Saturday, August 7, 2021

San Francisco Workation Week 4

Saturday, August 07, 2021  , , , ,  No comments

Saturday, August 7, 2021

In the morning, Inna and I woke up around 09:00 and took a short stroll to Crissy Field. After we returned, I made a couple of sandwiches with pastrami from Lucca Deli on Acme sourdough bread for Alex and me.


Alex and I spent most of the day boat surfing on the Petaluma River in Novato, see my blog entry, while Inna spent most of her day exploring San Francisco.


For dinner, we decided to try the Kaiyo Peruvian/Japanese restaurant on Union Street, a 20-minute walk from our Airbnb home on Baker Street. After registering and being seated outdoors, we ordered the following items:
  • Appetizer: Scallop Ceviche (tiny portion)
  • Alex: Churrasco Steak (med-rare)
  • Boris: Sapporo Beer, Ahi Sake Salmon
  • Inna: Spicy Pisco Margarita, Hibiscus Margarita, Kaiyo Roll
I liked my Aji Sake Salmon entree, and Alex enjoyed his Churrasco Steak. Inna also enjoyed her Kaiyo Roll. However, she did not like the Spicy Pisco Margarita she ordered. 



We turned the margarita and requested the Hibiscus Margarita instead (which was much better). The margaritas at Kaiyo have this medicine aftertaste that we don't enjoy. Also, the Scallop Ceviche was tiny and highly overpriced for what it offered. I don't recommend ordering it again.
 


For dessert, we stopped by GIO Gelati on Union. After looking at available flavors, we selected the following:
  • Boris & Inna: a medium cup of 3 flavors: Bacio (Chocolate Hazelnut), Pistachio, Stracciatella
  • Alex: a medium cup of 3 flavors: Pistachio, Bacio, Salted Caramel
The Bacio was the best flavor, though Pistachio was also delicious.
 

 
After we returned home, Inna watched her Grey's Anatomy while Alex watched YouTube on his iPad Pro 11'.


 Sunday, August 8, 2021

We woke up at 09:00 in the morning and purchased a few groceries from the Fort Mason Farmer's Market. On the way there, we saw many runners and bikers, all exercising on this beautiful Sunday morning.
 

 
At the Fort Mason Farmer's Market, we purchased the following groceries:
  • Organic Firecracker Apples
  • Apple Cider
  • Pluots
  • Organic Strawberries
  • Organic Raspberries
  • Sunflower Oat Porridge Loaf
  • Pistachio Chocolate 2x Bake
After we returned to our Airbnb home, we unloaded our groceries and decided to eat brunch at our local French eatery - Cote Ouest Bistro - on 2953 Baker Street.
 

 
We sat down for our brunch and ordered the following brunch items:
  • Alex: Croque Monsieur (add egg), Coffee
  • Boris: Quiche Lorraine (with mixed green salad), coffee
  • Inna: Croissant French Toast (custard-soaked croissant with fresh berries), coffee
I enjoyed my Quiche Lorraine, and Inna raved about her sumptuous Croissant French Toast. 
 
 


At noon, we decided to hike around Mt Sutro. We drove our Toyota Sienna to the intersection of Clarendon Ave and Johnstone Drive and parked our van on the street there. We walked uphill on Johnstone Drive to the Fairy Gates Trailhead and continued our hike there.
 


The Fairy Gates Trail was a picturesque trail with tall trees all around. It gave the impression that one stepped into a forest. However, the trail was muddy, and we had to step carefully to avoid getting our sneakers dirty. It was not heavily trafficked, though we encountered a few hikers. Less than a mile into the trail, we approached an intersection with Historic Trail and N. Ridge Trail. 
 

Initially, we thought of taking the Historic Trail, but we noticed that all other hikers were taking the N. Ridge Trail (which goes to the summit), so we decided to follow N. Ridge Trail instead. 

Eventually, we reached an intersection with the Mystery Trail, but we decided to skip it for now. We reached the scenic overlook and continued along the East Ridge Trail to Johnstone Drive. It was a short but pleasant nature hike in the city's center.
 


With Mt. Sutro hiking completed, Inna and I decided to try hiking at Tank Hill. However, on the way there, we turned incorrectly onto Twin Peaks Boulevard and decided to explore Twin Peaks instead. 
Walking uphill, we enjoyed beautiful, scenic views of San Francisco downtown and the waterfront. 

On the way there, we noticed an Open House at 345 Twin Peaks Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94114.  Inna and I decided to look closer at this $4,850,000 home in San Francisco to understand what could be purchased at this price.
 

 
This 5,257 sq ft home (5 bedrooms, 4 baths) had commanding views of San Francisco from all 3 floors, including a separate in-law unit (which could be rented out). We liked the home, but it needed lots of repairs. At this price, it should have been in better physical condition. Plus, at this price range, there are many fantastic alternatives in other locations, such as Laguna Beach.
 

From here, we continued toward one of the two Twin Peaks. As we continued our walk, the weather turned foggy and the wind extremely gusty. I was worried about catching a cold. The stunning views of the city were quickly obscured by cold, rolling fog. After taking a few photos, we decided to return to our van.
 

 
Freezing from our walk, we decided to stop by for hot coffee or tea at the Noe Cafe on Sanchez Street. After finding parking on the street nearby, we walked to the cafe. Inna ordered two mochas (for Alex and me), a latte for herself, a couple of cookies, and a pretzel (for me). The mochas were delicious, but I didn't feel well. The pretzel was cold and not very tasty. However, both Inna and Alex liked their cookies.

We decided to try Saiwalks Vietnamese Restaurant on Chestnut Street nearby for dinner. However, it was cold outside, and we thought sitting indoors would be warmer. However, it was also quite hard indoors and a bit breezy too. We decided to eat at Karaweik Burmese Restaurant nearby, which had nice outdoor seating with heat lamps.
 

At Karaweik, we ordered the following dishes to share family style:
  • Royal Tea Leaf Salad
  • Coconut Noodle Soup (Tofu/Chicken/Shrimp)
  • Vermicelli with Lemongrass Fish
  • Royal Burmese Milk Tea, Green Tea
We enjoyed our Burmese dishes, including the Royal Tea Leaf Salad, the Vermicelli with Lemongrass Fish, and the wonderful Coconut Noodle Soup. 
 

 
Our only complaint was that food was slow to leave the kitchen; it took about 30 minutes before the Royal Tea Leaf Salad arrived.


 Monday, August 9, 2021

I woke at 07:30 in the morning and purchased groceries from our local Marina Supermarket on 2323 Chestnut Street. Unlike Whole Foods, the Marina Supermarket has higher prices and a smaller variety of groceries.  


I purchased the following from my grocery list:
  • Wallaby Organic Greek Low-Fat Plain Yogurt 
  • Clover Organic Sour Cream
  • Sierra Nevada Cream Cheese
  • Goat Milk
  • Kashi Cereal (for Alex)
  • Scott Bathroom Tissue
  • Bananas
After returning home, I ate my usual breakfast of yogurt, blueberries, and strawberries and showered.
 


For lunch, Inna toasted the fresh Sunflower Oat Porridge Loaf bread we purchased on Sunday at the Fort Mason Farmer's Market. With mayonnaise and pastrami (from Lucca), it was so delicious!

After lunch, Inna and I walked to Crissy Field. Since I had a 14:00 meeting, I needed to return earlier. While I returned home, Inna rented her spin scooter and continued to Equator Coffees in Fort Maso.
 

 
During the day, I ran a short errand to pick up fresh chicken thighs from Marina Meats (for dinner). I also stopped by for onions and cheese at the Marina Supermarket.

When my work ended, I loaded my Toyota Sienna with my windsurfing gear (drying in the garage) and drove to Crissy Field. The wind forecast was promising 10-20 knots, but I was not expecting strong wind.

After I arrived and parked my van, I noticed many kitesurfers racing and many windfoil racers with large sails. I decided to rig up my Ezzy Elite 5.0m sail and attach the Slingshot Infinity 76cm foil to my Exocet RF81 board. I sailed out with a light wind near the shore. Past Anita Rock, the wind increased significantly, and I also started encountering many rolling swells.

Later in the day, the wind markedly increased in strength, and I was getting extremely overpowered on my Exocet foil board. It was time to switch to my Fanatic 105 FSW windsurfing board.

I jumped on the Fanatic 105 FSW and immediately started planing. It was so much fun! Although the wind was very gusty, I could blast along on some exhilarating rides. I was delighted to be back windsurfing.

After an hour, it was time to return home. I derigged my gear and returned home. Inna was home cooking our dinner. The oven in our Airbnb was not working, so she fried the chicken thighs instead. Nevertheless, the chicken and rice, hummus, and tomatoes were delicious.

Alex told us about his time exploring Golden Gate Park, Lands End, and Outer Sunset areas. He had a great time exploring (using both his scooter and his feet).


 Tuesday, August 10, 2021

I woke up at 8:00 and took a short stroll to Crissy Field in the morning. The bay was relatively calm, with little wind on the water. After returning home, I ate my usual breakfast of yogurt, blueberries, and strawberries and showered.
 
 

 At noon, Alex, Inna, and I went for a coffee run to Le Marais Bakery on Chestnut Stree. We ordered the following items for our lunch:
  • Alex: Mocha, Croissant au Chocolate
  • Boris: Mocha, Croissant with Almonds
  • Inna: Mocha, Kouign-Amann
We liked our pastries, especially the Kouign-Aman and the morning sunshine. After lunch, Alex explored San Francisco on a scooter while Inna and I returned to our Airbnb to continue work. Inna also made herself a sandwich using Sunflower Oat Porridge Loaf bread and pastrami.

Inna needed to work at Genapsys, so I drove her to Alla's to pick up the Lexus RX350 for her drive to Genapsys in Mountain View. After I returned home, I continued to work.

In the late afternoon, I decided to go windsurfing at Crissy Field. When I arrived, I noticed a few races going on. Many wind foilers and kiters were racing around a course.
 

I rigged my Ezzy Elite 5.0m sail and attached a fin to my Fanatic 105 FSW board. When I first started sailing, the wind was very gusty. One minute, the wind was 10 knots, and the other was 25 knots! I had many exhilarating runs, blasting through the rolling swells and heavy chop. 

After about an hour of windsurfing, the wind died entirely at Anita Rock, and there were difficulties with water-starting. Eventually,  I managed to water-start and get back to shore.
 I reheated the chicken Inna fried yesterday and freshly cooked Basmati rice for dinner.


Wednesday, August 11, 2021

I woke up at 8:00 and took a short stroll to Crissy Field in the morning. The bay was relatively calm, with little wind on the water. After returning home, I ate my usual breakfast of yogurt, blueberries, and strawberries and showered.

Alex was planning to meet with his friends today, so he drove the Lexus RX350 home (dropping off our two surfboards at home).


At noon, Inn and I went for a coffee run to Le Marais Bakery on Chestnut Street. We ordered the following items for our lunch:
  • Boris: Mocha, Scone
  • Inna: Mocha, Kouign-Amann, Ham Croissant
I really liked my delicious mocha and scone. 
 

After lunch, we stopped by Lucca to purchase a few groceries, including:
  • Pastrami
  • Mortadella
  • Chicken Salad
  • Potato Salad
  • Ravioli
  • 3 Cannoli
At 15:00, I drove to Inna to Integrated Dentistry, near Golden Gate Park, for a filling. After dropping her off, I went to Crissy Fiel to check wind conditions. Many people wing foiling and windsurfing, and I rigged my Ezzy Elite 4.5m sail with an Exocet RF81 board.

As I started sailing, the wind increased, but it was very gusty. One minute, it was utterly calm; the other minute,e it was gusting 25 knots! I managed to fly on my Exocet RF81 board multiple times, though it was hard to control when overpowered by the gusts.

After the wind died, I returned to the van and de-rigged my gear. I returned home and met up with Inna, who was just about ready for a stroll. We decided to walk to Fort Mason, about 3 miles round-trip.

When we returned home, I took a shower, and Inna made a delicious dinner of lamb ravioli, chicken salad, and potato salad from Lucca Deli.


 Thursday, August 12, 2021

I woke up at 8:00 and took a short stroll to Crissy Field in the morning. The bay was relatively calm, with little wind on the water. After returning home, I ate my usual breakfast of yogurt, blueberries, and strawberries and showered.



During lunch, Inna and I decided to try a new local restaurant. Walking down Chestnut Street, we stopped by Cracked & Battered and decided to try it. We sat down indoors (outdoor seating was not available) and ordered using our iPhone (there was no waiter to take the order, the following items:
  • Boris: Zesty Ricotta Pancakes, Drip Equator Coffee
  • Inna: Breakfast Sandwich, 1 Piece Chicken, Drip Equator Coffee
I really liked my pancakes, and the chicken was spicy and delicious. Inna also really liked the breakfast sandwich.

Alex arrived from San Jose (where he spent the night) at around 15:30, parking the Lexus RX350 on Richardson Ave.


After finishing all my work in the late afternoon, I drove to Crissy Field for another windsurfing session. At first, I thought that the wind was moderate, so I rigged an Ezzy Elite 5.0m sail with my Exocet RF81 foil board and Slingshot Infinity 76cm foil. However, the beach's wind was much more robust, and I quickly swapped the Exocet RF81 for my Fanatic 105 FSW.
 


When I sailed out, the wind was mighty and gusty. I was getting catapulted multiple times just getting going. Nevertheless, I had many fantastic rides with jumps of incoming, rolling swells. It was a tremendous, memorable windsurfing day. In retrospect, I should have rigged a 4.0m sail!

After I finished windsurfing, I started bringing my sail back to my van and noticed that Alex and Inna were on the beach. They did not see my windsurf, but Alex enjoyed watching the kiteboarders doing sky-high jumps.


For dinner, Inna, Alex, and I decided to try eating at the Japanese Mamanoko Restaurant at 2317 Chestnut Street.
 

Inna made dinner reservations, and we sat outside with an overhead heater to keep us warm. We ordered the following items off the menu:
  • Geisha Green Tea
  • Chicken Yakitori
  • Umami Sliders
  • Shrimp Shumai
  • Citrus Roll
  • California Roll
  • Spicy Tuna Roll
We liked the Umami Sliders (mini-burgers), the Geisha Green Tea, the Shrimp Shumai, and the Citrus Roll.
 

 
After dinner, we walked15 minutes to GIO Gelati, where Inna and Alex ordered medium-sized gelato with the following flavors:
  • Alex: Bacio, Pistachio
  • Inna: Bacio (Chocolate + Hazelnut), Salted Caramel, Vanilla with Sour Cherry



 Friday, August 13, 2021

I woke up at 8:00 and took a short stroll to Crissy Field in the morning. The bay was relatively calm, with little wind on the water. Because of the upcoming Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon (from August 14-15, 2021), barriers were being set up for the upcoming event.


After returning home, I ate my usual breakfast of yogurt, blueberries, and strawberries and showered.
 

 
During lunch, Inna and I decided to try a new local restaurant on Chestnut Street. We decided to try Causwells. We sat down outdoors and ordered the following items:
  • Alex: American Burger
  • Boris: Nana Margarita's Chilaquiles with Egg
  • Inna: Nana Margarita's Chilaquiles with Egg
Alex really liked his Burger (the best Burger ever!,) and I enjoyed the Chilaquiles, but they are not my favorite item.
 

 
After all my work, I drove to Crissy Field late in the afternoon for another windsurfing session. At first, I thought the wind was mighty, so I rigged an Ezzy Elite 4.5m sail with my Fanatic 105 FSW windsurfing board.



When I sailed out, the wind was mighty and gusty. I was getting catapulted multiple times just getting going, but I persisted and had many exhilarating runs. The rolling and breaking waves were a challenge at high speeds. It was another fantastic, memorable windsurfing day. After about an hour of sailing, the wind backed off and was much weaker.


After windsurfing, I returned home and took a shower. Both Alex and Inna were back, and we decided to try eating dinner at Zazi on 914 Cole Street. Since UberX was charging $30 one way, we drove there using my Toyota Sienna minivan.


As we approached Zazie, we spotted a parking space and parked. After a short walk downhill, we reached Zazie on Cole Street. Inna talked to the receptionist and requested to be seated on the backdoor patio. After being placed there, we ordered the following items:
  • Alex: Pasta d'ete
  • Inna: French Onion Soup, Pate Maison
  • Boris: Lamb Tagine
All of the entrees were exceptional. My Lamb Tagine was fantastic,c and Inna loved her French Onion Soup. 
 

She thought that it was one of the best she'd ever tasted. The Pate Maison was also fabulous. Alex had a stomach issue during dinner, so we skipped dessert. Overall, the service was relatively slow, but the food was fantastic.



San Francisco Workation Report Card

Highlights

Lowlights

  • Frequently foggy weather 
  • Loud street noises during the day and night (difficult to sleep)
  • Dinner at Wago Sushi
  • Loud traffic noise from cars and motorcycles (especially at night)
  • Nightly Fog Horn from ships (it wakes us during sleep)


3038 Baker Street Airbnb Report Card

Highlights
  • Convenient Marina District location on Chestnut Street
  • Very close to Presidio, Crissy Field, Palace of Fine Arts, and Fort Mason
  • The washer & dryer were modern
  • The refrigerator was modern
  • The heater worked well
  • WiFi worked well
Lowlights
  • Lots of street noise day and night (and loud foghorn on foggy days)
  • Next door neighbor had constant trucks coming in for home improvement/repairs
  • The kitchen's stove oven did not work well (the kitchen stove is of ancient, obsolete design and should have been upgraded)
  • Low quality of all living room and bedroom furniture 
  • The main bedroom is missing a headboard on its bed
  • All doors have frosted windows that leak light (making it difficult to sleep when others have lights on)
  • The kitchen was a bit dirty when we moved in
  • The garage is very inconvenient for 2 cars but is roomy for 1 car (a bit narrow)
  • Extremely expensive for the low quality of accommodations provided
  • Tiny old televisions in the living room and bedroom

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