Bandolero
3241 M St NW
Washington, DC 20007 202.625.4488
Bar opens at 4pm Monday – Wednesday
Dinner service begins at 5pm.
MONDAY – TUESDAY
4pm – 10pm
WEDNESDAY
4pm – 11pm
THURSDAY – SATURDAY
12pm – 11pm
bar and until 12am
SUNDAY
12pm – 10pm
Mike Isabella has certainly been keeping himself busy. The Top Chef contestant fame recently opened up a second restaurant in the Washington, D.C. area with the same small plate style offerings that he’s known for. While Graffiato is his restaurant with small plate italian offerings, Bandolero is a mexican twist on the small plates – again not to be confused with tapas. Similar in look and feel to Graffiato, the downstairs level of Bandolero has a loud bar and and open kitchen and the upstairs has a quieter dining room. However, Bandolero promises to be far busier than Graffiato with its location right on M street in the heart of Georgetown, so be prepared to see a lot of the yuppie types drinking and dining there.
Because the restaurant just opened last month, the service was extremely attentive – but almost too attentive. Our waitress, while very polite, friendly, and on top of everything, was almost suffocating with the amount of times she came over to check in on us. My guess is this will tone down once Bandolero has been open for a while. That was pretty much the only really negative thing I could say about the place. The cocktail list is impressive and the margaritas are excellent. The food was quite good, but priced in the same way that Graffiato prices its food – expensive, small portioned, but high quality.
Despite what our waitress said about each person usually getting 2 or 3 plates for their own – I was quite content with splitting 4 plates between two people (that being said, some of the small plates may be larger than others). Here’s a quick review of what we tried:
El Mata Amigos Margarita – super tasty, but because they use seasonal fruits to make it the one you get might not be what we had, which was pickled pear. In all honestly however, it tasted at first like a spiked watermelon sherbet cooler which was awesome on a humid 90 degree Washington, D.C. summer day.
Guacamole – very good, but probably not worth $13. I’ve had similarly good guacamole at other restaurants, so while it was very good – it wasn’t standout. They do give you a healthy portion to dip your chips and chicarrones (what I’m pretty sure were large pork rinds) in as well as a side of spicy salsa.
Crispy Mahi Mahi Taco – order comes with two fish tacos and the Mahi Mahi is crisp to perfection. Sprinkle some lime juice on there and it makes for a really, really awesome fish stick taco (I try to say that without it sounding too sarcastically…though that’s what it was).
Suckling Pig Taco – the waitresses recommendation, order comes with three pork tacos with a healthy helping of shredded pork and pork skin on each. You can taste a fair amount of spiciness from the habenero, and while I thought it was still a little dry for my palate – it’s worth giving it a try.
Alambres – my favorite dish of the meal, the order comes with four silver dollar sized spiced hangar steaks. The meat was definitely spicy and it was matched well with the morsel of chimichurri sauce that accompanied each piece of meat. The meat itself was cooked to a perfect medium rare.
So all in all Bandolero gives you a fun dining experience, but at a pretty penny. Because of the location and the way the food is prepared, this is a pretty great place to take a date. So, like Graffiato, I would only recommend going there if you have a special occasion and you’re not famished because while the food is good, you don’t want to regret not going to the Chipotle next door because you didn’t know what you were getting into at Bandolero. Grade: B+
You may remember that I had a guest post about Hampton Roads, VA previously in my blog. I hadn’t yet been down there myself until recently; my buddy and I decided to hop in the Subaru and take a trip down to visit our co-worker (and author of the guest post) who had just moved back home to Norfolk, VA.
First tip when driving down to the Virginia Beach area from the north – don’t bother leaving on a Friday after 3. From what I understand from several Norfolk people is that the highways are almost always jam-packed during that time (and during the summer months it’s pretty much a sure thing). Try and get out on the road in the morning or Saturday morning to avoid the congestion.
U.S.S. Wisconsin
Without traffic, the ride down there takes about three hours from D.C. When we first arrived, I was immediately struck by how many hipsters there were – this was highly unexpected. The city itself was also smaller than I expected (since I had heard it was a Navy town), but I found out later that the F-18’s fly around over Virginia Beach which is a few miles down the road. The city was definitely still large enough to have some nice distinct neighborhoods though. Some of the houses we drove by were very impressive in their colonial grandness. As far as I could tell however, there was no real “going out” area like in larger cities, but scattered throughout the town were several good places to go for a good time.
Virginia Beer Festival
Also, the weekend we went, the annual Virginia Beer Festival was going on and if you’re a beer drinker, it’s worth visiting Norfolk during that event. For $30 ($25 if you do it online) you’ll get a glass (probably about 8-10 ounces in size) and you can sample 30+ beers around Town Point Park down by the waterfront. Now in my experience with alcohol tasting festivals, you usually have to wait in long lines and usually they hand out a limited number of drink tokens. Not here. Here the longest you ever had to wait in line was at most 5-10 minutes (in which time you can enjoy your previous tasting) and the weather was crazy nice too, so knowing that’s probably the busiest it would ever get, the lines were amazingly short. There is also NO tasting limit, so you could have quite an afternoon trying several different beers and ciders (some of them very powerful). We also didn’t know this because we were first timers, but we saw several hundreds of people wearing homemade pretzel necklaces – a cheap, genius idea in my opinion for a 4-5 hour beer tasting festival and one that I might use in the future.
My buddies enjoying some brews
The beer festival was the main highlight of the weekend, but here are a few of the other places we checked out:
Luckily for me, our trip was timed perfectly to check out my beloved Red Sox’s AAA affiliate take on the local minor league team. Even luckier was that some of the major league Red Sox players were doing their rehab, so I got to see some bigger names on the “smaller” stage. I’ll say though, that I was impressed by the size of the Harbor Park – it was much bigger than I thought it would be, and the fan base was quite into the game (including one very, very obnoxious 10-year old sitting behind us with his father/older brother/uncle in his camouflage hat and cut off beer shirt). We were also treated with a relatively impressive fireworks show as well at the end of the game. Tickets were a measly $13 ($11 if you do it online beforehand), so it was a great time for an affordable price.
Harbor Park – Home of the Norfolk Tides
Cogan’s Pizza
1901 Colonial Avenue
Norfolk, VA 23517
Part pizza joint, part dive bar, this is a great place to go if you’re looking to get some good pizza (the spicy sauce is very good, and hot) and if you’re looking for a joint with a big beer selection. The beer prices are actually very reasonable considering the selections and their “Happy Hour” may as well be “Happy Day” on Tuesday where the price I think is $2.50 for beers from 11 AM to like 8 PM or something ridiculous. The staff there are friendly and mainly, shall we say, alternative. Our first waitress looked like a tattooed roller derby girl from the 40’s and our second waitress was higher than James Franco on 4/20. Combined they may or may not have lost the credit card we were trying to pay with and may or may not have stolen our leftover pizza, but we did get a couple free 90 minute Dogfish Head IPAs, so the mistakes balanced out. Good crowd, good beer, good pizza – sometimes that’s all you really need. Grade: B
Cogan’s Pizza
Do-Nut-Dinette
1917 Colley Avenue
Norfolk, VA 23517
The best breakfast burrito I’ve ever had
Every city has their local diner and Do-Nut-Dinette is Norfolk’s. It’s everything you’d expect a diner to look like: a not totally kept up trailer, 2 cops sitting at the counter munching on the diner’s homemade donuts and coffee, and a random group of people sitting at the picnic tables outside (hipsters, an African American family, a couple that looked like they got lost looking for a Gossip Girl party, and three hungover dudes – which was us). Service is slow if you get a seat outside, so keep that in mind. Not much to say about menu except this – get the breakfast burrito. It was hands down the BEST breakfast burrito I’ve ever had. I don’t know what it was, but the tortilla was perfectly grilled and the fillings were the exact portion of cheesy egg, peppers, tomatoes, and crispy bacon (other meat options available) to my liking. Grade: B-, Breakfast Burrito: A
Before we came down to Norfolk, I had heard a lot about this Doumar’s joint being one of the signature places in Norfolk. So obviously I wanted to check it out. Located a few minutes away from Harbor Park, this place is definitely the type of restaurant that Sonic has based their chain of off. As we pulled up, we decided to try getting a seat inside as we thought at the time we’d be meeting some others there. It was chaos inside, with the waitresses running back and forth between the counter/kitchen and out to the cars where there were dozens of people eating their food. We grabbed a table and waited for a waitress. And then we waited some more. And then some more. We probably sat there for a good 15 minutes, when our friend finally said “We should just eat out in the car”.
So we left the restaurant, got in our car, pulled up to one of the kiosks and Voila! A waitress came up to us within 30 seconds and took our order. So here’s the tip: Eat in your car. That’s their thing, so just go with it. The menu consists of mainly American fare and such, but the prices are very low. My pulled pork sandwich was like $2.30, fries $1.50, and milkshake was around $3.00. Now, the size of the food does match the price relatively, but it was still a pretty damn solid meal for around $6. Solid – but not spectacular, and sadly did not in my opinion so much meet the hype. If you get a milkshake, be sure to order it as a “Reggie” which means they’ll put pieces of ice cream cone in it, which was awesome. The milkshake itself though was a little icy for my taste. It lacked the creaminess that I hoped it would have. But chowing down on a meal in your car at an authentic drive-in is an experience worth trying. Grade: B –
We went to three other places as well. I was quite inebriated at this point, so my reviews of the following are short and sweet. All three are next to each other, and all three are relatively in the middle of nowhere FYI.
The Birch Bar – A small, darkly lit garage turned into a craft beer place. Good special beers if you’re looking to try something different, but pricey. I would not recommend the sour beer. I knew it was a sour beer when I ordered it, but I decided to try it anyways and it was a mistake.
Tortilla West – Very good nachos, but watch out for the jalapeno peppers. They are ridiculously hot.
Cruzer’s – I’m still not totally sure how, or what this place is. There are no windows on the industrial building that its in and the only sign that there’s life inside is one of those neon “Open” signs you see at a shady restaurant. All I know is they’ve got cheap ass beer, it’s run by a few Filipino women, they’ve got karaoke and if you score 100 on karaoke, the big, black bouncer, who’s randomly has the best voice in the place and randomly sings along sometimes, will give you a boxer’s championship belt to take a picture with. Yes – it was that kind of night.
When one thinks of Texas, the first thoughts are probably of cowboys and cattle. However, the capital of Texas has neither the feel nor the look of what one would think of when they imagine a Texas town. Austin is both youthful and vibrant, with a strong presence of music and believe it or not, counter-culture. Centered at the city is the main campus of University of Texas and that student body spills into the rest of the city.
With several bars and live music venues on 4th, 5th, and 6th streets downtown, there’s a scene for everyone. For the college students looking to get sloppy, go to East 6th Street (it’s the called the Dirty 6 for a reason, trust me. Think Bourbon Street style messiness at night). For the older crowd, head to
Texas Capitol Building
4th street for a little more sophisticated scene. For the hippies in the crowd, head across the Congress Ave bridge (where you can witness the Congress Avenue Bridge Bats 364 evenings a year at sunset. We must’ve been there that 365th day they decide not to come out) to the South Congress area to check out the alternative stores, venues, and for me get a really refreshing snow cone at one of the several food trucks.
This doesn’t include the several bars we walked into for one drink and moved on. The bar hopping is SO easy to do in downtown Austin. If you don’t like one place because of the music or whatever, just move onto then next. Or the bar you’re in might just turn into the one you want to go to. For one example: Bat Bar earlier in the night was quiet, dark and probably had 20 people in there and there was a solo guitarist with a cellist singing Radiohead covers. We left, tried a few other places, and on the walk back about 3 or 4 hours later. The place had a line 30 people long, you couldn’t see inside anymore because of the dance party, fog machine pouring smoke out the door and windows with laser lights flying all over the place, there was go-go dancer at the window getting dollars thrown at her feet, and a 300 lb. black dude DJ-ing some serious techno beats. It was like night and day.
Not technically in Austin, in order to get some of this really, really good BBQ you’re going to have to drive out about half an hour into what you would picture Texas to stereotypically look like – lots of sand, flat and space (if you’ve ever watched Friday Night Lights, its pretty much what Dillon, TX looks like on TV). But the trip will be worth it if you make it to one of the Salt Lick locations. This place is no-nonsense BBQ eating and you can smell the aroma the second you park your car. The seating area is just one big banquet hall with picnic style tables. The plates are like the hard-plastic, weird pastel colored, tri-indented ones you get at summer camp. And the meat (oh man, so good) comes out in one big pile if you and your party each get the “All-you-can-eat” for $20 – which we did…and one of the three of us almost didn’t make it out of there because he ate so much. The food was excellent, all the meats were savory, juicy and everything you’d expect from real southern BBQ. It’s really not worth wasting any of your stomach space on the bread or the sides and the place is BYOB so don’t hesitate to bring your own beers if you want. Make sure to check out the pit where the pounds and pounds of pork, brisket, and chicken are slowly cooking away. If you do encounter a wait, they have a nice little winery next door where you do a wine tasting of some of their wines for $5 and a Bocce ball court with balls out back (Driftwood was location where we were at so I’m not sure about the other locations). Food Grade: B+, Experience Grade: A-
The Salt LickThe Salt Lick PitPart of the $20 all you can eat
Great venue for live music. The bar is essentially split into two identical halves with a spacious courtyard in the middle to watch the live music. If the band Suede happens to be playing when you’re there, you’re in luck because these guys do a pretty good job of rockin’ the house. Don’t let the fact that the 6 of them look like their in their mid-40’s. They’ll play everything from classic Jimmy Buffett and Boston, to crowd-pleasing Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams and Journey, to current songs from Adele, Pink, and Katy Perry, hard rocking songs from Guns and Roses and Aerosmith, to the just plain weird – Insane Clown Posse (yes, they sung a rendition of the Insane Clown Posse) all in one night. Literally. It was like someone’s Ipod on shuffle, but sung by 40 year-old dudes – and it was awesome.
I love a good piano bar, and this place didn’t disappoint. Loud and raucous, lead by the highly entertaining pianists, this place offers crowd pleasing music along with great showmanship. A great place for a larger group, the pianists take offers to play certain songs and the tips can go as high as $100 to hear someone’s favorite tune (I was pretty shocked that these guys probably rake in on average about $30 every five minutes). Throw in a few raunchy happy birthdays and bachelorette/bachelor parties, the place can get wild. One of the most clever ways the pianists make their tips is to start getting the college marching songs competing against one another (I believe by the end of the night the Florida State alums had outbid the Michigan and Texas A&M alums $90 to $60/$60).
Solid, but not spectacular mexican food, this place really isn’t much different than any of the really good Tex-Mex places around the country. But if there is a reason to go, it’s for the 2nd floor balcony overlooking 6th street. Grab yourself a seat out there, order yourself a nice, cold margarita and enjoy the people watching (We saw Darth Vader and Boba Fett harassing a bachlorette party). Grade: B-
If you’re looking for a place to unwind, Halcyon fits the bill. Located around West 4th Street’s bar scene, this little place is a cross between a bar, cafe, and dive-y art spot. With a decent food menu (including a pretty awesome s’mores with fire, sticks and everything offering) and a full service bar, those who want a place to just chill out with a cup of java for a little bit can find that here.
Compared to the Salt Lick, this place isn’t really as good (or Stubb’s down the street for that matter, which I’ve also had in the past). However, the food is decent enough and the rustic interior venue cool and located conveniently enough that I’d say it’s worth trying only if you’re in that area of Austin, but don’t go out of your way for it. Grade: C+
Hula Hut
3825 Lake Austin Boulevard
Austin, TX 78703
Located a short drive away from downtown Austin, Hula Hut provides a pretty decent location to enjoy some Tex-Mex by the waters of Lake Austin while sipping on some cold libations. Nothing overly amazing, much like the Iron Cactus, the Hula Hut’s scene is definitely for the folks who want to sit on their makeshift dock bars and get drunk watching the boats come in and out (but mainly to get drunk. And probably sunburn). I will say that the fish tacos that I had were actually very good, so give those a try if you head out that way, but since we were there to meet up with a local friend, I have a hard time seeing why you would be out that far. Grade: B (but not worth specifically driving out to unless you’re planning on boating or meeting a local who lives around there)
Hello friends and people, I’m back. Sorry I’ve been off the grid for a while, it’s been a busy season at work and things have just started to wind down. Of course my sales season wouldn’t have been complete without a little work travel and I’m here to give you a quick recap of where I’ve been over the past few months. I won’t get too detailed because in all honesty many of the work trips required a lot of actual working so there’s not a whole lot to write about when you’re spending most of your time at Hampton Inns. But I can give you a few highlights.
San Diego, CA U.S.S. Midway Museum Price of Admission: $18 Adults, $15 Senior Citizens, $10 Retired Military and Children (online rates are a dollar cheaper)
San Diego, CA probably gets the prize for best weather all year long in the U.S. When I was there in January, it was a nice and warm low-80 degrees with clear skies – and from what I understand it’s always like that. Most of my time in CA was spent at a conference so I didn’t get to the beach, but we were in the Gaslight District which is a vibrant bar and nightlife scene. Aside, from all the great bars and restaurants one can try out in San Diego (several of which my company treated us to), it’s worth a walk down to the shore and going on board the U.S.S. Midway. Yes, I’ve mentioned the ship before, but I think it’s worth getting more in-depth. It’s much more than just a walk around the deck and seeing a few of the planes. The museum gives you a look inside all the intricate parts of the aircraft carrier and gives you not just a lesson about the ship’s role in U.S. Navy history, but a real sense of what it was like for the common sailor on-board (you can walk through the bunks, laundry room, mess hall, everywhere). Don’t miss a chance to also sit in several of the fighters jets and helicopters that they have on display or participate in a flight simulator dogfight with your friends. If you have time, go and chat with one of the several veterans on board who volunteer to tell you their stories – they’re fascinating and many of them are pretty funny guys.
When I asked around about places to go to eat while in Rochester, NY, I heard from three separate people to check out Dinosaur Bar-B-Que. Now, admittedly I thought the place was some local hot spot (with a really random name), but when I showed up I realized that it was a chain. So while I was a little disappointed, it’s not a huge chain mind you (the other locations are in New York City, Syracuse, New Jersey, and Troy, NY). Still, I had no other leads of places to try so I gave it a go. I will say that I was pleasantly surprised. The atmosphere had a Applebee’s made over by a biker gang, but the crowd was a mix of all types. The beer list was impressive, with several local northern NY brews. The food and service was top notch as well. My waitress was friendly, fast, and knew to be available but not be overbearing. I gave the “Tres Hombres” combination a try and that consisted of pork, brisket and 1/4 rack of ribs, cornbread and two sides – I went with mac and cheese and mashed potatoes. There was a LOT of food – but it was well worth the calories (you can try the smaller “Tres Ninos” combo if you’re not as hungry). The different BBQ sauces that were on the table really hit the spot, but my two favorites were there Slathering Sauce and the Wango Tango Habenero (this stuff was sweet and super spicy). The meats all melted in your mouth, but I’ll say that the ribs were probably the best of the three. The mac and cheese was also a stand out and I would tell anyone that one of the sides must be that (though one could argue that the gravy that came with the potatoes made that side dish better). I could certainly see how this place, with his comfort food and warm, friendly atmosphere is popular spot on cold winter days in Rochester. Grade: B
Chattanooga, TN Ruby Falls
Price of Admission: $17.95 for adults, $9.95 for children under 12 (babies free, but I probably wouldn’t bring a baby)
On my flight into Chattanooga, TN, I sat next to a local lawyer who gave me some leads on how to spend a few free hours in the city. He, like most of the people that I met from Chattanooga, had a sort of “really, this place is much nicer that you might think” way of talking. I’ll say this much – I probably wouldn’t target Chattanooga as a place to go out of my way to visit. BUT I will also say that it is a quaint little town with some pretty interesting things to see if you’re there for a couple days. And from what I understand and saw for myself, it’s a great place for the outdoorsy types. I didn’t try it myself, but apparently hang gliding is one of the big hobbies for the folks in Chattanooga. But don’t bother with going to the Chattanooga Choo-Choo, unless you happen to be down that way. But if you do happen to be down that way and see the Chattanooga Choo-Choo, stop into The Terminal Brewhouse. They had some great drafts and one of the better BBQ Chicken pizzas I’ve ever had.
One of the highlights for me was a side trip to Ruby Falls. It’s clearly one of the main tourist attractions (the other being Rock City) and the city lets you know it with the 247 or something billboards I saw on the highways directing visitors to see check it out (that was an exaggeration, but it was a s**tload). The drive to Ruby Falls is quick from downtown Chattanooga and when I arrived, I had no idea that Ruby Falls wasn’t really outdoors! Apparently, the waterfall that’s advertised is actually the country’s tallest underground waterfall. Now I’m not claustrophobic, but for you folks that are keep this in mind. To see the Ruby Falls, you have to take an elevator ride 1120 feet underground into a very tight, winding cave. If you’re okay with that, then you’re good to go. So a group of us took the elevator down to the dark cavern and in order to get to the waterfall, the guide takes you through some really neat tunnels with extraordinary rock formations. Our guide, Andy, gave us a little history and while his smart-ass humor was annoying at first, after a while it became more tolerable and by the end you couldn’t help but be amused by his personality. When we got to the cave with the waterfall, it’s pitch black and pretty creepy. There’s a little dramatic audio presentation to get you pumped up, and then the lights come on and Voila! I’ll say, I was pretty awe-struck by the waterfall when I saw it. They did a really good job with the lighting and making the water look like falling crystals. It was quite…majestic (for some reason I really can’t think of a better word that isn’t as cheesy). As you walk around and underneath the waterfall itself, you have to take a look up at the water coming down. You’ll get a little wet, but it’s worth the sight. It’s almost like you’re looking at the stars while traveling at warp speed, Star Trek style. So if you’re ever in Chattanooga for any weird reason, give the Ruby Falls a few hours of your time.
Sorry I’ve been MIA for the past few weeks; been doing a lot of traveling for work since my trip to Europe and this is the first time in a while that I’ve gotten a chance to sit back and catch my breath a little. So, continuing on with Paris.
I love croissants, they’re in my top five favorite foods. And because I associated them so much with Paris, I imagined when we arrived that there would be bakeries left and right (a la Starbucks on every corner of NYC style). Sadly, I was mistaken. Although there were a few bakeries here and there, it wasn’t the look in every direction and see one type of situation. It may be due to the fact that we were in a tourist area, but it was still a little disappointing nonetheless.
Regardless, that’s not to put down the places we did find. I will always take quality over quantity and the few bakeries we did go to were really standout. The first one I’ll mention is Paul. Paul is Parisian chain, not as “chainy” as Au Bon Pain or Le Pain Quotidian, but you’ll find a few scattered throughout Europe and there are even a couple now in Washington, D.C. and Florida. Paul is a solid place to grab a quick croissant, pastry, or coffee with little to no fuss. The baked goods are far better than anything you’ll get at a ABP or LPQ, and having been to the Paris Paul and the D.C. Paul, I can say for a fact that the D.C. Paul has done a very good job of mimicking its founders.
For a more involved experience, there are two cafes (or tearooms) in Paris that are excellent. They are Laduree and Angelina. We’ll start with Laduree. We didn’t do table service there because we were on our way to the Eiffel Tower, but we grabbed a bunch of pastries to go. This place wins the award for the best croissant I’ve ever had – hands down. I sampled a butter, chocolate and apple croissant, and the apple croissant was out of this world. The other two were extremely good as well, perfectly flaky with those big, crispy flakes, not the messy little ones. We also tried a few of their delicious macaroons and fruit tarts. But the apple croissant was the perfect blend of croissant butteriness and chunky-sweet apple. There are a few Laduree locations in Paris, one in Versaille, and one at the airport.
Our favorite cafe however was Angelina. We loved it so much we actually went there twice, once for breakfast and once for lunch. Keep in mind that the line to get in can get long around brunch time, so plan accordingly. The brunch lasts until 11:30 and the service is slow, but helpful/friendly once they do get around to you. The cafe is pricey, so be prepared to dish out the Euros for the experience. If you don’t want to sit, there’s a bakery in the front lobby where you get buy items to go (much like at Laduree). The snack/lunch menu consists of salads, cheeses, sandwiches, and quiches and the breakfast menu consists of a variety of different egg, fruit, pastry combinations. And of course you can order any of the decadent sweet pastries (including their famous Mont Blanc) at anytime you want.
The two highlights of Angelina are the Croque Madame and the Angelina Hot Chocolate. I never had a Croque Madame or Monsieur before I going to Angelina, but I had a few in Paris afterwards and Angelina’s was still the best. Sure, it’s a glorified grilled cheese, but the French know how to turn a simple dish into deluxe cuisine. The one other item on the menu you HAVE to try is the Angelina Hot Chocolate. This was by far, the richest, creamiest, thickest hot chocolate I have ever tasted. It was like drinking sweet chocolate cream. You should also know that if you drink an entire pot of this stuff, you will be more than full, so be prepared.
The Eiffel Tower is open every single day of the year
from 9 a.m. to midnight from 17 June to 28 August,
from 9:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. during the rest of the year,
At Easter weekend and during the Spring holidays : extended opening hours to midnight.
Obviously when one goes to Paris for the first time, a visit to the Eiffel Tower is a must-do activity. You can’t not go and see it. It’d be like going to New York City for the first time and not going to the Empire State Building. Of course because it was holiday week when we were there, pretty much everyone in the world was thinking the same thing. The base of the Eiffel Tower was packed with hundreds of people and the lines were long, like Disney World’s Space Mountain long.
Here’s a tip for any monument or museum visits in Paris (including the Eiffel Tower): Get tickets in advance online. You’ll save yourself a ton of time and from a ton of hassle. The first thing we had to figure out was which of the winding lines to stand in (and also try to find the end of each one). It was like navigating through serpents of people. Once we got into a line, we asked the people around us if we were in the right line. If they spoke English – which was like a one in three chance – most of the time they shrugged and were clearly just as lost as we were. At the same time other people were asking us the same question in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese – you name it. And each time, we gave the same answer we were given – we just shrugged and said we didn’t know for sure. It was kind of a hilarious scene – all these different races coming together in confusion despite the language barrier, and all sort of politely making the best of the scenario standing in mysterious lines that led to who knows where.
My sister was our recon soldier and when she came back to the line she let us know we had waited half an hour in the wrong one (figures right?). Turns out there were four total lines – two go to the elevator that takes you to the 2nd floor (not the top) and two that let you walk to the 2nd floor. So once we made our way over to the new line, we waited about an hour and a half. If you’re going to visit the Eiffel Tower during the cold season – dress warmly. It was very cold, and very windy. Also, make sure to bring some reading material, Ipod, and a snack (croissant was my snack of choice) because you’ll probably want to do something to make the time standing out there go by a little faster.
Once we got to the front, there was a sign that said, “Due to congestion we will not sell lift tickets to the top, only to the second floor.” A few curses were tossed around by everyone in line, but at that point because we made it to the front we figured we may as well go up to at least the midsection of the Eiffel Tower. The price for the lift ride to the 2nd floor is 8 Euros, the price for the ride to the top is 13 Euros (the price to walk to the 2nd floor is 4 Euros – you can’t walk all the way to the top).
The midsection of the Eiffel Tower is actually quite large and includes a cafe, bathrooms, gift shop, and the lift to the very shi-shi Le Jules Verne restaurant (we tried to get reservations, but the place gets booked months in advance). We learned that we would be able to buy tickets to the top from the 2nd floor (for the additional 5 Euros) once the top cleared out a bit. So we waited on the 2nd floor for another hour or so with some hot chocolate and snacks we bought at the cafe. We waited in another line for about half an hour to get the tickets to the top and then an additional half hour for the elevator to the top.
Now if you’re queasy about heights, I should warn you. The ride in the glass elevator to the top is a little unsettling. I’m not that bothered by heights (see previous post about Skydiving), but even this ride is unnerving. You can view some videos of the ride up and down on the Here and There Facebook page. Once you get through the ride and to the top, the view is magnificent. The 2nd floor view is good, but the extra height at the top really makes the birds-eye view of Paris spectacular. There’s an outside patio that you can walk around on and a champagne bar for the romantic couples (or just tourists who are celebrating actually finally making it to the top). But it is quite windy, and you should be prepared for the fact that if you’re unlucky, the visibility can be bad depending on weather conditions (we met some poor guy who had been up there the previous day and said he couldn’t see a thing).
Finally, if you’re able to get to the Eiffel Tower at night make sure to check it out at the top of the hour. For six minutes the tower shimmers in magnificent fashion. We didn’t know this until we took a night time bus tour that happened to go by the tower during this time (hence the not so great pictures of it from the bus below), so don’t miss a chance to see it.
So in summary, make sure to allot plenty of time in your day when you see the Eiffel Tower, especially if you don’t get tickets in advance (there really was like no line for people who had bought tickets in advance. It’s amazing how many people around the world didn’t think to do that beforehand). But it is worth the wait to say that you’ve been to the top of one of the most recognizable monuments in the world.
During a dinner in Paris, we noticed a kid ride by on his skateboard wearing a Franklin & Marshall College sweatshirt and baseball cap. He definitely stood out as super American in the Parisian streets and was doing what all the guidebooks told men not to do – dress like that. A few hours later I noticed another kid with a Franklin & Marshall shirt. My thought was “Wow, Franklin & Marshall’s got a pretty good study abroad contingent here.”
Then throughout the trip I saw multiple F&M students and then in London saw even more of them. I literally was thinking “Man, for a small school they are just taking over Europe!” the entire time. It wasn’t until I walked through London’s Nordstrom-style department store Selfridges that I noticed next to Calvin Klein, Polo, and all the high end clothing lines a Franklin & Marshall section.
Apparently, some Italian kids a few years ago started a clothing line using a used Franklin & Marshall College t-shirt they found in a second hand store in London. The “American College Style” look is apparently hip and you can buy a Franklin & Marshall t-shirt for 50 Euros (that translates to about $64). Why those kids just don’t buy a Franklin & Marshall shirt from the school website for half the cost is beyond me. The funny part is according to the site, the actual college didn’t know this was going on for a few years and were just as confused as to why there were so many F&M kids in Europe. They eventually licensed their name to the clothing company.
So if you’re curious as to why there are so many Franklin & Marshall youths in Europe – they’re probably not from Lancaster, PA.
On a recent trip to London/Paris, I was as excited not just to the see the sights, but to give Virgin Atlantic a try for the flight over. I had heard a ton of great things about their airline and I was curious to see for myself.
I’ll say this right up front – I was underwhelmed. I totally dug the throwback, 60’s Pam Am look. Instead of the bright blue uniforms of that airline and era, replace them with the bright red ones of Virgin. The service was very good; the flight attendants on the flight over and back were very friendly and accommodating.
Everything else about the flight was “eh” though. On the flight to London, the most glaring issue was the size of the seat I was in. The planes are split up into three sections – Upper class, Premium Economy, and Economy. We were in Economy and what I didn’t realize that is even in Economy, if you don’t pay the extra $50 for a “purple seat”, you pretty much have no leg room. I’m 5’9″, 155 lbs and literally, with the arms of the seat were practically pressed up against my thighs, my legs could spread apart at most 8 inches. It was the most cramped I’ve ever felt on any airline.
The movie selection was actually very good on the flight over (on the flight back however…I’ll get to that later on), and it’s a good thing because you will NOT get a wink of sleep. The mood lighting they advertise? Only in first class. And like any long flight, the babies were over the place. Don’t get me wrong, I get that you can’t just leave your child behind while you travel and this is no fault of the airline, but there were toddlers all over the aisles and climbing on chairs. It was ridiculous – the plane isn’t a playpen.
And one final thing to know – you can’t drink unlimited amounts on Virgin Atlantic. They announce at the beginning of the flight that they will end drink service at the amount of consumption, not behavior. As the flight attendant amusingly said “No point closing the barn door after the cows are out running lose”. Now this isn’t a huge deal for me, I don’t need to get wasted on my flight over. But it was just an observation I felt should be shared since I know several people who like the option of tossing back a few drinks on a long flight.
Now all of that was on the flight to Europe. On the flight back, we luckily were upgraded to Premium Economy for free because the previous day’s flight was cancelled and they were trying to bump those folks onto our flight. I was almost embarrassed sitting in Premium Economy looking up at the poor folks looking down on me as they walked back to Economy during boarding, but it was admittedly a nice feeling to see all the crying babies going past. I told the woman next to me that we had been upgraded for free and she said, “Oh man, you’re lucky not to be back there. This airline shoves people all together like cattle. This is the only airline that I pay extra to make sure I’m not back there.”
Obviously, the comfort level increased exponentially with wide leather seats, a ton of leg room, champagne when you board, hot towels, and after dinner cognacs or Bailey’s as well as a mid-flight Haagen Dazs ice cream break. And this was just Premium Economy. I couldn’t even see what the Upper Class folks probably received. The shocking part of the flight back though was how bad the entertainment system was, possibly because we were on an older plane. Unlike the flight over, this flight didn’t have an On-Demand style entertainment system. Each movie was run at random times on different channels from a VHS, so you had to know exactly when the movie started, which there was no way of knowing. On top of that, the colors were way off (everyone on my screen looked yellow) and the audio kept cutting off. So I ended up watching and hearing only parts of Warrior and MoneyBall.
So all in all, the airline wasn’t horrible – it just didn’t live up to the hype. They say on their website that they’ve won the Reader’s Choice award for Best International Airline four years in a row, but I can only imagine those casting the vote didn’t fly in Economy or fly on one of Virgin’s older planes. I’d give my vote to Air France over Virgin any day.
And one quick tip when your flight lands at Heathrow Airport in London. Chances are your flight will get in early in the morning. Keep this in mind – if you have a layover in that airport, allow PLENTY of time. Expect delays because pretty much ALL transatlantic flights coming from the east and west land at that time. We had to wait on the runway for a gate to open up after landing, customs took a good 45 minutes to get through, and then the terminals are FAR apart. You’re walking down hallway after hallway, through what is a essentially a huge shopping mall, and getting on the London Underground subway to get to adjacent terminals. So the time from landing to getting to a new gate in a different terminal could take as long as an hour and a half to two hours.
If you’re going to spend some time in the airport, chances are you’re going to one of three things. Read, walk around, or eat. If you’re going to eat, be sure to try and find the airport magazine. Airports such as the ones in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. have an in-terminal magazine, and in them have coupons for the restaurants in the airport. You’re already spending a bunch on your travel, why not save a few bucks on a meal.
555 Congress Street
Portland, ME 04101
tel: 207.761.0555
Dinner served from 5-close, seven days a week
Brunch every Sunday from 9:30-2:00
Portland, Maine is one of those cities in America that still holds the hidden gem status. Most people don’t make it out to Portland due to its location and size, but for those who do make it up to Maine are usually pleasantly surprised at how much Portland does have to offer for a smaller city.
The downtown area has the vibrant energy of a seaport. With seafood restaurants left and right offering some of the best lobster in America to local bars bustling with locals and Southern Maine University students offering many of the local brews, Portland combines that quaint hometown feel with an urban setting. One restaurant in Portland that I tried recently skews on the higher end scale (higher end for Portland that is – there are no Tao Restaurant style places in Portland).
five fifty-five (yes, they spell the entire thing in lowercase) is considered by many to be one of the best restaurants in Portland. I’ll say this up front: for Portland, the restaurant is one of the nicer places to have a fancy night out. But don’t expect it to be anything ridiculously fancy. The venue itself is very intimate with low lighting and a lot of wood making up the furniture and walls. The wine list is quite extensive, almost surprisingly so. But if you’re a beer person looking for some local Maine brews you’ll want to head to another place since that list is far shorter.
The menu is pricey and although I’d like to say that the food is worth the price – I’m afraid I can’t. That isn’t to say that the food isn’t excellent; it’s just a tad overpriced in my opinion. I started out my meal with the “how do you like them apples” salad which was quite a nice starter of fresh greens, crisp apples, and perfectly toasted/salted walnuts. But for $11, I kind of expected a little more.
For the entree, I tried the lobster mac & cheese which was very tasty. Again, it just wasn’t $31 tasty. I will say that I was surprisingly filled by the portion. It came out in a very small bowl and my first reaction was “This is it?” But you know how Indian food comes out in a small bowl and you think you’re getting ripped off until you finish 2/3 of it and realize how full you actually are? Same scenario.
Another item on the menu that I tasted is a nice Maine salmon wrapped in a leaf of some sort. Its accompanied by several toppings (radishes, cashews, peppers) in small dishes for you to mix and match as you see fit and a portion of sauteed kale n the side. The fish was a little dry, which I found surprising, but overall with the kale and toppings sides the dish wasn’t half bad.
So while I enjoyed what I ate, I’ll probably stick to Maine does best, the lobster shacks, for my meals. five fifty-five doesn’t live up to the hype and is just little too overpriced in my opinion. But that being said, its still a nice place to go if you want to have a classy night out in Portland. The wine list is very good and the food is done well enough that you’ll be able to overlook the fact that you’re spending a few dollars extra than you should. Grade: B-
Here and There 