Author Archives: mrsselfish

Heading West: Geysers and Hot Springs at Yellowstone

18 Wednesday Sep 2013

Posted by in Cross Country, North America, United States

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Mr. Selfish and I didn’t have any real expectations for the hot springs and geysers in Yellowstone. We had visited some areas with volcanic activity recently in New Zealand and weren’t too sure how they would be different. We were happy to discover that Yellowstone is quite different since it has the most geysers on earth.

Old Faithful: Awesomeness Every 90 Minutes

Mr. Selfish and I had heard about Old Faithful on numerous occasions and assumed that it would just be a lot of hype and a huge tourist trap. We were wrong. Old Faithful is worth all of the hype.

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Erupting almost every 91 minutes, Old Faithful is known as the most predictable geyser on earth. It erupts between 3,700 to 8,400 gallons of water at a height of 106 to 185 feet for approximately one to five minutes. It was quite impressive to watch. Mr. Selfish and I showed up just in time to catch an eruption.

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Heading West: Kitschy South Dakota Billboards

14 Saturday Sep 2013

Posted by in Cross Country, Food & Drinks, North America, United States

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Mr. Selfish ended his post yesterday with the delightful eats we had in Chicago. Once we left Chicago, we were bored out of minds driving through Wisconsin and Minnesota. Luckily, when we hit South Dakota, it was fun spotting the kitschy billboards. I didn’t realize that South Dakota had so many hokey attractions. Here are the three attractions that lured us in with their billboards: Corn Palace, 1880 Town, and Wall Drug.

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Heading West: A Long Stop in Virginia for Nostalgia

12 Thursday Sep 2013

Posted by in Cross Country, Food & Drinks, North America, United States, Virginia

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Before heading west on our cross-country tour of the States, Mr. Selfish and I stayed in Virginia for a couple of weeks primarily to see my family and friends in the area. Since we are both originally from Virginia, we didn’t do much there other than hang out. So, here are some of the food highlights from our long stop in Virginia.

The Green Leafe: The Best Happy Hour Special Ever!

Mr. Selfish and I met during undergrad at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg. Since the campus is only about half an hour away from my parents’ place, we visited a few times during our stay in Virginia. We stopped by the Green Leafe (765 Scotland St., Williamsburg, VA), which is a pub very close to campus.

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We discovered that the Green Leafe still has an outstanding selection of draught beer. We were also happy to learn that the Green Leafe currently has an amazing happy hour from 5-9pm, during which all draught beer are 50% off! You can’t beat a pint of good beer for $2.

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Aroma’s: Roasting Marshmallows and Making S’Mores

Since we were already in Williamsburg, we decided to stop by Aroma Café (431 Prince George St., Williamsburg, VA) to make and eat some s’mores. They’re not the best in the world but it’s one of the few places in the area that you can roast marshmallows and make a s’more sandwich.

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Stop Drooling: The Selfish’s Top 20 Eats

06 Friday Sep 2013

Posted by in Africa, Asia, Best Of, Europe, Food & Drinks, North America, Oceania

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Mr. Selfish and I had a lot of amazing food during this selfish year. It was incredibly hard to narrow it down but here’s our top 20 eats in no particular order:

Banh Mi in Hoi An

It cost under $1 USD for a deluxe Vietnamese sub (banh mi) at Tiem Banh Mi Phoung in Hoi An. Mr. Selfish was so obsessed with it that we ate over 10 banh mi during our five-day stay in Hoi An. We were able to identify about 10 ingredients in the banh mi, but we lost track after we hit the double digits. Needless to say, it was absolutely delicious.

Hoi An

Indian Food at Tayyabs in London

Tayyabs is located near White Chapel, which is close to Brick Lane in London. Although there is always a crazy line out the door, Tayyabs is completely worth it. It is by far the best Indian food we’ve ever had.

Tayyabs

Sisig from Gerry’s Grill Near Manila

During our stay in the Philippines, Mr. Selfish and I became fixated on sisig, which is made from parts of pig’s head and liver, usually seasoned with calamansi (a type of lime) and chili peppers. It isn’t the best for you, but man, is it tasty! The best sisig was from Gerry’s Grill, which is near the Taal Volcano close to Manila.

Sisig

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It is Almost Over: The Selfish’s Top 20 Experiences

04 Wednesday Sep 2013

Posted by in Africa, Asia, Best Of, Europe, Food & Drinks, Oceania

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Mr. Selfish and I are winding down our posts on the blog. We are currently driving cross-country and fondly reminiscing about our epic selfish year. We’ve had so many wonderful experiences that we both smile every time one of us says, “Remember that time…” We’ve decided to do some wrap-up posts, including some best of lists.

Here are our top 20 experiences in no particular order:

Best Drive: The Dingle Peninsula

Mr. Selfish and I took Rick Steve’s advice and did a driving tour around the Dingle Peninsula in Ireland. We were so fortunate to have perfect weather that day. It was so lovely that we even considered buying a summer home in Dingle.

Dingle

Best View: Milford Sound

Flying in a four-person plane from Queenstown to Milford Sound in New Zealand was truly amazing. It was more beautiful than I could have imagined it to be, and I don’t even like the Lord of the Rings series.

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Best Animal Experience: Holding a Panda in Chengdu

We had many wonderful animal experiences during this trip. The one experience that stands out the most for me is holding this 9-month old panda cub in Chengdu, China.

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The Most Visited Theme Park in the World: Disney’s Magic Kingdom

02 Monday Sep 2013

Posted by in Disney, Florida, North America, Orlando, United States

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In 2004, Mr. Selfish and I moved to Florida and purchased Disney annual passes. I started my law firm job right after Labor Day in September, and that week, the firm closed for a couple of days due to the impending arrival of Hurricane Ivan. Instead of preparing our apartment for the hurricane, we decided to go to Magic Kingdom. It was amazing because there was hardly anyone there. None of the rides had lines (other than Peter Pan, which always inexplicably has a line). We rode everything two or three times each. It was the best day at Magic Kingdom ever.

Mr. Selfish and I always talk about that one amazing hurricane day at Magic Kingdom, because every other time we’ve been, it is crazy crowded. Even though Magic Kingdom is usually packed, it is still a great park. It is what you think of when you think of Disney.

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Star Struck at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

01 Sunday Sep 2013

Posted by in Disney, Florida, North America, Orlando, United States

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Hollywood Studios is dedicated to the heyday of Hollywood during the 1930’s and 1940’s. Mr. Selfish and I enjoy walking around the fake sets and posing for photos.

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Going Wild at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

31 Saturday Aug 2013

Posted by in Disney, Florida, North America, Orlando, United States

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Since we lived in Orlando for eight years, Mr. Selfish and I oftentimes had annual Disney passes. Not only do we love the Disney parks, but our friends and family who visited undoubtedly wanted to go to Disney.

Even though we’ve been to the Disney World parks dozens of times, I never took that many photos since I was always figured I would go back. With the exception of Epcot, which we re-visited during our selfish year, I don’t have that many photos of the other three Disney World parks. So here’s my disclaimer: these next three posts on Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Magic Kingdom will not have as many photos as my other Disney posts.

Although I don’t have the photos to do it justice, I feel that Animal Kingdom is the best designed Disney park. Not only does it never feel crowded (despite being the 7th most visited park in the world), the foliage and ambiance are on point.

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The center of the park is the Tree of Life, which is an artificial tree that is 145 feet tall and 50 feet wide.

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We love walking around the Tree of Life. In particular, we enjoy seeing the two red parrots that are always screeching at one another in a loving way.

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Enjoying the Festivals and Rides at Disney’s Epcot

30 Friday Aug 2013

Posted by in Disney, Florida, Food & Drinks, North America, Orlando, United States

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Yesterday, I went over how much me and Mr. Selfish love the World Showcase at Epcot. Even aside from the World Showcase, Epcot is a very enjoyable park.

International Flower and Garden Festival

We love all of the different festivals that occur at Epcot, such as the International Flower and Garden Festival. This annual festival usually occurs between March and May. It’s fun to see what Disney has dreamed up in plant form each year.

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Drinking Around the World Showcase at Disney’s Epcot

29 Thursday Aug 2013

Posted by in Disney, Florida, Food & Drinks, North America, Orlando, United States

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Before our selfish year trip, Disney’s Epcot was definitely our favorite Disney park. Now, it’s a tossup between Epcot and DisneySea in Tokyo for me. I need to visit DisneySea a few times to make that decision considering that we’ve been to Epcot probably dozens of times.

When we visited Orlando recently, we decided to stop by Epcot for old time’s sake. We love Epcot mostly due to the World Showcase, which is a permanent world’s fair containing 11 pavilions each representing a different country. The pavilions are all around a man-made lake that has a perimeter of 1.2 miles.

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The Selfish’s Cross-Country Drive

28 Wednesday Aug 2013

Posted by in Cross Country, Food & Drinks, North America, United States

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Mr. Selfish and I are almost done with our selfish year. We begin our cross-country drive from Richmond, VA to San Francisco in less than a week.

Here’s our itinerary: (1) Richmond, VA, (2) Arlington, VA, (3) Willingboro, NJ, (4) Pittsburgh, PA, (5) Chicago, IL, (6) Sioux Falls, SD, (7) Mount Rushmore, (8) Yellowstone, (9) Salt Lake City, UT, (10), Lake Tahoe, and (11) SF.

USA! USA!

We are definitely looking forward to the following:

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Do you have any recommendations for us? We would greatly appreciate food recs or pointers on random tourist attractions we should see on the way!

New York City: So Many Places to Eat, So Little Time

26 Monday Aug 2013

Posted by in Food & Drinks, New York City, North America, United States

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Mr. Selfish and I love New York City. We have considered living there but I don’t think I would like the winters too much. We therefore included NYC as our final stop before heading to my parents’ in Virginia. Not only do we have some great friends that live in the city, but we love the cheap, plentiful, and delicious food. Here are some of our favorite eats during this last stop.

Russ & Daughters: Infamous Lox Bagels

Although Mr. Selfish never really cared much for lox bagels, I have enjoyed them in the past. When our friends recommended Russ & Daughters (179 E Houston St NY , NY 10002) for lox bagels, we figured we would give it a try.

Russ & DaughtersSalmonLox Bagel

We were astonished at the amount of choices you had for a single lox bagel, but we ordered an everything bagel with regular cream cheese, the Irish salmon, and red onions. As the man at the counter was handing us the bagel, he told us, “You’ll love it.” And indeed, we did. It was mind-blowingly delicious!

72nd Street Bagel: Cinnamon Raisin Rampage

Although the lox bagel from Russ & Daughters was mighty delicious, Mr. Selfish still wanted a regular bagel while we were in the city. We tried a cinnamon raisin with regular cream cheese at 72nd Street Bagel (130 W 72nd St, NY, NY 10023).

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It didn’t disappoint. Mr. Selfish gobbled up that thing so fast that it was gone in a matter of seconds.
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The Final Park: Disneyland

25 Sunday Aug 2013

Posted by in Disney, Food & Drinks, Los Angeles, North America, United States

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Mr. Selfish and I finished our Disney tour with the first ever Disney park – Disneyland in California. It opened in 1955 and is the only park designed and built under the direction of Walt Disney. It is the second most visited park in the world with 16 million visitors in 2011 (Orlando’s Magic Kingdom has the highest attendance).

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I was quite surprised as to how small Sleeping Beauty’s Castle is. It is tiny compared to all of the other Disney castles around the world, but I guess it was the first one. It is nevertheless quite photogenic, just like all of the other castles.

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Mr. Selfish had previously visited Disneyland but I had never been. I therefore had a list of rides that I wanted to try that aren’t at the other parks, including the Matterhorn, Mr. Toad’s, and Indiana Jones.

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Feeling Adventurous at Disney’s California Adventure

24 Saturday Aug 2013

Posted by in Disney, Los Angeles, North America, United States

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Mr. Selfish and I were excited for the last of the Disney parks around the world. We both had never been to Disney’s California Adventure before and were not too sure what to expect. California Adventure opened in 2001 to negative reviews and has never hit targeted attendance levels. However, we had heard great things about Cars Land, which opened in June 2012. In 2012, the park had 7.78 million guests making it the 11th most visited park in the world.

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Cars Land: Running for Radiator Springs Racers

We arrived at the park fairly early and headed straight for Cars Land. Mr. Selfish and I were quite impressed with the theming of Cars Land. It was straight out of the Cars movie.

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Fit for a Queen: The Food in Queenstown

19 Monday Aug 2013

Posted by in Food & Drinks, New Zealand, Oceania, Queenstown

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The food in Queenstown was amazingly fresh and delicious. Mr. Selfish and I didn’t have a single average meal. It was all outstanding.

Fergburger: The Legendary Burgers

Prior to arriving in Queenstown, we had heard tales about the hamburgers at Fergburger (42 Shotover Street, Queenstown Town Centre 9300). We were skeptical that the long line would be worth the wait but we figured that we would give it a try.

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I ordered the traditional Fergburger with blue cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion, aioli, and tomato relish. After an hour of waiting, my Fergburger arrived. The patty on my Fergburger was perfectly cooked. The bun was delightfully toasted, and the aioli and tomato relish were a perfect balance against the blue cheese. It was quite tasty.

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Mr. Selfish went the less traditional route and ordered the Chief Wiggum, which is a pork belly burger with lettuce, tomato, red onion, hash brown, aioli, and an apricot seeded mustard. The pork belly was quite yummy, and the hash brown provided a very good crunchy texture. The apricot seeded mustard also added a nice sweet flavor. Although the traditional Fergburger was quite good, I think the Chief Wiggum was better due to the novelty factor.

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If you’re in Queenstown, you should definitely try a burger or two at Fergburger. It met and exceeded all of the hype.

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