Pad Thai X 5

Five Pad Thai in eight days! A bit too much for me, even though I love those Thai noodles. And I am beginning to wonder if I am going to be able to love them as much after having so much of them in this trip.

For our first meal in Providence, not too long after we landed in the country, we decided to try Thai food recommended by an e-fellow. The restaurant is called Apsara and it's located just minutes away from our hotel. We, however, found the food to be disappointing. The Pad Thai that we had was not authentic enough to our taste.



Subsequently, we went around for many days without mentioning Thai food, until we were on the way to Buffalo and DH declared that he could not go on (this trip) without having rice. He was determined that he had to eat Thai food again. So we had our second Pad Thai within less than a week. We gladly found that the Pad Thai here was much better than the first one we had.



I can't remember why we ended up with Thai food again the next evening. For sure, it was originated by DH. Irregardless who suggested the place, we found a better Pad Thai in Buffalo the the other two. It was a perfect blend of sweetness and saltiness as well tanginess. K loved it more because the bean sprouts were separated from the noodles, obviously, she is not a fan of bean sprouts. I, on the other hand enjoyed having the bean sprouts on the sides and mix them right before I eat them. The crunchiness was there and they help balance the flavor better to my taste. DH simply loved them.



Then we arrived at Ann Arbor. I knew that DH couldn't and wouldn't leave Ann Arbor without having a meal at the Thai restaurant that he frequently visited when we used to live here. We could not remember the exact address of the restaurant and to make things worse, the restaurant has apparently changed its name. With a little struggle, the place was located. but sadly, everything we ordered, including our Pad Thai No. 4, didn't taste good.



With a disappointing Pad Thai, DH needed another Pad Thai to recover from (!) the next evening. We searched high and low for a decent one and found another Thai restaurant in Ann Arbor that looks decent and authentic. Our Pad Thai No. 5 may not be the best, but it was better that the previous one we had.



With more than 22 days to go in this trip, I am quite confident that this would not be our last Pad Thai story of the trip. Unless DH gets sick of it. Help!

UNO

DH was attracted to Uno Chicago Grill that he's been seeing all over the place since we landed in New York and he was really tempted to try. When we made a stop in Syracuse Carousel Center, I decided that we should try it so I wouldn't have to hear someone saying about UNO again and again and his desire to try their dishes.


Both DH and my dear daughter had surfed the web and stared for minutes at their menu and when we arrived at the door of the restaurant, they had another opportunity to view the menu prior to going in. They still had trouble deciding what they wanted to have, especially DH, and needed more time to choose. Finally, they had their mind made up.


Miss K loves, loves, loves caesar salad. She ate most of this.


Buffalo Chicken Quesadilla for DH.


Grilled Shrimp & Sirloin for yours truly.


Pillow of Pasta (Tortellacci) for Miss K.

We love the food, except DH!

Niagara Falls

We have been to Niagara Falls, Canada side before. We have always been informed that Niagara Falls can be viewed better from Canada side but since we were in Buffalo anyway, we didn't want to miss seeing the falls from USA side. It's all about seeing it from a different angle, I would never know what you could find if I didn't try. And I liked what I saw. It's different.


We got a very close view of the falls, I don't exactly know the name of this one, but it was there.


We have been there! Experiencing Maid of The Mist!

Miss K are really into taking pictures especially her two fingers (not featured here!), flowers and things around that I occasionally fail to take notice of. Here are some of the pictures she took.















And here's yours truly!!

Hi & Bye Lake George

We had a quick one night stop in the neighborhood of Lake George, New York, saw many hotels and inns and theme parks around, including one of Six Flags parks. We checked out the lake just to see how it looks like and drove to Wal-Mart shortly after. The only interesting thing was a view of a limo driving nearby, couldn't help wondering who's inside.

Nothing much was done, we needed so much rest after driving all day. Yawn, yawn, snooze..... zzzzzz ..... deep sleep!

Ben & Jerry's: Factory Tour

Ben & Jerry's factory is neatly located in Waterbury, Vermont, minutes away from Monpelier, the capital city of the state. The tour merely costs $3 per adult, any 12 years old and younger get to go for free. At the end of the tour, everyone is given an opportunity for ice cream tasting, the best part of the tour indeed!







The tour itself is a very quick one, it is started with a 6.5 minutes video on the history of the company, followed by a look at the production in which the tour leader speaks about the process while a video is also being shown. The factory was visible from the window, right down below. No photography is allowed on this section.

Sarducci's All Over Again

In the summer 0f 2004, back when the kids were younger and much easier to deal with wink, we had a road trip in the eastern part of the USA. We were on the way to Montreal from Boston and had a stop for lunch at Sarducci's, an Italian restaurant in Montpelier, Vermont. Years later, we still remember the place and when we got the opportunity to visit it again, we sure did.



The place is pretty much looks the same, the menu looked mostly similar too, if our memory serves us right. Just the three of us this time, instead of five, but we ordered quite a bit for old time sake....


Delicious white bread.


Pizza with cheese and wild mushrooms.


K's special request, Caesar Salad with tons of grated parmesan cheese. Healthier choice!

Calamari Fritti:
Tender deep fried squid with a spicy marinara sauce.


K's Pollo al Forno: Penne with smoked chicken, parmesan, mozzarella, gorgonzola, portobello mushrooms, purple onions, mozzarella.


I barely eat pasta. My oder: Sword Fish with asparagus.


Linguine al Pescatore: Sea scallops, mussels and shrimp in a white wine, marinara and garlic sauce.


DH mistakenly ordered Linguine al Pescatore, when in fact he wanted to have Fettuccine Alfredo del Mare. Upon realizing that he didn't get what he had in mind, he ordered the one he wished to have and replaced the fettuccine with linguine.

After all these foods, again, we hardly have space for any desserts.

Passing 1000 Miles

Somewhere, sometime today, between Syracuse and Buffalo, we passed 1000 miles mark. Boy, we have traveled quite a bit in seven days and saw so many new places such a short time. Every place is beautiful and different and the more I see, the more I feel humbled. I am so small compared to this universe.

So far, our list covered: Singapore, Frankfurt, New York, Providence, Freeport, Holderness, Montpelier, Lake George, Syracuse and Buffalo.

More to come indeed!

More From Holderness

Just more pictures that I think are worth showing.....











And thanks to Miss K again for these pictures!

Breakfast In Holderness

I like the name Holderness, it gives me some sense of peace for some reason, I am not sure why. On the day we had to leave, we had breakfast prepared by the innkeepers. The menu that morning was mix fruit, orange juice, French toast with orange cream filling and maple syrup and bacon, of course.





What a good way to start the day!