New York City

We made a short visit to New York City before heading up to New Hampshire for our friends Katie & Jarrod's wedding last month. When planning our trip, we discovered it was cheaper to fly into NYC than Boston, and then we thought, why not visit the city, stay an extra day, etc etc. Eventually, our stay in NYC cost more than any savings we made from the flight, but it was worth it! See more pics in our album.
We had a day and a half to explore. We caught up with some friends, visited the Empire State Building, ate hot dogs, and rode the subway.



















We stayed in an apartment, East Village B&B, which made us feel what if? we lived in the East Village. Margaret the innkeeper showed us the owner's collection of folk art, and she introduced me to the New York bagel smothered with cream cheese. There is no other experience on earth like it.

Welcome, Caleb!

There is a new addition to the Bassford family! Caleb Samuel Bassford, born at 12:30pm on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2007 to Lizzy and Tom Bassford (Dan's brother).
Congratulations to Tom and Lizzy!













































Gran & Grandpa Bassford













Gran & Grandpa Bettany (Lizzy's mum & dad)













And of course, we are proud to be his new Auntie and Uncle. Haven't met him yet, but looking forward to it. Bring on the baby toys!

A great time, eh?

Goodbye, Vancouver. We love everything about you. We love that you are nestled in between the sea and the mountains. We love your coffee shops, with clever names like Bean Around the World and Higher Grounds Cafe. We love your numerous sushi and izakaya restaurants, and that dim sum we tried in Richmond was damn good. We love your summer weather (we felt guilty if we didn't spend copious amounts of time outdoors). We love your residents, their attitudes, their lifestyle. Your no. 1 best-city-to-live ranking is well-deserved. Thanks for the memories!

The Food Entry

Here are some photos of great food memories from Vancouver. That cupcakes place on Denman Street:

Dan took me to a lovely Filipino restaurant for my birthday, called Rekados, which served kamote (aka sweet potato) fries.

Going to Pearl Castle with Harvey, Helen, and Samira in Richmond:

The Noodle Man at Legendary Noodles:

And of course, Bubble Tea!
Too many pictures to post. See the rest in our slideshow.

Mambo

Yes! Every orchestra needs a jolt of this. The Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela, with Gustavo Dudamel conducting.

Seattle

Pics (to see captions, click on the picture during the flickr slideshow)

Taking advantage of the three-day weekend in Canada, and the fact that it was our second year wedding anniversary (whoo-hoo!), we took the bus and crossed the border to visit Seattle, shrine to Nirvana, grunge, and Starbucks. It is usually a 3.5 hour trip, including border time, and we made plans to spend one night. Armed with Starbucks coffee--we were preparing for the atmosphere--we gleefully boarded the bus in downtown Vancouver at 9am, ready to arrive at 12:30pm in downtown Seattle.

Unfortunately, it seemed like everyone in Canada was crossing at the same time, and our wait turned into 5 hours just to go through the border. There are only so many rock-paper-scissors games you can play before going insane, as we learned. After finally passing through, we arrived in Seattle just after 5pm. (whoo-hoo #2!)

We got to our B&B in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, the Gaslight Inn, where we were met by innkeeper Trevor, who recommended that we head down to Pike Place Market fast. We got there just as all the stalls were closing, but at least the original Starbucks was open.

The next day, we went back to Pike Place to see what the market was like when open. We also did the walking Underground Tour in Pioneer Place. To experience the best tour ever of dilapidated basements and the odd alleyway, we suggest you do this. We actually found ourselves oohing and aah-ing at metal bracings and dirty concrete, thanks to the enthusiastic tour guides.

Finally, we rode the monorail to the Space Needle, which is actually set apart from the downtown area, unlike the crafty pictures of Seattle seem to depict. More ooh-ing and aah-ing, and it was finally time to catch the bus back to Vancouver. A whirlwind trip, and we got tired out, but we enjoyed every minute of it. Seattle has a relaxed vibe despite all the coffee, and it seemed to have pride in being an independent, thriving outpost in the Northwest. But who are we to say? We spent barely over 24 hours there. Definitely an anniversary to remember.

Vancouver

Do not be fooled by Dan's t-shirt. We are in Vancouver, this photo taken from Granville Island. We've spent the last couple of weeks getting to know this city, deemed the World's Best Place to Live in a survey conducted by the Economist in 2005. (Melbourne came second in that same study.)

Judging by the time we've spent here, I can see why--the weather is good, the air is clean, and the opportunity for outdoor activities is endless. We are staying in a place just at the entrance of Stanley Park, which is a huge park just on the tip of the city. Every day, we see people cycling, jogging, walking and rollerblading around the seawall. Vancouver is nestled in between the ocean and the mountains, so the views are amazing.

In pacific northwest fashion, Vancouver seems to have followed Seattle's coffee culture (or rather, Starbucks culture). In addition to all the Starbucks, there are tons of other independent and chain cafes in town. Just down the street there are two cafes on opposite corners, and yes, I've been to both of them.

We've been hanging out with some of Dan's co-workers who have been so great in welcoming us and introducing us to that West Coast culture. It's all very familiar to me, having grown up in San Diego. The seafood here is so fresh, and so is the sushi. We only have one question: why hasn't sushi pizza taken off here? Check out photos here.

Barrio Fiesta sa London

A few weeks ago, Dan happened to come across a website that told us of an annual Filipino festival in London. Organized by the Philippine Centre, the festival took place in Lampton Park, Hounslow (west London).

Of course we had to get our lumpia and pancit fix, and we heard they also had ube and mango ice cream. We went to check out the scene and were overwhelmed by the estimated 60,000 people who attended that weekend. There are a lot of Filipinos in London, as there are anywhere else!

The highlight of the weekend, however, was that in that crowd of thousands, I bumped into a family member. Dan and I were browsing one of the hundreds of booths sprawled across the park, when someone called out "Carmen!" It turns out the woman sitting at the table in front of me was my cousin Dundeet! She lives in Manila, but had come over to London for the weekend to represent her company at the fiesta. After much yelping and hugging (it was the first time she met Dan), we caught up and took pictures. I hadn't seen her for 6 years, when I was last in the Philippines.

I suppose the chances of bumping into a relative at Filipino fiestas are quite high...aren't Filipinos all related somehow? However, we were very excited to discover each other and to enjoy that moment of randomness that brings great fortune.

Ohhh Canada

A quick post. We are in Vancouver now, still trying to get over jet-lag. We boarded the plane last Monday for the 9-hour flight. Originally had bulkhead seats (yes! thanks to online check-in), but ended up giving them to a family with little kids. The flight attendant rewarded us with a bottle of champagne. Managed to get some sleep, enjoyed the view as we flew over Greenland's glaciers, watched the Will Ferrell ice-skating movie. I still can't get over how some people manage to look fabulous as they get off the plane. Walked off feeling like I just pulled two all-nighters, stumbled bleary-eyed through immigration, but we are here, back in Canada. My first time in the Pacific Northwest. Pics to come soon!

Goodbye, Betsy!

After 6 years of owning and loving Betsy, the 1974 VW Beetle that Dan picked up in the Philippines, it was time to say goodbye. We paid our respects and took some last pics of the red beauty yesterday.


Dan gave her a good polishing, and then handed her off to her new owner, Adrian, who came all the way from Birmingham to pick her up.





We'll miss her. She gave us some great memories, but we know she'll be loved by a new family. Adios!

Birthday Girl

We spent last weekend in Nottingham to celebrate the 60th birthday of Dan's mum, Chris. It was nice for everyone to flock home and catch up with family and friends. On Saturday morning we got together for our first family picture, taken at a place called Venture Portraits. None of the regular posing or "turn your chin to the left" commands here. Instead the photographer asked us to jump, roll on the floor, run across the studio, and various other strenuous activities that had me longing for a nap afterwards. Or maybe that was the 9am photo call. Regardless, the end results must be amazing, because he got some really natural, spontaneous shots from us. We haven't actually seen the finished product yet, since they don't give out digital copies (I wonder why...), but when confronted with the final sleek and sassy selection of portraits I'm sure we'll all be torn.

Later that day we spent time admiring Dave's garden--or rather, full-fledged organic farm--where he is currently growing corn, squash, lettuce, rhubarb, cucumber, beans, tomatoes, potatoes, onions, sunflowers, enough food to feed a Mayflower colony. To think that this is all in one man's backyard!

Chris's birthday celebration that night was a barn dance, and after a few glasses of wine we stomped around in various jigs, reels, and do-si-dos. I even joined the band for a few dances on my violin. There was a lot of activity that night--we managed to fog up the windows of the church hall with our mad dancing.

The party didn't stop there, however. The next day was Sunday lunch at Chris & Dave's house. At the end of the day we gathered together for the traditional photo in the garden. It took us a while to organize ourselves.
But after a few hours we finally held still for that magic moment!

Maine Mania

Dan and I enjoyed a beautiful trip to Acadia National Park in northeast Maine, where my friends Montie and Tom tied the knot. This was our first visit to Maine. Even though I had pretty much covered all of New England (via trips made during university or cross-country family vacations), Maine was the one state in this area that had eluded me.

Our original intention was to land in Portland and immediately make the 4-hour drive to Mt. Desert Island, where the wedding was going to take place. But our plane was delayed in Newark, NJ due to an air traffic control "computer glitch." Note to self: try to avoid Newark Airport if you can. We were delayed about 3 hours (We were also delayed AN EXTRA DAY on the return trip). Since it was late at night and we were jet-lagged when we arrived, we decided to spend the night in Portland. Fortunately we found a Howard Johnsons that had rooms available, which brought me back to those childhood days of family road-trips to Disney World.

Woke up the next day and made the journey refreshed and in daylight, and we were glad we did-the drive to Mt. Desert Island was gorgeous. The wedding was held at The Asticou Inn in Northeast Harbor, and it was a beautiful sunny day. As it was a Dartmouth wedding, the Big Green held its spell on everyone, and it was great to catch up with friends. After the ceremony, we had a fantastic lobster dinner. The food on this trip was amazing, though Dan and I are currently undergoing a detox diet as I make this post. After four solid days of eating hearty American breakfasts, beers, steak, and lobster, we needed to fast.

At the Jordan Pond House in the nat'l park, we stopped for lunch and saw that they offered something called a "popover," which was a local specialty. We ordered it out of curiosity, and realized that it's a Yorkshire Pudding! They served it with strawberry jam, which actually tasted pretty good.

The day after the wedding, we went around Acadia National Park. We also visited the Asticou Azalea Gardens and the Atlantic Brewing Company, a microbrewery on the island. It was a beautiful trip, and our time in Maine generally consisted of walking around in the blissful sunshine, enjoying the views, tasting great food, and having our hearts warmed by the laid-back locals.

We fell in love with the place, and hope to return someday. Thanks Montie & Tom for inviting us out there! Pics here.

Already June?!?!?!

We have finally been blessed with some proper sunshine, so that means opening the doors and spending some quality time in our little garden. Yesterday Dan planted some marigolds, which were subsequently attacked and eaten by a horde of snails. We are attempting to save the stubs that are left.

May has been a busy month, hence the lack of posts. My original goal was to do a weekly thing but I haven't formed blogging as a habit yet. I just finished an awesome book sent by my mom, Thomas Friedman's The World is Flat, which I wish I read two years ago but oh well. If you want evidence of how the world is changing, check out my nephew's new site at www.IslandBoyArt.com. He is already well ahead of the game. Remember, he's only 4 years old.

May was also the first month of wedding season! We attended the wedding of Dan's cousins Chris & Jo in Evesham. It was yet another grand Bassford reunion.


We also were lucky enough to stay the weekend with Dan's cousins (on his mum's side) Zohary and Graham, and their son David. Since Dan and David are train fanatics, the two had a lot to discuss. Check out pictures here of the month (and of our new apartment!), HERE.

Our review of the W Hotel

In Mexico City we stayed at the W Hotel in the Polanco district. It was our first time staying in this chain where the motto for room service is "Whatever, Whenever."

The hotel seems to be a hotspot for hipsters and club loungers in the city--hence the continuous thumping disco music in the lobby and elevators. The W has a very testosterone-influenced design, all sleek lines and 90 degree angles, not a frilly curtain in sight. Red, Black and Cream seem to be the preferred colours.

The bar was a nice place to relax. So was the lobby.













Service at the hotel was excellent, but it comes at a price. In fact, all the prices were pretty exorbitant. Our favourite was the in-room snack bar, where they provided Voss Artesian Water "imported from Norway" at 80 pesos ($8 US) a bottle.

I was a fan of the weekend brunch. Any place where I can eat real tortilla chips with salsa for breakfast gets a star in my book, no matter where it is. The verdict? Only stay here if it's bankrolled by your corporate account. This wasn't real life, but we enjoyed it anyway.




























































































We are back in London. Next up...tales from Hammersmith.