A digital travel diary. · WP v1.08 · Updated
Inna purchased two tickets to The World Ballet Company's The Great Gatsby Ballet at the Heritage Theater in Campbell, CA. . The dancers were excellent, but I am not a big fan of ballet in general. Some dialogue would have helped move the story forward and clarify the relationships among the main characters. The set design was excellent and really helped to showcase the roaring…
Read More: The Great Gatsby A New Ballet
The Inna purchased tickets for the 2024 Holiday Tour of her favorite band, Pink Martini. The concert was scheduled for Saturday, December 14, at 19:30 in SF Jazz in San Francisco. . . . The band features the following members:. Thomas Lauderdale - piano (founding member). China Forbes - vocals. Antonis Andreou - trombone. In addition to the prominent members, there were a few new…
Read More: Pink Martini at SF Jazz
. As written by TheatreWorks Silicon Valley:. . Following its hit stage adaptations of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, and Emma, TheatreWorks returns to the Regency with this Pride and Prejudice sequel that is perfect for the whole family. This charming romantic comedy full of festive fun stars a different Bennet sister: bookish Mary, who is tired of being in the middle…
Read More: Miss Bennet Christmas at Pemberley
Today, we saw Lia Ahedjakova, a famous Russian actress, playing Esther in the play "My Grandson Benjamin" at the Herbst Theater in San Francisco. . English:. "My Grandson Benjamin" is a surprisingly piercing story of family relationships. The main character Esther lives with memories of the past, in her memory traditions and orders from childhood. Domineering and accustomed to deciding everything for others, she unsuccessfully…
Read More: My Grandson Benjamin at Herbst Theater
I discovered Joe Bonamassa a few years ago on Spotify (with songs like Drive) being one of my favorites. I especially enjoyed listening to his collaboration with Beth Hart on Don't Explain. . When I learned that Joe would play at the San Jose Civic Center, I was excited to see him live and purchased excellent seats for the 8:00 pm show. . . We…
Read More: Joe Bonamassa at San Jose Civic CenterMariza is a world-famous Fado singer, and I was surprised and delighted that she was visiting San Francisco. Having just returned from Portugal, where Mariza usually performs in large stadiums, I was happily surprised to find I could purchase tickets to hear her live. . Here is a sample YouTube video of her singing:. . . . According to Wikipedia: . Mariza was born in…
Read More: Mariza at SF Jazz
. After many years, we returned to Felton to hike in the beautiful Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. Inna decided to follow the river to the Cathedral Redwoods. . . . We followed the Pipeline Road (which parallels River Trail) from the parking lot to the Cathedral Redwoods, a small grove of giant sequoias. It was a pleasant day to hike among the giant redwoods.…
Read More: Hiking Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
Inna and I decided to try walking a new trail in Burlingame. She heard that the Sawyer Trail South is an easy, paved trail along the Crystal Spring Reservoir. . We arrived and parked our Tesla near the trailhead. The two-hour round-trip hike was straightforward, and we managed a breakneck pace (3/5 miles/hour). . . . It was a straightforward, enjoyable hike, and we hope…
Read More: Hiking Sawyer Camp Trail South in Burlingame
Inna and I tried hiking the Alma Trail in Bear Creek Redwoods, nearby, to burn some calories and explore nearby trails. . This was a moderate hike with significant elevation gain (1469 ft). We enjoyed the hike, but Inna was a bit tired. . . . . . . . . .
Read More: Hiking Alma Trail in Bear Creek Redwoods
After a long time, we decided to hike in Castle Rock State Park in Los Gatos. . . When we arrived, we were surprised by the large parking lot, which had been converted from gravel to a fully paved one with many paid parking spaces. . . . . . . The hike started from the parking lot, heading south toward the waterfall and westward.…
Read More: Hiking Castle Rock
I was offered a chance to ride from Palo Alto to Filoli Gardens, and I decided to give it a shot. Initially, I was looking for a gravel bike for the long ride, but I did not want to pay $150/day to rent a bike at Summit Bicycles. . My Specialized FSRS-Works is not the ideal bicycle, but I made it work. When I arrived…
Read More: Ride from Palo Alto to Filoli Gardens
The musical closely follows Mrs. Doubtfire's plot, but no one can replace Robin Williams. It was a well-acted performance at the Orpheum Theater. . . . . . . 2023 North American Tour and London Production . Act I "That's Daniel" – Lydia, Miranda, Daniel, Ensemble . "I Want to Be There" – Daniel . "I Want to Be There" (Reprise) – Daniel . "Try…
Read More: Mrs. Doubtfire at Orpheum
Inna found and purchased inexpensive, last-minute tickets to the hit Broadway show Company, playing at San Francisco's Orpheum Theater. I had vaguely heard of the show but had never listened to any of the songs or watched any YouTube videos. . . . . . I disliked the San Francisco production, the songs, and everything about it. It all seemed dull and unappealing. We left…
Read More: Company at Orpheum
We were asked to take care of Teddy, a cute medium-sized Bernerdoodle, and we were delighted to have the opportunity to host him. . . . We enjoyed taking him on morning and evening walks and along Vasona Lake. He is a very affectionate and playful dog. . . .
Read More: Teddy’s return
Before the show, I made early dinner reservations at Orchard City Kitchen in downtown Campbell. We had been meaning to visit this restaurant, as it was mentioned by the Michelin Guide, but it was difficult to reserve. I managed to snag a table at 5:15 p.m. . . . . . When we arrived at the plaza, we had difficulty finding parking, so we circled…
Read More: Cirque du Soleil Kooza in San Jose
Before stopping to see Tiger Style in Mountain View, Inna decided to have an early dinner at the nearby Doppio Zero pizzeria.. . Inna made a dinner reservation at 17:45, and I drove directly there, meeting with Inna on the way to the pizzeria. After being seated outdoors, we looked at the online menu and ordered the following: . Appetizer: Pera Salad, 2 Mushroom Soups,…
Read More: Tiger Style in Mountain ViewToday, we saw a small production of Master & Margarita in Palo Alto. On the way there, we stopped by for dinner at Ettan (a very fancy, and hard to get into Indian Restaurant). . Master & Margarita is a one my wife's favorite novels and she enjoyed seeing on stage.. . According to Wikipedia:. . . The story concerns a visit by the devil…
Read More: Master & Margarita in Palo Alto
For Inna's birthday, I made reservations at the famous Michelin 1-star Chez TJ restaurant in Mountain View for Friday, February 23, at 19:30. . . . . After arriving and taking our seats, we were given several wine menus. After some discussions with the waiter, we selected a half-bottle of Vouvray. After spending some time in the Loire region of France, we had always loved…
Read More: Dinner at Chez TJ
Last year, Inna purchased two tickets to see Andrey Makarevich for the Saturday, February 17th, 7:00 p.m. concert at Fort Mason in San Francisco. . . . . We left early to eat dinner in San Francisco before the concert. After parking in Fort Mason, we learned that our favorite local German eatery, Radhaus San Francisco, was packed. After paying $16 for all-day parking, we…
Read More: Andrey Makarevich at Fort Mason
Inna and I were fortunate to dog-sit a Bernie-doodle named Teddy for 3 days. . . . . We enjoyed playing with Teddy and going out for daily walks. He never barks and is very affectionate and playful. .
Read More: A long weekend with Teddy