Tag: Artwork

Western USA 2023 – Day 1 – St. George

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Today my father and I embarked on one of our near-annual adventures together. This time we will be visiting some of our favourite states of Nevada, Utah, and Arizona. The day started off with a mid-afternoon flight from Calgary to Las Vegas on a WestJet Boeing 737-700. Dad upgraded us to business class, which was nice. The flight was an hour delayed, but it didn’t affect anything that we had planned. On the flight I had the chicken dish, since my Dad had the last ravioli dish. It was pretty good, however I thought the cold asparagus and feta cheese that was served with it was rather weird.

After arriving in Las Vegas we took an Uber in a Tesla 3 to Dollar Car Rental to pickup our car. The Uber ride was about $15 USD, which seemed fair. After signing the paperwork we hopped into the Ford Edge that we were given and drove two hours towards St. George, Utah, where we would be staying for the night.

When we were close to St. George we both noticed the beautiful snow covered mountains overlooking St. George below so we turned off the highway to take a picture. This is where we accidentally stumbled upon a trail called Aspiration Trail with beautiful painted rocks along the entire length of it. The painted rocks are a range of inspirational quotes, funny quotes, and beautiful artwork, however there were some advertisements strewn about it. The trail was a project that was created by Kevin and Anne Hanson. Their inspiration came from their desire to help parents find activities to do with their children and bring families closer together. At the summit of the hike is a wooden sign surrounded by hundreds of painted rocks that reads “”Congratulations! You have reached the summit. Please leave a rock on our monument signifying your achievement”. The project was started on March 20th 2021.

After exploring the beautifully painted rocks we drove the remaining ten minutes towards our hotel; The Hamptons Inn in St. George. After checking into our hotel and getting settled in we drove to Georges Corner Restaurant to have dinner. I had a Reuben, and my father had a grilled cheese sandwich. After dinner we ended up hanging out at the hotel for the remainder of the evening.

Kelowna – Restaurants & Attractions

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If you’re looking to travel to Kelowna anytime soon you should think about visiting these restaurants and attractions. I recently spent a week here about a month ago and can highly recommend these places! Accommodation this time was at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Kelowna. There was a nice pool, hot-tub, and spacious room for an affordable price of $149 CDN/night.

Bouchons Bistro

Bouchons Bistro is an elegant French style bistro that was opened about 15 years ago in the heart of Kelowna’s cultural district. It’s located a stone throw away from the Delta Grand Hotel. They serve authentic French meals such as Cassoulet, Bouillabaisse, and Gratinee Lyonnaise. I highly recommend obtaining a reservation as the restaurant is quite small. Currently there are two two-hour seating times Wednesday through Sunday at 5pm and 715pm. Make sure to take a peek in the bathrooms as there is some hidden naughty artwork!

Mad Mango Cafe

Mad Mango is the place to go for a random selection of delicious Asian and American style dishes. You can go there for breakfast for American style breakfasts, or you can go there for Asian influenced dishes, including Malaysian, Vietnamese, Thai, etc. for lunch or dinner. My personal favourite is the Malaysian Laksa Soup. Hours of operation are 730am-6pm.

Salt & Brick

Salt & Brick is the place to visit if you’re into shared appetizers for your group. The selection changes daily depending on what ingredients the master chef can order. In this particular scenario we ordered a charcuterie board, mussels, a burger, a chorizo sausage, and pickles. This restaurant will not disappoint! Hours of operation are 4-10pm daily.

KRAFTY Kitchen & Bar

KRAFY Kitchen & Bar is my all-time favorite. On the weekend mornings there is the Hip-hop Brunch, and Lunch and Dinner also offer unique meal options. Hip-hop Brunch is Saturday and Sunday 9am-2pm. Lunch is Monday, Thursday, and Friday 11am-230pm. Dinner is Monday, Thursday and Friday 5pm-930pm, as well as Saturday and Sunday 5pm-10pm. My personal favorite is the Truffled Mac & Cheese.

Bohemian Cafe Kelowna

This one is a tough one for me. The food is good, but the service is really bad. I’m usually waiting 30-45 minutes for the cheque after I’m done eating, and even taking the order is pretty painful. If you can look past this the food is quite good. I usually get the Banh Mi Benedict or Banh Mi Sandwich.

Home Block @ Cedar Creek

Home Block is the place to go if you want a decadent 3 or 5 course meal with your partner. The meal selection changes nightly depending on available ingredients. On the day I enjoyed this delicious restaurant I ate Jamon Serrano (fried shishitos, marcona almonds, ham, and pan con tomate) for an appetizer, followed by Slow Roasted Pork Belly for the main course, and finished up with a selection of cheeses for desert.

Truck 59 Cider House

Truck 59 Cidery was established in 2017. and has since become a mainstay staple of the Okanagan Valley. They produce multiple ciders such as their Raspberry Hibiscus, Baptism by Firetruck, Rose, Peach Pie, Raspberry Pear, Cherry and Apple, Bourbon Blackberry, Dry Pear, Classic Dry, and some select limited editions. Hours of operation are 11am-8-pm daily.

Frankie We Salute You!

Frankie We Salute You is the Okanogan Valley’s best plant-based restaurant. All their meals are vegan friendly. I had their Frankie Burger, which was delicious. The burger is a house-made mushroom patty, with miso mustard, tomato, kettle chips, and served with sesame fried or organic greens.

Be sure to check back soon, as I have many hiking adventures backlogged that I’ll post about.

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