Fun Things to Do

Tetsuya’s - Sydney, Australia

Irishlass — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 09:14:30 +0000

Tetsuya’s on 2009 List of the World’s Best Restaurants

An excerpt from the excellent review of Tetsuya’s at Eat, Show & Tell

Confit of Petuna Tasmanian Ocean Trout with Konbu, Daikon, & Fennel Seasonal Green Salad at Tetsuya’s

s: This was the best thing I have ever tasted in a long time. The ingredients complimented each other rather nicely, but it was the ocean trout that was perfection itself. I was definitely sorry that I finished it. The salad that accompanied this dish was a simple one - garden salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar - but there was something about it that made it delicious; perhaps it was the combination of fresh greens and the perfect balance between olive oil and balsamic.

h: I can understand why people rave about this dish and it’s Tetsuya’s signature. The trout was amazingly fresh, the konbu perfectly complimenting it and bursting with flavour when hitting the tongue. All the ingredients work nicely in harmony with each other.

m: Konbu! This is a dish definitely worthy of the raving. Deceptively simple, yet the combination of it all works wonderfully. The trout is soft and pink and almost overpowering without the kombu to give you a slightly salty kick to it all. The vegetables chosen were a good choice as they had a milder taste to them to avoid overpowering the fish. Also came with a very nice garden salad which was a hit with the table.

r: Overzealous in filling my ravenous stomach, I had finished this course off in record time. Possibly quicker than the time it took me to type this. Looking around at my fellow diners, including the random strangers around me, I realised I had just committed culinary sacrilege. Eager for a proper taste of Tetsuya-san’s much heralded brilliance, I was given a (pity) portion of squishies’ sample. The soft, tender, salty trout was simply amazing. The combination makes a mouthful that is difficult to capture in words, although the girls have made a good dig at it. Try it, you’ll see…

Many, many thanks to my guest posters from Eat Show and Tell for their review of Tetsuya’s. You can follow them on Flickr at Squishies

Best Restaurants in Sydney

TETSUYA’S RESTAURANT

529 KENT STREET
SYDNEY NSW 2000
TELEPHONE: +61 2 9267 2900

Denver Modernism Show

Irishlass — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 07:00:06 +0000

Mid Century Modern Denver

Guest Author : Otto von Stroheim

Bring me a martini because I HAVE OUTDONE MYSELF with this one! August 28 - 30, 2009 at the National Western Complex, Denver, Colorado. In addition to our 100 or so fabulous vendors from across the US…. you can hang with…

SHAG - L.A.’s quintessential neo-Mod artist, aka Josh Agle! The swankiest hipster ever to pick up a paintbrush! SHAG will have a booth at the Denver Modernism Show all three days, and will give slide show talks Friday night and Sunday. He’s also the juror of our special Denver Modernism Gallery section! Visit www.shag.com

Charles Phoenix - You know him! You love him! And he’s the Denver Modernism Show Toastmaster! Charles will emcee our entire show, will have his own booth all three days, will judge our Sunday Car Show and… oh, yeah - He’ll present another HILARIOUS retro slide show! www.charlesphoenix.com

Richard Cheese - Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine is, quite simply, the greatest band of all time. If you don’t believe me, visit www.richardcheese.com . Richard delights in converting all songs into swanky vintage lounge music … and that includes songs by Nine Inch Nails, rap songs, TV themes, whatever you got… Fabulous and funny…and naughty as hell. Richard will make a special guest appearance at the Denver Modernism Show Early VIP Gala on Friday night - to meet fans and sign and sell CDs. AND… Catch his stage show on Saturday Night, August 29 at the Gothic in Englewood - with Charles Phoenix as his opening act! It’s one of our Denver Modernism Show After-Parties!

Matt Locke, HGTV Design Star - We LOVE this guy!!! Matt is a native of Colorado Springs, but transplanted out to LA when he hit the Big Time on HGTV’s smash hit, Design Star! Matt will appear Friday night ONLY, with a slide show and lecture! www.mattlocke.com

Go Go Lab - Picture this: Three musicians supplying vintage-style jazz improv music, dressed in lab coats, with a big screen showing 1960s spy movies behind them… and they’re improving along to the spy action…. That’s Go Go Lab… our incredible Friday Night Preview Gala band! Visit www.gogolab.com

Aquasonics - On Sunday, in conjunction with our Denver Modernism Car Show addition, we’ll present the Aquasonics! What goes better with mid-century cars than surf guitar music??? Nothing! Oh - well maybe Roller Girls… and we have those on Sunday, too. www.aquasonics.net

Rocky Mountain Roller Girls - No modernism show is complete without roller derby… If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times. This year, in conjunction with our post-Atomic car Sunday Car Show, we have MORE wheels for you…. Girls on Wheels… It’s just a no-brainer! You HAVE to see this! www.rockymountainrollergirls.com

But WAIT… There’s MORE… We’ve got hula girls, drink-serving robots, designers, authors and artists! I’m telling you…. this year is UN-MISSABLE!!!

Thank you to my friend Otto von Stroheim for this information about his fabulous event in Colorado. Otto organizes and publicizes Tiki and Modernism events all over the west coast, including the very popular Tiki Oasis. Be sure and sign up for his great newsletter and you’ll be hip to all the happenings.

Things to do in Denver

A Perfect Weekend - Savannah, Georgia

Irishlass — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 03:25:42 +0000

SAVANNAH, HERE I COME

Guest Author: Maureen Gallaher

How could I say no? My friend sent me a ticket so I was off for a road trip again with two pals.

Flew into DC and next stop was Biltmore Estates in Asheville, North Carolina. You Home and Garden fans would love this Vanderbuilt home (while living in Newport, Rhode Island I became a Vanderbuilt groupie). When you go, get the audio cassette-it’s worth it. Ate and sampled wine in the on-site winery. Great stop and wine was cheaper than in California and good. In my next life, I’d like to go back and rent the cottage that comes with a cook and a butler.

On to Savannah and perfect Spring Break weather. Started with the ninety minute Old Town Trolley Tour, waled on River Street and went to the City Market. Ate on the outside deck at Tubby’s on River Street (scallops, chips, fried asparagus and a beer). Then on to a walking Gates and Garden tour which filled in lots of architectural questions and another snack at The Old Pink House and Tavern. Fish tacos and sushi were superb but a walk through the main restaurant made it to my return to Savannah list, “I’ll eat there”.

Next stop Tybee Island about 20 minutes away. Tybee is very laid back beach town but we did tour Fort Pulaski, Robert e Lee’s first post and a must stop for history buffs. Visited friends who live on the island and ate at a funky wharf restaurant, AJs-shrimp and hush puppies.

Left the bubbas and Motored back to Virginia, spending Easter Sunday in Washington DC. The big splurge was brunch at Willard’s Cafe du Parc. It was almost Paris.

Alot of time on the road with friends of twenty five years and great eating. Throw in some good sites and you have a memorable week. Only thing I would change was add some time.

Thank you very much to Maureen, my world traveling sister, for this guest post. You can’t follow her on Twitter ‘cuz she doesn’t really like computers.

100 Best Restaurants : The Times List

Irishlass — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 20:06:29 +0000

100 Best Restaurants in the World!

Hot off the presses - The Times (London) has published their 2009 edition of the 100 Best Eating Establishments in the World. Visit their site for more details - who’s new on the list, who moved up or down and most shocking - which celebrity super chef fell off the list completely.

Have you been to any of these restaurants? If so, please twitter me @juliemarg, I’d love you to do a guest post.

Eat Show and Tell tells all about the Tasmanian Ocean Trout at Tetsuya’s in Sydney, Australia #17 on the list

My friend Jeanine Barone wrote a fantastic post about #39 - Asador Extebarri - Spain

Below is the list - with links and a map provided by me!*

1 El Bulli, Barcelona, Spain
2 The Fat Duck, Bray, U.K.
3 Noma, Copenhagen, Denmark
4 Mugaritz, Errenteria, Spain
5 El Celler de Can Roca, Girona, Spain
6 Per Se, NYC, NY, U.S.
7 Bras, Laguiole, France
8 Arzak, San Sebastian, Spain
9 Pierre Gagnaire, Paris, France
10 Alinea, Chicago, IL, U.S.
11 L’Astrance, Paris, France
12 The French Laundry, Yountville, CA, U.S.
13 Osteria Francescana, Modena, Italy
14 St. John, London, U.K.
15 Le Bernardin, NYC, NY, U.S.
16 Restaurant de l’Hotel de Ville, Crissier, Switzerland
17 Tetsuya’s, Sydney, Australia
18 L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, Paris, France
19 Jean Georges, NYC, NY, U.S.

View 100 Best Restaurants in the World in a larger map
20 Les Creations de Narisawa, Tokyo, Japan
21 Chez Dominique, Helsinki, Finland
22 Ristorante Cracco, Milan, Italy
23 Die Schwarzwaldstube, Germany
24 D.O.M., Sao Paolo, Brazil
25 Vendome, Gladback, Germany
26 Hof van Cleve, Krushoutem, Belgium
27 Masa, Boston, U.S.
28 Gambero Rosso, Santa Flavia, Italy
29 Oud Sluis, Sluis, Netherlands
30 Steirereck, Vienna, Austria
31 Momofuku Ssam Bar, NYC, NY, U.S.
32 Oaxen Skaergaardskrog, Morko, Sweden
33 Martin Berasategui, Lasate, Spain
34 Nobu, London, U.K.
35 Mirazur, Menton, France
36 Hakkasan, London, U.K.
37 Le Quartier Francais, South Africa
38 La Colombe, Constatia, South Africa
39 Asador Etxebarri, Axpe, Spain
40 Le Chateaubriand, Paris, France
41 Daniel, NYC, NY U.S .
42 Combal Zero, Turin, Italy
43 Le Louis XV, Monaco
44 Tantris, Munich, Germany
45 Iggy’s, Singapore
46 Quay, Sydney, Australia
47 Les Ambassadeurs, France
48 Dal Pescatore, Canneto sull’Oglio, Italy
49 Le Calandre, Sarmeola di Rubano Padova, Italy
50 Mathias Dahlgren, Stockholm, Sweden
51 Zuma, Hong Kong, China
52 Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley, London, U.K.
53 Spondi, Athens, Greece
54 L’Arpege, Paris, France
55 L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, Hong Kong, China
56 Hibiscus, London, U.K.
57 Aqua, Wolfsburg, Germany
58 Le Gavroche, London, U.K.
59 Chez Panisse, Berkeley, CA, U.S.
60 Les Amis, Singapore
61 El Poblet, Denia, Spain
62 Maison Pic, Valence, France
63 Cafe Pushkin, Moscow, Russia
64 Le Meurice, Paris, France
65 Bukhara, Delhi, India
66 Varvari, Russia
67 Schauenstein, Germany
68 RyuGin, Minato-ku, Japan
69 La Maison Troisgros, Roanne, France
70 Wasabi, New Delhi, India
71 The River Cafe, London, U.K.
72 Enoteca Pinchiorri, Florence, Italy
73 Le Cinq, Paris, France
74 Allegro, Praha, Czech Republic
75 Quintessence, Tokyo, Japan
76 Restaurant Dieter Mueller, Gladbach, Germany
77 Geranium, Copenhagen, Denmark
78 Caprice, Hong Kong, China
79 Jardine, Capetown, South Africa
80 Amador, Langen, Germany
81 Biko, Mexico City, Mexico
82 L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon NYC, NY, U.S
83 Fasano, Sao, Paolo, Brazil
84 Mozaic, Bali
85 Obauer, Werfen, Austria
86 Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athenee, Paris, France
87 L’Ambroisie, Paris, France
88 Maison Boulud, Beijing, China
89 De Librije, Zwolle, Netherlands
90 Babbo, NYC, NY, U.S.
91 Maze, London, U.K.
92 Zuma, London, U.K.
93 Manresa, Los Gatos, CA, U.S.
94 Pier, Sydney, Australia
95 De Karmeliet, Bruges, Belgium
96 Aubergine, Cape Town, South Africa
97 Bo Innovation, Hong Kong, China
98 Rust en Vrede, Cape Town, South Africa
99 Del Posto, NYC, NY, U.S.
100 Reflets par Pierre Gagnaire, Dubai, UAE

*if you see any links that are incorrect in the list or the map, please leave me a comment.

A Must for Poker Players

Irishlass — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 08:32:56 +0000

Most people enjoy poker, and some love it. If you’re a poker lover, you must play at the Foxwoods Casino Resort once in your life. It’s one of the biggest casinos in the world, embedded in lovely surroundings and on a comfortable traveling distance from New York City. Before you sit down at Foxwoods, you may want to brush up your poker strategy. Check out a strong poker resource guide to prepare yourself for the tables.

Fergburger - Queenstown, New Zealand

Irishlass — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 22:32:26 +0000

Best Hamburger in the World

Guest Author: Dan Roberts

It is an institution - with 39 separate Facebook Groups (boasting well over 15,000 members) with names such as “We want a FergBurger in France” and “I’m just gonna say it… Fergburger is THE best burger in the world” it almost doesn’t seem in doubt - Fergburger in Queenstown, New Zealand is a travel destination in it’s own right.

Fergburger has been a part of Queenstowns’ party side since 2001 when it started as a hole in a wall burger joint for late night drinkers down the back of a very back alley. Its’ incredible success( Ferg’s opened at the same time as Burger King which failed to be survive in the small town) spurned a brand new restaurant on the main street. Fergburger is still the first choice destination for late night revelers (and it continues that tradition of hole in the wall - by shutting off the main restaurant leaving only an outside serving window) but now being open from 8am till late Ferburger serves breakfast, lunch and dinner to a varied and discerning travelling crowd.

So what is so great about Fergburger? Firstly, it is the freshness of the ingredients - which you would kind of expect from a country that is obsessed with no preservatives, no additives and no nuclear anything. But, there is something special about Fergburger contents - the pineapple just seems juicier, the tomatoes have that crisp fresh taste, the beetroot is so sweet and the meat whether chicken or beef always tastes so good. There is one thing that always strikes me about eating Fergburger and that is the mess. With so much juicy flavours it always seems to simply go everywhere - maybe that is part of the Fergburger magic - I don’t know how the drunks manage to get the majority inside them and not down the front of their best night hunting clothes!

Secondly, there is the names - burgers known as things like Tropical Swine, Mr Big Stuff, Hollier than Thou or Bun Laden. Although I am a regular at Fergburger on my travels I am certainly not obsessed like some. Many budget travelers on their big round-the-world trips will spend extended periods in Queenstown, partying, working and lapping up the range of adventure activities. An unofficial adventure activity seems to be working your way through the entire 17 odd burger menu. It is certainly not an unreasonable challenge - I am yet to come across a burger that I can not fastidiously say is not the “best burger I have ever had”.

Maybe it is the size - these are no normal MacDonalds sized morsels. The Mr Big Stuff contains a whole 1/2lb of beef! I am a big boy and one burger and a small fries is a big dinner meal for me.

But I think the thing that really makes Fergs special is the inventiveness of the concoctions. Although it may sound like late night drinking fuel - Fergburger is a seriously stylie burger bar attracting families, locals and even the high-brow traveller alike. Burgers containing such ingredients as “Grilled chicken tenderloins marinated in a chilli ginger an coriander yoghurt with cucumber raita, lettuce, tomoato, red onion, aioli and mango chutney” (the Bombay Chicken) or “tempured tofu with a spicy satay, coconut coriander sauce, lettuce, tomato, red onion, cucumber, alfalfa and aioli” (the Hollier than Thou) are no ordinary burgers - and Fergburger is no ordinary burger bar.

While Queenstown is regularly voted as the top travel destination in the world by everyone from Lonely Planet to Trip Advisor and Conde Nast. a trip here would not be the complete without the culinary institution that is Fergburger. Whether it be as the best late night drunk food ever, or the a good fun great tasting family meal- surely there is no other restaurant in the world that can boast so many Facebook followers, so many good reviews on Trip Advisor or as much hype as Fergburger can. Quite simply if there were Fergburgers all over the world instead of MacDonalds there would be no wars!

Dan Roberts

Dan Roberts is Managing Editor of the trip planning, travel blog and travel community called Travel Generation (http://www.travelgeneration.com). You can follow him on Twitter @xebidy

Things to do in New Zealand

Websites: Fergburger , Travel Generation

Fergburger

42 Shotover Street
Queenstown New Zealand
Phone: 03 441 0232

Diana Krall Tour

Irishlass — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 23:42:43 +0000

Diana Krall Tickets and Tour Schedule

I’ve got tickets - 3rd row - to see Diana Krall in Santa Barbara this summer! This will be my 3rd time seeing her live - once at Yoshi’s in Oakland and once at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. She is so talented and if you like jazz you should try and see her on her summer tour. It’s definitely a Thing You Should Do!

Jazz Concert Tour News

USA Today - 4/10/2009

“I’m just really happy,” says Krall, 44. “I didn’t have just (music) to focus on; I always looked forward to the end of the day, when I saw my kids. So the whole process was a joyful one, very natural, not at all self-conscious.”

Diana Krall Concert Schedule

Angels & Demons Tour - Rome, Italy

Irishlass — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 03:07:04 +0000

Tour of Rome

The Path of Illumination

Cryptic messages in the heart of the Eternal City…

A secret passage unused for many centuries…

Connections between Raphael, Galileo, and Bernini…

On Friday, May 15 you can have answers to these questions and so many more! Roaring Forties Press is publishing Rome’s Angels & Demons: an Insider’s Guide — a free ebook with inside information about the art and places in Dan Brown’s book. And you will be able to get your FREE copy right here: http://www.roaringfortiespress.com/

Follow the Illuminati through Rome on the Path of Illumination. Visit the Altars of Science and see for yourself the secret messages hidden in Bernini sculptures. Learn the secrets of Castel Sant’Angelo and the Church of Illumination. Get a glimpse of “il Passetto.” Dan Brown’s bestseller, Angels & Demons, is the thrilling prequel to The Da Vinci Code, and it is filled with the same heart-stopping action found in his other novels. Rome’s Angels & Demons: an Insider’s Guide takes readers and travelers alike inside the action.

My friend and fellow blogger, Angela Nickerson, is the brain behind this project. Her book, Rome’s Angels & Demons: an Insider’s Guide, is filled with information about the historical figures, churches, artwork, and locations that figure prominently in Angels & Demons. With maps, visitor information, photographs, and in-depth insights, it is a great guide to the city of Rome and the fascinating world Dan Brown has created. You can follow her on twitter @aknickerson

Things to do in Rome

Or, if you’re interested in a guided tour, please check out the Angels and Demons Tour

Hike Maui

Irishlass — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 23:24:10 +0000

It is our guides who make Hike Maui the best. We’ve always had the top guides in the business, known for their knowledge of Hawaiian botany, geology, culture and history. Our mission is to teach people about Hawai`i, and to do so while having a fun adventure. Anyone can walk you through the woods. When you go with us, it will be the best day of your vacation.

Our full-time guides are often asked by Mainland clients: “Is this a real job?” (Most would like to have their office be the great outdoors!) And, yes it is — a really great job.

Stephanie

On the Mainland, Stephanie had numerous interesting and strange wildlife/ biology jobs. Spawning endangered trout and salmon species, for instance (actually putting the eggs and sperm together). Monitoring spotted owls in Oregon. Counting frogs in Idaho. Releasing falcons in Texas. Inventorying and banding song birds. Managing a 200-acre preserve in Idaho for The Nature Conservancy.

“Originally, I wanted to be a fish biologist,” she says. “I was enthralled with fish. Then I got interested in wildlife biology, and, on my first job I learned to identify 130 birds by their songs. I didn’t know I could do that! That was a real confidence booster.”

In Hawai`i, she monitored several endemic bird species in two of our national parks. Once here, of course, there was no going back. “I’ve discovered I can’t live in a place where there is no ocean. I have to do my surfing and spear diving now. And, I need to be outside, not in a lab.”

Roger

Before settling in Maui in 1986, Roger spent five years as a Montana fly fishing guide. He was also a wildlife biologist hanging out of helicopters counting critters for six years in remote areas of Wyoming and Montana.

After so many quiet years in paradise (Maui) and in the backwoods (Montana), Roger wanted to live in a big city, so he moved to Kobe, Japan, just in time for the earthquake of 1995. He stayed, teaching English, for five years until he was fluent in Japanese.

Back on Maui again, he worked in a state program with Maui’s endemic birds. He also did nighttime astronomy tours with Japanese tourists. When 9-11 caused Japanese tourism to dwindle in Hawai`i, we wired Roger up on green tea and sent him hiking. His facility with language and science and his love of guiding make him a perfect fit for us.

Doug

“I wanted to understand how things work,” Doug says of his magna cum laude degree in physics. “My love of nature hadn’t connected yet.” So he taught high school physics until he moved to Colorado to become an Outward Bound instructor. With nature as the true teacher there was no returning to the classroom. He climbed nearly 200 peaks in Colorado, including the highest 100 peaks (more than 13,000 feet each).

And then another adventure beckoned — the famous Pacific Crest Trail on the west coast. “I wanted to spend a big chunk of time in the wilderness to see who I would become,” he says, so he spent 4.5 months walking the 2650-mile trail from Mexico to Canada. “I became really at peace.”

He joined Hike Maui to pursue his real focus: “helping people fall in love with nature.” After two years he left us for several months to walk the 3,000-mile Continental Divide Trail, a grueling and exhilarating hike through sensational beauty. And thank heavens he came back. “Hike Maui is a natural for me,” he says. “I always want to do what I’m passionate about.”

Ute

“I truly knew I was home when I came here.” That’s how Ute felt when she arrived on Maui in 1985, drawn here by a dream depicting the place her daughter, Sarah, would be born. She still lives in that jungle area of Maui with no running water and no electricity–”off the grid,” as we say. It is a far different life than her upbringing in Germany where she was a dental technician. She left Germany at age 23 and headed for California where for four years she studied to be a master silversmith and goldsmith.

While in California, she studied with two American Indian tribes, and founded a center for native teaching. On Maui, her interest turned to Hawaiian history and culture, and, being a prolific reader, she reads everything written about them.

She also learned Hawaiian hula and African dance, and for five years was a certified movement teacher in the public schools, teaching dance through the metaphor of Hawaiian mythology.

Kahi

Famous for his huge “dive bomb” splash, Kahi claims he’s a guide so he can jump off waterfalls every day. “It’s the adrenaline rush of rushes,” he says. “People ask me what I love about my job. I say: ‘Look around — this is my job!’ I love it. Visitors seem intrigued that I’m a local boy and I also know geology, botany and history.”

Kahi was born on Maui in a taxi cab on the way to the hospital. He’s number six of ten kids and he grew up old style Hawaiian. His mom’s house was “24 hours a day full of kids–all the neighborhood kids.” His 360-pound, 6’ 2” grandmother also raised him. “She was one of the best hula dancers on Maui,” he says. “She taught me to fish and surf at age four, to hula at age six and to chant at age 13. My grandparents lived Hawaiian–plantation house, no TV, kukui nut lamps, chanting when someone came to the door, growing lei flowers, singing Hawaiian songs.”

Kahi is the father of four and is a phenomenal self-taught artist and a professional hula dancer.

Trevor

A Texan by birth, Trevor has worked and played all over the world. He was a gourmet chef for seven years in the Caribbean island of St. Croix where he had his own catering company. He was a desert naturalist in the American Southwest based out of the red-rock country of Sedona, Arizona.

After tiring of snowy winters in the the high desert, he moved to Maui and crewed as a marine expert on tour boats. He was then hired to develop an off-road jeep adventure tour in Upcountry Maui ranch land. When 9-11 ended that business, we snagged him, and he has been happily hiking ever since.

But wait, we forgot–he has also been deep sea diving in as many major world waters as he could since he was 14. He has also written two novels (not yet published). And, on Maui, of course, he surfs with the rest of our guides.

Wayne

Wayne is remarkably upbeat, known for his constant good humor and cheery manner. Ironic and inspiring considering his past. In 1967 his helicopter was shot down in Cambodia. After 10 days in a 4 by 4 bamboo cage, he realized he would die there as a POW, so, he began chewing on the bamboo bars. Took him 23 days, but he escaped and released 14 other guys. After 21 days wandering in the jungle, they found a troop of Marines and got out.

“I would have made a career of the Army,” he says. “But, I didn’t want to go back to Vietnam. When I left in March of ‘68, the morale was going down.”

Instead, he had a 25-year career in the trucking business, in sales and operations, both on the East Coast and in California. He came to Maui in 1988 and worked in the tour business for 13 years, driving 2,748 trips to Hana (yes, he counted). We knew his reputation as a top tour guide, so we got him out of the driver’s seat and hiked him back into the jungle.

Randy

At seventeen, Randy joined the Air Force to see the world. Eventually he was stationed in Hawai’i, and fell in love with the islands. When the Air Force began downsizing, Randy opted for early retirement.

By the time Randy came to us, he was already a professional guide. He had worked as a downhill bike guide and driven luxury tour vans on the Hana Highway. He sought out Hike Maui, he says, because of its reputation. “It’s the oldest hiking company in the state with the most knowledgeable guides, and it’s like a family. I was always hiking on my days off, so I figured, why not get paid to do what I really like to do?”

Randy is a true professional. He’s always upbeat, and nothing seems too hard for him. Above all, he likes to share his love of Maui with visitors. “Every day I am reminded of the reasons I live here,” he says, “and I enjoy sharing that.”

Kristin

As an Alaskan, Kristin says: “It took me a while to realize that snapping in the bushes behind me was not large animals, but falling fruit.” Still, she sees similarities in both states: “Both are unique places. With both there is no other place like it on Earth. Both have special energy, special people.”

In Alaska she was a veterinarian tech, a dental assistant, a tour guide and a mom. When son Cory was four, she sold everything to move to Maui and then she eventually found Hike Maui. “I have so much fun in this job,” she enthuses. “I teach in an outdoor office. I love it when I inspire someone about nature. And, I’ve got the best coworkers in the world. This is a phenomenal group of people to work with. I feel lucky every day.”

Her clients feel the same way about her. “On a daily basis, someone says I should be on “Survivor” (the TV show). Because I’m jumping around on rocks, being athletic, jumping off waterfalls. And we’re in the jungle.” But nobody would ever vote Kristin off.

Savory Sojourns - New York City

Irishlass — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 03:09:45 +0000

SAVORY SOJOURNS

Foodie Tours NYC

Already been to the Statue of Liberty?
Seen the world from the Empire State ?
Memorized the menu at Tavern on the Green?
Then Savory Sojourns is for you!!

We offer group tours of New York City,
exclusive and customized, conducted by
owner/founder Addie Tomei. and her colleagues.

I am so excited to be supporting the First Annual Passports With a Purpose Fundraiser with a extraordinary gift from the fabulous Addie Tomei at Savory Sojourns. She’s donating a gift certificate for 2 people to join her FREE on A Culinary Tour of Greenwich Village. This tour has been written up (with rave reviews) in the London Times and includes lunch.

Highlights of this four-hour tour include:

A charming Italian caffe where we absorb the atmosphere over a cappuccino.
The smallest house in Manhattan
Homes of famous writers
A historic theater
A hidden private courtyard
A Prohibition-era speakeasy
A lattaccini where we will taste the best freshly made mozzarella this side of Naples.
Value of Prize - $280

What is Passports With a Purpose? Travel bloggers from all over the United States are joining together to raise money for Heifer International, whose proven approach – almost 60 years in the making – is to help people obtain a sustainable source of food and income. Your gift of $20 could provide a family with a flock of geese and the hundreds of eggs those geese lay annually. $30 will provide bees and a beehive. $120 a new pig. or for $500 you’d provide a heifer and the 4 gallons of milk she produces daily.

Check out all the great prizes we have lined up and please donate generously.

Savory Sojourns Food Tours

YOUR “INSIDERS” GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY’S CULINARY AND CULTURAL DESTINATIONS.
Makes a perfect gift for a food-loving friend or for yourself!

Your self-formed group can get a new and exciting “insider’s” view of New York City…individuals are welcome to join.
Visit top gourmet restaurants and the most interesting, foodworthy neighborhoods from the Battery to the Boroughs.
Hands on cooking and demonstrations. Unique behind-the-scenes looks at galleries, boutiques and historic neighborhoods.

New York City can be daunting; why not let us be your ‘friend’ and guide in the Big Apple.

Harlem - Italian Greenwich Village - At Home in Greenwich Village - Hands-on Cooking/Shopping in Greenwich Village - Chinatown - Chinatown/Little Italy (Special Combo) - Arthur Avenue, the Bronx - Grand Central - Union Square - DUMBO - Upper East Side - SoHo/Little Italy - Chelsea & Meat Markets– Financial District/Downtown - Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn - Hell’s Kitchen - Lower East Side - Flatiron/Gramercy Park

Things to Do in New York City

Website: Savory Sojourns

Savory Sojourns
New York City

212-691-7314

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