A Wedding on Bainbridge

Posted on August 9, 2011 by

You want everything to be perfect, but after the flowers are arranged and the chairs are set and the food is ordered and the guests have arrived and the dresses and hair and makeup are all coordinated, there’s really nothing you can do about the weather but pray.

Outdoor weddings in the Pacific Northwest, even in August, are risky endeavors.

But since the summer of 2011 has been sulky as a teenager, we were happy to enough to have a few generous sunbreaks in time for the 5 p.m. ceremony. Yes, ideally, the white wicker arch at the end of the aisle should have framed Mt. Rainier perfectly. Still, we had warm air and a soft breeze off Puget Sound, and really, being able to have the wedding near the water was ultimately the most important thing.

I’ve been to enough weddings to know the drill, but this was my first time as a key member of the bridal party – my stint as a 5-year-old gender-bending ring bearer notwithstanding. Turns out being the maid of honor presents challenges not encountered in everyday life. (Pro tip: when you’re booking a bachelorette party, make sure the entertainment at the venue isn’t the melancholy stylings of a local emo band.) I’d also not recommend waiting until 15 minutes beforehand to prep for a speech on your fiance’s iPhone before delivering it to 160 guests.

But anyway, this isn’t about me. It’s about a weekend of ferry rides and suspension bridges, forest trails and picnic benches, white dahlias in mason jars and two blissfully happy people celebrating having exactly what they want in one another.

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Summer Arrives In Seattle

Posted on July 31, 2011 by

I think it’s safe to say the 2011 summer has been slow developing in Seattle. But the season announced itself with gusto this weekend, showcasing one of those splendid, sun-drenched afternoons that inspires tourists (overdosed on vitamin D) to move here permanently.

Lisa and I took full advantage, spending the day about the city, hanging out with friends, drinking cold beers and grilling hamburgers. About as relaxing a Saturday as one could possibly draw up.

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Thoughts On Copenhagen, 3

Posted on July 15, 2011 by

The final batch of selects from Copenhagen. What started as an event-free morning turned into high drama when I attempted to shoot some pictures inside the hippie/communist walled village of Christiana, a free town that enjoys protected status in Copenhagen. The problem was that people (unbeknownst to me) were partaking in some, um, illegal commerce. My camera was confiscated and the supposed digital evidence was erased, and I went on my way. No harm, no foul I guess.

Some other notes. For a city with no real skyline, Copenhagen is striking. My only gripe would be the weather; we often felt as if we brought the Northwest with us to Denmark … I also enjoy the simplicity of European breakfasts. Eggs, bacon and a few slices of rye bread were filling enough to start the day, or a bowl of strawberries with milk. For most Danes/Swedes, a cup of strong coffee and a sweet roll is all that’s needed.

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Thoughts On Copenhagen, 2

Posted on July 14, 2011 by

More photos from Copenhagen, Denmark

One small programming note: This summer has moved along much faster than I thought, and there’s a lot of things going on in Seattle right now. Setting aside time to blog has been pretty hard.

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These photos were from our second day in Copenhagen, most of which we spent cycling around the city. I can’t champion enough the ease which you can traverse the cityscape on bicycle in CPH, thanks to protected lanes, traffic lights just for cycles, and trails that weave throughout the city. At just $17 a day, renting a bike is a far more enjoyable option than the metro. Highlights included the Little Mermaid statue, the Danish Jewish Museum, the Royal Palace and the Carlsberg factory, where you can sample a special dark version of the beer not sold in the States.

Eating out in Copenhagen is not cheap, so we cruised over to Kodbyen (literally, the Danish meatpacking district) for pizza. Our ride home was marred by a cloud-bursting rain storm, but we were having so much fun on the trip it hardly seemed to matter.

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Thoughts On Copenhagen

Posted on June 25, 2011 by

A few random photos from Copenhagen, Denmark.

Copenhagen is a city that prides itself on functionality. A haven for creative design & urban-planning enthusiasts, Copenhagen is a place you visit and wonder, “why can’t all cities act like this.” This is the same thoughts swirling through my head as you ride on its efficient light-rail link from the airport, cruise around the city on its endless array of bike paths or wander the ample green spaces. Copenhagen is always in the cadre of cities listed as “most livable,” and it’s easy to see why.

Everything just … works. Of course, this is all by design and dedicated planning. Copenhagen didn’t just luck into its situation.

Be back soon with more photos (I took way too many). Enjoy.

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Noma

Posted on June 17, 2011 by

It was early March. 1 a.m. Seattle time, 10 a.m. Central European time. I was stationed at one computer, with two browser windows open. Jeremy manned the phone, hitting redial repeatedly on a certain number in Copenhagen (our cell phone bill would later reveal the financial cost of his efforts.)

Our goal: secure a reservation at noma, ranked the No. 1 restaurant in the world. No, really. Renowned for its focus on Nordic cuisine sourced from the highest quality ingredients of the region, noma’s culinary cred is only matched by its exclusivity – chef Rene Redzepi’s establishment only seats about 40 people a night. Reservations open three months in advance, and would-be diners slam the online reservation system and phone line with frantic attempts to snag a seat.

Miraculously, after about 20 minutes and numerous browser refreshes, we made it into the reservation system and booked our table for two at 7 p.m. on June 7.  After taking care of minor details – you know, booking Icelandair flights and lodging – three months later we found ourselves standing outside the unassuming brick building on a quiet Copenhagen block.

Continue reading →

Posted in Food and Drink, Intellectual Gastronomy, Travel | 16 Comments

NYC: Like We Never Left

Posted on June 6, 2011 by

Walking through the Lower East Side of Manhattan, I didn’t think the nostalgia would hit me like it did. I haven’t called NYC home for almost three years now, but spending a warm June afternoon in the city made it seem so … familiar. Everything from the ambient street noise to the sweat box that is the West 4th subway stop brought back memories.

Since we didn’t have a lot of time, we had to crunch a lot of things into a few hours. Lisa and I took a walk through the magnificent High Line urban park, ate lunch at The Meatball Shop in LES, drank too much beer & wine at Marshall Stack and then met good friends for dinner of ramen and pork buns at Momofuku Noodle Bar (well worth the exhaustive hype). We capped the night with “cereal milk” soft serve from the nearby Momofuku Milk Bar, which as you can guess, tasted exactly like the leftover milk after a bowl of Frosted Flakes.

This is all a warm up, of course, to our tour de force vacation through Denmark and Sweden, with a brief stop in Iceland. We’ll be posting photos and details of our trip there when we return.

Posted in Everyday Photography, Food and Drink, Travel | 1 Comment