I had the opportunity to visit Karl Strauss when I was in San Diego recently. I decided to try their monthly flight which consisted of four of their beers. After I had completed the flight, I wanted to try two more tasters but had to order a whole flight of four more beers instead of being able to just get the tasters. Oh darn, more beer for me.
While here I tried the:
Columbia Street Amber
Follow The Sun
Red Trolley Ale
Tower 10 IPA
Aurora Hoppyalis
Six Suits a Hangin
Wreck Alley Imperial Stout
Big Barrel Double IPA
The bartender was very nice but was busy and always moving. I ordered a pretzel which is always good with beer tasting to help catch the flavors of all the different beers.
We stopped at the Old Salt for dinner on the first night of our trip to Maine. We wanted to get out of Boston and grab some dinner before continuing up the road to visit Maine. We were able to get a table pretty easily on a Monday night.
Out waitress was amazing and very friendly. She had a smile on her face and genuinely cared about the customer. She did a fantastic job dealing with issues from the kitchen.
The food was mediocre at best. My wife ordered the French onion soup. Then first crock had to be sent back because the cheese was burnt on top. The second crock was better but still had burnt cheese. You think they would have learned that the customer did not want the cheese burnt.
I had the scallops and haddock combo. This was not something that was on the menu but they were willing to do it for a dollar more. They were both cooked under a broiler with a cracker crumb on the haddock and bread crumbs on the scallops. The crumbs on both were very heavy and took away from the fresh fish.
They do have a nice selection of local beers on tab as well as the old standbys that Americans come to expect. I had a Smuttynose Finestkind IPA which I really enjoyed.
I know that these guys are trying, but I was hoping for a little more.
We stayed here for two nights on a recent vacation to Boston. We were very pleased with our stay. The staff was very friendly and worked to make our visit enjoyable. The valet greeted us when we arrived and was very open about our parking options. The front counter staff checked us in very early in the day so that we could put our bags in our room and when we asked for an extra blanket the housekeeping staff delivered it quickly and the front desk called back later and left a message to make sure that the request had been fulfilled.
I have really come to like the extra room and the sitting area that you get by staying at Residence Inn, it really makes you room feel a little more like home. Having the kitchen is also a plus, and we look advantage of it this trip.
The location of this hotel is great. If you are here for vacation the hotel is located right on the freedom trail. You can walk to the north side for dinner if it is a nice night out, or catch a quick/cheap Uber over to dinner. You are right next to the Navy Yard and can go and see the USS Constitution. The views of the waterfront and boats is a nice bonus as well.
If I return to Boston I will definitely consider returning to this property.
We had a great time on our last day in Boston going up to Bunker Hill and exploring the monument. We started up the hill from our hotel down on the water at about 8:45 and arrived just as the museum was opening up.
The park service manages the number of people going up and down the tower by assigning times to people to climb the tower. The first and last half-hour of the day is open to anyone that wants to climb without an assigned time, but getting a ticket is free and really not a big deal. It is a small inconvenience for not feeling claustrophobic when you get to the top.
Ther are 294 steps to the top of the tower to the observation area. Once you are in the observation area you have great views of the Boston skyline and the surrounding river and waterfront. It was a great time and a way to get a little exercise into my day.
We stayed here for two nights on a recent vacation to Boston. We were very pleased with our stay. The staff was very friendly and worked to make our visit enjoyable. The valet greeted us when we arrived and was very open about our parking options. The front counter staff checked us in very early in the day so that we could put our bags in our room and when we asked for an extra blanket the housekeeping staff delivered it quickly and the front desk called back later and left a message to make sure that the request had been fulfilled.
I have really come to like the extra room and the sitting area that you get by staying at Residence Inn, it really makes you room feel a little more like home. Having the kitchen is also a plus, and we look advantage of it this trip.
The location of this hotel is great. If you are here for vacation the hotel is located right on the freedom trail. You can walk to the north side for dinner if it is a nice night out, or catch a quick/cheap Uber over to dinner. You are right next to the Navy Yard and can go and see the USS Constitution. The views of the waterfront and boats is a nice bonus as well.
If I return to Boston I will definitely consider returning to this property.
We visited the Maine State House as is our tradition when we are in a state that we have not visited before. We were there on a Friday and parking was easy to find in the visitor lot by the Maine History Museum. There was a lot of construction going on when we were there so getting a good picture was kind of tough. We went through the security station and then you are basically allowed to roam the halls and look around.
The house and senate chambers were open for you to look in, you did not even have to go up to the viewing balcony. The rotunda in this capital is pretty plain jane and everything the state house seemed to be very down to earth.
Before you leave, head down the stairs by the security station, here you will find 4 dioramas of wildlife that you will find in Maine. There are black bears and moose among other animals for you to see.
What a great iconic lighthouse. There is plenty of parking here and it is easy to get great pictures of the light. I really enjoy this spot and will visit every time that I come back to Maine. Be sure to walk around a bit, explore the rocks and check out the lighthouse from a variety of viewpoints.
The new ownership is doing a great job or improving this restaurant. I had always been disappointed in the old I Love Noodle, but H&H Noodle is a whole different place and the food is what I know and love. We went here as a family this week after finding out that the restaurant had changed hands.
We had spring rolls and vermicelli bowls and both were delicious. The spring rolls were fresh and had a nice peanut sauce served with them The vermicelli bowls had a lot of delicious fresh vegetables, noodles, and I had the pork and egg roll. The pork was very lean and had a rich bbq flavor to it. The pork was cut into fairly small pieces, but this really helped distribute throughout the bites.
I am so thankful that we have a respectable Vietnamese restaurant in Southlake and that I do not feel that I need to drive all the way to Irving to get Pho.
Stopped into Boston Chowda Co. for lunch while on vacation in Boston. I got a large clam chowder and really enjoyed it. The chowder had just the right combination of clams and other ingredients to provide a delicious bite every time. The potatoes are done in a small dice. After eating a lot of different chowders during the week, I had become accustomed to restaurants using the potato as a filler, with large chunks of potato dominating the soup. The other thing that I liked about this chowder is that it was not too thick. After reading more of the reviews, it looks like a made the right choice to get the chowder in a cup and not pay the extra money to get it in a bread bowl.
I also had the lemon-aid which was very good and tastes like it was made with real lemons.
We went on a family kayaking trip and used Breakwater Kayak as our guide and outfitter for the trip. It was very easy to work with the staff to make the arrangements, and they made the trip happen even though they were not fully staffed for their in-season time.
When we arrived the staff had taken the kayaks down to a grassy area in the park. The guide got us fitted with life vests, paddles, and spray skirts, and then it was down to the boats for some quick lessons about paddling technique. We were soon out on the water.
The guide did a great level of working with our level of experience and provided clear directions about the paddle. We crossed the bay from the put in location to the Breakwater Lighthouse. While this lighthouse is accessible by walking the length of the breakwater (.8 miles) it was great fun to see it by the water.
Once we got to the light, we then paddled down the length of the breakwater to a beach by the Samoset resort. The wind was blowing pretty strong from the shore, so this was a pretty good paddle. Once we got to the beach, we were able to get out of the boats for a few minutes and then we were back on the water.
The next leg was a pretty good open water crossing again as we made our way back across the bay towards the shipyards. Here you get to see some of the industrial sides of the water. People who depend on the sea to make a living. There was a fishing dock where large fishing boats offload, there is the coast guard station, and then there is the marina and restaurants.
Overall we were on the water for just over 3 hours. Our guide was fantastic. She was very knowledgeable about key subjects and really provided a very educational as well as enjoyable paddle. We heard stories about the lighthouses, we learned the history or the area, the lobster fishing industry and all about the ports.
While Breakwater Kayak is a smaller operation than some of the others in the area, you are guaranteed to get a well-trained guide who is really wanting to make sure that you have a safe and memorable adventure.