Last thursday as i was walking out of the office my boss asked if i had room in my schedule to take on a pretty huge project...that might require travel to California. I said, sure...even though i wasn't sure, i was thinking that i was pretty busy at work and even busier with non-work stuff...but with the state of my company and wanting to make sure i was involved in high visibility stuff...i decided it was something i needed to do. come friday i was booking my flight to Los Angeles for the following monday morning. well really it barely counts as morning since i was up at 4:30, gross.
got to LAX an hour early...thought it was just me mixing up the time zones, but nope, that pilot must've been in a bit of a rush. got to see the grand canyon on the way in and also witness the insane smog over LA, really couldn't believe how thick it was or how defined the line was up against the mountains. Picked up my first ever rental car (i'm such a big girl) which was a new 4 door hatchback ford focus...and as much as it hurts my soul, i've gotta admit it was a much nicer car than i thought! Synced my phone to bluetooth, called mz, used my favorite app ever (google navigation - only reason i can't commit to iphone yet) and then headed out to conquer the 405 to Irvine. Insanely huge highway but luckily it was early afternoon so the traffic wasn't bad and everyone seems to know how to drive out there!
took a detour onto route 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) around Seal Beach and took that through Newport Beach. I was really put off and surprised by the area around Huntington Beach. The oil rigs right off shore were kinda ugly but there weren't too many...BUT right on the other side of the highway had a lot of energy plants and oil derrick looking things...really weird and made me feel like the beach was dirty, even though it looked pristine.
Made it to Irvine in a little over an hour and headed straight to work. It was a loooong day and by the time I checked into my hotel I wasn't really up for a driving around too much so I drove to the University of California at Irvine. Why? Because i figured it would be a safe area (not that I ever saw any sketchy areas near Irvine, but it was my first day, i had no clue) AND because there was an In 'N Out Burger there! I'd heard so much about that place...but in the end left a bit disappointed :-/. Think i'd prefer a 5 guys, sorry to say. Guess it's just one of those things you have to try though!
Instagram pics over on the right side of the blog...
more of the trip to come!
Showing posts with label iTravel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label iTravel. Show all posts
5.23.2012
5.10.2012
Road trip to the District
...no, not district 13, although that would be pretty interesting.
Last weekend we braved the beltway and headed to Washington, DC to visit Huzie in his new place. He lives in an AMAZING penthouse apartment in a really cool up-and-coming area of DC that you can tell is going to be THE spot to live in the next year or so. It's still in the early stages but there's a beautiful park and tons of construction going on that preserves many of the original factory/foundry/etc buildings that (i think) used to all be part of the Navy Yard.
Although we arrived nearly past my bedtime on friday, we headed out to grab some grub at the ugly mug over by the Marine barracks. we sat outside and enjoyed the wonderful weather and then got a special treat (aside from the tater-tots). there was some event going on across the street and we caught a glimpse of the silent drill platoon spinning their shiny rifles while listening to the marine corps band! it really made for a great night! they even had all of the street lights partially covered during the event and it just gave you the feeling of being in pleasantville.
Saturday was Cinco de Mayo, so of course we had to eat....KOREAN BBQ!!! from a food truck! i didn't actually eat anything mexican, such a travesty. BUT we were at Trucko de Mayo (which we were all convinced was really trucko de mayo.naise) so it was totally okay that we weren't shoving our faces with guacamole. before that we had spent the morning in georgetown...which i loved, obvi...and that night we crossed into virginia to hang out in Old Town, Alexandria which also was F.U.N!! and full of ice cream :).
Sunday we had an gut-busting breakfast in Arlington before heading to Arlington National Cemetery to do lots of walking and searching for Huzie's great-great-uncle who was buried there. some videos in case you want to feel like you were there. ignore the shaky camera work, i was limited to one hand for a bit.
check here for pictures! and check out my instagram feed (to the right) for even more pics!
check here for pictures! and check out my instagram feed (to the right) for even more pics!
4.11.2012
a little rhody easter
totally out of order of things i need to blog but i wanted to get these pictures up before it was june!
we spent easter in rhode island and it was a bit thrown together as nana was in the hospital until saturday (after over 20 days in that place, ick). mz and i decided to do our best to keep easter going even though we weren't sure who could/would attend. so thankful that i had blogged our easter recipes from last year because they were sure fire items that were easy to make and quite tasty! mz grilled up the lamb, mom made some potatoes, i made a ricotta pie (didn't work quite as well as last year!) and heated a ham for good measure.
when it was all on the table it looked like we had been planning it all along...and we ended up filling the dining room with family and friends, which was very nice!
the rest of the weekend was spent driving around RI, making pasta and collecting sea glass down at nana's. i also fell hard on the rocks...first time ever, must be because i'm so dang old now. i'm obsessed with sea glass, always have been...luckily i had some great helpers on my treasure hunt!
click here for more pictures!
i got the kitchen aid pasta attachments for my bday and we've used them 4 or 5 times already, so in love!! thanks to my awesome brother&sister-in-laws!!
we spent easter in rhode island and it was a bit thrown together as nana was in the hospital until saturday (after over 20 days in that place, ick). mz and i decided to do our best to keep easter going even though we weren't sure who could/would attend. so thankful that i had blogged our easter recipes from last year because they were sure fire items that were easy to make and quite tasty! mz grilled up the lamb, mom made some potatoes, i made a ricotta pie (didn't work quite as well as last year!) and heated a ham for good measure.
when it was all on the table it looked like we had been planning it all along...and we ended up filling the dining room with family and friends, which was very nice!
the rest of the weekend was spent driving around RI, making pasta and collecting sea glass down at nana's. i also fell hard on the rocks...first time ever, must be because i'm so dang old now. i'm obsessed with sea glass, always have been...luckily i had some great helpers on my treasure hunt!
click here for more pictures!
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| little beach! |
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| beavertail lighthouse |
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| sister & CT |
4.02.2012
mercer museum
when my parents are in town it's always a bit of a challenge to find something to do that's new and exciting...there are just so many things to pick from and so little time to pack them in to a quick weekend visit. it takes a little extra creativity when the weather's going to be rainy and chilly, but i found a quirky place up in doylestown, pa that was awesome!
now doylestown is a place i'd love to live but i rarely frequent because it's nearly an hour from my house, so it's not one of my go-to places...might need to change that. there are so many charming houses with historic elements like original gas burning lanterns that are still going strong. totally different feel from the city or my neighborhood.
and tucked into the town is the Mercer Museum. it was built to showcase every trade imaginable and the tools associated with the industry. Henry Mercer was really an astounding guy and the concrete castle that he constructed was amazing. i think we could've spent the entire weekend exploring it! next time gotta hit henry's house and the tile factory museum that we only drove by. here are some of the pictures from inside the museum (click here for more!):
we also walked around town and through the neighborhoods but my fingies were chilly so the camera stayed in my purse!
the night ended with a very tasty meal at Bar Savona...finally got to cross that off of my restaurant wish list! only about 15 more to go!
now doylestown is a place i'd love to live but i rarely frequent because it's nearly an hour from my house, so it's not one of my go-to places...might need to change that. there are so many charming houses with historic elements like original gas burning lanterns that are still going strong. totally different feel from the city or my neighborhood.
and tucked into the town is the Mercer Museum. it was built to showcase every trade imaginable and the tools associated with the industry. Henry Mercer was really an astounding guy and the concrete castle that he constructed was amazing. i think we could've spent the entire weekend exploring it! next time gotta hit henry's house and the tile factory museum that we only drove by. here are some of the pictures from inside the museum (click here for more!):
the night ended with a very tasty meal at Bar Savona...finally got to cross that off of my restaurant wish list! only about 15 more to go!
10.23.2011
girls' weekend in boston
just wrapped up another wonderful weekend with family. my aunt, uncle and nana came to visit for a few days and we had a lot of great food (ate here & here and made this) and just as many laughs :). didn't take any pictures though, so instead i'm going to recap another awesome weekend...last weekend in boston with my mom and sista...where i also took zero pictures, but luckily K had her camera handy!!
got into boston much later than expected last friday night, due to terrible rain storms, but still managed to have a great evening at local 149. it was such a bustling place and the food was delicious!! plus there was an awesome pumpkin beer (pumking) on tap that tasted like heaven.
the next day, mom drove up to meet up with us and brave the windy streets of beantown. we put on our walking shoes and headed to the open loft event that kara had read about (she had everything planned and made up a cute agenda(er) for us! so thoughtful!!). we went to the Fort Point Open Studios event which was really neat...after we got over the initial shock that 'open studios' truly meant what it said...that artists (young and old) were opening their studios (i.e. their homes in many cases!) to the public. Totally fascinating to see some of the loft spaces and how people transform them in such different ways based on their art. so glad we didn't chicken out and actually went into a bunch of the lofts!
we also spent some time in the firefighter's museum in the fort point area and got a whole lotta history about firefighting and the great boston fire (maybe a little too much from the man who had little to do ;-) ) before heading over to the Mothers' Walk and Faneuil hall where we were nearly boiled alive and then through a movie scene that was completely littered with busted car parts!
saturday night we had a scrumptious morrocan-esque dinner while listening to some live jazz at The Beehive!
on sunday we went to the most wonderful place of all...the SoWa market!! kara and mom had been and i was pretty jealous when i heard about it, so i was thrilled that they were willing to go back when i was in town! so much to see (and eat), we could've been there all day!! we all left with unique recycled silverware bracelets (by John Atkinson) that i can't get enough of...he sells in boston, ri, vt and then fl in the winter months...send him an email to track his jewelry down, you'll be glad you did! thank goodness we did so much walking that weekend because we also ate at the south end buttery for brunch as well as here and here...and the food was decadent! such a fun weekend, so sad when they fly by so quickly!
more pictures here!
got into boston much later than expected last friday night, due to terrible rain storms, but still managed to have a great evening at local 149. it was such a bustling place and the food was delicious!! plus there was an awesome pumpkin beer (pumking) on tap that tasted like heaven.
the next day, mom drove up to meet up with us and brave the windy streets of beantown. we put on our walking shoes and headed to the open loft event that kara had read about (she had everything planned and made up a cute agenda(er) for us! so thoughtful!!). we went to the Fort Point Open Studios event which was really neat...after we got over the initial shock that 'open studios' truly meant what it said...that artists (young and old) were opening their studios (i.e. their homes in many cases!) to the public. Totally fascinating to see some of the loft spaces and how people transform them in such different ways based on their art. so glad we didn't chicken out and actually went into a bunch of the lofts!
we also spent some time in the firefighter's museum in the fort point area and got a whole lotta history about firefighting and the great boston fire (maybe a little too much from the man who had little to do ;-) ) before heading over to the Mothers' Walk and Faneuil hall where we were nearly boiled alive and then through a movie scene that was completely littered with busted car parts!
saturday night we had a scrumptious morrocan-esque dinner while listening to some live jazz at The Beehive!
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| love these ladies!! |
on sunday we went to the most wonderful place of all...the SoWa market!! kara and mom had been and i was pretty jealous when i heard about it, so i was thrilled that they were willing to go back when i was in town! so much to see (and eat), we could've been there all day!! we all left with unique recycled silverware bracelets (by John Atkinson) that i can't get enough of...he sells in boston, ri, vt and then fl in the winter months...send him an email to track his jewelry down, you'll be glad you did! thank goodness we did so much walking that weekend because we also ate at the south end buttery for brunch as well as here and here...and the food was decadent! such a fun weekend, so sad when they fly by so quickly!
10.02.2011
OCNJ 2011: a day at the beach...
...is better than a day just about anywhere else! even if it's gray and rainy and the ocean looks like it could eat me alive. i love everything about being at the beach...listening to the crash of the waves in the morning, smelling the salt air, attempting to tame my hair that gets fluffier by the second, the beach can do no wrong in my eyes!
mz's family rents a house in ocean city, nj just about every year after the summer season is over. it's a great time to be at the beach without all of the traffic and tourists. we were lucky enough to take a few days off from work and spend 5 days down there this year...i did a whole lot of reading on my kindle, which was so nice and relaxing:
while mz and his brothers did a whole lot of this:
talking/debating about the most foolish things on earth...like how to properly stuff an olive with blue cheese.
we did get some pockets of sun and we took advantage of those days the best we could! lots of beach walking and even spent some time on the boardwalk watching the ocean city air show - complete with wing walkers!
the waves were crazy and created so much foam...kinda looked like abby was out for a stroll in the snow!
perfect day for kiteboarding, there were about 30 of them out on sunday. i really want to try this next year!! who's with me?!
view from the house on 45th street.
it helps to act like a bird in order to get the best pictures of them...or i just like to do weird things. :)
a few more pictures are hiding here.
mz's family rents a house in ocean city, nj just about every year after the summer season is over. it's a great time to be at the beach without all of the traffic and tourists. we were lucky enough to take a few days off from work and spend 5 days down there this year...i did a whole lot of reading on my kindle, which was so nice and relaxing:
we did get some pockets of sun and we took advantage of those days the best we could! lots of beach walking and even spent some time on the boardwalk watching the ocean city air show - complete with wing walkers!
a few more pictures are hiding here.
9.09.2011
San Francisco: the sights
before i start in on the stuff we did (other than eat), i realize i forgot something from the food post...Off the Grid! While we didn't actually go to this food truck gathering, it sounded amazing so kinda sad we didn't have time to fit it into the schedule.
okay now on to where we went...really easier to say where we didn't go since we walked all over that city! we didn't make it to the Mission district (supposed to one of the top 10 new restaurants in the country) or to haight-ashbury, but other than that you name it and we saw it! we walked through fog, wind, a little rain and a few moments of sun....prepare for every type of weather if you're heading to the city by the bay...we'd be sweating on one block and then wrapping ourselves in sweaters and scarves on the next. true story.
here are some highlights (or you can just click this link for the pictures if you don't want to read!):
Alcatraz Tours - book in advance and make sure it's a day that you're willing to be tolerant of a million nincompoops all trying to take in this site.
Golden Gate Park - this place is enormous! we walked through most of it and then got picked up by david to get to the beach for lunch. while you're in there, check out the conservatory of flowers (even if you don't want to pay to go in, there are nice flowers outside). it also houses the deYoung museum...again we didn't pay to go in, but you can go up to the top of the observation tower to get a view of the city. the botanical garden, arboretum, buffalo paddock and model boat yacht club can be found in this gem too. really wish we had something like this, even on a slightly smaller scale, around PA!
Union Square - it seemed like there was ALWAYS something going on here, very cool spot and just so happens that our cousin is going to be doing a dance performance there later in the month!! tons of nice stores around there as well...some way out of my price range but many 'normal' stores that just seemed larger than life since there are a lot of flagship stores there.
Golden Gate Bridge - duh. we walked about halfway across and had to battle a lot of confused looking tourists and bikers, but it was a great experience!
Fisherman's Wharf - we walked through this area on our way to dinner and that 5 seconds was more than enough to let me know i never needed to go back there! haha very very commercial...kinda like the jersey shore boardwalk stores on crack.
Ferry Building - although crowded, i loved this place. reminded me of chelsea market in NYC but with an amazing farmer's market. we went here a couple of times, including saturday morning when the market wraps around the entire building...be sure to make it to the back of the market too, we almost missed it!
Muir Woods and Mount Tamalpais - you'll need a car for these trips (and a whole lot of 'parking karma'). awesome trees and gorgeous views...only wish we had brought better hiking clothes so we could've done more exploring. we drove to the top of mt. tam and walked the path around it and soaked up the (obnoxious!) sun :).
Thanks to Uncle David, we were able to see much more than we ever would've expected. We drove through the Presidio, including the palace of fine arts and Legion of Honor, and through a few different towns across the bay. I'm so thankful that he was willing to put up with our touristy ways for a couple of days!!
I stayed in a terrible hotel the first few nights when I was there for the conference. Thought for sure i was going to get murdered in the place or jumped on my 2 mile walk from Japantown to the Moscone center each morning, but luckily I survived! For the weekend we moved over to a nicer area and a grand, old hotel with newly decorated rooms; big improvement!
A few final words of advice - pack layers (LOTS!) and wear good shoes. mostly everyone there wore flats or TOMS, the style is very laid back and functional compared to other big cities. Also, I downloaded the GuidePal San Francisco app for android to use in conjunction with my fave phone thing ever - google maps - and it was pretty decent for a free app.
And last but not least, here are the PICTURES!! Enjoy and happy weekending! :)
okay now on to where we went...really easier to say where we didn't go since we walked all over that city! we didn't make it to the Mission district (supposed to one of the top 10 new restaurants in the country) or to haight-ashbury, but other than that you name it and we saw it! we walked through fog, wind, a little rain and a few moments of sun....prepare for every type of weather if you're heading to the city by the bay...we'd be sweating on one block and then wrapping ourselves in sweaters and scarves on the next. true story.
here are some highlights (or you can just click this link for the pictures if you don't want to read!):
Alcatraz Tours - book in advance and make sure it's a day that you're willing to be tolerant of a million nincompoops all trying to take in this site.
Golden Gate Park - this place is enormous! we walked through most of it and then got picked up by david to get to the beach for lunch. while you're in there, check out the conservatory of flowers (even if you don't want to pay to go in, there are nice flowers outside). it also houses the deYoung museum...again we didn't pay to go in, but you can go up to the top of the observation tower to get a view of the city. the botanical garden, arboretum, buffalo paddock and model boat yacht club can be found in this gem too. really wish we had something like this, even on a slightly smaller scale, around PA!
Union Square - it seemed like there was ALWAYS something going on here, very cool spot and just so happens that our cousin is going to be doing a dance performance there later in the month!! tons of nice stores around there as well...some way out of my price range but many 'normal' stores that just seemed larger than life since there are a lot of flagship stores there.
Golden Gate Bridge - duh. we walked about halfway across and had to battle a lot of confused looking tourists and bikers, but it was a great experience!
Fisherman's Wharf - we walked through this area on our way to dinner and that 5 seconds was more than enough to let me know i never needed to go back there! haha very very commercial...kinda like the jersey shore boardwalk stores on crack.
Ferry Building - although crowded, i loved this place. reminded me of chelsea market in NYC but with an amazing farmer's market. we went here a couple of times, including saturday morning when the market wraps around the entire building...be sure to make it to the back of the market too, we almost missed it!
Muir Woods and Mount Tamalpais - you'll need a car for these trips (and a whole lot of 'parking karma'). awesome trees and gorgeous views...only wish we had brought better hiking clothes so we could've done more exploring. we drove to the top of mt. tam and walked the path around it and soaked up the (obnoxious!) sun :).
Thanks to Uncle David, we were able to see much more than we ever would've expected. We drove through the Presidio, including the palace of fine arts and Legion of Honor, and through a few different towns across the bay. I'm so thankful that he was willing to put up with our touristy ways for a couple of days!!
I stayed in a terrible hotel the first few nights when I was there for the conference. Thought for sure i was going to get murdered in the place or jumped on my 2 mile walk from Japantown to the Moscone center each morning, but luckily I survived! For the weekend we moved over to a nicer area and a grand, old hotel with newly decorated rooms; big improvement!
A few final words of advice - pack layers (LOTS!) and wear good shoes. mostly everyone there wore flats or TOMS, the style is very laid back and functional compared to other big cities. Also, I downloaded the GuidePal San Francisco app for android to use in conjunction with my fave phone thing ever - google maps - and it was pretty decent for a free app.
And last but not least, here are the PICTURES!! Enjoy and happy weekending! :)
9.08.2011
San Francisco: the food
since it's dinner time and i'm starving, i figured i'd start my trip recap with the places we ate around town. plus, when you really get down to it, food can really make or break any vacation! i had a LOT of great recommendations and unfortunately not enough time to take them all in, but we ate our fair share...and luckily walked a good deal to burn off all of that deliciousness!
Thirsty Bear - went there with some work peeps before the metallica concert...great apps and tapas style bar food. some spanish style cuisine, but had something for everyone (even our iowa constituents!). dessert was awesome with a funky flair...candied corn (like real deal corn) on the side of a cheesecake...mint/pea sauce with a chocolate torte. strange but oh so tasty!
The Slanted Door - holy cannoli, this place was so flippin' tasty. very fresh and modern, right on the water in the ferry building. super duper busy so we just sat at the bar for lunch - which was an excellent choice because the bartenders in sanfran really take pride in their craft. more people seem to order cocktails in this city and with outstanding bartenders everywhere you go, you could see why!
Mamacita - found this through a google search for top mexican restaurants while on the ferry back from alcatraz. we thought we were going to be out of luck since open table said there weren't any reservations available....but the coolest thing we found in sanfran was that many of the restaurants don't take reservations on the weekends and even if they do they always hold a certain number of tables for walk-ins...so we walked right in and had some exceptional tacos. we also were glad to have found this place because it was in a great area that reminded me of a grown up manayunk.
Rose's Cafe - it quickly became clear why michael's cousin picked this spot when we went for dinner...a little neighborhood feel and jazzed up home cooking made it a winner!! everything was delectable, even down to the ridiculously flavorful olive oil.
Yogorino - this was right near mamacita's, too new to find in googlemaps...loved their gelato but steer clear of the barley flavor (what?! ew, gross. it's supposed to be dessert, it doesn't need to be THAT healthy!)
Beach Chalet - we went here for lunch with michael's uncle david who was the best tour guide ever! can't thank him enough for showing us around and making the trip perfect! there was live (very loud) music on the back deck so we sat upstairs and enjoyed the view of the beach...which looked incredibly cold!
The 'Balb' - one of david's many local haunts which had phenom risotto! the menu is not what you would expect from the street, but it more than impressed, try it out!
Il Fornaio - mmm, who doesn't love italian food?! seriously, so good and the fastest service ever! plus, after our meal we walked through a fountain in Levi's Plaza which was such a fun experience!!
Yank Sing (Rincon Center location)- oh my! be prepared to first wait for a table and then be completely bombarded with some sensational dumpling selections. i've never been for dim sum but it's always been on my list...never really worked out timing wise or hunger wise so i was really excited to stuff my face in a james beard award winning spot!
Delarosa - we only sat at the bar to rest our feet and grab a drink on our last day in the city, but the drinks were excellent (and do i need to mention the fab bartenders again?!) and the menu/food passing by looked awesome.
Susie Cakes - don't know why they don't mention the gorgeous pies in their name because those things looked baked to perfection!! totally down to earth place without any frilliness, just honest to goodness tasty cupcakes with the right amount of frosting. salted caramel apple and strawberry were our cupcakes of choice for a much needed afternoon snack.
Our last meal was at David's house...believe me, it was like something out of a magazine shoot. Gorgeous french utensils and wonderful homemade minestrone soup. So impressive!! Maybe if you're nice he'll invite you over while you're there :).
Other places that were recommended but we didn't have a chance to try were:
tadich grill
kokorri
swan oyster depot
hog island
sears fine food - so sad we didn't get to go to this spot (right across from our hotel) but the line for breakfast was INSANE!!
just a note - while the menus in some places were a little pricey, every place we ate was well worth it...and nothing was fancy dress wise so it made it all that more enjoyable!
the one place we didn't eat...but made me laugh every time we passed one...which was like every 5 seconds because they were everywhere:
Thirsty Bear - went there with some work peeps before the metallica concert...great apps and tapas style bar food. some spanish style cuisine, but had something for everyone (even our iowa constituents!). dessert was awesome with a funky flair...candied corn (like real deal corn) on the side of a cheesecake...mint/pea sauce with a chocolate torte. strange but oh so tasty!
The Slanted Door - holy cannoli, this place was so flippin' tasty. very fresh and modern, right on the water in the ferry building. super duper busy so we just sat at the bar for lunch - which was an excellent choice because the bartenders in sanfran really take pride in their craft. more people seem to order cocktails in this city and with outstanding bartenders everywhere you go, you could see why!
Mamacita - found this through a google search for top mexican restaurants while on the ferry back from alcatraz. we thought we were going to be out of luck since open table said there weren't any reservations available....but the coolest thing we found in sanfran was that many of the restaurants don't take reservations on the weekends and even if they do they always hold a certain number of tables for walk-ins...so we walked right in and had some exceptional tacos. we also were glad to have found this place because it was in a great area that reminded me of a grown up manayunk.
Rose's Cafe - it quickly became clear why michael's cousin picked this spot when we went for dinner...a little neighborhood feel and jazzed up home cooking made it a winner!! everything was delectable, even down to the ridiculously flavorful olive oil.
Yogorino - this was right near mamacita's, too new to find in googlemaps...loved their gelato but steer clear of the barley flavor (what?! ew, gross. it's supposed to be dessert, it doesn't need to be THAT healthy!)
Beach Chalet - we went here for lunch with michael's uncle david who was the best tour guide ever! can't thank him enough for showing us around and making the trip perfect! there was live (very loud) music on the back deck so we sat upstairs and enjoyed the view of the beach...which looked incredibly cold!
The 'Balb' - one of david's many local haunts which had phenom risotto! the menu is not what you would expect from the street, but it more than impressed, try it out!
Il Fornaio - mmm, who doesn't love italian food?! seriously, so good and the fastest service ever! plus, after our meal we walked through a fountain in Levi's Plaza which was such a fun experience!!
Yank Sing (Rincon Center location)- oh my! be prepared to first wait for a table and then be completely bombarded with some sensational dumpling selections. i've never been for dim sum but it's always been on my list...never really worked out timing wise or hunger wise so i was really excited to stuff my face in a james beard award winning spot!
Delarosa - we only sat at the bar to rest our feet and grab a drink on our last day in the city, but the drinks were excellent (and do i need to mention the fab bartenders again?!) and the menu/food passing by looked awesome.
Susie Cakes - don't know why they don't mention the gorgeous pies in their name because those things looked baked to perfection!! totally down to earth place without any frilliness, just honest to goodness tasty cupcakes with the right amount of frosting. salted caramel apple and strawberry were our cupcakes of choice for a much needed afternoon snack.
Our last meal was at David's house...believe me, it was like something out of a magazine shoot. Gorgeous french utensils and wonderful homemade minestrone soup. So impressive!! Maybe if you're nice he'll invite you over while you're there :).
Other places that were recommended but we didn't have a chance to try were:
tadich grill
kokorri
swan oyster depot
hog island
sears fine food - so sad we didn't get to go to this spot (right across from our hotel) but the line for breakfast was INSANE!!
just a note - while the menus in some places were a little pricey, every place we ate was well worth it...and nothing was fancy dress wise so it made it all that more enjoyable!
the one place we didn't eat...but made me laugh every time we passed one...which was like every 5 seconds because they were everywhere:
9.01.2011
Scenes from the streets...
...and inside the massive Moscone center where I'm attending the salesforce.com Dreamforce conference.
This event is so wild, I know it's nerdy but I've definitely been drinking the kool-aid this week and am so excited/impressed by everything this conference and company has to offer!
8.29.2011
next stop, san francisco...
but for now I'm in the Denver airport chomping away at an overpriced slice of 'za that was one of the few "safe" choices I could find without going to a sit down restaurant!
I flew Frontier airline here and it was great!! Would def recommend it if you're coming to Colorado or just have to make a stop on your way across the country. I volunteered to gate check my bag...since the aftermath of Irene meant completely packed flights...and it totally paid off! Not only did I get to board early but they also gave me tv/movie for free (they have directTv in flight) and my bag will be waiting for me at the gate in SF. So easy! Oh and frontier comes around with warm chocolate chip cookies after beverage service, how exciting is that?!
Say hello to misty, my arctic fox travelling buddy (she's just chilling at the end of the wing and on the tail)...wish I was out there with her instead of sitting next to a lady that smelled like dirty soap. Ick.
Looked like it was a gorgeous day in Denver...need to get back here for a trip! Love that the airport looks like cirque du soleil dancers are waiting inside to welcome you :).
Can't wait to be in California!!
8.25.2011
a stroll down memory {card} lane
typically i upload my pictures from my camera as soon as i get home.
we went to Phillies Picnic in the Park! So cool...well really like a million degrees that day, but really fun experience to be out on the field. oh yea, just so happened to have a root canal that day, yuck...hence the awkward crooked smile below. 401 love!!
tried out the miniature effect on my elph, fun fun!!
we went to the lovely wedding of our triathlon friends tom & jess..
michael wore a bow tie, which he felt uncomfortable about at first...even brought a 'back up' option...but i think he rocked it! apparently he decided to try to eat me..
sat with some cool kids...lauren & chris...
on another random day, i did something weird and mz took a picture of it, go figs...
woosh...and then we were swept away to rhody for a long weekend that included a 10 mile road race (go us!) and a trip to the Breakers (newport mansion)...
we also were surprised with a delicious Brickley's ice cream cake and an awesome bride & groom biking cake topper for an early anniversary celebration. thanks sistas! wish i had that cake right now, i'd eat the entire thing!!
what else...oh yea, this little guy turned THREE! seriously?! wow, so old, can't believe it!! he celebrated by eating as many fruit snacks as possible, pretty impressive...
alex decided it would be fun to drive on the lawn...excellent chauffeur service
in between triathlon training took place plus lots of eating and drinking...but nothing else photo worthy...so that's it!
sometimes i keep a couple on my camera just for smiles.
every once in a while i just plain forget and pictures get 'stuck' on my memory card for ages...especially when i leave my camera in the closet to sulk.
so here's what you've been missing in the past few weeks...or months. eek!
epically long picture posts begins now:
what else...oh yea, this little guy turned THREE! seriously?! wow, so old, can't believe it!! he celebrated by eating as many fruit snacks as possible, pretty impressive...
california pictures will be making an appearance on the blog starting next week (i leave Monday morning, please don't mess that up Irene!)...but they'll be phone pics and mobile blogs for the most part. i'm sure in another 4 or 5 months after i get back i might get some of the actual pics off of my memory card ;-).
have a great weekend...stay safe with all of this crazy hurricane activity going on!!
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