Travel

Boulder Colorado recap

March 1, 2022 in Travel tagged colorado / lifestyle / travel style / vacation outfits / winter 2022 by Bay Area Fashionista

wearing: earrings / lined leather gloves / spring nail polish / foldable jacket (has hood, which I took off for the picture) / long sleeve black top / cross body bag / wide leg jeans (sold out, also love this pair) / G Buckle belt / faux fur boots (on sale, avl in other colors) / (I’m wearing my mask outside because it kept my face warm in the negative 1-degree weather! haha)

Snow! My kids had ski week last week so we decided to take a couple of quick trips to states they had not visited before. Plus, I have only been to the Denver airport, I have never set foot on Colorado soil before! So, we decided to head to Boulder for a couple of days.

This was my first time on an airplane since the pandemic hit. I was a little nervous, but everything went smooth. I wore a KN95 on the plane and brought a package of masks with me since the mask mandate differs from city to city. Here in Santa Clara County, we still have to wear masks everywhere, so I had no idea what to expect in other areas. Boulder seemed like it was half-masking. Restaurants had masks until people took them off to eat, and business seemed as if they were optional. They were optional in our hotel.

Well, you know you are from California when you leave 70-degree weather and land in negative one degree weather. No joke, the temperatures toggled between 3 degrees and negative one. To say it was a wee bit cold, is an understatement. Brrrr!!

My daughter wore two pairs of sweatpants, and I layered up! We felt the cold but were able to manage it. I even drove in snow. haha, yay me!

Since we were visiting Boulder, Colorado, we had to check out Aloy Thai Cuisine. This Thai restaurant was featured on Guy Fieiri’s “Drive-in’s, Diners, and Dives.” It sounded really good, so it was the first place we ate at when we arrived on the first day. We had fun walking from our hotel in the snow. Yes, we were those tourists making footprints in the snow and laughing the whole time. I think a few people thought we were nuts. haha

Aloy Thai Cuisine had a large menu, and thankfully our hotel room had a refrigerator because we definitely overordered and had to bring food back to our room. We enjoyed the pot stickers, chicken satay, BBQ chicken, Pad Thai, Fried Rice, and a noodle soup with chicken in it, (I forgot the official name). The food was delicious! Guy Fieri was right! Our favorite dish was the chicken satay, which had the best peanut sauce I have ever tasted. Yum! If you visit the Boulder area, be sure to stop in, this restaurant is amazing! The other places we ate at didn’t really wow me. Maybe Aloy Thai Cuisine spoiled me. It was so good!

Normally we do a lot of sight-seeing when we go on vacation, but this time around we used our ski week for a couple of quick trips to just get out of town. Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot of activity ideas to share, just snow, and yummy Thai food!

I will give a shout-out to this jacket. It is a packable jacket which was ideal on the plane since it rolls up really small and fits nicely in my backpack. If you plan to fly somewhere that is cold, I highly recommend this jacket!

What was in my Boulder Colorado suitcase:

Stay tuned, I have one more trip to share!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

the buff breakfast lunch boulder colorado

China Camp State Park camping and beach

October 7, 2021 in Fitness / Travel tagged camping / family / hiking / staycation by Bay Area Fashionista

China Camp State Park is a Bay Area jewel. It’s a beautiful state park which features camping, hiking, biking, water activities, and a beach on the bay. In addition to outdoor activities, China Camp State Park offers local Bay Area history which isn’t typically taught in schools. Love!

We recently took a weekend camping trip to China Camp State Park, and it was both beautiful and fun. The campsites are flat, and well maintained. There are plenty of hiking trails, biking trails, and fabulous views of the bay. The campsite is a quick drive from the beach, which also features a museum, and several buildings that are original to the historical fishing village.

You can drive, hike, or bike to the beach from the campgrounds. Then, you can relax on the beach with your own picnic, or you can buy snacks from the shop on-site. We drove to the beach from the campgrounds, and we brought our own sandwiches. It was relaxing and fun!

China Camp State Park campgrounds are easily accessible from 101 in San Rafael. I recommend making your campsite reservations six months in advance so you can pick the site you want, and ensure you actually get a site. October was a great month to camp since it wasn’t too hot, and the campground wasn’t crowded.

The campgrounds offer bathrooms and showers. For the showers, make sure you bring quarters as they require payment with quarters. Also, prepare to store your food at night in your car, or the bear box. The racoons are very smart, and not afraid to go after your food. We kept our cooler in the car after dark, and it worked perfectly.

There is a lot of wildlife at China Camp State Park. If you need quiet while you sleep, bring earplugs. There are plenty of coyote sounds, and bird sounds, in the middle of the night.

You can learn more at FriendsOfChinaCamp.org. If camping isn’t your thing, and you are local, you can always day trip to China Camp and enjoy the hiking trails, beach, and museum!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

Pismo Beach day 3

August 11, 2021 in General Fashion / Travel tagged family / Pismo Beach / summer 2021 by Bay Area Fashionista

pictured: cross body bag (coverts to a belt bag) /

Well, our third and last day in Pismo Beach was one of relaxation. In the morning, we relaxed by our hotel’s firepits and enjoyed pastries and coffee. After breakfast, we took a family walk around downtown and enjoyed a casual lunch at Pismo Pizza and Chowder House. My kids enjoyed the pizza, which they tell me was delicious, and I enjoyed curly fries and a cup of clam chowder. Yum!

Pismo Pizza and Chowder House: Clam Chowder and Curly Fries

pictured: cobalt mug (brought from home) / bracelets (local San Jose designer) / fall nail polish /

When we were done with lunch, we headed back to our hotel, and my husband and son went out to the beach. My daughters, on the other hand, wanted to go back to the downtown area and do some back-to-school shopping. I mean, who am I to object to some shopping?

It is very cool at my daughter’s high school to wear surf and skate brands. So, as you can imagine, my daughters found a couple of stores filled with the perfect attire to wear to school. We found plenty of tee’s, a sweater, and a sweatshirt they can wear in a few days when school starts. We also found key chains with their names on them! We never find their names on key chains, so we picked three! One for each of my children, with their names spelled perfectly. Love that!

After our shopping excursion, we relaxed with some tea, and then went back to the hotel patio to watch the waves, relax, and chat by the hotel firepits. Our hotel, Vespera Resort on Pismo Beach, was perfect for relaxing and admiring the beach and ocean. I highly recommend it if you travel to Pismo!

Relaxing again by the firepits at our hotel

pictured: linen joggers / Gucci sneakers /

My family was tired after a day at the beach, or a day of back-to-school shopping, so after we relaxed, we headed out to dinner to our go-to Pismo restaurant; Brad’s. This is a casual diner that we always stop at for brunch on our way to Southern California. As I mentioned in my day one post, we always stop in Pismo on our way somewhere! This was the first time we had Pismo Beach as our vacation destination, and we loved it!

What I wore on day three in Pismo Beach:

If you visit Pismo Beach, be sure to eat at Brad’s. They have a huge menu, and all of the food is delicious. Plus, the prices are reasonable. We have been eating there for years!

Well, that’s a wrap! Back to our busy lives in the Bay Area, and in a few days; school!

A few questions I have been asked on Instagram:

This hotel looks beautiful, is it expensive? A: Yes, it is pricey, but it is also part of the Marriott network, so if you collect Marriott points you can use them to stay here and offset the cost.
Can you recommend an affordable restaurant? A: Yes! Brad’s, Cool Cat Cafe, and Pismo Pizza and Chowder House. Yum!
What is the weather like in Pismo? A: It was cool and comfortable. I would say the Pismo Beach area is roughly 10-15 degrees cooler than the Bay Area during the summer. We were sad to leave and go home to 90 degrees. So pack a sweater or sweatshirt, as well as at least one pair pants; just in case. I packed two pairs of shorts but never wore them. I lived in linen joggers, jeans, and leggings.
Do the restaurants in Pismo require reservations? A: We only had reservations at The Oyster Loft and Somerset Grill. If you want an ocean view restaurant, I recommend making reservations. Most of the restaurants in town are on the casual side, and don’t require reservations.

Let me know if you have any additional questions and I will answer them!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO
Cathy

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