We have always had a love affair with the Monterey Bay area.  It holds a special place in our hearts.  So it didn't take us long to decide on Carmel as a wedding destination.  Carmel is an adorable little European style community.  Walking and sampling are highly encouraged.  We enjoyed an incredible nosh at Casanova Restaurant.  As with all places we experienced in Carmel, people were incredibly happy for us and our nuptuals.  We sampled a few appetizers including the renowned spinach gnocchi, which was light and fluffy as promised.  We also sampled the almost extinct California foie gras.  This officially disappears at the end of June.  It was coupled with brioche and huckleberry preserves.  We also spent a little time at Carmel Beach walking and enjoying the spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean.   On to San Francisco!

Well, well, well.....we find ourselves in the amazing city of San Francisco once again.  On Friday we arrived at our hotel, the beautiful Hotel Kabuki in Japantown.  Wow.  Japantown is an incredible neighborhood-y place in the heart of the city.  We can easily see ourselves living in this neighborhood.  Now we only need to win the lottery....soon. 

When we settled in, we walked down a few blocks to Fillmore attempting to find an early evening drink and were pleasantly pleased to find Florio, an Italian, French, Mediterranean style tiny bistro.

When we finished at Florio, we walked a few more blocks and had some fantastic small plates at Thai Stick.  It's always an amazing and wonderful experience to actually walk around in a big city and stumble upon small gems where a great drink and a great plate of food are accompanied by the pulse of the city.

The following day we needed some retail therapy, so walked from Japantown to find some shopping.  Of course, Nordstrom is one of our favorite places to peruse clothes, so we headed for Union Square.  Somehow (trust me, I continue to be miffed as to how this happens every time we come to SF) we ended up walking directly through the heart of the Tenderloin.  For those of you unfamiliar, it is unlike any neighborhood in existence.  No fewer than 5 ladies of the night were screaming at the top of their lungs toward their "boss" and it was so absurd that even the usually completely nonplussed inhabitants of the neighborhood stopped to watch the fun unfold.  Luckily we are seasoned big city walkers so simply continued as if we see this kind of situation on a daily basis.

Later in the evening we met up with some old friends at a restaurant in Hayes Valley called Dobbs Ferry.  Delicious food and a few drinks later we headed back toward Japantown and ended up at one of our new fave dive bars, the incredible Dimples.  It is a rare and beautiful opportunity to find an underground, friendly watering hole in the neighborhood.  Needless to say, if we lived here we would be at Dimples most nights of the week.

What better way to spend the beginning of the last full day in San Francisco than to take a 2 mile walk toward the Ferry Building passing the Pride Parade and ending up in Alameda after a short ferry ride to sample spirits at St. George Distillery.  Obviously we bought a bottle of their ridiculously brilliant absinthe.  Yeah, it's legal now.  The only logical way to follow that up was a few cold lagers and sausages at Speisekammer and a ferry ride back to the city.  A cable car ride up California Ave and a comfort food extravaganza at Dosa on Fillmore and our 3rd day in San Francisco was complete.  My how time flies....

On to Portland!

Portland has always been known to us as Seattle's dirty little sister.  And this time around it certainly didn't disappoint.  Portland has an edge to it much in the same way that Albuquerque does.  Seattle, not so much.  What?  You thought it was still 1992?  Grunge is gone.  It's all Amazon.  Anyway...We arrived at our dear friends Patrick and Tyler's house to a beautiful bouquet of flowers, card, and of course Champagne.  They certainly know how to do it right.  Irving Street Kitchen was our destination that initial night.  More Champagne, family style plates, and many a "cheers."  We love being in another city, eating at a beautiful restaurant, surrounded by friends, and it feels somehow like home.  Comfortable yet exhilarating.

The next day was Patrick's birthday and it was off to Mississippi Avenue for some shopping, strolling, and eating at Porque No?  Don't worry Burquenos.  It was authentic, fresh, and very Portland.  Complete with local brews and a tinge of attitude.  Then drinks at Nel Centro on a wonderful patio next to a "fire."  You know.  Gas lit fire.  Super hip and cool.  Straight lines.  Sexy.  Arguably KK's favorite drink of all time.  Modena cooler.  Muddled strawberries, aged balsamic, vodka, and a splash of soda.  The perfect drink for a "summer" evening next to the fire in the pacific northwest.