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The Long and Winding Road(s)

…..Lots of them on our road trip to Mendocino.

When I think of Mendocino I think of Dough Sahm and Sir Douglas Quintet and the song they made popular in the late 60’s…”Mendocino, Mendocino, where life’s such a groove you’ll blow your mind in the morning”.  (Really, those are the lyrics-well it was the 60’s!).  It’s just a little off the grid and still has that 60’s hippy vibe but also has some incredible retaurants and inns along the coast.  It’s three and a half hours north of San Francisco which makes it a destination, not a day trip.  It’s probably what Napa was 20 years ago.  The historic or “hysteric” council depending on who you talk to, will not allow any development to deter from the town’s original look.  No box stores, no chain stores, no Starbucks.  For that you have to drive to the next town.  Mendocino sits on the edge of the Pacific Coast and wherever you go whether it’s on the Big River, Route 128 or any of the other number of roads winding through the mountains, the natural beauty is everywhere.

So this sounded like somewhere we’d like to visit and we headed west for the long 4th of July weekend.

Continue reading “The Long and Winding Road(s)”

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A Trip Down Memory Lane….

It’s been a few weeks since I’ ve written about my comings and goings.

Over Memorial Day weekend, we made the trip north to the home of my youth, Burlington, VT.  As we drove north the temperature kept dropping and by the time we reached Burlington, it was 41 degrees.  Imagine that – on Memorial Day weekend.  And that’s not the kicker!  It actually snowed at the higher elevations and as we drove back to Boston the peaks of Mt. Mansfield and Camel’s Hump were white! Continue reading “A Trip Down Memory Lane….”

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2,880 Minutes in the Big Apple

Say New York and what comes to mind?  For me it’s a few things.  Broadway, shopping, museums, people, uptown, downtown, and….. FOOD!!

See that hot pastrami sandwich.  That’s just half of the sandwich.  We arrived in New York and the first thing we did was ask where the nearest deli was.  New York is synonymous with the word deli. Even though we’re all eating healthier now, there’s nothing better that a hot pastrami on fresh rye, some good half sours and slaw and for Roy a Cel-Ray or Dr. Brown’s cream soda.

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Going Home…

I’m from Burlington, Vermont – born and bred but I’ve lived in Boston for more years than I lived in Vermont.  I couldn’t get out of Burlington fast enough and never looked back but I have a softt spot for it.  When I was in college I was embarrassed to tell people I was from Vermont because I thought I’d be considered a hick.  Now, saying you’re from Vermont is a status symbol.  Products with Made in Vermont labels have a certain cache ; you know them – Ben and Jerry’s, Cabot’s Cheese, Green Mountain Coffee, Lake Champlain Chocolates and then there’s the music that comes from Vermont like Phish and Grace Potter.  Continue reading “Going Home…”

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Summertime…

It doesn’t get much more summery than this in New England.  90+ degrees and humid.  That’s summer!

We picked a great weekend to spend with our pals L and M on the Cape.  Going to the Cape on a Friday in the summer you either leave early in the morning or late at night.  We left at 3P and it took us an hour longer to get there than it would normally.  But, so what! Continue reading “Summertime…”

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Martha’s Vineyard

There’s something magical about getting on a ferry and leaving the mainland for an island.  We’ve done it all over the world and it never loses it’s appeal.  Last week we hopped the ferry  in Wood’s Hole, MA for Martha’s Vineyard with our pals J and M.

Martha’s Vineyard has a vibe.  It’s a little bohemian, it’s a little sophisticated,  it’s home to a number of celebs and it has hosted some Presidents.  You can stay in the action packed towns of Edgartown, Oak Bluffs and Vineyard Haven, or you can go for the more quiet appeal of West Tisbury, Menemsha or Chilmark.   We opted for West Tisbury. Continue reading “Martha’s Vineyard”

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On The Road

Two at the bar is going on the road this weekend – Washington, DC, our nation’s capital.

There will be lots of museums and even more restaurants starting with Ben’s Chili Bowl as soon as we land.

So stay tuned and

see you at the bar….

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A Triumph of Simplicity

Malt flour, water, yeast, sugar .  These are the ingredients in the bagels known as Montreal style found at Myer’s Bagels in Burlington, VT.  Unlike most Montreal style bagels, Myer’s uses no salt, eggs or preservatives.  The ingredients are mixed into a dough, hand cut, hand rolled, boiled in honey water which makes the sesames, poppy seeds, etc. adhere to them and gives the bagels a sheen.  Then they are baked in a wood burning oven. They’re smaller, less bready and it’s easy to eat more than one (less calories too!).  Get them plain or with sesame, poppy seed, garlic, onion and the best, Montreal Spice. Continue reading “A Triumph of Simplicity”