barcelona and san sebastian 2014

London 2014

2014 pasadena and los angeles

Congrats to Eddie Money. First video attempt with the Nikon 5300 exclusively with a prime lens. I used it frequently in Spain and UK but I'm sort of working backwards towards looking at all of that footage. Nevertheless, great results; can you imagine how it would look with a talented shooter? Thanks for stopping by.

a few pics from barcelona: la sagrada familia

The second of two Gaudi works that we visited (the other, La Casa Mila). And honestly, we did not see enough. This guy is unreal. That is my expert opinion. The cathedral is intended to be complete in about a dozen more years - 2026. It seems like a good buffer from now to a second visit to this amazing city. Oh yes. All of this is undoubtedly a tribute to Jesus. Don't be fooled; he is clearly a fancy man with ornate preferences. View from the back entrance. Thanks for stopping by!

a few pics from barcelona: la casa mila

Geeze. I didn't intend for the whole of April to slip by without having collected anything here. Life is moving a little faster than I'm able to document. But its easy to pick up where I left off with some additional pictures of our last trip - now two months old. I still have a little video to put together. Without further ado, Barcelona. Actually, I change my mind. Here are pictures from one of the two Gaudi works we visited - La Casa Mila. They are probably the best photographs taken of this apartment. I should probably say a few words about my experience. Here goes: Gaudi is a neat man who probably experimented with all sorts of interesting drugs (this may be slander). I was speechless to discover that these are basically smoke stacks. Thanks for stopping by! I am lazy.

a few pics from london

Emmelle and I spent roughly two weeks in mid to late February living it up in London -> Barcelona -> San Sebastian. Here are a smattering of pics from the Londong leg of our trip. Note that I've replaced my busted Nikon D60 with the D5300. A world of difference - same "photographer", better tool = better photos. Amazing! A view of Parliament from the Thames River. There is nothing else to say about this - maybe (sadly) that this was probably the best of the best Parliament photos that I took. Also of note, we weren't invited in to speak on this day...not sure of the reason. St Paul's Cathedral in the background, the Millenium Bridge in the foreground. Anyone who's visited the Tate Modern Museum is familiar with this view. I carried around my tripod during this portion of our trip, so I regret slightly that we couldn't be on the riverbank just an hour or two later when all of the wonderful 'mood' lighting gets turned on. Some of the urban grit looks quite lovely in a myriad of colors - I'm sure there's a lot of folks that would disagree. Westminster Abbey. We actually had time to do this tour. It is a big church with a lot of dead people buried inside of its halls. I'm not sure there's more to say than that. Emmelle adds, "There are a lot of dead people." Eye of London. I am a little ashamed to admit that we rode this beast (completely my idea). I think again, it would probably look pretty cool in the dark with all of the city lights turned on, not so much during the day. And you quickly realize that you are standing in line with tourists who've just spent an amazing afternoon in Ripley's Believe it or Not or Madame so-and-so's wax museum. Regrettable mistake, totally my fault (great picture though). Thanks for stopping by!

history's greatest day: volume 33

I'm not sure if it's mere coincidence, but the greatest day of the year occurred on the same day as it did in 2013, Februrary 27. That's right, it's already come and gone. The rest of 2014 is basically on a downward trajectory; we should all look towards flipping the remnants of this calendar year. And how exactly did Emmelle and I celebrate said day of magnificence? Well, by dining at one of the world's most renown restaurants of course. On the last full (non-travel) day of our recent London-Barcelona-San Sebastian romp, we dined at the famed Arzak. Spoiler alert: It did not disappoint. A great great meal - delicious, fun and memorable. Headed into the meal, I read a Yelp review written by a Korean American about her epicurean experience. Included was a description of her interaction with the owner, Juan Mari Arzak. When she mentioned that she was of Korean decent, he told her that he had one Korean friend, David Chang of Momofuku. After reading that, I became very excited about sharing a similar experience - and fully ready to drop that we were Korean. When our moment came with Arzak, he also inquired about our ethnic background. In response to our Korean heritage, he claimed that he knew the best Korean chef, of course David Chang of Momofuku. It's good to be prepared; we probably had the longest chat with him among non-Spanish/Basque speakers that night. I don't care if he asks this question to every dark haired/small eyed individual that walks into his famed doors; it was pretty cool. Our dinner menu is re-typed below. Fantastic photographic memory? Hardly, they actually gave us personalized printouts of the menu based on our actual selections. For example, it includes the wine that we drank (half bottle of the Roda Reserva 2008) and excludes dishes that we did not choose (simple but terrific nuance to the whole experience). The courses with multiple dishes outside of the first, were basically an "OR" selection. As all couples should, we chose one of each to maximize our sampling. First Jiro's and now Arzak. Honestly, the best establishments in our own backyard seem fairly reasonable (i.e. French Laundry). Thanks for stopping by! Scorpion fish mousse with kataifi Mushroom with nuts and citrus Beans with olives and apple Gilda with carrot and ssamjang Chorizo with tonic ++++++++++ Beet root blood apple Apple injected with beetroot accompanied by creamy foie gras and potato "mother of pearl" Cromlech, manioc and huitlacoche Crispy manioc hydrated with huitlacoche stuffed with a preparation of onion, green tea and foie gras ++++++++++ Lobster "Sea and Garden" Grilled lobster with a crispy star shaped crepe and fresh greens Volcanic oysters Warm oysters over black salt, smoked vegetables and light acid touch ++++++++++ Ovo-lacto Egg with semi crunchy shell and baobab accompanied by "lactic leaves" and curds ++++++++++ Sole with "snow" Sole fillet served with a crust of fermented yucca, mussel and tamarind sauce and its snowman Fish steak with potatoes Fillet of seabass lightly marinated with gin and served with several flavors of potatoes ++++++++++ Wild duck and seeds Roasted duck breast over a selection of dried fruits accompanied by an elaboration of seeds like pumpkin, grape or sunflower Venison with plaster and Jerusalem artichoke Deer and roe deer loin served with roasted and plastered Jerusalem artichoke, fried chestnuts and their juice ++++++++++ The Big Truffle Largue cocoa and sugar truffle with a creamy chocolate and carob filling The Circus: Diabolo and Calamansi Under the tent of a circus, diabolos soaked in calamondin with chocolate, carrot ice cream "melted" and piece of colored clay ++++++++++ Acai granita Bitter almond ice cream "sauced" with acai and fruit ice Suspension jelly Roasted and smoked pineapple with vanilla covered with cloche and suspension jelly set with carrot and orange

portland trip in october

Wow, it's been awhile since my last post. Four day trip to Portland back in October. Video is missing our first day there, including dinner at Pok Pok. Thanks for stopping by!

tokyo 2012 photo bomb

This couldn’t be more tardy. I’m finally sharing some photos of the Tokyo leg of our Korea/Japan trip from October 2012. And I’ve actually written about some of it already – photos from Korea, the sushi meal of a lifetime and this um, unfortunate little accident on the way to the airport. Emmelle walking through a Tokyo subway station Elevated view of the Harajuku station More Harajuku madness. Shoulder to chest contact is perfectly normal here Sake tribute at Yoyogi Park Tuna at Tsukiji Fish Market Udon. It can be delicious. But not in mainland USA Cocoon Tower in Shinjuku I rarely post pictures of us together on this blog. This is not one of those times. This is to share the refreshing Suntory Malt's beer that was my go-to adult beverage during our Tokyo stay

royal caribbean cruise to the um, caribbean

Seven day family trip with port destinations in:

• Labadee, Haiti
• Falmouth, Jamaica
• Cozumel, Mexico

More thoughts to come on this one.

Thanks for stopping by.

photos from seattle

Some photos to accompany the Seattle video posted a few weeks ago. Enjoying the Seattle skyline from Elliott Bay Shipping ports intrigue me. Especially after finishing the second season of The Wire not too long ago. Salmon for sale at the famed Pike Place Market Emmelle enjoying a Dungeness crab-filled brunch. Blue trees in downtown Seattle. I'm not going to bother researching why. Thanks for stopping by!

seattle weekend

Thanks for stopping by!

day five of ten on the east coast

day four of ten on the east coast

After pounding a few beers with co-workers near Penn Station, I took the Acela train down to Union Station in Washington D.C. to connect with my fave cousin, Eddie Money Thursday evening. Among the few places that we hit during the night, the highlight was a whisky bar called Jack Rose where I spotted the Ardbeg Galileo. This single malt recently took top honors at the recent World Whiskies Awards. Considering that the previous year’s winner was Yamazaki 25, this bottle must be pouring something fierce at a meager 12 year age expression. The two ounce pour was reasonably priced considering its recent achievement, so we had to get our hands on it. Side note: Our server did not know anything about this whisky. I imagine a groundswell of new demand once word spreads about this coronation. Ultimately, I'm trying to say that our purchase was a great one. How was it? Good – recognizable Ardbeg peat, citrus, mild sweetness, and most importantly, incredibly balanced. The other highlight? Stumbling back to Eddie Money’s house to sip on a hard-to-find sour mash bourbon called Black Maple Hill. BMH has been building a cult following in recent years, which makes it difficult to find a bottle for a reasonable price. Money seems to be able to get it relatively easily on the east coast. How was it? It was good, sour. It would be a great everyday sipper to have on the whisky shelf. Of the ten part series currently being documented, chapter four begins a three day debacle of drunken debauchery. Thanks for stopping by!

day three of ten on the east coast

In short, an extremely long (yet successful) day, highlighted by a worthwhile dinner. The day started in the office, prepping and rehearsing for an afternoon pitch. The prospective client is about an hour west in New Jersey and the meeting went smoothly - no material hiccups to speak of. On the way back to the city, I hopped on another call for the west coast and remained in our office past 8pm before heading out to dinner. It was a long day for sure, but it’s easier to stomach these things when (1) you’re on the road, and (2) you've completed a successful meeting. A co-worker was thoughtful enough to make a dinner reservation at Ma Peche, one of the restaurants in the David Chang Momofuku portfolio. Dinner was terrific, no material complaints, but I was a little confused about the overall vision or direction of the food (I actually don't even know what I mean by that). Nevertheless, David Chang remains my hero, and I was pleased to check off another one of his restaurants on my “must-eat” list. I was happiest when his famous pork buns came to our table - a sure indication that we were dining within the walls of the Momofuku empire. The absolute best thing we ate, and a dish that had me banging my fist on the table in pleasant astonishment, was a foie gras with sarsaparilla, malt and brioche. What a delight. One other thing. Manhattan is obviously expensive, and sometimes, laughably so. Among several prices in the ridiculous zone, Ma Peche pours a Yamazaki 18 for $50. I was drinking this same thing at a hotel bar for half the cost earlier in the week. I really need to get my hands on a few of these bottles before it starts to retail for over $200. It’s going to happen. Thanks for stopping by!

day two of ten on the east coast

So night one actually ended with a trip to the hotel bar and a dram of Yamazaki 18 – a single malt that I’m currently seeking for my home collection (and is getting exceedingly difficult to find). I thought the $25 pour at a hotel bar of all places was a fantastic price. Day two consisted of some heavy planning and rehearsal for a new business pitch for the following day. As such, I wasn’t interested in getting into any sort of trouble, so I sadly ended my evening early by grabbing some (not-so-great) takeout Japanese food and eating in my hotel room. It’s one of the more pathetic things that you can do – eating by your lonesome in your tiny room. I tried really hard to get some rest but this proves more and more difficult. As I get incrementally older, I find jet lag getting more severe. These are small things that I notice about how my body is starting to breakdown. And I don’t mean that dramatically, just simply that there are subtle physical changes taking place if I pay close enough attention. All pretty exciting stuff, right? Life and times of GreensandBrowns on the road. More importantly, let’s talk airline miles! I think I’ll be adding another NYC trip to this list very soon:

day one of ten on the east coast

I’m writing from 30,000 feet, en route to JFK. This flight commences a work trip that spans 10 days; two New York trips on back-to-back weeks that I have elected to turn into one with a personal trip to Washington D.C. sandwiched in between. I've traveled this itinerary before, but it wasn't nearly as long as this current one. In fact, this is the longest work related trip that I've ever taken, and becomes the longest amount of time that Emmelle and I have spent apart (hold your tears). I rarely write about my work travel, but this is a unique one simply for its length. I'll try to capture a daily synopsis. I already know that my posts will be somewhat lacking; I'm not traveling with a camera and I already know that I'll be too tired/inebriated for any substantive documentation. But that's ok, let's see if I can commit to this. Today, there’s no need to wait until the end of the day for a summary. My flight will arrive around midnight, I’ll get into my hotel room around 1:30 and I’m hoping to get a handful of hours of sleep. Spoiler alert: not likely. I'll think really seriously about leaving my hotel room and finding some fast food, only to come to my senses and let myself go a little hungry (this actually summarizes about 75% of my work travel experiences in total). See you tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by!

emmelle master of the slopes

south korea 2012 photo bomb

I just finished making a poor attempt at editing a few photos of the Korean leg of our recent Seoul-Tokyo vacation.  Tokyo coming eventually. Apologies for the photo bomb; I find little time for the written word these days.  FAMILY: Seoraksan range in the background Pension (bed & breakfast) in Hongcheon owned by Emmelle's aunt She purchased a huge plot of land and built two homes. NATURE: We were just in time to see the leaves change in Seoraksahn Buddhist temple at Naksansa CULTURE: Traditional architecture in Insadong Buddhist statue at Seoraksan Park CITY LIFE: Han River at night - messing around with aperture. I have no idea where this is. (Seoul) A door. Emmelle catching up with her professor buddy at Ewha Women's University. FOOD: Prep work to make kimchi  The famed Korean "hanu". Well-marbleized beef  Drying squid near Sokcho DDukbokki near Hongik University. Sesame leaves make a difference  Grilled clams near Sokcho; part of Korean sashimi fare

korea and japan 2012