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Keithstg

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Posts posted by Keithstg

  1. 2 minutes ago, dracisk said:

    I was in BA in 2010, so I don't have much useful info at this point other than to highly recommend a trip to Iguazu Falls, which I thought was one of the most beautiful and impressive places I've ever been. You could probably do it in a (long) day, but it's about an hour flight. We stayed one night there and visited the Argentine side one day and the Brazilian side the other day. At the time U.S. citizens needed a visa to visit Brazil (not sure if that's changed), and we thought it was worth the hassle of getting the visa to see the Brazilian side as well as the Argentine side. We also needed a yellow fever vaccine for Brazil.

    Tourist Visa requirements for Brazil had been waived - they are coming back in April. Had to check precisely because of Iguazu - I have an active business visa for Brazil, but was a nice relief not to have to go through the e-visa process for the rest of my family, even though from what I understand it was relatively easy.

  2. On 1/26/2024 at 2:49 PM, Tweaked said:

    Buenos Aires Travel Tips

    Transportation

    We flew American Airlines BWI-DFW-EZE.  Admittedly that route was a bit planes, trains, and automobiles and it did take us 23 hours door to door to get from my apartment to our Airbnb in BA.  However, Argentina is only a two hour time difference this time of year, so despite a long travel day, there was little travel hangover and no big time change adjustments to struggle with.  You can pretty much stay on DC time and function very well in BA.   

    Most international flights will arrive at Ezeiza International Airport (EZE), which is about an hour outside of downtown BA.  You should plan on about two hours from arrival to clear passport control and then transport into BA.  Our Airbnb host arranged for a friend to pick us up at the airport for a small fee.  The best no hassle route is to pre-book a cab with Taxi Ezeiza:  book online, check in at the Taxi Ezeiza kiosk at the airport, they will call one of their drivers who meets you at the kiosk and takes you to the cab, and off you go. 

    For most domestic flights and limited South American flights, the smaller Aeroparque Jorge Newbery (AEP) is located in BA proper and easy to use. 

    In BA, Uber is widely available (you can even pay your Uber drive with cash) and the subway system is easy to use.  The subway ride is flat rate (about 80 cents USD) and multiple passengers can use the same subway card.  The subway lines will take you to most of the neighbors you'll want to visit.

    Currency

    The Argentina peso is currently in free fall and Argentina is facing massive inflation.  It's tough to judge current prices online right now because prices change weekly, that said USD goes a long way in BA.  In December, $1 USD was roughly $1,000 pesos (Blue Rate) and is currently around $1,200 pesos (Blue Rate).  

    As a tourist, you'll be using several exchange rates.  The unofficial Blue Rate (the best rate) is what you can get by exchanging US currency at cambios in BA and Visa and Mastercard will covert purchases using the Foreign Tourist Dollar or MEP rate (the second best rate).  Visa does the conversion automatically to your credit card statement, Mastercard will do the conversion to the official exchange rate and then credit you to the MEP rate.  Make sure your credit card waivers international purchase fees. 

    If you want cash, bring brand new crisp $100 USD bills (you'll get a better exchange rate) and use one of the many cambio money exchange stores, they are all over the place.  Or you can download the Western Union app and Western Union money to yourself on the go and then collect your money at Western Union stores.  Some of the cambio and Western Union locations are better or less sketchy than others, so ask a local for the best places.  Our Airbnb host gave us good suggestions.  Most of the cambios and Western Union stores have different hours or close early on the weekends, so plan for that.

    We found that the best route for us was to pay for most things like big meals or shopping with a Visa Venture card and then walk around with about the equivalent of $20-$25 USD is Argentine pesos for smaller purchases (coffee, drinks, or small meals etc.). 

    Tourist Stuff

    If you like big boisterous cities, then BA is the place for you.  

    We rented an Airbnb for 10 days in the Palermo Soho neighborhood.  The area is very walkable, has tons of cafes, restaurants, shopping and is convenient for getting around town. 

    WhatsApp:  Almost everyone and many businesses use WhatsApp and almost all your electronic communications will be via WhatsApp, so you'll want to download it to your phone.   

    BA has several large museums and many many smaller museums.  Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires (MALBA) is great for contemporary Latin American art and a very cool building.  If you are picking one art museum to go to MALBA is my recommendation.  Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes is equivalent to Argentina's national gallery and was good.  Museo Moderno in San Telmo was a cool space but the art they had on display was...ok.  If historic house museums is your thing, then the Museo Nacional de Arte Decorativo is cool.  For something completely different visit the Museo del Agua y de la Historia Sanitaria aka the Toilet Museum.

    Cementerio de la Recoleta is justifiably famous and definitely a must visit.  We did a two hour guided tour which was about $10 per person plus entrance fee.  There are multiple companies that offer tours.  

    I'd also suggest seeing what is playing at Teatro Colón, an opulent grand theater with some of the best acoustics in the world.

    But really, BA is a great city to wander around.  There are lots of public parks, cool architecture, and you are never far from a great place to eat or drink.    

     

    Thanks for this! Heading to BA and Montevideo next month. Staying in the recoleta in BA. Couple of questions - have noticed you mention Visa/ MC, but not Amex? That due to personal preference or a lack of acceptance? I assume the former but thought I would ask. Did you stay in BA or take any day trips, like to the Tigre Delta, for example?

  3. 45 minutes ago, lion said:

    Cafe ile 8270 Greensboro Drive Suite #120 McLean, VA 22102

    Has anyone tried out this coffeehouse, French bakery and Sushi restaurant?

     

     

     

    Yes! I was there about a month ago for a work lunch. The space presented much more as a Sushi restaurant than french bakery or coffeehouse, FWIW. Most of the details of my visit are lost to time, but I remember being pleasantly surprised by the fish. Granted, "best sushi in tysons" is a low bar, but I would happily return.

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  4. 19 hours ago, DonRocks said:

    This is an industry(*)-wide issue - two nights ago, I refused to get carryout, from anywhere, given the current QPR.

    (*) And it extends far beyond the industry from my perspective. It’s as if everyone is raising prices because everyone else is raising prices.

    Carryout is generally horrendous QPR (Q as in quality, not quantity), IMO. Very few things stand up well to it.

    • Like 1
  5. On 1/3/2024 at 12:07 PM, mtureck said:

    Pines of Florence in DC is now open in South Dupont Circle on M St. 

    Haven't tried much there yet other than a pretty solid Veal Parm, but it's really nice addition to the neighborhood. Not a whole lot of pizza or red-sauce Italian around. 

     

    RIP (forever ago) Famous Luigi's. I had an irrational love for that place.

    • Like 1
  6. 2 hours ago, southdenverhoo said:

    I'm firmly Team Waybourn/Myers, but I'm not sure it is accurate to say The Plains "governs itself in a normal fashion." Maybe "normal" for The Plains. I love The Plains, grew up about 6 miles from there, played baseball there (for the Warrenton Lions against The Plains Cardinals), always stop at least once at The Front Porch when home, looked at one point at buying a little building on Bragg St. for a nano-brewery, so this is not a criticism, just a statement as to village life in the Virginia Piedmont.

    To be specific, the original, dating back many years ago before either party had an ownership interest in their respective properties, shared parking "agreement" is perhaps a little sketchy in terms of its compliance with the Town's own ordinance and may be vulnerable in this upcoming July appeal, is all I'm saying.

    I'll just note that, strictly judging from the signage behind the businesses, there is also at least some tension between The Rail Stop and its neighbors (across the street from The Front Porch) over parking  as well. I always just park as far up the street as necessary to avoid annoying anybody; the walk is good for me anyway.

    Pretty sure I understand village life in the Piedmont. To clarify by "governing itself in a normal fashion" I mean the town being able to conduct any business - free of distracting lawsuits, endless meetings and general mayhem. It is hard to adequately express the time sink this (and other Washer related issues) have been for the village.

    • Like 6
  7. 10 hours ago, DonRocks said:

    Worth noting that the Washer's lost EVERY SINGLE SUIT they filed against the Town of the Plains and the Waybourn/ Spauldings. Very sad that in the end the owners of the Front Porch sold, and that the Washer's continue to be bad neighbors, as they have since arriving in the Plains.

    • Like 2
  8. 13 hours ago, Ericandblueboy said:

    Tysons can't support anything high end other than steak houses.  Also, the food wasn't great.  

    Unfortunate, but true. Inox was one of the best restaurants in VA, period, over the past fifteen years or so. Was ahead of it's time. Jiwa's location was worse than Inox's, and while mall foot traffic may look closer to "normal", offices are still not consistently full. Tough environment to succeed in.

  9. 26 minutes ago, lion said:

    Sorry to hear about Joe's passing. Always enjoyed his postings and fiery opinions.

     

     

    Me too. I ran into Joe a few times in real life (at Central, Rogue 24 and a few other places) over the years. I hope that heaven is very real, as he would say, and that Joe's version is filled with mouthcoating  red wines served in fishbowl sized glasses.

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  10. 12 hours ago, DonRocks said:

    Borg played 10 years on tour. He skipped 9 Australian Opens.

    McEnroe played 16 years on tour. He skipped 10 Australian Opens, and 6 French Opens.

    Connors played 22 years on tour. He skipped 20 Australian Opens, and 11 French Opens.

    --

    Using the terminology of their era, none of them have any Grand Slams. The only people that do are Don Budge (1938) and Rod Laver (1962, 1969). 

    NB: uber-cool fact: I hit with Don Budge.

    See my point re: Travel above. No coincidence the one skipped most was the farthest away, least prestigious, earliest in season, and without a meaningful warmup run - at that time. Also, how many were Borg, Connors and McEnroe healthy enough to play in to begin with?

  11. Example number 1,000,000 of why this community is invaluable. Was in Leesburg for my sons hockey game at ION, and after a tough loss he didn’t want our usual postgame Leesburg/ Ashburn meal at Ah So.

    Remembering MELT from the posts this week we headed over. Fantastic. Excellent burgers, cooked to order on a freshly baked roll (reminiscent of when Miami Subs was a chain and served freshly baked rolls for their burgers). Massive portions of fries (the poutine fries were great, if salty), and milkshakes/ floats. All left happy. Miraculous that we found seats at 5:15. Best burger in recent memory - easily one of the area’s best. 

    • Like 7
  12. 14 hours ago, DonRocks said:

    Go. Go at 5PM and dine al fresco this week.

    Please trust me. Call and ask for "Manuel" and say you're a website member (nothing in this for me, so I don't care).

    ---

    Come to think of it, about 10 years have gone by since we've accepted any new members. I'm thinking, "Bad Business Plan?" Yeah, probably.

    Same Manuel from Mio in DC, Don? Was an excellent spot.

  13. 9 hours ago, DonRocks said:

    I love Bryan, Neal, and Starr - all three people in this transaction. And I think this news is devastating, or potentially devastating.

    Red Truck is my favorite bakery (okay, maybe after BreadFurst). It sounds like investors, expansion, and growth is coming down the pike - not today, not tomorrow, but sometime. Red Truck makes *the* perfect Bundt Cakes - the best I've ever had. There are slices of their Meyer Lemon bundt cake sitting in my freezer as I type this. These cakes cannot get any better (well, maybe if they doubled the amount of frosting), but they can get a whole lot worse. These bundt cakes are true local culinary treasures.

    Yes, of *course* I'll go forward with an open mind, and I'm glad it's going to the Wavra's and not someone else, but how do you learn the art of baking like Bryan Noyes has? You don't, and there's the devastation.

    Nothing about this is open minded, and probably even worse than damning with faint praise. Investors aren't always bad (and Noyes is among them). Expansion isn't always bad. As Neal says, The Wavra's see their role as being stewards of Red Truck - and heck, Red Truck was already shipping cakes all over the nation AND collaborating on ice cream flavors to begin with. Maybe trust the process and leave "devastation" out of it, at least on day one?

    • Like 1
  14. 15 minutes ago, Steve R. said:

    I think that I'm more in agreement than disagreement with the idea that Grand Slams define greatness in our current era.  However, for me at least, that's an easier conclusion on the women's side.  The fact that the men's Grand Slams are "best of 5 sets" significantly changes the game for me by rewarding some qualities (longer concentration, consistency, fitness) more than the other tournaments do and, therefore, creating the possibility of some folks winning more Grand Slams (& not "lower" tournaments, where the sprinters might excel).  There's also my need to include, in the term greatness, the ability to win on all surfaces.  So, for both the men and women, I'd want to see their Grand Slam titles reasonably distributed over hard, clay, red clay and grass surfaces.

    That being said, on the men's side, one would still be hard pressed to deny who the best players have been over the last 10-15 years.  On the women's side, a no-brainer until you get to #2 🤔.

    btw: the US Open Quals started today.  Couldn't get there, but will definitely prowl the grounds tomorrow and Friday.  Then, tickets to 3 days next week when it officially begins.  Anyone else?

    I'll be there, semis and finals this year. Very lucky!

  15. 9 hours ago, DonRocks said:

    Before Sampras there was nobody except the relatively unknown Roy Emerson, and "Grand Slam Tournaments" weren't a thing of importance. Neither Borg, Connors, nor McEnroe cared about total number of "Grand Slam" tournaments.

    Federer stood on the back of Sampras. Nadal stood on the back of Federer. Djokovic stood on the back of Nadal. That's the way incremental greatness works. Now, "Grand Slam Tournaments" are the measuring stick of greatness, but only since the beginning of this millenium.

    Agree with the second part, but regarding the first - the "Open Era" began in the late 60s and changed tennis completely and the Slams became even more important as travel became far easier. To think that Borg, Connors, or McEnroe didn't care about the number of Grand Slams they won seems silly. Grand Slams were ALWAYS more important than other tournaments. Do you think Arthur Ashe cared more about winning the US Open, the Perth Amboy Invitational, or the Caribe Hilton International?

  16. 12 hours ago, Steve R. said:

    Okay, let me update this.  Today's final in Cincy between Alcaraz & Djokovic has now become my #1.  Well, maybe it wasn't the "best" match (people have different definitions) but it was, to my eyes, the most talented twosome I've ever seen play the game & battle each other.  I've still not decided that I can say that I like Djokovic (his COVID stance and actions didn't help).  He's definitely sounding more likable to me as the years roll on, but I now have infinite respect for his ability.

    That match was riveting. Was never a Djokovic fan, though he has been persecuted enough for his COVID stance. Feel like barring injury the next 6-8 men's finals could be Alcaraz/ Djokovic.

  17. 19 hours ago, Steve R. said:

    Here's one that might not have hit your radar yet.  As per the article, the owners are long time food board folks (& friends) who are sourcing incredible product daily.  David Santos is their chef.  I've been there & so have some very picky eaters -- all good.  If possible, go:

    https://www.grubstreet.com/2023/07/foxface-natural-nyc.html

    Hudson valley pet-nat is a big red flag, lol!

    Seriously, thanks for the info and will try and swing in next time I am around, though will opt for real wine.

    • Like 1
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  18. 24 minutes ago, TrelayneNYC said:

    well they're booked through september, so we're going to jgv.

    oh well...maybe next time.

    we'll be coming back to nyc more frequently in the future though. our last visit was in 2017 or 2018 i think...

    currently i'm interested in the following based on reviews i've read on the internet:

    frenchette

    koloman

    shoji at 69 leonard street

    torrisi bar & restaurant

    okdongsik

    foul witch

    portale

    jupiter

    of course i'm also open to things others may have been to or heard of

    Frenchette: Most disappointing meal I had in 2022. Would avoid. Buzzy, sure, but poor service

    Torrisi bar & restaurant: Excellent. I'm a huge MFG mark, but Torrisi seems more like their early days back in Little Italy.

    Portale: Huge fan since back at Gotham. Have enjoyed but put a bit below Torrisi from a service perspective.

    One not on your list, but should be: L'Abeille - one of the best meals I had in 2022, and a leader in the clubhouse for best meal in 2023 - worldwide.

     

     

    • Like 2
  19. 2 minutes ago, TrelayneNYC said:

    we'll be staying in hell's kitchen

    brooklyn is ok, if the experience is worth it.

    hubby has given me carte blanche to reserve. we're looking at one or two meals at high end places we've never been to like le bernardin or jean georges. the middle range is more interesting though. i'll definitely look through some of these threads for sure.

    LE BERNARDIN. A million times over. Easily the four star I'd go back to ahead of any others. I was at Daniel not too terribly long ago and came away thinking it was an experience better than the Michelin guide would indicate, though I'd still say Le Bernardin. Will think through some other mid range options as well.

    • Like 1
  20. 7 hours ago, TrelayneNYC said:

    we’re visiting in a few weeks.

    what’s good?

    Welcome back! What are you looking for? Really fun new bar with great food has opened in Bed-Stuy called Three Maples. Well off my usual track in New York but a great time, with food punching several categories above it's weight class. Wouldn't suggest a trip out from Manhattan but if you'll be in Brooklyn...

    • Like 2
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