Plan for the Best

I'm a Planner. It's the positive manifestation of my Worrier/Fatalist personality. Since I worry so much about things going wrong, I do all the advance planning I can to minimize the possibility. Never more than when I am planning a vacation.

If you've read any previous travel posts on this blog, you may be aware that I will occasionally lose my shit while traveling. Friends, that is after planning; imagine the horror if I didn't do so much pre-trip research? I'd like to share the best of what I've learned, because it really does make a difference.

1. DO NOT check luggage. Unless you are moving to the other end of the earth for the rest of your life, you can get all you need into a carry-on. I've demonstrated that in a past post. I will say, if you must check luggage, at least have a carry-on of emergency requirements- a change of clothes, toiletries, etc. Honestly, the feeling of landing and deplaning in Europe, and walking directly to the train or bus to get to my destination cannot compare to hanging around the baggage carousel, silently, then vocally, praying that your luggage will somehow turn up. This is especially true if you will be changing flights. I do always check luggage on the way home, though. I'll buy a cheap tote bag and fill it with my purchases, check it, and keep my carry on with me. Since I'm heading back home to all my stuff, if it takes the airline a few days to get my luggage back to me, I'm no worse off.

2. Google Maps/Street View. My new best friend. You can "walk" around your vacation destination and get a feel for landmarks, streets, and even what your hotel looks like from the outside. This can be very helpful when you're arriving, tired and dying to drop off your bags and get a drink. When we arrived in Paris last September, at the Gare du Nord, we got a subway to the stop nearest our hotel in Montparnasse, Vavin. When we got to street level, I immediately recognized the buildings, and new how to get to the hotel. We were in the lobby in about 2 minutes, with none of that standing, spinning 360 degrees, trying to find a street sign. The BF was very impressed. He had actually used Google Maps and Street View to "drive" the confusing route through Umbria to the little hill town we'd stayed in before coming to France. He was so pleased with himself he even took mini-detours to show us shops he'd found along the way. We got to the villa quite painlessly. We then drove from Cinque Terre in Italy to Aix-en-Provence, France, with the help of Google. Because I'd checked out the streets, I knew exactly what the exterior of our hotel's garden walls looked like, so it was a breeze finding that one too.

Even before the advent of Google Maps and Street View, I have always studied maps before a trip. It really helps you orient yourself, and then you feel comfortable ducking down side streets, knowing you'll eventually come across a landmark and be able to get back to where you were. This also helps me spend less time with an actual map on the street looking like a lost tourist, and therefore a potential crime victim. I can walk with purpose, looking at the world around me, not a map.

3. Get a guide book you can trust, and that suits your style. If you care mostly about museums, or if you care mostly about food (hello!), you can find a book that suits your specific needs. I like books that have a sections like "what to do if you have 2 days, 3 days, or a week". You can read ahead and see what appeals to you. Don't just do the "Top 10" if they aren't what you want. I've been to Paris a few times, and I've never been to the Louvre. I'll be back in Paris in a few months, and I have no plans to go this time either. I love art, and will go to some other museums, like the Musee d'Orsay, but the Louvre is more like a mountain to climb or a project to complete, and although it's an incredible museum, I'm just never in the mood to do battle with the tourist hordes to see famous paintings behind glass and tall people. I will, however, try several new patisseries I have read about :)

4. Do what you can from home. I've been to the Uffizi and the Accademia in Florence twice each, and though the Uffizi does get crazy busy, I've never waited a moment, because I always pre-book my tickets from home. When you get there, you'll invariably see a line up, but you walk right past, go in and give them your pre-booked print out, and you're in! I would advise to go very early to the Accademia- Florence is a pretty compact city, if you're staying there, so getting up a bit early doesn't have to be too painful. You can enjoy the magnificent David, and be on your way to the rest of Florence's sights by 9:30 AM. I also book train tickets and restaurants, if I want to go somewhere specific. For this upcoming trip, we'll be doing a day in Champagne, so I'll get the train tickets, and possibly book some tours, a few weeks before we go. So much easier.

5. Wear comfortable, but NICE shoes. No running shoes, unless you are running for exercise. This mostly applies to European cities. I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but if you are wearing running shoes, a baseball hat, and a t-shirt with writing on it (add a fanny pack for fun!), you are the cliche tourist. There are so many brands of comfortable shoes that look nice- Tom's espadrilles are comfortable, Clark's, Rockport, Cole Haan- you can get lovely shoes that will stand up to miles and miles of walking on cobblestone, but you will look appropriate to duck into a cute bistro or a store. I frankly insist on this. And as for these fanny packs, I don't get why women don't just carry purses. The crime rate in most, if not all, European cities is lower than most American cities, and I somehow doubt an American visiting Washington DC would trade her purse for a fanny pack, so why in Europe? Look at the locals- they all use purses! Yes, I know there are muggers and pickpockets who are very skilled, so keep your bag close to you, keep it zipped up, and give the stink-eye to anyone who gets close to you. To me, a fanny pack says to a potential pickpocket "tourist with cash!". If I were a pickpocket, that's who I'd target.

In case you think all this planning sucks the spontaneity out of your trip, fear not. There will always be surprises around every corner. I may have used Google to discover that there was a patisserie on rue Delambre, but I had to go inside to discover melty little cakes in chocolate and caramel!

Happy vacation planning! I hope you have a wonderful trip, but I will worry about you... ;)

Queen Conch

Last year, while hunting for shells, I inadvertently pulled a live baby conch from its briny home in the Caribbean sea off Eleuthera, Bahamas, and tossed it in a plastic bag. As we drove away, Peter noticed the sound of it trying to escape its plastic prison- fairly creepy, I must say. Apparently it is illegal to harvest baby conchs, so at our next stop we tossed my little friend back into the ocean. I hope he had the chance to grow up and become a delicious salad.

At Queen Conch, on Harbour Island, we met a lovely couple who have been making impossibly fresh conch salads for, as the chef said, "12 or 15 years, I can't remember. Started with just a piece of plywood."

The restaurant isn't fancy, and it isn't a restaurant. It's a stand, with a few seats in the front, in the shade, where you can watch the salads being prepared, and a nice deck out back with several tables overlooking the sea.

Fun Lori Fact: As usual, I had to go to the bathroom, and since QC is more akin to a hot dog stand than a restaurant, I wasn't sure what my next move would be. I asked the lady making salad, and she said "go to the liquor store across the street and ask if you can use the bathroom". When I gotta go, I gotta go, so I did just that. They were very accommodating, and led me to the staff bathroom, complete with a sign on the door, inside, that said "We Watchin' You, Sucka!". Totally didn't care. There was no soap or towels, but I had Kleenex and Purell, so everything was fine.

Peter also made a trip to the liquor store, but to get us drinks to go with our salad. You can't drink on public streets in the Bahamas, except you can, if your beer is in a paper bag. Peter goes in and comes back with 3 beers in little bags. "Um, are we having company?" I asked. "I asked for two, but they said they were 3 for $4.99, and didn't tell me how much two cost". I don't think this development annoyed him one bit!

You wait a while for your salad, unless you're smart and come by early. To order, you write your name, what you want, and when you want it on the legal pad on the counter. A perfectly acceptable system!

We watched as the ingredients for 6 servings were prepared- onions, red and green peppers, tomatoes, garlic all chopped by hand. And, of course, conch so fresh the pile of huge shells sits in shallow water just behind the stand. Limes are sliced and squeezed over all. Home made hot sauce was sprinkled in, according to your order. We went with Medium. Mild is for wimps, but something told me that Hot would kill me. Then, he adds whatever else people want. When regulars came by, the chef shouted out "Tim, you want hot peppers?" or "How about some sweet orange today?" and the extra ingredients would be added.

The salad was heaven. Not a thing in there that's bad for you, as fresh as can be, and made completely by hand, outside, under a plywood roof, about 10 feet from the sea.

What more could anyone want, but to go back for more some day?

Kansas GOP House Speaker ‘Prays’ That Obama’s ‘Children Be Fatherless And His Wife A Widow’

Kansas GOP House Speaker ‘Prays’ That Obama’s ‘Children Be Fatherless And His Wife A Widow’: pThinkProgress reported last week that Kansas House Speaker Mike O’Neal (R) was forced to apologize to First Lady Michelle Obama after forwarding an email to fellow lawmakers that called her “Mrs. YoMama” and compared her to the Grinch. Earlier that same week, the Lawrence Journal-World was sent another email that O’Neal had forwarded to House [...]/p

Seriously.

Christianity, you are going to need some better representation if you want anyone to respect you or take you seriously. Even in my most atheist moments, I have never wished for the death of an elected official. And frankly, beyond some minor differences in tax policy, what the hell is the difference between President Obama and a Republican? He's kept the wars going, kept Gitmo and the surveillance state thriving, hasn't touched anyone's guns or bibles. So I guess that means that Mike O'Neal wants him dead for wanting the tax bracket for the country's highest income earners to be what it was during the Clinton (and Reagan) administrations.

Stay classy, Mike, and all your fellow "Christians."

Fake!

My Furla on vacation on Harbour Island

Purses are like orgasms: a good one can knock your socks off, but when you bust out a fake, trust me, you’re not fooling anyone.

I don’t get the appeal of fakes. Are you trying to convince people you’re rich? Because when I see you sitting on the subway wearing an Old Navy hoodie and running shoes, I really don’t think you spent $3500 on that “Vuitton” bag you’re carrying. But you know what’s even sadder? When the person I’ve just described actually does have a real bag! Seriously, if you got rich selling credit default swaps to suckers, or your dignity to reality TV, go to town, and spend all you want on your accessories. Get all the Speedys and Birkins and whatever else you need to advertise your money and justify your facelift. Whatever. But if you’re middle class (or lower), and you scrimp and save, maybe blow those hard-earned dollars on an RRSP or something. Don’t hand it over to a super rich designer to try to convince everyone else on the bus that you’re wealthy.

I say this as someone who loves to shop (see blog name), and loves purses and shoes, but there are considerations of proportion and appropriateness. My every day bag is a $200 Fossil, bought at Sears! I get compliments all the time. It fits my needs, it’s good looking, durable, and it’s not meant to be “saying” much about me. It’s meant to be big enough to take a pair of nice shoes to the office for the day. The most I have ever spent is maybe $400, on a Marc by Marc Jacobs bag, or a Furla bought in Italy for much cheaper than they are sold in North America. The Furla (and tiny Longchamp bought in Paris) came out of the vacation budget, not the clothing budget. Where others pay for rides at Disney, or stake themselves gambling money, I build the shopping money into the vacation cost. I suppose I could use a burlap sack, but remember, I am arguing for proportion, not against fashion. I can afford the bags I buy.

For $250, you can get a nice leather purse, made in Canada, from Roots. For $650, you can get a nylon piece of crap from Prada, the sole advantage, for those who see it that way, is that it has their logo on it. Please.

For $50 you can get a knock-off, but it’s well documented that when you buy a fake, you are supporting a shady underground economy. Think about it: the people making the real bags barely make enough to get by; what sort of pay and conditions do you think apply to the poor souls making knock-offs and sold on the street? And the money you spend isn’t going to shareholders or into the company pension fund; it’s going to gangsters and drug lords.

Remember that for everything we buy, there are people attached. Someone sewed your clothes, made your shoes, constructed your ipod. We should think of these people when we decide how we spend- think of who gets the money. In these mean times, with pressure to roll back labour laws, or worse (see Newt Gingrich’s Scrooge-like solutions below), and the rich telling the rest of us “be happy you even have a job” the only power we have left is how we disburse the money we do have. Vote with your money. Vote by shopping at stores that pay decent wages, don’t import everything, and don’t lobby to cut back workers’ rights. Vote by not giving your money to criminals so you can try to convince people with your “Chloe” bag that you’re in the 1%. You worked hard for your money- spend it wisely.

Bonus:

Some simple equations and stereotypes to determine reality of merchandise:

Chanel bag+Good Facelift+Rich Husband =100% Real

Chanel bag + Good Facelift= 90% Real

Chanel bag + Bad Facelift= 70% Real

Chanel bag+Job With Hourly Wage + Live in Parents’ Basement=40% Real

Chanel bag +Job With Hourly Wage + Mortgage=0% Real (Or you’re just nuts.)

Newt Gingrich To America’s 15.7 Million Poor Kids: Get a Job

Newt Gingrich is as loathsome as a human being can be. He's so bad that I don't have the time now to type it all, but the highlights are well known. He's one of those assholes who want to deny gay people the right to marry, though he's on his third (increasingly younger and blonder) wife; he voted to impeach President Clinton at the very time that he himself was screwing around on wife #2 with the intern he's married to now; and, of course, this:

Newt Gingrich To America’s 15.7 Million Poor Kids: Get a Job

There is also the matter of his $500k+ account at Tiffany that he uses to keep his gross wife happy. I hate him for so many things, but for causing me to question my love of Tiffany- for this, I'll never forgive him.

Healthier Spaghetti- Sideways, for Some Reason

In my Ten Dollar Dinner post, I shared a recipe for a tomato-based sauce that I think is just delicious. Unfortunately, it's also full of oil and butter. Come to think of it, there may be a connection... Anyway, here is the sauce I made tonight. I usually make a simpler sauce, but the vegetables add texture and vitamins. Thanks to this wonderfully warm October, I still had some fresh herbs kicking around on the terrace, but dried will do when the weather finally turns crappy.

1 carrot, minced

1 stalk celery, minced

1/2 white onion,minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. olive oil

750 ml tomato passata, sodium free, if possible (Pomi is a good brand)

Red pepper flakes to taste

1/2 tsp. black Pepper

1/2 tsp. fennel seeds

Chopped fresh herbs- basil, oregano, Italian parsley

tiny splash honey

Heat oil in a saucepan, and saute the vegetables and garlic until soft. Add everything but the fresh herbs, and cook 15 minutes. Right before serving, add most of the fresh herbs. Serve on top of cooked whole wheat spaghetti, and sprinkle with remaining herbs and freshly grated parmesan.

Vogue Meat Loaf

I was craving comfort food recently, so I whipped out my old, food-stained collection of recipes and made something I haven’t had in years- Vogue Meat Loaf.

As the name implies, I got this recipe out of a Vogue magazine in the early 90s, but it originated at a restaurant in Los Angeles called 72 Market St. (Fun fact: by the late 90s, I was a publicist for the company that published the 72 Market St Cookbook, which did contain a version of this recipe. Never got to eat there, though.)

It’s some work, but it’s worth it. You get 8 cute little loaves, moist, and full of vegetables. Make some mashed potatoes, steam some broccoli (oops, didn’t do that part this time) and you have a delicious meal that plates well and leaves plenty of leftovers. Meat loaf sandwiches… how very Vogue…

¾ c. minced white onion 1 tsp. salt

¾ c. minced green onion ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

½ c. minced celery 1 tsp. black pepper

½ c. minced carrot ½ tsp. white pepper

¼ c. minced green pepper ½ tsp. cumin

½ c. minced red pepper ½ tsp. nutmeg

2 tsp. minced garlic ½ c. half and half (or evaporated milk)

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter ½ c. ketchup

1½ lbs lean ground beef

½ lb. lean ground pork

3 eggs, beaten

¾ c. dry toasted bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350°

Sauté vegetables and garlic in butter until softened. Cool to room temperature. Combine spices, and stir into cooled veggies. Add cream, ketchup, and everything else. Lightly form into 8 loaves on a foil-lined cookie sheet (with sides). Bake 40-45 minutes.

Meanwhile, make gravy (though I have to say, I have never made this gravy!)

1 Tablespoon minced shallot

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

pinch thyme

1 bay leaf

pinch black pepper

1 c. dry white wine

1 c. each chicken and beef stock

Sauté shallot in 1T butter until soft, with thyme, bay leaf, and pepper. Add wine. Cook over high heat until reduced to a glaze. Add the stocks, and boil to reduce by half, then swirl in remaining butter. (You can use this to deglaze the meatloaf pan, but I prefer the easy clean up of using foil, but it’s an option.)

Let the loaves sit for 5 minutes, then slice and serve.