Category: United States

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Running with RunDisney

Disneyland is high on my list of favorite places, so when I heard they had started a run series I was pretty excited! The idea of running in and around the Disney Parks as well as behind the scenes seemed awesome, and it absolutely was! Let’s face it, is anyone better at organizing large groups of people than Disney?

From the Expo to the Finish line and everything in between there are so many positives to participating in a RunDisney event! Not only does the course take you through both Disneyland and California Adventure, but the on course entertainment is fun and constant which really helps the miles fly by! A pair of fairy wings doesn’t hurt either!

#thefinishlineThere are multiple RunDisney weekends throughout the year each with a different theme. I had the opportunity to participate in both the Tinkerbell 1/2 Marathon, which I ran twice, and the Disneyland 1/2 Marathon.

A Sprinkling Of Pixie Dust

You know me, I love a good theme and Disney races are the perfect opportunity to have some fun with your race attire! If you don’t know what to bring, don’t worry, The Expo will have everything you could ever want or dream up. This includes outfits, hats, shoes, accessories galore and even hairdos!

I don’t usually like a lot of extras when I’m running, but I couldn’t resist picking up a few things. I decided arm warmers; a themed skirt and a hairdo would be fun! If you’re wondering, the hairdo absolutely held up, in fact I have a feeling it might never have come out! It must have been the Pixie Dust they sprinkled on as the finishing touch!

Ready, Set, Go…

All of the events take place when the park is closed to the general public, which means you’ll need to be at the start line before dawn. I’m not a big fan of pre-dawn wake up calls, so I stayed at the official park hotels, which made getting to the Start Line really easy and more importantly, gave me a little more time to sleep.

There were literally thousands of people participating, but everything was so organized and run so smoothly you would never have known. Once in our assigned corals there was entertainment and finally just before we set off, fireworks!

Along the Way

You’ll hardly have time to think about how far 13.1 is because you’ll be so busy checking out all the on course entertainment. As you run along the course you’ll see ethnic dancers from around the world, cheerleaders, marching bands, and vintage cars from every decade! Disney characters and park employee’s cheer as you run by King Arthur’s Carousel, It’s A Small World, and many other iconic Disneyland attractions, and if you’re interested in stopping there are photo opportunities as well. During the Disneyland 1/2 Marathon I had the amazing experience of running right through the Anaheim Angeles Stadium and I must admit it was a highlight!

The Finish!

Mickey and friends will be cheering for you as you cross the finish line and of course there will be that well deserved medal! I loved the idea of running a race at Disneyland and I’m happy to say that it lived up to all my expectations! Not only did I have a wonderful time during the run, but I was able to include family and friends and make an entire weekend out of it! Three times!

Think of a wonderful thought
Any merry little thought
Think of Christmas, think of snow
Think of sleigh bells off you go
Like reindeer in the sky

You can fly
You can fly
You can fly

Think of the happiest things
It’s the same as having wings
Take the path that moonbeams make
If the moon is still awake
You’ll see him wink his eye

You can fly
You can fly
You can fly

Up you go with a height and ho
To the stars beyond the blue
There’s a Never Land waiting for you
Where all your happy dreams come true
Every dream that you dream will come true

When there’s a smile in your heart
There’s no better time to start
Think of all the joy you’ll find
When you leave the world behind
And bid your cares goodbye

You can fly
You can fly
You can fly
You can fly
You can fly

When there’s a smile in your heart
There’s no better time to start
Think of all the joy you’ll find
When you leave the world behind
And bid your cares goodbye

You can fly
You can fly
You can fly
You can fly
You can fly

Songwriters
SAMMY CAHN, SAMMY FAIN

Published by
Lyrics © Walt Disney Music Company, Universal Music Publishing Group

Read more:  Disney – You Can Fly! You Can Fly! You Can Fly! [From Peter Pan] Lyrics | MetroLyrics

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Capitola By The Sea! A Girls Weekend!

Friendly, quaint, cozy and definitely worth a visit! I’m talking about Capitola, an adorable little seaside town of 10,000 people, which is located about 50 miles south of San Francisco. While I have been to nearby Santa Cruz many times it wasn’t until close friends of mine took over a cute little hotel in downtown Capitola that it came onto my radar.

Beaches, shopping, great food and friendly locals…The perfect place for a Girls Weekend!

Wrights Station Winery

We started the weekend off right with wine tasting and lunch at Wrights Station Vineyard & Winery. Relatively new, Wrights Station is located in the Santa Cruz Mountains and specializes in estate grown Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The winery has a lovely private room, which can be reserved in advance. We brought our own lunch and then purchased wine to go  with it!  Don’t worry, we had two designated drivers!

The Capitola Hotel

Not that we need a reason to come together, but this weekend was chosen not only to celebrate our newly minted hotelier’s birthday, but also as an opportunity to say farewell to 2015. We wanted to give 2016 a proper start and what better place to make that happen, then the Capitola Hotel!

Located right in the heart of the village, the hotel is only steps from the beach as well as many restaurants, shops and galleries. We took full advantage of them all! There are 10 rooms and with 9 in our group we took over the entire Hotel. All but one of the rooms are accessed directly from the lobby making it easy for us to visit each other… Like a giant slumber party!

Once everyone was settled we met up in the lobby for a wine and cheese hour! Just to the left of the lobby there is a cozy little courtyard complete with comfortable chairs and a fire pit. If you get cold there are warm blankets available as well! A great place to sit and relax with a glass of wine before heading out for the evening. Speaking of which… We enjoyed the courtyard so much we were almost late for dinner!

After dinner we spent the evening in the lobby dancing and talking the night away… The following morning we woke to freshly brewed coffee and breakfast treats also in the lobby! Such a nice way to start the day!

Around Town

Capitola isn’t a big place, but it does have a lot to offer!

There are many fun shops to pop in and out of and of course I managed to find a few treasures to bring home! A travel book and funky bracelet at Pacific Gallery, a fun new shirt at Yvonne’s and candy at Carousel Taffy.

 

Our dinner at The Stockton Bridge Grille was fun and the food and service were good. Sunday’s lunch took place at Margaritaville, (no relation to the Jimmy Buffett chain). Not only was the service great, but it was right on the water and the food was really good! I had a trio of incredibly yummy tacos, Fried Avocado, Skirt Steak and Chorizo Potato. The Chorizo Potato was my favorite! The views were lovely and both of these restaurants would be worth a second visit!

Wishes For 2016 & Each Other

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As I mentioned earlier this weekend was about making sure we got 2016 off to a great start! We participated in a group activity designed to encourage and inspire each other! We wrote down any negatives from the previous year as well as hopes for the coming year, which we then shared with the group. As each of us took our turn the rest wrote notes of encouragement and inspiration on small slips of paper. These were then put into tiny scented jars which we all took home. Fun!

Full Disclosure: Close friends of mine own the Capitola Hotel, but the services I enjoyed while staying there are offered to all guests. This includes both the wine and cheese hour as well as the fresh coffee and breakfast.

 

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Año Nuevo State Park!

#anonuevo

#anonuevoThe Bay Area is home to some of the world’s most beautiful scenery and a place people come from all over the world to see. Having all this beauty in our “backyard” I’m a little embarrassed to admit we don’t always appreciate or take advantage of it the way we should. There are still so many places we’ve yet to explore.

#anonuevoOne of those places was the Año Nuevo State Reserve, home to a large colony of Northern Elephant Seals and located about 90 minutes south of San Francisco. The Reserve offers docent led nature walks enabling you to get within 25 feet of these incredible animals in their natural habitat.

Weighing up to 5000 pounds these enormous creatures look like they would be slow and clumsy, but it’s just the opposite! 25 feet sounds like a decent margin of space until you learn they can easily move that distance in a matter of seconds.

We’d only gone a short distance along the trail before we started hearing the unique guttural sounds of the seals. The way the sound traveled on the wind and across the dunes made it difficult to pinpoint exactly where it was coming from. There is limited visibility when walking among the dunes so there are ranger lookouts posted along the walk letting the volunteer guides know which pathways are safe and which should be avoided.

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#anonuevo

Early on in our visit our lookout called out to the guide, an alpha male was defending his territory, we’d better get moving! One moment the alpha was resting in the sand and the next our guide was telling us to move out of the way. The alpha male arched up and bellowed before charging down the side of the dune toward the offending male and our group! Exciting and a bit scary too!

Not only is it mating season, but there are also seal pups being born as well. We were able to see some pups nursing during the visit. We were surprised to find out that the babies only stay with their mothers for the first 28 days of their lives.

 

Reservations And Other Need To Know Information

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Although the Elephant Seals are in residence all year long the most popular time to see them is mating season which takes place between December 15 and March 31. Keep in mind Reservations are required for the guided walks and the number of attendees is limited. Self-guided walks are prohibited during mating season.

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The tours take place rain or shine and umbrellas are not permitted. It rained quite heavily during most of our visit and while it would have been nice to stay dry the plus side was that the Seals love a rainy day and were pretty active while we were there.

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You’ll be walking three miles roundtrip and the terrain is a mix of gravel, dirt and sand, but overall it wasn’t a terribly difficult walk. Our group ranged in age from seven to seventy-three and although none of us had any trouble physically my seven year old lost interest during the lengthy nature talk. The scenery was really lovely and as usual I had a difficult time choosing which photos to include!

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Teenager In The HOUSE!

#coolestparentseverMy older son recently turned 13 and because it’s a milestone birthday something extra special was in order! Of course now he’s a teenager and planning something he and his friends would consider “cool” did present something of a challenge. I was up for the task!

When considering what direction this party would take there was only one clear choice: Video Games! Simon has never met a video game he didn’t like! I know I’m not the only parent with a video game fanatic on her hands and I’m sure some of you can probably relate.

The  Venue

Gone are the days of cute little kids running around our house and yard, these teenagers are big, loud and not just a little smelly, this party had to be anywhere else! We considered hiring a video game truck, but our street doesn’t really lend itself to that and I’m sure they’d find their way back inside the house in no time. Another option was hitting up the arcade at a nearby mini golf place, but I’m not a big fan of games that spit out tickets and something a little more private seemed in order…

#highscores

Enter the High Scores Interactive Arcade Museum located in Alameda, California. High Scores focuses mainly on the classic games of the 1980s and is available to rent for private parties or events. The decor is classic video game arcade with a jukebox and laser lights thrown in for effect. All the old favorites are present, Mario Bros, Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Paper Boy, Frogger, even my personal favorite Crystal Castles! You name it they’ve got it!

#fixitfelixjr

We weren’t in the arcade 5 seconds before the kids, and most of the adults, made a direct beeline for the games! We took a break for cake toward the end of the party, but otherwise the “kids” had two blissful hours of nonstop play!

#ilovevideogames

High Scores was a huge success! The time flew by and no one wanted to go home at the end. I might be going out on a limb here, but I have a feeling the goal of throwing Simon a “cool” party was achieved! If you’re in the Bay Area or are planning a visit this place is definitely worth checking out. Its open to the public Wednesday thru Sunday and payment is per player/per hour so you won’t need coins or tokens.

The Cake(s)

Simons 13th Birthday-Twice a year I make an elaborate cake, one for each boy’s birthday. They get to pick the design. In keeping with our retro video game theme Simon asked that I make replicas of the controller from the original Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).  I enjoy baking, but what I love more is the challenge of decorating the cake! Game on!

How To Make NES Controller Cakes – Player 1 & Player 2

NES Controllers are long and thin, so I decided to make two one layer cakes for a more realistic effect. Two 9 x 13 cakes were baked and trimmed to the desired size. The printed template measured two times the size of the original controllers.

The cakes should be completely cooled before you trim them to size and then covered in a thin layer of buttercream.

Next you’ll want to prepare the fondant. I wanted light grey, so decided to make it myself using black food paste and white fondant. Using a toothpick add small amounts of the black food dye to the fondant and then knead until you achieve the desired color.

After rolling the fondant out transfer it to a piece of parchment paper and roll it up. When you are ready you can unroll the fondant right onto your frosted cakes.

Once the cakes have been covered with the base layer of fondant its time to start cutting out the small detail pieces. Use the template as a guide and remember to cut two sets of each shape if you’re making two controllers. A dab of water is all you need to “glue” the individual pieces together. The “cord” was made of black licorice.

 

 

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24 Hours in Los Angeles, Hilarystyle!

#dogtown15 years ago when we moved to the Los Angeles area as newlyweds I wasn’t too sure, but a few years in it was true love, 6-ish years later when circumstances dictated a move, my heart was broken. It’s safe to say I “left my heart in Los Angeles”. I know, I know the song doesn’t go that way, but I’m rewriting it.

No matter how long between visits, or where I’ve lived since, an arrival into LAX always feels like a homecoming. Just last week when given the opportunity to fly down for the night, sans kids, I jumped on it! A little LA fix was just what I needed!

How did I spend my time? Shopping, eating and wandering around the old neighborhood!

Venice’s Abbot Kinney

The moment I landed I dropped my bag at the hotel and made a beeline for Venice and more specifically Abbot Kinney!

#abbotkinneyLos Angeles is vast and there are many fantastic neighborhoods in which to shop and eat, so it can be hard to choose, but on this particular visit I was on a mission!

15 years ago this area was still on its way up and had been for a while, but its safe to say it’s arrived! Many of today’s most sought after fashion brands have stores on Abbot Kinney, some of which are one of a kind store fronts, not to mention there are many trendy bars and restaurants to choose from.

I know you’ll be surprised when I tell you that I found some fun items to bring home! All of which will be perfect for mixing and matching with the “essential items” I already had.

The Coffee here is great and there are even a few pair of shoes…
Alternative Hoodie
John Fluevog
Fluevogs/Bridge&Burn/Rag&Bone

Santa Monica

Though not technically Los Angeles, Santa Monica is always on our must list when we head to SoCal, we lived there for 6+ years and its like coming home. The views of the ocean and beach from Ocean Avenue never get old.

Palihouse Hotel

We stayed at the Palihouse a charming old hotel located in our old neighborhood and walking distance from the Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica Place, the beach and Montana Avenue shopping! Though old, the rooms are spacious, clean and decorated in a somewhat quirky but fun style. The attention to detail is great and the location can’t be beat!

#palihouse

Walking up and down Montana Avenue is always a pleasure with its many shops to wander in and out of. Though it’s not fancy we love to stop for lunch at Rosti, a family friendly Italian restaurant on 10th and Montana. The goat cheese capellini with marinara is the best! If you decide to check it out keep in mind you’ll need to bring your own wine.

For me no trip to Los Angeles would be complete without a meal at either Furaibo or Hurry Curry! A perfect trip would include both, but hey I only had 24 hours…

Furaibo is a Japanese restaurant located on Sawtelle Boulevard (Little Osaka) in West LA. They are famous for their Japanese style chicken wings which are my favorite, but Tim loves the fish in a bowl which is essentially an entire fried fish the bowl is the fish!  This place is one of the more popular places on the block, but it’s definitely worth the wait!

Though there were many places and people I didn’t get to visit during this quick trip, I managed to spend time in Malibu, Venice, Santa Monica and West LA. I wandered aimlessly, shopped, ate and most importantly got my LA fix!

Until next time…

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The Halloween Edition!

The annual visit to the pumpkin patch… is it obligation or fun? For our family it’s some of both, but definitely leaning more towards the fun side!

#halloween@theritz

Like many families the tradition of visiting the pumpkin patch started when our oldest was just a baby and the boys have gone each and every year since. I did miss one year, I don’t remember why, but it must have been important, and I was heartbroken. So, even though finding time to go the pumpkin patch can feel like a chore, getting the kids to pose nicely for my annual photo is beyond frustrating, and living in California means our pumpkins will rot long before the big day, we go… and we like it!

The Obligatory Photo

Beyond the collection of perfectly shaped pumpkins my other main agenda item when visiting the pumpkin patch is getting that obligatory adorable photo of the kids. I don’t want to complain, but living in California means that the ideal pumpkin patch I remember from my childhood, just doesn’t exist. You know, the one with lots of giant pumpkins growing on curly green vines as far as the eye can see. Don’t forget the squishy mud you had to wade through to get to them. Who knows, maybe that’s not even real? It could be we bought our pumpkins at the local QFC? Mom?

Anyway, here in sunny California we have dusty dirt fields with a bit of hay strewn about and the occasional pumpkin here and there. At this point its late in the month, and pickings are getting pretty slim and so are the photo ops, we’ll just have to make it work… and we do!

I’ve dressed the boys in Halloween-ish type shirts and arranged a few pumpkins strategically, hoping to make a nice scene, but Elliot is easily distracted and keeps running off and darn that California sun, but Simon just can’t keep his eyes open no matter what direction I point him. I yell at them for a while and take about 100 bad photos before I give up and hope I got at least one decent shot. There are always the Halloween night photos? This is fun, right?!

Attempt 1
Attempt 2

We’re Having Fun Now!

Barb’s Fish Trap has the best clam strips!
Now if only there were pumpkins behind them!

There are many pumpkin patches in the Bay Area, but we usually head to Half Moon Bay, a favorite destination all year round. The weather was beautiful, so after we completed our pumpkin mission we ate outside at our favorite seafood restaurant, Barbara’s Fish Trap, and then took a lovely walk on the beach. Gotta love that California sun! We decided to end our day with a treat… Roasting marshmallows at the Half Moon Bay Ritz. The views were amazing and there were bagpipes playing! Okay, we are definitely having fun now!

Surfers in Half Moon Bay
Bill Lewis the Sandcastle builder.

Creating Our Pumpkin Masterpieces!

#hellokittypumpkinI’ve always enjoyed carving pumpkins and I generally choose something in the pop culture genre, Simon tends to go for something a bit more spooky and Elliot designs his own on the fly. Neither Simon, nor Elliot used patterns of any kind this year and both tried their hand at doing some sculpting! I had decided upon Hello Kitty and a hilarystyle.me pumpkin. Though I didn’t do any sculpting I did use acrylic paint to enhance Hello Kitty’s face and bow and I carved hilarystyle.me freehand.

This was 2013s pop pumpkin
2012’s pop pumpkin
Simon’s Original
Elliot’s Original

If you decide to use paint, make sure to clean and dry the pumpkin before applying the paint and wait for each coat of paint to dry before applying the next one. If you live in a rainy place its best to keep your pumpkin undercover.

I found this pattern online
Acrylic paint works great if you wash and dry the pumpkin first
I used red paint to highlight the inside of the bow…Ta Da!

Roasting the pumpkin seeds was a Halloween tradition in my house and one I’ve enjoyed continuing with my own kids. For added flavor we like to leave a bit of the “pumpkin goo” on the seeds. I love the smell of them roasting!

#roastedpumpkinseeds

Heat the oven to 375 degrees and spread the seeds out in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Salt liberally before putting them into the oven for about 10 minutes. You’ll want to use a spatula to toss them around before putting them back into the oven for another 5 or so minutes. Don’t forget to salt them again! Keep an eye on them so they don’t burn!

Our Costumes!

I’ve always loved dressing up for Halloween even before I could use the kids as an excuse! Now, that I have two, the sky’s the limit! In recent years I’ve been everything from Bat Girl to a pirate and a day of the dead skeleton to the Black Swan. This year I’m going as a Harajuku Girl! We have a number of Halloween events planned, so I’ll be getting a lot of use out of my costume this year! Fun!

Argh a Pirate!
Sugar Skull
The Black Swan
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New York! Visiting Lady Liberty!

#LadylibertyI’ve been to New York many times in the past 26 years and yet, until this past July I had never taken the time to visit the Statue of Liberty. I guess it was just something I always thought I’d do “next time”. Recently when thinking about places to take the boys within the United States Lady Liberty came to mind. She is after all one of America’s most well known symbols! Our trip to New York to celebrate my parents 50th Wedding Anniversary seemed like the perfect opportunity because as it turned out only one of us had ever been to Liberty Island before!

While I am glad to say I finally “saw” the Statue of Liberty, I think once was enough for this group.  Neither of my boys loved the experience and Elliot gave it a 2 out of 10. There just wasn’t enough to hold his interest. My first impression upon seeing her up close was that she seemed smaller than I thought she would be. I guess all those movie shots of people seeing her from the deck of the boat as they sailed toward the American Dream made her seem larger to me. Not that she isn’t pretty darn large at 305 feet and 1 inch! Anyway…

Here’s the scoop on our visit!

Do keep in mind that Crown and Pedestal tickets sell out many months in advance, so go online and purchase them as soon as you decide you’re going. We purchased our tickets in early May for an early July visit and the Crown tickets were already sold out through the end of July. However, we were able to get Pedestal access which as it turned out was perfect for our group due to various ages and physical restrictions.

A few things to consider if you are able to get tickets to visit the Crown.

  • The age and physical ability of the members in your group.
  • Elevator service ends at the Pedestal and you’ll have to walk the rest of the way.
  • It is 377 steps from the main lobby to the top of the Crown, or 22 flights of stairs.
  • Anyone visiting the crown must be able to walk up at least 162 steps on a confined spiral staircase.
  • The only restrooms are located in the main lobby!

Tickets include round a round trip ferry ride to Liberty Island and Ellis Island as well. You can catch the ferry from two places Battery Park, at the southernmost tip of Manhattan, and Liberty State Park in Jersey City, New Jersey. Private vessels may not dock at either Ellis or Liberty Islands.

We caught the ferry at the Battery Park location. It’s an easy walk from the subway station. I was a little surprised at how much the ferry rocked back and forth and found that I was most comfortable on the top level with no roof overhead. It was in the direct sunlight, but I needed the open air and the plus side was of course the spectacular views!

NYC Skyline from the Statue Cruise
Lady Liberty in the distance
View of the Freedom Tower from the Statue Cruises boat

Before getting on the boat you will pass through a number of security check points, almost like going through airport security. You’ll also do this before you enter the Pedestal. There are guided tours available but an audio tour is Included with your ticket. We’ve taken many audio tours and didn’t feel like this one was very user friendly.

On the main floor you’ll find the original torch which we stopped to look at, but we skipped the Liberty Museum and went straight to the main attraction! The Pedestal offers panoramic views of Ellis Island, New York, New Jersey and the New York Harbor. There is an elevator and half of our group took advantage of that while the other half walked up. The walkway around the Pedestal is very narrow and very crowded, so after taking a few photos from each side we went back down.
The Original Torch
Looking up from the Pedestal to the Crown Stairs
View of NYC from the Pedestal
Fire Boat
Walking down the Pedestal stairs
Hoboken, NJ

I thought maybe we would visit the museum on our way back down, but by that time everyone was hungry so we decided to get lunch instead. We took a few more photos of Lady Liberty and then decided it was time to go as the line for the return ferry can be up to an hour long. Some of our group went on to visit Ellis Island and the Immigration Museum, but my boys were done so we skipped that.

A few days later we had an opportunity to see Lady Liberty again while out boating with some friends! I loved seeing her this way… in fact, it seemed much more impressive to me than the more formal route we took earlier in the week.

Family Selfie
It’s hard to get the Lady and the family in the same frame
View of the skyline from Ellis Island

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New York! Shopping!

I think I may have mentioned in some of my previous posts that I absolutely love to travel! But I also love to shop! What could be better than shopping while traveling? A perfect combination! No?!

It’s a small world and with the invention of online shopping and chain stores on every corner it’s getting harder and harder to find places to shop that are unique. So why waste time shopping in a new city when you can find anything you need or want from the comfort of the living room couch? To that I say, “Where is the fun in that?”  You see, for me, it’s not really about getting a new item, well not entirely anyway… what it’s really about is the experience, wandering the neighborhood, poking in and out of different types of shops, discovering new places  and meeting the people.

mercer-street-soho-new-yorkOn our most recent trip we chose to dedicate an entire day to shopping in SoHo, but in a city like New York there are endless places to shop and we managed to fit in the Meatpacking District and Madison Avenue on this trip as well. 🙂

SoHo is shorthand for South of Houston and it is on the list of National Historic Landmarks. The borders are Broadway west to Sixth Avenue, and Houston Street south to Canal Street. Within those borders you’ll find just about every retailer you’ve ever heard of and many you haven’t! There are also many flagship stores and one of a kind places too. You’ll find clothing, shoes shops galore, furniture, art, housewares and more! Oh and did I forget to mention the chocolate shops, amazing restaurants and hotels who are also located here! With its cobblestone streets, cast-iron buildings, designer shops and oh so cool vibe, SoHo is  unlike any other place in New York. Don’t miss it!

Keep in mind most shops in SoHo don’t open until 11:00 am, but stay open later which we discovered when we showed up ready to shop at 10:00 am on a Monday! No worries, we stopped and had a coffee while we waited…

Don’t laugh but before we’d even made it two blocks we’d already visited Orla Kiely, Fiorentini & Baker, Ted Baker, Paige and James Perse! My favorite right now is Rag & Bone, so that was our next stop and then of course we wanted to make time for, Desigual, Moleskine, Sam Edelman and Camper Shoes. We were also excited to discover a Sweaty Betty and a Miz Mooz Shoes along the way! By this time it was already 2:00 pm and although we’d made a sizable dent in our pocketbooks we’d hardly seen any of the neighborhood!

We spent a lot of time on Mercer Street, but this handy map of SoHo stores and services might help you plan your itinerary a little better! Not that there are many, but if you’re looking for a bargain your best bet is Broadway where you’ll find more mainstream shops, like Lucky Brand, Banana Republic, and Guess?!

James Perse Melange Rib Tunic Dress
Sam Edelman Felicia
Sale!
Rag & Bone dress with F&B Shoes
So excited to find this shop in the States!

Bleecker Street is another great shopping area… It’s actually a great street to walk down if you’re heading to SoHo from the Meatpacking district or vice versa. Although you may get sidetracked and never make it to your destination! There are many fun one-of-a-kind boutiques along Bleecker Street as well as some big names like M.A.C. and James Perse. You’ll find the famous Magnolia Bakery here and there are many great bars and restaurants as well. We used to come here a lot when we lived in Hoboken as the PATH station is nearby on Christopher Street and it’s one of my favorite spots.

The Meatpacking District is home to the Highline, The Standard Hotel and the new Whitney as well as many great shops:  Diane Von Furstenberg, Alice & Olivia, Joie, Michael Stars, Theory and Intermix and the list goes on… Also nearby you’ll find Christian Louboutin, a Barney’s Coop and Alexander McQueen. If you’re more interested in picking up a new piece of art there are a number of galleries here and often you’ll find artists selling their wares right on the sidewalk!

Alice & Olivia Dress
Alice & Oliva Shoes
Head to toe Alice & Olivia
Michael Stars
Michael Stars Simbi Bracelet bringing water to Haiti

We not only found a lot of fun new treasures on this trip, but we met a number of really fun people along the way! In fact we had so much fun with the shopgirl in the Alice & Olivia store that we exchanged numbers! Turns out she and I both grew up about 45 minutes from each other on the West Coast! Small world indeed! Per her request I sent her a photo of me in my new outfit the first time I wore it!

Meeting New People!
Keeping in Touch

Remember this is by no means a comprehensive list! New York has no shortage of neighborhoods in which to wander and shop, these are just a few of my personal favorites!

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The Anderson Collection on Stanford Campus!

The Anderson Collection, a new art museum, recently opened in Silicon Valley and if you’re in the bay area it’s definitely worth making the trip! It opened in September 2014 and I must admit that I’m disappointed it took me so long to finally get around to a visit.

It’s conveniently located right next to the Cantor Arts Center on the Stanford Campus, and one could easily make a day of it visiting both!  Admission is free and the Cantor has a nice cafe open Wednesday through Sunday.

Although they do offer guided tours, my older son and I really enjoyed taking our time and wandering from painting to painting on our own. He took this fun photo of mom and me using two phones! He was in the artistic spirit!

The Anderson Collection was a gift from a Bay Area family who built the collection over the last 50 years. According to the official website it is one of the world’s most outstanding private assemblies of modern and contemporary American art. Upon seeing it, its  impossible not to agree! It’s hard to imagine one family owning this much incredible art! If you do get a chance to visit there is a lovely video explaining who the Andersons are and showing the art hanging in their home.

The space is a work of art in itself
Selfie with Rothko
The Cantor is right next door!
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Napa Valley! Three Ways!

IMG_5629There are many wonderful things about living in the Bay Area not the least of which is living a two-hour drive from one of the best wine growing regions in the world! Even if you’re not a wine drinker the region has a lot to offer, beautiful scenery, fine art galleries, shopping, spas, bike tours, ridiculously good food and much more! Within the region of Napa Valley there are many little towns, Napa, Yountville, St. Helena and Calistoga to name a few.

While I don’t get there as often as I might like, I have been fortunate enough to find myself there for various reasons three different times this year! March found me running the Napa Valley Marathon, August found me shopping and dinning in both St. Helena and the town of Napa with a scenic drive along the Silverado Trail, and finally another trip in August to tour the wineries in high style with a group of girlfriends! So there you have it Napa three ways!

The Napa Valley Marathon

247863_186866112_XLargeI’ve been an avid runner for a number of years now and after running countless races of all distances I decided it was time to take it to the next level and attempt a full marathon. Many of my marathon running friends suggested the Napa Valley Marathon as a great first marathon! One of my best friends flew up from LA to join me! Yes! She’s an excellent friend!

If you are planning to run the marathon you should know that the course is incredibly beautiful, but also very hilly! The course starts in Calistoga and follows the scenic Silverado Trail for the majority of the 26.2 mile course. It ends at the Napa Valley High School and as most races do this one starts very early in the morning. We drove up the Saturday before so we had time to go to the race expo, explore the town of Napa and have a big carb loading dinner with our running group!

Pre-race. It’s cold and early!
A favorite winery
The end is in sight… .2 to go!
We made it! Check!
The Napa River runs through Downtown Napa
The Napa River

Napa is a fairly quiet place, but definitely on the rise with a number of fun little shops and restaurants worth checking out. Visitors often confuse the entire region of Napa Valley with Napa the town so they’ve given themselves the #realnapa. St. Helena, Geyserville, Yountville and Calistoga all have fun little shopping areas to explore as well.

Just east of downtown across the river is the Oxbow Market. It’s a great place to grab a bite and do a little shopping. They have a little bit of everything and I found a fun magnet board in one of the little shops. We weren’t drinking much the day before the full marathon, but we did treat ourselves to one glass of wine.  How could we resist?

We stayed a short distance outside of town in a very decent place, however, it wan’t convenient to anything. If I had to do it over again I would choose the Andaz Napa where another friend stayed. It was in a great location walking distance to all of Downtown Napa and the rooms were very nice. Wouldn’t this nice big tub be a welcome sight after 26.2!?

The Oxbow Market
Fun shops and food in the Oxbow Market
lots of goodies to tempt you
I picked up this fun magnet board
The Bathtub at the Andaz is HUGE!

Napa Valley with Family

Recently my folks came for a visit and we drove up for the day. While they weren’t sure they were interested in wine tasting (What?!) I thought they might enjoy the drive and poking around the little towns.  Our first stop was at V. Sattui a wonderful and well established winery. If you’ve never been to the area I highly suggest you stop here. They have a large market where you can purchase all sorts of lovely food to accompany your wine. Their grounds are stunning with large picnic areas. I first visited in 1999 when Tim and I were still dating. Very romantic!

We weren’t ready for lunch so decided to keep driving and have lunch a little further up the road in St. Helena.  We ate on Main Street in a little place called Market which is Michelin Guide recommended. Both the food and the service were nice, but I’ll probably try somewhere new next time. After lunch we popped in and out of the shops and galleries along the street and sampled some chocolates at Woodhouse Chocolates which I will definitely visit again!

IMG_5615I really wanted my folks to see the Silverado Trail it’s incredibly beautiful and I thought it might be fun to show them my marathon route. It’s lined with winery after winery and a lot of them will probably sound familiar to you as you drive by. Of course you don’t have to keep driving!  Most offer wine tastings between 10 am and 5 pm. I recently learned that the Silverado Trail was the first permanent road built between Napa and Calistoga!

We finished up our circle drive in #realnapa where we wandered through the shops and the Oxbow Market before heading home.

V. Sattui
Even the boys enjoyed the flowers
V. Sattui Wine tasting and food market
Peanut Butter Crunch

I mentioned Napa three ways and I’ve saved the best for last…

IMG_5691While Napa Valley has many things to offer let’s be real… the main reason to visit is tasting the WINE! Many people find they don’t want to drive from one winery to the next as their ability to taste becomes hampered by their need to NOT drink and drive, so it makes sense to find alternate transportation.

While there are many options we’ve found that renting a limousine and splitting the cost among us makes the most sense. Not having to think about who will drive takes all the worry out of the day! We’ve done this a few times and usually head out from home around 9 am. As I mentioned most wineries don’t stay open past 5 pm, so getting an early start is a good idea!

If you haven’t been before it helps to consult a map of the Valley before setting out that way you’ll have an idea of where you’re going in advance. Keep in mind that some of the wineries require an advance reservation and the map will help you to figure out which ones those are. In our group we have both white and red wine drinkers so we each pick somewhere that interests us. That’s another great thing about hiring a driver, they know their way around the Valley and if you give them a list of destinations they’ll take care of the rest!

On our most recent trip we visited four different wineries. We had grand plans to visit more, but there is so much going on at each location it’s quite difficult to find the time especially given that most places close early and you’ll want a break for lunch!

When I first started visiting back in 1999 a lot of the wineries had free tastings, but those days are long over. There are pros and cons to this.  The con obviously being that it can really add up when you’re paying $20+ at each winery for a tasting, however the pro is that because you’re paying they are even more attentive and take more time explaining the different wines!

St. Supery was our first stop as it’s a favorite of this group!  The grounds are really lovely with beautiful ivy and flowers everywhere. They offer tastings and you can choose to stand inside at the counter or there is a lovely seating area just outside, both are very inviting.  It’s quite modern inside which really appeals to me! If you have time to linger there is a little shop and there are some lawn type games you can take advantage of.

Wine Shop
It’s almost harvest time
buzz buzz

Our second stop, just 5 min down the road, and just as loved is Peju! While I admit that I’m the white wine drinker of the group, the other girls really prefer red and in fact belong to the wine club here. I will say they do have a great Sauvignon Blanc!  The grounds are like stepping into a fairytale with flowers and fountains everywhere. I spent a lot of time taking photos while they spent a lot of time drinking the red! It might be a good idea to call ahead at Peju as its pretty popular. We always walk away with a “few” bottles to bring home.

After the drive up and stops at two different wineries its time for lunch! There are a number of wineries with markets and restaurants, but we thought we might do a less formal lunch and decided to eat on the go. I know I mentioned Dean and Deluca in my New York! Pizza, Restaurants, Markets & Bars! post, but guess what!? They have a location in Napa Valley too! We stopped here to pick up picnic goodies which we ate in the limousine. There are so many choices and everything is so good, it’s hard to make decisions. It definitely doesn’t help matters if you walk in hungry… Oh, and they also sell knives and other kitchen items should you need them.

A little bread…
a little cheese…
a veggie.
Everything looks so good!
Aaron… our very friendly clerk!

After lunch I thought we should try somewhere new, so we visited Long Meadow Ranch also on the St. Helena Hwy.  They have a lot to offer here as they aren’t just a winery, but a complete farmstead with multiple locations.  Beyond wine they also produce, olive oil, beef, eggs, fruits & vegetables and honey.  You’ll find a selection of some of these products in their shop.  We did a tasting and probably due to the size of our group they were kind enough to put us in this adorable little private room. I really enjoyed the music, Johnny Cash was playing, and the decor, farmhouse chic, there was something incredibly welcoming about this place. We didn’t get a chance to eat here, but we heard that their restaurant is definitely worth a try!

Our last stop of the day was the Frank Family Vineyards which is a favorite of Tim’s and a little bit off the beaten path, but so worth it! They don’t do a lot of marketing and the wines are really only sold at the winery, and in a handful of select restaurants and retailers.  You can order online, but we don’t usually do that… if we want more we have to drive up and get it. It’s a definite favorite around our house and a big hit at dinner parties. The landscaping is really beautiful with a different more wooded or rustic feel than the other locations we visited. Antonio, the gentleman doing our tasting was really funny and definitely very good at his job as I walked out with a case of wine!

We ended our day with dinner at Redd which is located in Yountville. I like to be as positive as I can when talking about my experiences, but I just didn’t love this place.  The positives were that the main courses and the waiter were both great! However, I thought my chair was about as uncomfortable as they come and I literally hated one of the desserts and thought the other one was only okay.

After all that lovely wine tasting, eating and beautiful scenery it was time to head home… How great is it that someone else was driving!

So, there you have it… Napa three ways!  What do you think? Which one appeals to you?!