I rented cars seventeen times. My total Zipcar bill for 2010 was $2055.35. That’s a few hundred dollars less than garage space alone would have cost me in my Brooklyn neighborhood. Financially Zipcar still makes a lot of sense. And the biggest advantage was I didn’t have the daily stress car ownership in New York entails (garages, insurance, alternate side of the street parking, digging your car out from under the snow, etc.) However it wasn’t all roses:

• Zipcar availability was extremely limited. Weekend rentals require at least several days and often a week or more advance reservation, and it’s getting worse. Last year I could get last minute cars during the winter months. This year I can’t. For example, yesterday there was one car available at 7:30 AM within 5 miles of me (and it was more than a mile away.) Today there was no car closer than 2.5 miles. Zipcar is heavily oversubscribed, at least in New York City.
• When cars are available, they are often in inconvenient locations. I can very rarely reserve a car at the most convenient garage two blocks away from me. I usually have to go to the one of the garages 3-4 times further away.
• Pricing is good for all day trips (by New York standards at least), but it really doesn’t make sense for quick trips to the grocery store or the mall, exactly what ZipCar is pitching. Part of the problem is that you have to schedule your return time in advance. Miss it and you get charged punitively large late fees. This hurts availability because people often reserve more time than they actually need or will use.
• Multiday rentals are not competitive or even available. I considered ZipCar for a five-day trip to Canada I was planning, but they wouldn’t rent to me for that long.

There’s a lot of room for improvement, particularly with availability and scheduling. Whether Zipcar will improve, or one of the traditional car rental companies will move into their space I don’t know. Hertz is getting more aggressive about competing for short term rentals and car replacement. If they’re willing to cannibalize their existing business, and not blindly copy the Zipcar model, they could retake the market. They’ve already got the longterm rental down. Now they need to make sure sufficient cars are available at prime locations for all members, and price such that short, indefinite trips are possible.

Bottom line: I still don’t think it makes sense for me to own a car given the limited amount I drive, but if I did own a car I would have used it more. I would have been a lot more likely to take it out for a few hours here and there, especially on weekends. I probably would have shopped at Costco more, and visited Jamaica Bay and further points in Brooklyn more often. As it’s configured now, Zipcar is really only suitable for preplanned excursions with very definite beginning and end times, or full day rentals. It is definitely inadequate for impulse travel and quick errands. As long as the choice is Zipcar or no car, then Zipcar makes sense; but Zipcar completely fails for anyone for whom a car is necessity, even occasionally, rather than a nice-to-have. And it’s less than ideal for someone who wants regular access to a car. I think I could easily pay double for a service that guaranteed I’d actually be able to get a car when I wanted one rather than letting an excessively large membership compete for limited inventory.

American Airlines is now selling cheap (relatively) upgrades to first class at checkin at the airport. I wonder if I can get one online in advance? On a short hop–e.g. New Orleans to Dallas–it can actually be cheaper to by the upgrade ($35) than to check two bags ($50).

Is there a tethering application for the Android yet for those airports that don’t have free wireless? That would also come in handy when my parents’ wireless network flaked out over the holidays. If there isn’t, maybe I should write one.

Speaking of apps I need is there way I can back up my Twitter feed into a blog or text file or some such so my notes are preserved if the cloud goes down?

How about an offline Twitter for airplanes and such?

Speaking of the cloud, Currently I’m using del.icio.us to manage the recommended reading on Cafe au Lait and Cafe con Leche. I wonder if I could use Twitter somehow to manage the quotes of the day which I still do manually. I need to be able to select a piece of text in a web page or e-mail message, associate it with an author, a URL, and a title; and then later insert it into a page. Just managing the collection of quotes would be helpful even if I later need to manually insert them. Perhaps what I really need is some sort of clippings service? Does this exist?

Better yet, I should figure out a way to feed Twitter into this site.

A bit of trivia. Apparently the airport code MSY stands for “Moisant Stock Yards” which is what used to be here before the airport was built. I always wondered about that.

We had to change planes in Dallas. Flying mostly out of New York, I had grown accustomed to direct flights, but there aren’t so many from the OC. Both segments were late. The flight to Dallas by about half an hour due to mechanical problems. Apparently some sort of starter device on one of the engines failed. We had a tight connection in Dallas that we were worried about, especially after Beth noticed in the in-flight magazine that American would no longer pay for hotel rooms even when a missed flight was clearly their fault. However we made the connection with time to spare because the flight from Dallas was over an hour late. The plane was there, but the pilots weren’t. On the positive side the Dallas airport is only the second airport I’ve ever seen with a Popeyes. Surprisingly the other is not New Orleans.

We had to pay $15 to check Beth’s bag in Orange County. I tried to carry mine on, but the airline made me check it at the gate. At least they didn’t try to charge me $15 for it. Then they sent it to Nashville. Don’t ask me why they sent it to Nashville, but they did. Maybe I should have paid the fifteen dollars. They promise I’ll have it back today. I am at least grateful that I took the time to open my bag in the middle of the jetway and remove my prescriptions and valuables before letting them have it.

I will definitely be avoiding American in the future when I have a choice, and it’s time to cancel that Citibank AAdvantage card.

The meal was OK, but hardly memorable. It certainly didn’t rise to the level of world class restaurants like The Gotham in New York, Commander’s Palace in New Orleans (at least pre-Katrina; I haven’t eaten there lately and I’ve heard it may have gone downhill), or ‘t Fornuis in Antwerp. Food-wise I don’t think it matched the much less pretentious local Chaparosa Grill. Only one dish, the tuna tartare appetizer, really impressed us; and that was offset by a salad that just didn’t work. The remainder of the meal was about average for a nouvelle cuisine restaurant in this price range.

I suppose that’s only to be expected. When in New York, I wouldn’t expect to find the best restaurants in Westchester County or Long Island. Then again, for years one of the best restaurants in New Orleans was on the West Bank. Maybe we’ll have to try eating in L.A. next time. But still, you’d think there’d be room for one world class restaurant somewhere in the O.C.

Maybe the problem is that Orange County is Mecca for people who can’t tell the difference between expensive and high quality (or don’t believe there is a difference). Just watching the cars go down Pacific Coast 1 is enough to prove that. The restaurant is located in a hotel; and when we walked past the faux Roman statues, columns not actually supporting anything, and ostentatious fountains, all wrapped in genuine imitation marble, all I could think was, “This must be where People Like Us shot the nouveau riche tasteless segment.” Driving up to the valet in my 2008 Prius, I felt distinctly underdressed. At least I didn’t pull up in one of the $750 clunkers I used to favor. (On the plus side, in sunny SoCal dressing for dinner means putting on a collared shirt and slacks. There may not have been a tie anywhere in the restaurant, and there certainly wasn’t a jacket.)

Interestingly the restaurant pulled a couple of tricks like sending us home with a breakfast cake for the next morning that I’ve only previously encountered at the now-closed Ducasse, another restaurant that confused expense with quality. However, Alain Ducasse at least had the cooking chops to match his extravagance. This one, sadly, did not.

Shoreline Park, 2008-06-24, 6:12 A.M.

What sort of topsy-turvy world are we living in when Southwest is the service leader?

I’m not a hugely price-sensitive customer, which is why I stayed off Southwest until this year (plus they don’t fly to any New York City airports.) But I absolutely hate being nickel-and-dimed. I likely wouldn’t notice if an airline just raised its fares $20 across the board, but I absolutely do notice every time an airline tries to charge me extra for something as trivial as a bag check, buying a ticket over the phone, or packing 51 pounds instead of 49-pounds. Judging by the reactions of customers in line with me, I’m not the only one who notices and has changed my flying preferences either.

Mimi’s Cafe

I was really looking forward to this little restaurant on Barranca. Several people had recommended it, and it was always packed. When we walked in I couldn’t quite place the decor. It looked vaguely like it was trying to be a French brasserie. My wife finally identified it: this is supposed to be New Orleans! All I can say is whoever designed the decor and the menu cannot possibly have ever been closer to New Orleans than Bastrop Texas. It looked a little more like French brasserie. Possibly the designer heard that New Orleans was French (something that hasn’t been remotely true for over a century now) and checked out a picture book of Paris from their local library.

The menu was a bit of a shock given the recommendations we’d had: the same prepackaged Sysco pablum you can buy in any Chile’s or TGI Friday’s around the country. They may have listed one or two items as “Cajun”, but there was nothing the least bit Cajun about them (not that New Orleans is or ever has been a Cajun city anyway). I had the pork chop, which was the typical large but bland pork chop you can find anywhere. I don’t know if I can really blame them for this though. Pigs have been so wrongly bred for so long now that only a few specialty farms still raise decent pork. Unless you know where the pigs come from, a pork chop is almost always a mistake nowadays. Still, they could have at least put a little seasoning or something on it. They didn’t even have Worcestershire sauce, the old standby of flavorless meat everywhere.

Britta’s

One of the few bright spots in an otherwise dark strip mall. Reliably good food, if a tad on the pricey side. Do be careful to warn them not to put bacon on everything if you don’t eat pork, though.

Chaparosa Grill

Technically, not in Irvine, (just outside it in Tustin) but I had to include it just to prove I don’t hate everything out here. This is a shockingly good restaurant right outside an AMC multiplex. Beth and I just popped in to grab some Margaritas before a movie started, but were charmed into staying for dinner instead. The food was excellent: redolent with interesting spices and tastes, exactly what’s missing from everywhere else we’ve eaten in Irvine. The Chaparosa Cioppini was a wonderfully spicy bouillabaisse. We’ve had it several times now. The Shrimp Scampi was possibly the best Shrimp Scampi I’ve ever eaten: nothing like the prepackaged reheated Korean shrimp slopped over pasta at most chain restaurants. The seafood pasta was equally unusual and interesting.

This restaurant is several notches above everywhere else we’ve eaten, and quite reasonably priced for the quality. What it’s doing in a shopping mall I have no idea, and I don’t know if it will be able to survive in a climate of diners trained to think that The Olive Garden qualifies as fine dining, but enjoy it while you can. Highest recommendation.

The Bluewater Grill

Also in The District and thus technically not in Irvine (just outside it in Tustin). I confess I didn’t give this one a fully fair trial, showing up once on Mother’s Day a week and a half after it opened, and then ordering chicken at a seafood restaurant. Nonetheless, I have to wonder: if their chicken is really that dry and tasteless, why do they even put it on the menu? The Wedge salad was adequate, but could have used bacon. Beth liked her crabmeat salad, but thought there was two much butter on the steamed clams. Dessert was the single worst rendition of Bananas Foster I’ve encountered. The ice cream was the only edible component. We won’t return here.

Sharky’s Woodfired Mexican Grill

Yet another local favorite in in The District. (We keep ending up there because it’s the closest theatre showing major Hollywood releases.) I can’t understand why though. It’s as bland and tasteless as every other Mexican restaurant in this town. We’re only two hours drive form Tijuana. Surely someone here knows something about what Mexican food is supposed to taste like? (Hint: it’s not just refried beans covered in melted American cheese.)

The Winery

Or should that be “Whinery”? My wife loved her meal; but my ribeye was tough and gristley, a thoroughly bad cut of meat. OK, this happens occasionally, and I wouldn’t absolutely rule out a restaurant for just one dish. However the waiter persisted in asking me what I thought of it. I don’t like to give capsule reviews of mediocre food to waiters because I won’t lie about it; but I don’t want to make a fuss. Usually I just wait for my wife to spout a few bland platitudes unless the food was exceptionally good or bad.

However this time the waiter wasn’t satisfied with that. She persisted in asking me directly, “How was your steak?” despite my nonresponsiveness (which should have clued her in). I told her it was “OK”. Even this wasn’t enough for her. “Good, or just OK?”, she queried, obviously wanting me to express my approval, though they certainly hadn’t done anything to earn it. “Just OK” I said rather firmly. To be honest, that was too generous a rating, but I really didn’t want to make a big scene. So she then insisted on wanting to know what was wrong. Then, to compound matters, she brought the maitre’d over to further discuss the quality of the meat, exactly the sort of scene I was trying to avoid. Not only did he insist on talking about the meal I didn’t want to talk about. He kept putting his hands all over me, trying to reassure me; and I’m wondering if I should just yell at him to take his hands off me. They ended up discounting the steak 50%, but even if they had comped the entire meal, I’d never go back there. The best I can say is that at least the chef didn’t come out too.

Il Fornaio

Adequate, upscale Italian dining. We ate here our first night after being turned away from another restaurant that was closing at 9:00 P.M. because there weren’t any customers at that “late” hour. Not bad, but probably not worth returning to.

SoupPlantation

All-you-can-eat buffets are terrified at the idea of some linebacker or fourteen-year-old teenager coming in and eating more than $7.95 worth of prime rib or fishsticks. SoupPlantation has succeeded in eliminating this risk by simply removing everything that costs more than a dollar a pound from the menu. It’s all salad, pasta, soup, and softserve ice cream. There’s no meat or hot vegetables to be found. What a concept!

Claim Jumper

A decent steakhouse chain that’s several notches above Outback. The portions are large, and the food’s pretty good. It doesn’t aspire to be the Knickerbocker in New York or Charlie’s in New Orleans, but you won’t go wrong here.

Ruth’s Chris

The only restaurant on the planet that I actively hate. I don’t mean I detest the food. I mean I hate it personally. After what they did in the wake of Katrina, there’s no way I’m ever setting foot in this chain again. Ruth Fertel is spinning in her grave to see what the carpetbaggers managing her legacy have done to it and her city.

Steelhead Brewery

Not actually a brewery so far as I could tell. My wife tried a beer sampler. I’d rate five of the six beers undrinkable. Luckily I ordered Diet Coke.

Food-wise it was the standard bad burgers and nachos, about what you’d expect. Neither the beer nor the food reached the level of the Heartland Brewery.

Chakra

Edible, but way overpriced. Not nearly as good as the numerous curry palaces that line East 4th Street in Manhattan, not to mention actually good Indian restaurants like Haveli’s.

Indian Cook House

The best Indian food we’ve found in Irvine, and reasonably priced. The Tandoori chicken was good, and the Tandoori Fish was wonderful. However the Papadam was a bit soggy, and the Cheese Nan was a mistake. The service is quite slow though, and they lost track of both our drinks and the check several times. About as good the East 4th Street curry palaces, and maybe approaching Haveli’s, if they can resolve their service issues.

Mungo Sushi

Not the worst sushi I’ve ever eaten, but that’s only because I’ve eaten some really bad sushi. The fish was mostly dry, tasteless, and overcooked. (Yes, the sushi was overcooked.) The eel was oversweetened. The California roll was covered in mayonnaise. Only the salmon approached tenderness, but most of the fish was just tough.

Pho Bac Ky

Probably the single worst Pho restaurant I’ve ever eaten in, though still better than 90% of what passes for ethnic cuisine in Irvine. If you like Pho, it’s adequate, and the only game in town. (There is another one I have to try a few miles away in Tustin.) Just don’t make the mistake of ordering anything except Pho here; and if you do, be sure to cover it in hot sauce.

Saigon Thai

A strange mix of Vietnamese and Thai near UCI. (The product of a mixed marriage, perhaps?) It’s neither great Thai food nor great Vietnamese food, but it is acceptably tasty and spicy, and quite reasonably priced. You won’t go wrong here.

In and Out Burger

Can someone explain to me why Californians are so enamored of this chain? Apparently it’s considered “special” that they only serve fast-food hamburgers and fries, instead of expanding out into chicken and salads like McDonald’s and Burger King. No one seems to have noticed that the hamburgers are just as bad (maybe worse) than McDonald’s and Burger King’s.

Carls’ Jr.

Ditto. Why these are all over the place instead of the far superior Wendy’s, I cannot explain. Perhaps a small cut above In and Out Burger, but that’s damning with faint praise. They seem to be very actively promoting a $6 restaurant burger. Obviously no one at Carl’s Jr. ever walked around the corner to eat a real $6 burger at Chile’s. (Not that Chile’s is the height of burgerdom by any means, but if you’re aiming this low, the least you could do is know what you’re aiming at.)

El Pollo Loco

The only actually good fast food restaurant in this town. Not gourmet cuisine, of course, but a genuinely tasty, relatively healthy meal in a hurry for not very much money.

Jack in the Box

Botulism in the Box.

Wienerschnitzel

Maybe if they cover up the hot dogs in enough chili and cheese nobody will notice that the meat’s flavorless? Nathan’s it’s not.

Jill mentioned that she had Cactus Wrens nesting up by her house, but before we could even get there, these birds flew into a palm by the pool:

We went up to her house anyway, where we got to see more wrens, and several nests with babies:

We watched the sunset over the valley and windmills and then drove back. After a brief stop at the hotel, we went to dinner at a local italian place and what should cross the road along the way but a covey of Gambel’s Quails, #424. I didn’t get any pictures of these birds, but the next day we found another Gambel’s Quail in the next valley over that I did get this picture of:

We got some more birds in that valley too, but those will have to wait for the next post..

The Summer Palace itself is very pretty: lots of people, temples, and palaces. We didn’t see half of them. Not many birds though, despite the large lake. (Lakes and water features are usually surefire bird attractors, but in Beijing most water was shockingly bird free except at the Old Summer Palace. The only water birds we saw at the New Summer Palace were a few Mallards in the lagoon at Suzhou Street.) Aside from the ubiquitous Black-billed and Azure-winged Magpies, most of the birds were painted:

There was a Hall of Listening to Orioles (for opera, think “nightingale” in English) but we didn’t see or hear a single oriole the entire trip. :-(

We climbed up to the Buddhist Temple of the Sea of Wisdom, then walked down the back. There aren’t many hills in Beijing, and the emperors seemed fond of putting temples on top of the few hills they have. I don’t think we saw one hill the whole trip that didn’t have a temple on top.

Walking down the hill, we headed toward Suzhou Street. On the way I heard a really raucous cry. I’d heard this same cry the day before at The Temple of Heaven Park, but hadn’t been able to track the bird down. This time I got luckier. It was a Red-billed Blue Magpie! I only saw it briefly, and didn’t get a photo, but it was unmistakable. This is a really impressive bird. In fact, after finding it inside the field guide, I realized it was also the bird on the cover:

Suzhou Street was amusing, if more than a little touristy. Like the Great Wall, everyone was trying to sell us something in pidgin English. Beth did have fun playing Chinese flutes with a musician though. Apparently music qualifies as a universal language.

Walking back, some swallows were hawking for insects over the lake. Then I saw a genuine raptor, possibly a kestrel of some kind? It was gone too fast to tell. Almost immediately after, I saw two Mourning Doves fly over. It’s always good to check on familiar birds in unfamiliar locations, and on doing so I realized there are no Mourning Doves here. So what could they have been? Unfortunately there were several other possibilities, so all I could really say was that we’d seen two doves.

We caught a cab back to the conservatory, and ate lunch in the Rathskellar (not its real name, but close enough in spirit). Fish hotpot again. Beth went to the conference and I took a nap until it was time to get ready for the closing concert.