Year in Review

2010 began without my ritual cleanse. Foolish, I know. Typically, I cleanse the month of January. I was distracted last year.
My first trip, I went to Taos, New Mexico. Normally, I bypass Taos and and spend my time in Santa Fe. I went snowboarding which was stellar and dined at Joseph's Table. Loved that restaurant and thoroughly loved snowboarding.
A week later, Shari and I drove down to Santa Fe to breathe. We met Melody, ate at Coyote Cafe and enjoyed the scenery.
Trip #3 was spent in Seattle. I flew in, Michaela picked me up and we met Jean downtown. Finally, I met her brother Mark. I have known Jean since 97 and this is the first time I have met one of her brothers. We went wine tasting at Woodinville. I would recommend Efeste and Matthews. I watched her son play basketball and it brought back a plethora of memories. Michaela drove back to Eugene and Shari and I toured Pike's Market, How to Cook a Wolf, Ballard and Restaurant Zoe. Seattle was awesome.
NYC was trip #4. Stunning-food friendly-amazing trip. I dined at Daniel, Bar Boulud, Pizzeria Motorino and L'Ocanda Verde. Food was the focal point, but I walked the Brooklyn Bridge, all over Midtown and dined with Muni. Central Park offered live music, people watching and a glimpse of Law & Order--Criminal Intent. I have always been a Jeff Goldblum fan and had I been a little closer, I could have reached out and touched him. New York became too much food and too little time....
Santa Fe was trip number five. I received bodywork from Melody and dined at two new restaurants. Plus, I went running in the city for the first time ever.
Jan visited me for trip number six. We did an insane amount of touristy things and spent the night in Manitou Springs at the Avenue Bed and Breakfast. I think Jan enjoyed her time in Denver. The weather was perfect and I did show her all of my favorite spots--Elway's, Solera, Fruition, Falling Rock, the Bull...yes, life was grand in addition to the tourist spots Denver has to offer.
July offered my first passport stamp in two years. Overdue, but so worth it. I spent a week in the Bahamas with Shar and company. Shar is Canadian and I met her while traveling in Chile. Lovely lady and a gracious hostess. I hope to return 2011 or 2012.
August offered San Francisco. I love it there. I toured Napa, stayed in Healdsburg and ate at Cyrus. Cyrus was lovely, but no French Laundry. I sampled fare at Scopa, too, and that was fantastic. Intimate space and great food.
September is birthday month. Indecisive about how to celebrate, I convinced Sara Jo that we should do something. We drove down to Manitou Springs and toured the town after a day hike at Matthew Winters Park and lunch in the Tech Center.
October was challenging. I had made plans to visit my dad and Dori a week before my cousin invited me to his wedding in SLO. And, I had made my friends agree to sign up for the Healdsburg 1/2 Marathon over Halloween Weekend. So, I flew to Kansas City and spent two days with my dad and Dori. I ran in the crazy humidity and we had pints at a cute Irish Pub in Weston.
The SLO wedding was beautiful. Unfortunately, I was the only cousin, in attendance on my cousin's side of the family. I spent Sunday in Paso Robles which was delightful. I found Four Vines Winery which was heavenly and bought a sandwich.
Post Santa Barbara trip, I flew out to San Francisco to meet three of my friends to run a 1/2 Marathon. Amazing trip full of laughter, food and wine. I have proof too. Shari made me and my friends a commemorative DVD displaying all of the wine we drank.
November was somewhat lame. I did spend a night at the Broadmor which was an experience in itself. I still have trouble believing that the Broadmor is in the Springs.
Deember 5th--Vegas Marathon--enough said.
And no year would be complete without a trip for xmas. Hello, Key West. Different but in a good way. I needed a beach vacation and Key West was perfect. Eclectic, kooky, what have you. Ideal for me.
Next year, I hope to do 12 trips but 2-3 of them requiring a passport stamp. Ironically, I need to renew my passport by July. Fun times, indeed.
2010 was awesome. I found that I could be motivated by running, travel and food. Next year, I hope to choose a city based on the restaurant. Maybe San Diego. Or, New Orleans. I think they are both foodie friendly right?