Sacramento, CA

Luckily I get to go to Sacramento, CA for work on occasion. I love it because I get to go home and see the family, friends, and state that I miss so much. While my trips to CA are rarely action-packed, it is wonderful just to be home again.

Dad, Roger, and I went to Tao San Jin, my favorite Chinese food place on my first night back. I am such a Chinese food snob that I refused to eat Chinese food in Utah and I haven’t found a satisfactory place yet in Reston. I had my favorite chow fun with black bean sauce and it was as delicious as ever.

My friend Katie and I had a chance to catch up on the weekend over breakfast at the Sugar Plum Coffee Shop. Katie looks fantastic and every time I see her it just reminds me how much I miss our instant messaging and just general hanging out. She is the best. I also want to give a shout out to Katie for finding the absolute best volunteer work for her ever. Her job is to pet cats in animal shelters for an hour one day a week. For an avid cat lover like Katie (but not a creepy, crazy cat lady kind of way) it is a win for both her and the cats.

I also saw my friends Shariyah and Derrick. They are an adorable couple and they deserve the best of everything. We drove around in my cool Mustang rental car and went to the Riverview Lodge in Antioch. If you like seafood, the Riverview is a great place to eat. It has a nice view of the San Joaquin (if you can call the river nice) and the décor has been the same since the 1940’s, which I love. My mom swears by the crab louie salad. Katie and Shariyah are my friends from Bank of America and we all have lived to tell the horror stories. Next time I go I hope to see my other Bank friends.

In Sacramento I went out to dinner with Larry, Jody, and my dad. I love seeing Larry and Jody as often as possible. I was also totally jazzed to spend so much time with my dad while back home again. We ended up going to Frank Fat’s which has often been highlighted as the best Chinese food in Sacramento. If you ever go, the Honey Walnut Prawns are to die for.

My dad and I also headed to the Rusty Duck. We had an excellent meal. The fish at the Rusty Duck is always fresh. It has a very classic steakhouse look and vibe. I also enjoyed the intimate atmosphere and good service. The chef even came out to introduce himself, which I love (but only if the food is good).

My students and I decided to go to dinner and a movie after class. Near the theater were a variety of chain restaurants, including Hooters. I said I was up for anything except for Hooters because they objectify women. One of the guys in my class turned to me and rightly observed that, “You wouldn’t be the one objectifying them.” He had a point.

Back in Antioch my dad, Roger, Diedra, Mary, and I headed to Bridgehead Café. While Bridgehead is not my favorite place to eat, you cannot beat the welcome you get as a regular. The place has been owned by the same family for forever and you can tell they love the place. If you like chicken fried steak or fried chicken they are both very good.

Dad and I also headed to Prevots in Antioch. They serve continental cuisine that is pretty classy for Antioch. They have a marvelous rack of lamb and their bread is always served fresh from the oven. Unfortunately, is it located in a not-so-great part of town and I don’t think the place gets the recognition it deserves. If you go before 6:00 pm you can get a three course dinner for about $15.00. It is amazing.

I have been worried that all of my blogs revolve restaurants. Aside from enjoying eating far more than I should, I love anything related to restaurant reviews and travel advice. Also, when traveling for work, there isn’t a whole lot of time for sightseeing and wacky adventures. I have to eat and I have a very small window in which to go out and see the world. Enough excuses – I like dining out.

Next trip – Portsmouth, VA.

Akron, OH "Flee to the Cleve"

I have put off writing about my trip to Akron because I never thought I could adequately represent how much excitement I had in Ohio. I know that sounds strange, but Akron turned out to be one of the coolest trips I have been on so far. I also ate very well because they really like food, especially fried food, in Akron.

First off, my hotel was circular and I mean circular. I stayed at the Quaker Square Inn which used to be a grain silo for Quaker Oats back in the day. Everything there was round and old fashioned. The inn also smelled like a grandma’s house. I don’t mean that in a bad way, it just smelled of old furniture and baking (they made homemade oatmeal cookies daily). They also had an old railroad train car that the Inn converted into a diner. It was fun to sit in the train car and have a side order of nostalgia with my lunch.

I worked with the Akron Police Department and they are a fantastic group of people; very friendly, considerate, and hospitable. They took excellent care of me while in Akron and introduced me to some nice restaurants. I had my very first taste of fried macaroni and cheese at the Lockview. Fried Mac and Cheese highly decadent and surprisingly good. It is very rich, so take it slowly.

At Bricco I had fried dill pickles with garlic aioli and a well-cooked, moist pork loin. I don’t really like dill pickles that much, but it just goes to show that everything taste better when deep fried because I loved those blasted fried pickles. I had great time that night because many of the officers came out to dinner with me and then took me on a tour of Akron. There are some lovely parts of the city, especially the neighborhoods with brick streets and large trees.

On Wednesday I had to “Flee to the Cleve” as they say on 30 Rock and drove up to Cleveland. I decided that it was essential for me to go to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame juts out onto Lake Erie and the water really made the setting lovely in the sunlight. The building itself is architecturally interesting with a large glass pyramid. I spent quite a bit of time in the museum (what a shock!). I would have to say the highlights were:
• Madonna’s bustiers from the Blonde Ambition tour
• The hand written lyrics of John Lennon’s “In My Life” which is one of my favorite Beatles songs
• The guitar that Paul Simonon smashed on the Clash’s “London Calling” album
• And the red jacket from Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” which 8 year old Jen would have died to have seen
I really enjoyed all of the videos and credit given to the roots and founders of rock – especially one of my favorites, Sam Cooke.

The new Iron Chef, Michael Symon, is from Cleveland and has several restaurants in the area. I tried to get into both and could not get a reservation at Lola and I couldn’t find Lolita. It got totally lost in Cleveland trying to get back to Akron because of construction; a 40 minute trip took me over and hour and a half. Good times!

I had the opportunity to go out on a police ride-along with the Akron PD. It turned out to be one of the most exciting and enlightening experiences I have ever had. I got a tour of the police station, attended roll call and went on patrol for 4 hours. I rode with Officer Evans in one of the more sketchy neighborhoods of Akron. We drove around and answered a few minor calls. Then we got to ride lights and sirens across town to a 30 person gang fight. It was so cool to go that fast. When we arrived at the fight, one of the suspects started to flee and Evans followed him down alleys in the car which rocked. Evans jumped out of the car and chased him down. It was straight out of an episode of “Cops.” I sat in the squad car with the suspect for a few minutes (I was in the front seat so no worries) and the suspect kept asking me to roll down the windows. I did not. I got to witness a gun shot residue test and how they process gang members. I got to ride lights and sirens again because a fight broke out again in the same location a little later in the evening. I also got to go to a homicide crime scene and watch them process the scene. I am so grateful to the Akron PD for letting me tag along.


When in Akron you must eat at Luigi’s. It is, hands down, the best pizza I have ever had in my life. It is also a local favorite of the Akron PD. I went out after my ride along (around midnight) with the captain who set up my ride along. If you order a salad you can add mozzarella cheese on the top. When they talk about cheese, Luigi’s isn’t kidding; you can’t even see the salad because of all the wonderful, fresh mozzarella cheese. I cannot emphasize enough how fantastic the pizza is…just know that they don’t take credit cards so go with cash.

Who knew Akron would be so awesome?

Fourth of July - Washington, DC

The one Fourth of July I spent in DC in 2002, it was so hot I ended up staying home and watching TV. Anyone who knows me knows that I hate heat and humidity. This year I had Shelley to celebrate with me and that meant that I couldn’t sit home all day watching the Law & Order marathon like I usually do on national holidays. I wonder if there will be a marathon on Labor Day – I can only hope!

Members from our tennis group decided to get together for a BBQ at our friend Evan’s home. His roommate Monica is a grill master and I enjoyed my annual grilled hot dog. I made fruit pizza for the first time and it was, if I do say so myself, totally awesome. I also think I won over Tammy as a friend for life – who knew fruit pizza had such diplomatic powers? I had a great time hanging out with my tennis buddies.

Shelley wanted to go to the National Mall to watch the fireworks. While I was not ecstatic about the idea, I didn’t want her to go alone. I also didn’t want to say that I had the opportunity to celebrate the 4th in the Nation’s capital and I chose to sit around and watch TV instead. I did have a couple of conditions on my attendance; first, if it was too hot or humid I could bow out without guilt and second, I wanted a chair so I wouldn’t have to sit on the ground. I am so spoiled.

We almost didn’t go to the Mall because of the severe thunderstorm warnings. However, the rain subsided for a bit and Shelley got the fireworks itch. There were huge bouts of indecisiveness and some good Law & Order episodes coming up, but adventure prevailed. We ended up riding the Metro into DC and arriving about two minutes before the fireworks.

It is always interesting when large, diverse groups of people get together. There was an adorable little boy that just loved the fireworks and made precious comments about each one. Then there were the ladies standing behind Shelley and me – they were either the cheesiest patriots ever or totally drunk; I vote for drunk. They kept shouting, “Happy Birthday America” very, very loudly. I would have to say that my favorite quote from the drunken ladies went like this, “Only in America could you have fireworks like this…except for maybe Communist China.” How true and God Bless America.

Travel tip – when going to see the fireworks in DC go to dinner after the fireworks. Eating out after provides enough time for the streets and the Metro crowds to thin out. This tip came from some locals and Shelley and I were able to have a nice meal and a comfortable ride home.

A Few Reasons Why California Is So Awesome!

Washington Nationals Game

Once again Seabreeze’s many connections have paid off. She hooked us up with tickets to a Washington Nationals game. I have not been to a baseball game since I went to an Oakland A’s game when I was 12 or 13. While I am not a huge baseball fan, I am usually up for a new adventure (especially when it is free).


Seabreeze, Shelley, Lindsay Sanders, and I could not have asked for a better night. It was an ideal summer night: not too hot and very little humidity. I think that was the most remarkable event of the night – a pleasant evening in Virginia. Since it is the first year that the Nationals have played in the new ballpark, the whole arena is very clean and nice. I had a great hot dog and some very good fries; although like all stadium food it tends to leave you feeling sick a few hours later. I think I just tend to get caught up in the moment and all of a sudden a hot dog is the only food that can satisfy you.

The Nationals handily lost the game. The Anaheim Angels were ahead by 6 runs after the first inning. I may not know a lot about baseball, but I do know that losing by that much so early on is rarely a good sign. I do think that the t-shirt cannon made up for the lack of excitement on the field. I had no idea a t-shirt could fly that far!

Seabreeze gave us all a great girl’s night out. I would happily go again, assuming I could insure another night of amazing weather.

San Antonio, TX

Texas – again!!!!

While I couldn’t believe that I was heading off to Texas for the third time in six months, I was nonetheless excited to go to San Antonio. My friend Camy and her husband moved to San Antonio a while ago and I would finally be able to see them again. While San Antonio isn’t my first choice (I am still holding out for a chance to return to Houston after almost nine years) I was more than happy to reconnect with Camy.

United Airlines is not on my good list right now. I arrived at the airport in plenty of time to make my 8:22 am flight to San Antonio only to have them bump me. It was unceremoniously done as they tried to blame me for arriving to late. Seeing as I arrived at the gate at about 7:15 am, I don’t think the blame should reside with me. Additionally, they bumped several members of the military that had orders to report to one of the Air Force bases in San Antonio. According to my fellow bumpees, the airline cannot bump travelers with military orders. The woman at the gate could not have been less helpful. She actually disappeared and someone else had to come help us, although he was fairly useless as well. I had purposefully chosen an early flight, and paid full price for the ticket, because I have to ensure that if I do get bumped, that I can catch another flight. United finally got me on an American Airlines flight to San Antonio with a stop in Dallas. The problem was that I didn’t even arrive in SA until 11:45 pm CDT. By the time I checked into my hotel at about 1 am Monday morning, I was exhausted. But I am pro and tried not to let it show when I arrived at USAA.

San Antonio is the headquarters for USAA, the banking and insurance company dedicated to the military. The USAA complex is absolutely enormous: tennis courts, driving range, two pavilions, Frisbee golf courses, about ten zillion entrances to the complex and enough room for deer to roam freely on the grounds. What really blew my mind was that I rode around on golf carts inside the building in order to get from the visitors building to the training room. It reminded me of that scene in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery when he is on that stupid cart trying to do a thirty point turn. Luckily these halls were wide enough for us to easily make U-turns.

I had a great time with my class because they were super nice people and they were very interested in where I ate dinner every night. I went to places they recommended and every day I had to write the name of the place I ate the night before on the board. I loved that they were interested in my nightly escapades and were very upset when I neglected to update the “Dined At:” list.

Monday night I returned to Pappadeaux for my favorite Citrus Crusted Tilapia because their fish always tastes so fresh. I can only go to Pappadeaux when I am in the south so I always take full advantage of my time in Texas and Georgia (I don’t know what other states have a Pappadeaux). I ordered dessert, which I rarely do as I eat poorly as it is when I travel, but I was wooed by the Praline Cheesecake. It took me 3 days to finish it, but was worth every bite. The caramel that accompanies the cheesecake was perfectly done as it was not burned or too oily – as Goldilocks would say, it was just right.

Tuesday I went to Tomatillos which received the City Search award for best margaritas in San Antonio. I can’t comment on the margaritas, but their Tres Colores Enchiladas were very good and gave a nice variety of Tex-Mex cuisine. They also had very professional waiters and excellent guacamole which is always a plus. Tomatillos is also located across the street from a Half-Priced Books so you can totally make a night of it…if you like cruising bookstores.

Wednesday Camy, her sister Becky, and Camy’s daughter Sierra (2) picked me up for a girls night on the town. I had so much fun catching up with Camy and getting to know Becky better, as the last time I spoke with Becky was at Camy and Jason’s wedding. Sadly Jason had to work as he is completing his medical residency with the Air Force. We missed you Jason. Sierra is a doll. She is crazy smart and definitely has a mind of her own. She spent a portion of the night being a duck. I must say that with a few more months of practice she could go pro.

We first went to the Bass Pro Shop which was ENORMOUS. The place has a multitude of taxidermy animals that Sierra likes to look at and pet. When Camy mentioned looking at the animals I thought it would be some deer, elk and maybe a bear. Boy did I underestimate the Bass Pro Shop. They had lions, wolves, zebra, longhorn cattle…quite the menagerie. They also had a laser tag like shooting range. I have to admit that I am not very good, but after three rounds I increased my score from some type of Very Bad score to “Needs Practice.”

When in Texas you are morally obligated to eat BBQ. Camy suggested a place called Rudy’s (which my students confirmed as wonderful). When you walk up to Rudy’s it smells like a campfire because the food is all smoked and cooked over the flame. We ended up ordering brisket, turkey, chopped meat, and sausage. The potato salad and peach cobbler were also wonderful. Their creamed corn is to unlike anything I have ever had. The recipe is top secret, but I would swear that they put grits in mix. It was classic, no-frills BBQ, complete with the half a loaf of white bread, and I loved it.

On Thursday I knew I needed a steak (again, a moral imperative in Texas) and my class recommended a place called the Little Red Barn. When I pulled up to the restaurant, there were 4 police cruisers in the parking lot. I took that as either a really bad or a really good sign. It turns out to be a good sign as there were probably 8-10 police officers in the cashier’s line. Aside from the fact that they put me behind a wall (“A woman dining alone – UNCLEAN, UNCLEAN”) I still enjoyed the experience. I felt that my steak was too done but at least it was reasonably priced. Also, the cowgirl outfits that the waitresses wear are outrageous.

On Friday I returned to the Tip Top Café. I had tried to dine there earlier in the week, waited in line for 20 minutes only to realize that they don’t take credit cards. This time I came prepared and happily ate lunch at the counter. The Tip Top had been featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on the Food Network and the place was packed all the time. The portions were gigantic, I ended up giving my onion rings to 2 women sitting next to me. They have the best apple pie that I have ever tasted. I would highly recommend the restaurant if you are ever in San Antonio.

My last day there I headed to the Alamo and the River Walk. To paraphrase Shelley, “Leave it to the Texans to take a huge failure and play it off as a success.” I decided that as a historian and a mocker of Texas, I should see the Alamo. I found the grounds to be surprisingly lovely. As for the actual Alamo, it was fine and slightly forgettable. The River Walk, however, far exceeded my expectations. The landscaping and architecture are charming. I ended up walking up and down the river and enjoying all the people watching. I also took a dinner cruise so I could see all of the sights. I had a great time even though I was the only single person on the boat. Good times!

Next trip – Akron, OH

Bank of America

Truer words were never written:



Thanks for sharing Katie M.