Atlanta - Pho#1

If you've never tried Pho -- both the restaurant and the dish -- you've got to visit Pho #1 at 4051 Buford Highway in Atlanta. It's consistently rated as one of the best restaurants in a town loaded with Asian cuisine. Pho #1 is my kind of place. Unpretentious. Efficient service. Not much in the way of ambiance (unless you like the Vietnamese singers on the big-screen TV). But wonderful food.

My favorite dish there is Bun, a salad with rice noodles and a stir-fried topping, but this week the remnants of a head cold called for chicken soup (pho).

I ordered the medium sized bowl with all white meat chicken (#25 on the menu). Fresh basil and cilantro, bean sprouts, slices of jalepeno pepper, and lime came on a separate dish to add to the soup as I wished. The soup itself is simple -- a rich chicken broth with a generous mound of rice noodles, slices of chicken breast, some green onions floating on top. It was just the thing for this stuffy head.

Other sizes of soup are also available. It's $4.50 for a small bowl, $5.25 for the medium bowl, and $5.95 for the extra-large bowl. Incredible price for a meal out, and wonderful fresh quality.

August -- a great time to visit the South

Yes, August is hot and humid here in the South -- but so are June and July.

What sets August apart is that many of our Southern schools start up again in August. So tourist destinations, especially those that appeal to kids, have smaller crowds.

Now is a great time to catch a last-minute vacation to the beach, to the mountains, or to a Southern city like Atlanta. You'll find fewer lines and better deals. Just bring along a jacket -- to wear in overly-air-conditioned shops, theaters, and restaurants.

Ireland -- tips

We've been home a few days, getting through the mail and over jet lag. I may post more about the trip later, but I wanted to make sure I got these tips online.

Shopping:

Europeans in general are more conscious about the environment than we Americans are. Take your own bags when grocery shopping, or be prepared to pay 30 cents or more per bag

We found restaurants prohibitively expensive in Ireland, so we had picnics a lot. But most grocery stores don't carry plastic cutlery. When we finally found a deli counter, they charged about 20 cents for a flimsy fork and knife (no spoon). Next time we'll take the plastic cutlery from the airplane meal on the flight over.

Recycling is much more extensive than here. Even food packaging is recycled. Try to fit in and recycle while you're there.

You'll need a Euro coin to disengage the shopping cart for your use. When you return it, you'll get your Euro back.

Clothing:

Be prepared for cold, rainy weather anywhere in Europe (except maybe the most southern countries) anytime of year. Most of our time in Ireland I was comfortable in a long-sleeved shirt and polarfleece jacket (in June). On rainy days I added an undershirt and a hooded windbreaker. On really sunny days I could pare back to a tank shirt and capris. To us Atlantans, it felt like winter weather.

This trip I had two pair of cotton pants (both black) and a pair of denim capris. With an assortment of shirts, I could layer up or down as needed. For shoes I had my athletic shoes and a sturdy pair of sandals. I could fit all my clothes (with room for souvenirs) into one carry-on bag. Pants can go several wearings without being washed. Take shirts you can wash in the sink if needed. (Shampoo works fine for this.)

Be prepared to walk. If the shoes hurt after a couple of blocks, leave them at home. And know that cobblestones and high heels are not a good mix.

I have never needed a skirt in Europe. Nice pants will do for most occasions. I wore black pants, a sweater, and a scarf to Ireland's National Concert Hall. Others were dressed better, but my outfit was not out of place.

Odds and ends:

You can buy most anything you need in Ireland -- moisturizer, shampoo, contact solution, band-aids. The only thing that might be hard to get are non-prescription medicines. I didn't have to get anything in Ireland, but I know from our time in Germany that simple medicines like Tylenol may be by prescription only. So pack a few of whatever non-prescription meds you might need, especially Pepto Bismol chewables. They work for a host of tummy troubles.

Advice:

Courtesy and a smile go a long way. The Irish were very kind to us -- helping us buy tram tickets, lending us a cell phone when we needed taxis on a rainy night, giving us directions when we were lost. In Ireland it seemed like everyone we met had either traveled in the US, or had relatives here or in Canada. Makes us all seem like family.

Sláinte!

(Cheers in Irish)