Author Archives: Kiki

Vancouver 2025: Le Crocodile and La Casa Gelato

Posted on August 23, 2025 by Kiki

On Tuesday, my cousin Tasha was busy, and sadly, my beloved Auntie Heather isn’t with us anymore. But Heather’s son, James, who I had originally planned to see Friday, texted me with canceled plans and joined me for dinner. Tuesday … Continue reading →

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Vancouver 2025: Granville Market

Posted on August 22, 2025 by Kiki

My Aunt Heather was the first woman entrepreneur I ever knew of. She would drive to Seattle and buy up coffee beans and sell coffee to the formerly exclusively tea-loving Canadians at the Granville Market in a proto-Starbucks. So every … Continue reading →

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Vancouver 2025: The Westin Bayshore

Posted on August 20, 2025 by Kiki

I had planned on going to Montreal this week to meet up with my cousin Maureen. Then Air Canada had a labor dispute and canceled my flight. Other airlines were charging $880 since the flight was a few days away. … Continue reading →

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Las Vegas Punk Rock Bowling: Tuesday

Posted on May 30, 2025 by Kiki

We were flying out Tuesday evening, so we decided to check out the Punk Rock Museum. It was smaller than I expected, but also had a bar, a performance space and a tattoo parlor. Some items on display were arranged … Continue reading →

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Las Vegas Punk Rock Bowling: Monday

Posted on May 28, 2025 by Kiki

Monday we went to Punk Rock Bowling to see the Damned and FLAG. My shoes were uncomfortable, so I wandered out to the shops. I went to the Container Park but didn’t find anything. It was SO hot. Coming back … Continue reading →

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Las Vegas Punk Rock Bowling: Sunday

Posted on May 25, 2025 by Kiki

So, we got a room at the Golden Nugget for 2 nights for Punk Rock Bowling. I wanted to see FLAG and the Damned Monday night. They added Social Distortion, which is a bonus, I guess. I like two of … Continue reading →

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Fairbanks: SOBA Moldovan Cuisine

Posted on April 30, 2025 by Kiki

I love trying unfamiliar food from new countries I haven’t tried before. Surprisingly, downtown Fairbanks had a Moldovan restaurant called Soba. It caught my attention because that is also the name of buckwheat noodles. Soba was established in 2018 by … Continue reading →

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Fairbanks: Aurora Take Three

Posted on April 25, 2025 by Kiki

I started to get really good at spotting aurora. It starts out looking like a vertical cloud. Then you hold up your phone and it turns green. So we went behind the hotel where it was darker and there were … Continue reading →

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Fairbanks: Back in the City

Posted on April 15, 2025 by Kiki

After five days at the hot springs, I had booked a week in the city. I chose The Westmark Fairbanks Hotel and Conference Center, a kind of Radisson-level place that had a kitchen and seemed comfy, but was reasonably priced. … Continue reading →

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Fairbanks: Chena Ice Museum

Posted on April 7, 2025 by Kiki

One of the attractions at Chena Hot Springs is an ice bar. You go in in a group and you get maybe an hour to hang out. They only serve appletinis, and they cost $20 a pop, so unless that … Continue reading →

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Fairbanks: Mush Puppies

Posted on April 5, 2025 by Kiki

They had dogsled rides at Chena, but I had already tried it last time I was in Alaska with my mom. Plus, I was running low on funds and had read that sometimes the dogs poop while they run, and … Continue reading →

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Fairbanks: Aurora Take Two

Posted on April 3, 2025 by Kiki

Chena Hot Springs is known for aurora viewing. We knew it looked good for that night, so I had my shoes and coat on, ready to go. I heard people running past our cabin squealing, so I went outside, and … Continue reading →

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Fairbanks: Chena Hot Springs Restaurant

Posted on April 2, 2025 by Kiki

They had a nice restaurant and bar. The clam chowder was recommended, and it was awesome, so rich with cream and butter. It was also suggested we order from the appetizers only. The buffalo wings were good and I ordered … Continue reading →

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Fairbanks: Chena Hot Springs

Posted on April 1, 2025 by Kiki

Chena Hot Springs was discovered on August 5, 1905 by brothers Robert and Thomas Swan, gold miners who had heard that a U.S. Geological Survey had seen steam rising from a valley somewhere on the upper Chena River the year … Continue reading →

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Fairbanks: Aurora Take One

Posted on March 30, 2025 by Kiki

The aurora was predicted to be awesome on our second night there, so I booked us an aurora watching in a lodge in the mountains. one trick they pull is that the price does not include the van up there, … Continue reading →

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