Summer Adventure Part 2

After surviving a pretty intense hail storm on Tioga Pass, the only way in and out of Tuolumne Meadows of Yosemite National Park, we finally made it to Lake Tahoe!

The Keep Tahoe Blue campaign is strong. Its mission is to preserve and conserve the natural beauty of Lake Tahoe. Everyone has bumper stickers with the slogan and the area has taken to having a little fun with it. For example, the Brewery at Lake Tahoe has adopted “Drink Tahoe Brew”.

Did you know that Lake Tahoe is America’s second deepest lake? The border of California and Nevada goes through the middle of the lake and there are many towns that dot the circumference of the lake. We stayed in South Lake Tahoe just over the Nevada border and I consulted this article on Thrillist while planning (http://www.thrillist.com/travel/new-york/a-new-yorkers-guide-to-lake-tahoe).

Accommodations

We stayed at the 968 Park Hotel (http://www.968parkhotel.com/) and it was the perfect spot for us because it’s centrally located across from Heavenly Village and a short walk to the water.

Food

The first night we got in late and enjoyed pizza at Blue Dog Pizza (http://bluedogpizzatahoe.com/) in Heavenly Village. It was yummy and they had gluten free crust! Our second night we made a reservation at Scusa (http://www.scusalaketahoe.com/) in South Lake Tahoe. They had good reviews, gluten free options and it wasn’t far from the hotel. While the food was tasty and plentiful, it came out so quickly that it was hard to enjoy it.

We had two yummy and filling brunches in Tahoe. The first was at Ernie’s http://www.erniescoffeeshop.com/ and we were lucky because there was no wait (and they had gluten free bread!). Driftwood Cafe (http://www.driftwoodtahoe.com/) was also delicious however the first day we went there was a 45 minute wait so definitely try to get there earlier in the morning.

In Truckee, along the west coast of the lake, we grabbed a light lunch at Coffeebar http://www.coffeebartruckee.com/. We had tried to get into Squeeze Inn but it closed by 2pm. There are lots of options for food in Truckee and great shopping so leave some time to peruse.

What to Do

In the early morning we drove to Emerald Bay so that we could get on the lake with Kayak Tahoe (http://www.kayaktahoe.com/). Parking is tight so the earlier you can get there the better. You’ll also want to wear sneakers to walk down to the lake and bring flip flops for the boats. Keith decided to stand up paddleboard and we took out a double kayak. If a storm wasn’t moving in we would have spent 2 hours on the water and paddled farther out but we enjoyed the hour paddling around the island in the middle of the bay and just lounging on the lake. Also it’s right by Vikingsholm (http://www.vikingsholm.com/), a historic mansion that has daily tours.

After lunch in Truckee, we went to Donner Memorial State Park (http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=503) to check out the new Visitor’s Center. The center was small but had tons of information. We particularly enjoyed learning about the Donner Party and their treacherous journey across the Oregon Trail. They had decided to take what they hoped would be a short cut to the west coast but their trailblazing route allegedly lead to the infamous cannibalism. The center also included exhibits about the local Native Americans and the builders of the transcontinental railroad.

Outside the center is the original Pioneer Monument dedicated to the travelers of the Trail.

Portland

We chose to add on Portland, Oregon because, quite honestly, Brian wanted to eat at as many places as possible. I visited Portland about 6 years ago and it seems to have changed a lot. The city straddles the Willamette River, the very river that lead to the city’s origins as a lumber town. Two east coasters, one from Portland, Maine and the other from Boston, Massacusetts, flipped a penny to decide the name of the “Stumptown”. Guess who won? Also for all you Simpsons fans, creator Matt Groening is from the Rose City and it inspired many of Springfield’s residents: http://www.oregonlive.com/movies/2012/05/the_simpsons_map_of_portland_w.html

Accommodations

We stayed at The Jupiter Hotel (http://jupiterhotel.com/) located in the Burnside neighborhood of Portland. It’s about a 20 minute walk over the bridge to downtown. Portland hotels can get pricey but the Jupiter was right within our budget, with small but perfectly comfortable rooms. There’s a music venue and bar at the hotel so be sure to book a “Chill” room if you want a good night’s sleep. The staff was very helpful and answered all our questions enthusiastically.

Food

Screen Door

The first day we ate lunch at the food pods. Portland has tons of food carts and they are fun to ramble through and find your favorite. We decided on a Korean taco pod that hit the spot! Brunch is an art in Portland and our favorite was  at Screen Door (http://www.screendoorrestaurant.com/). It was absolutely worth the wait with its southern cuisine that kept us full for hours on end. Brian loved the chicken and waffles (and the biscuits and gravy), my shrimp and grits were delectable and don’t miss out on the praline bacon. Our last day we had brunch at Brunch Box (http://brunchboxpdx.com/), a teeny place with great breakfast sandwiches centrally located to get around the city.

Dinner at Por Que No

Our first night we met my friend Amanda and her husband at Por Que No (http://www.porquenotacos.com/). Despite the wait, it was amazing. Brian ate 6 different tacos, the margaritas were perfect and the ambience was Portland hipster. What more could you want? We’re Top Chef fans so we put Doug Adam’s restaurant, Imperial (http://www.imperialpdx.com/#welcome), at the top of our list. It’s a loud restaurant but everything we ate was delicious. We also loved sitting near the open kitchen and watching him work.  Still on our Top Chef kick, we wanted to try Gregory Gourdet’s Asian inspired cuisine restaurant, Departure (http://departureportland.com/), in the Nines hotel. We went for drinks at the rooftop bar before and sat outside for dinner. It’s a very trendy spot but the food was not as good as Imperial and there were some issues with service.

The lines at Voodoo donuts were crazy long so Brian decided to go to Blue Star instead as it’s been touted as the grown up donuts of Portland (http://www.bluestardonuts.com/) . Petunia’s, (http://petuniaspiesandpastries.com/), is a gluten free bakery in the city so I had to try it out since I couldn’t eat any donuts. We both agreed our snacks were so yummy!

What To Do

Although I’ve been to Portland before, we thought it would be fun to learn about some of the neighborhoods and history of the city so we went on a 2 hour jaunt with Portland Walking Tours (http://www.portlandwalkingtours.com/). We learned a lot and saw some great sights along the way.

Portlandia was sculpted to be the symbol of the city however sculptor Raymond Kaskey sues anyone who uses it for commercial purposes so it remains in relativity anonymity. Here’s an article to learn more about this pretty hilarious symbol: http://www.wweek.com/portland/article-23062-so_sue_us.html.

While Portland is known for its microbreweries, there’s a burgeoning distillery movement happening as well. We bought a Distillery Row passport for $20 which gives you access to seven distilleries (http://distillerypassport.com/). We made it to three; Eastside, Rolling River and New Deal, with Rolling River as our favorite.

At Rolling River where we tried Aquavit for the first time

New Deal Distillery

We took the bus up to the International Rose Test Garden (http://www.portlandoregon.gov/parks/finder/index.cfm?action=viewpark&propertyid=1113). It’s fun to ramble through the garden and see all the wild varieties of roses. If the day had been less hazy we would have had a spectacular view of Mount Hood.

The Portland Art Museum (http://portlandartmuseum.org/) had an Ai Wei Wei exhibit I wanted to check out. The exhibit was small but we looked around the other temporary exhibits as well. It’s definitely worth checking out.

Portland is a unique city. Think of a cross between San Francisco, Seattle and Brooklyn. There is a vast and present homeless population throughout the city and the neighborhoods differ greatly on either side of the river. It’s extremely walkable but you may want to utilize Uber or Lyft to get between neighborhoods.

It’s a tradition to take photos of your feet with the PDX airport carpet! They are ripping it up despite the residents’ love of it.

We had a terrific trip to Nevada, California and Oregon! I highly recommend going out west to any or all of our destinations.

Puerto Rico: A Spring Break Getaway

It’s been a long New York winter, as evidenced by the lack of recent blog posts (I promise with warmer weather, I’ll be more diligent!). We needed to escape the cold so we booked a trip to Puerto Rico. We chose PR because it was close, affordable, and had plenty of activities for my can’t sit on a beach for too long boyfriend and his easily sunburnt girlfriend.

The colorful streets of Old San Juan

A little history… Prior to European colonization, the volcanic island was inhabited by the Taino, a native tribe that called the land Boriquen. Christopher Columbus claimed the island for Spain on his second voyage to the New World in 1493. He originally named the island San Juan Bautista, after John the Baptist, and the town Puerto Rico, meaning “rich port”. They did not exchange names until 1521 when San Juan became the capital. Quickly the port became Spain’s most important military outpost as it served as a strategic point between Florida to the north and Mexico to the west. Puerto Rico remained under Spanish rule until 1898. The Treaty of Paris concluded the Spanish-American War and Spain was forced to cede Guam and Puerto Rico to the United States. To understand the relationship Puerto Rico currently has with the U.S. check out this link: http://www.topuertorico.org/government.shtml

Here’s what you need to know before you go:

• It’s a U.S. territory so no passport and no exchange of currency.
• Verizon will not work because there are no Verizon towers! I could not use my data while on the island unless I had a wireless connection. Good thing Brian has T-Mobile!
• Renting a car was a great idea. We had the freedom to get around the majority of the northeast quadrant of island and the roads were easy to drive. Having a car would eliminate steep transportation fees many of the tour companies will make you pay.

Coral Reef while snorkeling

We stayed 3 nights at the Wyndham Grand Rio Mar in Rio Grande  (http://www.wyndhamriomar.com/), about 45 minutes east of the airport. The resort was clean and family friendly, although food options were disappointing, expensive and service lacked. That being said the location was excellent as we could drive to all of our excursions easily and quickly. For the other 2 nights we stayed at an Airbnb (www.airbnb.com), our first experience with the apartment surfing website. We did our research, found an apartment that was located in our desired San Juan neighborhood (Condado), had great reviews and booked it. Our host was easy to communicate with and the apartment was exactly as described! It was a cheaper way to travel and we’ll definitely use Airbnb for vacations in the future.

Puerto Rico has no shortage of delicious food. We celebrated Brian’s birthday at Fern, a

The beautiful entrance to the Plantation House at the St. Regis

Jean Georges restaurant at the St. Regis Bahia Beach (http://www.fernrestaurant.com/bahia-beach-restaurant.php). The food and service were outstanding and they even had gluten free pizza and bread! You should try to get there when the sun is setting so that you can enjoy the ambience of the hotel and landscape. In San Juan we ate dinner at Casa Lola (http://casalolarestaurant.com/), a Roberto Trevino restaurant. They specialize in Puerto Rican cuisine and Brian was delighted to try mofongo, the island’s signature dish made from fried plantains. We also ate at Marmalade (http://www.marmaladepr.com/) in Old San Juan. We opted for the 5 course tasting menu and were not disappointed. In fact it was not only cost effective but everything we ate was delicious and inventive. It was an excellent meal. For breakfast check out the cheap and delicious Pinky’s (http://www.yelp.com/biz/pinkys-condado), and

Lunch at Kamoli with some cafe con leche.

for lunch check out the funky Kamoli Kafe (http://www.yelp.com/biz/kamoli-kafe-and-boutique-san-juan). And if you’re looking for a great artisanal cocktail bar, make your way to Old San Juan and pop into La Factoria (http://www.yelp.com/biz/la-factoria-san-juan). Mario, the bartender, is friendly and knowledgeable and most importantly the drinks were muy bien!

For Brian’s birthday we went snorkeling with Snorkel and Beach Tour on the S.S. Tobias (http://www.snorkelandbeachtour.com/). We drove to Fajardo and departed from Villa Marina. We made 3 stops off the coast of the island of Culebra, two of which we snorkeled at and enjoyed the fish and coral reef. You could rent waterproof cases for your smartphone that worked perfectly underwater and they served lunch and drinks on board. The final stop was Tortuga Beach on Little Culebra island, that was fun to explore and swim in the crystal clear water. I highly recommend the experience and this company.

Snorkeling at Culebra

We used a tour guide named Rupert Cosme, who was recommended to me by Louie’s VIP tours, for a full day El Yunque rainforest and biobay combination tour. I suggest you either use someone else or book the excursion on your own so that you can see what you want and enjoy the excursions at your leisure.

El Yunque (http://www.fs.usda.gov/elyunque) is the only tropical rain forest in the United

La Mina Falls

States Forest System. Because the island is volcanic, there are no indigenous species so you won’t be seeing any monkeys or snakes. However you will hear the call of the Coqui frog. You can absolutely drive to El Yunque and explore on your own. We hiked down to La Mina Falls and Brian braved the waterfall. We would have liked to climb the tower to get a 360 view but our tour guide didn’t take us. There are some places to eat along the road in the rainforest that have cheap local cuisine.

We spent a few hours at Luquillo Beach. It’s a very picturesque public beach without any hotels obscuring the view of the rainforest in the background.

Luquillo Beach

A highlight of our trip was kayaking in the bioluminescent bay. I’m not exactly sure which company we used since there are so many and Rupert, our tour guide, just signed us up for one. That being said, we spent about 20 minutes kayaking through mangroves in complete darkness trying to stay in single file, with only glow sticks on the bow and stern of each kayak as a guide. The crowds are unbelievable. Once you finally get to the bay, the stars above are awe inspiring and when you dip your paddle into the water it actually glows! The ecology of the bay includes plankton that emit a light when agitated at night. It’s more a sparkle than a glow but it’s spectacular. It’s pretty frustrating to paddle back with beginner kayakers who are trying to go against the current, however this excursion is not to be missed. Here’s a great article to learn more: http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/glow-flow-kayaking-eerie-bioluminescent-bays-puerto-rico-article-1.1126777

We spent a late afternoon and evening in Old San Juan. You can visit both Castillo de San Cristobal and Castillo San Felipe del Morro (http://www.nps.gov/saju/index.htm). They are fun to explore and I recommend going at dusk as the crowds thin and the temperature drops. You can take a free trolley that runs throughout all of Old San Juan between the two forts. The history and views are worth the visit.

El Morro

San Cristobal

Puerto Rico was a wonderful island to visit and exactly what the doctor ordered…a little fun in the sun!

Up the River with a Paddle

For a belated Father’s Day gift, I invited my dad to kayak with me on the Hudson River. After some research I decided on Manhattan Kayak Company located at Pier 84 at West 44th Street, next to the Intrepid, because of the variety of tours they offer (http://manhattankayak.com/). The Hudson River is tidal which means that it flows upstream and then switches downstream at different times of the day. The Guided Kayak Tour takes advantage of the slack time when the current is at its weakest making it easy to paddle uptown and back to the pier. The weather was perfect for our night on the water!

You don’t need to wear shoes! Your feet will be completely wet and you run the risk of the shoes falling to the bottom of the Hudson.

Here’s the skinny on what to bring and wear: Bring as minimal as possible. You have to leave your belongings in a locker room that is essentially a closet with no locks. They keep an eye on the room and I didn’t feel that my belongings would be stolen but looking back I would have brought less, just in case. You can take your phone or camera with you on the kayaks and tuck it into a pocket in your life vest. You will get wet, especially from your waist down. I would wear a bathing suit and then shorts that can get wet (no cotton!). I would also bring a towel and change of clothes. You should arrive about 10 minutes early.

The first 15 minutes of the tour is on the pier. You learn how to paddle so that your arms are not stuck doing all the work. We then got into individual sit on top kayaks. My dad and I have some experience kayaking but never in these kayaks that the guides said are practically untippable. They are very easy to navigate and we practiced paddling next to the Intrepid.

Then we were ready to head along the other piers, but the wind had other ideas. The wind picked up so suddenly that as we paddled we only stayed in place and if we stopped paddling we were pushed upriver. It was disappointing because we were hoping to head to the upper west side and then kayak back to the pier in the 60 minutes on the water but the guide did not feel that we would be able to make it back to the pier, with the wind in our faces, in these conditions. Nonetheless, we had fun pushing through the wind with the New York City skyline as our backdrop, even if we pretty much stayed next to Pier 84 the whole time. One of the guides took photos and she sent them to us when we got back on land.

The river is named after Henry Hudson, the English explorer who sailed for the Dutch East India Company in search of a Northwest Passage. He hoped to find a water route from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. Unfortunately, his unwillingness to give up his fruitless search led to a mutiny that ended with his crew abandoning him and his son on an iceberg in Canada.

Did you know that the Hudson River is actually an estuary? That is, the source is in the Adirondacks at Lake Tear of the Clouds on Mount Marcy as fresh water and the mouth is at the Battery at the tip of Manhattan. Because of the changing tides salt water moves upstream and is eventually diluted by the freshwater from upstate. Check out this great website for more info: http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/4923.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overall, it was a fun experience and the best part was spending time with my dad. I highly recommend kayaking with Manhattan Kayak Company and checking out some of their other tours based on your experience and interest such as the Night Tour. They also provide Stand Up Paddle lessons. It’s a great way to see the city from a whole new perspective!

Nothing better than a father/daughter day on the water!