Spooky Nights Ahead

My Scariest Travel Day

I've been pretty lucky in all my years of travel.

I've never been the victim of a major crime, never been involved in any sort of major vehicular wreck, never encountered any lost spirits haunting the historic Inns owhere I've slept over the years.

I did, however, have one Stephen King experience that stands out as my scariest travel moment.

It happened at a hotel in Alexandria Virginia. I won't say which one although I've stayed there twice and had a miserable experience both times.

The first event involved some unwanted wildlife in my room.

I slept pretty well in the "garden" room (which means my room was on the ground level and opened up to a courtyard with some grass and shrubs).

Per my usual morning routine I headed for the shower. Without glasses or contacts I was in my usual morning land "o" blur.

As the warm water from the shower started to spray my peripheral vision picked up something moving down around the drain.

As I bent over to see what it was I saw cockroaches. Lots and lots of 'em - scurrying out of the drain and running up the sides of the tub and shower curtain.

After a completely involuntary shriek, I jumped out of the tub, ripping the shower curtain right off the track.

Now at this point, primal instinct had taken complete control of me. I armed myself with the first thing I saw, my best dress shoes, whose heals became lethal weapons. I initiated project Roach Smackdown.

It got pretty ugly.

After my roach hunt I simply laid the critters side by side on the bathroom counter.

On the way out I informed the desk clerk that my room had become the insect equivalent of the Tate LaBianca massacre scene.

A little advice. If you stay in a hotel in Alexandria VA and are offered a "garden" level room, run screaming from the place.

I did.

Roadboy's Travels © 2009

Police Chiefs, Chicago, and Crisp Fall Days

Time to Enjoy Fall and Time to Move On

This week was productive, but sorta grueling for me. I spent Sunday to Tuesday in Denver attending the International Association of Chiefs of Police convention. With thousands of police executives from around the world, I'd have to guess Denver was the probably the safest city in North America this week!

The Convention Center Bear Checking In

And, as always, Denver was beautiful and its citizens were gracious. Denver also staged one heck of a party on Tuesday night.

The Chief's Host Party in Denver

Note the Donut....

Chilly nights have returned to the Mile High City. Nature casts no doubt that snow will soon fall. I only wish I could have spent some time up in the mountains as this is the time of the year when the aspen's turn gold and their leaves literally shimmer with each breeze that passes.

After departing Denver I travelled on to Chicago to attend an American Institute of Architects conference.

This has been a hard week for Chicago. It would have been such a great host to the world for the Olympics. But, that is not to be.

Despite the pathetic spin the media has made out of it, the folks around here all get it. They know they would have done a great job and they are happy for Rio. Chicago knows that no one likes a sore loser, and this most amazing City of Big Shoulders is sure as hell not the kind of place that stops to sulk.

Instead, Chicago is enjoying a beautiful fall. Downtown streets are clean, the Art Institute is still free on Thursday nights, the planters on Michigan Avenue are still blooming, and the fountains in Millennium Park are still bubbling.

Soon snow will come here too, the plants will go dormant, and the fountains will hibernate till spring.

The North Bridge In The Chicago River At Night

American Gothic on Steroids

In the meantime, Chicago residents will still walk with purpose, the tourists will still look up, and the cabs will still honk a nanosecond before the signal lights change.

I love this city.

Roadboy's Travels © 2009

San Diego's Best Waterfront Restaurant

Update September 2015
Island Prime is still wonderful. Better yet, it is all fully renovated digs!

Perfect Food, Perfect Staff, Perfect View

(Oh, and Free Parking!)

I am a Zonie.

For those that need some translation a Zonie is the term used by San Diego residents to describe the zillions of Arizona desert rats that invade its beaches each summer to escape the heat.

Like all Zonie's if I ever win the lottery I will buy a home in San Diego. Till then (lets assume forever), I will just have to make my annual treks to lotus land and enjoy its perfect views and awesome weather.

Like all Zonies I return over and over to my favorite places. This trip we went to a great show at Humphrey's and took a stroll in Balboa Park. We ate Kalbi ribs at Dakines and had a big classic breakfast at Hob Nob Hill. Most trips we make at lest one pilgrimage to Point Loma Seafoods (bring cash - they still don't take plastic - they close early and there is always a wait).

But after many visits I've concluded my hands down favorite place to eat is Island Prime.

Views Just Don't Get Better Than This

Set on pilings at the tip of Harbor Island (I have actually walked here from the airport) this place has everything. At lunch they serve terrific food in the "C" Level Lounge. At dinner they ramp it up and feature an even more incredibly creative menu. The place while elegant, is not at all pretentious. They seem to cultivate friendly servers that genuinely enjoy serving you. At lunch you can enjoy lobster truffle mac and cheese, a blackened prime rib french dip, and some deep fried artichoke hearts on the side. The portions are perfect.

Lobster Truffle Mac and Cheese for Lunch

At dinner chef Deborah Scott delivers specialties like short ribs, crusted river scallops, and every possible cut of steak. All can be accompanied by Alaskan king crab if you feel really adventurous (and rich)!

The Main Dining Room

Put this restaurant on the "Definite" list for any special occasion you plan to spend in San Diego.

OK Lets sum it up.

No place has better food.

No place has nicer staff.

No place has a more spectacular view.

And did I mention it has free parking?

Roadboy's Travels © 2009

A Hometown Favorite

A Wine Bar and Cafe Infused With A Latin Beat

Update: 7-27-2012


Sadly Bomberos' Closed in 2011 The latin heartbeat is sorely missed. Still hoping to see Oscar re-emerge in a new venue.

In the meantime the little gem that was created by Bombero's has been further updated and is a new wine bar with a new wood fired oven. They are continuing the tradition of creating amazing exceptional food. It is called Timo's. 

Perfect place to go if you want to impress someone by introducing them to this almost hidden, yet very cool, little restaurant! Great Sunday brunch too. 

See you there!

For a road warrior like me it is important to make the effort to be home every weekend. Weekends allow me to recharge. I walk the mutts and wash old cars (my zen).

Weekends are my time to relax, read the paper, sip some yuppie coffee, and enjoy a light lunch or dinner.

Now, as my readers know, I hate formulaic chain restaurants. I seek out local coffee bars and routinely ping Trip Advisor or Zagat for restaurant recommendations in each new city.

Sorry Applebee's and Starbuck's but I'm sooooo sick of you I could just urp.

So when I'm home in Phoenix on the weekends I tend to return to my favorite places. Like most big cities, Phoenix is blessed with great local and ethnic restaurants. Be it Greek, Indian, Cuban, Asian, or Latin. We now have everything from hole-in-the-wall dives to lovely little gems.

Me, I go back over and over to El Bravo for Mexican, Mazies for brunch, and for the times before, after, or in-between, we go to Bombero's.

Bombero's Wine Bar and Cafe is Located at the top of Central Avenue in North Central Phoenix's eclectic Sunnyslope neighborhood. This is a spot worth a detour when you visit Phoenix.

A Big Latte in the Morning

(The Owner's Beloved Vespa still licensed in Montevideo is in the background!)

Bombero's is housed in an old fire station ("Bombero" is Spanish for fireman). The Owner is from Uruguay and loves to introduce guests to his favorite South American wines.

Seating for Individuals and Groups

Behind Bombero's is its beautiful little garden. The garden is pet friendly, has comfy seating, live music at night, and is a perfect place to come and just sit for hours.

The Gardens

Bubbling Fountains in Summer

Warm Firepits in Winter

Table Made of Found Objects

Bombero's is where you go with someone you really love to sit and talk with.

It is the perfect place to linger over coffee or sample some surprising and wonderful South American wines.

Roadboy's Travels © 2009

Pine Trees, Bikers, and Church Camp

A Labor Day Tradition

Every family establishes its own traditions. Some families have reunions each year at the lake or at the shore.

One of our family traditions is to spend Labor Day in Prescott Arizona at a Church retreat. It is our annual chance to hike Thumb Butte, sleep on narrow wooden bunks, star gaze, and swat a few insects. All the while enjoying the company of great friends in one of the most beautiful settings imaginable (the Episcopal Camp Chapel Rock).

Labor Day Weekend at Chapel Rock

There have been notable exceptions (like last year when a freak storm blew through Phoenix the day before we were supposed to leave, eliminating most of our back fence, messing with the roof, and removing our house from the unbelievably delicate power grid furnished periodically by our local joke of an electrical utility called Arizona Public Service (do I sound bitter?). My kids even joke that losing power at our house as an almost monthly event. But that is another story.

This year we again left Phoenix in a massive deluge of rain that followed us all the way to Prescott at times making it hard to see the road. It gave us a chance to wonder if we were in for a washout, but instead it passed on giving us clean air and clear blue skies.

An End of Summer Storm

For those who have been to Prescott you know it is a gem. Locals can be readily identified as they refer to it as "Press-kit", never "Press-kott".

Prescott enjoys a daily average high temperature of 88° F on even the hottest days of July making it heaven to any Phoenician.

Home to numerous golf courses, the oldest rodeo in the west, and views of Thumb Butte, it enjoys a picture perfect setting on Granite Creek. We love its pine trees and necklace of mountains. It is where we send our kids to camp.

Thumb Butte from Downtown

Unfortunately, the most common way to get to it requires a drive through its hideously ugly stepsister Prescott Valley (which is, in reality, merely an excuse for parking lots, big box development, and a couple of Indian casinos). Not sure who dreamed up the idea of calling this extended blight a "valley", but it is simply too many miles long now to ignore.

Hiking Up Thumb Butte

Prescott itself has quite a history. It served as the first capital of the Arizona Territory. And although the capital was later moved to Tucson, it later returned again to Prescott (before being permanently relocated to Phoenix).

Prescott's tree lined streets claim over 500 buildings on the national register of historic places.

The Historic Hassayampa Inn

(Like Every Other Old Hotel Around it is Supposed to be Haunted)

The most notable building is the stately Yavapai County Courthouse. Everything in Prescott seems to radiate from Courthouse Square (home to a great annual crafts fair over Labor Day weekend).

The Yavapai County Courthouse

The Courthouse is surrounded by larger-than-life cowboy sculptures by Solon Hannibal Borglum.

Cowboy at Rest

Detail of "The Cowboy"

Bucky O'Neill

A Monument to one of Roosevelt's "Rough Rider's"

Who Perished in the Spanish American War

Other great buildings include the Post Office, Carnegie Library, Hassayampa Inn, Hotel St. Michael, and the bars and shops along Prescott's infamous "Whiskey Row".

One of the Bars Along Whiskey Row

The Redlights are Now Gone on Whiskey Row

(It Boasts as Many Crafts Shops as Bars)

On Labor Day Prescott seems to house an eclectic mix of sad yuppie bikers, scary bikers, drunks, families, and old hippies.

Me, I am a big fan of places with old hippies. Lets face it old hippies equal good baked goods, organic pies, and perfect coffee.

The Express Expresso Bar at the St. Michael

Words to Live By

Arrive at 7:00 AM for

The Best Croissants and Scones in AZ

Prescott is the place to go to avoid the hype of Sedona and/or the snow and cold of Flagstaff. It is Arizona's perfect slice of American Pie.

Roadboy's Travels © 2009

A Perfect Place in LA

The Farmers Market in LA

As an architect I tend to think that all good places have to begin with a grand plan. So it is painfully hard to accept perfectly wonderful places that just sort of happen.

These are the places where somehow a seed gets sown and with time they mature and become....dare I say it; perfect?

The Farmers Market in LA is one of those perfect places. After evolving for three quarters of a century it is now a delightful jumble of a place. In car crazy LA, this is one of its best pedestrian places imaginable. You can stroll, buy fresh meat / produce, eat foods from every corner of the world, people watch, and just laze about.

The Farmers Market Sign

An LA Icon

Like everything in LA, the Farmers Market is "World Famous". Indeed, its tower sign is truly a landmark. And the pies at DuPar's? Well they are icons as well and they are available 24 hours a day. DuPar's pies run the gamut from conventional "Mom comfort food" to mountains of meringue and apple pies with volcano shaped crusts.

Seating Can be Under Tents or Trees

The LIne is Blurred Between Indoors and Outdoors

Forget Foo Foo Ice Cream Flavors

Here is the Place for Great Chocolate Malt Ice Cream

There are few comparable places in the US. The Pike Place Market in Seattle comes to mind. It is even a bit hard to figure our how to get into the Farmers Market as it is surrounded by a gentle fortress of white clapboard walls and shops.

Every Turn Brings Something New

But once inside the sights, smells, and colors make for a perfect place. It is fun to walk and people watch.

Meat, Produce, Nuts, Everyday or Gourmet

Anyone that comes here will find something they want to eat. Food choices run from alligator tail to vegan.

Every Stall is a Show Kitchen

It could never be replicated as it now stands in complete defiance to every convention of modern building codes.

Perfect Location

Sort of ironically The Farmers Market now anchors the west end of The Grove a glitzy new shopping and dining venue that is everything the Farmer's Market is not.

The Grove

Uber Hip Lifestyle Mall

The Market is chaos, The Grove is Stepford perfect. The Market is compact, The Grove is blocks long.

A Place of Manufactured Icons

The Market has little shops and stalls, The Grove has huge shops and restaurants. The Market has a couple of small parking lots, The Grove has a huge multi-story parking deck.

Painfully Perfect "People Places"

The two venues actually balance each other out and add a degree of critical mass that seem to make each better.

If you are a Los Angelino pick a night and go. If you are a tourist, don't miss it.

Come On There's Pie!

An did I mention, there is wonderful pie waiting for you 24 hours a day?

I mean really, what injury in our hectic daily lives can't be repaired at least a little bit by a prescription that includes a slice of pie and and a cup of steaming coffee?

Roadboy's Travel's © 2009