Day 3: Breakfast and Jailbait

Yummm, jailbait.  It does a body good.  So we went to the Longhorn Saloon for apres ski on Day 2 and it was not really noteworthy.  Mostly because we were hesitant to admit that the place was just too loud for us.  I guess that means we're getting old.  Anyway, we returned the Longhorn for breakfast between runs, and ya know, it was all right.  It was made especially all right by our sexy, if way under 21 server.  Yikes. Did we mention that the drinking age in BC is 19.  Lots of trouble, trust me. Phaux, how could you not get a picture of her skirt??!?

[singlepic id=2 w=320 h=240] [singlepic id=26 w=320 h=240]

Day 3: Morning Ski in Whistler

I have been underwhelmed by Whistler the past few times that I've been up here.  Possibly  because I had a blowout fight with one girl a long time ago, and the last time the girl I was seeing broke her arm on day 1 of our trip.  Ugh.  Anyway, today all of those memories were replaced by scenes of misty powder and a gorgeous mountain day.  Wow. [singlepic id=1 w=320 h=240]

[singlepic id=3 w=320 h=240]

[singlepic id=4 w=320 h=240]

[singlepic id=5 w=320 h=240]

[singlepic id=6 w=320 h=240]

[singlepic id=12 w=320 h=240]

[singlepic id=24 w=320 h=240]

[singlepic id=25 w=320 h=240]

[singlepic id=15 w=320 h=240]

Eats in Vancouver: Oysters and Beer

Some years ago, I went to Toronto with possibly the sweetest of all the girls I've ever dated, Joan (pronouced "Jo-anne") Lee While we were there, we made a point of calling our northern neighbour "Canadia" and Ontario's fair capital "Tortonto" (by the way, I realize that Ottawa is the capital of Canadia, I said Ontario).  That was awesome fun. So while were were there, we stopped at a Toronto legend, Rodney's Oyster House.  It was way out of the way, it felt like it was almost in North York.  Who knows.  I just remembered the fried clams, delicious oysters, and the hot dog.  Yes, I had a hot dog at an oyster house.  Don't ask.  Since then, I'd been back to Tortonto many times -- most spectaculary during the SARS quarantine, blaster virus, and northeast blackout, but I never made it back to Rodney's.

Today, walking around the corner from our Yaletown hotel,  I spotted the classic Rodney's sign.  Of course, that's where we're eating.  Yum.

Photos below, but in short:

Oysters: Yes. Chowder: Yes.  Bread Yes:  Oysters Rockefeller: Maybe. Garlic Shrimp: No. Cougars: Yes.  The place is a bonafide cougar den.  Enjoy.

David Lam Park and Elixir in Vancouver

I just can't get away! I did have a strange reaction at the park, though.

Day 1: Breakfast at Voula's

After a quick stop at Matt's buddy's awesome studio, we headed to Voula's Offshore Cafe on the say so of his (the buddy's) lead assistant / weatherman ... the producer / marketeer at the studio gave us the heads up as to what exactly to order, and we followed her advice. Voula's is in a part of town that someone said was the University District, but it seemed more like folks working the the marine industries, no university in sight. This is just a perfect greasy spoon. Simple, hearty, and famous for a dish called "the Hobo", which is a mess of hash browns, eggs, sausage, peppers, mushrooms, onions, topped with cheddar cheese. It was awesome, but a couple more of those and there goes the boyish figure.

What was funny is that this place was featured on the Food Network's road trip show, "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives" ... out of all the breakfast places we could have ended up at.

Definitely worth the stop, and maybe another on our way out.

Most Definitely Road Trip Worthy: Eddie's Famous Cafe In Los Banos, CA

Eddie's should have been one of my first Road Trip Worthy posts.  This place serves the best breakfast in California, hands down.  The homemade sausage is very nearly the best sausage I've had anywhere in my life.  The service is impeccable.  This is a local's place, and city slickers and their Priuses (What's the plural of Prius, Priui? Priuae?) are sure to get a cockeyed-glance or two.  It gets pretty busy on weekends, so plan on a small torturous wait as you smell what Eddie has cooked up.
View Larger Map

Road Trip Worthy: Bonita in Clinton Hill (Brooklyn)

On my way to see TV on the Radio last night, I dropped by Bonita at 338 Bedford Ave in Brooklyn, NY for a little pre-show eats. Ho-lee yum.

I went for the gusto and the Michelada to drink. I won't reveal EVERYthing that's in it, but here is the gist: Ice, tabasco, lime and beer - with a salted rim. It is heaven, after you get over the shock of having ice and tabasco in your beer. As the waitress who indoctrinated me said, "it's an obsession that's hard to escape." 

For dinner, carnitas: pork shank confit, chile de arbol salsa. I was on the phone with DJ when I basted it with the topping my buddy behind the bar pointed at... what I didn't hear him say was, "watch out, gringo, this is fucking hot." So I barely tasted the first carnita and had to get off the phone and go tap the fire hydrant outside to put out the flames.

Wiping my brow, I tried some milder toppings and sank into caloric heaven Delicious - and illustrated (two missing)

Thank you, everyone!

From the myriad of people we met on the road, to our friends, fans and family back home, thank you all.

We'll be posting more very interesting stuff we just didn't have time to pull of while on the road in the next week or so, so keep checking. Plus, a super-secret special opportunity of a lifetime.

Day 10: Spammer's Closing Thoughts, Part 1

Social spamming was hella fun.

Taking - no - MAKING time to have a road trip with Zoo Broker was one of the best decisions I have made this year, and let me tell you folks, it's been a year for decisions. I so very enjoyed myself that it is hard to clearly explain. Perhaps all of the posts we made for you (well, for us really) will, in total, represent an experience that mirrors my path in life. Deliberately unplanned, but pursued with enthusiastic vigor.

Full entry after the jump.

If you take a peek at my opening musings, you'll find that I put forth some goals for the trip. Let's see how I did:

• Uncertain destinations (YES)
• Lots of photo-ops (YES)
• Some ridiculously inebrious evenings (YES)
• Perhaps double mileage versus previous trips (3,200 miles)
• Meaningful, probing conversation (YES, IN PLENITUDES)
• Insights (YES, WILL EXPAND ON THIS)
• Glee (YES)
• New people with interesting stories weaving into ours (YES, SEE BLOG)
• Potentially embarrassing moments (YES, SOME NOT SHARED WITH THE PUBLIC)
• Incredible discoveries only found via an open mind and no agenda (YES, SEE HERE & HERE)
• Deep, satisfying exhaustion (YES, TOOK A NAP YESTERDAY)

Do you achieve all your goals? I am not mystified at all that I did. I chose my priorities and focused on them. Everything else fell into place alongside this journey because I have learned (and practice) that you have to focus on the things you can control, and let everything else take care of itself.

Here is the wonderful part... Now I get to set NEW goals. Yes, exciting! I do already have some big plans involving some art, and am ready to jump on that immediately, as well as getting back to a healthy diet (big wink).

As for Zoo Broker, he has been the finest friend I could ask for. Exciting, sharing, generous, thoughtful, encouraging, brazen, inspiring and made me laugh until I cried more than a few times.

Let me share some insights that found me while on this epic journey.

People are generally the same, no matter where you go. To be specific, there are so many indiviual people with different goals and dreams (or dreads), that an generality by region is impossible. Each person you meet is full of potential. Some are more exceptional, and I think this is because they also have a keen interest in life.

America is diverse and wonderful. From the seediest piss-smelling alleys to the majestic and barren desert mountain ranges, it is a composition of amazing things. I love it all. Juxtaposition is the key. I recently went to an Edward Tufte seminar and he states that presenting data without comparison is a meager meal. In this case, seeing the smallest of towns (population 16) to the big metropolises, the plains to the Rockies, the desert to the forest gave me a grand scale for comparison. It's within these differences that lie the opportunity for gratitude, and I am very grateful to have learned more about my country.

I knew this already, but it has been reinforced during this trip: If you do not make time to do the things you love, you may never do them. Just change your priorities.

Being selfish is not a bad thing. After all, who is more important in this world than yourself? I had an interesting conversation with a mostly drunk architect last night and brought up my favorite question (for architects), "Have you read THE FOUNDTAINHEAD?" LOLz, it realy gets some of them going. I see that book as having lots of people acting on the beliefs surrounding "being selfish". Exercising your personal right to choose happiness for yourself before choosing it for other people is what I choose. In general, America sees selfish as a very negative word. I do not. I will always choose my happiness first. This does, however, go hand in hand with the belief that I treat the world as I want to be treated. That is harmony.

Doing unplanned things is one of the best ways to learn something you do not know. It sounds so obvious, but you won't know what Imean until you do it. Why re-learn things you know? Life is toooooo short.

Take the time to tell other people that you like your life. It helps the world become a better place when people know that happiness is out there...

As Zoo Broker repeatedly says, "the opportunity never taken is something that will never happen. It's always better to do it, than not do it." You only get one chance (that we know of) here and now. Do something you like with it.

--SpamZalot

Day 10: Zoo's Closing Thoughts, Part 1 (Almost Banal)

We're only a few hours from boarding planes back to our respective homes, and I am wiped out-- physically, that is. Mentally, I'm energized. This was the trip that I needed, -- I probably needed it months ago -- to help me refocus on the things that are important. When I wrote this 10 days ago, I felt lethargic and almost worthless. This was not a road trip of great epiphanies, or moments of clarity -- just a persistent deluge of stimuli that reinforced what I knew – but had willfully ignored.

Spammer calls me an “instigator” -- that I like to “remind people that they are alive”. Well, these past 10 days have reminded me that I was still alive, that there are things to do -- maybe not things of great import – but at least to find some excuse or basic justification for my continued existence. It’s reminded me that the value of comfort -- the easy life – it pales in comparison to the value of adventure and challenge.

I’m looking forward to hitting the ground running when I get back to San Francisco – whether it’s to get started on my projects, breaking out the new drums and finishing our Road Trip song, or just causing general havoc.

Part 2 (Almost Ranting) to come tomorrow …