A digital travel diary. · WP v1.08 · Updated
As a 49ers fan, I eagerly anticipated the matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens in New Orleans. I called BJ's Restaurant in Oakridge Shopping Center to reserve a space for us at 4:00 p.m. (just after the kick-off). I gave my name and the time of the event, and was assured that everything would be set.. . When I arrived around…
Read More: Watching Super Bowl XLVIII: 49ers vs Ravens
On Saturdays, we eat lunch at Los Gatos Coffee, where we usually order crepes. I especially like the Olympic crepe, which comes with mushrooms, while Inna prefers other combinations. . . . After munching on delicious crepes, we like to stop by Amour Patisserie for a delicious pastry. Amour Patisserie is a new patisserie/coffee shop recently opened in Los Gatos. Amour offers appetizing pastries and…
Read More: Amour Patisserie, Los Gatos
After walking around the Legion of Honor Museum and the nearby Lands End Coastal Trail, we decided to stop by somewhere nearby for dinner. We looked at Yelp and found that Pagan Restaurant served Thai and Burmese cuisine and was nearby.. . Pagan is pronounced "Bagan" and is named after a famous ancient Burmese city home to thousands of Pagodas.. . The restaurant opened at…
Read More: Pagan Restaurant, San Francisco
Today, we visited the Legion of Honor Museum in San Francisco to see the Royal Treasures from the Louvre: Louis XIV to Marie-Antoinette.. . Having been to the Louvre in Paris twice, I hoped I would like the collection. However, there were only a couple of exciting items on display. There were many small snuff boxes (used to hold powdered tobacco) from France and Germany,…
Read More: Legion of Honor Museum: Royal Treasures from the Louvre
Today, we attended a preview of Ching Chong Chinaman at the City Lights Theater Company in San Jose. City Lights Theater is a small, 100-seat theater in downtown San Jose. I purchased an 8:00pm Friday night preview ticket because it was much cheaper than the total cost of tickets for the rest of the week.. . . . . . . . . . The…
Read More: Review: Ching Chong Chinaman (City Lights Theater)
Today, Anything Goes Musical (revival) played in San Francisco's Golden Gate Theater. . According to Wikipedia:. Anything Goes is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The original book was a collaborative effort by Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse, heavily revised by the team of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The story concerns madcap antics aboard an ocean liner bound from New York…
Read More: Review: “Anything Goes” (Golden Gate Theater)
Before enjoying our scheduled Anything Goes Musical performance (revival) playing in San Francisco's Golden Gate Theater, we stopped by for lunch at Bluestem Brasserie. We parked at the Jesse Street Garage, conveniently located close to Bluestem and Golden Gate Theater. . . . . The Bluestem lunch was fantastic. We especially enjoyed the Baby Beet Terrine, the Dutch Baby Pancake, and the Farmer's Market Quiche.…
Read More: Bluestem Brasserie, San Francisco
Today, we saw Leonard Cohen in concert at the HP Pavilion in downtown San Jose.. Mr. Cohen played all the popular standards, including Dance Me to the End of Love, The Future, Suzanne, and Hallelujah.. . He played for over 3 hours, starting a little after 8:00pm and finishing around 11:00pm. For a 70-year-old guy, he sure has a lot of endurance!. . . .…
Read More: Review: Leonard Cohen at HP Pavilion
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…
Read More: Test driving the Ferrari F430
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..…
Read More: Wedding Anniversary in Calistoga
For the Labor Day weekend, we decided to go back to Santa Barbara. Since hotels in Santa Barbara were costly, we decided to stay in a modest Best Western Plus Pepper Tree Inn from August 31 to September 3, 2012.. . On the way to Santa Barbara from San Jose, we stopped by for lunch at Pismo Beach. An eatery there called the Splash claimed…
Read More: Sunny Santa Barbara
In July, we drove to Napa, California, to see the Festival del Sole, which featured ballet from a famous Russian ballet company. I am not a big fan of ballet, so I found the performances uninteresting, but Inna liked them. Our other friends also really enjoyed the various dances. . . . While in Napa, we stayed for two days at the Blackbird Inn. Blackbird…
Read More: Review: Napa Festival del Sole
Today, I purchased a 2009 MINI Cooper S Convertible "Chili. It's a red 6-speed convertible with a turbocharged engine.. . It's a fun car but a bit quirky. The window up/down switches are on the center console, and the fuel gauge is a rainbow-looking indicator. There is also an instrument to tell how long the top was down.. . . . . . The Mini…
Read More: Enjoying the Mini Cooper S “Chili”
In May, we drove to Mendocino, California, where we stayed at the Little River Inn by the Pacific Ocean. We like getting away from the hustle and bustle of San Jose to a quiet and secluded place. The drive to Mendocino is long but not very tedious, though a section of the road is a bit winding.. . We ate a delicious breakfast at the…
Read More: Exploring Mendocino
I don't recall the first time I flew on an airplane. I believe it was back in Russia when my parents and I traveled to the Black Sea for vacation. Ever since then, I have always been a fan of aviation.. . When I was growing up, I always wanted to be a pilot and fly military jet fighters. I built a wooden glider that…
Read More: Flight training on a Cessna 172SP Skyhawk
Today, I rode my 2008 Honda CBR1000RR motorcycle to the top of Mt. Hamilton to visit the Lick Observatory. The Lick Observatory was the world's first permanently occupied mountain-top observatory.. . The ride from South San Jose to Mt. Hamilton follows the many twists and turns of Mt. Hamilton Road. Mt. Hamilton Road is a twisty, exciting one-lane road for motorcycle riding. A few bicyclists…
Read More: Mt. Hamilton Motorcycle Ride