Out on the Town

Last weekend, after dinner in Juban, we encountered these lovely items just chilling on the sidewalk. I wonder what happened to their owner...

Their Maiden Voyage

New shoes. Cranberry converses. Especially when the only shoes you thought to take after fleeing an earthquake-struck Japan were colossal hiking boots, what could be better?

Earthquake Sundae

Observe the final offering on the sundae menu. In light of recent events it is a little close to home, to say the least. However, were it not for the fact that the dessert cost $30, and was therefore most likely quite large, I certainly would have sampled it.

(Photo taken at the Ghirardelli store in downtown Chicago this afternoon.)

Smells Like Summer

After Pippi's little Lake escapade (see Pippi Hits the Beach), we ventured up to our house to take a peek.

Inside, it was toasty and warm. The light spilling in through the windows was stunning. It smelled of sand, sunscreen, and lake water: summer.

As you can see, Pippi made herself quite at home.

Pippi Hits the Beach

Yesterday, we decided to take a break from the city and drove up to Beverly Shores, Indiana, a town at the southern tip of Lake Michigan that we always frequent during the summer.

It was a beautiful day. Beautiful, but windy and freezing.

But even that didn't stop Pippi from making a beeline for the beach and jumping right into the water. Luckily, she realized pretty quickly that that was not such a smart idea and retreated from the waterfront a bit shaken.

Nonetheless, she wasn't shaken enough to have lost interest in 'Drop and Bark' (a variation on your average game of 'fetch' involving a rather impatient little dog with no interest in bringing her tennis ball all the way back to the designated thrower).

Baby Driver

Pippi likes to be in charge. Yesterday, this quality manifest itself when she took the wheel and was not easily convinced to relinquish it.

Perfectly Singed

We've been meaning to try 'Coal Fire' since last summer and finally had an opportunity to last night. The room was crowded with red jerseys, hats, and other paraphernalia. Everyone there except for us seemed to be grabbing a pre-Bulls Game bite to eat.

Our thin, perfectly singed pies were placed atop large steel cans so as not to crowd our table unnecessarily.

This is one of the two pizzas we orders. A white pizza topped with basil and ricotta, it was amazingly light and delectable. I would probably choose this one over our margarita, though I admit it would be a very tough call.

The Façade Says It All

In a cute little bakery,

On shelves well designed,

Sat 12 types of cupcakes,

In nice straight lines.

By the way, we bought three and they were absolutely delicious.

(Clockwise from the bottom right: Chocolate Marshmallow, Vanilla Milk Chocolate, Black & White)

Quintessentially American

On Thursday night, my family and I went to Gene & Georgetti, a place my dad raves about, for dinner. We sat down and ordered what seemed like a reasonable quantity of food: an entrée each and some sides to share.

Then, our meal arrived. Seeing our shock at the shear quantity of it, the waiter joking said something about not wanting to send anyone home hungry. This kind of food was different from our standard restaurant fare. It wasn't served in delicate, artfully arranged, small portions, but rather in huge chunks and slabs. I'm sure that it must have taken an entire shopping bag full of spinach to make our sautéed side.

We left the restaurant with a big bag full of leftovers which, luckily, tasted just as good the next day.

Waffle Heaven

On Blackcomb Mountain, the best place to go for lunch after an intense morning of skiing is indisputably Crystal Hut.

On Tuesday morning, we didn't mess around. After a few tiring treks up Spanky's (see previous post) among other things, we were ready for a hard earned break and some of Crystal Hut's famous waffles.

We entered the Hut and were greeted immediately by the intense aroma of maple and waffles on the iron. I nearly swooned.

How could I resist but to order one of the famous 'Fully Loaded' delicacies?

Spanky's Ladder

Whistler Blackcomb is, hands down, one of my favorite ski resorts. When I went skiing there with my family for the first time, in 2005, I struggled on blue runs while my dad glided double blacks with ease. He always talked about a short hike dubbed 'Spanky's Ladder,' from the top of which he accessed some rather hairy runs. This year, after a few years away, we went back to the resort. Finally, I was ready to ski the legendary 'Spanky's Ladder.' It was a rite of passage.


At the top of the hike was a sign reading 'EXPERTS ONLY,' warning skiers and boarders of the extreme conditions they could expect to run into below.


Our first run down was absolutely amazing. It was very steep, no doubt about it, but with a fresh coat of light powder to top it off, nothing could have been better. My dad, sister, and I were the only people there and I can think of no place I would have rather have had fresh tracks.


For our next sprint down Spanky's we decided to try a different entrance and, boy, was this one scary. Well, the slope itself, while quite sheer, wasn't the worst part. What was terrifying was the traverse over. With cliffs on either side of a ridge that no one would call spacious, I was just a little bit nervous.


In the end, however, it was all worth it. I survived Spanky's, not once, but four times. As a skier, I'm finally almost on par with my dad.

Miss America

When we left Tokyo following the earthquake, we knew we couldn't leave Pippi behind. So, we brought her to Chicago with us! After braving an eleven hour flight, she was thrilled to escape the confines of her crate. But of course, she wasn't going to let Baby out her sight just yet.

Earthquake Snapshots

Needless to say, the earthquake in Japan last week was huge shock with some very drastic results. Tokyo remained much the same, but here a few photos from the incident.


Here is a crowd of people walking home late at night. The train lines were closed immediately following the quake. This was taken from the school bus somewhere between Chofu and Roppongi. It took 7.5 hours to get home!


In order for a distance usually covered within 45 minutes to take 7.5 hours, you can imagine there had to have been some horrendous traffic. Cars were bumper to bumper, door to door.


As a bus monitor, I was partially responsible for obtaining sustenance for the kids on my bus. We raided the already half empty shelves of a convenience store and managed to spend over Y20,000, quite a feat, if I do say so myself.


This is the tofu section of one of our local supermarkets a couple days after the earthquake. These shelves aside, the only totally sold-out part of the store was area with bottled water.


Apparently, when the earthquake began, Pippi's first instinct was to dive underneath the nearest table. What a smart dog! After the stress of the incident, she was thoroughly tuckered out.


The night following the earthquake newscasters made their broadcasts under the safety of some trusty hard hats. Only in Japan!

Nigella Does it Again

Almond Macarons: the product of my second cooking escapade with Nigella Lawson and her How to Become a Domestic Goddess. Already devoured, the cookies were a huge hit with my family, who have assured me that I am well on my way to goddess-hood.

Becoming A Domestic Goddess

Yesterday, my mother and I paged through numerous cookbooks looking for the perfect desert. When we opened Nigella Lawson's How to Become a Domestic Goddess to 'Torta Alla Giandua,' we knew we had found a winner.

A Toothsome Beverage

Dean and Deluca's seasonal 'Strawberry Marshmallow Hot Chocolate.' Need I say more?
(Consumed this morning on the way to the Kanto Plains Choral Festival.)

Kimono at the Opera

Yesterday, when I went to see Giuseppe Verdi's La Traviata, I was surprised to find that countless individuals were clad in kimono.

Speedy Wonder

In case you can't quite make it out, the yellow sign reads "Speedy Wonder." How ironic.
(Photo taken at Niseko)

Golden Raspberry Jam

This jar of jam was purchased at a swish and modern deli (called J-Sekka) in Niseko last weekend. Not only does the jar have a pleasing label, but the jam inside of it is delicious, even if it is a little on the sweet side.

An Oblong Outline

I noticed this perfectly shaped silhouette walking home yesterday. Against a background of blue, it was quite aesthetically pleasing.

An Elusive Landmark

On Sunday morning, our final day in Niseko, Mt. Yotei finally made an appearance.