In every small town in America, we expect to find some great local place to have breakfast, and Idaho Falls is no exception. When we arrived at Idaho Falls, it was very, very late at night. Idaho Falls is actually one of the more well-known towns in Idaho. We figured that we were in for at least some sort of a city and some sort of a something.
We went downtown, we drove up and down the main street of Idaho Falls, and we realized that it was a town that had been booming at one point and now, wasn’t quite as busy as it had been at its peak. Many of the shops were empty, but you could still see, at the same time, that there was a lot of spirit in trying to maintain the heritage of the town and build it back up. Somebody we talked to also told us that there was a whole other new area of town that had opened up with a big mall, which had probably drawn most of the traffic and customers away. I still like old downtowns better though.
Again, we stayed at Hampton Inn, and again, it was identical to the one that we’d stayed in Utah - very, very comfortable and very easy hotel to stay in. We asked people around town where we should eat breakfast, and we, repeatedly, were pointed into the same place which was the () where we had breakfast. They had all kinds and different kinds of fancy pancakes and different kinds of fancy eggs and inside it had a very neat decor that had lots of either Austrian or German decorations on the wall.
It had the most amazing hash browns you’ve ever had. My wife says to remember to tell people that it’s the potato state, and that the hash browns she had there were the best potatoes she had ever had in her life. And she comes from a place where there’s an awful lot of potatoes. We ate more food than we could possibly handle, and then, we went over to Wal-Mart to buy supplies that we were going to use in Yellow Stone. We both were taken by one who worked at the cash register. She was very pretty, with beautiful long red hair and she just looked like trouble. She looked like the kind of girl where some guy was going to slip in from out of town and steal her away from her parents and her family. The funny thing is that if anybody in Idaho Falls reads this, they’re probably going to know exactly who we’re talking about. She was very sweet, very well-behaved, but she was too pretty for a town of that size.
I’ve never been to Yellow Stone before, and ever since I’d first read about the idea of snow mobiling in Yellow Stone, I really wanted to try it. For some years, they made it illegal to snow mobile in Yellow Stone, but now, the government had set it aside so that certain people with permits are allowed in. But you’re required to go with a guide. You can either go as part of a tour or if you push them a little bit, you can arrange to have your own guide.
Originally, my wife was just going to ride on the back of my snow mobile, but then after thinking about it for awhile, she decided she’d be courageous and do it herself, and she was really glad she did. We each had our own snow mobile and our own guide. The price for that day was about $500 - maybe it was a little bit less. That included clothing we’ve got that’s designed especially for going snow mobiling. They said to show up in the kind of clothes you’d normally wear to go skiing in. I had on a few layers of thermal underwear and a few layers of thermal top, and then, they give you a suit that looks like a motorcycle racing suit, but it’s designed for going snow mobiling. They also give you nice, big, thick boots that have real thick bottoms so you’re insulated up away from the snow. We used our own gloves but they also had very nice snow mobiling gloves, and for your head, they give you a helmet to wear with a face shield on it. At first, I felt a little claustrophobic with the helmet, but then I quickly realized that you can lift the face shield up and then, it didn’t bother me at all. It fit perfectly over my glasses because without my glasses, I wouldn’t have been able to see anything.
Snow mobiles are replaced each year at certain places. The place we rented them from is actually owned and run by the local Yamaha snow mobile dealer, and they rent them through the Holiday Inn in town. I highly recommend renting your snow mobile from them because all the snow mobiles are brand new. We did in the first week of the season, which meant that the snow mobiles we had, I believe, had never even been used before.
The guide was absolutely fantastic, and he was very gentle, very nice and very understanding. I recommend showing up the night before to get oriented to know where you’re going to be going, and where you’re going to be (?) and also to get the clothes. That way, when you show up the next day, you can already be dressed and ready to go.
So, we just left Berringer. It has an absolutely beautiful property. I thought a lot of these places had just been built in the last 30 years to try to draw tourists in, but I realized that the Berringer Winery is over 100 years old. In fact, it’s one of the only wineries in America that stayed open and produced some wine all throughout Prohibition. They have a wonderful picture of this massive crowd waiting for a tour at the winery the day they left Prohibition. The Berringer Winery has tunnels that go back hundreds of feet into the mountain keeping at a constant 15 degrees when making the wine. It was amazing how many different movies have been filmed at the Berringer Wineries, and also in the tunnels with people, such as Keanu Reeves to Clark Gable, whose photos are on their wall.
We tasted a bunch of wine and being a non-wine drinker, I’d finally started to pick up some of the subtle taste differences. One of them really did taste like it had been toasted, and I can taste the vanilla in it. In other ones, I’m starting to actually pick up the fact that you can taste things like cloves and other spices, or a lemony taste in the wine. So, there really is a difference, and they don’t all just taste the same. Now, the funny thing is that I’m a non-drinker, so it’s taking nothing more than a teeny sip, but on the last one, the one that actually tasted pretty good, I took a big gulp and swished it around in my mouth. I came to the realization that if you do take a big gulp and swished it around in your mouth, you get a much better taste than if you just taste the sip. The biggest trouble we had was that my wife is a bad swirler. We’ve been trying and trying, and she’s been practicing and practicing, but unfortunately, she cannot perfect the swirl. I don’t know if it’s going to be possible to teach it to her or not, but tonight at dinner, we’ll be practicing with the water glass.
If you happen to be driving north of San Francisco along the coast, you’ll come through a little town and find a place called The Cowgirl Creamery. The Cowgirl Creamery is the same company that sells the Point Reyes blue cheese, but it turns out, they’re not the place where the Point Reyes blue cheese is made. Point Reyes blue cheese is not actually made in Point Reyes (it’s made elsewhere), but it’s still sold out at the same stores as the Cowgirl Creamery.
It turns out the Cowgirl Creamery only makes one cheese there, which is their red (???), and the other part of the Cowgirl Creamery, which is in Catalonia, makes the rest of their cheeses. They have a great cottage cheese. They have a great really, mild, creamy spud cheese and then, they have the red (???), which I thought was just out of this world. I even bought half of a small wheel. They were very nice inside and they gave us lots of free samples. It reminded you of all the best parts of whole foods that fit into the size of a large 7/11.
The drive from Utah in the Green River, and up along the Colorado River into Colorado was absolutely breathtaking. We stopped at one of my favorite chains, The Black Bear Diner, to get an oversized breakfast. We saw beautiful, red cliffs that have been dusted with snow and looked like they came from Sedona, Arizona. I had never driven anywhere near the arch on the Colorado River, and it was the most unbelievably beautiful river. It looked like black glass. We followed the Colorado River up to the mountains and as we got near Aspen, we started coming across what looked like log cabins, except (???) must have been 10,000 sq. ft.
We found our little hotel, which was right at the bottom of Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen. It was actually quite affordable and turned out to be unbelievably convenient. My wife went skiing everyday and most of the runs on that mountain are beginner or intermediate with very few advanced runs, which were perfect for her skiing. We could walk right out of the back door of the hotel and within 10 or 20 steps; you’re at the bottom of the lift. She had a wonderful time skiing, while I sat and played on my computer and wrote in the lodge.
Neither one of us were ready for the temperature we felt that day. When we walked outside, it was -7 degrees. It was cold. Later on that day, we went to downtown Aspen and it was just as cold – as not colder, but now, it was also a little windy. I was stupid enough that I actually even forgot my gloves. We were freezing. And in fact, I got hungry at one point and it felt like it was turning into a life or death situation simply walking around downtown Aspen going from the Dior shop to East St. Leron to Ralph Lauren. I felt like I was kicking my life in my own hands, until I found a little shop on the corner where I was able to get me warm kish(?). Fortified with the warm kish(?), I felt much stronger.
We ended up having dinner the first night in this unbelievably beautiful restaurant, Rastik, that had a French backbone. We had soups. We had unbelievably good bread, and an incredible dinner in a freezing cold town.
Downtown Aspen is absolutely gorgeous. At Christmas time, there were small trees everywhere and every one of them wears a blanket of Christmas lights. Some of the lights were white. Some of the streets had bluish-purple lights and in one area, they had a rainbow of lights on every tree. As we drove around, we came across a hotel which had a tree 30-40 ft high just covered in lights. And on every building, there were these enormous icicles. Some of them were 4-6 inches in diameter at their base and looked like if they fell, they would go right through you. There were a wonderful combination of beauty and danger.
As we drove up and down the streets, we had a chance to glimpse into the living rooms of the rich and famous who live there. You’d see these beautiful wooden houses with warm light coming from inside and were beautifully furnished. We got to get a little peek of the lives of these fabulously wealthy people and the unbelievable comfort in which they were able to live even in such a harsh environment.
The second that we were there, we went to Nobu Sushi for dinner. Nobu is a famous chain that has served many movie stars and is found all across the United States. We had a very aggressive Russian waiter who was very knowledgeable and encouraged us from one dish to the next. Some of which were incredibly good, and some of which were very good. Nothing on the menu was disappointing, although it was fairly expensive for what we got by the time that we were done. By the time we walked out of the door, we’d spent well over $100 on sushi. My wife also tried saki for the first time and she thought it was the perfect environment being up in the snow in a fancy sushi restaurant. She also came to the conclusion after trying it that she didn’t like it. They gave her a huge portion that she never finished.
We’ve (???) the town so much that each time we would go into the downtown, we would spend probably an extra hour just driving slowly up and down the street on the snow and ice, savoring every moment, looking in every window, and looking at every blinking Christmas light.
The final night we were there, we wanted something a little more casual and a little less expensive, and we wandered into the most fabulous Italian restaurant. It was full of families and laughing children. The most amazing thing is that you literally, without exaggeration, couldn’t even open the front door because the crowd was so thick. It felt like the busiest rock concert I’d ever been in. We worked our way through the crowd, put our name on the list and after waiting for about a half hour, we were seated. I had a big portion of lasagna and my wife had a pizza. We had a great salad with it and we saw a restaurant that was doing unbelievably well. You can see that in every detail, (???) and served incredibly good food at incredibly good value and gave people exactly what they wanted. So, business was just absolutely booming.
After spending our 3 nights at Aspen, we could easily see why it was such a popular place, why so many people desperately want to get to stay there and why it’s the big hangout of the rich and the famous.
A few months back I was in Las Vegas, and although I usually get my hair done in Beverly Hills at Vidal Sassoon, I decided to give the Kim Vo salon a chance. I only wanted my color done as I never let anybody cut my hair except Etienne in Beverly Hills. I scheduled the appointment the day before and it was scheduled with Alejandro, a Venuzualan with Italian roots (no pun intended.) He was very nice, although his accent made him at times a little difficult to understand. My color did not come out exactly the way I would have wanted it to, but I have to take responsibility for it, since I did not communicate clearly enough how I wanted it done. The color came out a little darker than I would have like it to. My natural color is a dark blond to light brunette. I normally prefer it on the lighter side with lots of natural looking highlights that blend well together with my natural color. Alejandro was very meticulous and exact, and the color definitely looked natural, but not as light as I normally prefer it to be. I always find it difficult to switch salons and have my hair turn out the way I want it during the first visit. I think that this is why I’m willing to drive a long distance to go and see Etienne and Mimi, my colorist in Beverly Hills. This is also the reason I prefer to visit a Vidal Sassoon salon since you can request that a call be made to your usual Vidal Sassoon salon to obtain the color mix they have on file for you. I either visit the salons in Beverly Hills, Costa Mesa or San Francisco. Although, I never have my hair cut by anybody else but Etienne. I have tried different stylists and I’m never satisfied unless I have my hair done by him. That is not to say that I have never been dissatisfied after a cut by Etienne, it is just that 9 out of 10 times I’m really happy with the cut. So, I’ve decided to stop trying different salons. It is worth the drive even with the higher gas prices. So, next week I’m seeing Etienne again and Mimi. Can’t wait!
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July 9th,2008
Travel |
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One of my all-time favorite brand and model handbags are Dior’s Gaucho Bags. They come in a variety of colors, sizes, types, and leathers. I have two of them. One is a dark red tote bag. This is the one I’m sporting currently. I also have a blue double saddle shoulder bag.
I love these bags. I adore them. The colors are beautiful and they have a little bit of a worn look to them like a well-worn saddle. It is one of the most unusual bags I have ever seen and I get complimented for them often when I carry them. To clarify, I only carry one at the time (although I wish I could carry them both simultaneously.) I also love the dangly Dior Charms that are attached to them. I wish I could have one in each color or just about. I would love to have on in crocodile leather.
March 23rd,2008
Shopping |
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If Santa Claus didn’t come to your place last Christmas Eve, I know why. We found him drinking merrilly and being quite the social butterfly at Mon Ami Gabi. As we were sitting at the bar (the restaurant is extremely popular and was completely full) we spotted Santa out on the patio sporting his oh so famous red suit and white beard. I thought it was odd that he was drinking, knowing full well that he had a busy night and a very long drive ahead of him, but then I said to myself that even Santa deserves a break on Christmas Eve. Well, the night grew darker and the longer he sat there, the (bleep) he got. I even managed to get a picture of myself with him. When we posed for the picture, Santa grabbed my ass. Oh Santa! I had to leave, but if Santa didn’t come to your home, well now you know why.
Mon Ami Gabi is a French Restaurant located in the Paris Hotel, situated directly on the strip and overlooking Bellagio’s lake and fountain. It is a great place to observe the bi-hourly fountain shows and for very little money you can rest your feet and sip a glass of wine while getting to see the show 3 or 4 times, depending of course on how many glasses of wine you want to devour.
So, I saw the award winning movie in 2004 and I loved it. Our dentist recommended we go and see the the musical playing at the Venetian in Las Vegas. So, we purchase the tickets on-line. We get a seat for Ian that will accomodate his bad knee. We show up at the theatre which looks like the inside of an old Opera House. Being that the theatre is not full, Ian gets the brillant idea of asking for better seats. The usher is willing to accomodate us but state we have to wait until the show is about to begin to make sure that assigned seats have already been taken. Right before the show is about to begin she waives us down to seats that are in the front row of a section that has a short wall in front of us, but no people directly in front of us. We sit there for about a minute, but Ian realizes that he is getting a little claustrophic because we were no longer on an aisle and he didn’t have an easy exit. His bad knee would prevent him from jumping over the wall, so he wanted to move again. The show is now about to begin, and I do not want to make any more disturbances that we already had, so I didn’t want to move again. To make a long story short, I ended up sitting where I was sitting, while Ian moved to a few rows behind me. Needless to say, it was an odd performance for both of us to watch. I don’t know if any of us enjoyed it that much.
There was nothing wrong with the performance itself, but I think I did prefer the movie.
Tickets can be purchased at the Venitian site.
My newest addition to my handbag collection. Yes, it has become quite a collection as I have gotten older, and there are surely more purses to be added in the future.
I treated myself to this handbag as a combined birthday and christmas gift. I haven’t yet begun to use it as I view it as more of a summer bag.
The Palazzo Beach Tote has the usual Fendi Zucca print in Tobacco (that is the name of the color for those of you who are not Fendi fashionistas.) What is unusual about this bag and which I just adore is the print of the Palazzo in bright turquoise on top of the logo printed canvas. I even love the brightly colored straps. I think this makes a fantastic summer handbag and I can’t wait to start using it. (That means though that I will have to part with my beautiful red Dior Gaucho bag for a few months.)
U.R. Rong
March 23rd,2008
Shopping |
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