A digital travel diary. · WP v1.08 · Updated
On Saturday, March 28, 2026, Inna and I drove to San Francisco to see the play "Our Class" at Z Space (in the Mission District). . Before seeing the play, we decided to park at Crissy Field and stroll along the waterfront. Hungry, we stopped for lunch at Cracked & Battered (one of our favorite local eateries). We were finally able to get a table…
Read More: “Our Class” Play at Z Space
After our amazing dinner at Tattu, we rode the elevator downstairs and walked across the street to the Dominion Theater, where our musical, The Devil Wears Prada, was playing. I had purchased tickets for the 19:30 showing. . . . . . . . Outside, there were lots of girls all dressed up in expensive outfits, queuing up to enter the theater. . . .…
Read More: The Devil Wears Prada at Dominion Theater
Monday, March 23, 2026 . At 07:45, from our Eggerton House Hotel in Knightsbridge, we walked for 28 minutes to the Golden Tours, Bulleid Way Departure Point (at Victoria Station), to board our tour bus bound for Warner Brothers Harry Potter Studio tour. The bus departed on schedule at 08:30. . . . . The bus ride to Warner Bros. Studio took just over an…
Read More: Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter.jpg)
One of the main reasons that I like seeing musicals in London is that they can be quite unique (with British sensibilities) and often do not travel across the pond to New York (and are therefore never seen in the United States). . When selecting My Neighbour Totoro, I found a unique, charming musical that would be unlikely to be staged in the United States.…
Read More: My Neighbour Totoro at Gillian Lynne Theatre
Based on Charles Dickens ' famous novel, Oliver Twist, Oliver! is a musical that was highly regarded (and I wanted to see it when visiting London). I purchased the best seats I could find (O16, O17) for Saturday evening's (March 21, 2026) performance at the Gielgud Theater. . . Oliver! was very well staged and acted, with excellent special effects and choreography. However, sometimes it…
Read More: Oliver! at Gielgud Theatre
Friday, March 20, 2026 . Our British Airways BA597 flight landed in London's Heathrow Airport at 19:15 GMT (from Venice, Italy). The flight was delayed about 15 minutes (with the original arrival time of 19:00 GMT). . . After landing at Heathrow, we had to board buses (as our plane didn't have its own terminal). Inna and I almost got separated on different buses. Upon…
Read More: London (March 20 – 24)
Thursday, April 19, 2026 . At 09:30, after checking out of Hotel Mioni Pezzato in Abano Terme, we began our drive to Venice's Marco Polo Airport to drop off our Opel Corsa at the Hertz Car Rental return center. . The drive to Venice was fairly smooth. When I reached the airport, I stopped to refill the Opel Corsa's gas tank (it was close to…
Read More: Ethereal Venice (March 19)
When I think of Padua, I recall the famous line from Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew (as spoken by Petruchio): . . “I come to wive it wealthily in Padua;. If wealthily, then happily in Padua.” . At around 09:40, we started our 32-minute drive from Abano Terme to Padua. . . I had booked an 11:30 English-speaking tour for the University of Padua, and…
Read More: Scholarly Padua (March 17)
Monday, March 16, 2026 . After breakfast in Abano Terme, we set off on our 50-minute drive to Vicenza. I initially picked a route that avoided the tollway, but it was a mistake, as I had to constantly slow down for all the speed cameras (Apple Maps was great at pointing them out). . . . . We parked our Opel Corsa at Parcheggio Verdi…
Read More: Quiet Vicenza (March 16)
Sunday, March 15, 2026 . At 17:00, we started our drive from Verona to Hotel Mioni Pezzato & SPA in Abano Terme, arriving at 18:15. Only one receptionist was working at the front desk, and she seemed overwhelmed by phone calls & requests. We had to wait our turn (but we were warned by our friends about slow & uneven service). . . After checking…
Read More: Relaxing Abano Terme (March 15 – 19)
Sunday, March 15, 2026 . At around 09:40, we set off from Sirmione for Verona, with a brief stop to shop at MooRER Boutique & Outlet MooRER in Cavalcaselle. Both Inna and I purchased new jackets (heavily discounted from last year). Inna really liked the Italian design flair of the MooRER brand. . . We continued our drive to Verona, parking at Parcheggio Saba Arena,…
Read More: Romantic Verona (March 15)
When we started our drive from Sirmione (at 09:00) to Brescia, I had programmed our parking as Parcheggi Fossa Bagnini, near the Castello di Brescia. . . However, when we arrived, we could not find it. Perhaps Google Maps has the wrong location. (NOTE: Google Maps was terrible at navigating in Northern Italy, failing to explain which exit to take at numerous roundabouts, and making…
Read More: Historic Brescia (March 13)
Thursday, March 12, 2026 . From Bergamo's Parcheggio Città Alta Bergamo parking, we drove about 75 minutes to the Grand Hotel Terme in Sirmione. There was heavy traffic in Bergamo, but it thinned out once we reached the tollway. . . On arriving in Sirmione, we had to follow a special procedure to park our Opel Corsa. Once we reached the yellow barrier, we had…
Read More: Picturesque Sirmione (March 12-15)
Thursday, March 12, 2026 . . . At 11:30, on the way to Sermione (from Milan's Linate airport), we decided to stop by Bergamo for half a day. . . . . . . . . We parked our Opel Corsa at Parcheggio Città Alta Bergamo, on the outskirts of Bergamo's old town, at 13:00. From the parking garage, we rode the elevator to the…
Read More: Beautiful Bergamo (March 12)
Monday, March 9, 2026 (San Jose). I woke at 07:00, showered, and shaved. I finished packing for the trip to Italy and then headed over to AVAC to work out. At AVAC, I rode the stationary bike for 40 minutes and the rowing machine for 20 minutes. I lifted a few weights and headed for the showers, returning home at 10:00. . I packed a…
Read More: Fashionable Milan (March 9-12)
The de Young Museum's Bouquets to Art is an annual exhibition where floral designers create arrangements inspired by artworks in the museum’s galleries. The bouquets are displayed next to the paintings, sculptures, or objects that inspired them, allowing visitors to see a botanical interpretation of the art. . . . . . Here’s a concise summary of the exhibition: . Concept. Professional florists, garden clubs,…
Read More: Bouquets to Art Floral Exhibition at de Young Museum
A Mai Tai and a Leap of Faith: Why You Can’t Miss 'Primary Trust' at TheatreWorks . If you’ve ever felt like the world was moving just a little too fast for you to keep up, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley’s latest production will feel like a warm hug. . . . Coming to the Lucie Stern Theatre this March is "Primary Trust," the 2024 Pulitzer Prize…
Read More: Primary Trust by at Lucie Stern Theatre
Before our Theater Works Primary Trust performance, Inna made dinner reservations for 18:00 at Ettan - one of our favorite local Indian restaurants. . . We had eaten at Ettan last year and thoroughly enjoyed it. Ettan is extremely popular and can be challenging to reserve on short notice. . . . At around 18:00, we checked in and were taken to a table on…
Read More: Dinner at Ettan, Palo Alto
I was lucky to purchase 2 tickets (via Todaytix) for Spamalot at the Golden Gate Theater on March 5 at 19:00. . . Before the show, Inna and I met up at the Georgian Cheese Boat for a quick dinner. She was visiting the Bouquets to Art show at the Legion of Honor Museum (and took many photos there). We ordered the following items for…
Read More: Spamalot at Golden Gate Theater
For Inna's birthday, I had planned a two-day getaway retreat at Calistoga, featuring rest & relaxation at the Indian Springs Resort & Spa. . Friday, February 27, 2026. After Inna and I finished work, we started our drive to Indian Springs Resort & Spa in Calistoga. There was some traffic on the way, and we arrived later than expected. After checking in at reception, we…
Read More: Calistoga Weekend