Microadventures

While I've been able to travel abroad a couple times in the last few years, I've had many more local adventures checking out what the Bay Area has to offer. There are still times I feel like I'm on vacation, even though I've lived here almost five years. I suppose it's a combination of being in a lively city, and having the surroundings that just beg for a hike, or a trip to wine country, or whatever. I would still like to keep traveling the globe, but the world close to home isn't bad to check out, either.

I came across the term "microadventures" in a recent article on simplicity and instantly loved it. That outing last weekend (finally) to the museum across town that I'd been meaning to go to? A microadventure, just a couple hours' worth of appreciating art I could never create myself. (Bonus part was meeting up with friends there.) Bringing my brother to the pop-up dinner that a friend had introduced me to a few weeks earlier? A delicious microadventure. A quiet walk through a different neighborhood with coffee on a sunny morning? An eye-opening microadventure. Not all adventures are farflung or require time off work; they can be had in discrete amounts of time and location. 

The Coast

Coastal NorCal aka Wuthering Heights

the Pacific

tide pools

We spent an evening and following day around Pescadero, a coastal town south of San Francisco. Some friends organized it and we became a small band of city dwellers escaping to the beach. It was a short but much appreciated getaway for me, as I've had a lot to think about recently and being in nature somehow always helps me clear my mind. Autumn in the Bay Area is basically an extended summer, with some rainy weather starting to creep in. A few hours after I took these shots, the sky cleared up, the sun came out, the sea shimmered, and I felt better as we drove back up the coast. 

Decisions, Decisions

I turned another year older this month, and along with celebrating my birthday with loved ones, I was thinking about a couple ways in which I've been trying to grow. One theme that has been inescapable this year is the presidential election, but with that, I've been paying more attention to state- and local-level politics.

National political figures always fascinated me with their legacies and personalities (starting with the fairy tale of the Kennedys' Camelot as well as the People Power Revolution in the Philippines, up to the Obamas). More recently I realized that I needed to pay attention to the policies that impact my community and me at more local levels, since these changes would probably have a more direct impact on me. This was partly driven by having moved to California, where there are dozens of state and county/city propositions on the ballot, and the devil, as usual, is in the details. I'd also like to avoid voting on the wrong side of history.

One weekend a friend actually rented out a church basement one weekend afternoon and summarized the ballot measures for folks. And thanks to the Twitterverse, I was directed to http://www.peterates.com which summarized and gave recommendations for the state proposals. I've been reading up on the San Francisco country proposals as well and am looking forward to casting my vote. Although I probably will never enter politics myself, I feel more empowered doing my civic duty and trying to become a more informed citizen and voter. After all, voting is a privilege, so I don't want to take it for granted.

.@gridmonte @anildash UX Designer Peter Stahl's guide is always a treat https://t.co/4KaerKaOiP

— Steve Portigal (@steveportigal) September 27, 2016

Life Lately: Around the Bay

Crissy Field

The past few weeks have been filled with a little of everything: a visit from my brother when he was finally introduced to the glory of Philz Coffee; another tubing trip down the Russian River when I got a little too much sun; a visit to Everlane; a viewing of Beautiful the Carole King musical, which I had been wanting to see back East on Broadway but was pleasantly surprised to learn had actually started in San Francisco; a day at a beautiful spa with girlfriends; and of course outings around San Francisco (finally) enjoying our Indian summer. Here's a round up:

Life Lately - Summer Edition

This has been a summer of somewhat "firsts" - first time going to the San Francisco Opera, trying out Paniq Room (an escape room group game), sailing in San Francisco Bay, taking some new exercise classes, and spending a couple days in Bend, where I went stand-up paddle boarding on my own for the first time. I probably won't do most of these things frequently, but it was fun to give them a try.

I also hit up some area restaurants for the first time: Old Bus Tavern (new-ish gastropub in Bernal), Pampalasa (Filipino food in SoMa), and The Conservatory @ The Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay (we were going to hang outside on the terrace but the summer fog got the better of us). All were tasty and places that I'd been meaning to try for some time now... Pampalasa in particular for the link to my Filipino heritage and Old Bus for being written up all over local press. Both spots are undergoing changes but I hope they'll be area mainstays for a while.

On another note, this has been a crazy summer around the country and the world. Who knew US politics could get this crazy? Who knew hate and violence could spread around the world so fast with our technological advances? There have been times, watching the news, where I've felt helpless as to what's going on. But out of recent tragedies, and from watching the DNC speeches over the past week, I've also been more motivated to pay attention and be more participatory in our political system, and to encourage others to do so, so that our voices are heard and have an impact.

Finally, this month marks my four-year anniversary of living in San Francisco! I'm not sure I thought I'd be in the city this long. It is one more year than I lived in New York City (after college) and two more years than I lived in Washington, DC. In each city I've taken time to explore neighborhoods and see what they had to offer, but even after four years here, there are times when I still feel like a tourist in San Francisco. The city has the added bonus of being an easy home base for my West Coast adventures. It's so nice to be in a city that still makes nature and travel accessible. I suppose all of that is a part of what's kept me here for four years and counting.

Springtime in Napa

Inglenook

A perk of living in San Francisco is being so close to Napa (& Sonoma, aka world class wine country). Drive just over an hour over the Golden Gate Bridge and you'll feel like you're on vacation. When I moved here I was pleasantly surprised how accessible and casual the wineries can be. Since there are so many (hundreds), over the last few years I have taken a pretty lassez-faire approach to trying them out, mainly relying on friends or events to go to new ones. I'm happy to report I haven't had a bad winery experience yet :)

The latest new-to-me winery I've visited is Inglenook, which is owned by Francis Ford Coppola. I first heard of it while staying in Yountville's Villagio Inn (they had a huge book of local wineries) back in March, and then in April a friend was in town and suggested we go. The Rutherford estate's rich historical legacy is maintained by Coppola, who apparently kept making movies in order to fund his winery hobby. (No judging, just admiration!) With my friends I did the full tour and tasting experience and it was one of the best tours I've done in wine country. I'd love to go back and sit in their little bistro. 

I also visited V. Sattui, for probably the umpteenth time. Their picnic grounds are great for groups and I have a membership that gives access to a smaller tasting room. Sattui has a sentimental place in my heart, too, because it was one of the first wineries I visited when I moved to the Bay Area, introduced to my husband and me by one of our own wedding party members. Our family and friends  also love their wine so we bought a case to give as presents this past Christmas (hence, the membership). On this most recent visit, my friends and I got to taste a cab right from the barrel ("wine futures"). I also bought a bottle of rose, which is now just waiting for me to finish my Whole30 diet.

And finally, another new adventure in wine country was having dinner at Bouchon Bistro in Yountville. My husband and I made use of a gift certificate we got for our wedding (over two years ago) ...talk about delayed gratification. Anyway, we had a fabulous meal, the service was great (our server got a kick out of us testing our French vocab on the clever mural behind us), and we got a kick out of listening to the vacationing family next to us (their youngest kid, maybe a 10 year old boy, gawked at how small his order of 1/2 lobster tail turned out). We had an early reservation, but even at the end of the day, there was a long line for Bouchon Bakery next door - another perk of being a local is having the chance to go to the bakery when it's less crowded!

Inglenook

barrel tasting at V. Sattui

dinner at Bouchon

walking the grounds at Villagio Inn and Spa

Back in Big Sur

Big Sur

This past month I got to go to Big Sur, one of my favorite places in the world, twice! I went camping with groups of friends at different campgrounds along Highway 1. I'm still a new camper and I will always go for glamping, but it's still great to get so immersed in nature, and sometimes camping really is the simplest, most convenient option.

Our basecamps were in Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park and Kirk Creek Campground. We hiked in Pfeiffer Big Sur and Andrew Molera State Parks, and on both visits the food included meals at Big Sur Bakery. (Side note, I want my future backyard to be like Big Sur Bakery.) Big Sur has a bunch more hospitality options (like Treebones resort which I've mentioned before), than are obvious at first. Moreover, both camping trips were in good company, which is what I appreciate most about them. Everyone helped each other set up their gear, and the ones who hiked those trails before gave the rest of us a heads up how tough it would be... A few days later, my legs were still a little tired walking up the hill in San Francisco!

Below are some shots from the recent trips. This is the first time I'm posting some pics from a Samsung NX3000 in addition to my iPhone, but I hope to use the Samsung more often. 

our tents at Kirk Creek Campground (photo taken by someone in our group)

Kirk Creek Campground

Big Sur Bakery

Big Sur Bakery

Big Sur Bakery

Big Sur

McWay Falls

from Nacimimento Road

from Nacimiento Road

Andrew Molera State Park

surfers at Andrew Molera State Park

Andrew Molera State Park

Big Sur River at Andrew Molera State Park

Carmel Visit

Carmel Beach City Park

Recently I had family in town and we took them down to Carmel-by-the-Sea for a night. When people come to visit I just think on how lucky I am to live in a destination area where people want to vacation.

I found a good deal at the Best Western Plus Bay View Inn (my first time at a Best Western and highly recommend this one). We took our time heading down from San Francisco, meeting up with friends in Half Moon Bay first and then winding our way down Highway 1. It was still a quick visit but Carmel is small enough so you can quickly get a good sense of downtown. The hotel is super close to the shops and restaurants/cafes. In the evening it was very windy and I was glad that we only had to walk a short distance for dinner at Casanova.

The beach is maybe a half mile downhill - very easy to get to, and I went down during my run in the morning (when it was not windy, fortunately). I love the mix of European architecture around town and that it is clearly a vacation spot. It's a laid back place to meander, with tons of stores to poke around in. The only things I bought were food: sweets from a candy shop, coffee and a pastry to enjoy while sitting at a cafe table in the sun, and sandwiches for the ride back to SF.

Casanova restaurant

downtown Carmel

Cypress Inn

New York & LA

Back home and back to the grind. Here are some photos from the holiday break, when I was visiting family and friends:

I got to spend a couple days in New York, and the weather was so mild that I ended up walking about 60 blocks (~3 miles) through the Upper West Side one evening. I caught up with old friends over drinks and Shake Shack. 

Another afternoon was spent strolling around Central Park, going ice skating in 60-degree weather, and browsing through the Plaza Food Hall. It was a Kevin McAllister-inspired afternoon, if he were a 30-year-old woman visiting from California. [Side note- I'd never gone ice skating before, so hooray for finally doing it and not even falling on my tailbone.]

Columbia University

Columbus Circle (with a visit from Karl the Fog)

Plaza Hotel

Plaza Food Hall

Central Park ice skating

Then it was back to the West Coast but instead of heading straight home, we took a detour to Southern California. We spent a couple nights in LA, concentrated in Koreatown, Silver Lake/Los Feliz and Downtown, plus Glendale. We stayed in The Line hotel and enjoyed their views, their design, and their food (check out the loaded "notchos" in the pic below, they're addictive). This is probably the coolest-looking hotel I've stayed in - "concrete chic" as you can see in a photo below. I like the desk-as-headboard move, but I love the serape-covered chairs. Pretty much every design-y item in the room was available to buy, which is a pretty smart marketing move. We walked up and down Wilshire Boulevard a couple miles in sunny weather, and hit some golf balls at Aroma driving range. 

We had a lovely tour guide in the form of the husband's childhood friend and long-time LA resident. We grabbed lunch at Grand Central Market in DTLA (like The Plaza Food Hall, but seemingly less touristy) and walked around the Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall before popping into MOCA. I also caught up with a grad school friend over brunch at Messhall Kitchen in Los Feliz (no pics but check out their site)... We've gotten to hang out in a few cities now. All this was before heading out to Joshua Tree, and it was a lovely way to end the year. 

The Line Hotel

way over yonder, the Hollywood sign

concrete chic at The Line

POT Notchos at happy hour

breakfast at Commissary

Commissary at The Line

memorial at RFK Community Schools

Grand Central Market

Disney Concert Hall

New Years in Joshua Tree

I spent the long New Years weekend staying near Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California. We rented a house with friends in a little desert town ("town") that was fairly close to one of the park entrances. We made our own meals, watched movies on VHS, did a puzzle, and read. The place was rustic, but it was nice to come back to after exploring the park: a couple hikes, some leisurely walks, and a (tame) rock scramble. Amazing views were abundant, as were feelings of being just so tiny in such a big world.

our 'home' for the weekend

a hike up Ryan Mountain on New Years Day

view from a lone Joshua tree on Ryan Mountain

Cholla cactus garden

sunset from the cholla garden

view from within Hidden Valley

views from the Barker Dam hike

sunset from the Barker Dam