San Francisco - February 2014

After a fun time at Giants FanFest, I took advantage of a clear, sunny day in San Francisco. Even to this day, I am always finding new things to do and see in a city in which I have already spent many enjoyable days in my life. To balance out the sports, I took in some culture at the Legion of Honor, then hiked down to the ocean.

For those of you with either a Bank of America debit or credit card, you can get free admission to many museums across the United States. The Legion of Honor is one of those places. You do have to pay a surcharge for some exhibits, but the recent one with Anders Zorn was amazing. His watercolors look just like photographs. It was also fortuitous since I had reservations to PLAJ Restaurant later for some Scandinavian food.

After a long climb down hundreds of stairs, I reached Eagles Point near Lands End. The trails are easily accessible from the Legion of Honor, but be prepared for an intense workout climbing back out. The views are spectacular, especially in the late afternoon sun. You can just barely see the Golden Gate Bridge, but the ocean rocks are the real attraction here. Plus a labyrinth.

This is the new eastern section of the Bay Bridge all lit up at night. You can view it from Treasure Island, which is a lot easier than parking on the bridge itself. It finally opened and is very nice. Driving across is much nicer than the old version and will be a lot safer during the next earthquake. Please enjoy the rest of my pictures below.

Giants FanFest 2014 - February 2014

Your humble blogger is back to San Francisco after a long, dry winter to celebrate baseball. I know that football is the most popular sport in the United States, but really, only 16 games? You need at least 300-400 games during a regular baseball season, especially since each one lasts at least 8 hours. A little hyperbolic of course, but I am leading to a point - as I approach infinity. I love baseball. Plus, the San Francisco Giants are a pretty good team for fans.

For the last few years, the Giants have opened up AT&T Park to fans to meet the players, explore the ballpark, and most importantly, buy tickets! Yes, they were even selling tickets in the Visitors Dugout. You do save about $20 per ticket on "convenience" charges though. After they won their first World Series, and then their second World Series, the annual event is even more popular. Plus, it's still free and a great excuse to bring the family to San Francisco for a great day.

Most of the players and coaches were not only signing autographs in the concession stands like the Baby Giraffe seen above, but they were giving interviews and showing off the new home orange jerseys. Surprisingly, they had plenty on hand to sell. Even though Mr. Belt was not selling any nachos or hot dogs, everyone else was. The weather was also perfect for overpriced junk food. Tasty, overpriced junk food.

Still, this is about the fans, even the young Panda fans on daddy's shoulders. The Giants organization does a great job of encouraging their fan experience, which is helpful when their team is falling behind in the wins. Everyone in attendance had a great time walking around and seeing their heroes. Enjoy the rest of the pictures below.

Dry Folsom Lake - January 2014

Happy 2014! Welcome to the worst drought in the history of the State of California! Seriously, we are very dry here; Sacramento got only 4.5" of rain in 2013 - that is nearly half of what Phoenix received in 2013. After installing my low-flow shower nozzles, I headed up to what used to be Folsom Lake to see the old mining settlements now above water.

Folsom Lake is down to about 17% of capacity, and most of the lake bed is now above water. The landscape is somewhat bizarre with the submerged rocks and old tree stumps now smooth and silty. One of the best ways to reach the settlements is through the Folsom Lake Marina. These guys have done a good job of managing the crowds and helping to make the experience much nicer. It is a $12 park admission fee - like all other visits to Folsom Lake - but the fee helps cover the portable toilets, trash collection, and overall park maintenance. The marina staff even set up a webpage to document the revealed landscapes.

The settlement of Mormon Island is still underwater, but several of the buildings located on the outskirts of town are now visible, including a dairy and a potential winery. Lots of debris are still located around the buildings, and many people have moved them on top of the various walls and rocks to display them. There was even a volunteer from the local historical society telling visitors about this history of the area.

As you can see, not all of the debris comes from the gold rush. The place is now very busy, although not at all crowded. There is a LOT of open space that is somewhat bumpy but overall easy to walk. Many families brought their kids and dogs who both loved running around the open spaces and getting dirty in the mud. It is very dusty, so prepare for getting a layer of dirt on everything. The area is also pretty close to the foothill wineries if you want to check them out too; you may need a glass after hiking!

It is unfortunate that the lake is dry enough to see this part of California's history, but this is a great way to make a lot of lemonade out of our lemons. Enjoy the rest of the pictures below.

Cascadia Food & Coffee - November 2013

Happy Thanksgiving! Of all the meals I had during my trip to the Pacific Northwest (aka Cascadia), Thanksgiving Dinner with the family had the best company of all. Plus, it is difficult to top homemade lefse and roasted turkey. And yes, that is real sunlight coming through the blinds. It is hard to believe, but Thanksgiving in Seattle was sunny. Really.

It may come as a surprise, but the residents of Cascadia love their coffee. Yes, they have Starbucks. A lot of Starbucks. But they also have wonderful places like Coava Coffee, Case Study Roasters, and Moore Coffee Shop. Nearly every cup of coffee was a treat, especially those tasty cappuccinos and lattes. Even Starbucks has to kick it up a notch. I guess when you only get sun once or twice a week, it helps to have a nice warm cup.

Various Pierogi from EuroDish with Sour Cream and Cucumbers

Georgian Food Sampler from Kargi Gogo - The Country not the State

Little Poutine from Sideshow Eatery

Portland has an amazing food truck/cart/pod scene. The main website Food Carts Portland maintains a listing of the various mobile food places in the city. Many of them occupy downtown parking lots, creating an outdoor food court with an amazing selection of options. I had Polish, Georgian, and Canadian food within a one block radius. Sure, they have all sorts of Thai and burgers, but who can pass up real Khachapuri?

Another great place is Olympic Provisions. This restaurant makes an amazing variety of salamis and other cured and prepared meats. During happy hour, they had the above special of pork rillette, pork shoulder cooked in its own fat, then potted with additional back fat, an amazing pork terrine, and a substantial portion of French-style salami. This was served with pickled beets, cauliflower, onions, and mustard. Not back for $7! Highly recommended, but not for anyone watching their fat intake.

I had to get a selfie in there at some point. There were a lot of people taking their picture at the Pike Place Market. Other than the famous fish market where they throw your order across the aisle and the original Starbucks, there are many other food options in the area. I had a very good chowder and Dungeness crab sandwich at Pike Place Chowder and some fresh cheese curds at Beecher's Handmade Cheese. It certainly brightened up the gray day.

The food in the Pacific Northwest reflects the natural bounty found in the region. Seafood is king, with lots of clam chowder, fish & chips, and crab everything. Many recent immigrants have brought their foods to an eager audience, but I still cannot find decent Mexican food! Please enjoy the rest of my culinary photos below: