Category: travel Page 1 of 5

BRB, we’re dashing and dining

Hey y’all. Wow, this site has been quiet lately. I have some posts just chilling in the “Drafts” section over here, but haven’t had time to finish most of them becauuuuuuuse… we’ve been traveling so much!

Have you been following The Dash and Dine? If you haven’t, then you’ve pretty much been missing out on most of my Fun Life Stuff:

Read More

#EatDrinkDesire part 2: The Edinburgh Fringe Festival

We already filled you in on part one of our trip: My birthday experience in London. Now it’s time to tell you about Edinburgh — the trip you helped make possible. Here the Mike and Megan oral history of Carnal Desire at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival!

megan-and-mike-in-edinburgh

Mike: We arrived in the center of Edinburgh and walked to the Carnal Desire Team’s Scotland Street flat. One of two that we rented for our actors. It was a fairly nice place: big rooms, high ceilings, great location, and huge windows with views of gorgeous church steeples and green trees.

our-street-in-scotland

Only problem: there was a single bathroom for six people. And… ONE towel.

Megan: Here’s Mike: “I think we’re just going to nap and take showers.” Here’s Kinkaid: “I’ll see if the towel is dry.” THE TOWEL.

Mike: When Megan and I heard that, our eyes went wide. We decided to head out towel-shopping immediately. Which gave us an excuse to explore the neighborhood. The scavenger hunt ended at Primark (basically: Target), and we headed back to nap and shower.

After catching up on the various trials and tribulations of the show, we headed for dinner at the Printing Press Bar and Grill, where we enjoyed some gastropub fare that pleased Megan to no end. She may love all things UK, but she definitely prefers (quality) pub grub to the local gourmet fare.

Megan: I wouldn’t even say it has to be quality. Is it well-done meat in some kind of Guinness-related stew? Are there “chips” involved? I’m a happy girl.

Mike: Does the waiter have a British accent? Megan will not notice the fact that she’s been shivering for the last two hours, the trash outside, or the fact that we’ve been eating the same meal again and again.

Megan: Our daily routines were pretty much determined by rain. Summer weather in Scotland means that it was generally miserable out — raining off and on for the whole trip. So during the day, Mike and I would try to walk as much as possible — grabbing food, and finding cafes to grab wifi. But mostly we’d work inside the awesome flat we rented.

Mike: Average number of miles we walk a day: 11. Average number of floors: 95. Which slightly mitigates the unhealthy Scottish meals and endless pints of beer. We explored all corners of the city, from the chaos of the Royal Mile to quiet Stockbridge.

Megan: My favorite of which was hiking up Arthur’s Seat, but I also enjoyed touring the castle, and buying my very first proper rain jacket. (There’s not much need for them in LA.)

And then, perfectly timed with my new rain jacket, we had an awesome experience of getting caught in a very heavy rainstorm and running into a bar where we had “no choice” but to sip yummy Old Fashioneds, as we watch the rain ABSOLUTELY POUR outside.

drinks-in-a-storm

Mike: Our nightly routine was grabbing dinner at some fun restaurant. Then grabbing drinks while the cast went flyering in courtyard. Which may or may not have helped attendance.

Us in the Pleasance Courtyard

Us in the Pleasance Courtyard

Megan: Then we’d head into the Pleasance Above, to our theater space, which was WAY too big for the most common nightly attendance of our show. (It seated 100+ and we would generally pull in 30 or so on a good night.)

Which bring us too…

Read More

5 things I learned from my first Fall on the East Coast

I just got back from a trip to the East Coast during a time that is called “Fall.” I’ve always heard good things about Fall — it’s beautiful, the leaves of trees change colors, the air is crisp, it’s cold-but-not-too-cold. Sounded lovely. I enjoy a typical Fall color palate of burnt oranges, mahogany reds, and mustard yellows. I have partaken of an apple cider or two during the Fall months. And I even knew that acorns were somehow associated with it. But OMG I was not prepared for how fucking Fall Fall can be.

Here are the five things that New York, Boston, and Maine taught me about Fall…

Read More

#EatDrinkDesire Part 1: The birthday trip to London

Hey hey! I’m here! I’m sorry I’ve abandoned personal writing in public since I took off to Edinburgh — for the trip you helped make possible. I’ll have a full report. But here’s what Mike and I managed to write down about the first part of that trip. This is our oral history of my 35th birthday trip to London!

trip-to-london

Megan: Somewhere between LA and London, hovering between 34 and 35-years-old, as most of the plane slept, a flight attendant noticed that I was awake and excited told me to run up past first class (“tell ’em Selina sent you”) and look out the window to see the Northern Lights.

With my heart pounding, I raced past the un-aware passengers, blew through curtains, avoided the feet of the lay-flat first class, and pressed my face up against the tiny window in an emergency exit door. Sure enough, there they were: Pale and bright green lights, shimmering in the sky.

Northern Lights

Kind of like this, but imagine the trees and water as clouds. (Photo by CC BY 2.0

I debated not waking up Mike for a second — boy needs his sleep — but then I was like, “I’d murder him if he kept this from me.” So I rushed back and shook him awake, “You need to get up right now and come with me to see the Northern Lights.” He was up in a flash and rushing back to the tiny window with me.

It was the first (and maybe only) time we’ve seen them. And I cried from happiness, and relief, and full-body-tingling awe, as we watched the towering green lights dancing above the clouds.

I thanked Selina, the flight attendant, for the incredible birthday present, and she poured us two glasses of champagne (I drank them both of course). I believe the moment I turned 35, I was standing above the northern hemisphere, glass of champagne in one hand, Mike’s hand in my other, the aurora borealis shining behind me, and the rest of my life, looking just as bright and wondrous, in front of me.

After that excitement, and a few more glasses of champagne, I slept surprisingly soundly. I can’t say the same for Mike.

I was still riding the Northern Lights high as we deplaned and zoomed through customs (as much as you can zoom while standing in a long queue). I got a “happy birthday” from the customs agent, we snagged our bags, and were off to Mike’s college friend Pete’s flat in Richmond, with a cab driver that managed to annoy us with his personality as well as the fact that he took speed bumps like he was trying to launch his black cab to the moon.

Pete and his place. You can see some of the cool sky lights in the kitchen from the angle!

Pete and his place. You can see some of the cool sky lights in the kitchen from this angle!

Pete’s flat was charming and not without its quirks — steep staircases, tiny hallways, and… creative access points to let light in (aka. a terrifying grate in the bedroom floor!?). Since his sister, Soph, was in town, and his son, Leo, was staying with him the next day, we were given a blow up mattress in his office, and was told that it may have a slow leak. Although, to our delight, he assured us that he ran his moist face over every inch of the mattress and couldn’t find/feel a leak. But, at 4am the next morning — when we found ourselves practically sleeping on the hardwood floor with air mattress all around us — we had, indeed, confirmed a leak.

Mike: The taco bed!!

Megan: Anyway… around noon, after a quick pub lunch in the garden (they have gardens and children’s playgrounds in the bars in England!), and a birthday Guinness for me, that blowup mattress in a cramped space looked and felt like absolute heaven as we napped.

tactical-nap

Then it was up and time to rapidly get dressed all fancy-like for my Special Michelin-Starred Birthday Dinner in London. But first… busses, and trains, and subway rides galore, as we wound our way from Richmond into my favorite city in the world.

Mike: Two Michelin stars!

Harrod's in the background!

Harrod’s in the background!

Megan: Once properly ensconced in the city — Harrod’s to the left of us, “the most expensive condo in the world” to our right, and crowds, double-decker busses, and useless red phone booths all around us — we blindly followed Pete around, wildly guessing at which direction the restaurant was.

We eventually found it, but not before Mike and I squabbled about whether or not I was going to be hit by that bus. (I think I was totally safe.)

Mike: Megan is still alive, thanks to me.

Mike, Megan, and Pete looking all fancy and shit.

Mike, Megan, and Pete looking all fancy and shit.

Megan: Dinner was such a freaking treat! First of all, it was in a super-nice hotel. Our table had a gorgeous view of the trees in the park next door. And everyone was so very posh and British. I was in proper English heaven. Adolescent Megan, who dreamed of eating fancy meals in London, was just squirming with delight. Okay, Adult Megan was doing the same thing. Although as good as the food was, it wasn’t my favorite…

dinner-by-heston-menu

Everything was a bit challenging for me, and I still feel bad that I ate and hated that frog leg, knowing now that Pete would have loved it… as he loved ALL the things.

dinner-by-heston-blumenthal

Our starters of “meat fruit,” “rice and flesh,” and savory porridge with frog legs.

Pete’s pure enjoyment of the food was one of my favorite parts of the meal. Well, that and the meat fruit (chicken liver paté that looked EXACTLY like a tangerine from the outside. Except, surprise! It’s meat inside. Apparently it’s an OLD British practical joke, and now an inside joke, as it supplied endless conversations, between the three of us, about our German metal band called “Meat Früt.”). I also loved the little portable liquid nitrogen ice cream cart they push around the restaurant.

After dinner we walked to the original Soho House, in fucking Soho! It was awesome — very different from LA’s. It was an old sprawling brownstone-type building, with tons of tiny little drawing rooms filled with tables, or couches and cozy chairs, or small bars. But, due to all the quaint tiny spaces, it was crowded beyond comfortable. So we sweated profusely as we waited for our drinks (once again Pete reminded me of the joys of the espresso martini when you’re starting to really feel the late hours and previous cocktails catch up to you) and then journeyed downstairs to sit at their lovely (but small) outdoor patio. So small that we were forced to share a table for a while with Tobias Menzies (of Outlander and Game of Thrones fame!!!). Of course, I didn’t realize it was him, until we were happily seated at our own table a couple of steps away. But another unexpected birthday sighting to close the night? I’ll take it!

Mike and Pete on the bridge.

Mike and Pete on the bridge.

We ended the evening with a late-night stroll around London. We checked out statues and took selfies on bridges… until Pete remembered that he’d left his cell phone back at Soho House. So we Black Cab-ed back to Soho House and then all the way back to Pete’s, where we crashed on our Leaking Air Mattress Taco Bed.

img_1249

The next day we ate a breakfast of avocado toast and tea in Pete’s sunny shared garden space, and worked out our plans which included drinks, walks, and the thing that I think I loved the most on this trip…

Read More

My answer to the question: “What should we do in Maui?”

Sometimes I'm like "really Maui!? You're ridiculous with all this amazingness."

Sometimes I’m like “really Maui!? You’re ridiculous with all this amazingness.”

I’ve been spending long periods of time in Maui steadily, since 2005. Every time a friend of mine travels to Maui, I get asked “what should I do in Maui.” “What are the things I have to see while I’m in Maui.” “Where should I eat in Maui.” I’ve answered this so many times, that I have a auto-response email. But then I thought… why hide all that Maui goodness under wraps.

Most of these suggestions are based on my side of the island (South Maui), but I’ve tried to spread the love all over. So, here are my must do, must see, and must eats in Maui…

Read More

The rugs, doors, and dogs of Ouarzazate

If you’ve been following me on Snapchat, you’ve already seen all that I’ve discovered on my walks around the small town of Ouarzazate. My feed is basically rugs, doors, and stray animals…

Doors

Photo by Rockmond Dunbar, aka. C-Note in Prison Break

I published a roundup of all the amazing doors and windows I’ve been discovering in Morocco, over on Offbeat Home. Go check it out if you want to see the pretty. My favorite photo in that post is this one of Mike and me. It was taken by Rockmond Dunbar, aka. “C-Note” on Prison Break. He also took this amazing photo of us as well…

Read More

Our quick and mind-blowing taste of Marrakech

Hello from Morocco! Let’s talk about our brief time in Marrakech that was, in true Megan and Mike-style, all about what to eat in Morocco! I’ll let Mike take it from here, using his words and photos…

Full and happy, in the middl of the Jemaa el-Fnaa

Full and happy, in the middl of the Jemaa el-Fnaa

After our seven hour flight from New York to Casablanca, Megan slept on a couch in the lounge with her head in my lap, as I balanced my laptop on one leg and looked up the pronunciation of “Djemaa el-Fna.” Then we took a quick flight to Marrakech.

For those curious, neither of us slept much on our flights, but now we can relax a bit in our hotel, before Megan gets dental work at Djemaa el-Fna square!! Time to look up how to pronounce “can that monkey drill a cavity out?”

Because we all know how much I love dentists.

Because we all know how much Megan loves dentists.

I’ll tell you about our amazing hotel (the El Fenn) at some other point – but here’s a pic of our room…

Read More

Anyone have tips and advice for travel to Morocco?

Sometimes I don’t know what’s more exhausting, planning and booking travel, or the actual travel itself.

from vancouver to morocco

Right now we’re home for another brief break from Prison Break. Soon we’ll be heading back to LAX, then flying to Santa Fe for a memorial service. Then back to LA. Then flying to New York. Then flying from New York to Marrakech. Then driving four hours from Marrakech to Ouarzazate. Then staying in Ouarzazate, while Mike continues to produce Prison Break, and I hopefully have enough wifi and to keep me entertained.

If this sounds complain-y, I assure you it’s not. While I am worried about a few things, I’m excited as hell. I set my life up for EXACTLY this kind of thing. And other than feeling super-guilty for ditching my cat so much, I’m living my dream right now.

(Although, when you’re 15 emails deep on a travel itinerary chain, and can’t leave your hotel room on a gorgeous day, eating handfuls of stale muesli because that’s the only thing to eat within the wi-fi boundary, and my travel buddy isn’t responding to me, because he’s dealing with set complications… it can all start to feel a lot less dreamy.)

But now that all of our travel plans have been ironed out (whew, thanks to hours of research, hounding, and one very brilliant travel agent)…

You guys… Morocco!

What’s that place like? Anyone have tips and advice for travel to Morocco? What should I wear? What shouldn’t I wear? What should I see? What should I buy? (Keep in mind I’m not a shopper so I need specifics.) Give me all your intel, if you have it.

From prison to proposal: Our small island, big dinner, engagement

Who gets engaged in kitty tights? This bitch.

Our walk along the beach to try and de-spazz before dinner.

WE’RE ENGAGED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was totally surprised. Even though I had a feeeeeeling he would propose to me. When it actually happened, I was not all expecting it at all. But let me back up…

That morning, we woke up and packed our stuff for our much-needed weekend “break from Prison Break” on Lummi Island, Washington. We had made reservations to eat at this restaurant called The Willows Inn. Which is, in short, a bad-ass restaurant that’s one of the top places to eat in the US, that we were told we had to try, and which we had been dying to try. Since we ended up staying/working two hours away from it in Vancouver, we realized we could make it happen!

But first, we had to drive across the border… Our border agent, of course, asked (seemingly) a million gruff questions. Then asked how we know each other. Mike said, “She’s my girlfriend.” And then added, “we live together.” As if to give it more gravitas, which I thought was adorable.

collecting shells

Then we drove all the way to the ferry station that would take us to Lummi Island. We arrived about 30 minutes early. So we walked along the beach of Lummi Bay, and we found a ton of GORGEOUS oyster shells. We collected a bunch of them. I figured I could use one for a jewelry catch-all — which is really fortuitous, given what would happen later. Laden with oyster shells, we wandered back to the car and it was time to drive onto the ferry.

It took minutes to go shore to shore, but they were fun minutes!

Once off the ferry, we immediately spotted the place where planned to have lunch — basically the only other restaurant on the island. We had an incredible burger, with a side of “bacon jam” and “ocean view on a clear and sunny day.” While we scarfed down the burger, I stared at Mike and thought of my mom’s tale of how nervous my dad was on the day he proposed and realized, “there’s no way he’s going to propose to me tonight. He’s not acting any different.”

I’ll learn later that Mike’s nerves didn’t hit him until we got back into the car and headed for The Willows Inn. Looking on the map, our drive was just a straight line around half the small island — basically, just follow the water and then you’re there. Mike immediately took a random left turn, for no real discernible reason, and then had to turn around and get back on the main road. He admitted later that he made that weird choice, because he was starting to get nervous! How cute is that!?

The Willows Inn restaurant on top, and front desk at the bottom.

The Willows Inn restaurant on top, and front desk at the bottom.

My first look at the Willows Inn… holy shit, you couldn’t ask a Hollywood production crew to build a more idyllic restaurant setting. My thoughts at this point were, “he’d be an idiot not to propose to me here. Hell, if he doesn’t I WILL!”

This is where the magic happened.

This is where the magic happened.

After checking in, gathering all the information, we headed to our “offsite” lodgings.” It was an adorable free-standing, two bedroom house, with a super-modern kitchen and windows for DAYS. It was, in a word, awesome. I immediately spotted my special anniversary gift for Mike, that I had sent to our room, sitting on the kitchen counter. Excitedly, I ran to it and started opening the box. Mike was like, “hey, can you not mess with that right now?” I shot back, “I just want to open the box and make sure it’s right.” “Oh, okay,” he resigned. But… there was something in his voice, something that wasn’t in fitting with his usual imperturbable self. So I, reluctantly, turned my focus from the gift towards my uncharacteristically needy boyfriend, who said, “I have a question for you.” “Oh yeah, what’s that?” I asked, my heart immediately fluttering.

Read More

Canadian border grilled: My first day in Vancouver

up early for canada

I was up at 4am yesterday to take my very first trip to Canada!

I’m in Vancouver! I came by myself to meet Mike, who’s up here writing and producing the reboot of Prison Break. (Don’t worry, someone is staying at the house with The Woogs. It’s not just robots this time.)

Upon arrival, I got pulled aside and absolutely grilled by a border agent. (My least favorite Border Grill?) Man, I learned right-quick that not all Canadians are funny. (Thanks for feeding me lies, Comedy Central.) Yeesh, this dude was deeply humorless in a way that I’ve never encountered. He asked me a couple of questions — probably the standard, “Have you been to Canada before?” “Why are you here?” He asked me what line of work I was in, and I responded “blogger.” “Is that how you make a living?” I joked, “yeah… well… I wouldn’t describe it as ‘making a living,’ but sure that’s where my money comes from.” And he looked at me and, uncomfortably serious, asked, “why wouldn’t you describe it like that?” “Um, because it doesn’t pay very much? Never mind, it was just a dumb joke. What else you got?” And every other attempt at levity was met with not even a smile. My charms were useless against the most Not Amused Border Agent ever.

Then he just went down this chain of questions solely about Mike… how long is he here for? What does he do? (I felt fancy answering, “he’s an Executive Producer.”) How long have you known him? (“This month it’ll be a year!” she said with a flourish. Not Amused Border Agent was not amused.) How old is he? (40-1! I still haven’t gotten used that. Oh shit, does he think I’m lying? Why did I stutter at that question?) What’s his birthday? (Fuck, I could barely remember MY birthday under these rapid-fire questions.) I was starting to think that maybe Mike was some Canadian crime lord!

Or… maybe I was actually the crime lord? Because…

Read More

Page 1 of 5

Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén