Every couple of weekends, Nate and I (and, okay, mostly just me) will get an itch to leave the city. Maybe it comes from growing up in the country, maybe it's just human nature, but I'll start feeling claustrophobic, closed in, a little on-edge around all the buildings and people and noise and crowds, and I'll know that it's time to get out. These trips aren't usually a huge deal -- they can be a short drive to a trailhead, or a day trip to Yosemite -- but they go a long way towards restoring balance in my little world.
So, given
the craziness of the past month or so and
the excitement of Friday night, Nate suggested that we go on a daytime date this past Saturday to Tomales Bay for a nice drive and some fresh oysters. I said, "Where do I sign up?" Unfortunately, the weather had other plans for us and, after waking up to the torrential downpour that ended up drenching these parts of Northern California the entire day, we decided to postpone the oysters for another day. Instead, we pointed the car towards the coast and just drove.
In the end, plan B for our daytime date turned out to be just what we needed. Because of the weather, there weren't too many people out and about in
Point Reyes, so that's where we ended up. As odd as it sounds, I love beaches in bad weather -- everything becomes so moody and tempestuous and a little romantic too. Makes you want to curl up with some hot chocolate and spin stories, doesn't it?
We topped the day off with a late lunch at
Sol Food, a Puerto Rican restaurant in San Rafael. The food is really good -- Nate's a
huge fan of the habichuelas rosadas (pink beans with Spanish olives) and I had the bistec encebollado (steak with sliced onions) -- but the restaurant itself can be super busy pretty much all of the time. Still worth it though.
We hung around our neighborhood on Saturday night, caught up with some friends, had some pho, and I finished watching the second season of
Downton Abbey at 1 a.m. (I've been using Downton Abbey to keep my mind from obsessing over
The Hunger Games, and that would have worked out great if I didn't end up obsessing over Downton Abbey too).
On Sunday morning, as a nice way to end the weekend, we headed to
East Ocean Restaurant in Alameda for some dim sum. Being half Chinese, Nate's fairly picky about his dim sum, and this was the first time we were trying this restaurant. It definitely did not disappoint. Friendly staff, huge variety, and the desserts were especially yummy.
Unfortunately, I spent the rest of the day in
pain bed dealing with some reoccurring back issues. I'm seeing the chiropractor later this morning to get a massage, some x-rays and a chiropractic evaluation, so hopefully we can get to the bottom of what's going on because this is just not okay.
I hope you all had a great weekend too!
