I’ve been traveling A LOT this summer. When I say “A LOT”, I mean that at times, I’ve felt like a man without a home just because of how nomadic I’ve been this summer. I will probably tally up the miles traveled at the end of the summer, but with all the traveling, I’ve really learned to appreciate the things I have here at home. =)

Since the summer is not over yet, I’m currently in the middle of a long (2,566 miles!!) road trip to help my friend Pat drive his car up from Austin, TX to Seattle, WA:

I’ve opened up Google Latitude sharing so you can keep track of where we are and say a quick prayer for us for our safety:

The Drive...

Hello from the Big Easy!! I’m in New Orleans to ride in the Excalibur Parade tonight!! I’ll be wearing a ridiculous outfit and be tossing a bunch of beads into the crowds!! Should be good times… =) And also seeing how the Saints are going to be playing in the Super Bowl, I’ll be here until Monday to soak in the festivities!! I’ve enabled public sharing for this weekend only so ya’ll can see approximately where I am (or rather, where my phone is). Hope ya’ll have a good weekend!!

Cruisin’ Around Town

This was one of my favorite part of the trip. Not only because we got to see pretty much all of the historical landmarks in Barcelona, but it was also my first time on a bike since I got my driver’s license. Since the girls went on the bike tour with the same company in London (and Paris too, I think), we went with Fat Tire Bike Tours (who also offer a discount if you use them in different locations).

I was pretty skeptical about this at first because we ended up having a pretty large group (I’d say around 20) and the streets in Barcelona, for the most part, is pretty narrow. But everything worked out great – I did almost run over a few people, but it was pretty cool that since we had so many people we pretty much could just take up a lane in the road and ride as a pack.

We did the Day Tour, which lasted about 4-5 hours of relaxed riding and a lot of stops for picture opportunities (and even a lunch break on the beach – Sangria anyone??). Even though you hit up a lot of POIs in that time span, there are a few that might be worth your time to at least consider going back to.

Fat Tire Bike Tours – Barcelona
C. Sant Honorat, 7
08002 Barcelona
Spain
(34) 933 429 275

Asian (Staffed) Restaurant in Barcelona??
Before I lose all my credibility here, let me just say that no – I didn’t travel halfway across the world to eat Asian food in Spain. We went to “Les Quinze Nits” on a recommendation from Jen. I think the selling point for this restaurant was cheap, good food – but like all “budget eateries”, the price for this is a looong line that reaches 100s deep.

Tucked away in Plaça Reial, we got the the restaurant a little bit early. Since they don’t start seating until service for the dining room, we just ordered a couple pitchers of sangria and waited it out at the outdoor seating area (ironically, before coming here we went back to Txapela to get more Sangria because the Sangria we had for lunch on the beach didn’t give anyone a buzz). When we finally got in, I was surprised that the staff was all Asian (who knew there were so many Asians in Spain??). But after one look at the menu, I was really confused. Here I was sitting in Barcelona, at a Asian staffed restaurant, and I see a seared John Dory entree and a duck confit entree on the menu – What’s going on here???

Since the food was relatively cheap, I decided to splurge a little bit (that’s how they always get you!!). For starters, I split a fried calamari with someone. As soon as the soggy and under seasoned calamari arrived, I knew that I was expecting too much for this place (the menu sounded soooo goood). For the entree, I ordered both a pasta and a lamb shank (can somebody say this is why I’m fat??). It was a pretty good lamb shank, but as you can see below, the portion size left a lot to be desired.

Minus a little miscue from the waitress, I thought the meal was decent for its price, even though it wasn’t necessarily Spanish cuisine by definition. I’d put this restaurant in a “safe” category, just because I didnt feel like it was an adventure. The food was what it was. I can see the appeal of this place (as the dining room was very formal and elegant), however, I wouldn’t necessarily agree that it’s worth lining up for (maybe unless if you had a couple of pitchers of Sangria in your hand).

Les Quinze Nits
Passatge Madoz 5
08002 Barcelona, Spain
933 173 075

Here’s what I got lined up so far:
avec
Hot Doug’s
Alinea

Here’re some ideas I have for the 1 (or possibly 2, if someone has awesome suggestions) that I want to do with the openings:
Chicago Style Pizza
Ramen
Dim Sum
Oh and as far as I know breakfast is all open too, if I’m crazy.

Either way, there’re only so much time and so much I can eat. I’d appreicate it if you leave me some suggestions in the comments section. Thanks in advance and fire away!!

We got into BCN from ATL around 9am, after going through customs and running a few errands, we took the Aerobus A1 from the airport straight to Plaça de Catalunya. Being a little bit of a foodie myself, one of the awesome things about this trip is that we are all food lovers so naturally, we stopped for some tapas (with all our luggage in tow) as soon as we got to Plaça de Catalunya.

The First Bite
The first place we ate at was “Txapela”. Like one of the reviews Mian found while we were doing research for the trip said, this place is not necessarily the best place for tapas, but it is a good place to start. I really appreciated the fact that there’s ample outdoor seating so you can soak in the streets of Barcelona and while it’s not too far away from Plaça de Catalunya and Las Ramblas. One of the things I liked the most (besides a really strong Sangria) was that the tapas menu had pictures even though the wait staff didn’t speak much English. Check out some of the goodies we ate:

Txapela
Paseo Gràcia 8
08007 Barcelona, Spain
934 120 289

Rumblin’ down Ramblas

After a long day of traveling, we took it easy and just strolled down Ramblas after we finally got settled into our apartment style hotel. We were lucky enough to stay right next to the most popular market in Barcelona La Boqueria, which I’ll talk more about later. Whether you’re looking to shop or people watch, there’s no shortage of stuff to check out down the Ramblas. Check out this street performance of “Stand By Me” I caught with my blackberry:

King of the Shrimp

For dinner we went to a not-so-little seafood joint right by the beach. The restaurant that Mian found was called “El Rey de la Gamba II”, literally, The King of the Shrimp 2 (*more on 1 vs. 2 later). While we were all curious to try A LOT of seafood, it just ended up that we split up our groups where all the couples ordered for themselves and I ordered with two girls – alllllright. =)

Even though I knew that these girls could eat, there was no way for me to prepare myself for what was to come – We decided that we’d order a paella (portioned for 2 people) and then a mixed grilled seafood platter (also portioned for 2 people), and an order of razor clams (for the whole table). When the food came, I was shocked at how much food was in front of us.

While the food was moderately priced, I thought that overall it was a decent experience. The shrimp (gambas) was unbelievable, there was so much liquid inside the head that it was more like drinking soup!! There were two elements of disappointment for me: One was the razor clams – I guess it was just that we all have never had them before and wanted to try them out. If I was given that choice again today, I’d choose the baby clams over the razor clams ANY day. The other one was the paella, I made this pretty kick ass paella with homemade lobster stock that was just off the hook. At this point of the trip, it was still early, so I know that I’d have my chances to find better paella elsewhere.

El Rey de La Gamba – 2
Passeig Don Joan Borbó Comte Barcelona 46 – 48
08003 Barcelona, Spain
932 256 400

Come back tomorrow for day 2!!!

Cigalas

Gambas

Croquetas

Churros

Jamón Serrano

Mian found this interesting proposal/deal online for a “Go Car” rental for Barcelona.

BLOGGERS SPECIAL OFFER!

If you have a blog the rental is for free; your only have to tell about your experience in your blog.

Offer details:

*One free two hours long tour (the first time you use the service).

* Please mention you’re a blogger when you book your tour with the link to your blog.

*After the tour, when you can, publish in your blog your own experience. Of course you can write what you want either if you liked it or not.

*To book, send us an e-mail with BLOGGER as subject. Offer available ONLY with previous booking by e-mail.

I’ll let you guys know how this offer pans out. =)

Let me know if you’ll be in Phoenix for the Fiesta Bowl. Let’s hang out!!

Road trips with friends are always a blast. During our 17 hour drive to/from Colorado, it’s always these little moments that make the drive bearable fun.