Richard "Dick Parno" P.'s Profile

I gave Diddy Riese 2 stars for 2 reasons:

1.) This joint doesn't accept debit/credit cards.  What's up with that??  I seldom carry cash on me...and now I owe one of my friends um, $1.50 for the ice cream sandwich I ordered.  I know it's only $1.50, but it's a matter of principle.  It's the 21st century for cryin' out loud! ;)  

2.) Instead of traveling 35 miles down to Westwood and pay $5 for parking (even though I wasn't the one who drove), I could just go down to the local Albertsons market and buy a bag of Chips Ahoy cookies and a gallon of vanilla ice cream...and BAM!  Diddy Riese ice cream sandwich right there.

Would I go back to this place again?  Only if my friends wanted to.  Would I commute here by myself?  NO.

Today, I ate at Kalbi Burger for the first time, and totally dug it!  I ordered--surprise, surprise--the Kalbi Burger...which has the most delicious meat patty outside of In-N-Out restaurant and the Five Guys burger joint.  I ordered the Kalbi Burger combo...which I'll order again if I ever go back to this side of downtown L.A.

The only downside of this combo was that I ordered regular fries to go with it.  Two of the three friends who I went to Kalbi Burger with ordered chili fries (at around $2 extra... I paid $10.92 for my meal).  I'm gonna order that with my combo next time...though chances are I'm just gonna grub on the chili and leave the fries on the plate.  Oh well.

Korean food rules!  For the most part. :)

Since I usually go to Shik Do Rak with my friends, and they're the ones who order the meat, I'll just point out that the food is REALLY delicious.  It's worth the wait (since there's usually a long line outside the restaurant) to um, watch my friends cooking that delicious beef and chicken on the stove in front of us (a la Benihana).  Korean BBQ is AWESOME.  I'd definitely go back again...and again... :)

Oh, and to top things off after having Korean BBQ for dinner, you get a free cup of yogurt from the cashier after paying for your meal.  Nice.

I went to this ice cream joint only once, but I must say I dug the sundae that I bought.  It was your typical vanilla sundae covered in chocolate and sprinkles (topped off with a cherry, obviously).  Nothing fancy...though next time I need to order a smaller size since I could barely finish this sundae...despite how good it tasted.

Would I go back to Strickland's Ice Cream, you ask?  You betcha'!  It gives me a reason to take a little road trip since I live about 30 miles from Irvine. :)

I've visited a Kogi BBQ truck 3 times so far.  For the first visit, I ordered 2 Kogi chicken tacos.  They were delicious but not enough to fill me up.  For the second visit, I ordered a spicy pork burrito.  This one was very delicious...but the short rib burrito that I ordered during my third Kogi trip was better.  Possibly because it didn't have that much sauce on it, nor was it spicy.  (Yes I know, isn't that the reason why I got a spicy pork burrito in the first place??) :)

The next time I stop by a Kogi truck, I'll probably get Kogi sliders or the Kogi dog.  But as one of my friends advised me, I'll continue to bring my own bottle of water so I don't have to dish out $1.50 on a beverage from the truck.  Not to sound cheap or anything.. That is all.

I stayed at this Super 8 when I was in Florida from February 7-10 of this year, and in terms of basic amenities like bed and breakfast, it gets the job done.  I don't know if it has wi-fi service (but seeing as how this isn't a 5-star hotel like, say, the Peabody Orlando, it probably doesn't), but I didn't bring a laptop computer with me...so it doesn't matter.  I also didn't expect a flat-screen HDTV monitor, but I 'did' expect a tidy room when I checked in, and I wasn't disappointed.  The bathroom was clean, the bed sheets looked as white as snow (I know, cheesy), and at least the room came with a microwave and a refrigerator.  And the maid always left behind a mint candy after cleaning my room each day while I was out.  That was cool.

In terms of nitpicking, there isn't much...seeing as how this is a motel I'm reviewing.  If I 'was' to nitpick, I'd point out that I wished they served hot breakfast like bacon and scrambled eggs in the lobby...instead of cereal and cinnamon buns that I ate for the 3 days I was checked in.  Also, I wish the inn was in an area where there were a lot more things to do.  There was a biker bar across the parking lot, or at least I thought it was a biker bar, but I'm not a biker-dude.  And I'm not really a drinker.  At least there's a gas station nearby.

If you need lodging that's relatively cheap and the people working there being very nice, then this is the inn to go to.  If you were hanging out in the Titusville/Orlando area, that is.  That's all.

For those of you who enjoyed spending time at Kennedy Space Center and its Visitors Complex, I hope you didn't forget to drop by the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame...located 6 miles east of the complex, on NASA Parkway.  I didn't really spend a lot of time at this place (it closed at 6:30 pm and I showed up at 6 pm), but the gist of it is that all of our American astronauts are honored for their devotion to human spaceflight.  Among the things they have on display is the actual Apollo 14 space capsule.  That was pretty cool, and so are most of the items sold in the gift shop.  

Your ticket to get into the KSC Visitors Complex will also get you into the Hall of Fame...so it definitely doesn't hurt to check out this exhibit while you're near Cape Canaveral.

Being a huge space aficionado since, well, the 3rd grade, I'd have to say that visiting Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is one of the coolest experiences of my life!  I went to the spaceport on February 8 and 9 of this year, and it was a thrill to see an actual shuttle out on the launch pad.  Even though the orbiter itself was concealed by a protective gantry (in NASA parlance: a Rotating Service Structure), I took lots of pictures of space shuttle Discovery on its pad (Launch Complex 39A).  I also took many photos of the sister pad, LC-39B, which is located about a mile away from 39A.  What is cool about 39B is the fact it was currently being retrofitted for the Constellation Program (which calls for NASA to send astronauts back to the Moon by, hopefully, 2020).  Three new 600 feet-high lightning towers were being constructed at the Pad (two of the three towers are now complete), and they will serve as protection for the Ares-1 rocket, which will replace the space shuttle in 2010 and hopefully become operational by 2015.

If you're a huge space geek like I am, you need to set aside at least two days if you want to visit every area that you can at Kennedy Space Center.  On my first day of visit (Feb 8), I took the tour that comes free with the general admission ($38 per adult, $28 per child).  With this tour, you visit the LC-39 Observation Gantry (which is located about 1 mile from Pad A and 2 miles from Pad B), the Apollo/Saturn V center (where you can take a glimpse of an actual Saturn V rocket on display) and the International Space Station Center (technically called the Space Station Processing Facility).  What makes this tour pretty cool is that you can stay at any of these sites for as long as you can...until the final bus shows up and you have to return to the KSC Visitors Complex, that is.  Till 5:00 pm, buses show up at each tour stop around every 15 minutes to drop off and pick up visitors.

On my second day of visit (Feb 9), I took the NASA Up-Close Tour...which is the best tour you can go on if you want to see actual rockets on the launch pad.  Excluding general admission, the tour costs $21 per adult and $15 per child.  But what makes this price worth it is the fact you are driven to an area that allows you to take glimpse of launch pads at the neighboring Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.  Also, you are taken to the KSC Industrial Complex where parts for the space shuttle are fabricated, and where the Space Station Processing Facility is located.  After that, you are driven to an area between Pads' 39A and B that give you a great view point of the two launch complexes.  Not only that, but you are driven close to the Vehicle Assembly Building...which has been in existence since the Apollo era.  You are obviously given time to take pictures of this structure, which is in fact, the largest 1-story office building in the world (to quote my tour guide).  And lastly, the Up-Close Tour takes you to one of the world's longest runways: the Space Shuttle Landing Facility.  Although passengers were not allowed to get off the bus and step onto the runway itself, it was nice to see in person the landing strip where one of the most complex spacecraft ever made returns to Earth as a glider.  A 100-TON glider, that is.  The Up-Close Tour lasts for about 2 hours, so take as many photographs as you can while being driven by bus to these various areas.

All-in-all, it is definitely worth going to Kennedy Space Center.  If you're planning to go to this historic site, GO SOON...especially if you want to see the space shuttle in person.  As of right now, this technological marvel will be retired next year.  See it while you can.

I ate at this restaurant yesterday, and I must say that the food is pretty darn good.  I recommend buying the 'freshly ground Hamburger Steak'...which, despite its name, is just a steak but one that is totally tender and delicious.  Even when using a butter knife, I was able to easily slice several pieces.  This entree, which I didn't have to wait long for, comes with rice pilaf and baked potatoes.

As appetizers, you get a bowl of salad and cheese bread.  The cheese bread is really good.

The only gripe I have about this restaurant is the interior lighting.  It's pretty dark inside.  Most of the interior of the resaurant is lit by hanging red lamps.  I understand the need to create ambience, but a few more light bulbs inside the Inn wouldn't hurt.  That's all. ;)

Back when I went to Maui in May of 2000, one of the biggest highlights of my trip was visiting the Haleakala National Park.  The park surrounds a dormant, 10,023 feet-high volcano on the eastern side of Maui.  What's cool about the park is that you get to travel all the way to the summit of the volcano.  The view from the top of this mountain is beyond description.  To make an understatement, the scenery from high above is AMAZING.

I'll never forget standing atop the summit of the Haleakala volcano (also known as the East Maui Volcano).  A thousand feet below is a reddish landscape pockmarked with several volcanic craters.  If you ever wanted to visit Mars, standing on this landscape would make you think you were really there.  I'm actually NOT exaggerating.  And beyond the landscape, across the horizon, are layers of clouds that span across the Pacific Ocean.  Did I mention that the clouds are BELOW you?  That's how high up you are.  

To put it in perspective: If you ever go skydiving, you normally jump from an altitude of 10,000 feet.  So if you strapped on a parachute and jumped off the edge of the East Maui Volcano, it would take you the same amount of time to freefall (60 seconds) as it would if you leaped out of a plane.  If that ain't crazy...I don't know WHAT is.

What was amazing about being on the summit of the East Maui Volcano (also known as the Haleakala Crater, haha) is the fact that it was still warm enough for me to wear shorts...which I did!  There was a considerable breeze, but I wasn't shivering when I was walking around the summit.  In terms of what's on the summit, there's a viewing tower where you can hang out inside (and escape the breeze) and gaze at displays that show what kinds of animals, insects and vegetation are found across the Haleakala Crater.  There's also a table that has a stack of free certificates (at least when I went) that commemorate your visit to this park.  Just write or type your name on the certificate, and you have something to frame on your wall back home.

Across from the viewing tower are a series of observatories used by the U.S. Air Force and astronomers.  Seeing as how I'm a huge astronomy and military buff, it sure would've been cool to take a look inside those observatories.  Unfortunately, this area was gated off.  Oh well.

One thing to keep in mind if you ever visit Haleakala National Park is the long windy road you have to take to drive up to the summit.  BE CAUTIOUS: Mountain bikers will constantly speed past you as they head downhill on the opposite lane.  Other than that--oh, and drive slowly on the way down to avoid burning your car's brakes--be prepared to have a very memorable experience being high above the clouds, and feeling like you're on another planet as you visit the Haleakala Crater.  Or East Maui Volcano.  Whatever you want to call it, haha. =)