Oregon Wine Tasting Vacation (Sept)

(From September) My facebook friends were already subjected to my incessant check-ins and posts throughout the week of this trip back in September, taunting my current location as a winery, a beach on the coast, or other similar enviable locations. As a feeble attempt at a disclaimer, one purpose of all those check-ins is to remind myself of which restaurants and wineries I visited. This blog post will just summarize some of the highlights of that week's vacation, which was a road trip with my parents from San Francisco, up and through Oregon, and back down to SF in seven days. We covered a lot of ground, visited 12 wineries, stayed at four different hotels, and really got a feel for the sites and landscape of Oregon. I also came back with three cases of wine valuing nearly as much as one month's rent.

This was my first trip to the state, and the only previous connection I had to Oregon was that I did my 5th grade "state report" on Oregon, the selection of which was by lottery for all I can remember. I didn't retain much from that school project, except a vivid memory of outlining a drawing of the state bird on my poster board. In my adult years, my interest in the state grew as I learned through reading and experience at restaurants that a lot of fabulous Pinot Noirs come from Oregon (and Washington). Now that I am back living in the US and purposefully focusing on local trips, it was time for a visit.

The trip started over Labor Day weekend with my parents driving up from Orange County to San Francisco and staying with me for a few nights. They have been to the city before, so tourist attractions weren't necessarily on the agenda, but watching the first USC football game of the season was, which we did with a large group of other Trojans at Jillian's downtown. I also took them to the Tipsy Pig in the Marina and generally showed them around the Nob Hill and Russian Hill areas.

At Jillian's for USC game with alum

We stopped in Medford for one night, which gave us a chance to explore the quaint town of Ashland (home of the famous Shakespeare Festival) and happen upon an awesome micro-brewery and restaurant, Standing Stone.

Mmmm, beer

The bulk of the week was spent wine tasting in the Willamette Valley (pronounced Will-AM-ette) and a day trip to the coast before landing up in Portland for the night. We didn't want to retrace the same roads twice if we could help it, so to get out of the state we drove via Bend, Crater Lake, and Klamath Falls.

We visited a ton of great wineries over the course of a few days in Willamette Valley, and I've listed them below for purposes of recommendation. I bought at least one bottle at all wineries, so even when I say so-so, it doesn't mean it's terrible :)

1. King Estate (large, more corporate style, so-so wines, but excellent restaurant with a view)

2. Benton Lane (very good wines, small, delicious jams, beautiful location)

3. Sarver (tiny winery, can only buy wine here, great wines)

4. Flying Dutchman (beautiful location on the coast, so-so wines)

5. Domaine Drouhin (old world style to the new world)

6. Archery Summit (small, fantastic, expensive)

7. Sokol Blossor (organic, delicious, and good prices, with a great picnic area)

8. Rex Hill (larger winery, consistently good wines)

9. Daedalus (very small, but a wide range of wines, so-so)
10. Elk Cove (excellent wines, beautiful location)

11. Beaux Freres (co-owned by Robert Parker, fantastic Pinots, but very expensive)

12. Sineann (huge range of wines made, several were quite good)

For our one night in Portland, we stayed at the recently remodeled Westin, and we enjoyed a delicious meal at the Blue Hour.

Driving back down to California, we stopped in at Crater Lake, which really was quite beautiful and impressive.

Here is a final picture of our loot by the end of the trip!

I would definitely go back to Oregon if given the right opportunity. Good wine+food+weather! (My standard trifecta of criteria for a great trip).

Quebec City Wedding for the Dangremonds

Last weekend I took a somewhat quick trip to Canada (second time ever, first time in over 6 years and first time to Quebec) to witness the marriage of Erik Dangremond and Sarah Cantin-Langlois. Erik is a friend of mine from a previous Big 4 job, and we have stayed in touch over the years, either to enjoy a meal in a random city where we both happen to be traveling, or to exchange travel tips on places one or the other has visited. Erik and Sarah were also the kind hosts, albeit remotely, of my apartment-sitting for them in NY earlier this summer.

I flew in on Thursday evening (SFO-ORD-YQB) and arrived without trouble by taxi to my hostel in the Old Town. Quebec Old Town is much like small towns in Europe that have a healthy amount of tourism. Cobblestone pedestrian-only streets with shops, boutiques and restaurants connect the main squares that host sites such as the Hotel de Ville and the Chateau Frontenac. And best of all (for me), people speak French! There were a few moments over the course of the weekend where I just reverted to English even when ordering food -- either because I was just too hungry, tired or lazy. But for the most part, especially a drink or two in, I used the French that I could remember fairly liberally.

Rehearsal Dinner

But I digress....the reason the wedding was in Quebec is because Sarah is French-Canadienne (Quebecoise) and her entire family lives here. Erik is from Rhode Island, and they met in New York where they have both lived during their courtship the last three years. The wedding weekend started with everyone invited to the rehearsal dinner on Friday night at Panache in the Auberge Saint-Antoine Hotel. Earlier in the day, after working for several hours from the hostel, I explored the old town, familiarizing myself with all the wedding venues so I wouldn't be running down cobblestone alleys confused and stressed out later. When I located their church, the Notre-Dames-des-Victoires, I even spotted Sarah and Erik during their rehearsal and had a chance to say hello!

Once I was comfortable with the vielle ville, I enjoyed some sweet potato fries and a beer at one of the local pubs to tide me over until dinner later on. I got ready for the rehearsal dinner at the hostel, with full hair dryer, hair straightener, and makeup (not the usual hostel bathroom accoutrements) and found the venue with ease. This is a good time to mention that other than Sarah and Erik, I didn't know anyone at this wedding. For some, that would be a scary social proposition. For me, it's an opportunity to make new friends! I walked down the stairs to the bar, and whether by instinct or serendipity, the first person I spoke to was Erik's mother! She was kind enough to take the time to introduce me to Sarah's mother, a few relatives, and her Erik's sister, Kirsten, and then "the kids table" as I still refer to the contingent of high school and college friends. I was in, and I had a group to hang with the rest of the weekend.

The rehearsal dinner was just about 100 people; it was more like a pre-wedding celebration, as the wedding itself was only to be 120. It was open seating and buffet-style, and I actually ended up sitting next to Erik and Sarah that night. It was so great to spend some quality time with them and enjoy the family's speeches from their vantage point. The food, wine, company and speeches were all wonderful and really set the stage for the main event the next day.

Kim and I

But once the restaurant and bar closed down, the night wasn't over. A few of the "kids", myself included, decided to stay out, so we explored a few of the local pubs and bar hopped until closing time around 2am. It was a very fun night and a casual way to get to know some of the people from Erik's life.

I gratefully slept in on Saturday, so much so that I really only had time to wake up, get some "breakfast" (i.e. a crepe with bacon, egg and cheese) and then take a nap (hey, it's vacation) before starting to get ready for the 5:30pm ceremony. I arrived at the church and there was crowd of at least 100 tourists surrounding the square, waiting for the bride to show up. It's also worth noting that this particular church is the oldest Catholic parish in North America, so having a wedding here is pretty significant from a historical standpoint. We took a few photos outside and then made our way indoors, sad to miss Sarah's arrival on a horse-drawn carriage.

The ceremony was sweet and beautiful. As with the dinner the night before, most of the ceremony (and speeches, and prayers) were repeated in both English and French. Understanding both languages was a wonderful opportunity to experience everything twice and to appreciate the different expressions of both cultures.

After the ceremony, we all took the funicular up the hill to the site of the reception, Le Chateau Frontenac. It's now a Fairmont Hotel, which meant that there were plenty of venues for such a formal occasion to carry on with style. We had cocktails and appetizers in one of the salons, and then a formal 5 course dinner in an adjacent hall, where we continued with dancing until nearly 2am.

The food, wine (I may have had a say in the choices ;) and atmosphere were all so elegant, and it was a very fun party. I sat a table with many of Sarah's med student friends, all Quebecois, but all of whom have spent at least 3 months on a rotation in the US (and therefore spoke English). The reception was truly a celebration of Sarah and Erik's love and commitment to each other, with everyone there in admiration of their affection and sweetness for one another.

A few cute surprises: The Brooklyn Bridge has significant meaning in their relationship, both as part of their first date and where Erik proposed. Sarah has installed a deadbolt on the Brooklyn Bridge with both of their names to symbolize their union of persons, families, and countries. She gave Erik a picture of the actual deadbolt on the bridge during the reception and he was so surprised! She also had the pastry chef make a mini chocolate Brooklyn Bridge for their personal dessert. Very thoughtful!

A map of their first date across the Brooklyn Bridge

For Erik's part, he gave a very sweet speech that started out in French, but required him to switch to English when he either: a. got too emotional to continue, b. was actually at a loss for expression, or c. a combination of the two. :)

Despite the fact that I was retained in Quebec an extra day due to flight cancellations (not a big deal, just another night at the hostel and a less than productive Monday spent in transit), the entire weekend was perfect -- very enjoyable friends and family of the the bride and groom, an adorable European-style city and venue, and a nice escape from America for a weekend.

Congratulations Sarah and Erik! I am grateful to be a part of this momentous occasion and I look forward to spending more time with you in New York and when you visit me in San Francisco!

Grand Cayman Island Wedding

I just got back from 4 nights/5 days in the Cayman Islands for Sean and Claire Pennline's wedding. I know both Sean and Claire from a previous employer when they were based out of New York, and now they are both based in the Bay Area, although I haven't managed to see them too often with my travel schedule.

I had booked my ticket with miles, flying first class, although not all went to plan. I got rerouted on a few legs of coach on a different airline in order to make it there on Thursday, but the confusion of the different carriers and last minute changes meant that my bags did *not* make it there with me. I was a little stressed out for a bit, but fortunately, they were able to get them on yet another airline and down to the island on the last flight of the day, so I had my dress to wear to the wedding after all!

Cocktail reception on the roof of the hotel after the wedding

The wedding weekend events allowed the 50 of us attending to mingle with Claire and Sean's family, friends and coworkers in a beautiful setting. The welcome reception drinks, the wedding, and the cocktail reception afterward were all held at the Grand Cayman Beach Suites. Many of us were staying at nearby hotels, but with the small size of the island and interconnected beach fronts, it was pretty easy to just meet up with people every day for ultimate frisbee, floating around in the ocean, and of course sharing some adult beverages.

 Claire and I at welcome reception drinks

Erik, Mike and I at welcome drinks

Sean, me and Claire at the reception

 Justin, me and Erik at the wedding reception

 Jackie, me, Kevin and Mike back at the hotel bar after the reception

The night of the wedding was an epic party. We literally switched venues 5 times throughout the night to keep the party going, including crashing the hotel employee lounge on the hotel rooftop at 2am after the lightning storm turned to an actual downpour. There was singing of Irish songs, and drinks courtesy of Mike who purchased a bottle of vodka and charmed Sarah the bartender into giving us a bottle of cranberry juice as well. After a few nights in a row partying at the same hotel and hotel bar, we felt like we owned the place by the day that we left. We were on first name bases with the bar staff and they were all super friendly.

There was also a convenient bus service that went up and down West Bay Road, where all our hotels were. I use the word "bus" loosely. It was really a series of privately-owned, but licensed, passenger vans and I never had to wait for one for more than 5 minutes. They beep if they think you need a ride, you wave, you hop in and let them know when to let you off, all for $2. It was like a cheap taxi more than a bus, and it was a perfect way to get between venues in the hot and humid temperature.

During the day, the best activity was to switch back and forth between the beach, pool, and sand. A few sample photos of what I spent my weekend looking at:

Everything about the weekend was fun, and I had plenty of people to hang out with, even though I traveled there by myself. It was so nice to get away and have a refresher taste of what my sabbatical year was like. I didn't even check my work email for 4 straight days. More trips should be like this!