http://paulcloutier.net Mon, 17 Nov 2008 09:08:14 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Finally got a chance to see a part of the world that i have been excited about for years. Lots more to show here soon, but i can't say enough about the food, the architecture, the beaches and the general laid back lifestyle here. http://paulcloutier.net/2008/11/17/back-from-2-weeks-in-the-yucatan-peninsula/ Model trains have always been fascinating to me, partly its the extreme form of proto-nerdiness (these guys were geeks before there were computers) and partly it is the historical reproduction that inevitably comes from needing to build a lot of scenery for your train to run around. A few weeks back ... http://paulcloutier.net/2008/07/22/golden-state-model-railroad-museum/ Alana and I finally made it out to Alameda to take the tour at St George Spirits last weekend. The distillery started in emeryville in the 80s making eau de vie but has since branched out to make just about everything in their giant hangar in Alameda that used to ... http://paulcloutier.net/2008/06/23/st-george-spirits-distillery-tour/ About 2 or 3 miles south of Page Arizona is this meander of the Colorado river called the Horseshoe Bend Overlook. Its about a 3/4 mile hike in from the highway but it's an absolutely incredible view. Humorously while there, i met some german kids who thought the overlook was ... http://paulcloutier.net/2008/06/20/horseshoe-bend/ Went to the absinthe class this week at bourbon & branch. This one was taught by Lance Winters at St George Spirits. The class was great and lance was a great host, a funny guy and really knowledgeable. There is another class on July 29th at 7pm that still has tickets ... http://paulcloutier.net/2008/06/13/absinthe-class/ Antelope Canyon is one of those places you have seen a million times in photographs, every landscape photographer has a photo of this place. However once you get in there, no matter how jaded you are, it is absolutely breathtaking. It is such a complex space that, as a photographer, ... http://paulcloutier.net/2008/06/09/antelope-canyon-sandfall/ Got around to going to Flora in oakland a month ago or so, and was really satisfied by the cocktail menu as well as the talent of the bartenders. The bar menu was put together by Eric Adkins who also runs the incredible bar at Slanted Door in the ... http://paulcloutier.net/2008/06/08/flora-in-oakland/ Just finished up http://paulcloutier.net/2008/06/08/bourbon-at-its-best/   The fried chicken sandwich from bakesale bettys in Oakland. Double battered tenderized fried chicken breast, jalepenos, parsley cabbage and a touch of oil on an acme bagette. If there was a Nobel prize for sandwiches this would win it. There has been flare up in tensions at the front of the ... http://paulcloutier.net/2008/06/08/the-worlds-greatest-sandwich/ There's a great exhibit at the Oakland Museum of California right now, The Birth of the Cool. It covers a lot of abstract painting, furniture design, architecture, animation, and has a great collection of record album covers. The paintings are the best part but they also have a lot of ... http://paulcloutier.net/2008/06/08/birth-of-the-cool/