wish i were there

Heidi's Big Sur Recommendations

Heidi of 101 Cookbooks has a yummy-looking recipe for homemade power bars, accompanied by a bit of how-to video and some footage of her trip to Big Sur where she ate them.  She also recommends a few variations on the recipe, as well as where to stay (Treebones, a coastal "yurt hotel" I've mentioned before - she recommends #8 or #15) and where to hike (Julia Pfeiffer Burns SP, on the Ewoldsen Loop).

The Ewoldsen Loop is indeed a beautiful hike, and is just nearby of the best spots to get a look at McWay falls, a beautiful little waterfall that ends in the bright blue-green cove - the water is so clear, it feels like Hawaii or something.  There's a quick but crowded spot to check it out, starting at the east end of the Julia Pfeiffer Burns SP parking lot.

I also recommend taking Partington Cove trail, which is also in the JPB state park but has a trailhead about 2 miles north, just off of Highway 1.  It really looks like nothing - you park on a turnout just off of Partington Creek Bridge, and head through a cattle gate down a steep fire road.  It gets brushy after a bit, and the terrain keeps changing - next it's redwoods - until you pass through a  little tunnel and suddenly, you're on a rocky little landing.  When we were there, the only other poeple we saw during the entire beautiful hike were a group of local teenagers picnicing - fishing, playing the guitar, and completely ignoring our existence, even when (especially when?) we started freaking out because we saw a whale.  There's also another fork along the trail that leads to a spectacularly private cove - tons of rocks to scuttle and scramble over to get to the rocky beach with huge crashing waves.  Stunning.

check out this useful and well-photographed site, hikinginbigsur.com, for more ideas, and these previous posts from yours truly for more Big Sur planning.

Lo-fi Portland guide.

Notes by Naive posted another fantastic guide, this time to Portland, OR - really lovely pictures, great recommendations.  Will possibly be up there in the spring/summer 2008 - if not Portland, then at least Seattle, to visit family - so I'm hanging on to this.

She mentions staying at the ACE in Portland, which seems to be a bit of an upgrade from the ACE Seattle.  I've stayed at ACE Seattle twice now - the first time was okay, the second not so hot.  Or rather, very hot, as the city was experiencing a summertime heat wave and the rooms aren't air conditioned.  Whatever, not a huge deal since it's so cheap, right?   Except that they don't have screens on their windows - which I can appreciate aesthetically, I suppose - but we were literally swarmed by huge flies the entire time.   I can handle flies in the tropics, or in rural settings, but big ol' city flies in a supposedly hip and modern atmosphere?  Big ol' city flies at $189 a night?  No.  And the sheets on the bed were a gross 50/50 blend - pilled and scratchy.  Boo... It's not that cheap!  Maybe now that the Portland location is up and running, they will revisit the Seattle for a refresh.  It's high time...

speaking of modernists...

johnson in 1949 at glass house

budget travel online has a nice article about the recent opening to the public of philip johnson's glass house, and a great accompanying slideshow that mentions other modernist residential masterpieces that one can visit.  here's the rundown, in case the slideshow disappears:

• the glass house by philip johnson - new canaan, connecticut; tours from $25. 
• fallingwater by frank lloyd wright - mill run, western pennsylvania; tours from $16.
• villa savoye by le corbusier - poissy, france (40 min from paris); tickets €5
• maison la roche by le corbusier - paris, france; tickets around $4
  • also operated in paris by the fondation le corbusier: immeuble molitor - appartement de le corbusier.  refer to same site for information.
• schindler house by rudolph m. schindler - west hollywood, california (around the corner from me!);  admission $7.
• gropius house by walter gropius - lincoln, massachusets (about 30-45 minutes from boston); tickets $10.
• paul rudolph house by paul rudolph - new york city; only open the first friday of every month for a $20 tour - reservations required.
• rietveld schröder house by gerrit rietveld - utrecht, netherlands; tickets €16 and reservation practically required.
• farnsworth house by mies van der rohe - plano, illinois (about an hour from chicago); tickets $20.

and might i add a few recommendations of my own? 

• check out this old post about the sonneveld house in rotterdam, the netherlands; russel wright's dragon rock in upstate new york; and mies van der rohe's krefeld villas in krefeld, germany.
• for some reason (maybe it's the oppressive government, maybe it's the pollution, who can really say...) china is one of the least appealing places in the world to me.  really, i am dying to go everywhere, except there.  well, okay, i'd go, but it's maybe the very last location on my list.  my husband is all up in china's grill, though, and is dying to visit.  we'd both be happy, though, if it meant going to the great (bamboo) wall house, by kengo kuma, which is located outside beijing near the great wall.  bamboo house is part of a development which may deserve more of a post later, but for now go here to whet your appetite or check out this beautiful book about all of his work.  okay, so he's not a modernist, but whatever.

big sur bakery

a couple of popular places that we want to check out when we get to big sur....

• big sur bakery - when we get sick of camp cooking! looks like they have some great treats...
• henry miller library - to check in with the parton saint of big sur
• a hike into the julia pfeiffer burns SP - to see the only waterfall that runs into the pacific over 80 ft. granite cliffs!
• deetjen's - possibly for a meal, or at least to check out this historical little haunt.  would love to stay here on a non-camping trip sometime!
• nepenthe - for a drink on the terrace to take in the can't miss view (i hear the food, however, is definitely missable - mediocre and overpriced)
• monterey bay aquarium - maybe a side trip before we head home?  only if we've had enough of the wilderness...

big sur is on the books!

so, it took me quite a while to post, and yes, i have managed to travel a bit in the meantime....  but the next adventure on the books is my very first camping trip as an adult!  I haven't camped since girls scouts in the 5th grade, and my husband is in about the same place, so we are pretty much starting from scratch with this whole "roughing -it" thing, as you may have gleaned from previous posts.  we will be heading up to big sur at the end of april, and  will be staying in the pfeiffer big sur state park (in the redwood canyon) - not to be confused with the julia pfeiffer-burns sp (closer to the ocean).  i had some input from friends when trying to sort out where to stay in big sur, but in the end i chose the pfeiffer big sur state park since it seems like the classic.  it's also quite large and seems to have great facilities.  i managed to reserve us a site amongst a pocket of tent-only sites over in the weyland area, just off the river that runs through the park.  i hope it's lovely!  more to come as i prepare for the trip throughout the month, and any suggestions are welcome!

el dorado hotel, sonoma

i'm in love with this place - the el dorado hotel in sonoma, california.  so many wine country inns and hotels have that "quaint" grandma's house feeling - maybe i am particularly averse since my grandma's house never  felt like that, and thank goodness.  anyway, i don't like victoriana in my everyday life - why would i want to vacation in it? 

the el dorado hotel thankfully gets it right, from the looks of their website.  clean vintage-inspired lines with a touch of nor cal character, and a fabulous looking restaurant to boot.  It's located on the sonoma plaza, which is a charming little downtown-ish square.  prices are decent - ranging from $155 to $225, depending on the room and season.  i have some family (not grandma!) in sonoma, so when i make it up there - maybe this winter - i'll be sure to post a review.  have you been there?  post a comment and let me know how it was!

the best pie in arizona

if you know me, you know i like pie.  i am not quite as crazy about it as these folks (barbara and bill windsor), but bless them for taking a trip all around america - no, not in an rv, but in a porsche convertible - to just eat pie and write about it!  those are my people!  yes!  i can't wait to be retired...  anyhoo, for someone like me, their site is a great resource - yup, i like road food as much as i like fancy food.  click for lists of the best pie in america, the worst pie in america, unusual pies (no thanks to that cheddar cheese fudge!), and the complete list of pies - all ranked.  love it.

...but somehow they missed my favorite pie in arizona, at the rock springs cafe and general store (tel. +623.374.5794) in black canyon city.  it's a 30 - 45 minute drive from downtown scottsdale, at exit 242 off the I-17.  it began as one of arizona's first 100 general stores, and they built some of the still standing brick buildings in the early 1920's.  it's definitely a roadside stop - there's a gas station, and a saloon (um, for your non-designated drivers, i guess), and a bit of a general store selling arizona kitsch and tourist trinkets. the real draw, though, is the pie... the coconut cream pie, my favorite kind, is amazing, but they have plenty of other varieties to satisfy your pie lust - crumb fruit pies, cream pies, and their famous jack daniels pecan pie.  it's a popular spot, though, so if you're worried about them being out of your pie, you can always call ahead and reserve one.  if you are on your way to flagstaff, or up for a bit of a drive, this is a required stop.  no, i mean it.  you will thank me.

bill and barbara also missed the pie 'n burger (913 e. california blvd., pasadena, tel. +626.795.1123 ; picture via potatotomato) and apple pan (10801 w. pico, los angeles, tel.+310.475.3585; picture via sundown), two of los angeles' pie institutions.  i'll let it slide for them, since california is such a big state and they had a lot of ground to cover.  but that's no excuse for you!  you're not on a round-the-country road trip!  these are landmarks, people!  so go!

and if you are planning a pie trip of your own, and bill and barbara's lead is not enough, consult american pie: slices of life (and pie) from america's back roads by pascale le draoulec for some extra insight.  i haven't read the book yet, but i did hear this chat with her on the now-defunct npr show savvy traveler.  she describes her own journey across america in search of great pie, and all of the characters she meets along the way.

looking for other good road food books?  amazon also has the bible of diner dining, roadfood by jane and michael stern, as well as their new title, two for the road.

flea market guide

southern california is is a great place to buy vintage - flea markets abound, and there are so many it can be hard to keep track!  here's a rundown of the rotating schedule of the best los angeles flea markets:

• pasadena city college - first sunday of every month.  no admission fee, and i hear this is one of the most affordable and accessible of all - lots of local rose bowl vendors come to this, with lower prices.  many l.a. locals prefer this market.
• rose bowl - the second sunday of the month.  admission $20 between 5am and 7am, $15 betweeen 7am and 8am, $10 between 8am and 9am, and regular admission begins at 9am, at $7.  free parking.  everyone's heard of the rose bowl... the market lasts until about 3pm, when the prices get lower and everyone is just trying to get rid of things - that's when you can get some great deals. it's huge, so wear comfortable shoes!
  
• long beach antique and collectible market - third sunday of every month.  held at veteran's stadium, this is another enormous one to tackle.  admission is $10 from 5:30 am to 6:30 am, and $5 from 6:30am to 3pm.  same principle as the rose bowl, and as at any flea market - the later it gets, the cheaper things are.
• santa monica antique and collectible market - fourth and fifth sunday of every month.  admission is $7 from 6am to 8am, and $5 after 8am - location is the santa monica airport.  this one, i have heard, is on the pricier side - loads of high-end antiques and serious collectibles.
• the bustamante shows - an almost-monthly antique and collectible book fair in varying locations, generally around pasadena or santa monica.

... and here are some l.a. area markets that are held weekly:

• melrose trading post -  every sunday, $2 admission.  held at fairfax high school, on the corner of melrose and fairfax, the profits from this weekly show actualy benefit the school district!  it's a nice manageable size, perfect for a casual browse.  great vintage clothes - keep an eye out for shareen.
  
• peddler on the roof - less vintage, more crafts - and throw in some local "fashion designers", as well... eek.  i haven't been to this, so be warned - this could be questionable.  10am - 4pm, the first saturday of every month, admission is $3 with free parking.  held at the top of the parking structure at the sunset gower studios.
  
• roadium in torrance / redondo beach - open daily, from 7am to 4pm.  i haven't been to this one either, but it seems like there is a lot of new stuff mixed in with the vintage items.  admission varies from $.50 to $1.50.  weekdays are geared towards vintage and collectibles, with wednesday being the best day to go, i have heard.  weekends are primarily focused on new items.
  
• san bernardino outdoor market - from the same people that put together the rose bowl every month, this one is held every sunday.  admission and parking is free.  lots of new stuff, unfortunately, cuts the focus of the market.
  

here are some other general flea market links:

• an article on some of rachel ashwell's favorite flea markets.  who doesn't want to know where the instigator of the whole shabby chic phenomenon shops?
• good housekeeping's top ten flea markets, nationwide.  how did i live on the east coast for 4 years and never make it to brimfield?
• fleamarketguide.com - a comprehensive listing of flea markets across the country.
• a yahoo guide to "collecting events".
• openair.org - this gets pretty global, which is interesting... it sort of seems like someone's graduate thesis project, or something.  the site promotes outdoor markets of every kind (flea, farmer's, souks, etc.) and discusses the economic and social roles these markets play in society.    not as user-friendly as i wish, but check out the archives and links.
• even more listings of california flea markets.