Reviews with TLC

I've been using Hiking Waterfalls in Oregon (A Falcon Guide) by Adam Sawyer to find hiking trails leading to waterfalls for several years now. I really like this guide because it provides good directions to the trailheads as well good descriptions of the hikes and what to expect on the hikes. The maps of the trails are also quite nice providing a realistic idea of what the hike will entail. The photos are nicely done and add a bit of enticement for many of the hikes. The estimated time the hikes will take are fairly accurate though this does depend on one's fitness ability. I'm not sure how accurate the difficulty scale is because I think there's a large amount of subjectivity involved again. I found some of the easy hikes more difficult than I expected and some of the difficult hikes easier than I expected. Overall, though, this is my go-to guide when I'm searching for a hike, particularly because I love hikes that include waterfalls.

North End Cafe located at 2116 Bardstown Road in Louisville, Kentucky is an inviting little cafe where one can sit over a leisurely meal and chat with friends. The wild mushroom lasagna was very tasty but a little heavy on the spinach for my taste; however someone who really likes spinach would probably enjoy it. The chocolate torte was tasty enough that I wished I hadn't gotten so full eating the lasagna. Our waiter was friendly but not intrusive. I would definitely eat at North End Cafe again if for no other reason than I'd love to try the Chickpea & Quinoa Cake.

Alfalfa Restaurant located at 141 E. Main Street, Lexington, Kentucky is a restaurant that focuses on serving local foods in its recipes. They have an interesting menu with a nice range of vegetarian options as well as  options for meat eaters. The restaurant is welcoming and relaxing. The cold cucumber soup was good. The red beans were delicious and filling. The cheesecake was also tasty. All four of us enjoyed our food. The waitress was helpful, friendly, and energetic. I would definitely eat at Alfalfa again!

Roots is a vegan/vegetarian restaurant with the motto "mindful, compassionate cooking" located at 1216 Bardstown Road in Louisville, Kentucky. Located in a semi-residential area, Roots decor has a modern but relaxing feel. It was the perfect place for  lunch after spending the night flying. My Vietnamese Crepe was quite tasty, and my dining companion enjoyed the Green Curry Soup. The extensive selection of teas would be enough to tempt me to return even if the food wasn't as tasty as it was. The meal was light but filling. I enjoyed the Organic Fine Lung Ching "Dragon's Well" Green Tea very much. The only downer was the cappuccino which had an artificial taste. The waiter offered to refund our money for those. We were unable to finish them. I would definitely eat at Roots again if I lived in Louisville.

The Celestial Steakhouse , 1071 Celestial Street, Cincinnati, Ohio, is an elegant yet comfortable restaurant with excellent views of the Cincinnati skyline. The atmosphere is relaxing and indulgent. The wait staff is extremely accommodating and helpful. They worked with me to accommodate View from The Celestial Steakhouse my vegetarian requests without hesitation. I ordered the beefsteak tomato tower without the avocado. It was pretty and delicious. I requested the Jumbo Shrimp Penne without the shrimp. Again, it was beautifully prepared and delicious. I thoroughly enjoyed it and took the leftovers with me for later. My dinner companions enjoyed their filet mignon and Mediterranean Lamb dishes. Desserts included a chocolate torte, creme brulee, and cheesecake. We shared the three desserts, so I can attest that all three were delicious. My torte was my favorite though. The Celestial Steakhouse provided a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere with delicious food!

The Greek Corner Restaurant , located at 1600 N. Orange Avenue, has casual outdoor seating as well as indoor seating. We chose to eat outside even though it started to rain as we arrived. Luckily, there were seats under the canopy. I ordered the pita pizza with mushroom and onion as the other vegetarian options looked like they'd been too much food. I wasn't very hungry. The pizza had some hits and misses. It was a little heavy on the onions, and the mushrooms tasted like canned mushrooms. The sauce was delicious, the feta chees was abundant, and the crust was nicely crisped . My husband had a Grilled Designer Chicken sandwish which he described at good but not great. We split a dessert, Galaktoboureko. We found it a little plain, but the pastry added a nice texture to the custard. Our waiter was efficient but not exactly friendly but not really unfriendly either. Apparently, we arrived as they were preparing to close, which surprised us as it was quite early; however, we heard...

Harry's Seafood Bar & Grille , located at 101 North Kentucky Avenue (they scored a half point with this Kentucky girl just based on their choice of address), gives off a combination homey and hometown bar vibe. The decor has a musical influence that definitely speaks to jazz. From the moment we arrived, the staff strove to make sure we were comfortable and taken care of. They inquired as to what we needed and when. When I told the waitress we were waiting on friends, she actually smiled and asked if we needed anything while we waited. Her smiling attitude lasted through our very long lunch. By the time we left, it was practically time to order dinner!! When I asked if I could have the Pasta Chicken Louisianne sans the chicken, she smiled and said "of course" without missing a beat!  My pasta tasted excellent and was very filling. I couldn't finish it, especially since I'd already picked out the dessert I wanted. I also ordered a Harry's Hurricane which was...

Ethos Vegan Kitchen , 1235 N. Orange Avenue, Suite 101, concentrates on serving healthy and filling vegan cuisine. Patrons order at the counter before finding seating in a relaxing, welcoming atmosphere. There's a bit of a cafe vibe.While waiting on the food to be served, we enjoyed looking at the nice selection of artwork on the walls.  The staff answered questions and showed patience as we perused the menu taking our time to decide what to order.   My "What's the Dilly, Philly?" sandwich tasted really good and filled me up quickly. They readily accommodated my request for no veganaise. I accompanied my meal with a glass of organic white wine, Xarello, that was also delicious. My husband thoroughly enjoyed the Coconut Curry Wrap and a beer, Peak. We left the restaurant full and happy even though neither of us is vegan. I'm a vegetarian, and my husband is a meat eater. Our only complaint with this restaurant was when we returned on Sunday night fo...

Coconuts on the Beach, located at 2 Minutemen Causeway, has one thing going for it. It is on the beach and view of the water is spectacular. Service was among the worst I've ever seen. Our waitress seemed angry and defensive. When I inquired about getting a pasta dish without chicken because the menu was sadly lacking in anything for the vegetarian, she couldn't hide her irritation as she told me they didn't serve that for lunch. Okay, perhaps, I should've looked at the menu more closely, but she could've at least been polite about it. When my husband couldn't find our waitress and called over another waitress to send back his undercooked tuna, she came to the table and started arguing that he got what he ordered. I couldn't believe it. My husband later joked that if she thought her cleavage display was going to make up for bad service and earn her a good tip, she was sadly mistaken. We felt like our presence was an inconvenience to the waitress and therefor...

Le Rouge , located at 7730 West Sand Lake Road, is a wine and tapas bar. We took seats outdoors to enjoy the Florida night air. Our table ordered espresso, cappachino, and hot tea. The coffee was fine but not outstanding. Hot tea is well hot tea. The outdoor seating provides a nice, comfortable atmosphere conducive to chatting and relaxing together even though it overlooks the parking lot. We were entertained by the occasional sounds of singing coming from indoors. I'm guessing karoake. Service was efficient and our server made it known she was available if we needed anything but didn't interfere with our conversation.

Roy's Hawaiian Fusion Restaurant , located at 7760 West Sand Lake Road, provides an inviting, vibrant atmosphere that brings a little extra energy to diners. The servers are very friendly and helpful. The menu doesn't provide much information in regards to vegetarian dishes, so diners must ask the server. The server, however, was more than happy to provide vegetarian options when asked. Our table split the vegetable spring rolls, and everyone enjoyed them. I ordered the mango mojito. While it tasted okay, it would've benefited from a little more mango puree. My entree was the portobello mushrrooms with vegetables. The chef opted without prompting to add greens to my entree as I'd requested it without the cheese that normally accompanied it. The dish including the greens was excellent.  My husband had a fish dish that he said was tasty though he wished he'd realized it came with bacon, so he could've requested the bacon be omitted.  The table split the chocolate ...

  Cedars Restaurant , located at 7732 W. Sand Lake Road, serves Lebanese cuisine. Our waitress was attentive and helpful. She spoke Arabic with my husband but was always careful to then include me by saying something in English. Little did she know that it didn't bother me, but the effort was appreciated. When I inquired about vegetarian fare, she recommended the vegetarian sampler of appetizers. My husband ordered the Kibbeh Bi Laban. My vegetarian sampler came with hummus, falafel, tabouleh, and fatayer (spinach pies). It usually comes with baba ghanouj, but I'm not a fan so she substituted extra falafel. My sampler was good even thought I don't really like cooked spinach. The fatayer was well cooked though ,and my husband enjoyed it. He liked his Kibbeh Bi Laban. We split an order of knafe for dessert. It tasted good. The temperature in the restaurant was quite cold, but the patio is their smoking section. We didn't move. Cold versus cigarette smoke is an easy decisi...

Cravings , located 3149 Ocean Drive, is a little shop that serves cookies, coffee, and a number of other things including some smoothies that sounded delicious. I'm still kicking myself for not trying one. The coffee hit the spot and the cookies were quite tasty though my husband complained that the oatmeal cookie wasn't chewy. It wasn't fancy, but the place was full. And, apparently, they have some kind of refill deal as I saw several people bring in their cups and get refills without paying while I debated what I wanted to order. The service was quite friendly but this isn't the place to go if you're in a rush. The atmosphere of the staff and the customers is very laid back. If I'm ever in Vero Beach again, I'm going back to try one of the Greek yogurt smoothies and get another cookie.

The Pelican Cafe , 612 US Highway, brings a smile to one's face before one even enters the door. Guests, okay customers, are greeted with a light, natural floral smell - jasmine, I think - upon exiting their vehicles in the parking lot. The entrance looks like the front porch to a home where everyone is always welcome. Stepping inside, we were greeted by a hostess, who I later learned is one of the restaurant's owners. She took the time to ask about our day and chitchat a minute about the weather before showing us to our seats. Her smile and her interest were genuine. Service was friendly and bustling as well as attentive without being intrusive. As locals wandered in to the restaurant, we got a feel for the homey atmostphere enjoyed by patrons. It wasn't only the decor, it was the way the staff interacted with people - like they were family or at least good friends stopping by for a visit. We ordered the Egg White Frittata and the Blueberry Pancakes along with cappachinos....

When we ate dinner at Linda B Steakhouse, located at 320 Crandon Boulevard, there were few patrons. It was early evening, so I can't say if that's the norm. They seated us near a window overlooking the parking lot. The decor was rather homey and inviting. I ordered ravioli and my husband ordered a chicken dish. The ravioli tasted fine but wasn't exactly memorable. My husband said his chicken tasted good. The service was quick and efficient if not exactly friendly. I don't think our waiter smiled even once. We skipped dessert because we... well, just wanted to leave. We also felt the meal was overpriced for what it was. As we left I noticed a piano, so I would assume there's live music at some time or the other. The restaurant seemed to hold promise that it just didn't quite fulfill.

We went to David's Cafe , located at 1058 Collins Avenue, on recommendation from a couple we chatted with at breakfast while in Miami Beach. They recommended we have pastry and Cuban coffee, but we were still too full from breakfast to even contemplate the pastry. When we arrived, large men seemed to be standing guard at the entrance to David's Cafe. They opened the door for us as we entered. I giggled. I couldn't help it. I'm not sure why they were there, but they reminded me of bouncers at a nightclub. We wandered in to a dining/bar area and sat at the bar. We ordered Cuban coffee. It's dark, rich, and very sweet. I loved it. My husband on the other hand thought it was too sweet. He asked the waiter if he could get one without sugar. The waiter explained that Cuban coffee is typically sweet as he replaced it with an unsweetened one for which we weren't charged. I looked around the room as I sipped my coffee. The atmosphere was at once relaxing and energizing t...

Aptly named,  The Front Porch Cafe , located at 1458 Ocean Drive, is on the front porch! Thank goodness it's a covered porch because it was raining when we ate there. I found this restaurant on the Internet and wanted to go there for one reason. They reeled me in with the description of their granola pancake. They seated us, and I immediately realized private conversation wasn't going to happen. The couple next to us could hear every word we said and vice versa. We looked the menu over. I ordered the granola pancakes with fruit and a latte. My husband ordered the Mediterranean Omelette and a latte. The couple next to us smiled at each other when we placed our order. Then they proceeded to tell us how good the granola pancake is and how filling. According to them, if you can eat the whole thing you won't need another meal until dinner! When my pancakes arrived, I stared at the plate in disbelief. The serving was huge. My husband and I split his omelette and the pancakes. T...

The receptionist at the hotel front desk directed us to NoVe Kitchen & Bar , located at 1750 N. Bayshore Drive, for "nightlife". I'm not sure she understood what we wanted. We were looking for live music or something along those lines. NoVe is a sidewalk restaurant is great views of... the street. There was no live music that night. Apparently that's reserved for weekends. A quick browse of the menu made me wish we'd eaten dinner there instead of at the Chinese restaurant we'd just left. We wanted dessert and ordered the panqueque with dulce de leche flambee and vanilla ice cream, a cappachino, and an espresso. We shared the panqueque with dulce de leche flambee and vanilla ice cream. I drank the cappachino and my husband drank the espresso. The panqueque with dulce de leche flambee and vanilla ice cream was delicious and the presentation of the flambee aspect was nicely done even though the wind made it difficult for the waiter to get it started. Flaming ...

Someone at the reception desk at the Miami Hilton Downtown recommended Tony Chan's Water Club , 1717 N Bayshore Drive inside the DoubleTree Grand Hotel, for dinner. On the plus side, it was a short walk. Supposedly, it also had a view of the bay - maybe in daylight... And the overall decor just didn't feel inviting. I took a look at the menu and quickly realized my options were limited as a vegetarian. They also had a sushi menu. I ordered a glass of sparkling wine, but somehow in my exhchange with the waiter my sparkling wine turned into a white zinfidel. By the time I realized it, it felt like too much trouble to attempt to make a correction. We ordered miso soup. When I realized it was made with chicken broth, my husband signaled the waiter. He promptly and without pause exchanged it for a cup of miso made with water instead. I ordered the vegetarian maki, which tasted fine but not outstanding. My husband said the same about his ...

I booked our room at the Hilton Miami Downtown , located at 1601 Biscayne Blvd, through Expedia 's Unpublished Rate program. We arrived at the Hilton Miami Downtown in early evening. As the name indicates it is in downtown Miami, so be prepared to pay for parking, $25.00 per day for self parking in the parking lot and $28.00 for valet parking. Honestly, the extra $3.00 for valet parking is worth it, and I rarely advocate using valet parking. The reception staff and the valet staff were both very accomodating and did their best to keep guests happy. Our room was clean and comfortable. There was no safe for valuables in the room. The safes provided through the reception desk weren't large enough to hold a laptop. In today's world where people carry a lot of technology with them when travelling, a hotel of this caliber in a city as large as Miami should provide safes in the rooms for guests' valuables. Our room was clean upon arrival and we asked for it not to be cleaned d...