A few weekends ago we went to the Flower Festival in Chinatown in the evening. Every year, this festival comes the weekend before the official lunar new year holiday so that families can come to the flower fair and purchase their traditional holiday plants, flowers and fruits.
We ended our evening at Tony’s Pizza Napoletana in Little Italy. They are home of the 9 time World Pizza Champion Tony Gemignani. All of their ingredients are authentic, and imported from the Pizza Capital of the World, Napoli. We had the meatballs with the egg, calamari, and the margherita pizza. The meatballs are the most delicious here, but the pizza is okay. The crust was a little bitter.
Tony’s Pizza Napoletana
1570 Stockton St (at Union St)
San Francisco, CA 94133
I’m a bit late on this entry since it happened in October last year, but better late than never! A few days before my brother’s wedding, my relatives from New Jersey, my parents, and I hung out around San Francisco. Before heading up to the city, we had lunch at Joy Luck Palace Bistro. I’ve been to this restaurant many times because my parents like it, but personally I think the food is just okay.
Our first stop in San Francisco was the Apple store. This was the week when Steve Jobs passed away, and Apple had left stacks of post-its and markers/pens outside for people to commemorate such an iconic man.
On our way to the Ferry Building, we passed by the Creme Brulee Cart, and we just had to try it out. It was pretty good! In addition to the death of Steve Jobs, it also happened to be Fleet Week in the city. The Blue Angels were out practicing.
We walked our way over to Pier 39 after walking around the Ferry Building. It was packed. And of course we stopped to indulge in some delicious donuts from Trish’s Mini Donuts. They are always made fresh, melt in your mouth, and are sugary goodness.
And of course we stopped by Boudin for some of their infamous clam chowder. It was perfect for such a chilly day although we had to sit outside since it was so packed inside and we couldn’t find a spot to sit down.
We then walked to North Beach and had dinner at Calzone’s Pizza Cucina which was okay. I’ve walked by this place many times and I think it’s one of the more romantic and cozy places to dine out; they have tables, seats, candles outside and a heat lamp. The food was subpar; I definitely don’t think I’d be back.
Joy Luck Palace Bistro
10911 N Wolfe Rd
Cupertino, CA 95015
Creme Brulee Cart
Mission and 22nd St
San Francisco, CA 94110
Trish’s Mini Donuts
Embarcadero Pier 39
Bldg B Level 1
San Francisco, CA 94133
Boudin
160 Jefferson St
(between Mason St & Taylor St)
San Francisco, CA 94133
Calzone’s Pizza Cucina
430 Columbus Ave
(between Green St & Stockton St)
San Francisco, CA 94133
My friend visited me two weekends ago with his new puppy, Kirin. Kirin is a Shiba Inu and he knows many tricks (sit, laydown, rollover, bow, etc) thanks to his owner! I am most impressed with him. Isn’t he oh-so-handsome and adorbable?
We flew from Rome to London, and got back to London around midnight or so. We were tired! We stayed at the other Sheraton in London which was way nicer than the first one we stayed at. The beds felt like heaven!
The next day, we got up kind of late and missed the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace! We decided to dine at an “Argentinian” restaurant for lunch. The food was okay. I wouldn’t go back there. Ha!
After a few sprinkles, we made our way to Buckingham Palace. It doesn’t look that big, but the property was deep. Not much to see here to our dismay since tourists aren’t allowed inside. Afterwards we went to the London Eye and walked around. Tons of tourists here; we had a funnel cake and I think I spilled my melted ice-cream on someone’s jacket. I quickly walked away and pretended I didn’t do it because I’m classy like that.
Of course we couldn’t leave London without having some good ole fish and chips at a pub. How stereotypical right? And yes, it was delicious. Next to our table were a group of British students, and I could listen to their accents all day!
I had a great time in Europe! Wish I had more time to explore some other countries, but I’ll save that for my next trip out whenever that may be!
This was our last day in Rome before we leave for London at night! So sad, and our time here was shortened because of the transportation strike. Boo. We made the best of it, and tried to do everything we had on our agenda.
On our way to the Colosseum we stopped at a fast food type pizza joint. It was amazing because they sold pizzas by their weight here! Interesting, right? I got minis to try a little bit of everything. It was extremely oily, but nevertheless delicious. The crust was buttery crunchy and not bland tasting at all; I hate crust that lacks taste.
When we got to the Colosseum, we got to skip the lines since we had purchased the tickets ahead of time online. My brother and wife had told me they thought it was smaller in person than what they had seen on television, but in my opinion I thought it was pretty large! It’s just so amazing how much history is behind this Roman architecture. Its constructed started in 72 AD and it was completed in 80 AD. It was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles and dramas based on Classical mythology.
On our way out of the Colosseum, we passed by an excavation site which was mostly populated with female workers. Just an analysis. I really admire them since it was blazing hot outside, and I was sweating just standing in the heat!
Standing above the Roman Forum is Palatine Hill, the centermost of the famous seven hills of Rome. The hill was a strong link to Roman mythology.
Just east of the Colosseum is the Roman Forum. For several centuries, this was the center of Roman public life: the site of triumphal processions and elections, venue for public speeches, criminal trials, and gladiatorial matches.
Roman Forum/Palatine Hill/Colosseum
Guided tours: daily 8:30am-7pm
Roman Forum opens 9am–6.30pm Mon-Sat | €12
Colosseum opens 8:30 am–7 pm
John and I arrived into Rome pretty late, and when we got there . . . we needed to figure out how to get to the hotel from the airport. We considered taking a cab, but a bus ride to the termini was a lot more inexpensive. When we got to the termini, we were going to take a cab to the hotel, but the cab driver tripped to rip us off! He wanted to charge us 20 euros or so to go less than a mile. We decided to walk it with our luggage, and we didn’t get mug! Thank god.
When we finally made it to Hotel Esposizione, we found out our room wasn’t as nice as the one in Paris, but it was a lot bigger . . . as in high ceilings. The shower was super tiny though!
After we settled down, we went to find something to eat. We found a nearby restaurant. And it was just okay.
The next morning, we woke up early to walk to Vatican City which was a little under two miles from our hotel. It was a horrible walk since it was extremely humid, and we were wearing long pants since the Vatican had a strict dress code (which we found out they didn’t quite enforce!). Also, we got madly lost trying to find the general admissions area. We must have walked around the entire Vatican City twice before we found our way. And we were grouchy!
This was the only picture I got of the Sistine Chapel, and it’s not my best shot! Haha They didn’t allow photography in this chapel, but I tried to sneak a photo without getting caught.
The only place to eat in the Vatican City was this cafe, and it wasn’t delicious at all! The salad was dry and it didn’t even come with any dressing! The only thing good about the meal was the fruit salad and the water. The spiral staircase was amazing to see in person.
Fountains and water throughout the city of Rome which means you can drink from it and fill up your water bottles! It was so fresh and cold! After visiting Vatican City, we stopped at the Pantheon which is a temple to all the gods of Ancient Rome. It was crazy packed and there were signs warning tourists of pick-pocketers.
Afterwards we met up with Jenny and Dan back in the hotel before we headed out again to see the infamous Trevi Fountain. Of course all the tourists were all crowding around it. Nearby we dined at this pizza place Jenny found online. It was so delicious, but the pasta was to die for! I wish I could go back and get some of it again! And for dessert, we stopped by a gelato place. Gelato in Rome…generic, right? Ha.
To end our evening, we went to the Spanish Steps. And of course, it was crazy packed as well with people. We walked up the steps, and the sun was setting on Rome, and the view was so gorgeous. What perfect timing!
Hotel Esposizione
Via Nazionale 66, Monti
Rome, 00184 Italy+390648913029
Vatican City
St Peter’s Basilica
Sistine Chapel at the Vatican Museum
Pantheon
Trevi Fountain
Spanish Steps
L’Archetto di Fontana di Trevi
Via dell’Archetto 26, 00187 Roma
Il Gelato di San Crispino
Via della Panetteria, 42
00187 Rome, Italy
066 793924Walk from Trevi FountainOpen Mon-Sat 9am-7pm
Yesterday night Brian and I took the bart to Union Square to do some shopping. It was insanely packed since I’m guessing most people don’t have work this week or are vacationing. It was festive as usual at Union Square with the Christmas tree, lights on the building, the ice-skating rink, and what not. I love the holidays!
And I’m going to throw the below photo into the mix because it’s too cute! I got this for Brian’s mother at the Renegade Craft Fair in the city a few weekends ago. It’s too adorable, right? It’s from the booth succ-u.
Since we had an unplanned extra day in Paris, John and I just wandered around the city aimlessly to take photos. Not a very eventful day at all, but it was nice to have the opportunity to leisurely stroll around without anything on the agenda.
We visited the exterior of Musee d’ Orsay which would have been a spectacular museum to visit, but we got there close to closing time unfortunately. It would have been interesting to see the train station in real life. And of course to see the works of art again in Paris after I had just seen it in San Francisco at the de Young Museum.
Across the street is the Palais de la Légion d’Honneur, and the Legion of Honor in San Francisco…where I used to work…is a replica. Of course I just had to snap a photo.
On our “supposedly” last day in Paris, we went to the Louvre which houses an extensive collection of paintings where the majority of the works were from royal and confiscated church properties. We weren’t able to see the entire museum unfortunately since we had other things on the agenda.
Afterward we went to drink hot chocolate and dine at Angelina . . . a restaurant where Coco Chanel used to hang back in the day. Kind of awesome. Kind of expensive. And the hot chocolate felt like I was drinking a melted chocolate bar. It was just that rich! If you ever go, I suggest sharing an order with someone. Don’t make the mistake I did! The desserts looked delicious, but I was too stuffed to indulge in any unfortunately!
Afterwards we went in search for chocolates in Paris. We landed at the infamous Patrick Roger after a long walk. The chocolate was ridiculously pricey so we didn’t get any.
On our last night at Paris, of course we had to go do some shopping at the fashion capital of the world. It would be a shame not to, right? We visited the Galeries Lafayette. Designer clothes and brand names galore!
When we got back to the hotel to take a break, we found out our flight to Rome got cancelled for the next day (all flights got cancelled due to a transportation strike in Rome). We freaked for a good amount of time before we hurried up and booked the next available out! Sadly half the group got the next flight out the day after the day we were suppose to leave. One day less in Rome and for the other half, only half a day in Rome. What a bummer, but we made the best of it.
We then splurged on our dinner in Paris because we had gotten so stressed out.
Louvre
1 Place André Malraux
75001 Paris, France
Angelina
226 Rue de Rivoli
75001 Paris, France
Patrick Roger
108 boulevard Saint-Germain
75006 Paris, France
Galeries Lafayette
PARIS Haussmann
40, blvd Haussmann
75009 Paris, France
