The Lake Effect Diner

This blog is named eat write create, but you'd be correct in assuming the focus on "eat" has been somewhat missing. Let's correct that now. The captain and I ate at a wonderful diner yesterday, one definitely worth a shout-out.

Do you ever watch Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on the Food Network? The captain and I are regular viewers and have been to a few of the places featured in the show. And now we can add another one to the list.

When I saw the episode featuring The Lake Effect Diner in Buffalo, NY, I recognized it immediately -- we had driven by it before and I'd always wanted to give it a try. Yesterday morning, while we were driving down the highway headed for a day trip in Buffalo, we discussed where we would go for a late breakfast and the Lake Effect came up in the conversation. So, after crossing over into the U.S., we headed straight there.

Unfortunately, I took no pictures of the food, but I did capture some iPhone photos both inside and outside. It's a very cool old diner car that is extremely photogenic.

As for the food, it was wonderful. The captain ordered a seemingly standard breakfast item, bacon and eggs. But -- oh! -- that bacon. The captain generously shared some with me and I can report it was thick and meaty, with a slight hint of maple. Delicious. As for me, I ordered the eggs benedict. Homemade hollandaise, perfect peameal. Yum!

The menu covers breakfast, lunch and dinner and the desserts sound wickedly good. Apparently, they make a banana split with deep-fried bananas. We will have to return soon to try that!

Photo ops

My neighbour has bought himself a wonderful old Mercury truck.Costco has the most gorgeous roses.What could I do but capture it all with my iPhone?





(As always, click on each photo to see a larger version.)

Finding time for my iPhone

It's been some time since I've shared a few iPhone photos. So, without further ado, here are some of my recent shots. In case you were wondering, Tippi discovered this piece of fence post (first picture, below) somewhere on our property and it is now her pride-and-joy. As you can see, she is slowly but surely demolishing it.

And thanks to Leslie for modelling her beautiful hand!

These are all straight out of my iPhone, first edited with some app or another (my usual suspects, like Toy Camera and Lo-Mob). I brought them into Photoshop only to apply the watermark. (If you click on each, they'll be a bit bigger.)

Oh, about that alien vegetable above ... I wish I had taken a photo of the sign but I think it was called a Peanut Pumpkin. Or a Peanut Squash. Very creepy.

It's iPhone time

Yes, I've done it again: found a new app (or two) for my iPhone. They just keep coming, don't they? Just when I think I couldn't possibly find another image-editing app I could use, I come across one I absolutely, um, need. And you know I'll share the scoop.

First photo, above. I took this photo of Toronto's famous CN Tower while at the Blue Jays baseball game at the end of April (the dome was open at the time). As I often do, I used the Toy Camera app, set on random. Toy Camera and Hipstamatic seem to be my go-to apps.

I then brought the picture into the Lo-Mob app, an amazing tool everyone should have on their iPhone. It offers a huge selection of choices from grunge to vintage, such as ttv frames and instant camera styles.

Next, another picture I took while at the baseball game. Again, I used the Toy Camera app, set on random. I enjoy the surprise factor when using the random setting; for this photo, the app selected a black-and-white appearance. I then brought the photo into my newest app, FotoMuse. Using that app, I heightened the contrast and then applied the "textures" (the app calls them Layers and Borders). That's it; easy peasy.

I need to find some time to play with these apps extensively!

iPhone news

We interrupt this ongoing Chicago travelogue for some breaking news: I have discovered a new iPhone app! (Oh dear. I can hear a collective groan. Would it help if I told you it's only 99 cents?)

I was having a look through the numerous Flickr groups to which I belong earlier today when I spied some photos that I thought were taken with an iPhone. I wasn't sure because the effect wasn't familiar. Turns out the photographer was using an iPhone; he'd made his photos look shabby and worn using an app called Pic Grunger. Of course, I had to have it!

It's very easy to use -- you just open up an existing photo in your Camera Roll, then choose from several grungy effects. Simple as that. (Should you choose to get this app and have a 3GS iPhone, like me, make sure you go into your Settings, scroll down to find the listing for Pic Grunger, and tell it you have the 3GS; this apparently ensures you get the proper resolution.)

Both photos above were ones I had taken using the Hipstamatic app. The captain and I were out for dinner with our son's girlfriend the other day and she and I thoroughly appreciated the crayons on the table; photographs were taken (are you surprised?). I think every restaurant should provide crayons!

The crayon image was created in Pic Grunger using its "acid" effect, while the wish image features "cracked".

This photo was taken using the ShakeitPhoto app, while I waited in the car as the captain ran some errands. I love taking photos wherever I am. Tonight, I brought the image into Pic Grunger and chose "streaked". I don't use ShakeitPhoto often, likely because I tend to immediately tap on the Hipstamatic app when I reach for my iPhone. Shakeit is fun; you get to shake your iPhone as you "process" the photo!

Lastly, this photo was taken as we were driving around, using the Toy Camera app (set on random). I then launched the CameraBag app and applied the Lolo effect. Then, tonight, I brought that into Pic Grunger and chose "blotched".

One photo -- three apps! Using multiple apps on one image is fairly new to me, but I think I'm going to be doing it with great frequency. I really like the results.

Travels with my iPhone

My trip to Chicago last week was the first vacation for my iPhone. I didn't use it as often as I would have liked as it was too awkward to try to manage both it and my regular camera at the same time. I most often pulled the iPhone out when I was sitting down -- in the airplane, for example, and in restaurants -- although I did whip it out of my purse on occasion when the mood struck.

All square images in this post were taken with the Hipstamatic app, while the others were with the Toy Camera app, set on random.

Bella Bacino's is a terrific Italian restaurant about three blocks south of our hotel, located in "Chicago's New East Side" or so the sign read. We thought we were in The Loop, so who knew?

The cocktails at Bella Bacino's were splendid, while the salad and pizza were delicious; Leslie and I ate everything. One wall is completely lined with the wooden panels from wine crates, an attractive touch, as were the colourful padded bench seats stretched down one side of the restaurant.

Here's a tip for the next time you're on a lengthy walkabout and need to stop for refreshment. Try having a smoothie instead of something with caffeine. Leslie and I stopped at a small Japanese takeout joint across the street from Utrecht Art Supplies called Osaka Express; we had reached that point in the afternoon where you feel you've hit a wall.....tired, thirsty, in need of a break. These fruit smoothies were an incredible energy boost, more rejuvenating than a coffee ever would have been.

One of the treats of this trip was getting to visit a diner I discovered by watching Diners, Drive-ins and Dives on the Food Network. I so wanted to eat at Glenn's Diner and was very happy when Leslie was interested too. Fresh seafood is the specialty -- Leslie's halibut and my sturgeon were proof-positive of the chef's expertise with fish -- but I think we were perhaps most delighted by our before-dinner drink. More on that below.

The restaurant's low lighting was charming but proved troublesome for my iPhone; shooting in such a dark space was quite problematic. I did learn that by switching the lens in the Hipstamatic app I could generate better results.

Now, about that drink. My Big Fat Bloody Mary is an absolute must should you ever visit Glenn's Diner. Not only is it a deliciously spicy concoction, it is also generous. It is served in a large milkshake-style glass, rimmed with what I believe was celery salt mixed with old bay seasoning. The drink includes a wedge of lime, a large celery stick, a large carrot stick plus an enormous half-moon of melon. But that's not it. Five large shrimp are also skewered inside your drink. Yes, five! It is truly an appetizer pretending to be a cocktail. I don't think I will never find another bloody mary to top this one!

A GOOD Friday at the diner

Scenes from the diner, outside and in. All photography courtesy of my iPhone.

TOY CAMERA app

TOY CAMERA app

HIPSTAMATIC app

There are, alas, no food photographs. Why? I forgot. For those who need to know, the captain had a waffle with fruit, while I had fish'n'chips. With coleslaw. It was all very yummy. And of course, we had coffee.

TOY CAMERA app

HIPSTAMATIC app

HIPSTAMATIC app

HIPSTAMATIC app

Ah, the hands I love. Sneaky little iPhone.

Lovin' my iPhone

I guess I'm one of the cool kids now -- I've joined the iPhone club. Like most of you, I've had a cell phone for ages (I got my first one back in '94), but I've never been a fan. But this baby? I love it. It's easy to use, the variety of apps is astonishing, and the camera is so much fun. Above, a shot taken with the Hipstamatic app. No photoshopping whatsoever, except to add the title. That is straight from the iPhone, including the square crop and the faded edging. It's all done by the Hipstamatic app.

The Toy Camera app produced this gem. Again, this is straight from the iPhone with no photoshopping. I have this app set on random, so I never know what to expect. So far, it's been a blast.

I can see it now. This iPhone photography is going to be addictive!