oh-twelve wrap-up: fleet week, wine, music, florida and more

October and November are some of the best months in the Bay Area, with warm, sunny weather and lots of outdoor events (turns out it’s a great time to be in Florida, too). Even though it’s now a few months later (I got a little sidetracked), allow me to show off some highlights.


Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in Golden Gate Park; yoga for a cause in Union Square


The Fleet Week air show (with blue angels, a stealth bomber and more) in the bay


A visit to Ram’s Gate Winery in Sonoma with my aunt, in town from Missouri!


Thanksgiving week in Sarasota, Florida: Watching kitesurfers in St. Petersburg; waiting for the sunset at the Hurricane in St. Petersburg; sun setting over the Gulf of Mexico and creating a gorgeous sky; Siesta Key; Longboat Key; buddies at the Mote Aquarium; a manatee kiss on the aquarium window; a rather random group of animals at the Gulf Coast Sanctuary in Sarasota

summer snippets

A random assortment of photos from this summer, the below represents what went on between our weekend excursions to Vancouver, Lake Shasta, Sonoma and more. From street festivals to baseball games to day trips to a birthday celebration in Vegas, it was a busy, and surprisingly sunny, summer in and around SF.



From top left: a high-flying seagull catching views at a Giants game; pre-gaming with 21st Amendment’s famous watermelon beer (only available in summer); the waterfront Bar Bocce in Sausalito; the annual North Beach Festival; horse races at Golden Gate Fields in Berkeley; a breakfast of beignets and café au lait at Brenda’s French Soul Food on Polk Street; Brenda’s wall of vintage mirrors; heading to Off the Grid, the weekly food truck event at Fort Mason; Off the Grid crowds; a windy day (perfect for kite flying) at Marina Green; another Giants game – this time with better seats; another day trip to Sausalito, this time to check out Salsalito, a colorful (and clever) Mexican joint where hot sauce is in high demand; a truly awesome sight – this brave man surveying the Sausalito waterfront on a jet pack!; my baby cousin celebrating her 21st birthday at the stroke of midnight; scenes of the Venetian, Palazzo pool and Bellagio conservatory + botanical garden (four shots); a third day trip to Sausalito (I love Sausalito, in case you couldn’t tell); an afternoon ‘field day’ picnic with friends in Golden Gate Park

the world's best bike ride?

Back in June, we had some exciting visitors from Australia -- Madeline and Rob -- and decided to use this chance for a touristy activity we had been wanting to do: biking across the Golden Gate Bridge from SF to Sausalito. Lucky for us, it just happened to be an unusually warm summer day, with high temps and a clear blue sky.

Our starting point was Bay City Bike near Fisherman's Wharf; from there we headed west along the bay, through Fort Mason, the Marina and Chrissy Field. After taking a quick break at the Warming Hut for some cold drinks and a re-lathering of sunscreen, we made it to the bridge. As many times as I've driven across the bridge, I absolutely never get sick of the feeling you get when you're on it and the amazing views you get from it. Biking across is even better, for obvious reasons: more time on the bridge and the ability to stop when you want to take photos.

After the nearly two-mile ride across the bridge, which separates San Francisco and Marin counties, we descended toward Sausalito, quite possibly one of the country's loveliest towns. Our goal was Bar Bocce, a new-ish restaurant on the water that serves up wood-fired pizza, excellent sangria and a bocce ball court. A couple of hours here replenished us for the short ride to the Sausalito ferry terminal, where we boarded a boat with our bikes and headed back to the city.

To see all the photos, click here.