I'm A Total Local!

This past weekend John and I headed up North to S.F. to start off our ‘California Summer Baseball Stadium Tour.’ (A.K.A. CSBST) Last summer John wanted to go on the CSBST, but we were way too busy with our plethora of weddings. I felt kind of bad putting it off, but everything is a go for this summer. We’ve already bought all of our tickets and will be going to a game a month, and two in August.

Our first stop was AT&T Park, or the old Pac Bell, or the Candlestick baseball stadium, as I like to call it.

We were really lucky that John’s good friend Scott Feldstein lives only 2 blocks away from the park! When we were planning our trips we were so excited to be able to visit and stay with Scotty for the Giants game, however Scotty already had plans to be out of town that weekend. I know total bummer…but was it? Well yes…it was in the fact that we didn’t get to visit with him, but it was also awesome because it was like John and I had a mini vaca without having to pay for a place to stay! What is even better is that Scotty’s place is SO nice and it’s in a great location. We were able to walk wherever we needed to go, and never had to use our car. Isn’t that amazing? I’d really love to live like that again. That is one thing that I loved about living in London. I was 100% reliant on public transportation, and was able to walk almost everywhere.

On Saturday we were able to walk to this FABULOUS breakfast place, and then later to the game. We met up with my two uncles and my dad at the game, and had such a great time! Of course it helped that the Giants actually WON 8-2! It was a total shocker especially since they had just lost to the Phillies the night before. We also had the total trifecta: perfect weather, good seats, and garlic fries! (I missed my photo opp of the fries, but they were HUGE and totally stinky.)

This was my first time to the Giant’s new stadium. I know, I know...how could I be a fan all my life and never have gone? I am quite ashamed to admit that, but I must say that the stadium is SO nice! I was really impressed.

One of the most shocking events of the whole day was that John bought and WORE a Giants hat! (He’s a big time Dodger fan). Before the game he kept going back and forth on whether or not he should buy one, because he really wanted to get a hat at each park we went to, however he couldn't fathom actually wearing any Giants attire. At first he said he would buy one and wear it if I agreed to buy a Dodger visor and wear it. What is great is that me agreeing or disagreeing with that deal didn’t even affect his purchase. However…seeing him with the Giants hat on made me so happy, that I knew that I would have to return the favor and wear a Dodger visor next month. Dang it!

Look how cute we are with our matching hats!!

We didn’t see any fights break out (thank goodness!), but there was one really obnoxious Phillie’s fan sitting few sections over. We saw him stand up and start preaching about who knows what, so one giant’s fan start throwing peanuts at him, which he actually caught. It was kind of funny. Then awhile later he got into another argument with a different Giants fan, which wasn't so light hearted. This time security actually came down to talk with him, but the best part was seeing the females that were with both guys sitting there in utter mortification. You could just tell that they were dying of embarrassment.

We had these two little old ladies sitting near us, and you could just tell that they had been coming to games for YEARS. At one point my dad decides to mention to one of them that John is in fact a dodger fan in disguise! I totally thought the lady was going to give John a beat down with her cane! But luckily his Giants hat saved him. I later asked my dad why he told her that, and he knew that John could have taken her if it came to fist-a-cuffs. He did have a point.

Group shot

After the game we went to dinner at Koh Samui and the Monkey. My mom met us there as well. (She drove down on Saturday because she had a musical engagement earlier that day.) On our way there we wound up walking behind to real winnas who were smoking pot…as they were walking down the street…like it was no big deal.

Scotty took John to the monkey a few years ago, and ever since he has gone, all I’ve ever heard about is their pumpkin curry. The dude is totally obsessed.

I will admit that it was good, and I’m not even a huge fan of curry. I got beef with mangos, and it was really good.

I even had a mango mojito! It was a total mango night for me. We even got a few appetizers that were all good too. One reason is because they were all fried. I was totally impressed with the place, and the service was really good as well.

On our walk home we were stopped by one guy who asked us which direction Market Street was. We told him we thought it was behind us, but we told him we weren’t sure. However we were more impressed with the fact that he thought we were locals, even with my tennis shoes on! However I think he was in quite the hurry, so maybe he didn’t look down at my stylish footwear.

The next morning we headed down to San Jose where we met up with the family and had Mother’s Day brunch at the Fairmont hotel. The food was really good, but buffets are so hard! I just want to eat everything, and have multiple servings.

After brunch we headed over to the San Jose Museum of Modern Art, where right now they have having an art show on Robots. As some of you know, my Uncle Eric specializes in paintings of robots and doughnuts. Overall it was a great show, but of course the highlight for me was to see my uncle’s painting up close and personal. I’ve mostly just seen prints or jpgs, so to see them in their actual size was even more breathtaking.

If you are in the area, then I highly suggest you go to the show. It’s really great. You can also check out this video from a local news station that put together a great story. My Uncle also has a blog with some other info on hiw work, if you are interested.

I know most of you don't live in the bay area or traveling there anytime soon, so just for you I asked my Unlce to send me the jpgs of the paintings he has in the show.

The Executioner is a Keen Shaver

What We Ought Not, We Do

Malfunction

Overall it was a really fun weekend. My Uncle Brian had asked me at one point if swapping homes with my friends is something I’d done before. Even though this was my first time, it really is a great idea! As much as we love to visit with all our friends, it’s also nice to be able to get away for a weekend, by ourselves, in another town, and have free accommodations. Soooooooooo if any of you are interested in swapping, just let me know. My only disclaimer is ‘no pets or shoes allowed’!