Home again, home again, jiggity jig
Well, I'm on the train home again; whew! Something like 20 hours ago I was packing my bags in a hotel in Reno. It used to be called the MGM grand but it's changed names at least four times since its construction. I have nothing to say about the hotel formerly known as the MGM except that the rooms are huge.
I guess I'm getting good at this. I've lost count of how many times I've crossed the Atlantic. I still hate flying and the crowds and claustrophobia and lines that come with it. I hate jet lag. None the less, I think I qualify as an experienced traveler. Jimmy Buffett says that an experienced traveler never needs a guide. Well, aside from two band trips I took in High School, I've never had one. Dear Mr. Buffett, experienced travellers still get jet lag; jet lag sucks.
And In-and-Out burger still rocks even though I only ate there once on this trip. I got a sticker this time though.
I've eaten in some fine restaurants and I've had some very delicious food in my life. None the less, there is a dish that I discovered that is totally new and truly remarkable. In Carnelian Bay CA, there is a restaurant called Garwood's which serves a grilled steak of Ahi (maybe it was ma-hi-ma-hi, can't be sure but it's a detail) served rare with Wasabi mashed potatoes and Kimchee. It was truly one of the most delicious and unique dishes I've ever eaten. The sensation is that eating a rare barbecued steak and sushi at the same time. Really, I think Willy Wonka works at Garwoods.
Another thing that rocks is Deux gros nez on California ave. in Reno. I must have gone there for ice cream when I was about 17 years old and unlike most things in the Reno-Tahoe area, it hasn't changed much. Authenticity is a rare commodity in the Sierras. The menu is different and they now have free wifi but they're not bigger or faker or more up-scale than they were 20 years ago. Just a very friendly, very college-coffeeshop-esque, good food, coffee, people, weird decor tiny kind of place with a cycling flair. The waitress / cook / server / greeter who took care of me but whom I won't name to protect the innocent rides the only French fixie in Reno. She says she does track stands on her breaks.
I guess that's about all. I spent a few days with my parents and it never ceases to amaze me that the squalor in which they live seems to get worse each time I visit. I keep hoping that there is a bottom that they will hit, but they don't seem to have hit it yet. Maybe the bottom is when you can't find a bare (much less clean) spot of horizontal surface on which to set a cup of coffee. If it is, then they are very close to it.
And now I'm on the train jet-lagging. I'd better ask someone to wake me up when I get to the station in case I fall asleep. In about two hours I'll be home.
I guess I'm getting good at this. I've lost count of how many times I've crossed the Atlantic. I still hate flying and the crowds and claustrophobia and lines that come with it. I hate jet lag. None the less, I think I qualify as an experienced traveler. Jimmy Buffett says that an experienced traveler never needs a guide. Well, aside from two band trips I took in High School, I've never had one. Dear Mr. Buffett, experienced travellers still get jet lag; jet lag sucks.
And In-and-Out burger still rocks even though I only ate there once on this trip. I got a sticker this time though.
I've eaten in some fine restaurants and I've had some very delicious food in my life. None the less, there is a dish that I discovered that is totally new and truly remarkable. In Carnelian Bay CA, there is a restaurant called Garwood's which serves a grilled steak of Ahi (maybe it was ma-hi-ma-hi, can't be sure but it's a detail) served rare with Wasabi mashed potatoes and Kimchee. It was truly one of the most delicious and unique dishes I've ever eaten. The sensation is that eating a rare barbecued steak and sushi at the same time. Really, I think Willy Wonka works at Garwoods.
Another thing that rocks is Deux gros nez on California ave. in Reno. I must have gone there for ice cream when I was about 17 years old and unlike most things in the Reno-Tahoe area, it hasn't changed much. Authenticity is a rare commodity in the Sierras. The menu is different and they now have free wifi but they're not bigger or faker or more up-scale than they were 20 years ago. Just a very friendly, very college-coffeeshop-esque, good food, coffee, people, weird decor tiny kind of place with a cycling flair. The waitress / cook / server / greeter who took care of me but whom I won't name to protect the innocent rides the only French fixie in Reno. She says she does track stands on her breaks.
I guess that's about all. I spent a few days with my parents and it never ceases to amaze me that the squalor in which they live seems to get worse each time I visit. I keep hoping that there is a bottom that they will hit, but they don't seem to have hit it yet. Maybe the bottom is when you can't find a bare (much less clean) spot of horizontal surface on which to set a cup of coffee. If it is, then they are very close to it.
And now I'm on the train jet-lagging. I'd better ask someone to wake me up when I get to the station in case I fall asleep. In about two hours I'll be home.