I went to the Bay Area last weekend for a surprise 50th birthday party for my uncle (my mom's cousin), and it was the by far the best weekend this year.
My aunt rented a house close to the beach on Half Moon Bay (about 30 minutes from SFO airport), and got food catered for the surprise party on Saturday.
My parents, sister and I got in on Friday night, and the different arrivals of family members throughout the weekend kept the surprises coming for my uncle. A lot of the people were already there, but my cousin from New York came in on Saturday afternoon, and my sister's fiance came in on Sunday morning just for the day!
I'm not sure if it was because we were on the beach, or because we were in a rented house, but everyone was in a really good and relaxed mood for the entire weekend.
Oddly enough, we didn't even do that much. On Saturday, after the party, we went down to the beach to watch the sunset, and my grandaunt (my uncle's mother) gave gifts out to all the women in the family. On Sunday morning, we went to pick up my sister's fiance and later went to a 4th of July parade (complete with a "Down with Big Banks, Credit Unions rock!" float - only in Cali).
The trip reminded me a lot of the cruise my family went on a couple of years ago. Although we didn't do a whole lot, everyone was in a great mood and that made the trip really memorable (even though there's not a whole lot to remember ;)). I think it also helps a lot when it's neutral territory so it's a vacation for everyone.
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
Monday, December 28, 2009
Seoul!
I tagged along with my parents earlier this month to South Korea. My dad had a business trip to work with the military base there in helping the US withdraw forces by 2011 (here's to us being in Iraq and Afghanistan 'til 2050!).
If it sounds like a random, spontaneous trip, it definitely was. But how often do you get a chance to go to Seoul? It doesn't exactly make the list of vacation destinations.
Since my dad had to work during the week, it was up to my mom and me to figure out where to go and what to do during the day. Day 1 was spent wandering around the various palaces in the cities. I'm used to indoor palaces where it's warm and there's nice furniture and wall/ceiling decorations. In Seoul, palaces are mostly outdoor courtyards where you have to walk a bunch to the few indoor buildings only to find that they're completely empty!
Day 2 was Olympic day. We had originally planned to see the Olympic stuff in the morning and then something else in the afternoon, but we went the wrong way (3 or 4 times!) on the subway and then still got off at the wrong stop (you would think the main entrance to Olympic Park would be at the Olympic Park subway stop, but you'd be wrong) so it ended up taking the entire day. The park is actually really nice since they have sculptures scattered throughout, and I'm sure it's a great place to take a walk in the summer. However, when it's 20 degrees out and windy, and you have no idea where you are, and there's no one who can guide you, it's not so pleasant.
The next few days were spent wandering around the various markets. I'm not sure anything could have prepared me for the huge number of stores. Everywhere we went, there were literally thousands of small stores (most the size of an office cubicle) just packed with stuff. There would be one store dedicated to buttons. Stacks and stacks, and rows and rows of just buttons. Your could probably find every kind of button imaginable in that one store.
I think the most interesting specialty product was fabric. Here we have fabric stores. There, they had 3 or 4 floors of small, cubicle-sized stores all selling fabric. I don't know how people buy anything there. First, you have to pick one out of a thousand stores. Then, from that store, you need to pick one of 10,000 possible fabrics! I also think there was some understood system there about how to buy the fabric because we saw a bunch of teenage girls running around with these small notebooks with samples of fabrics. They seemed to be going to each store and collecting samples or something.
I thought the variety here was ridiculous. The amount of variety and choice available there gave me a headache.
Overall, the places we went to were very modern/Western. In fact, we only found a few stores that sold "traditional" Korean souvenirs/crafts. If it wasn't so clean and everyone wasn't so friendly, I would have thought we were still in America! Well, besides the fact that nothing was written in English, of course.
So, despite the fact that it was freezing cold, hardly anyone spoke English, and it was really hard to find vegetarian food, we had a great time!
If it sounds like a random, spontaneous trip, it definitely was. But how often do you get a chance to go to Seoul? It doesn't exactly make the list of vacation destinations.
Since my dad had to work during the week, it was up to my mom and me to figure out where to go and what to do during the day. Day 1 was spent wandering around the various palaces in the cities. I'm used to indoor palaces where it's warm and there's nice furniture and wall/ceiling decorations. In Seoul, palaces are mostly outdoor courtyards where you have to walk a bunch to the few indoor buildings only to find that they're completely empty!
Day 2 was Olympic day. We had originally planned to see the Olympic stuff in the morning and then something else in the afternoon, but we went the wrong way (3 or 4 times!) on the subway and then still got off at the wrong stop (you would think the main entrance to Olympic Park would be at the Olympic Park subway stop, but you'd be wrong) so it ended up taking the entire day. The park is actually really nice since they have sculptures scattered throughout, and I'm sure it's a great place to take a walk in the summer. However, when it's 20 degrees out and windy, and you have no idea where you are, and there's no one who can guide you, it's not so pleasant.
The next few days were spent wandering around the various markets. I'm not sure anything could have prepared me for the huge number of stores. Everywhere we went, there were literally thousands of small stores (most the size of an office cubicle) just packed with stuff. There would be one store dedicated to buttons. Stacks and stacks, and rows and rows of just buttons. Your could probably find every kind of button imaginable in that one store.
I think the most interesting specialty product was fabric. Here we have fabric stores. There, they had 3 or 4 floors of small, cubicle-sized stores all selling fabric. I don't know how people buy anything there. First, you have to pick one out of a thousand stores. Then, from that store, you need to pick one of 10,000 possible fabrics! I also think there was some understood system there about how to buy the fabric because we saw a bunch of teenage girls running around with these small notebooks with samples of fabrics. They seemed to be going to each store and collecting samples or something.
I thought the variety here was ridiculous. The amount of variety and choice available there gave me a headache.
Overall, the places we went to were very modern/Western. In fact, we only found a few stores that sold "traditional" Korean souvenirs/crafts. If it wasn't so clean and everyone wasn't so friendly, I would have thought we were still in America! Well, besides the fact that nothing was written in English, of course.
So, despite the fact that it was freezing cold, hardly anyone spoke English, and it was really hard to find vegetarian food, we had a great time!
Monday, April 20, 2009
Top of the Rock(s)!
I went to NYC this past weekend to celebrate my birthday (the best day of the year). My sister planned the whole thing out, so I basically could just relax and enjoy. That's one of the best parts about visiting friends/family in another city. You can leave everything up to them.
The weather gods were on my side this year, as the city saw its best weekend weather-wise in months, and definitely the best one of 2009 - 70s all day on Saturday and Sunday.
We started out on Saturday morning (well a New York morning, it was probably about 1pm) at Top of the Rock, aka 30 Rock, aka the GE/NBC building, where we had an amazing view of the city. I'm a sucker for views, and love to find the tallest observation decks in a city just to see what it looks like from the top. There's just something about it that makes you feel both very big and very small at the same time. The view did not disappoint. You could see everything, from Central Park to the Statue of Liberty, both rivers, Queens, Brooklyn, the Chrysler Building, the Empire State Building. Even the skeptical of our group were pretty amazed.
From there, it was off to Central Park to picnic and enjoy the weather from a different altitude. We picked up some food from a nearby Whole Foods (where it was absolute madness!) and proceeded towards the park. We were deciding where to sit, when my sister's boyfriend said that we could sit on 'top of a rock.' The rest of us were like 'yeah, we could find a stone to sit on.' But he kept on insisting that, it'd be cool to sit on top of a rock. It took us awhile to figure out his wittiness, but we finally ended up on 'top of a rock' again for the second time that day!
After that, we went to a rooftop bar for a quick drink before dinner. I had no idea we were going somewhere so trendy! It was "sunglasses-indoors", "everyone looks like they could be a celebrity" trendy. We were incredibly underdressed, and I never quite got over how trendy the place was. It was interesting to see that kind of place though - my sister said we probably wouldn't have gotten in later that same night.
It had already been a pretty busy day, and the fun was just starting! First it was dinner at a tapas place and then drinks at a nautical-themed bar just downstairs from my cousin's condo. I thought the bar would be different, but it really just felt like a typical dive bar. My sister had made up her own drink earlier that day (vodka/sprite with a splash of pineapple juice), and tried to get the bartenders to catch on, but I don't think it worked too well. If you hear about that drink in the future, just remember you heard it here first ;)
When we were just about to leave the bar, the bartender came over to our table and offered to buy us a round of drinks if we left the table. How weird is that? I've heard of other people offering drinks if you want the table, but for the bar itself to ask you to leave a table? I'm pretty sure you can't reserve tables at a dive bar. Bizarre.
We went up to my cousin's place afterwards for my second favorite part of the day (first being the Top of the Rock obviously), playing DDR! I hadn't played in a long time and it was a great way to end the evening. I also got to see my other friend who I hadn't seen in probably 10 years, so it was really cool to see him too.
On Sunday, we got a bit of a late start and didn't have much time since I had an afternoon bus back to DC. We got brunch at a nearby restaurant and then went to the Brooklyn Museum of Art. That place is huge! You always hear about these other great musuems in Manhattan, but the Brooklyn one is a hidden gem. 5 floors of art you don't see in most places, plus way less crowded - definitely worth it to go a little out of your way.
Overall, a really fun birthday weekend. Everyone should feel like a million bucks on their birthday, and this year did not disappoint.
The weather gods were on my side this year, as the city saw its best weekend weather-wise in months, and definitely the best one of 2009 - 70s all day on Saturday and Sunday.
We started out on Saturday morning (well a New York morning, it was probably about 1pm) at Top of the Rock, aka 30 Rock, aka the GE/NBC building, where we had an amazing view of the city. I'm a sucker for views, and love to find the tallest observation decks in a city just to see what it looks like from the top. There's just something about it that makes you feel both very big and very small at the same time. The view did not disappoint. You could see everything, from Central Park to the Statue of Liberty, both rivers, Queens, Brooklyn, the Chrysler Building, the Empire State Building. Even the skeptical of our group were pretty amazed.
From there, it was off to Central Park to picnic and enjoy the weather from a different altitude. We picked up some food from a nearby Whole Foods (where it was absolute madness!) and proceeded towards the park. We were deciding where to sit, when my sister's boyfriend said that we could sit on 'top of a rock.' The rest of us were like 'yeah, we could find a stone to sit on.' But he kept on insisting that, it'd be cool to sit on top of a rock. It took us awhile to figure out his wittiness, but we finally ended up on 'top of a rock' again for the second time that day!
After that, we went to a rooftop bar for a quick drink before dinner. I had no idea we were going somewhere so trendy! It was "sunglasses-indoors", "everyone looks like they could be a celebrity" trendy. We were incredibly underdressed, and I never quite got over how trendy the place was. It was interesting to see that kind of place though - my sister said we probably wouldn't have gotten in later that same night.
It had already been a pretty busy day, and the fun was just starting! First it was dinner at a tapas place and then drinks at a nautical-themed bar just downstairs from my cousin's condo. I thought the bar would be different, but it really just felt like a typical dive bar. My sister had made up her own drink earlier that day (vodka/sprite with a splash of pineapple juice), and tried to get the bartenders to catch on, but I don't think it worked too well. If you hear about that drink in the future, just remember you heard it here first ;)
When we were just about to leave the bar, the bartender came over to our table and offered to buy us a round of drinks if we left the table. How weird is that? I've heard of other people offering drinks if you want the table, but for the bar itself to ask you to leave a table? I'm pretty sure you can't reserve tables at a dive bar. Bizarre.
We went up to my cousin's place afterwards for my second favorite part of the day (first being the Top of the Rock obviously), playing DDR! I hadn't played in a long time and it was a great way to end the evening. I also got to see my other friend who I hadn't seen in probably 10 years, so it was really cool to see him too.
On Sunday, we got a bit of a late start and didn't have much time since I had an afternoon bus back to DC. We got brunch at a nearby restaurant and then went to the Brooklyn Museum of Art. That place is huge! You always hear about these other great musuems in Manhattan, but the Brooklyn one is a hidden gem. 5 floors of art you don't see in most places, plus way less crowded - definitely worth it to go a little out of your way.
Overall, a really fun birthday weekend. Everyone should feel like a million bucks on their birthday, and this year did not disappoint.
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Tourist in my own city
When I moved away from Dallas a year ago, I can honestly say I didn't think anyone would come up and visit me. Of course, I did the polite thing and told everyone to come and visit, and they did the polite thing back and said they would. But in reality, the societal niceties rarely give way to actual trips.
I'm floored that I've had 4 friends come visit in the past year (3 from Dallas, 1 from Delaware). I've never considered myself a visitable person, but I suppose living in a city that offers so much for so little (that should be DC's new slogan!) is a great lure.
I had a great time with my friend this weekend. She had never been to DC before, so it was my first time being a real tour guide. Granted, I don't know a ton about the city either since I live a good 45 minutes away, but equipped with an iPhone and a map we managed to get around just fine. We saw a few of the art musuems, the Cherry Blossom parade and street festival, the Smithsonian kite festival, the actual cherry blossoms, the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, the botanical gardens, and the Capitol.
Most of the time when my friends visit, they've either already seen everything or have very little time. This time, though, it was a blank slate and we had all weekend so we had a chance to see pretty much everything. My favorite was probably the Lincoln Memorial, which I haven't seen in 20 years - it's a pretty majestic place and highly underrated.
I probably should have done this a long time ago, but I may go into the city by myself and see some of the museums. I went to the American History museum with my parents a couple of weeks after it re-opened, but it was crazy packed and everyone was tired so we didn't get to see everything.
Speaking of crazy packed, what's the big deal about the cherry blossoms? Although the crowds don't compare to the inauguration, I was shocked to see how many people were out and about. There were lines to get Metro cards, the Mall entrance for the Smithsonian station was exit-only. My friend was very lucky to make her flight even when we allowed a good hour to get to the airport. Today seemed to be even busier than yesterday, even though there weren't any events! It's just a fucking flower, get over it.
---
On a side note, it's sad how closed off the city has become in recent years. I remember being able to freely take White House, FBI and Pentagon tours without any advance notice. Now, there's a much more bureaucratic process to take them. The FBI tour is closed indefinitely, and the Pentagon only gives tours M-F, 9 - 3pm - basically the most inconvenient times possible.
The Capitol was closed on Saturday for part of the afternoon because of a 'suspicious package.' Somehow, despite the backlog of all the people who wanted to take tours, we were able to walk right in and get a tour right away (although the ticket guy seemed flustered and confused when we asked).
I'm floored that I've had 4 friends come visit in the past year (3 from Dallas, 1 from Delaware). I've never considered myself a visitable person, but I suppose living in a city that offers so much for so little (that should be DC's new slogan!) is a great lure.
I had a great time with my friend this weekend. She had never been to DC before, so it was my first time being a real tour guide. Granted, I don't know a ton about the city either since I live a good 45 minutes away, but equipped with an iPhone and a map we managed to get around just fine. We saw a few of the art musuems, the Cherry Blossom parade and street festival, the Smithsonian kite festival, the actual cherry blossoms, the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, the botanical gardens, and the Capitol.
Most of the time when my friends visit, they've either already seen everything or have very little time. This time, though, it was a blank slate and we had all weekend so we had a chance to see pretty much everything. My favorite was probably the Lincoln Memorial, which I haven't seen in 20 years - it's a pretty majestic place and highly underrated.
I probably should have done this a long time ago, but I may go into the city by myself and see some of the museums. I went to the American History museum with my parents a couple of weeks after it re-opened, but it was crazy packed and everyone was tired so we didn't get to see everything.
Speaking of crazy packed, what's the big deal about the cherry blossoms? Although the crowds don't compare to the inauguration, I was shocked to see how many people were out and about. There were lines to get Metro cards, the Mall entrance for the Smithsonian station was exit-only. My friend was very lucky to make her flight even when we allowed a good hour to get to the airport. Today seemed to be even busier than yesterday, even though there weren't any events! It's just a fucking flower, get over it.
---
On a side note, it's sad how closed off the city has become in recent years. I remember being able to freely take White House, FBI and Pentagon tours without any advance notice. Now, there's a much more bureaucratic process to take them. The FBI tour is closed indefinitely, and the Pentagon only gives tours M-F, 9 - 3pm - basically the most inconvenient times possible.
The Capitol was closed on Saturday for part of the afternoon because of a 'suspicious package.' Somehow, despite the backlog of all the people who wanted to take tours, we were able to walk right in and get a tour right away (although the ticket guy seemed flustered and confused when we asked).
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Cruise!
For Christmas vacation, my family and I went on a cruise to the Bahamas.
It started out pretty rough. About half an hour before we were supposed to leave to catch our flight, the airlines called to tell us that the flight was canceled. Luckily, there was another one leaving at Reagan at the same time.
We met my sister in Newark, but again, luck was on our side. The train to the airport and baggage lines delayed her a bit, but the flight was also delayed so everything worked out.
--
The cruise itself was pretty awesome. The rooms were bigger than we expected and the ship was basically a giant, moving city. They had all sorts of activities, like ping-pong, shuffleboard, air hocket, foosball, basketball, a casino (I won 2nd in the poker tournament!), a gym, parties/shows in the evening, live music throughout the ship, etc.
The best part was probably the food. They had both formal sit-down and buffet restaurants. Since it's a pre-paid amount for the entire cruise, we didn't have to worry about paying at each meal. We definitely took advantage of this and ate several times a day. It was kind of a weird feeling not having to pay a bill at each meal and just leaving after we were done.
They also had nightly shows, including a comedian, a Broadway-esque revue, and the sort of show one might find in an amusement park. Other than the comedian, the show weren't all that great, but they were a nice way to end the days.
We were supposed to visit 2 islands, but the weather prevented us from visiting the second one (which was owned by the cruise company!). I would say that Nassau isn't even worth one full day, but we were stuck there for 2...
On the way back, we had a day in Miami. We were all pretty exhausted since we left early that morning and had walked around all day at the Vizcaya house. We all napped for a couple of hours and then headed to South Beach for dinner.
I've only been to Miami twice and both times we went to South Beach after sunset.
---
I'm definitely a convert when it comes to cruise ships. I expected tiny rooms, a bunch of old people, and to be bored for much of it. None of that was true. Although it seems like we didn't do a whole lot, I was never bored. It was relaxing and yet there were still enough activities to keep the days interesting.
I'd go again.
It started out pretty rough. About half an hour before we were supposed to leave to catch our flight, the airlines called to tell us that the flight was canceled. Luckily, there was another one leaving at Reagan at the same time.
We met my sister in Newark, but again, luck was on our side. The train to the airport and baggage lines delayed her a bit, but the flight was also delayed so everything worked out.
--
The cruise itself was pretty awesome. The rooms were bigger than we expected and the ship was basically a giant, moving city. They had all sorts of activities, like ping-pong, shuffleboard, air hocket, foosball, basketball, a casino (I won 2nd in the poker tournament!), a gym, parties/shows in the evening, live music throughout the ship, etc.
The best part was probably the food. They had both formal sit-down and buffet restaurants. Since it's a pre-paid amount for the entire cruise, we didn't have to worry about paying at each meal. We definitely took advantage of this and ate several times a day. It was kind of a weird feeling not having to pay a bill at each meal and just leaving after we were done.
They also had nightly shows, including a comedian, a Broadway-esque revue, and the sort of show one might find in an amusement park. Other than the comedian, the show weren't all that great, but they were a nice way to end the days.
We were supposed to visit 2 islands, but the weather prevented us from visiting the second one (which was owned by the cruise company!). I would say that Nassau isn't even worth one full day, but we were stuck there for 2...
On the way back, we had a day in Miami. We were all pretty exhausted since we left early that morning and had walked around all day at the Vizcaya house. We all napped for a couple of hours and then headed to South Beach for dinner.
I've only been to Miami twice and both times we went to South Beach after sunset.
---
I'm definitely a convert when it comes to cruise ships. I expected tiny rooms, a bunch of old people, and to be bored for much of it. None of that was true. Although it seems like we didn't do a whole lot, I was never bored. It was relaxing and yet there were still enough activities to keep the days interesting.
I'd go again.
Sunday, June 08, 2008
Dallas
Get closer to your home base, whatever that means to you. It could be family, your place of birth or the home office, but you should find that you feel more confident and relaxed there.
That was my horoscope for Friday, and it couldn't have been more accurate. I returned to Dallas this weekend for my friend's wedding. It was great to see everyone and I think it's fair to say that I consider the city my "home base." Since I knew very few people when I first moved there, I had to create my own friend circle. Even though I met most of them through work, everyone has moved on to other companies yet still keeps in touch. Coincidentally, the couple that was getting married met through this very friend circle.
I was supposed to fly in on Friday night, and had even organized a little homecoming party (I'm a little vain and self-centered, so what?) for my arrival. But since the airline industry sucks, and especially American Airlines, my flight got canceled and I wasn't able to get there until 9am the next morning!
Needless to say, the entire weekend was pretty busy. I had lunch with some friends on Saturday who weren't invited to the wedding and then had about an hour to kill before all the groomsmen had to be at the venue to get dressed. It was a pretty short ceremony (which was good since being a groomsman and having to stand still in uncomfortable shoes for a long period of time is not fun), and we actually spent more time taking pictures afterwards.
I have to admit I got a little reflective during the ceremony since I (like most of the people in the room) saw their relationship from the beginning. It did make me question to some extent whether I should have done more during that same time period. I certainly don't want to follow their path (divorce, dating, child, and marriage in 1.5 years is a bit fast), but I also don't think I've grown/achieved as much as I could have.
It was supposed to be a dry reception, but my friends are creative and crafty (and huge lushes) and managed to sneak liquor in. Since it started at 6pm, the entire thing including ceremony and reception was finished by 10pm. We continued the partying at my friend's place afterwards and I didn't get to bed until 3am.
We played Truth or Dare (actually our modified version, Truth or Truth), and this time it got a little rough and very personal -- we had played it at a previous party but it was more light-hearted and fun (e.g. if you were gay, which co-worker would you sleep with). I don't think we should play that game ever again. Let's just leave it at that. There's probably some truths that are better left unknown.
It was a little sad leaving this time, since I honestly don't know when I"ll be back or if I'll see some of them again.
That was my horoscope for Friday, and it couldn't have been more accurate. I returned to Dallas this weekend for my friend's wedding. It was great to see everyone and I think it's fair to say that I consider the city my "home base." Since I knew very few people when I first moved there, I had to create my own friend circle. Even though I met most of them through work, everyone has moved on to other companies yet still keeps in touch. Coincidentally, the couple that was getting married met through this very friend circle.
I was supposed to fly in on Friday night, and had even organized a little homecoming party (I'm a little vain and self-centered, so what?) for my arrival. But since the airline industry sucks, and especially American Airlines, my flight got canceled and I wasn't able to get there until 9am the next morning!
Needless to say, the entire weekend was pretty busy. I had lunch with some friends on Saturday who weren't invited to the wedding and then had about an hour to kill before all the groomsmen had to be at the venue to get dressed. It was a pretty short ceremony (which was good since being a groomsman and having to stand still in uncomfortable shoes for a long period of time is not fun), and we actually spent more time taking pictures afterwards.
I have to admit I got a little reflective during the ceremony since I (like most of the people in the room) saw their relationship from the beginning. It did make me question to some extent whether I should have done more during that same time period. I certainly don't want to follow their path (divorce, dating, child, and marriage in 1.5 years is a bit fast), but I also don't think I've grown/achieved as much as I could have.
It was supposed to be a dry reception, but my friends are creative and crafty (and huge lushes) and managed to sneak liquor in. Since it started at 6pm, the entire thing including ceremony and reception was finished by 10pm. We continued the partying at my friend's place afterwards and I didn't get to bed until 3am.
We played Truth or Dare (actually our modified version, Truth or Truth), and this time it got a little rough and very personal -- we had played it at a previous party but it was more light-hearted and fun (e.g. if you were gay, which co-worker would you sleep with). I don't think we should play that game ever again. Let's just leave it at that. There's probably some truths that are better left unknown.
It was a little sad leaving this time, since I honestly don't know when I"ll be back or if I'll see some of them again.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Atlantic City
Well, that was pretty fun.
I spent the majority of Memorial Day weekend in AC with my friend from Delaware and his girlfriend. I went there a few years ago in the dead of winter, but was with my family so the Boardwalk wasn't open and no one wanted to gamble. Needless to say, the city isn't much fun without those two things.
It's interesting to see how the entire dynamic of a trip can change when a female is present. And not just any female, but a girlfriend. I'm glad she came though, because my friend could easily have lost more money if she wasn't there to stop him from gambling. I've been accused (unfairly, I think) of egging people on and convincing them to go further than they want.
So yeah, he didn't do so well. He won in one game called Sic Bo, which is basically betting on the rolls of dice - no, it's not craps, because it's only based on one roll. I found it amusing how many times he got carded. He's 25, but looks a lot younger, and everyone carded him - at blackjack, poker, even Sic Bo! Who the fuck even plays Sic Bo? I think even if he was younger than 21 they should have let him play that game.
I, on the other hand, did the best I've ever done in a casino! I made $300 dollars playing poker. I was afraid at first to play NL since I thought people would bet ridiculous amounts and I wouldn't be able to call, but I got some pretty good cards and was able to do fairly well.
My favorite hand was when I flopped a full house, and then turned quads! The poor Southern girl next to me also had a full house, so she lost a good amount of money to me :(
The scariest moment was when a guy went all-in for $90 and I only had trips. I guess calling ended up being a good play because he had trips too, just a lower kicker.
Yeah, so if you ever go to a casino, and have a little patience, I suggest you play poker. It's definitely your best bet. Oh, and sorry if you didn't understand those two previous paragraphs - I'm just excited about my hands and actually remember what I had for the first time.
I spent the majority of Memorial Day weekend in AC with my friend from Delaware and his girlfriend. I went there a few years ago in the dead of winter, but was with my family so the Boardwalk wasn't open and no one wanted to gamble. Needless to say, the city isn't much fun without those two things.
It's interesting to see how the entire dynamic of a trip can change when a female is present. And not just any female, but a girlfriend. I'm glad she came though, because my friend could easily have lost more money if she wasn't there to stop him from gambling. I've been accused (unfairly, I think) of egging people on and convincing them to go further than they want.
So yeah, he didn't do so well. He won in one game called Sic Bo, which is basically betting on the rolls of dice - no, it's not craps, because it's only based on one roll. I found it amusing how many times he got carded. He's 25, but looks a lot younger, and everyone carded him - at blackjack, poker, even Sic Bo! Who the fuck even plays Sic Bo? I think even if he was younger than 21 they should have let him play that game.
I, on the other hand, did the best I've ever done in a casino! I made $300 dollars playing poker. I was afraid at first to play NL since I thought people would bet ridiculous amounts and I wouldn't be able to call, but I got some pretty good cards and was able to do fairly well.
My favorite hand was when I flopped a full house, and then turned quads! The poor Southern girl next to me also had a full house, so she lost a good amount of money to me :(
The scariest moment was when a guy went all-in for $90 and I only had trips. I guess calling ended up being a good play because he had trips too, just a lower kicker.
Yeah, so if you ever go to a casino, and have a little patience, I suggest you play poker. It's definitely your best bet. Oh, and sorry if you didn't understand those two previous paragraphs - I'm just excited about my hands and actually remember what I had for the first time.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Belgium
We spent Thanksgiving in Belgium this year.
My sister got a project working in Brussels (all expenses paid!), and she arranged flights for my parents and me to come visit her. We were also supposed to go to Italy for a few days, but my sister was still recovering from tonsillitis so we had to cancel that trip.
I was pretty impressed with Belgium. Hearing people talk about the great architecture and the culture is very different from experiencing it yourself. I don't know why Americans think Europeans are stuck up and rude. Most of the people we talked to were more than willing to help us.
We saw a good part of Brussels and then took a day trip to this tourist-y city Brugges. On the last day, my sister had to work so I went by myself to Antwerp. Luckily, the public transportation system is fairly easy (and my sister left great directions) so it was pretty easy to get there.
The best part of Brussels was definitely the food. We tried the chocolate, beer, fries, and waffles. My sister had always talked about great the waffles are, and now I know exactly what she means. They sell waffles on the street like they sell pretzels in New York. Delicious!
Everyone in Belgium seemed to be very stylish. It didn't matter where we went, everyone just seemed to be more fashionable that what I've seen here.
Oh, one of my life goals has changed as a result of this trip. Instead of owning an island, I could easily make do with a castle. I don't know how many are still available/for sale, but a castle would be pretty awesome to live in.
My sister got a project working in Brussels (all expenses paid!), and she arranged flights for my parents and me to come visit her. We were also supposed to go to Italy for a few days, but my sister was still recovering from tonsillitis so we had to cancel that trip.
I was pretty impressed with Belgium. Hearing people talk about the great architecture and the culture is very different from experiencing it yourself. I don't know why Americans think Europeans are stuck up and rude. Most of the people we talked to were more than willing to help us.
We saw a good part of Brussels and then took a day trip to this tourist-y city Brugges. On the last day, my sister had to work so I went by myself to Antwerp. Luckily, the public transportation system is fairly easy (and my sister left great directions) so it was pretty easy to get there.
The best part of Brussels was definitely the food. We tried the chocolate, beer, fries, and waffles. My sister had always talked about great the waffles are, and now I know exactly what she means. They sell waffles on the street like they sell pretzels in New York. Delicious!
Everyone in Belgium seemed to be very stylish. It didn't matter where we went, everyone just seemed to be more fashionable that what I've seen here.
Oh, one of my life goals has changed as a result of this trip. Instead of owning an island, I could easily make do with a castle. I don't know how many are still available/for sale, but a castle would be pretty awesome to live in.
From/To
Chicago-London: I sat next to this nerdy but kinda hot (in a nerdy way) girl. I might have talked to her but I suddenly got hives and was itchy for the next 7 hours (and still had them for a couple days in Brussels). Real attractive.
Brussels-Washington, D.C.: The crazy Asian lady sitting next to me sounded like she was coughing up a lung for the entire 9-hour flight! I hate having an aisle seat since I can never get my head in a position where it's comfortable to sleep and because the fucking carts seem to come by every hour serving drinks or food or something. When we were landing, the attendant screamed "If we need to have an emergency evacuation, leave everything!" Great, I've been sitting on a plane for 9 hours and now I might die.
Brussels-Washington, D.C.: The crazy Asian lady sitting next to me sounded like she was coughing up a lung for the entire 9-hour flight! I hate having an aisle seat since I can never get my head in a position where it's comfortable to sleep and because the fucking carts seem to come by every hour serving drinks or food or something. When we were landing, the attendant screamed "If we need to have an emergency evacuation, leave everything!" Great, I've been sitting on a plane for 9 hours and now I might die.
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