Month: May 2016

Adventures in Boise!

On By Travels with MelindaIn adventure, Boise, Uncategorized, wineLeave a comment

From discovering an innovative wine bar to shopping downtown boutiques to walking the Greenbelt and more, our weekend in Boise could not have been better.  I love my Seattle but, for a small town, Boise has it all even for urban-loving adventurers like Thom and I.  Where to begin?  With wine, of course!

Boise river view

Bodovino in downtown has an innovative concept for a wine tasting experience that I had never seen before and, you know, I DO get around.  You load up cash onto a chip card and then insert loaded card into a bank of wine bottles hooked up to spouts so you can pay for a taste ($1-3), a half glass ($4-6) or a full glass ($6+) of over 140+ varieties of wine.  Damn, what a great idea!  Hannah and I enjoyed a lazy Friday afternoon sampling the wares.  They even have tasty food if you’re hungry.  We shared a “Frenchy” flat bread with apples, brie, bacon and honey with a salad.  They are opening a branch at the Meridian Mall but they REALLY need to come to Seattle! 

After finding the best wine bar in Boise, we decided the next morning to check out The District, a coffeehouse with not only strong caffeine but cozy atmosphere and friendly baristas.  Score!  Of course, first we checked out the farmer’s market that happens every Saturday downtown.  From lemon squares the size of my head to veggies/flowers to crafts, the downtown streets are blocked off for hordes of shoppers.  I found a $5 Scrabble tile ring that I just love.  We also discovered a hat and accessory shop, Crazy Neighbor, on Grove St., where Thom got the perfect porkpie-style hat he has been wanting to get for so long.  They also had great necklaces, scarves and bowties.  My kind of store!  I love exploring new areas of town-this one is in the Linen District.

M Scrabble Tile Ring from the Boise Farmer’s Market
The District coffeehouse
Crazy Neighbor Hat Store

But after wine, coffee and shopping, it was time to take advantage of the gorgeous weather and great outdoors so on Sunday we walked from downtown to the Anne Frank memorial by the Library! and onto the Greenbelt by the Boise River.  Our Fitbits needed to hit 10,000 steps before we stopped so off we went.  Not only did we enjoy the water views but the trail took us right by the outside of the Boise Zoo where we were able to catch two giraffes out and about.  What a great way to end our fun adventures in Boise!Boise zoo

 

Musical May

On By Travels with MelindaIn adventure, Boise, Music, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Thom and I treated ourselves to fantastic musical experiences in May by a wide variety of talented artists, emerging and exiting, that ranged from The Who to Griffin House to Billy Joel to Kris Allen to Jewel to Marie Miller to Gavin DeGraw.  WOW.  As my mom remarked, “Boy, you get around!”  Yes, we surely do and enjoying every  lyrical moment of it.

I truly appreciate how hard these artists’ lives are travelling from city to city, leaving behind family and their homes to sing their hearts out for us.  Of course, The Who and Billy Joel may be flying around in style but the majority of musicians are probably packed onto rented buses, staying at Arbnb and eating fast food.  Tough way to make a living.

Coolest concert moment for me was seeing parents trying to get their kids to buy into the classic music of The Who that shaped a generation or two.  Yes, these dudes were OLD but still had clear voices and energy to play for hours.  Good for them and better for us!  While everyone knows of Billy Joel, I hadn’t played or heard his music for years.  As he played hit after hit on his piano, memories in my life that were linked with his tunes all came flooding back to me.  He is quite the showman and even strapped on a guitar for a few songs.  So much talent!  With an opening act as strong as Gavin DeGraw, who was amazing, it was quite the concert.   Splurging to share a VIP suite, Thom’s biggest delight was the designer lotion in the bathrooms.  Appreciate everything, expect nothing!

Swinging from 30,000+ in Safeco Field for Billy to 100+ The Triple Door, Marie Miller, opening act for Kris Allen, shared with us how she was a late fill-in to sing for the Pope on his US tour last year.  She was asked to share her “6 foot 2” song that she felt was rather shallow for such a dignitary but, hey, it was the biggest crowd she had sung for so she went with it and got to sing one other, “You’re Not Alone” that actually had a stronger message.  Check her out-great young talent.  Kris Allen, American Idol winner, is back with a new album and much improved stage performance with a killer band too.  I’m so excited to see him again next weekend with my sister and best friend in Chicago at City Winery.  Yes, I do get around, Mom!

One of the most special evenings was sharing favorite indie artist, Griffin House, with my daughter in Boise at the beautiful Egyptian Theater.  She actually first turned me on to his music and then Thom and I were able to see him play in NYC and Seattle and now Boise.  No, I’m not a stalker-just a music fan!  Griffin and his guitar and soulful original songs make for a great evening of music appreciation.  Then Jewel came on by herself and two guitars and shared her emotional journey from homeless teen to just separated 40 year old mother trying to make a musical comeback.  She has the best voice we’ve ever heard.  I don’t usually buy concert apparel but felt compelled to support Jewel and bought matching “Only Kindness Matters” sweatshirts for Hannah and I.  And really, ain’t that the truth!  If only our politicians would heed this important message.  But that’s another story.

Fried Dough & Vino=Happy Saturday

On By Travels with MelindaIn adventure, Food, Seattle, Seattle Day Trips, Uncategorized, wineLeave a comment

Malasada French Toast..dripping with bacon infused salted toffee syrup.  Holy. Moly.  Brunch at Super Six in Columbia City was just the ticket for a rainy Seattle day sugar high.  Thom opted for the Hawaiian Loco Moco–a big ol’ bowl filled with rice, brown gravy, beef patty and topped with two fried eggs.  Or, as it should be called, the Widow Maker.  Today was an anomaly in our usually healthy diet and boy was it tasty!  The owner was giving out hot Malasada donuts on our way out.  We didn’t want to be rude so we accepted them with a smile.  Now that’s world class customer service-free donuts!

After seeking out the Green Eileen store that sells returns/seconds of the really well-made Eileen Fisher line at a huge discount (score!), we meandered down Rainier Avenue and checked out this cool neighborhood just south of Seattle.  This is where the hipsters live in more affordable digs.  On the main drag is the Columbia City Theater that we’ve been to and enjoyed the intimate concert atmosphere.  We’re so excited to see our new fav, Foy Vance, there in September.  This Irish lad will, I predict, explode as a superstar with his new album and tour.  Ed Sheeran just signed him as his first artist on his new label so he will have good direction.  Who doesn’t love that adorable ginger Ed?

But, back to our wonderful day exploring south Seattle in the Sexy Beast, top up unfortunately due to rain/cold.  Still, we enjoyed the ride very much in our cozy BMW cockpit.  After the yummy brunch, we slid on over to the edge of Boeing Field where Charles Smith of Walla Walla winery fame has his new tasting room.  After sugar-laden carbs, bring on the vino!   Jet City was packed with wine affectionados tasting and communing.  I chose the $10 tasting flight of 8 wines that are more modestly priced ($70 and under per bottle) vs. the $20 tasting flight of more expensive wines.  I have a hard time recognizing the value of a $70+ bottle of wine over a $20 bottle-all wine is good to me (even two buck chuck from Trader Joes) so my palate must not be too discerning.

Now, I’ve been happily drinking their Boom Boom syrah for years so it felt good to branch out and sample some other Charles Smith originals.  Thom, my designated driver, made fun of the interesting ad copy extolling the virtues of each wine on the tasting sheet including somewhat dubious details of the soil that created these wines including the usual fruits but also:  pipe tobacco, fresh bread, lemon curd, crushed granite, and dried hanging meat    Yeah.  Right. Who cares though because by the end of the 8 tastes, I was ready to buy a few bottles for home consumption and head on home to take a nap.  Ahhh….Saturdays are wonderful!

 

Seattle Road Tripping

On By Travels with MelindaIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

With not a damn tulip in sight, we drove through the barren Skagit Valley after a brutal commute to get to Anacortes.  Global warming is real.  Those beautiful tulips popped early and were plowed under by the time we bought our new wheels so we got to view the brown dirt.  Pretty.  Not to be deterred, we put that disappointment aside and went on to have a lovely road trip.  WP_20160501_13_59_39_Rich_LI

Why can’t there be a bucolic winding country road up the coast to get to this sleepy little town?  Seriously, driving state route 99 or I5 is not fun especially with the inevitable construction delays and GPS doesn’t program “cute roads” well.  So, we survived people laughing at us as we tried stopping at a few places to get a real paper map.  It was humiliating.  Day Trip Lesson #1 – plot out the trip in advance using an actual map that shows the rural roads.

Luckily, when we got to Anacortes, the volunteer at the visitor’s center was so excited someone stopped in that she heaped maps and tourist brochures galore on us.  We now have a stack for our future road trips. Score!  After wandering the deserted waterfront shipyards, being the weird tourists who always seek out the less travelled path, we tucked into some seriously spicy fish tacos at the Rock Fish Café.  I even got to finally taste Kung Fu Riesling from Charles Smith Winery.  Tasty.  Can’t wait to check out their new tasting room in south Seattle.

Armed with archaic paper maps and full stomachs, we proceeded to actually find a lovely country road that traverses Whidbey Island, through valleys and farm lands in addition to the coastline.  Lovely.  We wound up at the Mukilteo Ferry crossing and Sexy Beast got to have her first boat ride.  Road Trip Lesson #2 – carry hats and sunscreen because having that top down for hours of driving leads to some serious sunburn.  We finally had to put the top up for the drive home.  On this beautiful day, fellow drivers looked at us like we were crazy not to be soaking up the rays.  Poor us, we can only handle so much sunshine because, after all, we are true Seattlites with pasty pale skin.  Looking forward to lots of road trips this summer.  Where should we go next?