K’s House with another ryokan (now museum?) next door
After a leisurely morning, Brady and I headed off for the Jogasaki Coast. While the trip was originally supposed to be a family affair, Ricardo stayed back with LR so it was sister! time!
Our room
We eventually made it after driving high up in the mountains (and fog!), which is not a route that I’d particularly recommend. We stayed at K’s House Ito Onsen. It’s a budget hostel in a former ryokan/onsen and it is super cool. The reviews for the place are great and well-deserved. There is a small onset facility on site, but we also went to a larger onsen in the Hotel Dankoen where we had a discounted pass. This was very cool because there was an outside onsen that provides a nice contrast between the cool night air and hot water of the baths.
Drink machine in the Hotel Dankoen! Liquid courage for getting naked!
On the way to the Hotel Dankoen, I stopped by a walk-up sake window because why not? It provided an experience that helped make up for the one I missed out on when the drive-thru daiquiri placed was closed in Louisiana during SMS and my Deep South road trip.
After the onsen, we went out to dinner at a restaurant that was delicious. It was also a little more expensive than we were looking for but the town was pretty dead and not much was open. The food was quite good.
Balcony view from our room
Although the day wasn’t as jam-packed as the prior, it was awesome! Brady and I got to have a ton of quality time in the most beautiful setting. I love the Jogasaki Coast and highly recommend it. Given how affordable and amazing K’s House was, I’d probably spend 2-3 nights there as a home base for exploring more of the peninsula.
Screenshot of the Hotel Dankoen Guide Map- go to the hotel site for a .pdf!
Secret Sake Bar in Japan- Moto! Locals only but also welcoming! Forget the Golden Gai and come here!
Japanese breakfast at the New Sanno!
Picking up where I left off, I woke up after a great Easter with family and friends to…room service! I had a list of food I wanted to eat while in Japan and the New Sanno Japanese breakfast tray was on it- salmon, rice, miso, tamago (egg), pickles, and green tea. It’s delicious! In case you are interested, other items on my to-eat list included onigiri (rice balls). Actually, that’s about it for specifics- New Sanno breakfast and onigiri. Of course I had other general ideas (yakitori, sushi, ramen, pickled veg) but I only had two specific things I had to get.
After breakfast, I headed to Shibuya and the Hatchiko statue to meet up with Hillary and her Mom. It was time for a day of shopping! Our first stop was Ginza so we got back on the metro. Ginza has a lot of high end shops and cool architecture, similar to Omotesandō. I had a specific destination in mind though- Dover Street Market Ginza. It is a multi-level high-end store that is a shop/temple/museum to high fashion. It is super cool. The displays themselves are very high-concept and arty, some incorporating the clothes and some there for art’s sake alone.
We took the escalator to the top and worked our way down through the levels. I thought the clothes by Sacai were really cool but alas, I am not the size for haute couture in Japan. So, we went next door- to Uniqlo, where all the poor fatties can buy clothes. Hooray!
This ant is too big for Dover Street and is on his way to Uniqlo!
After Ginza shopping, I decided to change it up so we took the train to Naka-Meguro, with its beautiful canals, small boutiques, and little cafes. We walked into a few shops. I bought a hat that I really like. We went to a small cafe named Mother Esta, which featured a lot of produce on the menu. We each ordered different sets- salad, curry, and fish. Each was plated beautifully and everyone agreed the food was delicious.
Shibuya Crossing
We headed back to Shibuya to get Hillary and Barbara back to their hotel, but of course I pushed the agenda a bit and took them to Loft. It is a wonderful store and a highly recommend a stop. The stationary/pens, beauty department, and kitchen gadgets are extra binge-worthy. I think both of them were a little jet-lagged by the end but we had a great day and it was so fun to see a college friend in a completely new setting.
I headed back to the New Sanno and met up with Brady. We decided to head to Shinjuku to try a Yakitori place I follow on Instagram and to try and find the sake bar recommended by my Kyoto bar friends. I am so glad we went to Shinjuku! I had only been once before when I was making a beeline for the Robot Restaurant. This time, we had different destinations in mind and, at a slower pace, got to appreciate how cool the place is.
We passed the Robot Restaurant though!
I am still old-school in that I like reading blogs and articles while trip-planing but Instagram can be helpful, too. Not so much for primary research but more for onesie-twosie things that pop up. Right before the Japan trip, I had somehow come across Garakuta-na, Nishi Shinjuku on Instagram (@garakuta_nishisinjuku) and started following them. There is an energetic, enthusiastic vibe to the page so I thought it would be a fun place to go.
Adult Melon Float- ordered in honor of SMS and yes, there were ice cubes in it!
Well, thank goodness for Instagram because I never would have made it to the place otherwise. The building was easy to find and the restaurant was located on 4F. The elevator opens straight into the restaurant and on the way up, fliers for restaurants on the different floors are on the wall. Both the 3F and 4F restaurants mentioned their English menus but I think the vertical stacking of restaurants is still very intimidating. It prevents a person from being able to scope out the scene from street level. Instead, you’re just deposited into the middle of the action. I realize that this is just how it is in Japan and it’s something to take in stride- it’s definitely out of my comfort zone though!
Little Rickey is young enough and cute enough that the “No Outside Food” rule is waived.
The staff was really nice and we were seated right away. There was a foodie tour group at a community table for a little while, but it was otherwise filled with Japanese people. The English menu was very good, but we ordered using our limited Japanese and pointing. I tried showing the Instagram to a few of the waiters but they look confused. I wonder if the page just exists for marketing rather than something all the staff follow and post to? Or maybe my attempts at showing that I was an avid fan of their establishment were not very clear? This seems somewhat-to-very likely.
We ordered several yakitori. My go-to’s are the chicken thigh with leek and the tsukune (chicken meatball). There are a LOT of organ meats and cartilage so this is one menu that I try to order off of rather than say “Surprise me/Give me your recommendation” (or “Osusume” in Japanese). There’s also the funny “Mother-child” dish that features chicken and an egg. Ricardo joined us for awhile and then Brady and I split off to find Moto, the standup sake bar that had come so highly recommended.
Moto was challenging to find, mostly because our Maps program was one building off. Then, when it was on the right building, it was opposite of where the entrance was. Honestly, I think I just overcomplicated it (whhaattt?) because I had been told it was really hard to find. We eventually found it on the BF1 level.
Also, quick note on what I learned about the Golden Gai. I had thought it was a different place entirely because there are several stations along the Yamanote line that have an alley of bars underneath the elevated tracks. It has a gritty, get-it-done feel towards drinking with fairly bare bone establishments. When I learned the actual Golden Gai was in Shinjuku, I wanted to walk by it. Honest opinion? While it is cool with its compact, vibrant bar scene, it felt a little over-touristy, aka, really high cover charges (Y600-Y700 so really, not that bad but a little opportunistic). Many bars in Tokyo have cover charges, but tend to be a little cheaper unless the establishment is really nice.
Ok, back to Moto. Brady and I showed up and while it looked full, the patrons moved a little closer together and voila, room for two more! It was a tiny stand-up establishment with a U-shaped bar enclosing the bartenders and sake bottles in the middle. There was a Y300 cover charge and, as a “complimentary” treat, an onion salad. I liked it, Brady only liked it in a small quantity. There was an English menu and one bartender whose English was quite good. We each tried two different sakes during our time there, which was limited by the fact that they were closing. It was a weekday, which means a lot of places seem to close in coordination with the train schedules, which allows people a better chance of catching the last train home. I highly recommend Moto as the patrons were welcoming, the different sakes were great, the bartenders knowledgeable, and the onion salad to die for. Haha, the last one is a joke.
Today was an exciting day because it was the first Shinkansen ride for the entire M-R clan! We left about 9 o’clock after that lil’ diva LR took for-ever to get ready. Seriously, good thing he was the last to shower because there would have been no hot water for the rest of us.
Haha. I am so funny. I managed to get a quick workout in while we were getting ready and then we took a multi-train trip from Sagami-otsuka (Atsugi NAF) to Yokohama, Yokohama to Shin-Yokohama, Shin-Yokohama to Shin-Osaka (Shinkansen!), and then Shin-Osaka-Osaka-Nishikujō-Universal City.
The hotel is nice and right outside the station and amusement park. It is an awesome location! After settling in and feeding the newest little Griffindor, we headed out to the Dotonbori/Nanba area.
We walked around and took in all the neon signs, sounds, and smells of Osaka. Osaka is known as Japan’s kitchen and there is so much good food!
We wandered around until I, at least, was starting to reach mild hangriness, despite a quick takoyaki break. We went into a small Izakaya off of a side alley and got a great set dinner!
We headed back to the hotel after briefly discussing moving onto a bar. But we needed a rest. Our mega-Harry Potter day was the next day and we had to be at our peak!
I arrived in Boston and after quickly seeing Ed and Meg, I went to sleep. Ok, ok, first I ate the cannoli they brought for me as a consolation prize for missing dinner.
The next day, I woke up early and headed out for Brady’s commissioning ceremony. It was such an honor to commission her and I was/am so happy and proud of her! After the ceremony, we went out to a diner for brunch which was perfect since there was a table for 6 available without a wait. Yay! I had lobster egg benedict which was pretty good.
The graduate!
After breakfast, I took an Uber with Mom to the ceremony. Normally I’m all about walking but I was in heels and my feet, especially the right, has hurt a lot since running for the train after the Beyonce concert in new boots. We got to the ceremony and it was so great to be there for Brady’s graduation with the hooding and the diploma presentation. The ceremony was very long since there were two schools graduating (medical and Sackler) but it’s ok, it was worth it to be there!
The past weekend was awesome! On Saturday, SMS and I headed to San Jose after a delicious ramen lunch at Orenchi ramen. SMS had gotten recommendations from two separate people so Saturday was the day to check it out. It was delicious! We both got the house special, which is a tonkotsu-broth ramen with slightly thicker, curly noodles. My favorite part was the depth of flavor in the broth and the perfectly soft-boiled egg. I’ve had a few better bowls in Japan but this place really held up against our previous ramen experiences. SMS was also a fan.
Robot-san, v. 2
After feeling slightly swollen after so much salty broth goodness, we hopped into the car for downtown San Jose. We went to The Tech Museum of Innovation in San Diego where our admission + IMAX movie was free with active duty id. Yeah! The museum was cute but definitely geared towards kids and exposing them to mini-projects and experiments in the STEM fields. That didn’t stop us from trying out the robot station though! After SMS’ adventures in robot building at home, we wanted to check out how the museum curated the experience.
Going to the museum was also nice because SMS thought we were going to the art museum, which is usually more my speed. So I got to accumulate awesome wife karma for thinking of a fun destination. After the museum, we went to the San Pedro Market Square. We decided to walk since the day was gorgeous and I decided to get lost and over-extend our walk by quite a bit. Oops.
Part of San Pedro Market Square
Once we finally arrived, I loved the place! It’s two large buildings with multiple sections with many different restaurant/stationary food trucks/food court-type options. We got coffees and dessert and it was really a treat. There’s a huge picnic table area between the two buildings and the whole place and vibe were just delightful.
We love brunch!
Beautiful friends!
On Sunday, SMS had a conference to go to while I went into the city to have brunch with Brady and Rosa. We went to the Mission Beach Cafe at Rosa’s friend’s suggestion and it was wonderful. Brady got the French Toast for us all to share, I got the egg sandwich and Rosa got the winner dish of classic Egg Benedict. There are several Bennies on the menu and I will definitely go with one next time I go. The egg sandwich was good but messy, plus it was on a biscuit which made it slightly too heavy for my tastes. I still ate it though! The French Toast was also good, but it’s hard to beat my Mom’s so that’s that.
“A Sunday Afternoon in Dolores Park” by Daniel Doherty ’09
The Women’s Center
Afterwards, we walked around the Mission District. We went to Delores Mission Park and then went to look at a few murals. First, we walked to the Women’s Center on 18th St and then we walked through Clarion Alley. The last time I had been was in 2010-ish and it’s amazing how the murals have changed to reflect activism against rent increase and the “Evils of Tech.” It’s awesome to see how dynamic art can be and reflect current issues and controversies.
Clarion Alley
Then we dropped Rosa off and went to the de Young Museum. We really wanted to see the Turner exhibit and it was really awesome. I was worried it would be crowded and while it was, I was still able to feel like I saw the paintings in an intentional, measured way rather than feel jostled and rushed.
Brady in front of one of my faves
My favorites were the two Roman paintings of ancient Rome and modern Rome that are paired paintings but currently held by two different institutions so often not displayed together; the “Blue Rigi, Sunrise” which is a watercolor with razor-sharp lines, an amazing technical feat; the “Snow Storm- Steam-Boat Off a Harbor’s Mouth” a action-filled swirl of stormy sea; and “Peace- Burial at Sea” which has amazing reflections off the water’s surface.
After the museum, we headed home where Brady packed up and the three of us went out to dinner. We went back to San Pedro Market Square (yeah!) where we had Mexican food to mark Brady’s last dinner in California, at least for a little while. We dropped her off at the airport and while it was sad, it was such an awesome visit and she’s off to do such great things that I felt really lucky to have had this time with my favorite sister!
[Edited to add: The weekend was a three day fest thanks to Labor Day! SMS and I headed out to Castle Rock Park and did a lot of climbing. Well, SMS climbed a lot and I belayed quite a bit- the routes were hard! Afterwards, we went for a hike which was really beautiful. Then we went to a local deli for lunch. It was a great day!]
Has anyone noticed the insane amount of marketing/merchandise recently released for the upcoming Star Wars film? It’s pretty nuts although Christmas shopping will be easy for any Star Wars fans in your life. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised since I saw the Lucas films sponsored extravagant Star Wars tableau ice sculpture in Sapporo last Winter. Anyway, just something I noticed.
So, yes! I have a sister! Ha, ha. We had a lot of fun this week going out after work, especially when I left work early. On Monday, we went to Palo Alto where we had oysters for Happy Hour at Gravity Bistro and Wine Bar. It was pretty good but no Shell Shock. We had the oysters, calamari and eggplant bruschetta. It was tasty and we had fun but it’s not my favorite restaurant. We decided to move on and try to find outdoor seating somewhere. We ended up at Local Union 271 where we almost missed out on an outdoor table after we were waiting for it to be cleared and someone almost swooped in even though we were first. That would have been a bummer but SMS saw what was happening and secured our table. Hooray! B and I shared a beet salad and chicken tacos. It was all very delicious. We then took a long-ish walk to the Stanford campus and went to the main courtyard, saw the Burghers of Calais installation and strolled through the Rodin garden. It was really nice. To make sure we didn’t incur a calorie deficit, we bought ice cream at the Scoop “microcreamery.” The flavors there are subtle- not overwhelming sweet but really delicious.
Half Moon Bay
On Tuesday, we hopped in the car and drove out to Half Moon Bay. We saw sandpipers and took a long walk on the beach. This walk was made slightly longer by a closed trail and my erroneous map reading. But, it was beautiful and we made it back!
Half Moon Bay
We went to the Half Moon Bay Brewing company for dinner, which was a cute place near the point where people watch the Mavericks surf competition. We ate outside which was a little chilly but it’s so hard to choose indoor seating on a Summer’s evening, even if it is becoming a little more Fall-like. We drove home and were stuck in a massive traffic jam from an accident ahead of us but we didn’t mind too much. It was an opportunity to rest and digest!
Hopscotch
Wednesday, we went into Oakland for dinner and a concert. Dinner was absolutely heavenly. B read up on the area we were going to and there are a lot of awesome restaurants, bars and clubs. It’s the Uptown section of Oakland and really cool. We ended up going to Hopscotch, an awesome restaurant with a farm-to-table, American cuisine with distinct Japanese fusion elements- miso sauces, yuzu flavoring, etc. The restaurant bills itself as an “upscale diner.” I’d argue that it’s more upscale than diner other than the one of the seating areas which does look like a nice, old-fashioned diner or ice cream parlor. We sat in the other dining area two doors over and it was exquisitely decorated with several tables set against a comfortable tufted, pale yellow leather bench. I loved it.
Dinner was pretty epic. We ordered a lot of dishes and ate everything. The portions were moderate and we were hungry. SMS and I each had a Yonsai oyster, an oyster with urchin, roe and citrus soy. It was delicious! The three of us shared the Kakiage appetizer and the Greens and Shrooms (broccolini, king trumpet, shimeji and mung sprouts). The Kakiage was fried goodness but the greens dish was amazing with a really good miso sauce binding all the veggies. Plus, I love king trumpet mushrooms.
For mains, we shared again. SMS ordered the black garlic gnocchi, I ordered the salmon and B got the mussels. I loved the first two and didn’t quite care for the combo of mussels and miso broth. Brady and SMS did so it was just a personal preference issue.
As good as dinner was, could things get better? Yes. We had desserts that were so awesome. We had homemade donuts with an amazing butterscotch custard and an almond mud pie. There was also a dessert drink menu and we ordered a Uptown Egg Cream, which was outstanding! The drinks at the restaurant are really on point. I had ordered a maple old-fashioned and Brady had an incredible Kentucky daiquiri with bourbon, strawberry, lemon and ginger beer. I was leary of it initially because I thought the strawberry would be fake and cloying but it was real and awesome!
Set-up at the Fox Theatre
So yes, I highly recommend Hopscotch! Afterwards, we went to the Brandon Flowers concert. He was really good and I recommend any BF or Killers show. I’m a little bit of a fangirl.
BF in action
Thursday and Friday were a little light on Brady QT since she went to Monterey on Thursday and into the city on Friday afternoon. We’re going to meet up for brunch on Sunday and hang out until her flight Sunday evening. *Sniff!*
I’m so excited because my sister is here! Hooray! After finishing a tough clinical rotation, she came up to visit me, her coolest (ok, only) sister and SMS!
SMS and I went to pick her up at the San Jose Airport, which was a ghost town. We headed home and relaxed, ready for a fun adventure the next day. I just found an awesome San Francisco blog, 7×7 and I was inspired by their Ocean Beach to Presidio hike article. So Sunday morning, off we went!
The Bakery Walk added another mile, I think
We followed the article pretty much to a T, but I mapped out the hike on Google maps before going. I’m glad I did b/c the article describes landmarks more than distances and it’s nice to know that I wasn’t adding extra to an already slightly lengthy hike (until we got to the Presidio, ooops!).
General Store Patio with hilarious (to me) painted cat rock
First, we went to Outerlands for a delicious brunch. This did not happen b/c the wait was 1 hour, 45 minutes. Nope, nope, nope! We had places to be and we were hungry. First, we went to Trouble coffee shop and had delicious coffees, a slice of the deliciously buttery, thick-slabbed cinnamon toast and a slice of coffee cake. We looked around the General Store, which was a really cute shop but Sunday was a window-shopping only kind of day. The store also has a gorgeous courtyard in the back with the most beautiful succulents and drought-resistant plants. I could have hung out there for awhile but again, there were places to go! Like…
The Bakery! We went to Devil’s Teeth Bakery, where there was quite a line. The breakfast sandwiches sounded great but there was a 45-50 minute wait so we went for the baked goods. I ordered a kale and cheese scone (good, but that savory scone I had in Sacramento was so good, all others have paled in comparison), a cinnamon bun (eaten the next day but still good), a peanut butter cookie and a doughnut muffin. We also got some beignets which were ok, but I’d pass in the future. I know, I know, this list makes us (me) sound like a bunch of pigglie wigglies. In my defense, most of the pastries served as mid-trail snacks. *oinkles*
The happiest dog in the world!
So, SMS wasn’t sure if we were ever going to start hiking and that’s when we were off! We walked down to Ocean Beach and headed for the Cliff House. Along the way, we saw a lot of people and the world’s happiest dog. It was a cute Pomeranian with long hair being blown straight back in the wind. It was a little camera-shy so he kept tottering away which was even funnier to see.
CW from top left: From a distance; near the entrance; inside looking at the projection dish; a schematic
After reaching the Cliff House, we went behind to the Camera Obscura. It’s based on the world’s oldest camera, described by da Vinci but apparently around in even earlier writings. There’s a open aperture that rotates 360 and the light that comes through projects on a surface inside a dark room. The picture is everted but otherwise a faithful reproduction. The $3 admission granted us access to the room which featured the image and several holograms (?). It felt slightly old-school and carnival-like and we were glad we stopped.
After the Camera, we went inside the Cliff House to use the bathroom and then we were off to the Sutro Baths, a former indoor pool center now in ruins. It looked like it would have been a spectacular place to swim. The ruins were cool and we headed to the Sutros Bath Upper Trail which led to the Land’s End trail. We missed the turnoff for the Eagle Point Labarynth, but apparently it was recently vandalized so we didn’t miss too much. The viewpoints were pretty amazing though with great views of the Golden Gate Bridge. Although the day had started out with some high clouds, it cleared up at the start of our hike and we had fantastic weather the whole day.
Views along the hike. On the right, the Sand Ladder with a nudist just off-camera to the right. You’re welcome?
After the Land’s End trail ended, we were in the Sea Cliff neighborhood itself which is super-swanky with amazing house. We turned onto 25th Ave to access Baker’s Beach and we walked down to the Sand Ladder. This was where I was glad I had checked the map prior to setting off because the ladder was pretty far down the beach where there were several nudists sunning and it would have been awkward to keep walking back and forth (“What are you looking at?!?!”).
Sights along the way.
We walked along some more trails past a few old gun batteries before heading into the Presidio. The Presidio was cool but there’s a lot of construction so beware, if you walk by the water, you’re not going to reach the main lawn without back-tracking or walking to the Palace of Fine Arts. We did walk by a pet cemetery though so that was pretty cool!
We walked along Chrissy Field and took some more pictures. At this point, I realized that we weren’t going to make it to the main lawn since by this point, we were kind of done with walking. We decided to call Uber from Chrissy Field. It was our first time using Uber (B thought we were kidding) and it was great. Our $20 credit meant our long (time-wise, not distance) trip back to our car was pretty cheap.
We decided to eat dinner in the city so we headed to the Mission District after realizing that the Anchor Steam brewery closed at 4, much to the disappointment of SMS who had wanted to add a stop there to our day’s activities. We went to West of Pecos which was a great Tex-Mex sit-down place with a small front patio with a table open! Score! We got drinks and snack while waiting for Brady’s friend Rosa since we weren’t sure if we were going to restaurant hop for dinner. As it turned out, Rosa had been wanting to eat there for awhile so we had a delicious dinner there.
Twin Peaks Sunset
After dinner and feeling a little stuffed, we decided to race up to Twin Peaks to view the sunset. It was absolutely beautiful, as well as chilly and windy. It felt very magical to see all the different parts of the city and the entire bay but we only stayed for a bit before piling into the car to drop Rosa off and then heading home to Mountain View. It was an incredible day and I was so happy to explore new parts of the city with SMS and my amazing sister!
I’m so excited because my sister is here! Hooray! After finishing a tough clinical rotation, she came up to visit me, her coolest (ok, only) sister and SMS!
SMS and I went to pick her up at the San Jose Airport, which was a ghost town. We headed home and relaxed, ready for a fun adventure the next day. I just found an awesome San Francisco blog, 7×7 and I was inspired by their Ocean Beach to Presidio hike article. So Sunday morning, off we went!
The Bakery Walk added another mile, I think
We followed the article pretty much to a T, but I mapped out the hike on Google maps before going. I’m glad I did b/c the article describes landmarks more than distances and it’s nice to know that I wasn’t adding extra to an already slightly lengthy hike (until we got to the Presidio, ooops!).
General Store Patio with hilarious (to me) painted cat rock
First, we went to Outerlands for a delicious brunch. This did not happen b/c the wait was 1 hour, 45 minutes. Nope, nope, nope! We had places to be and we were hungry. First, we went to Trouble coffee shop and had delicious coffees, a slice of the deliciously buttery, thick-slabbed cinnamon toast and a slice of coffee cake. We looked around the General Store, which was a really cute shop but Sunday was a window-shopping only kind of day. The store also has a gorgeous courtyard in the back with the most beautiful succulents and drought-resistant plants. I could have hung out there for awhile but again, there were places to go! Like…
The Bakery! We went to Devil’s Teeth Bakery, where there was quite a line. The breakfast sandwiches sounded great but there was a 45-50 minute wait so we went for the baked goods. I ordered a kale and cheese scone (good, but that savory scone I had in Sacramento was so good, all others have paled in comparison), a cinnamon bun (eaten the next day but still good), a peanut butter cookie and a doughnut muffin. We also got some beignets which were ok, but I’d pass in the future. I know, I know, this list makes us (me) sound like a bunch of pigglie wigglies. In my defense, most of the pastries served as mid-trail snacks. *oinkles*
The happiest dog in the world!
So, SMS wasn’t sure if we were ever going to start hiking and that’s when we were off! We walked down to Ocean Beach and headed for the Cliff House. Along the way, we saw a lot of people and the world’s happiest dog. It was a cute Pomeranian with long hair being blown straight back in the wind. It was a little camera-shy so he kept tottering away which was even funnier to see.
CW from top left: From a distance; near the entrance; inside looking at the projection dish; a schematic
After reaching the Cliff House, we went behind to the Camera Obscura. It’s based on the world’s oldest camera, described by da Vinci but apparently around in even earlier writings. There’s a open aperture that rotates 360 and the light that comes through projects on a surface inside a dark room. The picture is everted but otherwise a faithful reproduction. The $3 admission granted us access to the room which featured the image and several holograms (?). It felt slightly old-school and carnival-like and we were glad we stopped.
After the Camera, we went inside the Cliff House to use the bathroom and then we were off to the Sutro Baths, a former indoor pool center now in ruins. It looked like it would have been a spectacular place to swim. The ruins were cool and we headed to the Sutros Bath Upper Trail which led to the Land’s End trail. We missed the turnoff for the Eagle Point Labarynth, but apparently it was recently vandalized so we didn’t miss too much. The viewpoints were pretty amazing though with great views of the Golden Gate Bridge. Although the day had started out with some high clouds, it cleared up at the start of our hike and we had fantastic weather the whole day.
Views along the hike. On the right, the Sand Ladder with a nudist just off-camera to the right. You’re welcome?
After the Land’s End trail ended, we were in the Sea Cliff neighborhood itself which is super-swanky with amazing house. We turned onto 25th Ave to access Baker’s Beach and we walked down to the Sand Ladder. This was where I was glad I had checked the map prior to setting off because the ladder was pretty far down the beach where there were several nudists sunning and it would have been awkward to keep walking back and forth (“What are you looking at?!?!”).
Sights along the way.
We walked along some more trails past a few old gun batteries before heading into the Presidio. The Presidio was cool but there’s a lot of construction so beware, if you walk by the water, you’re not going to reach the main lawn without back-tracking or walking to the Palace of Fine Arts. We did walk by a pet cemetery though so that was pretty cool!
We walked along Chrissy Field and took some more pictures. At this point, I realized that we weren’t going to make it to the main lawn since by this point, we were kind of done with walking. We decided to call Uber from Chrissy Field. It was our first time using Uber (B thought we were kidding) and it was great. Our $20 credit meant our long (time-wise, not distance) trip back to our car was pretty cheap.
We decided to eat dinner in the city so we headed to the Mission District after realizing that the Anchor Steam brewery closed at 4, much to the disappointment of SMS who had wanted to add a stop there to our day’s activities. We went to West of Pecos which was a great Tex-Mex sit-down place with a small front patio with a table open! Score! We got drinks and snack while waiting for Brady’s friend Rosa since we weren’t sure if we were going to restaurant hop for dinner. As it turned out, Rosa had been wanting to eat there for awhile so we had a delicious dinner there.
Twin Peaks Sunset
After dinner and feeling a little stuffed, we decided to race up to Twin Peaks to view the sunset. It was absolutely beautiful, as well as chilly and windy. It felt very magical to see all the different parts of the city and the entire bay but we only stayed for a bit before piling into the car to drop Rosa off and then heading home to Mountain View. It was an incredible day and I was so happy to explore new parts of the city with SMS and my amazing sister!
So, last weekend was the inservice. I’m so glad that’s over! What was weird, though, is that I was so stressed out this past week. It’s like I couldn’t let it go. I’m gradually moving on because there’s nothing I can do and I can’t worry about it until May. I just HATE that test. It means nothing yet so much weight is put on the scores. Hopefully, I did well enough and can just move on. I think I answered enough questions correctly since I talked to other people informally afterwards.
The next day, Mechen and I were going to bike to Carlsbad. Then it got downgraded to Solana Beach. Then I got a text from Brooke at Wine Steals so our epic bike ride was downgraded to two blocks. It was so much fun to go to Wine Steals though! Their deck is huge and beautiful. The day was gorgeous and we had a great flight- 6 generous pours for $10! Wheee! Then we went to Union followed by Blue Ribbon Pizzeria for Brady and I.
Speaking of “Wheee!” Brady and I decided that “‘Wheees’ are better than ‘Auuughss’!” on our car ride to Big Bear. Yes, after this past week which had a few long days, we headed up to Big Bear for a Saturday of skiing. It was such a fun Spring Ski day! We spent the night on Friday and had a great time Saturday. It was definitely nice to divide the drive between two days as well.
The slope conditions were pretty nice, all things considered. No bare patches and the hard granular at the beginning of the day is definitely what I’m used to. It got pretty soft and sticky with the warmer afternoon, but at least it didn’t ice up again later.
We also had a great lunch break with DELICIOUS Bloody Marys. I was surprised but they make a mean Bloody there- Worcestershire, horseradish, olives, clam juice, mini-peppers, vodka and Ocean Spray Bloody Mary mix. They were awesome!
I love Brandon Flowers and I love Las Vegas! Brady and I arrived last night on a 7 o’clock flight from SD. We took a shuttle, aka mini-Strip tour, to the Bellagio which is pretty awesome! We checked in and headed out for dinner because we were hungry!
We headed over to the Cosmopolitan b/c while the Bellagio is beautiful and pretty awesome, it’s a little old with regards to the vibes we were getting from the restaurants. We went to The China Poblano, a restaurant by Jose Andres. I had two delicious margaritas and we split some awesome dim sum and a DELICIOUS queso fundido. Then we walked around, tried to see the fountains (which were off for the night) and met two guys from Sweden that we hung out for a bit before turning in at 2 a.m! Sagoy!
I’m happy we stayed up so late b/c I want to be on Las Vegas time for tonight. We are going to see O, have dinner and then head out to a nightclub- maybe Marquee at the Cosmopolitan?
Today is already off to a great start since we worked out at the hotel gym. I’m so happy that I did b/c I hadn’t run all week so it was nice to keep up my conditioning although I felt a little on the dehydrated/sweating alcohol side of the things. But I got some good intervals in at 8.5/9.5 every 3 minutes for 24 minutes. This week was light on the workouts- I had a SPX/4 mile run double workout on Sunday then nothing until SPX Friday morning.
Now, we’re showering up to head out to buffet land. It’s amazing how Las Vegas feels like a cruise ship- shows, food everywhere and casinos randomly in the middle of things so you have to walk through.
