Honeymoon Day 3 - Hiking Mount Takao

Took the subway an hour out from Shinjuku on the Keio line to see Mount Takao for a nice day trip! We saw temples, monkeys, and Mount Fuji!

Honeymoon Day 2+4 - Shinjuku, Harajuku + Shibuya Crossing

Unusual Breakfast at Comfort Suites (00:59), LOVED the Shinjuku National Gardens (02:22), Tokyo Metro Government Building view of the city (06:41), Harry Hedgehog Cafe (08:59), Meiji Temple (11:01), Harajuku (11:38), Shibuya Crossing (11:49) Golden Gai for ramen (12:12), we did Karaoke but there's no evidence, Robot Restaurant (13:35) for a memorable performance. Got these kimonos at APA Hotel; had to channel Bill Murray.

Pizza and Pool in Baltimore

Home Slyce is a pizza bar in Baltimore that offers free pool and varying kids of pizza and pizza-related food and beverage items. Mark and I went and had a great time Sunday.

Our recommendations: Beer and Pomegranate Lemonade, and the Strongman Pizza.

A Day in Charleston, South Carolina (DAY 2 pt2)

WE LOVE CHARLESTON.

Here is a video montage of our morning biking through this wonderful city. A lot of people visiting Charleston South Carolina, choose to rent bikes and go by the water, and I completely understand why, now. This is the third part of our earlier road trip posts along the East Coast (see also, Virginia Beach and Wilmington, and Myrtle Beach).

Stayed at the Spectator Hotel, easily one of the best hotels I have ever stayed in or will ever. There was a butler! His name was Chuck and he had the best stories about the city and his life. Even helped us figure out where to go to dinner. Note: there are so many free snacks (My favorite were the benne wafers by Charleston Specialty Foods), and free cocktails in the room (as well as water, coke, and local sweet tea) that you might not get that hungry.







But the weather was wonderful and we could hear a local troubadour singing from City Market nearby, so we wandered down a block or two and saw the night stalls that were open. Through there and another block or two, we made it to Anson Restaurant. Really nice ambience, and a perfect romantic dinner of chicken for him, and grouper for me, by candlelight. On the way back from the restaurant, back through City Market, the singer was now singing 'Perfect' by Ed Sheeran, and I couldn't help but hum a little bit and stop with Mark against a wall to listen to him finish til the end.



Can we just talk about the view one wakes up to?







Brunch was at Butcher & Bee, a super hipster cafe where I got a Lamb Pita and Turmeric Tang juice, and Mark got the Roast Beef Sandwich. Took this photo outside:







'A good time occurs precisely when we lose track of what time it is' -Robert Farrar Capon



Drove to the nearby Shepherd Fairey mural that was still on the wall of their old location, then it was on to Savannah, Georgia.

Williamsburg, Virginia Beach, and Wilmington (DAY 1)

DAY 1

Let me just preface by saying that we planned this entire road trip for a long time! (for example, this entry from February). Lots of hand-scrawled notes and maps and google spreadsheet formats. Right on the cusp of our thirties, we really wanted to make the most of this trip and hope you enjoy the tips we found useful.

Woke up bright and early Wednesday morning before Memorial Weekend to visit Colonial Williamsburg VA, Virginia Beach VA, and Wilmington NC. This was the first leg on a road trip that would span all the way down the East Coast of the USA from Baltimore, MD.

Out of the many options out there- we went with National Car Rental Service. Got lucky with a Hyundai Tucson that had only 9 miles on it! Though it was picked up at the BWI Airport, the expectation was that it would only be driven one-way and dropped off at the NOLA Airport eventually. Armed with Starbucks Almond Chai Latte (no foam, no water) and Herbal Tea, we started heading down 95.



If you drink water and tea at the start of the trip, you'll start wanting to take a rest stop around Colonial Williamsburg appearing on the route. Having never been there before (but I had heard stories about the reenactments and history), we stopped by the Visitor Center and wandered through the Great Hopes Plantation for a bit. The weather was really nice, and there a lot of old examples of housing structures and a windmill.







VIRGINIA BEACH



This is the largest city in Virginia, known for it's naval installations and shoreline beaches. It wasn't long after leaving Williamsburg that we got to Cape Henry Lighthouse. I had no idea it was part of a military establishment! Fort Story is a beautiful area right on the water. Though we weren't expecting for our vehicle to be investigated before admission, it made the destination feel more hidden and special. There's a Memorial and beach outlook point across the street from the Lighthouse, that's nice to stop at. *One thing we found out the hard way is enter through Gate 8*.







I highly recommend printing out the VA Beach Public Art Scavenger Hunt map. It made it much easier to identify the art installations scattered along the Virginia Beach Boardwalk, and became a fun game. Our favorite were the Beach Balls and Birds in Flight.

We dipped our toes in the water, and ate froyo from Kohr's when it got hotter (Strawberry/Banana, and Chocolate/Peanut Butter).



We stopped at Commune for lunch, and were not disappointed. There was a healthy mix of families and young people. Everything was responsibly sourced and delicious. I had iced coffee (from local coffee company, PJ's) with burnt honey and a Ham & Jam Biscuit (both the Peach and Strawberry jams were great) for less than $10 total. The parking lot they share with Esoteric, a bar and restaurant is so beautiful, right?







This was our longest driving day, 550 miles, so to get something that would keep us alert and feeling our best went really, a long way.



WILMINGTON



Chris Dixon writes this in this New York Times article 'In Wilmington, N.C.', "a band of fortune seekers and opportunists braved the un-air-conditioned heat -- as well as the mosquitoes, alligators and bears along the banks of the Cape Fear River -- to create Wilmington, which in time became the northernmost hub of the Southern rice culture. Now it makes its living as a resort, a busy port and an aspiring movie capital. In 1983, Frank Capra Jr. found Wilmington a good place to shoot his film "Firestarter," and now his Wilmington studio, EUE/Screen Gems, says it is the largest film production facility east of California. Downtown this fall, you might find the cast of the WB network's "One Tree Hill" among the contented tourists in search of antiques, a night at the theater or a bowl of ground white hominy".



Dinner was at Front St. Brewery Taproom. I'd heard good things, and the person who checked us into our hotel also recommended this place. Best Pulled Chicken Burrito I've ever had, for around $10. The Mug of the Day beers are a great deal, where you can get their choice of beer that day for $1.99. (Normally it's $4.99 a beer.)



We wandered into KGB Lounge nearby for drinks, sipping a mule and dark & stormy. From there we kept walking down to the water a bit before getting some much needed rest.







In the morning- the heaviest rain we would get occurred.

Ate breakfast at Ezzell's Breakfast House, a local diner. The coffee was strong. Solid breakfast food. A little group of local older folks held court near the entrance.



Full and happy, we headed down to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Enjoying the ☀️

Little Havana Restaurante y Cantina off of Key Highway in Baltimore is just a short walk from Riverside Park to the water. Like I wrote in my Presidents Day Brunch Post- there's the coolest huge mural on the wall here with a handwritten headline  'Land of Eternal Spring'. We were definitely in the mood to enjoy the Spring weather, and hopefully it'll stick! It was an ideal date. Not too hot or cold, and all we needed was a light jacket.

I didn't know until coming back here, that they've been serving Cuban-inspired cuisine on the South Baltimore waterfront for almost 20 years, and it was once a former Feed Supply warehouse!

Walt Disney World Resort Memories

This time last year, we were in front of where Harry Truman used to hang out in Florida on a family vacation to Disney World. It was my first time, a bucket list item.

RIP Barbara Bush. Half of another Gemini couple (George Bush Sr. and her were the longest married presidential couple), and someone who accomplished an incredible amount in her life. She said in 1990 Wellesley College commencement address:

"At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, winning one more verdict, or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a child, a friend, or a parent."

An Ode to IHOP

There's a place in my heart for the International House of Pancakes. Doesn't matter what location (for the most part). My favorite one is where I'm constantly trying to convince Mark to take us as a reward for a good morning workout after the gym.



The best brunch- when I close my eyes and imagine my go-to order at IHOP: steak tips and eggs (poached, cut them in half over your hash browns and drizzle a little hot sauce over that mmmhmm), the neverending coffee, and pancakes with sprinkles on the side, with whipped cream on top.



I put my favorite dream breakfast aside this week, when I heard that a new type of french toast debuted, using Kings Hawaiian Rolls. If you've ever put that fluffy goodness in your mouth- I understand you. So I tried the bacon, sausage combo with that new french toast with strawberries and bananas. This is an unapologetically focused description of just how much I value these ideas and breakfast executions- keep doing you IHOP.

‘But First, Coffee’ ☕️

Maybe I should've buttoned up my cardigan to be more professional today.

Buut... people need to know.

"If you are reading this then this warning is for you. Do you read everything you're supposed to read? Do you think every thing you're supposed to think?



Quit your job. Start a fight. Prove you're alive. If you don't claim your humanity you will become a statistic."



—Tyler Durden ('Fight Club')

Presidents Day Brunch and 'Seeds' Film Teaser

Spent Presidents Day with literally some of the nicest women I've met since moving to Baltimore. It's one of the most therapeutic things to just talk for a long time, with a good meal and cup of coffee. Here's to more Monday's off.  

The outside of Order & Chaos has 'a creative cup of coffee' written out on the wall, and I definitely feel revitalized and inspired after a day like this. Little Havana is an eclectic, cool space. Pool table and generous booths, and twinkle-lit outdoor area with a view of the water. There was a mural with different locations in Cuba mapped out, and the title, 'Land of Eternal Spring' along the top.

'Seeds' Film teaser came out today as well:

Do you have Behance? let's be friends: https://www.behance.net/andreachen

Coffee at Golden West Cafe

Golden West Cafe in Hampden has the biggest mugs in the whole world. (It's right across from Old Bank Barbers)

Hope everyone’s staying out of the snow today! ❄️

Brunch at Spoons Cafe

This place is popping on a Saturday morning. It's right across from Cross Street Market, and definitely a good bet. 

I got Cinnamon Roll Pancakes with bacon- so so good, as well as a Turmeric Latte (Golden Milk) with espresso and almond milk.

 

Love and BBQ

Country love songs and barbecue at the first place we ate when we moved to Baltimore (on the way from BWI to the house).

Bonfire BBQ, we love you.

In first

Started off the year at Sagamore Pendry and had the best time. There was a light dusting of snow, complimentary Sagamore Rye Whiskey Cider, and free brunch and water taxi ride.