (though I booked through their site) to Lufthansa and their bitch offspring Discover. I had to go through Frankfurt. The first flight was fifteen minutes late taking off. The second was an hour late because of a door issue and then missing PAPERWORK! We seemed to have landed at the runway as far away from Terminal C as possible. Then we waited a half hour to deplane. They didn't explain why. I should say here that I took this trip to make up for one that Milton screwed up last year (and Paris was the cheapest way in).

At CDG, I took a train from T2 to Lille Europe for $41E. First class was 2E more so I did that. Just went to a machine and bought the next departure. This is a big benefit of CDG. I would transit from here if you can. They go to many cities from there. Skip Paris until the end of your trip. If I went to the other areas in France (ie Normandy) that I was considering first, I would have had to pay to go to Paris and switch stations. I stayed at the Hotel Lille Europe (Expedia 8.8) for $95. Lille has two stations. They are barely 100 yards apart. This was in between. I checked fares to different cities. I toured Lille. I went to Eglise St Maurice, Hotel de Ville, Porto de Paris, Palace de Beaux Arts, Prefecture, Citadelle Vauban, Cathedrale, Vielle Bourse, Opera, Place Charles de Gaulle, etc. I decided to buy a ticket to Brussels because it was the cheapest at 25E by far and try for Ghent of Antwerp from there. That was the right call. Inter-country tickets were way more expensive and limited. I was so tired and it started to rain, so, I bought food and wine and beer at Carrefour and booked a hotel in Antwerp and went to bed. I had driven through Lille before and thought it looked industrial. It was very good. Very cute. Birthplace of Charles de Gaulle.

The next day I took the train to Brussels Midi Zuid (only 30 minutes). There I bought a first class (2E more) ticket that allowed me to go anywhere in Belgium. I just took it to Antwerp. I had driven through there once before. I missed most everything. The station is a sight unto itself. I went to the booking office because the machine was confusing me. It was good that I did because they said they would be working on the tracks during the weekend (next day) and the ticket I would have bought would have been invalid. So, I had to pay almost 50% more for an inter-city ticket (37E). I stayed at the Trip Inn Eden (Expedia 7.6) near the station for $78. I walked to the Peter Paul Ruebens Home, Kathedraal, Grote Markt (square), Stad Huis, Schelde (waterway), Het Steen (castle), Mas Museum and Opera. There is some famous statue a bit farther up the waterway. I was too tired. I bought some food and wine and beer at Okay City. Antwerp was cute as well. I should state here that all the hotels I stayed at were doing the extra tax due thing and didn't have USB plugs.

The next day I grabbed some McD (McChicken with bacon!) and walked around the station. I took the train to Rotterdam. The station is a modern wonder. I stayed at the Hotel Van Walsum (Expedia 8.8) for $113. Rotterdam was bigger. This hotel was about half way between the station and the water. I walked past the Depot Boijmans Museum through Witte de Withstraat to the Maritime Museum and over Laurens Kerk and the Urban Surf to the Markethal. I had an oyster for 3E and herring for 3E at Andalus Fish. The herring was great. Not fishy. Sweet. I had it once in Amsterdam (and pickled). I don't remember loving it this much. I also had some free cheese at Cromwijk Kassedok and from Henry Willig's (I guess he's Dutch - these shops were everywhere) Cheese & More. I walked back towards the Maritime Museum and over to the Erasmusbrug (bridge). Across and to the right to the dock area. Back across the bridge and left to another port area and a tower called Euromast. Then back to the hotel. Some food and wine and beer from Albert Heijn (their main supermarket). It was some holiday, so, it was very busy. I should state at this point that it had drizzled just a bit up to this point. From this point on it got colder and drearier and drizzlier for most of the trip. Rotterdam (most of these cities) was very diverse. Big food culture. Great architecture. I missed some attractions. I'll get back to them...

The next day I passed by Paulus Kerk on the way to the station. I walked around looking for an ATM. Never found one. In the whole city! I bought a 5.60E ticket to Delft. In Delft I found an ATM. I saw the Stad Huis, Nieuwe Kerk, Vermeer Home Location, Maria Van Jesse Kerk, Vermeer Center, Molen de Roos (windmill), Oude Kerk and back to the Markt where they were had set up stalls. I had a Dutch Ham Sandwich with arugula and onion and curry mustard for 7E at a stall called Het Lekkerste Broodje. Only there for about 90 minutes. Back to the station where I bought a ticket to Haarlem for 14E. Delft was small. Cute. In Haarlem, I stayed at the Nui Dairy Holiday Inn (Expedia 9.2) for $117. I walked to the city center and the Grote Markt and the Stadhuis and the St Bavo Kerk. Then over to the Binnen Spaarne (canal) and over to the Frans Hals Museum and Verwey Museum. I should say here that I will tell you if I actually paid and went into any of these. They were all over 10E. Then back to the canal and the Teylers Museum that I walked by. A different way to the Grote Markt (past a music hall) and to the hotel. I stopped for a grilled sausage sandwich at Het Broodjus Huis for 3E because all these youngins were lined up when I first walked by it. Got some food and wine at Albert Heijn. Watched US Open. Haarlem was also cute.

The next day I bought a 7E ticket to Amsterdam. I've been here multiple times. I only chose here because I was ahead of schedule and had done the major destinations and was trying to get to elsewhere via train or plane. Flights from Schipol were no bargain and going through Utrecht became an issue ($300 hotel rooms). I was also going to try for a town nearby called Marken. It took a change over bus instead of a train and was relatively expensive (an all day bus card just under 20E), so, I declined the opportunity. I stayed at the Hotel Old Quarter (Expedia 7.8) for $105. I didn't realize how close it was to the station (and Red Light). I walked through that. Saw one hot girl. Got some friets at Fable Friet for 4E. Oude and Zuider Kerks. Chinese area. Walked an area to the left (coming out) of the station that I'll call a harbor. Through Dijks Park (I think this is newish) to the Maritime Museum and back. Then bought some food and wine at Albert Heijn at the harbor. The main tenant there is a cool looking Doubletree Hotel (and Booking.com HQ). Got a little tipsy and walked the Red Light and over to the City Center.

The next day I walked back along that route. Was offered a free one at 10am. Surprised they were still working. I was looking for a different hierarchy of need (food) and it started raining. Never found (interesting/appropriate) food. Too early. Rushed to the station because of the rain. Bought a 12E train ticket to Hoorn. Stayed at the Hotel de Keiserskroon (Booking 8.0) for $113. I chose here because I wanted to do something north of Amsterdam on the water. I had only been to Edam. This was the second northiest and had a museum (Westfries). The other option didn't. That was the reasoning. It turned out to be closed for repairs. It rained all day. I suffered through a walk to the Grote Kerk and an Albert Heijin for lunch. Then another walk at dinner to the Westfries and over to the Haven (harbor) and AH for dinner and wine. It was a very small town. Cute. You can pass through. Or just pass.

The next day I bought a ticket (just one machine and no people) to Den Haag for 22E. I had been there before. Had to go there to get to a beach location called Scheveningen. Plus working my way back to France. I bought two bus/tram passes for 9E at the station. and plotted routes to other cities at the ticket office (computer). Walked into the city. Had a 5E veggie burger combo (just to be different) from BK because theirs was the best/cheapest in NL. As opposed to their prices in every other country. Over to the Plaats. Pond in front of the Binnenhof (Parliament). Over to the St Jacobs Kerk and to a main street with a statute called Haggse Harry. Back towards the station past a building with cranes around it. Took the 9 tram (3km - not walkable) to De Pier in Scheveningen. Checked into the Fox Hotel (Expedia 8.6) for $99. Walked the pier and beach. It had all these rides, etc. Like a cheese-y English or Jersey-ish/Daytona-ish sea side town. Lots of shells. Walked the north side of the beach. Weather threatened. Grabbed a Lana Sandwich (curried chicken with potatoes and long beans) for 6E at Lana's Surinam Kitchen at a food hall on the boardwalk by the pier. My first Surinamese food. Basically West Indian fare. Bought some food and wine at the AH. Got tipsy and walked the south side of the esplanade to a lighthouse at sunset. That was nice. Learned of Charlie Kirk murder.

The next day I took the tram back to the station. Thankfully, I asked information about train stuff and they said I should still buy my ticket from the domestic office. There really was no international office or machine. I bought a ticket to Brussels for 39E. You had to transfer in Rotterdam to get out of the country. This ticket allowed me to exit in Rotterdam and come back in. This was good because I wanted to stay there that night, but, the weather and hotel availability was bad. Why I settled on Brussels. It started to drizzle. I hightailed it to the Markthal. In the hub bub of the crowds, I had missed the Cube Houses. A collection of yellow slanted cubes on top of each other. Cool. Then over for lunch. The first stop was Bapao & Bobo. I espied them on the first visit. Too long a wait then. They had a hot pot where they dip skewered items into the broth called Chuan Chuan. I looked it up and this and the next thing seem to be their thing. The lady said Shanghai, but, I think there was a double language issue. I did order the steamed then pan fried 20 piece thumb fried Baopo with pork. Little dumplings. Excellent. There shouldn't be a place where this isn't. Get on it! They cost 9E. Internet says it is an Indonesian thing. Or unique to this stall. I then just grabbed a local thing called a Kalfs Vlees (veal) Kroket at Bram Landage for 2E. Then back to Andalus Fish for another round of herring for 3E. Back to the station past the Stadhuis. Rain. It was too rainy to walk to the place where the Pilgrims left for England before America. I exited at Brussels Midi Zuid. Bought a ticket (possibly improperly) from a machine at the international ticket office to Lille Flandres for 20E. Stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn City Center (Expedia 8.4) for $101. Walked past the Porte de Hal. Over to the Palais de Justice and an area with a view by a ferris wheel (The View). Down the street past Square de Petit Sablon and Eglise Notre Dame des Victoires au Sablon and Magritte Museum. Right onto Rue de Namur. It started to rain, so, I missed out on the Royal Palace just ahead because I didn't bring the umbrella. Not sure if I had seen that before. Right onto Avenue de la Toison d'Or to the hotel. Very nice shops there. Food and wine from Delhaize. 9/11 moment of reflection.

The next day I went to the station only to find out that there was no direct train back to Lille like the one I took there. I had to catch some dingy local train that took three times as long and had to change in some town called Tournai. I stayed again at the Hotel Lille Europe (Expedia 8.8) because it was only $66 this time. I came back to Lille to have options in France. I went with my first choice and bought a ticket to Caen (change in Rouen) for 58E. I moved on to things I missed last time. The Marche de Wazemmes first. I had a quiche choufleur fourme at Le Fournil Bio stall and gyoza at Gambatte stall. I got a little lost going there and back. Saw Eglise Sacre Coeur on the way. Made my way past the Opera to La Rue de Monnaie past the Hospice Comtesse to St Andre to Jemmaps to the Charles de Gaulle Birthplace. Back to his plaza and nearby I had a framboise sorbet at Jeff de Bruges for 2E. Dinner and wine from Carrefour.

The next day I awoke early to catch a 7am train to Caen. I stayed at the Hotel de la Paix (Booking 7.0) for two nights at $70 per. Caen was compact. This was near the Castle/Chateau. I went first to the tourist office next to Eglise St Pierre. Then around and into the "Chateau". It was free. This was William the Conquerer's base when he was Duke of Normandy (1660). I then walked through town to his Abbaye aux Hommes. Attached to it is St Etienne. He is buried there. Back past the Palais de Justice and a street one above the way I came. Got dinner and wine at Carrefour.

The next day I went to the Sunday market next to the hotel. Had 6 unplump Blainville Sur Mer oysters from Huitres Yann Couillard stall for 8E. Was given a free foul tasting (tampered?) falafel from Nour Echam stall. A Normande galette with andouille and Camembert for 6.50E at Les Delices de Malau stall. I thought it would be a link wrapped in galette like the basic one. It was slices. I walked past the Chateau/Castle (no tourist signs) to the Memorial de Caen WWII Museum. It didn't seem worth the 21E. Back to town to the Abbaye aux Dammes/St Trinite. Mathilde the wife of William founded this and is buried in the attached church. Down past canals to the station to buy a ticket to Paris (45E). I found that most shops (including Carrefour though the hours open sign said otherwise) were closed. Grabbed the 5E meal deal again at BK. DCB with CB this time. They use reusable glasses and french fry holders! 

The next day I took a delayed train to Paris St Lazzare. I stayed in Pigalle at the Villa Royale (Expedia 7.8) for $163 because they said it was $80 off. Nothing was cheap. It was pretty good. Just car street noise galore all night. Tried to eat at some places near by that came up when I searched best of the area. They were closed. Walked up to Sacre Coeur. Grabbed some salami at Mono Prix for a hangry lunch. Walked Clichy past Moulin Rouge south to Amsterdam to Hausmann to Galeries Lafayette. Saw there was a Pierre Herme there and I wouldn't have to find his shop that I saw on I'll Have What Phil's Having. Got a Tart Paradis for 8E. Sick packaging. Took it past Place Vendome to the Tuileries. Ate it in front of that balloon I think they had at the Olympics. Past the Louvre and down the Seine to Notre Dame. It is open but not finished. Scaffolding and cranes all along the outside. Back to hotel past Tour St Jacques and up Sebastopol to Poissoniere. Some food at Carrefour. Wine and more food at Mono Prix. Been to Paris many times. Did it all before.

The next day I went back to Condorcet for those recommendations. First to Babka Zana (also at Galeries Lafayette) for my first rugelach (chocolate and cinnamon) for under 2E. Great. Like a croissant and cinnamon roll mixed up. Then down the block to Mamiche for a Prince de Paris (ham, cornichon, butter, mustard) for 6E. Good ingredients. Line here was thirty deep. Across Condorcet to Gare du Nord. Bought a 13E plus 2E (card) ticket to CDG. Stayed at the Ibis (Expedia 8.0) for $232! I paid half that last time. Cheapest at airport. Should have checked/booked when I landed. Was $200 the day before. Flight was at 9am, so, I didn't want to be around Gare du Nord that early. Got my boarding passes printed at kiosk. Back to hotel.

The next day I flew out. It was an ok trip that gets better in remembrance. I was a bit antagonized most of the time. Probably because no BIG things to see or do. Weather probably didn't help. Incompetence in general also is creating travel anxiety about simple things like transportation. The French had a strike on the 10th and then were going to again the day after I left. Such brats. Exchange rate was up to $1.17 then $1.18. I spent 344E ($402) on Transport. $1419 on Hotels. Spent $65 on Rental Car to MCO and $120 on Taxi home (I probably could have negotiated this better). I let my return car rental expire because it was $110 and Hertz has been pissing me off. 260E ($304) on Food/Booze. 0E ($0) on Museums. 17E ($20) on Misc. $2761 Total. 

Some new things I ate: Cheese - Gris du Perigord, La Buche de Poitou, Clemont Bleu and tomme de Pyrenees Noir. Pate - Porc aux Airelles, Crem Pate Groene Peper and Pate au Campagne. Charcuterie - Jambon de Savoie (their bad attempt at prosciutto) and Mosterd Gehakt (bad). Beer - Jupiter, Texels, Vieux Lille and Cristal Pils. Saw fish lasagna and mackerel with cream cheese.

*Neither Lufthansa or their bitch low fare offspring Discover offered any compensation for their flight issues.

Grub Crawl - East Colonial (50): A Gourmet Chinese Cuisine and Cowboy Curry

I tried these spots across from each at the intersection of East Colonial (50) and Mills today at lunch. They both are in softs. Just opened last week. The first is a rebrand of what I believe was called Chuan Lu. The second is in the little food market with Unigirl and that hanging duck place that just was awarded a Michelin rating (not sure if it was an actual star). 

A Gourmet Chinese Cuisine - A mouthful. And the portion size was as well. May be a Favorite. They spent a lot of money on the refurbishment. Mostly brown tones. Modern classic look. Reminded me of the Brasserie in NYC. If I am remembering correctly. Like it would mean anything to most readers anyway. Lots of dark stained wood that also acts as a decorative element. Big. Open. High ceilings. Around forty tables of four to six seats. Faux leather seating. I'm trying to remember another Chinese restaurant in the area that seems so done up. I wasn't expecting this kind of rebrand. I would hide the high chairs and similar distractions. But, no one else ever seems to think they are an eye sore. I was the first to arrive at 11am. They are open for lunch and dinner every day except Tuesday. Huge menu. Cantonese mainly. Separate dim sum menu. From $7 to $8 to $9. Really only the last two. Usuals like shrimp dumplings and pork buns. But also, salt and pepper ribs and black truffle and shrimp, etc. The main menu starts with $19+ shareable soups. Apps like from egg rolls to smoked fish ($6 to $23). Chef's Recommendations like pork belly and prawns with salted egg yolk ($19 to $49). Beef, Seafood, Poultry, Pork, Vegetables like General Tso's to Lotus Delight ($17 to $29). Peking duck is $79. Lamb chops are $37. Seafood was MP. Clay Pots ($19 to $25). Rice and Noodles ($17 to $29). Desserts ($9). I didn't price the drinks. I would like to interject here that everyone was drinking water. They do in almost every restaurant I go to nowadays. Do you think that has something to do with your prices? How much revenue are you throwing away be trying to gouge in this area? Fountain soda costs cents. I tried the Teochew Style Wet Beef Chow Fun (flat rice noodles in a brown sauce with stir fried beef and vegetables) for $19. The funny thing is that I just remarked to myself the night before that I dislike Asian noodles. But, I guess I was in the mood for something different. It was mostly good. Three portion sizes. Plated nicely in a decorative bowl. Fresh baby bok choy and carrots and mushroom tops and scallions. The noodles were beyond mushy. As I don't usually order these types of dishes, I am not sure if they are not supposed to be. The beef was mostly too tough. Sixty chews on most pieces. The few tender pieces were very pleasant. Short rib meat? Alot. I'm not sure if these serving sizes will last or if they are just here for the opening when they are trying to make a good impression. Service (4) was attentive and knowledgeable. Uniformed in black. Around seven tables were seated around me. Mix of white and Asian. Their plates seemed nice. I saw a cool fondue like hot pot (I am assuming) set up. I have been waiting for the opening since the Fall. I went here a long time ago when it was the other place (they still have a Chuan in WP). This is a humungous upgrade. Maybe too ambitious? I certainly hope they find a following. They are certainly a positive development. Of course I would like to see the dim sum prices come down. But, I fear these are the new new price points we have to get used to. They are in line with most of the places I have reported on. I think McDonald's is basically charging a buck a nugget at this point. I would make an effort to give this place a go as soon as you are able.

Cowboy Curry - Another one I've been waiting for. They are open Friday through Sunday at noon. Unsure when they close. Ten person line. About five or ten minutes after that. They were only serving a beef curry over rice that you could add things to. I added a Cowboy Menchi Katsu (fried ground beef and pork patty). $15 + $5. It was good. This isn't my thing. I like my curry on Indian and Thai dishes. Not hot dogs and cutlets. Fairly big portion. Big chunks of beef. That's good. I thought it would just be a beef flavored curry. Large hunks of carrot and potato. The rice was good. Don't know how to rate the curry. It had a bit of a dried curry powder after taste. A slight bit of heat. It's a stall. To go orders. Unsure if this will be the only item on the menu forever. How bad do want curry katsu? Or a newish (to the area) thrill? There was another area next to it that seems being prepared to be another Japanese named stall. I hadn't heard that was in the works. Oh. They (4) wear little cowboy hats. If that's your kink.

*I have also been forgetful about construction on Michigan near Orange where I believed the Shaq's Chicken place was meant to go. Is that them? Finally. The new bank mi place is across the street. I think they replaced a donut shop where I made fun of the Mayor's acne in a post. 

La Hacienda, Winter Park

I went to this Mexican spot on 436 and Aloma on Tuesday at lunch because the Universe seems to want to pull me where it wants to go not where I plan to go. I was going to try Hong Kong Kitchen. They couldn't be bothered to show up it seems. Same as most of the bars at Virginia and Mills that I tried to try on Sunday. Who doesn't work a holiday weekend? This place has been there for years. They said five. I just saw the signage for their market. It was a typical mid-range Mexican restaurant. Lots of wood. Black pleather cushions. Alot of booths. Red brick. White tiles. Around twenty five tables. Some decoration. Fairly full. I had chicken fajitas to compare with Tacos vs Pizza. These cost $16. But, WAY more chicken. To be fair, I think the TvP plate was a smaller lunch special. Tons of peppers and onions. Barely any sour cream. Some guac. A bit of salsa. Lettuce. Beans. Yellow rice. Four large tortillas. I went flour this time. Steamed in foil. So much that I took half home. Plus their chips and salsa were good. All in all, probably better than TvP. Typical large Jalisco style menu. Fried fish, quesa birria, chilaquiles, tortas, huaraches, milanesa, etc. Tacos were $2.79. They didn't list what kinds. Enough wait staff. Uniformed in black. They have another location in Ocoee. It's funny. This strip mall has/had three Mexican places. One is gone. This is probably the best of them. The funniest thing was that they were playing 80s and 90s music in Spanish. It clarified things for me. It isn't Spanish/accent that is the problem. These tunes were still listenable. It is Mexican music itself that sucks. And you can blow it out your Mariachi trumpet if you have a problema with that. I was also here because Tijuana Flats increased their Taco Tuesday price to $8. Another place I won't be eating at ever again. On the flip side, Taco Bell "dropped" their taco price to $2. 

Ice House Grill, Titusville *Germany/Poland Travel Notes

I tried this spot on S Washington Ave on Wednesday at lunch after swimming at the beach at Cape Canaveral NP because I awoke so early from jet lag and had a rental car for the day. Sand mites chased me away though. I also drove to stop 13 that they say has nudists. Yeah they do. Franks and beans! I had a fried bay scallop basket with fries for $13. I know it was just frozen food fried up, but, it was good. Fifty scallops! Pretty fresh. I didn't love the starched fries, but, they were fried well. A soda with unlimited refills was $2.29. The menu has 11 fried baskets, 7 rice bowls, 3 salads, 11 apps, 5 tacos, 9 sandwiches, 4 wraps, 5 burgers, dinners, sides, milkshakes and a kid's menu. Costliest item is $20. A slight Indian influence (ie tikka taco and bowl). Gyro, BLT, Cheesesteak, pulled pork, cod, shrimp, wings, falafel, salmon, Cuban. Lots of ethnicities. Basic decor. Seats about thirty. Four cops were the other customers. Order at a counter. Fine basic diner/fast food option. 

*Travel Notes - Germany and Poland: I flew Delta to Berlin through JFK for $665. Took the FEX train to the Hauptbanhof for 4.70E. Bought from kiosk. Station on bottom floor of airport. It took around 40 minutes. Stayed at the Ibis (Expedia 8.8) across the street for $90 plus 5E tax due in cash. Walked past the Cube, Reichstag, Brandenburg Gate, Grosser Tiergarten, Victory Column (Siegessaule), Bismarck Statue, President's Residence (Bellevue) and back along the Spree River because the room wasn't ready. I had done three of the first four before. Bought a ticket (71E) from the ticket office to Gdansk thru Poznan for the next day. Made some hotel reservations. Got some food and wine at Rewe at the station. Crashed. I should say at this point that I had been to Berlin before. Euro was 1.16 to USD. It was over 90 degrees. Trains were too expensive as always unless you got a regional all day ticket (in some areas). I did at some points. You have to pay extra to guarantee a seat! Trains to foreign countries were a pain. Not all available on machines and (I was told) in poor condition (ie you would need to get on a bus in points) in certain regions. I was maybe going to fit in Czechia (that's what they call it now) and Austria. Couldn't get where I wanted to go in Czechia easily. Salzburg was too expensive for Austria. Plus I may do them two trips from now. Had been to the bigger cities in Poland before.

The next day the train to Gdansk was bullshit. They made me transfer at another Berlin station minutes away (but not on return?). The train had a brake problem and couldn't go fast. The AC didn't work. Missed two transfers in Poznan. They had one info person! Four hours late. Seats barely available. Got into Gdansk at 9pm. Stayed at the So Stay Hotel (Booking 9.0) for $97. Poland doesn't use the Euro. Ate a candy bar I had left over. I found out after I had booked the ticket that the next day/weekend was one of their bigger holidays. They claimed things would be closed (weren't here). Prices were 4x. This is why I only spent two days in Poland.

The next day I walked through Gdansk. This is where Lech Welesa started Solidarity. It was Danzig. A port town that gets lots of ferry visitors from Scandinavia. Modern with on old town look. Walked in from Uplands Gate and Golden Gate. Dluga St past Town Hall, Neptune Statue, Farenheit Thermometer to the Stara Moltawa (canal) "center". Past Green Gate and Milk Can Gate to Nowa Moltawa canal. Up past MS Soldek and then over the drawbridge towards the train station (Glowny). Past St Catherines Church. I took the train south to Poznan for 90E. I booked this in Berlin. It included the next trip to Leipzig through Berlin. I saw this town on Curious Traveler. Checked into the Platinum Residence Boutique Hotel (Booking 8.7) outside the old town (because of the holiday) for $163. Walked to the old town. Past Wolnosci Plaza to to the Ratusz (Town Hall) Plaza. Past Archeological Museum and Church of St Stanislaus and Teatr Polski and Centrum Syzfrow (WWII Enigma Program) and Zamek Cesarski (Kaiser's Castle). It was getting dark. I went back to the hotel and ate the fruit plate they gave me. I should have walked to the Cathedral. It was a bit far.

The next day I walked through Park (Woodrow) Wilsona and the MTP Poznan Expo Complex. Took the train to Leipzig in Saxony. Checked into the Premium Inn Hahnekamm (Expedia 9.0) for two nights at $158 plus 6E tax due. Got some food and wine and beer at Rewe in the station.

The next day I walked to the Stasi Museum (East German KGB). Cost 5E. Onto St Thomas Church (where Bach is buried and was a Cantor/Choir Master and Organist and many of his pieces were debuted and many famous Classicists played). Across was the Bach Museum. Over to the Altes Rathaus and Markt Platz. Past the statue that is half Commie and half Facist. Over to the Neues Rathaus and through a park to Mendelessohn's (last) House where he composed Elijah. The city is compact. Inside a circular grid. Back up to Augustus Platz and Gewandhaus and University and First Gewandhaus (Oldest Civic Orchestra in 1781 in which Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Wagner, Brahms, etc premiered works) and St Nikolai Church (helped end Communism) to the Opera House. More food and wine and beer at Rewe. Bought some train tickets from the machines at the station. I really liked Leipzig. Very clean and compact. There is also a memorial to a battle over Napoleon at the outskirts that I didn't get to and big skyscraper you can get good views from. 

The next day I took the train (47E) to Erfurt. A total rip off for this short jaunt. This is Luther town. Stayed at the Prize by Radissson (Expedia 8.6) for $91 with 4E due that they wouldn't allow cash for. Room wasn't ready. Walked into the old town to Michaelis Kirche. This is where the first Protestant Sermon (not Luther) was given. Across the street is Luther's College (Collegium Maius). Up the street and right to his dorm (Georgenburse) and on to where he became a monk (Augustiner Kloster). Back to the Dom Platz and up to the Zitadelle Petersberg (Citadel) and back down and around the Marien Dom and Severi Kirche. Back towards the hotel and the Rathaus and Kaufmanns Kirche St Gregos and Luther Statue. Got some food and wine at Tegut.

The next day I took a train to Nurnberg for 35E. This was one of those regional tickets. It seems that you can use it as an unlimited day pass on all RE trains in the region. I did this because I was going to try and get south to Berchetsgarden through Salzburg and tickets to there or Munich were crazy. It turned out to be a waste of a day. Especially since I went there last year. I checked into the Premier Inn Opernhaus (Expedia 8.6) for $78 no tax. I walked into the center and the Executioner's House (Henker) and the Bratwurst Museum and Deutsches Museum Turnberg and Spieltraume (Toy) Museum. Just browsed the free areas. Back to the hotel and some food and wine from Aldi. To the train station to buy a ticket to Passau after I looked at the hotel prices in Salzburg. Regional for 32E.

The next day I got off the train at Regensburg. It is a cute town on the Danube. Lots of river cruise tourists here (and Passau). To the river. Past Dom St Peter. To the bridge. Across the bridge. Back. Past the Rathaus. Had a Regensburger (pickles, horseradish and kraut) on Semmel (roll) at Wurstbraterei Reisinger for 4E. Back to the train. I'll add here that the train situation isn't great. Most trains are late or cancelled. Lots of track work. You will miss a tight connection. They were thirty minutes late to here on a thirty minute journey. Why I had to rush. Back on the train to Passau. Walked into the peninsula town. Past the Pfarrkirche St Paul and Dom and Dom Platz and this head statue called Passeur Tolpel. To the Hange Brucke (Bridge) where you can see the Veste Oberhaus (Fortress). Down to the tip where the Danube and Inn converge. Up the Inn side to the bridge and over to my hotel (they were scarce) on the other side. Not too bad of a walk. Hotel Innsento (Expedia 8.8) for $91 no tax. Had some food and wine and beer from the Edeka next door.

The next day I took the train back through Nurnberg (cluster fuck of cancelled and SRO only replacement trains) to Bayreuth for 32E Regional. I was trying to get as close to Dresden as possible on one of these tickets and the train lady told me this was Wagner territory as well. I stayed at the B&B Hotel (Expedia 8.6) for $90 no tax. I was late because of the train, so, I walked to his grave and house and museum and garden and Franz Liszt Museum. There were these little man statues throughout the city of Wagner. It seems to be a city for musicians. To city center and Neues Schloss at Residenz Platz. Back and on past Schloss Kirche and a May Pole. Onto the Stadt Kirche. Got some food and wine and beer at Netto. Bought another regional ticket for 49E to Dresden.

The next day I walked past the Opera House, big Wagner Statue, bus station and around the train station. Train through Hof to Dresden. Stayed at Occidental Dresden (Expedia 8.6) for two nights at $230 plus 10E tax. Great views. I had been to Dresden before for an hour or so on a bus tour twenty years ago. I totally mis-remembered it. And it must of grown. Lots of Chinese tourists. I walked to the Altmarkt. Had some cheese samples at Henri Willig. Past through the adjacent buildings and murals of the Residenz Schloss (Royal "Saxon" Palace). It has a museum inside called the Grunes Gewolbe (Green Vault). 17E. Didn't go in. To the Elbe. Past the Kathedrale SS Trinitats Katholische Hof Kirche and Semperoper (Opera House) and into the Orangerie (Zwinger). That was cool. It has a porcelain museum (5E)+. Didn't go. Past the Kunste (Art) Museum and Albertinum (Modern Art Museum) and Rathaus and the rebuilt Frauen Kirche (go to the top). Just went to public areas. Bought some food and wine and beer at Rewe. Tried to recall Slaughterhouse-Five.

The next day I retraced those steps and went across the river to Albert Platz in the area called Neustadt. Markthalle and Augustus I Goldener Reiter (Golden Rider statue). There are more things to see. Back to other side and Standehus and up on the Bruhlsche Terasse and museums and Frauen Kirche again and over to the Schauspielhaus (music hall) and Kreuz Kirche. Rewe for food and wine. Bought a ticket to Berlin for 60E. It shouldn't have cost that much. I was going to try and go to a town on the Polish border called Gorlitz on a day trip. They have filmed movies like Inglorious Basterds there. Couldn't muster the energy. I liked Dresden more that I thought I would. 

The next day I took a too slow moving ICE train to Berlin. Checked in at the Motel One (Booking 8.6) for two nights at $175 no tax. I bought a 24 hour S train pass for 12.30E. I went to Potsdam. It is called their Versailles and the Allies met here for the conference breaking up Germany and fighting Japan. It takes about 35 minutes. A must do. I walked to the Potsdam museum and St Nikolai Kirche. Then up through the Neuer Garten to the Marmor Palais (Marble Palace) and the Cecilien Hof (where they had the conference). I saw this on Joseph Rosendo. It is full of lakes (sees) and canals I walked back (two km or so) through some Dutch and Russian enclaves to Park San Souci. It has three big palaces (Sans Souci, Neues and Charlotten) and an Orangerie with a Windmill. Big park. I walked back to the train station by Garnison Kirche and some other buildings. Got some food and wine at Rewe in Berlin.

The next day I took the S train on the Spandau route. Stopped at the Olympic Stadium stop. It is still there. Cost 11E. Didn't go in. To Spandau. Didn't find the ballet. Found out it means the jerking of legs of Nazi war criminals while being hanged at their prison that looked like the jerking of dying soldiers on barb wire in WWI. Past the Rathaus to St Nikolai Kirche and back. They love them some Nikolai don't they? Was running out of time on the 24 hour pass. Should have seen the Fort. Didn't research Spandau before I went. Back to train station. Walked along the Spree past the Reichstag to Bode Museum. Pergamon was closed for repairs. Over to the Dom and Altes Museum and Humboldt Forum. Up to the Rotes Rathaus and the Fernsehturm Tower. Over to the Hackesher Market and Monbijou Park and back to the hotel. Food and wine at Rewe. I had done some of these sites before.

The next day I bought a 4.70E FEX train (not S) ticket to the airport from one of the hard to find machines and flew home.

I wish I had done Gorlitz and Wittenburg. Some odd things I ate were: Frankendammer cheese, Krater Rolle and a Ritter with cashews. I saw kraut in hummus. They mess with hummus. They put a spicy ketchup on the chicken sandwich at McDs. Bottles of beer were under 1E. The German wine was mostly bad. But, I bought the supermarket middle tier stuff (5E). Weather was very hot until the last two days. Some of these itineraries were inspired by Tricky Ricky Steves. Spent $1264 on hotels. 24E on extra hotel tax. 438E on transportation. 175E on food. 18E on Misc. That is $760. $163 on rental cars to and from the airport. Total in USD = $2852. Ouch. I guess it aligns with two one week trips. Actually spent less because I used some credits on the airfare and hotels. Really $2690. And I am going to get a refund on some of those train journeys.

*The German rail system fought every dispute over dealys and offered no compensation.

Grub Crawl - Orlando and East Colonial: Tropical Paradise Pepperlicious and Moa Kai

I tried these spots yesterday at dinner. The first in on 436 near the 408. I think it was a Cuban place. The second is in the old Mongolorian spot on East Colonial (50) near the Milk District. 

Tropical Paradise Pepperlicious - I think it was just TP before. Maybe just Pepperlicious now? I think I went there. Think of jacket (stuffed/baked) potatoes. Now picture green peppers instead. I had the Tradicional for $6. All are. I nuked it the next morning for breakfast (jet lag) and it didn't have any char, etc on it. Not sure how (or if) it was cooked. Seemed near raw. Picadillo and shredded mozz and a hint of a tomato sauce. I should state that I dislike bell peppers. Give me gas. Flavor is weird. I take it off any dish it comes on. I was so hungry this time that I ate them. The toppings were enough to mask most of the flavor. I liked them (the two halves). They also have empanadas and tequenos, desserts and smoothies. And a section called Cuban Pizza that looked like more peppers. I think they opened that night. Twelve or so tables of different seat levels. Two stages. Wood. Mish mash of interior design. Man and woman team. Parking. Something different. They said they were serving healthy items. Couldn't really pin down where from. 

Moa Kai - I read they were in a soft opening and hoped they would be open. They call themselves a Hawaiian Diner. I call them a Favorite. Cute. Good value. Worth the wait. From the people who do the Korean Fried Chicken on Mills and Poke Hana (I think). I had a spam musubi for $5 and the two item mix plate for $16. It comes with two suggested sides that you can either switch out for a few others or upgrade for a few bucks. I stuck with the two servings of white rice and mac salad. I chose shoyu ahi and Korean fried chicken for the mains. I had a fever for both (as Chris Walken would say). They do the rice well. Sort of sticky. Short grain. This helped the musubi. Big. I used the onions from the ahi and that should be required from now on. Everywhere! Even dipped it in the shoyu. There was a poke bowl size amount of ahi. Pretty fresh. No dental floss. There was one bad (stringy/dry/unchewable) piece (out of four) of chicken. The mac was the best one I've had from a Hawaiiann place. Not too sweet. Firm pasta. The dishes came out fast. Four cooks in black t shirts. They also offer up a bao type app, fried wonton with shrimp and pork app, burger, mahi, poke, kalua pork, pupu platter, moco loco, eggs, po boys, saitan dishes, desserts, cocktails and I think some noodle bowls. That not all. Just can't remember more. Three booths. Eight fours. Fourteen stools (L shape) in front of the cooking area and bar. Earth tones. Wood. Green jungle tree wall paper. Windows. Steel. Little travel posters. Patterned tiles. Off white. Faux white marble table tops. Two giant ceiling fans. A diner feel, but, a hipster diner. Two servers in red Hawaiian shirts. There was one family there when I came in. Six more tables (off all kinds) came in after. And it was 8pm. Opened last Tuesday. I think the name has something to do with a rooster or chicken. Probably the Kai part. If I lived near here, I would eat here at least once a week. Even the free water wasn't gross.

*Ok I tried to teach Grok AI on X (my first AI foray) to read my blog and tell me what Orlandoer would do. What are his Favorites? Make me a travel plan to X like he would. Etc. Things that I wish this platform would do. Things that would make this a usable web destination. Grok is not allowed to do much. Utter failure. It is only allowed to search from what other search engines find. Mostly Google. Like looking for fish in at a fish market instead of the sea. I asked it directly after much frustration. Which is funny because Google owns Blogger and as you know I often complain that it won't even (whatever the term is now for spidering) its own platforms. I tried to get Google's AI to "find" my content. You have to log in (if you have an account) and disable privacy function first. I didn't feel like doing that then. Maybe later on. I doubt it will do it either. I bet it will also say it can't access web sites directly. Grok said this was to limit requests from crashing servers. I guess I get it. Not sure if all AI companies have agreed to these rules. 

I would love it if you would crack the code (and tell us how). It seems you almost have create your own program to get the data you want. I had to request it ONLY use www.orlandoer.blogspot.com. I tried to get it to access the header/title and/or body. Because I put Travel Notes in the title and Grub Crawl, it would return odd things if you wanted Orlando Restaurant stuff vs Travel Info. It put Orlando restaurant info in Travel Plans. It didn't understand the state abbreviations I use. I had to teach it those. Or asterixs. It couldn't find the tutorials. It didn't understand that Grub Crawl meant numerous, different restaurants. I'm not sure it got slashes (/). I tried to get it to learn all posts from 2008 on and then by the months. Like I said, it won't get the info directly. It was funny, when I first started the session it whined that I ghosted it after I did something else while it was screwing up again. And the sucky thing is that if you suceed in training your AI, it isn't "house broken" for the rest of us. I think you even have to save the search and it is ONLY FOR YOU. It doesn't make it any smarter for the rest of us or for itself. There doesn't seem to be a common "brain". Hopefully, one of the AIs will. Or maybe that would be bad?

Tomasinos Pizza, Lake Mary

I had a chicken parm to go for $16. Fairly usual. Cut strips made mushy by sauce. Fake white cheese. I didn't like the narrow, sweet, glossy roll. The chicken had frozen qualities. I want an uncut scallopine with real mozz on an Italian roll baked in the pizza oven. The menu is large. Five subs, calzone, pizza, knots, pasta, wings, apps. Pizzas are from 14" and $22. Beer and wine. $10 for Junior's cheese cake. Four locations. Original at mall on 50. Some possibly true NYC origin story. Red and black and tan. Pallets repurposed as hanging gardens. 8 booths. A few tables. Patio. Older music playing. Been there a while.

*Still getting bonkers views. Seem to be big in Singapore, Hong Kong and Mexico now. Is this how one can see which countries are launching AI and gobbling up data? Can you tell AI to make me a travel plan to X like Orlandoer? Is that the answer? I tried on Google. Nothing happened. Too apprehensive to interact with the real doom bots. Imagine if my rantings inform/empower Skynet. I apologize. Just trying to digitize data to have mobile access to it. Will it turn out that AI learns of us through food bloggers. Like the quote on Iron Chef by Brillat Savarin - tell me what you eat and I'll tell you what you are.

Tacos vs Pizza, Azalea Park

Since there has been ridiculous interest (probably bots or AI stalking) and I am inexcusably drunk, I will hep you to this Mexican/quasi Italian boite in a strip mall on 436 near 50 that I left without tring a few months before. This time (Monday) a sole waitress actually appeared to take my order. I did the ($12.50) chicken fajita plate lunch special. It came with a tostada cup of refried beans, red rice and l and t. Three steamed corn tortillas. I know you are supposed to have corn. But, they sucked. Too flimsy. Plus they clogged your windpipe. Ok chicken with peppers and grilled onions. A big glob of sour cream. The salsa was a bit desicated (remember these terms are coming out au naturel from a sot). They gave you free chips and ok salsa. I hate to say it, but, it was a good "mid-level" Mexican meal. That price is like $5 to7 cheaper than most places. I was only here because the cunts at Cevich in WP stopped the $20 combo lunch. The place is mostly windows. Light gray and brown. 6 booths and two 8's. Mex music from tv. Pretty full. Food came quick. They hopped my order over a six of bimbos. Two cooks. I saw a few pizzas. Ok? Big menu. Better than I expected. You probably have the like in your home town.

Grub Crawl - Winter Garden: Mirchi, Tacos Padrisimo and Cariera's

I tried the spots in a strip mall at 50 and Dillard (Four Rivers on the corner) Wednesday at lunch. They are all on the same row.

Mirchi - It means pepper. Indian street food. From the people who have Cilantro on Plant St and Spice Kitchen and Market on Dillard. I had these thickish rice pancakes (mixed) called Uthappan for $15 and took an order of black pepper chicken home with me. Both were good. The first time for the pancakes. One was filled with green peppers. One with vegetables. One with onions. And one was coated with a spice powder. They served them with four dips on a metal tray. Coconut chutney, lentil broth, some oily one and an orange colored pureed something or other. The tap water was clean tasting. In a bottle with a topper. Pewter drinking glass. The chicken was great. I think I love anything with black pepper. Chunks of chicken alone. Coated in a thin batter. That was from the Indo China (maybe they called it Asian?) part of the menu. It was a mostly vegetable based menu. Large. Lots of dosas. Pan-Indian. Prices were pretty fair. Small place. Around a dozen tables. Colorfu umbrellas and basket lights above. Wallpaper "mural" of old advertising. Front of a Tata bus/van. Bar/counter. One server. Three couples. Open for seven months. Probably will be a Favorite. The one negative was the mumble rap they had on. I saw on the way out that the had a $12-$13 lunch special. Didn't see what it consisted of. *I looked into Spice Market. It seemed too be not very professional. The food prep area was unmanned and looked abandoned. They did have a full menu out. I also saw some $1.50 samosas on the way out.

Tacos Padrisimo - Next door. Small footprint. Order at a counter. A few seats. Other locations in Kissimmee. This one has been here for two years. I had the three taco (any) option for $9.50. They lied and said all tacos were included (at $8.50) and then upcharged for two of the three. $3 - $3.50 a piece. I chose lengua, barbacoa and carnitas. In (probably) store bought corn tortillas (double wrapped) that were warmed/grilled. The barbacoa was the worst. Still good. Chunks of soft tongue. They added a black chipotle sauce that tasted of cigarette ash and a verde that tasted of that non-Haas avocado (unripe). Onions and cilantro. They had lower prices if you buy in bulk. I think ten cost $25. You could get dishes with beans, etc. Additional meats were fried fish and shrimp and steak, al pastor, chicken and chorizo. They also sell birria, quesadillas, tortas, elote, burritos (one with fries inside) and combos. Prices were fair. Two employees. Spoke English. No customers. Would have been a Favorite if they made their tortillas and didn't lie about the price.

Cariera's - On the corner near 50. Been there for seven years. The second generation of the people from the defunct one on Dr Phillips. I reviewed that on March 5, 2012 it seems. Didn't re-read it. I had fried ravioli (for the first time) to go here for $7. I think (two out of the three menus said) the current price is an outlandish $12. Ten. Fried, mostly unfilled, probably frozen and store bought, cheese ravioli with no flavor. The marinara sauce was very necessary. The rest of the menu was standard American/Italian fare at inflated prices. A 12" pizza and half lasagna may be the best values. All their "Under $20" prices are reduced/small portions. Even a small chicken parm is $19. Lots of things are near $30. Risottos are a joke. Wait and see what they slap on top of them. Sandwiches (with side) on focaccia around all over $21. You can't get them alone. I think I saw a sign outside that said $1 wings on Wednesday. Dark, black decor. Around twenty tables. Bar. Tvs with live scenes from Venice. Those common, large, Italian advertising posters. One server. Two couples there. Charged a fee for cc use. You can avoid it.

*I noticed H-Mart driving here. It isn't in a strip mall as I thought. Right on 50 on the right side coming from I4. Still seems weeks away.

Honest, Florida Mall Area *NC/SC Travel Notes

I tried this vegetarian Indian franchise today at lunch. It is across the street from the mall on Sand Lake on the I4 side. The menu had bad values. Vegetarian. Bare bones staff. Plus it took forever and the dish tasted bad. I had vegetarian Manchow Soup for $6. It has the mouth feel of sweet and sour soup. Bland. Dank looking. The only real flavor is a bit of hot pepper with the aftertaste of old coins. The place is five years old. Only Indians there. Gray tones with some yellow. Booths. Owner, one cook and a janitor were the only staff. So bad for a pity fuck on top of it. You can avoid. Let me state that this strip mall and OBT is a nightmare traffic wise. I'd avoid all the places I am about to list. Also there, on different corners of the intersection are: Picanha's ($20 AYCE Brazilian - not in the mood), La Verguenza (shabby looking PR place that took too long and cost too much), Sky Blossom Pho (pm only), Mammazitta (pm only), Viet Thai (I think I've been there) and Gozamba (pm). Turell's is closed on M and Tu. I was going to bundle a few of these, but, it just became too annoying. Especially after the Honest delay. Didn't find anything new on OBT towards I4.

*Travel Notes - North Carolina and South Carolina: I drove my own car because the imbeciles at Hertz ran out of cars. Thankfully, they called me ahead of time to let me know. HELL NO. NO WARNING. NO APOLOGY. I slept the first night in Wilson NC at a Microtel (Expedia 7.8) for $96. Tried the chopped pork (equal to any bbq joint) and onion rings at Cook Out. It is unbelievable that 95 through NC is in perpetual construction (my entire lifetime). South Carolina is no joy either. Assholes (mostly trucks) pull into the fast lane (and don't pass) on these pathetic two lane affair far too often. I should say here that the trip was meant to be a minor league baseball focused time waster either through the Gulf or the mountains of NC. The prospect of heat (in those areas) and high hotel prices scuttled that. Then unexpected, intense heat scuttled a central NC plan too.

The next day I drove a half hour to Zebulon NC to see the Carolina Mudcats. $15 top Sunday price plus $7 for parking. Did that. Learned it was pointless because they are moving to Wilson next year. Had a flight and chicken biscuit at Norse Brewing Longhouse. Drove to Durham NC. You can basically take 64 on and follow the signs for Durham. Stayed at the Springhill Suites (Expedia 9.2) for $126 plus $15 for parking. One block walk to Athletic Park (not the one in the movie) to see the Durham Bulls for $26 for behind home plate. Both stadiums gave a printed ticket. Had bbq nachos and free hot dog at the stadium. Durham has changed ALOT in the twelve years since I had been there.

The next day I drove to Raleigh. Had a forgettable chopped pork sandwich with potato salad and slaw and hush puppies and biscuit for $13 at The Pit Authentic Barbecue (MvF). The founder sold it to Harris Teeter. I was going to try a chicken place nearby as well, but, every square inch of road is metered. Drove around Capitol and back down 401 to 64 to 264 through Wilson and Greenville to 33N to 64 to Nags Head NC. I decided to come here because hotels were cheap and it was the only area in NC below 100+ degrees. I stayed at the Seahorse Inn (Booking 7.3) for two nights at $115 a night. It was right off where 64 enters the area at Jennette's Pier. Across the street from the beach. Went for a swim. Clear water. Many jellyfish. But, they seemed to have no sting. Drove north a bit. Got some beer and snacks. Watched DC Open.

The next day I went for a swim and then lunch in Manteo at Ortega'z (3D). Bad tuna tacos. Saw Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse. Drove 64S to the Bodie Island Light Station at Cape Hatteras National Seashore (free). Got some wine and great Heron Shoal and Cape Hatteras oysters (and steamed green tail shrimp) at Whalebone Seafood. I'll state here that the state of fresh seafood at every resort town is a joke. Most places have next to nothing that is LOCAL. One place here tried to sell me shrimp that they said was frozen from December. Aside from Whalebone, every local market I went to was a joke. You might as well buy from the supermarket. They were cheaper. In the next town I will write about, they told me it is too hot this time of year for anything local. Their shrimpers had to go to NC. Oyster farmers won't supply them. Took pics at the pier. Watched Billy Joel HBO documentary.

The next day I drove 64 to 94 to 264 to 17 to avoid 95. Still takes too long to get through Wilmington and Myrtle Beach. Tried the BLT, Chicken Q and Chicken Wrap at Cook Out in Surfside SC. Got into Charleston early enough to get fried oysters to go at The Wreck (MvF). Surprise, they use gulf oysters not local ones. Cute, ramshackle location near the creek though. Slept at the Comfort Inn at Patriot's Point (Expedia 8.8) in Mt Pleasant for $114 a night for two nights. Great location. Walked to the Golf Links and College of Charleston soccer and baseball fields. Found a trail that hugged the river. Watched the sunset at the river below the Ravenal Bridge. Hotels were way cheaper than I expected for this time of year. Watched Toronto Open. 

The next day I drove to downtown Charleston and had an overpriced ($60) swordfish (from NC) and broccoli rabe lunch at Chez Nous. It was on a list of favorite's by Callie on that show How She Rolls. Drove up King St to Graft and bought a bottle of overpriced wine. Also on that show. Her brother owns it. Over a bit to Taco Boy for uninspired chicken taquitos. Chilled a bit and did some late day swimming at a beach on the river with free parking on Sullivan's Island. Parking is a problem on most of the other areas there. Stopped at Poe's Tavern for a poor shrimp salad sandwich with fries to go. Stopped near the creek at Kickin' Chicken for ok nuggets and tots to go. Watched the rest of the Billy Joel doc.

The next day I drove home. Traffic jams just south of Jacksonville and in Daytona Beach. At noon! Spent $153 on gas. $679 on hotels. $375 on the rest. $1207 total. Two new stadiums. Two new oysters. Ten new restaurants. Five new breweries/beers. One new cider. Three new wineries/wine. Wish I had known the Greensboro Open was that week. Minors are a pain because they don't play on Monday. I couldn't justify wasting a day in Winston Salem during a heat wave for instance. Distance to Hatteras from 95 is a real pain. It's kind of low class on top of it. Only went to justify all those miles I had already put on my car. I left on Saturday and returned on Friday. I think Friday had less traffic!

Grub Crawl -- Apopka and Altamonte Springs: Just Like Momma's, Three Odd Guys Brewing (Moved to Longwood), Apopka Pizza and Mis Antojitos

I tried these spots today at lunch. The first three are in a strip mall on 5th St. That is one block south off Park Ave in the center of town. The last is in an old hot dog and ice cream shack on 436 back towards 434.

Just Like Momma's Soul Food and Wings  I had a three piece fried chicken with side and rice and corn bread for $12. They gave me six wings instead. Breaded. Ok. Small. Rice had no taste. Side (Mac) had none either. Isn't flavor an essential/renowned component of soul food? CB was good. Muffin looking. The cost is too much for this amount of food. The menu has things like oxtail ($18) and smash burgers ($10). The place is large. Black with some gold accents. A stage. Around twenty tables. Closed M and Tu. It was their one year anniversary today. You don't have to rush here. It was just like my momma's. She couldn't cook either.

Three Odd Guys Brewing - Next door to Momma. I tried a flight of five for $12. Mostly good. The place is large. Black with corrugated tin. Sofas. Games. High tops. Picinic tables. Tvs. Brewing equipment. Opens at 2pm on week days. Opening a sister location in Longwood. Open for five years. No outside food allowed.

Apopka Pizza - Inside Odd Guys. Steel pizza oven. Also do knots, stromboli and a few other items. I had a plain 12" pizza for $14. Ok. Fake cheese. Good crust.

Mis Antojitos Street Food - May have been their first day. I had three tacos at $2.45 a piece. The meats (pastor, pierno de cerdo and birria) were good. Salsa and limes were fresh. Two issues. Homemade looking corn tortillas weren't warmed on the grill. Tasted raw. What was supossed to be pastor tasted and felt like chicken. I was eating while driving, so, I'm unsure. They also offer up ten antojitos like hot dogs, nachos and elote. Sopes, tortas, quesadillas, burritos, etc. Seafood. Five special plates. Drinks. Sides. Kids menu. Good pricing. They cleaned up that little hut. New picinic tables and umbrellas too. Out of Vera Cruz. Would have been a Favorite if not for the issues cited. Worth a pop in. Good parking.

*I checked out the lechonera place on 436 near Apopka that I espied last time and another place that turned out to be a sushi/steak place (unclear if still in business). The lechonera couldn't be bothered to list prices and English was a foreign language. It seemed like you had to do a full meal. Rice and beans are almost always no temptation to me. So, I passed on this pity fuck. There was also a market next to Antojitos that served that kind of buffet meal. This seemed more Cuban though.

Grub Crawl - SoDo: Fritterbox (Closed) and Naz's

I went to these spots on South Orange Ave today at lunch. The first replaces Costa Rican coffee house Tico Forest in a strip mall near Gaitlin. The second replaces what I recall as a Miami based mac chain in a strip mall near that condo complex that has the Target. Closer to DT.

Fitterbox - Looks franchise ready. But a one off. They sell fritters and drinks. Both made to order at the location. I had a lamb and chicken combo box to go for $12. Really good. Ate them all before I got home. Sweet avocado dipping sauce. Probably home made. The fritters can be a bit bland if you don't get a piece of meat. The sauce helps with that. Twelve pieces. Thin. Oval shaped. Not too oily. Container was ecofriendly. Bag was some accordion like thing that expanded into a coiled basket. The do mixes of lamb, chicken, plantain, chickpea, turkey, turkey neck, etc. You can get a (here's a reversal) side of meat for $6+. I should have done that. Didn't figure it out until after I ordered. They also gave me a glass of a jackfruit/peanut smoothie they were concocting. Nice. One of the "drinks". Three employees. Friendly. From Jamaica. A few wood booths and tables. Lots of open space. Fairly large footprint. Light blue coloring. A few posters. Pretty good value at $1 a fritter. Could sneak in as a dark horse Fav due to originality. Open for L&D. Looks like they could use the publicity. Open for a month or so.

Naz's Halal Food - Not worth the wait. I guess they are a chain founded on a push cart in Queen's. Gryos and platters in the usual chicken or lamb (says with beef) options. Falafel and fried fish. Burgers, CSs, wings, nuggets round out the Arabic menu. That's a joke btw. We already have Halal Guys and Shah's and other chains in this segment. We didn't need another. A worse one. I had a mixed gyro for $10. Lamb was like Shah's. Chunks. Chicken was cubier and plain. I picked white sauce (green, hot, bbq). Ok? Pita was ok. Veg was ok. But, it came out in seconds and just looks sloppy. Sloppy like the place. It is one week old and it already looks years old. Like they didn't clean up after the last place closed down. And it also started off sloppy. Maybe this location is cursed? No need to rush over here. No tables. No decorations. Order at a counter. Opened a week ago. L&D. Until 2am! 4am on WE! But it is a Nahs for Naz's. It's like a pizza place that offers you ranch dressing.

Grub Crawl - UCF Area: Haraz, Luminescent and Hong Kong Alley's Kitchen *CA/NV Travel Notes

I tried these spots today at lunch. The first is on Alafaya near 50. The second is east of that on 50 before the 408 (?). The last is in a strip mall back towards Orlando on 50. There is a bowling alley and Bravo supermarket there. I also got more items at Shah's and Juici Patties because these sucked so badly. I really only made the journey for Haraz.

Haraz Coffee House - They said they were Yemeni. Have 28 locations. I guess the media makes things seem worse than they are because I was under the assumption that the whole country was lawless rubble. This place looks sharp. Just opened a month ago. Light tones. Gold accents. Dubai chocolate. Beverages, pastries and savories. I chose a butter leek pastry that the receipt lists as parmesan leek. It was ok. Probably not made there. It cost $5.50. Empanadas were $6. The sweet items were around $8. It was a bit overpriced for me. Twenty tables. Mix of Arabs and UCFers. Order at a counter. A bit of a wait. 

Luminescent - They serve booze too. Only after 5pm though. No logical reason supplied. I had a $4 small Americano because I hate these places and this is all they have anyway. At least they attempt to provide a reason (booze) for existing. Typical store bought pastries. Large footprint. Spartan. Oval bar in the center. Open since June.

Hong Kong Alley's Kitchen - They said open for seven years. I'll bet that is this iteration of it. Place looks forty years old. Spartan. Twenty tables. I just had an egg drop soup to go for $3 because this was a pity fuck to begin with and they weren't serving a lunch special ($13) on the weekends. It was the usual. Wonton crackers stale as always. Typical menu for the region. Catering to hispanics. Clientele (3 and 2 take out) was mostly that and that kind of music being played.

*Travel Notes - California and Nevada: I flew to SFO on United for $237 (really $37 because I used a $200 credit they gave me for screwing up the Bozeman flight). 7pm (two hours late because rain and failure to fuel up) and red eye (30 minutes late because late from getting to us). Let me say here that SFO was a joy compare to the ass crack incompetency of MCO. Car from Hertz for a week at $339. I stayed the first night at Motel 6 near the San Jose airport for $104 rack rate. It was $80 thru travel booking sites. I drove around there for an hour rejecting hotels before I gave up. This was the cheapest by half (several had closed their offices). Book ahead. 

The next day I drove towards 680 to Huong Lan for a Thit Nguoi banh mi for $8. I believe I learned of this place from that PBS show from twenty years ago. It was the last on the list. Good banh mi. I then drove 680 to 84 through Livermore to the 580 to 205 to 120 towards Yosemite. It went through Manteca. Livermore and Manteca are on many wine labels. I'll have to go back and check out the wineries. I couldn't go through Yosemite before 2pm, so, I took 108 over it. I decided to go for it and took 395 all the way down to Big Pine and east to the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest twenty miles in. Make a left at the U of California something sign about halfway up. That is all they supply to guide you. It was late, so, I just did the short path. There is a four miler to the unmarked "star" Methusulah. I learned of this (I think) from this show by a guy named Aiello. Oldest trees in the world. Nearly 5k years old. $3 for parking if you don't have a parks pass. Worth it. I then drove back north. I didn't book a room ahead of time. expensive here as well. I settled on the $113 rack rate Townhouse Motel in Bishop. I had beer and a burger at the Mountain Rambler Brewery. 

The next day I had breakfast at Whiskey Creek because McDs wanted $3+ for a fucking hash brown. I had a three egg cheddar omlet with potatoes and toast for $13. McDs wanted $9+ for their shit pancake option. Whiskey Creek started at Mammoth. They said that closed. It was the OG. Brought back memories eating here. I didn't initially put two and two together. Drove north to June and Silver and Mono lakes. First time for the first two. The third has these dried up springs they call tufas. Grabbed a tri tip sandwich with tots at Bodie Mike's in Lee Vining (Mono Lake and west Yosemite entrance town). Drove up 395 (BTW construction at the 108 intersection) to Reno. I passed the road to a ghost town called Bodie. Will do next time. I stayed at the J Resort for $256 for three nights plus $102 RF. They upgraded me to the Aspen Tower. I walked about eight blocks down the river walk to Greater Nevada Field to see the Aces play for $30 (third base/left field). Ate chicken fingers there.

The next day I tried to eat at a diner (3D) down the street. It was being renovated. Got the car and drove up Virginia a few blocks to University of Nevada. Back to 80 and east a few miles to Sparks and the Carolina Kitchen and Barbecue Co. Excellent brisket and better ribs. PS and Mac were meh. Saw them on 3D. Back to Reno. Had beer at Pigeon Head Brewery and Slieve Brewing Co. I should mention here that if you weren't in the mountains it was in the upper nineties. I had dinner of a venison patty melt, ff and beer at Washoe Public House (3D).

The next day I drove to South Lake Tahoe (395 to Carson City to 50) to see the American Century Championship at Edgewood for $56. Parked at Bally's (passersby said it was the cheapest by far) for $35. It was great. So many stars. Curry, Barkley,  J Allen, Romo, Rice, Anika, Kelces, Rodgers, etc. Course was beautiful. Music and shooting hoops at 17. Great weather. Had an ok turkey club there for $16 ($6 for the soda). I grabbed two terrible slices at Noble Pie (3D) when I got back. 

The next day I drove 80 to the 5S. Went all the way down to Lost Hills. I tried to stop for a 3D lunch in Truckee, but, those pricks parking metered the whole town. I'm not paying to pay to eat in your little hick town. I took 46W to Blackwell's Corner General Store. It was the last place James Dean stopped at before he crashed. I went on to the intersection at 41 where he bought it. They are redoing the highway, so, you can't see (or stop) where the crash happened. I had just seen a documentary on it. It must have been old. There is an unmarked memorial a half a mile up on the left. There is a sign/symbol for a restaurant that isn't open any longer. That is the only marker. I went west to Paso Robles. I stayed at the Adelaide Inn for $138 rack rate. I t was the only one I inquired at. Online said the whole area was booked up or over $375. I got groceries/wine at a Smart & Final and a Grocery Outlet. There must be over a hundred wineries there. Will do them next time. And some kind of fair set up where they seem to have concerts, etc. Watched HR Derby.

The next day I drove back east a mile or so to take photos of the wineries I passed. Then down 101 to the 1 at Pismo Beach. I was there for the clam chowder in a bread bowl at Splash Cafe. I saw that on Rick Stein's Monterey to Mexico. It had a big line. Must be famous for other reasons. I walked the pier. Went up 101 to SLO and onto 1. It is still closed 40 miles past San Simeon (people said it hasn't stopped land sliding). No warning until then. I had to backtrack ten miles to 46. Took that to Paso Robles. Up the 101 to Salinas. Then the 68 to Monterey. I stayed at the Arbor Inn (Booking 8.3) for $108. Found wine and groceries at Trader Joe's a few blocks away. Watched ASG.

The next day I had breakfast at Wild Plum Cafe (3D) down the block. They even had parking. Salsa steamer with potatoes and toast. Steamed eggs. I drove down Del Monte to Monterey's Fish House (3D). Had an ENORMOUS serving of fried red snapper with fries for $23. Doggy bagged most of it. Drove 1 up to Half Moon Bay. 92 to 101 to the airport. Got gas near the exit that has driving range nets. Returned the car.

Lucked out on the accidents/traffic. Could have done better on hotel costs (but wanted the flexibility). Didn't really have a plan when I booked the ticket. Had a lot of fun. Seemed like every inch of this region is growing grapes. Spent $155 on gas. Had to be smart to keep it under $5 a gallon. Nevada wasn't much cheaper. Suburbs around Reno were gouging. $820 on hotels. $135 for MCO parking, $509 on everything else. $1995 in total. 

Grub Crawl - NoDo and SoDo: Beignets & Brew and Lucky Goat

I went to these wastes of time and money (and real estate) on Wednesday. I was just eliminating crap from the list on the way to the airport. Dinner was to be at Fritterbox. They were too expensive to do a drive by. I will do them properly in the future.

Beignets & Brew - They replaced an equally superfluous coffee place a few weeks ago. I grabbed an Arnold Palmer for $3 because it was the cheapest thing. These idiots sweeten both elements. Thankfully I chose unsweetened tea. They sell beignets at around $10. I'm not a fan. Too much powdered sugar. They also had chicken tender sandwiches at mid-teens. Croissant sandwiches at high single digits. Coffee, etc. Place is hopital white. I think it is a chain. On North Orange. Pass.

Lucky Goat - Even worse. Just coffee etc with a few unmarked muffins etc. I had a cookie for $4. Shit. Small. Black paint. Open three weeks. Pointless. In the strip mall at Gaitlin on South Orange.

Baku, Florida Mall Area *England Travel Notes

I tried this Asian/Latin Fusion Bar on Tuesday at night. I thought it would be a little less demanding/expensive, so, I just had that fried rice to go for $16. I think. They gave me someone else's receipt. It was a good choice. Old school fried rice (black/oily/salty) with bits of egg and onion and a ton of pork, chicken and three shrimp. So much that I had half a container of that left over after eating the rice up. Can you believe that all the old take out places used to make it like this (minus the chicken and shrimp) and include it for free? I was going to just have a bite and put it away and hit my pillow. I downed it all. Six hour time change and all. The menu is odd. Around eight cuts of sushi/sashimi at around $8 for an order. A few expensive rolls. Maybe a tiradito or ceviche? Crab Rangoons. Bao. A steak fajita plate with bao instead of tortillas. A risotto with an Asian mushroom. That's all I can remember. They made me flick through an online menu on a cell phone. They just took over for the original owners a few days before. I think it opened seven months ago. I think these guys are out Miami. I think they said from Maracaibo Venezuela. It is on the corner of Sand Lake and OBT on the mall side. It was about half full at nine pm. Almost all hispanic. Lounge-y. Bar in the rear. Around twenty tables. My jet lagged brain recalls alot of black and fake sakura trees. Around four wait staff. two sushi guys. One hostess. I believe they open at 4pm. I'd like to add that I think I saw around four, newish (mostly Latin) restaurants at the different corners of this intersection while trying to find Baku.

*Travel Notes - England: I flew BA to Gatwick for $656. Ok there. One hour plus delay coming back because some douche left a lithium battery in his checked bag. I told you that I could have flown Norse again for $100 plus cheaper. The neverending check in lines once again made me glad I didn't. I got my boarding pass in seconds both times. You have to get an ETA visa. Mine worked. Passport in a machine at Gatwick. That's all. Exchange rate was $1.35. Last year was ten cents better. I'm listing (non-hotel) prices in Pounds. You do the conversion. 

21L train to Victoria Station. Bought a ticket to Eastbourne at a specific time for 16L. 30L otherwise! I'll add here that the machines always screw you with even an off peak anytime ticket. You have to ask a person at the ticket window and hope they aren't dicks who lie and say that is the only option. I found that women were much less lazy about working with you. Walked below Hyde Park (Brompton to Cromwell) west to Kensington. Past Harrod's, the museums and Hitchcock's house. Stayed there for the Queens Club tennis tournament. First night at St James Backpackers in a single room with private bath (Expedia 7.1) for $91. Walked the area (scouted Queen's Club) and over to Holland Park and Kensington Gardens and Notting Hill. Past Ford Madox Ford's house. Tesco (ate almost every meal here or at another market or McD's) for dinner and crashed. Note - don't use "free fee" ATMs like theirs. Horrible conversion rate and fee if you don't have their card. Watched tennis. I'll add here that I mostly chose Expedia for rooms because Booking has a glitch where they list one price and then it changes when you get the confirmation, but, the receipt has the first price. I even brought this to their attention (not easy) and they don't seem to give a fuck. I can't be bothered. Plus their prices were usually worse.

The next day I went back to Queen's Club to get my "app" ticket printed out. Then continued on to Fulham FC's stadium and the Pier on the Thames. Back along the Thames to Hammersmith Bridge. Back east to my new shit room at the Holland Inn (Expedia 5.4) for $193 for two nights. I'll interject here that it was over 90 degrees every day in London. Not much cooler elsewhere. No rain. No ac. They switched me to the second floor on night two. It was more or a sweat box and in worse condition. I walked further north in Notting Hill and back through Holland Park. Watched tennis.

The next day I went to the tennis. I paid $51 for this and the next tournament online with fees before I left. Just grounds access. It was fun. Stayed longer than I thought I would. Cute little set up. I'll add here that I did so much walking in shitty sneakers with a backpack that I was pretty worn out and achy most of the time.

The next day I walked along the south end of Hyde Park past Royal Albert Hall to Victoria Station to Eastbourne. Past the Man with Poles chalk outline in Polegate. Stayed at the Haddon Hall Hotel (Expedia 9.4) for $111 for two nights! I thought I was going to get hosed here because of all the extra tourists. Nope. Went to the tennis center. Had them print out my "app" ticket. I had been here before so I didn't do the Hop on Bus. Walked the esplanade. 

The next day I went to the tournament. Tons of "real" action and players though it was a qualifying round. Stayed all day. 

The next day I bought a 21L ticket to Portsmouth (through Brighton) for cash because they couldn't use the internet to process tickets. Then delays because they killed someone on a track further along. Got into Porstsmouth at around 3pm and walked the rest of the esplanade that I was too tired to do the last time. All the way past the Pier and Marine Museum. Stayed near the Cathedral at the Duke of Buckingham (Expedia 8.0) for $69. I liked this area better than near the train station like last time. 

The next day I bought a ticket to Glouster (Saw a chalk horse on the train near Westbury) for 66L. I was going for Bristol, but, the hotel prices were ridiculous. Turned out well. Cute town. Decided to do another night as well. Stayed at the New Country Inn (Expedia 7.6) on the main street the first night. At the bus station, I got info on getting to some towns in the Cotswald's. Walked to the Cathedral and quays from the canals and River Severn.

The next day I took a 94 bus (3L per direction) to Cheltenham. Cute town. Hotel prices were ridiculous. Another 801 bus to Stow on Wold (I think I saw this on Rick Steves. The better town was probably Burton on the Water. Didn't get off there because I was having trouble contacting the next nightmare of a hotel that was supposed to send a code to get in and never did. I reconned it before the bus and found this out. They claimed someone would be there at 4pm (lie) and the buses only came around every 90 minutes or so. So, I couldn't fit even a short stop in. Finally got the code. Hotel was further south near a park. Distances were close. Turned out to be near a new mall and the quays. Never met an actual human. City Center Guest House (Booking 6.6). It cost $73.

The next day I bought a 18L train ticket to Wolverhampton (from a girl vs a machine that quoted double). I stayed at the Redwings Lodge (Expedia 7.2) near their football stadium on Waterloo for $65. I was here to get to Telford and on to the Ironbridge on River Severn. The Industrial Revolution started there. And they built the first bridge out of iron. When I got to Wolverhampton, it was only noon. So, I bought a RT ticket to Telford for 11L. I screwed up at Telford and didn't get on the 4 bus at the station to Madeley. They talked me into going to City Center (turned out to be a mall) bus station and getting the 8. It gets you closer (right at the Iron Bridge Gorge), but, takes longer and the bus back comes less frequently. I'd do the walk down and up the hill to the 4. Also 3L each direction. I saw the bridge, etc. Got a large pork pie at Eley's. Walked to the blast furnace (up hill) and back and walked up the hill to the 4. Let it take me to the train station. Back to Wolverhampton. Through town. Took pics of the stadium. 

The next day I went to the art museum and walked through the rest of the town. Bought a ticket to Birmingham for 6L. It was close. Saw the sites near the train station. Town Hall, Art Museum, Library, Music Hall, Bull Ring (mall), New St, Cathedral, Council House, etc. Even the bar where Black Sabbath started. I was shocked by how much I liked the city. I had only driven through twice and it seemed like a shit hole. Seems like alot of recent refurbing. I'll be back. Stayed at the Easy Hotel (Expedia 8.0) for $66. They were the only cunts that wouldn't check me in until 3pm. Watched Glastonbury.

The next day I bought another hose job, machine ticket to Reading for 47L. I stayed here because it was a Saturday and London prices were crazy. Plus I had wanted to see the racetrack at Ascot or see Henley on the Thames again and that seemed doable from there. I settled on Ascot. The famous races (Royal Ascot) had just finished the weekend before. None on that day. RT ticket cost 7L. Half hour ride. Two minute walk. Took me about 90 minutes. FYI - there is a local bus to Henley. I stayed at a worse Easy Hotel (Expedia 7.6) on the south side of the station near the Thames. There was a cute park path along it. Kind of hidden. Too tired to walk it. Watched Glastonbury.

The next day I walked though town. Reading Minster, Broad St, Town Hall, Park, Abbey Ruins. Henry I is buried there. Hose job 28L train to London. Only Paddington or Waterloo. I did Paddington and walked through Hyde Park to near Victoria Station and the Z Hotel Victoria (Expedia 6.4) for $100. It was $260 the next night! Had tv and then midnight sewer pipe issues. Had to demand room move. You hear the subway cars too! Bought a fixed time ticket to Eastbourne again for 16L. Bought a ticket to Sunday matinee of Wicked for 46L. Saw that for the first time. Can't stop singing the phrase - "unadulterated loathing". Watched Glastonbury finale. 

The next day I walked to Buckingham Palace. Train to Eastbourne. Stayed at the less nice and more expensive Eastbourne Riviera Hotel (Expedia 8.2) on the other side of the pier. Walked down the shore to the east for a few miles for the first time. Watched Wimbledon.

The next day took a 10am train to Gatwick for 21L. Took an hour. Flew home. Their xray machines were all screwed up. Every bag was getting flagged. Sailed through our end.

Another good trip. Two tennis tournaments, a few remote obscurish sites, a new city, a musical, a few new towns and stadiums, a famous race track, two shots at London. Spent 260L ($350) in cash - including one train ($27) and all the buses ($27). Mostly food and wine. $1016 in hotels. 277L ($373) in trains. $156 in rental cars instead of parking at airport. $51 in sports tickets. $62 in theater tickets. $26 for ETA. $2690 in Total. Drank wine every night. Typical dinner of antipasti and dips. Tried a feta dip. Much tzatziki. Had some vegetables. Minimal digestive emergencies. Lots of gas. Saw hot dog flavored chips. One interesting shop of Asian food at Victoria Station - Oseyo. Tip - take the escalator up a level. Better food court with ac. Tried to budget the hotels and meals. Going before July 4th may be better. Didn't see many foreigners outside of London. ETA visa may be to blame. Watched many popular "tv" episodes of shows like Andor on the plane. And Wicked. 

Grub Crawl -- Winter Park: Imperial and Jala

I tried these spots today at lunch. The first is about halfway up Park Ave. The second is a touch further on Morse in a space that was last Bridge something. Next to Luca Turci. I was here to compare a chaufa or other $20 lunch special at the rebranded Ceviche with some fried rice I had at another spot the night before. They wouldn't seat me earlier than noon, so, I told them to sit and spin and tried these.

Imperial on Park - This was their second day of serving lunch. I had the pressed duck and brie sandwich that was inspired by the one at Dexter's. It wasn't as good. The duck had little taste. Not that much of a serving. Shredded vs pieces. Ok brie. Grilled onions. Some kind of aoili. Average roll (dry). Insipid, undressed, limp, old, ignored side salad. It cost $19. Way too dear. Leaves you hungry. The menu is equally dull. I recall salmon (ehh) tacos and on a salad. A burger. Around a dozen forgetable items. The place looks like an Imperial. They all are as similar as an Applebee's at this point. Not bad. Just the same. Shabby chic. Bar on the right. Two televisions. Twelve tables. Maybe a back room. Some patio seats. One (good) waitress and a barkeep. Two other tables seated.

Jala Indian Fine Dining - I was their first. They just opened that minute. From Tampa. Means "water" in Sanskrit. Indian. Duh. I grabbed an order of chicken tikka masala to go for $20. Mostly because I have been waiting to slip in that tikka means "pieces" according to someone I listened to on tv. I thought it described the sauce. It was ok. A bit sweet. And it had peppers. Also onions. Medium heat was not hot at all. A good amount of dark meat chicken. The basmati rice was prepared properly. Came out quick. The menu is large. The categories are: Veg starters, non-veg starters, soups, kids, sides, chicken, seafood, tandoor, lamb, goat, biryani, naan, 24k collection, desserts, drinks, cocktails and beer. They give you a free beer, champagne, etc with a meal. Expect $20 to be the low water mark. Up to $55. They re-purposed (why they are up and running in a month) some of the old layout. Made it better though. Lounge-y vibe. Twelve tables. Big, cushion wall on the left. Earth tones. Bar on the right. Narrow floor plan. Four waitresses. Open at 11am. Seven days. I wasn't planning on going here. Just saw it looking for parking. Glad I did. I wish I had eaten here and had Imperial as the take away.

Grub Crawl - Casselberry and Curry Ford Rd: Baffone and 88 Donuts

I tried both of these bakeries on Tuesday at lunch. The first is in a strip mall just southeast of the Red Bug Lake overpass on 436. On Sausalito Rd to the right. The second took over for a short lived Thai place in a strip mall almost at the center of this area of the road.

Baffone Italian Bakery - Hardly just a bakery. They have good looking, large examples of those items too. But, it is the "real" food that should be of concern. I had fettucine Bolognese for $14. It wasn't the best I've ever encountered, but, it was pretty good for Orlando. They make their own pasta. Sadly, it wasn't stirred in the pot and come out stuck together. It was also overcooked.  Plus it should be tagliatelle if you ask a citizen of Bologna. The meat seemed to be just beef. The sauce needed salt and maybe a bitter more dairy of any kind. There was no rush, so, the cook should have been able to avoid these mistakes. It was much more than I came in the door expecting. Ok plating. Fresh focaccia (underbaked) to start with a goopy (aged) sweet balsamic and olive oil to snack on. Free. Mexican restaurants are now charging for their scraps made out of leftovers and these guys offer up fresh bread with dips that cost moree than the aforementioned scraps. The plating was good. Nice tableware. The napkin wasn't cloth, but, thick and embroidered. Fairly large menu at more than acceptable prices. They even do breakfast. They do pizza, bruschetta, pasta, ciabatta, sandwiches, and salads. Cacio e pepe and carbonara as examples. Everything in the teens. The place looks ok. Five tables of six and two for two. Black, exposed duct ceiling. Tan walls. Wood tables with metal rimmed chairs. Decorated table tops. Glass display counters. The owner said it took him a year to get to the finish line. He is from Naples. Seemed to be the wait staff for now. Open until 5pm, I think. Open for three weeks. Could be a Favorite. I may have to make a "surprise" category. When I compare this value prop vs (say) Luca Terci, I have to laugh. Their cannoli are $8 vs these guys' $3. I think you need to get here before the word gets out.

88 Donuts - I grabbed a chocolate and glazed for $1.75 a piece. Excellent. They had other types and non-donut varieties. Glass case. White. A few seats. Opened recently. Lots of parking

Grub Crawl - Universal Area: Akasaka and Yama Sushi *MA/NH/ME Travel Notes

I tried these spots around Universal on Tuesday at lunch. The first used to be Amura. It is near the Barnes and Noble in the strip mall on the left side of Sand Lake at Dr Phillips. The second is on Kirkman in the strip mall on the left near Fun Spot. I also was reminded of Madras and Chima Steakhouse around it. The latter is mostly pm, but, does lunch on Sa and Sn. $28 for the salad bar and $42 for the meat. Cheaper than Davina. Didn't see the quality. Space looks as good or better. Semi dress code. And near Sushi Yama near I-Drive they are changing a Brazilian that I'm unsure ever opened to Eskina (also Brazilian). And they opened up that area of the parking lot so that you can merge onto I-Drive.

Akasaka - I was a little disappointed when I learned that it isn't new. Just their yakatori bar (Tapanomi) is. I'm now unsure if I had eaten here before. I did as Amura. I had the fiery garlic chicken bento box for $16 because all the sushi was outrageously priced (two piecers STARTED at $9) and the other hot stuff didn't come with as much. Almost did a katsu curry for $18 just to thumb my nose at Cowboy Curry. Let's start with the drink. Water with many floaties. Second try was ok. Refill filled with sea monkeys again. Then I boxed up and left. The bento started with the iceberg lettuce and orange dressing. Served first in a separate bowl. Larger than usual (this will be a theme). Rubbery cuke. Ok cherry tomatoes. Right behind it, (is pacing even taught anymore) came the box. Around 32 cubes of pretty good chicken. Mostly white meat. The sauce was a bit sweet. Kind of orange and ginger tasting. Garlic of course. No fire. Broccoli (mushy) and carrots an onions. The rice was cooked properly. Great (1pc) broccoli and potato and carrot tempura. Ok spring roll. Filling indefinable per usual. Ponzu dipping sauce. Worth the money. Way better than Miyaji. The menu is a mixture of Japanese, Korean and Latin influences. Kono arepa or antijos. Salmon coquitos. For example. Whatever the hell those are. Some Korean favorites. Ramen. Some "fancy" fish cuts. Sashimi. The cheapest roll is $16! Alcohol. Lots of choices. Hard to tell what to make of the place. It was unkempt. I had crumbs on my seat. Congealed mess on the table. Drips on the floor. The dehumidifier was on mail crates. The place has darker earth tones. Wood. Two different looks mashed together. Golden, spikey chandeliers. Basket chandeliers. Around fourteen booths and four tables in the main room. A long sushi bar across from the entrance. Bar with seats on the left. Photo booth. Two sushi preparers and two wait staff. Open for lunch and dinner. Two tables seated. Ok if you choose wisely.

Sushi Yama - A bit of a shocker. It was big, pretty tidy/new and bumping. Everyone had to wait a few minutes for a table. Since the draw may be the $22 AYCE (and I had already eaten), I just had a yellowtail and scallion roll to go for $6. It took thirty minutes and I had to push them on it. Not a to go place. It was ok. Tiny, cigar width pieces wrapped in nori. Shoestring french fry sized fish cut. The prep was cute. Tossed in an orchid. The place is a long rectangle. Lowish ceiling. Three rows of five booths and/or tables on each side. Huge space between where the entrance and sushi prep area is. Bar on the right. Many servers. You have to go through them. Two hour limit. Last seating at 3pm. You can order ala carte. Most of the usual Japanese stuff. Hibachi, teriyaki, tempura, katsu, udon, soba, the apps, etc. Tons of rolls. Prices in general are in line. Their rolls start at $5. Sushi at $3.75. Quality looked fine. Mostly white and black color scheme. Japanese items like drums and lanterns. Wood. Opened recently. Word seems to be out. Parking is no issue. Opens at noon. Let the gorging begin. Yama means mountain. Not sure what is included/disallowed for the AYCE.

*Travel Notes - Massachusetts/New Hampshire/Maine: I bought a ticket to Boston Logan on Delta/Frontier for $147. AM flights. No issues. TSA was fast. I took the bus (Silver Line) to the Airport T Station. Bought a four ride pass from a machine for $9.60. Got on the Blue Line. Switched to the Orange Line at State to the North St Station. Got off and walked past the Garden to the littler bridge to the right. Walked over it and right to the Charleston Navy Yard NHS. I will interject here that the purpose of this trip was to mark off five of the last seven National Parks/Historical Sites, etc remaining. Some I had kind of seen. All were free except the black one. I walked down to the Visitor Center and out to (and on and in) the USS Constitution. Old Ironsides. Then over to the USS Cassin Young. Then past the dry dock to the museum. Didn't go in. It was like $30. Unaffiliated with the park. Lots of school kids around. I then headed up to the huge obelisk at Bunker Hill. Been around it before. This time I climbed the 300 steps. Killed my legs. Some great photos though. I then walked to the Boston African American NHS on Joy St. Like I said, it was just some collab with what I think was an existing museum to shoe horn in inclusion. Not much there either. To get there (Beacon Hill) I think I walked from the bridge to some street called Standiford and then right. I stopped at a pizza place called Florina near the State House. Had a really good slice. They had some sign saying the best of something for some year(s). I walked down to the Charles and followed it a ways until the first bridge (to MIT). Then on the other side (Memorial Dr) until the Weld Boat House at Harvard (Harvard St). This was much longer than I remembered. It was also above 90. Too tired and calf cramping to seek the football stadium on the other side of the river. Walked up to Mt Auburn. Left. Onto Brattle St. Up a few blocks to the Longfellow House NHS. It was Washington's HQ during the Rev. Back to the T Station nearby and took the Red Line back towards the city center to the Green Line at Park St. Took the B line (there are four Green Lines) towards BC. Goes past BU. Got off at Washington St. A block up to the Hotel Boston (Booking 7.0). I will state here that hotel prices in Boston were mostly well over $200 (pre-tax). There were some hostels with a bed amongst 8 for under $90. This cost $183. Booking made it weird. It was supposed to be a Queen. Then the final web page said it was $10 more. Then the hotel said it was a King. My credit card says it was the first price. I rebooked for the next night direct because I was too tired to deal with another lengthy round of research that night and the guy quoted $168. Then I paid and learned that was before tax. Oh well. The best thing around was a Whole Foods. I bought a 14oz smoked salmon at 50% off, dark chocolate, water crackers and hummus. Had to buy the wine at another place (Babuska Deli). I think this area was once East European and/or Jewish. Sunny day. All these environs were safe to walk.

The next day I had the hotel print out directions and walked down and to the right and then a left (forget the streets - Clinton?) to Warren and past Boyleston. To the Brookline Reservoir. Around a mile and a half. Past that a few hundred yards to Fairsted (Frederick Law Olmstead NHS). The Central Park, Stanford Uni, etc guy. Back to a right on Walnut and right to Harvard St. North to Beals. About midway, I had a Friendly's sundae and a grape soda (first time since I was in grade school I think) at a Stop and Shop. It was only 95 that day. Is the quote - sweating like a whore in church? Speaking of which, past the church that the Kennedy's used to frequent (St Aidan's?) to his birthplace (JFK NHS). Right on Beals. Then further down the street to Naples and Abbotsford a few blocks away to the house they moved to a decade later. It is the yellow house on the corner. Met the son of the owner who was walking his dog. He could have been bsing me. No signs/plaques. Internet pic looks like it. Different color. Then over to Commonwealth and walked all the way back to Washington. Just cheese (Brebicet sheep brie 50% off) that night. Had salmon, etc left over. More wine from Babushka. From Peru! I just watched tennis (Birmingham) both nights because they only had the Roku like tv. Sunny day. All these environs were safe to walk.

The next day I took the Green Line (of course that day they start repair work) to a shuttle bus that ended at the Back Bay Station (not a direct route). Took the Orange Line to the Blue Line to the airport. Bus to rental car center. I used a three day coupon from Budget and a $240 rental was free. They even gave me a 3k Toyota Rav 4. Lots of selection. I took 1A to the 60 through Saugus to the 1N. This was so easy (and no tolls) that I think I'm going to stop going through Albany for the annual NE trip. The airport was cake too. Nice (around forty mile) drive to NH. Really hungry, so, I stopped at the first respectable looking seafood place (Ray's Seafood and Chowder Shack in Portsmouth). There were billboards for a Ray's by the water (Rye?). I think I was tricked. Not a big deal. Everything was MP and I didn't feel like getting into it (and I had a lobster spot queued up), so, I just ordered a fried haddock with fries for $17. I think it was not frozen. Through to Arundel (ME). I stopped at Tradewinds Cafe and just had a taiyaki ice cream sandwich. Odd because this place was on Man vs Food for a Manimal Challenge. I wasn't going to do it and wasn't hungry enough and I think it has new owners and they stopped it. They only take cash. Onto Saco (via detour) and right onto 5E to Old Orchard Beach. Checked into the Old Orchard Beach Inn (Booking 7.6) for $120. Same paperwork issues with Booking as the last rental. It was cute. A bit noisy with bad curtains. At intersection of 5 an 98 above the Main St. Same bs Roku tv. Walked to the beach/pier. Been there before. It's worn. Rested a bit. Drove back to Saco. Chicken, hummus, wine, crackers from Hannaford's. Back on 5. Stopped at The Maine Lobster Claw Pound for some bad (no bellies/emaciated) pound of steamers at $18. Lobster was $20ish. Rainy day.

The next day I took 98N to 1N to 207E to 77N to Two Lights Rd and The Lobster Shack at Two Lights at Cape Elizabeth. This was also on the Man vs Food episode. Their lobster started at $40, so, I had a bad lobster roll for $25. They boil them. It was tough. They lied and said a roll has the same meat as a whole lobster. Maybe one knuckle and claw and a quarter of one side of a tail. They just plopped some mayo on it too. It was very foggy. I think the view is the thing. And the lighthouse. Back to 77 and north to 1A in Portland. Right to a place I espied last year (Clam Bar). Free parking. I had excellent pound and a quarter of steamers with garlic bread for $18. Back onto 1A (detour onto 295S) to 1S. Through to Wells. Stayed at the (nice view) The Garrison (Expedia 9.0) for $125. Back north to IGA for wine and 50% off goat cheese and popcorn. Stopped at a good looking restaurant called Bitter End for an atrocious Chopped Salad with pancetta to go for $16. Side salad size. No dressing. I think it gave me the runs. Rainy day.

The next day I drove to Portsmouth. I learned the night before that this ferry (Isles of Shoals Steamship Company) to this island (Star Island) was going at 1:20pm to 5:30pm for $38 ($5 for parking). I had been trying to do this for years. Saw it on Samantha Brown or Weekends with Yankee or both. The group of islands are about six miles off shore. I walked into town. Saw John Paul Jones' house and the North Church, etc. Settled on the Old Ferry Landing for lunch because they said they were the oldest and were closest to the water and I forgot to write down to places that have been on tv. Had a probably frozen tuna sandwich with fries for $24. Some great view of Portsmouth and forts and (mostly submarine) naval yards and prison and lighthouses. I saw one fort (Constitution) for the first time. Star Island was cute. Small. They gave a walking tour. There is a "hotel" on it. Learned some history like who the Poors from Standard and Poors was. Hightailed it back (zero traffic) to Revere (MA). Stayed at the Comfort Inn on 60/1A (Expedia 9.0) for $147 and $20 parking. I saw it on the trip up. Next to Amazon. Minutes from Logan. Trust the highway signs that point you to Logan. It was good/new. Dinner at Subway. Perfect weather day.

The next day I had to uturn to get gas. Should have used the station north (you have to go north an uturn onto 60S) because the the two stations (prices below $3) between there and the airport are on the other side and then you have to go back and uturn again. Traffic was bad here. Found out there is a station RIGHT next to rental car return. Didn't see the prices. Bus to Terminal E. No issues. 

Spent $15 on Gas. It was cheaper than here everywhere. $758 on Hotels. $102 on Airport Parking. $294 on everything else. $1316 in Total. Know Boston much better now. The girls there were in heat. Man I should have gone to college there. Man there were a lot of people fresh off the boat who didn't speak any English. Kind of did my annual NE trip. Knocked some other items off the list. Saw both kinds of weather. Could have done with a bit more lobster. Saw some selling for $10 a pound (uncooked). Steamers were $14 in the supermarket. I'd call it a successful sojourn. Felt really quick. Maine felt really spruced up.

Fritanga La Nueva, Orlando

I tried this Nicaraguan spot on 436 near 408 today at lunch. Next to an arepa place (Arepa Nueva?). I had a fried empanada looking thing they called an enchilada for $5. It was ok. Big. Very fried. Filled with (mostly) rice and peppers and strips of beef. The beef wasn't overdone. They tossed in some salsa and crema (cool attached lid containers). I think I paid an extra 40 cents for some vinegared cabbage sack. They said they have been there for seven years. They had items behind a glass. But, their English was so bad I just went with the first thing I pointed to. Not alot of choices. The usual pork and chicken and veg. They had some pastries. Basic. A few tables.

Grub Crawl - Apopka and Altamonte Springs: Empanada & Co and Bossa Nova

I tried these spots on Tuesday at lunch. The first is in a new food Hall (Halls on Fifth). You take 436 down and a left in the center of town at Park Ave and a right one block later. The second is back towards I4 in a strip mall a bit before 434. The back right corner. I also almost stopped at a lecheron place and a did stop (and left) across the street at an El Pollo clone called El Gallo?

Empanada & Co. - Branch of the one in Winter Garden. Had a ropa vieja for $5.50. It was ok. Had a Carib spice profile. Would have rather had a beef pie from the place near UCF for $3. The hall was dull. These things are becoming as cookie cutter as a food truck park. They had: Butchery Nook, Parlor Waffle, Soulicious, Sweet & Salty Island Grindz and Thrive (also DT). All were taking forever for few customers. Only one (stoned?) person in many stalls. The waffle one was without any. Most things start in the mid-teens. Ok little dining area around a cocktail bar. The two most interesting things were across the street and closed. Three Odd Guys Brewing and Just Like Mama's Soul Food. There was also some gingerbread store on Park that I hadn't recognized before. Hall has been open for a few weeks. Lots of parking. Not open on Monday. Opens at 11am. To 10pm? Sunday until 6pm?.

Bossa Nova Brazil Market & Cafe - Opened the day before. It looked more interesting than the food hall when I drove by. I had two empadas (chicken and hearts of palm) for $4 a piece. Both were good in their own way. The chicken was heartier. Had a condensed cream of chicken soup feel. The palm was lighter. The bottom of a cupcake looking pastry was very flaky. I also bought a rolled guava desert calleda bolo rolo for $5. A few seats. Four or five rows of goods. Some drinks. The menu had different types of small options like the one I had. Order at a counter. Looks new. From Sao Paolo. Plenty of parking. Not much competition on this side of town. If you want the experience, I guess you have to come here. Already had a crowd. Could sneak in as a Fav? Just dumb luck finding it.