I've decided to get back to journaling, but now that we have the two kids with a third on the way, I'm deciding to start chronicling some of the fun small things from their day-to-day and things we do together.
I'm going to find a way to do this from my phone but this will be a lot of fun to share with them when they get older.
Back to journaling!
Monday, November 30, 2015
Back to Japan - 2014 tour from Tokyo to Yokohama, Shonan, and Osaka
I'm back in Japan for a work project, and it's been a totally different trip from the last time. For this trip, we are doing training at four different sites around the country. What an interesting trip. Just a few of the highlights from each of the places...
Tokyo - this city just amazes me. I only had one night here, and that's never enough. We went to an awesome bar - Bar High Five - and it was killer. http://www.barhighfive.com/
We followed that up with just a solid dinner around the corner, and that was a great way to settle into what was going to be a fun week.
From Tokyo we had to go to Yokohama, and this was a much more laid back night. We were resting up for Osaka.
Two things were impressive for me during this part of the trip:
1. The client site in Shonan was as impressive of a research facility as I've ever seen
2. We got to take the bullet train from Shin-Yokohama to Shin-Osaka
Pictures of each below.
The final leg of the trip involved a few days in Osaka. Highlights included Osaka Castle, catching the last day of the cherry blossom festival along the river, walking through Dotonbori, and eating some amazing food.
The sushi place we went to for dinner was incredible - Sushi Hoshiyama. Very young chef, creative sushi, incredible experience.
Lunch for tempura was ridiculous
Tokyo - this city just amazes me. I only had one night here, and that's never enough. We went to an awesome bar - Bar High Five - and it was killer. http://www.barhighfive.com/
We followed that up with just a solid dinner around the corner, and that was a great way to settle into what was going to be a fun week.
From Tokyo we had to go to Yokohama, and this was a much more laid back night. We were resting up for Osaka.
Two things were impressive for me during this part of the trip:
1. The client site in Shonan was as impressive of a research facility as I've ever seen
2. We got to take the bullet train from Shin-Yokohama to Shin-Osaka
Pictures of each below.
The final leg of the trip involved a few days in Osaka. Highlights included Osaka Castle, catching the last day of the cherry blossom festival along the river, walking through Dotonbori, and eating some amazing food.
The sushi place we went to for dinner was incredible - Sushi Hoshiyama. Very young chef, creative sushi, incredible experience.
Lunch for tempura was ridiculous
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Emily is no longer a Dolan
Crazy to think about, but this last weekend my sister got married.
Congrats to Emily and Brian!
Some pictures through Lauren's website [below].
www.laurendolan.com
Congrats to Emily and Brian!
Some pictures through Lauren's website [below].
www.laurendolan.com
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Singapore 2011
I got to spend a little time in Singapore for work this Spring. Really, I was there for 3 days... I got in late on Tuesday night after flying 20h through Tokyo, and had to leave on Friday night around midnight to head back to the US.
The weather while we were there was absolutely amazing. There is something to be said for tropical weather in March. Needless to say, my thick-blood Chicago physiology wasn't too thrilled, but it was a great way to sober up from my extended weekend in New Orleans for Brian's bachelor party.
The first thing I saw on my drive in was the huge Ferris Wheel - the Singapore Flyer. It just so happens to be the largest wheel in the world.
I did have a pretty good view from the hotel of the Marina Bay / Fullerton Bay area.
The first day there Ashwin and I had a meeting with our client, but after the meeting was over we were able to walk around a bit and check out some more sights. We ended up walking much further than necessary, but we ended up walking past the new hotel called the Marina Bay Sands. It is a monstrosity of a building - actually three - with a mock ship at the top. At the base of the complex is a huge casino as well as some very high-end retail.
What was amazing is that between the first two days there we didn't have to leave a square mile of the city. Our hotel was on one side of the bay, client office was on another, and we had dinner with the team on the water. We we ultimately forced to check out some other stuff after all the workshops were over and Eduardo left. Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling great (dehydrated even though I was trying to drink a lot of water) so I couldn't enjoy the chicken and rice as much at the food stalls. I have a feeling that we'll have another one going on there soon. Until then there are just some night pictures to bide the time...
The weather while we were there was absolutely amazing. There is something to be said for tropical weather in March. Needless to say, my thick-blood Chicago physiology wasn't too thrilled, but it was a great way to sober up from my extended weekend in New Orleans for Brian's bachelor party.
The first thing I saw on my drive in was the huge Ferris Wheel - the Singapore Flyer. It just so happens to be the largest wheel in the world.
I did have a pretty good view from the hotel of the Marina Bay / Fullerton Bay area.
Crazy bridge with a view of the docks.
View of the Singapore Flyer
Pool at the Mandarin Oriental
The first day there Ashwin and I had a meeting with our client, but after the meeting was over we were able to walk around a bit and check out some more sights. We ended up walking much further than necessary, but we ended up walking past the new hotel called the Marina Bay Sands. It is a monstrosity of a building - actually three - with a mock ship at the top. At the base of the complex is a huge casino as well as some very high-end retail.
Marina Bay Sands (left) and Art Science Museum (right)
Helical pedestrial bridge
View from the hotel at night - Marina Bay Sands, Helical Bridge, and museum
Night-view of the museum
Night view of the Sands
Night view of The Flyer
More night shots from the hotel
Pedestrian walkway outside Marina Bay Sands
Can see the stands in the background where you can watch the floating platform (blue, yellow and green seats)
We had drinks in one of the Fullerton Hotel rooftops
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Skiing in Boyne Highlands
Well, it is now official. Lauren skied for the first time over a long weekend up at Boyne Highlands in Michigan after we were invited by our friends, and she did great. I'll edit this post and add pictures and video, but for now I'll just summarize it like this: we're going to have to get out West next winter. No question about it.
Well done baby.
Well done baby.
Sao Paolo summary
Sao Paolo was a great experience. The people are very helpful, but I'm not too sure of the English penetration in the population as I'm traveling with Martin, and he speaks Portuguese.
The food was great...
Santa Grau - lunch(es)
After I got to the hotel, took a shower, and unpacked, Martin and I went to the local spot down the street from the hotel. Pretty cool cafe space, very tropical feel to it with a bunch of foliage around the outdoor patio, and very good vibe with the staff, clientele, and ambiance. After some smoked salmon (which is all over menus in Sao Paolo) and some croquettes with bacalhao that were washed down with caipirinhas and espresso, it was settled that Santra Grau was going to be the go-to spot for food when necessary.
348 Restaurant - Argentinian steak
Martin and I crushed a parillada for two that was a mixture of morcilla, chorizo, beef heart, lomo and bife de chorizo in addition to palmito salad, farofa, and rice. Add some caipirinhas on top and it was a very speedy meal (the Brazilians weren't happy that we showed up 15 minutes before the kitchen closed, but whatever). Note for future - don't show up after 11pm to this place so you don't have to scarf down dinner. It doesn't make you feel any better if you rush.
Cristal Pizza - Italian Pizza 'hot-spot'
This was the recommendation of the boss-man, and we were skeptical. There was not much action at 9pm on Sunday night when we showed up, but the longer we stayed, the more people came. We ended up having a 3h pizza dinner and it was awesome.
Varanda - Brazilian steakhouse
Dinner with clients was great, and very simple Brazilian steakhouse - some small plates to start, one picanha and one ribeye steak later plus espresso. Great picanha too.
Dalva e Dito - Brazilian "home-cooking"
This was my favorite place that we went to. There is something to be said for the amazing space (glass wall looking into the kitchen, vaulted ceilings and very inviting space even though it was huge) coupled with refined interpretations of "home cooking." I had the best moqueca I've ever had, and overall it was just a great meal.
Jam Warehouse - Sushi
We were recommended to go here for good sushi, and the place delivered. Beyond just the high quality fish and caipirinhas (with maracuia, or passion fruit in English) this place was a total scene. We went late on Wednesday evening, and the place was packed. Towards the end of the night, one couple came, ordered one drink, made out for 10 minutes and then left, without even getting halfway through the drink! I guess there's no reason to delay the inevitable...
Ecco - Local "no frills" spot in a wealthy neighborhood
Apprarently the hotel was around the corner from a really trendy block. Literally though, it was only one block. We decided to walk around and see what the options were before preparing to leave the following morning, and there were amazing options. We settled on a more casual place, but while we were there the club next door started going off. As we were leaving, it was basically a shot out of a movie with people going to a nightclub. Only, they were pulling up in Aston Martin DB9s, Mercedes SLS gull-wings (the new ones) and Porsche GTs... insane. I remember that I had a good fish dish, and that the guy at the table next to us paid for some "companionship" during our dinner, but I won't forget the activity on the street when we left dinner.
Definitely easy to make your way through menus and get phenomenal food and drink. Very contemporary city, and there is still significant upside as the Brazilian economy continues to grow.
The food was great...
Santa Grau - lunch(es)
After I got to the hotel, took a shower, and unpacked, Martin and I went to the local spot down the street from the hotel. Pretty cool cafe space, very tropical feel to it with a bunch of foliage around the outdoor patio, and very good vibe with the staff, clientele, and ambiance. After some smoked salmon (which is all over menus in Sao Paolo) and some croquettes with bacalhao that were washed down with caipirinhas and espresso, it was settled that Santra Grau was going to be the go-to spot for food when necessary.
348 Restaurant - Argentinian steak
Martin and I crushed a parillada for two that was a mixture of morcilla, chorizo, beef heart, lomo and bife de chorizo in addition to palmito salad, farofa, and rice. Add some caipirinhas on top and it was a very speedy meal (the Brazilians weren't happy that we showed up 15 minutes before the kitchen closed, but whatever). Note for future - don't show up after 11pm to this place so you don't have to scarf down dinner. It doesn't make you feel any better if you rush.
Cristal Pizza - Italian Pizza 'hot-spot'
This was the recommendation of the boss-man, and we were skeptical. There was not much action at 9pm on Sunday night when we showed up, but the longer we stayed, the more people came. We ended up having a 3h pizza dinner and it was awesome.
Varanda - Brazilian steakhouse
Dinner with clients was great, and very simple Brazilian steakhouse - some small plates to start, one picanha and one ribeye steak later plus espresso. Great picanha too.
Dalva e Dito - Brazilian "home-cooking"
This was my favorite place that we went to. There is something to be said for the amazing space (glass wall looking into the kitchen, vaulted ceilings and very inviting space even though it was huge) coupled with refined interpretations of "home cooking." I had the best moqueca I've ever had, and overall it was just a great meal.
Jam Warehouse - Sushi
We were recommended to go here for good sushi, and the place delivered. Beyond just the high quality fish and caipirinhas (with maracuia, or passion fruit in English) this place was a total scene. We went late on Wednesday evening, and the place was packed. Towards the end of the night, one couple came, ordered one drink, made out for 10 minutes and then left, without even getting halfway through the drink! I guess there's no reason to delay the inevitable...
Ecco - Local "no frills" spot in a wealthy neighborhood
Apprarently the hotel was around the corner from a really trendy block. Literally though, it was only one block. We decided to walk around and see what the options were before preparing to leave the following morning, and there were amazing options. We settled on a more casual place, but while we were there the club next door started going off. As we were leaving, it was basically a shot out of a movie with people going to a nightclub. Only, they were pulling up in Aston Martin DB9s, Mercedes SLS gull-wings (the new ones) and Porsche GTs... insane. I remember that I had a good fish dish, and that the guy at the table next to us paid for some "companionship" during our dinner, but I won't forget the activity on the street when we left dinner.
Definitely easy to make your way through menus and get phenomenal food and drink. Very contemporary city, and there is still significant upside as the Brazilian economy continues to grow.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Greetings from Sao Paolo
Found my way to Sao Paolo yesterday. Three flights, many Miller Lites and a decent car ride in, I found myself in Faria Lima meeting up with Martin. The rest of the day was pretty low key, mainly comprised of caipirinhas, some walking around, more caipirinhas, a nap, a little work, even more caipirinhas, and a pariillada at the Argentinian steakhouse.
Martin took a few pics and I'll load later, but overall a pretty chill day. Weather is hot (completely different from what's going on back in Chicago), and I'll get more pics of the city and scene during the stay.
More to follow...
Martin took a few pics and I'll load later, but overall a pretty chill day. Weather is hot (completely different from what's going on back in Chicago), and I'll get more pics of the city and scene during the stay.
More to follow...
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