Kristine D.'s Profile

Each year my family caps off our annual pumpkin patch crawl through Half Moon Bay at one gorgeous place --- the Ritz Carlton.

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.

After years of driving by the Palo Alto Art Center, my children and I finally had a chance to visit the place.  What a wonderful place it is too!We recently attended a family day for Dia de Los Muertos where we enjoyed learning about this rich Mexican tradition through arts and crafts as well as the beautiful exhibit of treasures from the country as well.

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.

The oldest free standing children's library in the country,  the Palo Alto Children's Library is a wonderful place to get your kids interested in the literary world.  Boldly painted and set up with a child's imagination in mind, you'll find a terrific spot to enjoy a book together whether  it be in the Treetop Room or the Secret Garden just behind the building.

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!

I say patronize the Sweet Shop and do it often because as soon as the place begins turning a profit, all proceeds will go towards the Los Altos School District!  Until then, drop your spare change in what looks like a tip jar at first blush but, is actually a spare change collector for school programs.  To date, almost $2,000 has been raised just from what is clanking around in the pockets of those who have come through the doors!  Remember though, the sooner we get the place to profit, the sooner local schools really benefit!!!  

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!!

Mandarin Gourmet and I have traveled quite a road together. I've enjoyed dates there with the man who is now my husband,  I organized a surprise birthday party for my sister-in-law there 15 years ago and,  my now 8-year-old daughter cooed in a baby carrier next to my table there as I caught up with an old friend.   But as sometimes happens with friends,  Mandarin Gourmet and I parted for a time. I just wasn't spending as much time in downtown Palo Alto as I used to and we grew apart --- until last weekend when I decided to venture back.

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?

I love Trader Joe's. There is no question that they offer terrific, high quality products at reasonable prices. The question I ask is why does the company insist on placing their stores in shopping centers that are a pain to get into and aggravating to get out of? Maybe it's simply due to where I live. Maybe the only locations open to them are inside tight squeeze traffic nightmares, I don't know. I do know that this location is the most nerve racking one I've visited yet!

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!

Our service person was really nice, attentive and wonderful.  She was the best thing about the place.  

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.

This funky little post at the intersection of highways 84 and 35 just across from Alice's Restaurant serves a lot of needs to those who live in the area and those simply passing through. A gas station, a deli, a grocery store, a place to simply pick up snacks and drinks before continuing onward, its hard to know how many people pass through the doors of this place. Everyone who does though is greeted warmly like they've walked into an elite club house.

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!

Fast, friendly and exceptional service, this sushi place serves up terrific food at a reasonable price.  Hubby and I highly recommend the Chicken Teriyaki Roll,  the Crazy Horse Roll (tuna, salmon, hamachi and vegetable) and the spicy tuna roll.  Quick, delicious and filling, Sushi Tomo has a bit more of a cafe feel to it than a traditional sushi restaurant.  Whether you're catching a flick at the Stanford Theater or headed to the Melt Ultra Lounge, the folks at Sushi Tomo will make sure you're ready to take on the night and possibly even the world.

This clean hotel with its modern decor caters mainly to the business traveler, not families like mine who bunked down here one weekend while our male head of house participated in the Silicon Valley Marathon.

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!!