Sipping in the Sights

Seattle Night

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Some outtakes from my recent trip to Seattle. My sister Annie and I met up with another Annie (a long long longtime friend from Miami) to catch up over some fantastic drinks. No biking, just hipsters and speakeasies.

Popsicle goddess speaks: Let there be grits and bacon

Nathalie keeping things cool at the Flea

Nathalie is one of those enviable people who dives head-first into new adventures without hesitation. She’s already had more amazing/weird/bizarre/incredible life experiences in her 20-odd years than most of us will have in our entire lives – and her latest venture, a popsicle company started essentially on a whim, is a massive success. (Check em out at Peoples Pops and visit her at the Brooklyn Flea.) Before pops, Nath spent a good deal of time touring the south, eating, drinking, and chatting up interesting folks. Naturally we asked her for her must-hits, and are also trying to entice her to come ride a stretch with us.

An initial list (many of which come with personal introductions to friends who run the places): Blackberry Farm in TN; Anson Mills grits in SC; Viking in Greenville, MS (and the Alluvian hotel); Holeman and Finch and Restaurant Eugene in Hotlanta; Sweet Grass Dairy in Thomasville, GA; Benton’s Bacon in Madisonville, TN; 100 things to eat in Alabama before you die (Not all of them are worth it, but check the list anyway); Graceland Too in MS.

We’re also taking careful notes on her kind of awesome autobiogeography, which catalogs her favorite spots all over the globe.

Chowing down in Chi-town

When you're in Chicago, you have to get a dog

This weekend, I’m taking a break from biking (though I did go for a good run this morning, even after my herculean drinking and eating efforts yesterday) and doing a lot of eating.  In fact, we don’t have much on the itinerary that doesn’t revolve around food:  Day 1, lunch at Michael’s (famed hot dog spot in Highland Park), followed by dinner at our friends’ house.  Day 2, greasy spoon breakfast, then into the city for Mercat a la Planxa, Jose Garces’ newish tapas spot (where the menu obviously includes pork products galore).  Day 3, I’m trying to convince everyone that we need to go to the Publican for brunch, before driving out to Milwaukee for what promises to be an over-the-top experience at Paul Bartolotta’s original restaurant, Ristorante Bartolotta.  Paul also has a new burgers and custard joint that we’ll check out the next day before I head to the airport.  I’m calling this weekend preparation for my upcoming trip to Vancouver, where I do plan to eat, but the main activities will be running, biking, hiking, kayaking, ziplining, and yoga-ing.

Of snacks and sustenance

I often joke that I’m like a five-year-old because I have to be fed every couple hours or I get grumpy (very grumpy). When I go biking the hunger thing becomes an even bigger issue because I get shaky, tingly, and sluggish if I don’t eat a little bit every hour or so. I never thought I’d be a convert to the world of Clif Shot Bloks (which, by the way, are both delicious – like candy – and effective) but then again I never thought I’d get excited about padded shorts and neon jerseys. So far my favorite quick energy snacks are the shot blocks and Luna Bars (Clif Bars being, well, too hefty). Stash em in the back of your jersey and you’re ready to go.