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Halloween at Almaden Winery

california, halloween, sf bayNo comments
Despite the drizzly weather, we enjoyed our regular Halloween trick-or-treating at Almaden Winery. Inna dressed up as Cersei Lannister , a character from Game of Thrones. I dressed up as Jon Snow from the same series. Alex dressed up in his last year's costume - a banana. Surprisingly, during our walk in the neighborhood, no one recognized either my costume or Inna's. Not many people are watching " The Game of …
Halloween at Almaden Winery
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Eating well in Evvia Restaurant

california, restaurant, sf bayNo comments
Sunday, October 19, 2014 To mark our 13th Wedding Anniversary, Inna and I decided to visit the well-regarded Evvia Restaurant in Palo Alto, CA. We checked both Yelp and Michelin  ratings and decided this was a fine restaurant. We arrived in Palo Alto early and walked around, enjoying the shops. We arrived at Evvia right at the opening time - around 4:55 p.m., and there was already a line! We did not hav…
Eating well in Evvia Restaurant
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Botto Italian Bistro and the Yelp Controversy

california, restaurant, sf bayNo comments
October 7, 2014 I have been using Yelp for many years and have posted many reviews. However, one story on slashdot.org intrigued me. A restaurant in Richmond, CA - Botto Italian Bistro - asked customers to give them 1-star reviews on Yelp.com . I knew Yelp had a reputation for extorting small businesses (not proven in court, but widely known). If a business did not pay for advertising on Yelp, …
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Visiting Boston aka Harvard, here I come

boston, massachusettsNo comments
In September, Inna visited Boston to explore the city and its main attractions. She has always wanted to visit Boston but never found the time or the occasion. She found some great tickets on JetBlue with a direct flight from San Francisco to Boston. It was a very early morning flight (flight 434, departing SFO at 7:00 am PST and arriving in Boston at 3:37 pm EST) Inna had a tough time finding affordable lodging in Boston for the …
Visiting Boston aka Harvard, here I come
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