https://www.halfshelltravel.com/blog daily 0.75 2023-01-08 https://www.halfshelltravel.com/blog/blog-post-title-three-asjcx monthly 0.5 2023-01-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/633224f0ff2f75617aa6fd48/ebbe3fc0-8ce4-47dd-a56d-8d250fec6345/blogsea6.jpg Blog - The Best Things to Eat at Seattle’s Pike Place Market - Lump Crab Cocktail Pike Place Fish Co. Easily one of the main attractions at the market, the guys from Pike Place Fish Co. are best known for literally throwing fish, before packing it up for a hungry shopper or to ship across the country. Big pro-move here though, you can buy a cup of lump king crab meat packed atop a lawyer of amazing cocktail sauce and it makes the perfect snack as you watch the action unfold. It also brings you up-front and closer with the staff who couldn’t be nicer and are more than happy to accommodate a photo opp to help make your Gram bling. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/633224f0ff2f75617aa6fd48/074ddd4e-9f20-4a91-9b91-6dbf63c826c8/blogSEA4.jpeg Blog - The Best Things to Eat at Seattle’s Pike Place Market - Mac & Cheese Beecher’s Handmade Cheese These days Beecher’s can now be found peddling frozen mac & cheese in grocery store chains and even airports but make no mistake, there’s a reason the Food Network called it, “one of the most-beloved versions in the United States.” It all started right here on the corner of Pike and Pine Street. They sell all kinds of cheese that they make right on-site including an alluring Grilled Cheese Sandwich but trust me, the Mac & Cheese is the stunner. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/633224f0ff2f75617aa6fd48/9ee890c4-9476-4cab-adc0-a99970ebe358/blogsea3.jpg Blog - The Best Things to Eat at Seattle’s Pike Place Market - Hom Bow Bun Mee Sum Pastry This unassuming little stand is across from the actual market and offers one of the tastiest bites around, especially if it’s cold and rainy. They offer several varieties but the recommended choice is the BBQ Pork, it’s served inside a perfectly steamed sweet bread roll with a mystery concoction that definitely includes onions and about half a spice rack. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/633224f0ff2f75617aa6fd48/0666ca0e-06a9-46a9-a8ba-183d6f4d57aa/blogsea5.jpg Blog - The Best Things to Eat at Seattle’s Pike Place Market - Oysters Emmett Watson’s There are some fancier spots to grab a quick dozen within a shell’s throw of the Market but there’s something about the hole-in-the-wall charm of Emmett Watson’s and their faux handwritten menu, blue checkered tablecloths and old beer neon signs. Everything is uber-fresh but I’m an oyster girl (duh!) so I go straight to the raw section which usually features stunning PNW oyster varieties like Kusshi’s, Kumamoto’s and if your lucky, the native Olympia’s. Bonus points for pouring local draft beer at an impossibly cold temperature. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/633224f0ff2f75617aa6fd48/037d6330-41c4-4a5f-ade1-ff99ea9b45a4/blogsea8.jpg Blog - The Best Things to Eat at Seattle’s Pike Place Market - Sweet Piroshky Piroshky Piroshky Family owned and operated since the early 90’s, Piroshky Piroshky offers both sweet and savory takes on the Eastern European specialty. Everything is made from scratch and they’ve found a really wonderful niche blending old-world technique with local ingredients and flavors, case in point is the Salmon Pate Piroshky which is one of their best sellers. But for me, after all this grazing, I like to stop here for something on the sweeter side like the Chocolate Cream Hazelnut or the Cinnamon Cardamom Braid. There will be a line, it will move quickly and while you’re in it you can watch tourists scramble for photos in front of what they think was the very first Starbuck’s (spoiler: it’s not). https://www.halfshelltravel.com/blog/blog-post-title-two-8y7ch monthly 0.5 2023-01-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/633224f0ff2f75617aa6fd48/7e139e04-0f1d-4e93-8637-2fa8620a4d54/clifflede.1jpg.jpg Blog - Favorite Wineries to Visit in Napa - Favorite ‘Off-The-Beaten Path’ Winery Cliff Lede Vineyards Cliff Lede built his fortune with construction in Canada but is now making a name for building something else. An estate known for incredibly robust reds with a rock n’ roll touch. Each of the plots across the 60-acre vineyard are named honoring his favorite rock songs. From Dark Side of the Moon to My Generation, or the Gram thirsty Abbey Road (pictured). There are 46 different rock anthems growing across the estate. Which leads to the next little bit of fun, most recently the winemakers start blending between the ‘Rock Blocks’ creating small-batch blends available only at the winery’s tasting room or through it’s membership mailing program. Suddenly, a fun novelty gets serious when tasting Landslide Fire - a blend of Fleetwood Mac’s ripe Landslide Cabernet grapes and The Door’s intense hillside Light My Fire Malbec. The whole estate got a makeover in 2005, modernizing the wine production and also adding a tasting room, verandah garden and five luxurious villas. They even offer Spotify playlists to pair with your tastings and are some of the nicest and down-to-earth folks around. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/633224f0ff2f75617aa6fd48/9e755b05-0420-4b01-b60d-e24c37906ef9/closduval.jpg Blog - Favorite Wineries to Visit in Napa - Favorite ‘Mass Production’ Winery Clos Du Val Winery Ok, we’re using mass produced a bit loosely but at 45,000 cases per year it’s significantly more than any of the wineries on this list and the only one you can find widely distributed in your local wine shop or grocery store. But they are a big company in production only, it is still a family-owned business founded nearly 50 years ago that is onto its third generation and they make some really nice French-inspired wines. Their original winemaker was the son of French winemaking royalty (hello Château Lafite Rothschild!) and played a big part in putting California wine on the global map, with Cabernet Sauvignon specifically, during a landmark wine event known as the Judgement of Paris. So it should be no surprise that these are still their showcase wines including both single estate bottles and blended selections that take their best Cabernet grapes from each of their three vineyards. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/633224f0ff2f75617aa6fd48/c8cd0f0f-fe56-4739-ada2-b9b11886d25d/promontory2.jpg Blog - Favorite Wineries to Visit in Napa - Favorite ‘Cult’ Winery Promontory Winery When wine geeks talk about the first California ‘Cult’ wines they invariably bring up Screaming Eagle and Harlan Estates which means wine producer William Harlan is a bit of a legend. So when a cult wine legend producer finds a plot of land and obsessively pursues it’s purchase for over TWO decades you better believe the juice is going to be special, and that’s precisely what Promontory is. Visits are highly personalized and often start with a Dom Perignon welcome before a tour of the fermentation hall and aging room where the wine is uniquely aged in large Austrian wine casks. Part of what makes the wine so special is the isolated and steep terroir of the land where small plots of grapes grow in a hidden canyon amongst old growth forests. The other part is a deep determination for winemaking as a craft, where the juice in the bottle is truly a piece of art. And that’s just how a visit here feels, you leave floating like you’ve just heard a Mozart concerto in a European opera house, or spent the afternoon gazing at a series of frescos painted by Michelangelo. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/633224f0ff2f75617aa6fd48/015018b3-3e44-4db3-be7b-e8e86341c48c/robertsinsky.jpg Blog - Favorite Wineries to Visit in Napa - Favorite Organic Winery Robert Sinsky Vineyards This winery brings a ‘whole farm’ approach to winemaking. Sheep graze amongst luscious Pinot Noir vines, beehives dot the estate pollinating orchards and an extensive garden that produces fresh produce for the restaurant in the gorgeous brick covered tasting room. The philosophy extends across 200 acres of vineyards which are intermingled with permanent wild areas and natural habitats so that Mother Nature’s checks and balances help build a healthy biodiverse ecosystem. The result is vineyards certified C.C.O.F. by the California Certified Organic Farmers organization and some beautiful juice that is elegant, balanced and respectful of the land it’s grown on. https://www.halfshelltravel.com/blog/blog-post-title-one-p7g75 monthly 0.5 2023-01-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/633224f0ff2f75617aa6fd48/7ea52012-d8a8-41a0-903b-2fb949a9bf32/maundays+bay+anguilla.jpg Blog - 5 Reasons Why Anguilla is the Caribbean’s New Must-Visit Destination - Amazing Beaches First off, all the beaches are quiet and relaxed. The incredible turquoise water is calm, crystal clear and bring short of inviting. There are no masses, just serene spots of paradise surrounding the island. Some have lux resorts while others are dotted with small apartments and condos. Each beach is very literally a slice of heaven. Shoal Bay East is likely the island’s most popular two-mile stretch of soft white sand and offers what you’ll find on almost all of the beaches; chairs for rent, food & drink available for purchase and more bliss than you planned for. Rendezvous Bay on the southwest coast, Meads Bay towards the northwestern end and the hidden Cove Bay Beach are other notable spots where you can work on that island tan. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/633224f0ff2f75617aa6fd48/df6a5990-2e3e-4263-a51d-76ab1e37f08e/conchcarpaccio.jpg Blog - 5 Reasons Why Anguilla is the Caribbean’s New Must-Visit Destination - 4. Food & Cocktails Beach shacks aren't they only ways to experience delicious island flavor. Anguilla is known for both casual and high end restaurants that help provide definite punching power to the F&B scene on the island. When the sun sets, locally owned and resort-based restaurants open and bringing a more refined approach to the cuisine. Conch carpaccio (pictured) is a great snapshot of how local chefs and restaurateurs are utilizing easily accessible seafood as well as variety of cultural inspirations to put forth contemporary products. This dish was enjoyed at Sharky’s, a roadside residential home turned popular restaurant. Sharky’s also serves an excellent spiny lobster spaghetti and lobster cake. As for the island’s cocktail scene, although young and fledgling, at higher end resorts young professionals are taking it upon themselves to emulate what they’re seeing on more trafficked islands. If you find yourself at Pimms, located at Cap Juluca, be sure to visit mixologist Leron who is barrel-aging cocktails and playing with rum-based variations on classics like the Negroni and Old Fashioned. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/633224f0ff2f75617aa6fd48/a988ccb4-0413-4ed7-98a4-6dd34bef4d26/islandvibes.jpg Blog - 5 Reasons Why Anguilla is the Caribbean’s New Must-Visit Destination - 5. Island Vibe To be clear, if you’re looking for bustling streets filled with shops or rambunctious nightlife this is not the place for you. The island is only 16 miles long and 3 miles across and there isn’t really a ‘main drag’ to speak of. So what’s here you ask? Just those calm and relaxing island vibes you picture in your head when you get stressed out. If you’re looking to relax and unplug while enjoying some of the best beaches and local restaurants in the Caribbean then this is the place for you. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/633224f0ff2f75617aa6fd48/a60ba6a0-42dc-4181-9242-b83c341e37b2/sunshineshack.jpg Blog - 5 Reasons Why Anguilla is the Caribbean’s New Must-Visit Destination - 2. Beach Shacks Not only do incredible beaches border the island coast but so do Anguilla’s famous beach shacks. Ask any local or repeat visitor and everyone has their favorite. Fairly minimalistic colorful beachside bars, they are all owner operated and gleefully incredible. The Sunshine Shack on Rendezvous Bay (pictured) is where Garvey serves up incredible ribs straight from the grill, Gwen’s Reggae Grill on Shoal Bay is where Gwen and her nephew BBQ a mean chicken and Nat’s Place aka Palm Grove provides the added adventure of finding it’s isolated location to a whole grilled lobster and island-famous Johnny Cakes and hot sauce (#ProTip - The hot sauce is bottled and sold and makes a wonderful souvenir). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/633224f0ff2f75617aa6fd48/65f2046a-e826-474b-801f-5af8b4c593e2/cap+juluca.jpg Blog - 5 Reasons Why Anguilla is the Caribbean’s New Must-Visit Destination - 3. Incredible Accommodations As Anguilla’s popularity continues to increase, especially with the addition of American Airline’s direct flight from Miami International Airport which eliminates the need for a stop-over and boat ride, some of the world’s best hospitality operators are starting to move in. The Cap Juluca (pictured) from luxury hotelier Belmond is the best of those with an unmatched, secluded location on Maunday’s Bay, several restaurants including Cip’s, an island casual off-shoot of the legendary Cipriani, and nightly champagne sabering among an endless list of other amenities. The Four Seasons is a short jaunt across western side of the island and offers dual-beaches and an infinity pool perfect for watching the sunset. 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