Combine, blue skies, the idyllic landscape of a rustic farm in the Pacific Northwest, white puffy clouds, colorful autumn leaves, the lingering aroma of apple donuts cooking and enormous green fields studded with huge orange pumpkins and you have described a perfect day in my book. How about you?
I have always been described as someone who is extremely sensitive. That’s not such a bad description but at times the burden is great. I am affected by the smallest of situations and react with tears and anxiousness more than I really want to and especially when we are surprised by tragedy.
Today I woke up to the news of the shooting in Las Vegas. I was tired and went to bed early so my first available news was seeing the heartfelt sadness and prayers sent to Las Vegas on Facebook.
I had no idea about any of the details and by turning on the news I quickly learned what had happened. These types of horrific tragedies happen so often it makes me sick to my stomach. The number of mothers, fathers and families that are grieving is staggering. What can I do that can make a difference?
A visit to the farmers market is always at the top of my list, especially when I am traveling. Saturdays are slower in the city and there seems to be a little more leisure time. But when the weather is perfect it is even better! I love to visit the markets in other metro areas to see the differences between regions and also observe what is popular with the other shoppers.
I have a great story for you! A social media story with a very happy and delicious ending. A fellow foodie named Susan, who lives near where I live, connected with me on Instagram. She found me and followed me and I followed her in return!
I could tell that she and I had a lot in common through her posts. She loves going to outstanding restaurants and eating great meals and she is also very innovative in her kitchen. Recently she posted a gorgeous photo of a lunch dish she was having at an Argentine restaurant in Pasadena called Malbec.
Location, location, location. This “restaurant without walls”, farm to table dinner feast was in Lillywaup, WA at the Hama Hama Oyster Farm. Just imagine dining on the west shore of the Hood Canal where the water was so close you worried the tides would rise too fast. It wasn’t scary, it was dreamy.
Although the was dinner was located in the state of Washington, notorious for rain and grey skies, we experienced none of that. Just bright blue sky and vivid green grasses and trees, with white puffy clouds sprinkled on top. Goosebump scenery. You know that other worldly feeling of discovering a new place that you can hardly put in to words how incredible that moment in time feels? This is how I felt and most likely everyone sitting at the one long table set for 150 food loving diners did as well.
How about a sneak peek inside a Presidential Suite at the Grand Hyatt, San Francisco? What is a Presidential Suite exactly? Do presidents stay there? Rock stars? The Dalai Lama? How about a travel blogger and her business traveler husband? Check, check, check and check.
We are offered upgrades to suites of this kind because my husband spends half of the calendar year in Hyatt Hotels. Think of how many days that is. These upgrades are a type of thank you for his continued support and loyalty. It is a lovely perk for the sacrifices he (and I make) when he is far from home so often. Upgrades to this level don’t happen often, but when they do, we are very impressed…and grateful!
I have always suggested that sticking with one hotel chain and building loyalty points for future travel is so beneficial. This strategy helps us build hotel points and has allowed us to stay in many extraordinary luxury hotels. Craig and I just returned from a stay on the island of Mallorca at the incomparable Park Hyatt and we stayed there using points. Many of the hotel chains have credit cards where you can earn points for future stays as well.
It was a big, fat, glorious Labor Day Weekend. We hit the family bonanza when both of our grown children and their significant others could fly down from Seattle and San Francisco to be with us for the holiday weekend. The Empty Nest was full to the brim and no one could swipe that silly grin off my face for three days!
If you have been following our adventures, you may remember that we have downsized in the last year and now our current home is not the spacious dwelling where the kids grew up. No, we are living in about half the square footage with fewer bathrooms. Everyone is a good sport and sleeps where we can find room. Rocco (our dog) was beside himself with joy because he could not decide who he wanted to lay by and cuddle with next!
Summer is still here and the daytime sun is blazing. I know that doesn’t make Los Angeles sound too enticing, but come anyway we have air conditioning! Or if you live in So Cal – Get out and come visit! Maybe wait until the kids go back to school (which is like, now.)
How come they go back so early now? When we were kids we had the luxury of enjoying much more summertime because we returned to school after Labor Day.
A visit to Los Angeles includes a HUGE geographic area. From Disneyland to the South to Venice in the west and Universal Studios to the Northwest. It doesn’t just include Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA). The traffic is awful so you may want to break your time down in to day trips or stay in a centrally located spot and venture out like spokes on a wheel.
What is it? The Broad is a newish contemporary art museum founded by philanthropists Edy and Eli Broad that opened in September 2015. It is located in Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) and sits right next door to the Disney Concert Hall. Craig and I were finally able to schedule a visit to The Broad and we just LOVED it. The building is unique and not too terribly large, so you can take a tour in a couple of hours or less. The collection consists of over 2,000 works of art, but the art gallery is only two floors of exhibits and the entrance is FREE. Yes, free and that is awesome.
Searching for popular restaurants in the cities where we travel is one of my favorite activities! Every food and travel blogger likes to offer his or her own take on where to go, but more often than not, there are so many to choose from that their choices may not even be on my list. So… I wanted to share my current “favorites list” for the most amazing restaurants in San Francisco.
My husband Craig’s company is located in the Bay Area and working there is just part of his routine. So luckily for me, we have been traveling to San Francisco for quite some time. However, the restaurant scene of today is far more sophisticated and creative and dining out is more popular than it ever has been.
As hungry diners, our choices now are nearly infinite in the City by the Bay. Local chefs create original, tasty food that makes your heart sing and fulfills the current foodie frenzy. It seems that everyone is following the food and restaurant news and a laser-focused interest in popular cuisine is at an all time high.
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