Taking the Train from London to Manchester

Hopefully we won't have to worry about this leg of our trip.
According to GoEuro:

"Trains from London to Manchester run at a frequency of around 3 trains per hour. Trains run from the early morning well into the evening, with the frequency of departures decreases in the later evening hours. All routes during the week are direct, with the average journey roughly requiring between 2 and 2½ hours...All London to Manchester trains are run by Virgin Trains...London to Manchester train costs are 49% cheaper when booked 1 month in advance as opposed to purchasing a train ticket the day of."

Unfortunately when I put in our September dates no train options are available yet although air to Manchester is $47 and takes an hour while the bus is only $22 but takes 8 hours (you'd see a lot of country!).

TrainLine also sells train tickets online and it appears that you can buy tickets directly from London's Euston Station to the Manchester Airport with one change at Wilmslow (switching to the Northern rail line) just south of Manchester or transferring at Manchester's main station at Picadilly for the TransPennine Express.  You can buy both tickets on the Virgin Trains website.

TransPennine Express says tickets go on sale up to 24 weeks ahead of travel and are up to 50% off if you buy them in advance.  They even have a mobile app that sends the ticket to your smartphone.  If only we knew when we have to be at the Manchester Airport to catch a ride up to Newfield Hall in the Yorkshire Dales.  However the TransPennine Express allows you to change your ticket if you bought it online.

Unfortunately their new Japanese-built bullet trains won't arrive until summer of 2019.  Looks like we'll have to go back to England next year.

The Castro, Mission District and Noe Valley

Camila responded to Penny's post but it doesn't seem to have been posted:

You should go check out the neighborhoods you never go to. Or maybe it’s just me that feels that I always go to the same places each time (union square, Chinatown, north beach, fisherman’s wharf). When i first wandered through the marina and the mission, I was like, oh, there’s so much more to see! Ha ha. I’d plan my day around where to eat...Tartine. Oh and that kenji Lopez alt guy has a “wursthaus” that he just opened but i think it’s in San Mateo...but right by BART it looks like.

http://www.wursthall.com/

Exploring the neighborhoods is fine with me, since we'll be staying in one: the Outer Sunset.  I've already suggested walking to the beach but I've also been intrigued by "Noe Valley", which is on the other side of Twin Peaks.  Unfortunately it takes about 50 minutes to get there by public transportation because you have to take 2 or 3 buses.  But we could combine it with the Mission District and The Castro, taking the Judah Streetcar (N) and walking down Noe Street and then left on Market to Castro Street.  On Noe Street we'll stumble across L'Ardoise, a French bistro, but it doesn't open until 5 or 5:30 pm.  There aren't many commercial establishments along the route but once we hit Market, there's Super Duper Burgers and across the street is Tacorgasmico.  It's hard to ignore the latter's name but the food and interior sound interesting.  Back on the other side is a seafood restaurant Catch but it seems somewhat pricey.

Turning down Castro Street at Harvey Milk Plaza, there's a Castro Ice Cream & Dessert that's really a tiny Turkish bakery with baked goods, tea, coffee, baklava, etc.  Looks good but no website, only yelp.

Quite a few clothing stores for men (underpants) but also Cliff's Variety Store.  Their website says they maintain a stock of hard-to-find hardware items so it definitely sounds like a place to browse or you can browse online at Pointy.  After this on Castro Street there really doesn't seem to be much more so we can walk east on 18th Street until we get to the Mission District.

About half a mile along 18th is Bi-Rite Creamery.  I wouldn't mind trying a few of their ice creams (black sesame and tcho chocolate?) or maybe one of their signature sundaes like Dainty Gentleman with honey lavender ice cream, hot fudge, blood orange olive oil & Maldon sea salt (which is from England, by the way).  Or we could make our own sundae for $8.50.

Then we'll roll out of the creamery and march on to Tartine Bakery on Guerrero Street where Fernando can inhale the sourdough aroma.   It opens early (7:30 am) so we can at least pick up some croissants but they say their bread doesn't come out until 4:30 pm and expect the loaves to cost $9-11.  Camila should be happy with this posting; it's all about food.

We are a couple of blocks southeast of Mission Dolores at 16th Street & Dolores.  I don't remember ever having visited it and how can we say we've been to the Mission District if we haven't been in the Mission?  There is both the old Mission Dolores and the new basilica (1918).  San Francisco Travel says:
"Most visitors head to Mission Dolores to get a glimpse of the oldest building in San Francisco, while those in the know go there to view rare art, listen to an acclaimed choir and see one of the most stunning rose gardens in San Francisco."
Unfortunately the choir sings on Sunday when we're in Berkeley but we can visit the cemetery and gardens and get a view of the city from Dolores Park, but that's back on 18th.

There is a Heath Ceramics tile factory several blocks east on 18th Street beyond Alabama which might be interesting because it has a retail store and a Tartine Manufactory for food.  I'm not sure how we fit this detour into our walk but at least we know it is there.

Now we must hurry to Mission Street or we'll never get to Noe Valley!  It appears that California foodies have taken over the food scene on Mission Street.  It used to be Mexican when we lived in Albany in the 70s but now it is "Gracias Madre" whose "mission is love" with "plant-based Mexican food" and which starts their lunch menu with a $9 Madre Green Smoothie (spinach, cilantro, mint, avocado, pineapple and sea salt), followed by a $15 Bowl Uno of tempeh chorizo, black beans, guacamole, brown rice and pico de gallo served on a bed of romaine and topped with nacho cashew cheese and pepitas.  You can't get more nutty Californian that that!  Where's the huitlacoche I'd like to know.

More famous is Mission Chinese Food,  offering dishes like Sichuan Carbonara, smashed cucumbers with tahini instead of garlic and chili oil, Kung Pao Pastrami and Chinese Giardianiera.  California is all into fusion food but I can borrow the Mission Chinese cookbook from the library.  There are lots of restaurants in the Mission District and we only have one meal to eat.  Perhaps we should save our appetite for Californios.  You can't get more cutting-edge Californian cuisine than that.  And then there's Foreign Cinema, specializing in oysters and Californian/Mediterranean dishes and located in a bright airy space where some amateur photos on Yelp have enough light to look good.

We already saw the Mission District murals the last time we were in San Francisco and there don't seem to be many museums in this area, except for the David Ireland House.  David Ireland was a "conceptual" artist.  (Is that the same as "installation art"?)  Hoodline has an article on the house: "Inside The David Ireland House, The Mission's Secret Art Museum."  I'm always looking for new decorating ideas, although I understand that his furnishings are rather sparse.

As you near 24th Street on Mission, establishments appear to be a bit more Mexican but there is also a Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen on 24th Street where Papi may be able to find that pastrami sandwich he's been looking for.  He can also get a spicy horseradish michelada, a breakfast burrito with pastrami, a pickle plate of vinegar and salt fermented vegetables, and a Chinese chicken salad.

We need to pick up our pace now or we'll never get to Noe Valley, which we should reach if we proceed West on 24th Street for about half a mile from Mission to Church Street (we can take the #48 Quintara/24th St. bus if it passes by).  There's the Mission Branch Library along the way on Bartlett Street, in case we need to make a pit stop, and half a block north on Valencia Street there is the Arizmendi Workers CoOp Bakery, if Fernando wants another inhalation.  Finally at Church Street, we begin to encounter the upscale restaurants, home-decor boutiques, and chic clothing shops that characterize Noe Valley.  They also say to watch out for aggressive strollers and packs of golden retrievers.    If we take another detour and walk 5 blocks south on Church Street we'll run into the Omnivore Book Shop on César Chavez whose new titles page features food magazines I haven't even heard of.   I'd be up for one of their events on Thursday, June 7.  Elizabeth Minchilli, the author of Eating My Way Through Italy: Heading Off the Main Roads to Discover the Hidden Treasures of the Italian Table  is talking from 6:30-7:30 p.m.  She has a blog on Rome.

And if we keep going south to 30th Street, we'll run into that Sardinian restaurant, La Ciccia.  It's not cheap, especially if you order a primo, secondo and contorno.  But it is well recommended and Zagat says to order the Octopus Stew and the Spaghetti with spicy oil & bottarga.  Like many upscale restaurants it is only open from Tuesday to Saturday from 5:30pm to 10.  If we're lucky we can take the J Church streetcar down Church Street from 24th and back up again.   Or by then we might be ready for an Uber Lyft.

Another recommended restaurant is Firefly on 24th Street for locally sourced food.  But I have troubles with a restaurant that serves "bits" with "yummy spread", "apps" with "nut alerts!", and "GF cornbread for the intolerant".  There's also Peasant Pies on 24th: "Inspired by a favorite meal of 19th century French villagers, Peasant Pies® are filled with fresh vegetables, poultry, beef or seafood and baked in a crisp bread crust."  Now here is something we could take home for dinner.  There's another location on Irving Street in the Inner Sunset.  And I forgot to mention Mission Pie on Mission south of 24th that specializes in sweet pies.  But how would we carry all these pies home?

This is enough for this district.  What neighborhoods should we visit next?

Where to Eat in San Francisco #1

Despite my desires to revisit old restaurants like Schroeder's, Grotto Number 9, Spenger's, and Yamato Sukiyaki, it doesn't work.  Most of them are not there anymore and the others aren't worth visiting.  Remember Foster's Cafeteria?  But go look at the menu at Schroeder's and you will see what I mean: smothered tots, schwings and fried pickles!  As in every other establishment that serves beer, they have to have hamburgers (I suppose they ARE German).  The old waiters we knew at Schroeder's must be turning in their graves when they see the rowdy young whipper snappers there these days.

So we have to start from square one:  browsing the neighborhood or searching on Yelp and Google Maps, hoping to find restaurants for old people.  I actually thought I had gotten farther in this post that I started weeks ago but evidently most of my restaurants are on my Google map of San Francisco.  I have browsed a bit along the Irving Street Corridor in the Inner Sunset and along Noriega Street near the apartment and so have added some restaurants there, in case we are hungry at night.  On Clement Street, there is a French restaurant, Chapeau! which has an early bird prix fixe menu from $40.00, available on Wednesday, Thursday & Sunday, from 5:00pm to 6:00pm but otherwise it looks a bit expensive, which is what appears to be the norm in San Francisco.  Perhaps I'm trying to relive the Hotel de France that we went to as kids when Daddy paid...

Perhaps we would be interested in visiting neighborhoods like Noe Valley.  There's a Sardinian restaurant there called La Ciccia which is "intimate" so there shouldn't be rowdy diners but will probably be expensive.  It was reviewed in the NY Times article,  My Go-To Places for Regional Italian Food in San Francisco in 2011.  In that same article they mention Perbacco, next to the Tadich Grill on California in the Financial District.  Both sound good if we are interested in Italian.   So does the Tadich Grill, but no prices on their menu.

But perhaps we are interested in something more foreign to us, although Penny can eat absolutely anything in New York City, unless we go with the totally weird fruits and nuts of California.

Should we find a replacement for Grotto #9 on Fisherman's Wharf?  The last time Fernando and I went to Grotto #9 we were the only diners there and we eventually walked out because no one was waiting on us.  There's Pacific Catch on 9th St near Irving below Golden Gate Park which advertises "sustainable salmon from the pristine shores of Chilean Patagonia".  Isn't that where farmed salmon is polluting the coasts?   It's very Californian with sushi, poke, rice bowls and tacos and not too expensive.

There's also Hog Island Oyster Co. whose special is oysters but they also have bowls of chowders and seafood stews.  However it is in the Ferry Building so is probably touristy and overpriced.  The same with Fog Harbor Fish House which is near the ferries on Pier 39.  Going inland there is the Woodhouse Fish Company with two locations, one on Fillmore Street and one on Market.  Woodhouse offers the classic dishes like clam chowder, iceberg Louie salad, steamed clams or mussels, fish and chips and cioppino.

So here's a start on food.  I've got to go plant some shrubs now but will be back when inclement weather strikes!

What to do in San Francisco

We’ll be in San Francisco after Juliana’s wedding for 5 days, and I’m wondering what we want to do.  It seemed like a great idea as we remember fondly trips there when we were kids, and we had a good time several years ago when we visited.  Now I’m wondering if there are enough new things to keep us busy.
Erica has the reputation as the ace ticket finder and she uses Gold Star so I checked them out.  Looks like there are a number of Bay events such as a Red and White Fleet Golden Gate Bay Cruise, a rocket boat ride (with rock and roll music), an escape from the rock cruise, and I think I saw a sailing schooner one.  They are about $20-25 and we can probably buy the tickets at the last moment.
For plays there is “An Entomologist’s Love Story” at the San Francisco Playhouse.  Great title huh?
I’ll continue checking Gold Star to see if anything wonderful pops up.  We’re there during the week so that means fewer events.
We have wanted to take the Diego Rivera Murals walk with the http://www.sfcityguides.org/current_schedule.htmlSan Francisco City Guides.  That’s 3 pm on Monday, so it might be a bit tight, and they only take reservations 10 days out, so we’ll have to check back, and maybe set an alert!   And we can check out other walks such as Alfred Hitchcock’s San Francisco and Cow Hollow.
On Thursday we should check out Presidio Twilight from 5-9, with food trucks, bonfires and what not.
And I guess we should make a list of restaurants, so we don’t end up eating at the first one we come across.  But I’m doing this on my iPad and I don’t know really how to compose, so I’m waiting for Cathy to begin that list.

Fruit Cup

Oh, I'm going to like England.  Where else can you ask for fruit and get a cocktail?

And this isn't our mother's "fruit cocktail".

According to Wikipedia (the world's go-to source, good-bye Britannica), a fruit cup, "also known as a summer cup, is traditionally an English speciality drink designed to be made into a long drink with addition of a soft drink such as lemonade or ginger ale." The base is usually gin but could be vodka and there's the classic Pimm's Cup made with Pimm's Liqueur, now owned by Diageo of course.

I'm becoming educated in liquor terminology.  The term "long drink" refers to a mixed drink served in a tall glass with a lot of mixer, like a Tom Collins or a Cuba Libre.  The term originated in Finland at the 1952 Summer Olympics when two brands of pre-mixed, bottled, ready-to-consume long drinks were sold: the Gin Long Drink (gin with grapefruit) and the Brandy Long Drink (brandy with Pommac - a fruit and berry soda).

I prefer "long drinks".  Penny, on the other hand, likes her "short drink" of gin on the rocks.  In the U.S. a long drink is a highball but I haven't heard of a "low ball".

Back to the fruit cup.  This is traditionally a summer drink and is garnished with fruits and herbs.  The Pimm's Cup, according to Wikipedia, is one of the two staple drinks at the Wimbledon tennis tournament and the Chelsea Flower Show and is also the standard drink at polo matches. 

I frankly don't much care for its iced tea color, which looks too much like an Arnold Palmer.  Or iced tea.  What fun is that?

Sipsmith's London Cup looks a bit prettier and more refreshing.  At least it's not all murky and you can see the strawberry and slices of lemon and orange.

Of course it will be almost fall by the time we arrive in London so we'll miss the fruit cup season.  Maybe they will have closeouts.

The Keepers of London's Secrets

According to this BBC article, the drivers of the black cabs in London who have passed the "Knowledge Test",  have memorized every street, landmark and route in London (25,000 streets, 100,000 landmarks, 300 routes).  (Go to Transport for London to learn more about the "Knowledge".)   No GPS for them!  As a reward they can frequent these historic green food sheds that were erected in the late 19th and early 20th century to give shelter to the cabbies, who then drove horse-drawn hackney carriages.  There are only 13 left so we'll have to keep an eye out for them.

The sheds are run by the Worshipful Company of Hackney Carriage Drivers who offer a Cab Guide Course to Hackney Carriage drivers in conjunction with the Museum of London.  After you pass both a written and oral exam, you get this qualified taxi guide badge.  So if we take a black cab, we'll have to keep our eye out for it.

The shelters don't have "loos" and according to the article, finding a public lavatory while on the job is one of the cab drivers biggest bugbears.  (That doesn't bode well for us elderly tourists now, does it?)

Naturally there is competition between the traditional Black Cabs and Uber, many of whose drivers are recent immigrants using GPS and Waze.  You can read more about the clash between the Black Cabs' knowledge and experience versus the techie upstarts in this Oct. 17, 1917 article from the Washington Post.  There's even more in the New York Times: On London’s Streets, Black Cabs and Uber Fight for a Future: London’s cabby wars are less about the disruptive power of an app, or a new business model, than about the disruption of Britain.    This is a particularly interesting article, profiling a British Black cabbie and a Moroccan woman Uber driver: "She had come to London in 1997, at age 18, unable to read or write or drive, with a new husband she barely knew."  Schooling wasn't allowed for girls in her village.  Lots of baggage here worth reading.

The English Breakfast

Haven't I already talked about this?

However, now I'm reading Colman Andrews' The British Table: A New Look at the Traditional Cooking of England, Scotland and Wales.  (By the way, he doesn't even mention gin.  Can you imagine that?  Especially when his final chapter (which is teeny) is on Whiskey, Beer, Cider and Wine.)

His first chapter is about breakfast (and he says that nowadays the British eat the same kind of breakfast, including Kelloggs, that we do except on special occasions) and he mentions the English Breakfast Society whose website lets you explore the history and traditions surrounding the full English Breakfast.  Evidently the full English breakfast was started in the early 1300s by the "gentry" in the countryside who wanted to maintain "Anglo-Saxon" traditions and show off the bounty of their estates.  During the Edwardian period, the ingredients of the English breakfast became more standardized and accepted by the middle class: "bacon, eggs, sausage, black pudding, baked beans, grilled tomato, fried bread and toast, served with a jams, marmalades, tea/coffee and orange juice."  By the 1950s even the working class was claiming the full English breakfast, the fry-up, as their own.

But, sorry, you can't have potatoes with your fry-ups: "We here at the Society believe that hash browns and french fries are used as a cheap breakfast plate filler in badly run cafes, by people who have no respect for our traditions."  We'll have to eat our hash browns at Denny's.

Gloucester Pig

We can, however, experience the different back bacons, sausages and black puddings in the various regions of England.  The English Breakfast Society has a Guide to British Sausages (of which there are more than 400) in which they mention that the Cumberland Sausage is probably the most famous.  We'll be able to try that when we are at Derwent Banks in Keswick, Cumbria.  And thank god their sausages are traditionally made with pork and not with chicken or turkey, although I must admit that I don't care for the breadcrumbs added to their bangers.

And a note on back bacon:  it's not belly bacon like in the U.S. and it's not Canadian bacon which is cut from the loin.  British bacon has both belly and loin in each slice and they have bred pigs to produce the best cuts.  So we must have British back bacon in our full breakfasts, along with black pudding, which is a controversial foodstuff that Sir Isaac Newton wouldn't eat.

Where to Eat in Toronto

I know.  My life revolves around food.

Juan and Mandy need to get their Dim Sum fix in Toronto before heading back to the Midwest so I'm collecting some recommendations.

AirBnB: Explore Chinatown with a Food Writer
This costs $56/person but maybe we can follow the outline of her tour on our own, divining what stores and restaurants she stops at.  She starts at the Bay Street bus terminal and then walks along Dundas Street towards University Avenue.  It looks like they might stop at Uncle Tetsu's Japanese Cheesecake for egg custard tarts, although their website says they are cheese tarts.  Then as they walk along Dundas Street towards Spadina Avenue, some of the foods they'll try are

"milk tea [maybe at chatime], soya wings and roast duck from a 50-year-old Chinese barbecue shop, some of the best dumplings made by hand, traditional desserts such as creamy egg tarts, and we'll have handmade, hand-stretched noodles... those interested can come on a shopping tour of local herbal & food market to pick up spices, dried noodles."

In Chinatown there is also a Japanese bakery (Tsujiri),  a Poke restaurant (Poke Guys), Kimchi Korea House, Sansotei Ramen shop (with 822 Google reviews), Dim Sum King with and there's a Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot restaurant on Dundas near Huron.  I think it would be worthwhile to walk along Dundas and then up Spadina to the Kensington Market.

If wandering the streets on Google isn't sufficient, there are these lists of the top Dim Sum restaurants:

The Culture Trip: The Best Spots For Dim Sum In Chinatown, Toronto
This review concentrates on Chinatown so we don't have to commute to the suburbs.  The Culture Trip also reviews dim sum in San Gabriel so you can evaluate their reviews.

The Daily Hive: 10 dim sum spots in the GTA worth leaving downtown Toronto for
These are ones in the Markham area which is 45-54 minutes (31 km) north of the AirBnb by car, probably not something we want to do.

The Daily Hive: Toronto Brunch Guide: Where to find the cutest dim sum in Toronto (GTA)
Some of theirs are up north as well and I'd like a place with a 4+ rating in Google.

Yelp: 10 Best Dim Sum Restaurants in Toronto
One never knows what to think of the reviews, especially when one reviewer gives the top dim sum place, Rol San, 3 stars and  Red Lobster 5 stars.

Trip Advisor: Dim Sum in Toronto's Chinatown

Mandy can check out the various dim sum restaurants in Chinatown on Google Maps.  There's sure to be one that is good.  Or maybe you just want a Mongolian Hot Pot.

What to do with Kids in Toronto

Finding playgrounds and places for Louise to walk around would probably work the best.

Scary Mommy has a list of the top 10 things to do in Toronto:

1. Toronto Zoo, which is very big and involves a lot of walking.  Bring a stroller and walking shoes.  It offers a 50% reciprocal program with the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.
2. Ontario Science Center.  They offer the reciprocal admissions program with COSI and the Carnegie Science Center so make sure you bring your membership card.
3. High Park, which offers Sakura viewing (2nd week in May), a zoo, a nature center, a children's playground.  It is off West Bloor Street and is near the lake shore so it might be a nice place to visit.
4. Canada's Wonderland (an amusement park for older kids)
5. CN Tower ($34!!).  They have a walk on the edge of it for the foolhardy.
6. Art Gallery of Toronto
7. Waterfront: "now includes beautiful boardwalks and piers where you can not only take in the incredible views, but enjoy gardens, the beach, public art installations, and places to eat."
8. Centreville Theme Park on Centre Island  "a great place to take the smaller kids. It has a lot of rides suitable for younger ages, such as the 1907 antique carousel, mini coasters, teacup-esque rides, mini golf, and paddleboats." ($35.35 for adults).  Might be good when Louise is a little older and maybe goes with her cousins but we can take a ferry to the island and walk around.  Louise might like the boat ride.
9. Hockey Hall of Fame (Maybe for Peter)
10. Kensington Market - vintage boutiques, probably for Scary Mommy...

TripSavvy in Best Things to do with Kids in Toronto offers a few additional suggestions:

1. Royal Ontario Museum ($20 for adults)
2. Riverdale Farm in Cabbagetown in East Toronto.  This is a working farm replicating early 20th century Ontario farm life with horses, cows, chickens, pigs and goats.  And it is FREE!!  This should be at the top of our list.
3. Ripley's Aquarium of Canada

Can I Become a Gin Drinker?

I simply can't get away from England, despite my initial feeling that there wasn't really much to see in London. 

Penny's drink of choice is gin.  Mine is rum or bourbon or tequila, but not gin.  Penny drinks it straight on ice.  I'm looking for interesting cocktails but I always remember The Ghost Map, the book about the London cholera epidemic in 1854 in which Dr. John Snow discovered that the source of the epidemic was drinking water from the Broad Street pump. Dr. Snow drank from that pump but didn't catch cholera because he always added gin to his water.  A good reason for carrying a hip flask of gin with you when you travel.
There's a John Snow pub in Soho near the Broad Street pump.

The Craft Gin Club has an article on the 9 types of gin drinkers so I can know which one to become.  Visit London has an article on the Best Gin Bars in London so I can know where to go.  For instance 214 Bermondsey has a 214 Spritz for 8£ that sound good:  House-made sloe gin & damson gins, Aperol, lemon topped with Prosecco & soda.  The Charlie Chaplin for 8.5£ also sounds like my kind of drink: Sloe gin, Edinburgh Raspberry liqueur, apricot, lime & homemade grenadine.   Or they have Gin & Tonic flights where they give you three mini G&Ts as listed but in an unknown order with a sealed revealing envelope. Try them all and make a guess as to what’s what.  I could go for that if it weren't 18£.  Or I could cop out and order the Lion's Tail: Makers Mark, lime & Allspice Drum.

 “Twisting the lion’s tail” was an American slang expression for provoking the British during the period of American Anglophobia between the World Wars.

I wasn't aware there was anglophobia between the wars but then I wouldn't know, would I?

English Garden Cocktail

Olive Magazine has an article on the Top 15 British Gins so we will know what we can't afford and of course there are the Nicholson's Pubs with their Gin Library.  Olive Magazine also lists the Top 10 gin bars in the UK, 7 of which are in London, including the City of London Distillery that Penny  mentioned where you can make your own gin for a price -- cheaper to buy the ready made.   Olive Magazine also has a recipe for the English Garden Cocktail which we could sip while ambling through Kew Gardens.

According to Wikipedia, gin became popular in England when William of Orange brought it (jenever) over with him from the Dutch Republic when he and his wife Mary occupied the British throne from 1689 to 1702.  When juniper berries weren't available, the distillers would often use turpentine to achieve those woody notes.  In the 18th century there was a softer, sweeter style of gin referred to as Old Tom gin, somewhere between the sweeter malty Dutch jenever and the London dry gin.  Some craft gins are bringing that back (lucky me).   Finally, in Britain's tropical colonies, gin was used to mask the bitterness of quinine, thus giving rise to the gin and tonic,  G&T for short.  I'm becoming curiouser and curiouser about gin.

What should we do in San Francisco?

We can't just visit the old haunts like Union Square, Fisherman's Wharf and Chinatown.  Those sites aren't at all what they used to be and we're always disappointed, plus we aren't children anymore and no longer delight in feeding the pigeons.  I should visit some of the museums I haven't seen.

Asian Art Museum

Asian Art Museum
This art museum is located near the Civic Center in the former San Francisco Main Library and takes  around 35 minutes to get there from the Outer Sunset on the Judah (N) Streetcar.  Admission is $10 for seniors.  Hours are 10 to 5 except on Thursday when it is open until 9 and on Monday when it is closed.  San Francisco Travel mentions a couple of apps for iPhone that will guide you through the museum's collections.

San Francisco Public Library

San Francisco Public Library
When we visit the Asian Art Museum we can go across the street to the new Main Library which was built in the same Beaux Arts style as the old one but is twice as large.  It opened in 1996 and I can't remember if I've been in it but I'm assuming it was open when I attended an ALA convention in San Francisco.  And in case we're worried about the next big earthquake while we are there:

"Its innovative seismic design is engineered to provide resistance to earthquakes up to a magnitude of 8.3. The entire structure rests on 142 base isolators, made with rubber layers laminated between stainless steel and stiffened with an internal lead core to dampen vibrations. In the event of a shock, an 18-inch space around the circumference of the building allows the structure to move independently from the ground."

Whitechapel

Whitechapel
 This bar, located a few blocks north of the Civic Center, specializes in GIN and offers loads of cocktails made with the stuff.  Its food menu is limited but they do offer a cheese plate and a charcuterie board.  We could go there for a snack and a taste of London.  Unfortunately it doesn't open until 5 pm!  What a waste of space during the day.

Ocean Beach
Running along the west coast of San Francisco, we can take the Judah streetcar from our AirBnB in the Outer Sunset and in 10 minutes it should drop us off a couple of blocks from the beach, or we could walk it in about 1/2 hour.  Then we could amble up the coast 1.6 miles to the Cliff House and Sutro Baths and then hike up to Land's End to take a photo of the Golden Gate Bridge, unless there is some June Gloom hanging around.  They say fog is common in May, June and July and I remember a lot rolling into Albany on August afternoons.

Golden Gate Park
The AirBnB on 29th Avenue is located about 4 blocks south of Golden Gate Park and we can take the #7 bus that runs on Noriega Street to Lincoln Way and 9th Avenue, right next to the San Francisco Botanical Garden.  We visited it the last time we were there but I'm always up for a garden, plus it's not overly expensive: $8 for adults and free if you belong to the American Horticultural Society or one of the 320 Botanical Gardens in their Reciprocal Admissions Program.  On the other hand, the California Academy of Sciences is overly expensive: $30.95 for seniors and they don't belong to the reciprocal membership program of the Association of Science - Technology Centers.  Neither does the Exploratorium ($24.95 for seniors and closed on Monday).  Too bad San Francisco isn't like Washington DC or London with all their free museums.  Do you remember all the bellowing alligators at Steinhart Aquarium?  Looks like they only have one albino alligator now.

Aquarium of the Bay
Located at Pier 39 near Fisherman's Wharf, the "Bay Ecotarium" costs $21.95 for seniors but is part of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums reciprocal program in case you belong to your local zoo.  (The Pittsburgh Zoo is an outcast and doesn't belong but the National Aviary does and offers a 50% discount.) . Unfortunately the reviews say it is touristy and small and not worth the admission price.  I enjoyed the Monterey Bay Aquarium many years ago for its emphasis on local sea life and was hoping for something similar here.

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
I remember visiting SFMOMA when it first opened but haven't been back since.  This summer they have a special exhibition on the Surrealist René Magritte and that might be worth seeing.  The price of general admission plus the René Magritte is $30 for seniors.  If we were under 18 we'd be free...  Or we could invest in the San Francisco CityPass for $89 which includes 1) a 3-Day Cable Car and Muni Bus Passport; 2) California Academy of Sciences; 3) Blue & Gold Fleet Bay Cruise Adventure; 4) Aquarium of the Bay; and 5) Exploratorium OR San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.  But I'm not sure I want to be a tourist.

Food in the Dominican Republic

I suppose that most of the food at Iberostar Bávaro won't be Dominican but I want to know what it is so that I can identify it when I see it.

Malta con leche condensada

BuzzFeed has an article on "What to Eat and Drink in the Dominican Republic" that lists 45 dishes and drinks.  In the realm of drinks they mention the local beer, Presidente, which is supposed to be the only beer available at Bávaro Suites, the rums by Brugal and Barceló, and the herbal potion Mamajuana.  Then there is Malta, a sweet malt beverage like Pony Malta, which is mixed with sweetened condensed milk, creating a beverage that rivals the English gypsy tart in sugariness.  Hard on its heels is Merengue Soda, a cream soda from the local Refrescos Country Club beverage company.  A final Dominican drink is Morir Soñando which is orange juice and sweetened evaporated milk, which have to be kept at a low temperature so they don't curdle.

Pastelon de Platano Maduro

Then the savory dishes and you can find recipes for many of these dishes on the website Dominican Cooking.  We might as well start with the starches.

Plantains.  The Dominicans boil and mash up green plantains into a dish called mangú which is served topped with pickled onions alongside fried egg and fried salami for breakfast.  They also fry green plantains into tostones and mash fried plantains with garlic and chicharrones into mofongo, a Puerto Rican dish that has become a Dominican staple.  Finally there is a Pastelón De Platano Maduro which is mashed sweet plantains layered with ground beef and cheese.  I'd like to try that.

Casabe bread

Yuca or Casabe.  Yuca is served stewed or boiled and fried as in Colombia but it is also made into casabe bread, a very typical staple used by the Taino Indians that were native to the Dominican Republic.  Because yuca is more indigenous to the Caribbean than is corn, it was used for making bread instead of corn.  Yuca or plantain and other root vegetables also replace corn masa in the tamal-like Dominican pasteles en hoja, which are wrapped in banana leaves rather than corn husks.  These are mainly made at Christmas so we might not run across any.  Then there are Bollitos de Yuca (Cheese-Filled Cassava Balls) made with mashed yuca, stuffed with cheese and then fried.

Majarete

Corn is used in a few typically Dominican dishes like majarete, a pudding made from fresh corn, milk and sugar and flavored with cinnamon.  There is also gofio, which is roasted corn meal mixed with sugar and eaten as a snack.  Next there is chenchén, cracked corn pilaf which is the Dominican take on the Haitian Maïs Moulu (corn grits typically served at breakfast with avocado and fish or eggs).  Unlike the Haitian dish, chenchén is dry like pilaf and not to be confused with Maiz Caquiao or Chaca (Cracked Corn Pudding) which is like the Colombian mazamorro.  Chenchén is often served with chivo guisado or habichuelas guisadas.

Moro de habichuelas

Moving on to the next starch: Arroz!  Chofan is the Dominican version of chow fan or Chinese fried rice.  Asopao is a soupy rice dish that can be made with chicken or shrimp.   Locrio is a Dominican paella made with chicken or pork.  Moro de habichuelas is rice with black or red kidney beans (Moros y Cristianos) and Moro de Guandules is rice with pigeon peas.

To see what a Dominican restaurant might serve that is typically "Dominican", look at the menu for El Canuco in Santo Domingo.

Those Tropical Cocktails

Naturally when one goes to an all-inclusive resort in the Caribbean, one needs to take advantage of the free drinks and tropical juices.  I've never been so lucky so I'm going prepared.   Not having much experience with bar drinks, I have a lot to learn and the blog Savored Journeys has a post meant for me:  Best Beach Drinks to Order at All-Inclusive Resorts (with Recipes!).  The recipes are in case the bartender has no idea what drink you are talking about.  Why do I need to create a list?  It's because "Making a list is necessary if you want to try a bunch of different drinks, because most resort bars don’t provide drink menus."   You wouldn't want me to go to Punta Cana and limit myself to Cuba Libres, Piña Coladas, Margaritas and Mojitos would you?

Here are my new favorites:

Hurricane

Hurricane:  2 oz dark rum; 2 oz white rum; 2 oz Lime Juice; 3 oz Passion Fruit Juice; 2 oz Pineapple Juice; 1 oz Orange Juice; 1 Tbsp Grenadine.  With all that rum and fruit juice (especially passion fruit), what's not to love?  Except it doesn't have carbonation.  By the way, passion fruit is called chinola in the Dominican Republic and since they have a local name for passion fruit, it must be grown there and we shouldn't have trouble finding it.  Camila said that the chinola juice in Santo Domingo was wonderful.

Caribbean Rum Punch:  This is a weaker hurricane without the passion fruit juice and more orange and pineapple juice, and so the color is more orange than red:  1/2 oz lime juice; 4 oz orange juice; 4 oz pineapple juice; 1 1/2 oz dark rum; 1 1/2 oz light rum; a little grenadine for color.  It's similar to Planter's Punch, I think.

Lava Flow

Lava Flow:  This is like dessert: 1 oz Light Rum; 1 oz Malibu Coconut Rum; 2 oz Strawberries; 2 oz Pineapple Juice; 2 oz Coconut Cream. Although wouldn't you think this should be brown instead of pink?

Sex on the Beach:  Maybe I'm too old for this one and it doesn't have rum.  1.5 oz peach schnapps; 1.5 oz vodka; 2 oz cranberry juice; 2 oz orange juice; 2 oz pineapple juice.

Bacardí Rum has a more extensive list of rum cocktails, including the following:

Bahama Mama: 1 oz Bacardí 8 Rum; 1 oz Bacardí  Black Rum; .75 oz Kahlua; .75 oz Crème De Cacao Dark; 1 oz coconut milk; .5 oz Maple Syrup. It reminds me of my first cocktail (aside from rum and coke) in Mexico: an Alexander.  Bacardí has other interesting cocktails but for me they are too strong and would require a shot of soda water, like Dragon's Bite, which is just Dragon berry-flavored rum with coconut-flavored rum over ice.

Blue Zombie

Missionary's Downfall: 1 1/2 parts Bacardí Superior Rum; 1/2 part peach schnapps liqueur; 1 part Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice; 2 parts Freshly pressed pineapple juice; 1/2 part Sugar Syrup; 12 fresh mint leaves.  I admit that it's the name that attracted me to this one and also to the next one.

Zombie: 2 oz Bacardí Superior Rum; 1.75 oz Bacardí Gold Rum; 1 oz Triple Sec; 2 parts Orange Juice; 1 oz Lime Juice; 1 oz Simple Syrup; .25 oz Grenadine.  Even more interesting in color is this blue zombie from Modern Tiki which uses white rums and blue curaçao, as well as a Caribbean liqueur  or sugar syrup that I've never heard of called falernum with flavors of almond, ginger, lime, and sometimes vanilla, cloves, and allspice.  Maybe we can pick up a bottle to take home.

And, because we should experience the local Dominican food and drink, we'll have to try Mamajuana, a concoction of rum, red wine, honey and various barks and herbs that is let to sit for a while.  You can buy bottles of herbs and bark and add your own rum, wine and honey; sort of like licor de hierbas except for the wine.  Or you can buy it ready made.  I'd like to try it before I buy it or try to make it.

For those of you who like papaya (called lechosa in the Dominican Republic, there is a Batida de Lechosa (or Lechoza), a papaya milkshake.  Some people add a banana to it and I'm sure you could add a jigger or two of rum as well.  Even if the bars can't make me all the exotic cocktails, I'll be happy enough with jugo de chinola and freshly squeezed orange juice without the alcohol.

A Few More Dining Options in Punta Cana

Iberostar has 3 adjoining hotel complexes in Punta Cana and residents at one can also eat at the restaurants of the other two hotels.  So that increases our dining possibilities.  A helpful Trip Advisor review mentioned that you could only make 3 reservations at a time so you would have to come back the next day to make more.  He mentioned that they really liked the Great Seafood Stew special with Langoustines, mussels, scallops by the beach on Sunday.  Will we make that arriving on Sunday?  In any case, here are the dining options at the two other hotels.

Iberostar Dominicana and Iberostar Punta Cana
There are two buffet options: Higuey in the Dominicana lobby and Hispaniola in the Punta Cana lobby.  Neither require reservations and have the casual/formal dress code: "For gentlemen, shirts with sleeves at breakfast and lunch, Bermuda shorts and shoes or sandals at dinner. Ladies may wear shoes or sandals."  Higuey is open for breakfast 7-10 am; Lunch 12:30-3 pm; dinner 6:30-10 pm just like Los Haitises at Bávaro Suites.

Maria Bonita
This is a Mexican restaurant requiring reservations with 3 seatings for dinner: 6:30, 8:00 and 9:00.  Again there is a Dress Code: Casual/Formal. Gentlemen may wear Bermuda shorts and sandals. Ladies may wear shoes or sandals.

La Cana Steakhouse
On the beach with the same Dress Code and requiring reservations with 3 seatings at 7:00, 8:00 and 9:00.

La Sibila
Classic French gourmet cuisine in the lobby of the Dominicana requiring reservations with 3 seatings at 6:30, 8:00 and 9:30.  The Dress Code is stricter:  "Formal/Elegant. Long pants are required. Jacket and sleeved shirts or polo shirts, dress sandals or shoes for gentlemen. Ladies may [wear] shoes or dress sandals.​"  I'll need to bring a skirt and sandals dressier than the Keens.

La Marimba
Seafood in front of the beach by Punta Cana. 3 seatings requiring reservations: 7:00, 8:15 and 9:30. The dress code is Casual/Formal like Maria Bonita.

La Pagoda
Located in the Punta Cana lobby, La Pagoda offers food from China, Japan and Thailand with 3 seatings requiring reservations: 6:30, 8:00 and 9:30.  Casual/formal dress code.

There is also La Cana which is snacks on the beach requiring reservations and their no reservations Star Rock Café with American classics but we probably aren't interested in those.

Elegant Shoes or Sandals

We have to be ready to make our reservations at the various restaurants at the Iberostar Bávaro Suites in Punta Cana on the first day we arrive.  They say there are six restaurants we can choose from but I count seven on their Dining page.  I think it is because Los Haitieses is the main buffet restaurant that doesn't require reservations; all the other do.  The only restaurant that doesn't allow kids is the French one so Will and Jen can go there one night on their own while we and the kids pig out at Los Haiteses.

Here are the restaurants.

1. La Dorada:  A family style restaurant serving fine Mediterranean dishes, with seafood and shellfish as a specialty.  6:30-9:30 pm
2. Kabuki:   A Japanese restaurant with teppanyaki tables and a sushi bar. 6:30-9:30 pm
3. Jambalaya:  Cajun and Afro-American cooking offered up family style.  6:30-9:30 pm
4. La Coupole: Fine, classic French gourmet cuisine in an intimate setting for adults only.  6:30-9:30 pm
5. Los Bohios: A classic family-style grill that offers a great variety of delicious grilled meats.  7-9:30 pm
6. Los Haitises: As the main restaurant of the hotel you can experience all kinds of global fares in a buffet style. Themed menus from different nationalities are featured each night and you don't need reservations. Breakfast: 7:00 -10:00 am. Lunch: 12:30-3:00 pm. Dinner: 6:30 -10:00 pm.
7. Il Forno: Italian. 6:30-9:30 pm

For all of them there is a dress code: 

"Casual, yet neat attire is requested for ladies and gentlemen, including elegant shoes or sandals. Gentlemen may wear dress Bermuda shorts but only shirts with sleeves will be permitted."

Dress Bermuda shorts?  What does that mean?  Elegant shoes or sandals?  Does that mean I can't wear my Keens?

Here's a YouTube video of the main buffet.  I don't think we will go hungry and I'm not sure we even need to patronize the restaurants that require reservations.  In fact, I think Los Haitises might become Fernando's favorite breakfast buffet.  Needless to say we will have to go on a diet when we return home...

Eating Foreign in London

I know, I know.  I should be concentrating on British food.  But London is closer to Europe, the Middle East, and South Asia than is the U.S., so it is closer to the source for foreign foods.  Here are a few restaurants that I have happened across that look interesting.

Little Georgia
As I was browsing around the Columbia Road Flower Market on Google maps, I ran across this little restaurant that serves food from Georgia (the country, not the state).  They have a location in Hackney (East End) and another larger one in Islington which is about a mile from the British Library.  On the menu is the traditional cheese bread Khachapuri and the meat dumplings Khinkali, as well as roasted red peppers, onions and eggplant.  The chef even has a cookbook called Supra that you can find on Amazon.

Mari Vanna
This is a small Russian restaurant with borsch, herring, pelmeni, stuffed cabbage and all those other typically Russian dishes, plus a few Georgian ones.  The interior is supposed to look like a 19th century Russian dacha but they also have a location in New York City which looks very expensive (herring under a fur coat is $16) and another one in Washington DC (Adjarski Khachapuri for $18).

Brasserie Zédel
In case we want to pretend we are in Paris, this is an underground restaurant in the art-deco style near Piccadilly Circus so much of the attraction is the atmosphere.

Pilpel
Remember the falafels at L'As du Fallafel in Paris?  Pilpel looks very similar and is very popular (4.8 out of 5 on Google) with 6 locations.
Antalya
This Turkish restaurant up near the British Museum has lots of lamb dishes, as well as eggplant.  Most of the reviews are very positive except for a few that are very negative saying the food was bland and overcooked.  Overcooked is ok if it is a lamb shank, just don't order chicken breast.  Because England is so proud of its lamb, middle eastern restaurants should be good here.

Mamie's Crêperie & Cidrothèque
If we want some Breton galettes for a quick lunch we can stop my Mamie's which isn't far from Temple Church and the Royal Opera House.  I don't think we ever got to a crêperie in Paris, did we?

Santa Maria Pizzeria
TimeOut considers their Neapolitan pizza some of the best in London and not too expensive.  They have a location in Fulham but that is west of the apartment, further from downtown London, and I'd prefer going east.  It's like flying to Charlotte to get to LA.

TimeOut's 100 Best Cheap Eats in London
As in the rest of European cities, you find the cheapest food in ethnic restaurants, be they Chinese, Indian, Thai, Mexican or Middle Eastern.  After a few days eating fish and chips, meat pies, and Sunday Roasts, we might be anxious for a shift in cuisine, plus we'll get more British food up in Yorkshire and the Lake District and we wouldn't want to spoil our appetites and jade our tastebuds.

In the end, of course, we'll just pop into a place we run across that looks good and is convenient and has seating for us.