Gettin' Iggy With It

First, I'm having a few technical difficulties getting the last of my photos to go from my camera to either my work or personal computers (something about the USB not being recognized- even though it JUST worked the other day *sigh*) So the rest of my Massachusetts pics are coming shortly!

Second, I want to say that with the exception of one site in particular, I had a good (if not exhausting) time in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. I'll discuss my negative experience later, but I wanted to start off on a positive note.

These two states represent my first blog-related treks into New England. When I think New England, I think pilgrims and colonials. I think cold and dreary weather. I think largely of sports teams I either have no strong opinions of- or extreme hatred towards. And I think of chowder, lobster, and other seafood.Well, it was a bit cooler than expected the weekend I went, and I got rained on my first two days ending up with a pretty soggy suitcase. I did do three sports related excursions, but we'll get to those later (once my pics are uploaded to my Facebook page). So I'll focus on my first entry on the food I ate, specifically at Iggy's Doughboys and Chowderhouse.

No seriously, I hate these cheating bums.
Image from www.roosterteeth.com

I already knew that yes, there is the traditional New England clam chowder that's white and creamy, and yes, there's the Manhattan version that's red and tomato based. But I learned in this clip from CBS's 'Taste of America Tour' that there is indeed a third version of the Northeast's signature soup: the Rhode Island Clear. Since several travel sites all agreed that Iggy's was THE place to go to try Rhode Island seafood, I decided to give it a go.

Iggy's...and my $45 cab

I took a cab from the TF Green Airport (after getting to Rhode Island by train from Boston), down to Iggy's- a round trip ride that ended up costing me $45.00 with tax and tip! (Yes, apparently Rhode Islanders pay tax on cab rides, something I learned from my driver is highly disliked by those in the business. I gotta say I agree with them- I've never heard of such foolishness.) But it was worth it. I ordered a little bit of everything that I had either never heard of or was told was a specialty of the region/restaurant. Way too much food for one person, but most of it was tasty.

Here's a pic of my Rhode Island Clear chowder. It isn't on the menu (only Red and White are), so you have to ask for it specifically. Slightly too salty, but otherwise well flavored.

Clam cakes and Rhode Island Clear chowder

The bowl is next to an outpouring of clam cakes. I was least impressed with these. My cab driver said you're supposed to eat them by dipping them into whatever chowder you have. This greatly helped because these things were a bit dry, and I'm not 100% sure I had any actual clam inside of the ones I ate (though admittedly, I only finished like 2 or 3 of them). It may be hard to tell, but they were slightly larger than a golf ball.

An Iggy doughboy, covered in powdered sugar. HUGE but tasty!
The taste reminded me of funnel cake/donut hybrid.

Above you'll see one doughboy- a near hand-sized patty of fried dough topped with a topping of your choice (my cab driver said powdered sugar is the most popular- I personally would've gone with cinnamon sugar otherwise.) I got six of these for free using a coupon I got for signing up for their emails. I think a few solicitations is worth saving three bucks and some change.

A Famous Iggy Burger and Iggy root beer

I got a hamburger on the off chance that I hated all the seafood I got and was still hungry. The most popular burger is the Famous Iggy Burger and it comes with sauteed peppers and onions, mustard, relish, and optional cheese (which I gladly accepted). It was just okay- not horrible by any means, but not super amazing. But, what do you expect from a place that specializes in seafood, not landlubber fare? The root beer is made by Iggy's (they also sell a house made raspberry-lime pop as well...oops, I guess I mean soda for those of you not from a pop-saying city). It was probably the best root beer I've ever had- smooth, not too harsh or metallic tasting. It was great.

A Rhode Island "stuffie" or stuffed quahog

Now this was my favorite part of the meal. If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter (and really, why wouldn't you?) you would know that trying to say "quahog" without sounding like a total tourist was something I wanted to accomplish. (Think co-hog, or watch a few episodes of Family Guy and listen to them say it). Nearly every Rhode Island tourism website I found said that visitors should try a "stuffie" while they are there. I only ordered one, partly because they were $2.50 each (sorry, but that's not a lot of chewing for nearly $3) and partly because I wasn't sure if I would like it.

What a quahog that's alive and in the wild looks like I can't tell you (though I'm assuming that's its shell they serve it in), but what it tasted like was a very delicate seafood taste, with stuffing and other goodness, drizzled with lemon juice. My cab driver told me that locals eat theirs with hot sauce. It was such a warm and comforting taste! I don't know what the stuffing is, how they chop it up and cook it or anything, but I DO know that I was very pleased. While waiting for my order to be finished, I saw people sitting at tables with trays full of these empty shells. I guess I'm not alone on liking them.

Well, I'll update you on my four day adventure (my most ambitious outing yet itinerary-wise) every couple of days over the next few weeks. Alaska and Washington state are next month, so I'm gearing up for that, and you know, I do have work and other responsibilities here at home.

Thank you for reading along and following me on my journey!

20 American Places Everyone Should See (To Russia, With Love)

I am so excited about my upcoming travel: This Thursday I will be trekking into Rhode Island and Massachusetts spending two days in each. I have my hyper detailed schedules ready (seriously, I need to do an entry on how I organize these trips now), and I am (not so) patiently waiting to pack my bags and leave!

In the meantime, I found this article by Budget Travel that discusses some of America's most famous cities and landmarks. I'm sure I will be visiting many of these places within the next 3 years, but you can read about them here:

20 American Places Everyone Should See


Here are some highlights:

Las Vegas, Nevada - already planned for May 2014
image from BudgetTravel.com

Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts - I'll see this within the week
assuming I can score a tour ticket
image from BudgetTravel.com

The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California.
image from BudgetTravel.com

Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
I know I can get there on an overnight trip, perhaps in early spring next year
image from BudgetTravel.com

I logged in today, fully expecting to wax poetic upon this nifty article, when I decided to take a look at my stats. I was quite surprised to see that for the first time since I started this blog, I had more site visitors this week from a country other than the United States: Russia. I am so completely honored and excited about that! I am pretty focused on trying to finish my goal by my deadline of August 31, 2016, but I have been telling all my travel loving friends that my reward for finishing this journey is going to be a trip to Russia to see Moscow and St. Petersburg. I may have even said it here. But to know that citizens of the country I'm really kinda of pressed to visit are into my humble blog? Awesome!

(Don't be offended everywhere else. I love traveling, if you haven't figured it out by now, and I have a rather lengthy rolling list of countries and sites that I want to visit. With the exception of a few places where I would likely be kidnapped or killed because of my nationality, I'm down to visit any and everywhere!)

Thank you everyone for reading my blog. I'll be checking in on Foursquare throughout the weekend, and you can follow along by following me on Twitter. HOPEFULLY, I won't run into problems with cell phones or digital cameras dying while I'm out and about. We shall see!

America's Wackiest Museums

Image from http://www.corporeality.net/museion/category/collections/page/2/

I love museums.

No seriously I do.

I actually am making a career working in museums. So I had better at least LIKE them if I'm going to keep working another 35+ years, right?

Everyone isn't like me though, and   I get it. You don't want to see 500 year old oil paintings, the same dinosaur bones, and you just don't 'get' modern or pop 'art' because you think it's silly. I understand that. But there are museums about all types of things- not just art and natural history.

Hopefully by now you've seen me go to some pretty nontraditional museums, like the Baltimore ships or the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton. But just in case you don't like boats or football, I found this article listing America's "wackiest" museums. Perhaps I'll add a few of these to my journey before 2016 gets here!

Presidential Graves

I'm big on travel (in case you didn't get the memo by now). I also understand that everyone isn't interested in museum hopping, taking historic home tours, or making the ridiculously detailed plan I make for every trip I take. I get that. But I also hope that you take the time to get out and SEE whatever is not a part of your daily lives that grabs your interest.

That's why when I stumbled across this Presidential Grave blog, I got really excited. Yes, I've been to quite a few Presidential graves so far (hmm let's see, Kennedy, Taft, Garfield, McKinley and Washington, off the top of my head), by no means am I pressed to visit all of their grave sites. But that's what's cool about it! Yes, I think it's a little bit morbid, but kudos to this guy for picking a goal, and from the looks of it, achieving it! What really surprised me is that most of the graves are not big massive monuments. Many of them are simple tombstones that you'd probably walk right by if you didn't know any better.

Although I think you guys should go check his site out and look at his pictures, I've also included a list of burial places below so you can see which grave is close to you (and perhaps spark an adventure of your own!)

President	Burial place
Washington	Mt. Vernon, Va.
J. Adams	Quincy, Mass.
Jefferson	Charlottesville, Va.
Madison	Montpelier Station, Va.
Monroe	Richmond, Va.
J. Q. Adams	Quincy, Mass.
Jackson	The Hermitage, nr. Nashville, Tenn.
Van Buren	Kinderhook, N.Y.
W. H. Harrison	North Bend, Ohio
Tyler	Richmond, Va.
Polk	Nashville, Tenn.
Taylor	Louisville, Ky.
Fillmore	Buffalo, N.Y.
Pierce	Concord, N.H.
Buchanan	Lancaster, Pa.
Lincoln	Springfield, Ill.
A. Johnson	Greeneville, Tenn.
Grant	New York City
Hayes	Fremont, Ohio
Garfield	Cleveland, Ohio
Arthur	Albany, N.Y.
Cleveland	Princeton, N.J.
B. Harrison	Indianapolis, Ind.
McKinley	Canton, Ohio
T. Roosevelt	Oyster Bay, N.Y.
Taft	Arlington National Cemetery
Wilson	Washington National Cathedral
Harding	Marion, Ohio
Coolidge	Plymouth, Vt.
Hoover	West Branch, Iowa
F. D. Roosevelt	Hyde Park, N.Y.
Truman	Independence, Mo.
Eisenhower	Abilene, Kan.
Kennedy	Arlington National Cemetery
L. B. Johnson	Stonewall, Tex.
Nixon	Yorba Linda, Calif.
Reagan	Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Simi Valley, Calif.
Ford	Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Ever Been To Stink Onions?

You have if you've ever been to Chicago.

That's what the literal translation of the word "Chicago" is from whatever language it actually originates from.

These two guys created a map of North America with the literal translations of every state and many cities across the continent. I thought you all would get a kick out of it.

And for my international readers, don't worry, they are doing maps from all over the world!

Literal Names of All 50 States

Cleveland's RTA...An Ironic Name For Service

I debated on doing this blog entry for a number of reasons. Mostly, I don't want to come across as a complainer, but I eventually decided to just go ahead and give my impression with the RTA service in Cleveland

http://subwaynut.com/cleveland/

THE GOOD

The first observation I had about the system was before I even got to the city- Google maps showed me exactly how extensive Cleveland public transportation is. I was actually a little jealous because I think it's a system quite a bit more advanced that the one in place here in Pittsburgh. It was very easy to get around the city as far as routes go, and I never had to walk further than a block or two to get back to a subway station. Every employee I encountered was also very helpful and friendly- even when I called in to the customer service line a little annoyed and frustrated with my transportation situation. The subway stations themselves were very clean and artistically designed well. And, my all day pass was $5.00- quite a bargain! Very scenic rides, and there weren't any problems with crazy or rude passengers

http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_mel/4899698815/
North Coast Station, near the Rock and Roll HOF and Browns Stadium

THE BAD

First and foremost, every rail car I stepped on smelled faintly of pee. As in urine. As in "OMG did I pee on myself and I don't even know it?" I'm not sure what the fix of that is, but I was pretty grossed out by that. Also, The stairwell at W.25-Ohio City Station was extremely narrow for the elevator to not work properly. Keep in mind, it was towards the end of my day by the time I interacted with this station, but anyone with eyeballs can see that teeny staircase isn't really big enough to be two ways. Also, for this to be "rapid" transit, the trains I was on often took breaks and stops on the tracks and didn't seem to be moving very fast at all. I found that really ironic. It was also a little difficult to figure out where to go once you are in the system. At Tower City, signage explaining how to get to major Cleveland attractions would have been helpful. Yes, the people at the information desks were polite and informed, but sometimes a sign with an arrow works even better.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:West_25th_Cleveland_RTA_station.jpg
RTA Station closest to Sokolowski's

THE UGLY

So, let's discuss the fact that many of the stations in RTA (but not all) look like really cool geometric green houses. Cool right? Actually, the complete and total opposite. While I'm sure it helps for harsh lake side winters, in 90 degree weather, standing inside a giant metal and glass box is the exact opposite of something you ever want to actually do. Can there be a better ventilation system? A fan? Something? Speaking of greenhouse stations, the North Coast station was COMPLETELY abandoned the day I went there. I mean NO ONE was there-- not employees, no passengers, no anyone except me feeling foolish and a little worried that maybe I had stumbled across a condemned station or something. That's when I called the customer service line to make sure I was where I was supposed to be (I was). But I mean, that's a pretty scary thing to have an entire station with no one there to help or answer questions. Not even a fare machine! And the worst part was how tardy all the trains ran the day I came to visit. I plan my trips based on precise schedules, with only a few back up plans, because I expect transportation to run reasonably on time. At one point, the train I was waiting for was nearly 20 minutes late. Twenty minutes isn't a lot in the grand scheme of life, but just 5 minutes can make the difference between being on time or making a connection, and being stuck someplace you are trying to leave.

My advice? Go ahead and take the RTA. Just leave plenty of wiggle room on your trips, and bring a bottle of water to counteract all the sweating you're going to do.

And Now...I Want A Bear Fur Hat...

My last stop in Cleveland was the Cleveland Grays Armory Museum, home to the second oldest organization in the city of Cleveland, and the oldest known armory in the US that is still owned by its militia (I think I got that right.) It also was the site of the first ever Cleveland Symphony Orchestra performance, held in 1918. History nerd that I am, I HAD to see this place.

Grays Armory as I was walking up to it

I was the only visitor that day, and had a tour with Ms. Kristin Roediger, Executive Director of the Armory. During the tour she told me that she essentially grew up in the building and that her grandfather was actually a member of the Grays, which meant a lot to me knowing she has such a personal connection to the structure.

Lobby of the Armory

The tour was a little under an hour long, and involved lots of stairs and HEAT (a built in 1893, the building doesn't have elevators or air conditioning) but that was okay with me. I just feel badly for the poor event crews that have to lug tables and heavy plates and foods to the upper levels for weddings and other celebrations. (The smaller reception areas are on the highest levels of the building because, at the time, being high up meant you would avoid the smell of horse dung in the busy streets below).

Reception room on the third floor of the building

The largest room available for use actually reminds you of a huge gym, but is home to several display cases featuring soldier artifacts from WWI, WWII, and other conflicts. It also features a huge still-working organ that was saved from an old Erie, PA movie house, even though the pipes of the organ had to be bent to fit in the space.

Large Reception area with the pipe organ pipes visible
 (the organ is behind the black curtain)

One of the places recommended that I request to see was actually in the basement- the shooting range. I've been told it is now the only gun range in the city of Cleveland. Police officers still use it, and sometimes other security classes come through to practice shooting as well, but for the most part, the range is off limits to non Grays members.

Gun Range with bicycle wheel turning devices for moving targets

I could go on and on forever about the neat historical facts I learned while in the building, but I will end with my top three:

1. There were quite a few antique Russian Black Bear fur hats in the building, as they were once part of the uniform worn by the Grays (assumingly not for combat, but for dress uniforms). Probably extinct now, there was a huge problem when a few years ago the hats were put on a display in Canada, and customs demanded receipts for the hats as their material is now banned for import. Imagine trying to find 170 year old receipts for museum displays! Luckily after some leg work the hats were returned. Although I didn't actually touch one, they looked super soft and reminded me of the big black hats you see English beefeaters wear. (So, before PETA and their cronies start harassing me about killing bears, I don't REALLY want a bear fur hat...but I admit the ones they had were pretty cool. No need fussing about bears that have been dead more than 100 years already)

2. The pool room has the original pool tables still intact. As well as some unusual taxidermy (some favorites include a deer butt, and a chicken claw giving the room "the finger"). Five Presidents, and anyone who was anyone in Cleveland and in American industry rubbed elbows in this very room. Also, see that long white photo on the wall between the two paintings? It's a photograph of US ships from just before WWII...and includes images of the ships that were docked at Pearl Harbor (including the Arizona).

3. Finally, the absolute coolest thing was the (alleged) former speakeasy located on the third floor of the building. Outfitted with a special knocker, hidden liquor cabinets, and piecemeal furnishings collected slowly over the decades makes this room feel slightly out of place in the armory. Although their archivist insists that they shouldn't advertise the room as such since there is no "documentation" that was what the room was for, I'm with Ms. Roediger in that, who is going to ADVERTISE and formally announce they have an illegal drinking spot in their building?

Well, that's everything I did while I was in Cleveland. I'm mulling over writing a review of the public transportation system (which had some great highs and lows), but we'll see if I actually get around to it.

Until then, be sure to check out my Facebook page for more pictures of all of my travels so far, and follow me on Twitter for random travel articles and insights.

See you on the next adventure (which will actually take place in less than three weeks!)

50 Films for 50 States

I thought this was a cute 50-state themed list. A famous (or not so famous) movie for all 50 states. While some of them are pretty obvious (for example PA: Groundhog's Day and GA: Gone With the Wind) there are some others that were simply out of the box and random (RI: Me, Myself and Irene and VA: Donnie Darko)

Take a look and see which films represent your neck of the woods!

50 Films for 50 States

If You've Never Had Pierogies, You Aren't Living Life Right

And I mean that with all of my heart.

Mmm...sauteed in butter and lightly salted. How can you NOT like these?
image from http://onceuponasmallbostonkitchen.blogspot.com/

In college, I had a boyfriend from the South who honestly didn't think black people in the North ate or even KNEW about soul food. Not only did I laugh in his face at how ridiculous that was (I mean, 90% of us have family connected to at least one Southern state, so of COURSE we know about fried chicken, corn bread, candied yams, greens and the like) but I remember being shocked myself when he said he'd never eaten a pierogie before and insisted on pronouncing kielbasa as "keel-baw-suh" instead of "ka-boss-si"! No no friends, black people (in my region of the North anyway) enjoy our barbecue and sweet potato pie right next to our favorite German, Greek, Irish, and Polish foods. I actually think we get the best of both worlds that way, but I digress...

Soul Food-- not as secret as some from the South think it is lol.
This looks like a typical plate from my youth-
except the sauce would be slathered all over those ribs and we'd have cornbread instead of toast
image from http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/soul%20food

I knew I wanted to go to a Cleveland eatery because the city has gained quite a culinary reputation over the last few years. But I also wanted to go someplace that people actually living in the city enjoyed- not just Food Network TV stars and visiting chefs. Google and a few of my fellow Trip Advisor commenters consistently mentioned Sokolowski's University Inn- and that was good enough for me!

Sokolowski's is the oldest family run restaurant in the city of Cleveland, and has been going strong for 90 years. The interior was a little dark, but it reminds you of going into your grandparents' den.
So why the whole pierogie intro? Well, Sokolowski's serves mostly Polish food, cafeteria style. That means you get a tray, pick up your dessert, and then go along picking your entree and sides. Naturally, being that I LOVE those potato filled pockets of goodness, I chose them as a side, as well as a cream-sauce covered chicken fillet, sweet potatoes, and a slice of apple pie. My plate wasn't "pretty", but it was tasty (thankfully not too salty!) and packed with way too much food.

My plate at Sokolowski's

Another bonus is this place is literally down the street from famous West Side Market (that was sadly closed on the Tuesday I made my way there). I got off the Red Line RTA train one stop from Tower City (the central hub station) and walked for about ten minutes before the restaurant was on my left. I crossed a bridge and went under another one- it started to look a bit shady for about two seconds there but never to the point I felt unsafe.

Almost done posting my Cleveland adventures. Currently (trying) to be fiscally conservative these upcoming weeks as I prepare for my 4 days in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, and you know, actually buying my plane ticket to Seattle for my trip to Washington/Alaska. As always, my Facebook page is up and always accepting thumbs up!

See you next adventure!