THE COCKTAIL HOUR: Crucian Rum Punch

This week, Tim and I are coming to you from the beautiful island of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Our quandary: we're not staying at an all-inclusive resort and have to pay for the majority of our drinks. Our solution: make a new, very easy to make, delicious cocktail that we can mix using cheap local ingredients.

Watch the Video!

The result is this rum punch using rum, cranberry-raspberry cocktail, and lime juice.  Here's the recipe...

INGREDIENTS

1.5 oz rum
2 oz cranberry-raspberry cocktail
juice of half a lime

In a lowball glass filled with ice, squeeze in lime juice. Pour rum in, then cranberry-raspberry cocktail. Drink.

It's that easy...

Cheers!

Darryl

Classic Trip: Bad Omens and Good Luck in the Virgin Islands...St. Croix, Part 2

We’re on the runway at Miami International, engines powering up, about to take the final flight to St. Croix when the pilot comes on the intercom as the engines wind down.

“Folks, we’re going to have to return to the gate. The second button on the radio is not working and FAA regulations say we can’t fly without it. Hopefully, this will be a quick fix and we can be in the air shortly.”

Uh oh, I’m already nervous about this trip, booking an unbelievably cheap trip to St. Croix in the U. S. Virgin Islands and crossing my fingers, hoping that the hotel will really have an accessible room for us. Is this a bad omen?

We crawl back to the gate. A mechanic soon appears up front and walks out with a box. We can see him get in a truck on the tarmac and drive away.

“Folks,” (they always start that way…a real folksy, aw shucks, wouldn’t you just know it, kind of quality in their voice) “the mechanic has just taken the entire radio and is heading to supply to see if they have a replacement in stock. We’ll let you know what happens as soon as we can.”

Our 4:20 flight is supposed to have us on the island at 7:00pm. Even though our package came with taxi vouchers to and from the airport, I have decided to rent a car so we can explore the island at our leisure. Besides, it just might give us somewhere to sleep if no room is available…will the Hertz office still be open when we get there? They close at 9:00pm.

Wouldn’t you know it…15 minutes later, the truck returns. The mechanic plugs in a new radio and leaves the plane…a hero to cheers from the main cabin.

“Folks, this is your captain speaking…that has to be the quickest repair in my history of flying planes. We’ll close the doors and be in the air as quick as we can.”

Just a little over an hour late, we’re wheels up from Miami. Now, I’m just wondering if I’ll make it to the car rental counter in time.

We touch down in St. Croix at 8:20pm. Since we need the aisle chair, we have to deplane last. You never realize how slow people can get off of a plane when you’re in a hurry and have to wait. You’re sitting there thinking “pull your suitcase, don’t push it; did you not know the plane landed? You’re just now getting your case out of the overhead?”

Sometimes, I'm not just thinking it...

St. Croix is too small for jetways, so we have to deplane using a very slow lift. We’re on the tarmac at 8:45pm. The plan is for Letty to go to baggage claim while I hustle to Hertz.

Luckily, they’re next door to each other and I make to the counter with a few minutes to spare. Our “minivan” turns out to be a Ford Flex, nice car but a real minivan would work better for us. We’ll make it work.

Letty makes quick work of the luggage and a taxi driver with our name on a board appears. I tell him we don’t need a ride but since we did pay for a voucher, would he mind driving to the Buccaneer and I’ll follow? No problem…we have a lead car to the hotel. Thirty minutes later, we’re there.

I tip the driver and head in…this is my biggest fear. Would we get the room promised? We hand the front desk clerk our voucher, fill out the form, and he hands us the key.

“Your room is just around the corner; would you like me to show you the way?”

Sure, why not? The moment of truth, what would the room be like and how accessible is it?

Four doors down from the main entrance, he opens the door for room 104…or I should say suite 104. There are no steps. There is plenty of room. The bathroom is accessible (tub, shower chair, and grab bars…no roll in here but not necessary for us) or I should say THIS bathroom is accessible. Yes, we have two.

It’s a full suite with a separate bedroom featuring a king-size bed, a huge ocean view terrace, two bathrooms (one accessible), three sinks (one in a separate dressing area), a large walk-in closet, safe, refrigerator, two flat-screen TVs, DVD player, a living room with a day bed couch that Tim will sleep on, a bucket filled with ice and a water pitcher.

Finally, my fears of sleeping in the car or on the beach are subsided. It’s time to enjoy this luxury but low-budget vacation.

It’s been a long, anxious day of traveling so we’ll hit the sack and take up the beautiful island of St. Croix starting in the morning.

Darryl

Copyright 2013 – Darryl Musick

All Rights Reserved

ACCESSIBLE ATTRACTIONS: St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands

Our ratings are...

Fully Accessible - You can access all of the attraction, with no problem, in any type of wheelchair.

Mostly Accessible - You can access most of the attraction, and all of the important parts of it, with your wheelchair.

Partially Accessible - You can access a good deal of the attraction but some parts are inaccessible and some important parts you'll miss.

Inaccessible - Kind of speaks for itself, avoid if you're in a wheelchair.

Here's St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands...

Christiansted National Historic Site - Partially Accessible. The grounds, the old weighing house (scale) and bottom floor of the Customs House are accessible. Unfortunately, the jewel of the site...Fort Christianvern...has a few steps to get inside, rendering it inaccessible.

Captain Morgan Distillery - Fully Accessible. This newer distillery (Cruzan is also made on the island) found out their tour tram was wheelchair accessible with a ramp. Now we can happily report this very fun tour and tasting room can handle our specialty wheeled travelers.

Buck Island Boat Charters - Inaccessible. We could not find one boat that could really take a wheelchair user, who couldn't walk, onto a tour...even though a couple advertised they could.

Cane Bay Beach - Partially Accessible. A ramp is used by scuba divers to wade out to the Wall, a world-famous dive spot. Wheelchair users can also use it (with some help from a friend) to get into the great snorkeling water closer to shore, too.

Mt. Pellier Domino Club (Drinking Pigs) - Mostly Accessible. Ask the attendants to show you the rustic wheelchair ramp in the back of the pig pen. 

Walking Tour of the Buccaneer Hotel - Mostly Accessible. Contact the hotel for details at (340) 712-2100

Christiansted Boardwalk - Mostly Accessible. The islands go-to point for shopping, drinking, and dining boasts some great views and hungry tarpon looking for a handout from tourists. A few shops have steps to get in.

Darryl
Copyright 2014 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved

Deal of the Century...Will it be a Dream Trip or a Nightmare?

When you travel with a wheelchair the biggest need you have is assurance. You need to be assured that there will be accessible transportation at your destination; you need to know that there will be no steps where you need to go; you need to know the bathroom in your room will be suitable for your needs; you need to know that the doors will be wide enough for your chair…in short, assurances.

The problem with assuring your vacation is that it usually comes with a price. When you see those really good deals on the internet, the only thing you can be assured of is that the company selling it will not want to give you any. “We can request it but it’s not guaranteed…you can request it when you check in,” is the familiar refrain.

But…what if the deal was just too good? What if you found the perfect destination, with one of the worlds best hotels, right when you wanted to go and the price was a quarter of what you’d normally pay? Would you throw caution to the wind or would you pass it up.

That was the quandary I was in. We had so much fun in the Dominican last year that I told Letty and Tim that I’d try to book another great beach vacation for this spring’s trip. I was working with a travel agent, who is supposed to be an expert in finding accessible vacations. We were looking at Playa del Carmen, just south of Cancun, and were getting quotes of $5-6,000 for a six night vacation.

It was just too much out of our budget range, even if it was all inclusive. Just when things looked bleakest, one of her e-mails came in with a Gmail ad at the top saying the Virgin Islands were on sale. What’d I have to lose? I clicked…

I was taken to a big-name online travel site and it came up with a form to enter my dates of travel and the number of persons. I did and it came back with an unbelievable price…$1,900 for six nights, including airfare from Los Angeles to St. Croix, accommodations at the highest rated hotel on the island, a full breakfast buffet daily, airport transfers, taxes, and free watersports for three people.

The problem was, of course, the wheelchair. Could it work? Would it work?

Naw, I’m not going to book a trip like that online without that magic word but, hey, there’s an 800 number on here. I’ll give it a call.

“First question, is this a real price?” I asked the agent. He assured me it was.

“Next question, is the hotel accessible?” I continued.

“Let me put you on hold and I’ll call them, “ the agent replied.

A few minutes later, he assured me that the hotel had a few step free rooms. He talked to someone named Lydia at the front desk and said the ground floor rooms were accessible and he could request one…but could not guarantee it. I’d have to request it at the front desk.

There it was…I was almost there but just couldn't get past that last hurdle. The price was unbelievably good. Basically, just pay the airfare and everything else was free. The hotel, the Buccaneer, is widely regarded as the best on the island and one of the best in the Caribbean. We’d get at least one full meal a day, and more…but what if?

What if the room was taken when we were there? There’s no elevator and our flight gets in kind of late at night. What would we do if we’re in the lobby and had nowhere to go? How committed to our cause would the staff be especially knowing that we paid just pennies for the room?

I went over the logistics in my head. If no room was available, I’m sure the concierge could at least find us another hotel. I could buy “cancel for any reason” trip insurance, call the hotel a few days ahead of time, and…if I got a bad feeling…cancel and get a refund.

Not completely assured but knowing I've been in worse situations, I rolled the dice and gave the agent my card number. We’re booked, now what’s going to happen?

It’s a week before departure; we've got our travel documents, flight information, and vouchers for the hotel and airport taxi. One more thing…I’ll call the Buccaneer and see if I can get some of that assurance.

I call and talk to the front desk manager. She asks what exactly we need, I tell her. I’m told that we have been booked in a mountain view room (the cheap rooms upstairs) and that there is no elevator to get there. It’s okay,  she assures me, she’ll give me a no-charge upgrade to the ground floor room and we’ll have step free access. She also asks me if I’d like to have food and drinks waiting in the room, a shower chair installed, or anything else I’d like.

I take her up on the offer of a shower chair and make a mental note to give that woman a good tip if everything is in order when we arrived.

Last minute assurances in order, it’s time to drive to LAX, board our American Airlines flight, cross our fingers and hope for the best.

See how it all turns out when we get to the island on the next part of this report.

Darryl
Copyright 2013 – Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved

THE COCKTAIL HOUR: Catalina Colada

I'm looking up calories for a pina colada and see this..."a pina colada has more calories than a Big Mac."  At 644 calories per drink, yeah, that's pretty heavy.  Unfortunately, I've got two colada drinkers in family, my wife and Tim.  What to do?

Come up with my own.

Watch the Video!

With a little experimenting, most of which you can see on the video above, I did it.  Here is my version of a pina colada.  It tastes exactly like a regular one but only has 125 calories.  If you like pina coladas...whether or not you like walking in the rain...you'll love this Catalina colada.

INGREDIENTS (one drink)

1 1/2 oz Malibu (or other coconut infused) rum

1/2 oz brandy

dash of bitters

1 oz pineapple juice

1/2 oz fresh lime juice

Pour rum and brandy into old fashioned glass.  Mix in lime juice and a dash of bitters.  Fill with ice.  Pour in pineapple juice.

Cheers!

Don't forget, The World on Wheels is free to you because of our sponsors and The Wine of the Month Club is one we can highly recommend. Sign up for a membership today!

Darryl

Copyright 2010 - Darryl Musick

All Rights Reserved

So, Where Are The Elves? Hiking the Elfin Forest in Morro Bay

Today's breakfast at Dorn's was a more simple plate of eggs and some crispy hash browns. Just enough for some energy to go hiking.

We're tackling a new trail today in nearby Baywood Park, a twin city to Los Osos at the southern end of Morro Bay...the estuary, not the town.

Visiting Morro Bay in the past, we've driven the road to neighboring Baywood Park, Los Osos, and Montaña de Oro State Park. I've noticed the sign to the Elfin Forest and often wondered about it. Now that I've got Tim interested and enjoying hikes, I looked up to see if there were any trails in the area we could take a wheelchair on. Happily, I found that the Elfin Forest...a preserve on the edge of the bay...had a one mile boardwalked trail we could go on.

While the 90 acres of the preserve are owned ay the San Luis Obispo County Parks and Recreation Department, it's Friends of the El Moro Elfin Forest who do the work of running it. Browsing their  website (elfin-forest.org), I see that the 16th Street trailhead is the accessible one.

It's a 10 minute drive from our hotel to that trailhead which is not in the city of Morro Bay but the next town south, Baywood Park. The estuary itself is still called Morro Bay so we can still say we're there.

There are two designated handicapped parking spots at the trailhead and maybe a half dozen more regular parking spots in the dirt lot. The ramped boardwalk leads to the trail loop from here.

The short spur from the parking lot soon joins the main trail. A sign lets us know it's one way and to go to the left.

Signs along the boardwalk's edge have QR codes to scan on your mobile phone, pointing out features, different plants, and other interesting tidbits.

It's scrubby and sandy landscape is a poor provider of nutrition and we soon find out that the little shrubs that line the trail are actually fully grown live oak trees but, since the conditions are so poor, they only grow a few feet tall. These are the "elves" of the Elfin Forest.

Later in the trail, where theres a patch of better ground, we find a grove of more fully developed trees that grow up to 20 feet tall.

There are two spurs that lead to views of the large bay. You can get great ocean views and even spot Morro Rock sticking out of the ocean like a big thumb a few miles away.

After an hour or so, we're back where we started.

Back in the town of Morro Bay it's time for my wife's pick for dinner, the Great American Fish Company that sits at the north end of town next to the wharves that the local fishing fleet uses.

She gets a nice mixed seafood platter while Tim gets his go-to dish of fish and chips. It's all very good but my landlubber's tri tip sandwich was not anything to write home about.

It's time to rest up in the hotel, relaxing in front of the TV with our Oreos, chips, and candy before driving a few more hours in the morning to go home.

Darryl Musick
Copyrigh 2022 - All Rights Reserved

Rocking a Post Pandemic World: Morro Bay After Covid

It felt like time to get out of the house for a few days so it was back to one of our favorite beach destinations, Morro Bay on California's Central Coast.

While the Omicron variant of the Covid virus is causing rising cases, it appears to be peaking and not as dangerous as other variants have been. With most of the population vaccinated, firm prevention measures, and more available testing and treatment, the state is staying cautiously open.

It's tough to get a good, accessible room in the waterfront area of Morro Bay when you're more than two people. Either it's a room for two or it's back in a lonely part of the hotel with no view. I've search high and low and have found exactly three rooms with beds enough for the three of us and with a bit of a view.

There's the 456 Embarcadero, a fireplace room with two queen size beds with a decent view (low season discounted rates can be found a bit under $200 a night in 2022 - you can read about our stay there here), the Anderson Inn, a very nice and very expensive waterfront inn, and our hotel for this trip, the Blue Sail Inn where a partial view with two queens went for $152 for the three nights we were there.

Partial view meant we could see a bit of the strand between the old defunct power plant at the north end of town and the landmark Morro Rock, although we couldn't see the rock itself unless we stepped out onto the little patio attached to the room.

Two comfortable queen beds, plenty of space for Tim's wheelchair, and a large bathroom with a roll-in shower that unfortunately...like many hotels these days...was not built with water retention in mind.

Tim did like the channel lineup on the TV that featured most of his favorite sports networks.

Morro Bay is like a well worn pair of comfortable slippers for us. It's a favorite spot to unwind and visit some cherished spots. This time, since there's three of us and we'll be here for three nights, we all picked a favorite restaurant where we would dine one at a time for the three nights we'll be here.

First up, since the weather's nice and the dining is outside, is Tim's choice of Giovanni's Seafood Market and Galley.

He had a hankering for the calamari and chips here, which he proclaimed excellent. Letty had a delicious poke bowl, while I had a forgettable cheeseburger that they serve for those who don't like seafood like me.

The beer was nice, cold and delicious and the sunset view over the rock spectacular so I took solace in that.

A delicious breakfast of pancakes and eggs awaited me the next morning at Dorn's Breakers Cafe, the hilltop restaurant with a view nextdoor to the hotel. Fortified, the three of us set out for a two part walk to burn off calories and get some exercise.

Part one would be a hike up Morro Bay Boulevard to the traffic circle leading to the freeway of highway 1 where Letty could hit every thrift shop on the north side of the street...with a quick stop to one of my favorites, Central Coast Music shop...and then crossing over to get to the shops on the south side.

At the top, we'd all enjoy shopping at our favorite leather shop, Finn's Leather Shop, where Tim bought himself this stylish hat.

After a short bathroom break back at the hotel at the bottom of the hill, it's on to walk the waterfront and Embarcadero.

Starting at the south end, we stop at what used to be the Morro Bay Aquarium, a very old-school tourist attraction where you could spend a quarter on a bag of fish to feed the sea lions.

Now, a brewery is going in, Three Stacks and a Rock. The name refers to the exaust stacks of the old power plant at the other end of town and the big rock in the water that the town is named after. The former sea lion tank is being converted into a small beer garden with a view of Morro Rock.

From here, we can wind our way along the wharf where the waterfront is always available to the public, even if it means going through a restaurant's dining area. It's also about 90% accessible, only blocked in small portions on this trip by construction.

We can't pass Rose's Bar without stopping for a drink with a spectacular view at their completely wheelchair accessible, boat-shaped bar with friendly bartender Jack supplying the chatter and even loaning you his binoculars for a better view. He also shows us pictures on his phone that he snaps of the local wildlife that he sees from his unique office view.

Outside, we find the local fire department tearing into a neighboring building with their axes and saws. I ask one of the firefighters when the fire was. He told me the building was being demolished tomorrow and their just getting some training in while they have a chance.

Tonight's dinner is my choice, the Morro Bay Hofbrau where I get one of their delicious beef dip sandwiches that is carved to your order right in front of you, plus a pitcher of delicious German lager to split between the three of us.

Again, like almost anyplace else here, our dinner comes with a knockout view of the bay and rock.

We finish off this day at Anchor Memorial Park at the north end of the waterfront where we catch a great sunset with some otters playing in the water before retiring back to the hotel for the night.

Tomorrow, we'll set off on a hike on a trail we've never tried yet.

Darryl Musick
Copyright 2022 - All Rights Reserved

THE COCKTAIL HOUR: Margarita Lite

I know we've done a margarita recipe before but this is special.  


We wanted to adopt a healthier lifestyle, lose a little weight, and get into better shape.  So far, it's been working.  The bad part is that cocktails are usually full of empty calories.  Hey, we like to drink too but we need to retool.

Watch the Video!

So, we've cut way back on the heavy drinks, switched to wine for the most part, and experimented with making a lighter cocktail.  Here is the first result of that retooling.
(Note:  In the video, I miscalculated a say it's about 125 calories...it's actually about 150, see below)

Our new margarita lite recipe is just as good as our original margarita recipe but with about 80 less calories.  The alcohol is the same, 3 parts tequila, 2 parts triple sec, and 1 part brandy.  The difference is the mixer...we're using Sunkist Diet Sparkling Lemonade instead of sweet 'n sour mix.


Here's the recipe (two drinks):


2 ounces tequila                                   - 140 calories
1.25 ounces triple sec                         - 120 calories
.4 ounces brandy                                 -    40 calories
juices of 1/2 lime                                   -    5 calories
4 ounces Diet Lemon Soda                -    0 calories


Total Calories                                       - 305 calories
Calories per drink                                - 153 calories


(A Cadillac margarita at most restaurants, which this closely resembles, is about 325 calories per drink)


Fill a cocktail shaker 1/2 full with ice.  Put in all ingredients except for lemon soda and shake.  Pour lemon soda over ice into margarita glasses or cocktail glasses rimmed with salt (about half the depth of the ice).  Pour ingredients from shaker over that.  Enjoy the results - beware, these are still strong drinks.


Cheers!

Darryl
Copyright 2010 - Darryl Musick

The Irreplaceable Foods of L.A.

We really don't have much of a call to visit the Los Angeles area anymore except to visit family (you can catch up on some of our 57 years experience of the area here) but, when we are there, we try to catch up on some of the foods that we just can't find up in the northern half of the state. 

While many of our favorite places didn't survive the covid pandemic, there's still some gems there we try to hit whenever we're in the area.

Here are some places that are on our irreplaceable list...

Pastrami...yes, we can get pastrami anywhere but not like this. The Hat has is a chain of 11 fast food restaurants in the Los Angeles area. 

The farthest north is Simi Valley so that is still too far for us. If you've had it, you know...the juiciest, steamiest, moistest pastrami piled very high on a dipped bun with pickles and mustard (and a slice of swiss cheese, if you desire) for $12 in 2022. A small order of fries will feed a family of four with some left over.

(If you're in the area, you may want to stop at the original location on Valley Boulevard in Alhambra for a real time-traveling treat.)

Covid has killed their massive condiment bar but you can still get what you need from the counter person plus they still have those killer picked peppers.

In addition to The Hat, Capri Deli in Covina also has an equally good and almost identical sandwich at a slightly lower price.

Taquitos at Olvera Street really have no equal. This deep fried, rolled taco was invented at Cielito Lindo at the northern end of Calle Olvera but is taken to its zenith a few doors south at the oldest restaurant on Olvera Street, La Noche Buena.

For just under three bucks, you can get these piping hot out of the fryer with their signature watery and slightly spice guacamole sauce. I like to add their hotter red salsa to it for an incredibly delicious and cheap meal.

And, yes, you can get taquitos and guacamole almost anywhere but nothing like this.

Pizza...again, you can get pizza anywhere. Good pizza, even great pizza, but Casa Bianca in Eagle Rock is truly one of a kind, sublime, great pizza we just can't get anywhere else.

The key is the house-made, fennel Italian sausage that give this thin-crust pie a truly unique and delicious flavor. Get whatever topping you want, but...if you don't mind meat...make sure it has some of this sausage on it.

The only problem is the restaurant knows how good it is so it's not always so customer friendly. Oh, you'll get great service there but don't go for lunch (they don't open until 4), no reservations (you may be waiting over an hour for a table), extremely limited street parking, cash only, closed on Sundays and Mondays, and they tend to just take a two-week vacation whenever the feeling hits.

But, if you can get around those obstacles, make sure you give that pizza a try.

French dip...another staple in many, many restaurants. Yes we can get French dip sandwiches up in our home in the Motherlode. Some very good, even stellar French dips...my current favorite is the version we can get at the Lodi Beer Company. But none are like the original.

Philippe's...technically, Philippe the Original, but everybody in L.A. just calls it Philippe's...invented the sandwich which legend says was an accident when the counterperson dropped the bun in the drippings. The cop who was ordering the sandwich was in a hurry and just took it that way. He liked it so much, that he came back with all his buddies who wanted to try this delicious dipped sandwich.

Although the current location isn't the original 1908 location (it was moved to make way for Union Station), it still feels like the early 20th century when you step in with the news and candy stand at the entrance, the bank of wooden (working!) telephone booths, long communal tables, sawdust on the floor, and the uniformed and very professional ladies at the counter who will expertly carve and make your sandwich on the spot.

Along with the traditional beef, you can get lamb (a big favorite), ham, turkey, pork, and pastrami. All three of us prefer beef, double-dipped (bread is dipped twice in the drippings, you can also get single dipped, wet, or au jus on the side), with jack cheese. Oh, and don't forget that spicy and hot Philippe's mustard. There are jars on each table and you'll probably like it so much you'll want to buy a bottle or two to take home from the newstand.

Full disclosure compels me to mention that another restaurant claims to be the inventor of the French dip, Cole's, located six blocks south which also dates to 1908.

Darryl Musick
Copyright 2022 - All Rights Reserved