Carole Terwilliger Meyers's Blog, page 30

Good Eats: Chun, Yilan, Taiwan

Chun  With a mish-mash decor that includes old movie posters displayed on brick walls, this cheerful place serves a variety of traditional Taiwanese dishes.
interior of Chun restaurant in Yilan, Taiwan
The most popular item is minced pork in soy sauce over rice, and it was indeed my own favorite from a parade of dishes.
minced pork over rice at Chun restaurant in Yilan, Taiwan
array of dishes at Chun restaurant in Yilan, Taiwan
I also enjoyed watching the ice cream game known as “baboo”—a word brings to mind a honking horn.  Our guide, Jerry Chen, told us he played it as a child.  You put a TD10 coin (about 30 cents U.S.) in the slot, spin the wheel, and receive the number of scoops it lands on—in the  case depicted in the video--two--and so he gets one scoop of pineapple and one of sour plum.  

guide Jerry Chen explains how the Taiwanese ice cream game known as “baboo” works



More things to do in Taiwan.
 
More things to do in Yilan.

Travel articles to inspire and help you plan some spectacular local and foreign getaways.
   
images and video ©2016 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Things to Do: Miyahara, Taichung, Taiwan

Miyahara   No.20, Zhongshan Rd., Central Dist.  Located near the train station, this magnificent little shopping complex and emporium is set within a fabulous old building that was originally an optical shop.  A popular ice cream shop that is reputed to have the best ice cream in town operates at one end and seems always to have a long line.
outside ice cream shop at Miyahara in Taichung, Taiwan
spectacular sundae at ice cream shop at Miyahara in Taichung, Taiwan
 Another shop offers a large selection of teas.
tea shop at Miyahara in Taichung, Taiwan
But Miyahara--specializing in pineapple cakes and other goodies such as seed candies and chocolate-dipped dried fruits--is the main attraction and piece de resistance.  The ceiling is high, the butterflies-and-flowers packaging is exquisite, and the prices are reasonable.  It is the perfect place to select gifts and souvenirs to take home.  
interior at Miyahara in Taichung, Taiwan
candy display at Miyahara in Taichung, Taiwan
display with orchids at Miyahara in Taichung, Taiwan
pineapple cakes at Miyahara in Taichung, Taiwan

More things to do in Taiwan.

More things to do in Taichung.

Travel articles to inspire and help you plan some spectacular local and foreign getaways.
   
images and video ©2016 Carole Terwilliger Meyers
 

Great Sleeps: Fleur de Chine, Sun Moon Lake, Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area, Yuchi Township, Nantou County, Taiwan

Fleur de Chine, Sun Moon Lake   23 Zhongzheng Rd., Yuchi Township, Nantou County.  211 rooms.  Full-service spa; bicycle rentals.  Buffet breakfast; 4 restaurants, 2 bars.  Situated on the north end of Sun Moon Lake, this aesthetically pleasing hotel nicely integrates nature into the surroundings.  Large and colorful orchid arrangements are found throughout the serene premises,
orchids at Fleur de Chine, Sun Moon Lake hotel
as are large windows revealing views of the ever-changing lake.
view of lake from Fleur de Chine, Sun Moon Lake hotel
Each guest room has floor-to-ceiling windows and a private balcony, as well as a deep marble bathtub that fills quickly with soothing natural hot-springs water.  
guest room at Fleur de Chine, Sun Moon Lake hotel  
guest room bathtub at Fleur de Chine, Sun Moon Lake hotel
My room, number 821, had a view of Wenwu Temple.
view of Wenwu Temple from guest room at Fleur de Chine, Sun Moon Lake hotel
Amenities include comfortable flip-flop slippers to keep (mine were a delicious shade of pink that I am wearing right now) and a matching cotton yukata pajama set to borrow.  By request, a pillow cart offers a choice of 28 different styles.  A recreation center provides a series of hot springs pools, including a children’s pool and men’s and women’s nude pools, as well as exercise equipment, an indoor children’s play area, and a pet room.
children's play room at Fleur de Chine, Sun Moon Lake hotel
Organized hotel activities include hiking, rock-climbing, bicycle and boat tours, and evening entertainment.  The breakfast room features a wall of windows open to a tree-filtered view of the lake.
breakfast room at Fleur de Chine, Sun Moon Lake hotel

The food selection is extensive and tasty, and seating is available both inside and out on an expansive deck with heat-lamps.
mochi muffins in breakfast room at Fleur de Chine, Sun Moon Lake hotel
The Jade Luminous restaurant offers cutting-edge Chinese cuisine--for example, one dish included the entire scallop, which I had never seen before.
menu at Jade Luminous restaurant at Fleur de Chine, Sun Moon Lake hotel  
scallops at Jade Luminous restaurant at Fleur de Chine, Sun Moon Lake hotel

More things to do in Taiwan.

More things to do at Sun Moon Lake.

Travel articles to inspire and help you plan some spectacular local and foreign getaways.
   
images ©2016 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Good Eats: Full House Restaurant, Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area, Yuchi Township, Nantou County, Taiwan

Full House Restaurant   No. 8 Shuixiu St., Yuchi Township, Nantou County.  The owner here began preparing fruit-enhanced dishes as a way to help his sick wife.  The menu features exotic and delicious items such as soursop fruit with shitake mushrooms or dragon fruit with salmon.  A personal favorite was a fruity-sauced pork dish with very ripe melon.  Hot pot cooking is also an option.

fruit-enhanced dishes at Full House Restaurant at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan
fruit-enhanced dishes at Full House Restaurant at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan
The intriguing dining room is a mish-mash of vintage tables and accessories and features an expansive granite floor.

interior decor at Full House Restaurant at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan
Throughout, fresh fruits such as giant pomelos and round green squashes are clustered together in attractive arrangements as part of the decor.  Also throughout are hung memorable paintings by the owner’s wife, Lin Yan Ping. 

fresh-fruit decor at Full House Restaurant at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan
fresh-fruit decor at Full House Restaurant at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan
fresh-fruit decor at Full House Restaurant at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan
Plenty more seating is available in an expansive garden, where one umbrella is wired with a crystal chandelier and colorful blown-glass fruits decorate. 

garden decor at Full House Restaurant at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan  
garden decor at Full House Restaurant at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan
garden decor at Full House Restaurant at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan
garden decor at Full House Restaurant at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan
Inexpensive lodging is available upstairs in ten knotty-pine rooms, some with deep Japanese-style bathtubs and lake views.

lodging lobby at Full House Restaurant at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan
guest room at Full House Restaurant at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan
bathtub at Full House Restaurant at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan
view from guest room at Full House Restaurant at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan
More things to do in Taiwan.



More things to do at Sun Moon Lake.

Travel articles to inspire and help you plan some spectacular local and foreign getaways.
   
images ©2016 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Good Eats: Dean & DeLuca, NYC

Dean & DeLuca   560 Broadway/Prince St., Soho, (212) 226-6800.  This is the original location of this department store for foodies.  It is the perfect place to pick up a picnic, a dinner to-go to eat in your hotel room, or an airplane meal (you better pick up a tad extra to share or your seatmate will hate you).  Choose from gorgeous fresh fruit, made-to-order sandwiches, fresh pastries and breads, an array of cookies and candies, and so much more.  Yum, yum!  

produce at Dean & DeLuca in NYC
deli counter at Dean & DeLuca in NYC
cookie selection at Dean & DeLuca in NYC
More things to do in NYC.

More travel articles to inspire you and help you plan some spectacular getaways.

images ©2016 Carole Terwilliger Meyers
 

Sights to See: Wenwu Temple, Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area, Yuchi Township, Nantou County, Taiwan

Wenwu Temple  No. 63, Zhongzheng Road, Yuchi Township, Nantou County.  Open 24 hrs.  Free.  Located on the north shore of Sun Moon Lake and facing west, this large temple is also known as Literature-Warrior Temple.  It was built in 1932, rebuilt in the 1960s, and then rebuilt again after a devastating 1999 earthquake.  Two gigantic red stone lions act as gate guardians, and three large halls are dedicated to Kaiji--the God of Literature, Guang Gong--the God of Justice, and Confucius--the Great Teacher.  Exceptionally beautiful and well kept, it features stone carvings and fountains.  Lakeside in front, the “Year of Steps,” also called the "Stairway to Heaven," is a flight of 366 stairs that represent each day of the year plus one extra for leap year.  This stairway leads down to the lake and was the original entrance to the temple.  Today visitors can hang prayer bells on either side.  Note that custom indicates that when there are three doors at the entrance to a temple, the middle door is for the deities and nobody enters through that door.  Facing the temple, you enter through the right door (the dragon’s mouth side) and exit through the left door (the tiger’s tail side).


entrance gate to Wenwu Temple at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan

guardian lion at Wenwu Temple at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan

view of lake from Wenwu Temple at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan

interior details at Wenwu Temple at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan

orchids in Confucius Hall at Wenwu Temple at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan

blessing dispenser machine at Wenwu Temple at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan

dispensed blessing item at Wenwu Temple at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan

offering in stone beast's mouth at Wenwu Temple at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan






prayer bells line "Stairway to Heaven" at Wenwu Temple at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan

More things to do in Taiwan.

More things to do at Sun Moon Lake.

Travel articles to inspire and help you plan some spectacular local and foreign getaways.
   
images and video ©2016 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Things to Do: Fishs Eddy, NYC

Fishs Eddy   889 Broadway/19th St., Flatiron District, (877) 347-4733, (212) 420.9020.  Named for an unincorporated village in upstate New York, this shop is filled with sturdy dishes, glasses, coffee mugs, and dish towels decorated with Manhattan's skyline.  They make great souvenirs.  Many more selections are found online, and they ship cheap.  

sale at Fishs Eddy shop in NYC
New York dish towels at Fishs Eddy shop in NYC
souvenir kitchen items at Fishs Eddy shop in NYC
vintage kitchen items at Fishs Eddy shop in NYC
NYC skyline kitchen items at Fishs Eddy shop in NYC

More things to do in NYC.

More travel articles to inspire you and help you plan some spectacular getaways.

images ©2015 Carole Terwilliger Meyers
 

Sights to See: Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area, Yuchi Township, Nantou County, Taiwan

Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area
Popular for honeymoons, Sun Moon Lake is known for its natural thermal hot springs and crowded with Chinese tourists and tour buses.  It is located in the nation’s center 157 miles north of Taipei--about 2 1/2- hours by High Speed Rail--in scenic Yuchi Township, Nantou County.  At 2,454-feet altitude and surrounded by mountains, it is the only Taiwan county not by the sea.  A large power plant here, which was destroyed in World War II and then rebuilt, produces 40% of Taiwan’s electricity.  Enlarged by half and made deeper during the Japanese occupation, this natural lake is the largest lake in Taiwan.  Its name comes from the fact that the southern part of the lake’s Lalu Island is shaped like a crescent moon, and the northern part is shaped like a sun.  Bird-watching is good in the forests, and sightings might include the Grey-cheeked Fulvetta, Grap-throated Minivet, Formosan Yuhina, Gray Tree Pie, Bamboo Partridge, Chinese Bulbul, Muller's Barbet, and Black Bulbul.  Colonies of Black-crowned Night herons and Egretta garzettas, as well as birds such as the common kingfisher and the Green-winged Teal, can also be seen.  


Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area in Yuchi Township, Nantou County, Taiwan

Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area in Yuchi Township, Nantou County, Taiwan

making selfies among the cherry blossoms at Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area in Yuchi Township, Nantou County, Taiwan

wedding couple at Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area in Yuchi Township, Nantou County, Taiwan

evening at Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area in Yuchi Township, Nantou County, Taiwan

More things to do in Taiwan.

More things to do at Sun Moon Lake.

Travel articles to inspire and help you plan some spectacular local and foreign getaways.
   
images ©2016 Carole Terwilliger Meyers
 

Sights to See: Rivington Street, NYC

The first few blocks of Rivington Street on NYC's Lower East Sides feel like a small neighborhood.  I visit the area almost every time I am in New York.  It would make a great place to stay. 
Rivington Street at Rabbi Yaakov Spiegel Way in NYC's Lower East Side
mural door on Rivington Street in NYC's Lower East Side
DO
● Leekan Designs   #4 at Bowery, (212) 226-7226.  Tu-F 10-6, Sat 12-7, closed Sun-M.  Exuding a mysterious aura, this shop specializes in beads, wood carvings, gongs, birdcages, jewelry, and much more from Asia, Oceania, and Africa.  It provides a superb browse, and I always seem to find something I must have--most recently a pair of silver cicada-charm dangle earrings.   
Leekan Designs on Rivington Street in NYC's Lower East Side
bracelets at Leekan Designs on Rivington Street in NYC's Lower East Side
● Rivington Playground   #14 at Forsyth St., in Sara D. Roosevelt Park.  The park is the largest open space in the neighborhood, and has a senior center and a roller skating rink as well as this playground.   
Rivington Playground on Rivington Street in NYC's Lower East Side
● Streit’s matzo factory #148-154


EAT
● Economy Candy   #108

● The Falafel Shop   #127 at Essex St.  There is often a line to order this spot’s delicious hummus, warm pita bread, and outstanding falafel.  Sabich (pronounced "sob-beek") is a full meal consisting of fried eggplant, a hardboiled egg, tahini, fried potato, pickles, pickled turnips, and mango chutney.  Tasty curry lentil soup makes a good side, and the ginger-mint lemonade is a don’t-miss.  Unfortunately, this place is very small, with only a few seats. 

● Loreley Restaurant & Biergarten   #7 at Bowery, (212) 253-7077.  Though the patio in back is cement and wall to wall with picnic tables, allowing for very little green, it is outdoors and sheltered and makes quite a nice spot to be with a 0.5 of draft--I vote for the house specialty Gaffel Kolsch, a light top-fermented ale from Cologne--and a delicious bratwurst sandwich with fries. 
exterior of Loreley Restaurant & Biergarten on Rivington Street in NYC's Lower East Side
biergarten at Loreley Restaurant & Biergarten on Rivington Street in NYC's Lower East Side
● Morgenstern’s Finest Ice Cream   #2 at Bowery, (212) 209-7684.  The unusual flavors here include burnt honey vanilla, Vietnamese coffee, black coconut ash, banana durian, and raw milk.  Cones include cake, sugar, and monster-sized.  Unfortunately, the line is often extremely long--I’ve heard of a wait time sometimes approaching two hours!  
Morgenstern's Finest Ice Cream on Rivington Street in NYC's Lower East Side
● TeaNY   #90 at Orchard St., (646) 415-8681.  L-D daily; $$.  Authentic American cuisine made with fresh ingredients. Tea place, crumpets.  Vegan, veggie.  Popular items include 3-lentil chili, blueberry-topped cheesecake, latte, carrot cake, death by chocolate. 

SLEEP
● Hotel on Rivington   #107 at Ludlow St.  Unimpressive from the outside, this stylish contemporary hotel has a small lobby on the second floor.  Beds have a termpur-pedic mattress, and they still provide a goody here at turndown.  Upper-floor rooms have some great views, even from the bathroom, and some rooms are Japanese-style with a steam shower and large slate soaking tub; others have big tubs with a city view.  A continental breakfast is served on the 20th floor.

● Off Soho Suites Hotel New York   11 at Chrystie St., 800-OFF SOHO, (212) 353-0860.  This lodging provides an alternative to overpriced, undersized hotel rooms.  Each unit is equipped with a full kitchen, and the property has a laundry room.  The lobby doubles as the Eleven Rivington art gallery. 
Off Soho Suites Hotel New York on Rivington Street in NYC's Lower East Side
More things to do in NYC.

More travel articles to inspire you and help you plan some spectacular getaways.

images ©2016 Carole Terwilliger Meyers
 

Great Sleeps: Parkview Hotel, Hualien, Taiwan

Parkview Hotel   Built in 1993, this was the area’s first 5-star hotel.  Rooms are comfortable but beds are hard, with little give and no pillow top—nevertheless I slept very well.  Extensive recreation facilities include an indoor and outdoor pool, sauna, indoor climbing wall, table tennis, squash, and more. In an exceptionally large open dining room in The Garden Court Western Restaurant, guests enjoy a breakfast buffet that includes everything from western-style omelettes to green matcha cakes.  High ceilings, tall windows, and a view of the mountains make it memorable.  


sunflowers in lobby of Parkview Hotel in Hualien, Taiwan

view from guest room at Parkview Hotel in Hualien, Taiwan

The Garden Court Western Restaurant at Parkview Hotel in Hualien, Taiwan

green matcha cakes at The Garden Court Western Restaurant at Parkview Hotel in Hualien, Taiwan

breakfast with view at The Garden Court Western Restaurant at Parkview Hotel in Hualien, Taiwan

More things to do in Hualien.

More things to do in Taiwan.
 
Travel articles to inspire and help you plan some spectacular local and foreign getaways.
   
images ©2016 Carole Terwilliger Meyers