Armenia Without The Plane Trip

Posted on March 4, 2015 by Joanne Mead

Maybe you knew that sumac is an edible spice. I only learned this recently, and I just ate some. (Disclaimer: I bet you can’t go and pick the sumac off the tree in your backyard and roast it. But then again, maybe you can….my friend Lauren cooks with grape leaves she picks from a parking lot near her house.)

Seta’s Cafe, Belmont

Seta’s Cafe opened in 2013 on Belmont Avenue in Belmont (right on the border of Watertown), and although I’ve only had one dining experience there, I’m already planning my return trip. Lunch today was Luleh Khorovats, which is ground lamb and beef, grilled with onion and spices (yes, sumac), served on homemade lavash bread. Seta serves brunch, lunch and dinner, and caters. This is an accessible place: parking lot behind the restaurant, ramped door, space between tables, room to place your order, and an accessible bathroom. I must return soon for brunch, because I cannot resist the allure of Foul Mudamas. (Isn’t language a beautiful thing?)

To round out your dining experience, you could visit the nearby Armenian Library and Museum of America (review coming next week). Tickets are on sale now for “Women of Ararat,” at the Arsenal Center for the Arts in Watertown on March 28th and March 29th. “Woman of Ararat” is a love story of a young couple, William and Julie, which also tells the story of Julie’s family, four generations of Armenian women living in Watertown. Later this spring is a centennial commemoration of the Armenian Genocide: on April 23rd, Trinity Church hosts a memorial service and on April 24th, there will be a procession leaving from the Massachusetts State House to Armenian Heritage Park.

The Labyrinth, Armenian Heritage Park, Boston, MA

Side note: I had no idea where the Armenian Heritage Park is, but I found out and look forward to going. With Marianne. Just as soon as the ice and snow melt. It’s on the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway (the website claims the Greenway is fully accessible), near Faneuil Hall Marketplace and Christopher Columbus Park. World Labyrinth Day on May 2 might be a good time to visit, as the labyrinth looks beautiful and accessible.

In “About Us” on her website, Seta says “My baba (my father)…..would hand me a piece of the dough and say ” This is what the dough should feel like once it’s done” and so I learned to bake bread my grandfather made at his bakery in the Armenian Quarters in Jerusalem.”

I’d say she learned well. Dining at Seta’s cafe is an inviting, and accessible, first step into Armenian culture.

NYC: Focus On Chelsea For Accessibility And Less Stress

Posted on December 15, 2014 by Joanne Mead

The High Line Hotel, NYC

Central Park, the Top of the Rock, Times Square, Museum Mile, a Broadway show, St. Patrick’s Cathedral: a quintessential New York City trip to some. I offer you here an itinerary for a slightly less touristy – but no less iconic – NYC experience that is much friendlier to the slow walker or wheelchair user.

Consider booking a room at The High Line Hotel; a fairly new hotel built on the site of the former dormitory for the General Theological Seminary in Chelsea, New York City. The developers retained the feel of the Gothic Revival structure and to me, it’s just beautiful. The price can be right too, from the low $300’s per night (up to mid $500’s).

Intelligentsia runs a fantastic espresso bar in the lobby of the hotel with really, really nice baristas, and there’s plenty of indoor and outdoor seating (if you don’t mind rubbing shoulders with a preponderance of small dogs). The good news is that you too can bring your dog (even if it’s not a service dog) for a sleepover if you so desire. There are a few downsides:

– There is only one ADA room, and the back outside courtyard (which beckons invitingly, were it warm outside) is not accessible. (There is another courtyard with cafe tables in the front of the building, and this one is accessible.)

-The bed in our room was tucked into an alcove in the room, and there isn’t enough room for a transfer. I didn’t see the ADA room, but you’d want to make sure there is clearance around the bed.

– The lighting in the room is too dim, especially in the bathroom. The manager responded to my trip advisor review saying that the lights are on dimmers; I knew that and still think the lighting is poor. The bathroom sink area has very little counter space; I’d check to find out what the ADA bathroom looks like.

Chelsea, NYC

The Morgan Library and Museum, NYC

Something I love about the Chelsea neighborhood: the sidewalks in this part of midtown are wide, great for walkers and wheelchairs. I walked for hours both in this neighborhood and then uptown to The Morgan Library and Museum (an accessible museum) on Madison Avenue, and every street I hit had clear curb cuts and pedestrian walk lights. You could theoretically walk or roll as far as the theater district from here (but probably not much further unless you had many hours and good weather).

Need some other ideas to while away your weekend? Let’s start with food: Across the street from The High Line Hotel is a great breakfast (and more) place, the Tenth Avenue Cookshop, which is nicely accessible from the street. Wide aisles and good spacing between some tables, as well as an ADA bathroom.

Chelsea Market, NYC

Nearby is the Chelsea Market, a restored factory, chock-a-block with accessible stores and eateries. The biggest problem here is that some of the stores (the bookstore) and diners (Friedman’s) have squeezed too much into their space. It’s also all a little precious, but I can be convinced to overlook that for a small price (like those free samples the Fat Witch Bakery doles out). Droobing (a 3D photo booth) alone would be a reason to go to the Chelsea Market (and the Droob stall is accessible!) – that and some people-watching from tables scattered through the main area. It’s all indoors and there is a big public bathroom area (with an ADA stall).

Clement Clark Moore Park, NYC

And then you could walk or roll around for hours to work up your next appetite. Right next door to our hotel, The High Line Hotel, is an accessible park, the Clement Clark Moore Park (he of “Twas The Night Before Christmas” fame); the grounds of the seminary and the hotel once belonged to the Moore apple orchard estate. Photos show a big swath of land and a grand country house; hard to imagine that here, now, in the midst of the all the concrete, storefronts and traffic. I hear that there is a reading of “Twas The Night Before Christmas” in the park on the last Sunday of Advent each year.

View from the High Line, NYC

The Hudson River Park is a great outdoor destination, with about 500 acres of space along the west side of Manhattan. The piers in the Chelsea neighborhoods are all accessible according to this site. Another place for views is along the High Line, a converted freight line that now serves as public space, runs overhead. See this map for accessible entrances to the High Line. The park is 1.45 miles long and runs from Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District to West 34th Street.

The Hotel Chelsea, on West 23rd Street, is being renovated and will open in 2015. Built around 1883, it’s a landmark and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Dylan Thomas died here, Sid Vicious’ girlfriend was found stabbed to death here, and it’s been home to Bob Dylan, Iggy Pop, Patti Smith, Brendan Behan, Mark Twain and others. This iconic hotel is worth a sidewalk viewing, at least it’s open to the public.

Since the mid 1990’s, many art galleries have re-located to Chelsea (many from Soho). There are several performance venues (Irish Repertory Theater, Joyce Theater and The Kitchen), although, interestingly, none of these performance venues listed any kind of information for the wheelchair-user. The Irish Repertory Theater is accessible but needs advance notice (call the box office) to put out a ramp at the front door. The Kitchen is completely accessible. The Joyce Theater is also accessible.

Greenwich, NYC

History lovers take note: Chelsea features prominently in the Manhattan Project and WWII. “In the early 1940s, tons of uranium for the Manhattan Project were stored in the Baker & Williams Warehouse at 513-519 West 20th St. The uranium was removed and decontaminated only in the late 1980s or early 1990s…” (Wikipedia). For more info on the development of the atomic bomb and uranium stored in Manhattan, see this New York Times article.

And do check out a copy from the library of Up In The Old Hotel by Joseph Mitchell, that veteran New Yorker, if you plan on staying midtown and venturing downtown. Mitchell wrote for The New Yorker from 1938 to 1996, and his book chronicles (mainly eccentric) people in a place (on the margins) that is rapidly vanishing to gentrification. His characters and the streets they frequent will inform your downtown trip for sure.

Downtown Manhattan

Making Yelp More Accessible

Posted on October 27, 2014 by Joanne Mead

Just entered my first restaurant review for Able Road, a website that aims to provide accessible information for anything about which you might write a Yelp review.

One of my pet peeves is how few hotels, restaurants, or other venues include information about accessibility on their website. How hard is it, really, to add this information to the “hours and directions” tab on the menu bar? The same goes for many guide books.

But then again, I guess I wouldn’t be writing this blog if including accessibility information was de rigueur.

(In case you’re curious, the review was for a great breakfast place called Craig’s Cafe in Quincy Center. My party and I can speak highly for the breakfast burritos and eggs benedict; plus, what’s not to like about free coffee refills? There is easy street parking, the front door is accessible, and the main cafe has wide aisles. The fly in the ointment? The bathroom is not only NOT accessible, but one must duck and weave through the kitchen and skid across the greasy floor to get to it. Maybe go for the burrito but definitely don’t go to the bathroom while you’re there.)

More Tea, Please

Posted on October 10, 2014 by Joanne Mead

Where can you enjoy a scrumptious tea AND view an ancient cuneiform tablet?

The Boston Public Library’s main branch, that’s where.

The McKim Building of the Boston Public Library was built in 1848 and has been named a National Historic Landmark. These cloisters surround the garden.

Marianne and I enjoyed the best tea yet (we’ve been sampling; see here) at the library’s Courtyard Restaurant. At $32 for full tea (that includes sandwiches and desserts), this is more or less on a par with the other high teas we’ve encountered in the Boston area, but the food is a solid 4 out of 5 (which out-ranks The Langham and Rowe’s Wharf, in our book). I will admit that a menu list that includes assam tea (as this one did) merits extra points from me. Assam, used in Irish Breakfast Tea, is rich and malty and welcomes a cube of sugar and splash of milk. Ideal for mid-afternoon tea breaks. But I digress.

The wait staff were attentive and responsive, and Marianne scored more macaroons for the road when we complimented the chef on their delicious-ness. The marble windowsills, black iron window grates (is that a gargoyle peering at me?), heavy candles squatting under over-sized bell covers, and black-and-white historical photos gracing the walls give off a kind, warm, and gothic sensibility. Enchantment. I can’t think of a better place to lose myself with a book for an hour.

If you take the T and use a wheelchair, there is an accessible stop at the library, and the Johnson building entrance, on Boylston Street, is accessible. It’s best to look at a map before you go, so that you identify workable entrances. It’s a big building to circumnavigate if you don’t have to do so. It’s also old, so be prepared for creaky lifts (or, as Marianne more aptly stated, “creepy” lifts).

I can’t help you if you drive. I parked in what might be the city’s most expensive garage (the Copley Square garage) because I could see the library from there, and I identified the curb cuts and walk lights we needed. There were a lot – really, a lot – of handicap parking spaces near the library but they were all taken. I found that somewhat suspect, but that’s an article for another day.

The Leventhal Map Center at the library is accessible, and although small, has beautiful images and is near the Courtyard Cafe. The museum has published a virtual brochure called Walk To The Sea, showing how Boston doubled over the centuries.

The Special Collections Room, on the third floor, is accessible by elevator. The librarian we encountered is a treasure trove of information. You must call or email in advance if you wish to see something from the special collection – George Washington’s Congressional medal perhaps? – but just standing amidst John Adams’ personal letters and books can be thrilling enough (Marianne might argue this statement).

The marionette collection, housed in an enclave right near the Special Collections Room, is a small but chilly family you don’t want to miss.

Still need one more reason to visit the library? The main branch, as well as many others (like the Newton Public Library), offers museum passes. You have to call in advance to reserve the passes. Like me, you might find some interesting places to explore in the winter months ahead. The Griffin Museum of Photography, anyone?

View from Boston Public Library’s 3rd floor

Having Tea in Boston

Posted on October 10, 2014 by Joanne Mead

Boston, MA has a long history with England, as you most likely know. Although we freed ourselves from her rule over 200 years ago, we have kept some of our legacy from across the pond, most notably perhaps, our predilection for tea (notwithstanding our equal and abiding love for Dunkin’ Donuts coffee).

This past summer, Marianne and I set to work reviewing high tea venues in Boston. It’s hard work, but someone’s got to do it.

Tea at The Reserve at The Langham Hotel is an elegant affair, served in a small, modern area off the main lobby, with ample space for a wheelchair to maneuver. Tea is served between 2-7 pm, which makes it easy to meet friends after work for something other than a drink (although they do serve a champagne tea, too, should you so desire). I found my tea weak, and I thought the selection was lacking. $34 does get you a fairly good selection of sandwiches, very good scones with clotted cream and lemon curd, and desserts, as well as a pot of tea. I’d give the food a solid 3.5 out of 5, 5 being the best. The restroom had big heavy push doors (no electric door openers). Moreover, the wheelchair-accessible stall was tight and awkward, although technically, it worked (except for the trash barrel, which was short and was opened by stepping on a foot pedal – not helpful if you use a chair). If you enter from Franklin Street, there are handicap-accessible electric door buttons. Parking is by valet, and the doorman was kind enough to let me leave my minivan right by the other hotel entrance. Again however, as in the bathroom, the doors are big and heavy – and have no electric openers. You’re not far (less than .5 mile) from Faneuil Hall and their Boston National Historical Park’s Visitor Center, should you decide to make a day of it.

A late-summer afternoon tea at Rowe’s Wharf is a treat. Tea is served at 2:30 pm inside, although we ordered ahead and my husband was able to eat what he described as one of the best lobster rolls he’s ever had (high praise coming from a connoisseur years in the making), while Marianne and I sampled the tea. The price tag is steep, at $39, and I’d say the sandwiches, scones and desserts are on a par with the The Langham Hotel (so a rating of 3.5 out of 5). Fairly predictable, except that Rowe’s Wharf tea does include a lobster pastry – nice twist on the seaside theme. The waitress and valet actually bumped the experience up quite a few notches: they both went out of their way to make Marianne’s experience pleasant, from letting us park near the fancy Maserati and Mercedes out front to personally escorting us to the handicap-accessible bathroom. (As at The Langham, there were no electric door buttons for those using wheelchairs, but at least the bathroom was spacious.) Another plus is that before or after lunch, you can roll and stroll for miles along the Boston Harborwalk (you can download a map here) and check out the New England Aquarium. The Aquarium can be busy, but it’s a family favorite and we find that you can enjoy quiet visits (call ahead and ask the front desk what they suggest for quiet visiting times).

There’s more tea to sample: The Courtyard Restaurant at the Boston Public Library, the Four Seasons Hotel and The Taj (although I have some trepidation about this venue based on the precious Teddy Bear Tea advertised on the website). Stay tuned.

Travels Near Sunday River, ME

Posted on September 22, 2014 by Joanne Mead

Winter is coming, oh yes, it is. I follow the weather blog of a family friend who predicts weather as a hobby, and although Pete says it’s too early to make an educated guess (watch for his predictions around November), the Boston area could have “a very memorable winter” this year. Coming from a hardened New Englander like Pete, words like these conjure up equate measures of elation (woo hoo! I love snow days!) and despair (but not too many snow days! how many exactly are we anticipating?).

In Bethel, Maine, the leaves are starting to turn, and it’s a beautiful time of year for a road trip to the Sunday River area before the snow hits the ground. On Columbus Day weekend, the Sunday River Resort hosts its annual fall festival. You can buy your season pass and check out the pre-season equipment sales, take in some great music and even better – participate in or cheer on the North American Wife Carrying Championship!! Seriously, this is apparently a very big deal.

Near the ski resort, you can wheel or walk in to the Sunday River Brew Pub, for good burgers, hearty and healthy salads and one of Stoo’s Brews (I heartily endorse the Sunday River Alt). A little further afield, but definitely worth the 30-minute drive to Rumford, is the Gone Loco No View Farm cafe and bakery. Annette, the owner, opens for the season in early October, and if the home-made chocolate she so kindly gifted us is any indication of her kitchen prowess, I will return this winter. The cafe is accessible by outdoor ramp. About a mile down the road is Mt. Zircon, a satisfying half-day hike or snowshoe destination – although you’d have to bring your own equipment if you needed modifications. The views from the top of this 5-mile round trip hike and a pit stop at the No View Farm are a rewarding exploration onto a little-traveled road in the Androscoggin River Valley.

Ruby Dog: a fearless hiking, snow-shoeing and couch-surfing companion

When looking ahead to winter fun, consider the programs offered at Maine Adaptive Sports. Their winter programs run at Sunday River in Maine, beginning in July, and we have had years of truly wonderful experiences with the staff. Through this link for the town of Bethel, Maine, you can do an easy search for rental properties (sea “handicap accessible” in the search criteria). Hope to see you there!

Travails of a Wheelchair-Traveller, or, Can We Come In?

Posted on August 11, 2014 by Joanne Mead

Transcript from a real conversation: Me: “Hi, my daughter uses an electric wheelchair, so I’m calling to find out if your building is wheelchair-accessible.” Proprietor: “Oh yes, we are definitely wheelchair-accessible. No problem.” Me: “Great, see you tomorrow.” Next day, at the building: Me at the front door which has a full step up into a questionably-narrow doorway, “Hi, can you tell me where your accessible entry is?” Proprietor, “This is it! See, there’s only one step up!! Can I help you lift the wheelchair?” Speechless me, “Ummm…..” And it doesn’t get any better online or in travel books either. For example, I recently bought Fodor’s Northern California 2014. There was not one single entry about wheelchair accessibility. A search in the index under “wheelchairs,” “disability,” or “accessibility” proved fruitless. Many hotels neglect to put any information about wheelchair-accessible rooms, and I find that restaurant websites can be even more negligent. Hence, the birth of my blog and perhaps, of a new (to me) review site called Able Road. I hope Yelp! buys it and incorporates the information. Able Road allows you to rate all manner of challenges to accessibility, including path of travel (internal), counters/bars/registers, and evacuation information. Yes, it’s good to know if there’s ADA parking and accessible bathrooms, but it makes for a truly pleasant dining or hotel experience if the internal path of travel is uncrowded and if you can access the hotel counter or register. I’ve spent a lot of time on the phone trying to ascertain the layout of our potential destination, but with Able Road, everything I need to know is available at a glance. (By the way, I just joined Able Road as a member, and you can read a review that TravelByWheelchair wrote for Laurelhurst Market, in Portland OR.)

The Mad River Barn Will Make You Happy

Posted on July 31, 2014 by Joanne Mead

“Hotels make you happy” said Marianne, as she settled into her bed last weekend at The Inn at the Mad River Barn in Waitsfield, Vermont. She might be right – at least, in a hotel like this one!

The Mad River Barn is under new ownership, and they’ve lovingly restored this old inn, including accessibility in these areas: guest room (sleeps three) and bath on the first floor, parking, pathways and front entrance, indoor dining area, outdoor patio and restaurant bathroom.

The aesthetic is both modern and re-purposed. The furniture lines are clean and the inn is uncluttered, and yet there is something interesting at every turn, from the old door shellacked and hung as art, to the wall signs made of brightly painted sprockets and the bathroom fixtures made of reclaimed pipe joints. The interior designer, Joanne Palmisano, has two books in print, Salvage Secrets: Transforming Reclaimed Materials Into Design Concepts and Salvage Secrets Design and Decor, both of which are on sale at the front desk or might be available from your library (the first is available through my library).

The halls, although they meet ADA standards, left only a little wiggle room for Marianne’s big electric chair, and I was nervous about marring the freshly-painted wood. (We left not a trace, I’m happy to say.) A smaller electric chair or a manual chair wouldn’t have an issue at all.

Breakfast was included in the very reasonable room rate of $140/per night, and I loved it that efforts were made to provide farm-fresh, healthy meal choices. The inn offers dinner as well, a nice choice for families who want to minimize the number of times they get in and out of the car! The dinner menu met a variety of diets, from the meat-eaters to half-size portions, kid menus, or filling salads. Vermont has several breweries in hot demand right now, and Mad River Barn serves up some of the best.

My only regret is that the upstairs lounge area is not accessible, and it looks like a lot of fun with oversized, cozy-looking chairs, a fireplace, game tables and big screen TV. This is definitely a family-friendly inn, and I hear that plans are underway to create a dog-friendly abode on the property as well.

The Mad River Valley is a great destination:

– Waitsfield is a good base from which to access the many programs that Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports has to offer, both summer and winter.

– Fall foliage season is right around the corner and Vermont’s scenic by-ways include lots of leaf-peeping, quaint covered barns, and idyllic-looking sheep and cows grazing serenely.

– Vermont’s Festival of the Arts runs in Mad River Valley from August 1 through Labor Day, and the Valley Arts Foundation took the time to compile a program that clearly delineates which venues are wheelchair friendly (and kid-friendly too!).

– Check out the Waitsfield Farmer’s Market on the green in Waitsfield on Saturdays, 9 am to 1 pm, mid-May through mid-October.

– We loved the Hen of the Wood restaurant in Waterbury when we dined there a couple of years ago. The Waterbury restaurant is not accessible but the newly-opened Hen of the Wood in Burlington IS accessible. The only catch is that the new and accessible restaurant is in Burlington, about an hour away.

What’s The Fuss about Seasons 52?

Posted on July 23, 2014 by Joanne Mead

Dined Monday night at Seasons 52 in Burlington, and I have to say, I don’t see what the buzz is about.

Yes, the flatbread is good. It’s nice that the menu is seasonal.

It’s also really expensive for otherwise mediocre food. I ordered the salmon; I’ve had better; same for the accompanying corn risotto. My husband had the steak salad; four small overcooked pieces of beef on a humongous mound of iceberg lettuce. I happen to know that I could have had 5 glasses of wine for the price of the one that I had (because I love Mer Soleil and I know how much a bottle costs). Marianne did give the lemonade two thumbs up, so that’s something. I felt like I had entered a re-fashioned Red Fish or some other chain restaurant of that ilk, outfitted now for an older crowd with a higher budget. Maybe it was the pop music playing (which certainly appealed to my 16-year-old), but it was incongruous for a restaurant presumably marketed to the 40+ crowd.

To top it off, it’s faux accessible. Meaning that for a new restaurant, they’ve crossed some items off the list: accessible entrance, bathroom and some seating areas, ADA-parking spaces nearby. But the tables are packed so tightly in the main dining room that it is an obstacle course to enter or leave. (As witnessed by the very pregnant, very lovely woman who had to get back up – after just settling comfortably into her chair – so that Marianne could get by.) The bar area, off to the right, is not accessible at all; the tables are either high tops or are set onto platforms (so they are effectively high tops).

Seasons 52 Burlington feels like a mass-marketed chain restaurant with a lackluster, over-priced product and an uncomfortable space for a wheelchair-user. I think we’ll spend our dining dollars elsewhere next time.

Anchorage, Alaska Is Surprisingly Accessible

Posted on July 15, 2014 by Joanne Mead

Alaska is the home of the grizzly bear, avid fisher-folk, cruise-ship mavens, hipsters and artists, and the highly-caffeinated. It is not, in general, an easy state for a wheelchair-user to navigate, but Anchorage stands out as an oasis. (In the summer, that is.)

I prefer big hotel chains for accessibility, because they tend to be more predictable. The downtown Hilton Anchorage was bleh and expensive but accessible. (I do, however, thoroughly applaud the usefulness of their website for wheelchair travelers. If only all hotel websites were this descriptive!)

I would suggest staying downtown, as the sidewalks are wide, wheelchair-friendly, and there are many well-timed pedestrian walk lights (meaning that you can actually get across the street before a rented Jeep or truck with mounted gun-rack mows you down).

You can easily spend a day or two in Anchorage. Here’s what I’d suggest:

– drink espresso (Kaladi Brothers is accessible and excellent) but skip Side Street Espresso (terrible latte and so-so egg burritos)
– eat the salted caramel ice cream at Fat Ptarmigan (their pizza establishment next door gets great reviews, and they’ve got locally brewed beer too)
– visit the Anchorage Museum (couldn’t peel my 13-year-old from the interactive science displays, had a fantastic meal at Muse in the museum, appreciated the multi-faceted display on Alaskan culture, was transfixed by the earthquake monitor and tsunami display on the second floor; GREAT exhibit on ocean trash, photo below)
– go on Saturday to the Anchorage Market and Festival (it’s accessible and you can find art, jewelry, crafts, clothing, food and more food). Loved Octopus Ink‘s clothing and crafts (they have a shop and are represented at the Saturday market too — or you can buy online)
– motor or wheel on the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail (11 miles of views, although check on the status of the bridge before you go; if it’s still out, your trip on pavement will be considerably shorter)
– indulge your inner outdoor-enthusiast and go shopping at 6th Avenue Outfitters

From Anchorage, drive the Seward Highway for some breath-taking views and wheelchair-friendly pull-outs (some even have ADA port-a-potties). National Geographic published a piece with suggested places to stop on the highway.

Anchorage and its surrounds provide an adventurous day or two (maybe three) if you’re a slow walker or wheelchair-user. Those long daylight hours of summer give you even more time to get around, and the abundance of espresso shops can only help keep you motoring along.

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