A digital travel diary. · WP v1.08 · Updated
One of our close friends offered us the opportunity to stay at the Marriott Beach Club on the Hawaiian Island of Kaua'i. We decided to rent one week, from July 2 to July 9, 2022. Since I had Alaska points from canceled trips to Boston, I could use them to purchase 3 airline tickets from San Jose to Kauai, Hawaii. . . . . .…
Read More: Back to Kauai
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
After returning from a ball-machine session at AVAC, Inna and I decided to return to Los Gatos and visit our favorite local patisserie, Fleur de Cocoa. Inna agreed to drive her new Tesla Model Y, and I enjoyed the smooth, quiet ride. . . . When we arrived, it was pretty busy (with all the inside tables full). We also noticed that most outdoor tables…
Read More: Lunch at Teleferic
Monday, May 30, 2022 . We returned to Cambridge from the Berkshires at about 6:30pm. I parked the car on Harvard Street, and we unloaded our backpacks. I started to sneeze, as Boston had a very high pollen count. . . At 7:10pm, Mounisha (our Turo host) arrived to pick up her Honda Civic. I handed off the keys, and Inna and I walked to…
Read More: Last Days in Boston
For the Memorial Day weekend, Inna made a Bed & Breakfast reservation at the Stockbridge Country Inn in Stockbridge, MA. We planned to explore the museums and hiking trails in this area. . We expected to pick up our Turo Honda Civic at 7:00pm and start our long, 2-hour drive to Stockbridge, where we would stay for 3 nights. . . However, Mounisha encountered traffic…
Read More: Exploring the Berkshires
Sunday, May 22, 2022 . We returned to Boston from Newport, Rhode Island, at around 8:40pm, after a 90-minute drive. After refilling Robert's Audi Q5 that I rented on Turo, I found a parking spot on Harvard Street (with Inna's help). . . . We returned all our items to our apartment at 334 Harvard Street and rested for a bit. I decided to do…
Read More: Boston Workation Week 4
Saturday, May 21, 2022 . I woke at 07:15 to prepare for the long drive from Boston to Newport, Rhode Island. I reserved a 2016 Audi Q5 from Robert on Turo.com and needed it ready by 8:00. At around 07:55, Robert emailed me to say he was running late, but he arrived at 08:35 (about half an hour later than requested). . . . .…
Read More: A Weekend at Newport
Monday, May 16, 2022 . After a deep sleep, I woke at 7:30, showered, shaved, dressed, and walked around the Charles River. It was warm in the morning - 68 degrees Fahrenheit - and I only needed a T-shirt and shorts. . . . . . During the walk, I finished listening to Eric Metaxas's autobiography, Fish Out of Water: The Search for the Meaning…
Read More: Boston Workation Week 3
Since Inna and I have never been to Cape Cod, though we have heard much about it over the many years, we decided to pay a short visit, stopping at the major attractions. . . . . After eating a small breakfast and getting ready, we started our two-hour drive to Provincetown (the tip of Cape Cod), with a long, enjoyable stop in Sandwich. .…
Read More: A Day out in Cape Cod
For Mother's Day, Inna made dinner reservations at the modern French Deuxave restaurant in Back Bay, Boston. . . After returning from our weekend trip to Portland, Maine, we rested in our apartment at 334 Harvard Street and ordered an Uber to Deuxave. It was only 2 miles away and took 10 minutes to get there. . . . . When we arrived for our…
Read More: Mother’s Day at Deuxave
While in Boston, Inna and I decided to visit a few famous, nearby destinations in New England. In many tourist guides, Newport, Rhode Island, showed up in the top 10. With that in mind, Inna made hotel reservations in Newport, Rhode Island, and I reserved an Infiniti QX50 car on Turo. . . . . . However, on Friday, May 6 - the day we…
Read More: Visiting Portland, Maine
With Alex attending Northeastern University in Boston and unsure about his return home, Inna and I planned to visit Alex while working from Boston. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, many companies, including our current employers, made working from home (or anywhere in the USA) easy. Instead of taking a vacation to Boston, we decided to live there and experience life as locals.. Inna found a furnished…
Read More: Boston Workation Week 1
With Alex's week of Spring Break ending, Inna made dinner reservations at Naschmarkt - our favorite local Austrian restaurant in Campbell. . . . . . After parking our Sienna minivan in the garage, we walked to Naschmarkt. Campbell was quite lively, and all the restaurants were busy. There was plenty of live music, and the mood was cheerful. . . . . . We…
Read More: Dinner at Naschmarkt
I made dinner reservations for Inna's birthday at Dio Deka in Los Gatos for 19:45. We arrived on time and parked on the street on Los Gatos Blvd. . . . . After ordering a Japanese Kiss cocktail (as Strawberry Margaritas were not available), Inna and I ordered Tzatziki with pita bread and Octopus to start our dinner.. . . . After sitting down and…
Read More: Inna’s Birthday Dinner at Dio Deka
I decided to try the highly-rated Asa Los Gatos restaurant for Valentine's Day. When researching restaurants, I was surprised that Asa was nearby in Los Gatos and unaware of its existence. . . . I made reservations for Monday, February 14th, at 19:45, and we arrived on time. After being seated, we looked over the menu and ordered the following dinner items:. . . Appetizer:…
Read More: Valentine’s Dinner at Asa Los Gatos
On Sunday, January 2nd, 2022, Inna and I decided to try eating lunch at the recently opened Epernay Bistro on Main Street in Los Gatos. . . . Since the weather outside was sunny and pleasant, we decided to eat outdoors, ordering the following items: . Boris: French Onion Soup, Truffle Fries, Cappuccino. Inna: Eggs Benedict, Cappuccino . . Although the service was a bit…
Read More: Lunch at Epernay Bistro
With a Covid-19 outbreak at N.U.in London, we suggested that Alex return one week earlier from London, UK. Instead of Sunday, December 19th, we modified Alex's return flight to San Francisco for Sunday, December 12th. . . His American Airlines Flight from London's Heathrow Airport arrived on time in San Francisco (thankfully, ahead of the big winter storm heading for Northern California). . Alex almost…
Read More: Dinner at Golden Triangle
On November 20, 2021, Inna and I revisited Sedona, Arizona. We last visited Sedona on November 28, 2019 (before COVID-19) and were eager to hike some of our favorites again. . Since the Hilton Sedona Resort at Bell Rock was much more expensive, Inna and I decided to try the Lantern Light Inn instead. We also booked Southwest Airlines Flight #2316 from SJC to PHX,…
Read More: Back to Sedona
For our 20th Wedding Anniversary, Inna reserved the Avila La Fonda Hotel, located on the beautiful Avila Beach, California, for the two-day weekend, from Friday, October 15 to Sunday, October 17. although we have stayed at Pismo Beach multiple times, we have never stayed at Avila Beach. . . . Friday, October 15, 2021 . We started our drive to Avila Beach on Friday, October…
Read More: Relaxing at Avila Beach
For our 20th Wedding Anniversary, I made dinner reservations for 6:45pm at Flowers, Saratoga. We noticed Flowers nearby when we last dined at The Plumed Horse (for Alex's Bellarmine Graduation). It was an exquisite restaurant, and we wanted to try it.. . We arrived on time and parked in the parking lot near Plumed Horse. . . . . . After checking in, the hostess…
Read More: Anniversary Dinner at Flowers, Saratoga