Saturday, May 12, 2012

Cheers Bar, Beacon Hill


 Cheeseburger
Guinness Beef Stew 

There are two Cheers bars in Boston, one in the Beacon Hill section of the city and one in Faneuil Hall Marketplace. The Beacon Hill location will be familiar to most TV viewers as the location of the bar filmed for the show.

We decided to stop here for lunch rather than just walking in for pictures and the gift shop. And I'm glad that we did. We ordered the cheeseburger, which was exactly what you would expect from a bar cheeseburger.

The real gem was on the specials that day (and if it's ever there again, order it, just do it). The Guinness Beef Stew, with tender, melt in your mouth beef, carrots, potatoes, celery and a broth so thick that it beat through the chilly, windy Boston April. This was so good. My dining partner took a bite and immediately regretted ordering a cheeseburger and not the stew.

Friday, May 11, 2012

Caffe Nuovo

Western Omelet
Ham Benedict

I was craving breakfast foods, and if I lived in Boston, I would never, ever, ever eat at an IHOP or Pancake House ever again. Not with a place like Caffe Nuovo in the city's North End making dishes (even into the late night hours) like the western omelet and the ham benedict.

The cafe, which also serves dinner entrees, has a well stocked bar and friendly bartenders.

The western omelet had a beautiful flavor and the peppers didn't overpower the other flavors in the omelet. Not to mention the size of the omelet, and the homefries. The plate was very large but a nice portion to keep you full.

The ham benedict was perfect. I was concerned that the hollandaise sauce might not be tasty (based solely on my fear of every chef messing up hollandaise), but it was perfect. I found myself going back for bite after bite and finished this very large plate. This is definitely a must-order!

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Durgin-Park

Chicken and broccoli with pasta
Roasted Stuffed Tom Turkey


Even had we not booked reservations at Durgin-Park before we arrived in Boston, we probably would have eaten here based solely on their signage. A large sign along the main marketplace that reads "Established before you were born," is intriguing to me.

But, beyond that, the menu was good, home-cooked meals, and lots and lots of it.

We had a wonderful waiter who was completely honest with us. I asked for his opinion on their beer selection and he recommended the John Durgin Ale, then rambled about the other "standards" on draft. Clearly, he preferred the Durgin ale, and for a good reason. It was wonderful - not too hoppy and drinkable.

For dinner we ordered the chicken and broccoli with pasta, which our waiter recommended with a garlic and butter sauce (again, for good reason). The entree was huge, nearly enough to share!

We also ordered the roasted stuffed tom turkey, which was like Thanksgiving dinner in April: white meat of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, and cranberry sauce. The turkey was wonderful, and for white meat, not dry! The gravy made a wonderful addition to the platter.

While dining, another couple had ordered the restaurant's signature 1 lb. lobster, which they dug into happily. The restaurant also specializes in prime rib made grandma's way.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Residence Inn Orlando by SeaWorld

I did a three night stay at the Residence Inn Orlando by SeaWorld.  Unfortunately, it was a disappointing stay.

The first issue was the Internet.  The first 2 nights had absolutely no Internet availability.  I inquired with the front desk about this a few times and each time was told that it was being worked on and would be up shortly.  It took more than 48 hours to fix the problem, which to me is inexcusable.  I specifically chose this hotel because of it's proximity to a conference I was at and because free in-room internet was advertised.  The hotel fell short because of the lack of Internet availability.  To me, this implies false advertising since the amenity of free Internet was unavailable.

The second issue was the housekeeping.  They did a very poor job in cleaning the room on a daily basis.  To give you some examples, the mirror in the bathroom was never cleaned and was "spotty" the whole time I was there.  The alarm clock next to the bed was covered in a layer of dust.  There were crumbs on the table in the room and they were never cleaned off.  I expressed this concern to someone at the front desk, but since nothing was ever resolved, I believe they just ignored my valid complaint.

After my stay, I informed Marriott of these issues.  Within a day they did apologize and the hotel did offer me one night's money back on a gift card, which I thought was definitely good compensation for the issues.

There are numerous hotel options in the SeaWorld area for all types of travelers.  With this type of competition, there is no excuse for these issues.  I'd recommend looking elsewhere for your stays in this area.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Brandywine River Falls




Located in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, the main attraction is the Brandywine River Falls.  This peaceful waterfall has a large, convenient parking lot located near it to allow for a very short walk to the falls.  We stopped here on the way from Cleveland to Canton, and found it to be a great morning stop to get a nice view of nature (and it was free!).

There are spots to take photos from the top of the falls, as well as near the bottom, so that you can get both aspects.  For anyone who lives in the area or is just passing through, this a definitely a place I'd recommend stopping for at least a little bit.

Monday, May 7, 2012

The Christmas Story House






Honestly, what American at this point has not seen "A Christmas Story"?  After all they play it for 24 hours on Christmas Day every year.  Well, for those of you that are either obsessed with the movie or just have a partial liking to it, you'll definitely appreciate a visit to A Christmas Story House in Cleveland.  This is the actual house where they shot scenes in the movie.  Inside, you can get a private tour with some stories of the cast and others involved in the movie.  Then you can take photos with all the various items made famous by the movie such as the Leg Lamp, Bunny Suit, Rifle and soap.

Across the street is also a museum with more memorabilia.  This is a good place to walk around while you wait for your tour to start.  If you're in Cleveland for any reason, make sure you take an hour or so to head to this great site.

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Pro Football Hall of Fame




Are you a football fan?  Well, at some point, you need to make the pilgrimage to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.  While the building is undergoing some major renovations, the exhibits are still fully open.  In the first area, you'll learn about the history of football from it's inception and the original teams in small cities around the country all the way to what the NFL has evolved into.  Throughout this exhibit there is plenty of memorabilia that has been donated to the museum that will make football fans just say "wow", especially when it corresponds to your favorite team and players.

After your football history lesson, the next major area is the room containing all of the busts of the inductees to the hall.  For me, being a Dolphins fan, I made sure I found all of the team's members that are in the hall.  For everyone else, I'm sure you can find some of your favorite players from your lifetime (and before) that you'll want to grab a photo with.  You can also watch videos and learn about every single player in the hall with individual TV screens in the bust room.

After you walk out of this room, you're greeted by a ton more memorabilia focusing on important moments in football history.

This is definitely a must visit for football fans and after your visit, you'll find yourself wanting to grab some mementos from the gift shop.