I have shared a little bit here and there about my trip up to the Bay to see my parents. But there are still so! many! pictures! And so many adventures I haven’t told you about yet. So here’s a little highlight reel. Because I don’t want to forget any of this, ever. Our hotel in Burlingame was out on a little isthmus (I jump at every rare chance I have to use that majestic word), and we had a half-mile walk along the Bay to get into town. I loved it. The water, the wind, the gorgeous flowers. I’d happily pitch my tent there forever.
My parents stay at this hotel pretty frequently when my dad is teaching, and I love coming back to its pretty chandeliers. Also, we were on the executive floor: free cookies and snacks and tea and coffee all day! I really felt like a high roller. A high roller with a lot of tea bags. On an unrelated note, isn’t my mom the cutest ever? I adore her.
While dad was teaching, mom and I were out on the loose in Burlingame. Of course, we made a beeline to the nearest bookstore.
And the nearest bling store.
When dad was finished teaching, we’d head back into town for dinner. Burlingame is the cutest little town, with lots of history. This pretty building is part Caltrain station, part local history museum. Fun!
After a few days down south, we moved up to a hotel in the city. On our way out of town, we stopped to buy a bottle of one of my dad’s favorite wines. Isn’t he cute?
Once we got settled in, we had a nice relaxing glass of wine.
And we headed out to an Indonesian place for dinner, where we had a gigantic rice table. Glorious! And so many leftovers.
A shot from getting ready in the morning. My glasses and my mom’s glasses. Apple don’t fall far from the (best) tree (ever)!
We spent Saturday in Napa and Sonoma. Been a long time since I’ve been over the Golden Grate Bridge. It was marvelous.
We ate lunch at the Fremont Diner, and it was heavenly. Sitting outside in the sun is something you never take for granted in a fog-heavy area, and this was an unexpected gift. Like the entire Barbie doll line, complete with all the latest fashions, on Christmas morning. My mom wrote about it here. Brilliantly, of course.
I loved this sign.
And I loved the food. Mmmm. I don’t know when I’ve ever had such fresh green beans.
We stopped by Bouchon Bakery to pick up bread and pastries…and felt right at home in the long line (Bakesale Betty, anyone?)
Then it was time for a wine tasting at Failla before dinner at Terra, where my dear friend Steve is chef de cuisine. This stupendous dinner was the reason for our trip to Napa, and it was, really, truly, incredible. I think my mom is planning to write a post about it (I hope?!), so I’ll link to it when it’s up. It was pretty much the dinner of a lifetime.
On to Sunday! We hit all the high points in the East Bay. I could not resist taking a picture of the Elmwood Cafe through the window of Mrs. Dalloway’s. They are two of my favorite places ever. Any bookstore that has the scent of coffee and pastries wafting in through an open internal window gets five stars from me.
Ah, the old neighborhood. I miss it so. A stroll up and down College Avenue is always a perfect Sunday afternoon activity.
We stopped for tea and coffee at Cole, beloved of my heart.
And finished up the day with a trip to Berkeley Bowl, produce heaven on earth! This was a looong post (and you should totally pat yourself on the back if you made it all the way to the end), but it is wonderfully overwhelming to me to see just how much fun we crammed into a few days. Can’t wait till the next trip!
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