Easter egg coloring, California Academy of Sciences

Such a different Easter than last year. A year ago, I had moved to to the city just days before,  didn't know anyone,  and passed the day with a group of wonderful women in their 30/40s that I'd randomly met at a bar. Today, I had to work.

I was not about to let work stand in my way of enjoying this day. I brought in three dozen eggs and all the necessary supplies to make an egg coloring station at work. Kids that came through got to decorate their hard boiled egg with stickers and rubber bands to make fun patterns before letting them soak in one or several the colors. Definitely a success!  Especially since I got to design about 10.

After work, a friend and I checked out the California Academy of Sciences, located in Golden Gate Park across the way from the de Young Museum. Unbelievable. I wish we'd had more than two hours to explore. (They close at 5 on Sundays and due to work we didn't get there in until 3 or so). They have interesting exhibits about endangered and extinct animals,  human development from apes, and even an earthquake section where you can experience what one feels like and learn how to act in the event of a disaster. The best two sections, hands down, are the aquarium and the rainforest.

I could have spent the entire two hours in the aquarium alone. From Jelly fish to seahorses to giant fish I forget the names of, it was amazing and seemingly endless. And then we find the rainforest exhibit. Walk from the forest floor to the canopy as butterflies and birds flutter around you. Just be sure make sure a little butterfly doesn't sneak out the door with you!

There was so much more to explore but not enough time. I will definitely be back! Ended the night with an amazing lamb dinner and glass of wine. Yup - solid day.

      

Market Bar, Rogue

Today just flew by unbelievably fast. Work stayed hectic all day long, causing my training plans to be pushed right up against my social plans. Regardless of the day's events, I was determined to run, even if that meant meeting up with R a little late and looking like a mess.

We met for a quick happy hour and catch up session at Market Bar inside of the Ferry Building. Original goal was to sit in the sun for adrink, but due to my tardiness, it was a little chilly by the time we were ready. They have $7 glasses of wine and cocktails, as well as $1.50 oysters! I ordered something with the words "pomegranate" and "Collins" in the title (can't go wrong with that) as well as four oysters. R chose wine and soup, which looked creamy and delicious. She took off to her dinner plans while I made my way to Rogue to see an ex-coworker.

K and I haven't seen each other in literally 8 months! Crazy. We filled each other in on life updates at an Ale House in North Beach called Rogue, as the group enjoyed a variety of beers. It was crowded, but we found a table in the back as well as an amazing patio to definitely check out when it is warmer. They have a plethora of board games to play at your table, should you choose. And we ate some bomb loaded fries with corned beef on top.  Quality.

Troya

Last night I checked out a small, Turkish/Mediterranean restaurant called Troya. It caught my eye when walking down Clement the other night, so naturally I had to try it! It did not disappoint. I love Mediterranean food to begin with, and everything on the menu sounded appetizing. After snacking on a bit of pita bread with oil and spices, I enjoyed their creamy Turkish lentil soup, followed by a small plate of lamb lollies with pilaf and veggies. I wish my tongue still didn't slightly hurt from the other day's allergic reaction, but I could still enjoy the tastes I have left! I would definitely revisit Troya in the future - there are other menu items I want to try and their prices are too reasonable not to try them all!

Plough and Stars

To begin, watch this video....



Now that you're smiling already, I'll begin. Plough and Stars is an Irish pub that has a pool table and a neighborhood feel. A group of old men played their guitars and banjos the entire time we were there. I guess one of then is the "banjo" guy from 49ers games. I'll try to post a video later. Overall- super chill, fun atmosphere.

Philz Coffee, Jardinière, SF Gay Men's Chorus + Beach Blanket Babylon

This morning I met a friend at Philz Coffee - if I was a coffee drinker, I'd go there all of the time! Mis-matched wooden tables and sofas, painting of trees and the sky all over the walls and ceiling, and a wide range of people. (My favorite was a guy in a tan cowboy hat, cream colored country -themed shirt, tight brown pants, and deep mahogany red leather boots). Phil himself happened to come into the shop while we were there! Fun fact - Philz is the official coffee of Facebook. 

Phil!

          

After a leisurely afternoon of walking around the Presidio, it was time to get ready for the night.

I met my friend D at Jardinière for a quick bite to eat. He knows one of the cooks, so they sent out some small courses of sea urchin and roe for us to sample before our main course. Fish was amazing - I cleaned my plate. Jardinière is a fine dining French cuisine restaurant. Their bar is shaped like a horseshoe and is immediately inviting as you walk in the door, as well as the bartenders standing behind it. D ordered a cocktail, but I stuck to water as I had an allergic reaction to Papaya and did not want to mix Benedryl and alcohol. The bartenders were so nice offering to mix a specialty alcohol free cocktail or to pair a non alcoholic wine with dinner, but I politely declined.

A short walk next door took us to Davies Symphony Hall. A mutual friend of ours, W, is in the San Francisco Gay Men's Choir, who was performing last night (and tonight I believe) with Beach Blanket Babylon. The show was hilarious and well put together. D told me that the man who put Wicked together, put this show together as well. If you can make it tonight, go! If you can't - Beach Blanket Babylon has regular shows, which I have attended, and they are always up to date poking fun at the latest current events from politics to pop culture. Cheers!

                 

Chrissy Feild

For some reason, I thought that Chrissy Field was a baseball field or grassy park. Nope - it's a beach! My friend C, her boyfriend,  and I had a short picnic/snack on the beach yesterday before heading off to our own obligations. (Like girls do, we had gossip to catch up on! ) We sat on the beach, Golden Gate Bridge to the left, Alcatraz to the right, watching kite surfers and dogs splash in the water. Like I keep saying... life is rough!

Phoenix Day 2: Tonto National Forest, Pontino, The Monestary

There is way too much to write about yesterday! I may have had too much fun...

My friend C picked me up in his big truck at 7am, dogs in the back seat. He took me for a scenic drive in Tonto National Forest. I have never seen terrain such as this. The rocks are so "cliffy" we joked as I struggled to find words to describe the beauty after overusing "wow" and "amazing." The usual 1 hour drive took us two and a half hours to complete as I constantly requested to stop for pictures.

       

















First, quick stop on the side of the road gave us a breath taking view of a forest of cacti in a valley on one side and the sun rising over the mountains in the distance on the other. Life tip: unless you want to be fined $4,000 - $5,000, do not eat/shoot/try to replant a cactus. It takes 100 years for just one arm to grow on these Saguaro cacti. Second stop: the shoe tree. I guess the story behind that goes back to when Indians traveled back and forth from their tribe to society. They left "civilian" clothes in a designated spot to put on going into town and remove when returning to their village. Third quick stop was to peek at Sasquotch.

                 

Next, we reached Roosevelt Lake. It's one of the largest lakes in the country, stretching 28 miles! The chain of lakes are all man made and allow life too exist in the Valley of the Sun. Their main source of water comes from the snow run off from the surrounding mountains. A controlled flow begins at Roosevelt Lake and Roosevelt Dam. You can actually see how short the original dam stood before they built it to its current size in 1911. To get the materials to the dam, they used the narrow and shoulder-less Apache Trail. C drove us along this winding dirt road, passing Apache and Canyon Lakes, very slowly both to allow me to take pictures and to not slip over the edge!

       



















A couple of stops later, we found the perfect spot to have lunch. Along a creek with plenty of shade, room for the dogs to run,  and very few people. C pulled out a grill from the back of his truck and made us some delicious marinated chicken and green bell peppers - not a bad lunch in the middle of the desert! We searched the mountain side through binoculars for big horn sheep, but only found a car that obviously went too fast on the cliff and now is permanently parked on the side of the mountain.

I should also note how rare it is for the desert to be as green as you can see in the photos. C says they have had the perfect amount of rain and the flowers are just a week away from being in full bloom. 

We finally reluctantly left our little spot and returned to the road to drive back through more beautiful cliffs and cacti.  I eventually drifted off, which is expected if you know me at all.

For Happy Hour, we headed with my mom and friends to Postino in Gilbert for half priced glasses of wine and beer. Not much to say other than we had a blast and I highly recommend it!

We ended the night at The Monestary, an inside/outside bar with a band,  dance floor, ping pong tables, and more - all of which were fully utilized by our group.

My flight is about to leave! I need to turn off my phone!  Be back in SF soon :)

Phoenix Day 1: Sunshine, Culinary Dropout, Shopping

Fairly lazy day, catching up on much needed rest and relaxation after all the outings of the past few weeks! I slept in and lounged by the pool drinking sangria and napping for the vast majority of the day.

Only new experience that crossed my path was dinner at Culinary Dropout, a cool restaurant near the mall in Scottsdale. Their oversized chairs with tall curved backs at the marble tables reminded me of Alice in Wonderland in its whimsical feel. The server brought such a positive attitude, asking us "do you love it?" in regards to my mother's drink or the caramel popcorn custard we all shared (Yum!). Everything was great from the pretzel fondue and artichoke appetizers to my rainbow trout.

Now home for an early night after way too much shopping. (Thanks, Mom)

Arizona Arrival, Toby Keith's

One day later than scheduled, I finally arrived in Phoenix, AZ. Immediately i removed my jacket - an SF necessity - as the weather here is already proving to be gorgeous. My friend C picked me you from the airport and took me to Toby Keith's "I Love This Bar & Grill." I wish we had one in SF! Lots of filling food, good looking servers (in the Hooters league), and the bar is shaped like a guitar! Gonna be honest - service was slow, but we weren't in a rush, so no big deal. Wednesday night is karaoke night, with a twist: live band behind you. I would need a few drinks to participate, but super fun and above average singers. Only bar that van het away with serving drinks in red plastic cups, beers in mason jars, and basically a little something from each of Mr. Keith's songs.

Time to rest up for a big day tomorrow of laying in the sun :-D

World Baseball Classic: 2013 Championship

Happy!

Sitting in the front row at the World Baseball Classic 2013 Championship was not on my agenda for this week. In fact, I was supposed to be in Arizona right now for a mini - vaca (heading out tomorrow -stay tuned for posts this week!). Instead, the unbelievably generous world gave me two front row tickets, right near the pitching bullpen of the Dominican Republic (who I was supporting, just like last night's game). Long story short: I showed kindness to a stranger in need, who in return thanked me by showering me with two days of tickets. I am beyond blown away by and grateful for her generosity.

Front row. No one standing in front of your view other than the occasional referee. Fewer people trying to squeeze by because everyone wants to take advantage of their seats. Multiple chances to catch a stray ball. What an experience! R came with me to the game and I told her to cheer for the DR, even though she didn't actually have a preference. So much fun. We even accidentally ended up on the Jumbotron! It started to rain in one of the first innings, but surprisingly, it really didn't bother us too much or even feel very cold. Other than the calling of garlic fries and hot dogs, we stuck out the rain until the top of the 8th inning, finding vacated seats and moving back a few rows to get shelter.

The WBC has an entirely different vibe than American games. It seemed that every other person had a whistle or drum or horn or some other sound making device. Not only that - they could actually play these instruments together to make decent music for dancing instead of just loud noises! Thank you Puerto Rico for that one! Even outside AT&T park, groups from both Puerto Rico & DR sang and danced. Everyone seemed to be more into shouting inside the game than you might find at an American. Although let's be honest, I've never sat in the lower level either, and that more than likely makes a difference. One last big difference, a significant increased number of police decided to attend. Hmm.

Such a great night - I'm glad I splurged on changing my flight in order to attend. In purchasing tickets in the future - and in comparing last night's Club Level seats to the Lower Box/Front row seats, I might actually go for the club level. You get a better overall angle and don't have to fight crowds to get food. Although the up close and personal views of the players... well, let's just say - very nice!

Cherry on top - Dominican Republic won!! 3 - 0. Great night.

Bullpen

Flags before the game

DR wins World Baseball Classic Championship 2013!

World Baseball Classic: Semi-finals

All I can say is  - someone up there loves me and I'm feeling the love! I had an encounter that unexpectedly lead me to some tickets to the Semi Finals game (Netherlands vs Dominican Republic) in the World Baseball Classic as well as to tomorrow night's Championship game against Puerto Rico. What?!?! Better yet - club level seats. Not to brag or anything. I'm still in disbelief.

With the tickets being last minute, I paid one forward to an employee of mine who loves international sports and could appreciate it more than anyone.

I cheered for the DR, as one of my closest friends and I took a spring break there in college. They will also receive my support tomorrow night! I could not ask for a better Monday evening other than enjoying an ice cold coke watching a baseball game while Latin American music plays between each inning. I think some Holland fans bailed out early, due to chilly weather, which left a number of open seats/food attracting the seagulls. It was unbelievable how swarms of the birds scooped throughout the ball park. Cover your drinks!

Tomorrow is supposed to rain, but R and I will come prepared to enjoy the hell out of that game. Stay tuned!

Block Party, NorthStar Bar, House of Nanking

I'm going to make this short and sweet and I know we all had eventful St. Patty's Days. After catching up with a friend over a healthy lunch, I met up with H, S, C, F, and bunch more random people at a block party in honor of the day. Standard green bottled beers, Irish bands,  and lots of people dressed in green.

Next, we moved onto a nearby dive bar that had green beer and a late night visit by men in kilts doing their thing on the bagpipes. Awesome. I'll attempt to post a video later.

Ended the night with some amazing food in Chinatown. House of Nanking. Not bad for a random selection. Cheers!

St. Patrick's Day Parade