The Usual Saucepans

This is the fourth and final part of my 2013 American Adventure. Previous sections were New York and Philadelphia I & II.

If I could give you one piece of advice about travelling to the United States it would be this: don’t go to Washington DC during a federal shutdown.

Given that the situation has resolved itself now and it is (almost) unlikely to happen again in the near future this might not seem pertinent advice, but take it from someone who visited the city during the shutdown - there isn’t a whole lot open.

For those not so up on the whole situation, because DC is not a state (it’s a district, thus the federal capital is neutral) everything is run by the federal government. During such a shut down like we had at the start of October this means that DC all but shuts up shop. There are no parks, there is no Smithsonian, the monuments are all taped off, the fountains are off, the streets are quiet, streets of offices are deserted and there are a lot of people with not a lot to do. The bins don’t even get emptied. Life as you know it ceases to happen.

Thankfully I’d been to DC on my last visit to the US a few years ago and will be back there for a wedding in about four months time (I know, check out my jet-setting/bankrupting) so it wasn’t a huge deal for me that nothing was open. But whilst being a tourist a ‘seeing the sites’ is all well and good, with temperatures getting above 30 the occasional sojourn into an air conditioned museum would have been good.

Oh, and one other piece of advice: don’t time your walk to the Capitol building so that it coincides with a crazy lady going on a bit of a driving rampage around central DC - the place goes in to lockdown. Like a hundred or so police officers, the (not so) secret service, loads of ‘cop cars’ and a few helicopters descending on the Capitol kind of lockdown. It’s a huge amount of fun…

Basically I timed my trip to the city very badly. On the upside though, there is one activity that DC really enjoys and a federal shutdown allows even more time for: drinking.

From my experience I am pretty much convinced that DC is a city of functioning alcoholics. This is something I’m OK with, but I felt like a total lightweight. Beer on the way home for dinner? Sure. ‘Glass’ of wine with dinner? Sure. Go out for a post-dinner stroll and stop at a bar? Sure. And then I wonder why I felt dehydrated each day. Who am I kidding, I’m slightly sad I don’t live there, life is pretty awesome.

There aren’t many food stories to talk about in DC because most of it was a super-healthy liquid sort of diet. One which features pitchers of beer and not really knowing quite how many pints you had because the glass was never fully empty. Whoops.

One I will share though is a DC weekend favourite: brunch. Have I ever mentioned that I love brunch? And I quite like pancakes. And that DC has alcohol with EVERYTHING? I love brunch in DC very much and mimosa is my new favourite breakfast drink of choice. We went to a place just off T Street where it seemed that half of DC went for brunch. Never have I been in a place that has what essentially amounts to a 25L (I estimate) plastic barrel on the bar in to which the mimosa were made and a tap at the bottom to serve. To begin with it was pretty much a 50:50 ratio in the ‘champagne’ and orange juice; towards 1pm (yup, we were there for hours) they were running a little low on orange juice. They also did a ‘bottomless mimosa’ for $15. We opted for one with a bottom though, because there’s only so much ‘hair of the dog’ before you’re in a worse state than before. Accompany this with a huge stack of wholemeal pancakes that were each the size of a side plate, a side of bacon and a bucket-load of maple syrup and I was in brunch heaven. I felt bad though, because after about two-thirds of it I had to admit defeat. It seems there is only a certain amount of brunch my body can hold.

Washington might not have been the holiday that I was expecting, and perhaps not the temple of gastronomy it probably should have been, but sometimes that just doesn’t matter. Time well spent (or otherwise) with friends in the sun makes it all worthwhile, even if EVERYTHING was shut.

I really enjoyed my trip Stateside (on the off chance that wasn’t already apparent), we may be separated by a common language, but there is a pretty damn big culutral difference between home and each of the places I visited. Travel definitely broadens the mind - and in my case, I hope, the palate too - so clearly it is time to start planning my next adventure.

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This is the third part of my American adventure - and part II of The Philadelphia Story. You can find tales about New York here and Philadelphia part I here. Washington DC will be coming some time next week. Let’s kick of with some of Philly’s sights:

Sightseeing

Aside from the food, there is A LOT to see in Philly. Whether you are a fan of Bridges, fountains, Rocky, US history, art (in all it’s paint-on-canvas glory), science museums, or medical science that will turn many an unnatural shade of green, you will not be disappointed. There are of course countless other attractions, but it was a combination of these that filled the gaps between us eating in Philly. I’ve never actually seen Rocky the whole way through (I know, I know), but anyone that voluntarily runs up those steps needs their head seeing to. Says he who did an obstacle at the weekend, isn’t hypocrisy wonderful? You do get a fantastic view from the top though. The Philadelphia Museum of Art is one of those ‘must do’ things in life, and that was the attitude we took into it - we’re not art people. I actually enjoyed sections of it (especially the ‘medieval era’ Asian art) but seriously, in 500 years people will look at a lot of our contemporary art and burst out laughing. I’m going to take this as a sign that we’re forward thinking, because that’s pretty much what we did when we saw some of it. Aside from getting glared at in art galleries, a visit to a fantastic spy exhibition at the Franklin Institute - made up from 60 years worth of CIA archives - was definitely a highlight, as - bizarrely - was a visit to the Mutter Museum. Housed in the city’s College of Surgeons it’s a medical museum. One of the friends I was with is a doctor and suggested it and I clearly haven’t lost my biologist’s curiosity of how things work and capacity for gore, so off we went. From civil war medicine to the physical abnormalities that inspired many villains in Grimms Fairy Tales via an astounding collection of human medical specimens, it is a truly fascinating and educational place. It’s most certainly not the faint hearted though. And apparently it’s ‘a bit weird’ to most people.

Something everyone should do whilst there though is visit Independence Hall and take a tour. We had a fantastic guide who gave the most balanced version of the events that led up to the war of independence I’ve ever heard. It was actually very interesting, exposing an embarrassing void in my knowledge of the world. The Liberty Bell, on the other hand, is not nearly what it’s built up to be. You are funnelled through an exhibition before seeing it, claiming the bell to be a symbol of peace and freedom for the entire world. I, personally, disagree that it has much significance outwith the US, but such is my freedom to form my own opinion. Also, it’s just a bell with a crack in the side, just saying.

It’s probably worth noting that Philly seems to be quite quiet in the evenings earlier in the week. Most bars are dead mid-evening, which is not necessarily great if you’re looking for a post dinner drink. The liveliest place we came across was needlessly dark. It did however have an excellently dressed stag in a bow tie above the bar (sorry for the dodgy photo, it really was stupidly dark) and a delicious 60 Minute IPA - called the Catfish, I think. Clearly this is a sign that I need to go back over a weekend.

Pancakes & Reading terminal market

If there was a recurring theme across almost every destination of my trip it would be pancakes. I absolutely love pancakes, and I’m a complete sucker for them at breakfast time. Sure, it’s not exactly a bowl of fruit, but it certainly gives you something to last through the day. Or at least until lunchtime. The best pancakes in Philly come from Reading Terminal Market. Nestled under the old train station (and above the more modern one) it is packed in under the vaulted roof much like Borough Market in London (and probably as touristy if you’re there at the wrong time of day). There are so many sights, colours and smells under one roof that I really shouldn’t be allowed in unaccompanied/restrained. There were butchers, bakers and an ice cream makers; places for breakfast, lunch and dinner; fruits and veg of all shapes and sizes; chocolate noses and false teeth; and of course pancakes. There was no need for them to be half the size they were, but I’m glad they were. Similarly there are levels of maple syrup that you just should just not have with breakfast, but what the hell, I was on holiday. Saying that though, I’m very glad I opted for the smallest option on the menu - and yes, nearing dinner plate sized pancakes really was the smallest option.

I was only in Philadelphia for about three days, but it’s left a lasting impression on me. Perhaps it was an unseasonal upturn in the weather, time spend with friends I don’t see very often, the food or even the ridiculous number of fountains; whatever it was, I think I’ve found a new addition to my favourite cities in the world. If you get the chance, go to Philadelphia. Eat there, drink there and spend the time in between ‘refueling stops’ wandering around its fascinating streets. Don’t get too caught up in the tourist attractions and don’t forget to look up - if you stare at your feet you will miss about half of it.

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Everyone wants to be a part of it, New York, New York. I wanted more though, I wanted to take a massive bite out of the big apple.

In case you (somehow) managed to miss me bouncing about like an excited eight-year-old before I left, I was on holiday – sorry, vacaaaaaaation – in the USA a couple of weeks ago. I was there mainly for a good friend’s wedding, but I wasn’t going that far and not making a trip out of it. So following in my tradition of taking holidays that don’t involve a fortnight on the beach I took 15 days off and went to New York, the wedding in rural New Jersey, Philadelphia and then on to Washington DC (Just in time for the federal shutdown). It was a bit of a whirlwind, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Oh, and did I mention that I’m obsessed with food and finding new places to eat?

I flew in to New York, so it seemed sensible to spend some time there. I love New York. I took myself there as a 21^st birthday present a few years back and was really excited to be going back. I’d forgotten quite how manically busy it was, but I think the city would lose some of its charm if it was any other way. Staying out in Queens was also a good shout, because the outer boroughs have much more identity than Manhattan. I’m bordering ‘massive hipster’ territory, so I think it’s a good time to pause for a photo of the place round the corner from where I was staying, it’s a graffiti centre, where artists can come ‘express themselves’ – if it looks familiar it’s probably because it’s one of Hollywood’s favourite ‘Cool New York’ sets.

Food is obviously something I think about virtually constantly (the remaining time is filled with thoughts of gin), so aside from my wanders around Soho, Tribeca, Central Park, Brooklyn Heights and Downtown NY, and visits to the Brooklyn Bridge, the Met and a couple of ridiculously touristy hot spots I spent a lot of my time eating. I rediscovered ‘juices’, ate Thai, sampled some of New York’s finest, had a disappointing Italian experience and an extremely positive Mexican one.

New York food falls in to two categories: Fast, on-the-go grub, and slower, flavourful bank-breaking sit down meals. Of course it’s not actually that black and white, but it serves a purpose. I decided twice to experience something ‘on the go’ and that couldn’t be more American if you draped it in the Stars and Stripes: a MacDonalds (I haven’t had one since I was 10) and a hot dog from a cart. From the moment of opening the box of disappointment and the first bite of the 50-shades-of-synthetic I regretted both the respective experiences. Grim does not come close. And yes, I’m judging myself as much writing this as you are reading it. Sadly a place I was lured into in Little Italy (the smell wafting from its doors was incredible) also fell short of the mark, but the ice cream joint round the corner had the most divine mocha ice cream. Ice cream aside, these were all fairly rooky errors though, and couldn’t be more different from my highlights.

I’d forgotten how much I love iced coffees for one, and whilst we’re at it a mix of juices for breakfast alongside a bagel that has more cream cheese than bagel is definitely some I could get used to. There’s also a Thai restaurant on 8^th Avenue (no, I can’t be more helpful than that, sorry) which serves one of the best Thai red curries I have ever tasted. Actually, even writing about it is making me salivate and want more.

The most unexpected culinary delight though has to come in the form of street food. Regular readers of The Usual Saucepans might be aware that I have a bit of a thing for street food, and in this case it was in something much like a hot dog cart. But it wasn’t hot dogs, it was Mexican style food, designed to be eaten on the go. I don’t think there is any better on-the-go food than burritos, so it took me approximately half a second decide it was lunchtime upon seeing the cart and a couple of minutes later I was munching my way through a freshly prepared wrap of joy.

It may well have been the ‘unamerican’ that took my taste buds by storm in the Big Apple, but it doesn’t diminish my love of the place. Five days is about enough for me in NYC, but the munch I loved here was definitely affordable and delicious. Those which weren’t so great needn’t be so, and I now have plenty of inspiration for some New York themed dishes that will take things like the humble hot dog to something a lot more palatable.

My time in New Jersey was mainly focused around the wedding, so I won’t bore you with the details (beyond these jars that the post-ceremony cocktails were served in). Next stop though is a foodie heaven – look out for Philadelphia fun times, coming soon to a blog near you…

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