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My wife and I grew up in Northern New York so we both know that there is only one place to go when we are craving a sub. The magical sub shop we have both eaten for years and grew up with is Jreck Subs . Jrecks is a popular sub shop that many people from this area will testify is ten times better then any sub shop around, including Subway.

Jreck Subs was started in 1967 by five school teachers from Carthage Central School here in Northern New York. The name Jreck was created by combining the first letters of the five creators names. Their motto,

A Meal for Your Money – not a snack

is definitely not an understatement by any means. The really pack it on thick.

The thing that makes Jreck Subs so great is their bread. The bread is delivered daily so you know it is fresh and has a taste that is just addicting. Their prices are fair and the food is just great. I should know, I have eaten there about four times in the past two weeks since I have been home. I guess I will try to get as much of it as possible before moving away for another three years.

They have quite the selection of subs which are offered on the menu as either hot or cold. Another great thing and probably the icing on the cake is their fast and friendly service. You really cant beat it!

If you are in New York and happen to stumble upon a Jreck Subs, check it out for yourself and experience what I have loved for years.

What would a trip to Honolulu, Hawaii be without taking the time to visit and appreciate the thousands that gave their lives for our freedom at Pearl Harbor?

On our recent trip to Honolulu we decided to do just that and spend a day at Pearl Harbor to learn and experience more about that horrifying day that happened nearly seventy years ago.

The surprise attack by the Japanese on December 7, 1941 was very important because it would do the opposite of what the Japanese expected. This attack did not destroy our country’s will, it would unify our nation during this tragic time and eventually lead to the U.S. involvement in WWII.

The Pearl Harbor area consists of several different memorials including the USS Arizona , USS Missouri , USS Bowfin , USS Oklahoma , and the Pacific Aviation Museum . One vital piece of information to remember is that all of these locations ban bags from being carried in. This includes purses, camera bags, and shopping bags. Don’t worry, they give you an option to check your bags for a price of three dollars per bag. I would suggest packing only the essentials when you visit the memorials if you want to save a couple extra dollars. If you are into photography and carry a couple of lenses with you, wear something like cargo shorts so you can stuff an extra lens in your pocket like I did.

It was somewhat eerie to be standing in the same location where some much death and destruction occurred 68 years prior. I was pleased to see so many people waiting to pay their respects and visit each memorial just as we were. It is important that we remember and honor those who sacrificed so much to provide the freedoms that we all enjoy today.

We spent nearly six hours visiting the different memorials and I think we still could have spent several more hours or even another day to truly experience it all. I would suggest getting their early if you want to beat the crowds and take your time at each location.

I wanted to share some of my photos from our trip. I hope you enjoy and all get the chance to visit Pearl Harbor.

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One thing about living in Japan that I loved so much was the curry. I would have to say that my friends and I ate CoCo’s curry at least twice a month when we were in Japan. This being said, you can understand how heartbreaking it was to leave and know that I wouldn’t have this ever again.

Today I made a quick stop at the CoCo’s curry house here in Honolulu and the inside was similar in design to the CoCo’s I ate at in Japan. I was pleasantly surprised when I looked at the menu and noticed under favorites was my favorite dish, chicken katsu curry with cheese. The price was only $7.50, about two dollars cheaper than Okinawa.

One big heartbreak was when I asked for level four spice and they said,

sorry, only regular or no spice available here

I ordered regular spice and it arrived about two or three minutes later. The curry looked so tasty and I couldn’t wait to savor every last bite. I started to feel that people around me were noticing my curry madness so I decided to dig in and stop making eyes at it.

All of the build up and excitement led to curry that just wasn’t up to par. The chicken was different and even something as simple as the cheese mix was off. Because I like my curry somewhat spicy and they only prepare "regular spice" my curry didn’t have the kick and same great taste that I enjoyed for the last three years.

My biggest advice is that if you want Japanese curry, go to Japan!

You will notice that even though I didn’t think it was as good as it is in Japan, I still cleaned the plate.

Helpful Information

Hours/Phone

Hours: Fri-Sat 11am – 11:30pm & Sun-Thurs 11am – 11pm

Phone: 808-949-4590

Location

Location: 1450 Ala Moana Blvd Honolulu , HI 96814

I will start off by saying that I am definitely not a beer connoisseur nor do I claim to know more about beer than the next guy. I am just another guy that likes drinking beer and decided that while I was here in Hawaii I would try and find some local brews to try. One of the local brews that I found at many restaurants and also in local stores was the Kona Longboard Island Lager made by the Kona Brewing Company .

The first thing I noticed about the Kona Longboard lager was the great aroma it presented. The smell was grainy with a hint of fruit. I found Longboard to be quite smooth tasting with a slight sweet and spicy taste. Overall, I really enjoyed the Kona Longboard lager and would recommend it to others. I purchased it from a local store for about $9 for a six-pack.

My only wish would be more time so I could try some of the other Kona Brewing Company brews.

Another great thing I enjoyed about the beer was that under every bottle cap was a Hawaiian saying with an English translation. It is a gimmick that I really think is fun and interesting. So, go out and grab some Kona Longboard Lager if you get the chance.

It has been about two days but I wanted to let everyone know that the Kimball family made it safely to beautiful Hawaii.

The weather here is a big change from the weather in Tokyo and we absolutely love it. We are staying in Waikiki right near the beach…boy!

Here are a couple of pictures from our first couple days here in paradise!

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Our last night in Tokyo we decided to check out a place I found while doing my recent photowalk in Ginza. The place I speak of is a pretty popular and famous destination that goes by the name of Sapporo Lion Beer Hall.

The Sapporo Lion Beer Hall located in Ginza is Japans first and oldest beer hall, built in 1899. Even more surprising is how this beer hall has managed to stay standing after the massive air raids by allied bombers during WWII. The fact that this place still exists is enough for me to check it out.

We arrived around 7 p.m. and it appeared that every table had someone occupying it. It was busy but we got right in and seated. The bottom floor has very tall vaulted ceilings and an almost Gothic styling that I enjoyed. Towards the back of this massive room was a mural that covered nearly half of the wall. I thought the mural really added a lot to the atmosphere and brought the restaurant together nicely.

Upstairs was a little less crowded but it still had crowds of  excited people enjoying a cold beer. After speaking with a waiter, the difference in the floors is the menu. Supposedly, the first and second floors have somewhat different menus. I didn’t get a chance to check out the bottom floor menu but I will take the waiters word for it.

As far as the food went, I had the beef stew and thought that is was surprisingly good. It could have been the two large boots of beer that accompanied my stew though. My wife had some fondue, but I don’t think someone can really mess up fondue.

Another great bonus was every boot of beer I ordered came with a little ticket that I had to open to reveal a prize. Apparently, I won both times and received four ¥500 off tickets which I gave to the party of people sitting next to us. It was our last night and we knew we wouldn’t be back , so I figured the nice people next to us would really appreciate a couple free beers on the gaijin couple.

As far as last nights go, we are pretty happy we stumbled upon the Sapporo Lion Beer Hall. The atmosphere, food, and especially the beer were all worth while.

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Here are all of the photos from the Sapporo Lion Beer Hall.

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Have you ever wondered what 4:30 a.m. would smell like in Tokyo? Well, today it smelled like a whole lot of fish!

With my second trip to Tokyo quickly coming to an end, I decided to wake up early and head out to the very popular Tsukiji Fish Market here in Tokyo. If you have no clue, Tsukiji Fish Market is one of the largest fish markets in the world. Tsukiji handles nearly two tons of marine product per day and that is evident if you have ever been there during the busy times.

I was surprised that I didn’t see as many tourist as expected until just after 7 a.m. One important thing to remember is Tsukiji is a market and people are there to buy and sell products, so stay out of the way if you can. My biggest advice to anyone interested in checking it out is to get their early and stay out of the way of the people and all of the moving carts.

The best part about all of this is that it is absolutely free. That’s right, free! When you are done checking out the tuna auction and various marine life, go eat some of the freshest sushi you’ll ever eat at one of the local vendors in the outer market.

Here are some of the photos from my trip to Tsukiji Fish Market.

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Here are more photos from my day at the market.

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I haven’t had my camera out as often as I planned since arriving here in Tokyo. So, tonight I decided to take a walk around the hotel and snap a couple photos.

To my surprise, there is something to shoot almost everywhere I turned. I love the endless photo possibilities that a city like Tokyo presents.

Here are a couple photos of my walk around the Ginza area.

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