Baltimore Baby! - 5/15/08 May 18, 2008

So I got fed up….well not really fed up. Just tired of working everyday for two months straight with nothing other than the weekend break! So…..off to BAL-TI-MORE….MARY….LAND to see the Wretched and have BIG FUN! (If you haven’t seen Off to See the Wretched please WATCH it NOW…it is my favorite Cosby show Claire moment)

I can’t take credit for the Baltimore idea it was actually my friend MJ (who I convinced to play hooky with me) idea…and oh how we did have BIG FUN in Baltimore. We took the MARC train from DC’s Union Station, enjoyed the hour long ride by taking a nap arrived around 2:30 and hit the mean streets. Our first destination was the Washington Monument. MJ, my famous history buff friend, knows anything about everything and promptly informed me that the Washington Monument located in the Mount Vernon neighborhood of Baltimore was indeed the first monument built in honor George Washington. We climibed teh 228 steps to the top and enjoyed a picturesque view of Baltimore….we panted our way down and headed over to Baltimore’s inner harbor where we got frozen treats and people watched. Our last destination, was some big hill (me standing atop it very exuberant in my rock star stance) where I had great encounters with a little kid named Jalil…who called me a ‘monkey on a swing’ and then in his kid friendly way, forced me off the swing so that I could push him higher and higher into the sky! Well of course, I was afraid that 4 year old Jalil would flip off the swing and bust his head wide open….and then I would be sued for my last $175.87.

So I called….er Jalil kicked me to the curb and called his dad to push him higher and higher to the sky! I walked away, happy….the way you feel when little kids take time out to invite you into their way of life.

If you haven’t done it recently….play hooky from work…..an adventure awaits you!

Memories - 5/12/08 May 13, 2008

Sumon and I studied Japanese in Kyoto for a semester back in college, so instead of temples and shrines, he wanted to see some of the places where he spent time back then. I live on the same train line that he was on 6 1/2 years ago, so we followed his old commute to school, KIC which is on the campus of Kyoto University of Art and Design. Later we went to his favorite bar, ING, where the rock’n'roll bartender/owner remembered him!

A Night on the Town - 5/10/08 May 11, 2008

College friends and world travelers, Snow and Sumon, joined me in Kyoto for a few days of catching up and sleeping in but we made it out of the house a few times. Our first stop was vegan restaurant, Mikoan, which really filled us up with delicious Japanese style dinner sets.

We wondered around a bit and went to a couple bars, thinking that we would head home early, but somehow when we checked the time, we had already missed the last train! Being committed to five more hours, we transformed from low energy to dance energy and had a great night! No photos of the actual dancing, but here’s one of a group of cute young salarymen enjoying the club, still in their suits from work.

Cinco de Mayo - 5/5/08 May 11, 2008

 

U-Street has changed since my last stint in DC….Gentrification……and my heart lags around old and new…..I ate NACHOS at Alero with ‘everybody’ and had a  good time (eating) and enjoying the atmospheric sounds of folks happy to be off work.

Earth Love Festival - 5/5/08 May 6, 2008

I found the website for a shop called Veggie Sweets a couple months ago that looks interesting. They make vegan cake and ice cream and I’ve been wanting to go but there is no map and I don’t trust myself with Japanese addresses at all! The other day I checked the website again and there was a post about the Earth Love Festival (地球愛祭り) where they would be selling some of their sweets the next day! I invited Beth, a JET from New Zealand for the adventure.

It was a small but nice event with a few non-profit booths, music and dance performances, and some vegetarian businesses. The most exciting thing was all the vegan sweets! I bought way too many, and I found out where the Veggie Sweets shop is, so I’ll be going soon! I also met a woman whose small business making vegan cakes and selling them to stores and restaurants is called Spiritual Sweets. She doesn’t have her own shop, so I exchanged contact information with her, and she offered to teach me some vegan baking! Maybe we can trade tips!