Diner Trivia - Alice's, Ellen's

The other day, (as a part of the random browsing I always find myself doing) I was trying out this new website which allows you to make lists -lists of activities, sights to see, places to eat, shop. The lists could be like '10 shopping stops in Manhattan', or 'on the Moroccan food trail in NY'. I found the idea very interesting - it is a variation of other travel websites and opinions, but a list based on a theme is kind of like having a custom theme based tour made for you.

Anyways, I was trying this website and I for some reason decided to add Alice's to my list on 'California road trips'. I was looking for an image to go with my write-up which is when I ran into this...

"Named after the song, Alice's Restaurant, made famous by Arlo Guthrie, this Alice's Restaurant is a true country diner gem. While it may not be the original restaurant the folk singer sang about, it has an unmistakable charm.The building the restaurant is in, was originally built in the early 1900's and served as a general store t0 support the logging industry in the area. What had been called "Four Corners" was then turned into a restaurant. The building was eventually purchased by Alice Taylor, who renamed the restaurant after herself, and the song. The restaurant was sold again in the 1970's and has been family owned ever since. On summer days you can see long lines of bikers, stopping by for one of the fabulous burgers on the menu."

Who knew there was a story lurking behind this place! Sadly, I have no photo's of this place. But you can check some out here.

While we are on the topic of diners, here are some snapshots from Ellen's Stardust. I went there once again with my friends (on my trip to NYC this year April).

The Lost Continent...

Finally O finally, I managed to complete this book. I dont know if it was me or if it was the book or it was just the way it was meant to be - but i ended up dozing off more often with this book than I did with my CFA books!

Bill Bryson talks about the road trip he undertakes across the American continent touching all except for 10 states. The book had a promising start. He starts of by saying "I come from Des Moine- somebody had to". He has a sarcastic wit which is entertaining - but gets tedious as you get deeper into the book. I can understand his disappointment that the small town America he knew no longer existed, nevertheless, his comments that the every town had mindlessly let malls and McDonalds take over becomes repitive when he describes about 85% of the towns that way. Halfway down the book I was reminded of the narrative style of J.D.Salinger's in 'Catcher in the Rye'. In my honourable opinion, it would have been nicer if he had not taken the pains to explain the drawbacks of every motel he had stayed in. And he had dropped his cynism levels a tad bit.

But truth be said, I agreed with him on some things, though these could be true for any country and not just America. Many small towns lack individuality - but probably to be expected given the continents size and unfortunately, limited number of phyical features available to land. I also disliked the tourist crowds in Yosemite and Niagara (though Niagara doesnt star in this book). A number of "spots" are more about the advertisement - 'a tourist trap' he calls them. Lastly, if America stopped spending, the rest of us would definitely be in trouble :).

The good parts - I like the sections where he enjoys the place. I like his discovery of lesser populated places such as the appalachians, the region around the great lakes. In fact, Lake Erie is on my must see list, if and when I ever go back. He also flavors his writing with a lot of titbits on people, their origin, accents etc. As he drives through the appalachians, he describes this tribe which has features such as eye color etc like the whites, but has a dark skin tone. Quite interesting. He also reminisces a lot about "his days" and how America has changed since then.

Overall - do not be dissuaded by my initial comments. Bill Bryson is supposed to be a well liked and appreciated author...!

New York Cityscape - A speck of stardust

Everyday as I walked across the street and turned into broadway, I would see this diner and every day I would catch sight of its caption 'singing waitstaff' and everytime I read it I promised to go in someday. After what seemed like a dozen such promises, on a lazy jobless night I dropped in.

Warm lighting, music memorablia, old gramaphone records and waiters and waitress who sing and give you an evening of food and music. It was quite an entertainment to watch their antics and see musicals almost played out in front of you on tables for a stage and anything handy for props. And since, i ended up not seeing a proper musical, this was the closest to Brodaway i got!

Ellen's Stardust with Singing Waitstaff

New York Cityscape - China Town and Little Italy

As my friend and I stepped off the subway at Grand Street , it was hard to miss the fact that we were the only two non-Chinese or non-south east Asian people around the place. Welcome to China Town!

We were in search - search of the truest Italian cuisine and a feel for Italy. And a search for the best handbag imitations that China has to offer. And a search that was truly rewarded.

New York Cityscape - The ReadingRoom

A lazy saturday afternoon... myriads of people streaming down broadway and 7th avenue as usual... and I was lost once again in the crowds, the clothes, the color and in general the shades of summer in New York... my target destination was the Grand Central... however I was diverted by Bryant Park which I had fleetingly caught sight of from my taxi on the day I landed in New York... And this is what I discovered - "The Reading Room". It was a book lovers ideal afternoon!

Carry your home with you ... and camp

Camping to me always evokes images of roughing it out, living out of backpack, in the wilderness, in the middle of no where, and feels like an activity not suited for the weak hearted. But after a weekend trip to Catskills during my month stay at New York proved, I am ammazed how easy it actually is and can be!

Thanks to my friend from school, who took the initiative to get a group together, we all set out for a weekend at Catskills, close to Albany in upstate New york (New York the state - for a long time i didnt realise that both the city and state were named the same!). Lookedup campsites on the net. Booked a campsite. 3 cars loaded with loads of food. Tents. Sleeping bags. Comforters. We even had a slick looking stove - although we decided to cook food over the fire we built.

The campsite ofcourse almost had everything. Wood for the fire. A grill to cook the burgers over (since we forgot to pack it!). And decently maintained loos. It was almost a home away from home.

Our home for the night. Yippee - I finally got to see that setting up a tent was infact not rocket science.

I really marvel at the extent of organised tourism in the country. While its helpful in a lot of ways, it sort of converts the whole affair to a picnic rather than camping. I still remember the disappointment I felt when I landed in Yosemite with images of a nice long trek and was handed a map with every little detail marked out. But I guess, it just means I need to look harder to find more 'out of the way', 'un mapped' places !

Some photos from canoeing on day 2 @ North Lake

Back from the big apple

Just back from a month long work trip to NY ( well, truthfully speaking, 'just back' was around a couple of weeks ago). Anyway, the trip was pretty fantastic although feels like a "whirlwindy" blur now - I loved the feel of putting on my neatly pressed suit, snazzy bag shoes and all joining the hordes of people walking to work like I was one of them. Come to think of it, I WAS one of them for those 30 days!

Although there was a good amount of work, I spent most of the time that I did have to spare doing "usual" things that I would do in Mumbai or Chennai - like shopping over the weekend, checking out some "city" actions, taking a long walk in a park or just walking through some nice neighbourhood - all of which was really nice.

And I totally loved the whole stay because time just flew - I was there trying to get a hang of life there, and before I knew it It was time to leave. And the best past was, after some time I felt like I was merging with the city rather than feeling like a complete outsider - dont know how that happened, but I am gald it did.

Californian Summer

It's been two and a half years now, and finally, finally I have the mind and the words to write about it. The relavance being that this was my truly first international trip and resparked my travel desires! While the time for a detailed post has long gone by, I make an attempt to recapture the most important moments...

First Impressions...
I had finally set arrived on the promised land, but for some reason I couldnt seem to feel it - feel that I was in America! Belmont, the place where i spent 5 weeks is a quiet village at best, and seemed to be dominated largely by Oracle. And unless one was at the grocery store complex nearby, it was very difficult to see people. I think I missed seeing people around. 5 weeks in Belmont and I realised what a city girl i was!

San Francisco...
A city to fall in love with... and a total opposite to my initial impressions. Dfinitely a city with attitude. The first sight to greet me was a group of musicians performing to the public, kids on skateborads, graffitied walls, and people. The bay, North Beach, the tall buildings, and such different people! Finally, I seemed to have landed at a place which matched my definition of America.

Liberation...
San Francisco has one of the most beautiful bays - ever! The sight of the vast expanse with the sun setting behind the gloden gate ... heavenly! I have never felt more liberated than i did at that moment looking into the open ocean beyond. It is as if the golden gate bridge were indeed a gate which would open any minute to let you into te beckoning ocean - to cut all those chords that bind you, move beyond the sight of land and get lost amongst its soothing waves and spray.

Castro...
The gay area in the gay capital of the world ( or so i was told). Never have I felt more dissappointed to walk into a bar and see such cute guys - every one of them out of reach! For the first time i realised that the thought was more disconcerting than reality itself.

On four wheels...
Driven by a mixture of fear and challenge, I rented a car. And it was one of the most exciting things i did in that one month. Till the last week, i refused to acknowledge the presence of a blind spot. I jumped a red and got loads of honks ( possibly because of the ignorance on blind spots). Ironically i got a ticket for parking in a space meant for a truck!

The explorer...
The whole trip to the US seemed to be a quest to get the 'true feel' of the country and to do something different. Castro and Haight was to see the gay culture and the previously popular hippie destinantion. Big Basin Way, 17 mile drive, Rachos San Antonio were all trips to try out destinations different from those on brochures. I was at the wheel, and Tanu my navigator. It was like living some one else's life everytime we set out, lost our way, used our little knowledge to find our way back. One evening we went to find Big Basin Way and got lost and came upon this quaint diner 'Alice's' set truly 'out of the blue'! The happiness and the kick of having 'discovered' it!

Friends...
As seems to accompany any travel story, a lot of new relationships were struck, old ones tightened and some forgotten ones unearthed. And this was the best part. The trip seemed to set the stage for innumerable shopping trips, ladies nights, dinners, drives and even more trips. The friends friend i imposed myself upon who so kindly took me all around NY and to philly. The friend from my summer classes who housed me for a few days. And not forget long lost school friends and office collegues! For a long time i regretted not making any local fiends, but i think the rest made up for them!

The Lady with the Torch
as I love referring to the statue of liberty. A lady waiting with the book of god and torch to show the way to all those in search of the 'promised land'. I havent seen a monument more appropriate to celebrate a country built on immigrants. And they still continue to pour in, in search of a better world!

Niagara...
A great falls that I refused to be humbled by. I looked at the powerful gush of water surrounding me bliding me with its sheer force. I still remember thinking, "This is nature at its best. I want to be overwhelmed beyond words - but I couldnt!". I suspect that was probably because, Niagara was never the final destination.

Looking back, I think in a way I was afraid I would love the country more than I loved my own. Probably because I see so many of my countrymen who move to the US and actually look down upon the country where they come from. And I was afraid to change into one of them. But then again, every country has a share of people who work that way. And the choice to love and to remember is yours and the land cannot be blamed for that!