jmv.me » Travels

Winter Break ’10: Biosphere 2

Julia Van Cleve — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 11:28:22 +0000

Biosphere 2 is a research center outside of Tuscon, Arizona dedicated to learning the inner workings of Earth’s biomes.

Winter Break ’10: Titan Missile Silo

Julia Van Cleve — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 11:27:58 +0000

The Titan Missile Silo is located outside of Tuscon, Arizona. The museum is open for visitors and is run by the Arizona Aerospace Foundation.

Winter Break ’10: Desert Botanical Garden

Julia Van Cleve — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 11:26:30 +0000

The Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona is home to over 100 rare species of desert plants. It also has a cafe, gift shop, garden tours, and more to entertain it’s over 300,000 visitors per year.

Winter Break ’10: Arcosanti, Arizona

Julia Van Cleve — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 11:25:14 +0000

Arcosanti is an experimental city designed by Paolo Soleri, based on the theory of “Arcology.” Its goal is to allow the self sustainable growth of a city, interfering as little as possible on the surrounding area.

Winter Break ’10: Misc. Phoenix, Arizona

Julia Van Cleve — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 11:24:41 +0000

Just a few more photos taken around Phoenix, Arizona.

A surprisingly savory supper at Angus McIndoe restaurant

Julia Van Cleve — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 21:58:59 +0000

Courtesy of Google Maps

After a stunning performance by the Broadway cast of the Phantom of the Opera, I had the pleasure of dining at the quaint Angus McIndoe restaurant across the street. Upon first deciding to eat there, I had my doubts, but the restaurant surpassed my expectation and served a small yet appetizing post-theatre meal.

Part of the reason we decided to dine there was the convenient location, the other part was the “Under $10 / After 10pm” sign. Picking a restaurant based solely on those two criteria seemed like I was asking for disappointment, however, I was wrong.

Don’t be fooled by the somewhat sketchy hallway entering the restaurant. The interior decor is actually quite classy. Granted, they could have picked a more romantic soundtrack, however, I suppose their song choices did cater to a young New York audience.

The wait staff greeted us immediately, bringing drinks as well as a bread basket with some oil for dipping. (Maybe I’m a bit bias, but any restaurant which serves bread and oil gets brownie points from me–double the points if they add vinegar.) I eventually ordered Vietnamese-style chicken skewers at $9, while my date had the Fish n’ Chips Slider Deluxe at $8.

The chicken skewers at first seemed pretty lackluster (three skewers and a lemon–no sides), however, after the first bite, I discovered just how flavorful the dish really was. As an avid steak lover, I tend to veer towards beef dishes rather than chicken (always wanting that burst of juicy flavor that a good steak seems to give). I wasn’t expecting a chicken which would do the same! If you want to add some tang as well, take the lemon and squeeze some lemon juice over the chicken and take a bite. It’s heavenly.

As for the Fish n’ Chips, the Fries were crispy and tasty and the fish came in the form of a delicious fish sandwich. I didn’t eat much of it, but my date (a sandwich/burger connoisseur) seemed content.

Now, the food was delicious, but the restaurant did have a couple downsides (which I ultimately forgave). The receipts are handwritten and it’s best to check quickly that you are being charged the right amount for your meal–it’s late after all, and the wait staff is tired. If you’re there for the “Under $10″ special, it’s relatively simple to calculate, so it doesn’t hurt to double check. The waitress, though prompt with our order, charged us $9 for the Fish n’ Chips rather than $8. This doesn’t seem like much at first, but factor in NYC tax and you’ll see what I mean. She was very nice about it though, quickly realizing her mistake.

So, if you’re ever in New York to see a show, Phantom of the Opera in particular, make sure to stop by for a post-theatre dinner at Angus McIndoe restaurant. It doesn’t seem like much at first, but it’s sure to please the average penny-pinching-playgoer.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

A palatable night out at Taste of Thai

Julia Van Cleve — Fri, 29 May 2009 02:47:54 +0000

Taste of Thai is a small family-owned Thai restaurant in Ithaca, NY. Boasting some of the “best and most authentic Thai food” Ithaca has to offer, Taste of Thai is definitely true to its word. However, having the best food is not always enough to compensate when the service is sub-par.

While wandering through Ithaca for the Ithaca Festival, I came across Taste of Thai and felt it was a necessary stop, considering I had never had “real Thai food” before and Taste of Thai was supposedly “the best.” I stopped, decided that the prices were generally within my price range, and went in.

Perhaps it’s because I dined on the night of the Ithaca Festival, but the Taste of Thai was bustling with business. You walk into a dimly lit foyer where the hostess greets you and shows you to your seat. Despite the crowd, I was seated promptly with my date in a relatively “quiet” corner by the window.

Courtesy of Google Maps

I ordered yellow fried rice with chicken. It’s basically like pork fried rice, but so spicy that my taste buds weren’t sure what to think once I tried the sweet and sour sauce. My date had a Thai iced tea, which is a very good, very sweet, investment to make at this restaurant as you’ll be needing something to balance off whatever level of spicy food that you order at the Taste of Thai.

So, the food was good, the night went well, and service was… well, slow. The people at the table next to us were seated after us, ordered more food, and managed to finish, pay their check, and leave before we even managed to finish our food. The next couple was seated and received their drinks before we even got our bill. I enjoyed the food, however, I can’t help but feel we were ignored and hope that that is not always the case when dining at Taste of Thai.

Well, apparently it’s not always the case… as long as you sit at that other table next to where we were sitting.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Spring Break ’09: Northern Ireland

Julia Van Cleve — Sat, 09 May 2009 23:27:07 +0000

Spring Break ’09: Dublin, Ireland

Julia Van Cleve — Sat, 09 May 2009 21:13:03 +0000

Trip to Europe deprives students of Pi Day

Julia Van Cleve — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 09:10:41 +0000

Courtesy of www.amazon.com

“The greatest person in the world” told me today that, since I will be travelling to Europe for spring break, I will not be experiencing Pi Day this year.

In the United States, our dates are formatted MM/DD. Therefore, March 14 would be written as 3/14, the first three digits of Pi. But, since I will be in Europe, where dates are written DD/MM, March 14 actually holds little significance. Pi Day in Europe would have to fall on 3/14 corresponding with the third of the 14th month, which is obviously impossible. Therefore, Europe has its own “Pi Approximation Day” falling on July 22, or 22/7.

Sadly, I wont be in Europe for Pi Approximation Day either.

However, there are apparently other Pi Days other than Pi Day and Pi Approximation Day. For instance, the Earth will have traveled two radians of its orbit by April 26. If you take the entire orbit and divide it by the distance traveled you get Pi. I suppose Pi Day will be falling on April 26 for me.

On a side note, I recommend reading A History of Pi by Petr Beckmann.

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