Times in Vallarta are a Changin'!

So, they've opened up Vallarta's first Starbuck's in the airport which happens to be about a 20 minute walk from where I live in The Marina. As I stepped out this morning into that great November air, I decided to hoof it towards the airport and check out the scene. Well, the new addition to the airport for departures is large and impressive and people who haven't been here for awhile will certainly notice a change! Then, as I glided up the new escalator and passed the new Carl's Jr. (there are now 3 in Vallarta!) I began to see people walking past clutching coffee cups with the familiar insignia. Sure enough, there at the end of the second floor sits our first Starbuck's ever. (I've heard there are at least 2 more opening within the next while...) I bought a "grande" and a bag of beans from Kenya and had a short chat with the manager who is busy hiring new staff. It's exactly the same Starbuck's as you'd find in any town or city back home and the coffee tasted good, although now that I have a new Krups machine and some good bean, my own coffee is pretty tasty! Anyway, for better or worse, the mega chains are here and more will come. Every day Vallarta gets busier, flashier, and more expensive. Will it eventually be the next Acapulco? Let's hope not.

"Once Upon a Bean"

In the spirit of spreading news about a good thing, I came across a place in the Marina Monday evening as I was out doing my exercise. It's called "Once Upon a Bean" and it's a few locales down from the popular Cafe Tacuba or Victor's Place. This new spot is a combination coffee shop, book exchange and internet cafe. The menu features a wide variety of sandwiches panini style, on focaccia or chapata with yummy fillings. They also have that hard to find Cobb salad that I like and of course, the ubiquitous Ceasar salad. It's owned by a Canadian woman from Vancouver and it appears she's done a bang-up job with the place since it features lots of books, computers and a nice ambience in which to sit, sip a coffee and communicate with the outside world. I'm quite sure she'll find "Once Upon a Bean" to be a great success and if you're in the "hood" you should check it out. Open 8:30 am-9:00 pm Sundays open until 3:00. Buen provecho!

Lake Tahoe/Final Day

I couldn't believe how lucky we were to awake to a beautiful Saturday morning, my last full day in California. I had all my shopping done so a road trip up to Tahoe was a total bonus! Karla fired up her custom Saturn, we opened the sun-roof and off we went on our big adventure. The scenery was extra spectacular thanks to the brilliant fall leaves in hues of red, orange and yellow contrasted against the clear blue sky. We threw on some good road tunes and the trip morphed into a memorable experience for me, since this was all new territiory and I was loving it!
We broke our journey in a quaint and historical town known as Placerville (formerly known as Hangtown.) Karla knew of a popular spot for excellent home style breakys and she wasn't wrong. "Sweetie-Pies" is an old Victorian home built in 1865 that this couple has refurbished and opened as one of those places where locals gather for good food and conversation. As we waited to be seated we were handed a coffee mug and told to "help ourselves" to a cup of coffee from the two large coffee machines in the diningroom. We soon learned it's a bottomless cup and the general rule is just to keep helping yourself. Well, we did and it wasn't long before we were seated and offered the menu. The selection was nothing short of mouth watering! The house special is a four egg omlette with asparagus spears wrapped in smoked turkey and drizzled with Hollandaise sauce! Since I didn't want to send my gall bladder into conniptions I opted for the lighter fare of three scrambled eggs with melted Cheddar, home fries and a combo of sausage and bacon. Ha! Seriously, it was large enough to feed 3 people but I put a fair dent in it and enjoyed every bite! Especially the home made whole wheat toast with butter and marmalade washed down with good, strong coffee. Bwap! Let's git on the road, lil' doggie! More to come....

Shopping 101

My introduction to shopping 101 truly got underway in Sacramento. My friend Karla is the queen of shopping and knows where all the deals are (she used to work at Nordstom's) and since it was sort of a pre-Christmas season, I was on a mission to fulfill the wish lists of my family, with the odd thing thrown in for myself. Well, I remember starting at the huge TARGET store earylish in the morning and was just amazed at the selection and the prices!! No wonder so many people talk about what a great deal it is. Just the selection of Christmas baubles was incredible and there were sections of the store we never even perused. It was overwhelming, but in a good way and I think I got a great selection of gifts without doing too much damage to my wallet. I would definitely go there again! I also got to understand how people can easily max out their credit cards since it's easy to enter a state of shopping frenzy thanks to the sheer cornucopia of goodies and the ridiculously low prices!

Another store we visited in the area was Nordstrom's Rack which I learned is designer clothing and merchandise at bargain prices. We had such a great time at the sales racks pulling out all sorts of surprising deals and there were plenty of other ladies doing the same. The selection of stuff boggled the mind!

Another GREAT store is Ross (dress for less) I believe it's called and this place was chock-a-block full of deals. Man oh man, I hardly knew where to begin. All I can say is that we spent a good amount of time and found some excellent bargoons!! By the end of the day, I had pretty well covered everything on my list and I still had another day to go, so Karla suggested a drive up to Lake Tahoe and we both kept our fingers crossed that the weather would cooperate. Boy, were we ever lucky when we woke up on Saturday morning to a blue sky and plenty of sunshine! Road trip!!

Shop, Drop and Woofin' at the Wharf.

The shopping selection in San Fran was nothing short of epic! The stores were a feast for weary eyes and there is a dazzling array of merchandise all beautifully displayed. I'm used to perusing a selection of stained and hideously colored cotton T's at The Commer, Gigante and Chez Wooly's (which can be positively depressing at times). It was the equivalent of leaving a dry, boring desert and finding a sumptuous oasis! I think I was salavating! We hit Victoria's Secret, Nordstrom's and a tri-level store known as "Forever 21" before heading down to a fabulous food court where I bought some chocolate covered espresso beans and a beverage before hitting another level-energize! Once we were shopped out and more than ready to tie on the feed bag, we headed to Fisherman's Wharf and scarfed down shrimp, clam chowder in sourdough bread bowls, crab meat dipped in seafood sauce with fresh lemon and some calamari all purchased from the stands. Yum-o! Then it was back to Pam's for a vehicle switch as we were bound for Karla's pad in Sacramento and of course more shopping! Karla used to work at Nordstrom's so she is in the know about the best discounts and I was only too happy to follow her knowledgable lead. We both vowed to return to Pam's ultra cozy digs in the future which I think will be sooner for Karla based on logistics.

San Fran./Day 1-Hunting the Blue.

Day one in San Fran was designated for shopping and finding the supremely delicious coffee we had savored the night before at the restaurant. Pam led us first to a breakfast spot in her hood called "The Barefoot Cafe" where we fortified ourselves with a generous breakfast of eggs Benedict before heading into downtown San Francisco. It was rainy and cool but I didn't mind because we would be inside stores most of the time anyway.

Finding the "Blue Bottle Coffee Co." turned out to be a bit of an adventure since they only have a small kiosk on a laneway called Linden St. Luckily Pam knows her way around the City and eventually we found a parking space in the vicinity of Linden. A few moments after leaving her vehicle, we were pleasantly assualted by the distinct aroma of brewing coffee. Delightful! There, on a small side street was a gathering of young, local city goers lining up for their morning shot of the dark nectar. We told one of the guys behind the counter about our fabulous coffee at "A-16" the night before and he immediately disclosed the special blend: half Ethiopian and half Chiapan beans, freshly ground. I noticed an informative brochure on the rustic counter, so I read a bit while I waited to make my purchase. The descriptions are so entertaining, I thought I would share a couple with you. This is what they report about their coffee from Chiapas: "More important than any implausible grasping for adjectives, is that this is an excellent food coffee - a bacon and eggs coffee. Big bowls of chilaquiles, stacks of pancakes, buttered brioche: the Chiapas is a lovely companion to almost all conceivable breakfast foods. Takes milk well. Stalwart black. Invite some friends over, make waffles and drink some coffee. Lots of coffee." This is what they write about their 100% Yemen beans: "This is an intoxicating coffee that produces a huge aroma, and, at this medium-to-dark roast level, it is one of the few single-origin coffees that makes an excellent shot of espresso. Lovers of clean, snappy Costa Ricans or Columbians might consider drinking a cup of Yemen uncomfortably similar to being picked up by the lapels, shaken, then tossed into a grimy Manhattan snow bank. But for some of us, this is the most complex and desirable cup in town." I'd like to meet the person who wrote the descriptors! I made my Ethiopian/Chiapan blend this morning for the second day in a row and I have to say it is by far the best java I've ever experienced. So, if you are heading to San Fran, you'll find the "Blue Bottle Coffee" kiosk at 315 Linden St. and they told us they do ship coffee within the U.S. so their phone number is 510.653.3394 or bluebottlecoffee.net Can you tell I'm a fan?

San Fran./ First Night.

All good things must come to an end and such was the case with my wonderful trip to San Francisco which may just become an annual since I enjoyed it so much! What follows is an account of my trip but told in installments since we did so much, it would fill a small book!

It was just a four-day weekend but it turned into something extra special when I got the go-ahead for a trip to a city I had only visited once and only on a astop-over which doesn't count. I got off my direct flight to be greeted by two old pals both of whom used to live in Vallarta and our memories go waaaay back to the mid-80's, so it was bound to be a good visit. A truer word was never spoken!

Pam and Karla met me at SFO airport and we immediatley headed into the hills of the City for a beverage and dinner. As we were driving towards our destined dining spot, Pam swung over to the famous Lombard street and we barely fit its tight, steep curves in her giant GMC, but we did manage to make the descent without a hitch--cool street! Then it was into a random bar for a cocktail since we were early for our dinner reservation. After some catching up and lots of laughs, we sauntered into the happening environment of "A16" on Chestnut Street. The place was bustling and we felt lucky to have a reservation! Before long we had steaming plates of fabulous pasta, thin crust sausage pizza and the best arugula salad I've ever tasted. It contained walnuts, figs, some olive oil and parmesan shavings. The olive oil dressing just made it taste so fresh it was insane. Well, the dinner was topped off by the best coffee I've ever tasted which was served in a heavy silver French press. We obtained the info needed to track down the coffee and made it a mandatory expedition for the following day. The whole meal was just stellar and I would recommend the place heartily to anyone visiting the city. Then it was off to Pam's crib in Fairfax which involved my first trip across the Golden Gate bridge. Exciting!
Pam's house sits at the top of a 2-mile long winding mountain road and the whole effect is truly spectacular. Aside from her amazing views of the surrounding mountains,(which I saw the next morning) the interior is equally, if not more beautiful! She has it decked out in fine Mexican art, comfy furniture and scatter rugs. Every detail, from her Guatemalan table cloth to her collection of Mexican crucifixes on the old chimney in the kitchen gives her place such artistic flair. Comfort with plenty of Pam style, would be the best way to describe it since anyone who knows Pam knows how creative she is and her jewelry designs deserve their own blog! Anyway, we spent the night in total comfort and silence and I slept like the dead thanks to an action packed 12 hours. To be continued...