northwest

por ahora

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Goodnight, but not Goodbye

With another few hours to kill at the Denver airport, we once again took iSquareFour’s superior life advice and went to the Root Down restaurant for dinner. Mel got on first name basis with our waitress Karissa quick and she hit us up with the trifecta: soup, salad, and lamb sliders. Delicious stuff. We’ll happily take the free date night out of this ordeal!!

We realized that Mel Blanco and Marshall were going to be on the same flight back to SF. What are the odds! We chilled a bit at the gate and then got on the terribly cramped flight home.

And with that, our trip comes to an end. It’s been a good one. Until we meet again friends, whether in LA, Cozumel, Boston, Columbia, or Tehran, adieu!

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Best Airport Trails in North America

A seasoned hiker myself, I had my normal human socks on underneath, and then my airplane, cozy, pseudo-slipper socks on top. I didn’t have wine and olive oil in my bag on the trip back and so had all my things with me as a carry-on, and socks to spare. Before we set out on our journey for sustenance, we socked on, laced up, and ventured ‘cross terminals to the location of interest-- local beers and lamb burgers. It begins with barre and ends with barre. Like any good trip.

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I spy a hibernating Khers

Our day began with an interesting twist. We woke up at 3am and trekked to the airport only to find that our 6am flight had been cancelled. The United peeps tried to help us out but the best they could do was a 12pm YVR -> DEN (Aeropuerto Internacional del Denver) and then a 10pm DEN -> SFO. It’s gon' be a long day..

After crushing a Timmy Ho’s Bagel Belt and some sweet sweet french vanilla, we got cozy in the airport seating. The rest of the morning was colored by a second sit-down breakfast at the airport, lots of coffee, and sleeping through most of our first flight.

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The Last Supper

Can’t believe it’s our final evening at the Habibian residence! Neither of us want to leave nor go back to work… weh! Sousan and Mahmoud join us for dinner and Mana and I play Sogghe for the evening attempting a Southside cocktail + tonic water to add some body to this very fierce drink. Sogghes also make a mean guacamole, so we do that too.

Sonia makes a few dishes, Mexican inspired and a Chinese type chicken plate. Nom!

Sina can’t pack to save his life and we nag him until he drags his things out into hall so he can pack in peace :-P

Top of the evening with some crazy flower explosion tea and The Holiday movie. I sneak away to get in just an hour of shut eye before our wonderful Sunday morning journey back down to San Francisco.

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Walking and Talking

A quick break at home and we’re off again. We meet with Herr Volkmann and Lady Eleanor for coffee at Ambleside beach. We blink while fishing for the right size cup lids and miss the sunset. We walk and talk along the seawall and hear about their recent explorations with cider and fish-and-chips in England.

We drive around the North Shore and Downtown running errands and preparing for our departure tomorrow morn’. Goodbye Vancity streets, we’ll miss you. And Good riddance Lions Gate, we’ll most definitely not miss you.

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Pamilia on the westside

We make tracks towards the 2nd Narrow bridge (literally) for brunch at my cousin Christine’s. What’s with North and South streets? Whoops.

Christine works at Sweet Pea catering company with just three other people, and I had no idea of her ability to whip up a mean, one-woman brunch. The menu consists of eggs benny 3 ways (bacon, tomato avo, or smoked salmon), fresh fruit, whipped cream, waffles, and potato hash browns all from scratch.

We also catch up with my cousin Laurence, his wife Annie, and kids Ava (~7) and Dylan (3). Laurence is teaching music at Ridgeview, and Annie is involved in city planning.

Really good to catch up with some of the Santos clan and give Sina a taste of the extended family… muahHAhaha.

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Lets get cozy

Finally recovering from the previous night, we spend the eve chilling hard. Ab-hendoone and a Mirza Ghasemi surprise keep us happy. First, we watch Blow, one of Mel’s favorite movies. It succeeds in completing depressing us so we have to follow up with a dash of happy action and watch Premium Rush. These bike messengers are real cool and leave us begging for more. So we follow up with a third and watch Maleficent. Angelina’s a badass as always and teaches us about the nature of true love. We pass out at 3am feeling nice and cozy.

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Mamann komak!

We rouse around 3pm. We couldn’t stomach the delicious zehresh polo bamorgh o tahdig this morning, but we certainly can now, consuming about 4-5 bowls each on the couch while watching the sun set into that big old lake out back.

We mosey downstairs to the andaroní with Saeed and Sonia, Sina and I play Arabesque, and make our way back upstairs where we are surprised with the famous awb hendoonéh! <3

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“Slower. Drive slower.” He whispered.

Woke up not feeling so hot at Chez Mana. Paced around that living room with occasional trips to the bathroom to take care of business. The drive to Chez Habibian was rough and we had to stop once after an especially curvy piece of the road. And Mana, that crazy kid, still wanted to stop by to shop for Blundstones on the way!

We arrived home soon enough and passed out on our favorite couch. I missed lunch while Mel put on a brave face and attempted a couple of bites.

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4... 3... 2... 1... Hap’py New Year!

Part 1: //PH13 Lounge Habibian We started the night off at Mana’s concocting some strange drinks (coffee kahlua + wine + hard iced tea lemonade vodka + tequila straight up chased with potato chips) 

walkwalkwalk. no cabs. walkwalkwalk. sneak on bus.

Part 2: //PH2 Collin’s Apartment Google Search, ‘where is lou bega now?’, eat lots and lots of cheese and artichoke dip, sneak tequila shots in the kitchen, and sneak bread and guacomole. Meet Tanya and Collin, zee pianist, Sina’s classmates from UBC.

walkwalkwalk. no cabs. walkwalkwalk. catch a cab. It’s 11:47pm. shiat.

Part 3: //PH3 Michela and Mana’s Friend’s Crib HAPPEE NEW YEAR! We make it just in the knick of time for a count down and a jello shot. We play this super amazing game called Little Mia. Or Big Mia? Sina loves it. We take in the views outside with some generous guests and decide to head towards da club soon thereafter.

walkwalkwalk. no cabs. walkwalkwalk. walk walk.

Part 4: //Chinatown Fortune Club Great throwbacks and dance tunez. 

Part 5: Fog city. Fog fog city biietch. walkwalkwalk. no cabs. walkwalk. piggyback rides. tumble. walkwalk. walk backwards with your eyes closed. walkwalk. walk barefoot. jogjogjog. crepe house is closed. it’s cold. walkwalk. find a cab. 

Part 6: Steal all blankets, wrap self up, stare into fire, sleep. 

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Out and Aboot

After some sibling bickering about where to park the car (not in the Gage yard), we set about exploring UBC. We visit the Museum of Anthropology where Mana drops some insider facts on the Musqueam people’s land and the state of event planning at MOA. We walk through the not-so-rosy Rose Garden, and admire the acoustics of the Chan Center (some say the best in N America!!). We sneak into Hennings but unfortunately the project lab is closed and we leave having only seen the outside.

We have a late lunch at the Eatery. We appreciate the beautiful decor, Captain Crunch, San Francisco Rolls, and there being no spoons served with the miso. Over to Mana’s now to kick off NYE!

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Bloggin’ ain’t eazy.

New Year’s Eve morning and we’ve finally digested all of the kebab o polo from last evening. Quilts & coffee in bed for a few hours: a solid last morning for 2015. We make some huevos and noon paneer o gerdoo for a late brekkie. Sina takes forever to post (: and we tinkle some ivories in the key of Arabesque before finally heading out around 2pm. We pick up mad liquorz and make our way towards Kitsilano and UBC. Beautiful time of day to stroll round zee campus and check out MOA Anthropology Museum, Hennings hall, rose gardens and Vanier dorms.

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Mirza Ghasemi with the Persian Mafia

We had dinner with the Persian crew at the Gilaneh Grill in North Vancouver. It’s great seeing everyone and we catch up over Dough, Mirza Ghasemi, Kashk Bademjoon, Kabab Torsh, Fesenjoon, and Tahdig. Mel is into the food which I’m stoked about; her love of food transcends cultures!

Back home, we watch the newest Denzel masterpiece with the fam. He equalizes everyone and everything, taking out the entire Russian drug empire in a swift stroke. I want to be like him when I grow up.

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Seattle, WA, U.S.A --> Vancouver, B.C., Canada

It’s official: Seattle is farther than you think. 

We completed our ridiculously, ridiculously tasty breakfast and hit the road around 11:30am. Today was the best driving weather yet and this time we passed through the Peace Arch at the border. I had the opportunity to understand the fashion sense & inspiration of Mr. Habibian at 8th + Main and then got intimate with the local Starbucks while he talked finances at the bank. We took an icy stroll along the ocean and took in the mountainous and sparkling views of downtown Vancouver.  Bring on the heat, shower, and nomsnoms. 

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Small World is Real

Woke up feeling a little cold today with all my attempts to cuddle and steal Mel’s warmth shut down through the night.

Brunch today was at Cafe Flora. We sat in the middle of the cozy cafe next to a stone fountain adorned with steel lizards and had our food to the surprise tune of construction next door. They served Stumptown coffee and I took them up on their word with the unlimited refills. Half-way through, we realized that one of my friends from Vancouver was sitting next door, and we caught up. It’s a small world indeed!

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Lindy, West Coast, or Zouk it out

We arrived around 6pm and popped by The Elliot Bay Book Company in Capitol Hill to shoot off a few emails. When we got to Chris’, Fondue, Aviation gin cocktails, and partner dancing 101 was there to greet us. 

There’s this whole partner dance culture just swinging beneath our noses. Who knew? 

For now, a flight of Scotch tasting is more up our alley. Chris gave us a lick of about 6 types of Scotch. We tasted from different regions including the Highlands, Speyside (use to be part of Highlands), Lowlands, and Ispay. 

We sunk some Scotches and headed out to the corner convenience store / bar called Chuck’s Hop Shop where we sampled, yet again, some phenomenally crafter beers. I chose an beer reminiscent of apple cider vinegar while kerm doh chose a dark coconut porter.

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Sharing is Kerm’ing

Lots of cool graffiti around the Alberta Arts District. One in particular which caught our eye was by the Furious Six of Fontana Studios, a mural of colored bricks spelling out “You are confined only by the walls you build yourself”. Ye!

Brunch at Petite Provence was delicious. French onion soup, baked eggs in a crock pot, and salad (to fulfill our severely unmet need for the sabz things in life). They had a nice mustard / navy blue color scheme to their walls which I took note of for lata projects.

We started driving to Seattle around 2pm. Jamie Foxx kept us company with his smooth voice on a podcast and dropped some Ray Charles wisdom on us: “the notes are right underneath your fingers. you just need to take time out to find the notes”.