Powered by Tofu

I spent a bit of last week in Vancouver, BC for the World Hosteling Conference by Gomio. It’s always fun to learn more about niche industries within travel. Overall an interesting experience. I spent a lot of time in hostels while on my RTW trip, so it was cool seeing the other side of hostels (from the owner/manager perspective), instead of just as a traveler or booking site. And I have a few pretty sweet looking hostels I now want to go visit. :)

And now I have a weekend of relaxing in store — Christmas-y stuff/planning, a few more gifts to pick up, Christmas menu to plan, an Awkward Holiday party to attend, some eggnog to make, and a wee bit of design work to finish (No, I’m not a graphic designer anymore, but I do get to do a bit of playing at BootsnAll and one of my favorite travel articles of the year will be sitting riiiiight here on Monday. It’s going to be a pretty one, if I do say so myself).

This week:

Train to Vancouver I flew up to Vancouver (about one hour) and took the train home (about 8-9 hours). Although the train takes ages, it’s a beautiful and relaxing journey. I just love trains. Amtrak now has wifi on some of their trains, and while it’s an awesome idea, it’s a bit spotty still. So I was able to check email and get some work done, but it’s not the reliable constant connection that I was expecting. It would have been frustrating, but ok for personal use, but probably won’t be taking the train and trying to work at the same time until their wifi is a bit better. I still love the train though.

Old travel friends While I was in BC, I went for drinks with a friend I met on my round the world trip, and even though we hadn’t seen each other in 3 years (seriously it’s been that long?) it was so fun to catch up on life.

Conferences Attending a conference solo in a [micro] industry that you don’t know anyone in, can be a challenge. It involves a lot of introducing yourself to strangers for 2 1/2 days. It’s rewarding, but a challenge and exhausting (people who struggle with insomnia should just go to conferences and talk all day. Zzzzzz…) So now I can add “conference speaker” to my LinkedIn profile. In all seriousness, it was a good experience (and slightly terrifying). I think I liked being a panelist better though. Answering questions and participating in a discussion is a bit more engaging than just talking at people. And people said I was funny, a compliment I will accept, even if they were just trying to make me feel better about myself.

Vancouver, BC I was just in Vancouver in June for TBEX, so it’s always kinda fun returning to a familiar city. I ended up going to a couple of the same restaurants as last time just because I needed something close to the convention centre (Giovane cafe), but I did get to check out The Buzz Cafe & Esspresso Bar — where I worked from after I arrived on Monday. Raw Canvas, a wine/art bar in Yaletown. Seriously, I don’t know why Portland doesn’t have one of these. Cool concept, in that you can paint and drink. :) I just got a massive cheese plate, no painting, but looked like a fun place. Granville Island Brewing and their tasty winter ale, along with Roaming Dragon food truck, that was a tasty dinner.

What are you up to this week?

Just about two weeks left until Christmas, and I’m feeling like there are a million holiday-ish things I want to do still. So I made a list of options on my phone (make eggnog, craft something, wrap presents, get cool stocking stuffers, bake something etc) that has me feeling much more prepared for the holidays, no matter how quickly it’s going to fly by anyway.

I’m also looking forward to my annual year-end review/planning/goal-setting time. I usually schedule it sometime between Christmas and New Year’s, and it’s such a fun yearly tradition to take a day or so to reflect on all the things I “wanted to do/did/still want to do” and plan for the coming year with a day of Olivia-time.

This week:

Spirit of ’77 Dropped by Spirit of ’77 last weekend for a beer and a snack. Since I’m not sports crazy (wooh! “GO SPORTS!”), Spirit of ’77 is my favorite sports bar in Portland, with a mix of sports, beer and fun. It’s actually fun watching games here. Go figure. And they have free basketball. Gooo sports!!! ;)

The Barefoot Sage Girls night! We took our mom to The Barefoot Sage this week for an early Christmas present. It’d been a couple years since I’d been in, and was just as fun and relaxing as I’d remembered. I generally don’t go to nail salons for mani/pedis, so The Barefoot Sage is a treat for your feet, and really nice to get a foot and leg massage without all the nail polish smells around. So relaxing and fun to sit and chatter on the big couches. A fun splurge.

Crafty Wonderland Crafty Wonderland was this weekend. I had so much fun wandering around looking at hand-made Portland goods and talking with the artists. A December must-see. And here are some of my favorites.

Kitteh Christmas Gifts So I put this hilarious cat teepee on Tumblr earlier this year. Aaand it came up on Fab.com this weekend. Yeah, so Essa has a Christmas present en-route. :)

What are you up to this week?

Another three months, another 52 restaurants it seems. I had a little help this time from my trips to New Orleans and Florida.

I’ve been focused more on cooking at home this month, but there are loads of new restaurants that opened in the last month or so here in Portland, and I’m anxious to start checking more off my list. In time, in time. So without further ado, here are 52 new restaurants I’ve checked out lately:

1. Sweet Hereafter – Crowwwded, but fun new places by The Bye and Bye folks
2. Straight from New York Pizza – also newish
3. Nuestra Cocina – I almost just typed cocaine. Fantastic fish. And best house margaritas in Portland. Been back a few times since this. :)
4. Pie Spot food cart
5. Thai Peacock
6. Ruby Jewels Scoops
7. Prost!
8. Euro Trash food cart
9. Sontum Gai Yang food cart
10. Batavia – Indonesian food cart
11. Da-Pressed Coffee Cart
12. Bar Mingo – atmosphere when we were there was so-so, cheese plate was delicious
13. Vivace – mmm crepes!
14. Everybody’s Brewing, White Salmon, Washington
15. Jimmy John’s – apparently this is a newish chain in Portland. I was waiting for the MAX and ran across the street. They were horrifyingly quick.
16. The Ruby Slipper, New Orleans – quick breakfast service if you sit at the bar
17. JAX Brewery
18. Apple Barrel Bar, New Orleans – sooo smoky, but fun because it’s a different vibe than most of the bars on Frenchman St
19. Capdeville, New Orleans
20. d.b.a. Frenchmen Street, New Orleans – best sazerac in NOLA!
21. Cafe du Monde, New Orleans – a required experience I suppose :)
22. Stanley, New Orleans – seriously tasty breakfast and great location by St Louis Cathedral on Jackson Square (also of note, they have a “Service Bar” next store so you can get coffee while you wait. Kind of like a more formal version of how most breakfast places in Portland offer coffee while you wait).
23. Johnny’s Po-Boys, New Orleans – one of these could feed a small village
24. Three Muses, New Orleans – my first French75 + amazing Gorgonzola cheese fries
25. La Davina Gelateria, New Orleans
26. Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop, New Orleans – the original dive bar
27. Gumbo Shop, New Orleans – late night mashed potatoes
28. CC’s Community Coffee House
29. 13, New Orleans – so Portland. I’m a little embarrassed that I went back later for the tachos after more Frenchman Street music.
30. Juan’s Flying Burrito, New Orleans – After taking the St Charles streetcar line to the end, we wandered around Magazine Street and decided on Mexican food. :)
31. The Carousel Bar & Lounge, New Orleans – the rotating bar in NOLA
32. The Spotted Cat Music Club, New Orleans – superb music, ok drinks
33. Antoine’s Annex, New Orleans – cute little coffee shop tucked in an alleyway
34. El Gato Negro, New Orleans – more Mexican? Well I wanted breakfast, and settled for tacos and a margarita.
35. Cascade Burger @ Cartlandia – amazing burger, and the owner is a riot
36. Just Thai
37. Burnside Brewing Co – fun newish brew pub in PDX
38. Bamboo Sushi – 5 stars! my new favorite sushi spot in Portland. I have dreams about the Green Machine roll and black cod
39. Rum Club – new spot by Beaker & Flask (and it’s next door) Best Old Fashioned in Portland, in my book
40. Floyd’s Coffee (a new location, this totally counts!) – love this new location though perfect corner window to get coffee, right next to NedSpace on 3rd
41. Kettlemen Bagel Company – not sure how I managed to avoide Kettlemen’s for so long. I get overwhelmed in bagel shops. Too many options.
42. Cascade Brewing Barrel House
43. Trader Vic’s – I attended a Yelp Elite event here. The Mai Tais were nice and strong
44. Monsoon Thai Cuisine
45. Tonic Lounge
46. Roost – newish breakfast place on Belmont
47. Rain or Shine Coffee House
48. Via Tribunali – best new pizza place in PDX? Word. Also $5 pizza Margarita for Happy Hour (I’m cheating on Pyro pizza now)
49. Tijuana Flats, St Petersburg, Florida
50. Pizzaria & Cafe, Tampa, Florida – so descriptive
51. The Castle, Ybor, Tampa, Florida – hilarious
52. Central Cafe & Organics, St Petersburg – I was really hoping to like this place, but they seemed a bit put off by people coming in to order things. Tasty granola anyway. :)

How it all started: I had a goal to visit one new restaurant a week.
1-52: Go To 52 New Restaurants – 30 Before 30 List
53-103: 52 [More] New Restaurants
104-156: 156 New Portland Restaurants, Bars, Coffee Shops in 299 Days
157-208: 208 New Places in One Year
209-260: 52 More New Restaurants: Portland, San Juans & Vancouver, BC
261-312: New Restaurant Fatigue #312!
What new restaurants have you been to lately?

And welcome back to regular Powered by Tofu blogoland. If you hadn’t realized, November was 100% 30 Days of Indie Travel project around here. I had a ton of fun reading everyone’s stories and blogging everyday (ok there were 2 days in there that I was really not feeling it, so it was a struggle, but I did all 30!). Woo!

This week:

-Florida – I spent eight days in the Tampa Bay area for Thanksgiving, meeting boyfriend’s family and friends and enjoying the Sunshine State. There’s something incredibly reassuring about meeting your significant other’s hometown friends and finding them to be just your style, isn’t there?

-Oranges, Alligators, and Manatees – My Florida checklist was along the lines of: see an alligator in the wild, pick oranges, see a manatee in the wild, eat Cuban food, go to the beach. And I’m pleased to say I did all five, and I got to visit with some pelicans too! I was also wanting to do a standup paddle boarding thing around Fort Desoto area, but the weather wasn’t cooperating the last two days in town. Next time!

-Pinterest – Yes, I joined Pinterest awhile ago, but wasn’t using it too much, because of Twitter and Facebook and Tumblr and Instagram and this here WordPress blog. But thesoybean is a big fan so I decided to give it another go, and it’s easier/more fun than using Picasa Albums to accomplish the same thing. So add me my fellow pinners.

Gifts, gifts, gifts - Two weeks ago, I wrote a wishlist post on WhyGo Portland about Portland gift ideas, featuring 14 of my favorite made-in-Portland items. Aaand some of the companies and artists featured offered up some giveaways (hello Stumptown Coffee, Freshy Fig and more), so go check out the post and like WhyGo Portland on Facebook to enter the giveaway by Dec 9. You’re welcome.

BikeCraft 2011 – Dropped by BikeCraft this weekend. Sometimes I’m so proud of all the cool crafters and artists we have in town. :)

Coming Home – As much as I loved getting the chance to wear my sundress, shorts, bikini and flip flops in Florida, I’m still a total sucker for coming home and bundling up in skinny jeans, boots, scarves, and my coat and sitting around the fire at Doug Fir drinking a Bourbon Sour. Remind me I said this in March.

What are you up to this week?

Prompt #30: Where are you going in 2012? Why is that place great for indie travelers?

“The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” –Saint Augustine

I’ve become a little obsessed with Torres del Paine national park in Chile the last few years. It’s breathtakingly beautiful like New Zealand and I have yet to visit the South American continent, so South America is on my target list for the coming year.

2012: Chile & Torres del Paine National Park

Where are you going?

Today is the final day of the 30 Days of Indie Travel project. I had so much fun keeping up with the project (yes! I blogged every day in November!) and reading other bloggers awesome stories and experiences. Until next time…

Prompt #29: What does travel mean to you in one word?

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” –Helen Keller

adventure, freedom, learning, curiosity, fun, change, experience, happiness…

Adventure. The one word that best wraps up everything I love about travel is probably adventure… When you’re traveling everything is new… it’s an adventure. You have no idea what you might experience or discover in the next week, day, minute… it’s an adventure. Things are different and a change from regular routine… it’s an adventure. You have the freedom to do and be whatever you want… it’s an adventure. You learn new things rapidly and see that there are many different ways to do things and they’re not better/worse just different [squat toilets come to mind]… it’s an adventure. When you’re traveling you’re living in the moment, you feel super alive… it’s an adventure.

Life in general is an adventure.

What does travel mean to you?

Photo: super cute poster print by happydeliveries on Etsy.
Join the 30 Days of Indie Travel project and share your story.

Prompt #28:The right gear can make or break your trip. What is your favorite/must-have gear item?

“A woman who doesn’t wear perfume has no future.” –Coco Chanel

Oh how I love packing, and packing lists, and clever gadgets. I’m over on the BootsnAll blog again today with my Must-have Travel Gear Item: Flight 001 Wet Suit bag.

I originally found this bag after returning from Panama with a bag even the customs agents didn’t want to open. Mildew happens.

What is your favorite gear item?

Join the 30 Days of Indie Travel project and share your story.

Prompt #27: Share a photo or video that just makes you want to GO. RIGHT. NOW.

“Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.” –Seneca

Every few months I come across a video on Vimeo that definitely makes me want to pick up and leave, and then I find myself repeatedly searching for travel deals to Paris or Tokyo deals or {Insert ANY country} deals. Here are a few that did that to me in the last year…

Travel videos that give me wanderlust:

Inspired by Iceland

I’m sure you’ve seen this one by now. I was so excited to find this one last year, after I’d already purchased my ticket to Iceland.

Move. Eat. Learn.

This is by the same guys (Rick Mereki) who did the walking across America one last year (note: not the guy who actually did walk across America). I love to see all the different food and scenery and people.

Tokyo Slo-mode

Love seeing Tokyo this way. By Alex Lee

I Believe I can Fly

This ‘flight of the Frenchies’ trailer about highlining/slacklining absolutely fascinates me. I put it on tumblr a few weeks ago, and have watched a half dozen times. By Sebastien Montaz-Rosset

Iceland = Mad Wanderlust

The cool thing about finding one inspiring video, is that it leads you to more. (I found this one from the Flight of the Frenchies’ Sebastien Montaz-Rosset, a video by Austrian Klara Harden, who did a 25-day solo hike through Iceland this summer.

A Journey Through Vietnam

This video by Leon Visser reminded me of my time in Vietnam. If you’ve been to Vietnam, watch it! It’s like a trip down memory lane — the people, the traffic, Halong Bay, riding on the back of motorbikes… it’s beautiful.

Do you have a recent favorite?

Join the 30 Days of Indie Travel project and share your story.

Prompt #26: Post a photo of your favorite place and tell us what you love about it.

“Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.” –Miriam Beard

I don’t have ONE favorite place. That’s just silly. I’m back on the BootsnAll blog again today, sharing about one of my favorite hikes, my glorious rainy Hike to Huka Falls in New Zealand.

New Zealand, in general, is one of my favorite places in the world. I did a lot of hiking in New Zealand and can’t wait to go back and see more of the North Island.

Where is one of your favorite places?

Join the 30 Days of Indie Travel project and share your story.

Prompt #25: Family shapes who we are, but sometimes the family we create plays a bigger role in our lives than the one we were born into. Tell a story about how your family has impacted your life and your travels.

“The love of a family is life’s greatest blessing” –your mom

We didn’t do much traveling growing up — other than moving — so I spent the first 14 years of my life in the Pacific NW. And while I’m kind of “the traveler” in my family now after doing my RTW trip, my sister has actually had the biggest impact on my love for travel.

In our last year at university, my sister (and her now-husband) started going on one trip a year. They started with Mexico, Mexico, and Mexico again, followed by Switzerland. After they came back from Switzerland with amazing stories and pictures of cows and mountains and cheese and chocolate, I was determined to put that passport to use. So a year later, when I had the chance to do a summer study abroad program in Marseilles for my MBA, I knew I was going to do it. Since that trip to France, my goal has been to do one big trip (country) a year.

My sister was a great example to me, of how traveling on a limited budget is still totally doable (especially since she was just out of college at the time and on an internship salary).

How has your family impacted your travels?

Join the 30 Days of Indie Travel project and share your story.