boise bound

Creek Ducks

Have covid shots will travel! Travel post-pandemic was such a crazy idea, but I was definitely missing getting away, or just not being in my apartment. It was a surreal couple of days after being two weeks clear of my vaccine and then hopping on a plane hanging with a friend and being out and about doing things. Why Boise? Well mainly because I have a friend who has been there for most of the pandemic, but also I’d never been. So Boise is very outdoorsy and I, between my foot issues and my desire to be in shade at all times, am not so much. So my friend catered our activities to things that were a little more my speed.

Priorities of course included food and drink. Breakfasts including a couple of outings, The Griddle provided some standard fare, I appreciate a make your own omelet. I’m also on a limited sourdough bread only (yeast, sheesh) and able to get a sourdough breakfast sandwich at Certified. This was in a cute neighborhood so we did a little stroll around. Good happy hour at Tavern at Bown Crossing followed by dinner. And “wine Wednesday” at The Refuge followed by sourdough of the pizza variety at Flying Pie Pizzeria. And I have to say it’s been so long since I had pizza I was just happy to be on a carb frenzy I’ll forgive their one can option of wine…. Also while doing a stroll around downtown (which felt like mostly bars and restaurants) we had a tasty lunch at Fork with a nice outside patio. Another foodie day did also include a trip to the local farmer’s market, which I recall was followed by a trip to Costco to get full balance.

For a bit about where I was there’s the Idaho State Museum, which is small but brought back the fun of a grade school field trip. We made a quick pop into the Basque Museum and Cultural Center, quick mostly because it was closing but our 15-20 minutes covered what they had of the Basque experience. A stop at one of the Basque restaurants nearby would make a nice pairing. And then one day we did those electric scooters (and survived), along the very pretty green belt that runs along the river. That trip included the collection at the Boise Art Museum which was also nicely done. Followed up by a trip to Telaya Wine Co for some yummy wine tasting on a pretty afternoon.

The weather this time of year is generally a little warmer than in San Francisco, but I did hit a milder spell, which is fine for my pale skin (though I was surprised by how quickly my normally ignored skin dried out). While I enjoyed my time touring around I have to admit my fave thing was hanging with my friend on her patio watching the many ducks that would make their way down the creek (no duckling sightings, unfortunately). There was even a guest appearance by a couple of deer. Overall an excellent and appreciated getaway.

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so very savannah

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Sometimes it’s just nice to get away. Some place with a beautiful historical downtown, a little art, a little shopping, and a lot of good food. What I love about Savannah is mainly that it just feels different from any of the other cities… the squares, the houses, and of course the Spanish moss.

The days were mostly focused around meals (one can really only do two full meals a day) with a little strolling between and the intent to adapt a more Southern relaxed mode.

And as it turns out Pinterest launched a new feature yesterday Place Pins with maps. So I’ve taken it for a test drive and mapped some of the highlights of the trip. Take a spin over at my Pinterest Savannah board and check it out yourself. I found it a great way to plot all the sites by location with a mini note about each.

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totally todos

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So occasionally even the procrastinator needs to unplug, and what better way than a vacation. A little jaunt down to Mexico was just the ticket and Todos Santos is just a short ride (about 1 1/2 hours) away from the Cabo airport in our lovely Sienna. The sleepy town did just the trick, though it is a sleepy town. There are a couple of times a year that are a bit busier with a film and a music festival, but word is things still shut down at around 9:30. The rumored famous Hotel California could be found open somewhat later but the cheese factor kept us at bay.

The small artsy town with an array of shops, restaurants, hotels, and during the day taco stands (taco stands are apparently not a nighttime affair) is a lovely way to spend a couple days. I did avoid purchasing yet more silver jewelry, pottery, or $300+ leather bags. Turns out the beaches right at Todos Santos and north are lovely but not safe for swimming so mix in a day at slightly south Cerritos Beach Club snacking and drinking and watching the surfers is quite good. The weather was a little unseasonably cold, which didn’t hold us back from putting our sunscreen to use, though adding another sweatshirt wouldn’t have been a bad idea.

Since things do shut down early the big event of the day was going out to dinner. Night one was a pop by La Copa Bar at the Todos Santos Inn. They were rumored to have the best margaritas so we perched ourselves and along with the margaritas started ordering food, mole, pork, guac… which was all delicious. And the atmosphere was a bit old library which we dug. The next night was a stop at La Casita Tapas and Wine Bar which seemed to be neither, though you could order wine and they had a decent selection of entrees and sushi, I was under the weather so can’t report but the food got somewhat mixed reviews (steak special quite good), the vibe was also very enjoyable, a little rustic, good energy.

We then made it to Rancho Pescadero for what could not have been a fresher meal, the chicken and fish and salads were delicious though the risotto was more of a gumbo, I also had a crazy delicious strawberry mojito (I was feeling better!). The space was lovely though the ocean front description was a bit misleading; you had to go upstairs to another non dinner space to see the beach past the plants. We were swayed by folks’ descriptions of one of the Italian places in town and tried Tre Galline which was good and a nice space, though the report that it’s super authentic and better than those to be found even in San Francisco might be an overstatement. Overall I think we enjoyed the food, though to be honest the prices weren’t a total bargain so I think the straightforward Mexican items were our favorites.

The best margaritas were in fact provided by our hotel staff, complimentary on first arrival and available between 5-7 on subsequent evenings. We were amused when a group arrived on a Friday night inquiring as to the sushi and bar evenings that had apparently been concluded a couple of years prior when Mario moved to full time surf school (the margaritas were still his recipe). Apparently the sign was still up…

Margs were one of the many perks of the hotel, a slight jaunt outside of the main town. The Hotelito turned out to be a lovely accommodation. We camped out at a few of the rooms at the bed and breakfast side of things but got a tour of the spacious three bedroom Casita also available. We loved the margaritas, the gas bonfire and honor bar in the communal area for nightcaps, and of course the pool. Being outside of town seemed to offer the most expansive pool area, long enough for laps and with plenty of hammocks, chairs, and chaises with umbrellas for all your lounging needs. And the staff was sweet and proprietor Jenny, a Londoner who designed the place herself was a delight.

Happy to be back in front of my own television and backlogged TiVo but now reinvigorated to plot another escape. Where to?

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