Highmoon's Ponderings » Travel

A Week in Seattle

Daniel M. Perez — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 21:01:39 +0000

Between the end of June and beginning of July I spent a week in Seattle with my wife and our great friend Lari and it was a blast. It had been almost 3 years since the last time I was up there and it honestly felt like going back home.

This time around, since this was Lari’s first time in the Emerald City, we did a few touristy things we hadn’t the last two times we visited, starting with going all the way up to the Space Needle. It had been overcast when we arrived but what do you know, a couple hours in, the sun started to shine and we got some wonderful views of Seattle and Puget Sound from 605 feet in the air.

Of course we also hit some places we had visited already, like Pike Place Market and Pioneer Square, where we did the Underground Tour once more and enjoyed it greatly again. We also hit our favorite bar, the Pike Brewery, as well as have that great Ovaltine Latte at Top Pot Doughnuts. We also found new favorites, like the Nutella Mocha at Bedlam Coffee in Belltown, where we were staying at the Seattle City Hostel. We visited Bamboo Garden quite a bit, given it is the only kosher place to eat in Downtown Seattle, but also made it out to Noah’s Bagels in U District and to Pabla Indian Cuisine in Issaquah. We even went to the Seattle International Beer Festival, my first, where we tried fantastic brews I would normally not get in the east coast!

July 4th we spent with our local friends John and Patricia (of CookLocal.com) and had amazing fried pizza and BBQ burgers cooked on their Big Green Egg, then watched the fireworks from a nearby I-5 overpass. We visited other great coffee houses like A Muddy Cup (their Red, White and Blue coffee was a-ma-zing!) and Bottleworks, a beer store with a small bar inside that I wanted to put in my pocket and take with me.

We also took a day-trip on the ferry (yay!) and visited Bainbridge Island, which was just so beautiful!

I missed seeing a lot of people in Seattle. A lot. It dawned on me as I kept getting queries over Twitter and Facebook how many people I know up there. I even ran into a fellow gamer at Bainbridge’s Fort Ward State Park who lives a couple streets away and came down to say hi when he saw my check-in on Foursquare (I love it when social media works as intended). In truth I would have needed at least another week just to be able to see all my friends up there.

It was a great trip, and it reminded me why is it that I wanna move up there. It is a beautiful city, with personality, chilled out yet modern, firmly places between urbanity and nature. It renewed my desire to move in the next few years for sure.

You can check out the pics on my Seattle 2011 Flickr set.

My Gen Con 2010 Review

Daniel M. Perez — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 19:19:16 +0000

As I write this it’s been a week since Gen Con Indy 2010 opened on Thursday, August 5. I’ve been back for a few days and have had time to process all that happened to me at the show, so here goes, my review of the best four days in gaming, 2010 edition.

The City

I don’t cease to be amazed at the reception 30,000 + gamers get in this midwestern city every year. And every year I see it grow. Banners welcoming Gen Con line the streets, and about 90% of the local businesses roll out some sort of welcome for the con, be it a simple window cling to full-on embracing of the magnificent nerdery with themed menus and drinks or Gen Con-specific specials. It shouldn’t be a surprise, really, when you consider that the estimated Gen Con economic windfall for Indianapolis this year was $27 million. Still, the welcome feels honest, which is rather nice.

The Con

I heard last year was a subdued one due to the bad economy, but boy, was that not the case in 2010! The entire downtown area was busy from Wednesday till Monday when I flew back, and the convention center itself was rarely, if ever, a calm place. There was palpable excitement in the hallways and hotels and on the street. And when those Exhibit Hall doors opened on Thursday, what everyone saw was a flurry of activity that contributed to record-breaking sales for pretty much every vendor I spoke to. The Gen Con LLC team continue to improve their craft of running this massive pop-up city and keep making the experience a great one for us attendees. A special thanks goes out to the Press Room team, because we of the gaming media can be a tetchy and annoying bunch and you always found a way to help us out (my only suggestion: please enforce that the Press Room is a quiet-zone; I was recording an audio interview there at one point and we had to shush down others that were there ourselves). Also thanks to Rio Grande Games for the free Wi-Fi in the convention center (I found it annoying that the coverage excluded the Exhibit Hall, though I understand it).

The Booth

This year I volunteered to be a booth ninja with Rogue Games, makers of one of my favorite games, Colonial Gothic. I wanted an education in what it was to be on the other side of the booth, and boy, did I get it. Working a booth is fun and rewarding, but also hard and tiring. I barely got to see the hall on Thursday and Friday, except for what I could quickly check out on the way to the restroom or to grab something to eat. Yet meeting so many gamers, being able to share my enthusiasm for the games we had for sale, getting gamers to try out new games, that was fantastic. Being stationary at the booth also afforded me the chance to see a lot of people, which then gave me a chance to sell them on the games. It just worked out that a lot of the people I know are in gaming media, so Rogue Games ended up getting some nice coverage during and after the show. I will neither confirm nor deny it was a plan.

Working with Richard Iorio, Greg Videll and Jae Walker was a great experience and one of the con highlights for me. It may lead to future gaming coolness, but that was a nice side-effect. The chance to develop a friendship forged in the trenches of Gen Con – that rocked.

The Games

Because I was helping out at the booth for a good part of my time there (and it was so busy that we needed the extra help – seriously, great sales this year!), I didn’t have as much of a chance to play stuff, though I did get in a few plays here and there.

On Wednesday night Richard ran a game of Colonial Gothic for a group of 7. It was lots of fun; I mean, we were rolling horribly, and ended up using gunboat (or is that flintlock) diplomacy quite a lot, but it was indeed fun. There is now one less witch threatening upstate New York, I can tell you that. Though I was supposed to run a game of Colonial Gothic myself on Thursday, some stuff came up and I did not get a chance, for which I apologize to my players. I owe you one for the next time. Then on Friday afternoon, I ran a game of ICONS for four players that was hilarious. I’ll do a review of the book in which I’ll talk more about the game later on. In addition to this, I got to play a couple rounds of Dominion, Forbidden Island and Get Bit! A bit of roleplaying and a bit of boardgaming – neat.

The Friends

So this is going to be a bit long, but the simple fact is that Gen Con is all about the friends you get to meet and reunite with during this faerie market.

Enrique, David and Itamar – You three are now true friends of the kind I have tattooed on my heart. This was a hard weekend for me emotionally for various reasons, and you were always there to be supportive, to call me on my bullshit if needed, and to help me figure out Important Things (TM). The fact of the matter is, without your acts of friendship, I would not have made it through the weekend, and there’s no way to repay that. I look forward to a long friendship with each of you, regardless of the distances in between. Except for you, Enrique; dude, we live in the same city – we need to hang out more, driving distances be damned.

Richard, Greg and Jae – You made working a booth a really fun experience, even with all the work it involved. It was great getting to know you better. You are now friends.

Clyde and Tim – Thanks a million for the playtest of my game and the good conversation that came afterward. I appreciate that you gave of your selves and your time simply to help me out.

Thomas, Eloy, Tim (again) and Sean – Thanks for trusting a couple hours of your Gen Con experience to me as GM for ICONS. It’s been a loooong time since I last ran a game and I was nervous, but wow, we had fun.

At the risk of forgetting someone: Matthew Kaiser (so awesome finally getting to meet you), Dan Repperger, Chad Wattler, Chris Hussey, GrungyDan, Johnny G, Adam Pinilla, Luke Mayer, Zack Houghton, Michael Wolf (from Germany, no less!), Dan Houser (dude, the art, thanks), Rob Schwalb, Gareth-Michael Skarka, Ryan Macklin, Paul Tevis, Will Hindmarch, Jeff Tidball, Brennen Taylor, Rob Bohl, Mark Reed (you made it!), Chris Perrin (hands down, the happiest moment in the con was suddenly seeing you there – what a surprise!), Mark Kinney, Carol, BG Josh & Meg, Trapcast Jenn, John Harper, Daniel Solis, Nathan Paoletta, Chris & Jessica Beauchamp (GeekyClean is awesome!), Wolfgang Baur, Eddy Webb & Ethan Skemp & Rich Thomas (I don’t care what others said, I loved the White Wolf booth – now, make me a PDF of it), Justin Achili (I want your music collection), Nicole Lindroos (thanks for the hug), Chris Pramas (I didn’t tell you about my character), Hal Mangold, Steve Kenson (hope you enjoyed being the villain), Tom Tullis (you have a beer!), Tom Cadorette (thanks for the beer), Donna Prior (thanks for the die), Jeff & Carol Himmelman, Mario Dongu & Dan Jones (we need to hit the Claddagh next time), David Moore, Ed Healy, Will Huggins, Cam Banks, David Hill (nice dress) & Filamena Young, Jennifer Brozek, Adam Jury (I saw you wear pants!), James Brown (thanks for selling me your copy), Vincent Baker, the guys from Tabletop Hooligans (thanks for the beer), Chris Sims (next time we play for sure), Robert Posada (man, 9 years later – we need to shorten the time in between meetings), Henry Lopez, Eric Wiener, Emily Care Boss, Tim White, Chris aka Zeike and the rest of the TOFtBCH team, Quinn Murphy, Sean Holland, and everyone else I met at the show, even if for a minute, even if only once, please know that it is those moments that truly make Gen Con for me, and you are all a part of it.

The Loot

A small but nice bounty returned home with me (see last picture in the slideshow below). I got 10 Days in the Americas from Out of the Box as a review copy (that will go up on The Gamer Traveler), got three custom d6 dice (Gen Con 2010, Scotty’s Brewhouse, Sages of RPG), and then there’s the RPGs: Mecha (special hardcover Gen Con edition, signed by Chris Perrin); Annalise: Final Edition (signed by Nathan Paoletta); Colonial Gothic – Flames of Freedom: Boston Besieged campaign; Shadow, Sword & Spell: Basic; Death’s Door; and had the chance to get my copy of Colonial Gothic signed by Richard Iorio, and ICONS signed by Steve Kenson, Gareth-Michael Skarka and artist Dan Houser.

Gen Con 2010 is in the bag, and it was great and memorable.

The Future

That’s a whole ‘nother post.

The Photos

On Flickr or in the slideshow below.

A Visit to the Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens

Daniel M. Perez — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 23:26:37 +0000

My wife has been learning the Japanese language on her own for a while, which means an appreciation of Japanese culture has seeped into our household beyond pop-culture mainstays like anime, manga, sushi and ninjas! Part of understanding a language is understanding the culture that uses it, that shaped it, and we’ve both been enriched by what we’ve learned. For some time now we’ve known we have a couple of locations with a Japanese connection we could visit in our general vicinity, and last Sunday we were finally able to make it to the largest of them, the Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens in Delray Beach.

For years, when heading north on I-95, we’d see the signs for Yamato Rd. in Delray and wonder why the name. Turns out there’s a very interesting history tied to the Morikami.

Back in the early part of the 20th century, there was a Japanese farming colony in the area now known as Delray Beach, just south of Boca Raton. It was an experiment, this Japanese colony, and though it existed for about 20-30 years, it never truly thrived or expanded much beyond the original settlers and their families (they all married in Japan; there was only one wedding in the colony right before its collapse). The Yamato colonists kept some of their Japanese customs as best they could, and enmeshed themselves into the daily life of the region fairly well. The farming experiment did not succeed and the colony began to lose members; by the time World War II broke, there were only a couple families left. These were harassed by local ignoramuses and had their land seized by the government, though they were never interred into camps as their west coast kinsmen were. Slowly the only thing that was left of the Yamato colony was the name of the area, and the presence of Mr. Sukeji “George” Morikami.

Morikami was part of the second group of settlers to come to Yamato and he never left. He farmed his land through thick and thin even when the colony was declared an obvious failure. He stayed in South Florida through the war and became a well-known and respected member of his community, eventually becoming a citizen in his late years. In the 70s, when he was in his 80s, Morikami donated his lands to Palm Beach County for the establishment of a park dedicated to the preservation of the Yamato Colony. This became a reality with the establishment of the Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens in 1977. The park has continued to grow ever since.

Yeah, I just snuck in a short history lesson, but it underscores why the Morikami is such an unusual and important location. This is a chapter of South Florida history that is widely unknown and which deserves to be spoken about, taught, disseminated. South Florida is the product of a series of pioneers braving the swamps at the bottom of the state in order to carve out a new life, and the history of the Yamato Colony deserves its place alongside the history of Henry Flagler and his train, or the Cuban Exile. Ok, but what about the park? Let’s take a stroll.

The Museum

The Morikami opened originally with one building, a traditional Japanese house called the Yamato-Kan. In 1993 they opened the current museum and reception building, also built with Japanese aesthetics. It is into this building that you now arrive when visiting. It is big, comprising a theater, reception lobby, museum shop, gallery area, library and a replica of a traditional tea house, as well as an outdoor cafe.

The museum has a mix of permanent and rotating pieces in exhibition, and on our visit we got to see an exhibition on Japanese lacquerware which featured a couple dozens of inro, little purse-like boxes worn by men, most of them dating from the end of the Tokugawa period. Like everything in Japanese craft, these were exquisite in their construction and detail. Along with the inro, we saw artwork featured on the inside of a man’s kimono (the social rule during the Tokugawa period discouraged external flair, so the varied and highly individualistic pieces of art were then consigned to the inside of the apparel). The gallery also featured four complete suits of samurai armor dating from the late 1800s, when they would have been mostly ornamental, though built to the precise specifications as their once-used-in-battle kin. Jaw-dropping amazing. I never tire of seeing samurai armor because it just conveys power, raw power, mystic power, in a way which European armor, even full suits of plate, just do not.

In addition to the objects in the gallery, the Morikami was featuring a smaller exhibition on kaiju! These are the strange, atomic-age monsters made most famous by Godzilla and Ultraman, and which in a way give way to the giant robot genre. Kaiju now populate pop-culture thanks to the aforementioned fathers of the genre, as well as modern shows like Mighty Morphing Power Rangers, Voltron, and pretty much every Mecha show you can name. The exhibit featured a private collection of vinyl kaiju toys from the 60s and 70s and I just friggin loved it! I grew up watching Ultraman, among many other Japanese shows translated to Spanish, so these are the cool monsters of my childhood.

Inside the main museum building is also a replica of a traditional tea house with a cutaway view. Once a month they do a reenactment of a traditional tea ceremony for visitors to see, and we are very much looking forward to when we can come back to see this performed.

Done with the museum building, it was time to hit the gardens.

The Gardens

The Morikami gardens were greatly expanded in 2001 into the marvelous almost-1-mile loop they are today. Wrapping around a central lake, the Roji-En (Garden of the Drops of Dew) features six smaller gardens, each taking inspiration from famous garden styles in Japan’s history. The walk is leisurely, the environment tranquil and inviting to admiration and reflection. Everything about the gardens is meant to be taken in holistically: the trees, the shrubs, the flowers, the path, the sounds. They all contribute to the experience as one walks along the route. In a word, these are beautiful.

The views are at times nothing short of luscious and inspiring. This is a garden for those who don’t know what this tree or flower may be, but they know they like it; anyone can enjoy it simply on an emotional level. Along the way you will find a bridge and planked walkway stretching along small islands, a bamboo grove (did you know the sound of bamboos creaking and striking against each other as they sway is both soothing and practical, as it is used to chase away deer?), an idyllic paradise garden, and a rock garden, a style perfected at Zen Buddhist temples (which has given it the incorrect name of Zen garden). There are also various water features around the gardens, from small fountains that fill, then empty, a piece of bamboo (the rhythmic “clack” of the bamboo as it fills and empties is something I absolutely love), to waterfalls and small streams, and of course, the various lakes. As you exit the gardens through the South Gate, be sure to pay your respects to Morikami-sama and thank him for leaving this wonderful gift to all later generations.

The Yamato-Kan, accessible after a stroll through the Roji-En, now has a display showing aspects of Japanese culture as if through the eyes of a child, a perspective I welcome as it does not assume anything and presents all the information in a way anyone can understand and empathize with. It is here also that the history of the Yamato Colony has a permanent exhibition. Right outside, be sure to admire the largest collection of bonsai in the southeastern United States, as well as the nearby waterfall and Turtle Island (it really does look like a turtle).

So Much More

The Morikami also holds regular events, like their Sushi & Stroll nights, when the garden is opened after hours and sushi is served at the cafe (man, how I wish they would do a Kosher version of this!), as well as educational lectures and grand celebrations on important Japanese holidays.

I enjoyed my visit to the Morikami immensely. Even looking forward to going, I was surprised, in a good way, with the beauty of the place and the number of things there are to do. I feel I can go back and I’ll have a completely different experience than I did now, as I’ll be able to focus on other aspects I may have missed. What’s great is that you don’t have to be a connoisseur of Japanese culture to enjoy it. Even if all you know of Japan is they have samurai, ninjas and sushi, the Morikami makes the experience amenable and welcoming, explaining all you need to know to better enjoy the gardens and museum, instilling an appreciation in a most organic kind of way.

Anyone within driving distance of the Morikami should make an effort to visit and experience this hidden gem of South Florida, and I’d say that even visitors to the state that can swing by should do so, as I believe they will have a fantastic time and help promote and support an important part of our history.

Take a look at the photos I took below or on Flickr: A Visit to the Morikami Museum.

Kosher Seattle Travel Article

Daniel M. Perez — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 23:48:04 +0000

I wrote a quick guide for the kosher traveler to Seattle, Washington for Yeah, That’s Kosher!, a kosher travel blog. The article is now up and you can go read it.

Seattle, WA

“Seattle seduces,” our friend Patricia said no more than three hours after we had landed at Sea/Tac Airport and had driven through the city on our way to a coffee shop in Queen Anne Hill. From this high vantage point, Seattle spread out in organized chaos, contained only by the shores of Elliot Bay and Lake Washington to the east and west respectively. The Space Needle pierced the sky, an unmoving sentinel guarding the northern end of the city, while to the south, snow-capped Mt. Rainier played peek-a-boo with its ward 70 miles away. “I could certainly get used to this,” was what I said, taking in this view, that prompted Patricia to speak her prophetic words.

[...] we found [in Seattle] a remarkable city with an abundance of personality, a multitude of activities for all kinds of visitors, and a very appealing destination for the kosher traveler.

Read the article.

Elation over my article aside, I love this website because it is dedicated to helping the kosher-observing Jew travel to more places beyond the New York/Miami worn-out route. I have a couple more ideas for articles, including Orlando, FL and even Miami (with a different twist), so expect to see more announcements like this from me.

Seattle Redux – Wrap-up

Daniel M. Perez — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 05:08:14 +0000

Try as I might, I still have a problem keeping a journal while on a trip (with exceptions, those being when I’m in Europe) and I have not yet resolved the issue of internet connectivity well enough to say I’m going to blog nightly. Which is a shame, because so much gets lost when you try to come back to the memories but have little to act as mnemonics. Of course, there’s the issue of actually experiencing the place you’re visiting, and in that regard I am golden.

I had tons of fun this time around in Seattle, even if this wasn’t a touristy trip per se. Experiencing the city as a temporary local, driving around its streets (sorry Seattle, you have yet to convince me that you truly experience traffic that’s worse than I-95 in Miami), shopping in the farmers market and cooking a meal for our friends, spending a Shabbat with a local family in the Jewish community we now know we’d like to move into, these were all amazing experiences that I treasure precisely because they were out of the ordinary fare for a visitor to the city. I simply cannot wait to go back and become a permanent resident.

While the blogging/journaling was scarce, I did a lot of Twitter updates, precisely as a way to remind myself of what we did when. As a bonus, they allow me to show you a quick overview of our time in Seattle. Enjoy.

A TWITTERIZED VERSION OF SEATTLE REDUX

On my way to the airport. 8:07 AM Nov 27th from txt

At the gate already. Cleared security suprisingly fast. Don’t toy with me, fate. 9:55 AM Nov 27th from txt

Boarding. 10:26 AM Nov 27th from txt

You eat onions before going into a very packed plane? Seriously? 10:47 AM Nov 27th from txt

Breathe normally. Ha! 11:03 AM Nov 27th from txt

Arrived in Chicago. Hey @vandermoore I see you! 2:07 PM Nov 27th from txt

Waiting at O’hare, which is suprisingly empty. 3:20 PM Nov 27th from txt

Off to Seattle. 4:30 PM Nov 27th from txt

Landed in Seattle. 8:39 PM Nov 27th from txt

Renting the car now. 9:37 PM Nov 27th from txt

Dude, Bamboo Garden is open. Yes! 10:53 PM Nov 27th from txt

Having breakfast at Noah’s Bagels in the U district. 2:40 P Nov 28th from txt

Wow, so many kosher breads! 4:00 PM Nov 28th from txt

Shopping at Albertson’s on Mercer Island. 4:12 P Nov 28th from txt

At the REI store. 5:31 P Nov 28th from txt

Bikes, bikes, bikes! 5:46 PM Nov 28th from txt

Man, I so wanna move up here. 6:02 P Nov 28th from txt

For a brief moment the Space Needle looked gorgeous in the orange glow of the setting sun. 6:51 P Nov 28th from txt

Yo @jaydeflix and @patricia_eddy. 12:08 A Nov 30th from txt

At Pike Place Brewery. Mmm… Kilt-lifter on tap. 1:38 A Nov 30th from txt

http://twitpic.com/pakn – Mmm 4:06 PM Nov 30th from TwitPic

http://twitpic.com/p6jx – The Space Needle got a hat! 2:45 A Nov 30th from TwitPic

Turning in for the night. 2:47 A Nov 30th from txt

Up. Trying to make it to West Seattle. 11:45 A Nov 30th from txt

At Sur le Table. 2:13 P Nov 30th from txt

The fog is rolling in from the sound onto the Pike Place Market. It’s absolutely gorgeous. 3:47 P Nov 30th from txt

Heading out to Ballard Farmer’s Market. 4:38 P Nov 30th from txt

Playing Monty Python Fluxx with wife, @jaydeflix and @patricia_eddy. 11:05 P Nov 30th from web

http://twitpic.com/ph6 - Cold and sunny morning in Seattle. 1:45 P Dec 1st from TwitPic

Riding with convertible hood down! 2:52 PM Dec 1st from txt

http://twitpic.com/pif8 – At the Magnuson Park Fin Project. 4:37 P Dec 1st from TwitPic

At Pabla Veggie Cuisine in Issaquah. Mmm… Kosher Indian food. 5:29 P Dec 1st from txt

$35 for two buffet and drinks? Hell yeah! 6:07 PM Dec 1st from txt

We just found the office of Dr. Tran! 6:30 P Dec 1st from txt

At Uwajimaya 7:15 P Dec 1st from txt

http://twitpic.com/pji2 – Cow bike. 7:17 P Dec 1st from TwitPic

http://twitpic.com/pjsl – Engrish. 7:49 P Dec 1st from TwitPic

At REI. 8:50 P Dec 1st from txt

Hanging out with @patricia_eddy and @jaydeflix. 11:35 P Dec 1st from web

@ITPodcast I’m loving REI a lot, actually. 11:36 P Dec 1st from web in reply to ITPodcast

@chrishanrahan My goal this trip is to go all around Seattle, so yeah. 11:36 P Dec 1st from web in reply to chrishanrahan

Checking out Jewish areas in Seattle. 12:26 A Dec 2nd from twhirl

Wait, free internet at the hotel? Damn, they sure kept this a secret! 3:02 AM Dec 2nd from twhirl

Room extended till Sunday no problem. 2:22 A Dec 2nd from txt

Turning in for the night. 2:56 A Dec 2nd from txt

Wait, free internet at the hotel? Damn, they sure kept this a secret! 3:02 AM Dec 2nd from twhirl

Moved to a new room and now I have a lovely view of a Gentleman’s Club out the window. 2:01 P Dec 2nd from txt

Top Pot Donuts, why can’t you be kosher? :16 PM Dec 2nd from txt

At Alki Beach. No orcas though. 3:04 P Dec 2nd from txt

West Seattle is beautiful. 3:07 P Dec 2nd from txt

Hey @patricia_eddy I can see your house from Alki. 3:22 P Dec 2nd from txt

Getting food at Bamboo Garden. 4:12 P Dec 2nd from txt

How fast is the service? Took 5 minutes for our food to be done. 4:16 P Dec 2nd from txt

Doing laundry while looking out the window onto Elliot Bay. Not a bad afternoon. 6:57 P Dec 2nd from twhirl

Sunset over Puget Sound is glorious. 7:49 P Dec 2nd from txt

Heading out. 8:18 P Dec 2nd from twhirl

At Archie McPhee. 8:53 P Dec 2nd from txt

http://twitpic.com/przb – Fierce. 9:45 P Dec 2nd from TwitPic

At Island Crust pizza in Mercer Island. Kosher pizza! 10:36 P Dec 2nd from txt

We just got kosher candy corn, something we’ve never found in Miami. 10:46 P Dec 2nd from txt

http://twitpic.com/psnj – This was excellent pizza. 11:29 P Dec 2nd from TwitPic

Met a Jewish couple at Island Crust and now we have an invitation for Shabbat. 11:35 P Dec 2nd from txt

Hanging out at the hotel room, having a Pyramid Hefeweizen. 1:28 A Dec 3rd from txt

So this is what Seattle looks like at 6 am. 9:26 A Dec 3rd from txt

Heading over to Sharei Tefillah in Ravenna for morning prayers. 9:28 A Dec 3rd from txt

Heading back to the hotel. 10:48 A Dec 3rd from txt

Pit stop at Noah’s Bagels. 1:13 A Dec 3rd from txt

Ah so this is what you folks in Seattle call traffic. Cute. 11:29 A Dec 3rd from txt

I’m getting very adept at getting lost yet finding my way to where I’m going. 11:40 A Dec 3rd from txt

Back at the hotel. 11:44 A Dec 3rd from txt

@chrishanrahan When I travel, I travel. 12:36 PM Dec 3rd from twhirl in reply to chrishanrahan

Going to lunch with @Pramas in a few. 2:38 PM Dec 3rd from twhirl

Thanks @Pramas for joining my wife and I for a nice lunch. 4:39 P Dec 3rd from txt

http://twitpic.com/pxrf – 4:49 PM Dec 3rd from TwitPic

http://twitpic.com/pynq – At the EMP. 6:41 P Dec 3rd from TwitPic

Gotta put more money in the meter. 6:38 P Dec 3rd from txt

Dammit got a parking ticket. 7:04 P Dec 3rd from txt

At the Sci-Fi Museum. 8:06 P Dec 3rd from txt

Hmm… What to do for dinner today? 8:29 P Dec 3rd from txt

At Island Crust again tonight. Soup and pasta for dinner. 9:47 P Dec 3rd from txt

At The Pike Brewery. Again. Yes we like this place. 12:38 A Dec 4th from txt

My wife says I’m the weirdest person she knows. 1:40 A Dec 4th from txt

http://twitpic.com/q19v – An hour later. 1:49 A Dec 4th from TwitPic

Last call. 1:58 A Dec 4th from txt

S#!t It’s cold! 2:23 AM Dec 4th from txt

Back at the hotel. 2:43 A Dec 4th from txt

I am so late for prayers. 10:07 A Dec 4th from txt

At prayers. 10:27 A Dec 4th from txt

Heading back. 11:07 A Dec 4th from txt

Hey, you can kinda see Mt. Rainier through the morning fog! 11:18 A Dec 4th from txt

The honey Greek yogurt from The Greek Gods company is just perfect. 1:02 P Dec 4th from twhirl

Must get coffee. Now. 2:16 P Dec 4th from twhirl

Wow, it is an amazingly clear day! 2:22 PM Dec 4th from txt

The Ovaltine latte at Top Pot Doughnuts is just phenomenal. 2:52 P Dec 4th from txt

http://twitpic.com/q50c – There’s a seagull outside my window. 2:53 P Dec 4th from TwitPic

@grungydan You can haz Seattle too, but only if I haz as well. 3:45 P Dec 4th from twhirl in reply to grungydan

Ok, finally heading out. Going to check out the neighborhood in Ravenna. 4:31 P Dec 4th from twhirl

Having tea. 5:48 P Dec 4th from txt

At Gas Works Park. 6:34 P Dec 4th from txt

Mmm… Corn chowder. I’m addicted. 7:37 P Dec 4th from txt

Dinner at the hotel tonight. 7:54 P Dec 4th from txt

007 at The Big Picture. Movie and alcohol! 8:57 P Dec 4th from txt

At Volunteer Park. There’s a street fair. Oh, it’s the Art Walk! 11:23 PM Dec 4th from txt

http://twitpic.com/q9fs – Steampunk jewelry. 12:01 AM Dec 5th from TwitPic

Turning in for the night. 2:08 AM Dec 5th from txt

At prayers. 10:13 AM Dec 5th from txt

Prayers done. Back to the hotel or bagel pit stop? 10:50 AM Dec 5th from txt

Bagels win. But just a quick stop as I’ll return later with my wife for proper breakfast. 11:00 AM Dec 5th from txt

Mt. Rainier looks unreal. So majestic. 11:19 AM Dec 5th from txt

@AtomicOvermind The mountain has been out for two days straight now. We’re on a roll, here! 11:46 AM Dec 5th from twhirl in reply to AtomicOvermind

Ok, heading out. Short day today! 1:28 PM Dec 5th from twhirl

The view from Kerry Park is amazing today. 2:35 PM Dec 5th from txt

Kosher sushi at the University Village QFC! This I didn’t know about. 3:17 PM Dec 5th from txt

They also have a big kosher section with pre-made sandwiches. I know where I’m getting food for the trip home. 3:22 PM Dec 5th from txt

Getting ready and heading out in a few. Shabbat in T minus 1 hour! 5:58 PM Dec 5th from twhirl

Shabbat Shalom. 6:44 PM Dec 5th from txt

Our last night in Seattle. 9:23 PM Dec 6th from txt

Checking out houses. 11:18 PM Dec 6th from txt

Going out for kosher Indian food. 12:00 AM Dec 7th from twhirl

http://twitpic.com/qvee – Mmm… Indian food. 1:00 AM Dec 7th from TwitPic

Dear lord, we are so full! The Indian food at Pabla Veggie Cuisine in Issaquah is just amazing. Can I take them with me to Miami? 2:26 AM Dec 7th from twhirl

Gotta pack, but all I wanna do is go to sleep. 2:39 AM Dec 7th from twhirl

There are 26 dudes from the east coast staying in various rooms around the hotel being pain in the asses at 1:30 am. 4:15 AM Dec 7th from twhirl

Going to (try to) sleep. 4:15 AM Dec 7th from twhirl

Up and about since 5 am. My bag has practically doubled in size as I try to pack all of Seattle in there. 8:39 AM Dec 7th from txt

Car returned. Waiting for the shuttle to SeaTac Airport. 10:19 AM Dec 7th from txt

At the gate already. I so hate the Shoe Carnival. 11:06 AM Dec 7th from txt

Just paid $5 for a small pack of Imodium. Totally worth it. 11:07 AM Dec 7th from txt

On our way to Chicago O’Hare. 11:32 AM Dec 7th from txt

http://twitpic.com/qy2f – Cramped inside the airplane. 11:32 AM Dec 7th from TwitPic

Bye Seattle. We miss you already. 11:36 AM Dec 7th from txt

Landed in Chicago. 3:01 PM Dec 7th from txt

Waiting at the gate. We are both feeling very much not well. 3:27 PM Dec 7th from txt

Need coffee. 3:46 PM Dec 7th from txt

Lots of Russians in Chicago? 4:17 PM Dec 7th from txt

Waiting to board. 4:27 PM Dec 7th from txt

Must find out how one gets AA Priority Access. 4:45 PM Dec 7th from txt

On the plus side, I’ve gotten a few ideas for more episodes of The Gamer Traveler. 4:53 PM Dec 7th from txt

In the plane, packed like a sardine. Next stop: Miami. 5:20 PM Dec 7th from txt

Hello Miami. 8:16 PM Dec 7th from txt

MIA, every time I leave and come back I realize what a crappy airport you are. 8:32 PM Dec 7th from txt

http://twitpic.com/r35x – That’s right, this doesn’t apply to you. 8:44 PM Dec 7th from TwitPic

Ok, picked up. 8:43 PM Dec 7th from txt

I’m sleepy. 10:44 PM Dec 7th from txt

Seattle – A Mid-Week Update

Daniel M. Perez — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 18:23:04 +0000

That’s me at Magnusson Park, at the Fin Project (Seattle Installation). I’ll talk more about that when I get back.

I don’t want to go back, and if I’m forced, then it’s only to get things straightened out so I can return to Seattle.

I’ll be writing more updates as I can. In the meantime, you can follow me (fairly close) over at my Twitter.

Seattle – Days 1, 2 and 3

Daniel M. Perez — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 13:00:22 +0000

It’s our fourth day in Seattle and so far I’m loving it as much as before; maybe more. The cool weather, the (advanced) autumn season, all enhance the beauty of the city and surroundings, making it even more appealing. Fog has been a constant companion every day, especially today, when it hid the sound completely and then rolled onto the city, casting a shimmering veil over everything.

Thursday, Nov. 27

We arrived on Thursday after a whole day of flying. We left Miami at 11 am, flying to Chicago O’Hare then took a connecting flight on Air Alaska, landing in Seattle at 6 pm local time. After getting the car, a convertible electric blue PT Cruiser, we drove into the city through lightly foggy streets, reaching the Hotel Max less than an hour later. The Hotel Max was, well, nice but a bit too snobby for my taste, not to mention expensive (I mean, $30 per day for parking!). The room (807) was nice, I won’t take that away, and we had a fantastic view of the Space Needle. Extremely hungry after 10 hours of traveling, we hit the road again, heading for the one kosher restaurant in Downtown Seattle, Bamboo Garden. Thankfully it was open (thank heavens for Chinese restaurants) and we were able to have a hot meal (Yvette had an udon noodle dish, while I had their vegan Thanksgiving platter, which was actually quite good). We took a short drive around the downtown area, if only to refresh our memories, but turned in fairly early; by 11 pm we had turned off the lights and called our Thanksgiving Day a done deal, both of us ecstatic of being back in Seattle.

Friday, Nov. 28

Friday morning was a bit of a hectic one. After getting up quite early, taking a shower and praying, I went online to check the rates on the hotel we had stayed in on our last visit, the Sixth Avenue Inn, visible from our room at the Hotel Max. The price was exactly half of what we were paying at the Max, so after confirming they had rooms available and placing a reservation, I cancelled the remaining nights at the Hotel Max. We repacked everything in the suitcases and left the Max at around 11 am, checking into the Sixth Avenue Inn by noon. Though certainly the Hotel Max had a unique personality, especially when compared to the middle-of-the-road Sixth Avenue Inn, the reduced price and the immense amount of space we got on our second hotel more than made up the difference, tipping the scale firmly in our favor. With that secured, we headed out to have breakfast at the one place we knew we could get a fantastic and filling meal, Noah’s Bagels in the U District. An hour, two egg-and-cheese sandwiches on potato bagels and two cups of coffee later, we had full tummies and were ready to continue our day, in this case, heading out to get provisions for Shabbat at the Mercer Island Albertson’s.

This is a wonderful supermarket that truly leaves a lot of kosher stores at home in the dirt, not only in its selection but in its prices. Let’s start with the fact that we can get sushi, fresh-made sushi, at a fraction of the cost we pay in Miami at any restaurant, and a hundred times fresher than the pre-made packs we sometimes pick up at home. To that you can add a deli where we got not only a variety of salads, but also a sandwich as big as my head, with three different meats, for $7. And of course, then there was the selection of kosher artisan breads. Sigh. About an hour later we left with enough groceries to take us through the entire week, as well as food for Shabbat, now only a couple hours away.

On the way back we stopped at the REI store, not far from our hotel. Personally, I’d forgotten it was Black Friday, so I was initially taken aback by the amount of people in the store, though once I realized what day it was, the truth was that there weren’t nearly as many people as one would imagine. We only had an hour to wander the huge store, and most of it we spent in the bicycle department, marveling at the wide selection of bikes and accessories, especially a very nice Electra Townie “Rat Rod” bike painted with a flame motif that made me wish I could just buy it right then and there. I picked up a book called Biking Puget Sound that lists 50 different rides and trails around Seattle and the greater Puget Sound area. We’re hoping to be able to rent some bikes and hit the Burke-Gilman trail (the very first ride listed in the book), but even if we don’t, I see it as an investment for the future.

We only spent an hour at REI before we had to zip back to the hotel to get ready for Shabbat, which started at 4:13 pm! We both managed to take hot showers before candle lighting time and after prayers, we sat down to enjoy an excellent meal of challah from Noah’s Bagels, and salads and fresh sushi from Albertson’s. By the time midnight rolled around, we were already in bed sleeping soundly and happily.

Saturday, Nov. 29

We spent the whole day indoors, sleeping in late, waking up to have lunch, then lounging around the room. We read the newspaper, checked our maps and guides, made tentative plans for the rest of the week, then slept some more until after Shabbat ended at 5:12 pm. After that we took showers, got some food and headed over to see our friends John and Patricia, in Ballard. We just hung out at their home; they would be running the Seattle Half-Marathon in the morning, so they needed to rest and conserve their energies. At around 10-ish, we left their house and headed Downtown again, taking a detour down to the waterfront, and walking up to The Pike Brewery for some cold ales (the Kilt Lifter Scotch Ale was just as fantastic as I remembered it). Then it was back to the hotel. A quiet and very nice day to finally settle in and get our internal clocks aligned.

A report on Sunday’s activities is coming later.

The Banshee of Kilmainham Gaol

Daniel M. Perez — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:44:48 +0000

Posted at Destination: Earth Travel Journal:

There is a banshee in Kilmainham Gaol; don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. It may be invisible to the eyes of the thousands of visitors to the historic site in the Irish capitol, but its wail, its unearthly and sorrow-filled wail, is inescapable and unforgettable.

[Read more...]

Destination: Earth Travel Journal

Daniel M. Perez — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:09:19 +0000

I’ve had the Destination: Earth Travel name and idea for a while, shifting a few times what exactly I want to do with it, from a travel advice service to a travel referral site. None of those ideas worked, but I love the name and having that outlet for my travel interests. When it comes to those interests, one of the few applications I have not pursued, yet is one that appeals to me a lot, is travel writing. With that in mind, I have turned that website and brand into the Destination: Earth Travel Journal.

The site is now a place for me to practice my travel writing skills, an extension of the travel journal I always endeavor do keep whenever I go on the road. I have invited a couple of my travel companions to share if they do desire, but it is mainly my playground.

I won’t be syndicating that feed into my main website at DMPerez.com, but I will post a notice and a link whenever a new article goes up there, so that anyone who is interested can go check it out. I will also be looking for ways to tie together what I do with Destination: Earth Travel Journal and The Gamer Traveler (which, I swear, is not dead yet).

I invite you to drop by the travel journal site and check out the articles as they come up (maybe even subscribe to that feed) and to leave your feedback on the pieces, as it’s the only way I can improve my skills.

Seattle Redux

Daniel M. Perez — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 21:23:13 +0000

It’s official, my wife and I will be going back to Seattle for Thanksgiving break (last week of Nov/first week of Dec) and I am so excited it borders on the illegal.

This is the first time ever my wife and I have visited one location twice in one year (my visits to Puerto Rico to see family and friends not included). There were so many things that we couldn’t see when we went in June that it is amazing thinking we’ll have a chance so soon again. This trip, however, has an ulterior motive, as we intend to use the opportunity to take a look at neighborhoods, apt/houses, and generally look at Seattle through the eyes of people wanting to move up there as soon as (freakin’) possible. We’re hoping to line up some job interviews for that week as well, so wish us luck.

Seattle Redux – so awesome.