With the Indian Summer drawing to a close, Allegra and I opted to strap on our hiking boots / flip-flops, walk out the back door, and head for the summit of Twin Peaks. One of those little to-dos that has been on my list since I arrived, we could have not have chosen a better…
I haven’t ever managed to ride 100 miles in a single day, so the prospect of ticking off this little challenge with the support crews, burritos and ice cream that the Marin Century offers was not a prospect that I could turn down. While the Tour de Cure was significantly shorter, I argue it was…
Point Reyes has the strange ability to make me feel like I am ‘home’ – there is something deeply primal about it, and in a vaguely spiritual way reminds me of the East Angle coast, Wales and Scotland. It’s a little gem of solitude, just an hour north of the city, and here are a…
Lauryn and I swapped one California city for another over Thanksgiving, and headed down to LA to celebrate with her family in a marginally warmer climate. I was delighted to discover that the Eames’ Case Study House No. 8 was in the neighbourhood, so we headed over before the lunch was finished. In the past,…
Day of the Dead is the Mexican holiday that brings people together to remember those that have passed away. Rather more celebratory and stylish in nature than our own Halloween, it is a firm fixture on San Francisco’s calendar; particularly in the southern Mission district, traditionally home to San Francisco’s Latino population. A procession makes its…
Americans take their weekends very seriously – far more so than us lazy Europeans, who have lengthy holidays allotted to us. One of the local get-aways is to Russian River, an hour or two north of the Bay and nestled in some of the finest hills (and vineyards) in the country. Lauryn and I opted,…
I have been driving past this strange building on the 101 for almost a year now, on the way to mountain biking in Marin, or other outdoorsy activities. I suspected it was a Mosque (unlikely though), a stadium, or perhaps some sort of edifice to Scientology. But I was wrong; in fact, it’s the Marin…
My weekend of pure Americana continued, when we stumbled upon the annual Pinball Expo at the Marin County Civic Center. There was obviously no choice – we had to go. Bringing together machines from over fifty years, a one-time charge at the door allowed us to play on machines dating as far back as the 1950s,…
The perks of living in San Francisco and working Cupertino continue to unfold. The amount of quality riding within twenty minutes drive is astounding, and we are often lucky enough to hit it at quite the most beautiful time of day. This one, Saratoga Gap, really took the biscuit – I get to do this…
Tony, one of my best Greek friends, got married to one of the best ladies I have had the pleasure of meeting, Miss P. Naturally, I flew in to make sure she didn’t change her mind, and had an awesome weekend catching up with old Dell friends, and reminding myself what summer is supposed to…