CITYist

We loved Tsukiji Fish Market so much, we went there twice. The fish is so fresh, that the smell of fish is conspicuously missing from the market. 

Now, I’m not a huge fan of raw fish, but I have to say that Tsukiji may have converted me. With super fresh fish, there’s no gross fishy taste - every bite of nigiri is smooth and clean. It’s incredible. 

The first day of our trip, we ate at a restaurant in the outer market. Sushi for 2 only set us back $25 - probably the cheapest high-quality sushi I’ll ever have in my life. This is especially impressive since Tokyo prices are pretty comparable to NYC. 

The second day, we ventured into the wholesale market and had a sushi breakfast within the inner market (a must for any Tokyo tourist). The wholesale market was unbelievable. We saw tuna that were nearly as tall as me and definitely heavier. When the market closes at 9am, all of the smaller fish are put on ice and the giant tuna are frozen with liquid nitrogen and sawed into smaller pieces to be shipped out and sold. 

The sushi breakfast was hands down the best sushi I’ve ever had in my life. They didn’t speak English, so we were given a set menu, which set us back $50 each, but it was well worth it. 

Tsukiji can get pretty crowded as it’s probably the #1 tourist site in Tokyo, but trust me, it’s for a reason.

I could live in Tokyo. It’s clean, there’s a lot to see/do, and everything runs so efficiently and always on schedule. That’s my kind of people.

But even more fantastic is how Tokyo is surprisingly full of whimsy. There are cutesy animals everywhere. Public service announcements, public transportation - you name it. And while I sat in Ueno Park, writing postcards, I was suddenly showered by bubbles blown from a planter 10 feet away from me. You should have seen how many people that made happy. 

Here are some other interesting things I picked up during my brief stay:

1. Bike theft is not a problemin Tokyo. No one locks their bikes. After living in San Francisco, where bike theft was so prevalent it was referred to as the “San Francisco hello”, I found this to be mind-boggling. 

2. Stockings are a Japanese woman’s best friend. 

3. Apparently, it’s totally acceptable to show porn on broadcast television. We had 4 TV channels in our hotel - 2 of which were porn.

4. No one jaywalks. Not even when there are absolutely zero cars around.

5. Tokyo streets are littered with vending machines and public toilets.

6. A lot of prominent sites were destroyed during World War II and rebuilt in the 1950s, so much of Tokyo is relatively new.

7. I don’t know which is a bigger pain: finding the Park Hyatt in Shinjuku (where Lost in Translation was filmed) or Jiro (the famous sushi chef, made famous by Jiro Dreams of Sushi).

8. There are women-only subway cars during rush hour due to problems with men groping women on the train.

9. There are Japanese tourist mobs even in Japan.

We had some friends from NYC staying with us last weekend, so instead of the usual museums and walk around the Mall, we decided to take them to sites that most tourists don’t get to: inside the U.S. Capitol and the Air + Space Museum in Dulles, VA. 

For those who aren’t familiar with DC, the Air + Space Museum on the Mall is fine, but the Udvar Hazy center out by Dulles airport is mind blowing. I’m not an aviation fanatic, yet I can still appreciate how incredible this museum is. And now they have Discovery - the most flown space shuttle, also responsible for deploying the Hubble Telescope.

As for the U.S. Capitol tour, most tourists still think the only way to coordinate a tour is through your U.S. Representative’s of Senator’s office. But since the Visitor Center opened, you can now book your tour online. Of course, tours through your member’s office are more in-depth, but this is still a great resource for those wanting to see inside the Capitol.

When the bf told me that he had never been to wine country, I was floored. I realize that not everyone makes it out to Napa, but the guy lived in the Bay for a summer - how do you live in the Bay and never visit Napa?? Thankfully, my friend was having a wine country wedding at a vineyard in Sonoma, so we made a day of it and squeezed in some vineyard tours and wine tastings before the wedding.

We took a tour at Hendry Vineyard + Winery in Napa, which was absolutely amazing. The tour was given by the owner, George Hendry, and he walked us through the whole wine making process. It was by far the most educational experience I’ve ever had at a winery. Before the tour, I always thought owning a vineyard seemed so glamorous - something that maybe I could do in my retirement or something. But now I’ve been disabused of that notion. Wine-making is a tough business with waaaaay too many variables and risks for my liking. The tour definitely made me appreciate wine-making as a craft. 

I highly recommend this tour for anyone planning a trip out to Napa. But be sure to make reservations well in advance, as these tours (not surprisingly) book up quickly!

There were a lot of things on my SF list that we didn’t get around to, like running my old route from the Marina across the Golden Gate Bridge and back. But we did get to do something I had never done while living in San Francisco: an Alcatraz night tour.

SF lived up to its foggy reputation during our trip and the night of our tour was no exception. We could see the awesome city views from the island, but the dense, relentless fog did add to the creepiness factor of Alcatraz. For anyone visiting SF and wanting to tour Alcatraz Island, I highly recommend booking a night tour (be sure to book well in advance!).

Last weekend, the bf and I flew to San Francisco to attend my friend’s wedding. While we were in town, I decided to show him around my old neighborhood and favorite spots in the city. The best part of the trip was catching up with my friends. We pretty much spent all of our time eating with amazing friends, but also managed to squeeze in some other fun activities. Some highlights:

1. Soaking up the sun in Mission Dolores

2. Dim sum in Chinatown

3. Afternoon pastry break @ Tartine

4. Afternoon ice cream break @ Bi-Rite

5. Lazy Sunday afternoon in the Marina, my old ‘hood

6. Naked people party in the Castro (see that blurred image above? Yeah, too bad it wasn’t actually censored in real life)

7. Taking every form of public transportation the Bay has to offer

And finally, here are the highlights from our trip to Rio during Carnival this year. Such an amazing and once-in-a-lifetime trip. I wish I could do it all over again!

The bf + I are off to Japan and the Philippines next month, so stay tuned for more videos!

Nearly a year since I traveled to Seoul for work, but I finally finished the video from my trip.

Major benefit of procrastinating on this project: reliving good times in Seoul!

It’s kind of embarrassing how late I am in pulling together these videos from our South America trip. But in my defense: do you know how much work it takes to make a video?? Uploading photos is so much easier! 

After 7 months, here it is folks - highlights from our trip to Cartagena, Colombia. Videos from Seoul and Rio to follow soon!

1. “Driftwood” Horse (actually made of bronze!) - Smithsonian American Art Museum

2. “Electronic Superhighway” - Smithsonian American Art Museum

3. Playing the original Super Mario at the video game exhibit - Smithsonian American Art Museum

4. Stained glass ceiling - Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery

5. Our new piano!

6. Classin’ it up on a Friday night w/ champagne, St. Germain + personalized Georgetown glasses (so dorky, yet awesome!)

Staying in town for Labor Day weekend was probably one of the best ideas we’ve had in a long time. We’ve traveled so much this year (not that I’m complaining), that spending a weekend relaxing + recharging was exactly what we needed. 

Hamptons highlights:

1. Kayaking past Calvin Klein’s + Spielberg’s homes

2. Lounging on a deserted private beach

3. Eating cookies the size my of face @ Levain’s bakery

4. Soft shell crab tacos @ La Fondita

5. Experiencing the Hamptons as the locals do

While on Long Island, the bf + I made a side trip to visit our friend Andrew and his family out in the Hamptons. It was my first time there and I have to admit, I get what the hype is about.