Yes, babies. We walked 6 miles today taking photos along the way. We pretty much saw the greater Boston area on foot in one day. I can barely believe it. We had lunch at Boston Beer Works since Andy was really, really keen on trying the flavored beers (he had a Blueberry Beer). Ella and I were starving and we all shared a cheeseburger, pizza, clam chowder and tortilla with spinach and artichoke dip.


I have to say that Boston really is very much a cross between San Francisco and NYC with the exception that Boston is injected with lots of history, graveyards and historic chapels. Also, there seems to be an AWFUL LOT of Dunkin Donuts around. There's one in every other block! Rico (a friend who spent a few years living in this city while attending Berklee College of Music) just informed me earlier that it's mainly because Dunkin Donuts started right here in Massachusetts.

It's so much fun to finally be in the company of photographers again! I haven't had real awesome photos in a while and Ella took really good ones of me today.

Before heading back, we had beer at the oldest tavern in America, which we happened to find by chance despite Andy's attempt to locate it.

I've canceled my last night here at the hostel and will be staying with Ella and Andy in their hotel tomorrow night since we'll be in late after our road trip. Road trip you say? Yes! Tomorrow we're going to MAINE where I shall have my share of the best lobsters in the world! Yahoo!

PICTURES! PICTURES! PICTURES!

First thing I noticed when I finally arrived in Boston, was that it didn't look all that different from NY. Everything was pretty much the same, the only slight difference would be the streets are wider, cleaner and less populated. It was a 20 minute walk from the bus station to the hostel. Good thing I packed light so I didn't have to carry too much stuff. The hostel is in a very good location in the neighborhood of Back Bay. It's close to pretty much everything you need and public transportation (bus and train) are all a few steps away. As soon as I checked in, I dropped my luggage in my room, which I share with two other stranger I haven't met yet. I am assigned the top bed on a bunk bed.

*teka intermission lang*

OMG!!!! Ella just walked in the hostel and I just gave her and Andy a biiiig hug!!!! I haven't seen them in a looong time!!! I guess this post will have to be cut short since there's a lot we have to catch up on! See ya!

I'm on my way to Boston. I'm currently in the bus as I type this, all giddy with excitement because 1.) The bus is equipped with wi-fi service 2.) there is a wall outlet I can plug my mac in if I need to charge it and 3.) I'M GOING TO BOSTON BABY!!!

This was made totally on a whim. I found out on Friday that I was going to have four days off from Mon-Thu since Paul requested to work extra hours so he can make more money to pay for his vacation on the end of October. I understand the purpose but listening to someone request for a 6-day 12 hour/day work week is appalling. I gladly gave him my shifts and announced that I was going on a trip. Where? I didn't know. All I knew is that I had four days to do something and I was very well not spending it at home. I had to go somewhere. But where?! It had to be somewhere cheap and close by, accessibility by bus was preferred. I narrowed it down to two places. Boston and Washington DC. Angel is in Virginia and I could have called her up to meet me in DC but what would I do in DC? See monuments, statues and the White House? I'm not american and the significance of these attractions (except the white house) is lost to me. On the other hand, Boston to me, seems romantic and more geared towards arts, education and architecture which is why I'm here on a Megabus to Boston.

I was already set on taking the Peter Pan bus line to Boston since it was the same line I took to Martha's Vineyard and I had nothing bad to say about them but last night, Mica told me about Megabus which would take me there at a much lower price. So I went online in the midst of packing my bags and bought my roundtrip ticket for $26.50. Hurray!

Next was lodging. I'm supposed to meet Andy and Ella in Boston this afternoon but Andy seems dead set on driving over to a camp ground and camp as opposed to paying for lodging. I understand the situation, him and Ella wouldn't have been able to survive their 3-month roadtrip around the US if they kept paying for lodging. When it's time to sleep, they pitch a tent and sleep on sleeping bags. Showers, are obviously very hard to come by so this is a very big problem for me. This trip is supposed to be a vacation. I do not want to come back and be begging Lily to give me a break after spending three nights sleeping on the ground and without the presence of modern day plumbing. NO. I cannot do it. I'm all for camping and roughing it but not when I have to be on my feet again the week after carrying trays of food to hungry people. NO. I CANNOT DO IT.

So I booked my stay at a hostel.

I was online last night searching for good and clean hostels in the city and found Hostelling International (which also happens to be the same hostel I meant to stay in at Martha's Vineyard). Reviews in Yelp.com (my number one source for real person reviews) were very promising so I reserved my stay and printed my reservation. I threw in a few more small items in my tiny luggage, set my alarm and passed out.

I woke up earlier than necessary this morning so I wouldn't be rushing to Penn Station. I was early and at the front of the line so I managed to get good seats (I have two seats to myself). I am sitting across from a dude who looks like Taylor Lautner, only whiter and am overwhelmed with the need to write and share.

I shall be in Boston in roughly 3.5 hours and I shall nap a bit so I can spend the rest of the evening wandering the surrounding areas. I've never been there and I don't know my way around. I haven't traveled alone in...oh gosh, I don't think I've ever traveled alone. Although technically, if I manage to meet Ella and Andy then this vacation cannot be constituted as a solitary trip but it shall nevertheless be fun.

Photos soon.

Read and saw two things that made me applaud today.

1. The Generation M Manifesto

2. Video of Obama's appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman. (First time a sitting president guested on a popular late night show, btw. Which is COOL in itself.)

My favorite part was when Obama was asked about his thoughts on Jimmy Carter's comments that the strong outrage regarding his new policies on health care was rooted in racism.

His answer?

"Well, it's important to note that I was actually Black before the election. This is true."

To which Dave asks him, "Really? So how long have you been a black man?"

He continues by saying that the people have given him this huge honor (of running the country) and the fact that he's been elected says a lot about where the country's at.

I'm so happy to be alive to witness this amazing man change history.

Watch the rest from the video below.


Watch CBS Videos Online

I saw this trailer a few weeks ago but I"m sharing it now after having seen it again and I can't wait for this to come out.

Bonus video!

Last day in mv from kari lopez on Vimeo.

On my last day in MV, I asked Mica if we could go back to Aquinnah to have the clam chowder and chili cheese dog for lunch. The chili is the closest one to my mom's version that I can have right now and the chowder is the best I've had on the island. I switched to a wider lens so I was able to take a better panoramic shot of the Gay Head lighthouse with the cliffs.

better viewed larger so click the image

The buses in MV run once an hour. People who do come to MV, go with their cars so not a lot of people take the bus enough for them to travel more often. Hence, for people like us who need public transportation, we need to time and schedule our travels precisely. Luckily for us, the buses are never late and strictly follow their scheduled timetable. If it says the bus will depart from a certain point at 1:27pm, it will leave no earlier or later than that...at all times! Buses also are in contact with other buses on other routes so if a bus happens to be running late and you need to connect to another one at the next stop, the driver can radio in to the connecting vehicle to wait. Talk about precision!

trail leading to the beach by the cliffs

I was taking the last ferry to Woods Hole that would take me to the last bus to New York. Since, we were coming from Aquinnah, we were also taking the scheduled bus that would take me to the pier at the closest time to the ferry's departure. Everything was going well, the buses were on time and we managed to get to Oak Bluffs much earlier than scheduled. I peaked at the pier and see that the ferry has not arrived so Mica and I get coffee somewhere in town while waiting. When we finally decide to go to the pier to wait and wonder why the ferry was no where to be seen, I was informed that due to strong winds, the ferry that was leaving at 3:45pm was currently at Vineyard Haven (the next town). At that point it was already 3:38pm. We quickly hurried to a waiting cab and told him to step on it. If I missed this ferry, then I would miss my bus and will have to wait till tomorrow to catch another one back to NYC. As the cab sped up, I was quickly running lines in my head, "I'm sorry Lily I can't make it to work tomorrow. They canceled my ferry due to strong winds so I will be back in NY much later than I thought!" As I was thinking this, I started to see that missing the ferry was not exactly a bad thing and I could stay another night on the island. I smiling to myself until we pulled up close to harbor and I saw the ferry still parked at the docks. No such luck I guess. I hopped off the cab and ran to the ticket booth while Mica ran to the pier with my luggage. I grabbed my bag from her, gave her a quick hug goodbye and ran to the boat. They closed the gates as soon as I got in. I've never been sadder to make it to something I was trying to catch at the nick of time.


The trip home was much longer than my trip coming. I felt like I was sitting there in the dark forever. The subway back to the apartment was kind and I didn't have to wait for them to come. I quickly unpacked and repacked whatever needed to be laundered tomorrow before work and I downloaded the photos I took this morning. You can view the last of the MV batch of photos here.

We missed the bus to Vineyard Haven so we killed time hanging out at Beetlebung Farm across the road from The Yard. My album from day 3 consists mostly of Mica jumping around.

A few yards behind the flower patch there was a wooden pole with a decapitated deer head hooked on it. Whatever reason this was for, I do not know.

We finally caught the bus and headed to Vineyard Haven

...and had two heaping scoops of ice cream each from Mad Martha's.

We walked around the small town before heading over to Oak Bluffs and checked out the rows of gingerbread houses. Louiie, I took the photo of the piggy for you. So cutie!

We had a very late lunch at Linda Jean's Cafe where we had chicken and gravy with peas over rice and another bowl of clam chowder. So far the best among the three I've had here are from Faith's Seafood Shack in Aquinnah.

We hopped back on a bus that drove through Edgartown. It is probably the shi-shi-est of the three towns with the large American colonial houses and white picket fences and perfectly manicured lawns. We jumped 3 buses to head back to Menensha to buy shrimp and clams at the fish market for our sinigang. By this time it's gotten very very cold and windy that we were trying to shelter ourselves behind a shack and hugging ourselves to keep warm while waiting for the bus. Hard to believe that just the day before it was warm enough for us to be in our bikinis.

Currently packing my stuff since I'm heading back to NYC tomorrow (noooooooo!!!!!!). I wish I could stay a while longer but vegetarian fare must be handed out to veggie lovers at the restaurant (hmph). I still have to wake up early friday morning to do laundry since I'm out of socks. Craaaaaap! I want more vacation time!!!

Photos from today can be seen here.

You can barely hear anything from the video since the wind was blowing so hard.

A few things happened today.

Woke up early to watch and photograph Mica's dance class. I took horrible shots not meant for sharing. We had eggo waffles, tomato and cheese omelet and bananas with cinnamon sugar for breakfast then walked over to Chilmark beach. Mica said it was a short half mile walk to the beach but it felt further than that. Gawd, I am so out of shape. But the walk was worth it because we were presented with this...

We gave up trying to toast ourselves on a cloudy sky and hopped on a bus to the Gay Head Cliffs. Funny name..hehe..GAY.HEAD. *giggle* We were hungry and were very pleased to find affordable fare. We each had a 1/4 pound hotdog with angus beef chili and cheese, a cup of New England clam chowder plus a fish taco. OMG. I didn't think I could find chili that could challenge my mom's recipe but that dog was the shit. THAT IS WHAT A HOTDOG IS SUPPOSED TO BE. My only gripe about NYC is they don't know how to DO a hotdog. This one had the perfect skin snap and the flavor of the chili was amazing. We were farting all day after that.Then we took photos of the Gay Head (*giggle*) lighthouse and roamed the tourist shops before hopping on the bus back to the yard where I napped a bit before we made dinner of anchovy pasta.

Currently snacking on cheddar cheese cubes before we go to bed and wake up for another day tomorrow. The day starts the same with Mica's class then we're heading out to the busy towns of abercrombie and fitch-esque residents to take more photos. It will be my last day before I head back to gloomy NYC on thursday.

I'm in MARTHA'S VINEYARD!!!

The trip was faster than I thought. I slept mostly through the 6 hour bus ride. I had my trusty air cushion travel pillow which has been with me since Sagada days. The ferry ride was short and scenic as we entered through "preppy white people" territory. I stuck out like a sore thumb on the ferry ride over, being one of the small minority of non-caucasians in summery clothes, fancy shades and summer hats. I had on jeans, chucks, thin jacket over cardigan over vest over shirt because Mica told me to bring cold weather clothes since it was supposed to be chilly. The sun was high and VERY hot and my armpits were steaming *mental picture!* I stripped off my outerlayers, stuffed them in my backpack and de-boarded the ferry to be met by Mica at the pier. We headed over to The Yard, where she's staying and where I will be crashing for the next 4 days. I was very, very hungry having only eaten a sausage, egg and cheese sammie from Au Bon Pain on my way to the bus terminal. I was on an island and demanded one thing and one thing only. I wanted SEAFOOD! FRESH SEAFOOD!


We dropped off my luggage and we borrowed two bikes and huffed, puffed and panted our way to Menensha Beach. The last time I rode a bike, I must've been 10 years old and despite having retained the skill of bike riding, I however, lost the stamina to pedal even slight inclines. I wanted to CRY. My knees felt like jelly later in the night and I had to walk the bike during several stretches of low inclined roads. I was pathetic.

I took some photos before we decided to skip over to the seafood shack by the docks where we ordered a dozen oysters on the half-shell, a bag of steamed mussels, clam chowder and steamed lobster. I was feeling pretty generous so I payed for our feast. It was I who insisted on seafood anyway.

more pictures here

We were pretty full after our meal (we left no edible part of that lobster undigested) but we headed to the beach and the pier for sunset photos and pedaled back to the yard.

There was a show going on in the yard's theater when we got there and we snuck in to watch it. It was a one man show titled Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: From Douglas to Deliverance by Andre De Sheilds. It was a pretty awesome show of the history of African Americans in America.

Tomorrow we'll have an early start beginning with Mica's dance class (the one she teaching) at 9am followed by a (hopefully) trip to the beach while the sun is still high in the sky. She was right, the cool wind that creeps in around 5pm starts turning into a horrible chill (think upper 50s) as soon as the sun starts to set. There will not be any swimming on this trip as I had previously hoped. Mica just reminded me that the movie JAWS was filmed here and nantucket. Also, shark season has begun as well. Only summer of last year, one was found near one of coastal beaches of the island and another one the previous year (click for video). Knowing this, the waters of MV will not be seeing me this year. I'll have to settle to just sunning myself in their powdery sands. If we have the energy and time, we will hit the towns of Oak Bluffs of Vineyard Haven (the fancy areas with the fancy houses, the fancy shops and the fancy people)

I don't blog often but when I do, it seems I overdo it as you'll see from this very long post.

I miss pinoy food.

You reader. You, who reside in Manila, who have easy access to places like dampa and authentic green mangoes. I envy you. This week, I had a mad craving for all things pinoy. I believe that I have reached the stage where I've begun to start missing home and everything (positive) it has to offer. But, most importantly, I miss the Philippines' oh so glorious food. Thinking of dampa (the original one by the airport), despite the smell of public transportation mixed in with the lingering stench of the nearby wet market, never fails to leave me wistful and longing.

The other day, on Mica's last night before heading off for two weeks, she made me pork sinigang. People who know me know I am not the biggest fan of pork. But OMG. All previous I-don't-like-pork hullaballoos flew out the kitchen window and I drank that broth down. Despite all that, I was still left unsatisfied and needed another fix. I needed a bigger meal. This afternoon, after my haircut (more on this later) in the east village, I went around the corner where there was a pinoy "turo-turo" place and picked up a halo-halo. I've known about this place before but Rann, who happened to work right across the street from this, said the food was no good. I didn't care. I was willing to spend $5.50 on a regular sized halo-halo even if I knew Coolman Halo Halo stands in Manila malls could give me better versions (and I was right). I grabbed a takeout menu and browsed through their offerings and saw tapsilog was $8.95!!!! The halo-halo was not mind blowing and I will only go back if I'm too lazy to travel to Queens for the good stuff.

Last week, me and Mica decided to check out Kuma Inn at the lower east side. I read about it in yelp and it's gotten a lot of rave reviews from, surprisingly, non-filipinos. The restaurant concept was simple. They didn't have appetizers but served only tapas style pinoy and thai inspired dishes. We were curious so we went.

WE HATED IT.

We should have known that the absence of a Filipino crowd was a sign that there was nothing authentic about it at all. These white people who come flocking through their small doors need to know that is NOT how Filipinos eat. It was ridiculous and overpriced and they shall not see us again.

I went to Queens today to visit Omee again and when tita Chon called Omar on her way home saying that she was going to the filipino store on Roosevelt, I was yelling "SAMA AKOOOO!!!" over the phone so she could hear me. I bought more boy bawang, sardines, another tub of leche flan, pandesal and corned beef. I was with Tita Chon, Tito Mo, Nana and Omee. I told them I had a mad craving for pinoy food and that I wanted to go to Engelines to eat. Nana was hesitant at first saying that she'd rather just cook at home than spend out again but when I said I was paying, tita Chon enthusiastically said "Halika na! Manlilibre na si Kari!" Walking to the restaurant, Tita Chon looks at nana and says, "Alam mo na oorderin mo ano?" Nana smiles, "Crispy Pata." I won't go on and on. We had fried galunggong, beef sinigang, pork bbq, kare kare, and crispy pata. HOMAYLULLABY! The crispy pata was FANBLOODYTASTIC. Again, my resistance to pork has temporarily been suspended and I ripped through that thing like a lion skinning a zebra. It was perfect. Crispy on the outside but tender enough on the inside that you didn't need a knife because the meat was falling off the bones!!! We ate our meal in silence and I even ordered pancit malabon to take home with me. That place serves the best pinoy food in NY so far and I will be coming back soon. Mica is already upset that I went without her.

I'm still drooling just thinking about it.

So anyway, I finally made time to get a haircut today. My hair has gotten ridiculously long and am starting to shed a LOT of hair. Angel ran her hand over my bed once and said, "OMG Kars, are you ok? You're losing a lot of hair!" I blame work stress and lack of sleep but this usually happens when it's time for a haircut. I don't have a photo to show you but I had it cut back to how it was back in 2007. Will have a photo for you next week....

Which leads me to my next announcement.

I've been holding off announcing this because I didn't want to jinx it and plans didn't become final until very recently. After a year, I am finally going on a (albeit very short) VACATION. It's only four days but it's all I could manage to get what with all the new people in the restaurant that still cannot be left alone and only Paul to carry them through service. When Lily told me she can give me my days off (sacrificing her day only day off that week!) I wanted to start screaming. Mica did the screaming for me though since I am going to where she's currently at. Where?

Well, I'm going to Martha's Vineyard :p

I have an affinity for Martha's Vineyard mostly because of the movie Sabrina. In the Harrison Ford, Greg Kinnear, Julia Ormond version, the vineyard is where Ford takes Ormond's Sabrina to keep her away from David (Kinnear). I must have seen this movie a hundred times and I love the scenes they spend biking on the streets of MV, taking photos of lighthouses and ending the day with wine, cheese and bread on the beach. MV is also famous for being a top vacation spot for celebrities and politicians alike. President Obama just recently came back from a trip to MV and the Kennedy's are known to spend summers there as well.

Vacationing in MV is not cheap. Summer lodging costs around $250 a night for the cheapest room which leads me to my next lucky strike. I'll be staying with Mica for free!!! She is there for a short dance camp kind of thing, teaching a seasonal dance class for locals.

I've been stressing about this trip for a while but I'm finally getting hyped up for it. I'm going to port authority bus terminal tomorrow so I can buy advance tickets since I don't want to go too early to fall in line for my 7am departure Monday morning. It will be a loooong trip to the island, about 6-7 hours on the bus plus another hour on the ferry. It will long and tiring but it will be worth it. I haven't gone on a trip in a long time and it's time I did something for myself.

Expect photos to be posted late (what else is new?) since I am diving to work as soon as I get back but I promise to share my trip with all of you.