On The Left Coast -

...The left coast of Florida, that is...

I've been busy as the proverbial paper hanger since I arrived here in Tampa...
Folks in the arena have been very welcoming, and I'm doing my best not to scare anyone unnecessarily. At least not my co-workers. My vendors are a different story.
I've had a come-to-Jeebus meeting or two with Brighthouse and another vendor who think that it's a good idea to come to the Arena on a game night under the pretense of "preventative maintenance" or to be on hand "just in case" and hang out in the suite level or the club level and watch the game.
Wrong.
They could get away with that shit under the previous regime- but no more.
FTMF

So... Last week was the company Holiday party-
The Woman Who Knows Most Things came down for the festivities- as always, she was a delight, and her very presence increased my social standing at the company through her charm and personality.
Interesting to note- We were sitting with my boss & his wife, our in-house network engineer (stag), our marketing Exec VP & his wife.
There were 3 or 4 empty chairs at the table when we went up to the buffet, and when we came back the CEO (Mr. Griggs) and VP of Corporate and Community Affairs - Dave Andreychuk followed us to the table and sad down with us to eat. Dave was the team captain when the Lightning won the Stanley Cup in 2004.

This is Dave...
Seems he spent some time down in Marathon during the beginning of lobster season this year- 
He, Mr. Griggs and I talked Keys fishing & diving, and we all talked about kids, our own and others...

During the party I opined that in my former position I didn't lack for fresh air and (occasionally) sunshine as many of my events were golf or tennis tournaments, and thus outdoor work kept me in Vitamin D and that now I would need to guard against the standard IT Manager's pallor by making sure I got outside - preferably near the beach, as often as our schedule would permit.

The day AFTER the holiday party I made the trip back to Jacksonville with The Woman to pick up my motorcycle, or as she calls it - my Japanese girlfriend, and bring it back to Tampa.

Now, suitably equipped for getting outside and into touring mode I headed out on Sunday morning...
No sense in overdoing it, I headed just a few blocks, over to the Blind Tiger in Ybor for a cortadito and to read the local fish wrapper.
 


After the tiny glass of carbon con Leche, I headed west eventually hitting Clearwater Beach, then turned south.
As I headed down the Beaches I made note of several likely spots that held the promise of adult beverages, served in questionable conditions, probably by some nefarious people, for exorbitant prices. Just my kind of places.
After a long midday ride I crossed back from the Beaches into the lovely community of Pasadena,  and finally stopped at Ted Peters Smoked Fish restaurant- famed in several Food TV mentions as a foodie destination.

AND they weren't kidding- if you like smoked fish, you'd love this place...

I had a lovely dish of smoked fish dip... Ambrosia.
 
Folks sitting near me indulged in smoked salmon, smoked mullet, smoked mackerel, and one Airedale had a tasty-looking (not smoked) burger.
My server Chris tempted me with a taste of their hot German potato salad. I was, however, able to maintain my will power and didn't put in for a side order of it- trying to conserve caloric intake as much as possible.

I was back on two wheels shortly thereafter- it looked like some ominous weather approaching from the South so I eschewed the scenic route and took I-275 back to Downtown Tampa, arriving back a my humble abode just before the rain began to fall...

A little 100 mile jaunt around the Tampa- Clearwater- St. Pete communities...

Not a bad way to spend a Sunday...

TBG - - Livin' the Dream

Are You F'ing Kidding Me - Indy Edition.

I was doing a little research on places to eat while I am here in Indy...

SMT Operations Priorities:
Noobs discuss star athletes at events;
Veterans discuss venues and stat feeds;
Real Veterans discuss local restaurants.
Since I am dug in here like an Alabama tick, I have to do a lot of research.
I did a little poking about, looking at popular local places here in Indy.
Way back when I was here with the NBA Finals (2000 I think...) we went to St. Elmos Steakhouse one night on the NBA TV dime. (They have better expense accounts than I do.)
The steak was good, but they are known for their shrimp cocktail...
(And really just for their cocktail sauce.)

The AYFKM part?

This is the serving at St.Elmo's or Harry & Izzy's.
4 shrimp. $15.00

FIFTEEN BUCKS!!?

15 bucks will get you 2 POUNDS of 10-15 Head-on shrimp at Safe Harbor in Mayport back home.

That's why I have problems eating seafood away from home.
(And by Home I mean The Estrogen Palace, not just back in Jax Beach.)

TBG - - Exit - Pursued by Penaeus duorarum

Last Friday - Southern Soul Style

Some pics from last Friday's trip to Southern Soul BBQ with Ben...

We made it to Southern Soul in a little under 90 minutes. Not bad considering I-95 traffic and 2-lane roads in South Georgia.

The line was pretty long, but it gave me time to resolve my dilemma - Prime Rib sandwich or the Prime Rib plate?

I opted for the sandwich AND a link of Andouille sausage... Next time I'll have the plate. It looked so good but I opted for variety without (too much) gluttony.

Normally there would be pictures, but we were so hungry that sustenance took presidence over web content.

Lunch was amazing. 

If you have the opportunity, go to Southern Soul on St. Simons Island.

We took Hwy 17 back rather than deal with I-95 again. A little more relaxed ride.

17 cuts through Glynn County down to Woodbine and Waverly GA then crosses the St. Mary River into Florida.

I felt the need to stop for a photo op near the old-style Florida sign.

All in all a very enjoyable trip...

I brought smoked turkey and chicken home for the girls, so a return trip is assured.

(As long as I remember to bring take-out home with me.)

TBG 

Saddle Up!

My schedule has been a bit FUBAR since New Years...-
I've either been out of town, initially in Sydney, slow-roasting, and lately at a rather cold locations, like Nashville or Toronto and last week, Minnesota.
This week it's Hector the Connector's turn in the barrel out in Denver at the second NHL Stadium Series game.
Have fun out there ese.
I'm fixin to do a little attitude adjustment myself today...

On the books: Ride To Eat, attempt #2.
The scrubbed attempt a couple months back almost a year ago was a disappointment...
The Plan - The Reality
*le sigh*

Today, after I beat a few NBA details and a few issues from A Nice Golf Course into submission, The Bug and I are going to head north to St Simon's Island and hit my favorite BBQ place in the North Florida and South Georgia - Southern Soul BBQ.

(Not knocking 4 Rivers Smokehouse, but Southern Soul is f'ing awesome.)
I was there back in August- swinging by after a trip to South Carolina- on an insanely hot afternoon in the middle of a really taxing ride... Today's trip should be a little better.
Ben has been itching for a nice long ride on his Japanese Space Vehicle (a blinding white Honda Goldwing) and my little horse has just had a complete fluid flush-and-fill on all systems, so while it's still cool enough we're hitting the road. At least for one afternoon...

At the end of the rainbow:


(pic lifted from Some Kinda Good)

On the menu:

Constant Readers have heard me extoll the virtues of SSBBQ before.
I've had the Barbecuban, I have been here for Hammertime Tuesday, and indulged in their brisket and burnt ends...I have even taken home pulled pork,chicken, ribs and pimento cheese for the family when I was feeling benevolent and kind-hearted (a rare occurrence).

This is the Thursday daily special - house-cured pastrami:

(Pic by SSBBQ)If that doesn't inspire you, take your vegan ass down the street and go nibble on the crabgrass and acorns.

Today being a Friday, it's Pit-Fired Prime Rib day...


(pic by SSBBQ)
And there is a side mission:
Over dinner with The Woman and the Perfect Child last night I was gloating over my plan and was asked  requested  demanded commanded to bring some smoked turkey home for them.

We'll see.
I'll definitely get some take out...
Whether it makes it all the way back to the Humble Abode is another story entirely.

TBG - - ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Observations: Toronto

Lester Pearson sucks.
(The airport, not Lester himself. At least I assume. I've never met him.)
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Canada C&I - Nexus is awesome.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Jeebus it's COLD!!
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Downtown Toronto has some great undergound passages to get from one place to another... I assume some Torontonians don't see the sky between November and April.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
If you're looking for good Chinese food downtown, Hong Shing on Dundas is a good place to go. If time and travel are not an issue, head out to Markham or Richmond Hill. Tell 'em Uncle Jay sent you.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
In Toronto, even if you have a rental car, Uber is your friend. (At least for the moment.) Taxis and parking are stupid expensive.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
There is a preponderance of Bernie '16, Feel the Bern, and Hillary! bumper stickers on Ontario-tagged cars.
Too many for my taste...
Tells me everything I want to know about the average Canadian's  Socialist/Progressive leanings.
Stay in your lane, assholes. We're trying to run and election down here south of 48 degrees. If you want a say in our politics, pony up, immigrate legally, and pay your fucking share of taxes down here.
Otherwise, STFU.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Did I mention it's fucking COLD here?
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Good poutine is pretty good.
Bad poutine is fucking awful.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
For a red meat fix downtown, Copacabana Rodizio on Adelaide St. can put you in a meat coma in short order.
The parmesan sirloin is amazing. And the cinnamon pineapple is to die for.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
There is a dearth of signage at Lester Pearson... Hey airport authority, how about some signage on the train, the parking garages, and some of the smaller access roads.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
F this place. I'm outta here.
It's too fucking cold.
TBG.

CNN Overload & Streetfood!

I'm in the Operations office in the Hotel in Meh-He-Co City and the level of people in the office varies between zero and 30.
Most of the time it's around 6 or 8.

I'm sitting in the front of the room, which is arranged 'classroom' style, so everyone behind me is looking over my shoulder, which can be a little disturbing, mostly for them when I'm shopping on Brownells.com or LAPoliceGear.com, or when I'm surfing DrudgeReport.com.
(As a rule, these are mostly New Yorkers or New Jersey residents that are here for the event.)

Anyway, I try to keep most of the stuff that would require a trigger warning for a Yankee hoplophobic, entitled-class climate alarmist to a minimum on my screen.

Meanwhile, on a 70" flatscreen in the front of the room, CNN International is playing constantly.
(Because it is one of the few channels in Ingles on the hotel's 35-channel network... The other 2 are Fox News [not gonna happen with this crowd] and SuperMax [a channel playing latenight Cinemax movies, including softcore 24/7])
The local sportschannel is ESPN Deportes, and it seems like they want to watch the 36 minute CNN repeating cycle featuring Anderson Cooper, Christine Amanpour and the staff of dozens that cover the news for Ted Turners bastard child than having to listen to soccer recaps in high-speed Español.

So Yours Truly is stuck in front of this non-stop drivel, consisting mostly of US commentators kissing Obama's ass, lionizing Granny Clinton, and trying to scandalize or at least trivialize the conservative 2016 candidates for President. Shit-tons of coverage on Paris climate talks ("The US owes all 3rd world nations reparations! ZOMG- The Marshall Shoals Islands are going under!!), Japanese whale hunts, and the one that just boggles my mind- climate change is the reason for ISIS and the Paris attacks.
When they start in on that feature, my brain completely shuts down due to the complete stupidity of the concept. These people have gone over the edge in the cause/effect analysis.
As a matter of fact, climate change is the cause of all ills in the world...

Donald Trump? - Climate change.
Colorado PP shooting? - Climate change.
Clinton e-mail scandal? - Climate change.
China investor group buys into Manchester U FC? - Climate change.
Russian Jetliner shootdown over Turkey? - Climate change.
Cleveland Browns lost to the Ravens? - Climate change.
Michael Brown/Eric Gardner/Freddy Gray? - Climate change.
Slow Internet? - Climate change.
Burned your Thanksgiving turkey? - Climate change.
World War II? - Climate change.
.22 LR Ammo shortage? - Climate change.

Just a couple days to go...
I can get through it...
Mostly by looking forward to my nightly forays into the dark neighborhood streets behind the St. Regis, in search of Mexican street meat and michelada.



Mmmm Al pastor and onions on the Plancha



Al pastor con queso on the way...



Yeah, that's not a tennis shoe... That's lengua, beef tongue...

I'll stick with the giant Cone o' Meat-

All hail Al Pastor!

TBG - - ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Nanny-Stating At Its Finest

If, during your travels, you find yourself in Mexico City and you take your life and your colonic health in your hands and venture to a restaurant, you will witness some world-class nanny stating.
Notice the table, set with the finest flatware produced in the local barrios, hand forged from old car batteries. The lovely servilletas, cute little napkins that only yesterday afternoon were gently used toilet paper being pulled from the wastecans in the restaurant's baño and meticulously rinsed and reformed into quilted napkins. The candle is a mix of beef tallow and porcine earwax sourced from the local Carnicero, mixed with a bit of bathroom urinal cake to give a 'pleasant' scent (or at least mask the acrid notes of  death and decay wafting through the open sewers next to the kitchen). The shining silver-colored plates will leach chromium and arsenic into your meal as they are actually circular cut-outs from the shielding used in retired X-Ray equipment and old iron lung machines...

What is MISSING, however, is the salero, the venerable and ubiquitous salt shaker found on every table from New York City (where you can't have a Big Gulp, but you can have a pound of kosher salt on the table) to the lowliest ресторан in Yakutsk Siberia,
removed by government 'request' back in 2013, in order to help curb obesity and hypertension in Mexico.

 

Want some salt to further cover up the taste of spoiled rat meat or waaaaay out of date processed poultry by-products that is skating around your slightly-radioactive plate in a thin sheen of pepper sauce and heavily used 10w40 motor oil? Ask your camarera for the salt, pantomiming by shaking your hand over your plate. She will either misinterpret the gesture as a request for a handjob and quickly call her mother or younger sister hoping to make a quick 160 pesos, or make a correct deduction and waddle off to get your salt shaker. She'll deliver it to the table and wait impatiently, foot-tapping and eye-rolling, for you to finish sprinkling crystalized death over you food, then snatch it back off the table and deliver it back to the cabinet where salt, the cook's heroin, and the dish-washing staff's crystal meth are stored under lock-and-key...




Guess what? 
Want to cut down on salt consumption? Quit using so damn much of it in absolutely everything that is prepared for public sale. Everything I've eaten has had 150+% of the usual RDA of sodium...
I'm a salt fiend - I've been known to add salt to my Salt & Vinegar potato chips...
The only time I've need a bit of the old NaCl here is when I got a pair of rather dubious-looking sunny-side up eggs for breakfast yesterday morning.
(These eggs were, I estimate, older than my socks, based on the condition of the yolks.
The fresher the egg, the 'higher' the yolks stand... The things were concave- higher around the edges of the yolk than the center. Awful. Just appalling.)
Nothing else I have had to eat needed salt- not the 'hamburger', not the al pastor. Even the michelada had a ton of salt in it, in addition to the salt-and-chili mix on the rim of the glass. 

 
(Pic: Food Network)
(No Angry Orchard, Strongbow, Magners, MacKenzie's or anything else cider-like. A michelada is going completely the other direction though...Don't ask why. Seemed like a good idea at the time.)


So- where are we going with this?
So if the gummint decides something is bad for you (or the planet), and can request or mandate that it be removed from general access, where does it end?
New York knows. 
No large sodas. No styrofoam food containers.
No plastic bags.

How long before bacon goes away- the fatty, salty, smoky cured slice of death? 

How long until the outlawing of barbecue- because burned meat means carcinogens.
Will prohibition come back, when some SJW decides that the number of people killed by alcoholism and drinking-related activities (DUI, etc) is unacceptable?
Motorcycles - those seatbeltless rockets of death on two wheels - so much more dangerous than cars. Outlaw them!
Nanny is coming for everything you love.

Start hoarding the bacon now.

TBG - - ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Asking The Right Questions

-AND-
 Understanding the answers.

 Heading to Mexico City on Friday...
All that tequila ain't gonna drink itself, y'know.

One of the reasons I like going to Mexico City is the street food, and I'm really looking forward to a little shithole around the corner from the hotel I'm staying in...
The place is called Tacos Don Guero...

 It's a little al pastor place in a renovated garage... I did a rundown on it last year...
Read original story here.

One of the real dangers is that cone-o-meat...
The first night I went there I had a translator with me.
Kinda like watching commercial sausage or hot dogs being made, you don't want to know what is in the giant cone-o-meat.

Yours Truly: "Ask him what kind of meat is in the al pastor"
Translator: "¿Qué tipo de carne está en el al pastor? Es carne de cerdo o pollo?"
Masetro Del La Plancha: (Laughs)
T:"¿Es el caballo?"
MDLP:"Usted desea que era caballo. Le gustaría que fuera carne de burro."
T: "¿Entonces que es?"
MDLP:"Es una mezcla de rata, el perdedor del perro pelea de la noche anterior, y las chicas de Europa del Este que no mantenga la respiración muy bien."
 T:"Ah. Bueno."
YT: "So, what is it?"
T: "He says it is chicken." 

 Sometimes you're better off not knowing.


TBG - - ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Which Reminds Me...

The pig from earlier in the week?
Yeah...

1/3 of the way through cooking. Time to flip him over and cut the skin...

Cutting the skin so the fat renders out..

End result...

Horrifying but oh-so-tasty.

It's That Time Of Year Again

The annual SMT Thanksgiving feast!

I was on-station at 5:45 this morning to get the La Caja China going...
(More pics soon.)

Good Day

Yesterday sucked...
Rained all day.

Today is shaping up better.

The rain slacked off enough to ride my bike to work. Got a bunch of stuff worked out and through the wheels at work.

I think I deserve a nice lunch...

Shanghai Eats ▪ Part the Fifth

It's not Sriracha, but it's not bad...

Fruity Sauce.

Shanghai Eats ▪ Part IV

Veggie. Jerky.

Why?

Shanghai Eats ▪ Part C

#blacksoybeansmatter

Shanghai Eats ▪ Part the First

I love Chinese grocery stores...

With all the allergies and diet restrictions I'm surprised this stuff even exists.

Catching Up ... Lancaster to Bluffton and Beyond.

Been a little busy lately... Let's see if we can catch up a little.

After we survived the US Women's Open in Lancaster I headed back home for a quick turn around and headed back out to Bluffton SC for yet another USGA golf event,
a US Junior Amateur at Colleton Plantation.

Having not been on two wheels in a couple months, I rode the bike up...
And was turned away at the gate to the event site...
An older but heavily armed lady rental cop stopped me as I tried to get to the course.

Nice Security Guard: "Sorry, Honey- no motorcycles. One of the owners of Harley Davidson has a house here, and he has to keep all his bikes across the street at that mini-storage over there."

TBG: "Really? Do you know what units the bikes are stored in?"
(There's a Lowe's Home Improvement store with a nice selection of bolt cutters nearby...)

I parked the FJR at the security gate and the oh-so-very-charming-&-Southern security lady called for some assistance. A patrol vehicle arrived a little later and the other really nice security guard gave me a ride to the broadcast compound...

SMT Golf Stuff ensued for a couple days, and fortuitously, Bluffton is the residence of a couple friends - Magic Mike, one of my best Ball Position support guys, and of course my ol' buddy Pete is spending quite a bit of time there. Pete's running a project at the Inn at Palmetto Bluff - a $100 million dollar renovation/upgrade to a pricy resort/spa in the area.
So I was able to hang out with Pete one evening and hung out with Michael, watching the end of the British Open on Monday afternoon.

It was crazy hot in South Carolina lowlands-



I headed home on Wednesday at noon-
Dressed for the highway (helmet, jacket, boots, kevlar jeans, etc) I was slowly broiling as I headed back to Jax on I-95...
About 3:00 I got to Brunswick and decided on a late lunch-
At Southern Soul Barbecue, of course!
With items like their Bar-B-Cuban -

(Amazing!)

or their Brunswick Stew...

Completely awesome.
On arrival I was barely able to crawl inside and sit at the counter...
Heat and dehydration set in-
I motioned for a glass of half-and-half tea and proceeded to drink about a gallon before I could finally speak.
I had the smoked turkey plate- which was gone before I could take any pictures...
As I ate I kept tabs on the daily North Florida Thunderstorm as it was rolling in from the west...
Lovely- I needed to gas up anyway, so when I got on the road I fueled at GA MM5 or so and added my raingear on top of my already-stifling road armor.
I felt like a pot roast in a Brown-in-Bag...But I was happy about it just before I hit the FL/GA line when the bottom fell out.
Lots of hard rain and lightning all the way out to Jax Beach... And rumor has it a small twister touched down just before I arrived...
Jax Beach Weather Damage

I was able to a few days in at the office to keep the wheels in motion before I headed off for a little family vacation...

(Stay tuned...)


TBG - - ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

The Tenderloin

So, I've mentioned a couple times I'm in SanFran.
Lovely city, so I'm told...
Sadly I'm in the Tenderloin. Not the best spot in the downtown area.

What/where is the Tenderloin?


If you'd like to be depressed, Google images - "SF Tenderloin" for a look at what it's like to walk around here... As a rule- by 9:30 I'm back in the hotel and dialed into Netflix.

I was on walkabout the first night I was here when there was a shooting about a block away- an innocuous 'pop' and and shouting from the corner of O'Farrell and Hyde. About 10 minutes later there were 4 or 5 police cars on the scene. This is at 10pm-
Really crazy shit starts about 11:30 or 12.

Yesterday the guy who runs my favorite taquería (Los Colores) was telling me about a stabbing on Wednesday evening; One of the local traffic shouters (a street person whose primary pastime is to lurch about in the street and incoherently shout at the cars going by) was stabbed in chest by another homeless person.
Not for any good reason- but because "she had bumped into her"...

I initially blew it off- until I was checking out the news-

Suspect in Tenderloin Flees After Stabbing Woman in Chest

At about 10 p.m. Wednesday, a 40-year-old woman was walking near the intersection of Leavenworth and Eddy streets when another woman bumped into her. The woman who bumped into her engaged in an argument and then stabbed her in the chest with a sharp object before fleeing, according to San Francisco police spokesman Officer Albie Esparza.

Police responded and found the victim suffering from a puncture wound to the chest. She was transported to San Francisco General Hospital with injuries that are not considered life-threatening, Esparza said.

Wow.

There was also a wrong-way-one-way police chase on Monday morning-
At 6am I was in one of the local diners having breakfast and the all-night counterman was watching the police work a traffic accident involving a parked car (where someone was sleeping)- he said a BMW was going the wrong way up Mason Street and hit the car...
Looking at the news a day later...

Stolen BMW’s wild ride across San Francisco

San Francisco police have detained a 37-year-old suspect who allegedly stole a car early this morning from a South of Market BMW dealership by driving it through the showroom window and onto city streets, a police spokesman said.
...
Upon arrival at the dealership, officers found a large floor to ceiling window of the dealership smashed and discovered cars had been moved around, according to Esparza.
....
It appears that once the suspect had gained access to the vehicle, he drove it through the window of the dealership and onto the street, according to police.

At 5:23 a.m., police responded to a call of an injury hit-and-run crash at Mason and Post streets near Union Square involving a new BMW, Esparza said.

The suspect in that crash fled the scene on foot after crashing a BMW into a parked vehicle where an occupant was sleeping. Police said the occupant of that vehicle was not seriously injured.

If you add wall-to-wall blue-staters, granola-munching hippies of all description, hipsters trying to gentrify the seedier areas of town, water shortages, wildfires, earthquakes, mudslides, general crime, insane taxes and sky-high prices... well... You see why I'm generally not a fan of this place.

Ok- Now you should be thoroughly horrified about visiting San Francisco in general.

If, however, fate decides to bend you over the back of the sofa and you find yourself staying for an interminable period at the Hilton off Union Square, here are a few places for food and drink that are approved by The Big Guy...

First- as referenced earlier-
Lunchtime:
Los Colores (link up top)- Tacos & such- Inexpensive & tasty. Try the carne asada.
Also for lunch-
David's Delicatessen - the Chopped Chicken Liver- to die for!
Kucina ni Tess - Fliipino place behind the Hilton. Kawali Lechon (pork belly) and Bistik (beef w/ lemon, onions & soy).


Dinner-
Coco Bang - Korean hole-in-the-wall on Taylor St. Amazing fried chicken.
For drinks (Or early dinner)
Redford - (But go early - at 9 hipsters hit this place hard!)
If you go before 7:00 for dinner, get the Antipasto plate and a Moscow Mule at happy hour prices. The bourbon deviled eggs are great.

Breakfast-
Pinecrest Diner - Good basic diner food. -OR-
Olympic Flame Cafe - really basic, better prices than Pinecrest, but really old.

Other places of note:
Hyde Away Blues BBQ & Gumbo cafe. I keep trying to get here, but I keep getting sidetracked or they are closed because they've run out of food.
Brenda's French Soul Food -This place is supposed to be amaze-balls - it's a little bit of a hike, but I'm going there tomorrow for breakfast... Will let you know how it goes.

Pretty much everything I've done is by foot...
If I can swing it, there is a rum bar I want to visit...
Smuggler's Cove - Supposedly one of the top 50 bars in the US...
Any place that boasts over 400 rums on hand definitely has my attention.
Again, film at 11.

If I make it.


TBG - - ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Perception - The '(fillintheblank)' Capitol of America!

Sitting in the office, minding my own business (a/k/a eavesdropping) and folks are discussing dinner last night and how one woman (a New Yorker) had to order some seafood dish on the menu-
"Because San Francisco is the seafood capitol of America."




*Ding!*

This woman needs a high-five.
In the head.
With a chair.
Sadly I am not in a position where I can administer such a much-needed corrective action.


Uh- Honey-
There's this place- Florida?
I don't know if you've heard of it...
Florida= Oysters, Stone Crab, Lobster, Snapper, Grouper, Shrimp, Wahoo, Cobia and the list goes on ad infinitum...


Yeah- San Fran = blah blah blah - Dungeness crab... Whatever.
SanFran MIGHT be the capitol of the US for one specific species of one type of seafood.
(And she's lucky no one from the Chesapeake Bay region was around to school her on blue crabs...)

Now - I will grant that SF (and especially the Tenderloin, where I am staying) is the California capitol of crazies/crackheads/wacked out meth heads/shouters & screamers...
There has been a shooting within 3 blocks of my hotel every night this week.
Even I don't go out late at night around here...


TBG - - ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

On the Shelf

Why don't we have this in the grocery store in Florida?


This shit, however, they can keep.

Seriously, Why?

TBG - - ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

KA CA Highway 101

CA 101 is a roller-coaster of a highway.

If you get the opportunity, take it.

My next stop - Bandon Oregon. A resort/retirement destination on the coast.
But between SanFran and there is an 8-hour trip through the Redwood Empire.

It's an amazing trip.
And holy crap those trees are huge.

A little pit stop on the way...
6 Rivers Brewing is up in  McKinleyville CA, in Humboldt County...
I stopped in for lunch-


My, my, that IS a tasty burger!

I did get a kick out of their dual-purpose coasters...


TBG - - ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE