A digital travel diary. · WP v1.08 · Updated
For my 53rd birthday, Inna made reservations at Dio Deka, a fine Greek Restaurant in the heart of Los Gatos. After arriving at 19:15, we were treated to a lovely outdoor table. . . . . . After carefully looking at the menu, we ordered the Japanese Fairy Tale cocktail along with Octopus and Pita. . . . . Later on, we ordered the main…
Read More: Boris’ Birthday Dinner at Dio Deka
With Alex departing for London (to study abroad with the N.U.in London program at Northeastern University), Inna and I took out for his last dinner in Los Gatos. . . . . We chose one of his favorite local restaurants, The Pastaria & Market, in Los Gatos. . . . . . . When we arrived at about 7:30pm on Thursday, September 2nd, the restaurant…
Read More: The Last Supper at Pastaria
Saturday, August 14, 2021 . In the morning, Inna and I woke up at 8:30 and took a short stroll to Le Marais Bakery, where we purchased pastries and coffee. We were surprised by a longer-than-expected order line and the number of people on the street. The bakery was much busier than on weekdays. . . . . We ordered the following items:. Boris: Mocha,…
Read More: San Francisco Workation Week 5
Saturday, August 7, 2021 . In the morning, Inna and I woke up around 09:00 and took a short stroll to Crissy Field. After we returned, I made a couple of sandwiches with pastrami from Lucca Deli on Acme sourdough bread for Alex and me. . . . . . Alex and I spent most of the day boat surfing on the Petaluma River in…
Read More: San Francisco Workation Week 4
Saturday, July 31, 2021 . In the morning, Inna and I woke up around 08:00. I installed the Via Velo Bike U Lock on Inna's Specialized hybrid bike, cleaned up my windsurfing gear, started the washing machine, and loaded the dishwasher. . . . . Alex had severe allergies to ragweed pollen, so we walked to Arsicault Bakery (on Arguello) to bring him some of…
Read More: San Francisco Workation Week 3
Saturday, July 24, 2021 . I woke up at 06:30 but decided to sleep until 07:45. Inna, I went for a short walk to Crissy Field. . . . . . . . Inna hoped to photograph some of the local Night Herons and other birds who frequently inhabit the Palace of Fine Arts. She managed to take a few excellent photos. . . .…
Read More: San Francisco Workation Week 2
While we could still work from home (due to COVID-19), Inna had an idea to try living in San Francisco. She reserved an Airbnb house from July 17 to August 16, located near the Presidio, Marina Blvd, and Crissy Field, that suited our work-from-home intentions. . . Saturday, July 17, 2021 . Inna, Alex, and I packed our suitcases, but I decided to leave earlier…
Read More: San Francisco Workation Week 1
Saturday, July 3, 2021 . In the morning, I woke up at 7:30 a.m. I stopped by the nearby Farmer's Market to purchase a few essentials for the upcoming week, including fresh organic tomatoes, pita bread, blueberries, and tzatziki sauce. . . . . . . . After returning home and eating a breakfast of yogurt with blueberries and raspberries, we drove Alex to San…
Read More: Laguna Beach Workation Week 4
Saturday, June 26, 2021 . . . In the morning, I stopped by Whole Foods for a few grocery items (bananas, Gouda cheese) and to get cash for my Saturday's Farmer's Market visit. I purchased fresh organic tomatoes, sourdough bread, blueberries, and raspberries at the market. . . . . . . After returning home and eating a quick breakfast of yogurt with blueberries and…
Read More: Laguna Beach Workation Week 3
Saturday, June 19, 2021 . . . I woke up early in the morning to shop at the nearby Farmers' Market (next to our Fire Station). Inna and I walked over and examined all the stands. We purchased German Rye Bread, pre-sliced Sourdough bread, Grapefruits, Tomatoes, Burrata cheese, tzatziki, blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries. . . . . . . . Finished with shopping, Inna and…
Read More: Laguna Beach Workation Week 2
With the COVID-19 pandemic ending, we planned another work-from-home trip to our favorite Laguna Beach rental home (June 12 - July 12, 2021). We enjoyed last year's stay (from September 4 - October 4, 2020) and looked forward to exploring the beautiful beaches, eating delicious pastries at Moulin Bakery, and surfing at Rockpile Beach. . We were unsure how much longer our current employers would…
Read More: Laguna Beach Workation Week 1
To celebrate my new job at Nvidia and Inna's recent promotion at Genapsys, Inna made dinner reservations at our favorite Campbell Restaurant - Naschmarkt - for 8:00pm. . . . . We ran a bit late and had trouble finding parking, but we eventually found a spot nearby. We arrived around 8:20pm and sat outside near two excellent heaters. . After looking at the menu,…
Read More: Dinner at Naschmarkt
We decided to treat Alex to a delicious dinner at our favorite Michelin-rated restaurant in Saratoga - The Plumed Horse- for Alex's graduation from Bellarmine College Preparatory School. . . . . After reviewing the Chef's Tasting menu, Inna and Alex decided to try it.. . . . It had the following items listed. As expected, they were exquisitely prepared:. . Farmer's Market Asparagus. Pea…
Read More: Dinner at Plumed Horse
One of our friends has a timeshare at Marriott's Newport Coast Villas but couldn't spend the time due to concerns about COVID-19. Another week at Newport might be fun since we stayed in nearby Laguna Beach in September. . . . . We reserved our 7 nights at Marriott from Saturday, February 27 to Saturday, March 6, 2021. Alex was excited, as it would allow…
Read More: Winter at Newport Beach
For Inna's birthday, I originally intended to treat her to a Japanese barbecue at Gyu-Kaku. However, as I developed a headache, I canceled the reservation. Later on, after taking some Tylenol, I felt much better, so we decided to drive to Los Gatos and find a nice restaurant with outdoor seating. . . . . At first, I thought about the recently opened Pastaria &…
Read More: Inna’s Birthday Dinner at North
For Valentine's Day, I made a reservation (via OpenTable) for 5:15 p.m. on Sunday, February 14th, at our favorite Palo Alto restaurant, Evvia. . Evvia serves authentic Greek entrees, and we really like the high-quality dishes. . When we arrived at 17:20, I was surprised by how easy it was to find parking. Usually, Palo Alto downtown is quite busy (especially on Valentine's Day). After…
Read More: Valentine’s Day at Evvia
We returned to our usual routine after returning from our long staycation at Laguna Beach. . . . . . . When I heard (from Trey) that Alex's Firewire Tuomo v4 surfboard repairs were complete, I drove to Santa Cruz's Midtown Surf Shop to pick it up. . . . . . I made it a fun day by walking with Inna on West Cliff…
Read More: Enjoying Santa Cruz
Monday, September 28, 2020 - Rosh Hashanah . After waking up around 7:30am, I decided to walk to Heisler Park to enjoy the beautiful beach as part of my daily exercise routine. Since it was Rosh Hashanah, I skipped breakfast and lunch. . . In the afternoon, around 12:00pm, Inna and I walked back to the main beach in Laguna Beach for a pleasant stroll…
Read More: Last Week at Laguna Beach
Ah, another delightful week (my 3rd) at Laguna Beach! What could be better?. . Monday, September 21, 2020. . I had a reasonably busy workday but stopped by Wally's Barbershop for a haircut. I felt much better after getting all of my long hair trimmed. . In the evening, I found time to surf at Rockpile Beach. Waves were relatively small - no more significant…
Read More: Enjoying Laguna Beach
On Saturday evening, September 12, we returned to Laguna Beach from our short stay in Las Vegas. After unloading our Sienna minivan, Inna and I ate dinner in downtown Laguna Beach.. . . . . . At first, we decided to try Wild Taco on Ocean Avenue. We found a cozy table outside and looked at the menu. Since no one came around to take…
Read More: Returning to Laguna Beach