River House Seafood - Savannah, Georgia

The Dining Companion and I usually travel for the holidays and this past year was no exception. We spent the Christmas holiday in Savannah.

There is an Italian-American Christmas Eve tradition known as the Feast of the Seven Fishes. With a nod to that tradition we headed to River House Seafood for an early Christmas Eve dinner.

The River House is located on historic River Street. A cobbled thoroughfare that wends its way between converted former cotton warehouses and the Savannah River. The street is lined with antique shops, boutiques, galleries, pubs, restaurants and hotels. It's a touristy area filled with enough unique places to keep us coming back.

One of the things that the River House is known for is a signature drink, the Chatham Artillery Punch. The drink is named after the Chatham Artillery; the oldest military organization of record in Georgia.

Chatham Artillery Punch

 We sipped one while we looked over the menu.

We were there for seafood so we started with the Local Blue Crab Dip. Warm and cheesy and brimming with crab. We were off to a good start.

LOCAL BLUE CRAB DIP - parmesan cream sauce with house made flour tortilla  chips

The Dining Companion knew what he was going to order when we sat down. He was there for the shrimp and crawfish etouffe. It was delicious.

SHRIMP & CRAWFISH ETOUFFE - Rich & spicy tomato based roux mixed with crawfish meat & shrimp served over cornbread

I went back and forth but in the end I had the shrimp and grits. So good.

SHRIMP AND STONE GROUND GRITS a local favorite with country ham and roasted tomatoes in a butter reduction sauce, served over parmesan grits

While we didn't technically have "seven fishes" our dinner felt enough in the spirit of the tradition for me. We all have our own traditions; some we inherit, some we make up. Wherever they come from the best part of a tradition is sharing it with others.

Whatever your own holiday traditions may be I hope you got to enjoy them and share them with the people you love.
 

Happy traveling! 

Sam Houston Boat Tour - Houston, Texas

On a recent, overcast day, the Dining Companion and I took a tour of the Houston Shipping Channel. The Port of Houston Authority offers a free 90 minute tour aboard the M/V Sam Houston. The tour embarks from the ports Sam Houston Pavilion.

The tour is free of charge and is boarded on a first come first served basis. The day we were there was rainy and overcast so the crowd was small.

We boarded and got under way.

We passed cargo ships from all over the world.

The orange craft at the back of the ship is an escape pod for the crew

Hundreds of tons of cargo pass in and out of the Houston shipping channel every year. Once the cargo arrives at the port is is off-loaded and distributed to destinations all over the country.

There are many cargo handling businesses and warehouses located all over the port.

I don't know about you, but I find the workings of places like this fascinating. It's interesting to get an up close look at how some of the goods we use everyday make their way to us. Several large retailers have warehouses located at the Port of Houston. From these locations they can distribute their inventory to stores located throughout America.

The inside of the ship is comfortable with plenty of seating. Nice on a rainy day like we had.

Large screens show the view from the front of the boat

There are interesting activities like this available to the public all over. Get out there and take advantage of the ones near you.

Happy travels!

Space Needle - Seattle, Washington

Seattle, Washington was the final destination for the Dining Companion's hermana and me. The end of our West Coast road trip.

Our plan was to spend a couple of days in the city doing all of the tourist-y things. We traveled the well worn tourist path, starting with the Space Needle.

The Space Needle was built for the 1962 World's Fair. The overall tower is 605 feet tall with an observation deck at 520 feet.

The view from the observation deck is stunning even on a cloudy day...

 

Attack of the Giant Spiders!

There are exhibits inside that talk about the history of the Space Needle.

 

  

Pressed Penny machines in the gift shop make a fun DIY souvenir. If you look closely in the photo below you can see some of them.

I had no idea that there was a restaurant at the top of the Space Needle. But once I found out we just had to eat there. Problem was we had no reservation. Lucky for us the staff was very kind and was able to find us a table. We got a great table right by the window. Oh yeah, the restaurant revolves! How great is that?

  

 

Visiting the Space Needle was fun. I would definitely recommend it to anyone planning a trip to Seattle. Having lunch at SkyCity was the icing on the cake for me. We had a great time in the Emerald City and I can't wait to get back.

Happy travels!

Hearst Castle - San Simeon, California

  

Recently the Dining Companion's hermana and I took a drive along the West Coast from California to Washington. One of the first stops on our tour up the coast was Hearst Castle in San Simeon, CA. Hearst Castle was build by William Randolph Hearst on land that his family owned. As a child and young adult he spent time camping on the land but as he got older Hearst decided that he no longer wished to sleep in a tent. Having decided that, he went on to build a cottage on the land so he no longer needed to camp. Hearst Castle is that cottage.

We parked the car and made our way to the ticket window and got in line for our tour. The first part of the tour is a 15 minute bus ride along a winding road that makes it way up to the house. Along the way a guide gives a history of the grounds and the surrounding area. Part of the land is a working ranch.

If you look closely you'll notice not just cattle but zebras as well

Another tour bus making its way up the mountain

As the bus makes its way towards the top you catch glimpses of the house.
The "castle" really is amazing.

 

A grand entrance

We took the Grand Rooms Tour. The highlights included the Assembly Room, Refectory, Billiard Room, Theater, Gardens, Neptune Pool and Roman Pool.

The tapestries hanging in the house are hundreds of years old

Ornately carved ceilings brought from Europe

 

The dining table is all set for a casual meal at the cottage

As lovely as the interior is the grounds are even more spectacular.

The last area we toured was the pool. The pool room as well as the whole pool are covered with intricate mosaic tile designs.

 

The history of Hearst Castle is interesting. If you're traveling in the area it would be worth it to make time for a tour. We both enjoyed the tour but the road was calling. Time to see where it would take us next.

Happy travels!