|
Ride specialty vehicles
- Airboat
- Completed 6/6/2009: Booked a Jean Lafitte Swamp Air Boat
Tour, and glided through New Orleans swampland on a deafening 6 passenger airboat.
Air blasted our faces sans windshield, and the airboat swung wide whenever we banked
turns. Also felt every wave that hit the airboat. The tour guide teased alligators
and fed them jumbo marshmellows. Rating: 8
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- Mini car
- Completed 8/18/2018: Rode in my sister's MINI Cooper
across Honolulu, Hawaii before my nephew's wedding. Rating: 4
blog
- Snowmobile
- Jet ski
- Dune buggy
|
| Float on a gondola in Venice
|
| Play a taiko drum
|
| Projects to Complete |
| Film a comical
home movie with no educational merit
Completed 9/10/1995: Collaborated with Rene, Kevin, and
Victor on a "kung fu" premise. Victor wrote the script. We ran around with a dummy
to perform our stunts. photo
|
| Finish reading James Clavell's
"Shogun" (1152 pp.)
Completed 1/6/2007: Finally finished the book after about
three years. On some days, I struggled with the excruciating boredom; on other days,
I eagerly turned pages wanting to know what would happen next. In summary, I enjoyed the
codes of honor, vigilant courtesies, and Machiavellian subterfuge; but not the lewd content
and capricious ritual suicides. Rating: 7
blog
|
| Skills to Learn |
| Parallel skiing
Completed 12/21/2004: Finished a private lesson at
Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe, and practiced on the bunny slope. Skiied down the intermediate
slope as well (in a constant state of panic).
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|
| Tap dancing
Incomplete on 8/17/2006 & 8/24/2006: Completed two
tap dance workshops in Woodside.
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|
| Live Events to Watch |
| STOMP
1. Completed 2/22~26/2000: The dance troupe
performed at the Flint Center for the Performing Arts in Cupertino. Best concert that
I've ever seen. Rating: 10
2. Completed again 4/2/2005: My friends and I caught a
show at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. Still the best concert that I've ever seen.
Rating: 10
blog
3. Completed again 4/4/2013: Watched it yet again at the
Orpheum Theatre in New York. Never gets old. :) Rating: 10
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|
| Blue Man Group
1. Completed 3/31/2003: Sat in the
"Poncho Section" at the Blue Man Group—Live at Luxor
show in Las Vegas. Very inventive, albeit strange performance
artistry. Outstanding comedic timing. Wish they did their commercials for IBM.
Rating: 8
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2. Completed again 11/5/2006: Attended a concert from the
How To Be A Megastar Tour 2.0, featuring songs and vocals by Tracy Bonham.
Entertaining as always. Hilariously satirized today's rock industry.
Rating: 8
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| The Phantom of the Opera
1. Completed 1/21/2004: Watched from the mezzonine in
New York's Majestic Theatre. Certainly lived up to its musical reputation.
Andrew Lloyd Webber rocks. Props to the Phantom character. Rating: 9
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2. Completed again 12/3/2008: Even better the second time. I watched
a matinee at the Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco, and sat in the premium orchestra
section (underneath the chandelier). I declare "The Phantom of the Opera" my favorite
Broadway musical ever. Rating: 10
blog
|
| Royal Rumble
1. Completed 1/25/2004: A worthwhile experience.
Much louder and rowdier than what shows on TV. My friends actually ended up with
better seats for $90 than my $300 floor one--but I did leave Philadelphia with
one perk: a commemerative steel chair. Also thrilled that I got to see both
Stone Cold Steve Austin and Mick Foley (in a rare appearance) in action.
Rating: 9
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2. Completed again 1/30/2005: This one took place in
nearby Fresno, so I figured why not? Mediocre rumble match but strong
preceding matches. The front row seat, earplugs, and neon cap greatly improved
my enjoyment. Met some of the wrestlers at a backstage meet-and-greet. However,
I was more interested in watching The Undertaker and Vince McMahon (who
accidentally injured himself in front of me during a surprise apperance).
Rating: 8
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[ more ]
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|
Riverdance performances
- Riverdance
- Completed 2/18/2006: Enjoyed the show but wanted
more toe-tapping and less of the variety. The "Riverdance vs. tap dance"
showdown would qualify as the best skit that I have ever seen.
Rating: 8
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Completed again 12/23/2009: Decided to catch one of the farewell
performances (from the third row this time). I noticed a bit more, such as certain
dances that looked improvised rather than choreographed.
Rating: 8
- Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance
- Completed 11/13/2007: The troupe actually toured through my
alma mater: Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. I liked the "combative" toe-stomping numbers, but
didn't care much for the singing, fiddling, and frolicking. Also rolled my eyes at some of
that superficial sex appeal. I guess the original Riverdance struck me as classier.
Rating: 7
blog
Completed again 3/11/2016: Attended the U.S. tour of Lord of the Dance
Dangerous Games, featuring one of Michael Flatley's final performances, at the
San Diego Civic Theatre (in two of the best seats in the house!). I couldn't stop smiling
when he came out at the end and performed a couple of toe-tapping numbers to the delight of
the entire audience. Rating: 8
blog
|
| Italian opera
1. Completed 6/10/2006: Listened to
Andrea Bocelli in Concert at San Jose's HP Pavilion, where he and his
colleages belted out a full variety of Italy's top opera classics. Also, if you
died without hearing Andrea Bocelli perform "Con Te Partirò" live, then you did
not truly live. Grazie mille, Andrea. Rating: 10
blog
2. Completed again 9/7/2013: Listened to A Very Special
Evening With Plácido Domingo at the Greek Theatre at U.C. Berkeley,
featuring robust performances of Wagner, Verdi, Spanish popular song, and
American "classics". Rating: 7
blog
|
| Late night talk show
1. Completed 7/21/2006: Attended a Friday taping of
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at the NBC Studios taping in Burbank,
California. Guests: Tina Fey (30 Rock), Chris Collinsworth & Jerome Bettis,
and decent music by MercyMe.
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2. Completed again 1/28/2008: Attended a Monday taping of
Late Night with Conan O'Brien at 30 Rockefeller Plaza (GE Building) in
Manhattan. Guests: Jim Gaffigan,
Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell,
and country music by Joe Nichols.
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|
| Short track speed skating race
1. Completed 2/23/2007-2/25/2007: Attended the 2007 U.S. National
Short Track Championships in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Apolo Anton Ohno swept all four
races, and won his eighth U.S. championship. He's just too good, man. Allison Baver
won her first women's U.S. championship. Thanks to my VIP ticket, I got to meet Ohno's
Dancing With the Stars partner, Julianne Hough, during the 500M heats.
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| 1500 meters (2/23/2007):
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| 500 meters (2/24/2007):
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| 1000 meters (2/25/2007):
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| 3000 meters Super Final (2/25/2007):
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2. Completed again 2/9/2008-2/10/2008: Attended the 2008 Samsung ISU
World Cup Short Track at the Utah Olympic Oval around Salt Lake City, Utah. Despite my doubts,
Apolo Anton Ohno outraced two Koreans and one Canadian to win gold in the 1000M final. Props
to relative newcomer Katherine Reutter for winning silvers in the 1500M and 1000M finals.
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| 1500 meters (2/9/2008):
photo
| Ladies 3000 meters Relay Semi-Finals (2/9/2008):
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| Men 5000 meters Relay Semi-Finals (2/9/2008):
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| 1000 meters (2/10/2008):
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| Ladies 3000 meters Relay awards (2/10/2008):
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3. Completed again 2/20/2010-2/26/2010: Attended the XXI Olympic Winter Games
at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Apolo Anton Ohno skated his final
races there, and Katherine Reutter won a silver medal after a long U.S. women's drought.
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| Ladies' 1500 m Qualification and Final (2/20/2010):
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| Men's 1000 m Final (2/20/2010):
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| Ladies' 1000 m Qualification (2/24/2010):
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| Men's 500 m Qualification (2/24/2010):
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| Ladies' 3000 m Relay Final (2/24/2010):
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| Men's 500 m Final (2/26/2010):
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| Ladies' 1000 m Final (2/26/2010):
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| Men's 5000 m Relay Final (2/26/2010):
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| Victory ceremonies (2/26/2010):
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| Video game music concert
1. Completed 5/26/2007: Attended PLAY! A Video Game
Symphony at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts, performed by the Symphony Silicon
Valley. The overhead screen alternated between the orchestra and video game clips. It
disappointed me that the world premieres edged out the music that I really wanted to hear
(in particular, "Silent Hill"). The program needed less new music and more popular oldies.
Rating: 4
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2. Completed again 1/19/2008: Attended PLAY! A Video Game Symphony
at the Bass Performance Hall, performed by the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. To my dismay,
they pre-empted one and only one selection this time: "Silent Hill" (the topmost reason for
my trip)!! At least this time I got to appreciate an orchestral rendition of "Castlevania"
(included one awesome highlight where they rocked on a pipe organ). Rating: 2
blog
3. Completed again 6/17/2010: Attended Video Games Live: Bonus Round
at the Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE, performed mostly by the Golden State Pops Orchestra with
lots of guest composers. The concert rocked! I finally got to hear "Silent Hill 2"
(the game's designer and composer, Akira Yamaoka, played along on electric guitar).
Also enjoyed a saxophone performance of "Snake Eater" by the "Metal Gear Solid 3" composer,
a part where pianist Martin Leung played audience requests, and symphonic renditions of
"Mega Man" and "Castlevania" accompanied by the host Tommy Tallarico on electric guitar. My
suggestion: accompany everything in that concert with an electric guitar. :)
Rating: 8
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4. Completed again 6/21/2011: Attended my least favorite PLAY! A Video Game
Symphony concert to date at the Benaroya Hall, performed by the Seattle Symphony and
Seattle Choral Company. In addition to all of the world premieres, an unrecognizeable new
arrangement of "Castlevania" replaced the classic one! Worse yet, the new arrangement didn't
even make use of the majestic pipe organ onstage. Then midway through the concert, the program
shifted from an all-Japanese theme to an all-Western one--so heck, I might as well have just
left during the intermission. :) Rating: 2
blog
|
| Winchester Mystery House -
Flashlight Tour
Completed 7/13/2007-7/14/2007: Too overcrowded for my taste--possibly
because you can only reserve flashlight tours around Halloween and on Friday the 13ths.
Our souvenir flashlights illuminated the rooms rather poorly, so I'd recommend touring in
the daytime if you never visited the house before. Then you can get a better look at the bizarre
interior designs such as the stairs into the ceiling, the slim steps, and the doors that open to
walls and second story drops. Rating: 7
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| Olympic event
1. Completed 2/20/2010-2/26/2010: Attended the XXI Olympic Winter Games
in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Watched Short Track Speed Skating, Vancouver Victory
Ceremonies, Curling Men's Qualification, and Ladies Figure Skating Free Skate.
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2. Completed 7/29/2012-7/31/2012: Attended the XXX Olympic Summer Games
in London, England, United Kingdom. Watched Women's Qualifications for Gymnastics - Artistic, Tennis, and
Swimming. Rooted for Roger Federer inside the Centre Court at Wimbledon, and witnessed Michael Phelps tying
and breaking the record for most Olympic medals of all time.
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3. Completed again 8/13/2016-8/14/2016: Attended the XXXI Olympic Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Watched Tennis, Swimming, and Athletics. Got to see a thrilling Olympic semifinal tennis match between Juan Martin Del Potro vs.
Rafael Nadal, witnessed Michael Phelps winning his final 23rd Olympic gold medal in the 4 x 100-meter medley relay, and
enjoyed watching Usain Bolt win his third straight Olympic gold medal in the 100M sprint.
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| Game show taping
Completed 1/15/2011: Attended an afternoon taping of
"Minute to Win It" (hosted by Guy Fieri on NBC) at Sunset Gower Studios in Hollywood.
Watched the final level 10 million dollar challenge, "Supercoin", that aired during
the "Kids Rule, Part 2" episode on 2/2/2011.
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| Places to See |
|
The Seven Wonders of the Modern World
- Golden Gate Bridge
- Completed 12/18/2002: I filmed the bridge from
the passenger seat of my friend's car. Longer than I expected.
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Completed again 7/30/2006: Accidentally crossed the
bridge again while dodging gridlock in Berkeley. Five dollars!
Also, I hate San Francisco.
- Empire State Building
- Completed 1/20/2004: Shorter than I expected for
a 103 story building (guess I pictured a skyscraper rising above the clouds).
It cost $11 to visit the Empire State Building Observatory on the 86th floor.
I happened to visit there on one of the coldest winters in New York. The wind
froze the area so badly that they had to quarantine one side of the deck.
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- CN Tower
- Completed 9/17/2006: The glass floor on the
113th story highlighted my "Total Tower Experience"; whereas the panoramic views
of Tornoto (from the other observatories) bored me. Catch the 15 minute documentary
movie during your visit.
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- Channel Tunnel
- Completed 8/3/2012: Rented a car and boarded a
carriage at the Eurotunnel le shuttle UK Terminal in Folkestone. Travelled through
the dark Channel Tunnel for about half-an-hour. Drove onto France, turned around,
and returned to the UK via another Channel Tunnel shuttle.
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- Itaipú Dam
- Completed 8/16/2016: Took the Special Tour
through the interior of the plant and outside for a couple of panoramic observation
points. The spillway was closed.
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- Panama Canal
- North Sea Protection Works
|
| Las Vegas Strip
1. Completed 3/30/2003-4/1/2003: Amazing imagery, but
talk about exhibitionism. Stayed at Circus Circus with my friends.
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2. Completed again 11/4/2006-11/5/2006: Drove from
Los Angeles to Las Vegas for my Dad's 80th birthday celebration. Stayed at the
Mirage (overpriced beyond belief), and explored Caesars Palace.
Enjoyed Celine Dion's concert: A New Day...
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3. Completed again 2/17/2008-2/18/2008: Attended WWE No Way Out at
the UNLV Thomas & Mack Center. Stayed at the Luxor with my friends in a Pyramid
Deluxe Room.
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4. Completed again 8/21/2020-9/5/2020: Drove into Las Vegas to
escape the lightning-sparked California wildfire smoke. Screened several films including "Tenet" while
California movie theaters remained closed due to COVID-19. Stayed at the
Treasure Island Hotel & Casino for part of the trip.
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5. Completed again 12/24/2020-12/28/2020: Drove into Las Vegas for
Christmas alone (due to a COVID-19 surge) and my holiday movie marathon (which included "Wonder Woman 1984"). Stayed at the
Treasure Island Hotel & Casino again.
blog
|
| Rockefeller Center in New York
1. Completed 1/20/2004-1/22/2004: Liked the plaza enough
to re-visit it three times. Activities here: futilely attempted to ice skate, and
appeared in the crowd on NBC's Today Show.
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2. Completed again 1/28/2008: Attended a Monday taping of
Late Night with Conan O'Brien at 30 Rockefeller Plaza (GE Building). Dined on
angus sirloin and yucca fries at the Rock Center Café by the ice skating rink.
blog
|
| Yosemite National Park
Completed 9/19/2005-9/20/2005: Toured Yosemite Valley,
Glacier Point, and the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias. The gigantic trees
impressed me; the big hunks of rock did not, i.e., Half Dome and El Capitan.
To my chagrin, Yosemite Falls dries up in the summertime.
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| Mount Rushmore
Completed 4/4/2006: An impressive work of art. We
parked at the memorial for free, and photographed ourselves with it just before sunset.
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| Grand Canyon
Completed 4/8/2006: A huge landscape comprised
mostly of boring rock formations. I was not impressed. I preferred Bryce Canyon
and the Badlands.
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| Flight 93 National Memorial
1. Completed 11/26/2006: Amidst the backroads and rural
fields of an idyllic Pennsylvania county, this tranquil site overlooked the grassy
landscape where United 93 crash-landed. Tributes galore--and a decent number of visitors
too, despite the memorial's seclusion from any major highways, hotels, and airports.
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| Washington, D.C.
Completed 10/25/2007-10/29/2007: Toured the White House and
the Pentagon. Visited the Supreme Court, Library of Congress, the war memorials,
Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom, Capitol
Building, and Arlington National Cemetary. Gazed upon the Hope Diamond. My
favorite parts of the trip: the Pentagon Tour, the Bill of Rights, and the changing of
the guard ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns.
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| Stonehenge
Completed 8/2/2012: Rode a Golden Tours bus from London to
Stonehenge as part of their "Simply Stonehenge" tour.
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| National September 11 Memorial & Museum
1. Completed 4/5/2013: Waited in line to see the footprint
of the Twin Towers, now Memorial pools with waterfalls surrounded by bronze parapets that
name all of the World Trade Center victims. The 9/11 Memorial Museum was still under
construction.
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2. Completed again 10/10/2017: My brother and I explored the National
September 11 Memorial Museum at the World Trade Center. Admission cost $24. Afterward, I
photographed the Survivor Tree that I missed the first time around.
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| Sistine Chapel
|
| Foods to Taste |
| Tiramisu
Completed 7/4/2003: Shared a dish at the Olive
Garden. Tasted like coffee cake but much lighter and creamier.
Rating: 4
|
| New York-style pizza
1. Completed 1/22/2004: Tried pizzas in various New
York restaurants, but most notably the "margherita" from the coal fire oven of
Totonno's Pizzeria Napolitano (near Central Park). Did not discern much difference
from normal California-style pizza. Rating: 7
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2. Completed again 10/8/2017: My brother and I split a large 16"
pizza called an "original margherita" at Lombardi's Pizza (in Little Italy). It was
thin and delicious, and didn't have much cheese on it. Rating: 8
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3. Completed again 10/12/2017: My brother and I split a large
pepperoni pizza at Totonno Pizzeria Napolitana (in Brooklyn). It was thin and
delicious. The crust was slightly burnt, so maybe this is normal for pizzas from
a coal fired oven. Rating: 8
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| Philly cheese steak
1. Completed 1/24/2004: Polished off a
"cheese with onions" at the birthplace of the Philly cheese steak,
Pat's King of Steaks. That was one delicious heart attack. Rating: 8
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2. Completed again 11/25/2006: Polished off a
"whiz, wit" at Geno's Steaks--a rival of Pat's King of Steaks from across the street.
It seemed to have less meat than Pat's, but still delicious. Rating: 8
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| Chicago-style deep dish pizza
Completed 3/31/2006: Pre-ordered and shared a
large pepperoni with mushrooms at the cramped birthplace of deep dish pizza,
Pizzera Uno Restaurant & Bar. Tasted like cheesecake topped with tomato sauce.
After one-and-a-half slices, I couldn't take anymore. Rating: 3
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| New Haven-style white clam apizza
Completed 3/29/2007: Tore through a white clam apizza at
Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana in New Haven, CT. The garlic and clams overpowered any other
flavor. The thin, scorched crust tasted bitter and resisted my knife. Good all in all--but less
good when I sampled the tastier tomato and pepperoni version. Rating: 6
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| New Orleans gumbo
Completed 6/6/2009: Finished a bowl of seafood okra gumbo
at the Gumbo Shop, and an hors d'oeuvres portion of creole seafood gumbo at The Court of
the Two Sisters. Both servings tasted aiight. Generally, I discovered that the cuisine in
New Orleans upsets my stomach. Rating: 5
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|
| Gelato
|
|
| |
