Northern Cali Blogging: Nearing the End of Vacation

Yesterday we drove to Santa Cruz to see an old friend whom we knew during our Chicago days. It's a nice town - has a a downtown section and a boardwalk/amusement park area by the ocean. It reminded us of Coney Island, but nicer. Hmm, we seem to be using that phrase a lot: "like [insert NYC landmark for comparison] but nicer."

Afterwards we got back on Highway 1 along the coast and made our way to Sausalito, CA where we stayed at Casa Madrona. We had dinner at nearby Poggio Trattoria, starting with the goat cheese and fig and then the Spanish Ricotta Gnocchi and Ravioli as entrees.

Northern Cali Blogging - Backtracking Edition

It's been a couple days so here goes the recap of Wednesday and Thursday....

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2007
We're settling into the peaceful life in Carmel, CA. Took it easy today with a walk down to the clubhouse on the grounds of Carmel Valley Ranch, took in a continental breakfast and proceeded to do a little shopping in town. Later that night we had a nice dinner at a local Japanese restaurant called Robata.

THURSDAY, JUNE 28, 2007
This morning we went into Carmel by the Sea. Needless to say, it is one of the most affluent communities I've ever seen. If I ever need antiques, artwork, and a smoking jacket, I now know where to go.

After checking out the town, we hopped back into the Prius and drove the famed "17-mile Drive" - a scenic road through Pacific Grove and Pebble Beach. There were lots of great sites to be seen, including: 1)Huckleberry Hill: one of the highest elevations in the forest; 2)Spanish Bay: a scenic picnic stop; 3)Bird Rock: landmark and home to countless shorebirds; 4)and The Lone Cypress: the eternal symbol of the Pebble Beach Company.

Once we completed the drive, we traveled down Sunset Drive which turned into Ocean View Boulevard and made our way to the Cannery Row section of Monterey, CA. It was touristy, but hey, "When in Rome...". We had a decent lunch sitting outside at Lou Linguini's.

That night, we went back to Carmel by the Sea and had one of the best dinners I've ever had at L'Auberge, which will surely warrant its own blog entry.

Northern Cali Blogging - Backtracking Edition

I had not yet blogged about one of our most eventful days on the trip yet, so here it goes...

SUNDAY, JUNE 24th, 2007
We got up early and decided to do a 3.5 hour tour of the city. The tour bus picked us up at the Adagio and the driver was awesome - he had good info, was entertaining and it was sort of like listening to an oldies station as he played songs that corresponded with the moment/location that we were in at the time. For example, as we descended Twin Peaks and saw San Francisco laid out before us, he played Tony Bennett's "I left my heart in San Francisco". It's a little corny, but it was effective and we happy to play the role of tourists anyway.

During the tour, we saw many of the amazing sites that the city has to offer, including:
-Neighborhoods like Pacific Heights, Marina, Cow Hollow, Richmond, The Castro and North Beach to name a few
-The Presidio
-The Golden Gate Bridge
-Golden Gate Park
-Fisherman's Wharf
-Lombard Street
-Alamo Square famously shot for its scenic view, including the opening for Full House
-Coit Tower
-Chinatown
-Twin Peaks

It was a one of the better city tours I'd been on and afterwards we went to Chinatown for some dim sum. It was a good meal and we strolled around the streets of Chinatown thinking it was nicer and cleaner than the one back home in NYC. Hmm, "nicer and cleaner" seem to be a theme during our vacation in California.

Later in the evening, we took a cab to the Marina/Cow Hollow/Pacific Heights neighborhoods and walked around. It's really nice there and we eventually took in some great sushi at Ace Wasabi's Rock n Roll Sushi.

We hopped in a cab back to Union Square for an after dinner drink and then had our Norah Jones sighting.

Northern Cali Blogging: Backtracking Edition

TUESDAY, JUNE 27, 2007

Yesterday was our last day in San Francisco before heading to Carmel, CA. We had a nice breakfast at Sears Fine Food, a historic local restaurant known for its little pancakes. We then went back to the Ferry Plaza for another look at the farmer's market/gourmet marketplace and one final glimpse at the Bay.

We did a bit of shopping on Market Street and then had a quick bite to eat, indulging in some fish tacos at Rubio's.

Next, we went to Avis to pick up our rental car. We decided to embrace our eco-friendly Cali attitude and rent a hybrid car, the Toyota Prius. We hopped in the Prius and drove along the Pacific Coast down Highway 1 which offered spectacular and scenic views of the Pacific Ocean and its surroundings.

After a few hours of driving, we reached our destination at Carmel Valley Ranch and had a great dinner.

CHOICE CAN SUCK TOO

When we were at Borders in San Fran the other day we came across a book called The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less by Barry Schwartz.

We're both interested in reading it as the author goes into explaining how more choice actually erodes one's psychological well-being.

It made me think about why NYC can be so stressful - because living there is about constantly making choices and about having limitless options. Even dining out can be a chore - what neighborhood, what type of cuisine, what subway line you will take. It's both the blessing and curse of living there...

Northern Cali Blogging - Backtracking Edition

We're currently in Carmel, CA and still on vacation. I'm trying to catch up with a little blogging of our journey....

SATURDAY, JUNE 23rd
We arrived with no problem at SFO. Our room wasn't ready yet at the Hotel Adagio in Union Square so we took a walk and ended up at Ferry Plaza, a really nice upscale indoor gourmet marketplace and farmer's market that's located right by the Bay. It reminded me a little bit of Chelsea Market back home in NYC but perhaps a little nicer?

We walked along the Embarcadero and made our way to a nice lunch at Waterfront Restaurant - I had the fish and chips and my wife had pasta. After lunch, we continued on and ended up checking out Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf . They're both big tourist traps and akin to Chicago's Navy Pier and NYC's Southstreet Seaport. Which then prompted me to think, why do tourists always visit these areas when they have the exact same stores/restaurants in every tourist city (Hooters, Hard Rock Cafe, Joe's Crab Shack)?

We eventually got tired and caught a ride back to our hotel. We checked in and pretty much passed out after all the walking, the 6-hour flight and the three-hour time difference.

Celeb Sighting: SF Edition

The Celeb: Norah Jones

Why She's Famous: Songs like "Don't Know Why" have made her a favorite amongst the latte-drinking crowd at Starbucks.

The Sighting: It was on Sunday, June 24th at around 9:30pm in the lobby of the Hotel Adagio where we were staying.

The Scenario: We had just finished drinks at the hotel bar and approached the front desk to ask for an adapter for the i-pod. I saw her talking to another lady at the front desk and I must have been staring at her trying to figure out if it was her 'cause she made eye contact with me a couple times. My wife and I then pretended to read something while waiting to see Norah's next move, which was to leave the hotel with her boyfriend and skip down the street.

The Proof: She played in Berkeley the night before.

Best Part of the Giants Game

Since I haven't uploaded our pics yet and we are still in Cali, here's a pic I found of SF Giants mascot, Lou Seal.

But why is his name Lou Seal? Doesn't that sound like he should be female (as in Lucille)?

My vote would be for something like Sid the Sea Lion (since there are a lot of sea lions in San Fran) but nobody asked me....

Monday Recap (SF Edition)

Yesterday, we got up early and headed to Lori's Diner in Union Square for a good old fashioned eggs/bacon breakfast. Then we took an early morning cable car ride (Powell-Hyde Route). It was nice since the car was not packed and we took in some amazing views of the city as we went from Union Square to Fisherman's Wharf.

Next, we rode the Muni from Fisherman's Wharf to the Castro and walked (and I mean walked) to Noe Valley. There were some incredible homes and views of the city in both of these neighborhoods.

Needing to return downtown, we hopped back on the Muni and then made a stop at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. To be honest, I was a little disappointed with our $12.50 per person fee as the collection wasn't that extensive. They had a Matisse as sculptor exhibit that was less than thrilling. Plus, I think there's a fine line between art and crap (or piss) when it comes to modern art. For example, on display at SF MOMA was Duchamp's "Fountain", which is basically a urinal that he wrote "R. Mutt" on. Seriously, how is that art?

Afterwards we had a great lunch at Thirsty Bear Brewing Company - a local brewpub that serves tapas! Weird, right? But the tapas were good including: spanish artisan cheeses, poached pear, candied walnuts, olives & crostini; gambas al ajillo. shrimp, garlic, chili flakes & olive oil; and empanadas. lamb, spinach, idiazabal cheese, peppers, potatoes & cilantro mint sauce.

We then took in some shopping in Union Square and later that night headed to AT&T Park for the Giants/Padres game.

There's Obnoxious Fans in San Fran Too

Last night we made our way to AT&T Park to watch the San Francisco Giants play the San Diego Padres. It took no time to get from our hotel in Union Square to the ballpark (about a $10 cab ride) and it was a breeze getting through the turnstiles. It was probably one of the nicer, if not the nicest, ballparks I've been to (yes, I've been to Yankee Stadium and Wrigley Field) but neither one of those is located by the Bay. Also, the surrounding neighborhood looked decent and there were bars/restaurants in the vicinity in case you want to hang out before/after the game.

There's lots of food (including the popular Gilroy garlic fries) and lots for baseball fans and kids to do. But the star of the show is really the location and fact that the Bay lies just behind the park and the fact that you can walk around the perimeter of the park (at least on the lower box level) and just hang out.

We stayed until the 7th inning (Giants were up 2-0 at that point and ended up winning 4-3 in the 9th) and the only negative was an obnoxious woman who sat about three rows up from us. She constantly yelled about 3-4 statements repeatedly: 1)"Padres Suck."; 2)"B-a-r-r-y!"; 3)"Sucks to be a Padres Fan."; and 4)"Let's Go Giants!"

It's a shame that all of us in Section 132 had to be subjected to this for a majority of the game. Could I have yelled back: "Redundancy Sucks"?

Who Knew They Were the NY Giants?

I've seen more than one person wearing a baseball cap here in San Fran with the interlocked NY logo and the San Francisco Giants colors. I was wondering what it was and did not realize that the Giants were once based in NYC until 1957. There's lot made about the Dodgers leaving Brooklyn but I hadn't heard much about the Giants leaving NYC too.

The New York Times ran an article earlier this week explaining the saga...

Blogging From San Francisco

It's our last morning in San Francisco before heading to Carmel today and continuing the rest of our trip. It's been a fun few days and I have to admit that despite how much I love NY (and in particular, Park Slope, Brooklyn), I've made many a comment to my wife during this trip about how it would be cool to live here someday. Could this blog eventually be renamed "The Bay via the Slope via the Lake"?

Although NYC is still the center of the world and there's nothing quite like it, there comes a point where it sometimes wears you down and you get tired of the effort of it all: always having to be "on", competing in the rat race, fighting for physical space - in apartments, in restaurants, on subways, etc.

Of course, SF is not perfect. Their mass transit is not always best explained and certainly not the model of efficiency that ours is, there seems to be a more tangible presence of panhandlers (who are quite able-bodied!) than NYC (though that may have to do with SF's great weather and fact that it's smaller than NYC), and the cost of living is just as expensive if not more than New York's. For example, we checked out a neighborhood called Noe Valley yesterday, which seems to be comparable to Park Slope, Brooklyn and picked up a copy of the Noe Valley Voice. The average condo price in April 2007 for Noe Valley was $1.2MM!!!

Not cheap at all but things appear easier in SF - you get more space, you're close to parks, the Pacific Ocean, the Bay, etc. Maybe after my wife's done with grad school, we'll embrace our inner-hippie (or is it yippie for yuppie/hippie?) and get our hybrid car and live by the Bay. Or maybe we'll stay in Park Slope. Or maybe we'll just move to Jersey.....

We're Heading to San Francisco Tomorrow....

Sala One Nine

Last night after running an errand in Union Square, we went to Sala One Nine (35 W. 19th St.). The atmosphere was good and tapas were tasty. We ordered the patatas bravas, gambas al ajillo, and datil. But the best of all was the queso de cabra con miel (fried goat cheese with honey and carmelized onions).

Chicago

On Friday, we went back to Chicago to meet up with my parents and attend the graduation ceremonies.

We got to O'Hare with minimal trouble but en route from the Avis Rental Car pick-up to our hotel downtown provided a disturbing glimpse into the plague of the cicadas. They were pervasive outside the rental car building and on 90/94 heading downtown, as they swarmed towards the speeding cars.

We made our way to the hotel fine and had lunch at Kamehachi. Afterwards, I showed my parents the downtown campus of my school. Then we did a little window shopping on Michigan Ave. before retiring for a brief nap. Later that night we took in some tapas in our old 'hood Lincoln Park at Emilio's Tapas. Still later, we met up with some old friends at Galway Arms for drinks.

The next morning we took in some sites in our other old 'hood Lakeview and then spent some time on the lakefront. We also stopped by the Green City Market and walked around the Lincoln Park Zoo. Although we really like living in New York (and in particular, Brooklyn), we couldn't help but miss old Chicago and be taken by how much more spacious, clean, and (judging by the prices we saw) more affordable it is to live there. You don't really appreciate those things until you live in NYC.

Eventually we made our way back to the hotel and then got ready to attend the commencement exercises. They had a nice luncheon for family, friends, and guests and the food was surprisingly good. The ceremony was held in a non-air-conditioned gym so I suggested my parents and wife stay in the air-conditioned building that was simulcasting it. It was great to finally get the diploma and even better to get out of the uncomfortably hot gym. I met back up with my family for the post-commencement mixer and then we headed to Erwin for a nice post-graduation dinner.

On Sunday, we went to Millennium Park which was a lot nicer than I remembered. We saw the Pritzker Pavilion, the Lurie Garden, the Crown Fountain and, of course, the Bean.


Afterwards, we went to Blue Water Grill for a nice Father's Day brunch.

Data Geeks Unite

I read an interesting article in New York Magazine about Edward Tufte. The NY Times describes him as the "Leonardo Da Vinci of data."

Wikipedia describes him as "an expert in the presentation of informational graphics" and among other achievements, he is known for pretty much ripping PowerPoint a new a-hole.

Um, certainly he does so with more eloquence than my vulgar brain can muster at this hour.

I'm not entirely sure what to make of it all but he appears to do a better job than anyone else of merging the seemingly disparate fields of statistics and design.

For more on Tufte, check out his site.

Back to Chicago (for a weekend)

We're going back to the Windy City where it's supposed to be in the 90s! We're very much looking forward to the heat and humidity. Okay, maybe not so much. But we are looking forward to seeing old friends, family, our old haunts and picking up that grad school diploma.

Plus, maybe we'll get to spend some time by Lake Michigan.

Disturbia

I saw a piece on BBC World News the other day that talked about the new Creation Museum in Kentucky.

And yes that's a picture of a fully-clothed kid playing side by side with a T-Rex. Umm, yeah, humans and dinosaurs were separated by about 60 million years so this is pretty much, how do you say....IMPOSSIBLE! Oh, why let facts get in the way?!

Networking

Last night I went to a grad school alumni event hosted at The Williams Club.

It was pretty good but I would recommend some changes:
1)Name Tags (pretty basic)
2)Open Bar all night - not just for an hour!
3)Better communication of alumni happenings

Sheeesh...

Bo Knows Legends

A friend of mine turned me onto this cool T-shirt by No Mas titled "Tecmo Bo" based on the early 90's Nintendo game Tecmo Bowl and the ridiculously good virtual version of Raiders running back Bo Jackson.


How good was Bo? Check out this YouTube clip someone posted...


And who can forget those Nike commercials like this one and this?

Eat. Drink. Blog.

On Wednesday, we had dinner at Peperoncino and then indulged in a $6 fresh mint-chip shake from The Chocolate Room. Though initially taken aback by the steep price, it was perhaps the best mint-chip shake I've ever had.

Last night we met up with some close friends who were in town and sat outside in the beer garden at Flatbush Farm.

From Beneath Us, It Devours

Okay, now I totally get the "point" of this T-shirt from Brooklyn Industries, especially after reading the New York Magazine article by Daphne Eviatar regarding the ten million gallons of toxic gunk trapped in Greenpoint, Brooklyn...

Gene- Sleep Well Tonight

These Smiths-like blokes were pretty good back in the day....

Green TV

I came across a program called The Green on The Sundance Channel. It's pretty interesting and you can watch old episodes On Demand on your local cable system. It's described as "television's first regularly-scheduled programming destination dedicated entirely to the environment."

Google Street View

Anyone else both fascinated and creeped out by Google Street View?

Ida - Shotgun

UnFun Fact

From The Big Green Apple: Your Guide to Eco-Friendly Living in New York City by Ben Jervey -

*In 2003, 61% of ConEd electricity flowing into New York City was being generated by power plants using nonrenewable resources such as coal, petroleum and natural gas.*

**Electricity generation throughout New York State releases an average of 129 billion pounds of carbon dioxide annually, the most notorious of greenhouse gases.**

Sebadoh Rebound

I had this song in my head today....

Sunday Errands & Always Room for Ice Cream

We went to Brooklyn Frameworks (169 5th Ave.) to get a picture framed and then checked out the new patisserie called Trois Pommes, headed up by ex-Union Square Cafe pastry chef Emily Isaac.

We tried a scoop of their homemade pistachio ice cream which was delicious but came at the hefty price of $3 for barely a scoop. As my wife, said, however, "hey, Baskin Robbins doesn't taste like this." Touché.

Speaking of ice cream, we picked up a pint of 5 Boroughs Ice cream at Union Market - trying the SoHo flavor - cappuccino ice cream with hazelnut biscotti and chocolate covered espresso beans.

Jazz in Park Slope

Last night we made our way to the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music to see The Steve Turre Quintet perform.

Steve is a preeminent trombonist and seashellist (yes, this dude plays seashells!) and was joined by a talented group onstage including Brooklyn native Ronnie Matthews on piano, Gerald Cannon on bass, Dion Parson on drums and Akua Dixon on cello and piano.

Besides being a member of the Saturday Night Live Band, Steve has played with a variety of jazz legends and has released a number of CDs.

The atmosphere at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music was great last night with lots of locals and the definite feel of a Brooklyn community coming out for some great live jazz. With the exception of one woman who was eating Cracker Jack during one of the slower tunes, the crowd was well-mannered and treated to nearly three hours of music! And yes, Steve called the woman out by saying that it was "annoying" and that she should at least wait for a faster song so no one could hear her eating and rustling with her bag.

The quintet performed a mix of originals and classics and provided a great night of entertainment for those in attendance.

Nau seems so Now

I read an interesting article in Fast Company about a new outdoor apparel company called Nau. Based in Portland, OR the management team consists of some ex-Patagonia folks looking to merge "beauty, sustainability, and performance." It's an interesting retail concept in that they encourage customers to try on their clothes in the brick-and-mortar stores but have them shipped to their homes (using a 10% discount and free shipping as incentives). Their goal is to keep the physical stores smaller, thereby cutting down operating costs like real estate and inventory. Meanwhile, they promise to send 5% of their sales to customers' preferred charities (which they can select through kiosks in their stores). It's a cool concept and I already like one of their jackets, though it's a little expensive.

Sustainability and Fair Trade Coffee

I've heard these terms before and continue to see them being used in the media, but what was wondering how they were defined exactly.

Wikipedia describes sustainability as follows:
"Sustainability is an attempt to provide the best outcomes for the human and natural environments both now and into the indefinite future."

And Ben Jervey (author of The Big Green Apple: Your Guide to Eco-Friendly Living In New York City) writes: "Sustainability, from a human standpoint, is reached when an activity or system can be sustained over the long term without harming, degrading or diminishing the conditions - environmental, economic or other - necessary to support those same activities or systems."

Meanwhile, the organization Global Exchange defines fair trade coffee as such: "Fair Trade means an equitable and fair partnership between consumers in North America and producers in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. The chief concern of the Fair Trade movement has been to ensure that the vast majority of the world's coffee farmers (who are small holders) get a fair price for their harvests in order to achieve a decent living wage."

For more on sustainable development and corporate social responsibility, check out these links on the Kellogg School of Management's Social Impact Club website.

Star Wars

I watched an interesting 2-hour special on The History Channel called Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed. It chronicles how the films pulled from various sources: history, mythology, religion and literature.

At one point, they describe the Evil Empire as such: "....disguised as kindly Senator Palpatine who uses the republic's fears of rebellion and war to gradually seize absolute power...."

Hmmm, why does that sound familiar?