Virtual Vacation: Las Vegas

When I tell people I want to hang out in Las Vegas, they often cringe. And I get that - the general Las Vegas vibe and the pictures and stories that come back from Vegas most of the time are not the kinds of experiences I'm after. But, Las Vegas is a pretty doable vacation in terms of price and proximity for those of us on the Central Coast, so here's my [proposed] way of doing Vegas... 

(Can you believe I've never been? I was at the Greyhound bus stop in LV once as a kid, and we walked down a sidewalk where there was a man swaying around with a chair on his head, so I think it's time I go back and re-experience this city.) 

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In short, skip the strip, and head downtown. I will not lose a penny to regular gambling, though a street artist occasionally gets the best of me. My money will not be spent getting sloshed, but rather on some of America's finest Thai food. 

Travel
A round trip flight for two from the Santa Maria airport (3 minutes from our house) is $274 - not bad. But, I calculated the cost to drive if we assume gas is $3.40/gallon (it's currently cheaper) and it would only be $90 in gas, round trip! It's 12 hours of driving, but... podcasts. 

I'd imagine the public transport is pretty good since this city's livelihood is built around tourism, but if you drove, at least you'd have your own car to shuttle out to the best eats in Chinatown, or track down the best shopping. 

Packing
I'm packing all the sequins I never have a reason to wear in Santa Maria! I steer clear of "slinky", but I definitely own flashy. Also, all the high heels I can't wear with children hanging on me. And sparkly jewelry. But when it comes to what to wear during the day, I'm thinking heat-resistant, and a nod to retro, like high waisted shorts and my Elvis tee. Mmm? Don't forget a water bottle and cash (for vintage shops, not gambling, duh!). Oh, and maybe I'll even have a moment to read by the pool, so a book! 

Staying
Typically, I'm all about Air BNB to save money, but you can get REALLY CHEAP accommodations at hotels in LV. The Rumor Boutique Hotel looks fun and fancy enough to be special, but has very cool rooms for $45-65! Apparently there might be a resort fee (?), but there are also deals for buying in advance, and discounts on their website. It's Vegas-y without being TOO Vegas-y or seedy. You can find stuff a lot cheaper, but I haven't found anything else that looks this cool for a price I can afford. 

Doing
Las Vegas has some of the coolest musuems! I'd want to stop at The Mob Museum (tickets are $20, but it's worth flashing a student ID if you have one) - home of Bonnie and Clyde's shot-up car! -, the Burlesque Hall of Fame (free), and most of all, the Neon Boneyard {image}, because what kind of hipster-blogger-vintage-shop-owner would I be if I passed that up?! There's a pinball hall of fame, if that's up your alley (ehhh, see what I did there? ;)), too. Tickets to the neon boneyard are $18 and BE SURE to reserve your tour spot in advance, because they sell out. The website mentions that you can buy a combo ticket for the Neon and Mob museums, so hopefully that would be a good deal. I'm thinking the night tour over the day tour? I'm really going to have trouble deciding. 

I've also never been to a Cirque du Soleil show, and Vegas seems like the place to do it! This would be a splurge, but I've heard it's pretty spectacular. Tickets are around $70. I can't decide between the shows, Ka, O {image}, and Mystere. 

Of COURSE, I'll be thrifting my heart out for costumes and memorabilia of bygone eras and generally trying to uncover "old Vegas". A quick[ish] search of vintage LV shops has me wanting to visit: The Attic, Amberjoy's Vintage Closet, Vintage Vegas Antiques, and Glam Factory Vintage. Other recommended shops are Patina, Electric Lemonade Shop, and Retro Vegas. However, as any thrifter knows, the best deals and steals are probably still at thrift stores, where people don't realize what they're selling for pennies. 

Mostly for my own reference, here is a list of places to check out if you want to feel like you're in retro LV. None of them look amazing, basically the advice is "go Downtown" or go to Palm Springs if you want to see mid century life preserved, which I do want to do sometime for sure. 

Eating
It's no secret that I like to eat. A lot. As in, I like it very much, and I like to eat great quantities. Vegas seems like my kind of place in that regard. I mean, I'm not above a buffet, people. Especially something like Wicked Spoon. $22 for elegant all-you-can-eat brunch tapas? I'm there, no shame. Trust me, I get my money's worth from buffets (you should see me in the cafeteria at Biola when I visit my sister! :')) 

Raku Grill is on all the must-go-to lists, and was endorsed by Bon Appetite for their home made tofu (though I'll be skipping that, thankyouverymuch). The Splendid Table said to stop at Manta Ramen next store as well. I can squeeze both places in to one meal, right? {image}

Now, about that Thai food I mentioned. If you know anything about the foodie scene in LV, you've heard of Lotus of Siam. It's been on cooking contest shows, Anthony Bourdain raves about it, you get the picture... Other than being Thai, the thing I'm excited about is that I can totally afford it. But I'll hunt you down if you order Pad Thai. Northern Thai food is their specialty, and apparently their beef jerky is incredible. 

Then there's this guy, Jose Andres. His eight-seat restaurant é by josé andrés is a "gastromolecular adventure" (sounds fun and so mysterious!) but probably too pricey for us. Perhaps more affordable (?) is his place Jaleo, which supposedly has "massive pans of wood fired paella". Um, yum. Best of all, given my tastes, would be his restaurant China Poblan where one critic recommended the tacos - "the Viva China - soft beef tendon, Kumamoto oysters and scallions in Sichuan peppercorn sauce is the single best item I ate in 2012". Not bad. 

Other recommended bites (probably only worth it if I happened to be right there on my way to somewhere else, because these aren't full meals) from my internet searching...

I'm not really a breakfast-loving gal, but I think I could make an exception for Cannoli from Buddy V's, as endorsed by Bon Appetit, and I pretty much believe everything they say. Don't even worry that it's actually on the dessert menu.

Highlights from this list:
Ceviche and gazpacho at Julian Serrano.
Whatever punch they're ladling out at The Velveteen Rabbit.

In the mean time... 
There's not a lot to put in this category, since this trip is close to our home and pretty likely to actually happen. I'll just keep saving coins and stashing sequins. 

These posts take a lot of time to put together, but they're some of my very favorite to make! Check out my virtual guides to Japan and Curacao. 

Virtual Vacation: Japan

I always have to remind my American peers that I missed the 90s and most of the 2000s in the U.S. (because I was in China), so there are some major cultural references and attitudes that I'm not familiar with. Zombies, werewolves and vampires, for instance. I remember coming back to the States and thinking the popularity of all that stuff was ludicrous! I'm reluctantly sucked into the Walking Dead now, and I did discover true love in the original Dracula, but it's taken me 5 years to ease into that trend.

Another thing I was totally unprepared for was Japan-mania. Anime, J-pop, Harajuku Lovers, sushi, cosplay - I rolled my eyes at it all. I think I'd only eaten sushi once in my life (in Hong Kong, and I didn't think much of it) before moving back to America. But once again, it's all grown on me, and Japan is now very near the top of my dream travel list.



One of Jonas's best friends, and the best man at our wedding, recently moved to Japan. I'm biding my time, waiting for him to find a wife there, so that we "have to" go for a wedding. While I wait for that to all pan out (haha), I'm planning the rest of our trip. Also, I should introduce my friend Tiffany, who I'll be referencing. She grew up in Japan during the time I was in China, and she gave me some great travel tips, so many thanks to her!

There is SO much I want to do, see, and experience in Japan. There's no way I could anticipate everything I'd want to do, and no way I can cover all the amazing things I AM aware of, but you know me; I'm gonna try. ;) Settle in for a mighty long post....

I want to visit Tokyo and Kyoto mainly, but definitely some countryside as well. As silly as this is, I'm most drawn to the countryside because of depictions of it from Studio Ghibli films. I'm so excited that we know people in Japan and would maybe get to stay in a Japanese home, if we visited, because that's always the best way to experience the culture - first hand! I'd definitely be apprenticing myself in the kitchen to every grandma I laid eyes on.

Japan is one of the most expensive places to visit in the world, but there are some ways to cut costs.
When it comes to travel, the cheapest airfare is available between mid-January and March (AFTER Chinese New Year), but one guide I was reading said it's not always worth it to try and go during that time of year because, although the weather will probably be sunny and dry, it's still quite cold and the sun sets around 5pm, which limits sight seeing. Most greenery is dead that time of year too, which can be one of the main attractions. The cherry blossoms would be especially incredible to see [source]. Jonas' travel idea was to take a cargo ship, which would be an adventure in itself. I'm leaning toward not taking kids on this trip, which means we could afford to do a lot more. Plus, they would probably love a cargo ship, but would be too young to remember much of anything later. So, my vote is fly without them (sorry, my babies!).

Supposedly overnight buses (instead of trains) save money, and rail passes are preferable to buying one ticket at a time, although even the passes seem extremely expensive to me (around $360 for a week!). Both Forbes and ESB had some further suggestions on how to go about traveling within Japan.

I'm sure staying with friends would always be the most cost effective, but if you're not lucky enough to have friends in Japan, the ESB guide recommended you try and find a place to stay by the rail lines in Tokyo to minimize how much travel you have to do within the city. I think this place on AirBNB is pretty cute, and it seems to be in a relatively central location, and 5 minutes walk from some sort of station (haha). In Kyoto, the ESB guide (Sarah) said, "I always stay at Ryokan Nishiyama. It’s a traditional Japanese inn with an onsen (and beer vending machine) downstairs. Stay in a tatami room and don’t miss the Japanese breakfast the next morning."

In my first Virtual Vacation post (Curaçao), I had a section called "What I'd Bring", complete with pictures of pretty dresses and what book I wanted for the beach. When it comes to packing for Japan, I'd just bring anything our friends wanted from the States, some good walking shoes, a GPS/smartphone, a lot of cash (ESB's Sarah had a good reminder that much of Asia doesn't take cards), at least one empty suitcase to fill on the way back, and at least one empty journal. Maybe I'll write a post someday about my traveling essentials in general (ibuprofen, ahem), I'm kind of an expert....

As to eating... boy, oh boy. I'm going to have to fast for a month before this trip to fit it all in. I can't imagine spending $400 on a meal, but if I had that kind of money, I'd definitely be stopping by Jiro's (from Jiro Dreams of Sushi) place for "the best sushi in the world." Alas, I imagine it would ruin all other sushi forever. I'd settle for a sushi feast if I couldn't get to Jiro's. Another thing I'd really like to try is Okonomiyaki, which is kind of like a loaded cabbage pancake, if I'm not mistaken. I've heard that one of the most common things that people eat in Japan that we don't often see in the States is curry on ramen. Jonas and I actually ducked into a curry ramen shop in San Francisco during our honeymoon, and it was delicious! But I would want to try everything I could get my paws on, taking special care to get some street food (photo), which is one of the pillars of my travel philosophy. A place called Ebisu Yokocho in Tokyo is supposed to be a winding hall of dining places that does a great job at show casing regional food from all over Japan. I also love to grocery shop in other countries, so I'd want to make a stop at Nishiki Market in Kyoto to buy ingredients and special utensils and maybe the Tsukigi Fish Market in Tokyo. 

Sarah says, "My Kyoto party trick is to go to the Gion District for lunch. Dinners in this area can be crazy expensive, but the lunch sets are about half the cost and just as classy. I’d recommend the Shabu Shabu." She also mentioned Japonica Cafe in Kyoto as being ultra ultra hipstery with to-die-for avacado and octopus salad. Lonely Planet made a 10-city guide about food, highlighting each region's specialty, and I could probably spend hours reading Wikipedia's page on Japanese cuisine. Constantly eating out in Japan probably costs a fortune, so many people suggest grabbing pre-packaged meals at convenience stores, which appear to be much better stocked their American counterparts. Tiffany also mentioned that some grocery stores include free gourmet coffee for shoppers, so that's something to keep an eye out for as well. 

The beauty, precision, and presentation that goes into everything in Japan, including food, blows me away. And has me by the heartstrings. Even the bolts in their wooden beams are beautiful, for crying out loud. No wonder everything costs a pretty penny. I'm truly enamored by an entire culture having a work ethic that produces products that show both mastery and love in each item. Photos: Mochi made to look like persimmons, balled sushi (complete with tutorial using adorable cookie cutters for cucumbers!!!), and udon soup. 

On to what I plan to do and see. SO MUCH. I might need to take more than one trip. :)
I am not a big "sight-see-er" when it comes to historical landmarks, monuments, etc., and Tiffany said she is the same way. There are oodles of shrines to be visited in Japan which Tiffany said fall into that category for her. Sarah agreed that the Meiji-Jingu shrine in Tokyo was the only one worth visiting in that city, and if you go, you should try and make it on Saturday to catch the beautiful Shinto weddings. I would, however, be interested in visiting Fushimi Inari Taisha and Otagi Nenbutsu-ji, both shrines/temples in Kyoto, mainly because of their beautiful and strange distinctive decorations, which draw me and my camera. A walkway of torii pillars and gardens of laughing buddha (rakan) statues, respectively.

One of the things I've wanted to do in Japan for the longest time is visit the Costume Institute of Kyoto. They generally only have a small gallery opened to the public, but I would be beside myself if there was any way to swing getting a more in depth tour. I would love to get some art degrees at some point in my life, and I would be especially interested in studying textiles in Japan, so the closer I can get to anything related to that, the better. That said, the Nishijin Textile Center may be better for getting to see textiles being made, a place to buy some, and even a mini museum of its own. Somewhat related, Sarah says that, "Also in the Gion district, you can dress up as a maiko (geisha apprentice), which I hear is totally cheesy… and awesome." That pretty much sounds like something I want to do. Here are two incredible kimonos (source), and if you're as coo-coo-bananas about them as I am, here are two more pages (1, 2) where you can feast your eyes. And if you're super, super, serious about it, you can buy this beautiful book that I have a copy of and can highly recommend. It's incredible that all the kimonos in that book are part of one person's collection! 

Another thing I think Jonas, in particular, would love, is if we could find some Noh mask makers to watch. Scouring the internet doesn't bring up a lot of options for that, but I did find this tour guide group that says they can take you where Noh masks are made and to see fabric weaving! It looks painfully touristy, but we might have to brave it. Of course, then we'd want to see a Noh play at the National Noh Theater, which happens to also have Bunraku (puppet) and Kabuki (painted faces) shows, which I also want to see!

Two other somewhat random things I'd love to experience are the wisteria tunnel and a cat cafe! The wisteria (photo) is in the city of Kitakyushu, so that may not make it on to our itinerary, but there are some cat cafes (1, 2) in Tokyo. Cat cafes are pretty much just what they sound like - rooms full of cats that roam around and sit with you while you have a nice cup of something. One of their websites has this message at the top,

"It is a cafe in the play Ogikubo of Tokyo, and cute cats. You, ♪ Please come to play by all means."

Yeah, I'm so there. 

Last, but not least, I'd have to do lots of shopping, of course. I'd definitely want to nab a netsuke from Japan for Jonas, since I have a tradition of giving him a new one every Christmas.  I'm also gaga about miniature food ("smaller, smaller, smaller!"), and would probably want to fill a whole suitcase to add to my collection. I think it would make great gifts for kids, too. My impression is that it's available in lots of little trinket shops (you can actually get it in Little Tokyo in LA or the Japan Center in San Francisco too). Everyone suggests shopping at 100 yen stores, flea markets, and thrift stores, to keep costs down. Tiffany says, 

One of my favorite things when I come back, is to go to recycle shops and buy second-hand Japanese dishes. I can usually find pieces that are worth a mon (100 dollars) or more for like 500 yen (5 dollars) because Japanese will receive SUPER nice ornate dishes and things for weddings and such, and sell them to second-hand stores and recycle shops because they want something more modern. Another fun thing is to go to second-hand clothing stores and find blazers. Women's blazers here have some of the best tailoring ever. I can get blazers that are so nice for like 5-7 dollars (originally probably $100).

Sarah suggests , "a Japanese manicure is one of the best (temporary) souvenirs you can get, especially if you ever wanted tiny cats painted onto your nails. Drug stores have aisles and aisles of hair and makeup that your inner 14-year-old girl could only dream of, so stop in and grab some fake eyelashes."

According to Kate Spade's Tokyo guide, some more enticing shopping spots: Koenji shopping district and the neighboring Shimokitazawa for thrift and vintage stores, Tokyu Hands (floors organized by subject, like paper. MY HEAVEN), and Building 109 ("where trends are born").

In the Mean Time... you're probably already aware of plenty of lovely Japanese-esque things you can do from home, but I'll give you some extra suggestions if you're pining away after a trip, like I am. I'd love to get my hands on this illustrated journal, "A Year in Japan". It looks like a fun take on everyday life, and I love that kind of stuff. You may want to eat it while nibbling on a little dish of home made Japanese pickles. If you get really serious, I've heard that Marukai Market and Mitsua Market in Southern California are the best places to get Japanese ingredients in our part of the world.

I hope this dream-vacation of mine has given you some tips and ideas if you happen to be planning a trip yourself. When we get to go someday, I'll definitely have to do a follow up post about what Japan was actually like! I can't wait...

P.S. #ica-aaan'tstop
Lovely kinda-kimono for a baby.
A Totoro bed and cream puff!
An incredible wedding bento box.
Pretty candy that also looks like mini food.
Beautiful lanterns from the lantern festival.
Endearing and cooky things you can only find in Japan.
A traditional Japanese fan, it kind of blows my mind. 

Virtual Vacation: Curaçao

My mom has always wanted for our family to take the Orient Express from China, through Russia, to Europe. I don't think we were ever very close to doing it, but she did get excited when I went through a phase of obsession with the Czech Republic and tasked me with planning a trip there (oh, homeschooling). Being a freshman in high school at the time, I had very little idea of how to do something like that, and soon got quite frustrated and nothing ever came of it. But as generally goes with parenting (as I'm coming to realize), that sounds like a great idea to me, 8 years later! Well, at least the part about planning a dream trip. [above image]

So far, Jonas and I haven't made it outside of the U.S. since being married, and even the one out of state trip we made to Nebraska was more difficult than expected, with Ishmael in tow. Until we have better means of traveling as a family, I'd like to plan several of the trips from my arm chair at home.

The first destination I've picked is the island of Curaçao. When we lived in China, there was a woman from Curaçao who ran a restaurant called The Vine, whose head chef was also from Curaçao. Eating out was almost always too pricey for my family (with 5 kids on missionary support), but my mom would occasionally take me to the Vine and my favorite thing was this brown rice dish that would come as a side to the meat. I went looking for a recipe for that rice (assuming it was a Curaçao standard) the other day, and though I found nothing like it, I was enchanted with Curaçao in its own right.



Curaçao, situated just north of the Venezuelan coast, is one of the less touristy islands in the Caribbean because it has a thriving economy and therefore does not depend on entertaining visitors (source). One of the coolest things about Curaçao is all the Dutch influence, dating back to the 1600s when the Dutch first occupied the island, though the presence of both the Dutch, Spaniards, and French was not limited to architecture, but sadly fostered a large market for slaves between West Africa and America. As a result, there are many old plantations on the island. The range of cultural influences over the years is pretty incredible, including Lebanese refugees and a large Jewish population from the Netherlands (source). It seems like the perfect blend of man-made architecture and beaches of paradise. (images: 1, 2)

Travel: LAX to Curaçao, roundtrip/person, ~$600. Go in March to experience Carnival.

What I'd bring: With my ever-practical (lolz) fashion sense, I'd take a bunch of flowy Stella Jean inspired maxi dresses, sandals and a bright nail polish (because I have a lot of chances to paint my nails with a toddler), definitely a sun hat and sunscreen, a pool torpedo for my boys (definitely check it in your luggage), and Rafael Sabatini's "Chronicles of Captain Blood" - Curaçao has history with both the Spanish and pirates! - for the beach (forget reading on the plane with a baby). [See image credits here]

Where we'd stay: I like to spend my money on food, shopping, and experiences rather than nice hotels (most of the time...), so Air B&B is great for us. I thought this little place was the prefect mix of cheap (but not too cheap!) and comfy. It looks like the common rooms (kitchen, dining, etc.) are shared with other B&B customers which can be fun when traveling - my family was always meeting strange and wonderful people because of set ups like that in our travels. I'm happy about the pool too, because both my kid and my big kid (husband) will really appreciate it at the end of the day or if we decide to stay in one day.

What we'd eat:  I'm pretty excited about eating in Curaçao. We would definitely make a trip to the floating fruit market (image) and try something we'd never tried before, followed by the old market for lunch, perhaps of iguana soup. Although it may be just as cheap to eat out (I'm not sure), I usually like to cook a meal or two from scratch when traveling to keep costs down and just to relax at "home" for a bit (particularly breakfast before adventuring for the day!). I would love to try my hand at cooking some local fish. The other dish I am really excited to try is stuffed cheese, or "keshi yena" (image from link). Back in the days of slavery, the Dutch settlers would toss their leftover gouda and edam scraps, which the plantation cooks would salvage by rehydrating the cheese rinds and then stuffing them with whatever they had on hand. Sounds delicious, and I always respect creative and efficient recipes. And if I could find anyone who knew the chef from Urumqi, China, maybe I could even track down that rice recipe.

What to do/see: I would love to learn to scuba dive, but keeping the whole fam in mind, I think that a mini-sub dive would be amazing! Hopefully it doesn't cost an arm and a leg, but most likely it does, so we'd probably stick to snorkeling. Hiking trails and roaming around the more remote areas on a jeep safari doesn't sound like my ideal activity (although I would be interested to see an old plantation), but I can imagine the boys wanting to do that while I roam the town and buy stuff and take pictures. I wouldn't be a good mom if I didn't drag my kid to a museum on vacation, of which the Kura Hulanda museum looks the most interesting, I think, considering that it has exhibits on voodoo and burying people in cliffs. Experiencing Carnival would be pretty cool too - it's a huge mash up of cultural expression, costumes, dance, and parading. And food, I'll wager. [image]

In the mean time: So, what can we do to get a little taste of this amazing place until we get the chance to actually visit? Just a little Curaçao cocktail, of course. I've never tried Blue Curaçao before, but it sure looks yummy. This recipe for "lowcountry lemonade" calls for some, as wells as some peach schnapps and lemonade, of course. Another variation I saw on this cocktail called for some kiwi liqueur, which sounds tempting as well. If you happen to have that combination of ingredients, by all means, let me know...

Have you ever been to Curaçao? If so, I'd love to hear about it. Stay tuned for more Virtual Vacations to Iceland and Georgia (USA), to name only a few!