They're worth the hype.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Latte mi corazón
Needed a severe morning pick me up before work today - Sunny San Diego has unfortunately not been as Sunny as it usually is. I had been looking forward to this trip a lot - perfect weather San Diego and all that - and I am not going to say that the Universe has conspired to enforce some serious global warming this week in this part of the world just to mess with me because I was looking forward to this trip... but I think the Universe conspired to enforce some serious global warming like behavior this week in San Diego just to mess with me. Not that we're letting this slow us down - my sleeping fits do that enough already - but we went to get ourselves some cafecitos at this shop one of our participants owns in El Barrio. The shop's name? Latte mi corazón. Go ahead, groan if you'd like, but it's too cute to not give into it.
Latte mi corazón is actually set on someone's house - the front/side part of their house. Which is a good thing to know ahead of time because we drove by it once before we realized that it wasn't just someone's front yard/terrace. I like the homey feel to it, for sure.
Walking in you find tables and seating area before going inside the actual cafe part. The walls, (like any self respecting coffee house) were lined with paintings and art for sale.
The other side was chock full of Mexican Caravelas. It looked better than it sounds, specially with the plexi-glass like walls.
Our Barista, David, helped us make a choice. I went for the Café de Olla, and Carolina went for the Meximocha. Café de Olla was freaking delish and it comes with canela and piloncito and for once I drank a coffee drink without adding mountains of sugar to it, and so I say, good one!
David's gaydar must've been on because he was soon talking to us about his boyfriend and about friends and sugar daddies and the San Diego Pride Parade and the New York City Pride Parade and what not. He was adorable and I wanted to take his picture but I did not want to freak him out, so I didn't. I'm also pretty sure he thought Caro and I were together/together, since he kept trying to tell us which Dyke places to visit and that "no one would bother us." We laughed at that.
We sat outside to enjoy our drinks plus some breakfast pastries, listening to Mecano and los Aterciopelados, and Shakira, and Carolina and I went over one of my favorite subjects, that subject being that Spanish music really doesn't work well in translation - and as she talked about explaining to her girlfriend J. what the words to the Mecano song "Aire" meant, I once again felt very lucky and glad that mi Cariño needs no translation.
Latte mi corazón is actually set on someone's house - the front/side part of their house. Which is a good thing to know ahead of time because we drove by it once before we realized that it wasn't just someone's front yard/terrace. I like the homey feel to it, for sure.
Walking in you find tables and seating area before going inside the actual cafe part. The walls, (like any self respecting coffee house) were lined with paintings and art for sale.
The other side was chock full of Mexican Caravelas. It looked better than it sounds, specially with the plexi-glass like walls.
Our Barista, David, helped us make a choice. I went for the Café de Olla, and Carolina went for the Meximocha. Café de Olla was freaking delish and it comes with canela and piloncito and for once I drank a coffee drink without adding mountains of sugar to it, and so I say, good one!
David's gaydar must've been on because he was soon talking to us about his boyfriend and about friends and sugar daddies and the San Diego Pride Parade and the New York City Pride Parade and what not. He was adorable and I wanted to take his picture but I did not want to freak him out, so I didn't. I'm also pretty sure he thought Caro and I were together/together, since he kept trying to tell us which Dyke places to visit and that "no one would bother us." We laughed at that.
We sat outside to enjoy our drinks plus some breakfast pastries, listening to Mecano and los Aterciopelados, and Shakira, and Carolina and I went over one of my favorite subjects, that subject being that Spanish music really doesn't work well in translation - and as she talked about explaining to her girlfriend J. what the words to the Mecano song "Aire" meant, I once again felt very lucky and glad that mi Cariño needs no translation.
Sleeping Tours
Not very often do I get a local (that I actually like) to get to show me and my co-facilitator around when we travel. And this one's a psychic, to boot! Last night Carolina and I were chaperoned by Irene, who is all kinds of sweet. She drove us down to Old Town in San Diego, to eat at the aptly named Old Town Mexican Cafe and Cantina.
We began the night by admiring the ladies that work towards the front of the restaurant, who are kneeding masa to make fresh tortillas for our meals.
We started with some House Margaritas and your ever present chips and salsa. For my main meal I chose to eat the Carne Asada Tacos.
The tacos were tiny - and that was just the right size. The corn tortillas are so filling and thick! My tacos came with salsa verde and beans, and I have to tell you, simplicity made all the difference. I ate those babies and was soon ready to be rolled back to my hotel room. I wholeheartedly recommend this place - they had a mariachi trio walk around playing songs on request. And Michelle, our cute server, was super efficient. Service makes a difference, y'all!
Irene, however, offered to take us back through "the scenic route." I do not know how scenic the route was because after I sat down, Irene handed me her shawl so that I could cover myself and then I promptly fell asleep. I woke up a couple of times during the tour - saw the Coronado bridge in its full night time glory. Then I fell asleep again but woke up in time to marvel at the pretty houses in El Barrio and to gawk at the wonderful building that houses the police station one of our participants founded. A period of sleeping followed that and then we stood in front of the San Diego Trolley, where I remember Carolina asking many, many questions. Eventually Irene realized I was tired, and still in NY time, and thus drove us back to our car so that we could head towards the hotel.
So last night two things became apparent to me: I eat a lot of Mexican food. Specially when out on the road. And two, I have the gift to fall asleep and wake up very quickly. Like I can be fully conscious and aware and talking one second and asleep the next. Maybe it's a superpower. Yeah.
We began the night by admiring the ladies that work towards the front of the restaurant, who are kneeding masa to make fresh tortillas for our meals.
We started with some House Margaritas and your ever present chips and salsa. For my main meal I chose to eat the Carne Asada Tacos.
Irene, however, offered to take us back through "the scenic route." I do not know how scenic the route was because after I sat down, Irene handed me her shawl so that I could cover myself and then I promptly fell asleep. I woke up a couple of times during the tour - saw the Coronado bridge in its full night time glory. Then I fell asleep again but woke up in time to marvel at the pretty houses in El Barrio and to gawk at the wonderful building that houses the police station one of our participants founded. A period of sleeping followed that and then we stood in front of the San Diego Trolley, where I remember Carolina asking many, many questions. Eventually Irene realized I was tired, and still in NY time, and thus drove us back to our car so that we could head towards the hotel.
So last night two things became apparent to me: I eat a lot of Mexican food. Specially when out on the road. And two, I have the gift to fall asleep and wake up very quickly. Like I can be fully conscious and aware and talking one second and asleep the next. Maybe it's a superpower. Yeah.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Life is Good
Work starts late in the afternoon so we began our day with a morning in Coronado, CA. First, there's this really long bridge. Then, I sight my very first TP'ed House.
We kept driving to Coronado, til we hit one of the beaches. The sand was very interesting looking, I can't recollect seeing anything like this before.
We walked down the beach, taking our time, enjoying the water. Unfortunately, no swimming was had.
The rest of the Island is beautiful, too... the houses are gorgeous! Everything was so well manicured and beautiful and what not. Carolina fell in love with the place and we had to stop every other step in a while for her to take a picture.
I took some pictures, too.
and
to share a few. To end this post, here's a picture of one of the many houses I really liked. There were many houses, most of them two floor type of things, with roof decks if they were close enough to the beach. But this one... this door just made me happy, and I could see myself walking through here and being comfortable.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Comedy of Errors
So we decided to head to Philadelphia for a weekend getaway - leave Saturday, return Sunday. Simple, right? No, it isn't when you're me! Because I can get you lost inside a ten foot square area. It's a gift, and I shall embrace it as such!
Our weekend began with my reserved car not being available - screw you dollar rent-a-car! - but thankfully we fixed that rather quickly and left for Philly in a beautifuly sunny day. We hit some traffic when we hit I-95 but thankfully mi Cariño had me there to entertain her with my inappropriate questions as she drove. That's right, she drove - because she wanted to see me drive in a Parking Lot before she would let me drive. And I refuse to do that! If the State of New York thinks I'm a good driver everyone should think so! In any case I'm scared of driving so it all worked out.
After some scrambling around, switched theaters and some quick walking we made it to what was ostensibly the reason why we were going to Philly - Q Fest! A queer, week long movie fest, that would include the movie "Leading Ladies." We got there just in time to see the theater lights darken! It was perfect.
Wanna know what wasn't perfect? The movie. OMG I can't even list the amount of things that are wrong with this movie. Should I start with the horrible acting? The atrocious dialogue? The uninspiring storyline? The one good thing I can say about the movie is that it was well shot. As in, it looked pretty. So the money they saved on a writer and an acting coach went to their camera and editing budget, I suppose. At one point, the male lead dances with a random guy at a club - that was pretty. He's obviously a good dancer. The female lead? Not so much. For one, everyone kept going on and on about how she was the one that took care of her family and THAT didn't come across once for me. Oh well, moving on.
After the fiasco that Leading Ladies turned out to be, and after some change of mind on my part, we went to Campos to eat some Cheese Steaks.
These were very VERY good - just not life changing. I guess I'm not that big a fan of beef, unless it's fried. But then again, anything fried is good, no?
After the Steaks we crossed the street to Christ Church. It is a beautiful building, has been around since 1695 and the most interesting part is that the church itself serves as a burial ground - as in you're walking down the center aisle and you'll be stepping over 4 or 5 grave markers. We ran into a couple that was taking pictures of each others posing with bibles and what not. Mi Cariño did not, to my disappointment, suggest we did this too. ;-)
We did some more Old City walking and soon enough it was time to find dinner. Enter "Bar Fernando" otherwise known as Bar Ferdinand, a Tapas place. I had a Valenciana
and we shared el Manchego Frito
Croquetas
Organic Sauteed Mushrooms
And I had the Atlantic Cod with Potatoes and a green sauce made out of I don't remember what.
Bar Ferdinand was not very memorable - The croquetas were horrible, and the waitress was forgetful, but the cod and the mushrooms were simply delicious. As was the Valenciana drink.
Sunday we drove around to North 4th Street to Cafe Estelle. What a find! We had to wait 20 minutes to sit, but it was well worth it. Cafe Estelle sits in the ground floor of an apartment building in what looks like a very industrial area. But it held the most awesome pancakes I've EVER eaten. Seriously. Bar None. I mean like REALLY really really really good pancakes.
Mi Cariño had this concoction called "Shirred Eggs" that I was not allowed to eat. Or take pictures of.
Shirred Eggs are baked eggs - these had spinach, mushrooms, truffle oil and cream. I went for a delicious omelette with red and green peppers, red onions, ham and cheddar, homefries and toast.
Cafe Estelle made this trip worth it, the food was so good. We made it back to the Old City to see "Oy Vey My Son Is Gay."
It was good - it went a little crazy with the storyline there towards the end, but Lainie Kazan and Saul Rubinek made it totally worth it. They were hilarious. Like I am not. We finished the trip by sightseeing. Here's a statue
And so, that was Philly. It wasn't a very organized/structured trip, and I really enjoyed that aspect of it. It was certainly worth getting lost every other block and the traffic and what not. Except the Leading Ladies part. That wasn't worth it.
Next up: San Diego, CA!
Our weekend began with my reserved car not being available - screw you dollar rent-a-car! - but thankfully we fixed that rather quickly and left for Philly in a beautifuly sunny day. We hit some traffic when we hit I-95 but thankfully mi Cariño had me there to entertain her with my inappropriate questions as she drove. That's right, she drove - because she wanted to see me drive in a Parking Lot before she would let me drive. And I refuse to do that! If the State of New York thinks I'm a good driver everyone should think so! In any case I'm scared of driving so it all worked out.
After some scrambling around, switched theaters and some quick walking we made it to what was ostensibly the reason why we were going to Philly - Q Fest! A queer, week long movie fest, that would include the movie "Leading Ladies." We got there just in time to see the theater lights darken! It was perfect.
Wanna know what wasn't perfect? The movie. OMG I can't even list the amount of things that are wrong with this movie. Should I start with the horrible acting? The atrocious dialogue? The uninspiring storyline? The one good thing I can say about the movie is that it was well shot. As in, it looked pretty. So the money they saved on a writer and an acting coach went to their camera and editing budget, I suppose. At one point, the male lead dances with a random guy at a club - that was pretty. He's obviously a good dancer. The female lead? Not so much. For one, everyone kept going on and on about how she was the one that took care of her family and THAT didn't come across once for me. Oh well, moving on.
After the fiasco that Leading Ladies turned out to be, and after some change of mind on my part, we went to Campos to eat some Cheese Steaks.
These were very VERY good - just not life changing. I guess I'm not that big a fan of beef, unless it's fried. But then again, anything fried is good, no?
After the Steaks we crossed the street to Christ Church. It is a beautiful building, has been around since 1695 and the most interesting part is that the church itself serves as a burial ground - as in you're walking down the center aisle and you'll be stepping over 4 or 5 grave markers. We ran into a couple that was taking pictures of each others posing with bibles and what not. Mi Cariño did not, to my disappointment, suggest we did this too. ;-)
We did some more Old City walking and soon enough it was time to find dinner. Enter "Bar Fernando" otherwise known as Bar Ferdinand, a Tapas place. I had a Valenciana
And I had the Atlantic Cod with Potatoes and a green sauce made out of I don't remember what.
Bar Ferdinand was not very memorable - The croquetas were horrible, and the waitress was forgetful, but the cod and the mushrooms were simply delicious. As was the Valenciana drink.
Sunday we drove around to North 4th Street to Cafe Estelle. What a find! We had to wait 20 minutes to sit, but it was well worth it. Cafe Estelle sits in the ground floor of an apartment building in what looks like a very industrial area. But it held the most awesome pancakes I've EVER eaten. Seriously. Bar None. I mean like REALLY really really really good pancakes.
Shirred Eggs are baked eggs - these had spinach, mushrooms, truffle oil and cream. I went for a delicious omelette with red and green peppers, red onions, ham and cheddar, homefries and toast.
Cafe Estelle made this trip worth it, the food was so good. We made it back to the Old City to see "Oy Vey My Son Is Gay."
And so, that was Philly. It wasn't a very organized/structured trip, and I really enjoyed that aspect of it. It was certainly worth getting lost every other block and the traffic and what not. Except the Leading Ladies part. That wasn't worth it.
Next up: San Diego, CA!
It feels like home
I'm so behind on my postings, I wonder if it's even worth it to do all of the one's I've missed. But I'll do a big Combo and include most of the stuff I've been meaning to enter.
So, let's start with the diners! This month I visited my two favorite diners in NYC with two of my favorite ladies.
First it's Gemini, in Kips Bay or Midtown East, where I took mi Cariño because I was hankering for this: A Chicken Salad Triple Decker.
I've yet to taste a better chicken salad. Or better coleslaw. This is one of my biggest guilty pleasures but also it's total comfort food. I love the Gemini, and have about 10 years worth of memories from that place.
The other diner also has a lot of history, but not as deep and personal. Went to this one with Stephanie after work, this time on Midtown West. I had me the Buffalo Chicken Wrap.
The wrap was great, and the coleslaw is decent, but the diner has now started a "new plates, smaller portions" redesign deal, that although generally more healthy, like Steph told me it sucks since that's not the reason we go eat at places like these. I love that 95% of the time that I've eaten there has been with her. The last time we were there, it was right before my second date with mi Cariño. I also had the Buffalo Chicken Wrap then. I need to start being more adventurous with my meals.
Speaking of adventure, Lily and Kenisha kidnapped me for lunch this last Friday and took me to a Thai place in Brooklyn off of the Bergen Stop on the G Train. I can't remember the name - and Lily doesn't either! I'll edit this later and include all of that. We ordered off of the lunch special menu. First off a nice tiny salad
Very sweet and spicy. This was followed by some crispy fried Egg Rolls
And these were very yummy. Then I surprised myself by NOT ordering Tofu Pad Thai. But now I can't remember the name of what I ordered! Spicy Flat Noodle with Tofu is the easiest way to describe it. It might also be the plate's name.
It was good. Well worth taking the extra long lunch hour.
So, let's start with the diners! This month I visited my two favorite diners in NYC with two of my favorite ladies.
First it's Gemini, in Kips Bay or Midtown East, where I took mi Cariño because I was hankering for this: A Chicken Salad Triple Decker.
I've yet to taste a better chicken salad. Or better coleslaw. This is one of my biggest guilty pleasures but also it's total comfort food. I love the Gemini, and have about 10 years worth of memories from that place.
The other diner also has a lot of history, but not as deep and personal. Went to this one with Stephanie after work, this time on Midtown West. I had me the Buffalo Chicken Wrap.
It was good. Well worth taking the extra long lunch hour.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Avatar: The Last Airbender
So, I'm in Lowell, MA for the weekend, and to continue the posts about movies, we move on to Avatar. Took two of my nephews, 8 and 6 years-old, to go see it this morning. I don't know yet how I feel about it... I really liked the Nickelodeon TV series, and the previews made it look very exciting - but I found myself having my mind wander during the movie. And I don't know why it needed to be in 3D. Let me tell you all, I really don't understand this 3D mania going on. The movie was beautiful visually, but really did not need to be in 3D. The little boy that plays Ang was great; my 8 year-old promptly let me know that the actor is from Houston and went to the same Martial Arts School that he attends. I really related to him, though. What I couldn't understand was why Katara and her brother were played by two white kids. The guy that played Sokka (the brother) in any case, was just beyond horrible. Katara was a bit better. But the dialogue was expository and boring, judging by the 6 year old next to me, and the kids in the row behind me that would start talking in the middle of the flick, which, considering that these movies were based in Cartoons that said kids watch over and over again, is a pretty clear sign that all is not good in movie world. Hmm. that was a very convoluted sentence that I don't feel like fixing.
The sad part would be if the movie does badly in the box office the other two parts will not be made, a la The Golden Compass. Yes, that movie sucked, but what sucked more was people not getting to know more about His Dark Materials because of the awfulness of The Golden Compass. Hopefully the movie will do OK, and the Studio will choose a different director for the next two films - I like the Earth and Fire chapters of Avatar the best!
In any case, my brother picked my nephews and I up. Stay tuned for BBQ's and Fireworks tomorrow, I'm sure.
The sad part would be if the movie does badly in the box office the other two parts will not be made, a la The Golden Compass. Yes, that movie sucked, but what sucked more was people not getting to know more about His Dark Materials because of the awfulness of The Golden Compass. Hopefully the movie will do OK, and the Studio will choose a different director for the next two films - I like the Earth and Fire chapters of Avatar the best!
In any case, my brother picked my nephews and I up. Stay tuned for BBQ's and Fireworks tomorrow, I'm sure.
Eclipse
Began the long weekend by using the teenagers staying at my place as an excuse to go see Eclipse, the third installment of the "Twilight Saga." After work, teenagers and I took the new M all the way to 23rd Street, which I admit was pretty nice, and only a 30 minute commute. Pity I don't go to that side of the City that often anymore! Anyway, after we purchased our tickets we realized that thanks to the new M we had tons of time to kill, and three empty bellies. Enter Rin Thai Restaurant, which is across the street from the Clearview.
I know, I know, I eat a lot of Thai food, but hear me out: the teenagers are Vegan, and I think we'll all agree with the fact that the easiest meal you can share with a Vegetarian/Vegan is Thai, because you'll find something good and yummy for the meat eaters, as well as for the veggie lovers. It was also their first time having Thai food and if there's something I love is providing people with "first time" experiences. My meal was something you've seen more than once already in the last couple of months - vegetarian dumplings
Followed by, Surprise Surprise, Tofu Pad Thai
The teenagers also had noodles. About my Pad Thai - I had mixed feelings. The noodles were perfect! But they gave me barely sauteed tofu, which is a big no no in my book. I like my Tofu with a good scald going - makes it fun to chew. But also, I like marinated tofu. You know, you dip it in some ginger or garlic water for a day or two before you cook it. It's worth it, let me tell you.
As soon as we left the restaurant we crossed the street to find us some good seats. We also agreed to scream "Oh Edward" when said Vampire appeared on screen, pretty much swoon with the hotness of Jacob when he came on the screen, (but make sure you whimper when his shirt is off,) and to loudly hiss when Bella was on the screen as apparently the teenagers agreed that she was selfish for wanting both Jacob and Edward and does not deserve either of them. Hmm. I said nothing about this, because I kinda want K-Stew for myself. She might be young, but she's a hottie. I get some real guilty/pleasurable feelings when it comes to her.
I'll say one thing about Eclipse: there are a lot of close ups. I mean, like really, there are a lot of close ups. Which I didn't mind when K-Stew was on the screen. Or the kid that plays Jacob. He really is cute. Otherwise the movie was alright - I enjoyed it more than the first two, although not much of anything happens on this one. They were pretty faithful to the book, so, huzzah to them! In any case I spent the ride back to the house explaining to the girls the amazingly long list of things that is wrong with the movie/books in themselves, but I don't feel like making you suffer through all of that. Suffice it to say that even though I find the books a great way to take your mind off of things that may be bothering because they are very plot driven, they are horrifically bad. I mean, like really amazingly super bad. And yes, I'll be seeing the next two films any way, cuz I'm a sucker like that.
The best part of the night, though? Seeing the preview for the next two Harry Potter Films in the big screen. I CANNOT wait til November when the next installment is out! Seriously.
I know, I know, I eat a lot of Thai food, but hear me out: the teenagers are Vegan, and I think we'll all agree with the fact that the easiest meal you can share with a Vegetarian/Vegan is Thai, because you'll find something good and yummy for the meat eaters, as well as for the veggie lovers. It was also their first time having Thai food and if there's something I love is providing people with "first time" experiences. My meal was something you've seen more than once already in the last couple of months - vegetarian dumplings
Followed by, Surprise Surprise, Tofu Pad Thai
The teenagers also had noodles. About my Pad Thai - I had mixed feelings. The noodles were perfect! But they gave me barely sauteed tofu, which is a big no no in my book. I like my Tofu with a good scald going - makes it fun to chew. But also, I like marinated tofu. You know, you dip it in some ginger or garlic water for a day or two before you cook it. It's worth it, let me tell you.
As soon as we left the restaurant we crossed the street to find us some good seats. We also agreed to scream "Oh Edward" when said Vampire appeared on screen, pretty much swoon with the hotness of Jacob when he came on the screen, (but make sure you whimper when his shirt is off,) and to loudly hiss when Bella was on the screen as apparently the teenagers agreed that she was selfish for wanting both Jacob and Edward and does not deserve either of them. Hmm. I said nothing about this, because I kinda want K-Stew for myself. She might be young, but she's a hottie. I get some real guilty/pleasurable feelings when it comes to her.
I'll say one thing about Eclipse: there are a lot of close ups. I mean, like really, there are a lot of close ups. Which I didn't mind when K-Stew was on the screen. Or the kid that plays Jacob. He really is cute. Otherwise the movie was alright - I enjoyed it more than the first two, although not much of anything happens on this one. They were pretty faithful to the book, so, huzzah to them! In any case I spent the ride back to the house explaining to the girls the amazingly long list of things that is wrong with the movie/books in themselves, but I don't feel like making you suffer through all of that. Suffice it to say that even though I find the books a great way to take your mind off of things that may be bothering because they are very plot driven, they are horrifically bad. I mean, like really amazingly super bad. And yes, I'll be seeing the next two films any way, cuz I'm a sucker like that.
The best part of the night, though? Seeing the preview for the next two Harry Potter Films in the big screen. I CANNOT wait til November when the next installment is out! Seriously.
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