Tulip Family Travels

Elsewhere

Jun 082012

I’m on a blogging hiatus until September, and then plan to switch travel content from this blog over to my personal blog, Two Wishes. Lots of travels still to write about, from poking around DC to experiences-of-a-lifetime in Hawaii. Hope to see you there in September!

And in the meantime, if you simply can’t live without my travel writing (ha), stop by and visit my posts at Chic Traveler. It’s a great site for both armchair dreaming and practical information, and I’d recommend it wholeheartedly even if I didn’t write for them.

Packing a Toddler’s Airplane Carry-on Bag

Travel with Kids 1 Response »

Apr 102012

A few weeks ago, we went to Hawaii. It was an amazing trip, but there was one big hurdle before we got there: the airplane trip. Ten hours, one very short layover. With an active 3-year-old.

Frankly, I was terrified. Between chronic illness and said 3-year-old, I am rarely on top of anything, but terror spurred me to be on top of this plane ride. Military skirmishes have happened with less planning than I put into the contents of that carry-on bag. So thought I’d share the details for anyone out there facing a similar situation:

Please let this go okay. Please let this go okay. Please let this go okay....

The bag:

My daughter is obsessed with the Disney Princess rolling suitcases from Heys Luggage. My husband and I have certain feelings about the “princess industrial complex” that pretty much guarantee the Disney suitcase is never going to happen, but I wanted her to feel that the eventual choice was special. I looked into Melissa and Doug’s Trunki, a ride-on suitcase that’s popular with the tot set, but many owners grumbled about design flaws like wheels that pop off and a tendency to tip over. Not what you need when you’re rushing to your gate! Any well-made kid-sized rolling suitcase was surprisingly pricey, plus Mom and Dad would end up carrying it eventually and very few have shoulder straps for grownups. In the end I did what I usually do, and headed over to eBay. Found a kid-sized duffel bag with ballet slippers on it to please our budding ballerina — $12 shipped, and we were good to go.

The contents:

Next issue — what to put in it?

Snacks. I grabbed any pre-wrapped special treats that we had in the cupboards (freeze-dried fruit, fruit roll-ups, lollipops) and added snack-sized ziploc bags of goldfish crackers (avoid real crackers; they turn to crumbs), almonds, dried cherries, and the like. (Brought string cheese too, but that always turns to warm mush before we get around to eating it. Someday I’ll remember that.)
Extra clothes. Our girl rarely needs changes of clothes in normal daily life, but something about plane trips seems to guarantee leaky diapers and monumental beverage spills. Bring more extra clothes (tops and bottoms) than you think you could possibly need.
Amusements. Bring at least one old favorite that you know will fill some time, plus a handful of new diversions that, if nothing else, will dazzle with their newness. Try wrapping them in gift wrap or tissue paper to make the event feel extra special. Each time your child starts to grow bored and restless, you can pull out a new gift. We packed a set of small foam toys, a pop-up book (turned out to be a smidgen old for our girl, but pop-ups are a great diversion where storybooks might be hard to follow), a small book of sticker paper dolls, and Dollar Store favorites like a plastic Slinky, crayons and paper and a pre-inked stamper, sheets of stickers, and a handful of colorful Band-Aids (Band-Aids are oddly mesmerizing to toddlers).
Kid-sized headphones. If you’re going to watch videos on your own device or in-flight entertainment, a comfortable pair of kid-sized headphones is a must. Ours aren’t cute, but they work well. (I once fell for some travel-blogger favorites that look like tigers. They were adorable, but they broke literally the moment we took them out of the package.)
Comfort item(s). If your child has a favorite blankie, stuffed animal, etc., you should bring it on the plane. Anything familiar that makes your little one feel safe in strange surroundings is an obvious plus. But be sure to check, double-check, and triple-check that you have this item with you at all times. Losing your child’s beloved mid-trip is a sure recipe for misery.

Other bags / the milk crisis:

That little carry-on wasn’t everything, of course. (How does adding one kid to the trip always seem to triple your luggage contents??!?) We also carried an insulated lunch tote with her milk and sippy cups. And the grown-up luggage had Pull-ups and wipes and diaper disposal bags (as with clothes, calculate how many you think you’ll need and then double it just to be safe!), extra extra clothes, extra grown-up clothes (turned out to need them; see: monumental spills), a travel pillow that’s another comforting friend from home, and the iPad. I also added Children’s Tylenol to my container of “just in case” medications and a small hand sanitizer to my baggie of carry-on liquids.

We’ve been through security with her cooler bag over 15 times, and Dulles was the first time they gave us grief over bringing milk through Security. The TSA agent kept repeating that the milk exception was for “infants and babies only.” They dumped all our milk and re-xrayed the bag, thereby neutralizing the latest pressing threat to airline safety in America. Also leaving us without any milk and facing a 5-hour flight, and if you’ve never shopped for milk at an airport, let me assure you that it’s surprisingly difficult to find. Hot tip: Starbucks sells “kids’ milk” at the counter. Don’t be put off by the flavored milk in the case; ask the barista for regular milk in a cup. It has been a lifesaver in every airport we’ve been through, and they came through for us again at Dulles. (It turns out the stewardesses had cartons of milk available on our plane as well. But that is not always true, and you don’t want to find that out after you’re stuck on a plane with a grumpy toddler who needs milk to fall asleep!)

The ultimate child pacification device.

Speaking of the iPad:

When we first had a baby, an acquaintance described his then-newfangled iPad as “the ultimate toddler pacification device.” He was not wrong. Fellow travelers have our own iPad to thank for their peace and quiet on our past plane, boat, and train trips. We downloaded a few favorite Pocoyo and Hopla videos and have a folder full of toddler apps. We generally stick with free apps or free previews — just search Google or the App Store for toddler or preschool apps and look for the free ones. But Elmo’s ABCs and Monkey Preschool Lunchbox are two that are absolutely worth their retail price.

And the big question … how did it turn out?

Brilliantly! She slept for maybe 2 hours of the 10-hour flight, but her bag kept her well fed and well entertained for the rest of the time. We definitely ran into spills and Pull-up leaks (hence my stress on extra changes of clothes), and airline bathrooms can be loud and scary for kids who are still potty training. But I’m pretty sure Mom and Dad were complaining worse than Kiddo by the time we got to Honolulu. Kids aren’t as cramped as adults in airplane seats, and they have no experience with petty grumbles like lack of food and creeping airline fees. As long as you plan ahead to keep your toddler comfortable, entertained, reasonably well fed, and psychologically secure, plane travel can actually be a thrilling part of your child’s trip.

What’s your best advice for keeping littles ones happy on airplanes? What do you pack in your carry-on?

A Guide to the White House Easter Egg Roll

DC 23 Responses »

Apr 062012

So you scored tickets to the White House Easter Egg Roll. Congratulations! It’s an amazing historic event, and great fun to be able to walk around on the White House grounds. It’s also probably nothing like you imagine. Here are a few tips to help you enjoy the experience:

The iconic sight. Which you probably won't see. (Image via Wikipedia.)

1. Forget your preconceptions. Based on years of news features, most people picture kids in frilly Easter clothes rolling eggs on the White House lawn while celebrities wander about and the First Family pops out to greet everyone. That does happen. But it happens at a single, carefully controlled point in the day. The rest of the day involves over 30,000 people being ushered through the event en masse. Picture an image of “people everywhere,” and then add a few hundred more. It’s still historic. It’s still an amazing event. But it is a cattle call.

2. Plan your priorities. Manage lines accordingly. There are five timed entries throughout the day — check your ticket for your entry time. The timed entries ensure that you are attending with “only” a few thousand others instead of the full crowd. The ticket also tells you when to line up, but treat this as a general guide. If you definitely want to participate in the actual egg roll or the little kids’ egg hunt, show up very early to be sure you’re toward the front of the entry line. That way, you can rush right to your chosen activity once you’re inside, hopefully heading up the line for that activity. There’s nothing worse than waiting in line to get into the Easter Egg Roll itself, only to spend your whole time waiting in more lines for your chosen activities. If you don’t care about specific activities (and there are plenty of things to see that don’t require waiting in line), show up at the actual entry time. You won’t waste time standing in the entry line before the gates open. You’ll be at the back of the entry line, but it moves quickly once the gates actually open.

The first year, for no particular reason, we dressed our daughter as a bee. It was actually a huge hit, especially when we met the White House Beekeepers in the food section. (Note people in background. There are always people in the background.)

3. Check the weather. Even though the Easter Egg Roll is a spring event, the weather is almost always hot and sunny. Don’t dress the way you would for an Easter brunch — dress for several hours outdoors in the elements. Think sunscreen, comfortable shoes, and clothes that will be okay if you sit down in the grass for a while.

4. You will go through Security. Once your entry time arrives, you will move through Security on your way into the event. Don’t worry. There are lots of lanes, the employees are efficient, and the lines move quickly. You will walk through a metal detector and open your bags for a visual check. There’s a list of prohibited items, but all are fairly self-evident (leave your weapons, pets, and fireworks at home) except maybe large bags and outside food and drink. And don’t worry too much about the food and drink rule if you have a baby or toddler — we were never hassled about our small cooler bag of bottles and sippy cups.

5. There will be some food and drink. In our experience, the Easter Egg Roll is a tremendously well-run event. Corporate sponsors and helpful volunteers ensure that you rarely lack for anything. When you first enter the gates, you are greeted with a cold beverage (bottled water or one of the sponsors’ bottled drinks), a snack (granola bars and the like), and a row of port-a-potties (including special ones with changing tables). The “health and fitness” themes of the past few years means more giveaways of healthy foods like fruit once you’re inside. And there are usually volunteers handing out additional bottles of water if it’s hot — if you need hydration and can’t find someone, just stop by the First Aid tent and ask.

Lithgow sighting.

6. There will be random celebrities. Every Easter Egg Roll includes musical performances by kid favorites, sports stars there to support the fitness efforts, and actors and actresses who read kids’ books to the crowd. Each celeb generally appears at only one of the timed entries, so you never know who you’ll get. (Mr. T and I usually have no idea who the people are, but we did geek out over seeing John Lithgow in 2011, for decidedly NON-kid-friendly, Dexter-based reasons.) The event also features costumed characters like the Easter Bunny and cartoon favorites: They’re accessible for photo ops if your kid loves them, and fairly easy to avoid if your kid is the type to run away screaming.

7. Take public transportation, and bring a stroller. Unless you are willing to spend time searching for an open garage, pay exorbitant parking fees, and still walk many blocks to the entrance, consider taking the Metro or the Circulator downtown and walking from there. And if your child ever uses a stroller, bring it. Strollers are okay with Security, and it gives your child a place to rest during a long event with lots of walking.

This statue of Bo was completely adorable. So hard to obey the "do not touch" sign -- everyone who passed wanted to pet his curly fake fur.

8. Bring your camera. Frolicking on the White House lawn makes for a very special photos! The organizers understand this and provide lots of Easter-themed and Presidential backdrops (in addition to the White House itself) for your photos. And the friendly event volunteers are always willing to grab your camera to shoot that rare picture with the entire family in one shot.

9. Stay till the end. You can leave at any time, but there is an official “end time” just as there’s an official start time. At the end time, volunteers line up at the exits to hand you packages of Peeps and souvenir wooden Easter eggs on your way out. The eggs are really quite nice, and most people would find them worth sitting around on the grass till exit time if you’re done looking around a few minutes early.

10. Have fun! Despite the crowds and other drawbacks, the White House Easter Egg Roll has been a cherished tradition for over 130 years, and it’s something very few people (in the grand scheme of things) ever get to attend. So take lots of photos, try to shrug off and logistical hassles, and have a great time!

Photo Friday: “Haifa Cat”

Israel, Photo Friday, Uncategorized 11 Responses »

Nov 042011

When I lived in Haifa, Israel, in the 90s, the town was infested with feral cats. We called them “Haifa cats.” Haifa cats were the most rag-tag bunch of battle-scarred felines you could ever hope to meet. They were tough. Rumor was that the city once had a rat problem and let loose stray cats to deal with it, but the cats multiplied and suddenly the city had a cat problem. Don’t know whether the story was true, but I like the idea of a real-life version of The Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.

This post is part of Delicious Baby’s Photo Friday. For more pictures from around the world, check out this week’s links at Delicious Baby.

Las Vegas with a Toddler? Absolutely!

Las Vegas No Responses »

Nov 032011

A re-post from my personal blog, about a trip we took last year at this time:

We booked a family trip to Las Vegas over Halloween weekend for a meet-up of Mr. T’s college buddies. And I immediately started to worry. It was my first visit, and as a non-drinker and non-gambler who gets migraines from cigarette smoke and hates crowds and clubbing, I didn’t consider Las Vegas a dream destination. Throw in an energetic 18-month-old and a 5-hour flight, and the trip had “potential disaster” written all over it.

The guidebook I checked out from the library did nothing to ease my fears. It contained a special section entitled “Vegas with Kids,” which basically said: ”Once upon a time, Las Vegas tried to market itself as a family destination. That was a ridiculous failure. People come here for sin, and kids are out of place, and you will ruin the adults’ party by even bringing children into their presence. Everyone will hate you. Don’t do it.”

Luckily, shortly before the trip another attendee at a local Mom blogger event happened to mention that she just returned from a week in Vegas with her 2-year-old. Score! She shared a bunch of useful advice, and reassured me that she and her child both enjoyed their trip. Her advice is written up here. I would second all of it, and add the following:

A different kind of Vegas bottle service.

1. Understand that you won’t experience the full Vegas scene. This advice may sound silly — one would hope parents don’t include their toddler on a night of boozing and craps. But nightlife is such a vital part of The Strip that I found it difficult to return to the hotel room for baby’s bedtime just when everyone else was gearing up for the night. Generally I love a little quiet time to myself, even on a trip, but in Vegas it felt like I was missing out. Of course, it didn’t help that Mr. T was one of the people heading out with his friends…. Also not a help: the 3-hour time difference. Our girl fell asleep through dinner every night (her usual bedtime back home), then got a second wind to party all night with exhausted Mommy back at the hotel.

2. Don’t apologize for your presence. Sure, we got a few glares from young partiers there for the “what happens in Vegas” scene. But the staff at hotels, stores, and restaurants, without exception, went out of their way to be helpful and welcoming. (If you were a customer service employee, would you rather deal with the yet another drunken partier or a cute, mostly happy little kid?) And, of course, even the partiers weren’t uniformly anti-kid. Among other things, the hedonistic Vegas image leaves out the fact that nearly 25% of Vegas gamblers are elderly — grannies love the little ones!

To my surprise, The Venetian had a lovely baby pool. Toddler heaven.

3. Don’t overthink activities. Before the trip, I did hours of research into child-friendly attractions. Turns out we didn’t visit a single one. Toddlers are entertained by almost anything new and different — a fountain! a crowd of people! a costume! a big clock! — and Las Vegas delivers easily on the “new and different” front. The Bellagio’s fountains and The Venetian’s canals were big hits, but so was our hotel’s pool and long empty hallways.

Vera loved the buffets … when she was awake for them.

4. Buffets are your friend. Mr T and I love a good buffet (honestly, I can even live with a not-so-good buffet), so their child-friendly atmosphere was just added incentive to visit daily. Does your toddler eat only watermelon, roasted lamb, and peas? No problem, they’ve got that! (In fact, I’m pretty sure that was one of Vera’s actual meals.) For us, the few downsides — long lines at peak mealtimes, casino bathrooms that lacked changing tables, and the walk through smokey casinos to reach the buffet — were more than outweighed by the value and mind-boggling variety of this Vegas culinary mainstay.

5. Stockpile water and snacks. Ideally at a grocery store, but Strip drugstores work in a pinch. There are takeaway options within most hotel complexes, but they are expensive and inconvenient. We had particular trouble keeping hydrated, between the dessert setting, the awful tap water at our hotel, and the bother of toting heavy liquids from the Walgreens down the block. Wish we had just taken the car to the grocery store on Day One and stocked up properly.

Toddling the Strip at night.

6. Consider renting a car. We went back and forth on the car issue, and I’m glad that we decided in favor. The hotels are huge and far apart, and just about everywhere has free valet parking. We explored more than we would have if limited by transportation options. Plus, we could install our carseat from home (brought as checked luggage on the plane) and not worry again till it was time to leave.

Overall, I found Las Vegas to be like a cruise, in the sense that it’s known for a certain stereotypical vacation but in fact offers so much variety that each visitor can create a customized experience. Sinful or toddler-friendly, luxury or budget, high elegance or retro kitsch — Vegas really does have it all. Both parents and baby enjoyed the trip, and we would absolutely do it again.

The Green Party: A Weekend in Washington, DC’s Great Outdoors

DC No Responses »

Jun 292011

Between high gas prices and airline headaches, 2011 is the year of the staycation. Or at least the close-to-home-cation. Cambria Suites, part of the Choice Hotels group, is helping out by sponsoring a roundup of blog posts describing weekend itineraries for the travel gems in bloggers’ own backyards.

This post is my entry into the Cambria Suites / TBEX blog carnival. And I took the challenge literally (well, maybe metaphorically): The itinerary below highlights the outdoor wonders found in “backyards” all over Washington, DC.

Admittedly, DC isn’t known for its outdoor wonders. The DC area is the 7th largest metropolitan area in the United States, with no proximity to snow-capped mountains or other spectacular backdrops. Any references to the “political jungle” are purely symbolic. And you’re more likely to spot a lobbyist in the wild than a mountain lion. (Wildlife experts recommend treating both with equal caution.)

But it’s a shame that so many of DC’s outdoor attractions go unexplored by visitors. This is, after all, a city built on two rivers (the Potomac and the Anacostia), in a lush area between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Chesapeake Bay. Visitors can hike, bike and paddle, sometimes even within walking distance of a Metro stop. And what DC may lack in snow-capped mountains, it more than makes up for in famous monuments.

DC Monuments by Night, photo by capelle79 on Flickr

Friday Evening: Get Acquainted

Whether this is your first time in DC or a repeat visit, you’ll probably want an overview of the National Mall, with its cluster of Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial and Washington Monument. Many visitors find the monuments to be most beautiful when lit up at night, and as an added benefit crowds are fewer in the evening. From the Washington Monument, a short walk across Constitution Avenue will take you to the White House. Be sure to visit the lesser-known World War II Memorial, which lies between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. Its granite columns, so austere during the day, turn warmly golden under nighttime lights.

Urban hikers can explore the entire Mall by walking two miles from the Capitol Building in the east to the Lincoln Memorial in the west. Though it’s not directly on the straight stretch of Mall, the Jefferson Memorial is well worth the extra walk around the Tidal Basin. The FDR Memorial, a favorite of many locals, also lies along the Tidal Basin.

It’s hard to completely avoid walking during a Mall adventure. But if you can’t hoof it too far, or just aren’t in the mood, other options include a three-hour evening Segway tour of the Mall and Monuments from City Segway Tours or inexpensive bike rentals from Capital Bikeshare.

End your Mall visit relaxing with refreshments and a view. The W Hotel, at 15th and F Streets NW, features White House and Monument views from its P.O.V. Roof Terrace.

Great Falls, photo by ewilfong on Flickr

Saturday: Explore the Potomac

On Saturday, spend your day along the Potomac River. For the active set, there are multiple options for exploring the Potomac by boat and its shores by foot or by bike. Start the morning at Great Falls, where the Potomac tumbles over jagged rocks in its trip through narrow Mather Gorge. Great Falls is the best-known attraction of the DC area for active outdoor exploration, offering five miles of bilking trails, fifteen miles of hiking trails, and options for climbing (several areas, with difficulty around 5.0) and whitewater kayak or canoe (rapids range from Class II to a heart-stopping Class VI).

In the afternoon, explore the banks of the Potomac. The most common option is eighteen-mile Mount Vernon Trail, which runs directly along the Virginia side of the Potomac from Roosevelt Island in the north to George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate in the south. Roosevelt Island is small and its monument to Teddy Roosevelt a bit neglected, but it’s worth a visit for the experience of being on a wooded island with sandy beach, right in the middle of the city. The route south along the George Washington Parkway takes you past several marinas, the flightpath of Reagan National Airport (stop by Gravelly Point if you love the feeling of jetliners zooming directly overhead), a wildlife preserve, and painfully charming Old Town Alexandria. Bike rentals are available at Big Wheel Bikes in Alexandria or the Washington Sailing Marina along the Parkway, or you can pick up a Capital Bikeshare bike at the Rosslyn Metro in Arlington or at several spots in Crystal City. If you don’t wish to follow the whole trail, you could simply hop the Metro at Rosslyn, Pentagon City, or Reagan National Airport. Alternatively, you could head north from Arlington, crossing the river into Georgetown and then following the towpath of the Chesapeake & Ohio (C & O) Canal for a few of its 184 miles.

Potomac River Kayaks, photo by runneralan on Flickr

Prefer the water route? Potomac Paddlesports offers four-hour beginner-level kayak tours. Or, there are several boathouses in the Georgetown area for daylong or by-the-hour kayak and canoe rentals. Check out the Thompson Boat Center, Jack’s Boathouse, or Fletcher’s Boat House.

Not the athletic type? There are still plenty of ways to enjoy nature up and down the river. Great Falls is worth a visit even if you can’t take advantage of its trails; three scenic overlooks are within a ten-minute walk from the Visitor’s Center, and two are wheelchair accessible. Or, crank down the windows and drive the beautiful stretch of George Washington Parkway from Old Town Alexandria to Mount Vernon. Even if you choose not to visit the actual Mount Vernon estate (or don’t get beyond its comprehensive gift shop), the trip is memorable for the drive alone.

For a leisurely view from the water, spend the afternoon taking in the river air on one of DC’s many boat tours. There’s an array of choices, including straight-up tours, water taxis between Old Town Alexandria and the National Harbor marina, and brunch, dinner, or cocktail cruises. Companies include Spirit Cruises, Odyssey Cruises, Dandy Dinner Cruises, DC Cruises, and the Potomac Riverboat Company. Goldstar almost always has discount tickets for various boat tours; be sure to check before you book.

After an active day, evening brings time for rest and a bite of dinner. During baseball season, it’s hard to beat the combination of relaxation, entertainment, city views, food and fresh evening air at Washington Nationals games. Nationals Park is a beautiful, new-ish stadium and offers a wide range of food options. Do as the locals do — don’t worry too much about the score (hint: it may not favor the Nationals) and just soak up the ballpark experience.

Rock Creek Park, Washington, DC, photo by tomfs on Flickr

Sunday: Cultivated Pursuits

All that fresh air leaves a person relaxed — feel free to sleep in on Sunday. Once you’re up, head to brunch somewhere with a patio. Sequoia in Georgetown has waterfront views, or you can watch the world pass by at landlocked favorites like Cashion’s Eat Place in Adams Morgan, Tabard Inn or Kramerbooks in Dupont Circle, or Monmartre or Belga Cafe on Capitol Hill.

The afternoon offers a chance to explore the many parks and cultivated gardens of the DC area. If you’re up for more running, hiking or biking, head to the National Arboretum or Rock Creek Park. The Arboretum is an oasis of green in one of the most urban areas of the city and offers nine miles of roadways for active pursuits or easy parking and a tram tour for the less active. Rock Creek Park includes over 1,700 acres; as one of the first National Parks (circa 1890), it remains natural and undeveloped in many areas. While exploring the park, be sure to scope out sites for the clandestine meetings and espionage drops that sometimes take place in remote sections of the Park. Rock Creek Park also offers horseback riding, though the program is so popular you must reserve many months in advance.

Rock Creek Park, Washington, DC, photo by frted on Flickr

There are also multiple options for garden tours around the District. Hillwood Estate, the former home of Marjoree Merriweather Post (of Post Cereals fame), features gorgeous gardens, a home full of spectacular French and Russian antiques, and a small garden cafe with outdoor dining. Dumbarton Oaks, in Georgetown, has ten acres of gardens organized into separate “rooms” that provide a series of unique settings to garden visitors. Brookside Gardens, in the Maryland suburbs, is a free county park with fifty acres of beautifully landscaped greenery and flowers and a popular live butterfly exhibit. For a different sort of garden, the National Park Service maintains the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in wetlands along the Anacostia, featuring marsh life and dramatic water bloomers like lotus and water lily.

And finally … head home, knowing you’ve enjoyed DC in a manner few tourists are able to experience.

There’s a store for everything. This one has buttons.

Canada, Vancouver 2 Responses »

Jun 292011

Most people who are crazy about sewing, knitting or other crafts really, really love the supplies. I am one of those people. I am Tara, and I am a craft-supply-o-holic. Haven’t finished a project in years (hello, toddler!), but I lovingly tend to my supply stash and dream of projects to be.

(image source)

So while in Vancouver last month, I knew there was one store I had to track down. A store that sells only buttons. Yes, buttons. And it was everything I dreamed and more!

Button Button is located in Gastown, a short walk from the Convention Center for conference-going craft nuts like me. The store is tiny but overflowing with buttons to suit every taste, from multiple decades and every corner of the world, accessibly organized by color, material and size. Each container is clearly marked with prices, which vary from 10 cents for color-coded “orphans” to several dollars for individually crafted masterpieces.

(image source)

And masterpiece is the word — there are so many exquisitely perfect little gems that a browse through the store felt more like a museum visit or a gawk in Tiffany’s than a mere errand. In fact, one big appeal of the experience was seeing other nuts who shared my excitement. But the store is not only for supply-o-holics. While I was there, the owner was giving full attention to a woman who arrived, blazer in hand, seeking a single 50 cent button to fill a missing spot.

(image source)

I learned of Button Button through a sewing magazine article that also mentioned Dressew, around the corner on Hastings. Stopped at Dressew after and was not particularly impressed, though it turns out I walked out before discovering the buttons in the basement. At Dressew, I was most wowed by the extensive Halloween selection, including a dazzling range of fake mustaches. I coveted a vintage Magnum PI costume that included Hawaiian shirt, lei, baseball hat, fake mustache and Tom Selleck wig. (For Mr T., that is. No doubt I’d look awesome in the mustache, but I couldn’t possibly pull off a Hawaiian shirt.) Sadly, I couldn’t convince myself to shell out $30 on a costume when Halloween is months away and probably no one would even understand the getup, in 2011 on an Asian man. Silver lining: if you’re in Vancouver and have a thing for vintage Hawaiian-based serial TV, the costume’s still there!

Button Button – located at 318 Homer Street near Cordova; open 10:30-6 Monday through Saturday

Dressew – 337 Hastings Street; open 9-5 Monday through Saturday

DC’s Most Unlikely Nightlife Expert

DC 1 Response »

Jun 282011

Have y’all heard of the City Guides on SheKnows.com?

That’s okay, I hadn’t either, until I was hired last month as the new writer for DC.

The SheKnows City Guides offer brief, top-ten style lists that highlight the best of each city from an insider’s perspective. The City Guides have existed for a year or so, but there’s a super-sharp new editor who brought on a new roster of fun and knowledgable writers. I am tremendously excited to be involved, as I love any chance to share the reasons I love the DC area.

This is "bottle service" in our house.

However. As further proof that The Universe has a sense of humor, my first assignment was … Nightlife. I have Chronic Fatigue and a toddler — the closest I’ve come to “nightlife” in past years is lullabyes at 2 a.m. Luckily, thanks to the magic of crowd wisdom on the Internet, I put together a guide that makes me proud. In fact, I’m dying to check out the places I haven’t yet visited! Someday. If we can get a babysitter.

Anyway, if you live in or plan to pass through DC and you hit the town more often than I do, be sure to give it a look!

Photo Friday: Graffiti in Akka, Israel

Israel, Photo Friday 6 Responses »

Jun 242011

The crusaders called the town Acre, most modern guidebooks refer to it as Akko, and we Baha’is generally use Akka. Whatever you call it, the ancient walled city was a favorite hangout during my two years in Israel.

One of the things I loved most about Akka was its mix of ancient and contemporary, Palestinian and Jew, seasoned with an occasional touch of the completely random. This photo sums up all of that for me — aged stone walls and streets, graffiti that spells “Allah” in Arabic, and, in front of it all, a bicycle-powered cotton candy stand.

Because, why not? Cotton candy is the great equalizer. No matter what name of God you choose to spray paint on alley walls, you’ve got to love cotton candy!

(Posted as part of Delicious Baby’s Photo Friday round-up.)

Seattle’s Pike Place Market

Seattle No Responses »

Jun 232011

I am a sucker for an indoor farmer’s market. There’s something about the heaping piles of multi-colored fruits and vegetables, the vibrant buckets of flowers, the whole fishes so different from the supermarket fillets I usually encounter…. And all of it indoors, out of the elements, with electricity and bathrooms! My hunter/gatherer brain is awed by the easy abundance.

I can't walk through a market without taking a fruit shot. It's a compulsion.

Seattle’s Pike Place Market did not disappoint. Because it’s so famous, I was worried it might be more tourist trap than working market. But like my own beloved Eastern Market in DC, Pike Place successfully navigates the fine line of welcoming visitors while still operating as a genuine resource for locals. There are a few stands selling souvenir-type impulse buys, but they are greatly outnumbered.

The famous fish.

We explored Pike Place for a few hours on a weekday afternoon, riding the ferry from West Seattle and then strolling up 1st Ave from the Pier 50 ferry terminal. There was plenty to explore — the entire market covers nine acres across several buildings with multiple floors. We largely stuck to the main building, including the upper arcade with its famous fish stand and long rows of flowers, and the eclectic purveyors of vintage and collectible items downstairs.

Turkish Delight restaurant, near Pike Place.

No one in our party is a Starbucks fan, but while there we had to cross the street to at least gawk at the original Starbucks location. At that point we got hungry and set off in search of a snack. There are so many food choices in the area that we basically just walked a few doors north and entered the first appealing door. The restaurant was called Turkish Delight, and it was a hit.

We stood for agonized minutes staring at the menu, trying to narrow down options when everything looked good. The proprietess eventually took pity, suggesting that the lentil soup was fresh and she could use it as a sauce for chicken and rice. The deal was sealed when she pointed to a revolving, gyro-like spit of chicken. Mr. T is a sucker for meat-on-a-spit and dreams of installing a giant spit of lamb in our own galley kitchen. Could have been set-up for disappointment, but we pronounced it everything you could ask of a spit-based meat.

Beecher's cheese curds.

From there, we crossed the street to a little waterfront park and then walked back along 1st Ave in search of dessert. We stopped at the window of Beecher’s Handmade Cheese to admire a giant stirrer mixing a giant vat of cheese-to-be. And then my husband proved once again my vast wisdom in marrying him: he turned to me and asked, “Hey, if they are making cheese, shouldn’t there be cheese curds?” I am a Wisconsin gal, raised on an endless supply of milk and cheese. While I’m happy now to live in a place with fewer than 5 months of snow, moving away from a cheese-making state cut down severely on my supply of fresh cheese curds. Long story short, Beecher’s did have cheese curds, they were fresh and properly squeaky, and they were glorious!

Probably not everyone experiences Pike Place through Turkish food and cheese curds, but it worked for me. Have you been to Pike Place? What are your favorite food memories from the visit?

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