Some people demand more than mediocrity out of life. The beautiful people of Urth cafe, seem to me, to be these kinds of people.
But their cafe is not complicated.
Simply put, it is about coffee and tea, and eggs with salad. They do what they do and they do it well. Sure you can get bagels and muffins and all that, but the warm food from the downstairs kitchen, splayed out full on the plate is so satiatingly satisfying, it made me want it every day.
Just a few blocks uphill from the beach, you can use the valet parking or just drop a few coins in a nearby meter. It has indoor and outdoor seating, of course, and everyone seems keenly aware of how close we all are in our search for the daily grind. This isn't a cafe suited for the idle; someone is always ready to take your table. So pull up a little bistro chair and enjoy what a dedication to coffees sustainability can feel like.
I loved the Mexican Omelette and ordered it because I saw a mexican staff member truly enjoying it. If staff can still eat where they work, that is one star for the food! It took up a full half of my plate while the other leafy half was everything you would expect in the worlds most envied growing country. That salad was as delectable as a freshly picked in season strawberry - morselicious!
Oh, and the coffee was delicious and rich. But more importantly, just dropping in there for a couple of barrista challenges to go made me feel like I was a part of something greater. It made me want to check my emails. It made me wonder "isn't that the producer of..." and "wasn't she in..."?
Don't feel like a tourist in California, go to Urth Cafe.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
ATLANTIS RESORT: Paradise Island, Bahamas
Correct me if I'm wrong, but, isn't the most important aspect of travelling what you take from it? Of course, I mean your souvenirs, but also, tapping into the power of our experiences.
Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas has the second largest open air aquarium in the world. This was a big deal for us when we chose it as our destination. That plus the multitude of accommodation, pools and superlative dining choices had all the appeal we needed to get ourselves there.
You have to fly into Nassau, which is fine, but also pretty dodgy. Everyone knows all about the resort and it not only employs leagues of Bahamians, it also has its doors and beaches open for the cruise ship visitors or other hotel guests to wander. At this resort, they took out the option of doing nothing. There is too much to do. You may even have to buy into fractional ownership just to really take a bight out of all there is offered.
We did our best by starting with getting over to Starbucks near sunrise and walking along the docks to take in the multimillion dollar yachts and the peaceful marina. I can still feel that Bahama breeze (not the drink), it is like heaven. So pure. The beaches are luxuriously that "perfect" color, temperature and flow. Sit back on the upmarket covered beach chairs (which an employee will gladly haul around to any particular spot for you), and purchase coconuts filled with whatever. Stroll your eyes over trinkets or stare out to blue sea. Wonder for yourself, what do I want to do today?
Swim with dolphins? Go rock climbing? Eat at a huge buffet? Go diving? Shopping? Waterslides? Lazy rivers - fast or slow? Maybe take the shuttle over to the Cove to sit at the outdoor bar and celebrity watch? Gamble in the casino? Explore the Dig; the fantasy construction of an archaelogical dig for the ruined city of Atlantis? Maybe watch them feed the hammerhead sharks? Or maybe, study the murals in the Hall of Great Waters and discover the myth and mythology of the entire project.
None of those things listed to do makes me feel tired; there's no traffic jams - no cars, no hustle or bustle - no need. We didn't encounter any long lines for anything and the foods were plentiful and selective. I was concerned going into this exclusive resort that we may lack for true cultural experience due to contrived surroundings. But it never happened. I was in awe of it for the entire week. The completeness of the artistic expression and vision truly blew me, and my family away. The truly valuable experience of the all - permeating sealife, given sanctuary in the massive tanks, penetrated my psyche the way a fishing charter or beachside chalet never could. This experience was rich, well thought out and truly unique.
So what kind of souvenir best represents a week of bliss and soulful expansiveness? Not the french milled soap from our room, although it was divine. Not the conch shell jewelery, because I later saw it for less at a farmers market at home in Canada. Not the locally produced cd of jump up junkanoo that later sounded flat and cheesy. It was a childrens book. A book that describes certain features of the many types of sealife we experienced there, together. It has the amazing ability to bring to life in our memories the joyful discoveries we made and to remind us of our own stories, the ones now enriching and enhancing our experience of life together. Like the Lost pool of Atlantis... the one with the Godlike figure holding the triton that only a 3 year old could find. Together, we treasure our trip to the Bahamas so much that I realized, for future travels, spend less on souvenirs and more on complete experiences.
If you can, go to Atlantis in this lifetime and tap into the fabric of our human nature, where we are one with the waters, deep in the heart of our lost worlds.
PS - Apparently there is one in Dubai, too.
Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas has the second largest open air aquarium in the world. This was a big deal for us when we chose it as our destination. That plus the multitude of accommodation, pools and superlative dining choices had all the appeal we needed to get ourselves there.
You have to fly into Nassau, which is fine, but also pretty dodgy. Everyone knows all about the resort and it not only employs leagues of Bahamians, it also has its doors and beaches open for the cruise ship visitors or other hotel guests to wander. At this resort, they took out the option of doing nothing. There is too much to do. You may even have to buy into fractional ownership just to really take a bight out of all there is offered.
We did our best by starting with getting over to Starbucks near sunrise and walking along the docks to take in the multimillion dollar yachts and the peaceful marina. I can still feel that Bahama breeze (not the drink), it is like heaven. So pure. The beaches are luxuriously that "perfect" color, temperature and flow. Sit back on the upmarket covered beach chairs (which an employee will gladly haul around to any particular spot for you), and purchase coconuts filled with whatever. Stroll your eyes over trinkets or stare out to blue sea. Wonder for yourself, what do I want to do today?
Swim with dolphins? Go rock climbing? Eat at a huge buffet? Go diving? Shopping? Waterslides? Lazy rivers - fast or slow? Maybe take the shuttle over to the Cove to sit at the outdoor bar and celebrity watch? Gamble in the casino? Explore the Dig; the fantasy construction of an archaelogical dig for the ruined city of Atlantis? Maybe watch them feed the hammerhead sharks? Or maybe, study the murals in the Hall of Great Waters and discover the myth and mythology of the entire project.
None of those things listed to do makes me feel tired; there's no traffic jams - no cars, no hustle or bustle - no need. We didn't encounter any long lines for anything and the foods were plentiful and selective. I was concerned going into this exclusive resort that we may lack for true cultural experience due to contrived surroundings. But it never happened. I was in awe of it for the entire week. The completeness of the artistic expression and vision truly blew me, and my family away. The truly valuable experience of the all - permeating sealife, given sanctuary in the massive tanks, penetrated my psyche the way a fishing charter or beachside chalet never could. This experience was rich, well thought out and truly unique.
So what kind of souvenir best represents a week of bliss and soulful expansiveness? Not the french milled soap from our room, although it was divine. Not the conch shell jewelery, because I later saw it for less at a farmers market at home in Canada. Not the locally produced cd of jump up junkanoo that later sounded flat and cheesy. It was a childrens book. A book that describes certain features of the many types of sealife we experienced there, together. It has the amazing ability to bring to life in our memories the joyful discoveries we made and to remind us of our own stories, the ones now enriching and enhancing our experience of life together. Like the Lost pool of Atlantis... the one with the Godlike figure holding the triton that only a 3 year old could find. Together, we treasure our trip to the Bahamas so much that I realized, for future travels, spend less on souvenirs and more on complete experiences.
If you can, go to Atlantis in this lifetime and tap into the fabric of our human nature, where we are one with the waters, deep in the heart of our lost worlds.
PS - Apparently there is one in Dubai, too.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Moncton New Brunswick
WHO- Moncton is rich in cultural dichotomy, as long as your cultures include English and French. The local dialect is a perfect mixture of those 2 languages, called Shiac. Acadian culture survives with full flavour as does the Scottish heritage of the typical maritimer. Expect to hear Great Big Sea like music at markets and on street corners, with lots of fiddling and foot stomping. And listen intently to the easy flow of the people who speak both English and French without an interfering accent in either language. It sounds superb.
WHEN - Go to Moncton especially in the summer and autumn. Shediac and its coastline is on a sand shelf which makes for the most swimmable Atlantic waters north of the Carolinas. Every summer the beaches fill up with Quebec vacationers, known as "the Quebecers", who revel in long days in high heat and humidity, and gorge on sunburns and red lobster by the pound.
The autumn is perfect for enjoying the bountiful harvests of the region along with the huge amounts of fresh seafood dished out including apples, carrots, potatoes, pumpkin, squash and all those Canadian bounty foods. Especially celebrated is the apple harvest where local families join together to load bags and bags of the local varieties to be shared for weeks to come. The empire is an especially tasty treat.
WHAT - If you're looking for highbrow arts, or foodie culture, you may have to lower your brows for a more down home visit. However, if you're looking for the perfect cappuccino, then you need look no further than Clementine Cafe on St George Blvd. Clement and his studious team make sure that every cup flows through its process with unprecedented success.
Conservationists may be interested in the fact that their team won in a long debate about the flow of the Petticodiac River which is being closely monitered for its recovery since its recent dam release. Watch the tidal boar as it recovers its steam to its (hopefully) pre damned velocity. The river rises and recedes with the tides of the great Atlantic tides from the Bay of Fundy, known for its flower pot rocks and the highest tides in the world.
Fundy National Park has great wildlife and hikes as well as sea floor walks which are great in the summer heat, since it can be around 10 degrees cooler, there.
WHY - Moncton is considered the maritime hub, these days, and people from Prince Edward Island, Halifax and Nova Scotia, and northern New Brunswick small towns all go there to harvest the shopping and eat out.
I recommend a half hour trip to Sackville to see Mount Allison University and its beautiful outcropping town from its pretty marshes.
French Africans and caribbean peoples make their way to the U de M, and so the spin off of African choral music and even french rap makes for some stimulating finds for this out of the way, and yet decidedly Eastern small city.
Fashion is funtionable and is extremely influenced by magazines, malls and New York streets. Punk is not dead, here, either. French women have that je ne se quois. I love their high heels, make up and confidance.
Also, the farmers markets are amazing because they are so very well attended, and because there are two of them: one in downtown and one in Dieppe, the veritable French Quarter.
WHERE - Stay at the St James Gate if you don't mind some pub/bar vibe along with your boutique hotel. The Chateau Moncton is right on the tidal boar side of the river and you won't believe how easy it is to fly into their airport (run by YVR) or drive in on the pristine divided highway. Generic hotels are being built every year to accommodate the blossoming summer concert circuit.
Put your highbrow away and enjoy the low prices, maritime openness and franglais infused beaches.
ON THE OTHER HAND...
the mosquitoes seem to have one season and that is whenever there isn't snow piled up around your butt...
WHEN - Go to Moncton especially in the summer and autumn. Shediac and its coastline is on a sand shelf which makes for the most swimmable Atlantic waters north of the Carolinas. Every summer the beaches fill up with Quebec vacationers, known as "the Quebecers", who revel in long days in high heat and humidity, and gorge on sunburns and red lobster by the pound.
The autumn is perfect for enjoying the bountiful harvests of the region along with the huge amounts of fresh seafood dished out including apples, carrots, potatoes, pumpkin, squash and all those Canadian bounty foods. Especially celebrated is the apple harvest where local families join together to load bags and bags of the local varieties to be shared for weeks to come. The empire is an especially tasty treat.
WHAT - If you're looking for highbrow arts, or foodie culture, you may have to lower your brows for a more down home visit. However, if you're looking for the perfect cappuccino, then you need look no further than Clementine Cafe on St George Blvd. Clement and his studious team make sure that every cup flows through its process with unprecedented success.
Conservationists may be interested in the fact that their team won in a long debate about the flow of the Petticodiac River which is being closely monitered for its recovery since its recent dam release. Watch the tidal boar as it recovers its steam to its (hopefully) pre damned velocity. The river rises and recedes with the tides of the great Atlantic tides from the Bay of Fundy, known for its flower pot rocks and the highest tides in the world.
Fundy National Park has great wildlife and hikes as well as sea floor walks which are great in the summer heat, since it can be around 10 degrees cooler, there.
WHY - Moncton is considered the maritime hub, these days, and people from Prince Edward Island, Halifax and Nova Scotia, and northern New Brunswick small towns all go there to harvest the shopping and eat out.
I recommend a half hour trip to Sackville to see Mount Allison University and its beautiful outcropping town from its pretty marshes.
French Africans and caribbean peoples make their way to the U de M, and so the spin off of African choral music and even french rap makes for some stimulating finds for this out of the way, and yet decidedly Eastern small city.
Fashion is funtionable and is extremely influenced by magazines, malls and New York streets. Punk is not dead, here, either. French women have that je ne se quois. I love their high heels, make up and confidance.
Also, the farmers markets are amazing because they are so very well attended, and because there are two of them: one in downtown and one in Dieppe, the veritable French Quarter.
WHERE - Stay at the St James Gate if you don't mind some pub/bar vibe along with your boutique hotel. The Chateau Moncton is right on the tidal boar side of the river and you won't believe how easy it is to fly into their airport (run by YVR) or drive in on the pristine divided highway. Generic hotels are being built every year to accommodate the blossoming summer concert circuit.
Put your highbrow away and enjoy the low prices, maritime openness and franglais infused beaches.
ON THE OTHER HAND...
the mosquitoes seem to have one season and that is whenever there isn't snow piled up around your butt...
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