Oktoberfest!

My first Oktoberfest experience was a few years ago at the Old World Village in Huntington Beach. Old World is a charming little European style village tucked away in a nook behind the Bella Terra Mall. Cobblestones, cottages and little shops abound, and it really gives off a Euro feel so it's the perfect setting for a European festival.

The evening was hosted by this strapping gentleman. 

A big chicken was also wandering around in honor of the Chicken Dance song which we discovered came from Germany. 

THIS year we went to the Alpine Village because it's closer to Santa Monica than Old World. It was very different feel from Old World because the venue was just a huge tent set up in a parking lot full of picnic benches, but the ambience was equally festive, and it proved to be an all around silly good time. 

There were multiple competitions throughout the evening. One of the first ones was a Yodeling contest so later when they asked for more female contestants Jenn and I thought it would be another Yodeling contest so we rushed the stage. When we tried to confirm with the guy attending the stage entrance that we were indeed about to do a yodeling contest he negated our assumptions but assured us that it was "the best one."

We were soon presented with  bratwurst sausages as it was in fact the brat eating contest. I thought this was hilarious, and knew right away that I didn't stand a chance of winning for so many reasons. The competition began and after taking a few bites I realized that the girl next to me was literally stuffing her brat down her throat. I was so astounded that I stopped entirely and was just watching her as she devowered the lifeless piece of unidentifiable meat. She won, and I pawned the rest of my brat off to my friends. :)

Pumpkin Pie

In terms of interesting activities on Monday, I didn't do many. I searched all morning for a Halloween costume in the bountiful thrift and vintage shops on Haight St., but never found "the one," so I went back to Anne's for a nap which was followed by a trip to the grocery store to gather feastable food. The only thing that makes Monday blog worthy is this:  

I made a pumpkin pie! This is the first pie I have ever made and I did everything but roast the pumpkin. It's kind of ridiculous how proud I am of this pie, guess I never knew I had it in me! There was a moment of doubt when we pulled it out of the oven, but I was assured that, "He ain't pretty, but he's sure gonna taste good," and it did. Delicious. 

Treasure Island Music Festival

On Sunday we went to the Treasure Island Music Festival. We spent 11 hours outside in the freezing cold but it was totally worth it for The Flaming Lips, The Decemberists and Grizzly Bear who were headlining. The other bands were all pretty great too, check 'em out!

 

Thao and the Get Down Stay Down 

SF from Treasure Island

Sunny San Francisco

The weather was still great on Saturday so we fully took advantage and spent a lot of time outside... 

 

First stop was the farmers market at the Ferry Plaza, and this was the most aesthetically pleasing booth. We got some raspberries from one of the other vendors that literally were melting in our mouths. Yum. 

Supposedly the Blue Bottle Coffee Co. offers the best coffee in SF so we had to try it, despite the ridiculously long line. It was worth the wait and the perfection of the froth of my Cappuchino boasted its greatness even before I took a sip. 

Imagine this photo without the adorable dog... Someday I may edit him out of the frame, but in the meantime here's the raw original. 

We spent a good part of the afternoon in Dolores Park snacking on bread and Tanzanian Brie cheese from Bi -Rite market. They have an extensive selection of cheeses and since I didn't even realize that Tanzanian cheese existed it seemed like a necessary choice.

 

There were also dogs running around everywhere! 

SF: Day 2

The weather on Friday was phenomenal, perfect for a visit to the Golden Gate Park. 

The Conservatory of Flowers

 This is the tower at the deYound Museum. They had a King Tut Exhibit that I'd seen in LA a few years ago so I didn't go inside the museum, but I went up in the tower which had some great views.

The Japanese Tea Gardens

The park is so ridiculously gigantic that I only saw a fraction of it. After I'd had my fill, I  went back to Anne's apartment on Haight Street to relax for a bit because I was a little bit sore from all the walking I'd been doing!

Anne was released from work early so we grabbed one of her roommates and went to the Beach Chalet where we had what we'll call a "Beer Picnic" on the lawn. After our picnic we took a walk/hike to some old bathing pools and watched the sun set. 

We also went out in The Mission District later and I met a guy whose sister-in-law is the daughter of one of my high school teachers. El mundo es un pañuelo. 

 

Downtown San Francisco

Prior to last week, my firsthand knowledge of San Francisco was limited to a trip in high school to a second cousin's wedding that coincided with the X-Games, two trips to the Spanish Consulate to get my student Visa (not happy memories),  and a day trip with some friends in Sonoma where we visited Pier 39, the Fisherman's Wharf, the Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory and Chinatown. Basically, I was pretty green when I arrived.

I didn't do much research before getting on the plane either, which is unusual for me when traveling.  It could be that San Francisco didn't feel foreign enough to investigate, but maybe I'm just out of practice. Either way, I hopped on the N train near my friend's house in the morning and headed downtown without even knowing which stop I should get off at...  I effectively followed the social cues when lots of people started getting off the train and actually ended up exactly where I wanted to be. Good job me. Even then, I didn't consult a map and just started walking in what felt like the right direction. Long story short, I walked around for upwards of 6 hours. Below are some of the highlights.  I even accidentally found my way to the Tenderolin district which could have produced some great photos, but I was too busy trying to pretend that I meant to be there to take out my camera. I also consulted a map soon after. 

Trolly passing through Chinatown. 

Fountain in Martin Luther King Memorial

MOMA from the MLK memorial. 

Bay Bridge from El Embarcadero. 

The Ferry Plaza

Lombard Street. 

Self Portrait. :)

Golden Gate from the Coit Tower.

Chinatown. 

Bridges and Trollies and things.

For months I've been meaning to visit a good friend of mine in San Francisco and I finally made it happen this last week! I flew up on Wednesday, ran amuck for 5 full glorious days, and returned happily exhausted just this morning. More on the way... 

"We travel not to escape life, but so life doesn't escape us."

Rose Bowl Flea Market

The Rose Bowl Flea Market recurs every second Sunday of the month and since moving into my new apartment in July I've already gone 3 times... There's just something about walking through rows and rows of fabulously unordinary items with people buzzing around trying to find all the hidden treasures and barter for the best deals.  I've found that it can be a bit overwhelming if you don't go with a few specific goals and I happened to be so intently focused on mine that I didn't take a single picture to capture the experience. To make up for it,  I'll show you the bit that I brought home with me. 

I found this amazing wooden chest that was used for shipping "stuff" to and from Japan. I bartered like a pro and got it for almost half of what the seller was asking! 

I also discovered some cool maps that were hand painted in Italy, a couple of shelves for my bathroom, and a "D." Success! 

3rd to Main

My good friend Jenn is getting married in January and I am completely honored to be one of the few to stand beside her in her wedding. Saturday morning, after making some important decisions about a few wedding details, the two of us took a stroll from 3rd street down to Main. In  my head this has always seemed like a huge distance, but it's actually only about a mile and a half and feels like much less since there is so much going on in between. 

Diversion number one, after shopping of course, was the farmer's market. There are actually 3 different Farmer's Market locations in Santa Monica alone. Evidently fresh produce is a big deal here. 

We saw this cute little family eating pizza and watching a guy with a style similar to that of Brett Dennon. I couldn't resist a photo, everything about this makes me happy. (Please note the little guy's mohawk.) 

Cirque du Solei's "Kooza" starts on Oct 16 and they already had the tents up by the Pier! 

Here's something that I didn't know existed; Chess Park. Looks like a good place to play chess, and wear big hats.

Beach.

Paul Statman and the Statmen put on a free concert at the Ocean Park branch of the library. 

 

   

We were pretty happy to sit for a bit and listen to their newgrass and gipsy rhythms.

This woman was fabulous, but left me with so many unanswered questions...