Hawaii Day 15: Celebrating Cinco de Mayo, Boys’ Day and 12 Years Together

FullSizeRenderFullSizeRender-2Cinco de Mayo and Boys Day! We had breakfast and then Aunty Jane came over. She had a fun gift for Makai for Boys Day: Let’s Fish fishing game! Makai played with Aunty Jane and Grandma C. Grandma C was a ringer, taking a lot of joy from beating Makai Boy at the game!

FullSizeRender-1Dallas found some old photo albums and we had a look.

img_4845.jpgimg_5029.jpgI took Makai to the Post Office and Big Save. Look how big the local avocados were! I couldn’t believe it. When we tasted them they were so rich and buttery. The best avocados I’ve had!

img_4869.jpgI also got some local guava jam and local honey.

img_4871.jpgOh, and the local paper. We were at Salt Pond the day before this genius decided to punch out an endangered and pregnant seal. It was the talk of the island.

img_4854.jpgimg_4858.jpgimg_4860.jpgimg_4862.jpgimg_4856.jpgimg_4866.jpgWe also went to JoJo’s Shave Ice. Makai was super interested in how the shave ice was made and how it looked, but he wouldn’t even take one bite of it! I took it back to the house and all the rest of us shared it! It was huge!

IMG_4898Dallas and I met on Kauai 12 years ago that week, so we made plans to go out and celebrate.

img_4929.jpgMeanwhile, George and Kathy took Makai to Aunty Nancy and Uncle Bob’s house so he could play with Swede and Safina and their dog.

img_4907.jpgimg_4903.jpgimg_4900.jpgimg_4905.jpgFirst we went to Seaview Terrance for some cocktails. The view was so beautiful and relaxing. There was a Hawaiian musician. I had a Li Hing Mui Margarita (Cinco de Mayo!) and a Mai Tai and Dallas had a few local beers. I could have sat outside there all night, it was so nice!

img_4934.jpgFor dinner we went to Stevenson’s Library. We’d been there before to celebrate Liz and Jordan’s wedding, but had never eaten. The sushi was sooooo good. And we had so much! Kanpachi sushimi, sake and ika and tako and anago nigiri and two types of maki rolls. Also, hamachi kama. Yumyumyum.

After dinner we had some drinks at the bar. We tried to play pool, but we couldn’t get in the queue. It was Kauai, so the bar closed at 10 p.m. We tried to shut the bar down, but we couldn’t even make it that late! Nice, relaxing, early night!

 

Hawaii Day 4: Ze Train, Ze Train!

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In the morning Dallas and his dad kept working on the deck some more. Taking boards off every day, waiting for the new materials to be delivered. Dallas and his parents were going golfing again with Larry, this time at Kauai Lagoons in Lihue, so it was Makai and mommy day again.

Our first stop was in Koloa town to go to the post office and mail some postcards to my parents, my brother and his family, and to my office. Then we headed across the street to Big Save. They’ve really remodeled this location since the last time I was there. There was even a big area with a ton of different poke. I wondered if they were trying to compete with Koloa Fish Market, which is awesome and located right next door. I was disappointed to ask for cone sushi and be told Big Save does not carry any sushi any more. What the heck?

My main reason for going to Big Save was to get more formula and diapers. At this point we were starting to realize just how much Makai goes through while he’s at daycare! Makai rode in the shopping cart for the first time and loved it. Everyone in the store, employees and customers, were commenting on how cute he is. I don’t know if Hawaiians and those visiting Hawaii are just especially friendly and in love with babies, or what, but everywhere we went people stopped to say hi to him or make comments to us on how happy and cute he looked.

In the souvenir aisle I saw some haku leis (leis worn on your head) and thought they might be a good size for kids to wear around their necks. I tried a couple on Makai, but his head is so big that they fit right on his head! He had fun trying them on, though.

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At the Poipu Shopping Village we walked around a little bit. I stopped at Papalani Gelato and got a small shake and then went by Puka Dog for a sausage snack. I ordered my dog spicy but it was so mild. Makai was sampling the mango relish and lilikoi mustard. But that’s how mild it was… a baby could eat it. It was fun to visit Puka Dog, although I’m always a little disappointed in the bread to sausage ratio. Also, being there reminded me of John, which was kind of sad, but he was so happy that day we went together, that it was kind of nice too.

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Next we drove to Lihue to the Kilohana Plantation. I bought one ticket for the train ride (Makai was free) and waited at the depot. I asked the ladies in the shop if it was safe to leave my stroller there during the train ride or if I should put it in the car and they pretty much laughed at me. Of course it was safe, they said. I guess I’m just used to the city! Before the train ride started, Makai was entertaining all the passengers by smiling and laughing and squawking and blowing raspberries.

The Kilohana Plantation is a working farm and has a ton of different plants and vegetables and fruits and nuts and animals on the property. Makai didn’t care too much about the train ride. I think he did like the wind in his hair, though.

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The train stopped in an area that had a bunch of boar, goats, chickens and roosters. Everyone got off the train and you could feed bread to the animals. I didn’t know if Makai would even register that there were animals running around, but every time I looked down at him he was smiling and laughing and kicking. He loved it. Note to self: Go to the zoo soon!

After a while we got back on the train and rode back to the depot. A few fun facts from our tour guide: 1. It takes a pineapple two years to grow to a marketable size. 2. Raw cashews are poisonous. 3. Boar hunting season on Kauai begins January 1st and ends on December 31st. 🙂

I stopped in at Koloa Rum just because it was right there on the property. We’ve had this rum before and it’s pretty good. We even have a bottle of it in Chicago. I didn’t buy anything rum-related, but did get a cute pair of earrings.

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I picked Dallas up from golfing, since we were both in Lihue, and then we went back to Poipu for a late lunch at Keoki’s Paradise and old standby of ours. We visit at least once every time we’re on Kauai. Makai was flirting with all of the ladies at the surrounding tables. I’d see him looking behind me and smiling and laughing and then I’d look over and there’d be some person waving or smiling or talking to him! One little girl who was about 10 years old was especially drawn to him and spent about half of our lunch standing by him! And on the way out of Keoki’s, a woman literally stopped her car to roll down her window and tell us how cute our baby is. CRAZY! Even the waitress was playing with him. Later on we were all joking that Makai is running for Mayor of Poipu, the way he was carrying on and getting love from everyone! Note: This was also the first time he sat in a restaurant high chair.

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Back in Waimea, we crashed while Dallas’s parents went out to Port Allen Sunset Bar & Grill with Larry and Eleanor.

Logan Square Walk

On Saturday it was so nice outside, for the first time in many months I went for a walk to enjoy the weather. It felt nice to breathe in the fresh air and to get out in the sun.

I checked on Nice Slice again and didn’t see any exterior changes, so I decided to walk north on California Avenue. Passing by the Roberto Clemente Post Office, I stopped to appreciate how pretty it is. Inside, it’s about as miserable as any post office in the city, but the outside is nice.

From there on I decided to keep taking photos, even though I only had my cell phone with me. This metal fire escape/stairway outside a building on California Avenue is not actually that common in Chicago. It reminded me a lot of New York where almost every building has this type of escape.

I checked on Letizia’s again. No visible progress so far. On to The Boulevard, that’s Logan Boulevard. The day was spring-like, but I’m hesitant to say “spring” because as you can see, still a lot of snow on the ground.

There were lots of puddles where the snow is melting, though. Trees reflected in a puddle here.

A church and some houses on The Boulevard. Chicago’s boulevards are so pretty. Stately houses, manicured lawns. I love how they’re major thoroughfares but there are large patches of green and quiet local streets along side the express boulevard.

There were a lot of people outside walking around, enjoying the sun and fair temperatures.

Few more houses on The Boulevard.

I decided to stop and get some coffee. Letizia’s isn’t open yet, and why go to Starbucks when there are other local options? So, I went to New Wave Coffee.

This is my barista. And look at the pretty mocha he made me. You don’t get that at Starbucks! New Wave serves locally-made Metropolis coffee and in my mocha, Ghirardelli chocolate.

I entered New Wave on Logan Boulevard, but I exited on Milwaukee Avenue. Walking south on Milwaukee you come across the Milshire Hotel. This place has obviously been there forever. I can’t find a lot about it online, but I’m lead to believe that it is not good. All I could find is people saying that only vagrants, hookers and junkies stay there!

When ever Dallas and I pass this place we sing La Isla Bonita.

Discount Mega Mall. It is what it is.

The car wash is a busy place on one of the first spring-like days of the year!

Dallas and I are convinced that our tiny Logan Square Philly’s Best is really just a part of the garage/car wash. It has service entrances on each side!

There’s this place on Milwaukee Avenue called La Casa del Vaquero. It’s hard to see inside the windows because of the glare of the sun, but if you’re ever passing by, take a look. They have all kinds of wacky stuff inside including a stuffed buffalo, horse and ostrich!

The Whistler is another window to watch for. The windows there change all the time and are always really artistic. Always interesting to see how they have them decorated.

I was happy to see that Foto Quetzal still has this awesome photo in their window display.

If you think dead animals in a window was weird, then what do you make of life-sized pirates?

Maybe even weirder? Chicago has its own Statue of Liberty (at Liberty Bank).

Precision Die Cutting. I’ve passed by it a thousand times.

But this time I looked up for some reason and noticed that they have a sign where they say their the “Home of the Whirlypic”… whatever that is! All I can figure out online is that they’re some sort of plastic outdoor ornaments or vehicle antenna ornaments.

Cole’s is a newer bar that has become a neighborhood favorite. They have free music there all the time.

Logan Square Kitchen is a kitchen and venue space that opened within the last year. My friend Ed has checked it out a few times – he’s got a food-related side business.

The talk of the town: Revolution Brewing.

Stopping for a dry cleaning errand at Smart Cleaners.

I can’t remember where it was.. somewhere I lived… the drycleaning hangers always said something like “Back so soon? And fresh as a daisy!”

Cozy Corner, Emilio’s Produce Stand, the California Blue Line stop. This is a busy intersection. And see the rectangle in front of this guy’s face? Sears Tower. We’re not too far from downtown.

Same corner, different view.

Same corner, different view. Love/Hate. Love Foremost, Hate Subway.

Logan Bar & Grill. Love/Hate in a more traditional manner.

My California Blue Line train station. It’s old and rickety but I like it anyway.

The Mexican bakery, Panaderia la Central.

I think it’s so cute that our local taqueria, Taqueria Moran, has St. Patricks Day decorations up right now.

The final stretch home.

James A. Farley Post Office

James A. Farley Post Office

James A. Farley Post Office

James A. Farley Post Office
James A. Farley Post Office, Midtown, Manhattan

On Monday we visited the post office so Lorna could mail a few things back to England. It was a beautiful day so I waited outside and snapped a few photos.The James A. Farley Post Office is the main post office in New York City. There are plans in the works right now to convert the it into a new Penn Station that will rival the beauty and magnificence of Grand Central Terminal.