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January 20, 2016

Celebrating Penguin Awareness Day

The Penguin Experience begins at the visitor’s centre.

Today (and by this I mean the full 24 hour period known as January 20 in Australia and the United States) is Penguin Awareness Day. The timing of my trip was planned to coincide with the Tour Down Under in Adelaide. My stop in Melbourne was motivated in large part by the Penguin Parade experience on Phillip Island.

I was fortunate that my friend Sandy had some time off from work and enthusiastically purchased tickets ($24 AU for just penguins; $47.20 AU per adult for package that includes the Koala Experience and other activities on the island). Her sister Colleen and husband Pete own the San Remo Hotel and Bar, referred to as the pub. Her gracious sister provided us dinner at the pub and let us sleep over at her house. This was hugely helpful because the penguins do not waddle home until dusk and in summer (January) this is around 9:15 p.m. A delicious dinner in San Remo is also convenient if you are traveling on your own.

The Penguin Parade was very well organized and staffed. As a result, while we could not see the penguins up close when they landed on the beach, we could see them very up close as they waddled up the hill to their nests. We witnessed more than one penguin being mobbed by his/her young with them competing to receive regurgitated fish. Everything was designed to minimize disturbance to the Little Blue Penguins while still providing a terrific experience to about 500 people. They call them Fairy Penguins or Little Penguins in Australia, but they are the same delightful type of penguin I have observed in New Zealand.

If you are in Melbourne and you need someone to organize transportation and tickets, then I highly recommend Melbourne Coastal Tours. Especially if you cannot stay locally to Phillip Island–best to let someone else drive you back to the city at night.

There are no pictures allowed at the Penguin Parade because the flash would scare the penguins. So instead, check out this “burrow camera” from the Phillip Island Nature Parks. http://www.penguins.org.au/attractions/penguin-parade/penguin-burrow-camera/

January 19, 2016

Getting in Right Mindspace for Vacation

I am a fan of Air New Zealand so when I booked my flights to Melbourne and Adelaide Australia I choose them again. I flew Southwest to Los Angeles International Airport to save money and car parking hassle.Everything went smoothly. I was in the Tom Bradley International Terminal awaiting boarding and I finally started to get excited about my planned vacation.

Air New Zealand is known for its creative air safety videos. They often amuse and passengers actually watch the safety announcement. On this flight the new video. I was delighted to see their latest video featured many famous surfers and the overall impact was to put me in the right mood for this vacation.

I needed to transition to full frontal summer temperatures and to a more hang loose attitude. This video really gave me a push to chillax.

January 11, 2016January 6, 2016

Check out the Autodesk Gallery in San Francisco

Colleen O'Roarke, Julie Pieper Spezia, Lisa Goren at Autodesk Gallery — Fellow classmates Colleen and Lisa from my Leadership tribe enjoyed the Lego dinosaur as much as me.

I recently had the opportunity to participate in training on Human Centered Design at the Autodesk offices at One Market Street in San Francisco. On the concluding day of the training our hosts offered us a tour of the Autodesk Gallery. The gallery is a showcase for cool stuff created by users of their software.

Admission is FREE. This is a small miracle in an expensive city to visit. It is close to the Ferry Building if you are planning your itinerary.

2015-12-09 12.34.26 — Autodesk Gallery exhibit; Photo by Colleen O’Roarke

I loved many of the clever, creative exhibits and there is a FREE photo booth!

Basic Information:

Autodesk Gallery at One Market
One Market, Floor 2
San Francisco, CA 94105

Located near the San Francisco Ferry Building and one block from the Embarcadero Station for BART and Muni, the Autodesk Gallery is easily accessible by public transportation.
Directions

Hours: Monday, Wednesday & Friday
10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Free guided tour on Wednesdays at 12:30 p.m.

January 7, 2016January 5, 2016

24 hours in Los Angeles

Lots of people fly into Los Angeles on their way to somewhere else and perhaps they find they have 12 or 24 hours of time to explore. There is the obvious mouse kingdom, but there is so much more to do and see. Recently my daughter Sarah Harriet and I flew into LAX via Southwest Airlines to spend slightly more than 24 hours in Los Angeles.

Witness the evolution of an architectural boundary jumper. — Frank Gehry special exhibit at LACMA is open until March 20, 2016

We went specifically to see a taping of the Rob Bell presentation of Everything is Spiritual. Plus we had tickets the next day to view the Frank Gehry special exhibit at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).

Amazing collection of architectural renderings and models. — Frank Gehry’s retrospective illustrates the importance of perseverance and staying true to your vision.

We filled in the blanks with great food and shopping.

We arrived in the late afternoon on a Thursday. After a wild shuttle bus ride, we rented a car from Payless Car Rental. It was fast and easy. I commented on this and the clerk said, “You are just renting the car not buying.” Someone should tell all the other rental companies who still give me a 2 pound agreement in triplicate.

We drove to our Doubletree Hotel in Santa Monica and dropped our bags. We left right away for dinner after a quick search on Yelp. The traffic to Lares was stop and go and parking was a challenge. It was worth the effort. I enjoyed my enchiladas–one with mole and one with red sauce. Sarah and I enjoyed a great conversation and while we were waiting for our check an un-mariachi band played. It was quite lovely.

IMG_7728 (1) — Yummy Mexican food with good service in Lares restaurant in Santa Monica.

The Rob Bell performance was very thought provoking. Read more about it on http:leaderscompass.org. We had fun.

The next day after breakfast and yarn shopping, we enjoyed the easy parking at LACMA. We bought our tickets to the Frank Gehry exhibit in advance. Our admission also gave us access to most other parts of the vast museum complex. We had time to view one more special exhibit: New Objectivity: Modern German Art in the Weimar Republic, 1919-1933. As soon as I walked into the gallery I knew my friend Jim Adan would love the show catalog. Every decadent piece was something he would love. (I was right. He is thrilled with the catalog.) Go see it before it closes on January 18. (LACMA tickets: $25 per adult for Gehry exhibit/museum admission; $12 for parking)

By this time we were going to be cutting it close to get back to LAX vicinity and return our car, and so on. It was worth the little bit of stress. We had such a memorable time.

January 4, 2016

Eternal Yosemite

One of my favorite places on all the earth is Yosemite National Park. Lots of other people say the same thing. Hence every year someone writes the following headline: The People’s Playground: Will Yosemite’s popularity be its undoing? (Sunset, January 2016)

I understand if you visit Yosemite in the height of the summer season when hoards of tourists are bussed in and the line at the entrance is over an hour long, you might wonder: is this wilderness?

And then you drive through the tunnel from Fresno and gasp.

Gigi Johnson photographer, January 2016 — Photo from vista point near tunnels. Gigi Johnson, January 2016

Yes, Yosemite suffers fools. And yet, Yosemite cannot be undone. Thank you God.

December 29, 2015January 8, 2016

Dining Ambiance Up the Wazoo

20151229_181126 My Auntie J and Cousin April met me and Lulu at the Doubletree Sonoma County in Rohnert Park. I was craving chowder so we went to a place in Cotati near Oliver’s Market. Alas, it is now a falafel place. I was not feeling like middle eastern food, so we decided to try the new Jaded Toad in the same shopping center. (So new that it is not in TripAdvisor yet.)

Most of the seating is outside near heaters or around fireplaces. There is a bar focal point. It was 50 degrees so we were not sure if we could last eating outside. The fire added enough warmth and so we shared a firepit with another group.

Protein platter at the Jaded Toad — Protein platter by firelight. It is like camping out without having to sleep in a tent or sleeping bag.

The food is pub food, with local beers and an attractive wine list. My half chicken was delicious and moist with a choice of cajun or Memphis barbeque. (Memphis of course.) My Aunt ordered the protein platter and April enjoyed the drumsticks and a green salad.

The food was yummy and the company was terrific. The service was a little slow, and we did not notice so much because we were busy talking.

It was a memorable evening and it would have been epic if it was just a little warmer outside. There are a couple of indoor tables without nearly any fun ambiance.

Lulu stayed in the car but dogs are welcome outside.

December 27, 2015

Leadership Lessons from Chef’s Table

You can follow the links to make reservations at the featured restaurants, or to order Mallman’s cookbooks.

leader's compass

Chef's Table

The original Netflix series Chef’s Table is six delectable leadership lessons. It starts with a profile of Mossimo Bottura, a three Michelin star chef in Modena, Italy. He is so full of life and creative energy. He is also generous and orientates his life around his family. His family includes his restaurant employees. As he shares, “If you live an incredible moment of happiness, the happiness is much more deep and big if you share with others. And you get to the point together—the happiness, the feeling is exploding. It’s doubled.”

As a chef, Bottura transcends mere cookery and creates art. He also demonstrates how an artist’s best work often emerges from mistakes. One day he and his sous chef broke one of the two remaining lemon tarts on the counter and in that moment he began his postmodern departure from traditional Italian presentation. He created “Oops I Dropped the…

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December 24, 2015December 21, 2015

3 Reasons for Girls Weekend in Sonoma

Recently I spent 2 days with girlfriends in Sonoma, California. We had a great time.

We got to eat everything he prepared! — Chef Pierre explaining how to prepare filet mignon. He shops at Costco!

We took a cooking class at Ramekins. This class was not “hands on” except when putting food and wine in our mouths. We sat classroom style and watched Chef Pierre make amazing French holiday food. We left with recipes and very full tummies. Excellent.
Readers Books is a wonderful local independent bookstore.
We made a dent in our Christmas shopping lists! We shopped in Sonoma where there are lots of great shops (and places to stop for tired feet). On the way home we stopped at Yountville and were surprised that the shopping was anemic compared to Sonoma.
We ate fabulous food at Osos, and the El Dorado Kitchen. We also recommend the Girl and the Fig if you get reservations in advance. So much good food! On the way home we stopped at the Oakville Grocery to get a few treats for loved ones at home.

We stayed at the Inn at Sonoma, a Four Sisters Inn. It was very comfortable and more affordable than many other places on Booking.com. The Inn’s location is excellent–walkable to the Plaza, and to MacArthur’s Spa.

December 21, 2015December 19, 2015

Yum, Yum: Huckleberry Cafe

Huckleberry Cafe on Wilshire Boulevard — 1014 Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA

I love traveling with my children. Sarah Harriet and I just got back from a 28 hour trip to Los Angeles. We got tickets to see Rob Bell perform Everything is Spiritual; he was taping it in Santa Monica. (The movie will be available in a few months.) So off we went on our adventure.

Coffee and breakfast egg sandwiches. — Sarah Harriet taking a sip of really good coffee at Huckleberry Cafe.

I keep a file on Los Angeles because it is an epicenter for terrific food. On I’ll Have What Phil’s Having (pbs.org) he spotlighted Huckleberry Cafe on his Los Angeles episode. I wrote Huckleberry, Santa Monica on a National Geographic Traveler article from November 2015. We took our time getting up on Friday morning and arrived at Huckleberry about 9:45 a.m.

20151218_095750 There was no line when we arrived and a friendly staff person greeted us and helped us figure out where to order. The menu is on a big chalkboard and at first we thought it was too hipster for us. We both landed on the breakfast egg sandwich. I also ordered a maple bacon biscuit.

The plentiful staff works together really well to the benefit of the customer–the mood is light and bubbly.

20151218_095745 We sat down with two delicioso cups of coffee–mine decaf, Sarah’s regular. The biscuit arrived first and I dove in. Yum. The bacon enhanced the experience without overwhelming. The maple frosting was just enough to make it sweet, not too sweet.

The real awesomeness was yet to come. As Sarah said after taking her first bite of the breakfast egg sandwich: “This is the best breakfast sandwich I’ve ever eaten.” Super good toasted bread with over easy eggs, gruyere cheese, aioli and arugula. It was a perfect accompaniment to great conversation.

20151218_100316 — Best Breakfast Egg Sandwich Ever!

We watched the line expand and contract as a regular stream of diners came in, were served, dined and left. (We figured out there is parking behind the building as people came into the back entrance.)

We were reluctant to leave. The chalkboard menu featured Mary’s Fried Chicken–a reason to return soon for lunch.

20151218_105542

December 19, 2015December 21, 2015

Swatch: Knit Culture Studio Closing

I bought my next project (after Christmas gifts): a sweater for Sarah Harriet.

I love checking out new yarn shops when I travel. The last time I was in Santa Monica I checked out Knit Culture Studio and enjoyed the selection of yarn. I bought a kit for a monkey toy and an issue of PomPom.

20150829_152256 The owners of this shop on 3rd Street in the Fairfax District also operate a website that offers knit kits called Kitterly.com. They are closing the Studio to focus on the website. There are some good deals available. Go today.