Igor passed and we were good to go. Originally we planned on Chicago for week #3, but we canceled that and rebooked our trip for Bermuda. We had to go. Afterall, when do you get a chance to say you have been to Bermuda??? It was a difficult flight going there – a red eye to JFK and then a long layover – but in the end, it was worth it.
Bermuda, in the big scheme of things, is a small island. You can get around either by bus, taxi, or moped. We mainly took the taxi, but we were adventurous for one day and rented a moped. Let’s just say, I couldn’t drive it for the life of me. Thankfully, I just hopped behind Taro and cruised along as he navigated us around the island. Even though the speed limit is not that high (give or take 22 mph), it was the first time I was on a bike of any sort. I loved the openness of it, sightseeing while I had my arms wrapped around Taro. At times it was scary – cars passed on a two lane road – but overall, it was so much fun. Another thing different about Bermuda, besides the modes of transportation, are the beaches. They are absolutely beautiful. The sand is pink. Yes, pink! It is this beautiful shade of baby pink and it feels so gentle and soft! I loved walking on the beach (usually I cannot stand the harsh sand in California) as we headed for our snorkeling adventures. And snorkeling in Bermuda…can I just say, there were some big fish just five feet away from the shore! I was actually a bit scared because they were not only big, but they also were in groups of a dozen! Taro was able to snap some photos with our handy point-and-shoot enclosed in this cool contraption made for the water. Another part of Bermuda that was pretty amazing were the caves. The best one, though, was the cave where we were able to jump into the water and swim around with these amazing formations above us.
Overall, Bermuda was relaxing, amazing, fun, and an adventure. It was beautiful, serene, and a lovely place because the people are just so friendly and it made the stay even better. You couldn’t ask for a better trip nor a better destination for the All-You-Can Jet deal.
One of the first things that we did was book a snorkeling trip with Triangle Diving. Even though we were the only snorkelers amongst a group of divers, we were out in the open water and saw tons of fish and jellyfish. I was pretty intimidated by the jellyfish swimming around us, but they were so beautiful. For the majority of the trip, we used the point-and-shoot; I couldn’t imagine potentially losing our camera or dropping it in the water! It worked out better, though, because we were able to take our camera into the water and capture images of fish swimming by. It was pretty difficult, though, because you couldn’t see so we had to cross our fingers and hope that the photos came out. Luckily, it did and Taro captured some pretty awesome shots of life underwater.
After snorkeling, we walked around the Grotto Bay Resort, which was where Triangle Diving was located at. It turned out the hotel had their own caves (which were free to visit) so we were excited to see what mysterious wonder was at the bottom of the stairs. It turned out to be a beautiful sight!
Taro decided to cannonball into the water, which was freezing cold!
After visiting these caves, we actually grabbed a taxi and headed over to the Crystal Cave. Even though it was beautiful as well, the ones we stumbled upon were much more interesting, especially since we took a dip in the water.
There are different beaches you can go to in Bermuda. Each one is nearly private, with a handful of people here and there.
A sightseeing spot in Bermuda is the Dockyard. It essentially is a fort where you can also visit the Maritime Museum and buy their local treat, rum cake. It was fun exploring around the museum and acting like goofballs.
A photo of the lighthouse and also, me and Taro on the moped.
Leaving Bermuda. As you can see, it is not a very large island.
The last part of the trip that was memorable was our flight back to Los Angeles. Initially, we were frustrated because our flight was delayed from New York to Los Angeles due to the weather. While L.A. was having record numbers, it was raining in New York. Luckily, the Jet Blue terminal is filled with everything necessary – stores, food, and even a nail salon. While Taro browsed on the internet, I had my nails done. When we finally boarded our plane, it was delayed AGAIN because they had to check one of the wings. The pilot, however, stepped out from the cockpit and talked to us and told us a bit about his flying history and informed us that the plane we were on was actually a newer one. He offered the chance for people to go into the cockpit once we landed in L.A. I could not pass up the chance, even though I knew we were landing around 11 p.m. So once we touched down, and I waited after this other girl practically ran into the cockpit, the two pilots let me and Taro go inside and they told us about all the different buttons, controls, etc. I was even able to poke around in there. Taro actually asked if it would be okay if he took a picture of me (since I was in the main seat) and the pilot actually kindly said he would take a photo of both of us! I was so happy and giddy. It was the perfect ending to an unforgettable trip.
For the second weekend of our All-You-Can-Jet, we were supposed to be in Bermuda. But then there was this little thing called a hurricane. Oh, Igor, you really messed up our weekend plans. We had to cancel last minute and then rebook a trip immediately. (The pass requires at least three days in advance for all bookings.) We couldn’t book a flight for that Friday night so we decided to fly out Saturday morning at 7 a.m. Taro and I settled on Napa Valley – not quite Bermuda, but you also cannot beat Wine Country – and we headed off to adventure #2.
Even though we were thinking of a tropical island and sipping drinks along the beach, we salvaged the weekend with almost two days in Northern California. After spending what seemed like hours waiting for our car rental, we headed off and stopped first in St. Helena. We grabbed lunch at Giugni’s Deli, which has AMAZING sandwiches. The bread is soft and chewy, piles of meat and condiments are stacked, and they have their own secret Italian dressing that they add on to all their sandwiches. It was a great, light meal before we headed off for our wine adventure.
The first stop was Opus One, which we visited before approximately a year ago. I have to admit, at the time, I didn’t quite have an understanding of wine. I liked red wine, but couldn’t distinguish between the nuances and subtleties of different reds. I still can’t tell when there is a hint of raspberry or blackberry, but I am definitely much more open and can even drink drier reds. So, Opus One was good the first time, but this time, it was very good. I understood the difference in quality and it is quite evident that a year later, my palate has changed dramatically! After Opus One, we visited the Mondavi Winery, which was quite an experience. Taro and I signed up for the tour. The best part was definitely walking through the vineyard and picking off the grapes to try. Since it is almost harvest season, the grapes are ripe. It’s amazing when you have rows and rows of grapes, you can learn the differences in taste amongst them. I told Taro that our tour guide was in trouble because she didn’t know that I love eating grapes so Taro and I were just helping ourselves. After Mondavi, we actually visited one more before heading off to dinner. You really cannot compare to Napa. I love Solvang and Santa Ynez, but Napa is just…wonderful.
Saturday night’s dinner was at Press. Taro’s former coworker recommended it and it was a nice, casual dinner. It was more on the low-key side, which was nice. The most outstanding dish we had was actually the tomato salad. Taro and I absolutely love tomatoes and there were a variety on the plate along with cheese. Overall, it was a nice dinner although, if we had reservations for French Laundry, I would have gone in a heartbeat. Sigh…maybe next time.
Sunday morning started out on a fantastic note. Why? We had reservations at Ad Hoc. If you know me, I am in love with Thomas Keller. I absolutely loved Ad Hoc when we went there the first time. I loved Bouchon in Vegas and loved it in Los Angeles. I am still waiting to cross French Laundry off my list, but I was more than happy to dine at Ad Hoc. I was extremely giddy walking into the restaurant and could not wait to see what was on the menu. All I can say is it was nothing short of amazing: Salad of Living Butter Lettuce and Duck Confit and Waffles. It was Keller’s spin on chicken and waffles and wow. I don’t even know how to express how delicious it was. I devoured the entire thing, forgetting that dessert was still to come. And that, too, was amazing.
Foodie heaven. That’s all I can say.
After spending our time at Ad Hoc, Taro and I decided to do something crazy. We drove to Duarte’s Tavern in Pescadero. Roundtrip it was a three hour ride, but we wanted to get olallieberry pie. Over a year ago, we heard a radio segment on KCRW about Duarte’s Tavern and we stopped by there on a road trip up to San Francisco. Back then, we shared a slice of pie a la mode and our only regret was that we didn’t each get our own slice. Since we had the time, we headed to Pescadero on the intent on not only having a slice of pie there, but bringing two pies back – as in back to LA. I know it sounds insane, but the pie is that good. Taro was a good sport in driving – especially since I fell asleep on the way there because of my Duck Confit and Waffles food coma – and it was quite an adventure, especially when we were heading back to San Francisco. I was wide awake on the trip back and we stopped by some of the beaches (if you can even call them that). However, the highlight was when I read all the random signs on the road. What caught my attention was the sign advertising a pumpkin patch and straw maze. Straw maze?!? I have never seen one before! I had to go and when we approached it, it was this unbelievable sight. Stacks and stacks of hay in order to compose an intricate maze! Part of me was a bit scared to go in – afterall, isn’t this always a trap in horror movies? – but it looked like so much fun. Taro and I had a blast – running around corners and bends and accidentally scaring a young boy, going through hidden doors and making circles, and then finally getting out! It was definitely a great stop and we were glad to discover Arata’s Pumpkin Farm.
Trip #2 was just pure fun. Yes, there was a delay in our flight, but you cannot beat a weekend of wine, good food, pie, and a straw maze. Hopefully next time, I will be at French Laundry - keeping my fingers crossed and extremely hopeful!
It has been a while since I last posted something new…and all for one good reason. All-You-Can Jet. Taro and I did it last year – Vegas, Boston, Seattle, and Washington D.C. – and this year, Jet Blue offered it again. We could not resist, especially since we had so much fun jetting across the United States last year. So this year, we jumped at the chance and saw it as an anniversary gift to ourselves. As I am writing now, I am looking back on the past month with fond memories of hopping aboard an airplane, smiling at the different names of the different planes we flew in (i.e. Along Came Blue), and jetting to a new location each weekend. I am sad that it is over, but wow, did we have an amazing time. So to begin the whirlwind look back on the past month, I have to start with Portland.
A handful of people have told us what a great place Portland is to visit. To make our first trip easy, we thought we would go some place close and Portland called out to us. We loved Seattle from our trip last year and we wanted to visit a city that had a mix of city life and greenery. On top of that, Portland is an up-and-coming restaurant frontier – local farms and seasonal ingredients – so we could not resist to satisfy our stomachs as well.
Some of the places we visited in Portland were the Japanese Garden and the International Rose Test Garden. These are supposed to be main tourist attractions and despite the beauty, it really fell short in my eyes. On Portland’s website, it described the Japanese Garden as an “Extraordinary Experience.” I should have known better…especially since I have been to Japan! The gardens there are phenomenal, unbelievable, and nothing short of breathtaking. Portland? Eh. Yes, there were authentic elements to it, but Taro and I walked through it so quickly and we were left with little to remember. The Rose Garden, however, was better, but then again, we have The Huntington Library. So overall, it was just a mediocre experience following the tourist route.
What made up for the gardens?
Portland Saturday Market. There were tons of booths with arts and craft items and we were able to pick up a nifty catnip toy for Peanut. On top of that, we had homemade ice cream and there was a mini-beer fest for Taro to enjoy.
The food. We started off with tapas at Andina. Everything looked tempting on the menu, but we finally settled on lomo saltado, ceviche, the soup of the day, and empanadas. With sangria to wash it all down, it was a beautiful start to a Saturday morning. For the evening, Taro was able to make reservations at the Beast. It was a six-course tasting menu showcasing local ingredients that simply delighted my taste buds. By the end of the night, I was absolutely stuffed. At times I wanted to throw in the towel because the portions were quite generous (and we had a big brunch). If I am ever in the area again, I would love to visit again and see what the ever changing menu looks like. Of course, I would need to starve myself for the entire day, but then I could “Unleash the Beast” as their motto states. The last place that we ate at was Screen Door for Sunday breakfast. The couple who sat across from us at Beast suggested it. Taro and I were definitely not prepared for the ginormous breakfast that awaited us. We ordered fried chicken and waffle with a side of maple bacon. I strongly believe that the breakfast alone could have fed a family of four since it was stacked up to Taro’s chest! Okay, it is a slight exaggeration, but there was way too much chicken. As you can guess, we walked out stuffed full of Southern goodness.
Glowing Greens Miniature Golf. It might seem strange that Taro and I played miniature golf while on vacation, but this course was unlike any I have ever seen. First, it is pirate-themed. Arrr, matey! Second, it is a black light indoor golf course. Third, you play in 3D! When you combine all three together, it is a spectacular affair. Just to let you know, it is not an easy task to play golf with 3D glasses on. At times I could not tell what was just an illusion and what was real. After the first nine holes, Taro and I had to take the glasses off. We were just too dizzy. However, we had THE BEST time.
Last but not least, an attraction that made Portland fun was the Oregon Maritime Museum. It was such a spur of the moment decision to visit it. We had some time to kill and I just randomly pointed at the boat. Once aboard – we were one of the few visitors – Taro and I explored the multiple levels, but what we found most intriguing was the man who answered questions. He actually worked on that exact boat we were standing on and knew the history behind steamboats and had his own personal stories! He was so sweet and told us about the different types of whistles that Taro had to snap a photo of me with him. He was genuinely excited to be in the photo, which made it even more special and memorable.
Taro and I condensed Portland into a weekend and from two days we experienced the multitude of one-way streets, a slower pace and lifestyle, good eats, and the full-service gas station where the attendant said, “This is Oregon.” I am not overly eager to go back, but it was a great start to our All-You-Can-Jet extravaganza.
Leave A Comment