Monterey County visiting -- Monterey, Pebble Beach and Carmel

So excited Julie needed to change her battery.

Friday. I tried to send Julie to the spa today but she was too excited to get going in the nice weather.  After hanging out on our balcony all morning hoping to see the deer that are known to roam the property we jumped in the car to drive down to the lodge/restaurant. Within less than a minute we were next to about 5 deer grazing on the side of the path.  These deer are accustomed to people/cars so they went about their business as we watched from mere feet away.  After snapping some pics, Bambi and friends move onto the golf course and we headed to breakfast.  With the clear sky, which has been the case every day, we had breakfast on the patio next to the pool.  I went for huevos rancheros and Julie with blueberry pancakes.

Huevos rancheros for breakfast.

We lingered for a while enjoying the t-shirt and shorts weather.  Afterwards we decided we should stay another night and Julie wanted to skip the spa and head into Monterey right away.  While Julie showered I decided to try to take a short run.  Note to self, "huff and puff" trail is not a good idea after huevos rancheros.  The trail head is immediately outside our room and climbs steadily uphill until revealing amazing views of the valley.  Looked great but made me feel pretty ill.  With a combination of walking and jogging I made it to horseshoe trail and a steady decline.  The views were amazing and my stomach hurt.

Once in Monterey we stopped at Cafe la Strada to grab some beverages for our walk down Cannery Row.  This is where they used to pack sardines like no one's business.  Today it is a mini-version of SF's fisherman's wharf.  It didn't take long to walk the 'row' and we opted to skip the Monterey Aquarium, which is supposedly pretty awesome.  From Monterey, which I'm not sure what all the hoopla is about, we headed over to Pebble Beach.

Cannery Row, Monterey

To enter the Pebble Beach community you have to pay $9.50.  This is for all the tourist who are interested in traveling the 17 mile drive, a scenic route passing by some insanely large homes and beautiful ocean-side views.  As we  were heading to Pebble Beach for lunch we could get this fee refunded.  Pebble Beach is ranked among the most costly public golf courses in America.  At $650 a round it'll put a dent in your budget.  Regardless we saw a steady flow of golfers heading up the 18th while we enjoyed amazing views over lunch.  I s'pose if you're a golfer being able to play on the same course as the 2010 US Open coupled with the amazing setting, although available at many other area courses for less, is a special event.

Players finishing the 18th hole at Pebble Beach.

View from Lodge at Pebble Beach (click to expand)

Departing the golf course we rushed on to the 17-mile route to check out the infamous lone cypress.  Apparently this cypress tree has survived on a jagged rock for over 250 years.  It's even become the logo for the Pebble Beach company.  The tree did look cool and made for some good photo opps after I hopped a fence and climbed down a hill -- but I'm glad we didn't go out of our way to see it.  Julie claims the Japanese tourists got a kick out of my antics.

The "lone cypress" at Pebble Beach

Looking down to Ron

Looking up to Julie

More lone cypress.

The 17 mile drive ended at a gate to Carmel which came in handy as we wanted to check out some of the shops while they were open.  Of course we left about 30 minutes, for good or bad, so we hurriedly checked out some shops and are still trying to track down the illusive tote Julie has been searching for.

Crossing the property we encountered even more deer grazing on the side of the path.  Driving is tricky as Carmel Valley has strict street light policies therefore the property is lit with very low lights and the path is windy with deer and turkey wandering about. Back in the room Julie grabbed a nap until we headed back to the main lodge for some late night snacks, mere seconds before the kitchen closed. Having read about chef Tim Wood (of Carmel Valley Ranch) honey-chile chicken wings in Food & Wine magazine I figured we needed to give them a try.  Also John from the prior night, who gave us a tour of the wine cellar, suggested checking out the Talbot winery down the road from the "hotel". While we didn't make the tasting at Talbot  I figured I'd give it a try at the bar and ordered the Talbott pinot noir.  Enjoyable indeed.  With the iPad in hand we tried to figure out our plan for the next 3 days.  With moderate success and the place emptying we headed back to our room.

Goodbye San Fran, Hello Pacific Coast Highway

Golden Gate Park

Thursday.  We finally got packed and walked down to grab the rental in the morning.  On the way back to the hotel Julie wanted to stop at Japanese Weekend, a locally designed maternity store.  Driving uphill I pulled over and kicked her out and told her to meet me back at the hotel a block away. Luggage and wife loaded we were off.  Ignoring the concierge's advice to hop on the interstate we drove across the entire city to get a sense of the other side of San Fran.  Reaching Golden Gate park in no time we drove around, a bit on purpose a bit not, before spotting this waterfall.


Jumping on Highway #1 in Golden Gate park we start our trek South.  Our first destination is Half Moon Bay, a short drive from San Fran, to stop for lunch at the ocean-front Ritz-Carlton. Before we can even reach Half Moon Bay we're already seeing amazing scenery with the cliffs dropping into the ocean and secluded beaches.  A bit over-dressed we descend the stairs on to an amazing beach with some decent waves.

Julie's a bit confused.

Unfortunately we missed the turn-off at the top of the cliff which would have provided an amazing view in to the cove.  Once on the beach we realized how ridiculously over-dressed we were but either way, it wasn't sun bathing weather.  As we continued down the coast we saw dozens of these small secluded beaches.

A short drive later we reached Half Moon Bay and pulled into the Ritz.  The scene was reminiscent of Cannes with the valets parking a Bentley, Aston Martin, Toyota, Mercedes. Guess which was ours.  There were some other "beaters" in the parking lot but we always seem to get lined up with the other 0.5% of the population. The hotel was hosting a small conference which made me think -- aside from the adventures of living in California, all the work-related functions would be in awesome coastal hotels.  Damn. The patio was closed for lunch despite the fire pits burning.  The view from inside was equally spectacular looking down the golf course and the food in the bistro was good as well.  I opted for the short rib sliders and Julie with the chicken club.

Amazing bread and some local oil and vinegar.

A great spot to watch the golfers.

View from the Conservatory bistro.

After lunch we walked the grounds and took the opportunity to book our next hotel for the night.  Julie decided it was worthy of capturing the moment.

Booking a room at the Carmel Valley Ranch.

We continued down the coast skipping Monterrey and going directly to the Carmel Valley Ranch. We're in love with this place.  The rooms are spacious with cathedral ceilings in all the rooms, a front sitting room, sky lights, fireplace and balconies overlooking the valley and golf course.  The main lodge is completely renovated with modern lines and I'm pretty sure we're the only people here.  Look forward to exploring the area and grounds, over 400 acres, tomorrow. We made a late trip (7pm) into Carmel to check out the shops which would be closed but we were told they are well illuminated and worth the walk about even at night.  No lies.  It was nice and you could do some decent window shopping.  They are high-end shops mixed with local shops and restaurants.  We stopped in to grab some beet & goat cheese salad before heading back to the hotel.  We checked out the main lobby a bit more and hit the hay.  A good day.

View from balcony

 Bar and wine cellar.

Oops an Extra Night in SF

Wednesday's edition is brought to you by Julie! This morning we woke up to clear skies again!  Taking advantage of the beautiful weather, we decided to head down to Union Square for some last minute shopping....and exchanges!!  (This time I checked the bum before leaving with my new pants!!!).  We stopped at Cafe de la Presse for lunch on the way. Ron opted for steak frites and I for the burger and fries.  While we ate, we were entertained by some police activity outside of the China Town gates.  As we speculated what celebrity or dignitary might be about to arrive, we were disappointed to see the "Safety Awareness Initiative" banner being hoisted as the streets were closed off. 

Mommy and Baby's Matching Boots

After lunch, we went to pick up some new boots for the baby.  We wanted to get something for the little gaffer while we were here, but given we don't know whether to go down the pink or blue aisles, we opted for shoes.  A safer bet.  We then made our way back down to the Westfield San Francisco Shopping Centre where we spent some time roaming through Bloomingdales.  Ron tried on every pair of jeans in the store while I visited the children's section (shopping for myself isn't quite as fun these days).  Another successful shopping trip found us leaving with some new jeans and an overnight bag (convenient to store all the new clothes we've bought)  and a sleeper for Rafi (the baby) with a matching "beanie"!

"Gender Neutral Outfit"

Since it was almost 3pm by the time we were done we figured we should head back to the hotel to officially reserve our room for one last night.  A last minute decision to check off one more tourist attraction (along with a reluctancy to climb any more hills) found us hopping on the famous cable car for a lift to the top of the of Powell street.  We maximized our 2 minute ride by snapping pictures of the tiny little car and Ron hanging out the side like a scene from the Full House opening credits.  Although the $5.00 fare (per person) for our brief ride was not the wisest investment we've ever made, it was definitely worth the excitement.

Not Ron, but the same pose.

Real deal.

Once back at the hotel and after getting the room situation organized we were back on the trails...destination, unknown.  We headed down the hill and found ourselves touring through the streets of China town which was a bit of a let down.  In the end we made it back to the Embarcadero to snap some night shots and be entertained by an exercise group who seemed to be following us.

Oakland Bay Bridge

Transamerican Pyramid

Later at the hotel we were back at the Top of the Mark enjoying the live music and some beverages.  After a few beers Ron came up with this solid game plan, clearly sketched on a napkin.

Our game plan for the next 5 days. Solid.

A Full Day as a Tourist

Cells are only 5'x9'x7'

Tuesday.  Another day sans-run as we have the early bird Alacatraz tour booked. Hiking down California St. at 8am we grabbed breakfast at Noah's Bagels (complete crap) then proceeded to the Embarcadero to snap some early morning, with minimal fog, pictures.  We quickly realized we weren't going to make it from Pier 1 to Pier 39 in time by foot.  After spending almost 10 minutes trying to find a cab we finally jumped in and were there in no time.  The ride out to Alcatraz provides a great view of the cityscape particular with a log fog.  This is when my camera decided to 'eat' all the pictures I had taken to this point.  Arriving at Alcatraz you realize the island isn't that big.  It was never at capacity and only held a couple hundred inmates.  Since absolutely everything needed to be brought and from the island, included clean water and "dirty water" it was the most expensive prison in the penal system.  Walking around Alcatraz is pretty cool and provides awesome views of the bridges and city.  The cells are incredibly small, 5'x9'x7', and making a frightening sound when closed.  The mechanical system to open/close the cells is interesting as are the various escape methods.  The included audio tour is quite interesting. You can leave the island on any of the ferries departing every 30mins or so and we headed back by noon.  This is when my camera 'ate' the rest of my pictures.

We walked along the waterfront back to Fisherman's Wharf so I could take some pics of the sea lions who were mostly absent today.  Grabbing lunch at the Boudin Bistro which has an in-house bread factory was a great stop.

Boudin Sourdough, a SF classic.

Boudin has been making sourdough in SF since the mid 1800s.  Afterwards we grabbed some bikes from Bike and Roll and starting to make our trek out to the Golden Gate bridge.  Originally hoping to make it to Sausalito that plan quickly got tossed out the window with our frequent stops and sore bums.  On our way to the Golden Gate bridge we stopped at the Palace of Fine Arts.  I've mentioned this before during one of my run posts.  This is where scenes from the film the Rock were shot and I think I've read something about the Bachelor rowing a boat through the man made lake (gag). The ride up to the Golden Gate bridge is very nice with beaches and parks.  Riding across the bridge, while not the most difficult thing  I've done, will definitely be one of the most memorable.  The views are amazing both into the bay (SF, Alcatraz) and out to the ocean along the cliffs.  We decided that once we crossed the bridge we would ride back without stopping to make it before the bike rental centre closed.

Some photos from our bike ride..

SF Bay with the Golden Gate bridge to the left

Palace of Fine Arts

Riding Across the Golden Gate Bridge

Reaching our room around 6pm we took a quick break and got ready for a night at the Top of the Mark bar with my high school friend Eric who now lives in SF.  The Top of the Mark is the hotel bar/restaurant on the 19th floor.  Since we're situated atop Nob Hill the views are amazing.  It also used to be the happening bar during WW2 with lines of servicemen stretching down the street.  The historic photos are pretty cool.

Since we were supposed to pack and plan our escape from SF tonight, and didn't, it looks like we'll be in SF for another day/night tomorrow while we get our affairs in order.

More Economy Boosting and the Castro

No run this morning. No complaints from me.  Today was the first day we ate a legit breakfast, before 11.  We stopped at the Persimmon Cafe en-route to shopping in Union Square. No complaints -- good portions and standard breakfast fare. We continued down to hit up some maternity stores, including Japanese Weekend, a local maternity designer.  Not much action here, Julie grabbed a pair of boots and we headed down to the thick of it.  A few rounds in the shopping centres and I grabbed a tee and Julie some pants and shirts.  One pair she's a bit keen on returning.

Just another day in the Castro

We took a cab down to the Castro,  considered America's first and currently largest gay community, to check out the scene and see a film at the historic Castro Theatre built in 1922.  Unfortunately the film selection was either German titles or the new Cher movie, Burlesque.  We figured that should be entertain given the crowd.  Before heading to the theatre we grab a so-so lunch at Bagdad Cafe. The cafe is surrounded with windows and provides entertaining people watching.  The crowd is seemed to be 95% gay men with a scarce showing from the lesbian crowd.  We passed by Harvey Milk plaza named after the Castro's most famous resident and former city politician and some other interestingly named places such as Twin Peaks, Hot Cookie, and QBar. Purchasing tickets at the Castro Theatre was old-school with the ticket stubs popping out of the counter and the sales booth in front of the doors.  The interior of the theatre is like the older theatres in Toronto.

Castro Theatre, built 1922

The movie was whatever but the crowd's reaction to particular scenes was entertaining.  After the film we grabbed a cab and headed back to home sweet hotel.

Some shots from our brief visit to the Castro.

Running the City & Shopping

View from the 15th floor atop Nob Hill

730am local time.  Visibility nil. What a contrast from yesterday's great views from our room -- although this is the San Fran we expected. Fog is as much a part of this city as the Golden Gate bridge is. No reason to rush out for a run, I'm back in bed.

930am local time. The faint outline of the road below is visible from our window.  Since we're atop Nob Hill I have to assume that we're in the thickest of the fog so I decide to make a break for it. Today' I'm heading to the opposite side of the city towards the Golden Gate bridge.

Julie stalking me from the hotel window.

Shortly in to my run I realize the hills are no better this way.  Grunting my way across California and turn right to tackle to crazy hills of Cow Hollow.  The houses are beautiful but that's not what's taking my breathe away.  After the unrelenting hills of California St I can only make it up half the hill.  Even walking is a serious effort.  I reach the top and am at the edge of the Presidio.  The homes that flank this park are amazing.  An endless sea of stairs await me along with other runners, walkers and even a guy carrying a kettle bell bigger than me.  Finishing the stairs toss me out on to moss covered street, nice and slick and finally into the Palace of Fine Arts. This location was part of the film the Rock when Sean Connery escapes from a haircut at the Fairmont and meets his daughter at the Palace of Fine Arts.

Palace of Fine Arts (from Wikipedia)

I make it down to the bay and know the Golden Gate bridge is in front of me but the fog hasn't lifted yet.  After some better judgment I correct my path and start running back along the waterfront towards the hotel.  With no shortage of other runners and walkers I pass Fort Mason and the Marina District with great views of Alcatraz to end up back at Ghiradelli Square where ended yesterday.  Today I opt for a $5 cab ride up the hills of Russian Hill. End result; 8.5km.  Not bad.



After getting cleaned up we head back to Café de la Presse to test their lunch menu. Julie opts for the onion soup -- good, but we've yet to find one that stands up to Paris (although some in Paris where less favourable as well) and I for the warm goat cheese salad.  Good stuff. We're pleased with this stop and I'm sure we'll be here a couple more times.


We struggle our way downhill to reach Union Square, the central shopping district. We didn't do much research so we don't have a good grasp of the boundaries other than there seems to be shops all over working outwards from the square.  We take a break and grab a latte and espresso and watch the kids skate on the ice rink, in the sun and t-shirts.  Interesting. With shops closing at 6 we make it into a few and I end up with some jeans, sweater and shoes.  Union Square is a fun area that seemed very busy until we realized that tomorrow is MLK day.  Street performers are everywhere and we even saw an operatic performance down an alley way.  The acoustic were pretty great.

Arros caçadora at B44

We're now working the walk down, sometimes with a few uphills, and cab back strategy.  Another $5 and 5 mins and we're back at our hotel without breaking a sweat.  Small tip.  If you're in one of the hilly areas, you don't just walk around for a restaurant.  It can be a painful experience.  So we spent some time online (concierge had a long line) and came up with B44 within walking distance.  This Catalan (Spanish) restaurant had great reviews and claimed a good ambiance.  As we arrived we weren't let down.  With a very Euro feel, hidden down an alleyway with a patio in the middle of the thruway we figured it was a winner.  The owner looked like a sheep-herder from Catalan.  A good sign.  People were bustling in and out and it was a happening stop.  Julie grabbed the potato and leek soup while I opted for an the arros caçadora (chicken / rabbit / pancetta / mushrooms / rosemary / parsley picada). This dish was pretty darn amazing.  After dinner we hiked the up-hill battle back to the hotel to shut it down with a movie -- well one of us did.

Tomorrow we're hitting Union Square again with plans to shimmy over to the Castro and grab a flick at the Castro Theatre.  I've yet to get out with my camera but I'm hoping to in the next day to snap some shots of the areas I've run through.

Feel the Burn: A Day of Walking in SF

Fueled Up and Ready to Go!

Surpringly and conveniently there’s a French community around the corner from the hotel.  So we opted for Café de la Presse for brunch.  We knew we were in good hands as the majority of staff and patrons were speaking French – unlike many other American versions of French bistros where if you order in anything but an American accent you get a blank stare from the server.

Julie had a delicious croissant sandwich and I an omelette w/ epinards et féta  -- equally delicious. 

We hiked down to the Embarcadero and Pier 14 which was now bustling with people compared to my earlier visit.  After snapping some shots of the Oakland Bay Bridge we squeezed our way in to the Ferry Building.  The sheer number of people made it a bit of an effort to move around but the shops were excellent and we picked up some artisanal salame for later.

Walking slower than anyone else in the city of San Fran we sauntered our way over to Fisherman’s Wharf with a number of rest stops.  We knew it’d be a long day as we tend to refuse to use any mode of transportation other than our own two feet. Fisherman’s Wharf reminded Julie of Clifton Hill in Niagara Falls with its over-stimulating array shops and gimmicky restaurants. As we reached Pier 39 we could hear the distinctive noises of the resident Sea Lions.  If you’ve never seen a Sea Lion lazing around you’re missing out one of the great comedies of the animal kingdom.  These massive animals ranging from 200lbs – 2200lbs lay on top of each other, smack each other with their flippers, nudge one another off the docks all while making the craziest grunting noises. We spent a good amount of time watching these playful animals who can amazingly jump out of the water onto the docks 2-3' feet out of the water. Here are some videos of the sea lions in action; being playful and noisy videos.

From Pier 39 Alcatraz is in clear view perched atop its island. We continued along the waterfront stopping to watch break dancers who warmed-up for 45 minutes only to put on a 5 minute performance – after which they asked for 5, 10s, or 20s.  We gladly tossed in $2 which Julie said seemed high from what she could see in the tip box.  We didn’t feel bad as they all piled into their Lexus’ and left.

Alcatraz from Russian Hill

Taking a break and shortcut up the stairs

Debating a cab back up the killer hills we decided to tough it out and make the hike.  It only took a few minutes to know we had made the right decision.  The views were amazing with ample opportunities to break and take pictures.  It is unbelieveable that you can walk uphill for 2 blocks, insanely uphill, only to walk back down the same grade the next 2 blocks and do it all over again, and again and again.

Once back at the hotel we punched in our trek and day 2 saw us clock just shy of 10k of walking.  Not bad.  Here’s our route .

Long story short.  I want to move here and Julie secretly does but won’t admit it because she knows the rest of the trip would be me looking for a place to live.  She’s smart. The city vibe is great.  Everyone seems very young, everywhere.  Very relaxed atmosphere and amazing views no matter where you are. Plus the city accommodates both Julie and my weather preferences.  There’s an equal amount of people wearing short sleeves and shorts and others with jackets, boots, scarves and mitts.  Surely we both would be happy here!

Ron vs. Nob Hill. The Hill 1, Ron 0

630 AM local time. Had I been back home I’d have already traveled over 100km using two modes of transportation to arrive at the office.  This balmy morning I’m standing atop Nob Hill, across from the historic Fairmont hotel, staring down a daunting task.  In every direction the steepest grades I’ve ever seen (in a city).  Having logged my last runs in South Beach over 3 months ago there’s no question my legs and lungs aren’t ready for downhill/uphill battle.  We all know going down is worse than up.  Downhill your legs and quads buckle, muscular defeat.  Uphill your lungs quit.  It’s an easier decision to stop when you can’t breathe than when you’re legs are simply shaking.

Off I go, heading towards what appears to be the Golden Gate bridge.  I’m going down, seriously downhill, 457m over the first 1000m (thank you sketchy Garmin Forerunner), I  continue along California St. until I reach the bay and the Embarcadero.  Running through markets being setup and what appears to be endless Yoga-persons I glance over to see what appears to be the Golden Gate standing majestically in front of the raising sun and some low lying fog.  The sleepy city from where I begun atop Nob Hill is now bustling with the runners, café goers and hundreds of street vendors setting up.  As I near the most picturesque bridge I’ve ever seen backed by the perfect setting I realize… this bridge isn’t red.  It’s certainly a suspension bridge and I would greatly wake up to this sight any day – but it’s the Oakland Bay Bridge. Ah well.  It’s been 15 mins and my heart is already regretting following me on this trek. As I work my way back towards the daunting California St. hill I run through some markets looking for some food.  Who am I kidding, I’m already dizzying so I exit stage left and proceed to the ascent of death.  I know I can’t run the entire hill but I’m willing to give a slow and steady attempt.  The first section is bearable, but the section kills me.  I’m running stairs, my knees are in my chest, I cross to the third and my BPM is flirting with 190.  Better judgement kicks-in and I hit the brakes.  The walk isn’t much better but as I reach the hotel my vision seems to be leveling.

I enter the room to now realize my foolishness.  With some daylight the Golden Gate bridge is in clear sight and clearly in the opposite direction I headed.  Lesson learned – don’t stay atop a hill if you’re interested in running.

Golden Gate Bridge from  hotel room (at 300mm)

A Hurried Start to San Fran

Things got a bit sketchy trying to reach the airport on Friday.  Leaving from downtown I got hung-up in meetings and trying to hand-off work as I won’t I’ll be moving on to another engagement when I return.  I finally decided that I had to be out at 315pm. I hit the bank which had longer lines than expected and hailed a cab to take me Sherway Gardens where Julie would be waiting.  As I watch the meter tick upward and the odometer remain unchanged I start to worry.  I message Julie and ask her to run into Sherway and pickup some shirts that are waiting for me.  The cabbie curses in some foreign language.  A cop is hanging out on the on-ramp to the Gardner taking up a lane.  Perfect.  We finally make it to the Sherway after some tactical driving and Julie is ready with the engine running.  We hit the 427 N at full tilt while I reach out to friends who maintain similar schedules. “What’s the minimum cut-off time to check-in”.. “What’s the best parking”… I fire off questions. Responses come back that are a bit daunting, 60 mins for customs.  We’re pushing it.  Marty insists, “use the valet at T1, send me parking bill”.  We don’t hesitate. He also adds, as many have recently, "I'm very God-fatherly."  We’re in the airport in no time.  Through to customs, which reminds why we don’t fly from YYZ to the US.  You go through customs at the airport.  A massive line snakes through the velvet ropes that clearly don’t mean VIP. We pass through customs with 45 minutes to spare -- and by spare I mean the plane is now pre-boarding.  Julie is flagged for the full body scan (can I watch?).  She opts for the pat-down.  Off we go to the gate, skipping the much anticipated airport lounge with its endless food and free booze. No problem.  Plane is only priority boarding and we in queue for the cheap seat boarding.  A few notes.  We opted for the extra leg space seats which allowed me to stretch out more than on the GO. Some strange lady looked at me every 90 seconds.  Eerie.  BOSE QC15 headphones are a Godsend on Air Canada’s deafening jets.  Honestly, the dual prop I took from LaGuardia to Albany wasn’t that loud.  After an uninteresting flight we arrive at the Intercontinental Mark Hopkins atop Nob Hill across from the Fairmont. We get the customary upgrade to a Golden Gate bridge view room.  It’s too dark to tell if the guy was hosing us but at least we’re on the top floor.  One thing is for certain, it’s no suite like in Chicago or Cannes.  Boo. We order up some room service, settle in and in minutes I'm asleep with my glasses on.