Traveler Writes

Captain Gill’s Boiled Peanuts

kim — Thu, 10 May 2012 19:01:01 +0000

Boiling peanuts from iStockphoto.com

Before visiting Apalach, I’d never tasted boiled peanuts. That is, until I boarded Captain Gill’s boat for a tour along the Apalachicola River and Scipio Creek. As we snacked, his wife explained that unlike other methods his doesn’t yield mushy peanuts. He graciously shared his “recipe.”

Get some good fat green peanuts.
Wash and put in a pot of water.
Add lots of salt.
Boil until peanuts have the desired texture.
Turn off heat.
Leave covered overnight.
Taste and, if not salty enough, add salt and soak longer.
They freeze well.

Water Hill Music Festival: Playing on the Porch

kim — Tue, 08 May 2012 19:10:16 +0000

A quintessential Ann Arbor experience, the Water Hill Music Festival just turned two, and I hope it has many more happy years ahead of it. What a cool event.

So, basically, a bunch of talented people who live in this neighborhood — up on a hill northwest of downtown A2 — play music at predetermined times on their respective porches the first Sunday in May. Visitors amble around the ‘hood, drawn by the sounds of, say, a jazzy sax, a banjo, a Celtic fiddle tune, a blues rhythm. You can listen and linger until the set is done or move along at your own pace to the next performance. Organizers post a detailed schedule and map on the Water Hill website shortly before the festival starts. This year they also launched an app, although I had trouble downloading it (this could easily have been me, not the app).

Prior to leaving home, I looked up some of the musicians and loosely mapped out a route to follow. We arrived a bit later than expected (Mr. TW needed binding, gagging and dragging, convinced a nap would be more rewarding), so there went half my plan. As we walked from performance to performance we often detoured because we saw a crowd or heard inviting sounds, so there went the other half of my plan. Next year, I’ll keep it simple: just show up and wander.

This year, Water Hill drew an estimated 5,000 to 6,000 (!) people, along with plenty of leashed and well-behaved dogs. (The usually skittish and reserved Border collie did exceptionally well with all the other canines walking by and the little humans trying to pet her all afternoon — the vibe was that good.) The music spanned genres; the listeners spanned generations, lifestyles and cultures. You could tell some resident musicians were seasoned performers while others were just getting their feet wet. The people-watching, as you might expect in such a creative, artistic city, was superb. (In spite of himself, Mr. TW had a great time.)

And if I may pseudo-philosophize for just a moment, I think on a deeper level the festival says much about neighborhoods and the power of community. A lot of good things — great music, spending time outside, chatting with friends we bump into — can come from using our sidewalks and front porches to engage.

Congratulations, Water Hill. You guys hit it out of the park.

Eating My Way Through: Apalachicola, Florida

cw — Mon, 07 May 2012 13:40:15 +0000

I’m not exaggerating when I say that my mouth was watering while writing this and thinking about the food I had in Apalachicola. The food scene in Apalach is completely, refreshingly, unpretentious, just fresh local fish, shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico and oysters from Apalachicola Bay, straight up — with a side of stunning water views.

View of the Apalachicola River from my table in the overwater gazebo at Caroline's

I awoke starving on my first morning. I’d read about the hearty breakfasts at Caroline’s River Dining so I walked the couple of blocks along the Apalachicola River to the restaurant’s screened gazebo-on-the-docks. Pelicans rested on piles, gulls squawked, and the waitress told me I’d just missed a pod of frolicking dolphins that passed by on their morning swim toward the Gulf.

I sipped pulpy, fresh-squeezed OJ while looking over the breakfast menu: Chilled oysters on the half-shell (the very first item) and several other oyster dishes. A good sign. But wanting to save myself for oysters later in the day, I ordered a vegetarian omelette, which arrived with plentiful and varied veggies and just the right amount of sharp cheddar. Buttermilk biscuits made from scratch were flaky, not heavy, and delicious drizzled with local tupelo honey.

Since my vacation rental at The Consulate had a large, well-equipped kitchen, I bought breakfast foods at the grocery store for most of the other days. On my last day, though, I stopped at Café con Leche for good, strong coffee and scones. After browsing the jewelry, hats and other art also sold at the cafe, I sat outside on the patio (dog friendly, as are many places around town), which faces Water Street and the river. The good smells wafted outside, and I kicked myself later for not trying the arepas or pain au chocolat.

Parmesan oysters at Up the Creek

At Up the Creek Raw Bar, I bee-lined for a stool on the covered deck upstairs (the uncovered deck is dog-friendly). I was there around happy hour and sipped a cold beer while overlooking the marina, oystermen in their white wellies cleaning up for the day. I ordered a half-dozen Parmesan oysters (steamed) and then another half-dozen. I’d heard the shrimp bisque here is to die for, and I could see that Chef Brett has a creative streak (e.g. conch cakes with mango coconut slaw and key lime sauce or fried green beans with toasted onion breading), but I stuck with oysters.

Hole in the Wall Seafood and Raw Bar is known for its shrimp and crab casserole and buttermilk pie, but I had…right: oysters. Despite the connotations of the name, Hole in the Wall was clean, friendly and comfortable. As a solo traveler, it can — for me at least — sometimes feel funny dining alone, but everyone in the place was quick to strike up conversations. As you pay your bill, check out the interesting collection of local artifacts in the glass cases up front.

Oysters at Eddy Teach's on St. George island

Across the bridge on St. George Island, I sampled more oysters at Eddy Teach’s. I don’t want to spoil the experience for you, so let’s just say:

It’s worth a visit (as is St. George island itself)
It’s full of character and its own unique kind of charm
The oysters are great. I had the specialty Cheddar Gorge — garlic, spinach, bacon, jalapenos, cheddar
You should talk to your neighbor at the bar or the next picnic table over
If for some reason you get bored at Teach’s (you won’t), you can always grab a book from the shelves in back
Bring a Sharpie

Homecooked: Fresh sauteed shrimp and collard greens

During my week in Apalach, I think I visited the riverfront 13 Mile Seafood Market at least every other day for smoked and fresh Gulf shrimp. Many nights, I sautéed the sweet, tender shrimp in olive oil and garlic with a sprinkle of sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Sautéed collard greens on the side made it one of the simplest and best meals I’ve ever cooked. It was fun to be a “regular” at the market, even for a week.

At the Old Time Soda Fountain, I stocked up on edible souvenirs: Tupelo honey for me and “oyster bones” (dog treats made with ground oyster shell) to bring home to the Border collie.

As if I didn’t have enough reason to go back to Apalach — namely, I loved the place — three more reasons include the Indian Pass Raw Bar, Papa Joe’s Oyster Bar and Boss Oyster, establishments I’d hoped to visit but didn’t have time for.

Last but not least, Apalach has two (chain) grocery stores just outside downtown: a Piggly Wiggly and an IGA. Locals I spoke with recommended the former, but I missed it so continued down the road and stopped at the IGA. It was more than adequate, but I’ll hit Piggly Wiggly first next time.

Been to Apalach? What did you think of the food?

3 First Date Travel Questions

cw — Tue, 01 May 2012 13:10:20 +0000

My favorite meal (so far): Semmelknoedel mit pilzen. Image courtesy of coolcat via Flickr

Blogger and motivational speaker Sam Davidson, author of Simplify Your Life, recently posted a list of “26 Great First Date Questions.” I don’t usually read these things — who cares what one possession I’d want with me on a deserted island (my more sentimental side leans toward duct tape) — but Sam’s posts usually leave me with something to think about, so I scanned the list. A few questions dealt with travel and of course those caught my eye.

20. What is the best meal you’ve ever had?

Semmelknödel mit pilzen (bread dumplings with mushrooms) at the softly-lit, family-run Hahnhof restaurant in Mannheim, Germany. Imagine a rich cream sauce full of flavorful, wild mushrooms, ladled over a dumpling the size of a softball. And a hearty, malty doppelbock — “double bock” — beer to go with it. Mmm-mm. (And then Zzz-zz.)

Like most memorable meals, circumstance enhanced the food: Mr. TW and I had just spent a sunny afternoon crunching through autumn leaves along Mannheim’s Rheinpromenade. We’d sat in the garden of the gemütlich (cozy, homey) Rheinterrassen restaurant, while I sipped hot cocoa (he, beer, of course) and riverboats cruised up and down the Rhine. We talked about the castles we would tour the next day. It felt the like a quintessential German (tourist) experience.

23. If you’re in a new city, do you wander or stick to the itinerary?

Wander. Most definitely wander.

24. Where – or who – is “home”?

Michigan and Mr. TW, although — sorry, Honey — Michigan was “home” before he was.

April 4th Friday Travel Fave: A Toy for Dogs with Separation Anxiety

cw — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 18:33:09 +0000

Have a favorite travel “something” from the past month? It could be a book, gadget, destination, article, blog, blog post, event, anything. I do, and once a month I’ll post my favorite and explain my pick.

What’s your travel fave for April? Comment here, on Traveler Writes’ Facebook page and/or post on Twitter with the hashtag #4FTF.

Did somebody say peanut butter? Adios. Tschuss. Ciao.

If you’re not a dog owner, you’re probably scratching your head wondering what that red thing is. So you can stop, I’ll tell you: It’s a Kong, a rubber chew toy with a hollow center. It also helps keep dogs that are prone to separation anxiety distracted and occupied while their humans are out. I fill ours with peanut butter and put it in the freezer so it takes the border collie even longer to get at the treat inside. (Kong Company sells several products you can stuff the toy with, but I like the idea of real, plain and inexpensive PB.)

Now whenever I say, “You’re going to get peanut butter” as I head out the door — or we leave her in the car during roadtrips so we can grab a bite to eat — she starts to drool. On occasion, I’ve come back in the house because I’ve forgotten something, and she doesn’t even notice. That’s exactly the kind of separation anxiety I want my dog to have.

What’s your favorite travel-related item, book, blog or post, what-have-you from April?

How to Find the Best Cruise Prices: Cruise Experts Dish

cw — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 15:38:42 +0000

Image courtesy of 111Emergency via Flickr

After my experience trying to find the best online cruise deals (which you can read about here) for a family trip, I decided to dig further. I hate feeling like there must be a lower price “out there,” especially when it comes to travel. So I turned to some writing colleagues and fellow travel bloggers who focus on the cruise industry to find out what they suggest.

Here’s what I learned:

Heidi Allison-Shane, publisher of the website AllThingsCruise, recommended CruiseCompete.

CruiseCompete, in which Allison-Shane is a partner, does not book or sell cruises. It lets you select particular ships, itineraries and dates and get pricing from a number of travel agents. I gave the site a whirl, and within a few minutes, I had emails alerting me that offers were waiting. I logged in and took a look. Overall, some of the offers were lower than the rates I’d found on my own; others were higher. I’d certainly use the site again.

From Linda Coffman, a.k.a. Cruise Diva, author of Fodor’s The Complete Guide to Caribbean Cruises and contributor to a number of other guidebooks:

My advice is, get a travel agent who specializes in cruise travel to do the work for you. In most cases, they will get you pricing comparable to what you’ll find online or by booking directly with the cruise lines and if there is ANY problem, they will be your advocate.

The time of year to find the best “deals” is Wave Season that runs from the first of January until the end of March.

BTW, American Express is a travel agency that often has good fares–not only for cruises, but also for the air to get you to your embarkation port.

Sherry Laskin, a.k.a. Cruise Maven (who doesn’t fly and travels mostly by water), had similar advice:

People still think they can get the best deal by booking it themselves online, but a good travel agent can save everyone tons of time and find the lowest price available with the most amounts of onboard value and amenities.

When it comes to luxury cruises, Andrea Rotondo, publisher of Luxury Cruise Bible, had this to say:

Even seasoned luxury cruise travelers are concerned with per diem prices. Cruisers tend to be ultra-loyal and spend weeks at a time at sea. Smart travelers seek out values, especially when it comes to world cruises and extended cruise segments.

Consult a travel agent accredited by Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and who has expertise with your desired cruise line. (Check the lines’ websites; some list their top-producing agents.)

Travel agents at the upper echelon of the business sail often and really know cruise line offerings inside and out. These agents also have access to cruise fares many other agents don’t. Expect to receive cabin category upgrades, shipboard credits, and cash rewards for booking. Some agencies also may arrange private cocktail parties, special wine and food tastings, and even complimentary shore excursions for their customers.

Also, look for an agent who understands American Express’ Cruise Privileges Program benefits (shipboard credit, two-category upgrade, and cruise line-specific amenities).

It appears to be unanimous. When it comes to cruising, it sounds like consulting a travel agent is the way to go. It’s going to be hard for me to let go of my DIY tendencies, so I’ll probably still do some initial research — price-related and otherwise — so that I feel prepared when I talk with an agent.

The cruise experts’ comments above seem especially timely; Sunday’s New York Times travel section includes an article, “Are Travel Agents Back?”, about both consumer and business travelers’ rebounding use of agents.

How do you book cruises? DIY? Travel agent? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

April in Seville

kim — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 22:52:11 +0000

Orange trees in the gardens of the Alcazar, Seville

April in Seville smells like oranges. White-blossomed orange trees stand almost everywhere throughout Sevilla, from the Patio de Naranjos (Court of Oranges) of the city’s famous cathedral and the courtyard garden of the Alcazar to the grounds of the marina on the Guadalquivir River, where I flew to meet cruising friends who had wintered in southern Spain. In the mornings, the scent was as fog-lifting as a latte back home; in the evenings it was as soothing as reading from a good book before bed. Now, whenever I peel an orange — or tangerine or clementine — I savor, as much as the fruit itself, the burst of citrus and the lingering fragrance: Springtime. Sevilla. Funny how travel and the associations we make change, heighten, our experience of “little” things — oranges, say — long after we come back home.

Happy Festifools, Ann Arbor

kim — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 21:37:10 +0000

April Fool’s Day: Ann Arbor gets its spring groove on each year with Festifools.

Revelers and puppeteers preparing for Festifools

Secrets to finding cruise deals?

kim — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 20:16:23 +0000

This is the first of a three-part series on shopping for a cruise, finding the best cruise deals and budgeting for cruise vacations.

Are you a frequent cruiser? Please comment and share your tips.

I’ll admit I”ve been an ambivalent cruiser. I’ve been on a few (Caribbean) cruises and had a great time. I see cruise itineraries and my heart races. Destination after destination, all in one relatively short trip? The thought of that is exhilarating. Then, I see that I’d only have maybe six or eight hours to explore each locale. So much to see, so little time. My heart sinks; what a tease.

Still, my mixed emotions gave way to enthusiasm when a relative threw out the idea of a cruise for some milestone birthdays in our family this year. I immediately began surfing the web for options. I consider myself a good deal-finder and savvy travel shopper but…man, was this Frustrating.

I narrowed down the choices to three different 3-day cruises out of Miami on May 4, 2012 — on the Carnival Imagination, NCL Sky and Royal Caribbean’s Majesty of the Seas. All had similar, but not identical, itineraries in the Bahamas.

I compared prices on five websites, including each cruise line’s own website. I also checked Travelzoo and Costco, in case they happened to have a deal for the particular ships and dates we were looking for.

Here’s what I found price-wise when I searched, not including “special promotions” such as cabin upgrades, on-board credits or a free plate of cookies in my cabin (seriously?). The lowest prices I found appear in green, the highest in red.

The conclusions I drew follow after the chart. If your mileage varies, I’d love to hear your experience.

So what did I learn from my neurotic charting?

Comparison shopping is very time consuming, reminds me of airline pricing (with slightly less wild and mysterious fluctuations) and makes me crazy. That said, saving money is important to me, and I will compare, even if my sanity suffers.

I won’t assume booking directly with a cruise line itself will save me money.

I won’t assume that sites with names that suggest bargain pricing actually offer the lowest prices.

I will consider, but not be distracted by, limited-time-only offers and other promotions, especially not by those with asterisks and microscopic light gray print at the bottom of the page. Just about every site advertised some type free stuff (e.g. said cookies, a bottle of wine, chocolate-covered strawberries) as well as shipboard credits and cabin upgrades. I’m always skeptical of these things (see above about fine print) but, granted, some did appear significant. A four-category upgrade on NCL that I saw on one of the websites, for example, comes to mind. Other offers seeemed — at least to me — to be limited in their application, value and appeal.

My conclusion? Next time, I’ll narrow down the ship and cabin type I want and select several possible dates, assuming I can be flexible. I’ll look around at pricing and isolate my target date based on what I find. (Prices for the same cruises I looked at, but sailing the following weekend, were consistently cheaper.)

Then once I’ve settled on a date, I’ll compare actual prices for a particular cabin category after taking any (useful) promotions or upgrades into account.

What are your secrets for finding truly great deals on cruises? Do tell. And, may the force be with you.

Fourth Friday Travel Fave: An Embarrassment of Mangoes

kim — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 13:27:53 +0000

What’s your travel fave for March? Comment here, on Traveler Writes’ Facebook page and/or post on Twitter with the hashtag #4FTF.

Much like the cobbler who didn’t have time to make shoes for his kids, I’m a writer who doesn’t always have time to read. Still, I’ve managed to squeeze in a few pages most nights this month of a charming book, An Embarrassment of Mangoes. It’s the perfect pre-slumber, guaranteed-to-have-dreams-of-swaying-palms kind of read.

Author Ann Vanderhoof and her husband Steve leave Toronto for a two-year Caribbean adventure aboard their sailboat, Receta (Spanish for “recipe”). Her stories about sailing, landing in — and leaving — new places, and connecting with new friends through food have me fantasizing about my own as-of-yet-imaginary island escape.

Many of Vanderhoof’s experiences sound familiar to me after hearing stories from friends of mine who have been sailing throughout the Mediterranean and Caribbean for the past 10 years. Still…it’s a life few people get to experience and I’m hooked on her every word. Not to mention her recipes, which are peppered throughout the book. (I don’t know where I’d find conch in Michigan, but her Luperón papaya salsa and papaya muffins, I will certainly try.)

Vanderhoof also wrote The Spice Necklace: My Adventures in Caribbean Cooking, Eating, and Island Life, which is now on my “to read” list. And it seems her adventure continues; you can follow along on her blog.