Browse Category: outings

Back to Downtown for another 30th

Surprise!

Last weekend I flew down to LA to surprise Brother for his 30th birthday.  He was a little bummed out during the week leading up to it and I was lucky enough to find $39 fares on Southwest just the Sunday before.  On Friday night, we flew down and Johnny got home around 11 pm and was speechless when he walked in and saw me just hanging out in the kitchen.  He just had this dumbfounded look on his face so I made him redo his reaction for a photo.

Copa d'Oro

On Saturday night, we went to Josie Restaurant (in Santa Monica) for dinner with his two friends Ben and Tiffany.  We got there kinda early so we stopped for Happy Hour at Copa d’ Oro, which had a tasty cocktail menu of drinks for only $5 each.  Score!  At Josie’s, we had a yummy meal that was easily shared by all 6 of us.  Earlier that day, we were talking about going out for drinks after dinner and Joy jumped in and said “We should take them to Golden Gopher.”  She had planned a suprise party for Johnny the week before and we gave her a good excuse to head out there.

At Golden Gopher, we got settled in the patio and slowly Brother’s friends started to trickle in.  He was a little confused but so happy to see that there was more planned for his birthday afterall. They also made me take a jager bomb, which was nasty nasty nasty.

jagermeister

Cousins

The cousins, Pish and Debbie, also happened to be at a wedding around the corner and stopped by too.

Danger Dog

The night would not be complete without a late-night “Danger Dog”.  We walked down the street and found a cart parked just outside.  I got a tasty bacon-wrapped dog topped with onions, ketchup, mustard, AND MAYO?!  Soooooooo tasty tasty.

It’s crazy to think that just 4 years ago we were at Broadway Bar (around the corner from Golden Gopher) celebrating my 30th and Brother’s 26th.  It turned out to be pretty cool to be coincidentally celebrating Brother’s 30th just around the corner.  Funny how things work out like that sometimes.  Happy Birthday, Brother!

30thBirthday

September 2005

Johnny's 30th

September 2009

Here are photos from that evening.

Morning Run; Afternoon Fun

I'm ready to go!

This morning Jes and I ran the Plate to Plate 5K, which is a really easy/flat course that follows the same route that I run almost everyday.  The bonus is that just before the 3-mile mark, you turn into the baseball stadium, run along the outfield wall, cross third base, run across Home Plate, run across 1st base, and then finish the run across the bridge where we started.

t-shirt

It was a pretty fun run considering it had a pretty late start time of 9 am, was located right outside of my house, and comes with a free ticket to the Giants game the same day.  I also managed to squeak out a 5K Personal Record of 27:41 (unofficial, from my watch).  Yipee!

Giants Dog

In the afternoon, we went back across the street to enjoy an afternoon at AT&T Park.  The game started at 1:05 pm so we had lunch there: Giants Dog with all the fixins, Gilroy Garlic Fries, and Chicken Tenders.

juice box

I also snuck in my “juice boxes” and the cup I got from the last game for two “free” beverages to compliment my lunch.  The morning started out rather gray and cold but the clouds blew away and we were left with a gorgeous day at the park.

view from our seats

Our nosebleed seats had an awesome view of the field below, the harbor right behind, and the Bay Bridge in the distance.  We also wandered the different levels and watched the sailboats and kayaks in the bay.  I have no idea if the Giants beat the Rockies or not but it was still fun to watch and hang out.  This might be a run that’s worth repeating year after year.

Here are more photos from today.

See You Soon

Ranee's Exit

My dear friend and co-worker Ranee is moving to NYC next week and I had a week of denial.  Yes, she won’t be back on Monday and she’ll be clear across the country but I was determined not to cry.

Team Tiger

dinosaur

To keep things light, the girls and I just got really silly at work and took lots of photos.  On Friday afternoon, we all wore dinosaur stickers and danced around the office once we were all done for the day.

The Girls

On Friday afternoon, we had a goodbye party for her on the front patio of Park Avenue.  We had a good turnout, which made for a nice group photo.

Group Photo

We gave her a few gifts to take to NYC with her including a t-shirt that said “I hella heart Oakland” and a wad of cash labeled as “Cab Fare”. We’re hoping she’ll wear it to a Yankees game one day.  Haha.

t-shirt

The gift that she was most touched by was a photo book that I put together online for her.  It had a glossy hard cover like a yearbook and I spent all week having everyone in the office sign it.  It was tempting to write “K.I.T.” and “Have a cool summer.”

Gordo

Afterward, a few of us went to Gordo Tacqueria and I gave her a NYC Zagat guide in return for the SF Zagat that she gave me for my last birthday.  I also sent her away with a NYC Moleskine so that her monkey-butt would have a map of New York without making her look like a dorky tourist.  My burrito really hit the spot after a drawn out Happy Hour and crazy day of work.

Ranee…I’ll see you soon in New York.  In the meantime, have a cool summer.

Here are photos from this past week.

“Quiet Nights” two years later

dianakrall

Just got back from seeing Diana Krall in concert at the Davies Symphony Hall.  It’s part of her “Quiet Nights” World Tour and it had been close to 2 years exactly since we last saw her at Hollywood Bowl.  This was a more intimate setting and the crowd wasn’t nearly as rowdy but I think it was because of the venue.  Anyhoo, she was as charming as usual and her piano-playing skillz still amaze me.  She also talked about her life as a mom and said that her twin boys are 2 1/2 years old now.  When we last saw her, she just had the babies and was just getting back to work.  My how time flies.

As we were walking to the Muni station on our way home I was reflecting on how we’ve been here in SF for two years now.  In fact, my work anniversary is tomorrow!  It’s crazy how long we’ve been here and yet I still feel like a n00b.  I guess the LA in me will never die.

All in all I’m happy to be where I am and I’m enjoying life in the best way I can.  I actually like the colder weather, LOVE going out to eat up here, and work has been quite the learning experience for me even two years later.  In just the past week I’ve made knee extension splints, a middle finger splint, and hospital pants held together with Velcro!  Yep, I was putting my sewing skills to use once again.

It’s been a fun two years and going to this concert was a great way to celebrate.  I wonder how many more years we have left here…

Bikes and Brisket

bikes

On Sunday, the boys drove across the bay to ride their bikes around Bear’s Loop and came back exhausted and sweaty.  It was almost 90 degrees out there and the hills were pretty steep.

Koa and Jack

yay dog

Later in the evening we went to the Sokol-Juns’ for smoked beef brisket that Ryan was working on all day.  Koa even got to hang out and Jack seemed to get a big kick out having the dog in his house.  Koa got to sniff the cats through the screen door and Wilby and Maru looked pretty anxious about having the dog in the house.

Mai Tai Friday

Conga Lounge

On Friday afternoon we went back to Conga Lounge for another round of Happy Hour.  An old friend, Dr. Mai, was in town for the week so it was the perfect excuse to go out.  We took advantage of their $5 Mai Tais and discounted appetizers for a fun evening of goofiness and laughter.  Ah…that was just what I needed after a rough week.