The Best North Beach Food Tour in San Francisco

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Welcome to beautiful San Francisco! Let’s spend the afternoon eating our way around the city’s historic North Beach district, better known as Little Italy. We’ll try all the delicious cheesy and tomato-y recipes our Italian-American friends are famous for, plus some cold, refreshing surprises in this four-course adventure. Booking this food tour was no happenstance.…

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High-Flying Lion Dancers in SF Chinatown

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Here’s the routine: Park in the affordable garage below the public park in Chinatown. Walk through Chinatown and grab a boba drink from Lady Luck Cafe or a moon cake from Eastern Bakery. Walk through the North Beach Little Italy area and hike the steep hill to Coit Tower. Pause to catch our breath and…

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Return to Fine Dining at Erna’s Elderberry House

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In a few short months, our friends José and Roya will be first-time parents! This sweet couple has been our rock through the pandemic with every Zoom happy hour and game night around our tiny dining table. When Roya announced her pregnancy, we shouted “road trip!” and promised to take them on one last fancy…

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Mochi and Malasadas – Exotic Sweets on the Big Island

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Everyone knows my favorite part of any meal is dessert. When we visited Hawaii’s Big Island earlier this summer, I made it my scientific duty to test every sweet delicacy across the archipelago to bring you this definitive list of the best treats. Thanks to the island’s large East Asian and South Asian populations, it…

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Pizza and Poke – Savory Eats on the Big Island

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Hawaii’s Big Island has so many unique flavors to offer thanks to its large East Asian and South Asian populations. As much as Brandon and I enjoy authentic Hawaiian food, like Kalua pork and macaroni salad (but not poi, sorry), we had no intention of eating it for three meals a day when we visited…

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5 Farm Tours Across Hawaii’s Big Island + Bonus Activities!

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The goal: to enter back into society with a bang; a clear line of demarcation where sweatpants ended and sun dresses began. After getting our second vaccine shots, it felt important to do something crazy to mark the end of the COVID-19 era instead of quietly easing back into society as if 2020 never happened.…

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Exploring the Danish Village of Solvang

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Whenever we road trip to Santa Barbara for a long weekend, it’s customary for us to stop at Solvang along the way – “A little slice of Denmark in Southern California”. This historic Danish village tucked into the Santa Ynez Valley hills 45 minutes north of our destination provides more than just a much-needed pit…

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Dazzling Flavors in the “American Rivera”

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Pit stop! The first leg of our road trip to sunny Santa Barbara began with saucy ribs and blue cheese tri tip salad from Salinas City Barbeque. Hands down, the most gorgeous combination of meat and seasonal veggies that we’ve ever seen. Pro tip: Never start a long journey on an empty stomach. Ok, back…

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Hawaiian Vibes at Hula’s Island Grill

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I was hangry; you know the feeling. After mysteriously waiting half an hour to receive our appetizer from a popular ocean-view restaurant, though we were one of only three tables expecting service during the quiet between-meals hour of 3pm, Brandon and I decided to cut our losses and find another place to eat. Clearly this…

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Peacocks and Pit Stops at Casa De Fruta

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Anyone roadtripping from the south valley along Pacheco Pass toward I-5 has stopped at Casa de Fruta, the farm stand-turned oasis hidden among the rolling California hills. Home to waving palm trees and colorful blue peacocks, Casa de Fruta was founded back in the early 1900s by a family of orchard farmers who evolved the…

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Barbareño – Flavor Stories of Santa Barbara

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When the mild California winter finally breaks around Easter, and the sun warms our faces on afternoon walks, we emerge from our cooped up tiny house existence for a celebratory stay-cation in Santa Barbara. It’s not summer yet; not time for long holidays in exotic places far away from home. No, we venture just a few hours…

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Cruising the Mexican Riviera Aboard Norwegian

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Surfing through cruise deals online one day in March, we stumbled across an amazing early bird offer from Norwegian Cruise Line – four tickets for the price of two, for a week-long Christmas cruise to the Mexican Riviera, making port in Mazatlán, Cabo San Lucas, and Puerto Vallarta. What a steal! And completely worth the…

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