A Short Family Visit

My cousin, Joey, his wife, Mel, and their 3 kids, visited us over the weekend. They are here in the US for a 3-week vacation from the Philippines. His oldest son just graduated from college, while his youngest just graduated from elementary. For all 3 kids, it is their visit to the US.

They had a very tight and rigorous schedule, to say the least. It was a road trip that probably I wouldn't even take. They landed in LA, and stayed for a day to see some sights. With their friends (and family), they drove to San Francisco on Good Friday and stayed for a couple of nights. They took in the sights and hit as many notable SF spots as they could. By early evening of Easter Sunday, they arrived at our home.

Dinner that evening was at Yard House in Santana Row. Although all the stores were closed by then, we did a quick stroll on the main strip to give them a sampling of what Santana Row was all about. At the parking garage, they even had an up close look of the high-end electric car, Tesla.

The next day, after breakfast of bagels and yogurts, we took them to Carmel on the 17-mile drive. Weather was fantastic, and, as always, the view of the Pacific Ocean was spectacular. And even for a local like me, I don't get tired of its beauty. Of course, we had to stop by Pebble Beach to admire the beauty of the coast and its surroundings. Since all of them play golf, it was an extra special moment to even set foot on one of the game's most famous course for some photo opportunity. Lunch was at a local favorite on the main drag, A. W. Shucks.

From Carmel, we stopped by the Gilroy Premium Outlet for a little shopping. Before the sun set, we headed off for dinner at Food Talk Cafe for some Taiwanese (or Chinese) cuisine, including their famous Peking Duck.

The next day, Tuesday, was their last day. Well, half a day. The evening before, we were deliberating on where to go. The choices were some wineries in Livermore or Stanford University. They chose the latter. Since spring break was over, college students were back in school. So was Stanford. The entire campus was bustling with activity -- pedestrians and bicycles (lots of them) all over the place. These didn't stop the tourists from taking in the sights. As a matter of fact, it added to the backdrop of this famous private university.

After visiting the campus, you've got to take home a memento, so we went to the Stanford Shopping Mall and took home some goodies from the Stanford store. From there, it was lunch at another popular Palo Alto favorite, Jing Jing, famous for its Sichuan (or spelled Szechwan or Szechuan in the Western world) cuisine.

With that final meal, it ended their whirlwind trip to the Bay Area. Their next destination was Lake Tahoe for a much cooler weather and a little bit of snow.

Safe travels and hope to see you all soon.