Solage - Calistoga, California

August 9 - 11, 2015

If you know me at all you know for the past 4/5 years I have dreamed of going to Solage.  Well the time finally came where I got to go and I loved every relaxing minute of it.

For my 30th birthday this year I had gone wine tasting in Yountville.  One of the places we checked out was Cornerstone Cellars.  It was very highly rated so we went in for a tasting and fell in love with the wine.  So when a notification from TravelZoo popped into my inbox offering a discounted tasting and cheese plate at Cornerstone.  I jumped on the chance to buy it!  So on the way to Calistoga this was my first stop!

After drinking wine, eating cheese and joining a wine club, it was on to Solage.  The drive from Yountville was about 25minutes.  Upon arrival at Solage - the concierge took our bags, car and offered up some ice tea. 

Each room at Solage is bungalow style with a parking spot next to your location.  Two cruiser bikes and a lock await you as your main mean of transportation around the resort or into town.  And an eco friendly tote and water are waiting for you upon arrival in the room.  

The room includes high tech amenities such as an iPad programmed as resort guide, free wifi (strong signal!  I was actually able to work) and Apple charging station.  

The main pool is just as gorgeous as all the pictures make it out to be.  Seating was never a problem when I was there and they have 4 - 5 cabana's you can rent out for the day at the end of the pool.  The pool bar offers a large selection of items and the pool staff was very attentive.  I do recommend the Kirin Frozen Beer - although I am not much of a beer drinker... the frozen top keeps the beer so cold all the way to the last drop.  Amazing for those hot hot days!  

Sol Bar was tied for my favorite part of the trip - along with spa.  A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!  I actually ate here all 3 days. :)  The fish tacos were the bomb - hands down best I have had in California!  I got these each day.  It comes with a pickled cabbage and a spicy aioli sauce -- thinking about this right now has me drooling!   The pork belly steamed buns on the dinner menu were also really good.  Tons of flavor - good size.  

In regards to food - other than being at the resort - I did not feel like downtown Calistoga had much to offer.  I biked into town each day as well, looked around, got some ice cream, got an appetizer or two but that was about it.  Everything closes really early and there are not many shops to walk around to - One or two cute ones but you can be in and out in 10/20 mins.  

Now the spa...which is probably why most people come to Calistoga/Solage anyway!  The grounds are amazing -- best I have seen at any resort.  Walking in there is a relaxation room - recently redone - and almost pure white from the ceiling to the floor.  So pretty!  Right outside of this waiting area is an open garden where you can see across to the fitness area.  Down one path are the massage rooms - each offering a private entrance from the path and an outdoor shower.  Down another path you will find the entrance to the bathhouse and mud bar.  And just a little further in you will find the geo thermal mineral pool - 18yrs and older only and at a temperature of 98 degrees.  

The treatment I did was the Solage sampler only offered between Monday - Thursday.  For 320 dollars - got 3 treatments.  First it started with a 30 minute body scrub - you have 3-4 scrubs/scents to choose from.  I chose the lavender scrub - not only does it smell amazing - it is locally made.  After the scrub - I rinsed off in the outdoor shower and moved on to a wonderful 60 minute Solage massage. As most of you - working on a computer with my horrible posture all day leaves me with neck and shoulder pain so there is nothing better than a good massage.  Sadly 60 minutes is way to short.  Thankfully - that was not the end... I then moved over to the 60 minute signature mudslide.  The first portion of the mudslide is the mud... shocking I know.  Here you pick essential oils to be mixed into the mineral enriched mud.  Some will mix up the mud and send you into a heated room where you will apply the mud all over your body.  The mud then dries and pulls out all those toxins from your body.  After about 20-25 minutes an attendant will knock on your door - ask you to shower at one of the indoor  showers in your heated room or at the outdoor shower.  The next 20 minutes is the water portion of the treatment.  You relax in a private soaking tub which is filled with the geo thermal mineral waters.  Lastly you will then move into the rest portion.  Here you get into a chair and put on headphones -- the chair syncs the smoothing music to vibrations.  They say that 20 minutes of sleep in this chair is equivalent to 2 hours of REM sleep.  Sadly I was so focused on trying to sleep within that 20 minute timeframe...I could not fall asleep.  :(  

The only disappointing part of the trip was a bachelorette party at the pool on Sunday.  The group was girls were way to loud and way to drunk to be at the pool.  By 6pm they were falling over which lead to getting the pool with bloody cuts and dropping phones in the pool.  Ugh - so annoying and not what you want to deal with when you are paying close to 500 dollars a night.

Overall I loved my trip to Solage and I would not change it for the world.  I am so thankful I got to check it off my bucket list.  Next time (yes there will be a next time) I think instead of staying at the hotel - I will stay in Yountville and drive to Solage for a spa treatment and some fish tacos.  :)  

Highlight of my Trip:
- Fish Tacos
- Spa 
- Crusin' around on the Cruisers!

On my to-do list next time:
- Explore some wineries around the area
- Try something new at the spa

Portland, Oregon

May 6-10,2013

Oh Portland.  I have been going to Portland 2 - 3 times a year for work.  It is a short flight away from San Jose - about an hour.  Flights to and from are about 2 - 3 hours apart so you can arrange your travel any time of the day.

Prior to going to Portland for work - I really did not know anything about the city nor did I have much interest in it.  After being there multiple times - I have found it to be really interesting and fun and that they actually have great weather...sometimes!

All of the times I have been in Portland I have stayed at the Embassy Suites.  This is where my conference stays and it is in a great location downtown.  I would highly recommend it for business and pleasure.  The hotel is located near the river which offers a great running path along the river at different length paths from 2.5 - 10+ miles.  It is also just blocks away from multiple food cart locations (more about the Portland food carts later) and walking distance to the Pioneer Square and the Pearl district.  The hotel room sizes vary alot from room to room but all offer a living area separate from the bedroom.  The beds are very comfortable - I want one - with multiple pillows!!!  The hotel offers a free breakfast and managers happy hour - which means free drinks and snacks.  It also has an indoor pool and gym.  Other than staying at The Nines (I want to stay there some day) I would not stay at any other location in Portland.

I have 3 favorite things about Portland - highlighted below:
1.  No sales tax - Yup you heard that right.  When you go to buy something and it says it is $19.99 - it is actually that price!  You dont have to add 10%+ to your purchase!  AMAZING!  But all joking aside - Portland has great shopping in the Pearl district, NW 23rd street and outside of the city limits.

2.  The food - I love the food in Portland.  There is something for everyone and in many price ranges.  It is a great place to try something new or to try your favorite dish with a twist.  You can accompany your main meal with a pint of beer from a local brewery (and there are alot of them!) or can grab multiple dishes from different food carts located all over the city.  You can find food carts everywhere - some are open just for lunch and some open for lunch and dinner.  Some range from being cash only to some being chains.  There carts are monitored just like restaurants - so they go through the health inspection and everything else - but they have to be on wheels (even through some of them haven't moved in years they have to be portable).  For a map of food carts check out this website here:  http://www.foodcartsportland.com/maps/

Food carts.  

3.  Hiking/Outdoors Adventures -  Although I have not been able to explore as much of the Oregon outdoors, the parts I have seen are amazing!  There is everything from the waterfalls in the forest to the ocean cliffs/beaches to a wine country. 

Similar to alot of my other stays - I arrive Monday evening and went out to dinner with my coworkers.  Evening thought it was HOT weather - we decided to go to a Vietnamese pho restaurant called Luc Lac.  It sounds crazy to go to Vietnamese food in Portland - esp when we have so many spots here in the bay area but this one was amazing!  You order when you walk in and then find a spot to sit and they bring the food to you.  There is a full bar and ALL of the food is amazing.  I think our group ordered 1 of every appetizer and there was no complaints.  I had the tofu and veggie pho - and would highly recommend this restaurant...but maybe not on a hot day cause you will be leaving that place dripping from sweat.  ;)  Additionally they have a bar and make Vietnamese specialty drinks with a twist.  I had Thai Tea Cermosa - which is a blend of home made thai tea syrup, soda water and house whipped cream.  It sounds odd - but all the flavors just work!

My Thai Iced tea with a twist.  

Tuesday was a full day of work - and one of the busiest workshops I have been to.  Tuesday night a group of us went to sushi.  Portland has some of the best sushi I have ever had.  Every time I go I make a stop at Masu Sushi which is walking distance from the hotel and is in the Pearl district.  The atmosphere here is everything you look for in a restaurant, it is located in a loft like building and has a sushi bar, drink bar and seating.  The food is very fresh and all of the rolls have an amazing blend of flavors and textures.  My favorites are - Japanista (spicy crab, spicy tuna and kawaire with seared hamachi, cilantro and red jalapenos) and homemade gyoza.  I also recommend Bamboo Sushi - it is much further from the hotel but SOOO worth it.  Although I didnt go here this trip - this sushi restaurant is sustainable and always leaves me carving more.  

Another day lead to another full day of work.  So Wednesday night when some coworker said lets try a new brewery -- I was all in.  We hopped in a cab and went to Burnside Brewing Co.  Well it turns out we didnt need to take a cab there cause it was walking distance but it was full.  We got a table inside - which was a shame cause it was such nice weather outside - and we ordered some appetizers and beer.  I was not too impressed with their appetizers.  They were on the smaller size and didn't taste as amazing as they sounded on the menu.  For my meal I got a traditional kids meals - tomato soup and a grilled cheese.  It was wonderful!  I really liked the sweetness of the soup with the layers of cheese in the sandwich.  After alot of laughs and few beers we walked back to our hotel and enjoyed the late sunset.  Since Portland is alot further north the sun sets alot later than it does in the bay area.  It was a beautiful sight to see.  

Yum!  My grilled cheese and tomato soup!

Walk back to the hotel.  Amazing!

Thursday for lunch a couple of my coworkers and I decided to head out to the food carts for lunch.  We wanted to grab something different than hotel food.  I went to Built to Grill and WOW - it was amazing!  I had the penne all vodka and the taste was amazing and portion size is huge!  It could def feed 2 people.  The prices were reasonable and the food was out of this world.  Everyone should add this to their must try - it is shocking it came from a food cart...but then again this is Portland.  For dinner a smaller group wanted seafood so we walked around and check out a few restaurants and ended up at McCormick and Schmick's.  It was okay.  It was standard food from a chain restaurant - I would avoid it if possible.  

Walk to McCormick along the river.  So pretty.

My wrap up day consisted of a few tests and then boxing up equipment then food and shopping time!  :)  I think I spend more money when I am on business trips because when I have nothing to do I just shop!  EEK.  In my walks through the Pearl district I came across a Yoga studio + restaurant.  I was really intrigued so I yelped it and talked to a coworker who lived in the area about it.  It is called Prasad.  So for lunch on Friday a group of health nuts + some international visitors + me went over to try it.  WOW was it amazing.  Words cannot even explain how in love with this restaurant I am.  I had the Chili Bowl which was quinoa, roasted garlic chili, steamed greens, scallions, cilantro, green chili and garlic tahini sauces.   If you take anything away from this post it should be that this is a must TRY!  I wish one of these was near my workplace or home cause I would eat there every day.  They make fresh juices and smoothies there as well and the place is packed from 1130 - 130.  I loved it so much I started searching Google for recipes similar to this so I can try to make it at home.  After having one of the best healthy meals of my life - I went shopping.  Shocking I know.  Although I bought stuff from the chain stores in the Pearl like Lululemon and Anthropologie.  I stumbled across House of Lolo on my walk back to the hotel.  It is a cute upper end boutique with unique dresses and clothing.  I bought a couple items here - including a perfect summer wedding outfit!  They do free shipping and since they are located in Oregon...No sales tax!  Woo Hoo. 

My meal at Prasad. 

I bought dress number 3.  :)

That was the end of my trip this time - and I am not sure when I will be back to Portland specifically since I have changed jobs.  But I would highly recommend the location for a long week vacation.  Between May - September the weather is amazing and there are so many great activities to do and foods to try.  Highlighted below are some activities and restaurants I had been to previously that I would recommend to visitors but are not highlighted in this blog post.  

Highlight of my Trip:
- Sushi (Masu and Bamboo)
- Prasad 
- Food Carts
- Luc Lac
- House of Lolo

On my To-Do list next time:
- Eat 
- Shop
- Hike
- Go to the coast

Must Try:
- Multnomah Falls
- Wine country in Oregon (about 30-45mins outside the city)
- Oregon Coast line

New York, New York

April 5 - 7, 2013

Now for the exciting part of NYC.  Since I was in Long Island for work - I decided to make my way to New York City Friday morning and spend the weekend exploring.  I have been to NYC multiple times before since I went to college in Boston but this time I wanted to explore new areas and go places I hadn't been before.

Deciding where to stay was a huge decision - I wasn't sure what the weather would be like in April so I wanted to stay around where my main focus of the trip would be.  All the previous times I have been I either stayed in Times Square (the Sheraton Times Square, Marriott Marquis, W Times Square etc) or in Brooklyn at a friend's house.  Rooms in Times Square for the first weekend in April were going for about 450+ dollars a night - which wasn't something I was looking to pay given that I didn't want to be in the room...I wanted to be out exploring.  The other areas I decided to look into were SoHo and Greenwich Village.  I knew there was amazing food and shopping that way and the previous times I had been there I loved patrolling that area.  The only problem is there are not too many hotels there- and the ones that are in the are...well those are where the famous people stay and are out of my price range.  After spending hours on Google Maps and TripAdvisor - I settled on the Sheraton Tribeca.  When looking for the best price on this hotel - I was about to book on the Sheraton website but decided to give Kayak a try for the first time.  Kayak provided me with 6+ hotel sites with their pricing and surprisingly there was one cheaper than the official website.  I was able to book through the 3rd party website without leaving the Kayak website and didn't feel like I might get ripped off.  It was a seamless process, I saved money doing it and I will use this again in the future.

I arrived to the hotel about 1:30pm and was pleasantly surprised with the location.  I was a little nervous being located on Canal Street but it actually was great.  It was just on the boarderline of Soho so a walk to the main shopping drag of SoHo took less than 5minutes to get to.  There were multiple subway stations near by and the hotel staff was extremely helpful.  The reviews of the Sheraton Tribeca on TripAdvisor are pretty accurate:
1.  The rooms are extremely small - I didn't really believe it till I arrived.  In the room is a bed, desk, and dresser + TV so you can barely move around.  But in the hotels defense - it is New York (what did you expect) and if you are in the room more than just for a quick rest or sleeping then somethings wrong with you (Its New York City - activities are limitless)!
2.  Don't look out your room to see an amazing view - instead go over to the Brooklyn Bridge or a skyscraper.
3.  The outside noise can be heard inside.  It's New York - expect traffic 24/7, there will be very few places where you can't hear any outside noise.
  

Me in the hotel room. 

After dropping my stuff off at the hotel and meeting my friend David - we went to meet my friend Greg at his New York office in the Meatpacking District.  We took a cab over there and walked though his office and then walked a few blocks down to the Chelsea Market. This was my first time here and I am not going to lie...I'm obsessed!  I love everything about it.  The dessert stores, the food options, the people watching etc. For food we went to Lobster Market Seafood Place and got a cup of the most amazing chowder!  It was super busy in the self serve soup station area but well worth the wait and the fight.  We also grabbed a sandwich from Browery Kitchen.  It was a so - so sandwich - I wasn't too impressed like I was with the soup.  We walked around some more and grabbed a brownie from Fat Witch and headed out to the High Line.

Chelsea Market + Greg's head.  

Chelsea Market. 

Direction inside the Chelsea Market. 

Lobster Place.

Fish market inside the Lobster Place. 

Chowder!

Sandwich @ Browery Sandwich.

The High Line is a park created from the old freight rail line elevated in the Meatpacking/West Side District.  It offers a wonderful getaway from the craziness of the city below with the trees, lawn and sitting areas included in the public park.  It is great to walk around on a nice day, to bring your lunch or to take some photos of the city from a different street level perspective.  It is free of cost and online you can find a map of locations of stair entrances to the park.

Map of High Line Park. 

High Line Park. 

High Line Park. 

After some quality time at the park we cabbed it back to the hotel to drop off brownies and headed over to the SoHo shopping area.  Most of the stores in this area are 2x-3x larger than what you see in your hometown - esp San Jose.  After walking around we decided to go to a happy hour located in the Little Italy area.  ORO is where we settled on based on Yelp reviews and boy was it a great selection.  The happy hour went until about 7pm - so we got an amazing cheese plate and some sangria at half price.  The place was small - quiet and had dark lighting.  We sat in the back along the wall on bar stools.  Since we got there later in the afternoon - most of the bakery goodies were gone but from what we saw on yelp they are delish.

Wine rack at Oro.

Sangria @ Oro. 

Cheese platter @ Oro.

Me in line to pay @ Oro.

We then made our way up to Times Square.  We planned on eating around there so it was the perfect time for a photo op of city highlight.  We didn't stay too long as it was extremely busy and is so touristy so we made our way down a few blocks and over to La Masseria.  I had been here once before with my mom and brother and loved the fresh made pasta and the lively atmosphere.  Since it was later in the evening - about 8:30pm - there was no wait for a table.  I ordered the homemade ravs - delish!!!  By the time we left there - we were stuffed.  But David found room for a quick stop at the Ice Cream Truck.

Times Square, New York, New York. 

La Masseria, New York.

Bread and dip @ La Masseria.

Homemade ravs @ La Masseria.

Steak @ La Masseria.

The next day we had scheduled a food tour at 12:30pm.  Food tours are something I look for in each city I go to and so far have done one in Seattle and Portland.  Based on my cousins recommendation we decided to do the Foods of NY - Greenwich Village Food and Culture Walking Tour.  It was a great decision to go with this company.  And I love the Greenwich Village/West Village area so it was fun to learn more about the area.  It was a 3 hour tour with about 14 people in the group.  We meet outside of Murray's Cheese shop on Bleeker Street and headed down to Joe's Pizza to get some New York style pizza.  By far the best NY pizza I have ever had.

We met at Murray's Cheese.

First stop - Yummy Joe's Pizza!

Me and the pizza!

Joe's Pizza.

From there we moved down to O&CO.  It is an olive oil store and spread store.  There we tried an olive oil and an olive spread on bread from Amy's across the street.  It is great to stop in an get a gift for someone -- I got one for my dad.  And because we were on the tour we got 10% off that day. 

O&CO.

Amy's Bread - yum!

Next on the tour was Faicco's - it is an Italian specialty store included meats and Italian finger foods that go great with cheese (Muarry's Cheese) and bread (Amy's Bread) next door.  Here we tried some thinly sliced meat and a fried ball of cheese and rice.  It was extremely good but extremely rice.  

Facicco's on Bleeker.

Fried ball of goodness.

After walking around the Bleeker street area and gaining some knowledge about the culture of the area, local rent and purchase prices and much more we made our way to Ristorante Rafele.  This is new to the area about 9 months old and it was the sit down portion of our tour.  Here we tasted food and we able to get to know the others on the tour and use the restroom if needed.  Here we had bread and an Melanzana.  It is layers of eggplant with cheese, basil, and a tomato puree.  Now I am not one for eggplant - but WOW - this is a must try when in NYC!!!  It was amazing - and this is on my to do list to eat dinner here sometime when I go back and visit since the food on the tour was great. 

Ristorante Rafele.

Melanzana @ Rafele.

After a break at the restaurant - it was time for dessert at Milk and Cookies.  Yes I said Milk and Cookies.  What a genius idea for a store.  This store offers fresh giant cookies served warm and fresh out of oven!  You can even design your own cookie and wait 10mins for it to bake.  YUM.  Again - one of my fav stops on the tour.  :)  So amazing!

Milk and Cookies.

Milk and Cookies.

It looks like an average cookie - but it really is an AMAZING cookie!

From here we took another walk around the area - stopping at courtyards of apartment buildings, learning what life in NYC is like and visiting the Friends building!  Yup thats right the outside of the building used in Friends is in Greenwich Village.  About 25 mins later our next food stop was Muarry's Cheese.  We tried 3 different cheese and a cheese puff.  YUM!  Does it get any better than cheese?  I dont think so. 

Tour guide telling us about the cheeses.  

Muarry's Cheeses.

Last but not least was Pasticceria Rocco - an Italian dessert shop.  Super busy and very authentic.  It reminds me alot of Mike's Pastries in Boston.  Locals and tourist gather here fulfill their sweet tooth or to eat lunch.  

Italian Pastry shop.

Cannoli. 

Me with the Cannoli.

The food tour is worth the cost and I would do it again.  The area is so amazing - def my favorite of New York.  Please please do this on your trip!  You wont regret it!

After the food tour we stopped by Pop Bar on our way back to the hotel.  Pop Bar is kitty corner to Bleeker Street and is a bar full of Popsicle!  What a genius idea!  :)  Once back at the hotel we dropped off the stuff we accumulated throughout the day and headed over to the Brooklyn Bridge.  We took the subway from our hotel and walked over the bridge - had a photo opt even though part of the bridge was under construction and you couldn't get the amazing views like before - and then we walked about 15 minutes back to the hotel.

Pop bar - Genius!

Me with my Pop. 

Brooklyn Bridge.

Status of Liberty.

NYC.

Manhattan Bridge and the New York skyline.

Walk back.

Although we weren't hungry - we decided to head back to Greenwich Village and get some drinks.  We ended up at Murray's Cheese Bar.  It is a branch of Murray's cheese (where we went on our food tour earlier) and boy was it AMAZING!  It is less than an year old, however, it is packed most nights and has a great atmosphere.  They def hit a winner with this one.  We sat at the bar since all the seats were taken and had beer and wine.  (The wine was some of the best I have had - not that I am a wino or anything).  Since I like to eat while I am drinking we got an order of the Fondue.  It was 3 cheeses melted together and came with bread, pickles and veggies for dipping.  It was SOOOOOO good.  This restaurant is a must visit and the fondue is a must order!

Muarry's Cheese Bar.

Best Fondue ever @ Murray's Cheese. 

Wine @ Murray's Cheese.

On our way back to the hotel - we stopped off at Joe's Pizza to get a slice.  I mean hey we are in New York we might as well right?

Sadly the next day was the round up of our trip.  Every time I have to leave NYC I get so sad - and become determined to move there for a year or two...esp now that all the tech companies are starting offices there.  After packing up and leaving our stuff with the bellman - we headed out for some New York bagels.  We ended up back in Greenwich Village (shocking I know) to eat at Bagels on the Square and Amy's Bread.  We couldnt decide which to get so we got both.  Bagels on the Square won. :)

Bagels on the Square

Bagel on the Square Breakfast Sandwich.

Amy's Bread Breakfast Sandwich.

After eating, we made our way to Grand Central Station and Central Park to walk around.  Central Park is a great place to people watch and hang out - however - since it was early spring there was not much in bloom.  It was great that the weather worked out in the low 70's.  We stopped by Laduree - the french macarroon shop. It was wonderful and classy.  It makes me want to visit Paris so bad!  We also did the complete opposite and stopped by the food carts and got a pretzel.

Grand Central Station.

Central Park!

Laduree Maccaroons.

Laduree.

Food carts by the Central Park entrance. 

Food cart Pretzel.

We then headed back to Chelsea Market to walk around and get some more food from the Lobster Market Seafood Place.  At 3pm we went to the hotel to grab our belongings and catch a car we reserved from the hotel.  A taxi from the city (SoHo area) to JFK would be about $50 dollars not including tip - the Sheraton offered a car service for $55 dollars (tip + tax included) so we opted for this route.

Goodbye NYC.  It was fun and I am leaving 10lbs heavier - but it's worth it. 

Highlight of my Trip:
- Chelsea Market
- High Line Park
- Food tour
- Greenwich/West Village

On my To-Do list next time:
- Bike around Central Park