A digital travel diary. · WP v1.08 · Updated
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…
Read More: Halloween at Almaden Winery
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…
Read More: Eating well in Evvia RestaurantOctober 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…
Read More: Botto Italian Bistro and the Yelp ControversySince watching the Jedi fight in Star Wars, my son has been fascinated with sword fighting. He has taken fencing classes at his previous camps - notably in Kennolyn - and liked it.. . When I saw a LivingSocial offer for an Introduction to Fencing Class in The Fencing Center in downtown San Jose for $40 / 4 lessons, I rewarded Alex with some fencing…
Read More: Introduction to Fencing, The Fencing Center
When we discovered that one of Inna's favorite groups - The Gipsy Kings - was playing nearby in Saratoga at the Mountain Winery, we had to see them. I could not find excellent seats - they were all sold out beforehand. However, the Mountain Winery's setting is relatively small, so I hoped we would still enjoy the band. . . . . . . .…
Read More: Review: The Gipsy Kings at Mountain Winery
Steve, a good friend, suggested that Alex, Inna, and I would enjoy participating in a Marine Science Ecotour in Redwood City. It would allow me to explore some of the native marine life in the San Francisco Bay and to see firsthand the work that marine biologists do.. . With Steve's help, we purchased tickets and headed for the voyage.. Thanks for signing up for…
Read More: Trolling for bottom dwellers (Marine Science Ecotour)
My wife purchased me a LivingSocial Voucher for Father's Day for a 3-hour Kiteboarding lesson with SG Kiteboarding.. . The beginner lessons cover flying the kite for the first few hours and self-rescue techniques.. . . . . The lesson took place with two other participants at Caesar Chavez Park in Berkeley, CA. We learned to properly launch and control a kite by shifting the…
Read More: Kiteboarding Lessons with SG Kiteboarding
For Father's Day, we decided to go to Mountain Winery's Sangria Sunday with Santos Perdidos.. It was a lovely, sunny day out, and we enjoyed the beautiful view from the winery.. . The band started playing around 11:30 a.m., but it was not especially loud or energetic. I expected energy, but the band sounded muted, like it was playing in the background.. . . .…
Read More: Sangria Sunday at the Mountain Winery
I was surprised that Showboat - a traditional American Musical - was being staged by San Francisco Opera. I found a discounted ticket through Travelzoo, so I decided to attend the musical, partly based on the great online reviews.. . The production was massive - over 80 cast members. In addition, the costumes and overall production quality were genuinely extraordinary. We really enjoyed the show…
Read More: Review: Showboat at San Francisco Opera
Today, we decided to enjoy Carmel-by-the-Sea's beautiful white-sand beaches. We drove on US 101 heading south (we usually take US-17), and this way was much quicker.. . When we arrived around noon, Carmel was covered in a light fog. Eventually, the fog lifted, and we enjoyed a beautiful day on the beach. It started out chilly (in the 60 degrees Fahrenheit) but warmed to 70…
Read More: Beach time in Carmel
I decided to mountain bike at my nearby Almaden Quicksilver County Park in south San Jose, this time using the Hacienda Park entrance (Eastern side of the park).. . When I arrived at 8:45 a.m., there were not too many cars. I assembled my Specialized Ground Control bike and started on the ascent of Mines Hill Trail.. . The park map is below:. . .…
Read More: Biking Almaden Quicksilver County Park
Today, we celebrated my mother-in-law's birthday with brunch at La Foret Restaurant in San Jose.. . La Foret is located in Almaden, near the Almaden Quicksilver County Park. It's tucked into a semi-rural area of San Jose. Nearby, there are lots of ranches with horses and other domesticated animals. It's a very romantic setting.. . . . . We arrived right around 1:00 pm for…
Read More: Sunday Brunch at La Foret
Today, I saw "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" for the first time at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts in downtown San Jose.. . . . The show started slowly and tediously but picked up in the second half. The costumes and sets were amateurish, but many songs were memorable and enjoyable. This is not a favorite among Andrew Lloyd Webber's musicals,…
Read More: Review: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Today, I decided to sample multiple mountain biking trails at Joseph D. Grant County Park. When I arrived, I parked at the parking lot on Hamilton Road, a few hundred feet past the park's entrance (near Grant Lake).. . I shot a short video on my GoPro Hero 3 Black here of my ride from Halls Valley Road to Canada de Pala and returning by…
Read More: Biking Joseph D. Grant County Park
Today, instead of visiting Lake Tahoe, we decided to visit Half Moon Bay. We had never been there before, so we were curious about the trails and beaches.. . When we arrived around 10:00, I discovered that the front tire on my Specialized Ground Control mountain bike was flat and wouldn't stay inflated. I decided to have it repaired at the local bike shop -…
Read More: Biking the Coastal Trail in Half Moon Bay
After seeing the Living Social offer at Briarwood Inn in Carmel, we decided to take the plunge and try it. We enjoy visiting Carmel, which would give us extra time to visit the nearby beautiful Point Lobos State Reserve.. . . . Our room at Briarwood Inn was very nice and clean, and was a good value for the price. It even had two queen…
Read More: Hiking Point Lobos State ReserveToday, I decided to try mountain biking at my nearby Almaden Quicksilver County Park in south San Jose.. . . . . The entrance to the park is pictured below.. . . . I started at the Mockingbird Hill entrance (the park's Northern side) and took the Virl O Norton Trail, heading east toward the Hacienda trail. Norton Trail is very steep, and I had…
Read More: Biking Almaden Quicksilver County Park
Today, I decided to try mountain biking at Santa Teresa County Park in San Jose. The park is nearby, and I was surprised to learn I had never been there.. . . . I got up early in the morning and researched all of the trails. There are many trails at Santa Teresa, and it's easy to get lost. I followed the recommendations posted by…
Read More: Biking Santa Teresa County Park
Today, I mountain biked on Limekiln Trail near Lexington Reservoir in Los Gatos.. The Limekiln trail starts out moderate but gets very steep. It's a great workout for mountain biking, providing excellent cardiovascular exercise. It's pretty challenging, and I often walk at least the upper part of the trail.. . . . Here is a short GoPro Hero3 Black video on the bike's handlebars.. .…
Read More: Biking Limekiln Trail
Today, we saw Berkeley Rep's "Man in a Case" performance at the Roda Theatre.. . . . Initially, I was excited to see Mikhail Baryshnikov in a dramatic production. Mr. Baryshnikov is a world-famous dancer, and I was excited to see what he could bring to these Chekhov stories.. . The play was sold out and went on for 75 minutes (no intermission). It is…
Read More: Review: Man in a Case (Roda Theatre)