Friday 10: Food, Fall, and Farewell to Summer

I can't believe it's almost Labor Day. I'm not sure why summer passes so quickly, but I never feel like I've squeezed all of the goodness out of it before it's gone.

via Little Visuals

This year I made a list of goals for making the  most of summer. Looking back, I actually did a little bit of everything. 

• I read more. I especially loved Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter.
• I explored Ontario and took a great trip to Ottawa. 
• I got creative and started taking Skillshare classes on calligraphy. I even made something pretty.  

From my first strokes to my first mini project making wrapping paper. I have a ton to learn but I'm loving learning, practicing, and playing. I'm still extremely proud of that one capital G next to the giant ink blob! 

Maybe I did make the most out of my summer afterall! I think I'll do another list for fall. 

So in honor of Labor Day and the unofficial end of summer, I have a list of (mostly) foodie links have been inspiring me this week. 

via Foodies Feed

#1 I'm looking for something delicious to make from Food52s 27 Genius Recipes for Labor Day. Oh how I want to eat that Atlantic Beach Pie! (via Food52)

#2 New Mexico is gearing up for chile roasting season. There's nothing quite like the smell of roasting chile hanging in the air to herald the change of seasons. Not to mention the endless supply of delicious, flavorful green chile (my favorite!). I had a conversation with a hot sauce producer this week. When I told her I was from New Mexico,  her response was "Oh, I get it! You like hot but you also like flavor." Bingo! Nothing compares to or beats New Mexican green chile in my book. For the uninitiated, here's Eater's "Definitive Guide to Santa Fe Green Chile."  (via Eater)

#3 Apparently the snowball is a Baltimore, Maryland specialty. I grew up with a snowball shack just down the street and crave them all summer long. Maybe this explains why my love of snowballs/snow cones/shaved ice seems so out of place here. (via Serious Eats)

#4 After drooling over the things I can't have from places I don't live anymore, I was happy to see that one Toronto restaurant on my "must try" list, Edulis, has a $100 black truffle-covered chicken that's been called the "most succulent bird in North America." I'll have to take their word for it, but the $50 tasting menu sounds right up my alley for a special night out. How can I pass up an opportunity to have "one of the warmest fine dining experiences in North America?"  (via Eater)

#5 & 6 Upon reading the (unsurprising) news that Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte has insane amounts of sugar and no actual pumpkin, I decided to make these baked pumpkin spiced doughnuts as my first fall-flavored treat instead of the annual PSL. (Food Babe link via Self | doughnuts via Against All Grain  )

#7 & 8 Dreaming about eating my way through France thanks to my favorite food writer, David Liebovitz's Tour de France post part 1 and part 2. (via David Liebovitz)

#9 Five regional French dishes to try while attempting to eat my way through France. (via New York Times Travel)

#10 A beautiful homebase called La Maison Matelot (Homeaway link) for a French getaway in the fishing village of Port-en-Bessin, Normandy (near Caen). I've had this place in mind for over a year and remembered it while honeymoon brainstorming. The timing didn't work for our trip last year and we won't make it next year, either. But my emails with the owner were always great and I think someone should go and report back. For science! 

Bonus! Every year the Canadian National Exhibition, a giant fair in Toronto, signals a last hurrah before school starts. It started in 1879 and I stumbled upon these great archival photos while checking out tickets. 

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That's it for this week! My plans for this weekend are to relax completely. I'm going dress shopping and then S and I are going to have some kind of adventure. I may even take the plunge and unplug--no phone, no computer--on Monday, which means there won't be a new post, but I'll be back. 

What about you? Any plans or Labor Day traditions? What about favorite foods for this summer/fall shoulder season?  

Enjoy your (hopefully long) weekend!

Vacation rentals and trusting your gut

It's no secret that I love vacation rentals and slow travel. 

The thing about vacation rentals, though, is that you take on more responsibility in finding the right place for you. Part of the fun is looking through options, but it can also be tedious and frustrating. Sometimes it feels risky. Will it be like the pictures? What if something goes wrong? How will I know it's the right place? 

My best advice is to listen to your gut. Even if your gut is a scaredy cat. Start early because you might need time to find a rental that not only looks great, but feels right for you. If if seems too good to be true, it probably is. If the manager or owners don't seem attentive or interested in your experience, they might not be. If you're not comfortable with the payment system, go elsewhere. Read reviews carefully. Look at the photos carefully. Ask questions. Be picky!

You're in control of your trip and you choose who gets your money. There are always going to be other options, including hotels. Wait to find something that suits your needs and comfort level. It's simple, but it bears repeating. 

We are in the middle of honeymoon planning and have had some disappointing experiences in the past few weeks. I thought it would be a good time to pull back the curtain a little bit to show you that booking a rental isn't the same as booking a hotel. It isn't always quick and easy, even for someone who has experience. 

A few weeks ago, we found a place we liked. It was lovely. The view was amazing. The reviews were great. It was everything we needed. But they only accepted bank transfers and had no cancellation policy. I wouldn't even consider it. Some people are comfortable with those terms, but I'm not. 

We sat on the honeymoon plans for awhile and finally found another beautiful place this weekend. The apartment was on Homeaway, which has a nice "Book Now" system. You can see the rate, the total charges, enter your payment information, and off you go! I love that I'm not sending off a bank or money transfer and there's the protection of using a credit card. Bonus: the cancellation policy was great! Success!

S and I celebrated and started daydreaming about how wonderful our honeymoon will be. . .until I got an email the next day. The owners decided they only want to book weekly rentals for certain months, which doesn't work for us. They changed their policy overnight. And just like that, we're back at square one. 

Who knows? Both of those rentals might be wonderful. I even considered asking the second one to honor the original rate, but my gut says to move on. So we're moving on. Because the other thing about vacation rentals is that taking your time and finding the right fit usually pays off. 

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August 27, 2014 Update

I decided to email Homeaway and see what their stance on changing rates was:

“I understand that rates are subject to change, but I was a bit surprised that the advertised rates could be rescinded like that. So my question is, what is Homeaway’s general stance on honoring rates, especially when there is a “Book Now” button versus a “Get Quote” button? We are no longer interested in booking the property after this, but I would like to know for future reference.
”

Homeaway sent me this back:

“Thank you for contacting HomeAway Customer Support.

I’m sorry to hear that you found inaccurate content or pricing on a listing. Each property listed on the site is either individually owned and managed by the homeowner or managed by a property manager on behalf of the owner.

We encourage owners to maintain a fair business practice with travelers. It is the responsibility of the owner or property manager to make sure the content on their listing is accurate and up-to-date. If you do not feel comfortable arranging a booking with this owner, my best advice is that you explore other listings on the site that meet your needs.
”

I'm not surprised by the email, but it's disappointing. My specific question wasn't answered and it reads like a canned response to every generic pricing question. The email also included a link to a complaint form, but I'm not interested in filing a complaint.

What I gather is that the owners can change the rates whenever they want to and the "Book It Now" button should be called "Put It On Hold." It fast tracks your booking and makes payment easy if the owner/manager accepts your reservation. The owner/manager has 24 hours to either accept or refuse the reservation. If they don't respond, it expires and you aren't charged anything. This is similar to Airbnb's "Request to Book" button, whereas Airbnb's "Instant Book" is a true "book it now" feature that doesn't require host approval. 

All-in-all, the moral of the story remains the same: trust your gut, do your research, read the fine print, and look elsewhere if something doesn't seem right. 

Friday 10: Podcasts for long trips

I love podcasts! I listen to them when I'm driving, cooking, working out, cleaning. . .ok, you get the point. I listen to them a lot.  But most of all I love them for traveling because they are on-demand, transportable, and super entertaining once you find the ones you love. 

Here's my list of 10 podcasts to keep me sane on long trips. There's a little bit of something in here for everyone: food, history, science, pop culture, and more. 

This American Life

It's hard to sum up This American Life (TAL). It's so many things. Each week is different.  Even they have a hard time summing up TAL on their About page, but I think they say it best:

“So usually we just say what we’re not. We’re not a news show or a talk show or a call-in show. We’re not really formatted like other radio shows at all. Instead, we do these stories that are like movies for radio. There are people in dramatic situations. Things happen to them. There are funny moments and emotional moments and—hopefully—moments where the people in the story say interesting, surprising things about it all. It has to be surprising. It has to be fun.”

— http://www.thisamericanlife.org/about/about-our-radio-show

My first experience with TAL was in my 3rd year of university. It was early one Friday morning. I was in my tiny US history seminar with my requisite giant cup of coffee. Our prof pulled out a boombox, popped in a tape (!), and played this episode of Sarah Vowell and her twin sister's journey along the Trail of Tears. I was mesmerized by the story. It was everything I loved about history and travel and storytelling all in one. I was hooked! After class, I went back home and started making my way through the TAL archive. I've been a loyal listener ever since.

Start with: The most recent show on their homepage, the Trail of Tears, or The Ghost of Bobby Dunbar, or choose from a list of their favorites here and here. You can't go wrong.

Radiolab

I could describe Radiolab as a one hour science podcast, but it's more than that. It's a show that weaves science with wonder and curiosity and music into beautiful stories. The hosts, Jad and Robert are fantastic together. Their comments and observations often make the show for me.

Start with: The most recent episode, Limits, or The Good Show, or choose from the archive

Snap Judgement

Snap Judgement is an hour of true, fascinating stories, based on a theme, told by the people who lived them. Glynn Washington, the host, always starts the show off with a fascinating story of his own. I have been on the edge of my seat listening to some of these, especially "Where No One Should Go" from The Return and "Secrets in Siberia" from The Gratitude Special 2013

Start with: The most recent episode, or The Return, or The Gratitude Special 2013

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Pop Culture Happy Hour is fun rundown and panel discussion of pop culture news and events for the week. They always finish with what's making them happy and I love checking out their picks afterward--from new books to songs to articles to movies. 

Start with: The most recent episode

The Dinner Party Download

Rico Gagliano and Brendan Francis Newnam host the Dinner Party Download, a weekly hour long podcast that sets you up for any small talk or dinner parties you might encounter in the week. There's playlists, an ice-breaker joke, cocktail recipes, interviews, etiquette advice doled out by famous people, and more. A little of this, a little of that. 

Start with: the most recent episode 

Go Fork Yourself

Andrew Zimmern, chef and host of Bizarre Foods, talks with his co-host Molly Mogren and other chefs about the food world on Go Fork Yourself. I love this podcast! It's about an hour long. Zimmern and Mogren are down to earth and fun to listen to. It's perfect for firing up my inner foodie. 

Start with: the most recent episode, or choose an interview with a chef you love (I loved learning about Jonathan Waxman)

The Gist

I recently heard about The Gist, hosted by Slate's Mike Pesca, on TAL. It's a 20 to 30 minute daily podcast on the day's best stories or news, plus a bonus speil from Pesca on. . .whatever he wants to rant or rave about.  I've been enjoying it as a quick, easy, interesting look at what's going on in the world. It would be great for keeping track of  "real life" while traveling without going down the rabbit hole of news. 

Start with: This week's episodes

Dan Carlin's Hardcore History

Hardcore History is more of a book-on-tape meets podcast. This is something to listen to when you have a long journey ahead. Some podcasts are 4+ hours long, others are broken into 2 to 3 hour episodes. They aren't university history lectures, but they also aren't light, fluffy topics. Carlin has his own unique style, but he does extensive research and takes you deep into major historical events like the fall of Rome or start of World War I in Blueprint for Armageddon. As the site describes it: 

“In “Hardcore History” the very unconventional Dan Carlin takes his “Martian”, outside-the-box way of thinking and applies it to the past. Was Alexander the Great as bad a person as Adolf Hitler? What would Apaches with modern weapons be like? Will our modern civilization ever fall like civilizations from past eras? This is a difficult-to-classify show that has a rather sharp edge. It’s not for everyone.”

— http://www.dancarlin.com/disp.php/hh

Start with: Prophets of Doom for the story of the Münster Rebellion (my favorite so far)

Stuff You Missed in History Class

While I enjoy Hardcore History, it can be a bit heavy and requires a significant time comittment. So I always save it for trips. Stuff You Missed in History Class, however, I listen to a couple of times each week when they release new episodes.

I adore this podcast! The hosts, Tracy V. Wilson and Holly Frey, do a great job of choosing meaty, interesting, yet fun topics and stories from different eras and regions of the world. There are stories of heists, fashion, food, science, civil rights, battles and so, so much more. There's something for just about everybody.

The podcasts are perfect for travel, too. Each episode is around 30 minutes long, so you can often go back into the archives and choose a number of different episodes that relate to a region or place you're going to.

Start with: The most recent episodes, or Rose Bertin (Marie Antoinette's fashion designer), or H.H. Holmes and the Mysteries of Murder Castle (Part 1, Part 2), or choose something based on your interests from All Topics on the sidebar

Stuff Mom Never Told You

Last, but not least! Another great podcast from the How Stuff Works family. Stuff Mom Never Told You is a little difficult to describe. Here's how they put it:

“Fueled by boundless curiosity and rigorous research, Cristen and Caroline are girls-next-door gender experts who skillfully decode the biology, psychology and sociology of ladies and gents, from their evolutionary past to millennial present, to better understand what modern womanhood is really about…because life is full of Stuff Mom Never Told You.
”

— http://www.stuffmomnevertoldyou.com/about/

It's another podcast that I listen to throughout the week as episodes are released. It's generally 30 minutes long and Cristen and Caroline have a way of making it seem like your best friends are discussing really interesting, thought provoking topics in a fun way. I highly recommend it!

Start with: The most recent episode or take a peek at the All Topics sidebar for something that piques your interest

So that's it for this week. I did my best to narrow it down to 10, but there are so many other great podcasts out there that I listen to regularly. I might have to do a follow-up one day.

If these aren't your cup of tea, I can almost guarantee there's a podcast out there for you. It just takes a little searching. 

Do you listen to any of my favorites? What would your list include? I would also love to hear recommendations!