Free Lobster... Paid with Time

Tuesday evening was my first food truck event. Every Tuesday (weather-depending) in Santa Monica a few trucks come to a specific lot for people to enjoy. This week, trucks included:

A Rockin Ice  http://www.arockinice.com/

Bollywood Bites http://www.thebollywoodbites.com/

Clean Street http://www.cleanstreetfood.com/

Crepe n around http://crepenaround.com/

Gourmet Genie http://www.gourmetgenietogo.com/

Grilled Cheese Truck http://www.thegrilledcheesetruck.com/

Lobsta truck http://www.lobstatruck.com/

Shrimp Pimp http://shrimppimptruck.com/

Slammin Sliders http://slamminsliders.com/

I ended up having some shrimp ceviche and a tuna sashimi salad from the Shrimp Pimp truck. The food was good and I enjoyed going to this since I missed out on going last time I was here due to rain cancellation.

Wednesday I went to a San Diego County Fair in Del Mar, CA [http://www.sdfair.com/]. I had lunch (to-go grocery salad with chicken, raspberry vinaigrette, walnuts, craisins; apple slices; chocolate-vanilla twist frozen yogurt) and then went on a Ferris wheel (the ride gave great views of the fair and nearby ocean, but did not feel so safe) and then a spinning ride. I also checked out farm animals, games, shows, shopping exhibits (from actual baked goods or other items for sale to demonstrations of more major products, such as Vitamix blenders and pressure cookers), and saw both flower and car competitions. There were so many food stands - everything from Italian and Greek to just about ANYTHING fried (brownies, Kool-Aid, Thin Mint cookies...). After the fair, I went to a nearby casino [http://www.valleyviewcasino.com/], where signing up for a free membership card earned me a FREE lobster and other food buffet (nearly $30 value, paid for in the almost 2 hour wait before I actually sat down to eat). There was a ton of seafood, salad items, desserts, Asian foods, and more. I left super full (had some lobster, crab leg, mango sorbet, salad with toppings, some sushi and Japanese salads, white fish, miso soup, fruit...), but it only cost time and tip. :-P 

Today, I visited Surfas [culinary supply store: http://www.surfaslosangeles.com/] and some local gun shops near my sister's apartment (just as part of a short walk on a day of nice weather). Later on I may go for my second time to the cool LA Farmer's Market [http://www.farmersmarketla.com/] and who knows what else for my final night in LA for this trip. My flight is tomorrow afternoon.

Great Blog

Quick note to talk about a blog I just heard about that is written by some English students in Poland, there to check out the country before the EURO Cup in 2012:
http://misja21.blox.pl

Blog Description:
"Gazeta Wyborcza", the country's leading daily, has invited journalism students from City University London to visit 21 biggest cities in Poland and determine whether they are ready to host the UEFA EURO 2012 championships. What is it like for foreigners to meet Polish people? Are any of the common stereotypes actually true? Here is our editorial project, Mission 21.

I think this is a fantastic resource because of how expansive it is; I did not have a chance to visit many of the cities that these bloggers have gone to, such as Opole and Szczecin. And there is a lot of great information on food, activities, and sites to see around the country.

Disney Day!

Sunday we had a Greek dinner while doing laundry [http://www.mezzamg.com/] and later on went to the Griffith Observatory [http://www.griffithobs.org/] in the Hollywood Hills for some nice nighttime views of the Los Angeles area. When the observatory closed at 10, we went to House of Pies [http://house-of-pies.net/home.nxg].

Monday was DISNEY DAY. We did 1-day park hopper tickets so we could enjoy both Disneyland and California Adventure. We walked a bit through Downtown Disney before going to Disneyland first. After a bit of walking (picture near castle and Walt & Mickey statue), our first ride was Pirates of the Caribbean, which seemed different (added effects and more water to me - I ended up splashed more than once). We went on Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and then we went to California Adventure, where we took passes for the show at night (World of Color for the 10:15 show). Here we saw that Ariel's Undersea Adventure was closed because of technical difficulties (sadly, we never had a chance to go on and only saw the ride outside and inside entrances, with a pretty mural where you board the ride) and then went on Toy Story Midway Mania. We then had lunch (salad in bread bowl for me and Mexican for Jenn and Scott - these were tacos with beans and rice and guacamole on the side). After that we met with a Disney Vacation Club person, who gave us an appointment to talk about the program later in the afternoon. While we waited, we went on Soarin' Over California. After our Vacation Club presentation (free cold drinks and Milano cookies, plus we saw some of the Disneyland Resort hotels and new hotel in Hawaii room models while earning two free fastpasses per person), we rode California Screamin', before going back to Disneyland for a bit. We did fastpasses for Space Mountain and then Mr. Toad's Wild Ride before going back to California Adventure. Once back, we went to the TRON party (elecTRONica, where there is a dj and dancers and an outside club with music and cocktails - alcoholic and non) and then waited for World of Color. This show was being built last time I was here and it was AMAZING. We saw some fireworks at Disneyland while we waited, but World of Color was beautiful; the most gorgeous Disney night show I have ever seen. So colorful and clever with great music and use of characters. After the show, it was back to Disneyland for Star Tours, which is now 3D and has a different story (which is why we waited over an hour and the wait was that long whenever we checked). It was worth the wait. By then it was after the park closing time, so we headed back tired and happy. We may have missed out on some rides and shows, but we hit almost every great/favorite ride. It was a fun day and the park was not too, too busy, which helped.

Today might involve heading to Santa Monica for food truck dinner and checking out the pier and beach. Tomorrow is still being planned as going towards San Diego for a fair. Not sure about Thursday or Friday morning before I head to the airport.

"Can't Wait to Have My Own Show Again..."

Recent activities:
-Walked and shopped (mostly book-related when it comes to purchases...) along Third Street Promenade area in Santa Monica (Barnes & Noble, Disney Store, Sur La Table, and Anthropologie were a few of the stops) [http://www.santamonica.com/visitors/what-to-do/shopping/downtown/]. I was close enough to the beach to almost feel and smell it. I saw the pier and beach area in Santa Monica a bit when leaving.
-Ate Japanese at Torafuku [http://www.torafuku-usa.com/]: clam soup, side salad, seaweed salad, and marinated eggplant.
-Saw Conan O'Brien documentary (shown above), which was great and hilarious. :) La Bamba - a member of Conan's shows' bands - he was in the bands for both shows on NBC and is in the current TBS one - was outside the theatre as I entered; maybe he was at the showing right before. The movie theatre was a cute little place with one screen, located in Westwood/West Los Angeles - a really nice area near UCLA. There were a lot of colorful lights on the several other nearby cinemas, plus numerous nice shops and restaurants/bars/cafes (saw pizzerias, sushi bars, and American Apparel to name a few spots).
-More light grocery shopping and a tad unpacking.

DISNEY MONDAY! Also, there may be a trip to the San Diego area on Wednesday, but not too much else is that solidly-planned yet (everything else is just ideas thrown into the mix that could be done). I am glad the weather has been quite pleasant since my last time in California was rainy.

CALIFORNIA

Currently in the Los Angeles area. I am coming up with ideas and making plans for my next week here. One place in mind is a well-known Polish restaurant in Santa Monica called WARSZAWA (appropriate after my recent time abroad :-P ).

http://www.warszawarestaurant.com/index.html

My sister did not have a good enough fill of Polish food during her short stay at home in New York, so I have been wondering if we should check this place out (it would be a first time for both of us). Other than the chance to go here, we also have plans for going to the movies (new Conan O'Brien documentary released today), heading to Disney (Land and California Adventure, of course ;) ), seeing a Tim Burton art exhibit at LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art), maybe seeing one event at the Los Angeles Film Festival (an event about music videos directed by Eric Wareheim from "Tim & Eric Awesome Show: Great Job!"), and playing lazer tag. I will be on the lookout for more to do (possible plans to maybe see an LA Dodgers game were one item scrapped). So far I have gone to visit my sister's work (fun cooking supply and more store), helped with shopping and unpacking/apartment setup, and went to MENCHIE'S for frozen yogurt fun. We love Menchie's. :)

Little cups to try frozen yogurt flavors; do-it-yourself soft-serve and topping bar... :-D There are even fun spoons now

http://menchies.com/

More later. :)

Polish Favorites: Tourism in Warsaw

I recommend this site: http://www.um.warszawa.pl/en/articles/warsaw-tourism and this site: http://www.warsaw-life.com/ and this one http://www.spottedbylocals.com/warsaw/ and Trip Advisor, plus this cool map: http://www.use-it-warsaw.pl/

I also think it is good to visit Warsaw in May/June because of weather and flowering, but this does depend on plans and activities.

1. Old Town: includes Plac Zamkowy, the Royal Castle (if in Warsaw on Sunday, then there is free entry to the castle, which I recommend), Zygmunt's Column, Barbikan (the brick walls surrounding some of the area), and the Old Town Rynek. I would even suggest heading a bit north of Old Town into the cute New Town area (where the site of Marie Sklodowska-Curie once lived, where there is now a museum).

2. Lazienki Park, with the Chopin Monument, gardens, Orangery, white house, and palace [http://www.lazienki-krolewskie.pl/index.php?lang=en]. There are beautiful plants, trees, and flowers around the grounds. I hear that the boat/gondola rides on the water are nice. I recommend looking out for peacocks, which are usually near the Ampitheatre. I did see a concert by the Chopin Monument, but it was not one of the Sunday Chopin classical shows offered from May until September (two shows each Sunday at 12pm and 4pm).

3. Palace of Culture and Science Observation Deck: one of the best views in Warsaw.

4. Warsaw Uprising Museum: a well-done museum with takeaway information (not just learning while there, but actual handouts that can be taken home). There is a neat aerial video of the city after the World War II and a lot of great artifacts with interviews from people involved in the conflict. This may be one of the best museums I have ever visited, which must be why it is so popular and has been updated before. Free admission on Sundays (but the video costs extra everyday). http://www.1944.pl/en/

5. Frederic Chopin Museum: the museum is housed in a former palace. The exhibits are not only in a lovely place, but are very interactive - you can listen to Chopin's music and touch screens to learn more information. The grounds outside are lovely - there are some murals on nearby buildings that include Chopin and the famous Golden Duck statue is on the street below the museum. Be on the lookout for the black marble Chopin Benches around the city: they mark significant places to Chopin when he lived in Warsaw (with map on the bench that show current location and other sites of benches), plus they play Chopin's music when a button is pressed. http://chopin.museum/en

6. Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

7. Krakowskie Przedmiescie and Nowy Swiat Streets: including the Presidential Palace, Warsaw University, numerous cafes/restaurants and shops, and several monuments (Copernicus and Adam Mickiewicz to name a couple). See the Palm Tree at the end of Nowy Swiat where it intersects Jerozolimskie Avenue. If old, ornate churches are of interest, then there are some here in addition to the Old Town area.

8. Honorable Mentions (if there is extra time): Warsaw Zoo [http://www.zoo.waw.pl/], tours of the Sejm [http://www.sejm.gov.pl/english.html] and Presidential Palace (NOTE: these both need reservations a bit in advance - the palace in particular took a few weeks and may need special permission), Copernicus Science Center (great interactive and playful exhibits, especially for children - which is also a warning since this place has school children tours and families visiting, which may not be fun for people against lines, crowds, or rowdy children) [http://www.kopernik.org.pl/en/], more mermaid statues (one is easy to see in the center of the Old Town Rynek, but others exist around the city, including one near the Swietokrzyski Bridge and Copernicus Science Center), Warsaw University Library (summer months have a deck on the roof open to the public with amazing city views; the surrounding gardens are also beautiful), Warsaw Ghetto area/Jewish places in Warsaw (including the remains of the ghetto wall), National Museum of Warsaw [http://www.mnw.art.pl/index.php/pl/english_summary/], other monuments of interest (Ghetto Uprising, Warsaw Uprising, etc.), other parks/gardens (Saxon Garden, Ujazdowski Park, Skaryszewski Park), venture in Praga (beaches along the Wisla/Vistula River, see the E. Wedel factory and its store full of candy), walk along the Wisla/Vistula River (there is a great new fountain near the river to the east of the New Town area, which sometimes has light shows - certain days this includes music) and Plac Zbawiciela and Plac Konstytucji for some good food and people or architecture observation.

9. Culture: Polish cuisine, show (opera or ballet or theatre or concert), and shopping (Hala Mirowksa market (for some flower stands, meat or seafood booths, and assorted groceries - it is all an interesting experience :-P) or play it safe along Nowy Swiat and Mokotowska or at one of the city's great malls or small shops).

10. What I Wanted to See and Ran Out of Time for (still recommend): Wilanow Palace and gardens, Pole Mokotowskie (saw some of this park area ("field") since it was not too far from my school and dorm), and just about any museum I did not see (there were SO many to choose).

There is so much to see and so much to do... but these are the main hits that show so much about the city, especially if there is not too much time to really dig in deep. I further recommend this book for an interesting stay (it is written in Polish and in English):

Polish Favorites: Tourism around Poland

First, I will give general information of cities I would recommend seeing before giving more detailed thoughts on Warsaw, where I spent the most time and saw more tourist spots.

Other than Warsaw
1. Tri-City (Gdansk, Gdynia, Sopot)
This area was a big favorite with many others on my program. Gdansk has a lot to see and to do: Solidarity Museum, the famous shipyards, Old Town area, and historic sites (meeting halls, monuments/statues, churches, etc.). Gdynia is a very green-looking area and has more famous places and monuments, important to WWII history of the area. Sopot is just a very pretty, yet sometimes expensive, seaside town. It reminded me of resort towns/cities in the US, such as Atlantic City. It has a beautiful boardwalk and a bustling little area on the shore with hotels, shops, and restaurants. It was nice to come here to see the great Baltic Sea.

2. Wroclaw
I swear, whenever I mentioned going to or having been in Wroclaw, the Polish people I would be talking to would not stop praising the city as their favorite or somewhere they were dying to visit. The Americans on my program tended to overlook this city - except for one girl who may have visited after the program ended and the students who would ask me about my thoughts on Wroclaw when I spoke of it - but anyone I knew who was Polish or had a chance to go were only positive about it (which was uncommon for most places, since there were usually good and bad comments about anywhere from Warsaw to Krakow). Not exactly sure what I recommend most, except maybe the Panorama Raclawicka (http://www.panoramaraclawicka.pl/en/what_to_see.html) and walking around the city and over its many bridges (especially seeing Old Town and the Rynek). I also hear the zoo is pretty great.

3. Krakow (Nearby: Auschwitz & Wieliczka Salt Mine)
Visiting Krakow is not a one-day event; it really does need a few days to see a better amount of the city and some sites nearby. Krakow has its Old Town with the amazing Rynek, which houses the famous Sukiennice, churches, and tons of stores and cafes/restaurants. There is also Wawel (cathedral with royal tombs and castle), the newly-opened Schindler Factory Museum, Nowa Huta (for Social-Realist architecture), other churches, Kazimierz (former Jewish district that now has synagogues, hip galleries and cafes, plus the best zapiekanki in town - so I've heard), Jagiellonian University (such as the library and Collegium Maius), monuments (Battle of Grunwald Monument and Kosciuszko's Mound), St. Florian's Gate, the Planty (park with walkway around Old Town), and many other museums (I heard the Ethnography Museum is good).  For trips outside the city that are not too far of a bus or car ride away, my main recommendations are Auschwitz in Oswiecim [http://en.auschwitz.org.pl/m/] and Wieliczka Salt Mine (very popular with the other American students, who licked everything, which is allowed) [http://www.kopalnia.pl/home.php?id_language=2].

4. Honorable Mentions
For a few hours or if there is a lot of time to visit around Poland: Lodz (I recommend Manufaktura [http://www.manufaktura.com/EN/HomePage/Default.aspx] and walking along Piotrkowksa Street), Poznan (did not have much time there, but the Stary Browar [http://www.starybrowar5050.com/en/miejsce/idea] and Old Town's Rynek are great), Torun (see the birthplace of Copernicus and the university named in his honor, plus walk around the pretty brick Old Town, see the leaning tower, and maybe try some fresh piernik (gingerbread) - there is even a museum for it where visitors can make their own; I also walked the bridge connecting one side of the city to the other, not by choice but it was still a nice way to say "hello" and "goodbye"), Lublin, Legnica, Malbork Castle (on the way to or from the Tri-City area)

5. Places I would go
Some places I would see if I had more time (and may see in the future one day): Rzeszow, Bialystok, more of the Baltic Coast, more of Poznan, Białowieża National Park, Zakopane/Tatra Mountain Region, Zamosc, Gniezno