Santiago Day 1

Hi Everyone! My first international adventure this year! Woohoo!

We arrived at the airport mid-afternoon into a tiny terminal with very little wait. Once again, I was unable to use my TSA pre-check as they said the name on my ticket was different from what is on my global entry card (middle name vs middle initial.) Interestingly, Kim's was the same way and she had no problem. Harumph.

We got to Houston without incident, then the flight was delayed. We were told it would be at least an hour due to a mechanical issue (which always makes me nervous then flying on the plane!) There was a little street taco place right across from our gate so we got one and a margarita. No sooner did we order, they started to board! Whoops!

We got our seats, got comfortable, picked movies we were interested in, and proceeded to stay awake for the remaining ten-ish hour flight. We arrived in Santiago at around 8:30 am completely bleary-eyed but excited!

Customs and immigration was the longest line we had ever seen! It wrapped around multiple times and was quite impressive. We did make it through finally and made our way out. We didn't see our driver with a sign so trekked to find an ATM to grab some cash. It limited us to 100k chilean pesos (around $140 USD). Then Kim wasn't able to get money out as for some reason her bank didn't translate to english at all and we couldn't figure it out. There were six options to choose from! We gave up and made our way back to the entry area where the drivers waited with signs, happy we got a driver and didn't have to convert money in our head as tired as we were. However, we realized that no driver had my name on the sign even after we wandered.

Finally someone approached us and said 'Are you Samantha Glauser'? YES! In business. The man walked us to our driver and expected a tip. I had no change and he gave me a small amount back, taking a hefty tip. The driver was wonder and with fairly good english pointed things out and gave us tips.

The place we are staying at is an apartment in a high-rise right in the Belles Artes district in downtown Santiago, just blocks from the city center. There is a doorman and he called the owner, and told us to wait and one of them was coming. We waited around 30 minutes and she arrives, speaking in rapid-fire spanish. We were glassy-eyed at this point and just couldn't translate. She went to get someone, who told us she was going to clean, but we could drop our bags and come back in an hour.

We walked down the street and found a coffee shop recommended by the other owner (whom I was conversing through AirBNB, where we found the place). It is called Colmado Coffee and Bakery, and is a five minute walk from the apartment. The coffee was great and we got a snack (I got eggs and tomatoes, and kim got an apple pastry with ice cream.) We stopped at the store in the building to get some snacks, breakfast foods and drinks and went back to the apartment. Right in front of the buiilding was a stray dog chomping on cheese someone tossed him. All of the strays seem like shepherd mixes and seem well fed.

They have several apartments in the building, and either the pictures were from another or they switched out the furniture. The futon in the living room was lumpy and the cover shredded. There is no corkscrew, no welcome basket, no paper towels and the sponge.. well, I'll leave that be.. things that we expected as essentials were to be provided. There is only one glass and all of the kitchen stuff is disgustingly dirty. And the sponge.. I'll leave that. So, we will go back to the store for sure! Additionally, there is a musty smell and my allergies are flaring.. this will be a challenge I think. We have the windows open and hoping it will help, along with a candle.

We're exhausted so going to nap a bit then head out and do an easy day. tomorrow we'll hit the town! We decided to check out the roof deck and saw some amazing views.

We decided to head out for a walk and went to Plaza de Armas, the community center of Santiago, then toured the Catedral Metropolitana right on the Plaza. It was built in the 18th century and was simply stunning, with a lot of different colored and patterned marble and stone, stained glass, statues and sculptures and some gorgeous woodwork. There was a protester in the Plaza, protesting the borders and calling for open immigration into Chile. There was a fairly strong police presence as well, and two on horseback. The Catedral is the headquarter of the Archdioces of Santiago and the central location for the Catholic Church here. There were a couple of other beautiful historical buildings right on the square, which made a beautiful juxtoposition with a modern glass skyscraper right behind.

We then walked around ten minutes to the Mercado Central. It was getting ready to close so much of the food was being moved. It is mostly a large fish market (which smelled lovely by the end of the day). We were told it's a big tourist trap and to avoid the restaurants, including El Galeon, the famous one there.

We walked back towards our apartment and stopped in a church right near our hotel called the Basilica de la Merced. It was brightly colored red and gold and nice on the inside, though not as large or exquisite as the Catedral. It was badly tagged on the outside which is quite sad. As we walked to our place there was a group filming a a lady wearing a black jacket that was very short and something lacy underneath doing a strange dance on the sidewalk. It went on for a while! One thing we are noticing is that people dress pretty conservatively here. And the concept of personal space is a little less than Kim and I would like!

The apartment owner gave us a neighborhood guide including a lot of restaurant recommendations. We're tired from the trip and not sleeping so decided to do a local restaurant. He recommended a chilean place called Sur Patagonico Restaurant. It was wonderful! It's in a cute little neighborhood called Larrastria. Typical Chilean food, and heavy on meet. My naturopath would be so happy as she's been pushing me to eat meat. I was probably 75% pescatarian (fish only.) We got pisco sours, a crab leg dish with onions and a wonderful broth, fresh baked bread, and a meat platter with three different kinds of steak, sausage and tomato and zucchini. Yum.. still getting used to eating meat but it was good. We decided to go for it and got dessert- creme brule and caramel 'pancakes' with vanilla ice cream, which turned out to be crepes. Yum! Only a ten minute walk from our place.. we'll go back!

We walked back to our hotel fat and happy. Trying to load pictures and we shall see if I'm successful. Having some connection issues with our phones, which is how we're taking our pictures . Many from today aren't loading.. yet. But they will!

ha! Very tired and surprised we made it to nine. Going tho finish this, try to add some shots, and sign off! woohoo.

Austin Day 2

Hah Y'all :)

We are having SO much fun gabbing and catching up. It's wonderful to be back spending time with such a good friend and a truly amazing person!

We went to a fun place around the corner from our hotel for a coffee at Hideout Coffeehouse. Ok, I cheated, but it was oh-so-amazing and worth every precious sip. mmmm... goodness. First coffee I've had in three weeks. I do miss coffee! It was a cute little funky place. And they have Stumptown Coffee. From Portland, OR. How could it be wrong?? Then we wandered down Congress street to Annie's Cafe, a really cute French-inspired place. We got eggs that tasted amazing and fresh. yum!

We then wandered to the river and wandered along enjoying the views. We saw the Stevie Ray Vaughn statue and took a picture, then wandered on. It was quite hot by then, so we decided to walk back and down to the South Congress (SOCO) district which had a lot of cute little restaurants, live music, vintage shops and boot stores. Colleen drooled over some boots that were amazing, though an impressive price tag and we wandered back towards our hotel.

We stopped to grab a snack of salad and gluten free bread at a little place called Due Forni near the hotel then headed to change. We're staying at the Intercontinental, a nice little splurge in the heart of it all. Beautiful hotel, nicely appointed and in a great location. For two days, it was well worth the splurge.

We stopped back to cool off a bit and change, and headed to the State Capitol. We were both far more impressed than expected. it's a gorgeous building with really amazing architecture! We toured it for a while and headed back to the hotel to catch a cab to Clark's Oyster House.

It felt like home to us. It's a cute and very small seafood place. We both had halibut and I had 3 oysters from Prince Edward Island, Massachusetts, and.. somewhere else. Colleen got this amazing sweet grilled corn with feta, herbs and some heat to it. yum. It was really wonderful.

We cabbed it back to the hotel and were going to go to Rainey street and decided to stay around the area. We first walked to the Speakeasy but they didn't have live music and then decided to walk down 6th St to try to find some live music. Only a few places had it and nothing remarkable. So, we walked and ended up back at the Driskill. The music was good (though not live.) We enjoyed a glass of red and talked some more.


Colleen and I have done a great job of keeping in touch over the years, but it's certainly different meeting in person. it has been truly amazing. We're already planning next year's trip, back in Boston where it all began. :) At around eight I realized that i again missed my opportunity to see the famous Austin bats that fly out in a large cluster from under the Congress Street Bridge at sunset. Drat! Maybe next time..

We enjoyed chatting for a while and decided to call it a night. What a fun day!

s

Austin day 1

Hello from Austin, Texas!

I'm so excited to be here as I'm meeting up with a friend I've known for many, many years, but haven't seen in over seven! We decided to do a girls' weekend (thanks to her wonderful husband who has kid duty this weekend) and chose Austin as neither of us have ever been! She is arriving any moment!

I landed and took a stroll down 6th Street, one of the busy, happening areas of town. I had been told it's a college town and it very much appears that way! 6th Street has bar after restaurant after bar. I got in a couple of hours before my friend so stopped at a great place called Koriente, for a snack of rice cakes and spicy veggies. Yum! It was recommended and worth it.. inexpensive, and funky like the college-town restaurants where I went to school.

I'm on a crazy 'diet', working with a naturopath trying to get my asthma in line. I despise diets-- tell me not to do something and it's the very thing I crave! I can't have a huge list of things including wheat, corn, potato, avocado, mushrooms, coffee, dairy.. the list goes on. I suspect it will be a bit of a cheat weekend, which is ok as I have stuck to it pretty faithfully for three weeks now. We did find quite a few places that can accommodate it so we shall see.

My first cheat was a glass of prosecco (I can have red wine but not white.) After walking around, I was far too warm for red wine. Did I mention i can't have liquor as well? So no vodka, tequilla.. [sigh]. I decided it was worth the cheat and it really was. :)

This will be a really short trip-- I got in at 2 and colleen will be here a little after 4, and we fly out mid-day on Monday. But I'm looking forward to seeing her again in person and doing some fun exploring. She is a dear friend so this trip will be really special. And similar to my trip to Copenhagen for a wedding where I got to reconnect with another old friend that I hadn't seen in close to ten years, I suspect it will fly and before we know it, we'll be boarding the plane to leave. But it will be so worth it!!

****
What a fun night!! I love meeting up with someone.. when years go by and yet it feels like yesterday. In my opinion, that's how you know it's a good friend. The day passed so quickly-- but let me recap.

Colleen got to the hotel and we chatted for a bit before heading out. We walked back down 6th street, one of the main drags with lots of bars and restaurants. I had read about the Driskill Hotel, a historic and gorgeous place, so we stopped in for a drink. It was stunning! Tin ceiling, marble pillars.. gorgeous. We walked down 6th and now there were guys outside of each bar trying to tempt us inside. The best that we heard was, "Hey ladies, come on inside and have a drink. You deserve it! Don't think it, drink it!" Loved it.

We walked a ways down Congress and decided to go back to the hotel for freshen up for dinner. We went to the Roaring Fork, a place also in Scottsdale, where I live. I've been there for happy hour but never dinner. Turns out, it was in our hotel! Worked well as Colleen's from Raleigh and the time difference made it more difficult for her. I had absolutely no excuse yawning at ten, which was 8 pm my time! Truly amazing dinner and wine.

Tomorrow we'll explore more. Today was about catching up on the last few months. We talk once or twice a year, but it's so wonderful to meet in person. Truly magical. Happy. Life is good. Wonderful. :)

NYC Pictures and Recommendations

NYC Pictures

New York City 2015

I was too lazy after the craziness of figuring out how to upload the pics from my new-ish phone with new software to clean these up, so they are raw and NYC! :)


Hotel: Pod 51 was great! Budget hotel (which doesn't mean low cost in NYC!) Great location.
Restaurants:
-Cafe Espanol in the Village was wonderful! Great food, great service and cute little place.
-Papardella: we got our Central Park picnic from this place. The restaurant was really cute and the food looked amazing-- worth trying. Located on the upper west side.
Activities:
-High Line Trail was amazing and worth seeing.
-9/11 monument- tough to see but worth it and a beautiful tribute
-always worth walking around the city! The village, mid town, upper west side, the park.. all good!

NYC Day 3

We slept in a bit and went to the diner for breakfast, enjoying never-ending coffee and omelettes. Yum! We started walking south when the deluge hit. And I mean deluge. Wow, it has been a long time since I've been in rain like that! We decided to take a detour to go to the New York Library to check out a photography exhibit and to dry off and warm up. It's around 60 degrees and windy so it's quite cold. SO glad I checked the weather and brought my raincoat and fleece. I'm getting good use out of them!

We stopped for a tea to warm up on the way and to hopefully wait out the worst of it (it didn't work) and somehow managed to head north and backtracked several blocks. When we realized what we did, we both burst into laugher. Laugh or cry, right? We had gone backwards a good 6 blocks in the pouring rain. We finally gave up as we were drenched and hailed a cab.

Thankfully I brought a fleece and my raincoat, which doesn't get much use in Phoenix. I had nylon hiking pants on, figuring they would dry quickly and they did. Though the water spread so while my legs were rained on, as soon as I sat in the cab it moved and my butt was soaked. That's a great feeling!! Oh yeah.. :)

We ran into the library and enjoyed the exhibit, then made our way south again. It finally cleared up a bit and we wandered, then grabbed some pizza near Grand Central before continuing south. I love NYC pizza, where you fold it in half and it stands straight out-- the sign of a good pizza! yum. We grabbed the subway and since the rain subsided for a bit, decided to visit the 9/11 memorial.

I have so many emotions surrounding that day, and it's one I'll never forget. I was living in Boston then, and had been on one of the flights to LA just a few months before. I came here three months later and remember seeing the large gap between the buildings and feeling such a sense of sadness and horror. The nation lost its innocence then.

The memorial is beautifully done. It's a large square, showcasing the outline of the two towers with concentric waterfalls inside, and stone etched with all of the names of the victims around the base. There are some white roses pressed into some of the names. People were pretty quiet and somber walking around.

We decided to skip the museum and wandered north towards Greenwich Village and Washington Park. I have an obsession with the French pasty, macarons, which I first got in Paris, and for a long time, they were only found in NYC or LA before the trend spread. We decided to duck into a cafe to warm up and grab some coffee and aaaaahhhh! the sound of angels singing-- they had macarons. Yum. They were a little stale (happens so quickly with them) but so good! I have been obsessed with these since my trip so was happy to indulge.

We wandered through part of the village then through Washington Park, taking some pictures of the arch before heading north and east over to Union Square. We walked through the little street market that is always there and part of the park, then grabbed the subway back towards out hotel.

The weather was a total wash-out for a while but improved to heavy clouds and a light mist. It turned out better than I'd hoped for this morning and I think we were lucky! We got a lot done considering.

We're laying down for a few and will head out in a bit to see a movie (it's supposed to pour again tonight) then grab dinner or maybe get some pizza. We'll see. I do love NYC pizza!!

Instead of 'za we decided to go back to the village to Cafe Espanol for some tapas. We missed happy hour by ten minutes, but that didn't dim our spirits. We were walked to the back of the restaurant and sat near a group of six who were hilarious! Probably ten years older than us, they were celebrating a birthday and were hilarious wearing party hats. What fun! We talked to them a bit while enjoying a small pitcher of sangria. We got some really great tapas and so enjoyed it! The place was wonderful and the wait staff amazing. They got amazing desserts and the waiter made a big display of lighting their creme brulee on fire so we had to do it. yum!! It was so much fun and tasty.

By the time we left it was drizzling, but not too bad. When we got off the subway though, the deluge started again. Thankfully we only had a few blocks to walk so didn't get too water-logged. I'll say though that even though today was partly a wash-out, it's still so amazing to be in NYC! It's my second city and I love it.

Did I mention the bathroom?

I giggle every time I see this shot! How funny is this???

We planned to see a movie and spent so much time at the restaurant that we missed it. But neither of us felt like we really missed out. What a fun night!! I am having such a great time and wish I could stay a few more days!!

s