Alaska Arrival

We arrived in the lovely, not really, town of Fairbanks, Alaska, way back on July 22nd. We got there a day before our tour officially started to see the town. But, quite frankly, there isn't really much of a town to see. Of course the first thing I did find was the local hangout.

A Real Mecca


It had the ambiance of a dive bar but it was really just a place where the locals hang out. I should have taken a couple of pictures of the interior but somehow it didn't feel right. Talked to the woman next to me a bit and the bartender was friendly enough. There were a few seedy looking people wandering in and out and it has been a long time since I have been in a bar where most of the people were smoking. I am sure there were other bars in town, but aside from the one in the Iris and shared by the Golden Nugget Hotel I couldn't find any.

I mentioned before that for a small town there seemed to be a lot of Thai restaurants. I thought there were more, but when I went looking for them to take pictures I could only find these three.

Tiparos


Thai House Restaurant


Bahn Thai Restaurant


We ate at the last one and the food was quite good. I just had a vegetable soup but it was very flavorful and plenty hot. I asked our waitress, who happened to be the owner (I think) why there were so many Thai restaurants in such a small town. She said she didn't know but she came down with her mother from Anchorage. Her mother left Anchorage because it was too big for her and opened this place. Then she thought Fairbanks was too big and move to a smaller town about three hours away. Apparently her daughter thought Fairbanks was quite small enough and stayed behind. It was a very nice restaurant.

The other place we ate was the Iris.

The Iris
 

I got the mussels and they weren't half bad. But the garlic bread was dynamite. Not that you can really have bad garlic bread, but this was really good. Particularly when the bread the initially brought out was like Wonder Bread that had been left out for a week.

Right next door was the Golden Nugget Hotel

Golden Nugget Hotel


I asked if they had gambling upstairs and this got a big laugh, like they had never heard that before. Needless to say they are not affiliated with Landry's, the parent company of the Golden Nugget casinos. They did share a bar with the Iris, though.

The Shared Bar
 

The bar had a nice, if limited, selection of draft beers. Can't remember exactly what I had, but maybe an Alaskan Amber, one of my favorites. And a couple of shots of tequila.

Although there wasn't a lot to see in Fairbanks, I passed on the ice museum where you could stand in a room that was -40 (and that is the same in Fahrenheit and Centigrade) because I am from Minnesota and know what cold feels like, there was kind of an interesting little craft store that had an amazing selection of, well, stuff.

Craft Market And Alaska Museum Room




And when I say the place was packed with stuff, I mean packed. These pictures really do not do the place justice.

See Anything You Want?






I did learn that whale bones have to dry out for years before you can carve them. They have a honey-comb interior that is filled with a viscous fluid that is quite evil smelling. Apparently the owner bought a few large bones and didn't realize this, at first. After they have been sufficiently dried they are quite valuable, however.

Well, that is enough Fairbanks for one post. I will add some more stuff tomorrow. We did go on a little river walk and popped into the local museum so I do have a few more pictures I took before we caught the train to head up to Denali.

Up North To Alaska

I figured I better post about the rest of the boat trips before I head off to Alaska for a combination land/rail/boat tour. Depending upon time and internet connections I will certainly post about it.

Our next trip was just a ten minute hop from my neighborhood over to Governor's Island. I will be going there on September 1st for Pig Island, a beer and barbecue fest. This time we just went over for the heck of it. Hey, the ferry is free.

The Free Ferry


All Aboard




It was way too hot to do much walking around so we headed to an air-conditioned Graphic Arts exhibition. I like that stuff, bright colors and flashing lights, some film clips, lot's of neat stuff.

I thought this picture of Africa was interesting. It really is interesting how most people totally underestimate the size. I have asked many people how big they think Africa is and the most common answer is "About the same size as the United States.

Not Quite


Part of the display had to do with magazine layouts and covers and book covers. This guy is one of my favorite authors but I haven't read either of these books. Usually I read his articles in the papers or magazines. I will have to try to get around to them.

Chuck Klosterman


Just a couple of more pictures of stuff that I thought was interesting.

Maybe Or Maybe Not Interesting Stuff




We decided to stop at the Taxi Beach Bar or something like that for a beer before heading home and getting out of the heat.

The Taxi Beach Bar


And What A Lovely View


It always amuses me when I see the tour buses in my neighborhood. It wasn't that many years ago that tourists would never think of coming to Brooklyn, and certainly not whole bus loads of them. For some reason they remind me of the people who go on camera safaris in Africa, observing the wild life and natives from a safe perch.

Don't Shoot

Until next time, which might be in a few days and will be from somewhere in Alaska.

Island Hopping In The City

Sometimes it is easy to forget that New York is mostly islands. Not tropical islands, although today we are having tropical heat, but not the cooling sea breezes. Over the last couple of days I did do a bit of island hopping, though.


The first expedition was to Staten Island to see the Staten Island Yankees play at a baseball game. So I started off from the island that I live on, took a subway to Manhattan, another island, and then took the ferry to Staten Island.

Here is one good reason to always carry a camera, you never know what you might see.

Snakes Alive


That big guy was a granite python and his markings did indeed resemble granite. This picture gives you more of an idea of his size.

He Is Indeed A Big Guy


Of course this guy wasn't just hanging out on his own, he had some buddies with him.

It Was An Infestation


I didn't get the whole story of why these snakes were here, but the gentlemen who were displaying them were associated with a zoo or a serpentarium so they knew what they were doing. They may have been from Staten Island because they have a zoo there with a fairly extensive collection of snakes. There were a bunch of kids who seemed pretty fascinated by them and one of the guys was telling them about the snakes and letting them touch the one he had draped around his neck.

Nothing To Be Afraid Of


I would have stuck around longer but we had a ferry to catch.

More Like A Cattle Car


Actually there was plenty of room and after grabbing a beer the Mysterious Chinese Woman and I made our way to the front where we could catch the breeze and a view. It always amazes me that there is so much traffic. But then a lot of freight still comes in by ship.

All Kinds Of Boats


And even when you are at the ball park, which is just a short walk from the ferry terminal, you are reminded that New York and New Jersey still have active ports.

A Ball Park With A View


And The Ferry We Came In On, Maybe


We had decent seats and I got to lord it over my niece who is big Yankees fan because my Coney Island Cyclones gave them a good whooping.

The Enemy At Bat


And, of course, you have the between innings entertainment, which is why these games last longer than most major league games.

The Real Entertainment


And nothing caps off a night of baseball like fireworks.

Bombs Bursting In Air, Rockets Red Glare


It is always a fun time and quite inexpensive, especially when compared to most sporting events. My brother-in-law buys an eight-game package that includes free hot dogs, hamburgers and surprisingly good chicken sandwiches. Plus potato chips, soda and bottled water. No beer, though, but they sell some decent stuff. They had an IPA and an Ale from Goose Island Brewery that were quite good.

Although it is fun, it can make for a late night. The ferries run every half hour and then there is a subway ride at the end. Never quite as much fun going home as it is going to the game. Maybe that is because I don't get a beer on the way back. The bar on the boat is closed at night. And the subway doesn't have bar cars even though everyone I know thinks they would be a wonderful idea.

Well, this post ran a bit longer than I expected so I will save the next session of island hopping for tomorrow. Until then, bon voyage.

Belly Button Update

Okay, I have a better post coming soon.  All about island hopping in New York. But for now I am going to keep all of you perverts updated on my belly button.

Not Beautiful, But Getting There

My surgeon says that by Labor Day it will be back to normal.

Stinky Brooklyn Part Two

As I walked up Smith Street I spoted the new location of Jolie, a fairly upscale French restaurant that used to be located on Atlantic Avenue. It relocated some time ago and although I knew it was someplace on Smith Street I wasn't sure exactly where. It has evolved a bit. Well, actually, quite a bit. It is now Jolie Cantina and serves a mix of French bistro fare as well as Mexican food. An electic combination, I must say.

Jolie Cantina

I chatted with the owners, one of who was tending bar and the other who was tending the door. Very pleasant people and I wished them well. I also had a nice cold Six Point IPA while I escaped the heat and the crowds.

Nothing Refreshes Like A Cold Beer Now it might go against the grain, but with all of the street fare available I actually didn't partake of any. Well, I did and I didn't. The Mysterious Chinese Woman and I ate at a litlle Cuban restaurant that did have tables and chairs outside.

A Little Bit Of Havana Right Here In Brooklyn

Being the sophisticates that we are we opted for the indoor seating and I settled into a session of caipirinhas. Now this is kind of the national drink of Brazil, but I guess they must like it in Cuba as well. It is pretty simple, just cachaça, a sugar cane rum, lime juice and sugar. It wasn't that long ago that you wouldn't see these in the United States because the cachaca in Brazil is pretty much moonshine. In fact the lime juice and sugar are added just to make it drinkable. Kind of like grappa, though, higher quality stuff is now available and so they have become more popular here. When I was in Manaus you could get shots of the cachaca for 25 cents.

A Civilized Caipirnha

A Second Less Civilized Caipirnha

The bartender was really working hard muddling the limes and stripping of leave of mint. Most people, and there was quite a crowd outside, were going for the mojitos.

A Hard-Working Woman

The food was quite good as well. I had a nice Cuban sandwich and the Mysterious Chinese Woman had a stuffed poblano pepper. I didn't care too much for the cerviche appetizer, but that was more due to the style. It was good, but the squid and shrimp had been pre-cooked and it didn't have that same sharp acidic taste that you get when you just use lime juice for the cooking. There were plenty of bands performing and they were pretty good playing a variety of musical styles

Bands, There Were Plenty









Interestingly, it was a couple of DJs who really got the crowd dancing, though.

Dancin' In The Street

And although I thought this marionette was a bit on the creepy side, the kids seemed to be enthralled.

He Must Be Related To Chucky

Well we had a fun day and made one last stop for a couple of cans of cold sake.

First Time For Everything

The waitress said it was new and it was on special, two cans for $12 - and Bar Man loves a deal. It is Funaguchi Kikusui Ichiban Shibori, unfiltered, unpasteurized and very good. Easy to quaff, way too easy. I drank one in the sushi bar and brought one home, although it didn't last long after I got it there.

 All in all it was a great day and we finished it off by watching a couple of depressing movies followed up by Charlie Chaplin's 'The Circus'. I forgot the name of the first depressing movie, but it was baseed on a stage play and all the action pretty much took place on the stoop of a brownstone in 1930's New York. The second one was 'The Last Picture Show'.

Stinky Brooklyn

I thought Stinky Brooklyn, a cheese shop on Smith Street and their affiliated Smith & Vine were having a little affair with sandwiches, cheese, and a cheese-eating contest. I misunderstood what was going on. It was a full blown

Street Fair


In fact Stinky Brooklyn didn't have anything going on at their place. In fact they were closing up because of the cheese eating contest down the street somewhere.

But, I Wanted To Buy Some Cheese


But no big deal, there was plenty going on. I think the street fairs here in my neighborhood are some of the best in all of New York because they feature food from local restaurants and local artisans presenting their wares. I didn't see a single Italian Sausage stand and at some street fairs you will see a dozen or more.

I Love Grills And Smokers


There were some pretty interesting things for sale as well. If I had a bit more room one of these would have been nice, whatever they were.

Every Home Should Have One


I Guess They Are Clocks


And the guy who makes these things proudly showed them off and seemed pleased that I liked them. A bit disappointed that I didn't buy anything, but he didn't seem too eager to get rid of anything either.

Proudly Displaying His Wares


And then there was a bit of a Mexican feel about the fair as well. This is the kind of stuff you see in Puerto Vallarta.

Hats Anyone?


Or A Basket, Perhaps?


Well, you just know there would have to be something that I would like enough to buy, and this place had some uniquely New York and Brooklyn stuff.

Bags



And Purses 

Now don't get excited, I only bought a mouse pad.

There was a lot more going on and I promise I will post about the rest of it tomorrow, so be sure to stay tuned.

Just A Test Post

I am trying out a new extension for Google Chrome, ScribeFire, that let's you do more stuff with your blog. I actually have some new content to post about but I will do that later, or perhaps tomorrow. Right now I just want to see if this works.