Thanks to Toyota, who flew me up to Napa to drive the 2010 Prius, I was able to spend the weekend visiting Shannon and Mani in nearby San Rafael in Marin County. This was the first time I’d seen the new place as they had moved there from Santa Cruz back in late November.
To make a long story short, we had a wonderful time. The new house is really adorable and Shannon has (as always) put her signature thumbprint on it. It’s located walking distance to downtown San Rafael, which is filled to the brim with amazing restaurants and pubs, and just a few minutes to nearby San Anselmo (which I fell in love with) and Fairfax (another neat little town with a somewhat younger vibe). All three cities are surrounded by greenery and all boast wonderful food and retail with a refreshing freedom from chains and franchises.
Here’s Spirit on one of our many walks to downtown. Since he has three legs and is getting older, bringing the wagon’s a necessity for when he gets tired. Honestly, he seems to love the wagon rides!
One of the culinary highlights was Sol Food, a Puerto Rican restaurant that is locally renowned and one of the most popular joints in town. It was amazing – and I’m sad to report I was so engrossed in the food I forgot to take pics. I’m sure the Puerto Rican community might take issue with this statement, but it seems to bear much similarity to Cuban food, which I love as well.
Here’s the new place! Cute, huh?
The best meal of the trip was the dinner Shannon cooked up last night: a noodle soup with wontons and a make-your-own spring roll bar! WOW. Bravo, Shannon!
See all the pics here!
hey, this post reminds me…i still never got that card from shannon!!