Just a quick note to share I received my last paycheck, including vacation time payout, this morning.  I more than met my savings goals - I exceeded them.  I know the figures can seem daunting, however many people go abroad with far less than me, and either work or volunteer, or stick to the cheaper regions.  All I can say is I did it my way (Sinatra-style), and each person has to figure out how much is enough for him/herself.

Going forward, I’ll be updating my new spreadsheet, RTW Actual Costs, which should be very valuable info for those planning to visit similar countries in the near future.

I’m heading to Grand Central to catch a train to JFK airport in 3 hours.  My next update will be from the middle of the Pacific Ocean (even if just to say “I made it” again)!

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I made it…..to New York City! One small step today, in preparation for one giant leap tomorrow. I estimate from the time I leave for JFK airport, to the time I arrive at Chez Nelson on Moorea, I’ll be in transit a good 20-24 hours (if no delays).

I thought I’d need to reach Tahiti to feel relaxed, however it happened when I was waiting in the chilly morning air on 15th and K St in DC, watching all the nicely dressed professionals walk to work (via Starbucks). My anxiety switched to living in the moment, and all I can say now that I’m in my friend’s apartment is “wow” this feels weird (that I’m the guy doing it, not some random other guy/gal) and exciting.

On my first travel day, I was quickly reminded of a few good rules of thumb:

• Be patient (the bus was 40 minutes late, and all I’ve got on is a t-shirt and windbreaker)
• Bring food on the bus (since the bus was late, it didn’t make a pit-stop as usual)
• When evaluating what to pack, walk for an hour in a city, because 20lbs feels a lot lighter on a carpeted bedroom floor

I’d post a dreary photo of NYC’s skyline, however I can’t figure out how to work this MacBook very well. You’ll have to imagine it, and I’ll make up for it with a few photos from French Polynesia.

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Brunch at Bobby Flay’s Bar Americain was just what the doctor ordered after a crazy New York City night on the town. Kai, Reggie, and I met up with bachelor Chris and his friend Brian at the restaurant. They had already ordered a few cocktails to ease their hangovers. I started with a cappuccino and the delicious breads and flavored butter they brought us (so good we asked for a second basket).

The restaurant seemed about half full at 12:30 pm, which may have been a reflection of the holiday weekend. As I took in the interior design, I was reminded of the Food Network’s short documentary on the opening of the restaurant (as it was built very quickly - a few months max). I especially liked the amount of natural light coming in through all the windows, as well as the gigantic mirror over the bar.

I ordered the Shrimp and Grits with Bacon, Scallions and Garlic (pictured first). It was extremely rich and delicious. The rest of the table split a second order of it. For dessert (yes, even at brunch I can’t help myself), I ordered a special, Tahitian Vanilla Cheesecake (with a fruit compote). Normally I have trouble finishing cheesecake because of giant, super dense slices. I was more than happy to receive a smaller portion size (pictured above). I was especially surprised to find they topped it off with caramelized sugar, so there was a thin crust which provided a fun contrast in texture to the creamy cheesecake and soft bottom crust. The fresh blackberries and blueberries in syrup provided a little moisture as well.

Kai and Brian ordered Miss Stephanie’s Biscuits and Cream Gravy, Artisanal Ham, Sausage, and Scrambled Eggs. I believe the gravy was flavored with pepper. Chris ordered the Cracked Wheat Waffle, Cinnamon-Allspice Butter, and Blueberry Syrup.

The service started out well, however I thought it took a little too long for them to clear our plates. Brian was kind enough to pick up our entire tab, however I purposefully skipped the $12 cocktail to keep my cost under $50. The food was well worth the prices. I would definetly recommend a visit to this restaurant, with a brunch-specific warning that you may desire a nap afterwards.

Bar Americain website and Brunch menu

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After my first four days of leadership training wrapped up in Richmond, VA last Friday afternoon, I sped up Rt 95 at 80 mph, exchanged my duffel bag for my backpack, and caught an Amtrak train to New York City for the holiday weekend.

Friday night was spent with the bachelor (my friend Chris), his brother, Kai, and another long time friend. We started at a nearby midtown bar, and ended at a typical gentleman’s club. The impromptu events of the night wrapped up at 3 am, serving as a good appetizer for Saturday’s main events.

After too little sleep, we awoke and met up with the full group of guys (~10) at Stan’s Sport Bar across the street from Yankee Stadium. We did our best to finish a keg of Miller Light before heading up to our seats high above the third base line. As it turned out, we were in a “no alcohol” seating section (no sales, no drinking), and it didn’t take us long to find out the rule is enforced. A few guys spent almost the whole game drinking in the stadium hallway as a result. I took turns shuttling back and forth due to the heat, and need for food. Despite the Yankees 3-1 loss, a fun time was had by all, and I found out how great my camera’s 16x digital zoom works.

After a quick nap and showers, we grabbed a drink at Chris’ hotel, and taxied our way over to one of the classiest strip club’s in NYC, the Penthouse Executive Club, for dinner at Robert’s Steakhouse (before you laugh, check out the menu). We were the first table of the evening to be seated, and quickly found the service to be stellar. Twenty minutes later, the entertainers started to slowly join us to enhance the dining experience. The bachelor was well taken care of (as was your author). And before you think this is a guy thing, there were five attractive young women at the table next to us for a bachelorette party.

Along with my Grey Goose and tonic, I enjoyed an appetizer of Kobe Style Beef Carpaccio with Arugala Salad, Truffle Oil and Shaved Parmesan, followed by a main course of Grilled Venison Tenderloin with Double Smoked Bacon. The food was among the best I’ve had the privelage to enjoy. The carpaccio was luxuriously tender like sushi, and the venison was cooked a perfect medium rare, seasoned underneath by a medieval slab of salty bacon. We bought the bachelor a Gold Label Kobe New York Strip, and he was kind enough to share with those interested in a taste of the $105 steak (yum).

We enjoyed an hours worth of entertainment on the lower level after dinner, followed by the German beer garden Zum Schneider in the East Village, and two more gentleman’s clubs. By last call at 4:30 am, about the only thing I could afford was the slice of NY pizza I devoured.

Our Sunday brunch was at Bobby Flay’s Bar Americain. It was another enjoyable meal, and since I have pictures, I will share a short review of it tomorrow. Down to just Chris, my friend Kai and I, we watched a few movies and surfed the internet on my brother’s new 40″ plasma TV, finally grabbing an inexpensive Asian meal in the Village before Chris left town.

I need more friends to get married ASAP!

______________

View more (G-rated) pictures from the weekend on Flickr.

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Do you remember the last time a restaurant experience seemed like a finely choreographed dance performance? The food was presented and cooked perfectly, the service was stellar, the ambiance memorable, and the company and conversation just the way you like it?

My late night dinner at Blue Ribbon in the Soho district of Manhattan this past Saturday easily surpassed all of my expectations for the perfect meal. We ended up at their doorstep after several other restaurants’ kitchens closed at the seemingly early New York City hour of 11 pm. My friend Kai had mentioned they’re open late, and they serve bone marrow. The minute he mentioned such details, I realized we were about to eat at a restaurant featured on one of Anthony Bourdain’s TV shows. I remembered he said it’s the type of place where chefs go after they close up their own restaurants in the early morning hours. And it’s no wonder, with Blue Ribbon’s hours being 4 pm to 4 am, seven nights a week.

Upon walking into the nondescript front entrance, I was struck by the small bar and floor space. There were about 17 tables, and they were all full. We had a 30-40 minute wait, and while Kai suggested we find a bar elsewhere to wait, I was not leaving. We got a round of drinks and staked our space in anticipation of a great meal. We were seated around 12:15 am near the front of the room.

A quick scan of the menu’s appetizers revealed tempting treats such as Foie Gras Terrine and Escargot, though we were all there for the Beef Marrow and Oxtail Marmalade. We ordered one to share, along with a plate of Pirogies. Either Kai, or my brother Jon, insisted that I order a bottle of wine, though I was far from needing more alcohol at that point. The wine list was extensive, and I settled on a red, Cotes du Rhone. Our waiter delivered the wine promptly, and the taste test revealed a delicious choice.

Around 12:45 am, our appetizers arrived. The Beef Marrow was delivered with a few thin pieces of wood for us to scoop out the marrow, and a small bowl of sea salt. The marrow was gelatinous, and a bit hard to spread on the bread, however I managed to break it up into a few pieces to prolong the enjoyment. I’m not sure that I fully tasted the rich flavor of it, though the process of scooping it out of the bone, and onto the bread, only to top it with the sweet marmalade was enough to satisfy me. And heck, I was eating the same appetizer, in the same restaurant, as my culinary hero.

At 1:30 am, my Rack of Lamb with Spinach, Potato Cake, and Thyme arrived. The presentation was beautiful. Due to the low light, I didn’t truly appreciate the juicy, pink color until I viewed a digital photo on my computer a day later. It was hard to miss how perfectly the lamb was cooked though. It’s not a dish I normally order, and having experienced it cooked to medium-rare perfection at the Blue Ribbon, not likely something I’ll pick again anytime soon. The brown sauce was among the richest and tastiest I’d ever enjoyed. I devoured the potato cake, and left the spinach for Popeye.

Earlier, I had noticed only one chocolate option - Chocolate Bruno, on the dessert list. I ordered it, not quite sure what I was about to receive. As it turns out, Chocolate Bruno is a hockey-puck sized disk of chocolate. It was much denser than cake. When I took my first bite, I realized it was one of the best desserts I had ever tasted. I would describe the richness of flavor as what it must be like to eat the essence of chocolate. In racier terms, each bite was was an orgasmic experience. Three tablespoon-sized scoops of vanilla and chocolate ice cream surrounded the cake, and there was drizzled chocolate sauce over it all. A picture would not have done the dessert justice.

Overall, while I focused on the food, the service from our waiter was superb. The prices seemed lower than I would have expected for the quality of service and food delivered in an extremely well-rated Manhattan restaurant. Perhaps they want to keep those chefs coming back for more!

______________________

Blue Ribbon Manhattan - 97 Sullivan St. (between Spring and Prince Streets), NY, NY 10012. Ph: 212-274-10012. Reservations are available for groups of 5-8 people. Average entree - $25.

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“I’m going to forever associate your apartment with hangovers,” I half joked to my brother. Indeed, while I only had 5-6 drinks Friday night, I’ve cut back on my alcohol consumption over the past few years. The tolerance I once built as a young buck is a thing of the past, which is not necessarily a bad thing!

It was about noon when my brother Jon and I left the apartment to meet up with his old friend, Brent (and girlfriend). The movie was Grindhouse, a double-feature with the first movie directed by Robert Rodriguez, and the second by Quentin Tarantino. It turned out to be 3 hours and 15 minutes of blood curdling gunfire, yelling, and loud music. Quite the way to recover from a late night! After the movie, we got a bite to eat at Jackson Hole, a western-themed restaurant a block from my brother’s apartment. Soon after we sat down, Alexander Rodriguez crushed a bottom of the 9th grand slam to bring the Yankees a come-from-behind win against the Orioles! I had a guacamole-smothered chicken sandwich which was about all I could handle at the time. We returned to the apartment, said goodbye to Brent, and I plotted our next move.

It’d been several years since I saw my college friend Andrew (see Breathingplanet in my blogroll), and we had recently reconnected via MySpace. Since he was living in Brooklyn, I called him and we made plans to meet downtown. We ducked into Local 138, a random bar near the cross street we had picked. I ordered a couple of Strongbow ciders, my brother and Andrew beers, and we got into a variety of conversations as we caught up on the past few years.

After a few drinks, we headed over to my brother’s favorite (dive) bar, Cherry Tavern. About an hour later, Kai met us there, and we loaded up the jukebox with tunes, and had another drink or two. I was struck by how Andrew strongly encouraged me to use my trip as a way to network, and take my website to the next level. He also introduced me to the coolest business card. You can use Flickr photos to create your own MiniCards online. You can get 100 cards for $20 at Moo. I fully intend to design and order some this week! Around 11 pm, Andrew said goodbye.

By now, Kai, Jon and I were getting hungry. We walked over to Hearth which we skipped the previous night, however their kitchen was closed by the time we got there. This turned out to be a GREAT turn of events. After checking one other place (whose kitchen had also closed), Kai suggested we go to Blue Ribbon, which was known for staying open late (4 am to be exact). My dinner at Blue Ribbon, between 12 am and 2pm Sunday morning, was one of the best in my life. As a result, I am dedicating Part 3 of this series to that meal alone.

After dinner, we grabbed a taxi to carry our drunk selves home. I crashed on the futon again, completely satiated with the night and weekend’s events. Good friends and food in the best city on Earth!

Remember to check back tomorrow for my Blue Ribbon restaurant review.

Can’t wait? See all my pictures from New York City on Flickr.

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It was another awesome weekend in New York City! Allow me to rewind and review for your reading pleasure.

I caught the 11:30 am Washington Deluxe (aka Chinatown) bus from DC to NYC this past Friday, April 6. The round trip fare of $35 is unbeatable, and as usual, the bus barreled northward with little traffic until we reached the Lincoln Tunnel. Upon disembarking at 34th and 8th Ave, I walked for about 20 minutes east past the Empire State Building to my brother’s apartment at 36th and 3rd Ave.

After some relaxing in the glow of his new Samsung flat-screen HDTV, I picked Hearth as the restaurant for our dinner. I wanted to take him out for a nice meal given his upcoming deployment to Iraq. We made an online reservation for 10 pm. Soon after, my friend (and his roommate) Kai called, telling us to meet him at an art opening in Soho (because of the open bar). Also, our friend Chris and his fiancee were in town for the evening. We arrived at the gallery around 7:30 pm, quickly got in, and met up with everyone. The art was fairly good, however the fashion styling of the ultra-hipster crowd was far more colorful and interesting. Two drinks and some small talk later, we left the gallery for dinner at a yet to be determined restaurant nearby. While I was excited to try Hearth’s Italian cuisine, I decided the time was better spent with my friend Chris, who had to catch an 11 pm train back to New Jersey.

We settled on Ideya, a Latin Bistro. We ordered a pitcher of sangria to keep the fun times rolling. For an appetizer, I chose Salmon Ahumado - ancho smoked salmon, grilled corn and chayote salad, with lime crema. It was beautifully presented, light and delicious. My entree was Pollo Estile Caribe - sofrito marinated roasted breast of chicken, cilantro whipped yuca, and chorizo hash. Very tasty! For dessert, I went with the Churros con Chocolate - warm cinnamon and sugar spiced churros, mint whipped cream, and a chocolate dipping sauce. Yum.

After dinner, Chris had time for a drink, so we left the cold outside for the warmth of Soho Room, a bar nearby. Guinness drafts were ordered, and more fun conversation ensued. Thirty minutes later, Chris and his fiancee left, so we headed to our last stop of the evening, Nurse Bettie (bar) on the Lower East Side. I had a Level 3 vodka tonic, and we met up with Kai’s sister and friends for a little bit, before calling it a night and crashing back at the apartment.

Stay tuned for Saturday’s adventures in Part 2 of this epic weekend!

Can’t wait? See all my pictures from New York City on Flickr.

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Blog Design Updates

I focused more on writing than design this past week, however I made a few key updates.

1. Get Recent Comments allows you to post a customizable number of recent comments in your sidebar. The user name of the commenter is a hyperlink to the comments. This is a great way to draw attention to the dialogues occurring on recent posts.
2. WP Post Ratings has been on my radar since I started this blog, however my first attempt at installation never worked out. So I was ecstatic when my second try, earlier this week, worked! The only downside has been the display in Internet Explorer 6 is problematic - the Comments section gets pushed a screen’s length down the page for some reason. Unfortunately, I’ve had other issues with IE 6, and have decided not to cater to it. This site is optimized for use with Firefox.
3. Ultimate Tag Warrior 3 is supposed to be the bomb due to it’s flexibility. I installed it yesterday after the previous plugin I was using kept dropping tags (I still have no idea where they went and why). When I checked some posts today, I found I lost more tags I updated through UTW. If you have any idea why this is happening, let me know! For the tags that stick around, they are connected to Technorati, which I hope will increase the traffic from the blog search and ranking engine.
4. Special thanks to Stacy and Mike for e-mailing me today so that I knew my Comment Spam-blocking Plugin was misbehaving. I deactivated it immediately, and things are fine now.

Recommended Reading

• Brave New Traveler’s How to Protect Your Travel Funds
• TravMonkey’s 8 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Take Hair Straighteners Traveling
• Copyblogger’s 5 Simple Ways to Open Your Blog Post With a Bang

My Week in Review

On Tuesday, I watched my beloved DC United soccer (futbol) team fall 2-1 to CD Guadalajara in Mexico, during the second of two semifinal games in the CONCACAF club tournament. On the plus side, my favorite player, Jaime Moreno, scored a gorgeous bicycle-kick goal in the first half that was rather unbelievable. It wasn’t smashed into the goal, but rather lofted over the goalie as though in slow motion. The goalie didn’t have a chance. I can’t wait to see matches in other countries like Brazil, or possibly the ‘08 Olympics in China!

Tomorrow will be the last day I have to take the prescription mouthwash which numbs my tongue, while keeping my new dental implant clean, and infection-free.

Lastly, I’m heading to New York City tomorrow, for the weekend, to visit my brother and some friends. I decided to take this approach rather than go to Montreal later in the month. I’ll be sure to take pics to share. I always have a great time eating and drinking when I’m up there.

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