Monday, May 9, 2011

15 things to do in California

15 things to do in California

1.  Eat dim sum in San Francisco with legit Chinese people.

Barrett's lovely grandma who insisted I get squid and ordered off the menu.

The menu.

2.  Explore some sketchy Battery to get a view.


I climbed to the top of this in cowboy boots.

Some popular bridge...jeez, what was it again?

3.  Scowl at hippies in Haight.  Scowl with hipsters in the Mission.
You know how I feel about hippies.

Perplexed...why does it cost so much to look cheap?  The shopping was ridiculous.
4.  Go to a food truck festival.  Eat at more than three trucks.

By the harbor near Golden Gate.



Indian curry in a burrito with basmati. SHUTUP!
I also have never seen so many Asian Americans that spoke perfect English in one place.

5.  Scoot your huskies.  Wait, you can do that anywhere.

Those Californians.....my sister in law with her huskies.

6.  Visit the Black Chasm.  A huge crack in the earth.



7.  See some of the biggest trees you will ever see.


8.  Be warned.



9.  Learn more than you want to know about wine making.
each of these barrels from France costs any where from $1500-$2000 and are only used up to three times before they are converted to a life of storage or turned into some souvenir cutting board.

10. Go to a barrel tasting.

First winery (with my in laws), not intoxicated one bit.

This guy studies wine making in Davis as well as on the vineyard.  The life.  He has plans to open his own winery.

11. Go to a super exclusive estate winery.  Taste wines they only make 74 cases of.

Casa Nueva...they sustain themselves on their wine clubs.  They do not  participate in retail.


12. Mingle with cool locals that have wineries, sheep, goats and pair food straight off the land and grill with their wine.

surfer dude who makes wine.


Funny story...the winery bought the goats to get rid of weeds, instead they ate the grapes.  Now they just live a life of leisure on the propery.


13.  Feel a mix of jealousy and awe.  Eat at the Culinary Institute of America.


14.  Take in some views.






15. Forget your sunglasses.




8 comments:

  1. Alright.. I love it! I'm glad you got to see the tall trees (Muir Woods?) and experienced some of the quiet wineries. I found they were the best when I visited and I'm looking to do the same thing as well. Direct mail or private tastings and purchase. I'm not sure I'll avoid the goats to be honest. Homemade goat cheese would be awesome. And, since I love including images, I thought you'd appreciate this one:

    http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4049/4613678201_fcca9876f5.jpg

    Looking forward to the wine trip!

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  2. Thank you Thank you! Yes Josh, you were correct. It was Muir Woods. Good eye. I forgot to include some details if you guys want to know:

    We used Platypus Tours (http://www.platypustours.com/), I highly recommend them. We went to all small, family wineries:

    Ballentine Vineyards: http://www.ballentinevineyards.com/

    Summer Estate Wines: http://www.summerswinery.com/

    Lava Vine:
    http://www.lavavine.com/

    Casa Nuestra:
    http://www.casanuestra.com/

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  3. Great pictures honey! I feel like I'm almost there. In fact, in one of the earlier pictures it almost looks like the back of my head. Hey!

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  4. Hey! I really like your blog..looks like you have not posted lately...that is too bad. I used your suggestions for kohlrabi as we picked some up at the farmers market. I plan to post something about it and note you and your blog as the source. Look for it soon on butterandyolk.wordpress.com.

    Thanks again!

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    Replies
    1. Butter and Yolk! The blog is back. I hope you've had a chance to take a look. I've enjoyed your blog as well since you posted this comment. Keep up the good work!

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  5. Thanks! I know I've been terrible about posting. Please do let me know when you've posted about kohlrabi!!! I just checked out Butter and Yolk...beautiful pictures!

    ReplyDelete