Sedona, Arizona

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Admin of TBJ

If you can’t find something great about Sedona, Arizona, then don’t tell me; there’s plenty of homes for sale in this lovely desert oasis, and if I had my druthers, I’d love to buy a quiet get-a-way spot in this artsy and beautiful little town. The downtown strip of Sedona is all about tourists, and a lot of the stores sell the same things, but don’t get bogged down in the local olive oils (delicious) or the many healing crystals/rocks stores (there’s an abundance, often offering a massage along with your pick of powerful rocks). Instead, browse idly while talking to the folks who make Sedona their home – you’ll hear accents from all over the world, and everyone in Sedona is kind and helpful (even the gas station attendant, who let me use his restroom for free as I got a bee sting and needed to wash my hands). The best thing about Sedona is its breath-taking scenery, the famous red rocks that make up the Coconino National Park in the Upper Sonoran Desert. You should take a hike in the park while you’re there, either with a guide (which can also be on 4x4s or via horseback) or go it alone – there’s several different types of trails and you’re sure to find one to fit your fitness level. Check out Cathedral Rock and/or Bell Rock, and totally take a look at Oak Creek Canyon. Sedona hosts tons of artisan events and fitness events (marathoners and bikers, get ready!) as well as music festivals. Yavapai, Hopi, and Apache Native American tribes also populate the Verde Valley area, so turquoise jewelry and other such staple souvenirs are plentiful. Just be sure to bring your coat, as Sedona gets chilly once the sun goes down! Also, for those interested in spiritual things, the area is home to several “vortices” of spiritual import, so slather yourself with healing red rock mud and get enlightened; there’s no place like Sedona, Arizona, and it’s sure worth at least a day’s visit!

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JR/Great Eat: The Wine Shop, Charlotte NC

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Admin of TBJ

Have you ever wanted to go to a cozy place and get a glass of fine wine without all the pretentiousness of wine snobbery? Maybe you’ve wanted to find a place that is classy and fun without being overly expensive? Then you should check out The Wine Shop located in the Rivergate Shopping Center in South Charlotte, NC. This is a perfect place to hang out with friends or even grab a glass on your own while you ruminate over a good book, your journal, or class notes. The menu consists of quite a nice selection of red and white wines, along with a few dessert and bubbly wines; there is something to fit your taste regardless of what you may be feeling.

Most wine is served in three sizes, a tasting size, a flight (a half glass), or full glass. You can also buy a whole bottle of some of them, but please note there is a uncorking fee for each bottle added onto your tab. What is really nice is to order several tasting sizes and get a panoply of flavors for your tongue to taste, however, getting a half glass is also nice as an appetizer if you know you’ll be having dinner elsewhere.

Although The Wine Shop specializes in wine, they also serve a wonderful menu filled with lunch and dinner options of soups, salads, sandwiches and full entrees. If a whole meal is not to your liking, the menu contains many cheese and meat choices to go with your wine. However, my personal favorites on the menu are the $7 appetizers. Their calamari and crab cakes are excellent and served with spicy pesto aioli sauce. My most recent love is the vanilla crème brûlée with a Muscat dessert wine. There is no need for dinner after having that, and it serves as the perfect treat after a long day. If you can get there between 4-6 Sunday through Thursday, you’ll get the benefit of Happy Hour, with select wines at $5 a glass and $6 appetizers, and on Sundays they also serve brunch starting at 11 am.

The Wine Shop offers a fantastic selection of wine, but if wine is not your forte, feel free to browse all of their world class beers. They have an extensive beer selection sure to please every palate. Beers from around the world, stouts, lagers, ales, and domestics fill their coolers. I’m not a beer drinker, so I can’t say too much about them, so go there and let me know.

More than just a wine bar, The Wine Shop is, as the name implies, a shop. While there feel free to browse the shelves for your own bottle. You can even buy it off the shelves and drink it there, even if it is not on the main menu. They also sell beer and various cigars. There are a few samples of art on the walls that are also for sale.

What I love most about The Wine Shop is its casual atmosphere and great staff. My first time going there I admitted I was clueless about wine selection and my waitress was more than happy to give me a few ideas without acting like I was a complete moron. The prices are not bad for what you are paying for; I normally spend a little under $15 for a glass of wine and an appetizer or dessert. I haven’t had a whole meal there, since I have an odd way of treating it more like a coffee shop than a restaurant, but it would probably be about $25 a person with a glass of wine + meal (that’s on the high side of the scale). But it’s cozy, classy, and unpretentious, and served with a great glass of wine. Those things all together in one place are hard to find and hard to beat.

P.S. They do have a VIP room for private parties and a nice patio for summer evenings. It’s a popular place and you might want to get there a bit early when the weather is warm.

Juror #11

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Cusco, Peru

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Admin of TBJ

This Valentine’s Day, I think I would like to send a token of love to Cusco, Peru. As my introduction to South America and my first time below the Equator, Cusco couldn’t have been a more happening, thriving, vibrant place to be. Sure, the altitude hit me as soon as I got off the plane (another person collapsed immediately), but the sheer beauty of Cusco – a city tucked in a valley in the Andes – kept the woes of altitude at bay. I would write, in my love letter to Cusco, of how much I loved her streets, which radiate from the hub of the Plaza de Armas into labyrinths that leads her visitors to Inca walls, colonial Spanish architecture, and people hustling and bustling near small squares (do check out Plaza de San Francisco) and churches. The San Blas neighborhood is wonderful, and home of many of the Good Eats set in Cusco on this site. Museo del Sitio del Qoricancha (the textiles and weaving museum) is worth a visit, though buying textiles here will require more than a budget traveler’s souvenir fund. Cusco is full of hustlers – if you take a picture of someone, they might ask you for money, kids will try to sell you everything from sunglasses to finger puppets, and the “Inca Warriror” by the 12-pointed stone will warn you against touching the stone – but don’t let it wear on you. Save your energy for climbing the hilly streets of Cusco to poke around in its markets and shops, and don’t miss Sacsayhuamán and nearby Q’enqo, even if you’re pressed for time (you can walk there, it’s not bad). Happy Valentine’s Day to you, Cusco – your people, beauty, architecture, food, and history charmed my traveler’s heart and I can’t wait to visit you again!

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LR/Great Eat: Harvest, Louisville KY

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Admin of TBJ

The locavore movement is a great thing, because it has resulted in a slew of awesome new restaurants in Louisville. One of the best ones is Harvest, located next to a few of the other “we only use seasonal and local ingredients” new spots on Market Street in Louisville’s “NuLu” area downtown. Harvest is a fan of pork, so jowls and bacons and fresh meat dishes revolving around pig are common and delicious. Sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and plenty of tasty items on Harvest’s ever-changing menu will appeal to any visitor, however, and the dessert and appetizers of the day are just as mouth-watering as any other item on the menu. Even though I’ve sampled “burger master” Bobby Flay’s burger at NYC’s Mesa Grill, I have to say Harvest’s, with it’s hog jowl jam, was the best burger I’ve ever had, hands down. Harvest has an excellent wine menu and even the most basic arugula salad was delicious – look, if you can find a restaurant that makes me go ga-ga over beets, I think we have a winner. If you’re in “Possibility City,” it is impossible for you to have a bad meal at Harvest!

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Great Eat: Bison Witches Bar & Deli, Tempe, AZ

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Admin of TBJ

Bison Witches Bar & Deli is certainly a worthwhile sandwich treat to try if you’re out in the Tempe or greater Phoenix, Arizona area. Not only are there a selection of delectable sandwiches for every palate – the delicious Cally has turkey, avocado slices, cream cheese, alfalfa sprouts, and mayo on a croissant, while the Beef & Brie sports Brie cheese melted over smoked beef with tomatoes, alfalfa sprouts, and Russian honey mustard, just to serve as examples – but the restaurant also has salads and soups. You can totally combine a half sandwich with soup or salad (the cream of broccoli is lovely), and the conveniently located (right in the “Mills” area of town around Arizona State University – you can spot the “A” on the nearby mountain if you opt to eat on the sunny patio) spot is a great place to start your roam around a hip area of Tempe. The homemade potato chips are wonderful, and the beer list has everything from your average Budweiser domestic to high gravity microbrews and yummy ciders. Tuck in a good lunch at Bison Witches (and say hi to the friendly staff) next time you’re in Tempe – you won’t be disappointed!

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Graz, Austria

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Admin of TBJ

The area of Europe known as Styria is rich with history and natural beauty; this are of the Austro-Hungarian empire and Holy Roman Empire once contained bits of Slovenia and Germany. Now an Austrian state, Styria and its capital, Graz, are wonderful places to stop by when poking around Europe. Graz is Austria’s second biggest city, which you don’t really get a feel for until you climb (or take the lift through a World War II tunnel) the Schloßberg and look out from the Clock Tower (part of the extensive old fort that deserves a few hours of roaming) over the city. Graz is pretty compact, in terms of sightseeing, and you probably won’t need to use the super-easy to navigate tram system. You’ve got to check out the modern art museum, the Kunsthaus, not only for the fantastic exhibits but also for the view from the top of the strange, blue, bulging building. This museum’s proximity to the lovely Mariahilferstraße area, which had neat restaurants and shops, had its bonuses, and one can always orient oneself by looking for the Clock Tower, which looms over the city. Also check out the Murinsel, which resembles a clam floating over the River Mur, from one of the many bridges across the river; the locks on the bridges are likely the mark of young loves locking their “love” to the bridge and tossing the key into the river as a “forever” type of gesture. Roaming around the various parts of Graz will reveal the UNESCO-labelled Old Town and the Glockenspiel, as well as an Armory Museum and Cathedral of Graz, but I visited at Christmas time and was more entranced by the Christmas markets (Weihnachtsmarkts) than the sites; Graz would definitely be a great place to rediscover your Christmas spirit if you’re feeling Scrooge-y. Graz is a vibrant city with something for everyone and never ceased to charm me.

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Maribor, Slovenia

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Admin of TBJ

Nestled in the Pohorje Mountains in the mysterious Styria region of Europe is the charming city of Maribor, Slovenia. It’s becoming a semi-popular European skiing and winter-sports destination, and the city, which is home to a the University of Maribor and thus a large academic and student population, is rife with fun things to do outdoors in the spring and summer as well. The first things you’re likely to do when in Maribor, however, is head straight to the Old Vine, the Guinness-certified oldest producing wine vine in the world. The vine, as well as its accompanying museum/store, are worth a stop, but its the gentle amble along the Drava in Lent, Maribor’s “old town,” that will be the most enjoyable. Stop by the market in Lent and pick up pumpkin seed oil (or just browse trinkets or fresh fruit, veggies, and jams), as well as take in the popular landmarks such as the Judgement Tower and Water Tower. Maribor can be enjoyed in its pedestrianized squares, Slomškov Trg and Glanvi Trg in particular are good for tucking in a drink outside and people watching, and the city is friendly and warm. While locals often drive to nearby Graz, Austria (about a 45 minute drive) to shop, there’s a lot of nice stores in Maribor, especially near the castle in Grajski Trg. The University and Slovene National Theater keep the city steady on classic and cutting edge arts and culture, and the city’s various monuments – relating to historical subjects that are a testament to the age of the city: the Plague,and, Communist occupation, the Second World War – are worth a look, especially the bizarre National Liberation Memorial. The cathedral and castle are lovely, and the view from Piramida Hill in Mestni Park. Maribor is easy to get around, and if you do grab a cab, it’ll be a cheap and quick ride. Maribor is a beautiful introduction to Slovenia and a wonderfully charming European city that deserves your visit – but do note that you’ll be arriving by car or train, as Maribor doesn’t have an airport (most people take a train from Ljubljana or Graz’s airports; the train from Graz can take a bit if you don’t time it right).

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JR/Great Eat: Potbelly Sandwich Shop; Louisville, KY

Posted on January 10, 2012 by Admin of TBJ

The sandwiches at Potbelly Sandwich Shop – on 4th and Jefferson St in downtown Louisville, KY – are tasty and on par with other hot sub shops (e.g., Penn Station, Firehouse Subs, Jersey Mike’s, etc.), and the place makes for a solid lunch stop. I went and got “A Wreck” – salami, roast beef, turkey and ham with swiss cheese – with a chocolate milkshake. They custom-build your sandwich in front of you Subway-style and warm it up just right — not burnt like Quiznos. The shakes were very good and came with a couple of tiny sugar cookies around the straw. All was reasonably priced, and even though there were a lot of people in there, the line moved fast thanks to a good assembly-line setup and technology (an order-taker greeted me with a tablet and submitted my order before I reached the counter). They also have soups, serve breakfast, and have in-house music appearances.

I’d go again.

Juror #14

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Happy Holidays & Happy 2012!

Posted on December 20, 2011 by Admin of TBJ

TravelByJury.com is off for the holidays and won’t be posting anything new until January 10th, 2012. The site is undergoing some minor updates and changes during this time, but all posts will be available for your reading pleasure. Until then, check out our archive post feeds on Twitter and Facebook, and please, feel free to submit a review! Everyone here at TravelByJury.com wishes you a safe and happy holiday season, and we hope to see you in 2012!

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Great Eat: P & G Restaurant & Bar, New Orleans, LA

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Admin of TBJ

Stumbling into the little hole in the wall that is the P&G Restaurant and Bar in the Warehouse District of New Orleans, Louisiana was a great idea. This small restaurant has everything you could want in terms of New Orleans staple fare: po boys, creole-spiced seafood, rice & beans, and excellent salads. The woman who takes your order might call you darlin’ or honey, and the chef’s name is “Miss” So-and-So – very authentically southern. While the restaurant might be small, do note the Zagat sign outside; you won’t be the first patron to enjoy these home-cooked meals, but you might be one of the few folks who venture outside of the more popular French Quarter to get some good grub. Grab a chair and a Coke (they do have beer, like everywhere else in New Orleans) and people-watch during the week, as P&G’s is located right off of Baronne Street, where many of the city’s white collar folks work and play. Even something as simple as a shrimp salad will be delectable, with itty-bitty spiced shrimp tossed on a bed of cucumbers, lettuce, and baby tomatoes with the house’s special home-made dressings. So give P&G a try next time you’re in the Big Easy!

345 Baronne Street | New Orleans, LA 70112-1628 | (504) 525-9678

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