Looking for the best cioppino in San Francisco? Look no further than Cioppino’s in San Francisco! In fact, Cioppino’s so confident about their cioppino, they …
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Gas Work Park & Le Fournil Bakery: For the Best Views of Seattle City!
Gas Works Park is an alternate venue to Kerry Park View Point for a view of the Seattle City Skyline.
Gas Works Park was originally a coal gasification plant which was operating from 1900s to 1950s. It was later renovated and opened officially to the public as a park in 1975.
Prior to our visit to Gas Works Park, we visited a famous french bakery by the name of Le Fournil…
After contemplating for a really long time, we finally decided on the capuccino, almond croissant as well as the cream puff with chocolate on top. Special mention has to go to the cream puff where the cream was rich but not too sweet. The cream blended well with the puff itself. Yum!
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For your convenience, we have arranged for the best hotel deals in Seattle right here!
Something interesting that happened during our visit to Gas Works Park was that we wanted to feed our Boudin sour dough bread “imported” from San Francisco, to the ducks that were swimming close to the waters there. However, we were not able to attract the ducks to come close enough to feed on the bread, only the ravens came by to have a look. The wind was really cold as the ducks were starting to draw towards us. As it was just too cold, we decided to feed the bread to the ravens instead, and left.
Nonetheless, we thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Gas Works Park (thanks to Kate!) and the breakfast from Le Fournil.
Great breakfast with great views? What else can we ask for? 😉
Top 5 Things to do and Attractions in Vancouver Washington USA!
Do not be confused, we’re talking about Vancouver USA and not Vancouver Canada in this post. Yup, we know what you’re wondering (is there anything to do in Vancouver USA?) and in this post, we’ll touch on the top things to do and attractions in Vancouver USA!
Things to do in Vancouver USA
1. Dining at Beaches Vancouver USA
We were recommended by the good folks of Hilton Vancouver to dine at Beaches instead of McMenamins and we were really glad we listened to that sound piece of advice. You should too! 🙂
2. Dining at Hudson’s Bar and Grill
For one of the best benedicts (and affordable ones at that), head to Hudson’s Bar and Grill at Heathman Lodge Vancouver!
3. Scenic Oregon Drive
Commencing from Vancouver, you can embark on the scenic oregon drive and enjoy these great views!
“12 Apostles” during our scenic Oregon ocean drive on US 101 Highway
Driving through Redwood National Park
Vancouver Attractions
4. Historic Monuments in Vancouver USA
Vancouver USA was actually founded earlier than its Canadian counterpart and because of this, there is alot of history here. Check out some of these Vancouver USA historical attractions that you can visit!
5. Natural Wonders at Vancouver Washington
Along Columbia River, there are many natural formations and wonders that Vancouver Washington offers. Do check out some of these natural wonders of Vancouver USA when you’re here!
If you enjoyed our content, “Like” us on Facebook Today!
For your convenience, we have arranged for the best hotel deals in Vancouver Washington USA right here!
Related Posts
This is part of our coverage of San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver USA. Check out these posts if you’re visiting the West Coast of USA!
Top 5 Things to do and Attractions in Vancouver Washington USA!
Top 11 Things to do and Attractions in San Francisco USA
Top 8 Things to do and Attractions in Seattle USA!
Things to do and Attractions in Eureka California!
Metropolitan Grill Seattle : Are the steaks worth it?
Seattle Underground Tour by Bill Speidel : A tour not to be missed!
Seattle Space Needle , Chihuly Garden and Glass and the Monorail to Westlake Center
World’s first Starbucks in Seattle – Do not be confused!
The Crab Pot Sea Feast : A Seattle MUST TRY!
Pike Place Market : (Possibly) Seattle’s Top Tourist Attraction!
What’s YOU MUST DO at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf!
Pizza and beers at Umbria San Francisco!
Great Eastern Restaurant Chinatown San Francisco : Even Obama visits it!
The steep slopes of San Francisco : A Pictorial Post
San Francisco’s “Crookedest Street” at Lombard Street!
Scenic Oregon Drive from Vancouver to San Francisco!
Travel Through Time with Historic Monuments at Vancouver Washington!
Vancouver Washington’s Natural Wonders!
Catching Portland Winterhawks in action after Burgerville Meal!
Why You should eat at Beaches Restaurant than McMenamins in Vancouver Washington
Red Lobster….FINALLY!
Inn at the Market Seattle : All about Location Location Location!
San Remo San Francisco : Hotel with a PRIME location!
Palace Hotel San Francisco : A great mix of History, Class and Luxury!
Heathman Lodge Vancouver Washington : One of our best hotel stays EVER!
Hilton Vancouver Washington : Classy Stay & Room with a View!
We hope that you have enjoyed our coverage of the things to do and attractions in Vancouver Washington USA. Don’t forget to check out this post before your next visit to Vancouver Washington USA!
Top 11 Things to do and Attractions in San Francisco USA
There are countless things to do and attractions in San Francisco USA really and this post merely touches the surface. Nonetheless, if you’re heading to San Francisco, we hope this list of things to do and attractions in San Francisco can kick start your visit and give you an idea of what you might like to do there!
Things to do in San Francisco USA
1. Endless Dining Options!
There are so many dining options in San Francisco and we’re gonna introduce some of the yummilicious stuff that we had during our visit!
2. Steep Slopes of San Francisco
San Francisco is built upon steep slopes and as a result, many picturesque views can be derived at the top or bottom of these slopes. Do enjoy these views as one of the things to do in San Francisco!
San Francisco Attractions
3. San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf
San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf is surely one of the main tourist attractions. You can learn about the history, see the various attractions and of course savour the freshest sea food! This section will cover some of the things and attractions at San Franciso’s Fisherman’s Wharf!
4. Historic Cable Cars of San Francisco
The Cable Car is one of the most iconic attractions in San Francisco. Invented by Andrew Smith Hallidie to overcome the steep slopes of San Francisco, it was one of the main modes of transport in the early part of the 20th century.
5. Historic F Line
6. The Crookedest Street in San Francisco – Lombard Street
To overcome this steep slope at Lombard Street, a series of winds and curvatures were designed on this street making it the crookedest street in San Francisco, attracting many visitors, tourists and locals alike, daily!
7. Golden Gate Bridge
One of the main reasons why we decided to make another trip to USA (West Coast this time round) is because of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. But we did something better this time, we drove through it and this is the video of that drive!
Driving through Golden Gate Bridge San Francisco!
8. Chinatown
The Chinatown of San Francisco is not only the oldest Chinatown in America, it also offers many picturesque locations, souvenir options and of course great tasting Chinese fare.
9. Ferry Building – The Embarcadero
The clock tower atop the Ferry Building is surely one of the picturesque location in San Francisco. On Saturdays, there is also the Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market where you can find many local farmers set up tents to sell their produce. Do try the peaches there, they’re REALLY SWEET!!
10. Golden Gate Park
There are many attractions at Golden Gate Park where visitors and locals will head to over the weekends…
11. Haight Ashbury
Haight Ashbury is known for its hippie culture and it is evident from this picture below. The atmosphere is really lively and there are many trendy little shops here. Had great tasting sandwiches at the Panini Cafe as well!
If you enjoyed our content, “Like” us on Facebook Today!
Related Posts
This is part of our coverage of San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver USA. Check out these posts if you’re visiting the West Coast of USA!
Top 5 Things to do and Attractions in Vancouver Washington USA!
Top 11 Things to do and Attractions in San Francisco USA
Top 8 Things to do and Attractions in Seattle USA!
Things to do and Attractions in Eureka California!
Metropolitan Grill Seattle : Are the steaks worth it?
Seattle Underground Tour by Bill Speidel : A tour not to be missed!
Seattle Space Needle , Chihuly Garden and Glass and the Monorail to Westlake Center
World’s first Starbucks in Seattle – Do not be confused!
The Crab Pot Sea Feast : A Seattle MUST TRY!
Pike Place Market : (Possibly) Seattle’s Top Tourist Attraction!
What’s YOU MUST DO at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf!
Pizza and beers at Umbria San Francisco!
Great Eastern Restaurant Chinatown San Francisco : Even Obama visits it!
The steep slopes of San Francisco : A Pictorial Post
San Francisco’s “Crookedest Street” at Lombard Street!
Scenic Oregon Drive from Vancouver to San Francisco!
Travel Through Time with Historic Monuments at Vancouver Washington!
Vancouver Washington’s Natural Wonders!
Catching Portland Winterhawks in action after Burgerville Meal!
Why You should eat at Beaches Restaurant than McMenamins in Vancouver Washington
Red Lobster….FINALLY!
Inn at the Market Seattle : All about Location Location Location!
San Remo San Francisco : Hotel with a PRIME location!
Palace Hotel San Francisco : A great mix of History, Class and Luxury!
Heathman Lodge Vancouver Washington : One of our best hotel stays EVER!
Hilton Vancouver Washington : Classy Stay & Room with a View!
For your convenience, we have arranged for the best hotel deals in San Francisco right here!
We hope that you have enjoyed our coverage of the things to do and attractions in San Francisco. Don’t forget to check out this post before your next visit to San Francisco!
Top 8 Things to do and Attractions in Seattle USA!
While you may already know that there are many things to do and attractions in Seattle USA and that Seattle is home to many top companies such as Amazon, Starbucks and Microsoft, there are also many attractions that you may wish to visit while you’re here. In this post, we’ll cover the top 8 things to do and attractions in Seattle that you should not miss!
Things to do in Seattle USA
1. Metropolitan Grill Seattle – For the best lava cake ever?!
Located at 820 2nd Ave, Seattle, WA 98104, United States, Metropolitan Grill is famed for its prime beef cuts and this time, Kate made arrangements for us to visit this upscale joint (remember to make reservations to avoid disappointment!) to have a taste of its legendary grills but we left with another recommendation…
After having the Works Burger (great tasting American-styled burger btw) and the juicy and flavourful filet mignon, you’d think that we would recommend these at Metropolitan Grill. Well, if you can only drop by for a quick afternoon tea, you MUST try the chocolate lava cake! For details of why we say so, do visit our post covering Metropolitan Grill!
2. Crab Pot Sea Feast – For a “hands-on” experience!
After seeing the recommendation by Adam Richman on Man versus Food, we decided that we HAD to experience the Crab Pot Sea Feast for ourselves. No regrets here. The pictures speak for themselves…
3. Seattle Underground Tour by Bill Speidel – To know more about the history of Seattle
Seattle Underground Tour started as a conservation effort by journalist Bill Speidel. But because of his style of articulation (usually intertwined with humour and hard truths), the conservation has since evolved into tours of the “underground city of Seattle” today.
We shall not ruin the fun by telling you everything about the tour (which we already did in our post on Seattle Underground Tour by Bill Speidel) but we will tell you this, the Seattle City that we know today, actually re-built upon the former city itself! Why and how? Join this interesting, fun, humorous and informative tour to find out! Yes, it is, in our opinion, one of the MUST DO THINGS IN SEATTLE!
4. Gas Work Park – For the best views of Seattle’s skyline
Besides Kerry Park View Point, you can also check out Gas Work Park for a splendid view of Seattle’s city skyline!
While you’re at it, why not drop by Le Fournil Bakery for some great tasting pastries enroute?
Seattle Attractions
5. Seattle Space Needle and Chihuly Garden and Glass – Seattle’s Top Attractions
Both Seattle Space Needle and Chihuly Garden and Glass are iconic attractions in Seattle. If you have the time (and money), these are attractions in Seattle that are not to be missed! Do check out the restaurant at the top of the Space Needle for gourmet food with great views!
6. World’s First Starbucks in Seattle – For a quick touristy shot
Yes, the world’s 1st Starbucks was founded in Seattle and it is located close to Pike Place Market. Do stop by to do a “been there done that” shot of this Starbucks. To ensure that you arrive at the correct Starbucks (there are 2 in the vicinity of Pike Place Market), do check out our post on the World’s First Starbucks in Seattle to find out more!
7. Pike Place Market – To feel the vibe of Seattle!
No other attractions tells of the life and vibe of Seattle more than Pike Place Market, making it one of the must visit attractions in Seattle. Since we cannot show it through mere pictures alone, we decided to video and hopefully you too can experience and feel the vibrancy at Pike Place Market!
Feel the vibe at Pike Place Market Seattle!
8. Gum Wall @ Post Alley – Sweet smell or Disgust?
A side attraction in Seattle near Pike Place Market, would be the Gum Wall @ Post Alley. Whether it is the sweet smell of the gums or the disgusting thought that so many have spat there, it certainly is a sight to behold…
Gum Wall @ Post Alley – An unusual Seattle Attraction
If you enjoyed our content, “Like” us on Facebook Today!
Related Posts
This is part of our coverage of San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver USA. Check out these posts if you’re visiting the West Coast of USA!
Top 5 Things to do and Attractions in Vancouver Washington USA!
Top 11 Things to do and Attractions in San Francisco USA
Top 8 Things to do and Attractions in Seattle USA!
Things to do and Attractions in Eureka California!
Metropolitan Grill Seattle : Are the steaks worth it?
Seattle Underground Tour by Bill Speidel : A tour not to be missed!
Seattle Space Needle , Chihuly Garden and Glass and the Monorail to Westlake Center
World’s first Starbucks in Seattle – Do not be confused!
The Crab Pot Sea Feast : A Seattle MUST TRY!
Pike Place Market : (Possibly) Seattle’s Top Tourist Attraction!
What’s YOU MUST DO at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf!
Pizza and beers at Umbria San Francisco!
Great Eastern Restaurant Chinatown San Francisco : Even Obama visits it!
The steep slopes of San Francisco : A Pictorial Post
San Francisco’s “Crookedest Street” at Lombard Street!
Scenic Oregon Drive from Vancouver to San Francisco!
Travel Through Time with Historic Monuments at Vancouver Washington!
Vancouver Washington’s Natural Wonders!
Catching Portland Winterhawks in action after Burgerville Meal!
Why You should eat at Beaches Restaurant than McMenamins in Vancouver Washington
Red Lobster….FINALLY!
Inn at the Market Seattle : All about Location Location Location!
San Remo San Francisco : Hotel with a PRIME location!
Palace Hotel San Francisco : A great mix of History, Class and Luxury!
Heathman Lodge Vancouver Washington : One of our best hotel stays EVER!
Hilton Vancouver Washington : Classy Stay & Room with a View!
For your convenience, we have arranged for the best hotel deals in Seattle right here!
We hope that you have enjoyed our coverage of the things to do and attractions in Seattle. Don’t forget to check out this post before your next visit to Seattle!
Metropolitan Grill Seattle : Are the steaks worth it?
Steaks are the name of the game at Metropolitan Grill in Seattle and Kate heard about it and surprised me with a visit while we were in Seattle…
About Metropolitan Grill Seattle
Touted as having “the best steaks in town”, Metropolitan Grill has a rich history and heritage (aka atas as you can see from the picture above), being located at the historic Marion Building. Of course, many people come here for just 1 thing.
The steaks.
Steaks at Metropolitan Grill are prepared with much emphasis starting from its custom dry-aging process to its proprietary seasoning and specially selected mesquite charcoal to sear and seal in the flavours of the steaks.
But the real question is… are the steaks at Metropolitan Grill really worth it?
(The price especially!)
What we ate at Metropolitan Grill Seattle
We spent a total of $100USD (yes, we reiterate that its an atas place) for lunch and we ordered root beer, strawberry lemonade for drinks and the Works Burger, Filet Mignon 8oz for mains…
Let’s talk about the breads first. It was AWESOME! (Yes, it is strange for us to say that about breads at a steak restaurant) BUT YES! IT WAS AWESOME! Shiok because the breads were warm, lightly crisp on the outside and warm and fluffy on the inside. PLUS, the butter was just heavenly! It was fresh, natural and seemed like it was made in house. The last time we tasted butter like this was when we were in Poland where our friends made fresh butter right from the cow’s milk!
The Works Burger was great. Nothing fancy but it stays true to how an american burger ought to be. Juicy patty, cheese, buns and a HUGE portion at that. Typical american and we loved it!
Well, for the steak, we had high expectations for it and it met our expectations. Probably one of the best steaks that we’ve had as well. It was well seasoned on the outside and juicy, tender, flavourful on the inside. All that a “best steak in town” steak should be. But, it lacked the punch. It was good. Don’t get us wrong. But it lacked the “WOW, THIS IS OUT OF THIS WORLD!” reaction when we went in for our first bite.
For 56USD and 8oz, we sort of expected that.
Having finished our meal, our server came up to ask us whether we wanted some desserts. So we told him,
“If we were to only have 1 dessert, 1 that we MUST TRY, what would that be?”
He contemplated for a while and came up with 2 recommendations. The chocolate lava and five layer carrot cake. But we insisted on just 1 choice (because we were quite full and mostly because we were REALLY close to our budget) and he told us
“Then it has got to be the chocolate lava”
And chocolate lava it was. Turns out that it was probably one of the BEST DESSERTS WE’VE EVER HAD! (along with Turons from the Philippines)
The chocolate lava was unlike any chocolate cakes that we’ve ever tasted. It had so many different textures! On the outside it was cookie-ish and crumbly-ish. But when you go for the bite, the chewyness comes in with rich chocolatey taste! When you break open the chocolate lava, “molten chocolate” oozes out and when all these tastes and textures get swirled between your taste buds? Simply divine!
After our meal, we also spent some time to recall what we learnt during the Seattle Underground Tour in the morning. Which resulted in this…writings on receipts…
Location of Metropolitan Grill Seattle
The address of Metropolitan Grill is 820 2nd Ave, Seattle, WA 98104, United States
Conclusion
All in all, we were thoroughly satisfied with our visit to Metropolitan Grill. Perhaps you may wish to also lower your expectations of the steak. It was great nonetheless.
To answer the question of whether the steaks at Metropolitan are worth it?
The answer would be yes, but barely.
For us, the highlight has got to be the chocolate lava cake! Imagine us saying that its awesome even after our meals. Maybe it would have been “out of this world” if it was just taken as part of an afternoon tea!
If you enjoyed our content, “Like” us on Facebook Today!
Related Posts
This is part of our coverage of San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver USA. Check out these posts if you’re visiting the West Coast of USA!
Top 5 Things to do and Attractions in Vancouver Washington USA!
Top 11 Things to do and Attractions in San Francisco USA
Top 8 Things to do and Attractions in Seattle USA!
Things to do and Attractions in Eureka California!
Metropolitan Grill Seattle : Are the steaks worth it?
Seattle Underground Tour by Bill Speidel : A tour not to be missed!
Seattle Space Needle , Chihuly Garden and Glass and the Monorail to Westlake Center
World’s first Starbucks in Seattle – Do not be confused!
The Crab Pot Sea Feast : A Seattle MUST TRY!
Pike Place Market : (Possibly) Seattle’s Top Tourist Attraction!
What’s YOU MUST DO at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf!
Pizza and beers at Umbria San Francisco!
Great Eastern Restaurant Chinatown San Francisco : Even Obama visits it!
The steep slopes of San Francisco : A Pictorial Post
San Francisco’s “Crookedest Street” at Lombard Street!
Scenic Oregon Drive from Vancouver to San Francisco!
Travel Through Time with Historic Monuments at Vancouver Washington!
Vancouver Washington’s Natural Wonders!
Catching Portland Winterhawks in action after Burgerville Meal!
Why You should eat at Beaches Restaurant than McMenamins in Vancouver Washington
Red Lobster….FINALLY!
Inn at the Market Seattle : All about Location Location Location!
San Remo San Francisco : Hotel with a PRIME location!
Palace Hotel San Francisco : A great mix of History, Class and Luxury!
Heathman Lodge Vancouver Washington : One of our best hotel stays EVER!
Hilton Vancouver Washington : Classy Stay & Room with a View!
For your convenience, we have arranged for the best hotel deals in Seattle right here!
The next time you’re having steaks at Metropolitan Grill, remember to have the chocolate lava cake to round off a fantastic meal!
Seattle Underground Tour by Bill Speidel : A tour not to be missed!
If there is one thing that you MUST do when you visit Seattle, it is the Seattle Underground Tour. The tour was started by Bill Speidel, a journalist who wanted to preserve pioneer square, which was then a run down district on the verge of being torn down for rebuilding. In doing so, he researched and found a series of underground passages which sparked his first underground tour in 1964.
Since then, petitions and arrangements have been made to use these underground passages to show the “illustrious” history of Seattle to locals and visitors alike. We signed up for the tour and we enjoyed every bit of it. Today, the tour is pretty much based on Bill Speidel’s book – Sons of the Profits (book above), which is also an interesting read.
In this post, we will try to remember everything (as much as possible) that we have learnt during this tour, which was humorous, packed with alot of information and largely entertaining!
About the Seattle Underground Tour
The tour costs $17 for adults for a 75 minutes tour and it all starts in this pub / tavern, next to the counter where you buy your tickets.
If you take a closer look at this picture, you will find 3 portraits – the founders of Seattle. 2 on the top and one (full body) on the extreme left. The top left is Henry Yesler, the top right is Arthur Armstrong Denny and the extreme left with a full body portrait is David Swinson “Doc” Maynard.
So how do they all come together to become the founders of Seattle? For this we have to learn about how they arrived in Seattle in the first place.
Arthur Armstrong Denny. According to our guide Dave, Arthur (the leader of the Denny party) came to Seattle for the cheap lands. During the gold rush era, the government were giving away many acres of land for a measly price and Arthur came here precisely to capitalise on it. When he first arrived, he was pleased with what he saw as there were acres of cedar and fir which he could sell for a profit. But he also wondered to himself why others did not come to claim the land? Well, soon enough, he found out the answer. During high tides, his acres of land quickly reduced to only 8 acres. But to him, 8 acres was still a good deal. So he settled and that place became what we know today as Pioneer Square, the original centre of Seattle.
Henry Yesler. Yesler was a businessman who saw opportunity in the vast fir and cedar that Seattle had. He then built the first saw mill and positioned it such that trees from the hills could slide down the hills right into his mill. This later came to be known as “Skid Road” or “Skid Row”. Because of the tides, Yesler also built his mill such that at high tides, his ships could come directly beside the mill, load up and leave, saving precious time in transportation. With his saw mill, he provided much of San Francisco’s timber needs and became one of Seattle’s wealthiest man.
David Swinson “Doc” Maynard. Doc as he would be referred to during the tour, came from a rich background. He pretty much had success in whatever he did. He bought and sold businesses, was a medical doctor and also provided land to the Denny party. Because of his successes, he decided to try out something new. After hearing about the gold rush of San Francisco, he headed west. Enroute, he treated Catherine Troutman Broshears of cholera but failed to save her husband (what a convenient excuse), came to fall in love with her. Because of their love, Doc diverted from his trail to San Francisco, heading northwest instead to Seattle.
If you take a look at the picture on the left, you’ll realise that right in the middle of the town, it was the lowest point in terms of elevation. Remember the tides we talked about earlier? These tides actually came in twice a day. What this meant was that, due to the poor sewage system (more like non-existent sewage system), the tides would bring out the sh#$ twice a day – Yay right? NO! The tides would also bring back the sh#$ twice a day, known as Tacoma’s Revenge!
The rich people like Yesler didn’t really cared about the condition because his mills (and ships) continued to move off on time, everytime the tides came! In addition, the rich people (who could do something about it) usually lived on top of the hills. When they did their “business”, it would be brought downhill through a gravity-pulled wooden sewage system. Guess where that sh$% went? Again to the mid town!
So one day, hope came in the form of this…
Much to contrary believe, Thomas A Crapper (Yes, his real name – that’s where the word “crap” came from we think) did not invent the flushing system. But he did improve it and made many modifications to it, having 9 patents to his name which made him very rich. When the flushing system finally arrived in the West Coast (ideas and products then usually takes about 10 years to move from the east coast of USA to reach the west coast), people thought that their sewage problems would magically disappear, they couldn’t be more wrong. After opening the boxes, they realised that the system doesn’t work by itself, it will still need to be connected to a sewage system. Guess what? It was connected to the wooden sewage system (mentioned above), throughout town. Sh#@ geysers started to appear throughout town! Turns out that pressure from the top of the hill and pressure from the tides caused pressure to be built up so much so that if you’re unlucky, when you flush one of the Crapper systems, the crap would literally explode before you!
Yet all these did not cause the people to want to redesign the city until the Great Seattle Fire of 1889 forced their hand…
The Great Seattle Fire of June 6, 1889
On a hot summer’s day in June 6th, 1889, John Bach, who was working in a carpentry shop, overturned a hot pot of glue and started the Great Seattle fire of 1889. To make matter’s worse, there was a paint shop next door and they tried to use water to put out the fire. If you do not know, this was a class B fire (flammable fluid) which if you used water, would spread the fire even more! So on that day, the entire Seattle was burnt down and this in one sense, forced the people of Seattle to rebuild the city on higher ground.
Rebuilding of Seattle on higher ground – The creation of “Underground Seattle”
After the fire, the city administration decided to rebuild the city upwards – on higher ground. The plan was to take 8 to 10 years to complete. However, the merchants wouldn’t have any of that. In fact, they rebuilt their shops at the original location within a short span of 3 years. So then, you would imagine that there are some parts of the city on the original lower parts and newer parts of the city on the hills…
So in this picture, you will see Dave on the right with a wall behind him. You will have to imagine this…
1. The original street was where everyone’s standing. This is also the original store front where the merchants rebuilt their shops.
2. Above the wall behind Dave, the other parts of the city have begun rebuilding so you will see that there’s a disconnect between the old city and the new city.
The people of Seattle thought. “Hey, no problem, we’ll just place ladders on these walls to connect the old part of the city and the new!”
What a “brilliant” idea!
As a result…
1. Power Shopping. You could be shopping on the main streets of the old town and once you’re done, you’ll climb up these ladders to the top of the walls to go home to the new part of the city! Talk about “Power Shopping!”
2. Dead while Shopping. From the top of the walls, some barrels would be delivered on the streets above. And sometimes, these barrels fell from the top of the wall, right smack into the main shopping street. People sometimes just “go” when the barrels fall. So you literally have to watch out for barrels when you shop!
3. One-step Programme. Sometimes at 2am in the morning, after leaving the pubs drunk, some of these drunkards would walk to the edge of the wall and fall 35 feet and plunge to their deaths! Talk about a “one-step programme” to quit drinking…
So to stop all these, shop owners decided that they will have to be connected to the higher part of the city. So I-supports and arches, like the one you see in the picture above, joined the wall to the buildings. Some owners also started to have 2 separate store fronts. One at the lower level, the original entrance and a second one at the second level in anticipation for the connection to the higher levels.
If you realise, in doing so, the “Underground” was created!
And now you see that the Underground Tour is not a tunnel that was dug out. It was a rebuilding of the city upon itself that created these underground walkways!
To allow natural sunlight to enter the “Underground passages”, sky lights such as these were sprinkled throughout the city. But because it was constructed with manganese, some of these started to turn purple and rendered it useless. The other interesting that you might want to know is that because of the building and rebuilding over the city, if you take a plan view of the city, it really resembles that of a giant waffle – compartmentalised. This explains why we had to move out of this part of the underground, go above ground and enter another part of the underground, simply because they weren’t directly connected anymore.
Seattle’s Rat Plague of 1907
In the early 1900s, a rat plague started to emerge in the underground passages of Seattle. It started to get out of control and the administration decided to pay 10cents to each rat tail that was given to them. Guess what?
Children started to rear rats in order to claim the bounty of 10cents! Such entrepreneurship! Seattle is afterall the home of Amazon, Microsoft and Starbucks!
So in 1907, the underground passages were shut down in a bid to control the rat plague.
What really went on in Seattle’s Underground
A side story came up during our tour…
A population census was conducted on the population of 25,000 then. Of these, 2500 ladies declared their profession as “seamstress”. This was quite unusual for a town of miners and loggers. Alot of “mending” must have taken place.
So they sent a group of investigators to find out the truth and after 2 months of “exhaustive research”, they found out that this group of ladies were not really seamstress and there was not a single sewing machine to be found!
In comes Lou Graham, better known as Mdm Lou. She owned the best parlours in the city of Seattle. She was a successful businesswoman who had a keen eye for investments. This made her really really rich. In fact, after she died, she donated all that she had to public education. Even in today’s terms, after adjusting for inflation, her donation is still the single largest donation ever in Seattle! But the sad thing is that not a single school in Seattle is named after her.
At this juncture, Dave introduced about the “Underworld Tour” which is only meant for adults. We did not go for that. But we were told that “advanced stitching techniques” would be discussed in this tour. Do tell us about it if you have attended!
Naming of the City of Seattle after Chief Seattle
Dave told us that if we could only remember one thing from the tour, it was how to pronounce Seattle. Remember Doc – one of the founding fathers above? Turns out that he had a personal relationship with Chief Seattle who was the chief of the Suquamish tribe. Doc then lobbied for the city to be named after Chief Seattle.
The actual way of spelling Chief Seattle’s name is Si’ahl and the actual way to pronounce it is Siak! You will have to pronounce the “ke” with your tongue rolled up as though you’re about to spit. Ghosts were also briefly discussed on this tour and suddenly, the air started to fill cold…
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This is part of our coverage of San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver USA. Check out these posts if you’re visiting the West Coast of USA!
Top 5 Things to do and Attractions in Vancouver Washington USA!
Top 11 Things to do and Attractions in San Francisco USA
Top 8 Things to do and Attractions in Seattle USA!
Things to do and Attractions in Eureka California!
Metropolitan Grill Seattle : Are the steaks worth it?
Seattle Underground Tour by Bill Speidel : A tour not to be missed!
Seattle Space Needle , Chihuly Garden and Glass and the Monorail to Westlake Center
World’s first Starbucks in Seattle – Do not be confused!
The Crab Pot Sea Feast : A Seattle MUST TRY!
Pike Place Market : (Possibly) Seattle’s Top Tourist Attraction!
What’s YOU MUST DO at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf!
Pizza and beers at Umbria San Francisco!
Great Eastern Restaurant Chinatown San Francisco : Even Obama visits it!
The steep slopes of San Francisco : A Pictorial Post
San Francisco’s “Crookedest Street” at Lombard Street!
Scenic Oregon Drive from Vancouver to San Francisco!
Travel Through Time with Historic Monuments at Vancouver Washington!
Vancouver Washington’s Natural Wonders!
Catching Portland Winterhawks in action after Burgerville Meal!
Why You should eat at Beaches Restaurant than McMenamins in Vancouver Washington
Red Lobster….FINALLY!
Inn at the Market Seattle : All about Location Location Location!
San Remo San Francisco : Hotel with a PRIME location!
Palace Hotel San Francisco : A great mix of History, Class and Luxury!
Heathman Lodge Vancouver Washington : One of our best hotel stays EVER!
Hilton Vancouver Washington : Classy Stay & Room with a View!
For your convenience, we have arranged for the best hotel deals in Seattle right here!
The Seattle Underground Tour is definitely something that you must do during your visit to Seattle. It is entertaining and packs alot of information which allows you to understand the city that much better. If there’s one thing that YOU MUST DO in Seattle, it must be the Seattle Underground Tour!
Seattle Space Needle , Chihuly Garden and Glass and the Monorail to Westlake Center
Space Needle Seattle and Chihuly Garden and Glass are probably one of the biggest attractions in Seattle. However, we did only a “been there done that” as we were late for Chihuly Gardens that day and there was a queue for the restaurant at Space Needle. Nonetheless, this post will give you an idea of how a visit to these attractions would be like should you be visiting them in Seattle.
Seattle Space Needle
The Seattle Space Needle is probably Seattle’s most significant landmark. As we drove towards Kerry Park Viewpoint, it was the most obvious sight as we took in the city skyline…
Video taken from Kerry Park Viewpoint
The observation deck, located 520 feet (158.5 metres) above ground, gives a splendid view of the city of Seattle. Tickets costs $11 (for general admission), $17 (for 2 visits within 24 hours) and $21 for both Chihuly Garden and Seattle Space Needle. The other way to visit the observation is through the Skycity Restaurant – though there is a minimum charge of $35 per pax. Opening hours for the observation deck and Skycity Restaurant is as follows
Observation Deck & SpaceBase Retail Store
Monday – Thursday 10am – 9:30pm
Friday – Saturday 9:30am – 10:30pm
Sunday 9:30am – 9:30pm
*Ticket Booth closes 30 minutes prior to the above closing times.
SkyCity Restaurant
Brunch
Saturday & Sunday 10:00am – 2:45pm
Lunch
Monday – Friday 11:30am – 2:00pm
Dinner
Sunday – Thursday 5:00pm – 8:45pm
Friday & Saturday 5:00pm – 9:45pm
Chihuly Garden and Glass
Chihuly Garden and Glass is founded by Dale Patrick Chihuly. He was born in Tacoma Washington in 1941 and is considered a master for glass sculptures, especially in the realm of HUGE glass sculptures.
Chihuly’s influences are far and wide. Even in Singapore, there’s a restaurant named Chihuly Lounge at Ritz Carlton, seeking inspiration from his works.
To round up the evening, we took the mono rail from Space Needle (by the way the Space Needle and Chihuly Gardens are within walking distance of each other) to Westlake Center. There are only 2 stops on the monorail, one to the city center and the other at the Space Needle. A one-way ticket costs $2.25 while a return ticket costs $4.50. We took a one-way ticket to Westlake and had dinner at the food court…
At the food court, we went to the noodles stall and ordered the hor fun with satay sauce. Sounds strange doesn’t it? But it was a surprisingly good combination. The hor fun had a springy texture while the satay sauce was quite close to the taste back home, slightly on the creamy nutty side. Shiok.
If you enjoyed our content, “Like” us on Facebook Today!
Related Posts
This is part of our coverage of San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver USA. Check out these posts if you’re visiting the West Coast of USA!
Top 5 Things to do and Attractions in Vancouver Washington USA!
Top 11 Things to do and Attractions in San Francisco USA
Top 8 Things to do and Attractions in Seattle USA!
Things to do and Attractions in Eureka California!
Metropolitan Grill Seattle : Are the steaks worth it?
Seattle Underground Tour by Bill Speidel : A tour not to be missed!
Seattle Space Needle , Chihuly Garden and Glass and the Monorail to Westlake Center
World’s first Starbucks in Seattle – Do not be confused!
The Crab Pot Sea Feast : A Seattle MUST TRY!
Pike Place Market : (Possibly) Seattle’s Top Tourist Attraction!
What’s YOU MUST DO at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf!
Pizza and beers at Umbria San Francisco!
Great Eastern Restaurant Chinatown San Francisco : Even Obama visits it!
The steep slopes of San Francisco : A Pictorial Post
San Francisco’s “Crookedest Street” at Lombard Street!
Scenic Oregon Drive from Vancouver to San Francisco!
Travel Through Time with Historic Monuments at Vancouver Washington!
Vancouver Washington’s Natural Wonders!
Catching Portland Winterhawks in action after Burgerville Meal!
Why You should eat at Beaches Restaurant than McMenamins in Vancouver Washington
Red Lobster….FINALLY!
Inn at the Market Seattle : All about Location Location Location!
San Remo San Francisco : Hotel with a PRIME location!
Palace Hotel San Francisco : A great mix of History, Class and Luxury!
Heathman Lodge Vancouver Washington : One of our best hotel stays EVER!
Hilton Vancouver Washington : Classy Stay & Room with a View!
For your convenience, we have arranged for the best hotel deals in Seattle right here!
We hope you have enjoyed this little account of our visit to the main attractions in Seattle and do let us know if you have any insights to these attractions!
World’s first Starbucks in Seattle – Do not be confused!
The world’s first Starbucks is located right in the heart of Seattle, opposite Pike Place Market. However, many a tourist alike, often gets confused on which is the actual original Starbucks. This is because there are actually 2 Starbucks opposite Pike Place Market! This post will equip you, our dear readers of 2bearbear.com, so that you’ll be the smart tourist when you visit Seattle to hunt down the very first Starbucks in the world!
But first, we’ll play a little game and introduce you to these 2 Starbucks, while you decide which is the real “slim shady” yah?
Starbucks 1 Opposite Pike Place Market Seattle
Starbucks 2 Opposite Pike Place Market Seattle
An interesting story before revealing which is the World’s first Starbucks in Seattle
At Starbucks 1, there was an interesting story that happened. We were wondering outside this Starbucks and thinking to ourselves if it was the real deal. There were many people outside taking photos and there was a plaque (though we did not read in detail) which sort of indicated to us that this should be it. Inside Starbucks 1, there was a REALLY long queue, about 15 people in line – yet another indication…
So just before we went in, we decided to approach a couple, who was also taking pictures outside, to confirm that this was the world’s first Starbucks.
Enthusiastically, they said “Yes!”
So we joined the queue of 15, ordered a Pike Place Reserve and headed out of Starbucks 1. But as we walked outside Starbucks 1, along Pike Place Market, we CHANCED upon Starbucks 2. By now, you should already guess where this story is heading right?
Yup, Starbucks 2 is the real first Starbucks in the World!
We should have guessed really. Businesses usually start with humble beginnings and Starbucks 2 reflected that. There’s perhaps only a couple of seating area and is mainly for people on the go. A different concept from Starbucks of today, where they are really selling a lifestyle, a place to sit, to catch up with friends, to see and to be seen.
The original Starbucks on the other hand, started out as coffee bean roasters and traders. Brewed coffee was merely samples then.
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Related Posts
This is part of our coverage of San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver USA. Check out these posts if you’re visiting the West Coast of USA!
Top 5 Things to do and Attractions in Vancouver Washington USA!
Top 11 Things to do and Attractions in San Francisco USA
Top 8 Things to do and Attractions in Seattle USA!
Things to do and Attractions in Eureka California!
Metropolitan Grill Seattle : Are the steaks worth it?
Seattle Underground Tour by Bill Speidel : A tour not to be missed!
Seattle Space Needle , Chihuly Garden and Glass and the Monorail to Westlake Center
World’s first Starbucks in Seattle – Do not be confused!
The Crab Pot Sea Feast : A Seattle MUST TRY!
Pike Place Market : (Possibly) Seattle’s Top Tourist Attraction!
What’s YOU MUST DO at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf!
Pizza and beers at Umbria San Francisco!
Great Eastern Restaurant Chinatown San Francisco : Even Obama visits it!
The steep slopes of San Francisco : A Pictorial Post
San Francisco’s “Crookedest Street” at Lombard Street!
Scenic Oregon Drive from Vancouver to San Francisco!
Travel Through Time with Historic Monuments at Vancouver Washington!
Vancouver Washington’s Natural Wonders!
Catching Portland Winterhawks in action after Burgerville Meal!
Why You should eat at Beaches Restaurant than McMenamins in Vancouver Washington
Red Lobster….FINALLY!
Inn at the Market Seattle : All about Location Location Location!
San Remo San Francisco : Hotel with a PRIME location!
Palace Hotel San Francisco : A great mix of History, Class and Luxury!
Heathman Lodge Vancouver Washington : One of our best hotel stays EVER!
Hilton Vancouver Washington : Classy Stay & Room with a View!
Conclusion
So there you have it! With this piece of information, we hope that you’ll be the smart traveller and not be confused, as you do your search for the first Starbucks in the world – located in Seattle WA, USA @ 1912 Pike Place Market!
The Crab Pot Sea Feast : A Seattle MUST TRY!
The Crab Pot Sea Feast was featured in Man vs Food when Adam Richman was in Seattle. After watching the series, we’ve been to many MVF venues such as Hash House a Go Go in Las Vegas and DiNic’s French-Dipped Sandwich at Reading Terminal Market Philadelphia. Having seen how Adam just launched into the sea feast with his bare hands, we thought it was about time that the 2bearbears do so…*growl*
The Crab Pot Seattle
As expected, there was a queue when we first arrived at the Crab Pot. We were told to wait for about 30 minutes and there were still about 5 parties before us. It was 830pm and the Crab Pot closes at 930pm. Nonetheless, we patiently waited and carefully inspected the huge sea feast menu at the entrance of Crab Pot…
Which Sea Feast we ordered at The Crab Pot Seattle
There are 4 types of sea feasts available at the Crab Pot
The Cove. At $15.95 per person, the feast offers steamed clams, pacific mussels, shrimp in the shell, andouille sausage, corn on the cob and red potatoes in their jackets.
The Westport (The Cove + Dungeness Crab and Snow Crab). At $25.95 per person, the feast offers Dungeness crab, snow crab, steamed clams, pacific mussels, shrimp in the shell, andouille sausage, corn on the cob and red potatoes in their jackets.
The Pacific Clambake (The Westport + Oyster and Salmon). At $32.95 per person, the feast offers Oysters, Salmon Skewer, Dungeness crab, snow crab, steamed clams, pacific mussels, shrimp in the shell, andouille sausage, corn on the cob and red potatoes in their jackets.
The Alaskan (The Westport + King Crab). At $38.95 per person, the feast offers King Crab, Dungeness crab, Snow crab, steamed clams, pacific mussels, shrimp in the shell, andouille sausage, corn on the cob and red potatoes in their jackets.
We settled for the Westport which seemed to be the most economical with both dungeness and snow crab in the sea feast. However, on hind sight, we thought that we should have gone straight for the Alaskan after seeing how HUGE the King Crabs were!!
Was it worth it to eat at The Crab Pot Seattle?
We must say that from the following points, it was TOTALLY WORTH IT to feast at the Crab Pot!
1. Novelty. As you can see from these pictures, everyone seems to be enjoying the sea feast with their bare hands, “attacking” with the help of a small wooden mallet. Pure joy…but remember to wear your bib properly as things could get really messy!
2. Value for money. For the prices stated above, it was well worth it because of the variety, freshness of the crabs (crabs were fresh but not all of the clams) and of course the taste of the crabs were sweet, succulent and chunky!
The Crab Pot is located at 1301 Alaskan Way, Seattle, WA 98101, United States…
If you enjoyed our content, “Like” us on Facebook Today!
Related Posts
This is part of our coverage of San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver USA. Check out these posts if you’re visiting the West Coast of USA!
Top 5 Things to do and Attractions in Vancouver Washington USA!
Top 11 Things to do and Attractions in San Francisco USA
Top 8 Things to do and Attractions in Seattle USA!
Things to do and Attractions in Eureka California!
Metropolitan Grill Seattle : Are the steaks worth it?
Seattle Underground Tour by Bill Speidel : A tour not to be missed!
Seattle Space Needle , Chihuly Garden and Glass and the Monorail to Westlake Center
World’s first Starbucks in Seattle – Do not be confused!
The Crab Pot Sea Feast : A Seattle MUST TRY!
Pike Place Market : (Possibly) Seattle’s Top Tourist Attraction!
What’s YOU MUST DO at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf!
Pizza and beers at Umbria San Francisco!
Great Eastern Restaurant Chinatown San Francisco : Even Obama visits it!
The steep slopes of San Francisco : A Pictorial Post
San Francisco’s “Crookedest Street” at Lombard Street!
Scenic Oregon Drive from Vancouver to San Francisco!
Travel Through Time with Historic Monuments at Vancouver Washington!
Vancouver Washington’s Natural Wonders!
Catching Portland Winterhawks in action after Burgerville Meal!
Why You should eat at Beaches Restaurant than McMenamins in Vancouver Washington
Red Lobster….FINALLY!
Inn at the Market Seattle : All about Location Location Location!
San Remo San Francisco : Hotel with a PRIME location!
Palace Hotel San Francisco : A great mix of History, Class and Luxury!
Heathman Lodge Vancouver Washington : One of our best hotel stays EVER!
Hilton Vancouver Washington : Classy Stay & Room with a View!
For your convenience, we have arranged for the best hotel deals in Seattle right here!
The next time you’re there at the Crab Pot in Seattle, head straight for the Alaskan sea feast and tell us whether the King crabs are as good as it looks!
Pike Place Market : (Possibly) Seattle’s Top Tourist Attraction!
Seattle’s Pike Place Market is the main tourist attraction in Seattle. After walking through the market, we’re not sure what’s there to introduce really. But it’s just the vibe and the feel that you’ve got to be there to enjoy the sights and smell! And because we can’t depict the sounds through mere pictures, here’s a video that show’s the bustling Pike Place Market in Seattle!
Facade of Seattle’s Pike Place Market
Feel the vibe at Pike Place Market Seattle!
Fresh produce at main level of Pike Place Market Seattle
Seattle’s Pike Place Market has a mission for customers to “meet the producers”. Hence, the first level are filled with shops that sells fresh produce, flowers and also the freshest catch of the day (Pike Place Fish Market) which can be delivered to any part of USA within 24 hours!
There are also shops where you can grab a bite and enjoy some local flavours. Restaurants include The Pink Door,Place Pigalle, Steelhead Diner, Matt’s in the Market, Le Pichet, Café Campagne, Marche, Maximilien and Il Bistro and if you’re here during the day, there are even more places from which to choose. Sometimes it’s fun to eat while you stroll through the Market. Locals call this “Market grazing.” You stop from place to place. You can get a piroshky, then a hom bow, then a gyro, then a crumpet….
Shops at the Lower Levels of Pike Place Market
On the lower levels (you’ll understand the concept of ‘lower levels’ once you read our post on Seattle’s Underground Tour), there are quaint little shops that sells a variety of stuff such as comics, magazines, art, music and little craft shops…
Around Pike Place Market – The Original Starbucks Cafe aka The World’s first Starbucks Cafe
Diagonally across the road, you will be able to find the Original Starbucks Cafe which started right here in Seattle! But here’s a funny story to tell…
While we were searching for the location of the original Starbucks, we chanced upon this one…
There were lots of people around taking photographs of it and the entrance with that signage looks as though this might be it. PLUS, we approached a couple taking photos of it whether this Starbucks is the original Starbucks.
They said “Yes!”
So with much excitement, we entered and the crowd inside confirmed for us that “This must be it! Let’s grab a coffee from the original starbucks!” And so we ordered the Pike Place Brew…
As it turns out, THIS WAS NOT THE ORIGINAL STARBUCKS! The couple we approached were equally lost!
This, is then the original starbucks cafe that started in Seattle
Well, the truth is, even this is not the original starbucks. The original starbucks was located at 2000 Western Avenue from 1971–1976 and was since relocated to this current location at 1912 Pike Place Market.
BUT they only started to brew coffee here. So technically, 1912 starbucks (not the year it started) is the original starbucks that brewed coffee!
If you enjoyed our content, “Like” us on Facebook Today!
Related Posts
This is part of our coverage of San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver USA. Check out these posts if you’re visiting the West Coast of USA!
Top 5 Things to do and Attractions in Vancouver Washington USA!
Top 11 Things to do and Attractions in San Francisco USA
Top 8 Things to do and Attractions in Seattle USA!
Things to do and Attractions in Eureka California!
Metropolitan Grill Seattle : Are the steaks worth it?
Seattle Underground Tour by Bill Speidel : A tour not to be missed!
Seattle Space Needle , Chihuly Garden and Glass and the Monorail to Westlake Center
World’s first Starbucks in Seattle – Do not be confused!
The Crab Pot Sea Feast : A Seattle MUST TRY!
Pike Place Market : (Possibly) Seattle’s Top Tourist Attraction!
What’s YOU MUST DO at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf!
Pizza and beers at Umbria San Francisco!
Great Eastern Restaurant Chinatown San Francisco : Even Obama visits it!
The steep slopes of San Francisco : A Pictorial Post
San Francisco’s “Crookedest Street” at Lombard Street!
Scenic Oregon Drive from Vancouver to San Francisco!
Travel Through Time with Historic Monuments at Vancouver Washington!
Vancouver Washington’s Natural Wonders!
Catching Portland Winterhawks in action after Burgerville Meal!
Why You should eat at Beaches Restaurant than McMenamins in Vancouver Washington
Red Lobster….FINALLY!
Inn at the Market Seattle : All about Location Location Location!
San Remo San Francisco : Hotel with a PRIME location!
Palace Hotel San Francisco : A great mix of History, Class and Luxury!
Heathman Lodge Vancouver Washington : One of our best hotel stays EVER!
Hilton Vancouver Washington : Classy Stay & Room with a View!
For your convenience, we have arranged for the best hotel deals at Inn at the Market (30 seconds walk from the Market literally!) right here!
We hope you’ve enjoyed our simple coverage of the things to do at Seattle’s Pike Place Market. Go to the right Starbucks yah? 😉
What’s YOU MUST DO at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf!
San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf is one of the biggest attraction in the city and in this post, we’ll show you some of things you must do when you visit Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco!
1. Seafood of course!
How can one visit Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco without having some seafood? There are many options for seafood ranging from fish to crabs, prawns to the famous clam chowders in bread bowl. This time, we visited Fisherman’s Grotto. (This is after some price comparison with Franciscan Crab Restaurant)
Turns out that we made the right choice because Fisherman’s Grotto was the first restaurant to be opened by Mike Geraldi in 1948…
At San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf, there are 2 things that you should have. Clam chowder and of course the famous Dungeness Crab (especially so when it’s in season). We saw this on the menu and immediately jumped on it. This course is good for 2 to share…
We were really glad that we chose to have the dungeness crab roasted in garlic (had a choice of steamed or garlic roasted). This is because, for a cheaper price, you could have the steamed version at the food stalls all along the street…
Though the above clam chowder was not bought in San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf (we only managed to try it at Ivar’s in Seattle), do remember to try one along the wharf or at Boudin’s Bakery. Before coming to San Francisco, we did not know what dungeness crabs were. After tasting it, it’s probably one of the sweetest crab (though not the muscular succulent type) we’ve had. (Disclaimer : We had the crabs when it was in season – probably why it tasted especially shiok!)
2. Pier 39 Sea Lions and Views of San Francisco / Alcatraz!
Pier 39 with views of Alcatraz, Sea Lions, Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco’s Skyline
Pier 39 of San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf is a special place. Since the Loma Prieta earthquake in October 1989, sea lions started to arrive at Pier 39. Some thought that it was just due to the herring season and the sea lions would leave shortly after. They never left. Today, as you can hear from the loud noises in the video, they attract many visitors and it’s really quite fun to watch them bask and laze in the sun while having fun teasing and pushing each other around on the docks.
From Pier 39, you can also have a good photo opportunity with Alcatraz, formerly the state penitentiary where notorious criminals were held. Golden Gate Bridge is also in sight. The other view we enjoyed was of course the city skyline of San Francisco. With its sloping geographical formations, it forms a city skyline like no other.
3. Boudin Bakery and Cafe
As we stayed at the San Remo Hotel, we were just a few blocks away (4 to be precise) from Fisherman’s Wharf. After dinner at Fior d’Italia (America’s Oldest Italian Restaurant), we strolled down to Fisherman’s Wharf to take in the sights at night. The area around Boudin is a great place to hang out and we were pretty much attracted by the smell of freshly baked sourdough bread that’s coming out of Boudin’s bakery!
Boudin at the wharf is a really cool place to hang out, especially for tourists because you can chill at its bistro and cafe, shop around at its baker’s hall, watch Boudin’s baking process or visit the Boudin museum and bakery tour (which is totally free!)…
Though free, the museum tour was detailed and pretty much covered the whole history of San Francisco (not only about Boudin’s bakery). In this museum tour, we learnt a few things…
– How the journey across continental USA from east to west (due to the gold rush), claimed many lives – conservative estimates of 20,000 deaths.
– How prices soared during gold rush (and lack of food supplies) resulting in prices like $1 eggs (Which is madness considering this was the 1850s and even today, an egg costs only 20 cents!)
– How important live yeast was and during a fire that struck the bakery, the mother yeast was saved and today, we’re still enjoying the same taste from the same yeast.
– How living with the French (then) meant that you would be eating well – cause French at that time in USA were mainly bakers
– How the famous San Francisco cable cars were invented by Andrew Smith Hallidie after he witnessed a horse drawn cart loaded with passengers slipped down a hill causing so much injury to the horses that it had to be shot. On August 1, 1873, Hallidie debuted the first cable car on the steep Clay Street hill between Kearny and Leavenworth.
4. Museums at the Wharf
There are many museums at the wharf which includes the National Maritime Historic Park, Maritime Museum, Hyde Street Pier and the maritime library. We especially liked some of the displays along the way which described how life was back then. Fishermen had to continue fishing in the cold and being paid in fish for their hard work…
5. San Francisco’s famous cable cars
Nope, these are not the cables that we know that hangs over head and transports you with views of an area. Instead, these cable cars were invented by Andrew Smith Hallidie to overcome the steep slopes of San Francisco. Today, these cable cars are preserved and still ply the streets of San Francisco (Hyde Street, Mason Street, Jackson Street, Washington Street, Powell Street and California Street). Though we did not take the cable car (due to the long queue – approximately an hour), we did take some great shots there.
If you enjoyed our content, “Like” us on Facebook Today!
Related Posts
This is part of our coverage of San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver USA. Check out these posts if you’re visiting the West Coast of USA!
Top 5 Things to do and Attractions in Vancouver Washington USA!
Top 11 Things to do and Attractions in San Francisco USA
Top 8 Things to do and Attractions in Seattle USA!
Things to do and Attractions in Eureka California!
Metropolitan Grill Seattle : Are the steaks worth it?
Seattle Underground Tour by Bill Speidel : A tour not to be missed!
Seattle Space Needle , Chihuly Garden and Glass and the Monorail to Westlake Center
World’s first Starbucks in Seattle – Do not be confused!
The Crab Pot Sea Feast : A Seattle MUST TRY!
Pike Place Market : (Possibly) Seattle’s Top Tourist Attraction!
What’s YOU MUST DO at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf!
Pizza and beers at Umbria San Francisco!
Great Eastern Restaurant Chinatown San Francisco : Even Obama visits it!
The steep slopes of San Francisco : A Pictorial Post
San Francisco’s “Crookedest Street” at Lombard Street!
Scenic Oregon Drive from Vancouver to San Francisco!
Travel Through Time with Historic Monuments at Vancouver Washington!
Vancouver Washington’s Natural Wonders!
Catching Portland Winterhawks in action after Burgerville Meal!
Why You should eat at Beaches Restaurant than McMenamins in Vancouver Washington
Red Lobster….FINALLY!
Inn at the Market Seattle : All about Location Location Location!
San Remo San Francisco : Hotel with a PRIME location!
Palace Hotel San Francisco : A great mix of History, Class and Luxury!
Heathman Lodge Vancouver Washington : One of our best hotel stays EVER!
Hilton Vancouver Washington : Classy Stay & Room with a View!
For your convenience, we have arranged for the best deals at Sheraton Hotel @ Fisherman’s Wharf right here!
Ghirardelli Square is also one of the places where you can visit to shop and see the historic chocolate factory (Willy Wonka of San Francisco). We also continued west of Fisherman’s Wharf and eventually arrived at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. Enjoy your next visit to San Francisco and let us know if we missed any experience or sights from Fisherman’s Wharf in our comments section below!
Pizza and beers at Umbria San Francisco!
Having watched “Friends” and remembered how much pizza and beer is part of the American culture (observe Joey in “Friends”), we approached our friendly concierge at Palace Hotel and asked where we could have some pizza and beer in a casual setting, we were referred to Umbria, within walking distance of Palace Hotel.
Umbria is located at 198 2nd St, San Francisco, California 94105 and it serves up authentic italian cuisine – the ones where you’ll have a waiter come up to you and introduce the day’s menu and start off the meal with bread and appetizers…
After looking through the menu, we ordered exactly what we came for… Ice cold beer with authentic Italian Pizza…so we ordered 2 Peroni beer (off the tap) with the Pizza Bianca Con Arugula E Prosciutto – Fresh mozzarella, fontina cheeses, prosciutto, arugula, shaved parmesan and white truffle oil.
Frankly speaking, this was one of the best pizzas we’ve ever tasted! The crust was soft and fluffy with rich aromatic smell (and taste) of the cheeses on each bite. The white truffle oil did not taste like conventional oily stuff eventhough you could see the oil, you taste only the fragrance of the white truffle. And when all these tastes (fluffy crust, cheeses and white truffle oil) came together. It was perfetto and mamamia!
While we were eating at the restaurant, there was also a homeless guy who kept peering at us through the windows. One of the waiters saw this and gave the homeless guy some food and sent him away. Great restaurant with extraordinary heart, we must say.
If you enjoyed our content, “Like” us on Facebook Today!
Related Posts
This is part of our coverage of San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver USA. Check out these posts if you’re visiting the West Coast of USA!
Top 5 Things to do and Attractions in Vancouver Washington USA!
Top 11 Things to do and Attractions in San Francisco USA
Top 8 Things to do and Attractions in Seattle USA!
Things to do and Attractions in Eureka California!
Metropolitan Grill Seattle : Are the steaks worth it?
Seattle Underground Tour by Bill Speidel : A tour not to be missed!
Seattle Space Needle , Chihuly Garden and Glass and the Monorail to Westlake Center
World’s first Starbucks in Seattle – Do not be confused!
The Crab Pot Sea Feast : A Seattle MUST TRY!
Pike Place Market : (Possibly) Seattle’s Top Tourist Attraction!
What’s YOU MUST DO at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf!
Pizza and beers at Umbria San Francisco!
Great Eastern Restaurant Chinatown San Francisco : Even Obama visits it!
The steep slopes of San Francisco : A Pictorial Post
San Francisco’s “Crookedest Street” at Lombard Street!
Scenic Oregon Drive from Vancouver to San Francisco!
Travel Through Time with Historic Monuments at Vancouver Washington!
Vancouver Washington’s Natural Wonders!
Catching Portland Winterhawks in action after Burgerville Meal!
Why You should eat at Beaches Restaurant than McMenamins in Vancouver Washington
Red Lobster….FINALLY!
Inn at the Market Seattle : All about Location Location Location!
San Remo San Francisco : Hotel with a PRIME location!
Palace Hotel San Francisco : A great mix of History, Class and Luxury!
Heathman Lodge Vancouver Washington : One of our best hotel stays EVER!
Hilton Vancouver Washington : Classy Stay & Room with a View!
For your convenience, we have arranged for the best hotel deals at Palace Hotel San Francisco right here!
So the next time your pizza and beer cravings hit you in San Francisco, head right down to Umbria and cure the hunger pangs. Remember, one pizza is more than good for 2 to share!
Great Eastern Restaurant Chinatown San Francisco : Even Obama visits it!
We were introduced to Great Eastern Restaurant while we were shopping in Chinatown San Francisco. After getting our souvenirs (mostly magnets and stuff for you guys), we decided to ask the shop owner which restaurant would be a good one in Chinatown. After looking at the time (it was 9 plus in the morning), she thought about it for a while and said that Great Eastern Restaurant was open for dim sum. So we headed right over…
What we ate at Great Eastern Restaurant Chinatown San Francisco
The beef ball was taong and chewy yet tender and flavourful. Comparable to that of Tim Ho Wan. The other thing that you should try is the rice noodle roll with char siew. Looooooved the fatty bits with the shiok texture of the rice noodle roll.
The sauce was also not too salty, just nice 🙂 Try not to be too adventurous and steer away from the pan fried pau which had too much flour.
Conclusion
All in all, if you ask me where to eat in Chinatown San Francisco, I would say that Great Eastern Restaurant is a great place to visit for its dim sum. Seeing the number of locals visiting, you’d probably guess that the food is good and the price is reasonable. Even Obama visits…
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Related Posts
This is part of our coverage of San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver USA. Check out these posts if you’re visiting the West Coast of USA!
Top 5 Things to do and Attractions in Vancouver Washington USA!
Top 11 Things to do and Attractions in San Francisco USA
Top 8 Things to do and Attractions in Seattle USA!
Things to do and Attractions in Eureka California!
Metropolitan Grill Seattle : Are the steaks worth it?
Seattle Underground Tour by Bill Speidel : A tour not to be missed!
Seattle Space Needle , Chihuly Garden and Glass and the Monorail to Westlake Center
World’s first Starbucks in Seattle – Do not be confused!
The Crab Pot Sea Feast : A Seattle MUST TRY!
Pike Place Market : (Possibly) Seattle’s Top Tourist Attraction!
What’s YOU MUST DO at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf!
Pizza and beers at Umbria San Francisco!
Great Eastern Restaurant Chinatown San Francisco : Even Obama visits it!
The steep slopes of San Francisco : A Pictorial Post
San Francisco’s “Crookedest Street” at Lombard Street!
Scenic Oregon Drive from Vancouver to San Francisco!
Travel Through Time with Historic Monuments at Vancouver Washington!
Vancouver Washington’s Natural Wonders!
Catching Portland Winterhawks in action after Burgerville Meal!
Why You should eat at Beaches Restaurant than McMenamins in Vancouver Washington
Red Lobster….FINALLY!
Inn at the Market Seattle : All about Location Location Location!
San Remo San Francisco : Hotel with a PRIME location!
Palace Hotel San Francisco : A great mix of History, Class and Luxury!
Heathman Lodge Vancouver Washington : One of our best hotel stays EVER!
Hilton Vancouver Washington : Classy Stay & Room with a View!
For your convenience, we have arranged for the best hotel deals in San Francisco right here!
So enjoy your trip to Chinatown San Francisco (a must visit!) and if you’re wondering where to eat, do check out the Great Eastern Restaurant located at 649 Jackson St, San Francisco, CA 94133!
The steep slopes of San Francisco : A Pictorial Post
The gold rush of 1849 has brought about tremendous development in San Francisco. After the great earthquake and fire of 1906, which wiped out 3/4 of the city, San Francisco was rebuilt upon its slopes, producing a city with one of the most amazing street views! This post is a tribute to the slopes of San Francisco!
If you enjoyed our content, “Like” us on Facebook Today!
Related Posts
This is part of our coverage of San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver USA. Check out these posts if you’re visiting the West Coast of USA!
Top 5 Things to do and Attractions in Vancouver Washington USA!
Top 11 Things to do and Attractions in San Francisco USA
Top 8 Things to do and Attractions in Seattle USA!
Things to do and Attractions in Eureka California!
Metropolitan Grill Seattle : Are the steaks worth it?
Seattle Underground Tour by Bill Speidel : A tour not to be missed!
Seattle Space Needle , Chihuly Garden and Glass and the Monorail to Westlake Center
World’s first Starbucks in Seattle – Do not be confused!
The Crab Pot Sea Feast : A Seattle MUST TRY!
Pike Place Market : (Possibly) Seattle’s Top Tourist Attraction!
What’s YOU MUST DO at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf!
Pizza and beers at Umbria San Francisco!
Great Eastern Restaurant Chinatown San Francisco : Even Obama visits it!
The steep slopes of San Francisco : A Pictorial Post
San Francisco’s “Crookedest Street” at Lombard Street!
Scenic Oregon Drive from Vancouver to San Francisco!
Travel Through Time with Historic Monuments at Vancouver Washington!
Vancouver Washington’s Natural Wonders!
Catching Portland Winterhawks in action after Burgerville Meal!
Why You should eat at Beaches Restaurant than McMenamins in Vancouver Washington
Red Lobster….FINALLY!
Inn at the Market Seattle : All about Location Location Location!
San Remo San Francisco : Hotel with a PRIME location!
Palace Hotel San Francisco : A great mix of History, Class and Luxury!
Heathman Lodge Vancouver Washington : One of our best hotel stays EVER!
Hilton Vancouver Washington : Classy Stay & Room with a View!
For your convenience, we have arranged for the best hotel deals in San Francisco right here!
To describe how steep the slope was, as we were driving up Divisadero Street, Kate became scared. Even I was scared. You must know that I have conquered the roller coaster rides (Battlestar Galactica Cylon vs Human) of Universal Studios and that wasn’t as scary. Imagine the same kind of steepness without the safety inbuilt in a roller coaster ride!
Now…that’s scary. It’s almost like bungy jumping without the cord! We could feel as though the bonnet was gonna “lift off”! Ascending the steep slopes of San Francisco was more like ascending to the top of a steep roller coaster ride – really slowly… Enjoy the feeling of excitement on the slopes of San Francisco!
San Francisco’s “Crookedest Street” at Lombard Street!
Lombard street IS the “Crookedest Street” in San Francisco and many local residents are annoyed by it. Because of the name “Crookedest Street” (who wouldn’t visit?!), Lombard Street has become one of the main tourist attractions in San Francisco – with it, tonnes of tourists and locals visiting each day!
How Lombard Street became the “Crookedest Street” in San Francisco
Well, Lombard Street has become the crookedest street in San Francisco simply because it has a very steep gradient. While many streets in San Francisco are steep, Lombard Street has a gradient which was deemed unsafe for traffic. To reduce the inclination of Lombard Street, a series of winding road was created so that cars could “snake” down Lombard Street without toppling over on a really steep road. Do note that Lombard Street is a one way street that starts at Leavenworth Street to the east and ends at Hyde Street to the west.
As a result of this kind consideration for drivers and pedestrians, it has unknowingly created one of the most visited free attraction in San Francisco. Because of this, large numbers of visitors throng the streets of Lombard EVERY SINGLE DAY! As a result, you may see some of the residents posting things like “This is not the crookedest or steepest street in San Francisco” (they usually never state which is) in Tripadvisor or some travel forums. So the “kind consideration” has become an inconsiderate thing for the residents of Lombard Street…
Other views from the Crookedest Street in San Francisco – Lombard Street
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Related Posts
This is part of our coverage of San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver USA. Check out these posts if you’re visiting the West Coast of USA!
Top 5 Things to do and Attractions in Vancouver Washington USA!
Top 11 Things to do and Attractions in San Francisco USA
Top 8 Things to do and Attractions in Seattle USA!
Things to do and Attractions in Eureka California!
Metropolitan Grill Seattle : Are the steaks worth it?
Seattle Underground Tour by Bill Speidel : A tour not to be missed!
Seattle Space Needle , Chihuly Garden and Glass and the Monorail to Westlake Center
World’s first Starbucks in Seattle – Do not be confused!
The Crab Pot Sea Feast : A Seattle MUST TRY!
Pike Place Market : (Possibly) Seattle’s Top Tourist Attraction!
What’s YOU MUST DO at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf!
Pizza and beers at Umbria San Francisco!
Great Eastern Restaurant Chinatown San Francisco : Even Obama visits it!
The steep slopes of San Francisco : A Pictorial Post
San Francisco’s “Crookedest Street” at Lombard Street!
Scenic Oregon Drive from Vancouver to San Francisco!
Travel Through Time with Historic Monuments at Vancouver Washington!
Vancouver Washington’s Natural Wonders!
Catching Portland Winterhawks in action after Burgerville Meal!
Why You should eat at Beaches Restaurant than McMenamins in Vancouver Washington
Red Lobster….FINALLY!
Inn at the Market Seattle : All about Location Location Location!
San Remo San Francisco : Hotel with a PRIME location!
Palace Hotel San Francisco : A great mix of History, Class and Luxury!
Heathman Lodge Vancouver Washington : One of our best hotel stays EVER!
Hilton Vancouver Washington : Classy Stay & Room with a View!
For your convenience, we have arranged for the best hotel deals in San Francisco right here!
Whether you’re taking shots from the top or bottom of Lombard Street, you’ll definitely find many good spots to capture this “Crookedest Street” in San Francisco! Don’t be fooled by comments that it is not because Lombard Street IS the Crookedest Street in all of San Francisco!
Things to do and Attractions in Eureka California!
During our drive from Vancouver Washington to San Francisco, we stopped by Eureka and this post will tell you what are some of the things to do and attractions in Eureka California!
1. Historic Buildings in Eureka California. With its beginnings in mining, logging and fishing, Eureka grew to become a significant sea port. Many came and established their homes here resulting in many beautiful historic buildings in this city…
2. Eureka Waterfront Promenade. Eureka has a beautiful waterfront promenade where you can enjoy a relaxing stroll and perhaps even get a glimpse of some wildlife…
Video of the Eureka Waterfront
3. The Wooden Sculpture Garden of Romano Gabriel. Romano Gabriel was born in Italy but came to USA with his father to be furniture makers. After serving in WW1, he settled in Eureka and started to make wooden sculptures that filled his garden. As he progressed with the hundreds of sculptures he made, many visitors came from far and wide just to see his beautiful wooden sculpture garden. But he would just hide behind his windows and peer at his visitors as he was a little reserved. After he passed away, the garden was preserved and encased for future generations to enjoy…
4. Lost Coast Brewery. This seems to be the one restaurant that the entire Eureka city gathers at for dinner. While all the streets of Eureka were empty and quiet, Lost Coast Brewery was filled with people and we had to wait 20 minutes before we got to be seated!
We tried the fruit beers at Lost Coast Brewery and totally enjoyed them! Unlike many other breweries that claim to have fruity-flavoured beers, they seldom taste fruity. But at Lost Coast, we tried both Tangerine Wheat and Raspberry Brown and they tasted flavourful and fruity! Yum!
As for the meal, we had the caesar’s salad, Lost Coast Brewery’s famous hot brown and 1 pound of its buffalo wings. Turns out that its buffalo wings were better than Anchor Bar’s original buffalo wings! It was tangy, juicy and tender! Shiok! And when we asked the waitress, she matter-of-factly said “Well, our buffalo wings are hard to beat!”
If you enjoyed our content, “Like” us on Facebook Today!
Related Posts
This is part of our coverage of San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver USA. Check out these posts if you’re visiting the West Coast of USA!
Top 5 Things to do and Attractions in Vancouver Washington USA!
Top 11 Things to do and Attractions in San Francisco USA
Top 8 Things to do and Attractions in Seattle USA!
Things to do and Attractions in Eureka California!
Metropolitan Grill Seattle : Are the steaks worth it?
Seattle Underground Tour by Bill Speidel : A tour not to be missed!
Seattle Space Needle , Chihuly Garden and Glass and the Monorail to Westlake Center
World’s first Starbucks in Seattle – Do not be confused!
The Crab Pot Sea Feast : A Seattle MUST TRY!
Pike Place Market : (Possibly) Seattle’s Top Tourist Attraction!
What’s YOU MUST DO at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf!
Pizza and beers at Umbria San Francisco!
Great Eastern Restaurant Chinatown San Francisco : Even Obama visits it!
The steep slopes of San Francisco : A Pictorial Post
San Francisco’s “Crookedest Street” at Lombard Street!
Scenic Oregon Drive from Vancouver to San Francisco!
Travel Through Time with Historic Monuments at Vancouver Washington!
Vancouver Washington’s Natural Wonders!
Catching Portland Winterhawks in action after Burgerville Meal!
Why You should eat at Beaches Restaurant than McMenamins in Vancouver Washington
Red Lobster….FINALLY!
Inn at the Market Seattle : All about Location Location Location!
San Remo San Francisco : Hotel with a PRIME location!
Palace Hotel San Francisco : A great mix of History, Class and Luxury!
Heathman Lodge Vancouver Washington : One of our best hotel stays EVER!
Hilton Vancouver Washington : Classy Stay & Room with a View!
For your convenience, we have arranged for the best hotel deals in Eureka right here!
All in all, it was a wonderful stopover at Eureka. The food was great and the experience of walking through the historic old town of Eureka while enjoying the waterfront was relaxing as well. Therefore if you’re doing an Oregon scenic ocean drive, we’ll definitely recommend a stopover in Eureka. A visit to Lost Coast Brewery is a must!
Scenic Oregon Drive from Vancouver to San Francisco!
First off, the scenic Oregon drive is not just any other coastal drive. If you are somehow on the West Coast of the USA, you have got to take this drive like the one we took from Vancouver Washington to San Francisco California!
The reasons???
We’ll let the videos speak for themselves…
Starting our drive from Vancouver Washington to Eureka California
First glimpse of the ocean at South Beach – see how the waves crashes near the shore!
Enjoying the view of the ocean on US 101 Highway
“12 Apostles” during our scenic Oregon ocean drive on US 101 Highway – Anyone know their actual names?
Driving through Redwood National Park
The entire journey takes about 7 hours on I-5 (Interstate Freeway 5 South) and is about 9 hours on US 101 Highway – the scenic route. We broke up the drive into 2 trips from Vancouver Washington to Eureka California (resting for a night at Eureka Inn) and from Eureka onwards to San Francisco.
If you type this journey and try to get directions using Google map, by default, the map will recommend to you the shortest way which uses I-5. This route is actually the fastest route but on it, you will be seeing nothingness.
So remember to take US 101!!!
There are 3 main reasons why we recommend this drive
1. Unbelievably Amazing Views. If you think that the videos are showing really beautiful views, the truth is that the videos don’t even start to do justice for the views that we saw. It was beautiful and much much more…the drive takes you
2. Beautiful Wildlife
During our drive it was the whale migrating season! Kate managed to see the whales as they moved along the coast! I missed it as I was driving 🙁 We managed to arrive at one of the viewing points along the coast. However, we waited for 15 minutes and still no sighting. Nonetheless, we heard “orh orh orh orh”. Lo and behold, we saw them…
3. Drive through San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge
Driving through Golden Gate Bridge San Francisco
Finally, at the end of the drive, you’ll pass through the iconic Golden Gate Bridge. The thing about San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge is that it is neither the longest nor the heaviest suspension bridge but it was considered an engineering marvel when it opened in 1937 (longest suspension bridge then) its biggest achievement was being able to build the bridge in the midst of the San Francisco fog and yet be able to withstand wind speeds of 100mph and earthquakes of 8 in magnitude!
Related Posts
This is part of our coverage of San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver USA. Check out these posts if you’re visiting the West Coast of USA!
Top 5 Things to do and Attractions in Vancouver Washington USA!
Top 11 Things to do and Attractions in San Francisco USA
Top 8 Things to do and Attractions in Seattle USA!
Things to do and Attractions in Eureka California!
Metropolitan Grill Seattle : Are the steaks worth it?
Seattle Underground Tour by Bill Speidel : A tour not to be missed!
Seattle Space Needle , Chihuly Garden and Glass and the Monorail to Westlake Center
World’s first Starbucks in Seattle – Do not be confused!
The Crab Pot Sea Feast : A Seattle MUST TRY!
Pike Place Market : (Possibly) Seattle’s Top Tourist Attraction!
What’s YOU MUST DO at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf!
Pizza and beers at Umbria San Francisco!
Great Eastern Restaurant Chinatown San Francisco : Even Obama visits it!
The steep slopes of San Francisco : A Pictorial Post
San Francisco’s “Crookedest Street” at Lombard Street!
Scenic Oregon Drive from Vancouver to San Francisco!
Travel Through Time with Historic Monuments at Vancouver Washington!
Vancouver Washington’s Natural Wonders!
Catching Portland Winterhawks in action after Burgerville Meal!
Why You should eat at Beaches Restaurant than McMenamins in Vancouver Washington
Red Lobster….FINALLY!
Inn at the Market Seattle : All about Location Location Location!
San Remo San Francisco : Hotel with a PRIME location!
Palace Hotel San Francisco : A great mix of History, Class and Luxury!
Heathman Lodge Vancouver Washington : One of our best hotel stays EVER!
Hilton Vancouver Washington : Classy Stay & Room with a View!
While you’re travelling on the West Coast of the USA, we hope you’ll also be able to rent a car and drive along the scenic Oregon coastal drive. It’ll be an experience you won’t soon forget!
Travel Through Time with Historic Monuments at Vancouver Washington!
In May 1804, Captain Meriwether Lewis and his good friend Second Lieutenant William Clark started an expedition, commissioned by then President Thomas Jefferson. Today, this trail is known to us as the Lewis and Clerk expedition (not to be confused with Clark Kent and Lois Lane of Superman).
Essentially these chaps were brave enough to cross the vast continent, not knowing what to expect and encountering perils (such as grizzly bears) along the way. Nonetheless, the journey was finally completed in 1806 and the expedition team not only opened up a route from Eastern USA to Western USA, but also discovered many economic opportunities (think natural resources) and most importantly, the Western side to the Pacific Ocean.
It was also on this journey that the original Vancouver (Vancouver Washington, not Vancouver Canada) was discovered and subsequently established several years later. With this long history, it is little wonder that the entire Vancouver Washington is sprinkled with many historic monuments, still maintained in excellent condition, to be shared with visitors like you and me!
Once considered the most elegant homes in Vancouver, this Italianate villa’s ornate details including a cupola, elaborate cornice, scrolled brackets, and a widow’s walk on the roof. Built by Charles and Laura Slocum, it was nearly lost to development in the 1960s. Activists saved the home from demolition by moving it a block north. Today the building is home to the Old Slocum House Theatre Company, which stages a number of theatrical productions annually at this historic site
This Queen Anne-style home, originally owned by the editor and publisher of the city’s newspaper, features a broad, wrap-around porch supported by turned posts, jigsaw brackets and a balustrade.
This Craftsman Bungalow with its flat wall planes of brick, low pitched hip roof, and unusual porch is influenced by the Midwestern Prairie style rarely seen in Clark County.
This residence is characterised as an American Foursquare with classic Craftsman elements and ornamentation and retains the original multi-paired windows and curved rafter ends. Fred Kettenring moved to Vancouver in 1901 to take charge of the Great Northern Railroad’s construction and later became the City Engineer.
This American Foursquare is the oldest known home in Washington to be built by a Filipino-American. The structure features classic columns supporting the heavy cornice on the porch, diamond shingles on the front dormer and a steeply pitched, hipped roof.
This brick post office with front columns is representative of Classical Revival architectural style.
Lowell Hidden’s son, Foster, built this two-story Colonial Revival home with Flemish bond brickwork, a columned portico, heavy corner quoins and an elaborate cornice with block modillions.
Lowell Hidden, owner of the Hidden Brick Company, built this two-story Queen Anne-style home with ornamental brick patterns, stained glass windows and a corbeled chimney.
Tall, fluted columns on projecting plinths frame an arched entrace to this five-story building that is an example of early 20th century Commercial style.
Originally made of molded stone construction the facade of this building was covered with the current terra cotta design in 1926.
For more than a century, the 21 buildings along the north side of Evergreen Blvd housed soldiers, officers and military families stationed at Vancouver Barracks. Three of the more notable properties are the Grand House, built in 1849, the General O.O. Howard House, constructed in 1879 and the Marshall House built in 1886. The homes are characterised by high ceilings, large foyers, sweeping staircases, bay windows, multiple fireplaces and numerous rooms which housed company or field grade officers.
If you enjoyed our content, “Like” us on Facebook Today!
Related Posts
This is part of our coverage of San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver USA. Check out these posts if you’re visiting the West Coast of USA!
Top 5 Things to do and Attractions in Vancouver Washington USA!
Top 11 Things to do and Attractions in San Francisco USA
Top 8 Things to do and Attractions in Seattle USA!
Things to do and Attractions in Eureka California!
Metropolitan Grill Seattle : Are the steaks worth it?
Seattle Underground Tour by Bill Speidel : A tour not to be missed!
Seattle Space Needle , Chihuly Garden and Glass and the Monorail to Westlake Center
World’s first Starbucks in Seattle – Do not be confused!
The Crab Pot Sea Feast : A Seattle MUST TRY!
Pike Place Market : (Possibly) Seattle’s Top Tourist Attraction!
What’s YOU MUST DO at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf!
Pizza and beers at Umbria San Francisco!
Great Eastern Restaurant Chinatown San Francisco : Even Obama visits it!
The steep slopes of San Francisco : A Pictorial Post
San Francisco’s “Crookedest Street” at Lombard Street!
Scenic Oregon Drive from Vancouver to San Francisco!
Travel Through Time with Historic Monuments at Vancouver Washington!
Vancouver Washington’s Natural Wonders!
Catching Portland Winterhawks in action after Burgerville Meal!
Why You should eat at Beaches Restaurant than McMenamins in Vancouver Washington
Red Lobster….FINALLY!
Inn at the Market Seattle : All about Location Location Location!
San Remo San Francisco : Hotel with a PRIME location!
Palace Hotel San Francisco : A great mix of History, Class and Luxury!
Heathman Lodge Vancouver Washington : One of our best hotel stays EVER!
Hilton Vancouver Washington : Classy Stay & Room with a View!
Remember, Vancouver Washington was named “Vancouver” before Vancouver Canada. This also means that for a travel destination that is rich in heritage, history and monuments, Vancouver Washington would be a great place for you to explore. There’s also great natural formations in Vancouver Washington too!
Vancouver Washington’s Natural Wonders!
Nature is one of the biggest draws in Vancouver Washington and in this post, we’re gonna show you what an awesome travel destination, Vancouver Washington (not be confused with Vancouver Canada) is! We knew that there are many natural formations along Columbia River and we were also told about some of the more famous ones such as Multnomah Falls and Beacon Rock, so we decided to start a drive from Vancouver Washington along Columbia River and cross at the Bridge of Gods ending with the visit at Multnomah Falls on the Oregon side…
Starting our drive along Columbia River from Vancouver Washington
Because of its height in the region of the Columbia River, it is often used as a navigation mark. Hence, the name, Beacon Rock. As we ventured closer, we also realised that there’s a trail up the rock. But Kate was startled by how eerie the path looked and we only managed a shot and left…yikes!
As we journeyed along, we came by Bonneville Dam. The dam served to generate sufficient electricity for the area while still keeping the balance of nature (including migration of fish) through careful planning…
Coming to the Bridge of Gods, we crossed the Columbia River (toll of 1USD), took a break and journey back towards Multnomah Falls…
Enjoy Multnomah Falls Oregon
Heading back, we finally got to enjoy a wonderful view along the River Columbia near downtown Vancouver
View from Boardwalk of Columbia River at Vancouver Washington
Sunset at Columbia River with Mount Hood in the back!
But there was a shot that we didn’t manage to take and it was Mt St. Helens. We managed to only stay outside the visitor’s center because it was Christmas Day. On top of that, it was ULTRA MISTY which meant that we did not manage to see it. But to do it justice, here are some official pictures from Visitvancouverusa!
If you enjoyed our content, “Like” us on Facebook Today!
Related Posts
This is part of our coverage of San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver USA. Check out these posts if you’re visiting the West Coast of USA!
Top 5 Things to do and Attractions in Vancouver Washington USA!
Top 11 Things to do and Attractions in San Francisco USA
Top 8 Things to do and Attractions in Seattle USA!
Things to do and Attractions in Eureka California!
Metropolitan Grill Seattle : Are the steaks worth it?
Seattle Underground Tour by Bill Speidel : A tour not to be missed!
Seattle Space Needle , Chihuly Garden and Glass and the Monorail to Westlake Center
World’s first Starbucks in Seattle – Do not be confused!
The Crab Pot Sea Feast : A Seattle MUST TRY!
Pike Place Market : (Possibly) Seattle’s Top Tourist Attraction!
What’s YOU MUST DO at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf!
Pizza and beers at Umbria San Francisco!
Great Eastern Restaurant Chinatown San Francisco : Even Obama visits it!
The steep slopes of San Francisco : A Pictorial Post
San Francisco’s “Crookedest Street” at Lombard Street!
Scenic Oregon Drive from Vancouver to San Francisco!
Travel Through Time with Historic Monuments at Vancouver Washington!
Vancouver Washington’s Natural Wonders!
Catching Portland Winterhawks in action after Burgerville Meal!
Why You should eat at Beaches Restaurant than McMenamins in Vancouver Washington
Red Lobster….FINALLY!
Inn at the Market Seattle : All about Location Location Location!
San Remo San Francisco : Hotel with a PRIME location!
Palace Hotel San Francisco : A great mix of History, Class and Luxury!
Heathman Lodge Vancouver Washington : One of our best hotel stays EVER!
Hilton Vancouver Washington : Classy Stay & Room with a View!
We hope you’ve enjoyed our coverage of all the wonders of nature that you can enjoy as you travel along the Columbia River. Hilton Hotel Vancouver Washington makes a great base to enjoy all of these and remember to rent a car like we did to have the flexibility to visit all of these spots along Columbia River!
Catching Portland Winterhawks in action after Burgerville Meal!
Catching Portland Winterhawks in action was an excellent story to tell. This is because it was the first time EVER that we watched an ice hockey match! But before we get to the match proper, we’ll talk about the meal we had at Burgerville first…
After parking our car at Rose Quarter for $8,
we approached the ticketing booth to find out how to get to our seats.
At the same time, we also asked where we could get our dinner. We were told to head towards Multnomah Street. As we headed in the general direction of where the cashier pointed, we started to see several Winterhawks fans walking in the same direction as well. After about a 6 minutes walk, we finally arrived at Burgerville…
Dinner at Burgerville Multnomah Street
After much consideration, we finally settled for the half pound colossal cheese burger with a basket (which actually means a meal – with fries and drinks) for 9.89USD…
The fun thing about our trip to Burgerville was this machine…
The really cool thing about this machine is that it actually dispenses over 100 different types of drinks! From this machine, we had coke lime and vanilla root beer! For each drink, you’ll choose the primary taste (i.e. Coke, Sprite, Root Beer etc.) then a secondary choice of raspberry, lime, lemon etc appears! With these combinations, you can enjoy over 100 different drinks through just this one machine! Cool huh?!
Pre-match Activities inside Moda Center
Before the start of the match, there were many things going on…
Speaking of NHL, we then confirmed that we were actually watching a WHL (Western Hockey League) and not NHL (National Hockey League) game! Turns out that Winterhawks is made up of players from 15 to 20 years of age and this posters showed some of the past players that went on to play for NHL teams. The funny thing was that eventhough it was sort of like a high school match, there were more than 10,000 fans that turned up for the match! So much more than S-League! 😮
Portland Winterhawks vs Kelowna Rockets
Teams warming up before the match
We really enjoyed the game because of the fast paced, adrenaline-filled, action-packed, testosterone-charged game! There were many occasions where the players really slammed each other into the glass and got into fights! But the game itself was really exciting…Watch…
Can you see the puck?!
The match that we watched was the New Year’s Eve 2013 match between the Portland Winterhawks and Kelowna Rockets. As we watched the match, we realised that we were actually surrounded by Rockets fans, in particular 2 really cute kids who sat behind us. Although the home team was the Winterhawks, the kids behind kept shouting “Go get ’em!”, “Go Rockets Go!” , “Fight Fight Fight!” …it was as if we had live commentary right behind our seats! The match was eventually won by the Rockets 9 to 3. However, on the few occasions that the Winterhawks scored, the stadium went crazy! Watch…
Portland Winterhawks Celebration
There’s also a funny side story going on here. Notice the boy in the video who turns behind while celebrating? He was particularly agitated when the Rockets scored against his team and especially so when the boys behind cheered really loudly. So when the Winterhawks scored, he turned and celebrated as if to say “Take that you Kelowna Rockets supporters!”
What you can expect during intervals of ice hockey matches
Chuck-A-Puck is a game where fans are asked to purchase rubber pucks and during this segment, they would have to throw their puck as accurately as they possibly can towards the bulls-eye in the middle of the ice hockey rink! The puck closest (or inside) the bulls-eye will win the cash prize!
Finally got to see the kiss-cam as well! The kiss-cam is actually just a little game whereby once the camera features a couple, they would kiss for the screens! As simple as that! If you remember, during the movie anger management, Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson kissed because they were featured on the kiss cam! This night, all couples except 1, kissed for the screens. The “couple” which didn’t? Was a feature of a young man sitting next to an old lady, the young man just shaked his head…
Rose Bud – Cheerleaders of the Portland Winterhawks
And of course, the Rose Bud – Cheerleaders of the Portland Winterhawks came on for performances during intervals as well.
If you enjoyed our content, “Like” us on Facebook Today!
Related Posts
This is part of our coverage of San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver USA. Check out these posts if you’re visiting the West Coast of USA!
Top 5 Things to do and Attractions in Vancouver Washington USA!
Top 11 Things to do and Attractions in San Francisco USA
Top 8 Things to do and Attractions in Seattle USA!
Things to do and Attractions in Eureka California!
Metropolitan Grill Seattle : Are the steaks worth it?
Seattle Underground Tour by Bill Speidel : A tour not to be missed!
Seattle Space Needle , Chihuly Garden and Glass and the Monorail to Westlake Center
World’s first Starbucks in Seattle – Do not be confused!
The Crab Pot Sea Feast : A Seattle MUST TRY!
Pike Place Market : (Possibly) Seattle’s Top Tourist Attraction!
What’s YOU MUST DO at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf!
Pizza and beers at Umbria San Francisco!
Great Eastern Restaurant Chinatown San Francisco : Even Obama visits it!
The steep slopes of San Francisco : A Pictorial Post
San Francisco’s “Crookedest Street” at Lombard Street!
Scenic Oregon Drive from Vancouver to San Francisco!
Travel Through Time with Historic Monuments at Vancouver Washington!
Vancouver Washington’s Natural Wonders!
Catching Portland Winterhawks in action after Burgerville Meal!
Why You should eat at Beaches Restaurant than McMenamins in Vancouver Washington
Red Lobster….FINALLY!
Inn at the Market Seattle : All about Location Location Location!
San Remo San Francisco : Hotel with a PRIME location!
Palace Hotel San Francisco : A great mix of History, Class and Luxury!
Heathman Lodge Vancouver Washington : One of our best hotel stays EVER!
Hilton Vancouver Washington : Classy Stay & Room with a View!
All in all, we had a wonderful experience of watching an American ice hockey match “LIVE”! The match itself was really exciting and the fringe activities also got the fans interested as well! We will definitely try to catch a NHL game if we can for our next trip to the USA (along with NBA and MLB games)!
Why You should eat at Beaches Restaurant than McMenamins in Vancouver Washington
Beaches or McMenamins? That is the question.
On our first night in Vancouver Washington, we originally wanted to visit McMenamins because of its brews. However, when we told by our concierge at Hilton Vancouver, that the service was not so good and the food was not fantastic either. Instead, we were recommended to visit Lapellah or Beaches.
We actually visited Lapellah first but as it was Christmas Eve, it closed at about 4pm. So we headed off to Beaches which opened till 630pm that evening.
What to eat and drink at Beaches Restaurant and Bar
Although we did not make reservations that evening, we were thankfully able to quickly have a seat eventhough the restaurant was almost full. Seemed like we took the 2nd last table (table beside us was soon taken up as well). After browsing through the menu, we decided to go for the honey crisp apple wheat cider and Coor’s Light first…
Kate chose the Shock Top Honey Crisp Apple Wheat while I had the Coors Light (to lighten the guilt since we’re having the “Guilty Burger”). Turns out that the crisp apple wheat cider was an excellent choice. Our waiter also told us that he preferred this version of the apple cider because it was not too sweet and had a soothing after taste – totally enjoyed it. For a dollar more, you should go for the cider as well 😉
Next, we decided on the food. We spared no expense as we were from thousands of miles away and we’re definitely gonna get some good food this evening. So we went for the Guilty Burger and the Baby Back Rib
The Guilty Burger really makes you guilty. It is just a monster of a burger! There’s pulled pork, grilled beef (seriously? 2 different heavy meats in a burger?!), loaded with cheese, eggs and veges. The part we love about the burger is its grilled beef. It was tender and had a flavourful smoky taste to it.
We noticed how the chefs do the burger patties. They would flip them and place sort of like a lid over it, allowing it to simmer with its own flavours, locking the juices in. That explains the tender, juicy bit of the grilled beef.
But the highlight has got to be the baby back rib. Probably the best ribs we’ve had. BETTER THAN CAFE CARTEL’S St. Louis’ Pork Ribs. It’s true. The meat literally FALLS OFF the bones just with a gentle flick. The smoky caramelised bits and lightly sweetened (not too sweet kind) BBQ sauce topped off this dish.
Did we mention, it’s probably the best ribs we’ve ever had?
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Related Posts
This is part of our coverage of San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver USA. Check out these posts if you’re visiting the West Coast of USA!
Top 5 Things to do and Attractions in Vancouver Washington USA!
Top 11 Things to do and Attractions in San Francisco USA
Top 8 Things to do and Attractions in Seattle USA!
Things to do and Attractions in Eureka California!
Metropolitan Grill Seattle : Are the steaks worth it?
Seattle Underground Tour by Bill Speidel : A tour not to be missed!
Seattle Space Needle , Chihuly Garden and Glass and the Monorail to Westlake Center
World’s first Starbucks in Seattle – Do not be confused!
The Crab Pot Sea Feast : A Seattle MUST TRY!
Pike Place Market : (Possibly) Seattle’s Top Tourist Attraction!
What’s YOU MUST DO at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf!
Pizza and beers at Umbria San Francisco!
Great Eastern Restaurant Chinatown San Francisco : Even Obama visits it!
The steep slopes of San Francisco : A Pictorial Post
San Francisco’s “Crookedest Street” at Lombard Street!
Scenic Oregon Drive from Vancouver to San Francisco!
Travel Through Time with Historic Monuments at Vancouver Washington!
Vancouver Washington’s Natural Wonders!
Catching Portland Winterhawks in action after Burgerville Meal!
Why You should eat at Beaches Restaurant than McMenamins in Vancouver Washington
Red Lobster….FINALLY!
Inn at the Market Seattle : All about Location Location Location!
San Remo San Francisco : Hotel with a PRIME location!
Palace Hotel San Francisco : A great mix of History, Class and Luxury!
Heathman Lodge Vancouver Washington : One of our best hotel stays EVER!
Hilton Vancouver Washington : Classy Stay & Room with a View!
For your convenience, we have arranged for the best hotel deals at Red Lion Hotel Vancouver Washington right here! It is just a short walk along the waterfront to both Beaches and McMenamins!
Red Lobster….FINALLY!
The last time we were in USA, we kept seeing Red Lobster’s advertisement on TV but did not get the opportunity to try it! This time…hahaha (sinister laugh for the lobsters) we finally got to savour some fresh seafood from Red Lobster!
What we had at Red Lobster Seafood Restaurant
For starters, we had the mussels and the salad…
So we had the mussels with butter garlic sauce and the signature salads. While choosing the dressings for the salad, we were given a choice of about 8 dressings to choose from. In the end, Tom chose the most unhealthy ones (ranch and blue cheese) while Kate initially had the idea of just going light with vinaigrette dressing. Unhealthy Tom decides!
As for the mussels, it was baked a little too dry and we don’t think the mussels were “fresh out of the tank” fresh, though some of the mussels still tasted good. The other thing we didn’t like about this starter was that the bread was really salty! Have some drinks on hand to curb the overpowering toasted salty bread!
As for our mains, we went for one of the signature seafood combos – the Wood Grilled Lobster Shrimp and Scallop. Recommended by our waitress, we decided on it since there was “lobster” in it. Can’t go to Red Lobster and not have lobsters right?
Turns out that the recommendation was spot on! Every single one of the seafood on this plate was fresh! The lobster and shrimp was succulent and firm, yet crunchy and bouncy on the bite. Same goes for the scallop and the taste was sweet and natural – YUM!
Since it was the holiday season, we went for one of the holiday treats – Pumpkin Pie in a Jar. We didn’t really enjoy this dessert simply it was too overpowering. Overpowered by the cinnamon, whipped cream and much too sweet for our liking. Didn’t really taste the pumpkin as well. Sad…
If you enjoyed our content, “Like” us on Facebook Today!
Related Posts
This is part of our coverage of San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver USA. Check out these posts if you’re visiting the West Coast of USA!
Top 5 Things to do and Attractions in Vancouver Washington USA!
Top 11 Things to do and Attractions in San Francisco USA
Top 8 Things to do and Attractions in Seattle USA!
Things to do and Attractions in Eureka California!
Metropolitan Grill Seattle : Are the steaks worth it?
Seattle Underground Tour by Bill Speidel : A tour not to be missed!
Seattle Space Needle , Chihuly Garden and Glass and the Monorail to Westlake Center
World’s first Starbucks in Seattle – Do not be confused!
The Crab Pot Sea Feast : A Seattle MUST TRY!
Pike Place Market : (Possibly) Seattle’s Top Tourist Attraction!
What’s YOU MUST DO at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf!
Pizza and beers at Umbria San Francisco!
Great Eastern Restaurant Chinatown San Francisco : Even Obama visits it!
The steep slopes of San Francisco : A Pictorial Post
San Francisco’s “Crookedest Street” at Lombard Street!
Scenic Oregon Drive from Vancouver to San Francisco!
Travel Through Time with Historic Monuments at Vancouver Washington!
Vancouver Washington’s Natural Wonders!
Catching Portland Winterhawks in action after Burgerville Meal!
Why You should eat at Beaches Restaurant than McMenamins in Vancouver Washington
Red Lobster….FINALLY!
Inn at the Market Seattle : All about Location Location Location!
San Remo San Francisco : Hotel with a PRIME location!
Palace Hotel San Francisco : A great mix of History, Class and Luxury!
Heathman Lodge Vancouver Washington : One of our best hotel stays EVER!
Hilton Vancouver Washington : Classy Stay & Room with a View!
All in all, we were happy that we finally got to eat at Red Lobster. The mains were really good but the rest of the dishes were sort of disappointing. If you ask us, we’d probably not return to Red Lobster again. But as for its neighbour – Olive Garden, we’ll definitely go try the other dishes when we return to USA.
Inn at the Market Seattle : All about Location Location Location!
Inn at the Market Seattle was our last hotel during our US West Coast trip and when we chose Inn at the Market, it’s all about location, location, location! Check out this video taken from Pike Place Market…
Inn at the Market highlighted in yellow in the video
If you take a look at the video, you’ll realise that we literally stayed AT THE MARKET!! Less than 30 seconds walk to be precise :p From the hotel, you can see the famous Pike Place Market, the fish throwing boys and of course the very first Starbucks in the world. The famous sea feast at Crab Pot is also a short walk away!
In and around Inn at the Market Seattle
The first thing you should note is that parking in Seattle is a hassle. This is especially so if you’re parking at Pike Place Market. But there’s no worry at all if you’re staying at Inn at the Market. This is because there’s a special valet team that works round the clock for your convenience. So all you have to do is just leave your car at the side and your friendly “man in black” (yes, they’re in black uniforms) will whisk your car away – a little tip when you get your car again would be nice 🙂
The next thing we noticed was that the reception team at Inn at the Market is SUPER DUPER FRIENDLY!! Whenever we entered or left the hotel, they would say hi to us and would always be on hand to help when necessary. When we checked in, we were greeted by Noelle. She was so vibrant and lively and she welcomed us with such positive energy that you almost forgot it’s 5 degrees right outside!
The other place you ought to check out is the Roof Top Garden. From here, you can enjoy splendid views of the bay, Pike Place Market and of the Seattle Great Wheel (Ferris Wheel) too. Great place to chillax while soaking in the sun!
City View Room Inn at the Market Seattle
We really liked the colours of the room. Neutral colours with the bright orange arm chairs as the centre piece of the city view room. The toilet also comes with a bathtub (always a plus) and of course a pretty arrangement of toiletries.
If you enjoyed our content, “Like” us on Facebook Today!
Related Posts
This is part of our coverage of San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver USA. Check out these posts if you’re visiting the West Coast of USA!
Top 5 Things to do and Attractions in Vancouver Washington USA!
Top 11 Things to do and Attractions in San Francisco USA
Top 8 Things to do and Attractions in Seattle USA!
Things to do and Attractions in Eureka California!
Metropolitan Grill Seattle : Are the steaks worth it?
Seattle Underground Tour by Bill Speidel : A tour not to be missed!
Seattle Space Needle , Chihuly Garden and Glass and the Monorail to Westlake Center
World’s first Starbucks in Seattle – Do not be confused!
The Crab Pot Sea Feast : A Seattle MUST TRY!
Pike Place Market : (Possibly) Seattle’s Top Tourist Attraction!
What’s YOU MUST DO at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf!
Pizza and beers at Umbria San Francisco!
Great Eastern Restaurant Chinatown San Francisco : Even Obama visits it!
The steep slopes of San Francisco : A Pictorial Post
San Francisco’s “Crookedest Street” at Lombard Street!
Scenic Oregon Drive from Vancouver to San Francisco!
Travel Through Time with Historic Monuments at Vancouver Washington!
Vancouver Washington’s Natural Wonders!
Catching Portland Winterhawks in action after Burgerville Meal!
Why You should eat at Beaches Restaurant than McMenamins in Vancouver Washington
Red Lobster….FINALLY!
Inn at the Market Seattle : All about Location Location Location!
San Remo San Francisco : Hotel with a PRIME location!
Palace Hotel San Francisco : A great mix of History, Class and Luxury!
Heathman Lodge Vancouver Washington : One of our best hotel stays EVER!
Hilton Vancouver Washington : Classy Stay & Room with a View!
For your convenience, we have arranged for the best hotel deals at Inn at the Market Seattle right here!
If you ask us, location and friendly service are the biggest draw for Inn at the Market Seattle!
* Special thanks to Troy & Inn at the Market for hosting us to a stay here!
San Remo San Francisco : Hotel with a PRIME location!
The San Remo was the 2nd hotel we stayed in during our recent visit to San Francisco. We were invited by the tourism board of San Francisco to 2 hotels – Palace Hotel as well as the San Remo hotel.
History of the San Remo Hotel San Francisco
The history of San Remo hotel goes something like this…
On 18th April 1906, San Francisco was hit by a devastating earthquake and fire which literally levelled the city. Massive works were required to build the area. Hence, A.P. Giannini, founder of the Bank of America thought of an idea to build a hotel to house the men who were expected to rebuild the area. The New California Hotel was thus founded. Over the next few years, the hotel was home to sailors, fishermen and even chocolate makers from Ghiradelli’s chocolate plant. In 1922, the New California Hotel was renamed to San Remo Hotel.
Instead of just staying in your room at San Remo, you should really take a walk about the hotel. Just wander through the stairs and its corridors, you’ll realise that there’s alot of history in store for you. There are pictures of the founding family, people who used to work in San Francisco and also the quaint rustic feel of the entire hotel.
In addition, the receptionists here are really cool as well. They know their stuff and can easily direct you to where you want to go or arrange transportation on your behalf. Alex was our receptionist when we checked in and he was knowledgeable in telling us where to go and what to do and when we needed an airport transfer the next day, he immediately made the arrangements. Quick as a jiffy!
Room of San Remo Hotel San Francisco
As the premise is actually quite small, you’ll need to know that toilets and common facilities are shared in this hotel…
You may also wish to know that there’s an area where drinks and coffee is available. However, do note that the water is not replenished in the evening. In the morning, it may run “dry”. Good to squirrel some away before you sleep! 🙂
Another thing which you may want to take note is that since the reception is located on the 2nd floor and rooms on the same floor or higher, you will have to carry your luggage up one flight of stairs. A relatively narrow one as well. So try to pack light if you’re staying at San Remo Hotel.
As for the rooms, we must say that they are well decorated. Beautiful bedsheets, traditional curtains and wooden furnitures really brings out the feel of a historic hotel. Our room came with a wash basin which was a plus! There’s also a portable heater which worked really well and kept our room nice and warm 🙂
What we really loved about staying at San Remo Hotel San Francisco
1. Fior d’Italia, America’s Oldest Italian Restaurant is located at the ground floor. Upon arrival, we noticed that there’s an italian restaurant located at the first level of the hotel. It even has a sign that says “America’s Oldest Italian Restaurant”. With this sort of signs, you’ve got to try it right? Food must be good for it to survive this long. Sure enough, we did not regret our decision…
Ok, the pics don’t really do justice to how good the food was (blame it on the romantic lightings! :p) The mains we had were simply some of the best italian food we’ve tried. No wonder it’s still around after so long. Pure simple, great tasting food. Yummy! Oh, you’ll also get a 15% “Neighbour Discount” for staying at the San Remo Hotel, remember to show your room keys when paying!
2. PRIME LOCATION. What we really REEAAALLLYYY love about San Remo Hotel is its location. It is just 4 blocks away from Fisherman’s Wharf! We were even able to grab some supper from the wharf which is about a 7 minutes walk away (inclusive of waits for traffic lights). From there, you’ll be able to grab some of the freshest seafood around and see the sea lions at pier 39!
If you enjoyed our content, “Like” us on Facebook Today!
Related Posts
This is part of our coverage of San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver USA. Check out these posts if you’re visiting the West Coast of USA!
Top 5 Things to do and Attractions in Vancouver Washington USA!
Top 11 Things to do and Attractions in San Francisco USA
Top 8 Things to do and Attractions in Seattle USA!
Things to do and Attractions in Eureka California!
Metropolitan Grill Seattle : Are the steaks worth it?
Seattle Underground Tour by Bill Speidel : A tour not to be missed!
Seattle Space Needle , Chihuly Garden and Glass and the Monorail to Westlake Center
World’s first Starbucks in Seattle – Do not be confused!
The Crab Pot Sea Feast : A Seattle MUST TRY!
Pike Place Market : (Possibly) Seattle’s Top Tourist Attraction!
What’s YOU MUST DO at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf!
Pizza and beers at Umbria San Francisco!
Great Eastern Restaurant Chinatown San Francisco : Even Obama visits it!
The steep slopes of San Francisco : A Pictorial Post
San Francisco’s “Crookedest Street” at Lombard Street!
Scenic Oregon Drive from Vancouver to San Francisco!
Travel Through Time with Historic Monuments at Vancouver Washington!
Vancouver Washington’s Natural Wonders!
Catching Portland Winterhawks in action after Burgerville Meal!
Why You should eat at Beaches Restaurant than McMenamins in Vancouver Washington
Red Lobster….FINALLY!
Inn at the Market Seattle : All about Location Location Location!
San Remo San Francisco : Hotel with a PRIME location!
Palace Hotel San Francisco : A great mix of History, Class and Luxury!
Heathman Lodge Vancouver Washington : One of our best hotel stays EVER!
Hilton Vancouver Washington : Classy Stay & Room with a View!
For your convenience, we have arranged for the best hotel deals at San Remo Hotel San Francisco right here!
* Special thanks to San Francisco Travel and San Remo Hotel for hosting us to an amazing stay here and making our US trip possible!
Palace Hotel San Francisco : A great mix of History, Class and Luxury!
Palace Hotel San Francisco together with San Francisco Tourism Board (SanFrancisco.travel) invited us for a stay at this gorgeous hotel while we were travelling in the West Coast of USA (yes, it was the Golden Gate Bridge that brought us back to USA).
We have to be honest here. Our first impression of Palace Hotel was that it could be just a normal hotel with the usual gym and swimming pool facilities. Little did we know that we were actually invited to a grand old dame of San Francisco!
Established in 1875, Palace Hotel has undergone several restorations especially after the great earthquake of San Francisco in 1909 (although only 9% of the hotel was damaged) and after the 1989 earthquake of a 7 scale earthquake. When Palace Hotel reopened in 1991, its 1909 glory was restored at a cost of more than $150 million!
The cool thing about luxury hotels with a history is that
1. They are usually in the city centre. This is because cities build outwards from its centre and as it grows, the older buildings which are originally close to the city centre would then become prime locations! For Palace Hotel, it just a stone’s throw away from Union Square and the world famed, San Francisco Chinatown
2. Many famous people stayed here before. Famous personalities who stayed here before included Mark Twain, Thomas Edison (would you believe it?!), Oscar Wilde, Winston Churchill (seriously?!), Presidents of USA (including Franklin Delano Roosevelt) and more recently actress and comedian Whoopi Goldberg.
We also realised that these are in STRIKING RESEMBLANCE to Singapore’s very own Grand Old Dame – The Raffles Hotel!
At the Lobby of Palace Hotel San Francisco
Due to the festive period, the lobby of the hotel was brightened up with some decorations of its own…
As with our stay at Hilton Vancouver Washington, we were actually anticipating a package from San Francisco travel. Although it was not there upon our arrival, our receptionist Morey, helped us by checking through the records again (twice) and going back to the storeroom (twice) just to confirm that our package was indeed late. In addition, he also gave us advice to get the package tracking number (if available) and to contact SF travel again. All this while, maintaining his professional attitude and service. With such great attitude and service, it is no wonder that Palace Hotel ranks highly in their reviews as well.
Before long, Morey passed us the room keys saying
“There you are. Enjoy your stay at the Deluxe King Suite!”
So we wondered to ourselves, a suite? Perhaps, we just heard wrong. Better not put our hopes too high just to let them fall smack down right? So we got our stuff and headed to our room, walking past this BEAUTIFUL hallway…
Deluxe King Suite Palace Hotel San Francisco
As we entered into our room, we were pleasantly surprised by the sheer size. The room had an entrance area, living area, study area, bedroom, couch in the bedroom as well as a bathroom complete with bathtub. In one word – HUGE!
Here’s a video tour of the Deluxe King Suite at Palace Hotel San Francisco…
And so, our ears were not wrong when we heard Morey tell us about the Deluxe King Suite. A pleasant surprise for us indeed!
What we love about the room is its privacy. Because of its entrance (small little area where you leave your shoes), you have a distance away from the other rooms, giving you tranquility in your room. The other thing we love about the room is of course its size. We had ample space on the desk for our nightly summary, snack and watch some TV in the living room and lie down on our bed, again with the TV on! Yeah, sometimes we wonder if we’re travelling or just going to US to watch TV :p
Facilities at Palace Hotel San Francisco
Gym and swimming pools are a common fare at classy hotels such as the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. But the cool thing about the fitness centre at Palace Hotel is its sunroof…
The sunroof also makes the entire pool area really inviting during the day time!
In addition to the facilities, Palace Hotel has 2 other cool hang out places at the ground floor of its premise. Known as the Pied Piper Bar & Grill, it is named among the 7 finest bars IN THE WORLD! This is along the ranks of Ritz in London, the 21 Club in New York and the La Floridita in Havana. In that respect, the Pied Piper Bar sets the standard in opulence and elegance, definitely a place you want to check out when you’re in San Francisco.
Of course, the other venue is the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company right round the corner of the building. We had the Sea Cliff “Treasure” Sundae (with cookie at the bottom) and it was definitely one of the best sundaes we’ve had. With the rich chocolate from Ghirardelli, it totally puts a different spin to the common term “Chocolate Sundae”.
Created in 1852, Ghirardelli is today a familiar name for gourmet chocolate in San Francisco. Here’s a quick snapshot of the history of Ghirardelli…
Conclusion
After staying at the Palace Hotel San Francisco, you’ll realise that there’s really few places that can compare with this hotel that mixes history, class and luxury all in one. What’s more, the location of the hotel is simply unbeatable – walking distance to Union Square, Chinatown and along the Market Street where the historic F-line plies.
A hotel recommended for all visitors to San Francisco!
If you enjoyed our content, “Like” us on Facebook Today!
Related Posts
This is part of our coverage of San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver USA. Check out these posts if you’re visiting the West Coast of USA!
Top 5 Things to do and Attractions in Vancouver Washington USA!
Top 11 Things to do and Attractions in San Francisco USA
Top 8 Things to do and Attractions in Seattle USA!
Things to do and Attractions in Eureka California!
Metropolitan Grill Seattle : Are the steaks worth it?
Seattle Underground Tour by Bill Speidel : A tour not to be missed!
Seattle Space Needle , Chihuly Garden and Glass and the Monorail to Westlake Center
World’s first Starbucks in Seattle – Do not be confused!
The Crab Pot Sea Feast : A Seattle MUST TRY!
Pike Place Market : (Possibly) Seattle’s Top Tourist Attraction!
What’s YOU MUST DO at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf!
Pizza and beers at Umbria San Francisco!
Great Eastern Restaurant Chinatown San Francisco : Even Obama visits it!
The steep slopes of San Francisco : A Pictorial Post
San Francisco’s “Crookedest Street” at Lombard Street!
Scenic Oregon Drive from Vancouver to San Francisco!
Travel Through Time with Historic Monuments at Vancouver Washington!
Vancouver Washington’s Natural Wonders!
Catching Portland Winterhawks in action after Burgerville Meal!
Why You should eat at Beaches Restaurant than McMenamins in Vancouver Washington
Red Lobster….FINALLY!
Inn at the Market Seattle : All about Location Location Location!
San Remo San Francisco : Hotel with a PRIME location!
Palace Hotel San Francisco : A great mix of History, Class and Luxury!
Heathman Lodge Vancouver Washington : One of our best hotel stays EVER!
Hilton Vancouver Washington : Classy Stay & Room with a View!
For your convenience, we have arranged for the best hotel deals at Palace Hotel San Francisco right here!
* Special thanks to San Francisco Travel and Palace Hotel for hosting us to an amazing stay here and making our US trip possible!
Heathman Lodge Vancouver Washington : One of our best hotel stays EVER!
Ok, straight up. Heathman Lodge Vancouver Washington has got to be one of our best hotel stays EVER!!
We were invited by Visitvancouverusa.com and Heathman Lodge for a stay at their premise. Before our stay, we did a check online and found great things about the hotel (great environment, delectable food) and of course some funny comments such as “the fake ski lodge next to Westfield Mall”.
Well, as it turns out, this “ski lodge” definitely has more to offer and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay here…
Entering Heathman Lodge Vancouver Washington
It was a cold day (about 5 degrees celsius) when we arrived at Heathman Lodge. But with its warm, “wooden” facade, we kinda felt right at home as we entered into its cozy lobby
There was a slight hiccup as we were checking in at the lobby. Apparently, we were placed on a different name by the tourism board (no fault of the hotel’s) and it took a while before the air cleared and we were checked in.
Special thanks to Marcie from Heathman, who was ever so patient, putting on that great smile all the way and also to Jacob from Visitvancouver for confirming our stay almost instantly, after calling him at his desk. We were slightly concerned as we came in at about 3pm not knowing if Jacob was still in and when we heard his friendly voice on the line, we knew that this would be solved in a quick time and it was! 🙂
Deluxe Suite at Heathman Lodge Vancouver Washington
We were told by our friends at the reception that we were on the 4th floor business level where amenities such as the daily reception (which we’ll talk a little more later) were…
As we walked along the corridor to our room, we were surprised to hear birds chirping! At first, we thought (or at least Tom thought) there was some birds on the loose at our level! But upon closer inspection, it was a recorded sound projected through one of the speakers. The reason we’re mentioning this is because the sound was light and sounded at intervals – very surreal sounding. It was as if we had really entered into the woody redwood forests! Even as we left our room each time, these sounds from the birds really perked us up. A great touch by the hotel!
So as we finally approached our room at 408, we were still not sure what was in for us (good move by the reception team to only mention the room number and let us be surprised by what the room has to offer). Words cant really describe why we’re ranking the room as one of our top hotel stays ever and so here’s the video tour…
Video Tour of Deluxe Suite at Heathman Lodge Vancouver Washington
Did you see the fire place, the balcony, the space of the living room and of course the IN-ROOM JACUZZI!?!
Let’s check out what we saw as we explored the room before the “Oohs”, “Wows”, “Wahs” and “Bearbear, come see!” came a sounding…
At this juncture, we want to ask you (our readers), which picture of the bed was a better taken one? We shall not skew your opinions by telling you who took which. But the thing we really want to mention is that the hotel spared no expense on luxury in this room with a king-sized TEMPUR MATTRESS! Yes, it is the foam-memory mattress and when we slept on it, we thoroughly enjoyed every inch of support on our bodies! Even as we were lying and enjoying programmes on TV (which is another story to tell), we could feel our joints being supported, especially my elbows, the feeling was great! Makes me want to get a Tempur in our place, sponsors anyone? :p
As we entered the final part of our “exploration”, this was where the real “Oohs” were let out… an IN-ROOM JACUZZI!
Yes, because of the in-room jacuzzi, the room has almost immediately been bumped up to the top few hotel stays ever. With the attached TV and mirrors around the jacuzzi, no matter which side you’re facing (one or 2 people), you can still watch TV and enjoy the jets of water massaging you as you relax – all in the comfort of your room!
Perfect for honeymooners and couples who prefer a little bit more privacy!
Facilities of Heathman Lodge Vancouver Washington
As with all great hotels, there’s a gym which overlooks the pool area. A jacuzzi beside the pool as well. Yeah, we enjoyed our jacuzzi in the privacy of our room 🙂
There’s also a business centre where we printed out our tickets to the Winterhawks Ice Hockey Match on New Year’s Eve. It was the very first time we caught an ice hockey match and boy was it cool! (We’ll talk more about it in our subsequent posts).
PLUS! It’s walking distance to the Westfield Shopping Mall with over 150 stores here! Yes, Kate had a great time shopping here!
As mentioned in many of our hotel staycation posts, we mentioned about afternoon cocktail receptions and Heathman Lodge offers its guests at level 4 entry to the Hospitality Suite (formerly a presidential suite) for breakfast and cocktail reception!
There were beers, wines for you to choose from. Finger foods included tacos (with a warm tub of cheese!), salsa, nuts and healthy celery and carrots. Though we have seen more exquisite cocktail receptions, the fresh celery (with blue cheese – yes alot of cheeses during this trip!) and carrots were a refreshing change.
You can enjoy this in the common area, watching TV and sipping up good times or go to the next room for a more private conversation…
Oh, we forgot to mention that when we first entered, the room had a fresh oven-baked cookie smell and there it was, the freshly baked chocolate chip cookies! We wanted to have more but we had a dinner at Red Lobsters which we were looking forward to that evening.
Breakfast at Heathman Lodge Vancouver Washington
Breakfast at Heathman Lodge was interesting with the self-made waffles.
The key to making a good waffle is
1. Remember to spray the waffle spray next to the waffle machine. It helps to spread the heat a little more evenly and prevents sticking on the sides
2. Dont be greedy! If you put more than required, it will overflow and create a mess! (not that we did…) Just 3/4 cup full as the instruction says and you’re good to go!
The best part of our breakfast was actually meeting Audrey. She was a friendly staff in the Hospitality Suite who attended to all our needs (also reminding us to press the blue button – guests here will understand what we mean!)
We started a conversation with Audrey and she told us all the beautiful sights that Vancouver had to offer. Told us all about Beacon Rock and Multnomah Falls which we visited the next day. Thanks to her great service, we had an enjoyable and informative breakfast! Thanks Audrey!
Hudson’s Bar and Grill – Heathman Lodge Vancouver Washington
If you’re staying at Heathman Lodge, you have got to visit Hudson’s Bar and Grill at its first level. Many people across town come here just for its food and after trying its brunch menu, we think you should too!
As it was the festive season, only the brunch menu was available. But nonetheless, we were thoroughly surprised by the standards of the meals that we were about to have…
In terms of value, these must have been the best egg benedicts ever! How can 2 HUGE pieces of Dungeness Crab Cakes together with 2 perfectly crafted egg benedicts only cost 14USD?! The crab cakes were fresh and had a light crisp on the outside of the crab cakes. We’ve had crab cakes before and were thoroughly disappointed but with this, it totally revived our confidence in crab cakes once again! In one mouth, you can taste the crisp on the edge of your tongues and when you go in for the bite, fresh crab meat (meat only, no shells) just fills your cavities! Yummy! Simply the best crab cakes ever!
For the salmon skillet, we were quite skeptical that it costs only 11USD, the salmon must be no where to be seen right? WRONG! The salmon came in HUGE CHUNKY PIECES and coupled with the sauce and sourdough bread? Mamamia! Remember to let the yolk ooze unto the sourdough bread and enjoy it with a huge piece of that fresh grilled salmon yah?
As for the drinks, we went for the Bloody Mary which was recommended by many patrons. When we ordered, we did not know it was 10USD! For us, it was a little too expensive, but the taste was great. You could taste the fresh tomatoes, lime and celery mixed into it. Very different from the BMs that we drank before. Tasted healthy actually 🙂
But truth be told. For the price, we would have gone for the beers on tab instead.
Conclusion
After visiting Heathman Lodge, we cannot imagine a visit to Vancouver Washington without visiting this quaint hotel.
Whether its for the stay, for the service, for its great location (for Westfield and Columbia River side trips) or simply for great food and company, Heathman Lodge has got to be your choice of stay during your visit to Vancouver Washington!
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Related Posts
This is part of our coverage of San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver USA. Check out these posts if you’re visiting the West Coast of USA!
Top 5 Things to do and Attractions in Vancouver Washington USA!
Top 11 Things to do and Attractions in San Francisco USA
Top 8 Things to do and Attractions in Seattle USA!
Things to do and Attractions in Eureka California!
Metropolitan Grill Seattle : Are the steaks worth it?
Seattle Underground Tour by Bill Speidel : A tour not to be missed!
Seattle Space Needle , Chihuly Garden and Glass and the Monorail to Westlake Center
World’s first Starbucks in Seattle – Do not be confused!
The Crab Pot Sea Feast : A Seattle MUST TRY!
Pike Place Market : (Possibly) Seattle’s Top Tourist Attraction!
What’s YOU MUST DO at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf!
Pizza and beers at Umbria San Francisco!
Great Eastern Restaurant Chinatown San Francisco : Even Obama visits it!
The steep slopes of San Francisco : A Pictorial Post
San Francisco’s “Crookedest Street” at Lombard Street!
Scenic Oregon Drive from Vancouver to San Francisco!
Travel Through Time with Historic Monuments at Vancouver Washington!
Vancouver Washington’s Natural Wonders!
Catching Portland Winterhawks in action after Burgerville Meal!
Why You should eat at Beaches Restaurant than McMenamins in Vancouver Washington
Red Lobster….FINALLY!
Inn at the Market Seattle : All about Location Location Location!
San Remo San Francisco : Hotel with a PRIME location!
Palace Hotel San Francisco : A great mix of History, Class and Luxury!
Heathman Lodge Vancouver Washington : One of our best hotel stays EVER!
Hilton Vancouver Washington : Classy Stay & Room with a View!
For your convenience, we have arranged for the best hotel deals at Heathman Lodge Vancouver Washington right here!
* Special thanks to Visit Vancouver and Heathman Lodge for hosting us to an amazing stay here and making our US trip possible!
Eureka Inn California USA : An Oregon Scenic Drive Stopover
Eureka Inn was our next stop after our stay at Hilton Vancouver Washington. We decided to take the Oregon Scenic Drive via US Route 101 to Eureka before continuing our drive from there to San Francisco. The drive time from Vancouver, WA to San Francisco would have taken 10 hours but we decided to take a stop at Eureka so that we could enjoy the scenic drive and really just take in the sights. To give you an idea of what you can expect on the Oregon Scenic Drive, check this out…
Beautiful Ocean view on Oregon Scenic Drive via US 101
We set off at about 8am in the morning and finally reached Eureka at about 5pm. The original 7 hours drive became a 9 hours drive because of the breaks we took along the way. Well, with such views, you’ve got to stop somewhere and take it all in right?
Inside Eureka Inn California USA
After parking the car in the carpark right behind the hotel (parking is complimentary for guests), we headed into the lobby of Eureka Inn
We were promptly greeted by Lynette who was on duty that evening. She warmly welcomed us and introduced us to the facilities of the hotel including drinks and live music at Palm Lounge
Offers at the Bristol Rose Cafe (drinks for a penny! – with some orders of food of course)
And the ballroom which JF Kennedy once held a party…
Not to mention an outdoor swimming pool, which was too cold for us to swim at this time of the year
There’s also alot of history that the hotel is famous for. In fact, when it opened in 1922, it was considered a very classy place, which is why it is now given the name “Grand old dame of Eureka”. We also saw several interesting items scattered in the hotel…
You literally “plug and play” to talk to the next room…
Queen Bedroom of Eureka Inn
When we were checking in, Lynette introduced us the newly refurnished room for an additional 30USD but we decided to stick to the “original”. Though we saw many bad comments on Tripadvisor about the rooms, we did not see the “cracks” and “dirty bathtubs” that were described. The room and toilet looked fairly clean as well.
Everything was above expectations, possibly because we lowered it due to what we saw on Tripadvisor. But there were some small things we noticed…
1. It took a REALLY LONG TIME before hot water came out of the taps.
2. If you look REALLY CLOSELY, there are indeed some parts that were old and needed to be changed (unless its intended to be there for the “rustic” feel which we do not think so)
3. The bed was too springy and whenever I rolled, Kate rolled too.
But nonetheless, for 90USD (including taxes), the room was really decent along with a great location. Within walking distance to the historic downtown and of course Lost Coast Brewery.
Why stay at Eureka Inn?
Historic Old Town of Eureka
Eureka Inn is placed on the National Register of Historic Places and from here, you can check out all the historic landmarks of the city…
Romano Gabriel was a carpenter from Italy who settled in Eureka after WW1 and built at least 6 houses in the town of Eureka. His greatest “marvel” was building wooden sculptures that covered the front yard of his Eureka home. As time went by, he built more little objects and visitors came by just to see his front yard. Being an introvert, he would peer from his home, happy to see these visitors enjoying his work of art.
Lost Coast Restaurant and Brewery
The other highlight of our stopover at Eureka was our visit to Lost Coast Restaurant. That evening, the restaurant was PACKED! We had to wait about 20 minutes (which is a long time considering the size of the town) before we were seated down. But the wait was well worth it. Let’s first talk about the beers…
Unlike some brewery at some well-known microbreweries in Singapore, you can ACTUALLY taste the fruity flavours of the fruit beers here. The tangerine and raspberry tastes were very apparent, much to Kate’s delight. But the highlight for us was the food…
We decided to have some vegetables to aid the “you know what” so we ordered the Caesars. Turns out that the portion was HUGE which really helped the “you know what”, if you know what I mean…
But the highlight was the Buffalo Wings.
You may say, “Hey Tom, didn’t you try out the original Buffalo Wings at Anchor Bar the last time you were in US?”
Well, that is true. But truth be told, this was MUCH BETTER! The meat was tender, chunky and juicy. The sauce on the other hand was tangy and appetising. When we told the waitress that it beats Anchor Bar’s original Buffalo Wings hands down, she just replied a humble
“Yeah, our wings are pretty hard to beat!”
By the time we reached the hot brown, we were already very full. But the beef was really juicy and packed in so much flavour that we didnt mind bloating ourselves up that evening. The sourdough bread made the sandwich all that more unique.
Well, the best part was that the total damage was less than 40USD (tips not included yet)! At this juncture, if you are vexed about how to tip in the USA, our rule of thumb is 10% + 1USD. This means that for this meal, we tipped 5USD. Do note however, that 10% means that you don’t really like the service but is still ok. Which means that our general rule of thumb doesn’t really please the waiter/waitress but don’t piss them off as well. Which makes it a good balance 😉
Breakfast at Eureka Inn
Nothing much to shout about for breakfast. It does keep you full and provides you with coffee to kick start the day. One gripe we had was that the microwave oven was not working and we were not able to warm up the cakes and croissant which would have made the breakfast more enjoyable.
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For your convenience, we have arranged for the best hotel deals in Eureka right here!
All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed our stopover at Eureka during our Oregon scenic drive. It is afterall the largest city between Portland and San Francisco on the west coast. If you want to have a nice place for stopover during this drive, do check out Eureka Inn!
Hilton Vancouver Washington : Classy Stay & Room with a View!
Hilton Vancouver Washington was one of the hotels that we were invited to during our visit to USA. It is important to note that this Vancouver is the one in the state of Washington, in the United States of America and not the one in Vancouver Canada. But here’s a little known fact, Vancouver Washington was in fact the “FIRST Vancouver” to be founded in the West of the continent of America. Which is why the tourism slogan for the city is
“Discover the Original”!
We arrived at Hilton Vancouver Washington on a cold Christmas’ Eve. However, as we entered the lobby, the ambience perked us up almost immediately and soon we forgot about the bitter cold right outside the doors of Hilton…
Our receptionist Leesa made our first impression of the hotel even better with her warm smile and kind gestures (she introduced us to this really great restaurant called Beaches, which we will talk a little bit more about later). Before long, we received our key and made our way to our room at level 6
Hilton Vancouver Washington’s Deluxe King Bedroom
Hilton Vancouver Washington is actually the only 4 star hotel in downtown Vancouver. Hence, it was no surprise to us that the room had all the amenities that we usually see in a 4/5 star hotel room.
Video tour of Deluxe King Bedroom of Hilton Vancouver Washington
There were 3 really cool things that we liked about the room.
1. The Coffee Machine. Kate and I are coffee people and coffee, especially in the mornings, help to “kick start” our day. The coffee machine (with coffee bean powder no less) gave us fresh coffee each morning that brightened our day (and also kept us warm on a cold winter’s day)
2. The Executive Desk. For most people, the executive desk seemed redundant. Afterall, you’re on a vacation right? But for travel bloggers like ourselves, it gives us a proper place to go through the photos of the day and jot down comments on our computer so that we can blog about them when we return. Otherwise, we would have to sit on the floor and type which may result in backaches, especially for oldies like us ;p
3. Room with a View! When we first drew our curtains, we were greeted with this view…
We were like “Whaat?!”
From this view, what do you see? Nothing except buildings and perhaps even a factory right? At that point in time, coupled with the mist, we were pretty sure we were surrounded by factories!
But as the skies cleared up the next morning, we soon realised why we were given this corner room…
We had marvelous views of the Columbia River and the bridge that leads to Portland!!
Facilities at Hilton Vancouver Washington
In addition to the in-house restaurant, Gray’s at the Park and Esther’s Coffee Bar, Hilton Vancouver Washington offers the usual facilities such as the gym, swimming pool and jacuzzi…
What we really liked about Hilton Vancouver Washington
Besides it being a 4 star hotel, there are 2 things that we really liked about the location of Hilton Vancouver Washington
1. Proximity to the Waterfront Park. Hilton Vancouver Washington is just a short walk away from the Waterfront Park. From there, you can have easy access to the relaxing board walk by the river as well as the excellent restaurants such as Beaches, Mcmenamins and Joe’s Crab Shack
2. Proximity to Historic Venues of Vancouver. If you’re into the history of USA, Hilton Vancouver Washington offers a great base from which you can visit historic locations such as the Officer’s Row, Fort Vancouver Historic Site, Pearson Air Museum as well as the many historic Monuments of the City (such as Slocum House built in 1867)
All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Hilton Vancouver Washington and here’s a sneak peak of the marvelous views we enjoyed along the Columbia River…
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Related Posts
This is part of our coverage of San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver USA. Check out these posts if you’re visiting the West Coast of USA!
Top 5 Things to do and Attractions in Vancouver Washington USA!
Top 11 Things to do and Attractions in San Francisco USA
Top 8 Things to do and Attractions in Seattle USA!
Things to do and Attractions in Eureka California!
Metropolitan Grill Seattle : Are the steaks worth it?
Seattle Underground Tour by Bill Speidel : A tour not to be missed!
Seattle Space Needle , Chihuly Garden and Glass and the Monorail to Westlake Center
World’s first Starbucks in Seattle – Do not be confused!
The Crab Pot Sea Feast : A Seattle MUST TRY!
Pike Place Market : (Possibly) Seattle’s Top Tourist Attraction!
What’s YOU MUST DO at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf!
Pizza and beers at Umbria San Francisco!
Great Eastern Restaurant Chinatown San Francisco : Even Obama visits it!
The steep slopes of San Francisco : A Pictorial Post
San Francisco’s “Crookedest Street” at Lombard Street!
Scenic Oregon Drive from Vancouver to San Francisco!
Travel Through Time with Historic Monuments at Vancouver Washington!
Vancouver Washington’s Natural Wonders!
Catching Portland Winterhawks in action after Burgerville Meal!
Why You should eat at Beaches Restaurant than McMenamins in Vancouver Washington
Red Lobster….FINALLY!
Inn at the Market Seattle : All about Location Location Location!
San Remo San Francisco : Hotel with a PRIME location!
Palace Hotel San Francisco : A great mix of History, Class and Luxury!
Heathman Lodge Vancouver Washington : One of our best hotel stays EVER!
Hilton Vancouver Washington : Classy Stay & Room with a View!
* Thanks to Visitvancouverusa.com for making the trip possible. Special thanks to Natalie and Jacob who assisted us endlessly through the planning phase of our trip!
** Special thanks also to Leesa of Hilton Vancouver Washington, who told us up front to visit Beaches Restaurant where we enjoyed great service and food that was MAMAMIA!
Things to do and Attractions in Philadelphia, USA!
There are so many things to do and attractions in Philadelphia and it has got to be one of our most favourite city in the United States! You can find history, a modern city and best of all good food all right here in Philadelphia!
What to do in Philadelphia, USA?
Philadelphia is the bed rock of American History. Follow the heritage trails and you will be able to visit world renowned attractions such as the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. But if you prefer modern buildings, a few blocks down and you’d be in the Comcast Center. And if food is your thing, Reading Terminal Market boasts of some of the best foods in the city. So there is definitely no lack of things to do in Philadelphia!
1. Heritage Trail / Historic District in Philadelphia
The best thing we liked about Philadelphia is that its history is intertwined with its modernity. The heritage trail (and Historic District), located near to the modern buildings boasts of the most significant monuments in American history. The Independence Hall and Liberty Bell tells of the story of America’s road to freedom while the Betsy Ross House flew the first flag of the United States of America!
2. Philadelphia – A Modern City
Besides being rich in history, Philadelphia is also a modern city in its own rights. An excellent example is the Comcast Center which boasts of screens on its walls that look as though it is painted in the same colour as the rest of its wall…
What to eat in Philadelphia
If food is your thing, look no further than the Reading Terminal Market! It boasts of the best French-dipped sandwich and ice cream with a rich (in both sense of the word) history! While you’re in Philadelphia, dont miss out on the best nachos ever @ Elvez! Last but not least, what would a visit to Philadelphia be without trying its world famous Philly Cheesesteaks!
Other Attractions in Philadelphia
There are other attraction in Philadelphia such as the City Hall, Rocky Statue & Museum of Art (Rocky ran up and down the steps here at Museum of Art).
Hotel Deals in Philadelphia
For your convenience, we have arranged for the best hotel deals in Philadelphia right here!
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There are indeed so many things to do and attractions in Philadelphia! Do take your time to enjoy these attractions and unforgettable photo moments the next time you visit these attractions in Philadelphia!
Things to do and Attractions in New York!
There are so many things to do in New York! Here are the top things that you should do right here in New York!
New York Attractions and Things to do
1. Times Square New York
You know when they talk about “a city that never sleeps”? Times Square in New York City is exactly that place to feel the pulse of the city. You can really feel the live of the city even at 2am in the morning! The city is just full of live and raring to go!
Hey, if you’re lucky enough (and have Bieber Fever), you might even catch one of the stars such as Justin Bieber at the Ruby Red Stairs of Times Square!
2. Statue of Liberty – Liberty Island
How can you say that you have visited New York, in that case USA, if you have not visited the most iconic symbol of freedom – the Statue of Liberty! It is really surreal when you finally lay your eyes on her as you have heard so much about her and seen so many of her image in the movies and US shows. This is especially so after contending with the throngs of tourists at the ticketing office and the queue up the ferry to Liberty Island!
3. Visit to the Rockefeller Center’s Top of the Rock
Dont believe them when they say that you must visit the Empire State Building for the best views of New York! Instead, head a few blocks down to Rockfeller Center’s Top of the Rock! In addition to the splendid views of New York City, you can also have ESB (Empire State Building) in your pictures as well! Imagine going up ESB and not being able to have ESB in your photos…
4. Visit actual scenes from Hollywood Movies!
In New York, you will be able to visit MANY actual sites of scenes taken out of the movies! Remember Serendipity Cafe in the movie of the same name? How about Tom Hanks in the movie “BIG” playing chopsticks on the Big Piano @ F.A.O Schwarz , 5th Avenue? You can reminiscence many a movies right here in New York!
5. Breath Taking Niagara Falls
Need we say more?
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Hotel Deals in New York
For your convenience, we have arranged for the best hotel deals in New York right here!
There are indeed so many things to do and attractions in New York! Do take your time to enjoy these attractions and unforgettable photo moments the next time you visit these attractions in New York!
Interesting Things to do in LA
There are so many top things to do in LA! Let’s find out what are some of the things to do right here in Los Angeles LA! For our readers, we have listed this top things to do in LA in no particular order…
Top things to do in LA: Enjoy the sights and sounds at Santa Monica Pier
That’s right! One of the top things to do in LA is just to kick back and relax along the beaches of Santa Monica. If the kids are with you, you can simply let them have a ball of a good time at the amusement park complete with ferris wheel and roller coaster. For couples, a stroll along the beach at sunset would be unforgettable!
Top things to do in LA: Watch an LA NBA match at Staples Center.
Another one of the top things to do in LA would definitely be to watch an NBA match at Staples Center. The world renowned Staples Center is home to the LA Lakers and LA Clippers. If you prefer ice hockey or WNBA, Staples Center is also home to LA Kings and LA Sparks!
Top things to do in LA: Catch a celebrity at Hollywood
With premiers often held at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, you can be sure to catch a glimmer of these stars as they attend their gala premiers!
Top things to do in LA: Live the high life!
You can really live it up and enjoy the high life at Rodeo Drive. Luxury items abound along this road for the rich and famous. You may also want to take a ride to Beverly Hills and see how huge these mansions can really be!
Top things to do in LA: Do all the Hollywood Touristy Staff
Of course one of the top things to do in LA is to visit Hollywood! Here you can visit the Kodak Theatre, Hollywood Walk of Fame, Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, the Hollywood sign and much much more!
We hope you’ve enjoyed this quick review about the top things to do in LA!
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Things to do, Places of Interest and Attractions in Los Angeles California
There are so many things to do and attractions in Los Angeles California! Let’s find out what are the things to do right here in LA! If you have been following our posts, we did mention that we sneaked a short tour out of Las Vegas to visit Los Angeles California!
For a Singaporean, it is not common to see deserts or mountain ranges. So it was really a different experience as we rode across the desert terrain…
The distance from Las Vegas to Los Angeles was about 400km and it took us about 3 hours or so to reach there. Hmm, just a thought…wonder how long it would take for people to shift stuff from your house from Vegas to LA and vice versa…
Santa Monica
Our first stop in California is Santa Monica! Kate and I (well…mostly Kate) wanted very much to visit Santa Monica because of the many many times this venue has been featured in movies and partly because of the Savage Garden song of the same name. The following should be some familiar views of the Santa Monica Pier…
There, we had a romantic walk down the beach and of course along the Santa Monica Pier and to see the iconic ferris wheel. To end the day, we enjoyed the sunset along with corn dogs (excellent creation btw) and drinks…
Hollywood Sign
The following day, we set out to see the famous Hollywood Sign. We did some research on our own and found out that great views could be seen from Mulholland Drive.
From this picture, it seems a little small. This is mainly due to our not so professional camera (any sponsors out there?) However, with the naked eye, the view was breath-taking. There was also excellent views of the LA city skyline…
Hollywood Boulevard
Since we were at Hollywood, the most famous street there has got to be Hollywood Boulevard. There we visited the famous Kodak Theatre where we had a good view of the Hollywood sign as well. The Kodak Theatre is also home to the Oscars as well as the American Idol…
The nearby Grauman’s Chinese Theatre is also a famous tourist attraction not only because it is a prime venue for Hollywood movie premieres but also of its tradition of imprinting the hands and feets of celebrities at its fore court.
We also managed to catch a glimpse of some B list celebrities (Basically those whom you know are celebrities as you have seen them in movies but cant really pin point there names because they just played that odd role in the movie you’ve watched. ) at the movie premiere of Going the Distance (starring Justin Long and Drew Barrymore). Nope, we did not see either of the stars but we did see many limousines picking up well dressed people (directors, producers and rich people we reckon) and of course screaming fans.
Walking along the Hollywood Walk of Fame, we managed to also identify familiar stars of our favourite celebrities. Here we found out that celebrities were classified according to the 5 categories namely; Movies,TV,Radio,Theatre and Music
There are also other sights that you ought to catch when you’re here in Hollywood…
Where the rich and famous live. This district was made famous by a TV series of the same name Beverly Hills 90210
A great hangout place to just chill and enjoy the sunset.
Luxury brands can be found here. Though many shopping belts like Oxford Street, Champs Elysees and even Orchard Road carry these luxury brand names, Rodeo Drive offers a classy feel and even a hope of a glimpse of celebrities!
Los Angeles California
Kate then planned a walking tour of Los Angeles city. I just told her that we have got to visit the Staples Centre, the rest was up to her.
First, we visited Chinatown
Passing by a cantonese dim sum shop, we dropped by to have some egg tarts and char siew bao. They tasted nice, but in a different way.
A short walk away was the famous Philippe Original French Dipped Sandwich which we saw from Man vs Food on Travel Channel. We had to try it not only because it was recommended on MVF, but also because we had tried another version at Di Nic’s @ Reading Terminal Philadelphia.
After the food tasting, we pronounced Di Nic’s the winner. The sandwich from Philippe was quite tough even after the dip. The roast was also not as tasty as that of Di Nic’s as well.
Next begun our city tour!
We also armed ourselves with Starbucks coffee which tasted really good at an affordable price as well (slightly less than 3 bucks a cuppa)
We then arrived at the Staples Center…
We were at the home of the LA Lakers! (think Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson).
At the souvenir shop, we realised that the Staples Center was home to 4 teams – the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers, the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings and the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks!
We also popped by the Grand Central Market
and Little Tokyo…
When you see this tower, you know that you are at Little Tokyo. Here, you’ve got to try some Japanese food. We had a salad, the Char Su Ramen (Extra Large at 9.7USD) as well as the Pork Curry Rice at 8.20USD. The servings were huge and the taste was great! The Char Su was full of flavour and had a succulent texture to it! Yum!
We also had a nice stroll through the Mexican Market at Olvera Street where you would see mexican souvenirs, small guitars and traditional costumes. The walk through was shaded and had some lanes that you can visit and explore as well…
Nearby was the Union Station
Verdict
There are so many things to do, places of interest as well as attractions in California. The city of Los Angeles can provide nice walking tours while Hollywood exudes a different class of its own.
Be it the beach, the high life or the city, Los Angeles certainly makes a great visit for tourists and locals alike!
P.S. Did you know that Los Angeles means “The Angels” which is why the city has also a nickname of “The city of Angels”
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Hollywood Walk of Fame
After visiting Grauman’s Chinese Theatre as well as the Kodak Theatre, Kate and I took a walk along the Hollywood Walk of Fame…
The Hollywood Walk of Fame stretches for about 2km it consists of mainly a star bearing an artiste or celebrities’ name that formally comes from these 5 categories
1. Movies
2. TV
3. Radio
4. Music
5. Theatre/Live Performance
Turns out that as we walked along the Hollywood walk of fame, we were so distracted and kept looking at the floor, thinking which celebrity would be next! Sometimes we would barely avoid oncoming pedestrians who must have thought, “What are these crazy tourists doing? Dont walk and look down at the same time!”
But that’s what we did!
It was fun to find stars that we know (because there were so many of them!) and these are just a few that we spotted…
The next time you are at the Hollywood Walk of Fame, try to locate the stars of your favourite artistes/celebrities. BUT! Be careful of oncoming (pedestrian) traffic!
P.S. You may also like to know that you need not travel all the way to Hollywood to see the walk of fame. There are also replicas at your nearest Universal Studios!
P.S.s. Did you know that stars are given only nominated artistes and these artistes can be nominated by anyone. However, there are 2 catches. 1. Groups or people who nominate must pay about $30,000 for the fabrication of the stars. 2. The celebrity must attend the ceremony. If deceased, family members must attend on his/her behalf. No one really knows how the selection goes (done by a selection committee) after the nomination…
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Footprints, Handprints and Signatures at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre Hollywood!
The Grauman’s Chinese Theatre was built in 1927 and resides along Hollywood Boulevard. It is actually a movie theatre and today still holds premiere for many of Hollywood’s most anticipated movies!
The Grauman’s Chinese Theatre was built by none other than Sid Grauman. He is also credited with the building of the Grauman’s Egyptian Theatre just further down the road.
The reason why the Chinese Theatre is alot of more famous and popular than its Egyptian counterpart is not only because of its uniquely classy traditional Chinese structure, but also because its fore court is home to the various handprints, footprints and signatures of artistes and celebrities.
Famous characters such as Donald Duck also got their chance to leave their mark at the fore court of the Chinese Theatre. This means that now, not only real life celebrities get to imprint their mark on the fore court of the Chinese Theatre, as long as your’re famous, you might have the chance to do so! *The Kind of Pop, Michael Jackson will also be immortalised on 26 Jan 2012.
At the fore court of the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, there is usually a HUGE crowd gathered there. Most are trying to take a photo with the imprints of their favourite celebrities while others are on tours of the Chinese Theatre, listening intently to the stories of their tour guides.
There are several stories as to how this tradition of immortalising handprints/footprints/signatures of celebrities/famous people started. The more common one often refer to a female celebrity who happened to step on the cement of the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre during construction. Sid Grauman thought that this was a good idea for famous people to leave their mark, then started this tradition.
The other version says that Sid himself made the mark and started the tradition. Whatever the story, today, it is a well loved tourist attractions for fans and tourists alike to get “close” to their beloved celebrities.
The huge crowd also presented a problem for Kate as she went about to take the photos. People were everywhere! Hence, this Harry Potter imprint had other avid potter fans in it as well…
Besides trying to haunt and hound your favourite celebrities in Hollywood, you might like to try catching them at the movie premieres at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. An easy way to do so is to look up the dates of upcoming premieres at the Chinese Theatre’s website and be there really early to get a good spot. Premieres are usually star studded events and fans will not be disappointed.
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Kodak Theatre Hollywood : Home of the Oscars and American Idol
The Kodak Theatre is one of the largest live theatre in the USA. The theatre was designed by David Rockwell and since 2002 has been home to the Academy Awards aka the Oscars.
The Kodak Theatre is also home to the American Idol due to its ability to function at the highest level for live shows.
There are only a few things that we would like to point out about the Kodak Theatre, in addition to the fact that it is a venue for shows as well as a shopping mall.
1. The Kodak Theatre Elephant
The Kodak Theatre elephant is synonymous with the Kodak Theatre. The pair of elephants are so huge and tall that you simply cannot miss it as you see them stand guard over the fountains within…
2. Pillars inscribed with Best Pictures at the Academy Awards
Within the Kodak Theatre are pillars that are inscribed with the names of the Best Picture at the Oscars each year.
Notable winners (translates to films that we’ve watched and enjoyed) in recent times include Million Dollar Baby, Slumdog Millionaire as well as the King’s Speech.
3. Hollywood Walk of Fame
From the Highland Center as well as the Kodak Theatre, you can see the Hollywood Walk of Fame right beside it. There will be able to see “STARS” belonging to your favourite artiste and celebrities.
You’ll just have to take time to spot them…
So take time to enjoy this world famous destination, who knows, you might just bump into a celebrity or 2…
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On the Boulevard of Santa Monica : The Visit that changed our perception of Savage Garden’s Santa Monica
You know how the lyrics “Santa Monica, in the winter time” by Savage Garden always conjures an image of a cold chilly city in our heads? Especially when it’s coupled with a hypnotically slow beat tune?
However, this trip changed all that and more!
From our hotel, we keyed in “Santa Monica” into our GPS and reached our destination in about half an hour. We took some time circling the vicinity before deciding to park at a public carpark, placing 2 hours worth of coins into the meter.
The first thing we noticed about Santa Monica were the quaint little shops lining the inner streets from the beach. They range from pubs to convenient stores to shops that sell cute little items. It was quite enjoyable walking down the street not knowing whats in store at the next shop.
As we approached the sea front, we were greeted by the sound of the waves as well as this set of instructions to comply with…
As we walked along the beach, we enjoyed the fine sand sifting through our feet as we headed towards the iconic Santa Monica Pier.
Before long, we reached the Santa Monica pier and as we walked along the board walk of Santa Monica pier, we saw sesame characters such as Elmo and Oscar…
Kids were given the opportunity to take photos with their favourite sesame street characters.
On the board walk, endless throngs of people traverse along this scenic boardwalk enjoying rides (such as the historic carousel, iconic ferris wheel) from the amusement park, eateries and restaurants along the pier or even just laying back and enjoying the sights and sounds…
Along the way, we also passed by a shop that is dedicated to the famous Route 66…
Here, you can take home some souvenirs and learn more about the history of this iconic and historic route.
At the end of the pier, we took a shot (pictorial) back towards the beach…
As the day drew to a close, we indulged in a cone dog (the person who invented this is a genius!) and enjoyed the breath taking sunset…
With that, we concluded a leisurely yet thoroughly enjoyable visit to Santa Monica. And with regard to the Savage Garden song, it totally changed our perception altogether. The gloomy image has transformed into a cheerful and family oriented destination!
We’ll leave you now to decide which of these iconic ferris wheel you love best. With lights or without lights?
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Where is the best spot to see the Hollywood Sign – Mulholland Drive!
Ah…California…what does it remind you of?
The sun? The beach? The people? Or just the image of chilling with a drink while taking it slow?
Well…for many people, California is the state of the movie capital of the world! Hollywood! (Hollywood, California – Rings a bell right?)
And when you think about Hollywood, you would want to see the famous HOLLYWOOD sign!
Today, we are going to share with our readers, the best spot to see the Hollywood sign and that is Mulholland Drive!
Do a quick search on google and you will be able to find Mulholland Drive scenic point. Not only does this lookout point provide splendid views of the Hollywood sign, it also gives breath taking views of Downtown LA!
From Mulholland Drive, you can also have a clear and unobstructed view of the Hollywood Bowl…
The Hollywood Bowl is the largest natural amphitheater in the United States of America!
However, if you are one who just wants to have “been there done that”, the Kodak theatre also provides a good view of the Hollywood sign…
Other than that, the Griffith Park Observatory also has an excellent view from the right side of the Hollywood sign.
However, the recommendation from 2bearbear.com is that if you are able to, make a trip to Mulholland Drive and enjoy the scenic, breath taking view that Hollywood has to offer!
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What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas…or does it?
Ah ha! Thought we will be revealing all we did in Vegas didnt you? Well…as they say, “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” or does it really?
Well first, let us give you the low down of how you can arrange your own trip to Las Vegas!
Planning
As we have mentioned in our post about “How to successfully plan your own holiday and vacation”, it is always important to plan early and plan ahead!
As usual, Kate did ALL the planning! But it is important to note these few points as they can really help you stretch your buck…
Hotels
Did you know that the price differs ALOT if you stay in the same hotel on weekdays compared to weekends? Prices can differ by as much as up to 50%! Usually, hotel rates are cheaper from Sundays to Thursdays (mondays to thursdays for some hotels) and the prices sky rocket over the weekends (for obvious reasons – weekend getaways!)
Also, there are many fabulous hotels that do not cost a bomb. Try searching for hotels in Vegas and list them according to price. You will realise that cheap hotels that have excellent hotel facilities do exist in Vegas. This is because they usually attract tourists with low priced stays and free tickets to headline shows so that you will spend at their “you know what”. So try to snatch those good deals but dont fall prey to “you know what”!
Car Rental
It is advisable to rent a car in Las Vegas, simply because walking in the hot Nevada sun is not what you want to do, especially in the summer months.
In addition, with the mobility of a transport, you can visit hotels and restaurants outside of the strip which Kate and I were able to do.
Plus, parking is usually free at the hotels!
You can do so by visiting the car rental companies online and look for cheapest rate available. Also, you can just pop by the car rental booths when you land at the airport. Booking online could be cheaper given that there are deals going on every now and then. You could also save the hassle of wondering whether there are cars in the cheaper categories available.
Btw, it would be good to download USA maps to your GPS so that you would travel easy as well.
Tour Packages
If you are visiting Vegas for the first time (and probably the last time if you are from a distant land), make sure you sign up for the visit to Grand Canyon/Hoover Dam! The prices are relatively acceptable and they offer you a hassle free option to visit these world-renowned locations!
Having given some tips before hand, this is the low down of where we visited…
The Lowdown
Kate and I landed at the McCarran International Airport and got the keys to our car at the car rental booth. It’s a breeze if you have booked it online in advance.
We tried several hotels this time round and spent our first night at Hooters Hotel…
The view from our room was awesome as well…
As it was the summer season, the water in the pool was exceptionally cold! We think it was purposely chilled to make sure that the guests were not chao ta (smelly dry or burnt in hokkien) under the hot sun…
After a nice refreshing swim and some drinks by the pool, we headed out to see the sights on the Strip…
We returned back and enjoyed the famous hot wings from Hooters
**After the first night in Vegas, we actually drove to California before returning back to spend a few more nights in Vegas. We will talk about LA,Hollywood and Santa Monica in another post…
The next day, we headed out to Hash House a Go Go to check out this restaurant as introduced by Man vs Food on travel channel.
For more about the whole experience, check out the entire post here.
The following day, we checked into the Excalibur (increasingly better hotel each day; and thus the cost)…
At this juncture, we should remind our readers to always try to “negotiate” with the receptionist for a better/higher room with a good view of the strip. They are almost always able to do so on weekdays and off peak periods when occupancy is low.
At various hotels, they have various affliation with shows about town. At the Excalibur, we were able to get half priced deals for the stand up comedy “Defending the Caveman”…it was pretty much enjoyable although we dont really recall much about the show today…really one of those shows where you want to have a good laugh and let your hair down…
The next day, we took the option of going to visit the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Along the way, there was an opportunity to visit the Hoover Dam as well…
For more about what we did at the Grand Canyon tour, click here.
The last hotel we visited was the MGM. The best of the 3 hotels on our list this time round…
There was even a day bed in the room which added to the chic factor…
MGM Hotel has the best swimming pool on this trip to Vegas. It boasts of a 6.6 acre swimming area!! That is about 6-7 football fields!! We had an enjoyable time in the lazy pool and visiting different themed pools which was really cool…
On the way back, we were invited to rate an upcoming TV serial and vouchers were given to us in return. So we set down and were greeted by this…
It was really quite simple, all of us would watch the show (this time it was Hawaii Five O!) and rate it by turning the knob according the how good each part of the show was.
We recalled that the show was quite raw in that not all the special effects and sound effects had been added in. There were some parts that were quite boring as well (that was when we turned the knob to 0). However, the show eventually screened and is into its second season! 😮
Remember at the start of every MGM movie, there was a lion bursting unto the scene? These are his grandchildren at MGM!
We understand that they do not reside there but at a nearby facility and brought over to the hotel…
In the evening, we caught a magic show by Nathan Burton…it combined magic with comedy and was pretty much enjoyable.
On our last night, we enjoyed the famous fountain show at Bellagio…
For more details of the Fountains of Bellagio, click here.
Overall, Las Vegas is a great place to spend your holidays. Food and stays are relatively cheap and plenty of international shows and musicals abound. Just make sure that you limit your time at the tables and you’d surely enjoy the holidays at Vegas!
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Huge Portions of Food! Man vs Food Las Vegas – Hash House a Go Go and Nascar Cafe
Travel Channel’s Man vs Food has led us to 2 eat outs in Las Vegas!
Though there were many foods introduced in this episode of Man vs Food Las Vegas, we managed to visit 2 of them and we didnt regret it at all!
They are Hash House a Go Go and the Nascar Cafe…
Hash House a Go Go
Hash House a Go Go is located at 6800 West Sahara Ave, Las Vegas NV 89146 and its hours of operation are as follows…
Breakfast & Lunch 7:30am-2:30pm
Dinner Monday-Thursday 5:30pm-9:00pm
Dinner Friday & Saturday 5:30pm-10:00pm
*Closed Sunday Nights
As with all famous eat outs, there was a queue at Hash House a Go Go. We waited for about 10 minutes and got our own seats, being shown to our seats by the friendly waiter at Hash House a Go Go.
The first thing we noticed about this restaurant was that there was no pretense and was totally casual. Everyone was having fun, enjoying their food and the company they had.
We browsed through the menu and laid our eyes on the
Big O’crispy hand hammered pork tenderloin sandwich ($13.95) as well as the Sage Fried Chicken stacked with bacon waffle, hot maple caramel reduction and crowned with fried leeks ($16.95).
We waited in anticipation as we saw huge portions of food being served to the other tables and we were not disappointed when ours arrived…
Have you seen this piece of pork tenderloin? It is HUGE! Have you ever seen a piece of patty that exceeds its bread buns by this much? Check out the portion of the macaroni and cheese as well!
Taste: Just as the name suggests, the pork tenderloin was cripsy and juicy. There was something about the flatness that made the whole sandwich that extra palatable. The mac and cheese also went well as a side. Yum!
Our first thought (could be yours now) is that “How can fried chicken go with waffles and sweet maple syrup?!” The answer: YES!
Taste: Again, the fried chicken was juicy and cripsy (telling us why its famous) and the waffle had bacon in it! Take a look at this!
The maple syrup blended well (not too sweet) with the fried chicken. The fried leeks was for us, the secret ingredient that brought these sweet and savoury food pieces together! Each mouth brought out the aroma of the fried leek (unlike anything we’ve tried) while the tastes of the bacon waffle and fried chicken sort of explodes in your mouth as you chew! Wow!
We’ve got to say that Hash House a Go Go is one of the best restaurants we’ve visited in the states. We were pleasantly surprised by the ingenuity and innovation that the restaurant has placed into its food. Needless to say, the taste also had the ‘wow’ factor and we thoroughly enjoyed our dining experience there.
Nascar Cafe – Closed
The Nascar Cafe used to be located at the Sahara Hotel. However, the hotel has since closed and hopefully the cafe has relocated as well. (if our readers do know of the relocation, leave your comments below)
The main reason why we popped by at the Nascar Cafe was because of the challenge introduced in Man vs Food Las Vegas!
In each episode of Man vs Food, there would be a food challenge for host, Adam Richman. In this episode of Man vs Food, the challenge was to finish eating “THE BOMB”!
What is “THE BOMB”? It is actually a 2 feet, 6 pounds burrito…
Coincidentally, we met with a challenger of the MVF challenge and there was even a table allocated just for the challenger. This challenger had finished about a quarter of the bomb and we could see that he was totally “bombed”…and here’s the reason why…
“The Bomb” is filled with loads of ingredients including fillers such as rice (rice?!), beans, meat and the wrap. On the top, it is covered with cheese, dressing and olives!
Although the price of “The Bomb” is just $19.95 (good for many), we decided to go with the baby burrito (the smaller version of the bomb)…
We were really really glad that we didnt take up the challenge. Not only because if we did not complete the challenge we would have to take a picture wearing a pink T-shirt that says “Weenie”. BUT because we even had trouble finishing this quarter of the bomb! Kate and I both at that!
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Of course, if you can finish the challenge, the prize at that time was to have unlimited rides on the now defunct roller coaster of Sahara Hotel.
Overall, thanks to MVF, we were able to experience 2 unique and memorable restaurants in Las Vegas!
Cheers!
Fountains of Bellagio : Must See Attraction in Las Vegas!
The Fountains of Bellagio is definitely a must see attraction in Las Vegas!
Pictures do speak a thousand words doesn’t it? The lightings of the Fountains of Bellagio synchronises with music and the sound of the water jets to create an unique viewing experience!
Take a look at this video of the Fountains of Bellagio and enjoy the front row seats of the Fountains of Bellagio! (We were so close that we could feel the water mist from time to time!)
Fountains of Bellagio Show – Viva Las Vegas
Show Times of the Fountains of Bellagio
Monday – Friday
3:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
show every 1/2 hour
7:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.
show every 15 minutes
Saturdays, Sundays* and Holidays
12:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
show every 1/2 hour
7:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.
show every 15 minutes
*On Sundays Fountain show times begin at 11 a.m. and run every 15 minutes for the Fountains Brunch at Jasmine.
Even before one sets foot in Las Vegas, the fame of the Fountains of Bellagio must have preceded! The Fountains of Bellagio is so majestic and massive! It makes a statement from a distance away and even from the aerial view! You would thoroughly enjoy the Fountains of Bellagio if you were taking a helicopter ride down the Las Vegas Strip as well!
However, the best part about the Fountains of Bellagio, is that its FREE!! Visitors can just take a look at the timings of the Fountains of Bellagio and be there about 5 minutes before the start of the shows to enjoy!
The Fountains of Bellagio dance to many different tunes. Famous tunes such as “Fly me to the Moon” as well as “Viva Las Vegas” are favourites of the Fountains of Bellagio. The water jets of the Fountains of Bellagio time their bursts according to the tune of the music and synchronises the sounds and the lightings to create an unique and captivating water show!
The Fountains of Bellagio is definitely a water show not to be missed when you are in Las Vegas!
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Tour Options to Experience the Majestic Grand Canyon
There are actually several options to tour Grand Canyon…
But first, to whet your appetite, this is what you will get to see when you visit Grand Canyon!
Majestic View of Grand Canyon
South Rim Tour of Grand Canyon
This was the tour we took, primarily because it is usually cheaper and the weather is usually better on this tour to Grand Canyon. This tour also allows you to make a stop at Hoover Dam to take some picturesque moments before moving on to see the majestic Grand Canyon!
The bus ride from Las Vegas was about 5 hours. Of course Kate slept along the way. I even got to snap pictures of her drooling!
Our first stop was at Hoover Dam.
The ride around the dam was amazing. It seemed as though you are transported into “Transformers” and imagine this futuristic structure (Hoover Dam does look futuristic doesnt it?) sitting right in the middle of a vast desert.
We also managed to grab a magnet at the souvenir shop there. Remember to take a picture with this Hoover Dam sign as well!
We were also told by our guide that Boulder City was actually built for the workers so that they could continue with the construction of Hoover Dam.
We made a stop over at the Grand Canyon visitor centre where visitors can watch an IMAX film of the Grand Canyon. We also had our chinese takeaway lunch here. Not bad for food out in the desert 🙂
Next was the Grand Canyon itself!
We were given 2 hours to walk ourselves. It was different. You get to find a spot, enjoy the vast range of the Grand Canyon and really just feel the tranquility. At times, you might even hear the call of the eagle!
West Rim – Sky Walk
The West Rim offers the world famous Sky Walk which is a horse shoe shaped platform allowing you to “hang over the cliff” of the Grand Canyon. With a transparent platform, you can have that feeling of walking over the Grand Canyon as well. We didnt choose this option because of the price and also mainly because Kate did not like the transparent floors. But Im sure visitors on this tour would have a great time as well. ______________________________________________________________
Other Options – Helicopter and Boat Ride
There are also other options to see Grand Canyon. The Helicopter ride offers you an aerial view and also descent into the valley whereby you can enjoy a boat ride on the famous Colorado River.
Of course, the helicopter ride, sky walk and boat ride will cost a little bit more.
However, whatever your choice may be, a visit to Grand Canyon will surely be one of your most memorable moments you’ll have.
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Have you noticed these iconic McDonald’s Restaurants?
Through our travels, we have noticed a few outstanding McDonald’s restaurants…
Broadway McDonald’s
This McDonald’s was featured on the travel channel’s McDonald’s special. It is easily recognised by the light bulbs used to show the red and yellow colours of McDonald’s. When you actually stand below these bulbs, you can really feel the heat! We wonder what’s the cost of lighting up these bulbs annually…perhaps its time to switch to LED for energy savings!
The Original McDonald’s
This particular McDonald’s has 2 stories to tell. For one, if you look closely at the top of the M, there is a mascot that most people do not recognise and associate with McDonald’s today (unlike Ronald McDonald). His name is Speedy and was the first mascot used by McDonald’s before he was replaced by Ronald McDonald.
The other thing particular about it is that it is a replica of the original McDonald’s at Downey, California. This was taken along the way on one of our trips around USA. Immediately, we stopped by and had to take a photo of it. Again, this was also featured in the Travel Channel’s McDonald’s special where the arches, if you notice, have not yet combined to form the golden arches (M) we know today. Although from a distance, when the arches overlap, the golden arches can still be seen.
If you have seen other outstanding McDonald’s restaurants, do share it with us through your valuable comments below!
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Things to do and Attractions in Las Vegas
There are so many things to do and attractions in Las Vegas! Let’s find out what are the things to do right here in Las Vegas! Las Vegas is really an amazing place and should be one of your places to visit if you havent been there. It is quite literally an oasis, an entertainment capital right smack in the middle of a desert!
There are of course many things to do (besides the obvious which we at 2bearbear.com do not advocate) in Las Vegas, so check out what we have recommended here…
1. Las Vegas Strip aka The Strip
The Las Vegas Strip itself has become an icon synonymous with Las Vegas. Affectionately known as The Strip, the main street in the city of Las Vegas boasts of many well known structures around the world such as the Statue of Liberty, Eiffel Tower and even the Pyramids. All these right in the middle of a desert!
2. Grand Canyon
If you are a fan of nature, the Grand Canyon will not disappoint. The majestic combination of ridges and ranges is a beautiful sight to behold. You can also have the option to walk over the Canyon @ the Skywalk or even descend to its valley via a helicopter tour.
3. Hoover Dam
The Hoover Dam is one of the most well known dams in the world. Having appeared in movies such as “Transformers” and “Superman”, it gives you a sense of familiarity. Yet you would be awe-struck by its sheer size.
4. Fountain Show at Bellagio
At the front of the Bellagio Hotel, there is a fountain that comes to life and dances with the music daily! Enjoy the spectacular fountain show that has captivated the many visitors to Las Vegas.
5. Good Food
There are so many buffets, good eateries and fine dining here in Vegas. Take your pick and you’ll be spoilt by the choices the city of Las Vegas has to offer.
6. Musicals and Performances
Not to be outdone by Broadway, Vegas regularly brings in international acts and musicals to be at the centre stage of Las Vegas. Remember to check out the discounted tickets and discounts from the hotels you stay with when attending these shows!
There are of course many other attractions and things to do in Vegas such as visiting the MGM (descendants of the world-renowned MGM lions – the one that roars when you watch movies), ridiculously huge swimming pools / man-made beaches (described in hectares!) and even rides such as that at the Stratosphere hotel!
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2 Different Experiences at the Niagara Falls!
“Yay! The motel we are going to stay is super near the airport! We can walk there and save money!”
To our horror, we arrived at the “wrong” airport at Niagara Falls, NY! (I blame the auto-complete function on most websites these days). Our trips have usually been well-planned and without hiccups, but this time round, we got to experience the mistake possibly many travellers made when they choose to fly to visit Niagara Falls.
I knew Niagara Falls was in Buffalo…so when I had to select the flight from Las Vegas and did not know which airport to go, I typed in “Buffalo”, and the auto-complete function “told” me that I will land in Buffalo Airport. We arrived there and was looking forwards to the walk to our motel when we discovered that we are more than 70km away from it!!!
The nice old man at the information counter produced a map and gave us our bearings. We were supposed to fly into Niagara Falls International Airport, not Buffalo Airport!!! He then told us there was a bus that comes every 45mins and it would cost us about USD20 per ticket to get to Niagara Falls State Park. We panicked as we happened to miss the last bus (and it was already 4pm). So we did some calculations and we decided to rent a car instead.
But it wasn’t easy either. Tom had to go from counter to counter to check what were the available cars left for the day. Thank the Lord there was a economy car at Hertz going for USD50/day! It was the only small car left at the airport. Phew~
We quickly loaded our luggage and relied on the GPS to get to our accommodation for the night – Swiss Cottage Inns. We drove across this bridge…
before we arrived at our motel…
The motel “boasted” of an outdoor swimming pool, a microwave in the room (that is how we heated up our leftover buffalo wings; see Original Buffalo Wings post), and provided pastries for breakfast.
The friendly owner told us about the fireworks on Fri/Sat nights during the summer months. As we arrived on a Friday and we rented a car, we were excited to catch the fireworks!
We parked at Seneca Casino, hoping to enjoy the buffet dinner but we were denied entry because we left our passports in the motel. Tom was totally devastated and we made our way to the State Park. We managed to grab a bite at the food court.
With a full stomach, we leisurely strolled down to the Falls. We could hear the loud roar and we enjoyed the cool breeze and mist as we approached it. The rapids looked amazing and mystical with the special lightings. Finally, we reached the Falls, and hurried to get a good spot for the fireworks. What a great way to end our first night at Niagara Falls! 🙂
Niagara Falls Lights Up with Fireworks!
Day 2 @ Niagara Falls
We were planning to take a ride on the Maid of the Mist, and as “kiasu” (scared of losing out) Singaporeans, we woke up early to ensure that we were the first few at the ticketing counter. The ticket costs USD13.50 for each adult ticket. We thoroughly enjoyed our ride even though it left us cold and wet. The Falls was truly majestic and we felt energized as we left the boat.
We then spend the morning lazing on the grass, having a small picnic (ice cream and chips!) and challenging each other in a round of word game that cannot be named. We even managed to catch a pretty rainbow! (where is my pot of gold? :P) Visiting the Niagara Falls in the day and in the night indeed allowed us to experience two unique and wonderful aspects of the majestic Niagara Falls!
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Pretty Rainbow across Niagara Falls
The Origin of the Original Buffalo Wings – Anchor Bar Buffalo New York
Ever wondered what is the origin of the world famous buffalo wings?
On our trip to the Niagara Falls, Kate and I thought that since we’re so close to Buffalo city, perhaps we could taste the world renowned buffalo wings?
So a quick check on google led us to Anchor Bar on Main Street…
Legend has it that one day the son of Mdm Teressa Bellissimo (who created the world renowned buffalo wings) returned one day with his friends. In order to feed her hungry guests, she deep fried some wings (in those days, in the 60s, wings were meant for the broth of soups) and covered them in a special sauce and served them with a cheese dip. Voila! The buffalo wings was born!
Kate and I keyed in the address into our GPS and headed over to Anchor Bar. We were there earlier than our usual dinner time in order to avoid the peak hour crowd. However, there was already a queue for dinner at about 6pm!
We parked our car (glad we came early, when we left, there were no lots left!) and took some time to look at the menu and placed our order. It took us about 20 minutes before we could get in!
We ordered the buffalo wings and seafood supreme with a couple of drinks. By the time we were seated down, it did not take that long for the food to arrive.
You know we always give our honest to goodness reviews to our readers so that they get the most informative source right from 2bearbear.com.
However, this time, we have got to say that the buffalo wings were a let down. The wings were overly fried and completely lost its moisture. The meat was tough and to be honest, this was one of the worst wings that we’ve tasted. The steep price (almost $1.20USD per mid wing) did not help as well. The sauce and dip did help somewhat but the meat itself was beyond salvage.
2 things came to rescue our night though;
1. The Seafood Supreme pasta was surprisingly good! The creamy sauce left one craving for more. The shrimp was also a highlight of this dish. It was really fresh and succulent! Although the serving was a huge one, Kate and I wiped it clean to the bowl!
2. There was live jazz music that set the mood for the evening. We remembered a young musician joining the team for the first time that evening and he played mightily well. Everyone in the audience cheered him on and that made the night really memorable.
We think that the buffalo wings must have been good before, perhaps given the crowd, the wings were fried in bulk and in advance. Hence, the poor texture.
When you’re in buffalo, give it a try though. If you experienced the lousier version, at least you could boast and say that you have tasted the original buffalo wings at Anchor Bar, Buffalo, New York!
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New York City aka The Big Apple with attractions such as the Statue of Liberty, Rockefeller Centre, Empire State Building, Times Square,Broadway and Central Park
Have you ever wondered why New York is also known as the Big Apple?
According to our guide, it was said that New York used to be a great orchard. However, another saying goes, there were many “apples” or race courses in and around New York. Jockeys who wanted to race there often referred New York as “the Big Apple” or the mother of all race courses.
Whatever the real deal, we love New York! There is just so much life and energy in New York wherever you go! Needless to say, there are also many things to do and attractions here and we will go through with you what we have enjoyed at the Big Apple!
The Empire State Building
The Empire State Building often leaves a certain stature in your mind at the mention of it. It could be because King Kong somehow managed to get on top of it or because it is the meeting place of many many Hollywood screen couples (think Sleepless in Seattle, An Affair to Remember).
There are 2 observatories on the ESB, the 86th Story (Outdoor,320 metres) and the 102nd (Indoor,370 metres). Kate and I visited the ESB at about 11pm this evening (opens till 2am with the last lift up at 1:15am). Tickets costs about 20USD for adults and the queue can take quite a while. We waited for about half and hour that evening before we arrived at the observatory.
It was really nice and cooling at night. Though it is a little difficult to see all round at night, we were able to spot a few iconic places in New York…
Aircraft Carrier – USS Intrepid
The next morning, we arrived early at the USS Intrepid to set our feet on the air craft carrier. It was the first time we’ve ever been onboard an air craft carrier. The feeling was just fantastic. To top things off it includes entry to Growler submarine which was our first time onboard a submarine as well!
The Growler submarine was located at the entrance and since there was not much of a crowd we decided to head over first. Inside, we experienced the cramped spaces that the sailors had to endure onboard a submarine…
The Intrepid itself was a huge ship! We didnt even manage to go through the entire craft of exhibits!
It is definitely worth a visit to USS Intrepid as you will get to learn about the history of Sea, Air and Space crafts as well as some lessons on the wars that the the crafts have seen. In addition, we also got to see some actual parts from the World Trade Center after 911 (Ground Zero)…
Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty was completed on October 28 , 1886. Originally, we were told, that Ellis Island was where the immigrants would have to go through to enter New York by ship. When the Statue of Liberty was completed, it also meant that immigrants thereafter must have seen the same Statue as they entered US with their renewed hopes and dreams…
It is important to prepare yourselves if you want to visit the Statue of Liberty because the queue is REALLY LONG!!
Eventhough the entry to the Liberty State Park is free, you would have to pay $13USD for the ferry to take you there. There is a queue on every part of this journey! From queuing of tickets, to queuing to get onboard the ferry, to queuing to get off the ferry and queuing to get back!
But once you’re onboard, you’ll be rewarded with views of the New York City skyline as well as the Statue of Liberty herself…
Once you’re on the island, there’s actually a souvenir shop and a very nice walk all around the island and fantastic views of Manhattan as well! But of course, you’ll be awed by her majestic stature up close as well…
New York City Walk About
We took a short walk around the city and visited the following places…
We passed by Wall Street and took a photo of the Trump Building
We then had dinner at the seaport where we had a fantastic view of the Brooklyn bridge. The lobster sliders and Avocado Eggroll were delicious!
Rockefeller Centre – Top of the Rock Observation Deck
Tickets to the Top of the Rock costs $25USD per person. This time, we visited Top of the Rock in the day so that we get both night view (from ESB) and day view from Rockefeller Centre. The good thing about visiting the Top of the Rock is that from here you will be able to capture the iconic Empire State Building!
The view from the Top of the Rock was simply fantastic and indescribable. If there’s one building you have to top in NYC, it has got to be the Top of the Rock!
Warwick New York Hotel
There was a deal which Kate got online and it was actually to book a 4 star hotel in the heart of New York City. The catch was you wont know which hotel it was until you book it. However, we were both happy with the choice because for $185USD (inclusive of tax) we stayed here…
We even got to enjoy great tasting turkish food from the roadside stall downstairs. There was always a queue for their food!
New Jersey
There are 2 things you would need to do when you take a short visit to New Jersey…
From New Jersey, you would be able to catch the best of the New York City Skyline. Here, take your time to take in the sights and perhaps enjoy a cuppa while time (and people) pass you by…
Visiting Cake Boss is also a treat. Though you may not want to join the queue, it is always nice to wander around and see if you can catch a glimpse of the man himself…
Broadway Musical
It is definitely a must to see at least 1 broadway musical when you visit New York City. It is important to note that you are able to buy discounted tickets right in the heart of Times Square…The TKTS booth at Times Square sells tickets for performances that day. Hence it is important to be there early to get the seats that you want.
Just as we were minding our own business and staying in line to queue for our tickets, guess what happened? Justin Bieber did a flash mob appearance at the Ruby Red Stairs singing “Baby”!
He just appeared and started singing out of nowhere! Kate and I were both taken by surprise as we scrambled take a snap of him live in person. And just as sudden as he had arrived, he left as quickly as well.Before long, we were left only with screaming girls and crying fans. They actually cried!
Soon, the booths were opened and we got our tickets for $61.50USD each. We then took the opportunity to of course taste some New York Cheese cake and chocolate cake before our show…
As we left our dinner, we caught a glimpse of Times Square at night.
The city just exudes so much life and energy especially right here at Times Square. A few walks down were where we caught Mary Poppins beside this iconic McDonalds.
As we were not allowed to film or take pictures during the performance, we took a picture of the curtains before the start of the show…
The performance was absolutely captivating. The story was about a family with kids that would not behave. They of course did when Mary Poppins became their baby sitter. There were some real magic and flying around the theater that kept the audience thoroughly glued to the show. The singing by the lead was also unbelievably beautiful. Overall it was a great show for a great night in NYC 🙂
Walk about NYC 2
With some spare time in NYC, we went to the central park…
We then searched for the Serendipity Cafe that was featured in the Romantic Comedy of the same name – Serendipity.
We also visited another movie venue in NYC, FAO Schwarz Toys – Home of the Legendary Toy Company!
It was here where Tom Hanks did the dance at the Big Piano in the movie “Big”
The staff at the Big Piano was answered almost immediately when I asked “Is this…” (didnt manage to complete “the piano from the movie?”) when he replied “Yes, and there will be professional dancers here 3 times a week to perform the actual dance from the movie”. Think he must be so used to guests/visitors asking the same question over and over again.
The Big Apple definitely lives up to its name and is probably one of the most Cosmopolitan city in the world. The energy and vibes it exuberates even in the wee hours of the night makes a city that truly never sleeps.
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Philadelphia Attractions! – Liberty Bell Independence Hall Philly Cheese Steak Reading Terminal Market
To round up our list of things to do and attractions in Philadelphia, we are going to cover Independence Hall, Liberty Bell, Betsy Ross and the American Flag as well as all the yummy stuff at Reading Terminal Market!
We start our historical trail at the independence hall and it all starts here, at the independence square…
While we were there, the independence hall was under renovation…
We were led into the hall where the declaration of independence was signed…
We were told by the tour guide (who by the way is very very knowledgeable) that there are currently 2 actual pieces of articles from George Washington’s time. The rest of the tables and chairs re-modeled to resemble what it was like during that time. So the two articles were…
The painting seen here taken with our Philly Bear from Radisson Hotel
and the chair which George Washington sat on…
We were told by our guide that George Washington often questioned whether the sun was a rising sun or a setting sun. The answer was obvious…a rising sun…
Next, we were told a piece of information that even most Americans would not know. The declaration of Independence was actually completed on the 2nd of July 1776! Then why was the declaration of independence only signed on 4th of July 1776? According to our guide, it was time taken to amend from the version that Thomas Jefferson had originally drafted. Some of the things like abolition of slavery as well as the mention of the tyranny of the king were removed from the final version…
Next we were led upstairs…
Other stuff upstairs…
The signer was fashioned to commemorate the fore fathers who signed 2 important documents in the history of America – The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States.
What we really like about Philadelphia is that life in the city is so delicately interwoven and intertwined with its history. Just a few blocks away, we are along the historical trails where we arrived at the Betsy Ross House. We were just in time for the daily flag raising ceremony at about 10am.
You would almost certainly notice that there are only 13 stars on this flag. This was because it represents the number of states then that participated in the movement…
Next we visited the liberty bell with its infamous crack…
Well we didn’t exactly catch the crack (because of the crowd) as we took it from the back angle. There were many stories in the hall that leads up to the bell which tells of why the bell cracked what happened when they rang the bell when the declaration of independence was read and so on…
There were many recollections and many interesting snippets about the Liberty Bell, do spend some time reading them!
Next we headed to the famous Reading Terminal Market!
The reason why we were here was because of Man vs Food (MVF)! At that time, we were still having our Starhub Cable TV, so we watched MVF every Wednesday. This episode recounted the French-Dipped Sandwich of DiNic’s!
We took the liberty of ordering both the Pork and the Beef sandwich topped one with roasted pepper (Jalapeno – chilli pepper) and the other with Spinach.
We didnt regret it! In fact, even as we’re writing this post, we’re feeling hungry!! The roast was tender and flavourful while the peppers really packed a punch (definitely not for those who do not take chilli). The spinach also complimented the sandwich really really well.
Not only was the food good, there was some eye candy for Kate as well…
As we ventured along the walkways of Reading Terminal Market, we stumbled unto another gem…
The ice cream was o so good! It was because of the high content of butter in Bassetts ice cream, so do take note – especially for those who are watching those calories! The ice cream parlour also packs in alot of history, being established in 1861 and serving in this same spot for a long long long time now…
There was also chocolates galore here in the Reading Terminal Market…
After the delights, we took a walk along the river and caught a glimpse of the USS New Jersey
Along the banks, we saw the Olympia (World’s oldest steel warship afloat today, since 1892) and the Becuna Submarine used during WW2.
Further on, we walked by other memorials such as these Vietnam and Korean War Memorial…
On the last day as we walked about town, we came by the famous Philadelphia Stock Exchange…
Rounding up the trip, there was just one last thing we had to do…that is to enjoy a Philly Cheesesteak!
Philly Cheese Steak from the road stalls, the way the locals have them
Philadelphia has got to be one of our favouritest place in USA. It has got a rich history, modern architecture and great food. It is a must visit place when you are in the USA!
You can read about the other 2 Philadelphia Posts here…
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Things to do and Attractions in Philadelphia USA Part 2 – Franklin Institute, Philadelphia Museum of Art,Rocky Statue, City Hall, Elvez,Schuylkill River Trail,Independence Hall
There are so many things to do and attractions in Philadelphia! Let’s find out what are the things to do right here in Philadelphia!
Venturing on, we passed by the Franklin Institute where we caught a glimpse of Benjamin Franklin seated near its entrance…
There were also tonnes of statues along the way, commemorating different people and events (Philadelphians, care to help us name them?)…
We then saw an iconic structure…the Philadelphia Museum of Art
It was here where Rocky (in the movie) ran up these steps (known as “Rocky” steps) as he trained…which is why the Rocky statue is also situated nearby…
We had a refreshing view of the river along the Schuylkill River Trail…
Near the waterworks was a familiar figure…
Although not nearly as large as its Washington counterpart, but just as iconic.
On the way back, we also saw a statue of Joan of Arc…
as well as the St. Paul and St. Peter Church…
We also caught another view of the City Hall as well as the Independence Hall which we intend to visit the next day…
A wonderful sunset drew the day to a close as we ended our dinner at Elvez, a mexican modern restaurant…
To our surprise, the restaurant was fully packed for dinner and we were advised to return an hour later. We didnt make a booking because we didnt know if our hunger would over come us. Still, we saved the space in our tummies and returned to Elvez at about 8:30pm. It was still very crowded but the friendly staff gave us a cosy table for 2…
There are several famous foods at Elvez and we tried the 2 Nachos, namely Macho Nachos as well as Nachos with Guacamole…
Macho Nachos has got to be the best Nachos we’ve ever tasted. All the ingredients used were fresh and the flavours bursts in your mouth literally as you enter for the first bite. Hints of lime, mighty cheese, a little bit of spice,olives,fresh tomatoes and the meat all blended together to give that WOW taste…you’ve got to try it if you’re there!
Next, we also tried the famous original Elvez Guacamole Nachos…
Again, the ingredients were fresh and the portions were huge. The taste of the guacamole didnt disappoint and went interestingly well with the Nachos. Another favourite here…
We accompanied our dinner with a couple of drinks…
In our next post, we will give the details of the heritage trails (independence Hall, liberty bell, betsy ross house)
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Things to do and attractions in Philadelphia Philly Part 1
There are so many things to do and attractions in Philadelphia! Let’s find out what are the things to do right here in Philadelphia!
Philadelphia is one of our favourite city in the United States. It is really the amalgamation (combination) of all things great for a tourist.
The city is rich in history, with the liberty (declaration of independence), liberty bell and the american revolutionary war as its background. However, a few blocks down you will see modern buildings such as the Comcast Centre, One Liberty Place and Two Liberty Place. There is really a good intertwine between the modern facade and history of the city. Walking in the historic district makes one feels like you are walking back into colonial times as well. For more about colonial USA, click here.
But to a traveller and tourist , a complete coverage of a city comes with its food! (well at least that’s true @ 2bearbear.com) Philadelphia is famous for….drum rolls….Philly Cheesesteaks! We’ll also visit some of the other famous eateries in Reading Terminal Market and of course features from Man VS Food (MVF)!
We started our drive early this weekend once again. The drive was approximately 4 hours and we were able to stop by the Jefferson Memorial (something we missed when we visted Washington DC the last time).
Did you know that Thomas Jefferson was not only one of the founding fathers but also the main author of the Declaration of Independence?
As we approached our hotel (Radisson Hotel Philadelphia), we were greeted by this building and awed by the city hall on the horizon…
We were somewhat misled by the GPS as we entered the central business district (CBD), the tall buildings must have clouded out the signals. However, we did eventually arrive at our destination – Radisson Hotel Philadelphia!
We were also pleasantly surprised by the room which was spacious yet had the cosy feel to it…
We quickly unloaded our stuff and headed out towards the city hall and we were greeted by him!
All over town we could see many many different versions of him wearing different costumes and designs. We then took several pictures around the city hall area…
Soon we entered the much talked about Comcast Centre. Not only because it is the tallest building in Philadelphia, but also because of these magical screens…
The screens displayed images so realistic that without looking closer, you would have thought the screens were part of the wall…(Note that the lines between the screens are also part of the screen) then it happened, it began displayed videos and animation. The smaller screens were integrated as part of a larger screen…
In our next post we will show you more of Philadelphia!
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Take a step back in time at Colonial Williamsburg – Learn more about USA History during Colonial Times here!
To learn more about the history of USA, look no further than a visit to Colonial Williamsburg.
Kate and I looked upon this trip with much anticipation because we were told that this is a town re-constructed to be like that during Colonial times. We were also told that not only the structures were colonial, even the actors in Colonial Williamsburg dressed as a person during those times. So we were fascinated to just take a step back in time and history into Colonial times through Colonial Williamsburg. Actually, towns like these pretty much reminded us about the Village by M Night Shyamalan. Cool!
We parked our car at the designated car park and bought our tickets at the ticketing counter. At the entrance, there was a huge 3-D map of the entire Colonial Williamsburg!
Pictures of what you would be expecting at Colonial Williamsburg.
As we proceeded to the town, there were little milestones on the floor that leads you into thinking that you have been magically transported back in time….
Famous Quotes of USA Nation Makers along the way
After a short walk, we “magically” arrived at Colonial Williamsburg
We first took a short visit to the armoury to see all the weapons stored there. The armskote was telling a story about how they prepared themselves for the battle. It really sounded as if you were right there getting ready for the revolution!
We took out the programme sheet and headed for the first “show”
It was very exciting to be part of the show! The actors addressed all the audience as if they were villagers during the colonial times…
When the “traitor” spoke, actors that were planted in the audience jeered and all the audience jeered along as well!
A pastor sharing during the Colonial times and the imminent battle…
And the Hero is none other than General George Washington himself
After all that drama and fantastic show put up by the actors of Colonial Williamsburg (really inspiring speech from Washington), we headed to the “local bakery”!
As it was right after the show, everyone headed out for lunch. Good thing Kate and I targetted the bakery early and we arrived amongst the first at the queue (sigh…kiasu Singaporean nature). Here, we enjoyed the chocolate chip cookie, ginger bread as well as the root beer!
But Kate forgot to ask to open the root beer, so we had to queue again to get it opened….ahh…thirst quencher…
Thereafter, we took a short walk around the rest of the area. There are buses that take you from one place to another, but you can also choose to walk. We also realised that there are lodges where you can totally immerse yourself in colonial history!
All in all, we totally enjoyed ourselves. The actors immersed in their roles and that brought the characters to life, bringing/ transporting the audience back in time!
P.S. We visited Philadelphia later and learnt that the declaration of independence was actually completed on 2 July! There were things such as the abolishment of slavery and tyranny of the king included in the first draft, therefore it took 2 more days for refinement. Hence, the 4th of July. Picked this piece of information from the tour guide at the independence hall! Interesting!
P.S.S After we returned the car this particular weekend, we had a bad encounter at the 7-11. We were told by the cashier that 2 hotdogs were on offer at $2.50 but when she keyed into the cashier, we were charged $2.50 per hot dog! Sigh…so we piled on the cheese, radish and onions to make our hotdogs more hua…
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