Tipsy from the trip

Go Alfresco: P. F. Chang's, Downtown San Jose

2013-05-20T23:17:00.000-07:00

Pleasant weather is here. If you are visiting Downtown San Jose, it's a good time to have an alfresco lunch at PF Chang's. The festive interiors are something to be enjoyed from the outside. You can also experience the 'Capital of Silicon Valley' go about its day: shoppers, head-turning swanky cars, loud vintage cars, the even louder Harleys whizzing past, some presumably homeless people in fully loaded bikes...

That reminds me-- the day we were sitting outside P.F.Chang's China Bistro, there was music blaring from a bicycle-with-a-loudspeaker and the chap on it seemed to be resolved to go up and down the street fishing for all the attention he could get. (Yeah, it happens here also -- sometimes :) ) Don't let this make you think it is a crazily loud city; all this seemed to be packaged with intermittent periods of quiet. It was Mother's Day too, so there were random people shouting out Happy Mother's Day to me as they walked down South Second Street.

This Spring/Summer go alfresco at this P.F.Chang's and feel the energy of Downtown San Jose.

If you are not too familiar with PF Chang's Menu and are wondering what to eat, let me suggest a few great dishes:

Crispy Crab Wontons

P.F. Chang's Fried Rice

Crab Fried Rice

Dali Chicken (with potatoes)

P.F. Chang's China Bistro
98 S. Second St.
San Jose
CA.

One Picture From My Photo Album - Rowing to realisation

2013-05-09T11:40:00.000-07:00

A picture of yours truly. The place is Phewa Lake in Pokhra, Nepal. And I was heading to the island temple of Barahi. What made me pick this picture from the travel albums? This was the trip that rowed me towards accepting the fact that I was bitten by the travel bug.

It was my first trip out of the country. It was my first trip without friends and family. I was on a familiarization trip organised by NTB* for the Bangalore Media. I was travelling with four other journalists who went from being complete strangers to people I shared my Nepal-experience with.

Our getting-to-know of what was then the Himalayan Kingdom started at Kathmandu. We also visited Nagarkot, Pokhra and Jomsom. Each of these stations in our itinerary showed us different sides of Nepal. Kathmandu showed us the country’s cultural best: temples and historical sites. Nagarkot gave us a taste of Nepal’s hill stations while Pokhra let us take it easy and play tourists. And Jomsom transported us to a place like no other. I’ll need a whole post to tell that story.

The images from that trip are still fresh. Have you heard the quote that goes: Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends but it is played out over and over again in the quietest chamber. The mind can never break off from the journey**?

I guess that was what I meant when I concluded my travelogue saying: even after take off from Tribhuvan Airport in Kathmandu, my tryst with the Himalayan Country did not come to an end. My mind still makes quick trips to Jomsom, Pokhara and Nagarkot, to the gusty road-to-Marpha, to the boating on serene Phewa Lake and to a string of other memories I carried with me from the beautiful Himalayan nation.

*Nepal Tourism Board

**(quote) by Pat Conroy

Read the travelogue: A tryst with Nepal; a journey forever

This post is my entry for the 'One Picture From My Photo Album Contest conducted by My Yatra Diary and CupoNation. The idea was to pick out a picture from the non-digital age and write about it.

Now I pass the baton on to:
Anu of My Footprints Around the World
Kusum of Scrapbook - A Travel Blog
Anil of Etch A Sketch

Earth Quake at San Francisco's Academy of Sciences

2013-04-23T00:30:00.000-07:00

Earthquakes and California have a long and remarkable history together. California is North America's Earthquake capital and San Francisco, California's. Here in the San Francisco Bay area, we have more reasons to worry if we don't get our regular doses of tremors for the year.

The Bay Area is rich in faults and so we talk earthquakes a lot. After all, this is the area that became victim to two notable earthquakes in the last century and they say there's another big quake looming large. Experts tell us the next 'big one' as they refer to it, will have hit before the end of the next 30 years. Now that these parts are not unfamiliar with quakes and have learnt many lessons from quakes big and small, preparedness is almost a watchword. Every now and then, we are reminded that we live in a seismologically vulnerable part of the earth and that we must be ready for the next big quake; at least as ready as we can be.

The reminders come as drills, demonstrations on TV, booklets left around some places and anniversaries of the 1906 earthquake and the Loma Prieta of 1989. Added to this list a few months back, is an eye-opening new exhibit at The California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. It is simply called 'Earth Quake.'

A wall of pictures from the Earthquake exhibit

If you live in the earthquake capital or visit often, you might want to visit this exhibit and get a feel of a fairly-big earthquake and even equip yourself with ample information as far as dealing with the disaster is concerned. Knowing what to do in the wake of a quake will be useful, regardless of where you live; you never know when and where a quake will strike.

When we visited Academy of Sciences, we made it a point to take advantage of the Earth Quake exhibit. Here's a quick run through:

Earth Quake - the exhibit has been placed in the west hall of the Academy. The entrance is through a huge crack on a model of the earth. The crack didn't seem like a big deal to me but the Earth Quake area was very enlightening on the whole. There were models of the earth with the tectonic plates marked on it, there were photographs from the big quakes of the area and there were displays explaining the theory of the supercontinent that existed some 200 million years ago; how it might have split and how animal-life might have gotten distributed in the process.

Some other things that stood out were the the planetarium-type pre-show and the Shake House. The Shake House has been built inside a structure that is modelled like one of SF's famous Painted Ladies. Inside the Victorian house was a room that simulated two earthquakes: one of a magnitude of 6.9 (that of the Loma Prieta) followed by a 7.9 of the 1906 quake.

Another important feature here at the Earth Quake was the preparedness section that told us how to be as ready as possible.

I repeat -- if you have any association with the SF Bay area, it won't hurt to know what to do the next time the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate slide against each other or even overlap. But then again, these things happen in a lot of other parts of planet earth. A little knowledge might go a long way so here's sharing what I learnt and what I am reminded of from time to time. :

What to do:

-- If you feel a quake and if the outdoors is a long way off or a few storeys away, sit yourself under a sturdy table till the tremors are gone.

-- If you are visiting SF Bay area or you live in a seismologically active area, make sure you have an earthquake emergency kit.

-- Have a plan for your family: Where to meet if you have to leave home/work; who will pick up kids from school and all of that. It would be great to have some crank radios as cell phone communication will most probably be disrupted or jammed.

-- Make sure you have some frozen food in your refrigerator, even if you are against processed food. The idea is to have some food (for at least 48 hours) that needs no cooking. In the event of a quake you may not have power and water for a couple of days.

* * *

List of California Quakes

Another place to experience a simulated earthquake - Universal Studios,CA.
Want to stand on the Hayward Fault for a moment? Visit Oakland Zoo
California Academy of Sciences Off. site

There's an ace appa-kadai around here

2013-04-17T20:00:00.000-07:00

Appam and Chicken Curry

There are Indian Restaurants and there are Indian Restaurants that never disappoint. One such place is Aachi Appa Kadai in Santa Clara. California. We've been to this restaurant several times and have been happy with the place, every time. Hoping this place will keep up the tastes and quality of its food, TipsyFromTheTrip would like to recommend the Appams here.

Aachi Appa Kadai serves Appam in different combinations:

Appam and Chicken Curry

Appam and Egg Curry

Appam and coconut milk

Appam and Veg Kurma

Appam and Mutton Curry

Appam and Fish Curry

They also have Paneer Appam and Chicken Kheema Appam.

Chicken Kheema Appam

Note: This post is a recommendation for the Appams. Aachi Appa Kadai is a Chettinad restaurant and has other dishes too. If you'd like to know what they are and what new appam combinations they have, you could look up their official site aachiappakadai.com.

Also note:

Must taste - the appams in whatever combination you like.
Must never do - take away the Appams. Appams-to-go will never be as good as the hot ones you eat at the restaurant.
Warning - On weekends (and Friday nights), you might have to wait as long as half an hour to be be seated.
It looks like Aachi Appakadai has just opened a second restaurant around here. I haven't visited there yet, when I do so, I'll let you know how it goes.

Sunset at Sunset Beach

2013-03-31T22:52:00.000-07:00

Softly the evening came. The sun from the western horizon

Like a magician extended his golden wand o'er the landscape;

Twinkling vapors arose; and sky and water and forest

Seemed all on fire at the touch, and melted and mingled together.

-- Longfellow

If you like watching sunsets at quiet beaches, Sunset State Beach in Watsonville, CA seems like a perfect location. Sunset Beach lies at the end of Sunset Beach Road (past the campsites on the hill). It looks like if it's not summer, the beach is a pretty deserted place at dusk.

Facilites:

Picnic tables - Yes
Restrooms - Yes
Campsites - Yes

The above pics were shot with a Canon IXUS 75

Treat yourself to Thai Cuisine (in Pacifica)

2013-03-29T17:06:00.001-07:00

A Tipsy-from-the-trip recommendation: Pacifica Thai Cuisine, Pacifica, CA.

Chicken Satay

Pad Thai

Fried Rice

If you are visiting Pacifica, CA and if you like Thai Food, I suggest you try out 'Pacifica Thai Cuisine' in between your beach-hopping.

We found this restaurant on a travel app and decided to try it out as it seemed to have a fairly good rating on it. When we got to Pacifica Thai Cuisine, we found that we were the only diners there that afternoon and thought we might end up being sorry for choosing this place. However it turned out to be otherwise. We found that every single thing we ordered was exceptionally good.

I just had to recommend Pacifica Thai Cuisine.

Pacifica Thai Cuisine is situated on Francisco Boulevard and has a small parking lot on its right side. Go treat yourself.

Fried Banana with Ice Cream

How to get there:

1966 Francisco Blvd
Pacifica, CA 94044

Oakland's Once-upon-a-time land

2013-03-20T00:02:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time in the United States of America, a carousel ride was the ultimate thrill ride for kids. Then in the late 1940s, a group of people in Oakland, California are said to have worked on a local businessman's vision of creating what is today known as a Theme Park.

The idea was to create a park with structures from popular children's story books and nursery rhymes. It was planned to have some farm animals too. Soon Oakland became home to Children's Fairyland, a 10- acre fantasyland that came to break a path for many more theme parks to mushroom on American soil. According to the park, it was from this Fairyland that Walt Disney himself got the inspiration to build his Magic Kingdom that would go on to gain international fame. (The in-house magician tells us Mr. Disney even employed a couple of people who worked on the creation of Fairyland.)

Fairyland with its many scenes from children's classics, is set up beside Oakland's Lake Merritt and is within Lakeside Park.

Some time ago, when a friend of mine was in town, we planned a trip to this theme park called Fairyland, hoping her daughter would like the storybook sets. (What kid wouldn't like to go to a place called Fairyland?) After we entered Lakeside Park, we were trying to figure out where the entrance to Fairyland might be. We followed the road looking for a board to direct us and there wasn't one or we missed it because we soon found ourselves driving out the other gate of Lakeside Park. When we re-entered, we decided to park close to the place where colourful kiddie-structures popped out of hedges, and just walk around and look for the main gate.

We were soon greeted by a big book with a bookworm sticking out of it and the old lady who lived in a shoe. As we entered, there was Aladdin sliding down a roof. And not very far away was a large shiny lamp and a larger blue Genie. Abu couldn't be far away I thought. I looked all around and there were no signs of the little monkey. But as we walked further into the storybook-themed park, we saw little children trying to skate and slide down Jack-and-Jill-hill, the white rabbit that led Alice to Wonderland, a maze of cards, Peter Rabbit's place, Rapunzel letting down her hair from her prison tower and the three little pigs and their brick home. And whom did we see behind their little home -- the wicked villain who threatened to huff and puff and blow down their cozy abode. We even saw Humpty Dumpty sitting on the wall (near the restroom ;) ) among other famous characters.

Fairyland is a fun place for kids who are sure to be fascinated to be where several of their favourite story book characters live. And for adults it is quite a walk down memory lane. There are a few rides and a few live events depending on the day of the week you chose to visit the place. It's a pretty cute storybook land. (Methinks that Storybook Land would have been an apt name for this kiddie-land.)

See also:
San Jose's Happy Land
Winter Wonderland
Tilden Park

The heavenly 'Heavenly Gondola' ride

2013-02-28T23:45:00.000-08:00

People lining up to board the Heavenly Mountain Gondola @ Heavenly Village in Tahoe.

If it is winter and you are in California, a trip to Lake Tahoe is something you cannot think of not doing. And if you drive up to this absolutely magnificent alpine lake, chances are you will not want to return without having gone on a ride on the Heavenly Gondola.

Heavenly is a Ski Resort in Tahoe, partly in the state of California and partly in Nevada. The resort's famous Heavenly Gondola is a ski lift that transports people from Lake Tahoe Boulevard to the top of the Heavenly mountain. You don’t have to be a skier to be able to do this scenic ride; anybody visiting Tahoe or anybody with an aesthetic sense can take advantage this gorgeous show. If you ask me, a ride on the Heavenly Gondola is a must-do. Why-- you will soon find out.

The last time we were in Tahoe, it was in the first week of May. Even at that time of the year it was charmingly cold and there was some snow too. Unfortunately, the ski season had wound up and it wasn't Memorial Day weekend yet. As such, the Heavenly Gondola was not in operation. We did however, walk up to the Gondola Station in Heavenly Village on Lake Tahoe Boulevard, just to see the Gondola. We saw one car sitting still inside the building and the rest of them could be seen on the cables that went up to the top of the resort. That was the closest we got to the much-talked-about Gondola.

Like good travellers we promised we would be back when the skiing was season on, just to get on the aerial tram that vows to wow us. So we made our way to Tahoe again, this time in the winter; the first week of December to be precise. This time around, we even chose to stay at a hotel that was just across the Heavenly Village. And that turned out to be a good idea.

The first thing we did (after a quick breakfast, of course) on our first morning in Tahoe was pull out our snow outfits and make a dash to the Heavenly Gondola. It looked like a whole town of people in snow jackets, snow boots and ski gear were already waiting to be taken to the top. I was really surprised to see that the serpentine queue was moving fast, and thrilled that this time we would get to traverse this aerial scenic route.

Now if the Gondola is at work, it works all day long without a stop. So an empty car soon came by and swept us up. As we went further and further up, the scene only got better. The buildings of Tahoe seemed to get smaller and Lake Tahoe and the mountains surrounding it, started to grab all the attention.

In a few minutes we were in the thickets of Heavenly Mountain, already dressed in snow. As our cable-car moved into a point that was 9123 ft above sea level, we stepped out and let the biting-cold mountain air engulf us. We were at the mid-station observation deck and what we laid eyes on was a poised Lake Tahoe, sitting pretty in the middle of the Sierra Nevada mountains. The vastness and the beautiful blue of the lake seemed to belittle everything else that was within our eyes' reach. It seemed to outshine the snow-capped mountains even.

After what might have been over half an hour of walking around the deck, absorbing the captivating scenery, taking a whole lot of photographs and warming ourselves with hot cups of coffee, we went on the rest of the journey up Heavenly mountain. In a few minutes the Gondola got to the top station (elev -9136 ft.) and it was time for us to go look for some snow activities.

As far as the activities were concerned, it wasn't exactly our lucky day. But who's complaining! The ride was awesome and the scenes on the way, simply heavenly!

Some notes:

The Gondola ride begins at - 8:30/9 am and goes on till 4 in the evening.
The tickets for Winter 2012-2013, $36 for adults and a lesser amount for children and seniors (it is likely to change)
The ride is around 15 minutes - one way.
The operation of the Gondola and the snow activities at the resort depend on the weather.
The Gondola stops at 2 places - Mid-station deck and near Tamarack Lodge.

Important:

Make sure you have layers of clothing, caps, gloves and snow boots.
Don’t forget to take your cameras, or you’ll be sorry.
If you want to ski, make sure you carry your ski gear. Rent them from the town or you will have to go all the way down the mountain, should you decide to try out some skiing after you are already up there. Remember -- you will have to pay for every trip on the Gondola.
For the hikers: There are close to a 100 trails here.

For more ticket details - Heavenly’s official site

Some other things to do at Tahoe:
Cruise on Lake Tahoe
Visit the many beaches of Lake Tahoe
Go for a stroll on Lake Tahoe Boulevard

Lake Tahoe on Dwellable

Hayward Fault: My feet went there

2013-02-19T14:33:00.000-08:00

It's not very often that one gets to stand on a fault* and know it too. If you are visiting the San Francisco Bay Area, there is a place where you can go and take a 'my feet went there' photograph while standing on a major fault - the Hayward Fault.

A part of the Hayward Fault at the Oakland Zoo, Ca.

A map of the San Francisco Bay and the 'Bay Area' with its two prominent Faults -- San Andreas and Hayward Faults

These pictures are from Oakland Zoo in Oakland, California. And this section of the Hayward Fault is said to have been discovered in 2003. For those of you who do not know -- California has faults aplenty and the Hayward Fault is one of the bigger ones. This fault lies on the eastern part of the San Francisco Bay (See picture above. The black line on the left is the longer San Andreas Fault that runs through almost the whole length of the State of California).

Also from Oakland Zoo:

Oakland's own Little Africa
A crocodile that ate dinosaurs
A skyride safari at Oakland

*A fault is a crack in the earth's crust, along which earthquakes generally take place.

Bangalore Cafe - Sakkath agide!

2013-02-11T16:13:00.001-08:00

If you hail from the Bangalore-Mysore area and happen to be missing home food while visiting San Francisco Bay Area, I have delicious news for you. There's a place that serves Bisi Bele Bath, Set Dosa and Thatte idli. Bangalore Cafe is the name of the restaurant and it is situated at 3077 El Camino Real in Santa Clara.

Bangalore Cafe has a spread of South Indian Dishes, Chaat and ice cream. However, This blogger highly recommends:

Bisi Bele Bath
Maddur Vada (that is served here. )

Also, if you like the kind of chaat you find on the streets of Bangalore and Mysore, this is your place. You'll also find pretty good Badam Halwa here.

Situated off El Camino Real, Bangalore Cafe is situated just behind Aachi Appa Kadai. It is a plain-looking place and not very crowded, most of the time. The first time I was here, a big poster of Vidhan Soudha and smaller one of Annavru ( Late Kannada thespian Rajkumar) put a smile on my face.

Recently when we had friends visiting, we suggested this place for dinner one Saturday night and guess what my friend's hubby said on tasting the Bisi Bele Bath -- Sakkath aagide! And I second that. That's one of the best Bisi Bele Baths I've ever had.

How to get there:
3077 El Camino Real
Santa Clara
CA -95051

(Remember: it is just behind Aachi Appa Kadai)

Postcarded at Maroon Bells

2013-01-10T15:56:00.001-08:00

Maroon Bells

Some people say it is the most photographed place in North America, some others say it is the most photographed place in the state of Colorado. Whatever it may be, we went to see Maroon Bells only because my bestie who lives in Colorado told me it was a place we just couldn't miss. And wasn't she right!

We were in Aspen, Colorado in the first week of November and since there wasn't a whole lot of snow and we are not exactly ski enthusiasts, it was Maroon Bells that turned out to be the highlight of our Aspen expedition.

The drive from Aspen to the Maroon Bells area took us a little over a half hour. There weren't many vehicles on the two-lane road leading up to Maroon Lake so it was a nice and easy drive. When we got there, I found a board that said that this place received around 200,000 visitors every summer. So I'm guessing it is a great place to go camping. And let me tell you it is an altogether different story in the Fall; with all those trees turning yellow, it is quite a picture. When I saw some photographs for the first time, I had let out a loud gasp.

When we were visiting, it wasn't winter yet and the peak of Autumn was behind us. The Aspen trees had shed their leaves so the surroundings looked very bright. It looked like winter had come in a little early and served these parts with a few rounds of precipitation. There was some snow in the trails around the lake and on the hills in the vicinity. The two peaks that made up Maroon Bells were also dressed in some snow. As we got to the clearing I saw something I had never seen before -- a frozen lake.

The Maroon Lake, at an elevation of 9000 odd feet was absolutely still. There was not a single ripple and the morning sun that shone on it bounced off perfectly. There were stones and twigs, even bits of branches embedded in the crystal-clear ice, seeming like the lake had solidified all of a sudden.

The frozen lake, the mighty twin peaks, the dry Aspen trees and the snow on the super-straight ridges of the Maroon Bells made me feel like I was in a grand post card.

Maroon Lake, and Maroon Bells in the background

Frozen: Maroon Lake

Up close: the frozen lake

Tidbits:

Maroon Bells gets its name from the reddish tinge of the peaks mountains here. And the mountains owe its colour to the mudstone it is made up of.

Maroon Bells is around 12 miles away from Downtown Aspen but it will take you a good half hour to get there, considering you’re going to be driving uphill on a two-lane road.

If your Navigation System does not show the route to Maroon Bells or Maroon Lake, you could look up an address on Colorado Road 13 and drive up to the end of the road.

There are several hiking trails around here, even one to Crater Lake that lies in between Maroon Bells and Maroon Lake.

This place dons a different look every season. See how it looks in Fall (here).

Also from the Colorado trip:
Aboard the California Zephyr
Through Zephyr's picture windows (a photo post)

Aspen on Dwellable

A 'Wonderland' of steel, silk and LEDs

2012-12-31T23:59:00.000-08:00

Chinese Lanterns at Global Winter Wonderland.

In 2011, this part of the world got a brand new holiday display, this one, at California's Great America in Santa Clara, CA. Aptly called Global Winter Wonderland, the show came, mesmerised the San Francisco Bay area and wound up. This winter, it came again -- bigger and supposedly better. We couldn't miss it this time so we braved the low temperatures and let the enchantment of Winter Wonderland take over.

Some giant Chinese Lanterns from Global Winter Wonderland 2012:

A Phoenix and a Flamingo

Another Chinese Lantern

Castle in the sky

Animal Kingdom

Yet another Chinese Lantern

Statue of Liberty and India Gate at the 'Global Village'

King Tutankhamun and Leaning Tower of Pisa at the Global Village section of the park.

Tower Bridge, also at the Global Village

Outer Space (Don't miss the enlarged aliens on the right.)

'Dinosaur Age'

Underwater World

Put together by International Cultural Exchange Group (an event -management company based in California) Winter Wonderland also has a few rides and performances as part of it. There's even a laser light show every half hour at the Enchanted Castle (see pic on the right). However, it is the huge Chinese Lanterns that steal the show. There are around 70 of them; in different forms from Santa Clauses and Reindeer to International landmarks and Dinosaurs. The Group calls this the largest multicultural holiday Chinese Lantern Festival in the world. Now, that's another reason to visit Global Winter Wonderland. :)

Global Winterwonderland's Venue: California's Great America, Santa Clara, CA

Winterwonderland 2012 - November 23 - January 1, 2012 (Good News is that it has been extended till Jan 6th)4 pm to 10/11 pm.

For more info - http://globalwonderland.org/

Happy 2013 to you!! :)

San Jose's 'Christmas in the Park'

2012-12-25T02:20:00.000-08:00

Christmas isn't Christmas without gifts, Santa Claus and Yuletide carols. And Christmas in San Jose, California is incomplete without its age-old downtown festivities.

Like a lot of other cities San Jose too gets all lit up and decorated to usher in the Christmas spirit but the icing on the cake is undoubtedly a tradition that is over 30 years old. Christened Christmas in the Park, this holiday event attracts people from all over with its Christmas displays, stage shows and carnival atmosphere.

The venue for this grand Christmas party is Plaza de Cesar Chavez, the park in the heart of downtown San Jose.

The day after Thanksgiving, with the official tree-lighting ceremony, this park turns into an extravaganza of lights and decorated trees and rows of holiday exhibits. The North Pole, Reindeer, Snowmen and elves and even grand old Santa Claus will be found here. There will be music in the air, happy talk all around and wafting smells of popcorn and donuts.

You don't have to pay a penny to get into the park and partake in the annual festivities of Christmas in the Park. Neither will you be charged to call on Santa Claus in his den. The gentleman in the red suit is ever-ready to chat up little ones and pose for pictures. You'll need to take out your wallets only if you need some popcorn, hot chocolate or if you'd like to pick up some dinner at the food court, at the south end of the park.

And just outside the park you are sure to see a Ferris Wheel, a small wheel for the little ones, a Carousel and a few other rides. You'll find cotton candy too. It's like having a Christmas Carnival in town. The rides are not exactly a part of Christmas in the Park but sure go hand in hand with it, making it a fun-filled event.

`A San Jose community tradition,' says the tagline of the event, and that, it truly is. It is sure to bring joy to all who come by: Men and women, young and old. If you're visiting San Jose around Christmas, you might want treat yourself to the some holiday cheer at Christmas in the Park. And if you live around here and have guests, you know where to take them. Don't forget -- the event makes sure Christmas stays in town, till New Year's Day at least. ;)

The Community Forest (and a snowman :) )

Bears Log Cabin

Santa Claus Rail Road @ the North Pole Station

Candy Cane Lumber Mill

Lima Train - one of the oldest displays of Christmas in the Park.

Venue - Plaza de Cesar Chavez Park
Parking - you can use the parking spaces around the park. (Since they are almost always full, we generally park at City View Plaza's basement parking. It's just next door to the park.)
Food - Yes. There's a food court near
Restrooms - Yes. Plenty. Near the South End of the Park/Behind the Food Court/ Near San Carlos Street
Entry - FREE
Open - From the day after Thanksgiving to the first of January.
Open till midnight.

PS: Don't forget your warm clothes. San Jose can be pretty cold in the winter.

Also see:
Another Christmas attraction - Fantasy of Lights (Los Gatos, California)

Tipsy From the Trip*

2012-12-20T14:25:00.000-08:00

Tipsy from the Trip is a travel blog that features accounts of trips -- from destinations in India to destinations in USA and a few places in between. You will find posts on popular must-see attractions and even lesser-known pockets.

Blogging journey

I took to blogging because I was taking a break from Journalism and I knew there would never really be a break from travel. I am almost always game for a trip and have been like that ever since I can remember. In the ‘About page’ you'll find me saying, 'Travel gives me a high; so does writing.' As such travel writing is something -- I’d like to believe -- I’ll always be doing.

I'm tipsy from every trip I go on, be it to a faraway exotic destination or simply someplace within a stone’s throw. Hence the title Tipsy from the Trip. I set out on my travel-blogging journey in 2008 and the milestones include mountains, beaches, canyons, volcanoes, adventures, scenic drives, cultural events and seeing rare animals, to name a few. There are a couple of posts on travel tips too.

Plans for 2013

I’m going to keep ticking off places on my travel wish-list and adding new items to it too. More travelling means more food for this blog and more vicarious trips for my readers. That apart I hope to pay more attention to photography, customize the blog a little more, maybe even set up a Facebook page to celebrate Tipsy from the Trip’s 5-year mark.

I hope to open doors to guest bloggers, a travel blogroll, food posts and more travel-related write-ups. I would also like to put together all of my posts on SF Bay Area, hoping it will be useful to the many Indians visiting Silicon Valley every year. :)

*This post has been written for Prismma's India Blogs 2013. Thank You Rajni for the invite.

For Technorati

2012-12-19T00:06:00.001-08:00

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That code is for Techonorati, because I forgot to update the url when this blog got a custom domain.

To those of you who got this update and expected to see a post -- so sorry for the inconvenience. Shall be back with a post real soon. Until then take care. :)

Black Friday - America's biggest shopping day*

2012-12-14T16:38:00.001-08:00

The third Thursday of November might be a holiday for a good part of the US but the day that follows is a big event for an even larger part of its people. It’s the day that kick starts the shopping season and it’s the day that America shops really hard. When I first heard of Black Friday and the fact that people lined up in front of stores in the wee hours of the morning, I found it hard to believe.

In the few years of living in the United States, I heard a lot more about the country's biggest shopping day: I heard of the deals, I heard of the rush and I even heard of the increasing numbers of road-mishaps that happen on that day. Wait, I've heard of stampedes too.

I went shopping one Black Friday, a couple of years ago and saw some of the crowds and the long lines at several shops at Great Mall in Milpitas, CA. But that was during the day. Last year I thought I should go and experience the the rush-before-dawn but then we were in LA that weekend so we had better things to do --like walk around Hollywood Boulevard and hang out with the stars at Madame Tussauds. So this Thanksgiving Day, a resolute me quickly did the dinner dishes, grabbed a sweater(and my point-and-shoot) and made my way to Valley Fair Mall in San Jose around 11:45 pm. This year, most shops promised to open at 12 am. And they did.

If you are travelling to the US during Thanksgiving you might see this; or you might want to go shopping or mall-hopping to experience this frenzy.

Shoppers waiting for the doors to open, quarter to 12 on Thanksgiving Day

Midnight shoppers at Valley Fair Mall, San Jose, California

The was a DJ too, clearly adding to the festivity

Armani Store @ 1:19 am.

1:30 am

1:32 am

1:33 am

1:44 am

1:46 am

The food court was packed too. 1:52 am

*This post was published especially for this blog's increasing number readers in India, most of whom have not had a chance to experience a typical American Black Friday.

What this blogger did last Black Friday - click HERE

Through Zephyr's picture window

2012-12-04T11:56:00.000-08:00

If Amtrak swears that a trip on the California Zephyr is a journey through one of the most scenic train routes in North America, they really mean it. The pictures in this photo-feature will prove just that.

In the 32 hours aboard California Zephyr that transported me from Emeryville in California to Denver in Colorado, I couldn’t stop taking pictures of the myriad landscapes that this train showed me. It didn't seem fair not to share these sights so here’s a part of what I saw through Zephyr’s picture windows:

World War II ships (Mothball Fleet) kept afloat, just in case of another war.
Suison Bay on the way to Sacramento, California

The Great Central Valley, California.

Also from the Great Central Valley. The Yolo Basin' around here is said to produce a billion pounds of rice every year.

Some fall colour and Coniferous trees on the Sierra Nevada Range. This part is on the California side.

Some snow near Truckee, California

Reno, Nevada.

End of day 1 on the train. A Nevada sunset.

Desert lands of Utah

Ruby Canyon, Utah.

National Monument, Colorado. The National monument is a series of canyons near Grand Junction, Colorado.

Glenwood Springs, Colorado.

Colorado River flowing through Glenwood Canyon.

Gore Canyon. This place is famous for rafting.

Land formation of a darker colour, some place between Gore Canyon and Granby, Colorado.

A red hill in Granby, Colorado.

Fraser Canyon, Colorado

Passengers taking a smoking break at (Fraser) Winter Park.

Winter Park Ski Resort near the 6.2 mile Moffat Tunnel.

Twilight near South Boulder Canyon.

Gross Reservoir - where the city of Denver gets its water from.

Bad Picture, but this might be Plainview, which is said to offer a view of Denver some 1500 ft below.

You might want to go through:

Previous post - Aboard the California Zephyr
From National Geographic - Top 10 North American Train Trips
Amtrak: California Zephyr

Also read Siddhartha Joshi's post - A train ride to remember on The Wanderer

Fraser on Dwellable

Aboard the California Zephyr

2012-11-20T17:57:00.000-08:00

California Zephyr going around a bend in the Rocky Mountains, Colorado

Denver, Colorado, was always on the cards. But when I came across a story last year, on San Francisco to Chicago (through Denver) being one of the most scenic train routes in the United states, I wished we could travel by train -- one way at least. And travel we did, aboard the California Zephyr.

Amtrak Station at Davis, California.

The California Zephyr (Amtrak Train) which rolls from San Francisco to Chicago travels through seven states on its charted route. As we were only going as far as Denver, Colorado, it took us through four states and showed some awesome sights along the way. If you were to do a one-way trip on this train, I would suggest travelling from SF to Denver rather than the other way around. That way the scene changes from a big city to the countryside, and then some mountains and deserts before you ride through some lofty canyons.

San Pablo Bay, California

Some farmland on the way to Sacramento

Sacramento, California.

Sierra Nevada on the California side.

Truckee River, California.

Truckee, California

We began our journey from the other side of the Bay -- Emeryville, CA. As such, our scenic train ride began with scenes of harbours and factories that chose to come up close to water transportation facilities. As we approached the state capital, we passed Suison Bay, where we saw a fleet of ships from World War II. Then there were farms and ranches and soon we were riding into the conifers of Sierra Nevada. On the mountainous route through Truckee we saw a lot of fall colours in between the evergreen trees. And some snow too. By evening we had crossed into the state of Nevada. And we got to see the station at Reno just before sundown.

Passengers taking a smoking break at Reno, Nevada.

Sunset time near Reno, Nevada

Early next morning when I drew the curtain of my roomette on the California Zephyr, I was greeted by some of Utah's dry rocky landscapes. We had crossed another state-line in the wee hours of the morning and for the next few hours the huge rock formations we passed, kept changing in colour and in its vegetation. After a few hours of these majestic scenes, Zephyr coursed its way into Grand Junction and in Colorado we were!

Utah

Also in Utah

Grand Junction, Colorado.

Colorado River, Colorado

For most of the rest of the day we passed through the grand Rocky Mountains, the seemingly never-ending Colorado River, dozens of tunnels and quaint little stations until the Amtrak train chugged its way into Denver and made a good, long sojourn. We alighted there. And I must say, our train journey from EMY to DEN on the California Zephyr was an experience like no other.

From the route guide.

This post featured in Blogadda's Spicy Saturday Picks
for the first week of December, 2012. Thank you Blogadda. :)

Next post on Tipsy From the Trip - a photo feature on the scenes from California Zephyr.

Denver on Dwellable

Some retrospection, some notable posts

2012-11-16T01:54:00.000-08:00

For a while now I had been thinking of doing a post that looked back at all the travel blogging I had done. I had been putting it off over and over again when Niranjan Das of Tales of a Nomad picked me to do some blogging retrospection. It was not until I went through the close-to-140 posts that I realised how difficult it is to pick out: The most beautiful post, A post I thought did not get the attention it deserved and a Post that I am proud of. But then some decisions 'had' to be taken and here are my picks for now:

1. Most Beautiful Post - San Francisco after dark and Golden Gate Bridge at Dusk (two posts, because they kind-of go together ;). )

2. Most Popular Post - A crocodile that ate dinosaurs

3. Most Helpful Post - Sea Band to the rescue

4.Most Controversial Post - I don't think I've been there yet. :)

5. A post whose success surprised me - Chained here is an unsettled spirit

6.A Post I thought that did not get the attention it deserved - A whale-watching adventure in Monterey Bay

7.A Post that I am proud of - Forest Hill: where the wild comes visiting

Done!

Now --
Kishan of Road Bloke

Sneha of In a traveller's words

Ramakrishnan of Rambling and Musings

Neha of Therefore I travel

Raji of Travelog

Would you guys like to pick out your best Travel Posts using the pointers above?

Pictures from a Pumpkin Patch

2012-11-07T20:29:00.001-08:00

PS: The above pictures are from ABC Tree Farms' Sunnyvale Patch.

A home in a tree-trunk

2012-10-24T19:30:00.000-07:00

If you have visited the post on the Drive Thru (Chandelier ) Tree you know by now that Redwood trees can be enormous both in terms of height and width. Here's something you may not have imagined ever; it is a house in a tree trunk, a full fledged one at that. One Log House has it all: beds, kitchenette, living and dining spaces and everything. You have to see it to believe it. Below are the pictures I brought back from my visit there:

This plank says it all.

Work Desk. (Don't miss the framed picture of One Log House on the road)

Door to the bathroom (left). Entrance for visitors (left)

This house in a trunk stands on wheels. The architect of this house Art Schmock wanted to take it around the country but found that the size made almost impossible to do so.

One Log House, which was completed in 1946 now lies beside Highway 101 (US Route 101) in Garberville, California.

Visitors are allowed into the One Log House. All you have to do is walk into the gift shop near the Log House collect your key code from the person in there and use it to find your way into this wooden wonder-house.

When I stepped out, I just had to click a picture of the wheels still attached to the One Log House.

A place to go sea-glass hunting

2012-10-16T17:27:00.000-07:00

We know that waves wash ashore shells and weeds and a whole lot of odds and ends it may find in the middle of the sea. There’s a beach in northern California where the tides bring in what look like glass pebbles. This beach in Fort Bragg in Mendocino County is called Glass Beach.

Sometime back we were in Mendocino for a day and while I was leafing through a booklet at the inn we were staying in, I happened to read about this beach. I took out my smartphone and did a small 'search' and what I saw was really amazing. (See it for yourself here.)

Now that is something not to be missed if we were that close to this unique beach. So we drove to Fort Bragg, turned into Elm Street just as our navigation system asked us to do. We parked on Glass Beach Drive and walked down to the beach. As I got close to it, I expected to see a beach blanketed in glass-like stones and got all disappointed. This place was nothing like what I saw in the pictures.

I did find a few of those glassy things but I had to look for them really hard. I’m guessing you are wondering how this beach became a 'Glass Beach'. It’s no miracle, really. The history of this place says that all the trash that was Fort Bragg’s was dumped here for several years together. And a lot of glass bottles and shards that lay in the dump was washed away and after some attrition and natural Pacific-Ocean-treatment the waters returned the pieces to the beach in this form. That really is an amazing natural phenomenon that transformed waste into beautiful objects. But all I got to see was just about five little pebbles of sea glass.

According to Fort Bragg’s official site, there are three glass beaches here and the one inside MacKerricher State Park is said to be true(r) to its name. (If only I’d done some proper homework! Should I happen to go that side again, I am definitely going to see the state-park-beach.)

World's tallest free-standing totem pole!

2012-10-04T18:50:00.000-07:00

A few miles north of the Drive Thru Chandlier Tree is another tourist attraction literally nestled among Redwood Trees of North California -- a place called Confusion Hill (in Piercy, California). What drew us there was a structure that made it to the Ripley's Believe It Or Not list as the tallest free-standing totem pole in the world.

World's tallest free-standing totem pole

According to a board I found near this totem pole, this piece of art was carved out of a dead redwood tree. It is said to have taken a man three months to carve out this 44-foot tall wooden structure with the help of a chain saw. It also goes on to say, (quote) There are many taller totem poles but they were cut down and carved, then set back upright. So this is the world's tallest, free-standing redwood chainsaw carving (unquote).

Apparently the pole with just the carvings of the bears is 40 feet tall and along with the 'World Famous Confusion Hill' sign it adds up to 44 feet. There seemed to be no mention of who carved this pole but another board that marks Confusion Hill as a 'California State Point of Historical Interest' says that the pole came into being in 1994.

Confusion Hill also has a few other things for visitors to check out like a Gravity House and a Train Ride through Redwood Forests, both of which we did not do that day. As we have already taken the Redwood Train in Felton (Roaring Camp Railroads) and also visited Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz, these didn't sound too inviting. Moreover it was almost evening and we wanted to have a look at One-log House before we turned south again.

Confusion Hill is around 10 miles north of Drive Thru Tree Park, Legget.

The address - 75001, Highway 101, Piercy, CA, according to the official site. But Google maps says 75001, Legget, CA. Some navigation systems may not show these addresses. Just drive up 101 North and a few miles from Legget, you'll spot the sign board. Also look for the tall wooden structure. The destination will be on the right.

Official Site Here

Note: California is home to another Totem Pole (not free -standing) which is considered to be one of the tallest in the world. This one is said to be 160 ft tall. I haven't been there yet, so I leave you with this link - http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/13808

If you haven't visited my previous post, you might want to do so and see the tree with a tunnel that an SUV can go through. Here - A date with Drive Thru Tree.

A date with Drive Thru Tree

2012-09-21T00:43:00.002-07:00

I turned another year old last month and I celebrated not with gifts and cakes but a nice long drive into some Redwoods. My birthday wish was to go see some redwood trees and having been to Roaring Camp and Big Basin earlier, we chose to drive north this time.

As we left the San Francisco Bay area, we took US 101 and drove all the way north till we hit the junction of 101 and Highway 1.

Leggett is the name of the place where the famous CA 1 -- Californians prefer to simply call it Highway 1 -- (the highway that runs through California’s Pacific coast) begins. Leggett might be a very small town but it is famous not just because it is the meeting place of two major highways. It is also the home of a well-known tree called the Chandelier Tree and a Totem Pole that is said to be the largest free standing totem pole.

The Chandelier Tree was our main attraction for the day. This Redwood tree is a tall tree with a tunnel that allows a vehicle the size of an SUV drive through it. For those who are not familiar with Redwood Trees, this variety of trees also known as the Giant Sequoia are among the tallest trees in the world and can be found in plenty on the west coast of the United States. It is also considered to be California’s State Tree.

This redwood tree in Legget, California, which is called the Chandelier Tree is around 315 feet tall and boasts of a diameter of 21 feet. The tunnel I mentioned earlier was hewn out in the 1930s and is almost 7 ft high and 6 ft wide.

Now that is a tunnel that everyone wants to try driving through. When we got to the park it was already afternoon and the mercury had risen to 105 (degree Fahrenheit) and there weren’t too many cars waiting to drive through. By the time we walked around, stepped into the souvenir store and picked up some ice cream, there was a long line of cars waiting to go through the famous drive-through-tree and take a few pictures, maybe.

A car (left ) and an SUV (right) make their way through the Chandelier Tree

This tree lends the park in which it stands, its name - Drive Thru Tree Park. I wondered why the tree was called Chandelier Tree and why not simply the 'drive-through tree'. They say it is because the branches of the tree give it a Chandelier-like look. Now, to see that, you’ll have to stand on your head and look up at the tree (or take a picture of it and hold it upside down). :)

Does it look like a chandelier now?

Directions Some navigation systems may not show 'Drive Thru Tree Road' so if you are driving from the SF Bay Area or Southern California, take 101 North all the way up till you reach the place where CA 1 joins 101. Take a left on to Highway 1, take the Drive-thru Tree Road exit on the left (You'll see the board which says Welcome to Legget.) The Drive-thru Tree park is 2 miles down the road on the right.

Note The 'Welcome to Legget' board also marks a Restaurant and Market but both places were locked and barred when we visited. Moreover it looked like they had been shut down for quite a long time. So you might want to carry your own food. (You'll find ice-cream at the gift shop) There are picnic tables and restrooms in the park. Official Site - Drive Thru Tree Park

Other Redwood attractions mentioned in this post
Roaring Camp - A railway ride into a Redwood forest
Big Basin - The woods are lovely, dark and deep (pictures)

Drive Thru Tree Park's Official Site

Snapshots from Shoreline Highway

2012-09-12T00:16:00.000-07:00

We got to drive through another part of the famous Highway 1* a few weeks ago. This time it was the stretch North of San Francisco, as we were on our way to Stinson Beach in Marin County. This stretch of the highway is called Shoreline Highway and goes up to Mendocino County in northern California.

If you are driving from San Francisco, Highway 1 starts a little north of what many like to call Rainbow tunnel (on William T Bagley Freeway) where 101 forks and goes off to Mill Valley.

Once you turn left and enter Highway 1, be aware that you are driving into mountainous area. The highway goes up and down and up again before it makes a descent towards Stinson Beach.

It is a two-lane road around here and if there is fog, driving can be quite difficult considering the many turns this highway takes around the Marin Hills. On a clear day, you will see the beautiful blue of the mighty Pacific on the left.

There are a few places where you can stop and take in the beauty of the Pacific Ocean and the Pacific coast. Most of the Shoreline Highway is craggy with small peaks and even some steep drops. Look out for Stinson Beach and Bolinas Bay as you drive down. The view is awesome.

Here are a few pictures from Shoreline Highway:

Stay tuned for more from drives along Highway 1. :)

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* Highway 1 is considered to be one of the most scenic routes in the United States. This highway which is actually California State Route 1 runs along the length of the state along he Pacific Coast. The pictures above are from the Shoreline Highway - the part of SR 1 that lies north of San Francisco Bay Area.

Towards the central Coast of California, Highway 1 comes to be called Cabrillo Highway.

It runs all the way to Orange County in Southern California

Shoreline Highway/Highway 1 and Stinson Beach (A) [Google Maps]

You might also want to check out this attraction on the Central Coast of California:
17 - Mile Drive