My Audiobook Just Released!

Great news! The audiobook for my book, Yellowstone and Mt. Rushmore: A Three-Week Road Trip, just released. It is available through Amazon/Audible and Apple Books/iTunes. Thank you to Jim Chapel for narrating. Click on the link below based on your preferred method of listening to audiobooks and get ready for an 80-minute adventure.

Amazon/Audible (copy and paste link):
https://www.audible.com/pd/B09YKLMD13/?source_code=AUDFPWS0223189MWT-BK-ACX0-305778&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_305778_rh_us

Apple/iTunes:

Travel During the Great Coronavirus Reopening

Cities, states, and even countries are reopening to tourists. Not all, but many. 

On June 15, most European countries opened their borders to residents of its member countries. Spain waited until June 21. And on July 1, the Europeans will tentatively open their borders to international tourist for the first time in four months. 

While there are stipulations like your country's infection rates have to be held in check, sorry U.S., they are allowing tourist.  Similar to the U.S. where certain states are blocking other states domestic travelers. Key West authorities arrested a woman and sent her back to Florida for trying to visit. New Mexico said they love tourist, just not right now.

And cruise lines? Oh, the poor cruise lines. Spain has said no cruise ships can dock in any Spanish port for the foreseeable future. Norwegian cruise lines said all cruises are suspended at least through September. That is the entire summer season. Although they are making exceptions for the Pacific Northwest. And a week ago, the first Danube-Rhine river cruise made it without mishap.

https://www.cruisetradenews.com/first-european-river-cruise-resumes-sailings-post-coronavirus-recovery/

However, Greece welcomed one of its first international flights a couple of weeks ago from Qatar - 12 people on board tested positive for Coronavirus.

We are not out of the woods yet.

Last week, I cancelled my family's 3-week Spain trip that was to depart July 8. I poured over news reports daily about the  Europe's reopening. But with a potential quarantine for travelers, U.S. infection rates increasing, the need for reciprocal travel arrangements (the U.S. is still blocking travel from Europe), and my airline change my flight where I would have to literally time travel backwards three hours to make my flight, I figured it was time.

Fortunately, I was able to cancel everything and get full refunds except one hostel in Spain. Somehow I overlooked their no cancellation policy. If that was all it cost me, plus my hopes and dreams, I was ok with that. 

Are you planning on traveling?

Take care.

Posts Tuesday and Saturday

Coronavirus When Can We Travel

"Americans may be able to take summer vacations, Fauci says," according to CNN 4/9/20.

 

This headline brought a smile to my face when I looked at my phone this morning.

 

Apart from being safe at home, one of my big concerns about the coronavirus is if I will have to or even be able to cancel a trip I have booked this summer. And the most important question, "Will it be safe?"

 

The trip is to complete the Camino de Santiago. Unfortunately, that destination is in Spain, one of the most adversely affected coronavirus hotspots in the world.

 

I have been reading Spain news daily everyday to see how the country's coronavirus rates have changed. Today, Fox News said Spain could be seeing the start of a coronavirus decline. That's good news.

 

Especially since, as of today, airlines are only allowing you to cancel or change your flights without a fee for trips that commence before May 31, 2020. 

 

What happens if travel bans are lifted at the end of May? Would you feel safe enough to travel in June?

 

What if you can only cancel with a fee?

 

Perhaps there may be more travel restrictions put in place as Dr. Fauci suggests: taking temperature readings at airports, wearing masks on planes, continued social distancing, and no handshaking.

 

As of today, if travel bans are lifted I am going. I will mind any restrictions and recommendations by government and travel agencies.

 

I feel that you have to maintain your goals for as long as you can. It gives you something to strive for, a sense of purpose during these murky days. To prepare for the Camino de Santiago, I workout daily in my living room thanks to all the free online content - thanks Barry's and Nike Training Club! I also walk daily practicing social distancing and wearing a mask.

 

I hope that Dr. Fauci's hopeful words come to pass and that we can all take vacations this summer safely.

 

Take care and be safe.

 

Posts: Monday, Thursday, and Saturday

10 Tips for a Puerto Nuevo Lobster Run

“Three Lobsters for $16!”

My friend and I were wandering the dusty narrow streets of Puerto Nuevo hearing offers left and right from a score of men trying to lure us to their restaurants. $16 was the best offer we had heard so far. The clincher was not the included promise of beans, tortillas, chips, salsa, and tomato soup, but the one free margarita or cerveza to go along with the meal.

My friend and I used to go on an annual lobster run south of the border and taco runs more frequently until the drug violence and kidnappings reached a fever pitch in the late 90’s. Since that time, we had talked wistfully about returning but never did. Until last year, when we walked across the border to good Old Revolution for some tacos and beer and to see what had changed.

A lot.

There were fewer American tourists not of Mexican descent there than in the 90s. The restaurants and bars were relatively empty during our day trip. But the cheap beers and delicious tacos had remained the same. After this trip, we felt good about driving to Puerto Nuevo. It helped that each of us had coworkers recently visit with nothing but good things to say about their experience.

In the end, we were served more delicious lobster than we could possibly eat, ate fresh paletas for dessert, saw great sights new and old, and met many friendly people.

There are a number of things that you can do to help ensure that your trip is successful:

1. You need a passport or a PASS card to visit Mexico.

2. You need to buy Mexican insurance before you leave the United States and keep it in your car during your trip. You can purchase it online or at a few places in San Diego.

3. Drink bottled water – never tap water - or risk Montezuma’s revenge.

4. Check to see what your cell phone plan covers in Mexico. With my Verizon Unlimited Plan, I was surprised to hear that calls and data were covered in Mexico.

5. Map out your trip before you go to Mexico, making copies to keep in your car in case you lose cell service. We indicated our destination as Villa Ortega’s in Puerto Nuevo.

6. If you do use your phone, driving apps are great albeit a little tricky as the streets in Tijuana seemed purposefully confusing.  Waze did not work for me once across the border. However, Google Driving Directions did. It really was a lifesaver when we missed our first turnoff after crossing the border and found ourselves deep into Tijuana where I’m sure few Americans ever venture.

7. Take the toll road. It is faster, smoother, and feels safer.

8. Once in Puerto Nuevo, just know you will pay for parking. The streets are few and narrow and are a pain to drive.  Save yourself time and frustration and pay for parking in one of the first lots you see.

9. There are lots of lobster restaurants in town, all with different specials. Villa Ortega’s has multiple locations throughout the town as they claim to be the original. We ate at one of these.

10.. A second option on crossing the border on the way back is to cross at Otay Mesa. It usually can save you a bit of time.

Have fun!

Religion, Vegans, and Macs: LA Coffee Shops March

Religion, vegans, and Macs were what I found during my March coffee shop excursions. I am constantly surprised by the uniqueness of the Los Angeles coffee scene. See below:

Holy Grounds Coffee and Tea

Serenity Now

Holy Grounds Coffee and Tea

5371 Alhambra Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90032

Serenity. This coffeehouse has a very Zen-like courtyard with a large stone fountain and hummingbirds buzzing around the flowers. Religious icons were placed throughout the courtyard including statues of Mother Mary, a golden Buddha, and a fertility goddess. There was even an area for tarot card and tea leaf readers. Very tranquil. Oh, and they also serve a good mocha and pastries from local bakeries. They also have a small lunch menu. Good place to work.

No Animals Harmed Here

The Butcher's Daughter

The Butcher's Daughter

1205 Abbott Kinney Blvd.

Venice, CA 90291

This place surprised me as the daughter is a butcher of vegetables - a total vegan establishment.  Inside was bright and airy with a central island where baristas worked and patrons sat around eating their butchered veggies and/or drank excellent coffee. They also have another counter for to go orders in case you want to take your beverage with you as you stroll along the shops on Abbott Kinney. Definitely a unique establishment.  I listed it under my coffee house visits as that is why I came - for the coffee, but it is more of a café with wait staff and reservations for the tables, so not necessarily a place to sit and write all day.

Groundwork Coffee

Hollywood Grab and Go

Groundwork Coffee Tea Community

1501 N. Cahuenga  Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90028

Across the street from CNN headquarters and cat a corner to Amoeba Records, Groundwork Coffee is at the gateway to Hollywood. It is only two blocks south of Hollywood Boulevard and is very busy with people coming and going. It is a good place to grab a coffee and head out to visit the local sites or have a quick lunch. The plates from the brunch menu looked very good as did the big cinnamon rolls.  All of the street parking, even on the small side streets, is metered at $1.00 per hour.

Mac Life

Found Coffee

1355 Colorado Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90041

Nice clean open coffeehouse. Chill jazzy music was playing low. The crowd was predominantly Occidental College students. And anyone on a laptop, was on a Mac. There was not a single PC in the place. Considering the décor was predominantly white with blue seats, I wondered if there was a connection. For food, they sold a number of pastries.

Found Coffee

Off the Beaten Path: Coffee Shops February

Los Angeles had a whopping .03 inches of rain in February. That's right, not even a half inch for the entire month!   Taking advantage of the beautiful weather, I visited a coffee stand in Griffith Park and walked across the border to Tijuana and found a really nice coffee house there.

Enjoying the sun in Mexico

 

Nice little find

Tierra Mia Coffee

5528 Monte Vista Street

Los Angeles, CA 90042

Quaint coffee house in Highland Park that makes a very good Mexican mocha.  It is in the middle of a residential neighborhood with a small Mexican restaurant next door that has good Yelp reviews. An off the beaten path little gem.

 

Only in no rain
The Trails Cafe

2333 Fern Dell Drive

Los Angeles, CA 90068

It is hard to beat the location being in the center of Griffith Park. You are surrounded by trees, across the street from the trail to the Griffith Park Observatory. While called a cafe, there is no indoor seating. It is really more of a stand with a few  sandwich items and snacks, and lots of coffee choices. Perfect for a caffeine pick me up before or after a hike.

 

International stop
D'Volada

Calle Ignacio Zaragoza 1692

Zona Centro

20000 Tijuana, B. C.

Mexico

American-style coffee shop with good coffee, pastries, and smoothies. It is a nice respite  from the hustle and bustle  of the tourist area of Avenida Revolucion. Interesting chairs, some small some big and plushy, with outdoor seating for taking a load off and people watching. I had a delicious Mexican Mocha (in Mexico).

 

Dragons, Bruce Lee, and Red Lanterns, exploring Chinatown

The heart of Los Angeles' Chinatown is packed with restaurants, stores and art galleries in a two-block square area.

From the Chinatown architecture-inspired Gold Line station walk one block west on College Street to North Broadway. The Dragons Gate is a long three blocks south on Broadway. If its daytime there are a number of Chinese shops and mini malls to wander through along the way.

  

The heart of Chinatown lies to the north between College and Bernard Street and Hill and Broadway. As you head north on Broadway make sure you look to your right between the buildings that make up Blossom Plaza for the rows of red lanterns strung between the buildings. They are beautifully illuminated at night.

Halfway up the block will be a stoplight and crosswalk that leads to Chinatown Central Plaza. Here you'll find souvenir shops, herbal stores, a jazz club, bakeries, the Bruce Lee statue, Chinese-style buildings and other interesting things to see.

Most of the Chinese restaurants are outside the plaza on Hill or Broadway. We ate at Full Moon House which I am happy to say states no MSG on their menu. Our dinner of honey walnut shrimp and seafood fried rice was delicious.

General Lee's in the plaza is an interesting two-story craft bar with a wooden interior giving it an old school Far East feel. For Chinese New Year they had a tasty Year of the Dog drink.

Across Hill is Chung King Court and Road. Painted on the side of the Foochow Restaurant on the corner is a note about how they were a filming location for the movie Rush Hour. The buildings and signs surrounding the court and road seemed a bit more run down than the central plaza across the street. However the businesses in the old storefronts are now primarily art galleries, studios and design companies. It was a very interesting contrast between the old and new. Most of the art galleries are open from noon to 5 p.m. during the later part of the week and weekends.

Central Plaza architecture

One of the last places to close for the evening that is not alcohol related is Lollicup, a boba tea, ice cream, late-night snack type of place. It closes at 11:00 PM. I thought the ice cream was good and found the seating area with its number of mismatched adornments interesting.

Important note 1:  Keep in mind that most of the stores in Chinatown close by 6 or 7 except during special events like Chinese New Year, so go early if you want to shop.

Important note 2: The Gold Line and Uber make it very easy and inexpensive to reach Chinatown if you don't want drive and hunt for parking. The Gold Line station makes for a great starting point for your excursion.

 

Venice Beach Highlights

With its live performers, artists, stores selling everything from sunglasses to t-shirts to Egyptian artifacts to marijuana dispensaries, Venice Beach is like a carnival where you can spend an entire day.  For the athletic, you can rent skateboards, surfboards, bikes, roller skates and more. This post will help you hit the highlights of Venice Beach even if you only have 3 hours to spend.

Free parking is available on Venice Way a couple of blocks away from the beach. A block closer and lots charge $20 for day parking.

We ate lunch at Great White on 1604 Pacific Ave. across from the street sign over Windward Ave. that welcomes people to Venice. From the outside tables
you can watch people standing on the corner taking pictures under the sign, like a young woman modeling in a red dress as a couple of guys stood by and watched. The food is amazing. I had the coco salad with salmon that was superb. 

From here we strolled under the Venice sign on Windward Ave. to the beach and boardwalk passing a great mural of Venice in the 50's. Venice Beach is filled with amazing street art. Make sure to look down each side street and alley as well as on the upper stories of buildings as you never know what you will see.

Cutting across the boardwalk we passed through graffiti palm trees to watch skaters in the skate park just to the north of Windward Ave. Even though I skated a little in my youth, I never learned how to keep your skateboard on your feet when you were in midair like these skaters.

Then we crossed the broad sandy beach down to the blue-green ocean, kicked off our shoes and walked in the shallows of the cold water heading north.  We cut back across the sand to the boardwalk when we reached the northern end of shops and walked south.

Temporary street vendors, performers and artist line the western edge of the boardwalk while storefronts and restaurants line the eastern side. As mentioned, you can find almost anything for sale here, a wide variety of food, and lots of handmade street art.

Make sure to check out #1 Bordello Alexandria house on Westminster Ave. a half block east of the boardwalk. It is a two-story purple painted house covered with Greek and Roman statues, gargoyles, paintings and wrought iron grill work. It is one of the coolest houses I have ever seen. 

We had arrived at Great White at noon and we're in our car and headed home by 3:00 pm. It was an amazing three hours.

If you have an extra 20 minutes, head south of Windward 3 blocks and check 

out Muscle Beach as it is an iconic location if you want to see heavily muscled bodybuilders. 

Los Angeles Coffee Adventures November

Here are four interesting eastside coffee shops I visited in November, plus a place to visit when walking with your coffee. If you have any coffee house suggestions to visit in December please leave a comment below.

Most beautiful building exterior

Urth Caffe

451 S. Hewitt St.

Los Angeles, CA 90013

While there were a couple of people working on laptops here, the majority of people at the tables were eating full meals, giving the Urth Caffe more of a cafe feel than coffee shop. That being said, they are known for their organic coffees and teas and there was a line of people waiting to pick up drinks. The food is great, the building is gorgeous and it is in the center of L.A.'s burgeoning art district.

Most interesting coffee food combo

Art + Science Café

101 S Madison Ave.

Pasadena, CA 91101

Sushi and coffee, who would've thought. It works. The place was full of college students. The sushi menu is limited but the owners take their sushi seriously. You can only eat the sushi at the small counter and my server said I had to eat my sushi roll within 10 seconds before the seaweed got stuck to the warm rice. I ate it in about 30 seconds, I can only eat a roll so fast. I did notice a change in texture from the first bite and last bite. The iced caramel latte was very good.

Most industrious

Swork Coffee

2160 Colorado Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90041

I walked in not knowing what to expect as I was headed to another establishment that I did not know had closed the week before. There was only one person sitting outside and one person sitting at a table by the window, so I was surprised when I walked in to see 15 people working on laptops and drinking coffee all along the far wall. It appears to be popular with students and professionals. I had a Mexican Mayan Mocha. Along with coffee drinks, they also have healthy gym-influenced blended drinks.

Brand New

San Marino Cafe and Marketplace

2507 Mission St.

San Marino, CA 91108

Quaint little cafe in San Marino that advertises the best coffee in town on a blackboard out front. Unfortunately, I was unable to try the coffee as I was still recovering, but I had a delicious smoothie. People are always coming and going here, some sitting and working, and the owner is very friendly.

Take a walk

Lacy Park

1485 Virginia Rd.

San Marino, CA 91108

My first excursion after surgery. Beautiful large open park seemingly out of place in Los Angeles. Great for picnics or taking a walk with your coffee.  Free to visit during the week, but there is a fee for nonresidents to visit on the weekend. 

Los Angeles Coffee Adventures October

I hope the coffee shop list below provides you with the same fun and opportunities to get the creative juices flowing as they provided to me. These coffee shop writing excursions have taken me all over LA including going over San Francisco-style hills in Silverlake,  through communities oozing money, and others desperately poor.  If you have any suggestions on shops I should visit in November please add in comments.

Here is a quick note about each of my visits and my favorite things about each one:

Friendliest Baristas

Coffee Commissary

801 North Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles California

Iced Kumo coffee and chia seed muffin. Wide range of people here: most women wearing yoga pants, a homeless guy, a man in a leather jacket and cowboy hat, a woman running her business on her laptop and phone, a woman with tattoos asking an older guy for a job. In terms of food, they only had a few baked goods inside the shop, outside they had a food truck.

Favorite Décor

Lamill Coffee

1636 Silver Lake Boulevard., Los Angeles California 90026

Scenes of ancient Greece covered the walls, golden chandeliers hung in the main room, the walls were red. Wide variety but pricey food. Tacked on service fee to offset minimum wage increase. Being a Saturday morning most people were in workout clothes: walking, running or yoga. Definitely more of a community feel than some of the other coffee houses I visited. The zucchini bread was really good. Valrhona mocha.

Most Impressive Presentation

Intelligentsia Silverlake

3922 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90029

They place the mug of coffee on a wooden tray with cup of milk and pitcher with extra coffee. I also liked the blue tiled floor. They only had baked goods. Tough parking on the weekend as everything is permit only on the side streets. I parked on Santa Monica two blocks away.

Best Cold Drink On Hot Day

Starbucks

454 Fair Oaks Ave, South Pasadena, CA 91030

My boss gave me a gift card to Starbucks when the temperature was over 105 degrees. It was a day that definitely called for a venti Java Chip Frappuccino. I know Frappuccinos are travesty to coffee purist but sometimes you just need to have that 600 calorie caffeinated brain freeze to get you through the day. Lots of free parking and nice fountain outside.

Best Food

Paper or Plastik Café

5772 West Pico Boulevard, Los Angeles California

Great food menu and delicious food. Had a delicious iced Almond Joy coffee. It left me wired for rest of the day.  While the benches outside were a little hard, there were large  orange cushions that provided great back support. Staff was friendly here and you could find parking a block south on the side streets. I was only able to stay an hour but it had such a good vibe that wish I could have stayed longer.

Best Slogan

Alfred Coffee & Kitchen

8428 Melrose Pl, Los Angeles, CA 90069

Had cappuccino and small tasty breakfast burrito. Everyone wearing black here and well groomed. Perhaps it was because it was in the middle of Melrose fashion row. Nice area to walk around after a writing session. Farmers Market takes place out front so parking can be tough. While it was crowded, the tables turned over pretty quickly. I loved the slogan their cups "We are here to inspire you."

Don't Miss Nugget Falls

When visiting the Mendenhall Glacier don’t skip the 30-45 minute detour to Nugget Falls.

The falls are less than two miles round-trip from the main Mendenhall overlook trail.  Nugget Falls water source is Nugget Glacier.The trail leads you to a sandbar that ends less than 20 feet from where a 377-foot tall gushing waterfall crashes into Mendenhall Lake. 

For me, the most impressive thing was how close you are to the base of the falls - no more than 20 feet. Feeling the cool glacial water spray across your face (and in my case head as well), is invigorating.  And of course the pictures you get to take of the waterfall and it’s spray across the lake and in front of the glacier and her icebergs makes it a photographer’s paradise.

It was a real shame hearing people on the path say, “oh we don’t have time for that”, and “I am sure it isn't worth it”, and another family debating to go to the visitor center or the falls.

It is an easy hike with little elevation gain. See photo to the right. My friend's 82-year old uncle did it. Mind you, the man is an amazing human being. The point is, just do it. You will be glad you did.