We're back from our little road trip to California! We had a lovely time seeing good friends, visiting our old stomping grounds and eating yummy food + sweet treats [we're a foodie family in case you haven't noticed]. Nine days fly by quickly, especially when you spend two of those days driving, but there is something refreshing about taking a good ol' fashioned road trip --no airport security checkpoints, no worries if your children get antsy on the airplane, no dragging luggage + 2 car seats + stroller through the airport. Anyways, on to the highlights of our trip!
:: sf japan town :: I cannot resist those cute wooden cut-outs :: some might say I'm a little obsessed with them :: I'm not a cat person, but I think these kitties are pretty sweet :: geisha floats [green tea ice cream + green tea slushee + mochi + red beans + whipped cream] from murata's hana cafe :: reading books at kinokuniya [and leaving empty-handed, ah yes, it is possible!] ::
:: eating roasted crab + garlic noodles at Thanh Long [so curious to try their new restaurant, 536 Sutter, once it opens] :: fried bananas with vanilla ice cream + orange cream sherbet for dessert :: Baby J standing on his street :: Big J kept asking where his street was at :: good question ::
:: baby J mooning the city of SF :: or at least the construction peeps working on the SF MOMA ::
:: playing at the park every single day :: and we all have nice little tans to prove it ::
:: picnic at V.Sattui in Napa :: crunchy baguettes + salami + brie + homemade jam + grapes ::
:: shopping in hayes valley :: visited the cutest candy store :: miette confiserie [recommendation from Anh-Minh] :: the decor is stunning :: and conveniently located across the street from a park :: other great shops in hayes valley :: lavish [one of the cutest children's boutiques] and their sister shop fiddlesticks :: cotton sheep [a really cute Japanese clothing store, feels like you stepped inside a Japanese craft book] :: bulo + gimme shoes [recommended by Martha] :: burgers from flippers :: rose and radish ::
:: checking for loose gum drops :: drats, they must have used industrial strength glue ::
:: visiting the Ferry Building for the first time [I could spend all day there!] :: butter cookies with pomegranate jam from miette patisserie [those gals know a thing or two about presentation + decor!] :: bombolones from I Preferiti di Boriana :: crispy rolls + yellow curry + pho from out the door :: so excited to see my favorite Berkeley 4th street shop, The Gardener, opened a shop in the FB ::
:: visiting the heath factory store :: ceramics heaven :: more on that next week :: meeting lisa for the first time :: sweeter, kinder, more interesting than you can imagine :: wish I could see her show in Japan :: shopping at ichiban kan [japanese dollar store] :: seeing so many old friends :: watching our children play together :: other good eats :: huge cinnamon rolls from heaven on earth in azalea :: chicken stuffed pizza at zachary's :: croissants + morning buns from la farine in berkeley :: mahi mahi burrito from dos coyotes in davis :: fruit tarts from ettore's european bakery [my friend brought them from sacramento] :: cream puffs from beard papa's [I admit, I went there two times in one day] :: fish & chips + crab roll + oysters + pasta with clams at FISH in Sausalito :: korean bbq in sunnyvale :: quesadillas from taqueria la bamba in mountain view ::
:: we spent over 45+ hours in our rented minivan :: but wouldn't trade 9 days with my favorite peeps for anything in the world ::
