Test driving the Ferrari F430

My wife purchased a spot on the Imagine Lifestyles test drive for my birthday. I could go in a Ferrari or a Lamborghini around a race track.

Imagine Lifestyles chose Candlestick Park as the location and created a test track using red cones in the parking lot. This is not the ideal test track, like Laguna Seca in Monterey (where I did my motorcycle racing with Keith Code Superbike School), but it would have to do.

I chose to test drive a Ferrari F430 convertible on Sunday, October 28th at 10:00am.

When I arrived at Candlestick Park, a long line of people was waiting to register for the various cars. I decided to record my session, so I got to wear a GoPro Hero2 camera mounted on my helmet. Each vehicle comes with an assistant sitting on the passenger side who explains the driving rules and offers helpful advice on how to make the car perform.

Here is the GoPro Hero2 video recorded:



My assistant explained that the Ferrari needs to have the brakes applied very hard. It was helpful advice! All cars were automatic, although I was hoping for a manual transmission.

The Ferrari was automatic and slow to come off the line. There was a delay between my pressing the accelerator and the car's response. The car handled very well in turns, but the brakes had a very long travel and had to be pushed all the way in as hard as possible to slow down.

It was not as exhilarating as racing a motorcycle around a race track. The acceleration just wasn't of the same caliber.

I had lots of fun, but I am not too impressed with the Ferrari F430. It could be the automatic transmission (I would have preferred a manual), but I didn't feel the exhilaration I had expected.

Next time, I will try the Lamborghini. It has a nice growling exhaust.

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Wedding Anniversary in Calistoga

For our 11th wedding anniversary, Inna made reservations at Indian Springs Resort & Spa in Calistoga, California. We stayed two nights, arriving on Friday, October 12, and returning on Sunday, October 14.

On the first day, Friday, October 12, we checked in at the Indian Springs Resort & Spa (after a long drive from San Jose) and ate dinner at the nearby Solbar Restaurant.

Solbar is a 1-star Michelin-rated restaurant, and it deserves its accolades. Both the food and service were superb. We enjoyed all of the dishes and can't wait to return.

The next day, Saturday, October 13, we rented a couple of bicycles (free at Indian Springs Resort) and biked around Calistoga. There are many wineries, and the whole area is peaceful and beautiful.

We made reservations at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone for dinner. The CIA trains chefs worldwide, and we want to taste some innovative dishes. Unfortunately, most of the food was mediocre, and the service was slow. We would not recommend going there again.

After dinner, we returned to Indian Springs Resort & Spa and decided to swim in the hot spring pool.

Even though it was pretty chilly outside, the pool, heated by geothermal hot spring water, was hot (bordering on hot).

It was very relaxing to float about and look at the stars.

Sunday, October 14, 2012

In the morning, we decided to go back to Solbar for breakfast. We were not disappointed!

I had the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Blueberry Syrup and Toasted Pine Nuts. These were the most delicious pancakes I have ever eaten!

Inna had Mount Washington Eggs - two poached eggs on a split buttermilk biscuit with smoked ham, slow-cooked black kale, and spicy hollandaise. They were also perfect.

After hanging around Calistoga, we had lunch in Yountville at Bouchon Bistro. Bouchon is another Michelin-rated restaurant. It's also perfect. Surprisingly, the bread and pastries were significantly better than those from the Bouchon Bakery next door.

We really enjoyed our lunch at Bouchon Bistro. We hope to come back there again (but we do not recommend the Bouchon Bakery).

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