I’m back in the game, folks!
The past number of weeks have been fairly busy over in my neck of the woods. With playing tourist in my own city for a little bit, then having one of my closest friends come for a visit, things have been jam-packed full of fun and I can’t wait to blog about everything. I took SO many pictures of touring around San Jose, then heading off to Yosemite, which was a feat all in itself to even get there. My GPS was definitely on something.
I’ve been feeling a little homesick for Newfoundland, and while I am still looking at flights for going back in April-May month, I thought I’d finally start making roots down here in San Jose. It still feels funny for me to call San Jose my city. But we’ve been living here for over a year and I wanted to take my husband on a city wide exploration, because the poor fella works long hours and doesn’t get to explore where he lives, like I do on a daily basis.
So we got to know our little neck of the woods and became tourists in our own city. A full itinerary was booked to check out museums, restaurants, theaters and even staying at a hotel for the night. You’d be amazed at how much new stuff you find out about your city, just exploring new-to-you places.
Now today I’m going to give you a bit of a sneak into what will be showing up on the blog within the next few weeks!
This was at the Tech Museum of Innovation, so colourful and really fun to play around for a couple of hours. It’s now a given fact that I am always a cold person. Check out the thermal exhibit. Red = cold, white = hot. Tons of my body shows so much red, my husband who is always super warm was mostly white. I’ll show you more around this place in a little while :)
I had no idea this place existed. Cinequest is a yearly film festival that comes to San Jose. Check out the incredibly intricate detailing and gorgeous architecture in this building! So lucky to have had the chance to sit here and watch a few films. I know my Dad (a retired Architect) would love to see this spot in person.
We’ve driven past the Winchester Mystery House quite a bit since moving to the United States, and finally had the chance to go inside and do a tour. Definitely a must-do when you visit the area. Way too many tiny rooms, so creepy, super weird, but awesome.
Killer packaging hotel sample sized bathroom products at the Fairmont in San Jose. Sold. I’d totally buy it, especially to give to my guests when they visit our house.
Delicious food in downtown San Jose, enjoying the fun European-feel walkways, and I can never go without photographing a set of awesome looking PALM TREES.
The Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum!!
So many restaurants available in downtown San Jose. Almost equivalent to the amount of bars per street in my home city of St. John’s Newfoundland. In that middle picture check out the lobby of one of the towers at Fairmont San Jose (fancy smanchy looking right?!) and finally the last pic is my first time at a Japanese restaurant! Of course, I ordered chicken. Typical!
All that and more, coming to the blog soon!
When is the last time you had a staycation, let alone explored your own city?
When I was a child, I remember my parents sailing out of the Royal Newfoundland Yacht Club in St. John’s for weekend trips along the coast. My Uncle bought a yacht in the 80s so the crew of them had an adventurous hobby for a while. My Mother, before she met my Father, once sailed across the Atlantic Ocean (against my grandmother’s will no doubt) from Newfoundland to England. That takes guts. Guts I certainly don’t have.
Fast forward twenty-odd years and I receive an e-mail from Captain Jon of 
For those that don’t know, America’s Cup is the oldest international sporting trophy event, where teams compete in match races two yachts at a time. It attracts top sailors from all around the world to join in and watch. Fun fact: the USA 76 yacht we were on was used by Team Oracle BMW during preparations for the 2003 America’s Cup. The team went on to make the Louis Vuitton challenge series final, winning 21 of 33 races, only losing to Team Alinghi from Switzerland. That team went on to win the Cup. Later that year, the team’s staged two rematches in San Francisco Bay. With more time to prepare and home water advantage, USA 76 won both. An impressive resume, no doubt. USA 76 is now retired from America’s Cup, but now holds the title of fastest charter yacht in the world.
I called my parents immediately after we reserved our spot, knowing they’d be familiar with this yacht — and wishing they were here to experience it with us. Instead, they’d have to ogle my photos at the computer from far away.
The Guy and I drove to San Francisco on Super Bowl Sunday (hey we’re Canadian, we’re hockey fans) to famous Pier 39 where USA 76 was docked. We hopped on with 6 crew and a couple of other guests and enjoyed the ride. The excursion was two and a half hours in length and it was explained to us that we’d help the crew out from time to time to hoist the sails and steer the boat. That brought back memories.
You got that right, the above photo is me as a little tom boy steering my Uncle’s yacht. Skipper Nancy. Look at the concentration on my face, so serious. Man, racing boats are nothing like my Uncle’s boat in the 80s. USA 76 is made completely of carbon fiber, so it’s extremely lightweight. Except for a few new comforts like the metal railing and a small engine for navigating away from the dock, this boat is exactly as it was raced and it shows. You are right in the middle of the action!
Joining the crew on the yacht was a day to remember. Seeing my husband look and feel relaxed, being out there felt like a once in a lifetime opportunity especially on such a famous yacht with veteran sailors. This was no champagne cruise on the Bay, this was a real sailing adventure! I want to thank Jon for reaching out and inviting us to join him and his crew on such a fun day.
