Berkeley Style

I cruised over to Berkeley today for a bit of a cultural refresher...

If you ever find yourself ravenously hungry in Berkeley mid-afternoon you have GOT to check out Cafe Intermezzo. The sandwiches on their house-made honey wheat bread will KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF. Not kidding!!

My friend Stephaweisen and I enjoyed a delicious meal under the brightly decorated tree in the dining area.

The strawberry lemonade was delicious and I was nearly floored by the generous helping of cream cheese on my vegetarian sandwich.

We decided to stop into a local vintage clothing shop up the street on Telegraph named Mars Clothing. The place had a nice vintage-y feel and was well organized (VERY IMPORTANT IN THE THRIFTING WORLD). Here I found a cute 1960's nighty/dress slip/I would probably end up wearing it like a dress by throwing on a belt and some boots with it.

Although they were definitely on the pricey side, the shoe selection was OUTSTANDING. If you're in the market for a new pair of vintage boots (ironic?) I would HIGHLY recommend this place as there were many great styles to choose from.

This is Jason from the band Jackson Utah. He was looking dapper in his weathered fedora and brown polyester blazer so I hailed him for a photo op. He suggests living in Berkeley over San Francisco because people are more friendly on the east side of the bay.

Coffee and Tea, Museums for Free!

I arrived in San Francisco yesterday and immediately began to enjoy the variety of flavors and cultures this city has to offer. First stop was Piccino in the Dog Patch for lunch at a friend's restaurant. I had a delicious goat cheese and squash sandwich made from locally sourced and organic produce. So tasty!

Next I met a friend at over to Om Shan Tea, a small tea shop in the Mission. We enjoyed tea service at a low table next to the tapestry covered window. Although I did indulge in a rose and ginger tea, the build-your-own style meals offered in an array of healthy yet delicious snacks and entrees looked delicious. The atmosphere was grounded and earthy, but the owner was a little cold. This was a bit of a disappointment considering the kind, contemplative crowd otherwise occupying the venue.

This traditional style of tea service involves pouring hot water into a primary tea pot, which is where the leaves are steeped for about thirty seconds. The flavored water is then poured into a secondary tea pot where it can sit without over-steeping or transferred in small amounts into a miniature sipping cup. It's a fun process to behold and enjoy as the flavors of the leaves become more potent with each pour.

The tea set...

Sophie ordered a bowl of quinoa with sweet potato and nori that looked outstanding! It came with various condiments including dulce, cayenne pepper, Himalayan sea salt, and an oil of some sort.

Today I made my way into the De Young museum and followed a docent guided tour through the permanent collection. I joined a little late but from what I gathered it was focused on powerful feminine subjects in art. Very interesting...

This is the piece that the docent was discussing when I joined the tour It's a mayan 'stela' of Queen Ix Mutal Ahaw.

Afterwards I did a tour of my own around the museum and rediscovered my favorite sculpture. It involves varying shapes of reflective glass orbs sitting on a mirror table. Each of the orbs reflects the other art in the room along with the viewer in a distorted curvature.

By the time I was ready to leave the museum I was craving an almond pastry and a coffee. So I went to Tart to Tart on Irving St and found exactly that!

Tasty treats.... yum!

Thrifting and Mon Oncle

I've just seen the funniest film ever made... It's called Mon Oncle by Jaques Tati and it's a French film from 1958. It's about a guy named Monsieur Hulot who goes around with his head in the clouds and causes all this senseless ruckus and it's basically hilarious. So watch it!! You seriously must....

I'm staying at a lovely hostel in Montara which is just south of Pacifica, which is just south of San Francisco. There is a light house here and an incredible view of the seaside.

Today was a "South of San Francisco Thrifting Day", as I liked to call it... I recruited a fellow hostelian to peruse the several thrift stores in the area (there are four in total) and the best one found was:

Senior Coastsiders Thrift Store.

I had a feeling this place would be a score for the sole reason that it has 'senior' in the title. This is ALWAYS a good sign when thrifting... Especially if you are a granny at heart like myself.

Here I am being a super fashion nerd in the dressing room... I found this fabulous vintage wool sweater with oversized eyelets down the front and around the hem.

... I definitely squealed with the delight that a only true fashionista can when she has found the perfect garment.

This is the full look that I ended up purchasing. I can't wait to wear these pieces together!

Although the scarf is actually polyester instead of silk, it will still be a versatile addition to my wardrobe and it's easier to wash. Score!

Tomorrow I'm heading up to the foggy city of San Francisco. It's definitely supposed to snow which should prove to be a wild experience... I am excited to check out more thrift stores up there as there are so many good ones. I MAY even reveal my secret hidden gem thrift store. But you all must behave and offer me treats and kind words so that I might be more willing to divulge this TOP SECRET information...

Art Experience

If you're ever in Monterey you've got to check out the art museums! My friend and fellow couch-surfer Skyler and I took a bike ride over to the local museums and took in some great permanent and traveling collections.

This is just a section of a collage by Monterey artist Beverly Rayner.

The cemetery in El Estero Park was an inspiring place for a photo shoot. It sort of felt like a Mexican cemetery because of the splashes of colorful flowers decorating the gravestones.

I asked Skyler if he'd like to be immortalized on my blog and he agreed...

Yesterday we drove up to Santa Cruz to visit my friend Sabrina, little did we know we were to participate in an extravagant art experience involving the deconstruction of a hand-made nebula!!!! Heres some documentation of the process:

THIS is the nebula before it's take down. It fully changed colors and even had a fog machine!!

Here Sabby is in the process of taking down the beloved structure.

We got to ride around the nebula on a cherry-picker, an experience in itself! This is the view from the top of the 1/2 destructed nebula and of Brian the camera guy.

Bare space and the fog...

The artist in all her glory, Sabrina Habel.

Big Sur Finally!

Yesterday I cruised up the Highway 1 along the coast of California. It was a pretty gray day with lots of rain but I still got some cool shots of the scenery...

These are the elephant seals. As you can see they are not the most attractive creatures... And it is apparently mating season so they were especially rowdy. This typical male is making his presence known on the beach by showing off his snout while calling out to the ladies.

A beautiful bridge along the Highway 1. It was difficult not to stop at every turn out to take in the amazing views, so I guess the rain wasn't such a bad thing because it kept me moving!

These miniature islands right off the coast are a small representation of the beauty of the entire coastline.

So this is poison oak... And I DEFINITELY walked STRAIGHT through it for a photo op before I turned around and realized that it was poison oak. COOL.

I'm currently couch surfing in Pacific Grove, a small suburb of Monterey, with the most amazing woman Dionne! She started The Wahine Project, a local surfing school for young girls and has the most amazing outlook on life. You've got to check out the website and appreciate/support what she is doing for the community and the world.

Heres some photos of the town and a couple of quirky shops I stopped into when I got there:

THE CLOCK SHOP! This place is AMAZING. It wasn't raining when I got there but when I stepped inside the tick-tocking of a million antique clocks made it sound like there was a monsoon outside!

Clocks, clocks everywhere but not a drop to drink...

I think the piano's sole purpose was to house a few more clocks.

Today my fellow couch surfer Schuyler and I went to the Fishermen's Wharf in Monterey to sample the clam chowder. It was a world-wind of sampling but I'm pretty sure we tested every restaurant.

This is the festive, touristy wharf. You can see Schuyler scoping out the scene for any testers we may have missed.

This place had the best chowder, BY A LONG SHOT. So if you're ever cruising through Monterey don't bother with the other ones. Some can get pretty gelatinous... ew!!

The sail boats in the harbor.

More adventurous photos soon!

Morro Bay and Beyond...

If you're ever in San Luis Obispo I would definitely recommend staying at the Hostel Obispo. They have a free sourdough pancake breakfast every morning and everyone staying/working/hanging out at the hostel is super nice.

So needless to say I left SLO today with a tear in my eye but was looking forward to the trip ahead...

The small fishing town of Morro Bay was my first stop and it proved to be an inspiring one at that!

Here's some photos I took while cruising around town in the rain:

This shot was taken while I was walking along a dock filled with retired fishing boats...

I almost crashed my car when I spotted this shop from the road.

The sign is from an original 1950's Shell Station.

The shop itself is pretty funky. The attendant was a friend of the owner and he told me the founding story:

To sum up, the owner's father was a fisherman and would bring home shells to his kids so his son started selling them to tourists! Thus began the Shell Shop.

OBSESSION: gigantic anchor outside of Shell Shop.

Clearly the beach needed to be highlighted as a main attraction to the town. Picture standing on the rocks overlooking this incredible view with a heavy wind blustering through your coat and tossing your hair around your face...

My next stop after persuading myself to finally leave Morro Bay was Hearst Castle. I knew this would be a destination along the trip so I was pretty excited. Here's a montage of photos from the tour:

This was taken from the observation patio before the bus trip up to the Manson. They had those big yellow telescopes that you have to pay 50 cents to operate so I decided to immortalize the experience with a photo.

THE NEPTUNE POOL. Dear God someday I will swim in that oasis of lavish splendor.

So spectacular...

Besides being a collector of fine art, William Randolf Hearst had an extensive collection of beautiful garments which he generously lent his guests when needed. He provided them with anything from an evening frock to a bathing suit to one of his 200 furs...

What a classy guy.

OBSESSION: Hearst was a ketchup lover and kept his dining room table properly adorned with a BOTTLE of KETCHUP!!!!

As it should be...

I fell in love with this heavenly light fixture in the Castle's theater.

This is the indoor pool. The stairs going into the pool are made of marble and the gold tiles in the floor are actually 14 karat gold covered with glass.

Pretty amazing...

The length of the pool...

That's all for now anyways.

Tomorrow I'm off to Big Sur in search of love and adventure!

Hurry up and SLO down

San Luis Obispo

is starting to find it's way into my heart... How could it not when the famous Madonna Inn is just across town?? I'm pretty much obsessed with this place. The best way I can describe it to someone who's never been there is to say that it feels like a real-life Disneyland for adults. Each of the one-hundred nine rooms are individually decorated based on a certain theme. The hotel was built over the course of several decades so it has that vintage, day-glow 60's/70's feel.

Ok, so here are some photos I took whilst wandering around the place:

You can't miss the sign from the road, it glows from about 10 miles down the highway...

The entrance to the main lobby of the hotel... Feeling that quirky, Disneyland vibe yet?

This decorative chandelier lights the hallway and adds a jolly charm to the (real) rock wall.

The Gold Rush Steakhouse. I was lucky enough to see it decorated for Valentines Day...

Spectacular!

The kitschy Copper Cafe is the perfect place to enjoy a nice meal at the circular bar.

Pink Champagne Cake.... ahhh heaven. It actually has a sparkly champagne taste!

I also made a new lot of jewelry that I'm very excited to share with you. These cute antique-y rings are made from vintage costume jewelry, keys, pins, and charms. They are all adjustable so you can where them on any finger.

$12 each or 2 for $20

Enjoy

That's all for today...

Tomorrow I'm heading to Morro Bay and Hearst Castle which should prove to be inspiring in the least!