Travel There: Feeling the Pulse of the Sea

Taking a stroll on Miami Beach

Working out is not my favorite thing to do. That doesn’t keep me from doing it. Land-locked in Dallas, I work-out with a trainer twice a week and ride my stationary bike for an hour on most other days.  I’ve learned it’s just what I have to avoid super-sizing myself.

Walking briskly through the deep sand of Miami Beach wasn’t a tough assignment.  Neither was going to Pulse Fitness Center on Deck 14 of the Norwegian Epic.  I met Deb and Joe in our hallway, while Bill continued his beauty sleep, and we made our way to the fitness center.

One thing they do well on the Epic is keep you constantly aware that there are numerous ways to spend your money on their ship.  To get to Pulse, you have to walk through the spa.  The spa is filled with before and after pictures of faces made more beautiful by a visit to their treatment rooms.  Prices for massages are easy to find.

Were money no object, I’d report to the spa and tell them to give me one of everything and two of some.  Correction, if money were no object, I’d be over in The Haven, where they have their own spa.  I’d be so beautiful when they got through with me that no one would recognize me.

Early in the morning the treatment rooms are empty and no estheticians in their crisp white coats are around.  If you follow the Pulse signs down a nondescript hallway, you’ll come to an information desk where someone will gladly sell you a training session or sign you up to have your feet evaluated.

Then you arrive at an amazing place – a fully equipped gym with hardwood floors.  This is no stinky side room with a few pieces of vintage exercise equipment.  This is the latest and the greatest and no matter what machine you choose, you can do your reps peering out over the ocean.  You may have to pay for a yoga class, but working out on your own is included in the price of your cruise.  Pulse Fitness Center was one of my favorite things about the ship – and remember, I don’t even like to work out.

Deb and Joe boarded the ellipticals, but I sat down on a recumbent stationary bike next to the windows.  I’d brought my Kindle for entertainment during my hour long ride, but I frequently found myself peering over the top of my e-reader to look at the ever-changing sea.

Along with the cardio workout, Deb and Joe did some weight-training and left before I did.  Later in the day, Bill also made his way to the fitness center and he agreed with me whole-heartedly.  Pulse is one of the things that Norwegian got very right and all four us us thoroughly enjoyed our time there.

So what did we do our first day at sea?  Well, come back next week and I’ll tell you.

Travel Here: The Body Beautiful

From the Partner’s Event Invitation

While admiring the Kimball’s exhibit of Bernini’s sculptures in clay,  I mentioned the ongoing rivalry between the Fort Worth museum and Dallas’s own DMA.  As if to prove my point, on the final weekend of the Kimball exhibition which  I called Bodies by Bernini, the DMA opened The Body Beautiful in Ancient Greece.  If the Kimball was going to show us masterpieces from the 1600′s, then the DMA would go back to the second millennium before Christ.  If the Kimball had clay models, count on the DMA to have marble statues.

I’m teasing, of course, but only a little bit.  If I had to judge which exhibit was best, I’d be hard-pressed to choose.

In the category of displaying objects, however, I’d have to give it up for the DMA.  The dramatic effect of the creamy white marble against a backdrop dark slate blue walls is jaw dropping.  Plaster copies of Michelangelo’s David would look good in these display spaces, so you can imagine how marvelous the treasures of the British Museum are.  Much of the Bernini collection had to be viewed through glass cases, but in the DMA you’ll be breathing the same air as Aphrodite and Herakles.  It’s exhilarating!

When it comes to the DMA, which I lovingly consider my museum, membership does have its privileges.  For instance, as a partner at the sponsor level, I was invited to a discussion between the DMA’s director and the director of the British Museum.  It’s one thing to wander through the wonderful pieces and enjoy their remarkable beauty, but you gain a whole new perspective when the British Museum’s director laments that the pieces don’t look as good at home, because the DMA has done such a spectacular job of displaying them.  If I hadn’t had a chance to eavesdrop on the chat between the museum directors, I wouldn’t have considered the exhibit in relation to the questions of ownership the nation of Greece is raising about the irreplaceable treasures. Nor would I be reminded to celebrate the fact that due to the wonders of modern technology, I can now view these pieces in my own home town, rather than having to fly to England or settle for pictures in a book.

I always say that my museum membership is one of the best entertainment values in Dallas.  Heck, the parking privileges alone justify the expense, but that’s only the beginning.  My first tour of the new exhibit was led by the man who curated the show for the British Museum.  On my own, I would have passed by a pair of small statues in one of the first display cases  without even noticing them.  Even if I had been with a docent who explained their significance, I wouldn’t have been as impacted as I was, listening to the man who had combed the entire collection of the British Museum for the exact pieces to best illustrate what we needed to know about Ancient Greek artifacts.  His enthusiasm, charm and delightful accent were infectious.  I, too, wanted an elegant walking stick and I’m telling you, bespoke suits are still the best.

Mother’s Day in Dallas – taken in Klyde Warren Park with my smart phone.

The Body Beautiful will be in Dallas until the first week of October.  I insist that you get down there and see it.  While you’re at the museum, check by the Partners desk.  Sure, you can get into the museum for free, but you’ll miss a lot.  Being a Friend in the museum’s “frequent flyer” program is fun, but for the really good stuff you need to pony up for a partnership.

If you want to see Chagall go before the 26th of this month.  I finally made it by yesterday.  It was interesting, but he’s still not one of my favorites.  Cindy Sherman will be here until June ninth.  I’ll tell you about her exhibit next week.

Travel There: Blue Men and Brownies

Blue Man Group was not on my bucket list, but Deb was thrilled they would be performing on our cruise. Thanks to the never-appearing dessert, our seats were not the best. We sat far off to one side, but fairly close to the front. The theater went dark and the show began.

Deb loved the show.  She laughed heartily through the whole thing.  In most situation we’re twin daughters from different mothers, but when it comes to Blue Men, we’re from different planets.

I was pretty neutral towards the performance until they pulled out the boxes of Captain Crunch.  I wondered what was up as they stuffed dry cereal into their mouths.  I lost my neutrality when they smashed in their cheeks and blew saliva-covered cereal into the first few rows.  This wasn’t my kind of humor.  Regurgitating half-swallowed marshmallows didn’t get any closer to tickling my funny bone.

The funniest part to me was an audience participation skit.  Someone’s grandmother came up and the Blue Men coached her through the scene.  She was obviously very nervous about being up there, but not to the point of timidity.  Before her time on stage was over, she gave as good as she got and that was a lot of fun.

At the end of the show, the whole audience participates in a group effort.  Toilet paper is unrolled at the top of the theater and handed down to the stage like streamers at a sock hop.  Then the show is over and you too can have your picture made with a Blue Man.

On the last at-sea day there was a Q&A session with the Blue Man Group sans the blue.  Deb attended and filled me in on all the Blue Man data, like the most marshmallows swallowed and regurgitated, but I’ll spare you.

After the show, the dessert we’d missed bubbled to the top of our priority list.  We discovered that the only place to get a dessert at that time of night was O’Sheehan’s.  There was one small problem, we’d misunderstood the directions and were looking for Oceana’s.  It took talking to several folks to figure out what we’d done wrong and what we should be looking for, but eventually we were being seated in the Bar and Grill.

Browsing the menu, the only dessert that interested anyone was the ice-cream-topped brownie.  I had no business eating a brownie.  I’d had more calories during the day than I usually have in a week, but there’s something about the sea air.  I ate the brownie, but I left the ice cream on the plate.

Loaded to the gills, all  I wanted to do was go to bed, but my crazy best friend wanted to find someplace to dance.  She went to the Bliss Lounge, but after a dance or two, the music went in some un-dance-able directron and they weren’t too far behind us on their way to deck 13.

So that’s embarkation day.  For our first full day at sea we had plans to work out around eight.  Wait until you hear about the gym.  That’s the next place we’ll go.

Travel Here: Do You Battuto?

Image borrowed from google local.

I love my neighborhood. I’m minutes away from virtually everything, but in recent months, it seems as if everything’s been getting closer.  The next new restaurant on our horizon was something called Battuto Italian Kitchen, another restaurant we can easily walk to.

We watched the construction and saw them hang out a banner announcing a rustic farm-to-table neighborhood Italian restaurant, but from the outside, we couldn’t tell whether they were a going concern yet or still pulling things together.  As soon as cars began to gather, we joined them.

As we enterered, a departing patron grabbed my arm and told me we were going to love it.  Everyone in her party voiced their agreement.  The hostess told us there was a twenty minute wait, so we decided to walk a bit before settling at the bar.  Since they don’t have a beeper system, we were taking somewhat of a risk, but that’s OK.  We were out to have fun and if we had to wait a second twenty minutes it wouldn’t have killed us.

On our return, we made sure the hostess knew we were back and sat down at the bar with a wine list.  Let me tell you, they are very proud of their wines – a little prouder than we felt was necessary, so we opted for a Peroni.  Sitting at the bar, we looked around and realized the new restaurateurs had kept much of the floor plan and decor of  the previous restaurant in the space, but had still managed to pull together a much more sophisticated ambiance.

Soon, we were led to a booth.  The menu is pretty simple – not a lot of clutter.  Bill decided on a prosciutto pannini and I chose a chicken pasta with olives and mushrooms.  I have to confess, our charming, handsome waiter was one of the highlights of the experience.  He greeted us with a basket of warm bread the kitchen had sent out in duplicate for another table. Thank you kitchen.

Bill was not crazy about the pannini.  He thought the prosciutto was tough and the ratio of bread to filling was wrong.  I asked him whether he thought it needed roughage or cheese or more meat, but he wasn’t sure.  He just felt the sandwich was off.  However, he adored the fries.  I didn’t have even one.  If I’d reached over there, I might’ve gotten a slap on the hand. He was that thrilled with them.  He said the fries tasted as if they’d been taken out of the fryer one second and put on the table the next – zero greasy flavor.  The metal can the fries are served in probably helped hold in the heat.

My pasta dish was OK.  It’s fresh pasta and I’m assuming they make it in the kitchen.  There was plenty chicken and I loved the chunks of black olives.  I was iffy on the sauce, which is a shame, because the waiter told us the restaurant’s name is derived from the way they make their sauces.  Battuto comes from a word that means to beat with a club, but has come to describe a certain method of blending sauces.  To me, it seemed as if the flavor might have been completely beaten out of the sauce, because it seemed rather bland to have a restaurant named after it.

It was an evening of hits and misses, but enough hits that we’ll probably make a return visit.  We’ll order something else next time, however.  Neither dish deserved a repeat.  Should you go?  That’s up to you, but if you go, let us know what you think.

Travel There: Freestyle’s First Fail

Deb and Joe enjoy a glass of champagne in Maltings before dinner in The Manhattan Room

OK – I’ve already mentioned that I was a little concerned about the whole free-style thing, but we’d been on the boat for several hours and for the most part, free-styling felt pretty much like traditional cruising.

After the sail-away we returned to our stateroom and did our first dressing dance.  Then we met our friends and rode the elevator down to Deck 7.  The elevator doesn’t go to Deck 6 where the the restaurant is.  Deb speculated that it was to force you to go through the casino, but since the casino’s on six, I never figured out the logic.. Anyway, we went down a flight of stairs and entered chaos.

According to the Q&A section of Norwegian’s website, the first night is lobster night in the main dining rooms, so we didn’t want to miss it.  Apparently, no one else did either.  We showed up about 8 PM with two hours to spare before our reservations for the Blue Man Group, but that just showed how green we were to free-style.  You’re free to do everything except show up for dinner at the main dining room and expect a seat.

Deb and Joe stood in line for Manhattan, while Bill and I rushed down to Taste to see if it was any more likely we’d get a table there.  We might have been slightly better off at Taste, but when we returned to discuss it with our friends. they’d gotten one of the restaurant buzzers that let’s you wander around in the vicinity of a restaurant and they’d gotten coupons for free champagne.  Our concerns took a back seat to the champagne.

We found Maltings, a whiskey tasting bar,  and enjoyed the free champagne.  Nearby, a crooner strummed a guitar and played old folk favorites, but once the champagne was gone, we heard the clock counting down to Blue Man.  Tromping back downstairs and Deb did the honors.  Her reward was a finger-wagging scolding from the hostess for returning before the buzzer summoned us.  We were obviously failing at freestyle, but before we could contemplate the enormity of our sin, the buzzer went off and all was forgiven.

We were shown to our seats and before too long a waitress showed up.  When Deb let her know we had to be out of there in time for Blue Man, the waitress gave us another lesson in free-style.  Seems we really shouldn’t book a show after dinner, if we plan on eating in one of the main dining rooms.  They don’t tell you that on the website, but our waitress was quick to fill us in.  The show was still an hour and a half away, but she behaved as if we’d asked for the moon.

Dinner in the Manhattan Room

For starters, Bill got a shrimp something, Deb got salmon tartare and I got a salad.  (I was still hoping I wouldn’t fall completely off the food wagon.)  Deb and Bill loved their’s, but whoever washed the lettuce for my salad failed to dry it off.  My Caesar Salad was watery and also very heavy on the anchovies.

Then the surf and turf arrived and our mood improved, but my steak was gristlely and the lobster was small.  I wished I’d copied Bill and double-ordered lobster to replace the steak.  It wasn’t the end of the world and it looked like we’d have plenty of time to make the show – until we ordered dessert and waited and waited and waited and…

As we waited we compared notes on cruising and Epic was not coming out ahead.  The dinner-time mob scene had been disconcerting.  We’d have gladly traded our free champagne for an assurance we’d make it to the show.  Then someone mentioned the entertainment.  To one side of the Manhattan stage, sat a lone man playing a guitar.  We could barely hear him, but we think he was playing Beatles songs. We hoped we weren’t seeing Epic’s best foot forward.  We’d been expecting more.

Finally, about five minutes before curtain, I announced we’d have to forego dessert.  We hightailed it to the other end of the deck to the Epic Theater and found mediocre seats moments before the lights went down.  How was The Blue Man Group?  Find out next week!

Travel Here: It’s a Brick House

Photo from http://brickhousetavernandtap.com/

To me, Brick House is the name of a Commodores song.  In Plano, it’s the name of a tavern restaurant.  Bill and I tried to go on a recent Friday night, but folks were literally hanging off the rafters and we weren’t in the mood for that.  So we made a Sunday evening visit to this popular joint, instead.

First I have to confess, my vivid imagination replaced “house” with “oven” and I thought we were going to a pizza joint.  They do have pizza, but it’s not the main attraction.  Once I re-oriented my brain I was able to move on.

We were greeted by a hostess and seated on the patio before I had time to get my bearings.  The sun was already down and I was a little concerned that I’d get chilly out there, but before I had time to formulate a complaint, I realized each table had a heat lamp over it.  Not only did the lamps provide plenty of light for reading the menu, but they kept us toasty warm on a chilly evening.  I’m wondering about what they do in July, but I guess I’ll go back and find out, because the restaurant certainly deserves some return visits.

And speaking of menus – you get two.  The food choices are on a clipboard, which I thought was sort of clever.  The cost of reprinting the menu is minimal, but the customer has something more substantial to hold than a piece of copy paper.  The more important menu is the drink menu and they literally tear it off a paper towel rack.  I’m not sure what that’s supposed to mean, but it’s certainly different.

Beer is the main attraction at this tavern restaurant.  Looking through the large opening between the patio and the restaurant proper you see a bar with a wide variety of fancy beer taps.  Bill chose a wheat beer and I got an old favorite, Stella Artois.  For the beers on tap you have a selection between large, small and ridiculous.  Ridiculous being some portable, table-sized tap of your favorite brew.  Several tables were demonstrating how much fun they were.  Bill and I wondered if the beer stayed cold.  None of the tables we saw were giving it much time to warm up.

Bill was in the mood for a burger, but I wasn’t really as hungry, so I picked a bowl of mac and cheese – that’s what my cool nephew likes to eat.  They asked if Bill wanted his burger medium well, which we thought was odd, because most burger places recommend it a little less done.  Bill ordered medium, but said that translated to medium well in his book.  He still liked it, but would have liked it better if it had been on the grill just a tad less.

When I ordered the mac and cheese, the waiter asked if I knew it was hot.  First I’m thinking temperature hot and I’m wondering why they would tell me something like that.  Then I realized they were talking hot taste-wise, but that sounded like it might be good, so I told him to bring it on.  The mac and cheese was hot both ways.  Totally delicious.  I loved it.

As we waited for our meals to come, I got to looking around and realized there hadn’t been very many people inside.  It was all happening outside.  You couldn’t see much beyond the bar, but I did see some ironic saying on the wall, like “we haven’t been around long” or something like that.  I couldn’t figure out exactly what the message was supposed to mean.

The unsung heroes of the meal were the tater tots.  Hubby loved them and I confess, I ate a couple.  The mac and cheese really was very hot and it was nice to have something to neutralize my tongue.  Hubby loved them because they were hot inside, crunchy outside with just the right amount of spices.  No ketchup needed.

After the meal we wandered around the almost empty interior and found a party just waiting to happen.  No wonder this place was filled past capacity on a Friday night.  I’ve already mentioned the huge bar with the fancy taps.  A sign above it reads, “Temple to Beer,” and I believe them.

There’s  TV lounge with multiple TV’s, so you and your buddies can cozen up to your favorite sport, not just be satisfied with whatever is on the megatron TV. We also loved the seating in the center of the restaurant – comfy loveseats pulled up on either side of a table.  We’ve got to try that next time.  Around the walls are funny food and alcohol related quotes.  The place is built for a good time.

Should you go to Brick House?  Of course you should, especially if you have some time to hang out at the bar or want to catch the game – any game.

Travel There: Sail Away on the Norwegian Epic

Let’s Sail Away!

As Bill helped me find homes for my last few pieces of clothing, we realized it was time for the boat to embark upon it’s journey. Coming out of our room, we ran into Deb and Joe, who had also been unpacking, but with less fervor.  Deb knows how to live out of a suitcase. Since we were only a couple of flights down from the Lido deck, we hit the stairs, like many of our fellow passengers did.

By the time we made it to the top, Deb and Joe were nowhere in sight. Assuming they were right behind us, we grabbed four lounge chairs by the pool, but as the minutes passed we realized they’d gone elsewhere and that pool-side lounge chairs weren’t prime real estate for watching the departure, so we ventured further.  Later we discovered Deb and Joe had enjoyed the sail away from the bridge-viewing area.

Now on my first two cruises, both well over a decade ago, the sail away party was actually a party where complimentary hors d’oeuvres and drinks were served.  I probably don’t need to tell you that this wasn’t the case on the Epic.  You could buy all the drinks you wanted, but no waiters were wandering among us with free munchies.  About all we had wandering among us were photographers taking pictures we could purchase later.

Something else we missed was an exterior walkway around the pool area.  You had to go up a deck to see out, because the windbreak for the pool area abutted the side of the ship.  We climbed to the upper deck and found our spot watching the traffic along the MacArthur Causeway watch the cruise boats pulling out of Miami.

Here’s an old Carnival ship that Bill thinks has the appropriate configuration for a proper sail away party.

There Bill found another thing that had changed and not to his liking.  Most likely for the sake of safety, panes of glass had been added above the railing.  I’ll admit it was a little distracting, but Bill was really chapped about it.  That might be because I could comfortably peer out between the panes.  Bill had to bend down to peek between the panes of glass.

After the MacArthur Causeway, we passed a ferry dock and rounded South Beach.  Then we pulled out into the Atlantic Ocean and looked north up Miami Beach.  What a sight! Too bad we’d left the camera below.  Soon, we passed the last buoy.  That meant we were really at sea.

Bill and I explored the boat a little bit.  Three decks up from the lido deck, we found another sundeck.  There’s no public pool up there and signs informed us this was a “Quiet Area” – that’s Norwegian for “Don’t bother The Haven passengers.”  See the front of the ship on decks 16 and 17 is a whole ‘nother world.  That’s where the suites are.  I’m very sorry to say that you will have to look elsewhere for a report on Epic’s Haven.

Now, I’m not one of those folks that resent rich people.  Heck, I wouldn’t mind being a rich person.  However, it beats me why Norwegian allows the general public up on deck 18, at all.  If I had paid for a suite in The Haven and was hanging out at the private pool, having drinks delivered from the Posh Bar, there’s no way I’d like some yokel two floors up doing pull-up to look down into my retreat.  Would you? I didn’t think so.

But it was almost time for dinner.  You want to go to the Manhattan Room?  Then join us next week.