staycation

Japanese Friendship Garden San Jose

 in General Fashion  tagged casual style / outdoor fitness / outfits / san jose / staycation by

wearing: statement earrings / navy tee / summer nail polish / gemstone bead bracelets / wide leg jeans / shoulder bag / sneakers /

Did you know San Jose has a Japanese Friendship Garden? The best part? It’s free! Love that!

Nestled into Kelley Park and across from Excite Stadium, the Japanese Friendship Garden offers well maintained gardens, a calm pathway, and lots of Koi! The only drawback is that there is a problem with the large pond, so it has been drained for several years. Fingers crossed San Jose finds a way to fix it!

This is a fabulous place to go if you want an easy outdoor walk instead of a gym day, or you need a peaceful activity to relieve stress. If you are local to the San Francisco Bay Area, I highly recommend taking a moment to visit for a peaceful walk; just be prepared for the empty pond.

You can always make a day of it and also visit History San Jose as well as the Portuguese History Museum since they are all on the same, large block on Senter Road.

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you enjoy this summer activity idea!

XOXO

Cathy

Beach day in the city

 in General Fashion  tagged outfits / restaurants / spring 2025 / staycation by

wearing: earrings / black knit top / spring nail polish / east/west bag / wide leg jeans / boots /

Beach day in the city? Yes! It does exist! Of course, it is still early in the spring season, so this is not a swimsuit kind of beach day, it is a delicious meal and take a walk type of beach day.

We started off by enjoying a fabulous lunch at The Beach Chalet. If you haven’t been to the Beach Chalet yet, what are you waiting for? The food is amazing, and the restaurant itself is iconic. It has been there forever. I remember going when I was teenager and in college when I lived in the city. There are sweeping views of the ocean and the beach, and the service is always impeccable. I enjoyed a crab melt with truffle fries, and there were plenty of vegetarian options for my daughter. Love that!

After lunch, we walked over to see the windmills. The flowers were in full bloom and the whole park looked stunning.

I mean, how often do you find a fog-free day in the city, especially at Ocean Beach?! It is so rare! I couldn’t believe our luck! It was a blessing since my daughter was home from college on spring break. I was so happy to give her a sunny day in the city.

If you enjoy lunch, brunch, or dinner at the Beach Chalet, be sure to visit the windmills too! After the windmill, we walked along the beach and enjoyed the waves and the recently cleaned sand. The beach looks amazing right now!

Shop my casual spring outfit online:

So, if you are visiting San Francisco, be sure to enjoy a meal at the Beach Chalet! Yum!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO
Cathy

Night out at the Tonga Room

 in General Fashion  tagged outfits / restaurants / spring 2025 / staycation by

wearing: statement earrings / black sweater / suede bucket bag / black skirt / gemstone bracelet / spring nail polish / boots /

If you are local to the San Francisco Bay Area, chances are, you have been to, or at least heard of, the Tonga Room in San Francisco. Located inside the Fairmont Hotel, the Tonga Room is part of San Francisco history. It has been there since 1945 and has attracted celebrities, politicians, dignitaries and more. The Tonga Room is more than a fun place for dinner, it is an iconic experience.

The Tonga Room offers both dinner and a lounge/bar experience. Since I still have one child still living at home, we went for the dinner experience. Built over a 1920’s era swimming pool, the floating stage offers lounge music, and the decor surrounding the pool and throughout the venue is tiki themed. The restaurant has tables set up around the floating stage with the bar area on one side of the pool. Our table was opposite the bar which gave us a quiet location and a decent view of the live music on the floating stage.

It was really fun to enjoy good food, live music, tiki decor, and fancy drinks-mine is a non-alcoholic citrus soda, isn’t it fun! If you plan to go, I recommend making reservations. The Tonga Room is very popular, and the tables fill up ahead of time, so making reservations is the way to go. You can make them through OpenTable.

What I wore to the Tonga Room:

Have you been to the Tonga Room? If not, what are you waiting for? This is a bucket list item for San Francisco!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy