Oahu recommendations

12/13/2011 update: Gonna just add all my Oahu recommendations for future reference. :) My updates are italicized below.


A friend of mine asked me for dining recommendations for Oahu and I figured, I might as well post my list to my blog in case anyone else is interested. I've highlighted my favorites...must go every time I'm in Oahu...

MEALS

Costco - get the miso marinated butterfish in the fridge section. Be sure to scrape off the miso before baking/broiling though because otherwise it's super salty. Also special to Hawaii are the Hawaiian Chip Company's Sweet Potato & Taro Chips.

Nico's - great & not very expensive, fresh fish...can sell out so don't go too late (they start serving lunch at 10am!). It's pretty close to Ala Moana. They have specials so look for those, but on the regular menu the Furikake Pan-Seared Ahi is the best! Be sure to order it one level rarer than you like because they tend to overcook it.


Macky's Shrimp Truck - on the North Shore...at Weed Circle...just south of Haleiwa. The Butter Garlic is the BEST. The owners are Chinese! haha

Sansei - in Waikiki at the Waikiki Beach Marriot Resort (near the east end). A nice, fancy-ish Japanese fusion place. I believe they have half-off menu on Mondays 4-6pm or something like that. I forget the details, you can call them to find out. But the half-off deal is totally worth it and people start lining up 30+ mins before, so be sure to get there early! I particularly liked the Mango Crab Salad Roll.

Hank's Haute Dogs - featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives, this is a place that does gourmet hot dogs. We tried the special duck & foie gras (only on Saturdays) and it was only ok. The fat boy is one of the most popular ones....wrapped in bacon & deep-fried... hehe They also have a lobster one I wanted to try, but only on Fridays. Pretty pricey for hot dogs, but it's an interesting experience and a yummy snack if you're interested in that sort of thing. Doubt I'll ever go back though. They're also really close to Ala Moana.

Boots and Kimo's - CRAZY long waits (1-2 hrs is normal) and quite a trek from Waikiki (on the east coast in Kailua), but if you have the desire...totally worth it! They're pretty much only known for their Original Pancakes with macadamia nut sauce. And the sauce is seriously like melted ice cream. It was probably the best pancakes I've ever had. The banana pancakes weren't as good cuz the mac nut flavor got a little lost in the bananas. 

FAST FOOD/TRADITIONAL HAWAIIAN

Helena's Hawaiian Food - kind of out of the way, but I really liked the Luau Squid...the squid were thick & tender in a yummy sauce that's similar to creamed spinach. The pipikaula ribs were kinda salty though but it's what they're famous for (the ribs are cured...probably goes well with poi) and everything else was pretty normal. I liked the haupia too. Super crowded, so best to go during offpeak hours in order to find parking and stuff. The lau lau is also a must, but I think we liked the one at Young's Fish Market better. Only open Mon - Fri I believe...


Young's Fish Market - Also hawaiian plate lunches. Not as fresh tasting as Helena's but we liked their lau lau better cuz it was mushier and the meat was more tender seeming.

Rainbow Drive-in - it was on Lost! The strawberry slush float is yum...like a strawberry dreamcicle. The mini loco moco (one hamburger patty, one egg and one scoop of rice covered in gravy as opposed to 2) is good to try, but I wasn't a huge fan. The mixed plate was a great way of trying most of the meats. I liked the boneless chicken cuz I love dark meat.

Zippy's - fast food chain of Hawaii. Also has lots of plate lunches. But they're famous for their chili (with or without beans). I LOVE their chili cheese fries. And I've heard good things about their oxtail soup, but have yet to try it.

SNACKS & DESSERTS

Leonard's Bakery - malasadas (donuts). I've only been to the Kapahulu location, but there are others all over the island I believe. Their original is great. I also like the custard filled one and Bob likes the chocolate-filled one. They have a flavor of a month as well. The lilikoi (passion fruit) one is good and so was the banana.

Waiola Shave Ice - it's like a hawaiian/taiwanese fusion shave ice place. I really like the custard bowl. The original store is on Waiola St, but there's another location off of Kapahulu near Leonard's and Rainbow Drive-In. I like this way better than the famous Matsumoto's shaved ice on the north shore cuz I'm not that into Hawaiian shaved ice which is just sweet, artificial syrup over ice.

Liliha Bakery - famous for their coco puffs, which are quite delicious (a nice salty chocolatey flavor) and just a few blocks from Helena's, so you might as well try it since Helena's is a must! Closed Mondays.

FINE DINING

Le Bistro - a little French place just east of Waikiki (really close to where my parents live). Their menu changes, but the beef quartet seems like a regular special for them. And it's awesome! It's beef prepared 4 different ways - one is a short rib, one is ribeye, one is filet mignon, and the last is my fave...a slider of kobe with gorgonzola and foie gras. I also LOVE their escargot....it is by far the best I've had...best to soak up all that buttery garlic sauce with bread. :) Entrees are $30ish.

Roy's - Hawaiian fusion. 2 locations in Honolulu (also one in SF). I think they're just ok, but they're super popular. If you go, I think the miso butterfish is the best, but since I've learned how to make it, it's not as impressive anymore. 

Alan Wong's &/or the Pineapple Room - The restaurant is dinner only and expect to spend around $100 if you get the 5-course tasting menu or the chef's tasting menu. Bob and I went Dec 2011 and decided to order a la carte and enjoyed the mini loco moco appetizer best. The Pineapple Room is lunch only, but cheaper and located in the Ala Moana Mall. Reservations recommended. 

Hiroshi Eurasian Tapas - Fun and inventive dishes. Reminded us of stuff we'd see on Top Chef. Loved the Sous Vide Lobster Tail and the Pan Roasted Opah. Sit at the bar 5:30-6:30pm daily for 50% off everything.

Sushi Sasabune - No website last we checked. Bob and I really wanted to go here, but couldn't with Duncan... Get omakase menu...it's basically whatever the chef wants to serve you...specialities, freshest stuff, etc. And it can go on for like 13 courses, or you can stop any time, just tell them one course before. If you get the full meal, it'll cost you like $150. They also instruct you how to eat each course and if you don't follow, they'll ask you to leave. That's why they're dubbed the Sushi Nazis on yelp. Really hope to try it one day.

RECREATION

ultralight flights - ask Bob for details

Lost tour

snorkeling - Hanauma Bay (very popular and crowded, so get there early)

kayaking

beach

hikes - There's a trail to the Manoa waterfall which is nice. Diamond Head is another good trail. And for a real challenge, there's Koko Head near Hawaii Kai Costco.

Pearl Harbor - sobering, but really good

whale watching - in Dec

walking along Waikiki

Italy trip: Venice

And finally to finish up the blogging of our Italy trip (only 6 months late...), I give you the details of our time in Venice and Verona.

• hotel: Papadopoli Venice (formerly Sofitel)
• super close to the train station, but super far from Saint Mark's Square and all the sights
• But we had a corner room on the top floor with a terrace to go out onto and had a great view
• Grand Canal
• We took the cruise recommended by Rick Steve on a vaporetto and used his audio guide and it was great. It gave a good overall feel of the city and history.
• St. Mark's Square
• Was crazy crowded with tourists! I totally don't remember the crowds from my visit 10 years ago. And I must say it was definitely a huge con and ruined my fond memories of Venice.
• It was nice in the relative emptiness in the evening after all the day-trippers left and you could sit and enjoy the cacophony of warring orchestras from the cafes
• Campanile - had to visit because it's what Berkeley's Capanile is based on! good views from each side and fun to be there during the bells
• St. Mark's Basilica - only saw atrium because the rest was closed for service, long lines, and flooded because of high tide! Very opulent. Not our style.
• Doge's Palace and Bridge of Sighs - we didn't go in, but were very disappointed to see that the Bridge of Sighs is covered up with a billboard advertisement!! bleh!
• It is impossible not to get hopelessly lost walking around the city and we did it a lot. But it's one of the best ways to see the city as well and discovering hidden, quiet, picturesque little nooks along the canal to enjoy a sandwich, etc.
• The Peggy Guggenheim Museum houses a collection of modern art...which isn't really up our alley, but we went because we had free tickets through our Costco package.
• We tried to experience a pub crawl as described by RS, but it was so hard finding the places, that we gave up after going to the first cichetti bar he listed called Osteria al Portego. It wasn't that great because it was super crowded, the waitress was not pleasant and the food was not hot or yummy. We eventually accidentally found the self-serve restaurant that RS had mentioned called Rosticceria San Bartolomeo and had the squid ink pasta that was just ok and gave us gross lips and teeth. But we returned on another day to get the super popular fried mozzarella sandwich that everyone was ordering. It was very yum and you could get it with just the cheese or with prosciutto. It runs out very quickly though and you have to kinda fight to get your order in for it.
• La Boutique del Gelato was Bob's favorite of all the gelato we tried in Venice, but after finding it and plassing by it several times throughout our trip, we couldn't for the life of us find it on our last day! :(
• On our last night touring Venice, we enjoyed a romantic canalside dinner at Ristorante alla Conchiglia where Bob enjoyed baked sea bass and I really liked my linguine with mussels, clams and shrimp.
• We tried the famous peach bellini at Harry's Bar but think it's overrated (especially since we had to walk 35 mins to get it...and 35 mins back to our hotel).
• Ostaria ai Storti was nearly impossible to find, but good food. We had pizza, seafood gnocchi and fragolino which is a yummy strawberry-flavored wine.

Island Tour (afternoon tour included in our Costco package)

• Murano - went to a glass blowing factory and got to see a demonstration of a master making a prancing horse which was neat
• Burano - vibrantly colorful sailor town. We skipped out on the lace-making demonstration to get more time to walk around the town. I liked it for the cuteness, and Bob liked it because we happened upon the filming of a Bollywood dance video.
• Torcello - ghost town, 15 inhabitants and lots of houses for sale

Verona (day trip)

• We enjoyed Verona just because it was nice to get away from Venice for a day and go to a more relaxed/quiet city. Also, we wanted to take advantage of the fact that our hotel was so close to the train station! :)
• We stopped at a self-service cafeteria called Brek for lunch and had a surprisingly good spaghetti alla amatriciana.
• We did RS's self-guided walk from the guide book and it was fine. We also got the Verona card because a lot of entrance fees and public transportation would all be included.
• Verona's Roman Arena/colosseum still used today. It was neat to see another colosseum outside of Rome and see the similarities, etc.
• Piazza Erbe was picturesque
• House of Juliet
• super crowded with tourists, lots of love graffiti in the tunnel entrance
• The museum was included in our Verona Day Card so we went in and I took a picture on Juliet's famous balcony
• Went to church Sant'Anastasia to see the statues of hunchbacks holding the holy water and a faded  fresco of St. George and the Princess

Italy trip: Florence

Wow. I can't believe I never finished blogging the Italy trip. Well, here's a quick highlight of Florence with all the sights and food we loved the most in the city we enjoyed the greatest of our whole trip (dare I say, all international travel??).


We loved Florence the best because it was small enough to be able to walk everywhere really easily, but chalk full of sites so that time really flew and we were never bored. Also, we loved the prices and the food. yum yum

• Hotel: Grand Hotel Minerva, in the Piazza Santa Maria Novella
• super close to the Florence SMN train station as well as one of the churches and totally walkable to all the Florence sights
• Sights
• Sculptures in the Loggia (Piazza della Signora) 
• a favorite place of ours that's also free (yay!) but beware! no eating inside! There are guards who actually enforce this. We returned several times.
• We particularly liked the statue of Perseus and both of Gimbologna's pieces here because of how life-like and detailed they are.
• Baptistery doors are an impressive artwork employing perspective. It was fun figuring out what Biblical story was depicted in each of the pictures.
• Bargello museum (sculptures)
• We especially liked the fountain (broken into pieces in the courtyard) as well as all the Gimbologna stuff).
• Galileo museum (science -- my husband really liked it, it was ok for me)
• Uffizzi (the most famous art museum in Florence and possibly Italy)
• better appreciated with Rick Steve's audio tour
• The Ponte Vecchio's super romantic at night...but really fun to window shop the jewelry stores during the day too
• Street performers abounded at night after the stores closed so it was fun to stroll around with a gelato in the evenings
• We enjoyed listening to a classical guitarist, an American folk singer, and watching a mute whistle clown perform on various occasions.
• Other Sights:
• Il Duomo (church & bell tower)
• saw Duff Beer for sale!
• Leonardo da Vinci Museum - tiny little place with some interesting creations from da Vinci's notebooks, but not very impressive.
• Oltro Arno - the other side of the river was nice to walk through
• It would've been interested in visiting Salvatore Ferrigamo's shoe museum, but not for $$...
• Included in our Costco travel package was a half-day private trip to San Gimiagno and Siena which we found to be completely no worth it because it gave very little time in either town and was totally not enough for Siena (roughly 45 mins which was only enough time to glimpse Il Campo and quickly run through the Duomo)
• Favorite Foods
• Florentine tripe sandwich and porchetta sandwich from a cart called L'Antico Trippaio [off of the main street Via Calzaiuoli]
• Trattoria "da Giorgio" serves common folk's food and a 3-course meal for cheap [just southwest of S. Maria Novella]. We particularly liked the ribollita (a bread soup) and barchetta.
• Grom gelato [off of main street Via Calzaiuoli, close to Duomo]
• Sostanza's artichoke pie and Florentine steak (yum yum rare!!) [just southwest of S. Maria Novella]
• Brunello wine (got a glass at a sandwich place called I Fratellini) [off of main street Via Calzaiuoli]
• Trattoria Za-Za's gorgonzola gnocchi, wild board ragu paperdelle and porcini/live pate over crispy polenta [located near Mercato Centrale]
• Trattoria Mario's - orata (sea bream fillet), pork chop and chick peas  [located near Mercato Centrale] - super popular, only open for lunch

Italy trip: Sorrento & Naples

After Rome, we headed further south and off the Costco travel package to visit a few more places. In general, we found Sorrento & the Amalfi Coast to be sooo crowded with tourists that it didn't feel like Italy to us anymore...more like the typical beachy resort anywhere in the world. But Naples was totally the real deal of authentic Italian where most people didn't speak any English. Read on for the details of the sites & foods we experienced.

Sorrento

• Rode bus from Rome to Sorrento - slower, but only direct method so it was the easiest to navigate with our luggage. It took 4+ hours though.
• Ulisse Deluxe Hostel - luxury hostel that was pretty much like a hotel. A little hard to find though but we eventually found it after some walking and asking. :) And once we knew where it was, then it was a 20 min walk to the train station. It was also nice to have free wifi in the lobby so we could email family.
• Inn Bufalito - all things buffalo. We got the taster platter of buffalo mozarella and it was soooo much cheese, but very yummy. The stuffed piece of buffalo (bread, cheese & veggies), buffalo stew and buffalo ragu over pasta were also very good. We actually came here twice and liked everything we ordered!
• Shopped at the Carpisa store where their logo is a turtle!!! =D
• Limoncello - so many places to try it from! We started not being able to tell them apart. But I really liked the strong, fragrant lemon-y flavor. Though it was a bit strong for me...
• We got tired of Italian food one night (heaven forbid!!!) and grabbed some kebab gyros and they were really good! totally hit the spot for us and allowed us a small break for a meal.
• Ristorante Delfino - a downhill walk to marina del grande from our hotel (a little dangerous because no sidewalk and cars were going by very fast)
• Bob got the sea bream with parsley sauce which he really enjoyed. 
• I got the spaghetti w/clams and marveled once again at how much better pasta was in Italy
• We both really loved the bread & olive oil too
• sorbet @ Davide Gelataria was super yum! We liked both of the flavors we tried. The limon was clean & simple and tart & sweet, while the profumi di Sorrento was an intense mix of citrus that totally wow'd me
• Primavera gelato - pricey but yummy walnut and lots of weird flavors (not the organic/natural kind tho)

Archaeological Sites

• The Circumvesuviana is a commuter train that runs between Naples and Sorrento (and maybe more?)...kinda like BART. It was cheap and pretty easy to use as long as you made sure to get your ticket validated!
• Pompeii



Forum of Pompeii with Mt. Vesuvius in the background.

• spent 1/2 day here with RS audio tour
• this was really a middle class town and was covered in 30 ft of ash
• impressive engineering from their street washing and the 1-3 stones to avoid getting wet and designate what kind of street it was (1-way, 2-way, main throughfare), aqueduct arches and lead pipes
• discovered that they were really just like us with their gyms, bath houses and fast food joints
• they even used brick pizza ovens just like now!
• the brothel had a fresco with the menu because prostitutes were often foreigners so customers could just point to what they wanted
• Herculaneum

• this rich seaport was buried under 60 ft of hot mud/lava
• well-preserved frescoes, beach was extended because of all the lava
• definitely more intimate than Pompeii with a lot less people

Amalfi Coast

• SITA bus ride to Amalfi was super curvy, but beautiful views
• Amalfi town
• Interesting Byzantine/Moorish cathedral - stepped in to experience mass for a few mins.
• Paper Museum was a small museum that was kinda neat but made completely worth it when I got to try making paper
• The walk through town was interesting w/one-way street filled with pedestrians, cars and scooters all trying to squeeze their way through. Bob really liked one shop's "viagra naturale" sign over their chili peppers.
• Positano

• super steep town, very quaint and fun to walk
• had a yummy deli lunch of marinated artichokes, tomatoes, bread and marinated anchovies
• Also tried the baba rum here which is a sponge cake soaked in rum...pretty simple, very strong on the alcohol, not that great
• the beach was quite rocky so we didn't stay there long
• boat back was a nice change from the bus and quicker too

Naples

• PIZZA

• by the slice from a streetside vendor (attached to restaurant) in front for museum for lunch - just pointed and it was really quite delicious
• Da Michele - The crust was perfection, but the toppings were pretty scarce for my liking. still delicious though and so cheap! 
• The other famous pizza place, Trianon, was closed, unfortunately
• Archaeological Museum

• frescoes from Pompeii - it's like our wallpapers/windows today! Also their way of making their home feel bigger, airier, etc.
• statues of Hercules (nice butt!), Dorofino (ideal form of man), and the bull one were impressive
• The secret room and mosaics were closed for restoration! :(
• The City itself
• I doubt we'll ever go back to Naples...the city is quite intense. It was nice to visit and see, but a little stressful as a tourist because you feel like you totally stick out and are therefore an easy target.
• We were almost fined for not validating our metro ticket but it was just one stop and the guy let us go. Thank goodness! I mean...we definitely looked for the place to validate, but we didn't see it! The metro was pretty confusing from the train station because we weren't sure which stairs led to train platforms and which ones led to the metro. But I guess the validating machine was at the top of the stairs before we came down.
• Bob almost got pick-pocketed when someone unzipped a pocket of his backpack...but he caught it in time and there wasn't anything important in there anyway.
• We walked through the area known for organized crime and survived! :)
• Had gelato at a place RS rec'd called Polo en Nord: the nocioletta (hazelnut) was good, cheaper but smaller than in other cities
• Reminded Bob of Manhattan - lots and lots of people and everyone rushing purposefully everywhere
• Reminded Shally of Taiwan with the crazy, no-rules traffic; laundry hanging out the windows to dry; scooters everywhere...

Italy trip: Rome

Ok. So Bob posted all the pics for our Italy trip on his blog, so I'll be writing up some details of our trip in case anyone's interested in where we specifically went or want our travel tips for certain places, etc.

First of all, we bought the Rick Steve's (from now on abbreviated as RS) Guide to Italy for our trip which was very useful and we downloaded a lot of his free audio tours for the places we were going to as well. We highly recommend it.

Another thing that would have been really helpful on our trip was a good compass (especially in Venice!!). We couldn't find Bob's (since we still haven't finished unpacking), so we borrowed a keychain one and it was totally unreliable so we gave up on it.

I think I'll split Rome up by area of the city and the sights & foods we had in each...I've also bolded our favorite sites & foods...

Vatican City

• Hotel Michelangelo
• Having our hotel near the Vatican City was really inconvenient because we had to bus over to the main part of Rome practically everyday and coming back was tough because there were a lot fewer buses at night. We would never do that again! Find a hotel in the city! Preferably walking distance to the Pantheon or Piazza Navona where there's a good night life in the square.
• Otherwise, it was a very nice hotel and they upgraded us to a jr. suite because they couldn't find our reservation at first. :) This was one of the hotels through the Costco package and it was really nice that breakfast was included everyday.
• pizza al tasso (pizza by weight/slice)

• We needed lunch before taking in any of the sights and happened upon this pizza place in an alley off of the street from St. Peter's Square to the Vatican Museum. It's probably about halfway down and to the right...right next to a gelateria. We were drawn there by the people sitting on the sidewalk and munching on their pizza and were well-rewarded. 
• Ordering was a bit confusing because everything was in Italian and we were literally fresh off the plane. Also, the counter was pretty crowded and there wasn't an obvious line, so you kinda had to push your way to the front...wait your turn and quickly get in your order. In the end, I just pointed to 2 of the freshest pizzas (we saw the guy bring them out from the back) and that turned out to be just fine. 
• One of the pizzas was a creamy white sauce with broccoli and chicken...mmmMMMmm and the other was an eggplant one which was just ok.
• Vatican Museum (& the Sistine Chapel)
• We happened to go on World Tourism Day, so admission was free (saved us 30 euros)! But it also meant that there was a super long line and we had to wait ~1hr to get in.
• Super long & confusingly laid out so it was pretty hard to find the rooms and things RS had in his guide. But we finally made it to the Sistine Chapel and it was totally worth it.
• We listened to RS audio tour of the chapel and that was really great because we could just stare up at the ceiling while he described stuff to us. (RS also has a map for each of his audio tours so you can follow along by track #.) 
• In general, Michelangelo was a sculptor, so this was outside his area of expertise, and yet he still excelled at it and he did most of it lying on his back!! 
• From the Sistine Chapel, RS told us about a secret passageway to St. Peter's Basilica to avoid the long walk back through the museum and out the way we came. The signs said it was for tour groups only, but we pretended ignorance and followed behind a group. =D The guards didn't stop us, so YAY!
• St. Peter's Basilica

• Also used RS audio tour for this.
• Loved Michelangelo's Pieta! So life-like. It's amazing and awe-inspiring.
• And the dome was done by Michelangelo after he studied the dome of the Pantheon and Brunelleschi's Il Duomo in Florence. Can you believe Michelangelo was such an accomplished sculptor, painter AND architect?! He's just crazy talented.
• My goodness how things have changed since I was last here 9+ years ago! When did they add security checks to get into the church?? Thankfully, they go pretty fast though.
• Inside the church, there were more changes. They blocked off the center so whereas before, you could walk over the demarcations of how other famous churches around the world compare to St. Peter's, now they're protected (and much harder to read!)
• We also weren't able to get close to the altar because there were services or something going on both times we tried.
• Climbing the Dome of St. Peter's Basilica

• well worth paying the extra few euros to take the elevator imo. :)
• The mosaics at the first level after you get off the elevator are amazing. Can't believe how detailed they were. and how each piece was fitted together to make the picture. You don't get to stop here on your way down, so make sure to look your fill before continuing on to the top!
• It was fun to climb the stairs to the top, especially when it got really narrow and you knew you were actually walking inside the dome!
• The top was crazy crowded and had to wiggle your way to the edges for pictures and then enter the pack of sardines headed back down the stairs.
• Necropolis tour
• There's a special tour that takes you under St. Peter's Basilica to see Peter's tomb and other things found buried down below. But you have to book it way in advance. By the time we decided to go and nailed down our dates and tried to book it, there was no more space (a little less than a month before). :( Ah well! Something for us to do when we go back! =D

Ancient Rome

• Palatine Hill
• 1 combo ticket gets you into the colosseum, forum & palatine hill
• since the line at the colosseum was super long, we went over to palatine hill first and got in fast & easy
• explored the grounds/ruins of the homes of ancient emperors
• and took the path that led straight into the forum
• Roman Forum
• used RS audio tour here and that was cool
• impressed by the historical significance and realizing that some of the most powerful ppl in the world had stood where we were but hard to completely appreciate because lots of it was gone completely so it was hard to imagine it as it was

• we'd borrowed a book from Bob's parents called Rome Then & Now that helped us try to picture it, but it was still hard
• Curria House was also closed/under construction so we couldn't go in to see where the senate met
• Exited the Forum @ Capitol Hill and got a panini from a streetside cart...and it was DISGUSTING. Like cardboard. Definitely don't recommend it.
• Colosseum

• Reminded us of the Hunger Games with Rome as Panem and each fighter representing the district they're from with their armor/costume and weapons which really brought it to life for us and made it our favorite site in Rome.
• Awe-inspiring to think of size of building and amount of brick/marble needed.
• Ingenious pulley system for underground lifts.
• Listened to RS audio tour.
• Lunched nearby at a RS recommendation - Caffe dello Studente, up on the hill across the street from the Colosseum. Enjoyable and cheap!
• Pantheon

• It's the largest dome and was preserved because it was always in use as a place of worship
• designed for the worship of all gods, it was influenced by Emperor Hadrian's travels
• Raphael was buried here for his contributions to Rome
• RS audio guide was great for this site as well.
• Gelato! There were 3 recommended gelato places close to the Pantheon and we tried them all!
• San Crispino has organic and natural flavors. We tried the honey cream and the ginger cinnamon (better of the 2)
• Cremeria Monteforte with their super creamy sorbets. We had peach (liked better) & pear.
• Giolitti is Rome's most famous gelato place and ended up being our favorite too. We got the amaretto, hazelnut and chocolate which was SOoooo good and soo big!
• Mamertine Prison
• totally AWFUL, hokey, rip off. It used to be free with donations encouraged and now they remodeled it with a cheesey presentation that includes talking rocks. The only cool thing was seeing Peter's small prison & chain column which was only 5 mins of the 35-40 mins tour. So lame.

Other Rome Stuff

• Piazza Navona
• especially lively at night cuz it's a very popular hangout spot for tourists and vendors/entertainers... a really fun place to enjoy an evening stroll with gelato. Wish our hotel was closer to here
• Fountain of the river of the four gods is here
• Lots of restaurants around here too

• Ciccia Bomba - traditional trattoria. Good but not great. Very hard to translate the specials with our travel lang. book. We tried this veggie dish called cicoria sauteed in olive oil, garlic and pepper...it was kinda similar in flavor to gan-lan/chinese broccoli.
• Pizzeria da Baffetto - crowded and always gotta wait, but only ok
• We tried the tartufo ice cream that's supposed to be a Rome specialty at the place where it was supposedly invented. Super rich, dark chocolate ice cream covered in a hard chocolate shell. 
• Campo di Fiori
• fun in the day time with all the shops/vendors in the square and a good place to get fresh fruit for a snack
• Trevi Fountain
• crazy crowded at all times of the day...but better late at night
• gotta do the coin toss!
• Spanish Steps
• fun to sit and people watch there, but can't eat anything on the steps!
• fun photo op with the fountain at the bottom of the steps
• avoid all the rose sellers if you can!
• Il Gabrielo

• RS highest recommended restaurant for a nice dinner in Rome
• Claudio's Extravaganza = 5 courses each person!! Crazy lot of food. The standouts of the meal were the smoked seafood antipasti (tuna, swordfish & shrimp), ravioli in cream sauce, pasta w/lobster and turbot with potato. The veal in orange sauce was gross. The whole dinner took 3 hours!! 
• Cappuccin Crypt
• bones that monks had made into artwork. couldn't take pics of it but we got a souvenir card with descriptions in english. Bob really liked this site and it's pretty close to the Trevi Fountain...
• Church of San Clemente
• neat to see this church because there's 3 different worship places stacked on top of each other, but quite dark which made it tough to read all the descriptions...many of which were not in English at all...
• The church itself is a medieval one built in the 12th century
• Just below it is the ruins of an earlier church from the 4th century
• And below that is the eerie remains of a pagan temple to Mithras and Roman buildings from the 1st century.
• house wines @ any of the restaurants - cheap & good! This pretty much goes for all the restaurants in Italy really.
• olive oil w/bread - flavorful and no need for balsamic vinegar...much better with just the oil so you can enjoy the flavor by itself without it getting masked. We later came to realize that we prefer the olive oil from southern Italy vs. Tuscany...but by then it was too late to buy a bottle to bring home!

Trasteverre

• Did RS audio guide at night...would rec'd doing it earlier though
• Santa Maria church has cool artwork at the altar that's totally worth lighting up
• dinner at Galeassi in the Santa Maria square was SO GOOD
• we got the osso bucco (delicious!!) and the shellfish risotto
• we also made fun of the pathetic Egyptian mummy street performer who dressed up all in metallic and stood very still like the SF performers, but when you gave him money, all he did was bow. How boring!

Appian Way

• kind of out of the way, but not that hard to get to...took the metro & bus straight to entrance of catacombs
• Catacombs of San Callisto - decided to go this one because it's bigger and more prestigious
• very humid in the catacombs and probably bad for claustrophobia
• 4 big levels of tombs one on top of the other that once held 500,000 Christians!
• possible because of all the lava rock that is easily dug, but hardens to cement when exposed to air
• Appia Antica Caffe - good salad!
• Biking to the Aqueduct Park
• the cafe also rents bikes, but they were reserved for a group already
• wish we could've done this, but just something else to save for next time!

2010 Italy Recap: Overview & Photo Album

Bob's processed all of our photos from the Italy trip and posted them at his blog - Musings of a Blindman: 2010 Italy Recap: Overview. I'll be working on writing up our trip in detail to track our experiences -- any travel tips learned, and the specific names of all the restaurants we went to in case anyone wants to follow in our footsteps. :)

• Rome
• Sorrento/Naples (plus Pompeii & Amalfi Coast)
• Florence (plus San Gimignano and Siena)
• Venice (plus Murano, Burano, Torcello islands and Verona)

Lost & Found!

So I lost my wedding ring last week and I was totally flipping out trying to find it. I only discovered it was missing because we were packing to go away for the weekend (church retreat), and I couldn't for the life of me remember positively when the last time I wore it was...much less what I was wearing at the time! I looked through all my pant and jacket pockets, but to no avail. The whole weekend, I felt a little naked without the ring. And I felt just awful that I'd lost something so important. Bob & I were thinking of where it could possibly be, and eventually decided that one of us would need to look through the trash just in case (I usually put the ring on my dresser which is right next to the trash). When we got back, I checked all my pockets again just in case and then I pulled on some gloves and carefully went through the trash - opening up each crumpled (and dried up) tissue just to make sure the ring hadn't fallen inside. I also had to look in the clumps of hair and nail clippings. Ugh. It was GROSS and a little smelly. And I didn't end up finding the ring in there. So it was all for nothing! :( And I was all out of ideas of where else to look for it. But then, today, I tried thinking of where else the ring could be. I thought maybe the ring had slipped out of my pant pocket when I'd taken them off and put them on a pile of boxes in the room. So I peeked behind the boxes, and there it was!! Resting nice and neat on the clean carpet. Sigh! But yay! I found my ring! Now, I'm going to be much more careful with it. Whew!

Blissfully married

Wow. It's been so long since I updated. I wonder if I'll keep this blog up anymore.
Quick update: I am blissfully married!

I had the WORST dream last night. I dreamt that I married some other guy! An emotionally-unavailable guy that I never even went on a date with!! In the dream, Bob & I broke up or just never got engaged or something and I was set up with the other guy or something. We had tried to go on a date, but something happened and it was canceled. And then we were getting married and I said yes and stuff cuz I felt like that was what I was supposed to say. And then afterwards, I realized this guy was totally wrong, and I should have married Bob, but now it was too late!! I was in agony.

Then I woke up and realized it had been a nightmare. WHEW!

storytime

Wow. It's been over a month since I updated? My bad.

I'm doing the Thanksgiving storytime at my library on the Wednesday before (Nov. 26) at 11:30am. I'm doing it all by myself because the librarian who usually does it will be on vacation, so if you wanna check it out and come and support me, feel free (would probably be good if you came with a kid too....hehe). :) It'll be my first ever storytime!!!!!!!!! It's rather nerve-wracking, but exciting. I just found out on Monday that I'm gonna be training to do a storytime in Mandarin too. Yikes! I might pass my broken Chinese onto unsuspecting little children.

I'm discovering more and more what a major home body I am. I seriously get rather discontent when I don't get quality home time to just vege in front of the TV or read or something. And even if I do the same very chill stuff somewhere else, it's just not the same. Tonight I enjoyed Obama's speech & The Jane Austen Book Club while eating dinner & sipping a glass of wine with some chocolate. It was very very satisfying. :) But oops! I just realized I forgot to do my weekly, getting-ready-for-the wedding, beautifying facial mask... My bad. I'll have to make it up tomorrow cuz I've already skipped a week and I think it's made a huge difference (my face has been breaking out like mad this past week without it).

One final note: I hate ants.

Less than 4 months to go!

So last month...I pretty much was just getting used to work again and being tired from work and recovering from work. :) So though we started research and worked on a few wedding stuff, we didn't actually book/settle anything. Add to that, a week or so ago, we found out that we won't be able to have our ceremony at our church, so we're scrambling to find another alternative now. *sigh* But we have managed to book our honeymoon. 6 nights all-inclusive in Jamaica with a whirlpool & stocked bar in our suite....I can't wait!!!!! :) On the agenda this month (to make up for the fact that we didn't finish anything last month) = book church, book florist, book bakery for cake, order invitations, start getting photos for slideshow, book hair/makeup...and ooo! i need to find a tailor for my dress!!

On the church front, I think we have several options. It's taken quite a while to get in touch with people, especially since Labor Day just passed and many people were out on vacation. Plus, most of the churches on our first round were unavailable (thank you, Jeremy for doing the checking for us). We have 1 definite possibility right now and several others in the works.

Whoa! Cakes are so much more expensive than I ever imagined. But we have 2 cake-tasting appointments so far with some more affordable options that are still well-reviewed. We were thinking of doing cupcakes originally, but after booking such a nice photographer (and getting cake-cutting fee waived), we decided a cake would look much better! hehehe Here's a pic of what we're thinking of having, but only 3 tiers...

Florists. I've met with 2 so far and am waiting for an estimate from one of them. I keep changing my mind about it. I have no idea about flowers, so I'm really scared about whether it'll come out looking nice!! I have a color scheme in mind, but I haven't been able to find any example pics of it in any of the magazines/websites I've searched. Arg! Hopefully the florist I choose will know what she's doing and just make it all look good!

Hair & makeup...just trying to book a trial now. We're going to go out for a nice dinner afterwards too. YAY! Mainly cuz I'm obsessed with trying foie gras before it becomes illegal to import it in 2009 (or so I hear)!

Oh yeah! And Bob & I have decided on a wedding invitation design. Just need to figure out how many we need, book a church, get the wording right and order!

All in all, I'm pretty confident we can get most of this stuff done this month! But man, am I glad that I'm only working p/t right now...I can't imagine trying to plan this AND be working 8 hrs/day. Everytime I think about how much (or little) time is left, I get a little stressed. Ack!

PM Update: Wow! Today alone I've been so productive. I've done my laundry, dropped my sis & her family at SJC, booked 2 cake tastings & called several others, set day for hair/makeup trial (and thus made dinner reservations), called our all-inclusive to give our room location preferences, got in touch with 1 church to confirm availability, scheduled a few tutoring lessons, wrote a blog post and rescheduled work for next week. Whewie! Time for a break.

Quick update

• VBS week...waking up before 7am everyday. UGH! Plus, preschoolers have a lot of energy = I'm so tired.
• Work...week of intense training is almost over. YAY. I'm so looking forward to the weekend
• Photographer almost booked. Wedding rings done & ready for pick up... Researching florist, hair/makeup and cakes.
  Wedding planning is not so fun. I might actually enjoy the logistics more than booking people. While booking people, all I can think about is how expensive everything is. And needing to compromise desire with reality/practicality. *cry*
• Dark Knight was good. I liked it better than Batman Begins actually.
• New favorite froyo place! Tartini next to Le Boulanger at Stevens Creek & De Anza. It's self-serve like Yogurtland, but better quality of yogurt PLUS mostly tart flavors (though I've only been there once). More expensive than Yogurtland, but worth it imo.
  
  I tried practically everything they had too (only like 6-8 flavors). I especially liked the Raspberry Tart. The lychee tart would be good if you like lychee. In general, all their fruit flavors taste really fresh, not at all artificial. I wanted to try Green Tea Tart, but it was out of order at the time. :( They also had Pomegranate & Honeydew as the sweet flavors, which were also good & real/fresh-tasting, but too sweet for my preference. Yummmmm. Can't wait to go back. It's a lot smaller than Yogurtland, so hopefully it doesn't get too crowded...
  

a productive few weeks

I can't believe I've only been engaged for a little over 3 weeks...we've already gotten so much accomplished (imo).

• wedding date...pretty much set...will need to send out save the date cards soon
• ceremony site...selected & in progress of booking
• reception site...booked (thanks to bob)
  
• wedding gown...done
• veil...done
• shoes for wedding gown...done
• bridesmaid dresses...done
• flower girl dresses...done
• photographers...in process of interviewing

I think I deserve a weekend off! :) Of course, that's easier said than done, because wedding planning always seems to be at the back of my mind these days. So even though I went to LA primarily for vacation...my last girl trip with my mom, sis & niece before work starts and stuff...it ended up being quite the business trip cuz we were in the fashion district for 2 out of the 3.5 day trip (of which 1 day was spent driving) making wedding-related purchases. The 2nd day in the fashion district was really supposed to be just for fun after we picked up the orders from the day before, but I couldn't get wedding shopping off the mind and kept looking for wedding-related stuff (like the shoes). But don't worry, I made some purchases just for fun as well. :)

The LA trip also included a 1-day excursion to Catalina. I'm so glad we decided not to stay on the island, because we were bored in about 3 hours. The shopping area is really not that large, nor is it very interesting. And with the baby, it would've been too much of a pain to hike or do any of the many water-related activities. So we ate & strolled around and then caught an early boat back to Long Beach.

As for the Fashion District. It was fun shopping there. It totally reminded me of taiwan night market shopping. :) I pretty much wiped out my entire cash supply there. In addition to the wedding purchases, I also got a few cute purses for myself and a pair of skechers. YAY! I also learned that my sis can be quite the bargainer (much better than me) and that it's very important to check over your purchases carefully before making full payment, because the sales people are much less motivated to fix problems or make exchanges after you've paid. *sigh*

We also saw my uncle & cousins while in LA...we had a feast at their place the first night and then since we got back early from Catalina, we went over to their neck of the woods again and took them out to Versailles (a cuban place). yum yum. lots of good food. On the food note, we also went to Auntie Em's on Thur before we headed back up to SJ to try their famous red velvet cupcakes. They also have seasonal fresh salads which were delish (and the only veggies we really got on the entire trip). Their cupcakes were alright..the choc one is probably my fave. But they put way too much frosting imo. I'd like to try Sprinkles cuz my sis says those are way better...and after all, we're considering using cupcakes as our wedding cake, so a little research is required. :)

I've also received all the things I bought online while I was shopping for bridesmaid dresses, so I need to try on that stuff too and decide if I'm keeping any of it. =P I think Bob's getting scared that I'm becoming a shopaholic..hehehe

Ah yes, for those of you who don't know already, I have a job as a p/t librarian with San Jose Public Library, the Pearl Ave. branch (near 85 & Almaden Expy) that opens in early August. I start work July 28 though, so only 1 more week to enjoy my unemployment!

Next up for wedding planning, photographer, cake & florist...I should make an appt with the tailor to get my wedding gown bustled and wat-not as well I think.

a bunch of randomness

Somehow my days are filling up with so much random stuff to do! And whenever I go bridesmaid dress shopping, I end up getting stuff for myself as well!!! arg....this is not going to be good for my savings account. hehe But I'm getting my annual shopping over with I guess. At least I'm still enjoying it so far. And I like how getting new stuff (more professional stuff) for work is a good excuse for getting clothes/shoes that I would probably normally deem too expensive. =D

I found a super cute children's story to do for my interview Monday. I really like it. I think it'll be my go-to book if I ever have to read another one for an interview. It's called My Lucky Day by Keiko Kasza in case any of you are ever looking for a book to read with a preschooler. :) I tried reading it to Ariel too, but she got distracted by the pages & wanting to eat the cover, so I gave up. =P Btw, Ariel crawled yesterday! I wasn't there to see it, but my sis left me a v/m about it. But I can't wait to see the video!!!

Big news (the details)

Bob & I are engaged!!

It started out as a normal day. I had to get up earlier than usual because I was tutoring a new kid at 10am. That went ok and I headed over to my sister's place around noon because she'd asked for my help with Ariel (my adorable niecey) for the afternoon. I got there and as she was changing baby, the doorbell rang. "I'm expecting a package from amazon...Can you go get it for me?", she asked. So I went downstairs and opened the door...and there was Bob! And I knew that today was the day. :)

According to him, my eyes got really wide, I made a little noise and hand motion, and he'll never forget the expression on my face. I have no idea what I looked like, but I was definitely totally surprised. HAHA

Then he told me to use the bathroom cuz he was taking me somewhere. He blindfolded me and led me to the car (I almost tripped in the process! It was a test of my trust in him) and off we went! He'd gotten a smoothie for the ride and even had a special playlist going on his iPod, but he refused to tell me where we were going no matter how hard I tried to get it out of him!! He even said that the day might be just a decoy for the real deal. hehe We finally arrived (and boy was I glad, cuz I had to pee again), and he led me a short ways up some stairs to some place where I was instructed to sit while he got some stuff from the car. I sat there wondering where we could possibly be (I guessed Berkeley, but wasn't sure where exactly in Berkeley we could be that would have a grassy area so close to parking. When he removed the blindfold...I instantly recognized where we were (even though I still couldn't see cuz I wore my glasses that day and they were still in the car!). It was the lake in Golden Gate park! We'd been here last summer and we were in the exact same spot!!

Then he gave me a dozen red red roses, got down on a knee & proposed. Even though I guess I was expecting it by then (or really should've been, right?), I was still a little speechless and all I could think to say is "Yes". People are so poised & eloquent in the movies. Ah well. We had a light picnic lunch by the lake, enjoyed a time of worship & prayer to God before heading back to the South Bay where we hurriedly changed & got ready for an early dinner.

We went to La Fondue where we were stuffed silly on alligator, ostrich, buffalo (#1 fave of the night), swiss chicken (#2 fave), tuna & scallops...as well as a huge salad, cheese fondue and chocolate fondue (not in that order)!! Bob had to run out to the car to get me a Lactaid pill...hehehe Afterwards, we strolled around downtown Saratoga to help the digestion and savor our new status alone together for a little longer. :) But we ended the night sharing the news with his family & mine.

It was the best day of my life, and it was planned by the most wonderful fiance in the world!! I can't quite believe how lucky I am. Through our relationship, I've learned so much about myself (i.e. my personality, my love languages). I've also acquired some more experience in communicating and working out conflicts healthily (no more freezing him out...or at least trying not to). But even more importantly, I feel like I've gained a better understanding God (i.e. waiting for His timing, depending on Him alone for my satisfaction in life, as my heavenly Father - running into His comforting arms, etc.). I'm truly blessed because I'm now able to look forward to spending the rest of my life on earth with someone who gets me so well that he can tell just by the look on my face how I'm feeling, who is my best friend, who shares a lot of my values & yet is different in ways that we can complement each other, who challenges me to be a better person, who is so adorably nerdy/geeky/dorky that he makes me roll my eyes & chuckle appreciatively at the same time, and who points me to God in his own pursuit of holiness. I'm overwhelmed with a soaring heart full of praise & thanks.

July 1 update: Check Bob's blog for his side of the story & more pics...

unabashedly absent

I'll be the first to admit that I've been grossly behind in terms of blogging. I will blog the highlights of my trip eventually. But to catch you up, in case you don't already know...I've graduated! Wooo Hooooo!! After 2 years of pretty intense, full-time school, I now have a Master's in Library & Information Science. Now what do I do?

Well, I took a 2 week vacation to Tokyo/Taiwan. Now I'm back, a bit recovered from some minor stomach issues with the food and feeling the effects of jet lag (just slept 11+ hours, hehe). I'm currently blissfully unemployed and enjoying the time I have to slowly readjust to reality.

Can someone just tell me?

Tipping is such a confusing custom! I mean. I get the whole restaurant service 15% thing..that's pretty ingrained now. But services are still kinda fuzzy for me. Like...I hear so many things, I totally don't know what's what anymore. I think I'm pretty confident that tip is needed for all American service providers (hair stylists, etc.), but what about Asian ones? Like the nail salon...my hair stylist? This post is prompted by a recent reminder that I really still have no idea what's accepted tipping behavior. It's even worse when I don't have spare 1s to give tip without having to ask for change (AWKWARD), on top of which, clear communication is crippled by our mutual shaky grasp of each other's native language!

I've heard that for Asian hair salons, you don't need to tip. Or you don't need to tip if your stylist is the owner...Or you don't need to tip as much..maybe 10%. Is that TRUE? I really wish I could just ask outright and somehow not come off as a cheapo or something. Then I'd know for sure if I'm offending by not giving a tip...or if one is totally not expected...how much is acceptable/generous...or what! I really don't mind giving tip. I just want to know for sure if I'm supposed to or not & how much. Does anyone know the right answer??

Tokyo & Taipei...here I come!

So...i just booked my Tokyo & Taipei airfare. YAY!! It's finally a reality!
Even though I still don't know where I'm staying in Tokyo...I figure it'll be ok. One way or another, I have to go while my friends are still there and if I have to get my own hotel room, then so be it. So I'm leaving Fri, May 16 and returning Thur, May 29. It came out to only a little over $1000 too! YAY!!! And Bob (who's only coming for the Taipei part) actually got the same flights as me for the last 3 legs of the trip, so we'll be able to travel together for most of it. Yay! I won't be totally alone (cuz I hate traveling alone).

I really hope my professor is on the ball so that I can finish my final before I leave....it's not officially due till Sun 5/18, but I'm sure he'll post it at least a week before, right? I'll just have to be really on the ball and ready to take it the minute it's available.

I can't wait!!!!!!!!!! It'll be my first time out of the country since I started library school. I'll be able to visit friends AND revisit my fav spots in Taipei. Oh the excitement can barely be contained!!

In other news, today, at the light rail station, on my way home from work (downtown SJ), I saw a guy getting arrested on the platform...for allegedly selling drugs I think. There were like 3-4 cops there. Two were horseback riders and 2 were like from the sheriff's office or something. They had different uniforms. I don't really get the difference between all the different law enforcement agencies...but anyhow. That was definitely unusual. I feel like my world has been broadened since quitting the engineering field...especially in terms of the kinds of people I run into now....really all sorts! I guess it's good preparation for working in a public library!

grrr

Dude. I think Singapore's onto something with their chewing gum ban. I personally don't like gum at all...I don't get the point and I hate how gum gets all hard & waxy after a long time...and it loses it's flavor quickly too. I don't get the attraction. But if you must enjoy your gum, please learn how to throw it away properly!!!!!!!! GRRRRRRR. I hate it when I'm minding my own business and I step in someone else's gum that they've carelessly left lying in the middle of the sidewalk or wherever. Then I get a whiff of that sickeningly sweet gum smell and am horrified to discover yellow goo marring the tip of my sneaker. THEN, I get the pleasure of trying to get that sticky gunk off my shoe (and out of the crevices/treads) for the next 30 mins or so. GRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!! I don't chew or enjoy gum, why do I have to live with the consequences of it? geesh

Bye Bye childhood home

I alluded to this in an earlier post updating my list of stuff...but yup. My parents have sold my childhood home and have left CA. It was a bit of a whirlwind, in fact, I think I'm still reeling from the suddenness and all the activity it generated. It was really pretty crazy.

It went down like this:
I had breakfast with my family on a Saturday in late Feb (I think it was 2/23) where my parents mentioned that they were going to start looking for an agent to sell the house with the plan that they would probably list the house in about a month or so after they cleaned and moved out or something. Then on Monday (yes, just 2 days later), they called to tell me the house was sold and the new owners needed it by March 15! I was pretty shocked, and I couldn't believe that I would have to go through the moving process all over again! Yes, I was definitely not looking forward to more cleaning, packing & unpacking. arg. And since my parents weren't going to be taking much with them, everything had to go! So in a matter of 2 weeks, all the stuff that's accumulated in our house for the last ~20 years had to be dealt with.

Crazy, right?!

Anyhow, the last two-ish weeks have been a little stressful as I tried to squeeze in the latest development with all my previous commitments, but I've somehow survived it. The big move (of furniture, piano, refrigerator) happened last Monday (3/10) and then some more cleaning, and I also had to meet the new owners so that if any mail was sent to us there (though there shouldn't be much since we forwarded our mail), I could go pick it up. Then, I dropped my parents off at the airport early Wed morning (they're going to travel the world for a little bit before deciding where to settle down). And now I have a bunch of new piles of boxes to sort through at my place. hehe

A lot of people have asked if I'm sad that my childhood home is gone, but really I've barely had time to consider that. I mean, it's still pretty unreal to me, and I'm not sure if/when my brain will catch up to reality. It was definitely a little sad when I walked out the door for the last time, but that's about it for now. In the meantime, there's more unpacking to do, and I've gotta catch up on school work and get going on that job hunt... I hope I can enjoy some peace and quiet now... I could certainly use a relaxing vacation!

Ultimate is back!

Yesterday marked the beginning of ultimate season for 2008. Yay! It was great to run around and get some exercise again. But man, I got out of breath so easily! Today, I'm a little sore, but that feels good because it means my muscles are getting ready for the season. :) I'm looking forward to many more Thursdays to come.