For anyone who is looking for a special holiday gift or a weekend get away with your loved one, check out the deal at the Ventana Inn & Spa. If you book through the Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection, cardholders will get $100 in food & beverage credit (for 2 consecutive nights) or $25 in food and beverage credits for one night. In addition, you'll receive exclusive VIP benefits such as VIP guest status, 3PM check-out, automatic upgrades and a free continental breakfast.
Ventana Inn & Spa is nestled on a hillside overlooking the Pacific coastline in beautiful Big Sur. Located on 243 acres in the heart of Big Sur, the Inn's unique one-and two-story buildings blend seamlessly into their natural surroundings. Relax poolside, soak in Japanese hot baths, dine at The Restaurant at Ventana, rejuvenate at The Spa at Ventana or just contemplate the sky from your own private hammock. Afternoon wine and cheese reception, daily yoga classes, Guided Discovery Walk, and a sumptuous breakfast complete the Ventana experience.
For more info: http://www.visasignaturehotels.com/hotel-detail/ventana-inn-spa
Ventana Inn & Spa is a luxurious hotel. It has received numerous awards including:
"Top 100 Hotels" - Conde Nast Traveler, November, 2010; Fodor's Choice Gold Award Winner - Top 10 Most Romantic Hotels," 2010; and "Reader's Choice Award Winner - Top 20 U.S. Hideaways"
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Circus School
John and I received a fantastic "choose your own adventure" wedding present from one of his friends and we settled on a trapeze class at the Circus Center of San Francisco. For someone who is deathly afraid of heights, this was quite an adventure to choose. The anticipation leading up to the class was killing me and finally we took our class this past Sunday.
The Circus Center is located in the Inner Sunset at 755 Fredrick, right across from Golden Gate Park. It looks like an old elementary school transformed into a circus extravaganza. The Circus Center offers classes in acrobatics, aerial arts, circus skills and clowning. The most popular class is the trapeze class we took. The classes can be quite expensive at $45 a pop, but if you buy a membership, you get a discounted per class rate. The class is open to all ages and skills, they have ages 5 to 85 enrolled at the school.
The trapeze class is a heck of a lot of fun, but also extremely terrifying if you don't like heights. We had 8 people in our class, 4 beginners and 4 seasoned circus folks. Our instructors were very nice and patient. At first you practice flying on the low bar about 10 feet off the ground. After about 15 minutes of practice, you get to try your skills 45 feet up in the air. I must admit the most terrifying part was not flying through the air but climbing the ladder to the top. Your safety harness isn't attached until you reach the summit of the ladder. Once at the top, the instructor hooks you up, holds you back as you uncomfortably lean out over the safety net reaching for the bar. Once you have the bar in one hand, the teacher tells you to put both on the bar and you are in sort of a trust hold with the teacher. They yell, "hep" (which mean jump/release) and you fly. The first time I was not able to pull my legs up for the knee hang but I was able to on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th try. They say let gravity do the work, but my muscles were screaming the next day from the workout. I didn't have the stomach to try the "hand off" with the teacher. I just couldn't bring myself to hang from my knees 45 feet in the air and then let go in hopes that the teacher will catch my hands mid-air.
The class was a lot of fun. I've always wanted to fly through the air like a circus performer; however, I will not be quitting my job and joining the circus. This was a one time thing. Next time I'll try something a little closer to the ground, like how to balance a plate on a stick or riding a unicycle.
The Circus Center is located in the Inner Sunset at 755 Fredrick, right across from Golden Gate Park. It looks like an old elementary school transformed into a circus extravaganza. The Circus Center offers classes in acrobatics, aerial arts, circus skills and clowning. The most popular class is the trapeze class we took. The classes can be quite expensive at $45 a pop, but if you buy a membership, you get a discounted per class rate. The class is open to all ages and skills, they have ages 5 to 85 enrolled at the school.
The trapeze class is a heck of a lot of fun, but also extremely terrifying if you don't like heights. We had 8 people in our class, 4 beginners and 4 seasoned circus folks. Our instructors were very nice and patient. At first you practice flying on the low bar about 10 feet off the ground. After about 15 minutes of practice, you get to try your skills 45 feet up in the air. I must admit the most terrifying part was not flying through the air but climbing the ladder to the top. Your safety harness isn't attached until you reach the summit of the ladder. Once at the top, the instructor hooks you up, holds you back as you uncomfortably lean out over the safety net reaching for the bar. Once you have the bar in one hand, the teacher tells you to put both on the bar and you are in sort of a trust hold with the teacher. They yell, "hep" (which mean jump/release) and you fly. The first time I was not able to pull my legs up for the knee hang but I was able to on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th try. They say let gravity do the work, but my muscles were screaming the next day from the workout. I didn't have the stomach to try the "hand off" with the teacher. I just couldn't bring myself to hang from my knees 45 feet in the air and then let go in hopes that the teacher will catch my hands mid-air.
The class was a lot of fun. I've always wanted to fly through the air like a circus performer; however, I will not be quitting my job and joining the circus. This was a one time thing. Next time I'll try something a little closer to the ground, like how to balance a plate on a stick or riding a unicycle.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
MYMYCoffee Shop
On Thanksgiving morning I was quite shocked that so few places were open for breakfast. I mean this is San Francisco, a tourist town. We luckily found that the MYMY Coffee Shop was open. We had been here before a few months back and thought it was pretty good, so we decided to start our holiday off there. A good thing about MYMY is that there never seems to be a line. The one time we went before, we were sat immediately and this time too. Plus whenever I walk by, there are tables open or the wait doesn't look long. I live by Red Door Cafe and I just don't get why people stand around for over an hour for food (and sometimes in the rain). How did this become the status quo?
Back to MYMY! The cafe is small with about 10-15 tables and a counter looking out to Larkin Street. The place is basic and resembles a classic coffee shop. I like their use of orange. We both ordered the Eggs Benedict, my eggs well done, John's poached traditionally. The eggs were done perfectly and the hollaindaise sauce done well with just a touch of lemon. The big problem I had with our meals was that our english muffins were chewy and stale. We really had to saw through them with our dull table knife to get a bite. Quite disappointing. The hash browns redeemed the dish though. Just shredded potatoes with nothing else. Crispy and delicious. Overall the food is average. This is a great breakfast spot if you don't want to wait in line. It's classic coffee shop food, nothing fancy but filling. Get the OJ, it's fresh squeezed and very refreshing.
Back to MYMY! The cafe is small with about 10-15 tables and a counter looking out to Larkin Street. The place is basic and resembles a classic coffee shop. I like their use of orange. We both ordered the Eggs Benedict, my eggs well done, John's poached traditionally. The eggs were done perfectly and the hollaindaise sauce done well with just a touch of lemon. The big problem I had with our meals was that our english muffins were chewy and stale. We really had to saw through them with our dull table knife to get a bite. Quite disappointing. The hash browns redeemed the dish though. Just shredded potatoes with nothing else. Crispy and delicious. Overall the food is average. This is a great breakfast spot if you don't want to wait in line. It's classic coffee shop food, nothing fancy but filling. Get the OJ, it's fresh squeezed and very refreshing.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
San Francisco Railway Museum
I've lived in San Francisco for 4 years, but have never rode on one of San Francisco's historic streetcars. I've rode on plenty of cable cars, but never the cute streetcar that runs the length of Market Street. So last Saturday, John and I headed out on a mission to ride the streetcar and it was fabulous. We hopped on the F line car at Van Ness and Market. We didn't take the first one because it was packed with tourists and I wanted my ride to be perfect. So we waited a few more minutes for a nice empty street car with only two passengers, one of which was a total Asian cougar with yellow thigh-high patent leather boots. I knew we picked the right car for my first time when I saw her.
The streetcar ride is a completely different experience than the cable car. It's not as loud and much more comfortable. The inside of the cars have the "history of streetcars" plastered on the inside which makes the ride not only entertaining but educational. Plus once you hop on, you feel like you've been magically transported back to the turn of the century.
We took the car all the way to the end at the Embarcadero and magically at that same spot is the San Francisco Railway Museum. The museum serves as a visitor center that tells the history of streetcars and cable cars and how they are used today in San Francisco. The museum is small but very entertaining. We spent about a half-hour looking at all the historic pictures, watching a historic film of a streetcar on Market street days before the big 1906 earthquake, and playing conductor on the full-size replica streetcar. We also managed to buy a streetcar magnet. A new treasure.
Next time you are looking for something random to do in the city or want to learn a bit of history stop by the San Francisco Railway Museum on Steuart across from the Ferry Building. It's best to pretend you are a tourist so that the docent will give you his entertaining spiel on the history of the streetcar.
The streetcar ride is a completely different experience than the cable car. It's not as loud and much more comfortable. The inside of the cars have the "history of streetcars" plastered on the inside which makes the ride not only entertaining but educational. Plus once you hop on, you feel like you've been magically transported back to the turn of the century.
We took the car all the way to the end at the Embarcadero and magically at that same spot is the San Francisco Railway Museum. The museum serves as a visitor center that tells the history of streetcars and cable cars and how they are used today in San Francisco. The museum is small but very entertaining. We spent about a half-hour looking at all the historic pictures, watching a historic film of a streetcar on Market street days before the big 1906 earthquake, and playing conductor on the full-size replica streetcar. We also managed to buy a streetcar magnet. A new treasure.
Next time you are looking for something random to do in the city or want to learn a bit of history stop by the San Francisco Railway Museum on Steuart across from the Ferry Building. It's best to pretend you are a tourist so that the docent will give you his entertaining spiel on the history of the streetcar.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Oakland Grill
The Oakland Grill served me up some of the best brunch that I've had in a long time. They do breakfast and they do breakfast right. Plus they have $1.95 mimosas so you can't go wrong!
On Saturday, John and I ventured to faraway Oakland to meet up with our friends Danielle and Brian (and baby Molly). As we followed our navigation, it took us to a somewhat industrial part of Oakland (what part isn't really). Much to our surprise smack dab in the middle of produce packing central was the inconspicuous Oakland Grill. We sat upstairs overlooking the open-air kitchen and long narrow restaurant. I was pleasantly surprised to be sat right away on a Saturday at 11am. (If there is one thing that annoys me, it's droves of people waiting for breakfast.)
The menu is pretty standard for any breakfast establishment. You got your standard eggs, pancakes, omelets, Eggs Benedict and a few other specialty-type items like Crab Benedict and Huevos Rancheros, but nothing out of the ordinary. The food was superb for breakfast food. Hot, fresh and delicious. I ordered my poached eggs "well done" and they came out perfect. Danielle ordered a breakfast combo that closely resembled a Denny's Grand Slam, why mess with something if it isn't broken.
The mimosas are a true selling point for the Oakland Grill. With other breakfast places charging upwards of $7 or $8 for a single mimosa, Oakland Grill has really cornered the cheap mimosa market in the area. We each enjoyed 2 mimosas each which cost us $16, but if we had mimosas at Fat Lady down the street, we would have been out a whopping $56.
Oakland Grill is a great breakfast spot to hit next time you find yourself hungry and in Oakland.
On Saturday, John and I ventured to faraway Oakland to meet up with our friends Danielle and Brian (and baby Molly). As we followed our navigation, it took us to a somewhat industrial part of Oakland (what part isn't really). Much to our surprise smack dab in the middle of produce packing central was the inconspicuous Oakland Grill. We sat upstairs overlooking the open-air kitchen and long narrow restaurant. I was pleasantly surprised to be sat right away on a Saturday at 11am. (If there is one thing that annoys me, it's droves of people waiting for breakfast.)
The menu is pretty standard for any breakfast establishment. You got your standard eggs, pancakes, omelets, Eggs Benedict and a few other specialty-type items like Crab Benedict and Huevos Rancheros, but nothing out of the ordinary. The food was superb for breakfast food. Hot, fresh and delicious. I ordered my poached eggs "well done" and they came out perfect. Danielle ordered a breakfast combo that closely resembled a Denny's Grand Slam, why mess with something if it isn't broken.
The mimosas are a true selling point for the Oakland Grill. With other breakfast places charging upwards of $7 or $8 for a single mimosa, Oakland Grill has really cornered the cheap mimosa market in the area. We each enjoyed 2 mimosas each which cost us $16, but if we had mimosas at Fat Lady down the street, we would have been out a whopping $56.
Oakland Grill is a great breakfast spot to hit next time you find yourself hungry and in Oakland.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Ti Piacera: Killer happy hour on Polk
Ti Piacera has been my go-to happy hour for quite a while now for many reasons. For starters, it's on Polk, so it's generally accessible for friends to meet there coming from all directions after work. Second, the happy hour is super cheap. Wine is $3 a glass and pretty good. You get a choice of Sangiovese, Merlot or Chardonnay. It's not the best of the barrel but it's pretty darn good for $3 a glass. They also have $3 draft beers for the non-wine drinkers (gasp!). And the main reason I go there......they have the best carpaccio. It is absolutely melt in your mouth delicious. The carpaccio is thinly sliced and topped off with capers, sliced red onion, arugula, parmesan and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. It's so good that when my friend Amy and I go there, we get our own. Neither of us want to share with each other.
I haven't sat down for dinner at Ti Piacera but I can definitely recommend their happy hour as one of the best in the Polk area.
I haven't sat down for dinner at Ti Piacera but I can definitely recommend their happy hour as one of the best in the Polk area.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Dinosaurs- Vietnamese sandwich heaven
Dinosaurs Vietnamese sandwich shop in the Castro is a great find. The sandwiches are not only delicious but cheap. Being able to get a banging sandwich for $4.75 in San Francisco is quite a deal.
We wandered upon this place last Sunday and I have been thinking about it ever since. John was a bit tentative about the whole Vietnamese sandwich place as it's not his normal 'turkey and swiss on Dutch Crunch" kind of sandwich, but he was pleasantly surprised. Ordering is quite easy as there are only a few choices, chicken, pork, tofu, etc. John and I both enjoyed the chicken. He went with just the meat and sandwich bread as he was still a bit weary of the place. I ordered the chicken sandwich just as it is on the menu with sliced jalapenos, pickled radishes, shredded carrots, fresh cilantro and just the right amount of mayo. It was delicious! Be aware that Dinosaurs puts all the toppings on their sandwiches, so specify if you want a variation of the norm. The meat was delicious and the toppings fantastic. My favorite part was the pickled radishes.
Dinosaurs has outdoor seating so be sure to check out the place when you can take a seat outside and enjoy the Castro's sun.
We wandered upon this place last Sunday and I have been thinking about it ever since. John was a bit tentative about the whole Vietnamese sandwich place as it's not his normal 'turkey and swiss on Dutch Crunch" kind of sandwich, but he was pleasantly surprised. Ordering is quite easy as there are only a few choices, chicken, pork, tofu, etc. John and I both enjoyed the chicken. He went with just the meat and sandwich bread as he was still a bit weary of the place. I ordered the chicken sandwich just as it is on the menu with sliced jalapenos, pickled radishes, shredded carrots, fresh cilantro and just the right amount of mayo. It was delicious! Be aware that Dinosaurs puts all the toppings on their sandwiches, so specify if you want a variation of the norm. The meat was delicious and the toppings fantastic. My favorite part was the pickled radishes.
Dinosaurs has outdoor seating so be sure to check out the place when you can take a seat outside and enjoy the Castro's sun.
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