Travel And Food

Places I want to travel to must have food I like to eat. I do like japanese food, obviously. Part of the travel experience encompasses eating the local foods. And, you got to eat something. Its more enjoyable when you can stomach what they eat on a daily basis. I tend to rank places I want to go to according to the cuisine. I have been to Japan, England, Hong Kong, and France. I have been to Vancouver as well but they didnt seem to have a distinct style of food. Some of the places I would still like to visit are Germany, Italy, Vietnam, Thailand. Other places that are low on my list include India and many parts of Africa.

However, in the ever shrinking world, you can find foods that you are familiar with if you find nothing appealling. Fast food chains are dotted around the world in most countries. Supermarkets nowadays tend to have a much broader reach when it comes to the items that they stock. But, the fast food chains tend to cater to the tastes of the geographical areas they reside in. Watch out for the live octopus burger at a Korean McDonalds or a Kentucky Fried Camel at a KFC in the Middle East.

For Lunch-La Corneta

Once again I find ourselves at a mexican restaurant for lunch. Work is located near the Mission District where there is a high concentration of hispanic restaurants, groceries, bakeries, and stores. Located on Mission St between 23rd and 24th St. We often refer to it as the yellow place because of the bright facade.

Inside, they have a spacious dining area with a skylight that made for a nice cool space on a very warm day. You line up at the counter to place your order. Layed out in front of you is the grill and all the ingredients needed to make whatever is listed on the menu.

It has been a while since I last ate here and it took me a while to decide. I went back to an old standby that I used to order alot here, the quesadilla suiza. Included is your choice of meat. The range includes your usual favorites like chile verde, carne asada, pollo asada, etc. I have been in a pork mood as of late whenever I dine mexican. So, I had the al pastor, grilled marinated pork. There was quite a bit of cheese that drowned out the flavor of the pork. It was good but I was hoping for more. I requested spicy but also missed the mark

Walking The Line, The Yamanote Line

When in Tokyo, especially for your first time, try to stay around the Yamanote Line. This is the train line that encircles much of the heart of Tokyo. If you ever get lost, just hop on in any direction and you will get to where you need to go. If taking the longer route by accident, sit back and enjoy the view as you may stumble upon places that have piqued your interest. Over the last few trips, I find myself walking around parts of the Yamanote loop. Im not that big on walking but at times when Im bored, have some extra time, or looking to explore, I put the old legs to use. I will try to finish the walk over the next few years. So far I have walked from Harajuku to Shinjuku, Akihabara to Nippori, Harajuku to Shibuya, Ebisu to Gotanda, and Ebisu to Shibuya. Effectively, Gotanda to Shinjuku and Akihabara to Nippori. An optimistic estimate would put that at 1/3 of the route.

On The Job-Fog City Diner

At one time, the Fog City Diner was one of the hottest places to eat in the city. Its neon and chrome reflects its namesake. Im not sure what kind of food they serve nowadays but Im sure you can look it up on the net. This is only one of few diners in the city. The only other one I can thinkg of are the handful of Mel's Diners locations in the city. There may be about 3 of them as opposed to this solitary location. Fog City is located on the Embarcadero on Battery St

On The Job-The Embarcadero

The job takes me by the boulevard by the bay called The Embarcadero. This is where the ships used to dock when the city's biggest income came from its shipping ports. On a bright sunny day as today, tourists and natives alike like to jog, walk, or bike this stretch of the city that runs from Pier 39 to the ballpark.

This portion runs under the Bay Bridge. Many of the old piers remain and converted to house other businesses.

As we proceed northerly then dog-leg westerly, there is a piece of public art on display. I forget what its called but its Cupid's bow and arrow. The following is another picture of the same scuplture taken a while back.

Once the hub of all the maritime activity, the Ferry Plaza has been retooled for modern uses. It houses several restaurants and gourmet shops. The clock tower, most notably, stopped at the exact time the Loma Prieta earthquake struck. It has since been resync'ed

On certain days, there are farmers' markets in front of the building and saturdays has them both in front and behind the building. The building still acts as the final destination point for those who ride the ferry boats into the city