Yes, without a sign or warning a very large tree limb tackled me and left me unconscious to be taken to the nearest trauma center (limb shown to the left).  Never in an accident previously and in basic good health, this took both myself and family for a very treacherous ride. The tree hit my head straight on and caused a skull fracture, internal bleeding, as well as a broken neck vertebra.  My husband was in the ER with me for the first day where they told him I was in very serious condition followed by four Cat Scans.

My poor husband had the duty of calling my parents one in Boston, one in Fort Lauderdale, and then various colleagues of mine also scattered throughout the continent.  All were in shock and many in route to the hospital. I don’t remember anything from exiting the house before the tree accident until the second or third day in the hospital where I was in an immobile neck brace with beeping monitors and nurses visiting numerous times per hour to check on my pain, vitals, and the like.

Not a good patient, I was itching to move and progress to the next stages.  Having never been in such a situation, everything was strange and rather limiting.  But, Thursday (5 days after being admitted) was the big day in which the neurosurgeon took me to operate on my vertebra and successfully fused the broken vertebra with metal .  Since that day, I have been in recovery.  The first day was without any movement, but it was a miracle that my first steps were just two days after surgery.

Although it will be a long road to getting Ms Injured Pants back to Ms Traveling Pants shape, I am so lucky to have survived such a freakish accident.  It really put my priorities and values into perspective.  I have always believed that you should learn each day and above all have FUN, but sometimes with the daily grind and pressures, those things loose out.  So, as I make my way to full recovery through walking everyday, sporting a neck brace looking like a NFL superstar, and progressing to more challenging foods, I want to make myself a promise to remember the quote that started this blog,

“Every occasion in life can be categorized as either a good time or a good story.”

The tree falling and tackling me into a multi-month recovery certainly was not a good time, but I believe it is a good story that will be the basis of many good times in the future. It will limit my travels over the next three months, but I am certain that my daily adventures and insights will be material enough to draw upon.

To my family, friends, co-workers, and followers, I appreciate all of your support, calls, jokes, videos, flowers, cookies, and more.  I cannot repay you in any other way than getting back to my happy, vivacious self that explores new places, foods, wines, and cultures with my friends, family, and unknown people that will soon become part of the gang.

Keep you posted on my walking adventures to recovery. And to all, be cautious of trees. If you own a property or rent a property, please take this month to take care of limbs, branches, and general health of your trees so that no one else falls prey to a tree tackling.

I start this post regarding the weather as I wanted to test a very familiar theory that many people comment to me since I hang my hat in Southern Florida.  It is the theory that heat is much more bearable if it is dry rather than wet.  So, it was on my third trip to Vegas that I tested this theory.  At roughly 102 degrees each day of my stay, I did come to a clear conclusion- IT DOES NOT MATTER IF IT IS DRY OR WET HEAT WHEN IT IS 102 DEGREES.  IT IT JUST PLAIN HOT. So, the wet vs. dry theory has been shot.

To piggyback on the fact of the heat, let me stay with the hot and spicy theme and comment on some of Vegas’ culinary delights as well as its racy entertainment.

Despite the fact that everyone says what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, one must not keep a dirty little secret about this locale, the culinary scene is picking up.  Below find two of my favorite culinary spots: Mesa Grill and Olives with a recommendation for a sexy show and a video of the Las Vegas Strip Ms Traveling Pants’ style.

Two spots for foodies:

Mesa Grill:

Yet another notch in Bobby Flay’s array of restaurants and accolades, Mesa Grill is an upscale, Tex-Mex influenced restaurant located in Caesar’s Palace.

Arriving on business to Las Vegas rather late for a Eastern Time Zoner, I decided to indulge in what I have seen documented on the Iron Chef as well as numerous of Bobby Flay’s own shows on the Food Network.  With a reservation at 10:30PM (which my body understood as 1:30AM), I stuck out my tired body to see what Southwestern inspired dishes could bring me back to life prior to a long three day stretch of networking functions and eating on the go, where picked over cheese trays and chaffing dish style appetizers are the norm and hard to stomach. (Those of you familiar with trade show and networking functions can relate.)

I gave my jet-lagged self a treat of a duck quesadilla for an appetizer with a chile relleno (Manchego cheese stuffed) for my entree both complemented by a glass of wonderful red wine from France, but coincidentally made by a Las Vegas native (I didn’t know there were Las Vegas natives??). I would give the meal two thumbs up or a sobresaliente.

Olives:

On another night on the Strip, I was feeling like a taste of my once hometown, Beantown.  Low and behold, the iconic chef, Todd English, has spread his wings and expanded from Boston to numerous cities including Las Vegas.  Located in the Bellagio hotel, Olives is a Mediterranean themed restaurant.  As this wasn’t my first time to dine with Olive’s or one of English’s concepts, I knew my poison would be a glass of red wine, this time Layer Cake, and a dinner of a fig and prosciutto pizza.  For those of you that have not tasted a flatbread pizza with figs and prosciutto, it is an epic blend of salty and sweet. Definitely the experience was worth the repeat.  And, I will be back yet again.  In fact, I treated myself upon return to Florida to Da Campo, yet another Todd English establishment located in Fort Lauderdale.  I am a raving fan!

More than just food:

Although the body was well feed in Vegas, a trip is never complete without entertaining the mind.  Las Vegas is known for having wonderful entertainment from the early days with the Rat Pack, Sonny and Cher, and now Celine Dion and umpteen versions of Cirque du Soleil.  As I am one that enjoys a combination of humor, music, and dance, I thought that stepping out on a limb with a sexy, cabaret show would be quite fitting.  I purchased tickets to Zumanity, which is advertised as an adult themed Cirque du Soleil show.  It was definitely racy, but the humor certainly outweighed the sexiness.  I was in awe of the physical stamina and beauty of all of the dancers.  The sheer flexibility of the crew combined with the super human strength and courage was outstanding.

Post-show entertainment:

In utter amazment, I left the show to experience the part of Vegas that is my absolute favorite, walking the Strip at night to live the glitz and gam as well as practice my favorite hobby, people watching. Zumanity was at New York New York which allowed me a good walk down the Strip past Caesar’s Palace, along Paris, in front of Bellagio for the fountain show, & further down past the Wynn and Encore.

For those of you that have not yet experienced Sin City, Las Vegas certainly is an adult entertainment theme park.  There is 24-7 gambling, eating, drinking, shows, and shopping.  To be quite honest, it is not one of my favorite destinations, but certainly I cannot hide the fact that anyone can have a great time in Vegas.  I certainly have and successfully now three times.

I would only caution those that do not like smoke or heat, that Vegas will be challenging.  I would suggest drinking plenty of water, bring your most comfortable walking shoes, and invest in chapstick as the desert is not kind to your lips. Also, regarding gambling, everyone suggests staying away from the slots, but gambling isn’t my Vegas vice of choice as you can see from this post.

To see more,check out my video, Only in Vegas with Ms Traveling Pants to experience first hand the Strip, Bellagio fountain, and the decor of my two foodies hot spots.  If I forgot some of your Vegas favorites, please send me comments as I am sure that I will be in the Sin City yet again.

On my last visit to the Hudson River Valley, I thoroughly enjoyed hiking in the “Gunks.” As a reward for the hikes, I toured the Hudson River Wineries.  Organized in both Ulster and Dutchess counties, the two wine trails are easy to navigate even for those engrossed by the natural beauty of the mountains, apple orchards, and small farms.  Once you are on either trail, just follow the grape cluster signs on the side of the road.

My first stop was Clinton Vineyards (pictured above), where I did their simple tasting of 6 wines for $8. I started with a light Seyval Blanc, then onto Champagne and their heavier and sweeter wines.  Clinton Vineyards is probably most noteworthy for its Cassis, which is an elegant black currant dessert wine.  To be quite honest, I am not a fan of sweet wines.  Instead of imbibing the Cassis, I would recommend using it for drizzling over desserts such as a shortcake or ice cream.

From Clinton, I drove to Millbrook Vineyards and Winery.  Upon arriving, you drive up through the vineyard and arrive at a converted barn now wine cellar, tasting room, and winery.  Called, “the Hudson Valley’s flagship winery,” by the New York Times, Millbrook certainly was a professional operation and very enjoyable.  The tasting was led by one of Millbrook’s staff, mine happened to be completing her education at the Culinary Institute of America.  She instructed our intimate group of 5-6 others through a list of 6 wines for $7.50 (includes glass). We began with a Tocai, a very crisp, tropical fruit white wine with origins from Italy (Yummy).  Then we progressed to two chardonnays, which I did’t particularly care for as I am a member of the ABC club (Anything But Chardonnay). After the tasting, we were given a tour of the barrel room, bottling room, and the vineyard to view the plants and trellises (see below).

On day number two of my Hudson River Wine tasting, I headed to Ulster county very near the Mohonk and Minnewaska hiking areas. Whitecliff Vineyard and Winery, located in Gardiner, welcomes you with a winding road through the vineyard, which leads to the intimate tasting room. As there is only standing room at the bar, Whitecliff offers an outside deck to enjoy the panoramic view of the Shawangunks.  A regular tasting of 6 wines and a complimentary glass runs $7 a person.  I chose two whites, one of which is the most well known of Whitecliff called Amosting White.  Quite coincidentally, this wine is named after a waterfall in Minnewaska State Park, where I hiked earlier in the trip. In typical Ms Traveling Pants style, for the rest of the tasting I leaned towards the reds, very much enjoying the Sky Island Red, which was a blend of Cabs, Malbec, and Petit Verdot.

So I raise my glass to the Hudson River Valley’s wineries.  A great way to “wine” a little and feel better (without the whining). Also, a special thank you to Level 9 Digital who assisted in creating and converting Ms Traveling Pants’ blog to its NEW LOOK! For more information about Level 9 Digital’s SEO services and web design, visit Level9Digital.

Keep you posted on my future Hudson River Valley adventures, trips to the Florida Keys, Las Vegas, and more.

On this Labor Day weekend, many are out adventuring for the last glimpse of summer.  My adventures and travel bug led me to the trails of the Shawangunks in New York.  Located in the Hudson River Valley about 1.5 hours from the City, I explored through two outstanding state parks,Minnewaska State Park Preserve and Mohonk Preserve.

At the height of its beauty, you can see from my included pictures that the Shawangunks have a lush landscape with deep greens contrasting with the exposed rock cliffs and ridges.  Both parks are a rock climber’s paradise, but they also offer carriage trails that can be walked or biked with varied difficulty levels.  I chose to “hoof” it on both of my hikes ranging from Castle Point in Minnewaska, which was around 7 miles (featured above), and the Undercliff/Overcliff Loop at Mohonk for 5 miles (featured below).

For an affordable option for a weekend of adventure, both around $8-10 for entrance to the park, the “Gunks” are worth it.  They offer a good workout as well as unforgettable scenic views.  Stay tuned on my future posts on Hudson Valley Wine tasting and other Ms Traveling Pants adventures to the Florida Keys and Las Vegas.

For Life’s a Beach installment three, I take you to Fort Lauderdale. Nicknamed Fort Liquordale, it is no secret that Fort Lauderdale has been host to many a memorable Spring Break as well as home to icons such as the Elbo Room. However, one must not forget that above all Fort Lauderdale is a beautiful beach with plenty of activities from hobie catting, volleyball, kite surfing, and just plain sunbathing.

I would like to share with you a perfect South Florida day at Fort Lauderdale beach with my beach view, recommendations for great pizza, and hopefully entice you to come and visit the FTL area.

To watch the third installment in South Florida Beaches, click the video above or this link.

Don’t forget to become a fan of Ms Traveling Pants on Facebook as well as a follower on Twitter @MsTravelingPant

This is a video summary of a HOT August stay (short albeit) at the beach, which showcases its natural beauty as well as Ms Traveling Pants’ favorite beach oasis, Aruba Beach Café. Don’t miss the nachos or the conch fritters! If you love Reggae music, Aruba will have it!

Enjoy Ms Traveling Pants’ 2nd Life’s a Beach video. Please remember to click the picture above or this link.

I am always looking for recommendations for future beach visits and must sees around the world. Contact me @mstravelingpant on Twitter.

The truth is that many travelers don’t document the area in which we live. Ms Traveling Pants has been a culprit of this. However, I am changing my ways by doing a little summer documentation of South Florida.

As a non-native (but almost as I have officially competed the 5 year mark), I came to Florida for its weather and particularly the beaches. I will over the next few weeks highlight some of my beach favorites of course including any hot tips on food, fun, or other adventures.

So if you haven’t visited Florida and are looking for some nice beaches or oceanside eateries, come and take my first video in this series for a spin.

This is the conclusion of my I Luv NY series of culinary and cosmopolitan explorations in the Big Apple. After a night at Momofuku, I thought I would not be wowed, but the combination of the food and a more traditional fine dining ambiance at Aquavit was impressive.

The Aquavit entrance is rather indescript as it is on the first floor of a business and residential space between Park and Madison. The clean designs of the interior would be exactly what one would expect coming from the Scandinavian theme of the restaurant. I chose to await my seating at the bar, where canisters filled with Aquavit or “Water of Life” and drunken fruit highlighted some of their drink specials. I must admit that the warm, spiced nut mixture served at the bar is definitely worth a little cocktail pre-dinner (but don’t let that spoil your appetite).

I was seated at a small table located in the back dining room for a late evening reservation. The restaurant was full, but rather intimate because of the thoughtful layout of the dining room. As a tasting menu is one of the best ways to understand and experience a chef’s repertoire, I decided to do the featured tasting menu that evening in conjunction with the wine pairing. This ran me a little north of $100. However, I thought, when in Rome do as Romans, and when in NYC take advantage of the Creme de la Creme. (My reality eating is cheese, bread, fruit, and wine on a TV tray at home.)

Below is the list of the courses. During the tasting, I was unable to keep track of the drink pairings that ranged from Aguavit (vodka like libation) to Riesling to Pinot Noir.

• Tuna Tartar, Oysters with fennel cream and caviar, Herring Sampler (Loved the tuna & I officially did my first raw oyster…still don’t think it is a aphrodisiac)
• Lobster Roll garnished with pickled apple, trout roe, bacon, lemon aioli (very nice and delicately presented to make Sushi chefs jealous)
• Foie Gras Ganache with quail egg, pickled tomato, mustard (Foie gras is always very rich and especially pared with a soft boiled egg…you can a theme from Momofuku’s soft boiler egg with chips.)
• Hot-Smoked Arctic Char with celeriac, fennel frond, apple-horseradish broth (Two thumbs up, a very hearty fish and sweet cider-like broth with a kick of horseradish)
• Seared Tuna with pea shoots, snap peas, lemon vinaigrette (I guessed that the next step in this progression was to a heavier fish, like tuna. It did have a bbq seasoning that led well to the net course)
• Vension Loin,smoked & wrapped in bacon with huckleberries, dumplings, morels (This dish brought me back to the Midwest with vension. This was a definite favorite, especially as it was wrapped in bacon. Goooooood!)
• Grapefruit Granite with frozen yogurt & orange (This certainly would clean a palate, but I really didn’t like this course as it was too much Grapefruit. It needed additional sugar or alternate fruits to make it work for me.)
• Arctic Circle: goat cheese parfait, blueberry sorbet, & passion fruit curd (I have never been a fan of goat cheese, but I do admit the passion fruit curd was very nice, a change from a typical lemon curd. I would have to say the desserts were a strike out.)

As you can see and assume from a Scandinavian menu, it was fish heavy. Now to be very honest, I am not a fish lover. As my husband would say, I have a “food aversion” to fishy stuff in taste or smell. I have come to realize that this is the fault of food preparers and the fact that I come from a non-seaside state. If done correctly and fresh, I love fish.

Can I recommend that all parents and school systems, please stop preparing frozen fish sticks and really bad tuna fish! It has turned me off to fish and it has taken many decades to erase such experiences. However, both of my NYC experiences, proved that fish and seafood has such a broad spectrum.

Check out my complete NYC cosmopolitan and culinary tour with my video:

While in New York, tasting the creations of some of the best culinary minds in the world is a must. However, getting a reservation for these hot spots is tough; especially, when one of the restaurants on your list is David Chang’s Momofuku Ko. This East Village hot spot has taken the reservation system to the next level, where elitist host staff and phone calls are obsolete.

To get a reservation, you must use the official Ko site. First, create an account and enter your credit card information (yes, you need a credit card to even set up an account). Now, one week prior to your desired date, log on at 10 am. As there are only 12 seats per seating and the rest of the City wanting in, click and pick from any of the green check marks. Don’t be bothered that perhaps at 10:00:30 am that a dozen others have beat you. In fact, this happened to me despite being rather quick at the computer. Needless to say, I settled for a 9:30 pm reservation, entered my credit card information, and agreed to pay in full if I cancelled the reservation with less than 24 hours notice.

I arrived on time (for fear of loosing the sought after reservation) and was led to a stool. It was set up like a bar where the diners would sit side by side. There were a total of five couples that were seated at the bar during the meal. The kitchen itself was small with room for only three chefs. Each took the responsibility of preparing several of the coursing dishes, but also explaining the intricate plates to the diners. It seemed to me that each course had at least 5-6 ingredients of which many were unfamiliar to me (despite being married to an executive chef).

It was a coursing menu that included ten dishes. As pictures are not permitted (boooooo, bad policy Momofuku Ko), I was unable to photograph the courses, but if my memory serves me right, this was the list of the treats.

• Homemade soft tofu served in a spoon topped with a slice of plum, sweet biscuit with pork renderings and mirin, & a chicharron (The tofu was light and sweet, the biscuit scrumptious, and the fried pork rind brought me back to my trips to Mexico and street cart Chicharrones.)
• Smoked sea urchin in consomme with Asian greens (This was a first for me with sea urchin. It is definitely not one of my favorites for the strength of the seafood taste as well as texture.)
• Scallops sashimi (This dish was very light and clean. It was my favorite seafood dish of the evening.)
• Crawfish and Japanese sausage risotto (It was not technically a risotto as it was more like barley than Abrorio rice.)
• Shaved foie gras, lychee nuts, & peanut brittle served in a bowl like a sundae (It was definitely a combination of salty-sweet, but it was also incredibly rich. I couldn’t finish all of mine.)
• A soft-cooked egg that had been smoked, served open so that the yolk ran onto a mix of caviar and crunchy, nickel-size potato chips. (This was a yummy chips and dip.)
• Seared trout, skin on from the grill (This course was simply plain, but good.)
• Sous fise beef short ribs with spring onions. (The ribs were slowly cooked to be very tender. Then right before serving, they were finished by deep frying for crispiness.)
• Cantaloupe sorbet with sea salt and lemon ice(This was probably one of the best dishes. The sorbet was refreshing with the salty-sweet contrast. This combination mimicked the taste of a prosciutto wrapped cantaloupe slice at an Italian bistro.)
• Olive oil ice cream with seasonal berries and peppered ganache (The ice cream had a faint taste of olive oil that paired well with the blueberries and strawberries. This may sound strange, but it had almost a sour cream flavor. The peppered ganache was there for contrast, but I chose to omit the ganache.)

At Ko, the libations are limited to wine, beer, and sake. As the menu is all over the place, I opted for wine. I had anticipated fish, beef, and pork, so I thought that neither red nor white would compliment the entire tasting menu. I selected a sparkling white from Spain or cava (Yet another reference to Spain).

I have to say that the experience was unique from the beginning of the process of the reservation to the open kitchen to ten courses of surprising combinations. If one is looking for a culinary experience that is above and beyond the norm, Momofuku Ko is it. Now, don’t get me wrong; Momofuku Ko is not cheap. This is a place that will set you back around $100 per head before your drinks.

Ms Traveling Pants would give Momofuku Ko two thumbs up. To check out all of my NYC adventures, view my video summary.

As I wanted to see the island from the harbor as well, but without having a guided tour or wasting my culinary dining tour money, I chose to take the Staten Island Ferry. There are not many frills with the ride. The ride is free leaving every half hour from Manhattan and taking roughly 25 minutes to Staten Island. The ferry employees open up the doors for hundreds of commuters and tourists to rush to get the good seats or better said the best standing spots. Really you have to see it to believe it, but I would recommend wearing your running shoes, be strategic, and hold your ground.

Boarding at Manhattan, head to the starboard side or the right side of the ferry. Don’t bother with the seats. You will want to take a standing space along the open window section. From this position, you will be able to take great pictures of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. If you don’t have the chance to get this space, a second option is the stern, which will lead to great views of Manhattan as well as a less crowded environment. The third option would be on the return trip where you may have a better chance to get a spot in prime location, which would be on the port or left side of the boat.

There are little to no frills with the Staten Island Ferry, but the views are better and much less costly than the other tourist versions. The roundtrip will probably take you an hour and a half. It takes around 25 minutes to arrive in Staten Island, but it is difficult to catch the return trip immediately as typically others have been waiting prior to your arrival.

Keep you posted on other NYC adventures!