Golden State, Golden Great, March 2018

Another year, another fun Cali trip!

This one began in the City - San Francisco, that is. We hit up all of my fave spots, from the Giants ballpark to the Ferry Building, from Pier 39 to Ghirardelli Square, from Lombard Street to the Golden Gate.

One of our days in the City was dedicated to Bay Area sports. The day started with opening day for the A's, playing their rival the Angels. While the stadium may not be the nicest in the league, the fans were out in full force. We had seats in the outfield, which treated us to a great view of the die hards waving their flags practically nonstop. We also were treated to a lot of sun, which we weren't prepared for since we flew there from the frigid Wisconsin winter. We walked quite a few laps just get some shade. The game went into extras (as they tend to do when we go), but the A's ended up victorious in the end, walking it off in the 11th.

Next up was the Warriors game, just across the parking lot. They were playing Jacob's team, the Bucks, and he was making friends with the other Bucks fans - there weren't many, but you knew they were dedicated. It was Polynesian heritage night, which was super fun because there was dancing before the game and during half time. Continuing our streak of the away team winning whenever we watch our teams play each other, the Bucks won the game. C'est la vie.

Before leaving the Bay, we stopped by Concord to hang with Tammy and Chris. On the way, we stopped by Pittsburg, so I could show Jacob my grandparents' old house and take him to our fave Mexican food place. The Mecca is the stuff of legends - the food is so good. And before you get your main course, they give you delicious bean dip with both corn and flour chips - I used to order that bean dip as my meal when I was a kid.

After stuffing ourselves to max capacity, we made our way over to the Fechner residence, where we were treated to Uncle Wayne's margaritas after stopping by the Treasure Chest and a lovely Sangria place in Walnut Creek. We listened to copious amounts of pop punk music whilst catching up. Felt almost like we were back at Bayside.

Next stop: Rocklin, CA. We took the scenic way over, crossing the river via multiple ferries - a fantastic experience on a lovely day. Nicole and Lance were gracious enough to welcome us into their home and showed us all of the Sac-Town highlights. We hit up old town, the golden Yolo County bridge (which Jacob was really excited about), and a Kings game in their new arena. It was Bollywood night, so there was more dance-themed entertainment, which is always a bonus in my book!

And so concluded a wonderful Nor Cal journey, full of good food, good sights, and good friends.