Join the Adventure!
We were just marveling at how fast a month can fly as we were watching from above as the San Francisco faded into the distance Highlights of September and October include What surprised us: What are we looking forward to when we return And the …
What a fabulous anniversary day, which started with a gorgeous sunrise: Although Ben had a full day of meetings, as well as dealing with firefighters, Raquel took advantage of the gorgeous day and walked up & over Russian Hill, through the Marina, Presidio and Fort …
Monday Oct 6 was one of the most gorgeous days – sunny and the mid-70s – which was perfect for a ferry ride to Tiburon.
After walking past the Carnival cruise ship and hopping on the ferry, we crossed the bay past Alcatraz and Angel Island (which is currently a beautiful State Park for hiking/camping but used to be both a fishing/ hunting site for coastal Miwok tribe members thousands of years ago, a Civil War US Army post, as well as a detention/ interrogation station for Chinese/ other Asians immigrants from 1910 to 1940) before arriving in Tiburon:
We walked through the super cute town of Tiburon, past all the 100+ year old boat houses that have been converted into shops, down to Sam’s for what we thought was going to be a peaceful, relaxing vista-filled lunch on the waterfront. But right as we ordered a drink and some lunch, a very loud large crane on the water blocking our view started spurting out diesel fumes.
Which gave us a perfect opportunity to learn a valuable lesson: Be flexible and adapt to the changes around us by selecting our own view! In other words, we cancelled our order and shifted to a cute (and tasty) cafe, Salt & Pepper, in an alley in town.
After lunch, we took a stroll down Shoreline Park, past the stinky sanitation plant to the beautiful tower for some picturesque views of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge.
After a quick 10 minute reboot on a park bench (don’t be so quick to judge all those who are sleeping on park benches!)
Raquel walked up to the historic church for a view of Tiburon, Belvedere, the Golden Gate Bridge, Angel Island, and downtown San Francisco.
By the time we got back to our place, the sun was setting and we had a spectacular view of the full moon glowing in the evening San Francisco sky. What a gorgeous sight!
Funny true story: Ben’s university t-shirts help us meet all sorts of wonderful people – like Reed – who was in the same year as Ben from HBS who was heading to Tiburon on the same ferry to visit his folks!
Although we missed the Folsom Street Fair, we did make it to the Castro Street Fair for some good music, pride booths, coffee at the famous Castro Coffee house next to the old Castro theater, interesting sights, unique body piercings, and some good conversations with …
There is no better way to celebrate Friday than with good friends, family, and music in San Francisco! In the morning Raquel met up with her friend Sheela, who showed her The Painted Ladies (a row of Victorian houses painted in bright colors during …
Sometimes the best trips are spontaneous, like the trip to Napa which we planned the night before we rented a car and drove across the Golden Gate Bridge
Our first stop was in downtown Napa for an Ahi burger and some garlic fries at Gott’s Roadside, a walk through Oxbow market, and coffee at Ohm (their decaf is the best)
Then we drove the more scenic road through all the vineyards
Before stopping at our one and only tasting at Chandon in Yountville for the Tasting Flight (Ben liked the Monterey Vintage Blanc de Blancs 2018 and Raquel enjoyed the fun Reserve Pinot Noir Rosé)
Then a walk through quaint Yountville
Before walking to our delicious Tasting menu at the Restaurant at North Block.
Raquel’s favorite dish was the elegant, tasty poached halibut with fairytale pumpkin
The next morning we had breakfast with a view of the vineyards
Sticking with the culinary theme of Napa (and the need to adjust our plans due to some drizzly weather), we headed to the Napa Valley Museum for a John Donohue “Delicious Visual Journey Through Napa Valley’s Culinary Landscape” prints exhibit
And a fun, informative Julia Child’s exhibit, before we went to the 1913 historic Cameo Theater in St. Helena which had been recently renovated (Ben and I shared a red velvet love seat as we watched the film “One Battle After Another”)
We decided to have a yummy French dinner in Yountville at Bistro Jeanty
before heading back to San Francisco past the sculptures in Yountville, the beautiful vineyards, and the Napa Valley Wine Train
