Reference

Rants, raves, whatevers.

Music

Rants, raves, whatevers.

Not to Be Missed (N2BM)

Fun and wonderful spots that you should check out on the WWW.

  • Panda Cam: at the San Diego Zoo. They're cute. They're funny. Watching them eat is fun!

Can't Live Without (CLW)

Whether you know it yet or not, these are things that will change your life. Once you've tried it, you'll wonder how you ever lived without it. Kinda like indoor plumbing, but more fun.

  • Netflix: Never go to Blockbuster again. Tell them where to stick their late fees. Had it with their "guaranteed in stock" bait and switch? Forget standing in line, or even going out in the rain or cold in the first place.
  • TiVo: Tell it what TV shows you like, watch them when you want, skip the commercials. Forget getting up at 3am to watch a European F1 race, or sitting through 20 minutes of commercials during the latest episode of Nip Tuck. It's your damn TV. Watch it on your schedule.
  • iPod
  • Roomba: A robot cleans our house! How cool is that?
  • Open Table: Easy and reliable reservations at popular restaurants.
  • Fandango: Never stand in line for movie tickets again. Yea!

Destinations

In general, I have pretty good luck following the recommendations I find on Citysearch when traveling to a new city. You may also want to check out CITY Magazine Insider Guides . For Jet Setters that have the dough, and the swagger, Wallpaper* Magazine City Guides provide handy maps showing you where to flash it around.

Here are few unique and out-of-the way destinations that I've enjoyed visiting. If this list leads you to try one of these places, drop me a note and tell me how it went. Hopefully, you'll discover and enjoy something you may not have found otherwise.

Fort Worth

Indianapolis

  • Rathskeller serves the best Jäegerschnitzel I've had outside Germany. If they've got Altenmünster beer in stock, have one for me!
  • Italian place
  • Union Jack Pub: Tons of race memorabilia and very close to the track, why NOT stop for a pint?!

Kauai

We found The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook indispensable when we went. Make sure to have some shave ice at Jo Jo's!

Las Vegas

Yeah. So I'm aware a lot of these are located at Hard Rock. I love that place. They've got Starbuck's, Sushi, Steak, and a 24 hour grill to serve greasy hangover food. No reason to leave.
  • AJs Steak House is swank, has good food and great drinks.
  • Nobu. Do you see a theme here? It's called Nobu. Eat it! Spicy seafood soup is awesome and the interiors are like eating in a Zen spa.

Monterey/Carmel/Salinas, CA

  • Baja Cantina: Very good mexican food, and a crap load of car memorabilia make this a great race weekend spot to grab lunch or dinner.

Napa/Sonoma/Kenwood

  • Genova Delicatessen: This is a perfect place to grab lunch, or fill your pic-nic basket. Great meats and cheeses. Don't let the strip-mall location put you off.
  • Rubicon Estate: Formerly Niebaum-Coppola, formerly Inglenook. It's a very pretty winery, and we've never had a bad bottle or pour there. Congrats to Francis Ford Coppola for not just hanging his name on it, but making it great like his movies.
  • The Girl and the Fig is the best place we've found in the Sonoma/Kenwood area for nice dinner. Food and service was great. Atmosphere is nicer than many of the other local restaurants.
  • Cafe Citti is very casual, and has great sandwiches made with homemade mozzarella and focaccia bread. Perfect place for lunch.

New York

  • Hudson Cafeteria: Best Mac n' Cheese ever. Have it with chicken for dinner.
  • Paramount Hotel
  • Moss: If you like modern design and furniture, visit Moss. It's like DWR, but more. More space, more attitude, more expensive.
  • Nobu Next Door: If you're there for the food, skip Nobu proper and head right next door. Same food, and a sweet sushi bar which gives you access to one of the head sushi chefs.

San Diego

  • The Oceanaire Seafood Room has the best crab cakes ever. Pretty good drinks too. You may have seen their executive chef on the TV show Top Chef.
  • The San Diego Zoo really is a must see. Better than SeaWorld in my opinion. If you can't get there in person, check out the Panda Cam
  • Go see The Prince of Piano play and drink strong cocktails. If buy him a drink, and are nice, he might even play a request.
  • The prince used to play at the bar of the Westgate Hotel. Close, but not too close the the convention center. Reasonably priced. European flair.
  • There are a lot of great modern homes and offices in San Diego. You've probably seen them in Dwell Magazine. Wish there was a map.

Sea Ranch/Gualala

  • Two Fish Bakery: Yummy pastry to go with your relaxing morning coffee and paper. Get there early though, or it will be slim pickin's. Bring your pup for a biscuit of his/her own!
  • Mexican
  • Placewares: Small, but fun modern furnishings store and gallery.

Seattle

  • Pacific Inn Pub: Micro brew and secret recipe fish and chips. A great hole-in-the-wall find.
  • Pike's Place Market is very much for tourists, but it's a nice walk. You can grab coffee at the original Starbucks store and check out local farmers at the historic market. Does watching people throw fish excite you?
  • If you like music even a little, you really need to stop by the Experience Music Project. A music history lesson, hands-on fun, and a great excuse to ride the monorail. Even the building itself is a trip, with its color changing Frank Gehry design.
  • Stop by Trabant Coffee and Tea. It's not too far from the W Hotel, and has the most friendly and knowledgeable baristas I've met. They've got great taste in music too. Thanks for turning me on to The Appleseed Cast. Oh! They have a clover machine too. It doesn't just make great coffee, it's fun too watch too.

Springfield, MO

  • Andy's Frozen Custard: richer, creamier, silkier and more flavorful than ice cream or frozen yogurt. Mmmmm.... Butterfinger.
  • Mexican Villa: I order their Very Hot Hot Sauce by the case, gladly take a 3-hour detour to have a meal there, and usually ship a dozen burritos to myself. The South National location is special to me, from the neon clock to the canned beer served in a frosted milk glass.

Tokyo

  • Tsukiji fish market: Tokyo central wholesale market for fish. Get there early, like 6am, to watch the auction of HUGE tuna. Then wander to one of the tiny restaurant stalls and have the freshest sushi you'll ever get for breakfast with a cold Sapporo and shot of sake. S3!

Washington, D.C.