Taking off to Hawaii!

I know it has been a few days since I last posted. I have been working/preparing for Hawaii! Few new, out of the normal, events in my travels today.

I met an awesome dude when I got to the airport. We checked in,  went through security, and ended up having airport dinner together! Normally when I go to catch a flight, I'm focused on making sure I check in properly and get to my gate with plenty of time to spare. This was a welcome change of pace!

Other new thing: I just landed in Hawaii after 5 hours of chasing the sunset! Aloha! (Yes I'm going to rub this in over the next few days - too excited!)

P.S. I'm posting from my phone so pictures will all be caption-less for a while

Home for the next few nights :)

Funk Skate in Golden Gate Park

One of the many reasons I love this city... an unplanned afternoon treat!

Gotta love their style, and the fact that the ones super into it are 20 years older than me. I think they know the secret to happiness :)

(Pause and let it load to avoid pesky interruptions!)



Enjoy this sunny afternoon!

Chinese New Year Parade, Stock In Trade, Comstock

One of my absolute favorite things is a parade! The streets are full of people and families in good spirits, anxiously lining up long before the first band starts marching. I loved being a band nerd in high school, participating in our local parades (Clarinet, in case you were wondering), so maybe that's why I look forward to hearing the kids play music, everyone dressed up in bright colors, and the theme of each parade shinning through! 

Of course, this parade did not disappoint - after all, it's the Year of the Snake! Happy Chinese New Year! (I actually learned in the cab ride home tonight, that the Chinese New Year Parade originated in San Francisco to draw tourism, and people from China have come just to view it. Parades have now started in China to celebrate in imitation!) So I stood for and hour and a half, just to watch the first 45 minutes of the parade, before rushing to my next stop of the night. Perks of watching from the parade's beginning point: the awesome firecrackers they set off (see picture of bright sparks below!). Also, as I began looking for a cab to dinner, I was able to walk down Market Street and see all of the floats that were waiting to start the route, including the Big Dragon that comes at the end (another lesson from tonight's final cab driver: it's bad luck to go to the parade and not see the Dragon! So, I'm glad I passed by! Also - these kids spend all year prepping for this parade - it is like a sport and an art and an honor. Super cool). So I got to see most of the 3 hour parade within an hour!

See a few pictures of the parade below! I felt like an amazing photographer in the moment, only to find that most of my pictures are garbage. I guess that's not my calling!

Next stop of the night: Stock In Trade. Brand spanking new bar/restaurant in the Marina district. It is absolutely huge. Perfect for large party gatherings/birthday celebrations. There were about 9 of us tonight, so it worked out well. Oh - and they have a Bocce Ball course set right in the middle of the bar. I apologize for the horrid picture, but you get the idea. The food was good, nothing to write home about, but decent. Server was nice and overall good experience. It's loud, so I think I'd only return for large group outings/bocce ball :) Or maybe just to get hammered :-P

Huge dessert - like an elephant ear with whip cream.
Or maybe it was ice cream... not sure.

Last stop for this girl was Comstock. Very cool, classy bar. The picture pretty much says it all. Also - live string music from above your head (see blurred picture [sorry!]). I'd return to this one. Food going to tables looks pretty tasty too! As always, I have to be the responsible one and get some shut-eye for work in the morning. Night, night!

One Medical

As I said in my previous post, I've been feeling sickly for a few days. So I tried out a new doctor's office today: One Medical. Best experience ever at a doctor's office. Same day appointments and never wait past your appointment time. Pretty dang cool. And where do you go that has the waiting area as nicely decorated as this? Not what you'd expect from your typical experience. Awesome.

Prioritizing Life

I am home sick from work today, and therefore not doing anything fun. Instead, I'll share a video from a time management training seminar about putting the important things in your life first:



Here's another way to look at it, if the previous one didn't do it for you (I particularly like the last added item in this one... won't spoil the surprise for you_:



Enjoy and hopefully I'm well enough soon to share more adventures! Otherwise maybe I'll have a flashback to a fun activity in the city from before I started this blog :)

Have a good weekend!

Mayacama Day 2: Rest & Relaxation

Today - I had the luxury of being as introverted as I wanted to, guilt -free, as I was surrounded by beauty and it was raining. I slept in (which to me, means 7:30am) - not hard to do when you're sleeping on this bed....

After a quick breakfast and some morning lounging, I made my way to the gym. I didn't really get into the work out until Bad Company shuffled onto my playlist. It was hard rock from there on out and that felt good! The locker room at this place is amazing, so a massage chair and long shower later, I returned to the villa and basically spent the whole day laying in front of the fireplace, catching up on all of my favorite TV shows. Oh yeah, and got to take a swim in this baby... (I think I need one in my house)

No better way to end the day than to drive back to the city for an evening movie! Silver Linings Playbook - much better than I anticipated, actually laughed through most of it - check it out! And enjoy other random pictures of Mayacama below.

Small portion of their vast wine collection

Back of the Clubhouse looking over the golf course

The Villa

Mayacama Day 1: Body Scrub, Driving Range, Hike

View of the clubhouse from my hike

This place is amazing. I more than needed a get away from the city, and Mayacama, a members-only resort just north of Santa Rosa, has thus far been the perfect way.

I drove up early to start my day with a body scrub and massage. Never have had a scrub, but now I would choose it every other spa visit (I like trying new treatments with each new spa). They used a grape seed scrub and I can't get over how amazing it felt.

Driving Range

Bobcat Footprint
(I'm told it looks like
a handprint... who knows!)

After lunch, I hit the driving range. I am no golfer and needed much instruction to finally have a few decent hits. 9 iron was my best shot ( damn you driver!!) I putted a bit too before changing for my hike!

Tomorrow will bring rain, so I had to fit in hiking the trail before dusk today. It is about 1 hour long, 45 minutes if you are speedy. I completed the hike in 35 minutes due to pure terror. Bobcats and coyotes scatter across the property and I was spooked - so I more or less jogged the entire hike.  Well, when possible - it's very up and down and up and down and necessary to stop to take pictures.

           No better way to end the night than with a glass of Syrah and perfectly cooked Sole next to a warm fire.  Kindle is about to be pulled out. Good night :)

Even if you  can't make a great escape to a private location - taking some time for yourself to go to your local spa, golf course, or hiking hot spots can be relaxing and beneficial to your well-being. And of course, a glass or two of wine has never hurt
anything!

Columbarium, Open House

Today I did not intend on finding anything new. However, my choice of walking Jagger daily during Lent (he's not my dog fyi), led me to a few surprises of the day.  

First, we stumbled upon a Columbarium. In case you don't know, that is the place where you'd keep human ashes after cremation. Definitely a beautiful building I would not have otherwise sought out.

Next we found an open house! One of my favorite Sunday activities is to look at houses (I get that from my mom). I hadn't done so since moving here, so that was a welcome afternoon treat! This house was particularly interesting because it was built in the 1930s, so the architecture was very unique to me. The middle of the house has a tiny courtyard, so that the surrounding rooms all get a healthy amount of sunlight. Very cool.

Taking an overnight trip tomorrow!  Stay tunned!

Suppenkuche, Marlena's, Smuggler's Cove

So, technically this blog is supposed to be about new experiences... well at least 1 of the 3 stops tonight counts!

A friend, her visitors, and I started the night off at Suppenkuche. Anything and everything on their menu is delicious and as German as it gets (I think). But - do not miss out on the classic "Das Boot" - as we called it back in Madison, WI while frequenting the Essen Haus (Festbier at this location).  After a great dinner (unfortunately I try to stay away from Gluten, so no beer for this girl and therefore no pictures of Das Boot), we moved on down Hayes Valley to our next stop to show our visitors another piece of San Francisco.

Next stop, we wanted to give the visitors 2 tastes: Fernet and the Gay community. We stopped at Marlena's (sadly, I am told, they are closing soon!). Not to disappoint - a patron, clearly a man, but dressed not so, was sitting at the end of the bar, along with other fitting the reputation of the bar. This is the one location of the night that was actually new to me. Loved the tiaras on the wall - very fitting. Also, not at all an intimidating location. We also ordered out-of-towners a shot of Fernet Branca - a standard San Francisco favorite. Expectedly - it was not finished, as non of us were actually from SF, sorry!

Moving along, we stopped at one of my favorite bars: Smuggler's Cove. Per my recommendation, we ordered a bowl to share - see the picture below for obvious reasons why! This bar is small, unmarked, and always a fun time. Largest rum list you will ever see.

The rest of the gang is still out an about, but sadly, this girl has to work at 7am. Goodnight!

Meteor Explodes over Russia This Morning!!!!!

Check out this amazing video:


News story here....

Pane e Vino Trattoria

Tonight I got to spend Valentine's Day with three adorable young lads, all under 3ft tall (as well as their family). They took me to Pane e Vino and I cannot wait to return! Such a cozy, warm environment where every person you pass greets you in Italian with legitimate accents, you immediately feel welcome as if you were entering your favorite Italian uncle's home. It is a little larger than it looks - there is a side hallway leading to a more family/kid friendly back room. No matter what you order,  you can't go wrong; however, I think you'd be missing out if you don't order their wood-fired pizza or panna cotta. Check out their menu!

           

        

Fat Tuesday

R's delicious Valentine's Day treats!

Fat Tuesday

So, last night was a little stressful for personal reasons, so no better day could follow but Fat Tuesday! After running errands in the morning, I spent the afternoon chilling and allowing myself to be lazy. Tonight was spent eating chili with a couple of my girlfriends, devouring these amazing cookies, whose recipe you can find on R's Blog, and catching up. I hope you enjoyed your Fat Tuesday as much as we did! Cheers!

Golden Gate Park - Part 1

Did you know that there are waterfalls in the Golden Gate Park? I didn't until today.

I've still been feeling a bit on the sick side, so I meant to just take Jagger for a quick walk. It was too beautiful outside not to return to the park for a little jog and exploring time. I'd only meant to visit one small memorial, but caught myself up in the sights of the park... and got a little lost.

First, Jagger and I enjoyed the sun on the lawn in front of the Conservatory of Flowers. A few older men brightly played their horn, guitar, and hand drums while another juggled nearby.

After lunch, I returned to the park, seeking the Portals of the Past. In my search, I passed by a few familiars then found a decent hike! Stow Lake, full of ducks and people rowing or pedaling boats,  surrounds Strawberry Hill. (The Beatles instantly came to my mind - so while hiking this song played in my head). I took in the sights,  climbed up the hill off path, and looked over the park and city. On the way down the oppisite side, I found a beautiful waterfall.

I took the short cut - straight up from the bridge!

View from Strawberry Hill

But - I still hadn't found what I was looking for. So I wandered on. See pictures below for my accidental discoveries of the afternoon.

Memorial for the San Francisco Sons of the West
who fought in WWI and WWII

Grove near the WWI&II Memorial

Finally, I found Lloyd Lake and the Portals of the Past. Something I only heard of this afternoon while researching places to explore. Read more about it here.

I also l got lost oh my way out and stumbled into the middle of a disc golf course.  I guess that's what happens when you go off trail. So glad I decided to turn my short work out into a park exploration day! Several places to return to on a date or with friends!

         I did not see this sign until leaving.... Maybe I should stick to the paths more?