The evening of Friday, July 20, myself, ‘Non and our women headed back to CHK (clap) for a night of dinner, singing and dancing. It was weird but amazing to return after all these years. The place is going as strong as ever – that night, 270 campers between the ages of 12-17 sang and daven'd and danced their hearts out as I’ve never seen before. It was rocking, and it was beautiful to be a part of once again (if only for a second).
The next day my father and I embarked on a journey into another frenzy of enthusiasm: Beckham’s stateside debut. While the play on the pitch was anything but, um, pitched, it was the nuttiest of games. The whole place was one big circus, with all eyes on the pretty boy from England. It bordered on hysteria, as if he were a modern-day Beatle. If nothing else, his inclusion in the MLS will shine a much needed spotlight on the league. I'll be crossing my fingers that - as superficial as the added attention may be - it positively affects the sport. Who wouldn’t want to see world-class football here one day in the near future?
Early Sunday morning (after another great night at HOMP – thank you, Howard), Grace & I hit the road for our Summer 2007 California Adventure. We made it up to SF in time to relax, share dinner and drinks with some friends, and head over to the world-famous Fillmore for, well, one of my favorite bands of all-time: the Smashing Pumpkins! And they did not disappoint. Hitting the stage at 10, they played for three hours straight what can only be described as a monster show in the most intimate of venues. Sure, there was lots of filler – most of the new material isn’t doing it for me – but with three hours to ply their wares, they could afford to play around. They brought out not only the classics, but also some of their more obscure works…which are some of my favorites. Highlights: Hummer, Drown (from the Singles soundtrack), Tonight Tonight; Today, Starla (from the b-sides collection Pisces Iscariot, closing out the first encore), and Muzzle (closing out the show – such an unlikely closer, yet one of my absolutely fav songs). Corgan also dropped a solo acoustic version of a new song called Death from Above – it’s a bonus track on one of the many different
configurations of the new album, and it was beautiful. He still knows how to rock it. As does Jimmy. And let me tell you – Ginger, the new bassist, is amazing…both on the ears and the eyes. A great new addition to the band. It’s great to have the Pumpkins back, even if they are but a shadow of their former selves.Monday morning we hit the road and found ourselves in Napa, wine country. Our first day there, we hit up Silver Oak and the Niebaum Coppola estate. The former was a shell of its previous self apparently, having lost their property in both a flood and a fire (talk about bad luck), while the latter was majestic and beautiful. The liquid highlight of the day for me was undoubtedly the 2004 Captain's Reserve Syrah, which true to the tasting notes, had hints of blackberry and blueberry and all other sorts of exotic fruit – I’ve never tasted anything like it. That evening we had the most spectacular meal at Bistro Jeanty. Simply perfect– from the room to the service to the wine to the food. Started with a beet salad (feta, oranges) & duck foie gras pate, on to a steak pommes frites, and finally we shared a chocolate mousse crème brulee and a bowl of vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce and a shot Armagnac mixed in. It was heaven on earth.
The next day we spent the morning at Domaine Chandon, and the afternoon at Beringer. Chandon, amid gorgeous grounds, had wonderful champagnes, er, sparkling wines, and great food. Etoile, their signature brut sparkling wine, was definitely the highlight here. Beringer was great, as well. Beautiful land, friendly staff, and some nice wines. Standout was the 2002 Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. Mmmmmm. Dinner that evening was at Mustards Grill. I’m sure it would have been great, but by the time we got there, we just couldn’t muster up the will to eat or drink any more. We poked at our food for a few, and then called it an early night. (Btw, we stayed at Vino Bello. In short: great room, bad everything else. The service was awful, and the location stank. Was fine for what it was, but I wouldn’t go back there.)
Beringer
Back on the highway on Wednesday and up through Sonoma County on our way to Mendocino. I was especially looking forward to this drive, for the winding, perilous journey through the Redwoods on Highway 128 is a memory from my childhood I have not forgotten, and it lived up to the awe-inspiring recollection. We stopped midway for some more tiny bubbles at Roederer (think: Cristal) and finally hit the remote stretch of coast mid-afternoon. Unfortunately, for the first (and only) time on our trip, the weather wasn’t cooperating – it was foggy and dark and the whole region just looked depressing. We hiked out to the headleads and stood on the bluffs overlooking the grand coast (Grace was very brave), and then headed back into town and browsed the shops. We saw some really surprisingly nice stuff, and a whole lot of junk. It’s a cute little town, but you can do it in an hour or two. Headed back to our lodging, the Brewery Gulch Inn, which was really a jewel in the rough. An eco-friendly, family-run inn, this place is rustic on the outside, and modern gorgeous on the inside. Service was top-notch, from the free happy hour of wine and Hors d'Oeuvres in the evening, and delicious breakfast in the morning. Definitely the only place to stay in town. Dinner that night was at Café Beaujolais, and it proved our second absolutely wonderful meal. Like at Jeanty (where we had a perfect, semi-secluded table next to the fireplace), here we were seated in the corner of the deck overlooking the ocean. We each had the “Pan Roasted Wild Columbia River Sturgeon Fillet served over House Made Tagliatelle w/ Truffle Emulsion Sauce, Wild Mushrooms, Beets and Snap Peas” – need I say more?
Shot back down Highway 1 the next day, stopping for lunch at Bodega Bay – good burger, scary town – and then for some perusing at Point Reyes Station, which was a cool little destination with hidden treasures in the old school shops. Finally, we were back in SF, for another night of dinner and drinking with our host Brett (thank you again, dude). Friday we did the tourist thing in The City for a bit, then grabbed our friends and headed to the other city around the bay so close to my heart, my alma mater, Berkeley. After taking down the requisite Top Dog, and some fine libations at good ole Henry’s, we cruised up to the Greek Theatre for Daft Punk. An amazing show, one that lived up to the considerable hype generated by their show at Coachella in ’06. Ran into tons of old friends – expected and unexpected alike – and basically had a ball. Just look at this sea of people – we were right in that. The smiles were endless.
Down to Monterey on Saturday to the Aquarium of the Pacific. Penguins, sea otters, and squishy slimy sea cucumbers – what more could you ask for? Spent the evening in the strangest room ever at the Pine Inn in Carmel – the floor slanted this way, while the bed went the other way, and the ceiling yet another. There wasn’t a 90-degree angle in the room. Seriously. But it was smack in the middle of Ocean Ave., the main strip in town, so you count your blessings. Nice dinner that night at The Grill, then early to bed and early to rise, walking the town, taking in the shops. Finally, we hit the road again and wound down the maddeningly long, but ever-more-beautiful central coast. It really was a sight to behold. During some stretches, I’d have to swerive off the road ever few hundred feet or so just to take in the view (and snap some pics).
We finally arrived back home late Sunday night – in one piece, and glad to be home, but with many a fond memory. All in all, we drove some 1400 miles. Incidentally, we were directed by our fearless leader, the Garmin Nuvi 350 which we picked up for this trip (and for Grace’s lack of direction henceforth). Rarely, but sometimes, you find a piece of technology that exceeds your expectations – this was it. It knew what we wanted it to do before even we. Besides functioning as a nav system and an endlesslessly perfect map, it was a yellowpages…and a phone directory…and a travel guide. If we needed a restaurant of a certain type, or a store with such and such, it could recommend one. With the phone number. And directions, of course. Thank you, Nuvi - we love you.
Up in the clouds
Airs Thursday nights on AMC at 7pm. I noticed that the pilot will be rebroadcast about 37 times before next week’s episode, so it’s def not too late to tune in.
