2009 Sep 23 - San Francisco Trip

2009 Sep 23 - San Francisco Trip

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Today I head for San Francisco on the Amtrak. My main purpose is to see the Planetarium show at the Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. A secondary reason is to buy tickets for the October 14, 2009 Matinee of South Pacific playing at the Golden Gate Theater for three of the Lunch Bunch.

I make a quick stop to pick up breakfast on my drive to the Stockton Amtrak station.
My Sausage McMuffin and Senior soda on a bench at the Amtrak Station

The old Santa Fe RR Train Station is now the Amtrak Station

Mount Diablo from the train

The Warehouse Café in Port Costa, CA

Richmond, CA is where the Amtrak and BART converge and are right next to each other

Working on the new Bay Bridge


The Ferry Building and a couple of Cruise Ships are in Port at San Francisco

I get into San Francisco around 11:15 AM and the Golden Gate Theater Ticket Office does not open until Noon. So I wander the "Streets of San Francisco" for a while,
The Samuels Clock on Market Street


Home of the Maltese Falcon

Glide Memorial Church

In 1922, when the Golden Gate Theatre first opened, its president Martin Beck stated, "The Golden Gate is a good theatre. It will stand where it is for a long time. It is built of the best materials and it will be conducted to please the people who patronize it." On March 22, 1922, the Golden Gate Theater opened with much fanfare, including lines that wrapped around the block. Protocol necessitated that gentlemen wear top hats and that ladies be dressed in formal gowns when attending the Golden Gate. The grand opening was a highlight on the social calendar in San Francisco.

I bought the tickets and made the mistake of taking the #71 Bus to Irving and Ninth. I should have walked the extra block to catch the "N" Car. The bus was crowded and slow and I had to stand almost the entire distance.

My lunch stop was to try out a restaurant just outside the Park called Pacific Catch. There are also two other Pacific Catch restaurants one in the Marina and the other in Corte Madera, CA .
Pacific Catch Restaurant

Interesting free munchies - shelled edamame and senbei

I ordered the Three Piece Fish and Chips. It was delicious.

Then right outside the door to the restaurant is the bus stop to catch the #44 bus to the Academy of Sciences.
California Academy of Sciences



After viewing just a little bit of the exhibits and watching the Planetarium Show I head across the Music Concourse to catch the bus back to downtown.
A hot dog vendor in the Music Concourse

This time I transfer to the "N" train and arrive at the Powell Street Station and go up stairs. I buy my dinner sandwich. Then I wait to catch the Amtrak bus to Emeryville.
My turkey sandwich which is my dinner on the train ride home

A Crockett landmark the C and H sugar plant

This is for Gobo and Sandra. I actually paid for two bus rides this time instead of using an expired transfer. :-)

~end

2009 Sep 4 - Apple Ridge Farms (Apple Hill)

2009 Sep 4 - Apple Ridge Farms (Apple Hill) - Camino, CA 95709

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Today is the Grand Opening of the Apple Ridge Farms. In previous years it was Plubell's Family Orchard. The owners and operators of Kandi's Pies and Pastries have purchased the property and will be operating it during the Apple Hill season.


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The address is 1800 Larsen Drive, Camino, CA 95709. The stop sign is on Larsen Drive at Cable Road.

This photo was taken from the middle of Cable Road looking back at Larsen Drive

This is from just inside the entrance. The Gift Shop is off to the right and the Bakery and BBQ House are hidden behind the port-a-potties on the left.

Steve was blocking the entrance way talking to someone in a car. He volunteered to show us the way to the Handicap Parking spaces. Here Steve is talking to his daughter's boy friend.
Mom getting out of the car

We take a short cut through the tables designated for use for customers of the BBQ House straight to the Pie Shop.



Kandi sees mom and gives her a great big hug. Then she gets mom a bottle of water.
Kandi asking mom if she wants something to drink

Pie Shop Menu

You can see right into the bake shop

BBQ House Menu

We decide to have the tri-tip sandwich for lunch before buying a pie and other items.
Before putting on some BBQ sauce

Mom trying to get her mouth around the sandwich

A close up of the tables reserved for the BBQ and Pie Shop customers

Further down the road closer to the entrance is their Gift Shop.

Daughter appears to be in charge of the Gift Shop


A bit further away from Larsen Drive is a Petting Zoo.

The side of the Gift Shop and the Face Painting booth. This photo was taken from near the BBQ House.



In addition there are picnic tables set up on the grass for you to use if you brought your own food. It is next to the parking lot.
Picnic tables shot from the parking lot looking back toward Larsen Drive

So after lunch and buying the pie, turn overs, scones and donuts we head back home.

Since my sister does not like apple pie we buy a peach pie. I take my 1/3 home along with 4 donuts. Mom kept all of the apple turnovers and apple scones that she bought.
I kind of messed up the pie taking my portion

Apple donut and apple cinnamon donut

The fruit pies are wonderful. You can taste the fruit. Not overly sweet, yet not tart.
The crust is substantial versus flaky. Kind of cobbler like but not nearly as thick.

If you are passing anywhere near Camino I would suggest that you take a short respite and have a piece of pie and coffee at Apple Ridge Farms.

~end for now
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2009 Aug 23 - Las at Market Club

2009 Aug 23 - Las at Market Club (Sacramento, CA)

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Las was getting bored in Carson City. She had sold her motorcycle. So she set up this breakfast at the Market Club. She had somehow missed all of our previous trips to the Market Club.


Stan, Yvonne (Mrs Pdub) and Phil

Phil, Pdub and Yvonne with Pdub's wee-strom and my Moto Guzzi Nevada

Las walks over from her pick um up truck

It has been a while since Las has shown up on this side of the mountains


We wander in to the restaurant and get seated. As the others are deciding what to order, I take a few food photos of other tables. :-)

The Hamburger Royale over rice

Homemade corn beef hash and eggs over rice

Now this is the Market Club, but Las, Pdub, Yvonne and Stan do not order Market Club fare.
Las has the link sausage and eggs. Pdub has bacon and eggs. Yvonne has steak and eggs. And Stan has a short stack and scrambled eggs. At least Phil has an omelet with fried rice (a dollar extra). You can only get fried rice on Sundays.
Las holding her links

Yvonne sent her steak back since it was over cooked. The second steak was medium-rare, as ordered, and very tasty.

Now I have one of the Sunday Specials, the fried rice with one egg over easy. I have already smashed the egg into the rice. :-)

So anyway I have to go to a neighboring table to get photos.
Now this is the Market Club. Fried wienies and eggs over rice.

And the wife has the fried baloney and eggs over rice. Both with raisin bread toast (extra charge)

We split up after breakfast and head our separate ways.

~End

2009 Aug 15 - Shorter's BBQ (Tracy, CA)

2009 Aug 15 - Shorter's BBQ (Tracy, CA)

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Mom wanted to go to the Tracy Farmer's Market. Her first stop is always Kandi's Pies and Pastries. My sister had given mom a list of baked goods to buy. And mom buys cookies for half the neighborhood. The owners of Kandi's have bought a ranch up on Apple Hill in El Dorado County, so have only one more Saturday at the Tracy Farmer's Market. They will open their Apple Hill ranch on Sep 4th. Apple Ridge Farms Web Site The Apple Hill location is in ADDITION to their bakery in Tracy. So they will be open in Tracy for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter as usual.

But mom also bought some fresh berries and vegetables. I bought an egg plant and two boxes of blueberries.

Anyway, we had been going to Perko's Coffee Shop or the Golden Corral Buffet after the Farmer's Market. But today I decide to try the BBQ joint only a block and a half away. Miles childhood buddy, Bobby had told him about this place. So even though it was only 10:30 AM it was so close that I chose to drive by it. There normal opening time is 11:00 AM, but since the start of the Farmer's Market he has been opening a lot earlier. He seems to do a lot of take-out business.

Anyway Dave Shorter co-owner with his wife Doñelle was there and said that almost everything was ready to go. So mom and I took a seat. The ordering system is that you go to the counter and order and pay. When your order is ready it is brought out to your table. Beside BBQ they serve other Southern stuff, today's Special was smothered short ribs with mac and cheese and black eyed peas. I almost ordered that, but I wanted to try their ribs. The chief cook is Dave's mother Frances Shorter. She kept on the move and I never did get a picture of her.

The front of the store

The menu on the wall

The catering and party menu

Coca Cola knick knacks and trophies

The printed menu


Mom decides on the Kid's BBQ Rib Meal with coleslaw for the side. I order the Rib dinner with coleslaw and black eyed peas for my two sides.
Here's Dave

Dave brings out the food and has added an extra rib to mom's Kid's meal.
Mom's lunch

My dinner

The ribs are very tender and tasty. We both got the regular sauce and I think that I will try the hot sauce next time. The regular is tasty but I can stand a little bit of heat. I liked the sides and the reason that I could have black eyed peas is because a batch was made as a side for today's Daily Special.
Kid's meals come with the Capri Sun drink

Mom went through a ton of napkins eating her ribs. Next time she needs to get the sauce on the side

Dave took this photo of me eating my dinner

I will go back on one of my motorcycles and try other dishes for lunch during the week. They are closed on Sundays and Mondays and open at 11:00 AM and close at 8:00 PM except on Friday when they close at 9:00 PM.

Shorter's Rib Pit and Catering web site

Reviews of Shorter's on Yelp

The following map will be my motorcycle route from home to Shorter's:


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No room for dessert. Besides I had bought a little 4 inch diameter pie for later at the Farmer's Market. So here is a photo of my dessert.


~End
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