Summer finally warmed up for us Bay Area folk. I’ve always wanted to go to a mid-week baseball day game, & now my wish has been fulfilled this season. We were lucky that on the most comfortable day this summer, our company bought a whole bunch of bleacher seats at the Giants game. After the success of our company’s outrageous anniversary party, our CEO thought it would be a blast to throw another company function. Baseball during work hours? Yes, please!
The game itself was good. You have to appreciate good baseball, even if it’s not played by your favorite team. The Giants stuck it out with the red-hot Cincinnati Reds, coming back to tie it up in the 11th inning after being killed earlier in the game.
Many of you know where my alliances lie, but visiting AT&T Park is always a treat. They have nicer things on this side of the Bay. The garlic fries, for example, can’t be beat.
Best part? Hanging out with good people from work. It’s nice to stretch out my legs outside the office, even though our office environment is far from being overly formal. I may have gone a bit overboard with my energy level, but I absolutely love baseball & it becomes hard to contain myself. Oh well, at least with that, I was able to get us on the big screen! (Not the first time this happened!)
Bay Area, Lifestyle, baseball, photography
It all started with the Creme Brulee Cart (@cremebruleecart). Though we still have yet to try it, it was the catalyst for our now growing food cart obsession. So when we heard about the SF Street Food Fest in the Mission last Saturday, we had to check it out.
The festival had a nice mix of established restaurants and food carts (a.k.a. taco trucks) selling a wide variety of foods representing a wide variety of cuisines spreading across the globe. The beautiful weather and the great vibe at the festival made it easy for us to spend several hours eating, people watching and soaking up the sun.
Some of our favorite street foods include: Roli Roti for their porchetta sandwich (we waited for 50 minutes at the festival and it was worth it), Curry Up Now for their deconstructed samosa (Ian recommends ordering online), Hapa SF for their sisig tacos, and Seoul on Wheels for their Korean tacos.
Next festival: this weekend at the Eat Real Fest in Oakland. Hopefully this time we can get to the Creme Brulee Cart before it sells out!
Bay Area, Food, Lifestyle, photography
I love summer parties when they’re set up in our front yard. We’ve been in San Mateo for nearly two years, & we’ve noticed the downtown community tries to keep the spirit of the city alive through free events & street festivals throughout these warm months. A few weeks ago, the San Mateo Festa Foundation threw their annual Festa Italiana Community Street Fair just down the street from our apartment. A perfect way to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon.
The event had its share of adult activities—specifically the wine kiosks—but it was geared mainly for families & the little ones. Ice cream booths, foods on a stick & cannoli vendors abound for a quick pick-up-&-go atmosphere. Shiny plastic toys & bubble machines kept the children lively & jumping around from booth to booth. To top off the carnival-type atmosphere, there were even some kiddie rides set up right in front of the San Mateo train station. My sister’s family came to visit—a perfect type of event for two young parents, an infant, & a toddler.
The best part? When we got tired, we just picked up our stuff & made the five-minute walk back to our apartment to put up our feet. The little baby needed to stretch out outside of the carriage anyway.
Do we plan to go again next year? Most likely. It’s definitely not a huge festival by any means, but it’s a good reason to have people sample what downtown San Mateo has to offer.
Bay Area, Family, Lifestyle, photography
If there’s any reason to give up our early Sunday morning, it’s gotta be for a good cause, & it doesn’t get better than the annual AIDS Walk up in San Francisco. At this year’s AIDS walk, 25,000 volunteer walkers raised $3 million. We were proud to a part of that number.
Cindy joined the Google walk team & tagged along with her fellow Googler Amy, her friend Jason & her little pomeranian Marco. As a member of her team, she raised funds toward AIDS research. Thanks to all her friends & family who sponsored her as a walker!
We walked away (pun intended?) feeling good at the end of the day because:
- we helped an organization & research toward ending a long-standing epidemic
- our mere attendance is the best support we can provide for huge events like this
- we got some good exercise (Golden Gate Park’s punishing hills are a killer for your legs)
- it gave us a reason to visit San Francisco
The best part about visiting the City is sampling the diverse dining. On the way to our car, we unwounded with lunch on 9th avenue at Bistro 9.
Bay Area, Lifestyle, Photo of the day, photography
