Monthly Archives: September 2010

Orlando Magical Dining Month

Posted on September 30, 2010 by steve

Today marks the last day of Orlando Magical Dining Month (although last night was our last foray, since tonight we’re going to “First Bites,” the opening event in the Epcot Food and Wine Festival). During September, a wide array of … Continue reading →

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Wine Syndicate – 1961 Bordeaux

Posted on September 28, 2010 by steve

Our Wine Syndicate group met Saturday at the Bull & Bear in the Waldorf Astoria. It was one of our best tastings ever, focusing on the 1961 Bordeaux vintage, perhaps the best of the century. The two vintages of Chateau … Continue reading →

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Everglades at the Rosen – Four Seasons of the Vine

Posted on September 25, 2010 by steve

Martin and I (Linda has a cold) went to the periodic Vine & Dine event at the Everglades restaurant at the Rosen. They always do a nice job at these events, which allow the chef to experiment outside of his … Continue reading →

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Chez Josephine

Posted on September 19, 2010 by steve

After the always superb lunch at Jean Georges (perhaps my favorite restaurant in the world), we strolled down Broadway, which becomes a giant flea market closed to traffic on Saturdays. Then, in the evening, on the spur of the moment, … Continue reading →

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Michelangelo Hotel

Posted on September 18, 2010 by steve

When we saw The Addams Family in Chicago during its test run, the songs were good, but the show was pretty poor. So poor we couldn’t imagine how it made it to Broadway (admittedly we saw it when its star, … Continue reading →

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New York

Posted on September 17, 2010 by steve

Just as the sun began to rise we entered New York harbor and a tug boat escorted us past the Statue of Liberty. By 7AM we were docked in Brooklyn. After clearing out of our cabin, we breakfasted in the … Continue reading →

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Random Thoughts About This Cruise

Posted on September 15, 2010 by steve

On the large Princess ships you don’t want a cabin below Baha deck, because Caribe and Dolphin balconies stick out progressively farther, so there’s no shade and no cover from the rain. If you have two cabins, you want them … Continue reading →

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St. John’s, Newfoundland

Posted on September 14, 2010 by steve

We awoke to find our ship had somehow managed to either back into or turn around in The Narrows that fronts State Street, the main street of St. John’s, and North America’s oldest commercial street. One of the oddest things … Continue reading →

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Sea Days

Posted on September 13, 2010 by steve

This voyage includes many days at sea. With six days between Greenland and New York, and only one port in between, we’re in no great hurry, cruising along at 15 knots. The weather has been pleasant, with billowing clouds like … Continue reading →

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The Weird World of Princess Cruises Food

Posted on September 12, 2010 by steve

I’m baffled by the mediocrity on-board the middle-brow cruise lines such as Princess. It’s not from a lack of quality ingredients: the ships hold produces amazingly fresh (albeit often previously frozen) lobster tails, lamb chops, beef, fruits and vegetables through … Continue reading →

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Qaqortoq, Greenland

Posted on September 11, 2010 by steve

Greenland is a land of small towns, and this one’s population is about the same as the cruise ship’s. It was pretty funny watching 3000 passengers try to fit into the town’s only gift shop.  

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Polar Ice Cap

Posted on September 10, 2010 by steve

That dirty snow you see in the gap is the beginning of the polar ice cap. Check it out before it melts.

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Ice Field

Posted on September 10, 2010 by steve

We traveled up a fjord in Greenland and found this ice field.

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Iceberg

Posted on September 10, 2010 by steve

Cruising off the coast off Greenland we spotted several things: A large iceberg, whales (actually didn’t see these, but heard reports), and a bright object in the sky; we hear it’s called the sun. I liked this juxtaposition of Iceberg … Continue reading →

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Crown Princess Chef’s Table

Posted on September 9, 2010 by steve

We had an interesting experience tonight after a quiet day at sea. The Crown Princess Chef’s table is a dinner for twelve offered three times during the cruise. It begins with a tour of the kitchen conducted by the ship’s … Continue reading →

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Not Quite Iceland

Posted on September 8, 2010 by steve

It looks like this is the closest we’re going to get to Iceland. Although we can’t really detect it on the ship, apparently there is a 35 knot wind blowing across the harbor entrance, which makes it impossible to dock. … Continue reading →

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At Sea

Posted on September 7, 2010 by steve

Somewhere in the North Atlantic. 15 foot swells, 35 knot gusts, but it’s a big ship, so not too rocky. Running late because the storm kept us in dull Dublin 24 hours extra, missing Belfast completely. Scheduled to get into … Continue reading →

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Nowhere

Posted on September 6, 2010 by steve

We were supposed to be in Belfast today, but due to a 25 knot wind with 50 knot gusts and rain we stayed in Dublin overnight, and will depart for Iceland in stormy weather, skipping Belfast. Too bad, as I … Continue reading →

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Dublin

Posted on September 5, 2010 by steve

We visited Dublin two years ago on our Ireland/Scotland/England tour, and I tried hard to like the city, but it just never clicked for me. I had the same experience (and the same dreary, drizzly weather) this time. Pubs, a … Continue reading →

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Cornwall

Posted on September 4, 2010 by steve

We awoke in the harbor at Fallmouth and tendered over (a slow process because of the small dock) for an hour drive to Lizard, the southernmost point of England. There we took a five-mile two-hour coastal hike along the perilous … Continue reading →

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Southampton

Posted on September 3, 2010 by steve

Today we bid farewell to London, and its extraordinarily nice weather during this week of gastronomic exploration. We had a painless transfer by private car to Southampton, a 90 minute drive south. The boarding procedures in the new terminal were … Continue reading →

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L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon

Posted on September 2, 2010 by steve

We had lunch at Benares, an Indian restaurant near our hotel. It’s run by a chef with one Michelin star. I was a bit disappointed, as I didn’t really find the food to be the creative twist on Indian cuisine … Continue reading →

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Love Never Dies But This Tooth Did

Posted on September 1, 2010 by steve

For the past month I’ve had sinus headaches and jaw aches, but when I went to my dentist at Starbase Dental last week he couldn’t identify a particular tooth that was the problem. He prescribed antibiotics and told me to … Continue reading →

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