| Ghoulish Delight |
08-16-2009 03:29 PM |
Alright, got the rest of our photos from the weekend in the bay area up (Full set here).
The excuse for the trip was to spend some time with our good friends who have their own baby due in just a few weeks. We drove the long way up on Friday morning. Left OC at 7AM, stopped in Moro for lunch, then up to San Simean for Hearst. Hearst Castle was a last minute addition to the itinerary, it wasn't until the night before we left that we convinced ourselves we would actually be hitting the road at 7AM affording us the time for the stop. It was a beautiful lazy drive up the coast, clear and warm. Even got to see the elephant seals. We made it to our friends' place in Oakland at 9:30PM. A long day, and the windy bit of PCH north of San Simean was a little queasy for CP, but very much worth it.
Saturday started with brunch at Rockridge Cafe, yummy. Then a "hike" through the botanical gardens in Tilden park. The guidebook descibed it as "difficulty 1, beauty 10". Perfect for a couple pregnant ladies and a couple lazy husbands. Great way to spend an afternoon, in preparation for a FABULOUS dinner. As I mentioned elsewhere, we splurged on a meal experience at Fleur de Lys, owned by chef Hubert Keller. We have some video of our food that we need to get around to posting. An absolutely lovely and decadent evening.
(you all don't know these folks, I just think they look so beautiful in this picture)
Sunday was our day in the city. We started with a stop at the Marin headlands and the unfinished battery gun stations. Coming across the Richmond-San Rafael bridge it almost looked like the headlands were on fire. Turns out it was just a plume of fog localized right there, with a beautiful layer coming in over the bay. Absolutely iconic day to see the city. We enjoyed ourselves around the battery, then grabbed a bite form Boudin at Pier 39 (I swear the bread is better there than at DCA), then to the Nihonmachi festival in Japantown. Mmm, shave ice and LiHi ginger. And we were lucky enough to meet another old friend from high school and his wife who were just returning from their weekend in Napa for dinner.
The drive home Monday was uneventful. Took a more direct route down the 101 instead of the coast (I've driven down the 5 enough). But before we left the bay area completely we got an added bonus as another old friend had had a baby on Friday night as we were arriving into town. So we stopped by on the way out to see the 2-day-old and very tired parents. :)
:) :) |
