What to Do on a Sunny Day in San Francisco

a sunny day in San Francisco

A sunny day in San Francisco may not happen as often as we would like. The weather is unpredictable and can be colder in July than in December! I’m certain that you have heard the famous Mark Twain quote “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco”. According to several sources I have found he never actually said it! He said something similar to this, but not that exact phrase.

I have traveled to the City by the Bay many times and have experienced every type of weather. But when it is a sunny day in San Francisco, when the skies are bright blue and the sun is happily shining, it is time to make plans and get out of town.

I don’t mean out of town, but rather to travel to the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge and enjoy the spectacular views of the city from the other side of the bay. San Francisco is one of the prettiest cities in the U.S. with its tall buildings, enormous hills, beautiful architecture (old and new) long rocky coastlines and spectacular bridges.

At the suggestion of knowledgeable local residents, our son Nick and his girlfriend Kylie, we drove just a few minutes over the iconic Golden Gate Bridge to see the Point Bonita Lighthouse. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G and FREE!

a sunny day in San Francisco

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Two Girls Ate Breakfast at Sqirl!

 

A Foodie Adventure in LA – Breakfast at Sqirl

I have a foodie buddy, her name is Keri and I have known her since I was 12. Yep, 12. When we moved back to Pasadena, it gave me the chance to reconnect with some wonderful longtime friends. It feels so food to slip right back into a friendship even after not spending much time together in decades.

Breakfast at Sqirl

Keri and I plan food adventures to try restaurants we have not yet had a chance to visit. She and I have so many things in common that this process is simple. We pick a place, set up a time to visit, try a few dishes and discuss. We even allow a little driving distance because the traffic doesn’t bother us, we always have lots to talk about so the time flies!

Breakfast at Sqirl

Our most recent adventure was to have breakfast at Sqirl. Cute and clever name isn’t it? When I lived in Orange County, this type of trip to LA would have been such a traffic nightmare that I never could have driven to this spot for breakfast. Living in Pasadena is such an advantage when it comes to eating at great places in Los Angeles.

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What’s Hip & Delicious in Los Angeles? Silver Lake’s Alimento

Alimento

Our visit to Alimento in the historic Silver Lake neighborhood ~

If you have visited here before, you know that delicious food and fabulous restaurants are very high on our adventures list. We do try to search out the most talked about and well reviewed restaurants around the U.S. so we can share them with you! Today’s focus is located in our very own La La Land, Los Angeles. We travel a great deal so our Los Angeles restaurant adventure is a little slow going. I did however just go with my friend Keri to Petit Trois for an authentic French bistro experience recently! You can check that out => here.

However, we were able to get a reservation this week to experience another one of LA’s best restaurants. The tiny and hip area of Silver Lake boasts many fantastic restaurants and now that we live in Pasadena, we are less than fifteen minutes away from this outstanding foodie village.

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Luxury in San Diego: A Sensational Stay in a Presidential Suite

Presidential Suite

To stay in a Presidential Suite is VERY special!

Being loyal is an important personal attribute and being loyal to a particular brand(s) will help a great deal when you travel. We have been traveling for years together as a couple and my husband travels almost every week for business. We discovered years ago that paying special attention to your choices in accommodations as well as the airlines, makes a HUGE difference. If you stay within one chain of hotels, you build loyalty points that can be used for more travel, upgrades and for status.

If you travel a lot, it is especially nice to be upgraded and/or offered lovely amenities, bottles of wine and delightful snacks. Traveling isn’t always as glamorous as it seems. It can be frustrating, exhausting, confusing and there is no one there patting you on the arm telling you all will be ok. If we have issues with our travel plans, we have to solve them. If there are delays, we have to endure them.

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Ten Romantic Getaway Ideas for Empty Nesters

romantic getaway

Planning a romantic getaway for your sweetheart?

February is here and maybe you are thinking about a romantic getaway with your sweetheart? Maybe you are not… but just maybe you should think about it? I recently participated in a fun post with Expedia where fourteen travel bloggers offered their best ideas for a couples trip somewhere in the U.S. I was super flattered to be included and you can click ==> here to read the article! There were so many cities to choose from and I thought I would add to the list here.

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A Special Cake Baking Class – Seattle Style

cake baking class

A Cake Baking Class Adventure While Traveling ~

Yes, we did it again. Alex and I took a Birthday Layer Cake Baking class at The Pantry in Seattle. When your busy adult child wants to spend time with you… you always say yes! We have found such camaraderie through our common passion for cooking and our son Nick also loves to cook! Lightening struck twice, lucky me!

When I make plans to visit a city, I try to look deeper into activities that most likely are not filled with tourists. I look for things that we (I) have a strong interest in learning more about. We always look for local bookstores, cooking stores, sports related tours, foodie tours, architecture tours, music/record stores, cooking classes, breweries, and distilleries.

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An Invitation to an Italian Cooking School ~ Tuscan Women Cook

Here I am enjoying a class in Seattle. I can’t wait to go to Tuscany to experience an authentic Italian class!

An Italian cooking school adventure!

Do you have days when the stars are aligned and you find yourself connecting with a special individual you have never met before? This happened to me when Coleen Kirnan of Tuscan Women Cook, an Italian cooking school, contacted me to introduce herself and tell me about her magical place in Italy.

She came across a post of mine mentioned by LA Times columnist Chris Erskine on his Facebook page and she felt we would make great collaborators. First of all, who does that any more? Who reaches out actively to another person to see if there is a solid possibility of a connection? – Oh Coleen does! She is amazing, inspiring and a real go-getter. I look forward to meeting her equally tenacious entrepreneurial partner Rhonda Vilardo, very soon!

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A Crazy Great Meal in NYC : Momofuku Ssam

Momofuky Ssam

Today, I am in a New York state of mind – Our son is leaving for NY on Thursday, my friend Leisa is joining her mom, sister and niece for a girls trip on the 4th, my friend Meg is leaving Friday and Craig and I are leaving on Dec 11th. New York is so fabulous this time of year that many special trips are planned for the Big Apple in December! While in New York City a trip to Momofuku Ssam will impress and delight you.


Oh Momofuku!

Even if you don’t know what it means, Momofuku is delicious in any language. The Momofuku restaurant group was created by David Chang in 2004 with its first restaurant, Momofuku Noodle Bar. As a multiple James Beard award winner, Chef Chang and his team have gained world-wide recognition for their innovative take on cuisine, while supporting local, sustainable and responsible farmers and food purveyors.

Most foodies will tell you they have heard of Momofuku, although they may not “have had a chance to go”. But it will be on their list and Momofuku Ssam should be on yours too! Actually ALL of his restaurants should be on your list!

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My Top 13 Favorite Things to do in New Orleans

things to do in New Orleans
Eating a fabulous lunch at Butcher near the WWII Museum

 

For those of you who are familiar with New Orleans please understand that this is our first time and we have a lot to learn about this very unique city.  We tried our best to dabble here and there to get a flavor for what the city can offer. 

Go easy on me about the Big Easy! Like any big city you can have a different experience every time you go. I feel like we made a substantial first pass at New Orleans and absolutely need to go back, maybe in the spring time. 

 I really want to encourage all of you to go and see it for yourself! It is truly one of the most remarkable places in the U.S. that I have ever visited and shame on me for not going sooner!


Visit New Orleans to Eat, Drink and Be Merry!

things to do in New Orleans

A visit to New Orleans has been on our destination “to do” list for quite a while and we had actually planned a trip for this time last year, but had to change our plans.

We wanted to go on this vacation with our longtime college friends, Jon and Angela because not one of us had ever been!

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