"A Mama on the Move!"
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Review votes:
409 Useful, 130 Funny, and 280 Cool
Mountain View, CA
Yelping SinceAugust 2006
Find Me Inthe office, park or volunteering in my daughter's classroom
My HometownMountain View, CA
My Blog Or Website When I'm Not Yelping...I'm chasing my kids around the backyard or the park.
Why You Should Read My ReviewsMy family is always out trying new things!
My Second Favorite Website The Last Great Book I ReadA Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
My First ConcertThe Who, Day on the Green at the Oakland Coliseum
My Favorite MovieMy Big Fat Greek Wedding (I have a weird family too!)
My Last Meal On EarthA wide assortment of Dim Sum or tapas! I like to try a little of everything!
Most Recent DiscoveryCornelius Bol Park in Palo Alto's Barron Park neighborhood.
Current CrushMy husband
Half Moon Bay, CA 94019
(650) 712-7000
Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay
Categories: Hotels, Venues & Event Spaces
Palo Alto, CA 94303
(650) 329-2366
Palo Alto Art Center
Categories: Arts & Crafts, Art Galleries
The facility is open and ready for imaginative work. The staff is friendly and encouraging. I can't believe it took us so long to get ourselves to this treasure that has been hiding in plain sight for all of these years. We will be back much, much sooner next time!
The exhibit, "Treasures from The Mexican Museum: A Spirited Legacy" will run thorugh April 18, 2010, make sure you stop by and enjoy this amazing display.
Whether an event such as a puppet show or a story time is taking place or not, this library enjoys a steady stream of reading visitors. It has never been empty when we've visited. Children are always leaving with arm loads of books and with smiles on their faces. What a great place! The staff is friendly and helpful ---- and they will never "shhh!!" you in this library!
Here's the scoop on the place: apparently the owner is a Google employee who joined the company in the very early days so like Google, she's done very well. A graduate of Los Altos Schools and a patron of Foodland, the former tennant of the building now housing the Sweet Shop, she had fond memories of visiting the store for candy on her way home from school. These memories paired with a strong desire to give back to the children of Los Altos, gave birth to one of the sweetest tributes to childhood I've seen in a while. The Sweet Shop is adorable. Dispensing candy, frozen yogurt and other treats that customers can enjoy in the shop or the darling garden patio where statues of frogs frolick amongst water sprays, the Sweet Shop is a welcome addition to Los Altos! Thank you generous Google employee for sharing your wealth!!
The same classic interior beckoned. It all seemed so familiar and pristine. It was also delicious! The curry chicken was superb as was the sizzling beef and veggie chow mein. I wish I could rave about the service though. I'm not sure what happened. It all started fine ---- the restaurant was largely empty when we arrived --- but, once the place filled up, the service tanked. Our waiter never stopped by to check on us or see if we wanted to order another round of drinks --- lost opportunity Mandarin Gourmet, as the answer would have bee yes. To get our check, we had to flag down our waiter like we were shipwreck victims signaling a rescue plane! Come on Mandarin Gourmet, is that any way to treat an old friend?
Tucked into a cozy corner of Homestead Road near Foothill Expressway, getting into thislocation is rough. Lines of cars frequently inch their way in and battle for the minuscule amount of parking spots offered. If you're lucky enough to get one without denting your car, your pride or someone else's vehicle or sensibilities, you get to shop in one very crowded store right next to those who were just pretending they were the only people in the parking lot. My foot was stepped on twice and nearly run over by a cart once. I also spent about 75% of visit feeling like I had someone else's cart up my rear end. This store is so small that during peak business you start to wonder what happened to any notion of personal space.
If you manage to get your purchases back to your car without incident or injury, the fight is on to get out of the lot without having a fender bender. At least you're hungry by the time you get home, operating in survival of the fittest mode for more than an hour will do that to you!
The staff at this place is nice though. They are fun casual folks who treat everyone like they are patronizing a small neighborhood grocery mart. I will continue to patronize the place, I will just need to make sure I take vitamins, work out and get loads of rest before I visit!
This Olive Garden is located on a very busy and tricky access point on El Camino near Page Mill Road. Getting in and out of there takes patience --- especially at lunch time during the work day.
It is your standard Olive Garden, nothing special. In fact, I only visited the place because my lunch date wanted to go.
If you visit on your own accord or to make someone else happy, I suggest you order the Venetian Apricot Chicken --- Grilled chicken breast in an apricot citrus sauce. Served with broccoli, asparagus and diced tomatoes. Deelish and much healthier than the creamy options on the menu.
A steady stream of regulars milled about while my family was there. Silicon Valley engineers could study the proprietor of the place for their work on voice recognition software. As he tended to me, customer after customer passed through the doors leaving with coffee and nourishment after announcing, "Put it on my tab!" He responded to each and every one by name without ever looking up at them, "Sure thing, Dave!" " You've got it,Tim!" "No problem Andy!"
The only time he changed his tact was when this guy with gorgeous shoulder length silver hair dressed head to toe in bikers leather got the response, "No way! I'm putting it on Andy's tab, he owes you!" Laughter broke out behind the counter.
Outside the post is the most amazing parade of lovingly cared for motorcycles. Many of their riders stroll around the parking lot comparing notes on maintenance and the ability to secure parts. I enjoyed that in the center of this scene of leather clad rebels was a little card table where a mom and her kids were selling their homemade honey. The wholesome and edgy living side-by-side sure seems to be the way of Woodside!
San Jose, CA 95110
(408) 287-2100
San Jose Hilton And Towers Hotel
Category: Hotels
The restaurant didn't have a kids menu. In fact, the closest this place comes to having a kid-friendly amenity is the tiny after thought of a pool on the third floor outside the work out room. It photographs long (see my photo for proof) but, trust me this is a kiddie pool. It is no more than 3 feet deep, about 10 feet long and as far as width --- my husband could stand in the center of it and touch both sides with his hands.
The staff is nice. But, the dinner staff in the restaurant was half asleep --- they even brought us the wrong entree order! The breakfast staff was on top of things though! When we presented two brunch buffet certificates given to Hilton Gold members for breakfast, the staff did not charge us for our kids.
Other items of note:
- there was a fridge in the room
- magnifying mirror in the bathroom
- there was NO blow dryer in the bathroom!
- $20 parking a night! OUCH!!
Date

With refreshments in hand, we soak in the breath taking view of the ocean and cliffs ringing it from the hotel's cozy outdoor patio, relax to the sound of the waves and take in the green carpet of the golf course. It is a place of amazing and serene beauty and it certainly lifts our spirits after politely dealing with the rather edgy sides of crowds crammed into increasingly congested pumpkin patches.
Whether we're greeted by sun or fog on our arrival, the patio staff has always been friendly and welcoming to all of us --- including our golden retriever, who has always enjoys the tradition right along with us. If the weather proved cold, the staff has brought us blankets with our drinks and snacks. They have lit the fire pits on the patio. While there is seemingly no place more gorgeous when the weather is nice, it seems there is also no place more cozy when it is not. We have talked with many nice people around the patio fire, enjoying stories of their travels and their impressions of the area.
In fact the patio can be a pretty chatty place until dusk when the bag pipe player appears. On the bluffs in the fog, he can be most haunting as he plays. The entire place is changed by the immediate absence of human voices and filled by the longing sound of the bag pipe. Amazing!
The patio serves gourmet pub food --- I recommend the salmon cheeseburger! The patio bar staff is very, very nice! They even brought out a container of water for our dog without being asked. They also make a terrific Cosmopolitan here.
Before you leave, be sure to walk at least part of the coast trail. You will not be sorry! An easy paved and flat trail, it relinquishes rewards of sweeping views and gorgeous nature at every turn.