November started with another weekend on call, so nothing too exciting to there. SMS and I had a lot more fun over Veteran’s Day Weekend. I had bought tickets to a Friday night show, so we make an East Bay date night out of it!
First, we went to Treasure Island (not the one of Pinocchio fame!). Instead, it is the location of the Pan Am terminal once used for the Clipper Sea Planes. For some reason, I thought the terminal was used for blimps and I didn’t know what a Clipper was. Inside, there were some informative posters and it was really a cool chapter in aviation history.
Although the exterior was beautiful, it didn’t look the most inviting. I had heard there was a cool mural inside so I decided to try a door, which pulled open easily. We walked inside and there was a security guard right there who paid no attention to us so we guessed that we were okay! The mural is pretty amazing and documents key Navy and Marine historical events. It starts with the Battle of Lake Erie in 1813 and ends with a futuristic space colony. I guess the last bit technically isn’t history but it seemed to fit with a grandiose timeline and attitude of future success!
After Treasure Island, we went to Trader Vic’s. According to the restaurant, Trader Vic himself is the inventor of the Mai Tai. It had been on our list to try and since we were in the area, off we went! It was pretty tasty. I usually avoid Mai Tais and have even been the designated driver at luaus because I don’t like them. But I admit, this one was pretty good.
After dinner, we went to the Paramount Theater for Pop-Up magazine, a live performance from several artists that bring a magazine to life. After having unbelievable luck with a parking spot despite the presence of a serious doubter (SMS!), we walked to the theater where there was a medium line to get in/through the COVID screeners. Entering the lobby was amazing- I hadn’t realized what a beautiful Art Deco building it was. The middle picture above is near the entrance and the picture to the right is from the circle that you see near the top of the middle picture. It is an incredible interior.
The show was pretty good. Several writers read pieces that were accompanied by a small band and graphics/slideshow/video support. There was also a Native American spirit dance by two guys profiled in the piece immediately preceding the dance. Overall, the show concept was really cool and I learned a few things during different segments. I don’t know if I’d go to every Pop-Up Magazine event that comes to town, but it was definitely a unique show format. For our first night out in a long time, it was definitely a lot of fun!
The next weekend marked the start of my extended Thanksgiving vacation. We went to the Stanford-Cal game to tailgate with new friends I had made through my Stanford Ignite experience. There were extra tickets, so we were invited to the game itself. It was a lot of fun.
We also went for a hike the day before leaving for DC, where we spent the Thanksgiving holiday (separate blog post!). The hike started from Deer Hollow farm. Afterward, we came upon the most Zen goat. A state of mind to aspire towards!
