Viva Mexico 🇲🇽- Lucha Libre, Fashion Museum, Pyramids, and more!

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Activity: Mexico City

Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Description: The variety of things to do in one weekend in Mexico city is amazing. Just watch out for traffic!

  • Pyramids of Teotihuacan here
  • National Museum of Anthropology here
  • Boat tour in Xochimilco here
  • Luca Libre purchased tickets at the stadium and arrive early. Or buy online
  • Museum of Palacio de Iturbide here
  • Metropolitan Cathedral with tour of the top here. Highly recommend getting food in the restuarants wiht balconies overlooking the square wiht view of Cathedral
  • Santa Fe area shopping here
  • Soccer (Futbol) Game - stadium guide

Do you like fine cooking?

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Activity: Cooking class at Sur la Table in San Francisco

Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Website :http://www.surlatable.com/category/cat2211278/Cooking+Classes

Cost: Originally $65-79 and on sale for $35! (subscribe to newsletter for sales or wait for last minute discounts)

Description: I took a 4 course cooking class that focused on Mediterranean cuisine.  The menu included Baklava ice cream, chicken skewers, Greek Salad, and grape leaves stuffed with feta. The meal was delicious! Do not go hungry or you will be starving at the end of the 2-3 hour class. 

I highly recommend Sur la Table because they have last minute deals on classes, all the prep work is done beforehand, there is no cleaning, and you get the recipes and full meal at the end. 

I will say space was tight and you had to take turns in groups of 3-4 to prepare the meal, but the recipes are simple enough that you can watch along and feel comfortable trying at home. 

The classes also vary quite a bit depending on the season so there is constantly new genres to try!

Recommended: two friends,. couple, small group

Portland weekend getaway: nature & food

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Activity: Exploring Portland for the weekend. This included eating doughnuts and ice cream, hiking and touring the Rose and Japanese Garden

Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Website:

Cost: Doughnuts were under $2 and ice cream was reasonable depending on the size (scoops, cones, etc.), the all day tour was $54 per adult. The Rose garden was free and the Japanese Garden was about $10 pp.

Description: Portland references itself as a "weird" town, but in my experience it was quaint and full of good snacks and outdoor activities.  

If you like doughnuts this is the place for you! We tried Voodoo Doughnuts because of its popularity and unusual shapes. Locals told us many time that Blue Star doughnuts actually taste better, so if you have time and the metabolism for both then try them and compare. Personally, I am more of a fan of ice cream and frozen yogurt. Therefore, I was in HEAVEN at Salt and Straw. They  had flavors like blue cheese with pear, olive oil, habanero chile with fruit, and coffee with Bourbon just to name a few.

In between our eating festivities we checked out the International Rose test Garden that was beautiful in the summer. There were so many varieties of flowers and colors in full bloom that it was a perfect free afternoon activity. Within walking distance from the Rose garden is the Japanese Garden. You can either walk up a short hill or take a trolley. The garden was nice, but much smaller than I expected. There was also an entry fee unlike the Rose garden.

On the last day of the trip we went on all all day tour of the Gorge. This included stopping at scenic views and going to multiple water falls. I recommend a tour since it was reasonably priced and parking would have been difficult. 

Recommended:  weekend trip to Portland is a great  weekend getaway for outdoorsy foodie crowd!

SF summer stay-cation. Oysters & live music.

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Activity: Saturday adventure to Hog Island Oyster Co. and Sunday free Symphony in Embarcadero

Rating: 4.1 of 5 Stars

Website:

Description:  Hog Island Oyster Co has an Oyster farm in Marshall, CA. It is about 1-2 hour drive from SF and it is right on the water. You can bring your own snacks and drinks and purchase oysters and appetizers. The oysters are fresh and delicious! They sell BBQ or raw oysters. If you reserve ahead of time you can have a picnic table for a large group and shuck your own oysters. If Hog Island is  booked check out Tomales Bay.

On Sunday my friends and I went to a free concert from the SF Symphony by the Pier. I recommend to arrive early for a spot and bring some food because it gets very quiet during the concert. 

Recommended:  Both are great summer activities for a group of friends. I also would recommend the concert for families without very small children, as I mentioned it was a quiet and relaxing environment. 

 

Happy Birthday America!

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Activity: On the fourth of July holiday weekend I flew south for the Winter (aka SF summer) to Los Angeles. I went to Hermosa Beach/Redondo, Venice and Santa Monica. 

Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Website: 

Description: I started the weekend going to Huckleberry's brunch in Santa Monica which was delicious. The line was long, but it went quickly. From there my friend and I went to the Venice Canals which I had not been to in many years. It is very serene to walk around on a nice day. In the link above there is an events calendar including boat parades. 

On the 4th of July I went to a friends house in Redondo Beach for their annual family and friends reunion. Afterwards my friends and I made it to Hermosa beach for a bit before I  headed back to Santa Monica for a friend's BBQ. Nothing better than a warm beach filled day with good friends and food!

For those looking for fun LA summer activities, check out the Thursday night free concerts on the Santa Monica Pier!

 

Bay Area Stay-cation: Museums & food

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Activity: Oakland Gallery tour and Berkeley dinner

Rating: 3 of 5 stars

Website: 

Oakland galleries:

  1. Mercury 20
  2. Vessel Gallery
  3. More ideas

Berkeley Restaurants:

  1. Tigerlily- Indian with a twist
  2. Cesar- Spanish Restaurant
  3. Cheese Board Pizza- renown pizzas

Cost: The galleries were free to walk around and dinner was about $30 pp for the restaurants above

Description: I had been wanting to check out Oakland since I moved to SF a year ago. I had heard about the artist culture and decided to visit some galleries with a friend. Unfortunately, several were closed because the prior day Oakland had hosted the parade for the Warriors leaving the city tired with trailing blue and yellow confetti. 

My friend and I went to 25th street in Oakland as there were some small galleries open that were all in close proximity. I found the work of Carlo Fantin (2nd picture) the most interesting. He hosted a variety of paper images that had each tiny section cut out to form an religious image. He added details of social media to each image for an interesting dichotomy. The first image above is from the Vessel gallery. The photograph is of a work installation of wheels that spun. The installation had sand on the top. The challenge with gallery tours is that you can not take pictures for blog documentation purposes.

After the gallery tour we chose to explore restaurants in Berkeley. We ended up choosing Tigerlily for atmosphere and the fried chicken reviews. It was delicious! We were debating on Cesar as well which is next door and also smelled fantastic. The last restaurant on the list had stellar reviews, but the line was obscene. So we will have the pizza for another day.

Recommended: Adults that want a relaxing Saturday exploring Bay Area neighborhoods

 

NYC weekend getaway: Jazz lawn party & Sheep's Meadow

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Activity: Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governor's Island

Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Website: http://www.jazzagelawnparty.com/ 

Cost: $35-55 pp for General admission. VIP and tables are also available

Details: This is a lawn party where everyone is dressed in 20s theme attire and brings a picnic to listen to jazz. I am not exaggerating when I mean everyone is in costume, so go prepared. 

First you take a ferry to Governor's island which is short ride and only $2 round trip. Then you walk a short bit to get to the party. Arrive early for the best spot or take your changes with a late arrival as we did. 

We had a wonderful meal courtesy of a friend who picked out a buffet of Whole Foods appetizers. I would say the majority of people brought a picnic or had already eaten. Alcoholic beverages are not allowed inside so be prepared to wait in very long lines for any drinks. First you have to buy tickets to the drinks which still did not cut down on the wait time for the second line to cash in the ticket. 

Pro: theme was executed nicely (vintage cars, memorabilia, etc.) and the music was nice.

Cons: lines were long for food, water, and drinks. Preparation is key for a good time.

Recommended: Groups of friends for a day activity

Part 2

Sheep's Meadow- The last picture was taken from a day in Central Park at Sheep's Meadow. A hot and sunny day in Manhattan leads to a craving for nature and the outdoors. The best and most accessible way to find this is with a trip to the park packed with sun screen, water, and of course more picnic snacks.

Montauk weekend getaway: Lobster rolls, boats, & beaches

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Activity: Montauk weekend getaway

Rating: 4.2 of 5 stars

Websites:

Food: 

  1. The lobster roll
  2. Tacombi
  3. Ruschmeyer's
  4. Gurney's

Activities

  1.  Charter Catamaran 
  2. Montauk Lighthouse

Cost:

Casual lunches ranged around $14-20 pp at the Lobster roll and Tacombi ($) Rushmeyer's and Gurney's are more expensive meals that vary widely depending on order. We did the fixed price menu with several entrees as a group ($$$).

The catamaran was pretty reasonable for large groups. The lighthouse was fun to explore and free if you only want to wander the outside. Admission inside is $10 per adult and $4 per child with additional parking fee

Details: Montauk is a great getaway from NYC when the weather is nice.

Pros: Montauk is a quaint town with nice restaurants amidst expensive casual bars so there is something for everyone. The boat time and beach were very relaxing.  The lighthouse was picturesque. 

Con: the weather fluctuates greatly and sunny days are not as predictable as one would assume during the summer season. The train to Montauk was over 3 hours, so if you are not driving or coming from a flight to a train the commute can be quite a trek. 

Recommended: young adults that need a break from the city, but not the nightlife. Alternatively. wealthy retired people would find it enjoyable.

How to sightsee while enjoying delicious food

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Activity: Chinatown food tour in San Francisco

Rating: 4.3 of 5 stars

Website: http://www.foodtoursofsanfrancisco.com/

Cost: $60 full price, but discounts can be found on website or online vendors such as Groupon

Details: This food tour was unlike other food tastings I have heard about. Typically, you go to one location and try a variety of dishes and then the night is over. Food tours of San Francisco was unique because the tour incorporated the history of the city. We went to a total of 6 restaurants to try both traditional chinese food as well as a modern day interpretation of some more popular dishes. In between each tasting we  walked around and the tour guide pointed out city landmarks. We managed to have time to stop into a temple and the famous Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory where they hand make fortune cookies and can customize fortunes.

Dishes included but not limited to: green onion buns, spicy (schezwan style) noodles, red bean bun, shrimp dumplings, potstickers, egg custard, and of course fortune cookies.

Check out the website for the Mission tour (not just Mexican food) and North Beach (Italian food) tours in SF. They also host tours in NY and are expanding!

Recommend for: tourists, locals, spicy food eaters, and families

 

 

 

 

 

2-for-1 Saturdays

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2-for-1 Saturdays

As I mentioned in the first post I define adventures loosely as "big or small." Potentially I wrote that so I did not set myself up for failure or as a cop out. Alternatively, some weeks are just not as wild as others and that is OK. 

These two weeks are combined, partially because these adventures are both small and better together and partially because I am trying to catch up to real time SATURDAYS. Here goes...

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