Tag: books

Off To Visit the Baby, Madrid 2025 Day #6. “Let’s Go Look For an Apartment”

by reissmd, posted in Madrid

We spent the morning looking for an apartment for Erica.  In Spain they don’t have an MLS system where everyone lists their properties for sale.  To the contrary, each realtor has their own listings and the real estate agent represents both the buyer and seller.  So if you are looking to buy a property you need to register with multiple agencies.  This seems like a system in the need of a computer genius and a salesperson.  We did find one apartment to look at this morning.  It seemed old and expensive. From what we were told it’s a seller’s market.  Always seems like it’s a seller’s market until you want to sell. 

After leaving the apartment we went to lunch at Arrocería Imperial.  They specialize in rice dishes. We were accompanied by Erica’s friend Sofi (pronounced like Sophie not like So Fi Stadium).  The four of us shared two dishes. They were both very good but if you aren’t into rice meals this might not be the place for you.  You could tell this was a high class place because the toilet in the bathroom had a toilet seat.  I needed to find the toilet because the urinal was too high for use by a mortal male.  The bottom of the urinal came to my mid thigh.  Granted I’m not the tallest man in the world but I wouldn’t describe myself as short.  I opted for the toilet because the urinal would have required me to aim up at about 45º in order to clear the edge.  That would have been fine but it would have made for an interesting finale. 

I would tell you what this is but I don’t remember.
This was called, “It tastes good but it is a lot of work to eat”.

And or course we couldn’t leave without……………. see below.

Some more Crema de Orujo. “Patrice, look for a 12 step program! Not now, let’s wait until we return home.”

After lunch we visited another apartment.  This place was very interesting  in that after entering, the first room you encounter is a bathroom on the right.  The second room is another bathroom on the right.  That means that if you need to get up at night to use the bathroom you need to bypass much of the apartment in order to get to one of the two bathrooms.  We will continue the search tomorrow. 

After a rest back at the hotel (at which point my step count was 15,514) we headed to dinner.  We went to La Oveja Negra (The Black Sheep), a vegan  restaurant for dinner.  The chef (head honcho) is Sofi, Erica’s friend from this morning.  We had a wonderful meal and then headed back to the hotel. 

Leek Soup. Very yummy.
Vegan Milanesa, also very good.
Sofi, Erica, Famous Blogger, Patrice.

Final step count 18,743.

Adios

Birthday Celebration Day #2 “Life Can’t Get Better Than This!”

by reissmd, posted in New York City

I started off today with great plans; let Patrice sleep in while I went to workout.  Well, things didn’t quite go as planned but at least I did let her sleep in.  

After Patrice awoke we headed to the lounge where breakfast is included with our room tab.  We got a relatively early start leaving our room at 7:00 AM Los Angeles time but upon arriving at the lounge were told that breakfast ends at 9:30 AM eastern time.   They did supply us with some yogurt but that wasn’t adequate.  I thought we should see if the gelato place from last night had a more reasonable waiting line this morning. Upon arrival we found no one on line or inside the store.  We were greeted by Uriel who offered us samples from a wonderful selection at “Anita’s Gelato” (1561 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10028).  

Turns out Anita is an Israeli woman who has stores all over the world.  In addition to 4 in Manhattan there are stores in Spain, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Israel and other countries.  They even have a store in Los Angeles.   I found out the only store in Los Angeles is in Tarzana. Yes, Spain, UK, Australia, and Tarzana?

Uriel and his co-worker Loïc. Patrice thought she said she spelled her name Loïz. She is Israeli. I Googled it and the only name I found was Loïc, a French male name. The only Israeli name close to that would be Lior. Whatever her name, both she and Uriel were very nice. As was the gelato.

After leaving the gelato place we learned how the NYPD is able to respond to emergencies when confronted by bumper to bumper cars. 

I edited out some people from this photo. Can you see that part of one is still there?

We then saw the ultimate picture of harmony. Check out this gorgeous child.

I of course asked mom and dad if I could take a picture and put it on my blog. I told them that no one looks at my blog so they are safe.

Motivated by the baby in the picture we went to our room for a brief rest (Hey, missing out on breakfast and eating gelato requires some recovery time) and then headed over to see the musical that encouraged us to make this trip, “& Juliet”. We saw the show in Los Angeles and loved it in spite of having horrible seats.   We bought our tickets for tonight’s performance quite a while back. Tickets were available in the 4th row and front row.  We chose the front row seats and realized they were half the price of the 4th row seats because during one of the musical numbers your view is obstructed by a prop.  That was unfortunate but for the remainder of the show you are in musical heaven.  The show was every bit as spectacular as it was in LA. 

Patrice and me at our front row seats hoping the cast will come back and do the show again.

Following the show we went back to the hotel to pick up an umbrella (yes, it started to drizzle) and then we were off to dinner.  Tonight we dined at Milos (125 W 55th St, New York, NY 10019).  This place was recommended by one of my patients.  He told me it’s a bit pricey but he loves it. He goes there every time he is in New York.  I have to admit, it was spectacular, but was very pricey.  

We started by sharing a Lobster Salad. This was amazing.
Patrice had the halibut. Very moist and delicious.
I had the pasta primavera. It wasn’t on the menu but was offered to me when I asked what kinds of vegetarian options they had. That really impressed me (as did the taste of the dish).
We shared the grilled vegetables. Have you ever seen a more lovely display of veggies?
For dessert we had Walnut Cake.
And how can you go to a Greek restaurant without having Baklava?
To help us celebrate Patrice’s birthday they gave us a small fruit platter. I love the candle holder (see above).

As I said the food was expensive but I can be thankful that neither of us are drinkers.  See below.

People really spend this much for wine? I think that is the definition of a drinking problem.

We are back in the room now and ready to call it a night. Until tomorrow.

Ciao

Magic in Vegas Day #3 “Robert Becomes a Magical Star!”

by reissmd, posted in Las Vegas

Another great night’s sleep.  I think I need to leave my phone in the kitchen from now on. 

Last night we were treated to an amazing show which included a mentalist, a juggler (not strictly a magician but still very entertaining), a physical magician, and a guy who had a nonstop supply of cards emanating from his hands.  There was also an emcee who did the best trick of the night.  He took a ring from an audience member.  Another member of the audience helped him make it disappear and the same member of the audience helped him find it.  It was located on the emcee’s toe under his sock AND BOOT! I would tell you how it’s done but I can’t because I don’t want to break the magician’s code of ethics. Also, I have no idea how he did it.

This morning we decided not to risk being killed by a cab driver for hiring them for a one mile trip and ate at the Copper Whisk located in the hotel.  It was closer but clearly a step down from Blueberry Hill.  But what it lacked in quantity and quality they made up in service. For example look how they arranged our service settings.  See below. 

As I recall he dropped the utensils on the table and said, “Here”.

We then attended the general session which showed a mentalist (Brian Curry) who was funny and impressive and a hilarious magician named Piff the Magic Dragon.  His trick was funnier than it was impressive but it was definitely my favorite presentation of the session.  There was a father and son duo who discussed how storytelling and magic presentations are very similar.  They gave tips to performing magicians which were definitely lost on me.  There was also a costume designer explaining the importance of your costume for your presentation.  I think I will stick with a white coat for my performances. 

The afternoon was much more enjoyable.  First we saw another mentalist (Drew Backenstoss) who gave a great show and then told how everything was done.  I definitely plan to utilize some of his tips.  This show was especially enjoyable because I was able to be a volunteer participant.  I was a bit scared because he was trying to predict the PIN of my debit card.  Lucky for me he failed in that endeavor.  After that we saw a close up magician (Mike Pisciotta) who also did a show and proceded to teach us how everything was done.  I got a close up view because again I was picked as a volunteer.  This was spectacular because we got to see a great show and learn some great magic tips. See  below.

Mike Pisciotta explaining how to do his tricks.

We have one more show tonight and then it is off to dinner. This has truly been an incredible experience. 

Ciao

Skol! Our Trip to Scandinavia Day #13 “Adjø (goodbye) to Scandinavia”

by reissmd, posted in Bergen, Norway, Norway

Today was our last full day in Norway.  Tomorrow I will finish up as usual with a collection of photos that speak for themselves (but of course, I will speak for them).  Today we started with another massive buffet.  That has been the recurrent theme of this trip.  Small rooms but massive buffets.  

We then met the group for a bus/walking tour of the city.  One thing I have learned from this trip is that I don’t like to be led around by a guide hearing tons of facts about a city.  I prefer to explore by myself (with Patrice of course) and meet locals rather than hear about things that happened 1000 years ago.  Sorry if I sound like a heathen but that is who I am. 

We are in Bergen, which as I mentioned yesterday, is the 2nd most populated city in Norway.  We found out today that it is a sister city with Seattle.  You might know that Seattle averages about 37 inches of rain per year.  Well its Norwegian sister averages 89 inches.  I wonder if they know about Sitka, Alaska which receives 100 inches of rain per year?  My Los Angeles friend, Linda, tells me she loves rain.  I think relocation to one of these 3 cities would be in her best interest. 

We were on our own for lunch and the afternoon.  Patrice and I only ate a snack for lunch (bringing our average lunch calorie count for the trip down to about 1800). We then walked the city and decided on going to the Kode museum.  It was a worthwhile stop so I would recommend it.

At night, we met the entire group for a farewell dinner.  This has been a really good group of travel buddies.  It is hard to imagine that you would get 24 people together and not one of them would be a jerk making the trip less enjoyable.  Patrice pointed out there was one jerk on the trip and she had to room with him. 

Tonight we toured a local farm with the group and saw some interesting animals.  Have you ever seen a Fjord Horse?  See below.

Fjord horse mommy and her 4 week old son.

I was not looking forward to this dinner since I thought the main attraction was the farm and the dinner would not be very good.  I was wrong.  I would say this was the best meal of the trip. 

A lovely trout for dinner.
Wait, what’s this? The trout was just a starter? This is veal for your main course. I decided just to have one bite but it was AMAZING and I ate the whole thing.
A swan for dessert? No, sorbet with meringue and whipped cream with raspberry sauce. I’m not a big whipped cream or meringue guy but the sorbet was yummy.

I always have mixed emotions about an end of a trip. I love traveling but it will be good to be home. I always like to learn things on our trips. I definitely learned something on this trip. See below.

I NEED A HAIRCUT!

I will send you my photo post from the airport or possibly from the plane. 

Adios, oops, I mean adjø

ACP in NOLA Day #6 “Paul Simon, etc.”

by reissmd, posted in New Orleans, New Orleans (NOLA)

Last night was very special.  We took an Uber to the Saenger Theater.  By the way don’t take a cab here unless it’s from the airport where the fee to and from the city is a fixed rate.  We’ve taken 3 cab rides here and not one taxi had a meter.  It’s as if they make up the charge on arrival (With the exception of the airport rides).  For instance last night we took an Uber to the theater and paid $10.  Yesterday we took a cab to the same place to buy the tickets and the charge was $20. 

Oh well, let’s concentrate on the happy thoughts.  The show was at the Saenger theatre which was built in 1927.  It has housed performances by Elton John, Aretha Franklin, Jerry Seinfeld and many others.  Broadway shows have also been featured including Chicago, Wicked, Phantom of the Opera, and next week Hamilton.  The theater is gorgeous. Before the show we had a chance to tour around this beautiful theater.  We met an usher who had been on the job for only 2 days but was born and raised in New Orleans and it was obvious that the theater had been a big part of his life. He filled us in on the history of the theatre and gave us a list of the songs and the order in which they were going to be played.

Look like we are having fun?
A variety of statues adorn the walls. There is a night sky decoration on the ceiling.

Simon came onstage at 8:15 for a show that was scheduled to start at 8.  I was disappointed looking at the song list because “Father and Daughter” was not included.   Although not his most famous song it has been special to me since I made two music videos using the song. Each honored one of my daughters Lindsay and Erica (I also made one for David using “Let’s Hear It For the Boy”. A better choice for obvious reasons).  Simon finished the show and then came back for his encore with the songs listed as “The Boxer” and “The Sounds of Silence”.  He started to talk about his daughter Lulu and then much to my surprise he started playing “Father and Daughter”.  By the time he got to the last line (“There could never be a father who loved his daughter more than I love you”) I was in tears. [Patrice here: The big baby was in tears just writing this sentence.]

It was a special night but the 83 year old soon to be 84 didn’t quite sound the same as years ago.

This morning I started off thinking it was time to hit the gym and get on the treadmill. I kept procrastinating until Patrice woke up and said “Let’s go to breakfast”. We took an Uber to Who Dat Coffee Cafe (2401 Burgundy St, New Orleans, LA 70117) which was recommended by our friends Alan and Becky. We shared the special of the day Oysters Benedict.  I said to the server that it sounded very healthy to which he replied “They don’t call us the heart attack capital of the world for nothing.”  

Oysters Benedict with Grits instead of fruit (Why try to be healthy?).
Your happy travelers in front of Who Dat Coffee Cafe.

After breakfast we took a short walk to the nearby Jamnola museum. Jamnola stands for Joy Art Music New Orleans Louisiana.  It was a small but fun museum with lots of creative exhibits. 

I thought we were in an M.C.Escher painting.
We offered an alligator some tasty Californians.

We thought we would then cruise the neighborhood but heavy rain with thunder and lightning convinced us to just chill in the museum a little longer.  

Crawfish (also spelled Crayfish) making Robert Etouffee
He changed his mind and we played a duet instead.
Patrice showing off her muscles.

They had a number of costumes and accessories that people have worn at Mardi Gras celebrations including the outfit below.

A guide was asked if it weighed about 100 lbs to which she say, “No, somewhere between 95 and 105”.

Then it was off to lunch. It was still raining quite hard so a walk to burn off some calories was not going to work so another Uber ride was upon us. We decided to return to Muriel’s for another amazing meal.

Crawfish and goat cheese crepes.
Blackened Redfish with some broccolini (added to make you think you are eating healthy).

I think Muriel’s might be our NOLA favorite. 

Sorry, I need to stop for now. My book group meeting is about to start. Dinner will be late so I will leave you until tomorrow.

Ciao