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Boston's Alden and Harlow and Cambridge on Halloween

10/31/2015

 
No secret burger left, but pretty awesome nevertheless. Really rich and filling food. Man those pancakes (with the popcorn) were amazing. And that pork belly, the fried bok choy.... Alden and Harlow is a pretty cool joint and I highly recommend it!

Also Cambridge had a bunch of folks riding bikes all dressed up for Halloween. It just so happened I parked on the street that everyone was taking to what seemed like the meetup spot by the river....

Niagara Falls: Constant Misting....

10/22/2015

 
I remember we got out of our cars and were like, what? It's raining? That's weird! (And about 5 minutes later I realized it was the mist coming from the waterfalls.)
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View from the casino on the Canadian side
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So that bridge to the left is the major border crossing to the US. The customs center here is an actual multistory building!
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This is why I <3 my Samsung Galaxy S6. It was able to capture a panorama shot of a RAINBOW!

Toronto: Land of Amazing Food and tiny metro tokens

10/20/2015

 
No seriously, by LA standards Toronto is amazing. 

Here's a place that has basically every Asian cuisine you might have been dying to have.

For example: a Malaysian restaurant with Hokkien mee and rendang and a whole bunch of other deliciousness. (Not very creative name at South Asia Malaysian Cuisine, but oh well.)

 Crown Prince Dim Sum 
I'm pretty sure this was Crown Prince. It used to be a high-tea place but now it's just a large fancy Chinese restaurant with a bunch of fancy banquet hall rooms. It is a treat to have dimsum on such pretty porcelain plates, though!
O Mei: they really should have named it Oh Man. (Because you will be rolling out the door in a seriously satisfying food coma.)
A trip to St. Lawrence's Market: try some local cheeses, walk around downtown...

Montreal-- my first trip to Quebec province (2nd to Canada)

10/17/2015

 
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Schwartz's Deli

Ok, it's touristy, and I've had better plates of beef. But it is sort of a tradition to go to, and it wasn't bad, though I don't think I'll stand in line for this place again. 
I introduced my parents to poutine (gravy + cheese on fries) and creating sandwiches from mountains of meat and potatoes. The district this place is in is kind of cool, though-- and definitely is worth a walk around!
See? Great area to walk around. These are some fantastic wall murals and great architecture. Oh, and there's no shortage of cured meats along the way :)
Crepes! There is a whole chain of restaurants dedicated to crepes and chocolate-- called Juliette et Chocolate (Juliette and Chocolate). Worth a stop.
Beautiful nighttime scenery along the waterfront. It is a walk back up a hill if you're going back into the central downtown area, so keep that in mind. Old town is very reminiscent of European cities.

La Sauvagine is a decent French restaurant (and wasn't hard to find a table at, either).

Vermont in the Fall

10/16/2015

 
Multiple people have told me that New England in the fall is gorgeous-- and to make it a point to drive up to Vermont.  So when a couple of family friends wanted to me to meet them in Toronto in October, I figured it would be a good time to go hit those backroads.
Highly Recommended Stops
King Arthur's Flour Bakery and Cafe (~1.5 hrs from Boston)
Ben & Jerry's Factory (~2 hrs from Boston)
Burlington, VT-- try Hen of the Wood (~3-4 hrs from Boston)

If I had more time, I would have investigated the Von Trapp Family lodge (surprisingly, my mom didn't care if we went there or not). There seems to be a lot of great backroads (that I didn't drive on)-- but one day I'll be back to find all those covered bridges!

King Arthur Flour

King Arthur Flour: Industrial baking, great food, and a bunch of cool things you can bring home with you! (Like flour, baking supplies, local cheeses....) Great lunch stop. My folks and I were the only non-whites there, but it was nice to see that the local senior center brought some of their seniors here to socialize and have a change of place.

​Ben and Jerry's

Ben and Jerry's-- great ice cream comes from happy cows, and this is a pretty awesome local success story. It's not a large operation by any means, but they do give you a sample of whatever flavor they're trying out that day (I think that day was like a birthday cake flavor or something). Mm fresh sugar straight from the source. Along with some prank gifts and a bunch of funny T-shirts, this was actually a surprisingly popular spot with the locals.

If you're not into being shuffled around a tiny viewing area, and really love ice cream, then just go straight to the store and order a cone (or two). 
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This is what happens when I hand my camera to my mom. On the other hand, you get a pretty good idea of what Vermont looks like.

​Hen of the Wood

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Just some meat, chilling out (you'll see it on the way to the restroom)
Interested in trying a farm-to-table restaurant? With great service, an awesome drink selection, and some fantastic food? This... was worth it. We luckily scored a table (I think I nabbed it 48 hours in advance) and it was on par with any of the great places I've eaten at in LA.

Note: very low light means it's hard for parents with various stages of cataract to see. Luckily, they were equipped with their smartphones. And luckier still, we weren't chased away for shining bright lights onto the menu!

Burlington, VT to Montreal

There's a lovely backroad (highway 2) that will take you up through the island that's a little north of Burlington in Lake Champlain. Worth the drive if you have some time. Lots of farms up here.
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    Adela Wee

    Traveling the world since 1994. Taking notes about the places I've been so that friends and family can go there too!

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