Snow with the Kids: Fantasy versus Reality

We took a trip to the snow this weekend. I'm not exactly an adventurous winter person, so the planning caused some minor panic on my end and many duplicate online purchases of children's snow gear. Around noon on Friday, the day of our departure, you could find me aimlessly wandering around Nordstrom, looking for warm socks. After an iced tea and banana walnut muffin, I tried on these pants (which didn't look good on me), and left with a pineapple toddler swimsuit and a rocket ship baby sweatshirt.

With some major snowfall in Tahoe this winter, my husband and I had planned a trip to Northstar with law school friends for President's Day weekend. We booked this fancy pants condo for three nights and set about planning activities. Given that we have a baby and a toddler, we figured it wasn't realistic for us both to ski, which is why Northstar is ideal. The village has shopping, restaurants, and a movie theater, and quite frankly I'm way more into apres ski than actual skiing.

But logistics became too complex (why is it so hard to fly to Reno??) and our friends had to cancel. No big deal. We would just go ourselves.

We looked into Dodge Ridge as a Tahoe alternative. It's closer and family friendly, and oh wait, we took too long to reserve lodging and there was literally nowhere to stay. So we booked a room at the Christmas Tree Inn in Mi-Wuk Village. The Ritz Carlton it is not, but this basic motel was clean and perfect for our purpose, which had been downgraded to one day in the snow.

Anyway, here's how it went...

A Rainy President's Day

 Etch A Sketch at Dana Street Coffee

Short capp and tiny hands

San Diego on My Mind

I just booked a trip to San Diego, and I'm already feeling the pre-vacation happiness. I've been living in the Bay Area for almost seven years now, and I still need a quarterly (at least) San Diego infusion to maintain my serotonin levels. My parents have been bugging me to nail down the dates of my trip, and it's finally on the calendar.

I love texting with my dad. Sadly, Gomez was an autocorrect error and not a new nickname.

Coincidentally, the New York Times published a "36 Hours in San Diego" guide today, highlighting some new places I'll need to check out. Let the planning begin!

Around Town

A few pics from around town today...

Reflections on Acme Glass, which is now an office building. I wish I could buy the building and fill it with lots of shiny glass.

Bells Books window display

Mural inside Shoe Palace pop up

Animal plate display at West Elm

Backyard Brew

Last week I had the pleasure of checking out a brand new coffee shop, Backyard Brew. At the end of a skinny alley off of California Street, this one-man operation serves up espresso drinks, Turkish coffee, and tea.

Sign in front of the alley, right next to Terun

Alley, with puddles from the recent rain

As the name suggests, Backyard Brew brings the indoor/outdoor experience to a whole new level, by eliminating the indoor element entirely. The open air coffee shop has been open for about two weeks now, and the owner Ryan said that business has been good so far, despite the recent rain.

Happy Valentine's Day!

 Hope you all enjoy the day with loved ones. Here are a few pics from my day.

Woke up and exchanged Valentine's Day cards with my husband. We're totally on the same page, right?

Pretty roses at Whole Foods.

Macchiatone and heart cookie at Café Venetia.

Love shirt at Romi Boutique.

Getting Ready for Valentine's Day

Sign outside of Tacolicious

Valentine's Day falls on a Tuesday this year. What are your plans? My birthday is within a few days of the holiday, so my husband and I are planning a combo birthday/Valentine's day celebration dinner this weekend, and skipping the prix fix scene. Or rather my husband is planning the dinner, so it will be a surprise. There aren't a ton of restaurants in the area that I would describe as "romantic", so I'm secretly hoping he'll book a reservation at one of the following places:

Getting Down

I pick up almost 3 year old daughter from daycare every afternoon, and lately she's been requesting "Down" by Marian Hill. Girl's got good taste.

The song is featured in an Apple commercial for AirPods, which we also love. I appreciate a good commercial. If it's clever, or artful, a quick break from whatever I'm watching can be a pleasure.

What is your favorite coffee shop?

There's a moment on every episode of Project Runway where the models line up and the designers describe their new looks. What is their inspiration? Where are their girls going?

To an art gallery opening. Always to an art gallery opening.

So to answer the question above, it depends on where I'm going that day, whom I'm with, what sort of mood I'm in. In that spirit, here are some of my favorites in Palo Alto and Mountain View:

Broccolini and White Beans with Polenta

I had a good farmers market haul on Sunday, so this week we have two recipes in a row.

You can substitute broccoli rabe for broccolini, and couscous for polenta. I cooked this with broccolini and polenta, but I actually recommend pairing broccolini with couscous or broccoli rabe with polenta. If you're like me, and can neverremember the difference between broccolini and broccoli rabe, see here. Recipe below:

Keeping it Real

Nutrition fads come and go, but I've found that the easiest way to eat healthy is to focus on eating real (meaning unprocessed) food. And the easiest way to stock up on real food is to head to the nearest farmers market.

Welcome to the Valley

It's 2 am, and there's a lunatic (I assume) banging on my front door. Turns out he's just an engineer from Italy, looking for the startup house that gave him an incorrect address. A couple of weeks later, we receive a mid-day visit from a man from Japan, looking for the same house.

Welcome to the Valley.

What an interesting place, where people come from all over the world with their new ideas, hoping to make it big.

I'm a San Diego native myself, and my husband hails from the coolest and warmest state in the nation. However, with two small children, our version of "making it big" is making it through the day. We've been in the Bay Area since 2010, and this blog will share some of my favorite places, things to do, and random thoughts.

Enjoy!

~M