The Queen Mary Experience

I’ve seen it from a distance, multiple times throughout my life in California.  I’ve heard that parts of it were supposedly haunted and always thought it would be fun to go to the Halloween “haunted house” event.  It just never seemed to happen, so I went to their website www.queenmary.com and planned my visit. 

I can’t believe that I thought the Queen Mary would only capitalize on the hauntings during Halloween!  I was very happy to see that they offer daily tours showcasing specific haunted sites on the ship.  For $27.95, I signed up for the Haunted Encounters Passport that includes a general admission ticket, Ghosts and Legends show, Haunted Encounters tour and a self guided tour with optional audio accompaniment. 

First to-do on my passport was the Haunted Encounters tour which ran a little under an hour.  We went to places on the ship that are not open to the general public and are considered the most haunted spots.  The entire tour and our tour guide was very “dry” and the only thing that kept me interested was the possibility of catching a specter on camera.  I was really hoping the tour guide would give us less facts about the ship and more stories that would ignite the imagination and leave me feeling that it was in fact all too possible to experience a haunting on this tour.  Alas, the hairs on the back of my neck were well rested and my bones sadly not chilled.

The next tour, Ghosts and Legends, was kitschy and entertaining but that was it.  Unfortunately, I heard the same stories on each tour and they didn’t match up to each other. 

My day at The Queen Mary was pleasant and I’m very glad I did it, but I really can’t say I would recommend it or ever do it again.

Food Truck Sliders

I love the travel channel and recently, I saw an episode on dueling food trucks on Food Wars.  I have been hearing, here and there, about this food truck craze in Los Angeles and began looking up some of these trucks and how to find them.  I started to become a little bummed out as I was looking at different food trucks and their twitter or blog updates showing that they are in different locations on different days and how was I going to drive around L.A. finding all of these trucks?!  L.A. traffic is ridiculous and there was no way I’d be able to make a day of food truck hunting.  I was definitely surprised when I did a Google search for “Unique Restaurants Orange County” and found The Burnt Truck!

The Burnt Truck looked really interesting!  A menu of unique sliders, mini “hamburgers” and I thought to myself, “A mobile restaurant that specializes in sliders has to be amazing!!”  So, that’s what I set out to find out on my Food Truck adventure.

I checked out The Burnt Truck’s website and on Tuesdays, they are in Irvine at 11:30am.  I made the drive and got there about 5 minutes early and there was already a small line formed, waiting for the truck to open up.  11:30am seemed to mean that’s when they start putting out napkins and condiments.  The line continued to grow slowly and I was hearing comments from people about why they hadn’t opened at 11:30am.  They finally began taking orders at 11:50am and my first thought was, “If I was one of these people who were on lunch, working in the surrounding buildings, that 20 minutes would really dig into my lunch hour and I would be pretty miffed.” 

I finally got to order (there was one person taking orders for everyone and one handing the orders out with 2 people cooking) and I ordered their slider combo.  Any 2 sliders, a side and a drink.  A side meant a bag of chips, but if you wanted to order their fries or tater tots, it was an extra cost.  And, by the way, it’s another extra charge to pay with a credit/debit card.  I ordered their vegetarian slider which looked really yummy being a tempura mozzarella patty with a tomato jam and basil aioli on a toasted bun.  The second slider I ordered was their Loco Moco, a beef patty with a crispy slice of Spam, beef gravy, a fried quail egg and nori strips.  I picked fries as my side and waited for my name to be called.  All in all, it cost me $8.50 and I paid with cash.

It took 10 minutes for me to get my order.  I was really excited to try this unique specialty and was really hoping it was work a 30 minute wait.  I sat down to eat and got started with the fries.  I don’t know how they cooked them but they were definitely the way I want my fries to be.  Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and lightly salted.  Not a bad start to this tasting.  Next up, the vegetarian slider was heavenly!  The basil aioli with the crispy tempura mozzarella and the tomato jam was such a beautiful combo!  I could have eaten 10 of them!!  Then, the Loco Moco.  Really disappointing.  With everything going on with that slider, I expected to almost be assaulted with bold flavors mixing together in a way that my mind couldn’t imagine would be so wonderful.  It was sadly bland and actually made me wish I had ordered a different slider. 

Both sliders had toasted buns but overall the bun itself was so soft, I never got the satisfactory crunch of a toasted bun.  The toasting itself was lost in the pillowy fluff of itself. 

In the end, my first food truck experience was sadly lacking.  The Burnt Truck definitely had some great ideas for what could have been some really tasty food, but alas, the execution did not live up to the potential. 

Really, really, really downsizing...

My fiancé and I have built quite a comfortable home here in Orange County.  We have a good sized 1 bedroom apartment with a small office, cozy dining room and comfortable living room space.  We also have a balcony where we love to barbeque and sit outside enjoying a little fresh air.  So, when my fiancé asked me to look for available apartments in NYC……..I became a little nervous.  All I kept seeing was 400 square feet or 600 square feet.  That’s less than what we currently have!  Where will all our furniture go?  How will 2 people be able to live in an apartment so small?!?

Not only are these apartments less than half the size of our current one, but they are twice the price!  What the heck?!  And I can’t find any that have a balcony!  I knew I would have to adjust to a new fast-paced culture, crowds and no longer owning a car, but I hadn’t really thought about how my home would be affected.  What can we take and what do we have to part ways with?

There won’t be any resolution to the furniture/going-crazy any time soon.  About 3 more months left and we’ll be relocated and from what I seem to be coming to terms with (poorly, I confess) is that almost every aspect of my life is about to change.  Is that something that a person can even try to prepare for?

Thank you, Manpuku!

I am new to tongue.  I wouldn’t say I’m a tongue virgin, but I’ve only had it once before and wouldn’t consider myself experienced.  The first time I had tongue, it didn’t leave me wanting more.  I convinced myself to give it one more shot and I am so happy I did!  I didn’t just have any tongue the second time around.  Oh no.  I went all the way!  Kobe beef tongue, you are amazing!!

There is a little place in a tiny strip mall in Costa Mesa that I would have never dreamed had such amazing food.  The sign says, “Manpuku Tokyo BBQ Dining” and I’ll be honest, if a friend hadn’t suggested we go there, I may never have tried it!  I highly recommend making a reservation because from what I hear, it’s always full. 

It was completely packed except for the table we had reserved.  To my right, it looked like a large family was enjoying a yummy meal and all of their shoes were lined up on the floor.  Thank goodness this wasn’t a requirement for me but it was nice to see this tradition in my corner of Orange County. 

We sat down and my friend ordered for us since he has been there before multiple times.  In the middle of our table was a small pit filled with square coals with holes in the middle of them and a grate on top for grilling.  My friend ordered the seaweed and lettuce salad with sesame dressing which was so full of flavor that I went to the grocery store the next day to buy all the ingredients I felt made up the dressing so I could make my own!  He also ordered the squid, Kobe beef tongue, 2 different kinds of marinated beef and chicken breast.  I wasn’t a big fan of the chicken but I think that’s only because everything else was so amazing!!  The flavor that the open coals added to the marinade and natural flavor of each dish was beyond compare!  I wish I had such a refined palette that I could pick out each ingredient they used in their marinades because it was, for me, perfection.  I am considering asking them for a part time job so I can learn this wonderful secret!

The Kobe beef tongue was by far my favorite part of the meal!  It was tender, flavorful and melted in my mouth.  It was better than any steak I’ve ever had!  It was so amazing, we ordered another round of it and would have kept ordering it had we not been so stuffed we were at the point of unbuttoning our pants! 

I absolutely recommend everyone take a look and see if they have a Japanese BBQ restaurant in their area and try as many different things on the menu that you have room in your stomach for!! And absolutely try the tongue!!!

http://manpuku.us/cm/en/about-us.html

Irvine Lake - Gone Fishin'!

I’ve been saying, for a while now, how much I miss going fishing.  I miss baiting the line, casting out and waiting.  I love looking out at a calm lake, being surrounded by nature and allowing my thoughts to wander in the most peaceful setting I can think of.  And the possibility of a fish finding my bait yummy is what gives the day the excitement. 

My friend and I made our way to Irvine Lake and were surprised at how accessible it is!  I haven’t gone since I was pretty young and with my dad and siblings and I realized how much I had forgotten.  Just take Jamboree all the way to Santiago Canyon road and you’re there!  Within minutes, we went from civilization to 750 acres of beauty. 

We went thru the gate and directly to the Tackle & Bait shop.  It’s $22 per person for the day to go fishing and there’s no license required.  We each rented a fishing pole for $10, it was all ready to go with a weight and a hook and a tub of worms is about $4.  John, the gentleman that rang us up, was such a help!  He made excellent recommendations to get us set up for the day and also show us how to tie the line so it won’t break.  I highly recommend seeing John if you get the chance.  Very knowledgeable and helpful!

All stocked up, we made our way down the lake to a quiet spot and baited up.  4 hours, a few worms down and 0 fish later, we were done for the day.  We had nibbles but our inexperience kept us from catching anything but lake weeds.  Even though we didn’t catch anything, were had a wonderful day!  Beautiful scenery, wildlife and a quiet and calm lake, I couldn’t have asked for more!  I have plans to go back many times before I make my move to NYC! 

Personal Space....A Disappearing Act?

Just found out that California is the most populous state in America!  I’ll admit, I never thought about it before.  I have, however, thought of the fact that New York is the most populous city in America.  The only time I have ever felt crowded in California is when I’m on the freeway!  And I can already picture myself having a rough time getting used to being, not just around many people, but in such close proximity when I make my way to NYC.  I’ve seen the movies that have The City featured where it looks like there are hundreds of people walking on one sidewalk, all with eyes focused on the direction they are going and all accepting being a part of a sea of strangers.  Could I be one of those people?

I have a very strong sense of “personal space” and really do get irritated if someone enters that space without my permission.  If I’m in the grocery store and it’s pretty empty and I’m standing in line to purchase my groceries, I feel there is an unwritten rule that you keep your distance from the others in line, especially if there is only 1 or 2 people in line.  There have been times when a person gets in line behind me and gets so close that I can feel their closeness.  I’m not sure how else to describe it but I feel that they have entered my personal space and it makes me really uncomfortable, so I’ll move up a little bit.  And what gets me more is they move up also and keep that small space between us when I am trying to make it bigger!  I have come up with a few tricks to keep people from getting too close for comfort.  I have been known to stand sideways and taken a wide stance to discourage people from getting too close to me.  I have used my shopping cart as a shield.  I have even resorted to coughing like I have a cold to scare people!! And at times when someone’s shopping cart continuously bumps into me even though I have moved out of the way multiple times, I have turned around and told that person to get off my ass!  A little aggressive but I guess that means I could be a New Yorker after all?

Roller Derby, Baby!!!!!

This experience was not on my bucket list….not even on my radar!!!  But, it really should have been! 

I met up with an old friend who I haven’t seen in about 10 years (I’ll call her T) to go see another old friend who I haven’t seen in about 12 years (I’ll call her J).  Man, I feel oooolllldddd!!!!  So, me and T meet up in Long Beach to have dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp, on Aquarium Way, before we went to go see our very first Roller Derby bout.  This was my first time eating at a Bubba Gump and I have to say that the people that worked at this restaurant were really friendly and extremely accommodating.  I loved our waitress, a cute and perky little sweetheart who really took care of us.  I don’t know if they do this at every one of their restaurants, but we won all of the toothpicks and mints we could handle by being brilliant at her Forrest Gump quiz!!  ;)  By the way, what was the best part of the army for Forrest?  T got that one right!  I loved the drink we ordered, I can’t remember the name but it was a great recommendation by our waitress.  I ordered the snapper in lobster butter sauce and it was surprisingly creamy and super yummy!!

Now comes the “fun” part.  Trying to figure out where this roller derby was being held.  If you are not familiar with Long Beach and the port area, I HIGHLY recommend taking someone who is familiar with you or mapquesting the hell out of the area.  I’m pretty sure we ended up on every street in Long Beach trying to figure out where we were going!  We went to the Long Beach Roller Derby which is held in the dome by the Queen Mary.  Thankfully, we started following the right people and made our way to the dome.

Woohooo!!!!! Roller Derby Baby!  What’s a better way to spend a Friday night than getting an alcoholic beverage and watching a bunch of beautiful women in cute uniforms roller skate in a rink knocking each other around?!?!  T and I had such a fun time stomping on the bleachers, screaming loudly and clapping our hands for the Bixby Rollerettes!  Of course, neither of us knew the rules, or what we were cheering for exactly but that was part of the excitement.  The team we were rooting for was wearing blue and when we saw a member of theirs break from the pack, it was exciting!  And all of the ladies that were blocking and fighting and pushing in the pack, well heck!! That was exciting too!  And our friend J who was coaching the team (because she is, as she put it, broken.  Healing from a broken leg) was encouraging our stomping and clapping and shouting as she was coaching the team from the center of the ring. 

I wouldn’t say this is a California thing to do, but I am so happy to have gone to my first roller derby bout and truly enjoyed it!  I say that everyone should find out if there is a league in your area and Google the rules and go!!!!!