Meal Inspiration

As I surf the inter-webs sometimes ideas leap into my brain. In a Bon Appetit "Road Trip Week" article, by Rick Matinez,  he remembers tacos his parents brought along for their road journey. My kids'  memories would be of Triscuits and Easy Cheese, our warm weather road trip staples. In our defense we got a lot more creative after our arrival. During our vacations to Disneyland we would rent a hotel with a small fridge and a microwave. It was long before the days of prerequisite free hotel breakfasts, so we  brought our  Black + Decker toaster oven. It was almost like having our own secret kitchen. Breakfasts of toasted bagels with cream cheese or peanut butter were favorites. On a couple of days we bought very inexpensive Pan Dulce and orange juice from the Mexican Market next door. Trying to usher four kids around the market was like herding cats, so i promised them they could split  two packages of Pinguinos if they were good. Dinner items included hot dogs, frozen pizza and macaroni - cheese. For the vegetable-fruit meal components we bought snack packs of carrots, celery and sliced apples. We had the best times and did not bust the bank.

We decided on a small road trip to a local park today so I used Mr. Martinez taco for frugal inspiration. I put together some breakfast tacos and a thermos of coffee for less than three bucks. We drove past the Starbucks and headed to the park. Happy weekend!

Frugal Breakfast Taco

Victoria Butchart Gardens

We are up early, have breakfast and wander the marina area of Victoria before we jump a bus for a twenty minute ride to Butchart Gardens. I was not really sure I wanted to spend hours wandering in a garden but upon arrival I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the place. Take along a extra memory card there are so many photographic opportunities!  I've somehow managed to edit a couple hundred photos down to a manageable slide show.


We wandered for hours and finally caught the bus back to downtown. Just our luck it was time for happy hour and we were drawn to a restaurant called The Docks. They had beautiful outdoor seating but we had been in the sun most of the day and opted for an inside table. I had a great order of fish and chips and Avril tuna sliders. Good wine and company left us ready for a long walk back to the hotel.
We have more exploring to do in Victoria tomorrow.

If It's Tuesday This Must Be Seattle!

I boosted the title of this blog post from an 1969 movie If It's Tuesday This Must Be Belgium. I thought of this movie during our trip and while I write about it now. In retrospect I realize that I spent a lot of time on travel logistics and not enough time on enjoying travel.  Note to self:  Just visit one or two places during a ten day trip, quality not quantity travel.

We are awake early in Astoria and drive our rental car two hours back to Enterprise in downtown Portland. The rental agent gives  us a ride to Union Station (PDX.) We are ahead of schedule so we check our luggage, drink coffee and enjoy the building's old lines. There are neon signs to photograph and a bank of phone booths to admire. Phone booths seem like an anachronism in today's cell phone world.

 Union Station Portland - PDX

We boarded the Amtrak Cascades for a scenic ride to Seattle. This train is more modern,  but a little less plush than The Coast-Starlight. It has a smooth ride and electronic displays showing location, time, and speed. I caught a couple of  peek a boo photos of the scenery at over seventy MPH.

Photos from Amtrak Cascades

We arrived in Seattle and grabbed a cab to the Ace Hotel. I had scouted Seattle hotels on the internet for location and price. The Ace Hotel had lots of great reviews and is in a wonderful location. On top of that it is artsy and hip, that's all good. Maybe I'm too old to be hip. As I stood in the doorway of the hotel, there was a long steep stairway; I looked about for an elevator and didn't see one. I had tons of luggage including many pounds of camera gear. Like a Sherpa I hauled butt up to the reception desk and told Avril I would find the elevator. I asked the desk person "where is the "old people's elevator?" She said there is no elevator, as she kindly jumped up and ran down to help Avril with her luggage. Apparently the hotel is a heritage building and an elevator was not required during conversion. We had booked an upgraded room with our own bathroom-shower instead of shared / $199 plus-plus .  Our overall stay was very good. The desk staff were all nice and helpful. The bed was comfortable and clean and there is kick-ass coffee and a killer waffle machine for the included breakfast. The decor is minimalist-recycled-green chic, which I get. Some things I didn't get.  There is no place to stow luggage, hang clothes ( OK there was two hangers on a pipe), paper towels instead of cloth for the sink and that piece of black melting "soap", ugh. A few inexpensive changes / additions would make a difference for us old, un-hip, money to spend guests.

The Ace Hotel Seattle 

Waffle! Ace Hotel Seattle

We only had a short time in Seattle so we chose to visit Pike Place Market. What a great place I wished we had a kitchen to take the beautiful food back to.

Pike Place Market

Pike Place Market

Pike Place Market 

Next up ferry to Victoria.

Train To Portland

We just got back from our daughter's wedding/vacation trip, and it is time to recap our journey. Avril and I  boarded the Amtrak Coast Starlight in Emeryville,  en route to Portland. This is a familiar train to us, having ridden it many times. This journey was different because we headed north instead of south to Los Angeles. The train leaves Emeryville at 10 p.m. and arrives in Portland at 3:30 p.m. the following day. We booked reserved coach seats and planned on sleeping all night. I must admit that sleeping was problematic, while the seats are super comfortable, the light and noise of passengers boarding slowed the flow. The snack bar on board sells a "passenger comfort kit" that includes ear plugs, eye shade, blow up pillow and blanket for $8. I purchased a miniature bottle of Jack Daniels which had a sleeping effect on me. At dawn the next morning we had crossed over the mountains into Oregon were there was some great scenery. I snapped shots  on my cell phone.

Amtrak Coast Starlight Oregon (IPhone 4) 

We arrived in Portland spot on time and cabbed it to the Marriott Residence Inn Downtown/River Place.  More like an apartment than a hotel room, they included free breakfast, internet and on this night a free picnic style dinner of Bratwurst. Just at that moment Avril's dressy shoes decided to separate sole from top. We boarded the cool Portland Street Car, where a dollar a day gets you around downtown. We ended up at Macy's and found a cute pair of  Aerosoles shoes that gave Avril some height but also comfort.

Avril's Aerosoles Shoes

Back at the hotel we decided to miss the free dinner and headed towards the river. We spotted a cute restaurant( Newport Seafood Grill - Riverplace) that floated on the Willamette River. It was early and the restaurant was pretty empty so we scored a great table with a view. On the dock next to the restaurant groups of people practiced on colorful Dragon Boats.

Dragon Boats Willamette River Portland Or.

Dinner arrived and was delicious!

Newport Seafood Grill Riverplace Portland Or. 

Just outside the window, in what was planned as planter, wild geese had nested.

Talk about dinner with a show! Happily exhausted we headed back to the hotel. Next we rent a car and drive to Astoria.

Making a $16 burger $8

We plopped exhausted onto the hotel bar stools and ordered two glasses of a decent California Sauvignon Blanc at $11 each. I cringed knowing full well I could purchase the whole bottle for less at retail. As we sipped, starving after a long journey, we scanned the bar menu for something that would assuage our appetite but not blow the expense account. This was an expensive and beautiful four star hotel that we had procured for $64 on Hotwire.com. I tried not to look sticker shocked. I ask if the cheeseburger was big enough to share and the kindly bartender responded "oh yeah." She said she would have the chef split it and put it on separate plates. It arrived and was wonderful. More than enough food for two. We often split meals when traveling because we can't finish the large portions and have nowhere to store leftovers. Most nice hotel restaurants will accommodate this practice. On occasion they might charge a split fee or you will get a waiter who grumbles. I tip according to attitude.

I challenged myself to reproduce a similar burger at home. I used all high end ingredients and my cost was about $3.25. Guess what? We split this one too!