Colorado June 2008

This was a 5 day business trip with my then boyfriend now hubs. His company was footing the bill, therefore we stayed at the Ritz Carlton Bachelor Gulch, just outside of Vail, Colorado. We ate at the fanciest places, went to a rodeo and hoedown, and even enjoyed some white water rafting for free. We had a lovely time. I enjoyed schmoozing with a new group of folks I'd never met, laying by the pool and pretending to be an heiress.

Awesomely Bad....

Please at least watch a few minutes of this awesomely bad safety video. I'm personally terrified to work in a factory after this gem. Safety first!

Philadelphia on New Years Eve Guide 2010

Hi friends and non friends alike, I'm trying to compile a pretty darn comprehensive list of New Years Eve restaurant specials in Philadelphia. Including prix fix dinner specials, live music, etc. A note, I didn't include anything that listed it was serving a regular menu, that was in New Jersey, or w/o mention of specials or entertainment.

Here are a few good places to start:
Foobooz New Years Eve Guide 2010
Foobooz 50 Best Bars in Philly 2010

This post has been edited! In lieu of my lengthy list of options for a rockin' NYE, I'll happily admit that Foobooz has this covered. Please see links above! The Foobooz NYE Guide is searchable by features like Budget Friendly, Open Bar, Veggie Friendly, and neighborhood.

Real Fresh Food

If you read my post on farmed vs. wild salmon, you know I've been thinking more about food. I'm now reading In Defense of Food, and I'm getting a whole new perspective on how to think about eating. I have been doing what many of us "western" eaters do, focusing on the nutrient parts (carbs, sugars, protein) rather than the whole, not focusing on the chemicals in processed foods I'm eating, and being a slave to the latest nutritional fads.

Fresh veggies in the crock pot....

My diet has been what I'll call moderately healthy but I'm realizing how much I can improve.

Here's what I'd like to eat more of:
Real Fresh Food
Fruits + Vegetables
Homemade sauces/seasoning
Beans, grains, nuts
Locally or sustainably grown everything
Fish

Eliminating these! Yikes.

What I'm going to try to eliminate and cut down on:
Meats (Beef, chicken)
High sodium soups
Frozen pizza's or meal
Pre Packaged sauces
Canned or frozen vegetables
Anything that isn't sustainably produced (ie. farmed salmon)
Splenda/Any synthetic sweetener
Margarine
Breakfast sandwiches from Wawa

The main element of my diet that I'm trying to correct is too much meat, and relying on processed and science-y foods. I've always liked to have a complete frozen meal in the freezer, for those nights when I can't even think about turning the stove on. These are chemically engineered food stuffs that are manufactured not with a goal of being healthy, but to be produced as cheaply as possible, to last longer on the grocery store shelf and to turn a profit for the manufacturer. 

So my husband and I have been filling our grocery cart with mostly fresh fruits and vegetables, and making meals of just these ingredients. We added in some beans, (lentils, kidney, black) and healthy whole grains like quinoa.

Here are some basic goals:

•  I want to eat things that are fresh and from the earth.
• To cut down the process between when it's grown/born to when I eat it. 
• Take less shortcuts. 

Being a Jew on Christmas

It can really stink. Let's admit it, we can share in the spirit of the holiday all we want, but there's definitely a feeling of being left out on Christmas. For the month of December (and earlier and earlier every year) our lives are overrun by an overwhelming barrage of all things Christmas. I love celebrating with my husbands family, and love celebrating Chanukah with mine. Still, every commercial on TV, beautifully lit up houses, every store you patronize this time of year reminds you of this special celebration shared by the majority of Americans that you're not a part of.

Believe you-me, I get into the holiday spirit. I send cards. I love lights. I've celebrated lovely Christmas' with my now in laws and other families, (I've attended a beautiful midnight mass - in LATIN) and always loved the family togetherness, the laughs, and the magic that makes it the most wonderful time of the year. I love a sparkly outfit, cocktails pouring and indulging in a few too many hor dourves. Who doesn't enjoy a little festivity?

And we Jews get down in our own way with Chanukah too. I've been lighting candles and reciting the blessing since I could talk or use matches without risk of burning the house down. Like many Jewish families, we celebrate the festival of lights with chopped liver, latkes, a delicious meal and presents. There is no challenge enjoying our little Chanukah island even in an ocean of garland, red bows, and mistletoes.

I must admit, Jewish friends/family brace yourselves, I've always wondered what it feels like to celebrate Xmas as a bondafied non-Jew. Let me set the scene for you. There I am with my full on Christmas gear; a white cotton turtleneck topped with a terrible, itchy red or green sweater depicting Rudolph and Santa kibitzing under the tree. I'm drinking something delicious, a hot toddy or spiked eggnog, smiling happily with family around a magnificent tree. A cozy fire crackles and pops as we laugh and talk the night away. All is right in the world.

Only thing that's missing in this picture is the chopped liver. And my Mommom's Matzo Ball soup. And the Judaism. And the family history of my ancestors who worked tirelessly, lived simply, all the while honoring and sharing their religious culture with their children. Even though we can feel left out this time of year, I'd never want that image of me, in another life celebrating Christmas, to come true. My family has our own traditions, our own foods, language and joyous holidays to enjoy. I wouldn't be me without them.

So while we may look forward to the end of the holiday season, if not to escape the endless Christmasness, the commercialism or holiday parties, than to dull the sharp distinction that this time of year highlights between us and everybody else. How about let's use the holidays as an opportunity to celebrate our differences? (Corny Alert.) But I'm serious. Lets make the latkes, light candles, but (when appropriate) also sport a fabulous, itchy, red christmas sweater and laugh under the tree with the best of them. Invitations for Xmas (and Chanukah) parties currently being accepted!!

Portugal in Depth

Some more details of the towns and cities we stayed in. This was our itinerary:

Nights 1+2: Lisbon
Nights 3+4: Carvoeiro
Night 5: Mertola
Night 6: Evora
Nights 7+8: Coimbra
Nights 9+10+11: Porto
Nights 12+13+14: Sintra

Also visited: Lagos, Silves, Vila Nova de Milfontes, Cape St. Vincent

 

Many of the traditional villages your guide book may describe as "must sees" are hauntingly beautiful towns that are worth a visit but can be too tiny to spend more than one night in. I'm talking one castelo, a town square, two coffee shops, four retail boutiques and three restaurant towns. It's charming, it's romantic and a nostalgic glimpse into a simpler way of life. If you want a vision of traditional village life, here it is.


If you're looking for more activity, you'll find a faster pace of life in the cities, which offer a wide selection of ways to spend your time and money. We shopped, (we were on a hunt for the perfect azulejos) ate, went to museums, soccer games and concerts. Here in the cities even more than the rural areas, the contrast between the old and new is so evident. The stories of the past are tightly interwoven into the essence of each place. Turn a corner from a glass lobbied office building, wind down one of the narrow European street, past paint chipped buildings, a tattered wooden door weathered and chipped by time, or graffiti strewn, broken glass windows. Ride the subway with suited up businessmen and angst filled fashionable teenagers listening to ipods, feverishly texting their girlfriends/boyfriends. The cities can take your breath away with the grandeur of beautiful architecture, palaces, museums, churches, many ornately decorated with marble or their famous tiles (azulejos.)

Portugal has a distinctly melancholy air about it. The distinction between the old and new, a sad song (perhaps the country's traditional fado music) that strikes a new chord with every new place you discover. I felt the proud enterprising spirit, cities buzzing with newness, and a relentless march towards the future of a new Portugal. I felt the love of traditional simple life. The enjoyment of a slow and quiet afternoon enjoying cafe com laite in your local town square. Portugal was an amazing way to experience both.

Our Lua De Mel

Lua de Mel is Portuguese for Honeymoon. Wanted to share some great memories from our trip. We went to Portugal in November, for two amazing weeks! I had been so wrapped up in wedding plans I was thrilled to throw myself into exploring everything this country had to offer. Weather was colder than we'd hoped, and we only got to put on our bathing suits once, but we got great use out of jeans and sweaters.

My husband and I love an adventure. With a decent map and an open road in a place we've never been - we were totally in our element. We rented a car in Lisbon and spent the two weeks driving around Portugal and seeing where we ended up. We didn't plan ahead much, except for the hotel for the first two nights, and plotted the rest of the trip day by day. Two weeks was a good amount of time to see the entire country if you don't stay in one place too long.

Portugal has a different variety of beauty. The landscape varies from open fields of wheat and small working farms, open plains with African looking cork trees, to ancient, time worn European and Moorish style architecture, many crumbling into dust under the weight of time. Then within an hours drive the horizon rises into an intensely modern glass towered Manhattan-esqe cityscapes. It's at this intersection of the old and new where Portugal is it's best. Read more about our trip here.