MadeMarkTravel

MadeMarkTravel merging with MadeMark

2009-11-17T05:44:00.001-08:00

I started this travel blog before I knew about labels (FL, IN, PA, etc). Had I known I could flag my blog posts I would have kept it all on my primary blog, MadeMark. After maintaining two blogs for the past year and a half, I've decided to put it all on MadeMark, which I've had for a few years now. I'll continue to label the travel posts by state, events, reviews and whatnot, but it will now all be in one place. As of today MadeMarkTravel is an archive. For new travel posts cruise on over to MadeMark and check out the label 'travel' or by other travel labels, such as states, events and reviews.

The Glass Menagerie - Ojai Arts Center

2009-11-02T09:16:00.002-08:00

After dinner at the Ranch House we went to see a local production of The Glass Menagerie, by Tennessee Williams. It was produced at the Ojai Arts Center.

It’s not an easy play to pull off without it seeming melodramatic. The play’s dated, to me, but that’s understandable – it was first produced in 1944. Williams could be over the top with his drama, which is why I say it’s hard to pull it off without making a contemporary audience laugh where they’re not supposed to. Overall it was good and I like supporting local establishments.

Ranch House restaurant - Ojai, CA - MadeMarkTravel video

2009-11-02T09:16:00.001-08:00

The best dining in Ojai, and among the best in southern California.

Ranch House restaurant in Ojai, CA – five yums

2009-11-02T09:13:00.000-08:00

We had dinner on Friday night at the Ranch House restaurant. Founded in the 1950s, the Ranch House has long been considered Ojai’s finest restaurant, and for good reason. I’ve eaten there many times over the 30+ years I’ve been going to California (moved there in 1978, lived in Los Angeles for 12 years before relocating to NYC in 1993).

The atmosphere is splendid, with gardens and outdoor seating. The live music was sublime, perfect background sound without intruding. The food and service are impeccable, and I can’t go to Ojai without eating here. My sister had sea bass, Frank had tournedos of beef, and I had the New York steak. Everything at the Ranch House is near perfect, earning it my first five yum rating. Superb!

Solvang, CA - MadeMarkTravel video

2009-11-02T09:02:00.000-08:00

Solvang - a little bit of Denmark in southern California. Great for a morning or afternoon trip when you're in the Santa Barbara area.

Solvang, CA

2009-11-02T08:57:00.001-08:00

On Friday we drove to Solvang, a small town 38 miles from Santa Barbara. Founded in 1911 by a group of Danish educators, it started attracting tourists as a sort of Little Denmark in the 1940s. They’ve kept it that way to give it a niche flavor, and we enjoyed walking around the shops. There’s a large windmill, in case you didn’t get the Denmark theme. We had lunch at the Red Viking, which serves a smorgasbord as well as Danish entrees and sandwiches. Definitely worth a morning or afternoon trip, especially if coupled with Santa Barbara or somewhere else not far. (We drove the 75 miles from Ojai and came straight back, not sure it’s a good single 75-mile trip, but a fun place to visit in your travels.) See video below.

Ventura, CA

2009-10-30T08:06:00.000-07:00

I lived in Ventura many years ago, in my late teens and early twenties. What I’ve always noticed about it is that it could be a cool city but it’s not. It seems depressed, and there are a lot of empty shops on Main Street. I’ve wondered why it never became another Santa Barbara. It’s on the ocean, the climate is wonderful (cool most of the time). It seems like the perfect place for hip to set up shop, but hip has gone elsewhere, leaving Ventura to its thrift stores and its bars.

Cathy said it’s because it’s a very conservative town, and then there are the gangs. It’s right next door to Oxnard. I don’t know if that has anything to do with it, but Ventura just never lived up to its potential, in my opinion. I’ve occasionally thought I could live here, were I to move back to California (before I met Frank) and then thought twice. No . . . it’s a nice place to walk through for a hour, but it just has this down-on-its-luck feeling I wouldn’t want to spend too much time around.

Ojai, CA - the Blue Iguana Inn

2009-10-30T07:33:00.000-07:00

We’re staying at the Blue Iguana Inn, just about three houses away from my sister’s house on Loma Drive in Ojai. The main highway is right outside, but you don’t notice, especially when your within the grounds, and definitely not from the rooms.

Two years ago we stayed at the Emerald Iguana, sister to this place, a bit more off the beaten path and larger. But it’s terrific here. We have a suite, with a large living room, full kitchen, and big bedroom. I love these kinds of rooms, but we need to use the kitchen one of these times. I don’t like having a kitchen to go waste, and this is one you could cook big, full meals in. Maybe I’ll make breakfast tomorrow or Sunday.

The room rates are very reasonable (just about anywhere outside Manhattan seems reasonable to me, until you get to Europe). $150 the first night, $199 the second two, because it’s a weekend. This is the kind of place you could easily stay a week, and not even leave the room much.

Note: If you've stayed in places where the staff is friendly and says, "Good morning, where y'all from?" don't expect it here. There's a definite chi chi vibe. We went to the office for the continental breakfast they serve and the supermodel behind the desk didn't acknowledge us in any way. So if you want cozy-friendly, find a bed and breakfast run by overweight extroverts.

Addendum: The lady at the front desk this morning was very friendly, I take it back. I guess it just depends on who you run into and how friendly you are yourself.

Dinner at McCormick & Schmick’s in Burbank – four yums

2009-10-29T07:07:00.000-07:00

We had dinner last night with friends of Frank’s from the music business. I’d met Ed and Joel before when we stopped at their office in Malibu two years ago. This time we were joined by Joel’s wife Ria and Vicky, a record promoter Frank’s company has worked with many times.

We ate at McCormick & Schmick’s, primarily a seafood restaurant. They have steak, chicken and some other things, but it’s really about the seafood with them. I had some amazing catfish. From what I could tell everyone loved their food – a solid four yums. And, of course, the waitress came out at dessert with a slice of birthday cheesecake for me.

Los Angeles on my birthday

2009-10-29T06:33:00.001-07:00

We almost missed the plane. We left the apartment at 7:30 for a 9:00 am flight. In good traffic and weather that's okay, maybe, but it was raining and there was an accident on the expressway. At 8:15 we were still in traffic and I was getting nervous. Finally we got past the accident and we made it, about fifteen minutes before they would have shut the plane door.

We were on the gangway and I looked up to see my friend Joe as the steward, welcoming people onto the plane. Now, this is the sort of thing that hasn't happened before and will never happen again. Joe doesn't fly NY-LA for JetBlue. He does the NY-Long Beach route, and Ft. Lauderdale. He even said yesterday he'd never worked the LA flight before. But, here we were. On my birthday, flying to LA, and there was Joe, who I haven't spoken to in a year and a half. It was great to see him, it's been a long time and we'll have lunch in the coming weeks.

The flight left on time, which surprised me given the rain. Overall the trip went very smoothly. We got our car at Enterprise, made it to the radio station Frank was visiting, and finally to the hotel in Burbank. So far so good. This morning we're off to have breakfast with my old friend Sal, theater director and acting teacher who was the artisitic director of Friends and Artists Theatre Ensemble twenty years ago. I was a writer in residence. I don't think I've seen Sal in ten years, since I stopped here with Gerry on the way to Hawaii. Then we're off to Ojai.

10th International Conference on Gay & Lesbian Tourism

2009-10-26T09:58:00.000-07:00

I’ll be getting back from California, but in case you want to go – the conference is next week, November 1–4, in Boston (short notice, sorry).

From Community Marketing:

Community Marketing’s 10th International Conference on Gay & Lesbian Tourism is only a week away, November 1-4, 2009 in Boston.

We have a fantastic line-up of speakers covering the very latest in sales and marketing approaches to reach the LGBT community. The gay and lesbian community has proven to be amazingly resilient during this recession, and it is a fantastic opportunity to learn more about how to serve this important travel industry niche.

Registration is only $595 (includes all meals). And we still have a few registration and three nights hotel packages for only $1,100 (which includes all taxes).

Click here to download the conference schedule.

The leaves turn in New Jersey

2009-10-25T12:02:00.000-07:00

This is the stretch of road that runs from highway 29, a mile up to the house. Always enchanting.

Coming soon - California!

2009-10-25T05:38:00.000-07:00

We're heading to Los Angeles on Wednesday. We'll visit some people and spend the night in Burbank, then drive on to Ojai where my sister Cathy lives. Lots of pictures and video to post, can't wait!

The National Equality March, Washington, DC

2009-10-12T08:18:00.000-07:00

This is what brought us to Washington for the weekend. See coverage, photos and video at MadeMark.

Washington DC in the daylight

2009-10-12T08:11:00.000-07:00

The morning of the march, we walked around a bit. I saw this library, and one of the signs in front was ‘Quilts for Obama.’ I wonder if they ever made quilts for George W. Bush? I doubt it.

We need to go back for a weekend and really see the city, go to the museums and monuments. Washington is a very interesting place, especially from a historical perspective. One evening and a morning before a national march isn’t enough time to do anything. We’ll be back.

Dinner at Clyde's in DC

2009-10-12T08:06:00.000-07:00

As it turned out, several friends of Frank’s made it to Washington for the march. We got together Saturday night and had dinner at Clyde’s. The place was packed. We had about a forty-five minute wait at the bar, then were seated. I liked it a lot, and the food was fine. It’s obviously a popular spot for the locals.

Maryland crabs in Maryland

2009-10-12T08:03:00.000-07:00

On the way to Washington DC we stopped at Gene’s parents’ house and had crabs. Frank loves them. Me? Not so much, but I did eat two, cleaning out the mustard (as it’s called) and the devil (lungs) and getting all crabbed up with the goo and gunk. They taste great, it’s just not something I ever experienced before I met Frank.

Crabs are very much a cultural thing in this area. Lots of restaurants with butcher paper lining big tables, and everyone sits around with mallets and beats their food up, then sucks all the meat out. Mmmmm. I’m not making fun of it (hey, I come from the land of friend okra, grits and chicken gizzards, so I know about regional tastes). We have leftovers for dinner tonight. Messy but delicious.

Chinese Mirch on Lexington – four yums

2009-10-02T04:13:00.000-07:00

My dear friend Fred’s in town for a week. I hadn’t seen him since he went off to work at a seminary in Pennsylvania. He came into the City last weekend to be vested as a priest in the Russian Orthodox church. We’ve been friends for eight years and share a lot of memories.

We had dinner last night at a new place for us that Frank found. Chinese Mirch on Lexington at Twenty-eighth is a hybrid Chinese-Indian restaurant that I had no real expectations for and was very delightfully surprised. Interesting dishes, from mild to hot. Very attentive service (our waitress stopped by at least a half dozen times to see how we liked the food, if everything was okay). Comfortable two-storey space and inviting décor. And, from the looks of it, pretty much sold out.

We shared appetizers (spring rolls, spicy cauliflower florets (gobi Manchurian on the menu), and Tibetan dumplings), as well as entrees (kung pao chicken, coriander tofu & vegetables, and Manchurian lamb). Every single dish was outstanding, so we’re talking a very solid four yums. I’d go back in a spicy heartbeat.

Thirteen days to the Equality March

2009-09-29T07:04:00.000-07:00

Frank and I are going to Washington for the march. I’m looking forward to this, but honestly it’s as much a trip out of town somewhere we haven’t been (DC) and the experience of seeing all those LGBT people as it is about thinking it’s going to change anything.

It’ll be interesting to see what kind of media coverage we get.

Amber Asian cuisine on Third Avenue - three and a half yums

2009-09-25T04:16:00.000-07:00

We met Bob from Los Angeles at Amber on Third Avenue. It's just a few block from the apartment. We've been there a times and I like it. A sort of Asian fusion kind of place with two floors. We were upstars this time. I had the teriaki salmon. Frank had sushi and Bob had steak (not really an Asian food type, so it's good there was something on the menu for him). The food is good, the decor more interesting than most. Three and a half yums.

Sammy's Noodle Shop Greenwich Village - two and a half yums

2009-09-24T06:20:00.000-07:00

I had dinner last night with my friends Gerry and Sean. I hadn't seen Sean in a dim sum's age (they're a couple) and it was nice to see him, even though he's still in great shape and I've become a pear. But I'm working on it! I had steamed vegetables and chicken. I also walked there from my office in Times Square. Thirty-two blocks.

Sammy's has been around longer than I've been in New York, and that's sixteen years. I've eaten there before but not in a couple years. It's always been popular in the neighborhood, although I've been there when it was packed, which it wasn't last night.

Not much on decor, but more than most Chinese restaurants. I've wondered if dull interiors is just a Chinese thing. Sometimes they have aquariums (water is good luck), but nothing in the way of wall hangings or color schemes. At least Sammy's isn't a dull green or suspicious yellow.

I had the hot and sour soup - good and spicy. Then the steamed vegetables. Sean had the same dish but done in a wok with sauce. Gerry had sesame chicken with too many sesame seeds in it - and we shared a dim sum appetizer. MadeMarkTravel rating - two and a half yums. Better than takeout, but not the Beijing Hilton. Video here.

Old St. Mary's Cemetery, Philadelphia

2009-09-14T06:57:00.000-07:00

We were going to ride this bus/boat that tours around the area then goes into the water, but we didn't have time. I'd planned to get my video on that, which would have been fun, but settled for a stop at Old St. Mary's Cemetery instead. I love cemeteries with headstones, not these awful modern ones where my mother's buried beneath a flat brass plaque in the ground. Who needs a cemetery that looks like someone's lawn. Boring!

Sunny Sunday in Philly

2009-09-14T06:47:00.000-07:00

Frank’s friend Tom (aka Jammer) from New Orleans was in Philly Sunday to see a Phillies game and visit family. We drove there noonish, it’s just an hour from the Jersey house, and met him at the Holiday Inn.

I’ve never been to Philadelphia, just seen it from an Amtrak train or a distance driving through. We went to South Street, drove around a bit, then parked and walked for two hours. What a terrific city! I’d like to spend more time there. The cobblestone streets. The historical sites, of which there are enough to spend a couple days seeing. (The line at the Liberty Bell was so long we didn’t go in.) Independence Hall. You name it, the beginnings of our country can be found there.

We didn’t get cheesesteak, which, along with baseball, is a Philadelphia passion. There are cheesestake places every other block, but only a handful of really famous ones, like Geno’s in the photo. The lines there were about as long as the one for the Liberty Bell.

I’d like to go back sometime and spend a full day there, maybe even two. I had no real idea of what Philly was like, and probably still don’t with just a few hours to see it.

More Philly pix here.

Landmarc restaurant Tribeca - four yums

2009-08-28T11:43:00.000-07:00

We had dinner for Frank’s (very belated) birthday last night at the Landmarc in Tribeca. Owner and Chef Marc Murphy has created a delightful menu that’s a variety of selections described as “a delicious culinary ride through France and Italy.” One of Murphy’s three restaurants, the Landmarc in Tribeca proved to be an excellent choice for an excellent meal.

Frank had the marinated white anchovies with radicchio, radish and orange appetizer, followed by grilled salmon ratatouille and black olive tapenade. I had the endive with blue cheese and walnuts salad and a seared tuna entrée. We split a side of leeks vinaigrette. I’d never had leeks as a side dish and they were terrific.

The restaurant has two floors. Downstairs was fairly full so we headed upstairs and had the room to ourselves (that’s why it looks empty in the photo). We got there early, and by the time we were finishing several other parties arrived to fill up the second floor.

Price-wise it was on the high-moderate end ($130 for two people, including drinks). They only sell half-bottles of wine, but that’s okay, it’s easy to finish off.

All in all, four yums out of five. If you’re in the Tribeca area, definitely give the place a try.

Casada at Beatstock 2009 - Evacuate the Dancefloor

2009-08-17T06:24:00.000-07:00

Should be a big hit. The audience knew the lyrics already (and we heard it on the radio driving home).