Vancouver & Victoria

I fled the country! 

Not really, but you know that joke about heading to Canada amid the current domestic climate? I probably made that one at least twice on the drive from Seattle to Vancouver and about ten more times in my head. I amuse myself, at least. I suppose the part that keeps it funny to me is that my Canadian long weekend meant a three-day break from news alerts on my phone. That, at least, felt good.

I was chatting with my friends Susan and Christiana about a long-weekend trip somewhere this summer, and we got the brilliant idea to go to Alaska. But, as it turns out, Alaska is crazy expensive to travel to in the summertime, and so we settled on Canada instead! Christiana and I could fly from the Bay Area to meet up with Susan in Seattle and drive the rest of the way, providing us with a car during the trip and eliminating the need to pay for international flights. Yay!

We decided on staying in the Vancouver area and doing a day trip by ferry to Victoria, and it was so lovely I can't even really say enough. Canadians are actually really that nice, Tim Horton's > Dunkin' Donuts, and the weather was sunny and warm for us the entire weekend, with clear skies showing off breathtaking views of the city.

We stayed in Steveston, a little historic fishing village, that was not 20 minutes outside Vancouver proper as advertised, but did turn out to be the real life shooting location of Once Upon a Time, which meant that we actually stayed in Storybrooke for the weekend! It turns out I'm the only one of the three of us to have ever watched an episode of OUAT, and since I was too busy roadtripping in Oregon to take part in the planning, I missed the part where our Airbnb was called the "Once Upon a Time Suite" with reviews full of diehard fans rhapsodizing about staying above Granny's diner. 

It was a reminder that most of TV is filmed in Vancouver now, to the point where you can accidentally stay on a set. We also walked by a crew setting a scene for The Flash in Stanley Park, so obviously I'm excitedly waiting for the moment this fall where I can point at my TV and loudly proclaim, "I was there five hours before they shot this!" I know my walls will be happy for me.

Our trip wasn't all Hollywood glamour, though. We took the gondola up Grouse Mountain to sweatily take in the previously mentioned stunning views, watch a delightfully cheesy lumberjack show, ride the chairlift, and not do any hiking, as apparently even in July the backcountry trails still have snow on them?? 

We walked around Stanley Park, visited the Totem Poles, walked around Gastown, saw the Steam Clock, drank cocktails with gummy worms in them, and marveled at all the touristy maple or moose-themed things for sale. We drank Caesars and learned the hard way not to plan on a late dinner in Steveston, but the midnight Korean fried chicken we found in Richmond was A+ so I like to think the universe was looking out for us. Richmond is also home to the Summer Night Market, where you can walk endless rows of food stalls selling everything from more KFC to poutine to neon colored "fruit" drinks served in strobing light bulbs. This is also where your friends might convince you to tuck yourself into a giant plastic ball and roll around in a pool filled with water like a human hamster. 

We also took the leisurely, 90 minute ferry ride to Victoria, where we walked around the harbour, stuffed ourselves at the most relaxed, lovely high tea at the Pendray Tea House (we made and cancelled a reservation at the Empress; it may be more famous but the staff was infinitely less welcoming and the crowded room was deafening), and walked through the dreamy Butchart Gardens. It was only on the ferry ride back that I remembered Victoria is the capital of British Columbia, and I spent the rest of the day wondering at the logic of putting your capital city so far away from the mainland and the rest of the province. It's fine now, with airplanes and everything, but how did that work 100 years ago? 

I give Canada a 10/10 and would for sure go back for the prolonged media diet and a maple dip.

Pacific Coast Road Trip!

A few weeks ago I took a little road trip! Well, I'm not sure what the definition of "little" is but it was about 6 days and 24 total hours of driving, so whatever that works out to. 

Almost three years ago my mom and I drove from LA to SF together, and on that trip we got to wondering what driving from the other direction would be like, if Seattle to SF would be as fun or as beautiful. I had to be in Seattle for a conference in June, so I decided we should finally find out! She flew out to Seattle, where we spent a bit of time before driving down to Portland, then through the Willamette Valley, over to the coast, south for a bit, back in to Crater Lake, back out to the coast, and finally down through Northern CA to SF. Our zig zagging route wasn't exactly efficient, but we maximized the scenery and to me, that is the point of a road trip. That, and the food!

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I hung out and conference for a couple days in Seattle (though I got a little fun in with a boat ride on Lake Union with friends and a detour to the new Spheres at Amazon!), then my mom arrived and we hit a bunch of the tourist spots in Seattle, including the Space Needle and the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum, and the Underground Tour. My mom must have become brave after hanging out above the skyline and then literally under the city, because she shocked me by requesting a ride on the ferris wheel, the one that hangs out over the water off Pier 57. I suppose after getting her up in a Gondola last year I shouldn't have been so surprised, but I didn't even have to bribe her with an Irish Coffee this time!

We capped off Seattle with a loooooong wait to eat at JuneBaby (but I will defend that decision on the smoked carrots alone) before moving on to Portland. Neither of us had ever been to Oregon before, and so we both checked the full West Coast off our bucket lists (bucket maps?). I found out my mother has only never been to 7 states!! I'd argue it's 6 because she told me she drove through a corner of Idaho one time, but apparently that doesn't count.

Eating in Seattle

Good Bar I ate here my first night in Seattle because 1) it was open and 2) I was exhausted and it was right outside the front door of my Airbnb. Convenience aside, it was actually a great place to sit at the bar, have a couple drinks and a meal. The food was pretty good, but I really liked the quiet atmosphere. I could see this place getting crazy on a Friday night but luckily for me, that wasn't the case.

The London Plane Another place that was close to my Airbnb, but even if you aren't staying nearby I would check this place out for the baked eggs. They. Were. Awesome. This little cafe is also located in a flower shop, and the space is bright and airy with walls of windows and high ceilings. If you aren't into small menus, keep in mind the menu was tiny, with only a few things for breakfast and lunch. They all sounded amazing though, so it's quality over quantity.

How To Cook A Wolf When my friend Susan asked me if I had heard of this place, I thought she was talking about M.F.K. Fisher's book, but actually it's a restaurant in Seattle named after the book. We ordered basically everything, and I braved trying beef carpaccio and eating all the dishes with fennel seeds. It was all good, though I admit I'd love to go back in a time of year when mushrooms and elderflowers aren't in season, because the chef was really into both in an overwhelming way.

Intermezzo Carmine My Lyft driver from the airport recommended this place, and, shout out to Brian because it was great! I sat at the marble bar and stuffed myself with pasta and roasted veggies, and on a Tuesday night it was quiet and relaxed. 

Cafe Munir When we showed up to this Lebanese restaurant in Ballard it was starting to rain, the wait was at least an hour, and there were no real bars or cafes nearby to wait at. Even so, I declared we had to eat here, because I had made the mistake of going inside, and therefore smelling the incredible aromas of grilled meats coming out of the kitchen. I was ruined. You will be too. Go. Order everything.

Toulouse Petit If The London Plane is an example of small-menu dining, this place is the opposite, but everything here is opulently large, from the breakfast menu to the size of the entrees. My mom and I split an egg dish and beignets and still had to waddle out of here. They make an excellent bloody mary to soak up all that filling food, though.

Il Corvo Pasta Unfortunately for us both, we ate at Toulouse Petit the morning I planned to check out this pasta shop. I figured, since this place is only open a few hours a day and known for long waits, we would be at least a little hungry by the time we got seated. Not really, since our wait was only about 30 minutes, but it speaks to the quality of the pasta and the rest of the menu that we still managed to scarf an entire plate of noodles and a kale salad.

JuneBaby Possibly one of the most hyped restaurants in the country at the moment, if you pay attention to James Beard lists or watch David Chang shows on Netflix. But, I have to say all that hype is quite possibly earned in this case. Yes, you will wait forever to eat, since the restaurant doesn't take reservations, and yes, you will probably run out of ways to entertain your mother in the meantime, but the food is worth it. At the very least, order the smoked carrots, or whatever vegetable is getting that treatment this week. They were phenomenal. The boiled peanuts were, as they usually are in restaurants, not salty enough and undercooked, but the southern rice of the day and the collard greens were excellent. 

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Portland was full of bridges and ice cream and donuts. After a quick hop out to Cannon Beach, we came back to try vegan dim sum, Oregon beers, and 6 flavors of donuts from Blue Star. We stayed in a Tiny House Hotel, which was so awesome I'm still not over it. I built a fire and roasted marshmallows from the s'mores drawer and people stared in at us like we were a zoo attraction (that part was less awesome).

South of Portland we basked in the sun in the Willamette Valley and tried sparkling wines and Oregon Pinots and I bought way too many to take home. We wound our way south down the coast, trading our cell signals for delicious, fresh seafood and ruggedly stunning views. We ventured back East to Crater Lake, where we admired the strange, volcanic terrain. We stayed in an airstream on a farm in Rogue River, where I got to hold goat babies and give them shoulder scratches. We learned all about guard llamas and I milked a goat, and then we had fresh-laid eggs for breakfast before driving on to California. 

In California we drove through endless redwoods to Eureka. Up until this point, Eureka to me was just the place on the 101 North signs, but now it's the place where we drank in a community crafting place and stayed in a haunted-looking inn. It was actually quiet and lovely in the Old Town section of the city. 

Eating in Portland

Bollywood Theater This cafe serves up Indian cuisine in photo-ready metal dishes, and it tastes just as good as it looks. We had the Goan shrimp and and a whole host of sides, including Bhel Puri, a salad-like assortment of all the things that was one of my favorite dishes I ate the entire trip. 

Ichiza Kitchen I don't know if vegan Dim Sum would be my usual first choice, but I was intrigued, and this little restaurant did not disappoint. Standouts were chili oil wontons and kimchi gyoza. I still don't know what made up the "pork belly & beef" but it was delicious enough that I don't really care, TBH.

Ava Gene's This place is right down the street from Pok Pok and just as popular from all appearances. We had a late dinner here after a day of exploring Portland. The fish with buttermilk we had was extremely good, as was the pasta, as was the wine. 

Back Pedal Brewing This little brewery room was right next door to the much larger, much noisier 10 Barrel Brewing, and we ducked inside just as it started raining for much calmer beer flight and some scrabble. 

Blue Star Donuts Ok, yes, Voodoo gets all the attention, but I didn't even try to wait in that line. Everyone told me to go to Blue Star instead, and I can't imagine they were wrong after trying these donuts. I took a box of 6 on the road south with us, and they were still enjoyable two days later. My favorite was probably the original horchata glaze and the creme brulee, sans the dropper of cointreau.

Whiz Bang Bar Salt and Straw has soft serve! Or, at least they do in Portland! I ordered a giant cone of vanilla soft serve with black raspberry shell, sprinkles, and a generous garnish of their marionberry habanero cheesecake. My mother was rightfully horrified by life choices.

Helser's on Alberta We had a great diner-style breakfast here, down the street from our hotel. It doesn't look fancy from the outside, but the line of locals waiting to eat should tell you all you need to know. 

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Coastal

Arts and Drafts A crafting spot and a bar, all in one place? Sounds weird, but it does exist in Eureka. They had a large selection of beers on tap and the location right on the waterfront and the crafts on display made for a cozy spot to get a drink.

Cafe Waterfront The food here was nothing special, but the restaurant is in an historic building in Old Eureka, and it's waterfront location and atmosphere more than made up for the food just being serviceable. We went back for breakfast, and the blueberry pancakes were more than serviceable.

Local Ocean Seafoods We stopped here for dinner in Newport on our way down the Oregon coast, and feasted on crab legs and a Brazilian fish stew containing seemingly every creature to ever surface from the deep.

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I fully recommend taking your time to drive between Seattle and San Francisco! If you have the time, the rugged Oregon coast, natural wonders, and fun cities are not to be missed. I flew back to Seattle this past weekend for a brief stop on the way to Canada, and it just wasn't as fun covering all that scenery in 2 hours and from high up above. Though, I was able to point down as we flew over Portland and think, "hey! I was just there!" so that part was ok.

Japan Guide: Tokyo

For a general overview of my experience in Japan, see my Japan Tips. This post is a guide to things to see and eat in and around Tokyo, how to get there, and where I stayed.

The last time I was in Tokyo was 1990. I remember getting bit by a squirrel at the giant Buddha statue and not being allowed to go on the Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland, but not much else. While that was an eventful thrip for four-year-old me, I tend to shove that experience into the "hardly counts" bucket. Coming back 27 years later, I was approaching Tokyo with the fresh eyes of a newbie.

Since I didn't want to lose a day of my short trip to a Disney park, and TSA regulations meant I wasn't going to exact sweet, sweet rodent revenge with a bb gun, I decided to stick mostly to the city, with one day trip to go see Mt. Fuji.

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Where to Eat in Tokyo

Ramen, pancakes, gyoza, curry, sweets. You can find whatever you want to eat in Tokyo. Going in the winter, the most satisfying thing in the world was tucking into a bowl of ramen or plate of curry, stuffing my belly and thawing out. 

Ippudo

Yes, it's basically a chain now. Yes, they just opened one in SF. But I went anyway, because I read more than one guide that counted it among the best ramen in Tokyo, and who am I to argue with that? And now everyday when I walk home from work past the line outside the SF location, I'm happy all over again that I bellied up to the counter at the Roppongi location for a bowl of ramen and fried dumplings. Both were excellent, by the way.

Rokurinsha

Did I travel to Tokyo for one specific bowl of ramen? Not exactly, but this place definitely put the idea in my head that maybe, just maybe I should head to Japan to stand in a long line in Tokyo station for tsukemen ramen. And I'm not saying you should now fly to Japan just to eat here, but if you are already heading to Tokyo this place should be on your list. There's something I love about this style of ramen, dipping cold noodles in an almost gravy-like broth. And, if you don't want to wait in the line at Tokyo station, they have an outpost in the International Terminal at Haneda too.

Hitachino Brewing Lab

So, fun story: I went to the Granroof Tokyo Station location twice during my trip, because it was a lovely bar to sit in and escape from the cold, and I thought, how nice, I found a decent IPA in Japan! I was back home for a week before I recognized a familiar owl sign, and I realized I pass this place everyday on my way to and from work in SF. So, not quite the local find I thought it was, oops. 

Flippers

You may already know that impossibly fluffy, souffle pancakes are a bit of a thing in Japan. I sort of knew this, but then during my food research for the trip I discovered there are so many places you can go where the only thing on the menu are these pancakes. Flippers is one such place, and I waited in the pouring rain outside their Shimokitazawa location for my chance to sample a plate of these pillowy wonders. I honestly wanted a little more out of these than the barely flavored sweet air I got, but maybe other chains are better, maybe I should have ordered the chocolate ones, or maybe the whole point is the raft of sweetened whipped cream on top and the experience of standing in line with 20 Japanese teenagers?

Melon Pan

If you see anyone walking around Tokyo eating what looks like an entire, cross-hatched loaf of bread, it's probably melon pan. These sweet loaves look massive, but are basically bread cotton candy (they don't taste like melon!), and collapse into only a few bites. I tried the melon pan from two places; a plain, lightly sweetened loaf from Kagetsudo in Asakusa near Sensoji Temple and a caramel flavored bun from Tokyo Melon Pan.

Harajuku Gyoza Ro

If you want gyoza, this place has gyoza, and not much else on the menu. Dumplings come in pork, fried or steamed, and inexpensively. The menu may not be varied but it doesn't matter because what they do have is delicious.

Croquant Chou Zaku Zaku

So I accidentally got really excited over the choux sticks at a train station bakery, only to look at the bag it came in and realize I had gone to Beard Papa's. It turns out they are a Japanese chain, but another one that I walk by everyday at home, so I was a little bummed I had gone to an SF place, even for an impulse sugar fix. Which is why, the next day in Harajuku, I was hesitant to investigate the heavenly smell wafting down Takeshita dori, in case it turned out to be McDonald's apple pies or something. But no, it was cream puff sticks again, but these were incredible, crunchy on the outside and full of sweet, delicious pastry cream inside. I would have happily eaten two or three, but I had fried pork and gyoza still on the menu that day.

Maisen

Speaking of fried pork, I can't imagine not screaming at anyone and everyone to go to Maisen. Yeah, it's internet famous and so probably not cool anymore, but damn if this wasn't the best fried pork cutlet (or any meat cutlet) I've ever had, and this is from a girl who ate a vast quantity of schnitzel as a child. The pork was perfect and expertly fried, and I ate the entire massive piece after a day of playing food tourist across Tokyo. Honestly, I blame the applesauce, that stuff was magic. I hear this place can be a zoo during the day, but I went after 6pm for dinner, and I was the only diner at the counter.

Indo Curry Nakaei

As someone who vehemently does not eat raw fish, did it make sense for me to go to Tsukiji fish market in search of breakfast on a freezing cold, snowy morning? Absolutely. Because I got to laugh at the poor suckers huddled under awnings waiting for their sushi dreams to come true while I just popped right into this curry joint, warm and steaming from the pots of stew cooking in the back. I pointed vaguely at the menu and immediately received a platter of spicy and sweet tomato curries, divided down the middle by a barrier of rice. I grabbed a spoon and dug in, and it was the best breakfast I had in Tokyo.

What to Do in Tokyo

Unlike Kyoto, in Tokyo it can be a little harder to answer the question, "What should I do today?" when it's freezing cold outside and you don't want to go shopping. But there are more shrines to see, streets to explore, and of course, via a short day trip, majestic Fuji-san.

Shibuya Crossing

Arguably the most famous intersection in the world, it's completely worth hopping on a train to Shibuya to join the throngs of pedestrians criss crossing beneath the neon billboards. 

Harajuku & Takeshita dori

Maybe it was too cold or maybe I went at the wrong time of day, but I didn't witness the fashion spectacle I was expecting in Harajuku. Even so, there was plenty of fun people watching on Takeshita dori, and those crazy amazing cream puffs I mentioned above.

Yanaka

This neighborhood wasn't bombed during World War II, and so you can find a completely different feel here than in other areas of Tokyo that are entirely modern construction. I wandered down the little main street and stopped in a tea shop. If you have the time, it's worth the train ride for experience a completely different ambience than I found anywhere else in Tokyo.

Meiji-jingu Shrine

I didn't really seek out any shrines or temples in Tokyo, because I certainly saw plenty in Kyoto. But this rebuilt shrine is located in a beautiful park on the edge of Harajuku, and I think it's worth walking through on the way.

Mt. Fuji

You'll need to set aside a day, and if you aren't driving you'll probably have to take a tour, but leaving Tokyo to go see Mt. Fuji, especially in the winter when it's clear, was completely worth it to me, especially as a new visitor to Japan. I somehow lucked out and the day I went to Mt. Fuji was the only clear day of my entire trip. When I woke up in the morning I discovered I could see Fuji from my hotel room, and then later got to see it up close. My tour only made it to the First Station due to heavy snows, but even from there and the nearby lake district the view was stunning. Plus, the tour stopped at a local onsen where I soaked in hot springs under the vista of the mountain. That was pretty cool.

Tsukiji Market

Somehow this place has become a major tourist attraction considering it's where Tokyo restaurants go to buy all their fish. Tourists can't get in to watch the tuna auction anymore, but it's known as the best place for sushi in Tokyo, and the outer market is an attraction in itself, with its maze of vendor stalls and yes, more sushi restaurants.

Imperial Palace Gardens

The gardens of the Imperial Palace are open to the public a few days a week, though sadly not on Fridays, which is when I finally made it there. But even the glimpse I got from the main courtyard of the grounds and the buildings made it obvious that it's worth a walk through when it is open.

Where to Stay in Tokyo

Park Hotel Tokyo

I stayed in the Shiodome area of Tokyo, which I'm not sure is a usual tourist location. However, from this hotel located on the 25th floor of a skyscraper, the views of the rest of the city are stunning, especially at night when the Tokyo Tower is glowing brilliant orange. There is also an entire floor that is essentially an art exhibit, with rooms designed and painted by artists in a variety of Japanese themes, from Geisha Goldfish to Wabi-sabi. I stayed in the Zodiac room, where the walls were covered in mischievous animals, though that was a bit startling to wake up to in the middle of the night and see a giant tiger staring at me.

Beyond the decoration, the hotel is in a great location for a lot of popular tourist sites and convenient to several subway lines via both Shiodome and Shimbashi stations.

Getting Around Tokyo

Yep, you're gonna take the subway. A lot. Tokyo is massive, and there's really no other way to get around. A Pasmo or Suica card, and a pocket wifi powering Google maps will be your best friends. But you can zoom around to all the sites you want to see, and food you want to eat. Tokyo may be the only city I've ever been to where you work up an appetite taking the train all day. But the stations are massive and I don't think I once left using the correct exit, so be prepared for plenty of walking as well.