Wisetrips Travel Blog

For our 25th Anniversary dinner, I initially booked Evvia, but had to cancel because Inna felt unwell. When I tried to book another day, I could only reserve outdoor tables, which worried me due to the cold weather. I decided to try dining at Le Papillon —a restaurant I visited decades ago. I made a dinner reservation for Saturday, October 24, at 19:00. On arrival (a short 15-minute drive from home), we were quickly seated …

We haven't been to Carmel-by-the-Sea in a while, so we decided to revisit it on Saturday.  We met up with our friends at our favorite  Mad Dogs & Englishmen Cafe , which has nice bicycle sidecars on display. After sampling a few pastries and enjoying delicious cappuccinos, we walked down to the beach. Although it was mid-October, the weather was beautiful and a bit hot (reaching 85 Fahrenheit). We saw packs of …

For my 58th Birthday, Inna treated me to a delicious dinner at Dalida Mediterranean in San Francisco's Presidio. She made a reservation for 19:30 (the earliest available for Sunday, October 11).  We tried calling Dalida to see if we could dine earlier, but couldn't reach anyone. When we arrived about 40 minutes early, they told us we couldn't be seated earlier. Since it was getting dark, we decided to park near t…

With an unusual Southerly wind forecast (15-20 kts) from iwindsurf.com , I anticipated unpredictable conditions at Crissy Field. Normally, I only sail in Northwesterly winds. I loaded up the Tesla Model Y with all my gear and started the drive to San Francisco's Crissy Field around 09:40 (stopping at Keypoint Credit Union on the way there). There was some heavy traffic, and I arrived at Crissy at 11:30. After finding…

Since the wind forecast was unfavorable for wing foiling at Crissy Field, Inna and I decided to head to Noe Valley instead, to meet up with Alex and to have lunch with him nearby. The drive to Noe Valley was surprisingly quick—normally, I need 90 minutes to reach Crissy Field, as driving through Golden Gate Park is usually quite slow. It took just about an hour to reach Noe Valley from our home in San Jose. After meeting Al…

With an unusual Southerly wind forecast (15-20 kts) from iwindsurf.com , I anticipated unpredictable conditions at Crissy Field. Normally, I only sail in Northwesterly winds. I loaded up the Tesla Model Y with all my gear and started our drive to San Francisco around 10:00, arriving at Crissy Field at 11:30. There was some fog around the Golden Gate Bridge, but nothing to worry about. There was a Ho'okahi Pu…

With an unusual  Southerly wind forecast (15-20 kts) from iwindsurf.com , I anticipated unpredictable conditions at Crissy Field. Normally, I only sail  in Northwesterly   winds. I loaded up the Tesla Model Y with all my gear and started our drive to San Francisco around 11:00, arriving at Crissy Field at 12:50. There was some fog around the Golden Gate Bridge, but nothing to worry about. After finding a spot to park (…

With Alex relocating to San Francisco's Noe Valley neighborhood, we decided to celebrate his birthday at  Memento SF,  a local, well-regarded restaurant. After dropping off a few items at his new digs (and his birthday presents), we walked a few blocks to Memento SF (on Castro Street). Since one of Alex's roommates was running late, we ordered appetizers and drinks, and then the main courses. We ended up ordering…

After checking the iwindsurf.com pro forecast, which had a very favorable outlook for Saturday's wind, I decided to wingfoil at Coyote Point in San Mateo.  On arrival at Coyote Point (a 45-minute drive from San Jose) via US-101, the wind was showing as 15 knots. The forecast called for 20 knots by 15:00, but I didn't believe it. I rigged my Duotone Slick SLS 5.5m wing, as it seemed the r…

Tuesday, July 7, 2026 From the Takakkaw Falls, it took us about two hours to reach the Kananaskis Mountain Lodge, where we had planned to stay one night. Inna had found an amazing Nordic Spa, and she wanted everyone to rest after so many days of hiking. We reached the Kananaskis Mountain Lodge at around 16:30, and it took some time to check into room #2013, make a reservation for the Nord…

Saturday, July 4, 2026 After the 50-minute drive from Peyto Lake, we arrived at Storm Mountain Lodge, near Lake Louise. Inna had chosen the Storm Mountain Lodge for its convenient location for the many hikes around Lake Louise (since shuttles were required to access the hiking trails). (I wish that UberX were available for drop-off at Lake Louise, as the price for shuttle transfers is crazy high) The Storm Mountain …