hello all,
i hope you are having a great week!
now i consider myself a pretty savvy traveler, but every now and again even savvy travelers drop the ball a little bit. let me start with my tip: always check in for your flight in advance.
so for those of you that don't know, last week i was out in southern california for a few days. i'm on the road a considerable amount, so to say the least i have a pretty high status with both star alliance & one world airlines. this status makes life a little easier as a business traveler: shorter security lines, first group to board the plane, no checked baggage fees (if you ever have one), and of course upgrades to business or first class.
well my return flight from LA was a connection; LAX to PHL to LGA on US Airways and lucky me i had been upgraded to a first class seat a couple days earlier. it departed LAX at 6:25am. i wake up about 4:45am to shower and head out from my hotel in torrance to drop off my rental car and head to the terminal.
now i was just having one of those mornings. i get up and of course it's raining. i hop in the car and wouldn't you know it my GPS wasn't working. luckily i spend a lot of time in LA, so i had a pretty good idea about how to get to the airport....except for that first wrong turn out of the hotel that took me 10 minutes out of my way. anyway, after getting back on track i make it to drop off my rental car...its about 5:25am as i get on the shuttle bus..plenty of time for an avid road warrior like me i thought.
i get to the terminal in a few minutes, head to a kiosk to get checked in to my first class seat on both flights, and i get this interesting message when i tried to check in, that said no seat availability please see the gate agent. just excellent i thought, now i need to go stand in line to get checked in.
i head into the line for the first class counter, and after a few minutes i finally was able to speak to a gate agent. its 5:50am...35 minutes before my flight...plenty of time. well the gate agent proceeds to tell me that i've been bumped off of my 6:25am flight because there isnt "enough" time for me to get through security and they would have to rebook me on a 7:30 flight through charlotte getting into new york a couple hours later. i of course objected, but the gate agent stood firm and said well if you get through security fast enough go to gate 8 and see if they can get you on the flight.
it's 5:55am now, 30 minutes before my original flight and i hit the priority security lane..only about 5 people in line ahead of me. i breeze through security in about 5 minutes and quickly head over to gate 8. i speak to the gate agent and explained that i was originally on this flight, i had a first class seat, and the gate agent out front bumped me from the flight because i "wasn't able to make it on time"
a long story short, i was able to negotiate to get a seat on the flight. but it was a middle seat in the back as opposed to my comfy first class seat. now i was happy to get home on the same flight, but of course was a little disappointed about being bumped to a middle seat in the back. now had i checked in ahead of time, i wouldn't have had any problems. so to make sure you board your original flight with your original seat please take 30 seconds to check in when you get that reminder email and you won't have the trouble i did.
happy travels wherever the road may take you...
stay tuned for the next viewfromtheair
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Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Sunday, January 27, 2013
taste: hostaria piave in redondo beach, ca
hi everyone!
happy sunday, i hope you're enjoying your weekend.
for those of you that follow me on twitter you know that this past week i had my first trip of the year to sunny southern california. and let me just say it was sweet...while it was frigid back here on the east coast (sorry friends) i had a chance to catch some warm rays of sunshine and enjoy some good eats with some great friends/colleagues. (in between all of my meetings & such of course).
on my last night in LA i had a chance to enjoy a spectacular meal with a great friend & colleague of mine. we went to this wonderful new italian restaurant called hostaria piave. they've been open just over a year and if you were headed down PCH you might just drive by....and by doing so you'd be making the mistake i did many times since they opened.
it's a romantic little spot, tucked away on PCH near torrance blvd. you enter through a glass door into a small outdoor dining area with 6~8 tables. to your right is another glass door to enter the main dining room of the restaurant. there is a small bar in the back with a few chairs and about 12 tables with a small candle and beautiful table settings. the dining room is very open and lofty, filled with the soft chatter of guests being soaked up into the gentle glow of candle light.
we had a small table in the front corner of the restaurant. we were immediately greeted by a very friendly wait staff with warm fresh bread & butter and the owner even stopped by to say hello. let me tell you folks, you will not be disappointed in there service at this place...i was blown away.
we ordered a nice light italian beer called moretti and began to peruse their wonderful menu. the menu is very seasonal with many wonderful choices...and changes frequently..you won't get bored. we decided to grab a couple appetizers to start; octopus carpaccio, wild mushrooms & polenta, and the braised venison.
the octopus came out first. thin slices of octopus, with little crunchy bits of celery, and hint of citrus and some sea salt. this was a light fresh uplifting dish that was a great start to a great meal. next came the wild mushrooms & polenta. delicious mushrooms on top warm soft polenta. a wonderful warm comforting dish. great for a cool winter evening in LA. last came the braised venison. this was my favorite appetizer of the evening. thin tender slices of venison with juniper. mind blowing, i highly recommend it if you get the chance.
after the appetizers we decided to order a half bottle of wine. their bottle list was extremely extensive, many choices, some expensive. at the recommendation of our wonderful server we ordered a really nice full flavored califoria cab. we then ordered an entree to share. gnocchi with braised duck leg & marjoram. soft warm gnocchi covered in tasty little bites of duck leg. how can you go wrong with that?
we finished up dinner (which was very reasonable...~$100) and headed outside to a table to finish off our wine. as we sat outside our server had sent out some golden raisins soaked it a nice italian digestive as a nice end to a great meal.
if you're ever in the south bay i highly recommend giving this place a try. check them out at www.hostariapiave.com
angelo thank you for a spectacular and memorable dining experience. you can be sure both my friend and i will be back!
happy travels where ever the road may take you....
stay tuned for the next viewfromtheair
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happy sunday, i hope you're enjoying your weekend.
for those of you that follow me on twitter you know that this past week i had my first trip of the year to sunny southern california. and let me just say it was sweet...while it was frigid back here on the east coast (sorry friends) i had a chance to catch some warm rays of sunshine and enjoy some good eats with some great friends/colleagues. (in between all of my meetings & such of course).
on my last night in LA i had a chance to enjoy a spectacular meal with a great friend & colleague of mine. we went to this wonderful new italian restaurant called hostaria piave. they've been open just over a year and if you were headed down PCH you might just drive by....and by doing so you'd be making the mistake i did many times since they opened.
it's a romantic little spot, tucked away on PCH near torrance blvd. you enter through a glass door into a small outdoor dining area with 6~8 tables. to your right is another glass door to enter the main dining room of the restaurant. there is a small bar in the back with a few chairs and about 12 tables with a small candle and beautiful table settings. the dining room is very open and lofty, filled with the soft chatter of guests being soaked up into the gentle glow of candle light.
we had a small table in the front corner of the restaurant. we were immediately greeted by a very friendly wait staff with warm fresh bread & butter and the owner even stopped by to say hello. let me tell you folks, you will not be disappointed in there service at this place...i was blown away.
we ordered a nice light italian beer called moretti and began to peruse their wonderful menu. the menu is very seasonal with many wonderful choices...and changes frequently..you won't get bored. we decided to grab a couple appetizers to start; octopus carpaccio, wild mushrooms & polenta, and the braised venison.
the octopus came out first. thin slices of octopus, with little crunchy bits of celery, and hint of citrus and some sea salt. this was a light fresh uplifting dish that was a great start to a great meal. next came the wild mushrooms & polenta. delicious mushrooms on top warm soft polenta. a wonderful warm comforting dish. great for a cool winter evening in LA. last came the braised venison. this was my favorite appetizer of the evening. thin tender slices of venison with juniper. mind blowing, i highly recommend it if you get the chance.
after the appetizers we decided to order a half bottle of wine. their bottle list was extremely extensive, many choices, some expensive. at the recommendation of our wonderful server we ordered a really nice full flavored califoria cab. we then ordered an entree to share. gnocchi with braised duck leg & marjoram. soft warm gnocchi covered in tasty little bites of duck leg. how can you go wrong with that?
we finished up dinner (which was very reasonable...~$100) and headed outside to a table to finish off our wine. as we sat outside our server had sent out some golden raisins soaked it a nice italian digestive as a nice end to a great meal.
if you're ever in the south bay i highly recommend giving this place a try. check them out at www.hostariapiave.com
happy travels where ever the road may take you....
stay tuned for the next viewfromtheair
Follow @USERNAME
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
tale: iwakuni city, japan
hello again all,
happy hump day...congrats your halfway to friday!
i've written a some posts on tastes & tips, so i suppose it's time to offer a little tale from some of my whirl wind travels.
i travel to asia quite a bit and almost always there is a stop in japan while i'm making the trek. i personally enjoy japan and i can recall on my first trip there i had the pleasure of visiting a few cities including tokyo, hiroshima, & a small ocean side village called iwakuni city.
after spending a couple of days in the bustling metropolis of tokyo i boarded an early morning shinkansen, also known as the bullet train headed from tokyo to hiroshima. for those of you that haven't been to japan travel by train is extremely common. if you ever have the opportunity i most certainly recommend hopping a ride on the shinkansen. these trains travel at top speeds of 149~186 miles per hour (240~300 kilometers per hour) but rides softly as a cloud.
on my way to hiroshima i enjoyed some picturesque views of japanese country side and after a 4 hour ride we arrived in hiroshima and quickly hopped another train to iwakuni city a few minutes away.
upon pulling into iwakuni city i exited the train station to find a beautiful quiet ocean side village. a short walk from the train station there is an amazing historical wooden arch bridge called the kintai-kyo, located at the base of mt. yokohama on top of which rests iwakuni castle.
the original kintai-kyo was constructed in 1673 spanning the nishiki river in a series of 5 wooden arches and there it stayed for 276 years, until 1950 when it was washed away by flooding from a typhoon. a treasure almost lost. however in 1953 the bridge was reconstructed similarly to the original and remains there today for the world to enjoy.
i was able to enjoy a nice stroll over this amazing bridge to visit kikkou park (which includes the bridge and iwakuni castle). while strolling around the area i was able to enjoy some kikkou park and some wonderful view of traditional japanese landscape and architecture.
after crossing the bridge i had the chance to take in a quick traditional iwakuni style lunch, which included iwakuni style sushi (one of this town's claims to japanese culinary fame) and udon. iwakuni style sushi is made with a square mold and has some very special seasoning. and of course you can't have a nice lunch with out dessert so we visited a little soft cream (ice cream) shop which had over 100 different flavors....i went with the melon!
if you ever have a chance to visit this wonderful little seaside village i highly recommend it. and even better if you can make it during cherry blossom season i hear you will not be disappointed taking in views of the kintai-kyo & iwakuni castle surrounded in a beautiful array of delicate cherry blossoms. one day i hope to make it back to see how beautiful it must be.
happy travels wherever the road may take you...
stay tuned for the next viewfromtheair....
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happy hump day...congrats your halfway to friday!
i've written a some posts on tastes & tips, so i suppose it's time to offer a little tale from some of my whirl wind travels.
i travel to asia quite a bit and almost always there is a stop in japan while i'm making the trek. i personally enjoy japan and i can recall on my first trip there i had the pleasure of visiting a few cities including tokyo, hiroshima, & a small ocean side village called iwakuni city.
after spending a couple of days in the bustling metropolis of tokyo i boarded an early morning shinkansen, also known as the bullet train headed from tokyo to hiroshima. for those of you that haven't been to japan travel by train is extremely common. if you ever have the opportunity i most certainly recommend hopping a ride on the shinkansen. these trains travel at top speeds of 149~186 miles per hour (240~300 kilometers per hour) but rides softly as a cloud.
on my way to hiroshima i enjoyed some picturesque views of japanese country side and after a 4 hour ride we arrived in hiroshima and quickly hopped another train to iwakuni city a few minutes away.
upon pulling into iwakuni city i exited the train station to find a beautiful quiet ocean side village. a short walk from the train station there is an amazing historical wooden arch bridge called the kintai-kyo, located at the base of mt. yokohama on top of which rests iwakuni castle.
the original kintai-kyo was constructed in 1673 spanning the nishiki river in a series of 5 wooden arches and there it stayed for 276 years, until 1950 when it was washed away by flooding from a typhoon. a treasure almost lost. however in 1953 the bridge was reconstructed similarly to the original and remains there today for the world to enjoy.
i was able to enjoy a nice stroll over this amazing bridge to visit kikkou park (which includes the bridge and iwakuni castle). while strolling around the area i was able to enjoy some kikkou park and some wonderful view of traditional japanese landscape and architecture.
after crossing the bridge i had the chance to take in a quick traditional iwakuni style lunch, which included iwakuni style sushi (one of this town's claims to japanese culinary fame) and udon. iwakuni style sushi is made with a square mold and has some very special seasoning. and of course you can't have a nice lunch with out dessert so we visited a little soft cream (ice cream) shop which had over 100 different flavors....i went with the melon!
if you ever have a chance to visit this wonderful little seaside village i highly recommend it. and even better if you can make it during cherry blossom season i hear you will not be disappointed taking in views of the kintai-kyo & iwakuni castle surrounded in a beautiful array of delicate cherry blossoms. one day i hope to make it back to see how beautiful it must be.
happy travels wherever the road may take you...
stay tuned for the next viewfromtheair....
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Tuesday, January 15, 2013
taste: vento haragano churrascaria in sao paulo
hello all,
i hope you are all enjoying your week!
so let me preface this post by saying vegetarians and light eaters beware...this restaurant is not for you....for the rest of you out there...you might need some adjustable pants just to read about this one.
the first time i was able to visit the wonderful city of sao paulo brazil i of course had the chance to enjoy some of the tastes of the city. as many of you know one of the most famous type of restaurant in brazil is a style known as churrascaria, roughly translated as barbecue. my colleagues took me to a great little churrascaria restaurant called vento haragano churrascaria.
now let me tell you folks...we are talking tons of meat! when you enter the restaurant there is a very large open dining room to your right, and all you can see is 20+ servers walking around carrying these huge skewers full of a variable cornucopia of carnivorous delights. i don't think i've ever seen so many cuts of meat...there was easily over 30 different cuts/types....beef, pork, sausage, chicken, you name it it was there.
when you arrive you're taken promptly to your table, and in front of you there is a little coaster...one side is red, the other side is green. now the whole idea here, is when your coaster is green...that's a free for all for the servers, they will stop by your table and offer you whatever type of meat they are serving. on the other hand when the coaster is red, it means you've taken out one too many notches in the belt and you've gone and thrown in the towel.
the meal starts with a few tasty fried treats including fried plantains (sweet and delicious), friend yucca, and of course the most delicious of all pao de queijo. pao de quejo is a little gift from the gods. it's a gluten free bread filled with cheese....a little crunchy on the outside and warm and cheesy in the center. the ultimate comfort food. but don't fill up yet!
next comes trip to a buffet in the center of the restaurant. here you can find a number of different items. salads, cured meats, an array of cheeses, bread, some veggies...my personal favorite pork rinds (and let me say these are tasty little tidbits...fried up nice and crunchy..just delectable). now there is a lot of good stuff at the buffet, but don't get too excited because you haven't even turned that coaster green yet.
once you get back to the table and make some room on that plate you just filled up..it's time to turn that coaster green and let the games begin! when my coaster turned green it must have taken all of about 30 seconds for that first server to come by and cut me a little slice of heaven. they provide all the guests with a little set of tongs so you can grab the slice of meat as it's cut off the skewer.
i can't recall how many different cuts of meat i ate before i threw in the towel but let me run through some of my favorites: the pork belly (most delicious and oh so tasty), the filet minion (who doesn't like filet), and my personal favorite blood sausage (to die for, a must try!), i'm certain that you will not be disappointed with any selection you make.
by far one of my favorite dining experiences in brazil. a great way to get introduced to some of the most famous brazilian food...and of course gain a couple pounds. if you happen to be in sao paulo i recommend checking these guys out! www.ventoharagano.com/br (they even have english on the website!)
happy travels wherever the road may take you...
stay tuned for the next viewfromtheair
Follow @USERNAME
i hope you are all enjoying your week!
so let me preface this post by saying vegetarians and light eaters beware...this restaurant is not for you....for the rest of you out there...you might need some adjustable pants just to read about this one.
the first time i was able to visit the wonderful city of sao paulo brazil i of course had the chance to enjoy some of the tastes of the city. as many of you know one of the most famous type of restaurant in brazil is a style known as churrascaria, roughly translated as barbecue. my colleagues took me to a great little churrascaria restaurant called vento haragano churrascaria.
now let me tell you folks...we are talking tons of meat! when you enter the restaurant there is a very large open dining room to your right, and all you can see is 20+ servers walking around carrying these huge skewers full of a variable cornucopia of carnivorous delights. i don't think i've ever seen so many cuts of meat...there was easily over 30 different cuts/types....beef, pork, sausage, chicken, you name it it was there.
when you arrive you're taken promptly to your table, and in front of you there is a little coaster...one side is red, the other side is green. now the whole idea here, is when your coaster is green...that's a free for all for the servers, they will stop by your table and offer you whatever type of meat they are serving. on the other hand when the coaster is red, it means you've taken out one too many notches in the belt and you've gone and thrown in the towel.
the meal starts with a few tasty fried treats including fried plantains (sweet and delicious), friend yucca, and of course the most delicious of all pao de queijo. pao de quejo is a little gift from the gods. it's a gluten free bread filled with cheese....a little crunchy on the outside and warm and cheesy in the center. the ultimate comfort food. but don't fill up yet!
next comes trip to a buffet in the center of the restaurant. here you can find a number of different items. salads, cured meats, an array of cheeses, bread, some veggies...my personal favorite pork rinds (and let me say these are tasty little tidbits...fried up nice and crunchy..just delectable). now there is a lot of good stuff at the buffet, but don't get too excited because you haven't even turned that coaster green yet.
once you get back to the table and make some room on that plate you just filled up..it's time to turn that coaster green and let the games begin! when my coaster turned green it must have taken all of about 30 seconds for that first server to come by and cut me a little slice of heaven. they provide all the guests with a little set of tongs so you can grab the slice of meat as it's cut off the skewer.
i can't recall how many different cuts of meat i ate before i threw in the towel but let me run through some of my favorites: the pork belly (most delicious and oh so tasty), the filet minion (who doesn't like filet), and my personal favorite blood sausage (to die for, a must try!), i'm certain that you will not be disappointed with any selection you make.
by far one of my favorite dining experiences in brazil. a great way to get introduced to some of the most famous brazilian food...and of course gain a couple pounds. if you happen to be in sao paulo i recommend checking these guys out! www.ventoharagano.com/br (they even have english on the website!)
happy travels wherever the road may take you...
stay tuned for the next viewfromtheair
Follow @USERNAME
Friday, January 11, 2013
tip: pack some otc medicine when traveling internationally
hello all,
happy friday! i hope you've been enjoying yours. i'm actually feeling a bit under the weather today. even took the day off of work to get some rest. hopefully i'll still be able to enjoy the rest of the weekend!
i'm feeling a little bit better now, but this actually reminded me of a trip a took a while back where i got sick while traveling abroad in asia and i though i'd share with you all a little lesson that i learned: always carry some over the counter medication with you while traveling abroad.
you may think this sounds silly, but you can't believe how difficult it is to obtain some medicine (and confirm its ok for you to take) when out of the country.
so my experience started in malaysia. i had some meetings scheduled on friday in penang and on saturday i was headed to bangkok to enjoy the weekend and attend some meetings on monday. i had a nice productive day on friday but when i woke up on saturday my head felt a little cloudy and i could feel that dreaded scratch in the back of your throat that just signals the worst is yet to come.
malaysia sunset from hotel...wish i could have remembered it better
anyway i headed to the airport and hopped my flight to bangkok (a short flight) hoping i might feel better. well that certainly wasn't the case. when i finally made it to my hotel i was feeling much worse and headed right to bed to get some rest.
i woke up on sunday and it just wasn't getting any better. so i decided to ask the hotel to guide me the direction of the closest pharmacy so that i could pick up some medication. the concierge pointed me in the right direction and so i headed out.
at this point i was feeling pretty awful so the anticipation of some curing elixir flowing through my body was all that i could think about. i arrive to the pharmacy and find the aisle in the store to select and purchase the medication of my desire.....and everything was written in thai so i had no clue what to purchase. i thought no problem, let me just ask the clerk to guide me in the right direction....but none of the staff could speak any english and unfortunately for me my thai was about as good as their english. ugh plan foiled!
so i made it through the rest of the day sick as a dog and i suffered through monday as well. my next opportunity to secure some medicine was at the airport in bangkok on tuesday morning and i though for sure this would be easy.....i thought wrong.
i wandered the airport checking in every store i could to find some medication...nothing. finally at the very opposite end of the airport i see this little pharmacy and my eyes light up..jackpot!! they have got to have what i need and surely someone can speak english enough to help me. i walk into the store and yet again all the labels on the medication were written in thai. so i strike up a conversation with the store staff. the first young lady didn't speak english but she directed me to the other member of the staff who could speak some english....and some english was right.
i tried desperately to explain that i had a cold. the response i got was "a cold? what is that?" finally i was able to explain that i had a headache, congenstion, cough, etc.....all the symptoms i could manage to describe. the young lady proceeds to walk around the store picking up boxes of 3 types of pills (i don't know what they are because i can't read the labels) and a bottle of robitussin. now i'm a little worried about consuming the pill cocktail that this lady prepared for me because i had no idea what anything was....and she wasn't able to explain it to me. needless to say i walked out of the store with a bottle of thai robitussin and i still felt aweful.
so i board my flight to tokyo and when i arrive i though surely i could find some medication. i try a pharmacy close to my hotel and the same problem as thailand...i couldn't read the labels and the store staff wasn't able to speak enough english to help me.
i thought to myself...this is getting ridiculous. i was planning to have dinner with a colleague/friend that night and i thought that he could help me. but of course when we finish dinner all of the pharmacies close to the hotel were closed. foiled again.
that's it i thought i'm stuck feeling terrible until i get back to the states in another two days i might as well get used to it.
i head back to the hotel, and i decide one more try. let me ask the hotel staff if they have any medicine they could offer to me. i explain to the folks at the front desk what i'm feeling and at last someone is able to help me! the young lady at the front desk brings out this tiny black packet of medicine and a consent form (of course they have to remove their liability). normally i would have just passed but i was desperate. i signed the form, signing away my life, and took that little black packet up to my room.
i get the the room, open the packet to find this bright orange powder that i need to mix with a glass of water. i mix it up, hope for the best, and down the hatch it goes. i was asleep about 30 minutes later. i slept the whole night long, and when i woke up i actually felt like a million bucks compared to how i had been feeling the previous days.
needless to say, after that experience i always pack some simple over the counter medicine when i travel overseas (i.e. anti-inflammatory, cold medicine, & dietary aids) and i recommend you do too. you never know when you might get sick, and if you do how hard it could be to get treated.
happy travels wherever the road may take you...
until next time..
stay tuned for the next viewfromthair
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happy friday! i hope you've been enjoying yours. i'm actually feeling a bit under the weather today. even took the day off of work to get some rest. hopefully i'll still be able to enjoy the rest of the weekend!
i'm feeling a little bit better now, but this actually reminded me of a trip a took a while back where i got sick while traveling abroad in asia and i though i'd share with you all a little lesson that i learned: always carry some over the counter medication with you while traveling abroad.
you may think this sounds silly, but you can't believe how difficult it is to obtain some medicine (and confirm its ok for you to take) when out of the country.
so my experience started in malaysia. i had some meetings scheduled on friday in penang and on saturday i was headed to bangkok to enjoy the weekend and attend some meetings on monday. i had a nice productive day on friday but when i woke up on saturday my head felt a little cloudy and i could feel that dreaded scratch in the back of your throat that just signals the worst is yet to come.
anyway i headed to the airport and hopped my flight to bangkok (a short flight) hoping i might feel better. well that certainly wasn't the case. when i finally made it to my hotel i was feeling much worse and headed right to bed to get some rest.
i woke up on sunday and it just wasn't getting any better. so i decided to ask the hotel to guide me the direction of the closest pharmacy so that i could pick up some medication. the concierge pointed me in the right direction and so i headed out.
at this point i was feeling pretty awful so the anticipation of some curing elixir flowing through my body was all that i could think about. i arrive to the pharmacy and find the aisle in the store to select and purchase the medication of my desire.....and everything was written in thai so i had no clue what to purchase. i thought no problem, let me just ask the clerk to guide me in the right direction....but none of the staff could speak any english and unfortunately for me my thai was about as good as their english. ugh plan foiled!
the hotel pool i missed out on cause i was sick as a dog
so i made it through the rest of the day sick as a dog and i suffered through monday as well. my next opportunity to secure some medicine was at the airport in bangkok on tuesday morning and i though for sure this would be easy.....i thought wrong.
i wandered the airport checking in every store i could to find some medication...nothing. finally at the very opposite end of the airport i see this little pharmacy and my eyes light up..jackpot!! they have got to have what i need and surely someone can speak english enough to help me. i walk into the store and yet again all the labels on the medication were written in thai. so i strike up a conversation with the store staff. the first young lady didn't speak english but she directed me to the other member of the staff who could speak some english....and some english was right.
i tried desperately to explain that i had a cold. the response i got was "a cold? what is that?" finally i was able to explain that i had a headache, congenstion, cough, etc.....all the symptoms i could manage to describe. the young lady proceeds to walk around the store picking up boxes of 3 types of pills (i don't know what they are because i can't read the labels) and a bottle of robitussin. now i'm a little worried about consuming the pill cocktail that this lady prepared for me because i had no idea what anything was....and she wasn't able to explain it to me. needless to say i walked out of the store with a bottle of thai robitussin and i still felt aweful.
so i board my flight to tokyo and when i arrive i though surely i could find some medication. i try a pharmacy close to my hotel and the same problem as thailand...i couldn't read the labels and the store staff wasn't able to speak enough english to help me.
i thought to myself...this is getting ridiculous. i was planning to have dinner with a colleague/friend that night and i thought that he could help me. but of course when we finish dinner all of the pharmacies close to the hotel were closed. foiled again.
that's it i thought i'm stuck feeling terrible until i get back to the states in another two days i might as well get used to it.
i head back to the hotel, and i decide one more try. let me ask the hotel staff if they have any medicine they could offer to me. i explain to the folks at the front desk what i'm feeling and at last someone is able to help me! the young lady at the front desk brings out this tiny black packet of medicine and a consent form (of course they have to remove their liability). normally i would have just passed but i was desperate. i signed the form, signing away my life, and took that little black packet up to my room.
i get the the room, open the packet to find this bright orange powder that i need to mix with a glass of water. i mix it up, hope for the best, and down the hatch it goes. i was asleep about 30 minutes later. i slept the whole night long, and when i woke up i actually felt like a million bucks compared to how i had been feeling the previous days.
needless to say, after that experience i always pack some simple over the counter medicine when i travel overseas (i.e. anti-inflammatory, cold medicine, & dietary aids) and i recommend you do too. you never know when you might get sick, and if you do how hard it could be to get treated.
happy travels wherever the road may take you...
until next time..
stay tuned for the next viewfromthair
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Tuesday, January 8, 2013
taste: wild edibles - murray hill seafood market
hello all,
you know it's been 8 days since i've been up in the air and i must say i'm getting a little antsy! i'm sure i'll be on the road again soon, but in the meantime i thought i'd share a little bit about a recent taste i had right here in new york city.
you'd barely even know the restaurant was there. it's called wild edibles; an unassuming little seafood market on third avenue that you might pass by in the blink of an eye. thankfully for me that wasn't the case, because i would have missed a little gem right there in murray hill.
it's a not a big place, maybe 8 or 10 tables a small bar with no more than 6 seats but boy did it fill up fast, mostly with locals out to enjoy a fresh taste from the sea. when you first enter you'll find a little display case off to your left with all the fresh choices of the day....and i do mean fresh! salmon, mussels, clams, oysters, sea bass to name a few of the delectable delights all of which you can select and have prepared in the style and seasoning of your choice. they also have some standard items on the menu which are equally as delicious.
the staff is superb, friendly & attentive you won't be disappointed. the meal started with a crab & lobster bourbon spiced pumpkin bisque which was heavenly. silky smooth, warm & delicious. this was followed by some outstanding mussels and a wonderful sea bass. you can order the mussels prepared in a variety of different ways, but i'm a thai fan myself. fresh and oh so tasty (a little kick just how i like it). the sea bass was fresh and cooked to perfection. flaky and tender, with nice crispy skin.
best of all it was affordable! all in all you are looking about $45/person for an appetizer, entree and a glass of wine (can't forget the wine!). a deal that can't be beat!
i must say it was a wonderful dining experience. make sure you check them out next time you happen to be out and about in new york city! www.wildedibles.com
the only thing i forgot is pictures! don't worry, next time i'll be more vigilant.
happy travels wherever the road may take you.
until next time...
stay tuned for the next viewfromtheair
Follow @USERNAME
you know it's been 8 days since i've been up in the air and i must say i'm getting a little antsy! i'm sure i'll be on the road again soon, but in the meantime i thought i'd share a little bit about a recent taste i had right here in new york city.
you'd barely even know the restaurant was there. it's called wild edibles; an unassuming little seafood market on third avenue that you might pass by in the blink of an eye. thankfully for me that wasn't the case, because i would have missed a little gem right there in murray hill.
it's a not a big place, maybe 8 or 10 tables a small bar with no more than 6 seats but boy did it fill up fast, mostly with locals out to enjoy a fresh taste from the sea. when you first enter you'll find a little display case off to your left with all the fresh choices of the day....and i do mean fresh! salmon, mussels, clams, oysters, sea bass to name a few of the delectable delights all of which you can select and have prepared in the style and seasoning of your choice. they also have some standard items on the menu which are equally as delicious.
the staff is superb, friendly & attentive you won't be disappointed. the meal started with a crab & lobster bourbon spiced pumpkin bisque which was heavenly. silky smooth, warm & delicious. this was followed by some outstanding mussels and a wonderful sea bass. you can order the mussels prepared in a variety of different ways, but i'm a thai fan myself. fresh and oh so tasty (a little kick just how i like it). the sea bass was fresh and cooked to perfection. flaky and tender, with nice crispy skin.
best of all it was affordable! all in all you are looking about $45/person for an appetizer, entree and a glass of wine (can't forget the wine!). a deal that can't be beat!
i must say it was a wonderful dining experience. make sure you check them out next time you happen to be out and about in new york city! www.wildedibles.com
the only thing i forgot is pictures! don't worry, next time i'll be more vigilant.
happy travels wherever the road may take you.
until next time...
stay tuned for the next viewfromtheair
Follow @USERNAME
Sunday, January 6, 2013
and so it begins...
hi everyone!
my name is sean and as my profile says i'm in a job that keeps me up in the air a lot. there is seldom a week where i'm not on the road or at least visiting some interesting bar or restaurant around my stomping ground new york city (i know, i know...yonkers is a little north of the city, but you get the idea!).
i thought it would be fun to share some of my tales, tips, and tastes from my life on the road. i'll be posting regularly about places i visit offering recommendations on places to stay, eat, play, and attractions to visit if you ever happen to be in the area. i hope you have a chance to learn a little bit and have some fun with me as i hop from city to city.
to give you a little taste in the past year i've been to over 50 cities, in 8 countries, on various continents. To name a few notable locations: sao paulo, rio de janeiro, tokyo, mexico city, seoul, shanghai, hong kong, los angeles, & chicago. i've been fortunate to see a lot of interesting things, visit a lot of interesting places, eat some interesting food, and of course try some interesting drinks.
i love to try new things, experience new places, and add frequent flyer miles to my accounts. i look forward to having you along on the journey.
stay tuned for the next viewfromtheair
thanks,
sean
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my name is sean and as my profile says i'm in a job that keeps me up in the air a lot. there is seldom a week where i'm not on the road or at least visiting some interesting bar or restaurant around my stomping ground new york city (i know, i know...yonkers is a little north of the city, but you get the idea!).
i thought it would be fun to share some of my tales, tips, and tastes from my life on the road. i'll be posting regularly about places i visit offering recommendations on places to stay, eat, play, and attractions to visit if you ever happen to be in the area. i hope you have a chance to learn a little bit and have some fun with me as i hop from city to city.
to give you a little taste in the past year i've been to over 50 cities, in 8 countries, on various continents. To name a few notable locations: sao paulo, rio de janeiro, tokyo, mexico city, seoul, shanghai, hong kong, los angeles, & chicago. i've been fortunate to see a lot of interesting things, visit a lot of interesting places, eat some interesting food, and of course try some interesting drinks.
i love to try new things, experience new places, and add frequent flyer miles to my accounts. i look forward to having you along on the journey.
stay tuned for the next viewfromtheair
thanks,
sean
Follow @USERNAME
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