sf bay

Review: Elton John Farewell Yellow Brick Road at Levi’s Stadium

Sunday, October 2, 2022california, concert, sf bay

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…

Dinner at Pastis Bistro, Palo Alto

Friday, September 30, 2022california, restaurant, sf bay

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…

Birthday in San Francisco

Sunday, September 25, 2022california, restaurant, sf bay

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…

Review: To Kill a Mockingbird at Golden Gate Theater

Saturday, September 24, 2022california, drama, sf bay, theater

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…

Exploring Russian River

Friday, September 16, 2022california, kayaking, russian river, sf bay

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…

Dinner at Cascal

Saturday, September 10, 2022california, restaurant, sf bay

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…

Dinner at Naschmarkt

Friday, September 2, 2022california, restaurant, sf bay

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…

Dinner at Golden Triangle

Saturday, August 27, 2022california, restaurant, sf bay

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…

San Francisco Workation Week 5

Saturday, August 20, 2022california, restaurant, sf bay, wing foiling

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…

Wing Repair in San Francisco

Monday, August 15, 2022california, sf bay, wing foiling

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.…

San Francisco Workation Week 4

Saturday, August 13, 2022california, restaurant, sf bay, wing foiling

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…

San Francisco Workation Week 3

Sunday, August 7, 2022california, restaurant, sf bay, windsurfing, wing foiling

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,…

Windsurfing and Wing Foiling at Crissy Field

Wednesday, August 3, 2022california, sf bay, windsurfing, wing foiling

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…

San Francisco Workation Week 2

Saturday, July 30, 2022california, restaurant, sf bay, windsurfing, wing foiling

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…

Celebrating Alex’s 20th Birthday

Saturday, July 30, 2022birthday, california, personal, sf bay

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…

Buying Wing Foiling Gear from Boardsports

Saturday, July 30, 2022california, sf bay, wing foiling

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…

San Francisco Workation Week 1

Tuesday, July 26, 2022california, restaurant, sf bay, windsurfing

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…

Father’s Day Dinner at Naschmarkt

Sunday, June 19, 2022california, restaurant, sf bay

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,…

Windsurfing at Coyote Point

Saturday, June 18, 2022california, sf bay, windsurfing

. 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…

First Day of Surfing at the Hook

Thursday, June 9, 2022california, sf bay, surfing

I had a free day at work and decided to surf in Capitola. Although Surfline did not report favorable conditions, I wanted to return to surfing this season. . The 40-minute drive from South San Jose to Capitola was smooth, and I arrived at the Hook Parking lot around noon. I parked and put on my wetsuit, booties, and a cheap watch. I waxed my…