A digital travel diary. · WP v1.08 · Updated
For our 21st Anniversary Dinner, Inna made dinner reservations at our favorite Michelin-rated restaurant nearby - The Plumed Horse - in Saratoga. . After arriving at 8:30pm and parking nearby, we were seated outdoors, near propane heaters. We looked over the Chef's Tasting Menu and the A La Carte Menu and decided to order from both menus. . . . . . Chef's Tasting Menu…
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With COVID-19 finally over and Elton John nearing retirement, we decided to see his final concert in the San Francisco Bay Area in Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara. . Parking near Levi's required some creative effort. Every parking lot nearby was charging $60 just to park, and street parking was unavailable. However, we found an accessible location within 15 minutes of the stadium. . After getting…
Read More: Review: Elton John Farewell Yellow Brick Road at Levi’s Stadium
On Friday evening, Inna made reservations at a small French restaurant - Pastis Bistro - in Palo Alto. I was surprised that I had never eaten there. . . . . . After sitting outdoors, we looked at the menu and ordered the following items. . Boris: Iced Tea, Halibut. . Inna:Iced Tea, Coquille St. Jacques, French Onion Soup. Dessert: Souffle. I was surprised (and…
Read More: Dinner at Pastis Bistro, Palo Alto
Saturday, September 24, 2022 . . Inna planned a weekend trip to San Francisco for my birthday, staying at the Clift Royal Sonesta Hotel downtown. She also pre-purchased tickets for To Kill a Mockingbird at Golden Gate Theater. . . . . . In the afternoon, we drove to Marina Boulevard and parked there. We noticed a few people going out wing foiling. I did…
Read More: Birthday in San Francisco
For my birthday, Inna pre-purchased tickets to the To Kill a Mockingbird performance by Aaron Sorkin at Golden Gate Theater for 7:30pm. . . . . We started our walk to the theater from the Clift Royal Sonesta Hotel at around 7:00pm. It was a sketchy part of town with lots of homeless everywhere. We arrived around 7:20, and Inna picked up her tickets at…
Read More: Review: To Kill a Mockingbird at Golden Gate Theater
Since I had a few free days off work, Inna and I decided to plan a mini-vacation nearby. At first, we considered spending a few days in South Lake Tahoe, but the nearby Mosquito Fire worried us about air quality. There were many inexpensive homes for rent, but we thought the risk needed to be lowered. . . . . . We also considered driving…
Read More: Exploring Russian River
Before seeing Theater You, Inna, Lucy, Andrei, and I decided to eat dinner at Cascal in Mountain View. . It's been a long since I last visited Cascal, and I was surprised that Castro Street was closed to traffic. It was full of shops and vendors selling varieties of food and wine. . . . . . After arriving at 5:00pm, we were seated and…
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Before Alex's return to Boston (for his sophomore semester at Northeastern), Inna made dinner reservations at Naschmarkt in Campbell, CA. Naschmarkt is one of my favorite Austrian restaurants, and I was pleased to dine there again. . . . . We were seated outside on a hot summer day. A band played in the distance, and lots of people walked around. It was nice to…
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On Saturday, August 27, 2022, we decided to eat dinner at our favorite local Thai restaurant - Golden Triangle. . Inna made reservations for 7:30pm, and we arrived on time, sitting indoors. I usually prefer to sit outside, as indoors can be very noisy. . After looking at the menu, we ordered the following dishes, family style:. Drinks: . Thai Iced Tea. Appetizers: . 5…
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Saturday, August 20, 2022 . I woke up at around 9:00am, showered, dressed, and did some coding. Then, we all walked to Equator Coffees, where Inna and Alex ordered special cold drinks while I enjoyed my usual mocha. The day was gorgeous, with many people jogging and walking their dogs. . . Some race was going on on Marina Boulevard, but it was quiet. The…
Read More: San Francisco Workation Week 5
I cut my brand new Duotone SLS Slick Wing during my previous wing foiling session at Crissy. The wing is fragile and easily damaged by the sharp, carbon Armstrong foil attached to my Naish 110GS board. . . . . . At first, I tried patching the wing using specialty sail patch tape, but I was unsure how well it would hold out long term.…
Read More: Wing Repair in San Francisco
Saturday, August 13, 2022 . I woke up around 08:00 and walked to Crissy Field for my morning exercise and stretching routine. When I returned home, Inna was ready to take a shower and did a bit of coding. . . . . . I planned to meet with Ekansh at noon and eat out nearby; Ekansh was running late and arrived at 12:15. We…
Read More: San Francisco Workation Week 4
Saturday, August 6, 2022 . In the morning, Alex, Inna, and I woke around 08:30 and decided to hike to Arsicault Bakery via Lyon Street Steps. The uphill walk was rather steep, and Inna, whose heart rate peaked at over 160 beats/minute, needed to rest a few times. . . . . . Eventually, we reached Arsicault Bakery and queued up in a long line,…
Read More: San Francisco Workation Week 3
Wednesday, July 27, 2022 . I felt healthier on Wednesday and returned to Crissy Field to try windsurfing. . The wind forecast on iwindsurf.com looked favorable. When I arrived at Crissy Field, I found plenty of parking space, quickly rigged my Ezzy Elite 5.0m sail, and attached a long fin to my Fanatic 105 STB FSW windsurfing board. . . . . . I managed…
Read More: Windsurfing and Wing Foiling at Crissy Field
Saturday, July 30, 2022 It's Alex's 20th Birthday! See this link for my birthday posting.. . In the morning, we woke up early, at around 08:20, to drive to Schubert's Bakery on Clement Street to purchase the birthday cake for Alex and a few other pastries. . . . . . After we returned home, we walked to the nearby Walgreens Pharmacy to pick up…
Read More: San Francisco Workation Week 2
I can't believe that it's already Alex's 20th birthday!. Since he had a Northeastern University midterm in his Computer Algorithms class, we did not plan too many events on this day (as he would be busy finishing his exam). Instead, we planned a full day of activities for the following weekend (after Alex's midterms were finished). . . . For birthday presents, we purchased the…
Read More: Celebrating Alex’s 20th Birthday
After lengthy deliberation, I decided to purchase Wing Foiling gear to learn to Wing Foil while living in the Marina District of San Francisco. It was an early birthday present for me!. . I met up with Jesse at Boardsports Alameda, and he recommended the following wing foiling gear: . . . . . . . 2022 (S26) 5'10 x 29" Naish Hover Wing Foil…
Read More: Buying Wing Foiling Gear from Boardsports
Sunday, July 24, 2022 . Inna and I planned to work from San Francisco from mid-July to mid-August. We both enjoy the more relaxed summer weather and the myriad of restaurants and other entertainment options. However, since I came down with COVID-19 from July 11-15, we decided to postpone our workation in San Francisco by one week. . . . . . On Sunday, July…
Read More: San Francisco Workation Week 1
For Father's Day on June 19, 2022, Inna made dinner reservations at Naschmarkt in Campbell, CA. Naschmarkt is one of my favorite Austrian restaurants, and I was pleased to dine there again. . . . . Inna drove me there in the Tesla Model Y, parking at the First Street Parking Garage on 168 S First Street,. . . After arriving for our 19:30 dinner,…
Read More: Father’s Day Dinner at Naschmarkt
. It's been almost 9 months since I last windsurfed, and I was eager to return to the water. When a strong wind was forecast by iWindsurf.com on Saturday, June 18, I was excited to resume my favorite sport. . I arrived at Coyote Point, San Mateo, at about 2:10pm. After paying the $6.00 park entry fee, I parked my Toyota Sienna minivan near a…
Read More: Windsurfing at Coyote Point