Travel – Page 6 – thosecoolkims

Michigan/Ohio Trip 2013, Days 2-3

The past two days have been a whirlwind of great times with family. So much in fact that I have neglected to take pics of people! :( Today was a low key day with Mom and Dad, driving through Dexter and Ann Arbor. I got to catch a few views of my beloved red barns, we found an incredible park to play at, and Ruby had her 1st Zingerman’s sandwich!

We even got to have a date night with Rachel + Brian while my parents stayed back to watch the kids! It was so much fun to hang out with them that I forgot to take any pics!

Yesterday was equally as great. Mom, Dad, Ruby + I spent the day in Tecumseh with dear cousin Kay and Dave. It was a wonderful day — Kay made her amazing sausage gravy and biscuits for me and we celebrated Dave’s birthday with cake! We had a blast visiting most of the day and then we headed out to Adrian to place an order at my cousin’s pizza shop so we could bring pizza to the reunion on Saturday. Then, we were off to Deerfield to spend the evening with Wes & Brenda and the family! We had fresh sweet corn that was delivered from the farm that morning, delicious veggies and beef sandwiches and some super scrumptious desserts! We loved seeing everyone and the highlight of the evening was Wes busting out his guitar so Ruby could get her 2nd private concert! Ruby was just as enchanted with the music as she was the 1st time we visited in 2011 and she was just 9 months old.

Smalltown USA (Adrian, MI)

Ruby gets a special concert from Wes …

This was her 1st time seeing Wes play when she was 9 months old!

Loving this time with family … leaving Michigan and off to Ohio tomorrow!

Michigan/Ohio Trip 2013, Day 1

Our epic family vacation to Michigan and Ohio has begun! We got to spend time with my awesome cousin Rachel and her family today — they took us to breakfast in Ann Arbor and we hit up Erie Orchard and Cider Mill in the afternoon. It was an awesome fall day; chilly, light rain, an amazing sky — and we had Cider & Doughnuts just like real Midwesterners! We ended the day at the Anahid’s house in Troy for an amazing dinner — we met up with my parents and Kay & Dave. Kaily, Carolyn & Hassan and Sahra and Parisa were there too, and we had everything from homemade hummus to Hassan’s homemade Persian ice cream with rosewater and saffron! In one day we logged just over 200 miles. It was a blast!

Ed, Ruby, Brian, Baby Dexter, Jack and Rachel

Cider & Doughnuts combo!

Ruby on the tractor

at the Orchard

Peek-a-boo, we see you, pumpkins!

Pony ride!

Our kid, our Prius for the week and an amazing sky!

Family shots are hard to come by!

Ruby absolutely adores Dave. It’s safe to say the feeling’s mutual.

Road Trippin’, Day 4 – SF and Petaluma

A little late, but Day 4 consisted of a few more hours of just Ed + Carrie time in San Francisco before we headed back to Petaluma. Of course, we had to get an amazing breakfast, and we sure found it at Town’s End! Ed had a fantastic eggs benedict, and I tried my 1st Swedish Oatmeal Pancake with pears + almonds. The pancake was ok, but it was nothing stacked up against the cobb scramble I had on the side. Just like it sounds — it had avocado, green onions, tomatoes, and applewood smoked turkey. So yum.

After checking out of our hotel, we made one last stop at the Ferry Building. I geeked out over all the adorable deliciousness at Miette, and picked up some caramels and cookies to thank my sis-in-law for watching Ruby! Oh man, that Lavender shortbread…

We took our time and took in a little more of that awesome city. I think I love it more each time I visit. One day, if only we could live in one of those unmistakable SF apartments with the big windows that seem to hang out over the sidewalks …

Once we headed back to Petaluma, Shannon and Mani had the great idea of taking us to the Lagunitas Brewing Company. Ed was so happy! It was a great afternoon in the sun with our family!

Petaluma is such a great little town and we had a blast with Mani and Shannon! Can’t wait for more good times with them soon!

Shannon took some really great pics while we were away:

Road Trippin’, Day 3 – San Francisco!

Thanks to Auntie Shannon, Ed + I got to spend some alone time in the city. We were thrilled to get back to San Francisco, and we were determined to fit as many of our favorite things here in less than 24 hours!

Here are the highlights:

#1: Garry Winogrand photography exhibit @SFMOMA
We love SFMOMA and we were just in time to catch this huge Garry Winogrand exhibit while we were here. He has been one of my favorite photographers ever, and if you’ve been to our home, you’ve definitely seen this print before. I’m so glad we had a chance to catch this show.

#2: A snack at the Ferry Building
We skipped lunch just so we could go to the Ferry Building and “sample” some of our favorites. We decided on splitting the salame sandwich at Boccalone and sharing a Gingerbread Cupcake from Miette.

#3: Drinks at The Tonga Room
The Tonga Room is the most magical Tiki Bar in the world. The drinks are stiff, the ambiance is amazing, and they actually make it rain inside. Seriously, it’s the best place ever. We sipped on a Mai Tai and a Pipeline and soaked in all the glorious kitchiness.

#4: Late dinner at B Star
Trying to commit to a restaurant for dinner in San Francisco with all of the options available is tougher than trying to figure out what to do on New Year’s Eve. We decided to stay true to our love of all things asian fusion, and try out B Star, which says to be a mix of Thai/Chinese/Burmese/Indian/Japanese with a California twist. Yeah, its a mouthful, but it delivered! The food was outstanding – so bold and flavorful and like nothing we’ve ever eaten before. It was the kind of experience we always love having in this city!

p.s. We got an awesome groupon and are staying at the Hotel Griffon. It rules! It’s right across the street from the Ferry Building (seriously, we can see it out the window) and we get free parking. Total score.

Family Road Trip, Day 2 – Petaluma

It’s a miracle – we are actually relaxing on our vacation. If there was ever a place to relax, it’s Shannon and Mani’s place in Petaluma. Not only is Petaluma a charming little town, but Shannon and Mani’s place is so comforting that we kinda haven’t needed to leave. Shannon is an amazing cook, Ruby loves their dog, Kiwi, and there are fun things to play with like ukelele’s from Hawaii and tiny tea sets!

Ruby is a huge fan of her Auntie Shannon and we’re enjoying watching the love fest: