Visit to Santa Cruz

9,360 km

A short post for a short stay in Santa Cruz, California. After a great few days in San Francisco, it was off to the small coastal city for some partying and polo time! It was a pain getting there as all BART(SF's Metro system) employees were on strike, but at least the connections I had to make I could wait in the sun and enjoy the sights in Oakland, CA. Here are a few pictures of my wander to and through Oakland.
    

After a full day of commuting I arrived at Brandon's house just in time to catch the last number of rounds of the World Hardcourt Bike Polo Championships from Ft. Lauderdale, FL. We live streamed the tournament I the big screen and drank beers and had laughs. 

The next day my Aussie friends Niki and Lachie accompanied me on a bike ride down to the famous Santa Cruz Boardwalk. It was a weird carnival type place and fronted onto a nice beach. While we were there they convinced me to ride the Giant Dipper, America's 4th oldest roller coaster, which was so much fun and I regret nothing! 

    
We proceeded to play polo in the afternoon and then had some beers that night. In the morning it was off to SoCal, Irvine! 

Thanks Santa Cruz for the hospitality!

W

FYI: Sacramento and San Francisco

Hello travelers and those here out of interest. A few weeks ago I began to make my way around Northern California and visited some great breweries, tap houses, and coffee shops that I would like to recommend in San Fran and Sacramento.

Beer-y Stuff

 

Russian River Brewing Company, Santa Rosa, CA

$$$

Probably one of the most sought-after beers in America is brewed right in the quaint city of Santa Rosa, CA. Pliny The Elder double IPA is the breweries flagship beer, and rightly so, it is such a great balance of piny, and grapefruit aroma, the color is a golden orange, and there is a lot of hops but it does not sacrifice any of the other flavors. 

As well at the brewpub I tried a sample platter of their line of sour and Belgian strongs. They wer all amazing and the price point was perfect. Although I did not try the food It loks good and was moderately priced.

To Try: Pliny the Elder 2IPA, Damnation, Consecration, Perdition, and the Framboise for a Cure wild raspberry ale

Pour House, Sacramento, CA

$$$$

This place had the idea, an idea to be a craft beer tap house with a good rotating tap selection. It falls a bit short for me as it was a little to expensive for the small pours that you get. As well the selection was marred by a host of the big brewers brands(Of course I am speaking of SAB Miller, and AB InBev). I would recommend reaching out to more local craft brewers in California, Oregon and Colorado, rather than bringing in stuff from brewers on the East coast(In turn lowering prices)
  

Though they fell short on the beer for me the food looks fantastic. The new lunch menu looks like it is where it is at in Sacramento. 

 

LowBrau Bierhall, Sacramento, CA

$$

If you like beer, and you like brautwurst... GO HERE. I was not sure which section of this post to put this under, but these folks in the Midtown area have got it down. Comfortable atmosphere, great sausages(wurst, polish, chicken, boar, and 3 different vegan options), and a great selection of local craft and German beer. The toppings are great and yo have your choice of toppings on most sausages. 

The service was a bit slow and the server seemed more interested in the bartender than our orders... but I cannot complain as I came and got what I wanted, great food and great beer.

To Try: Polish Sausage, Dirty Duck Fries, the Bier Cheese sauce(Topping), North Coast brewing Old Rasputin Imperial Stout, Ballast Point Sculpin IPA, Unibroue Trois Pistoles(Bottle), Tripel Karmeliet(Bottle), Green Flash IPA(Bottle)

 

Track 7 Brewing Co., Sacramento, CA

$$

I was not expecting much of this, kinda went with low expectations... not for any reason really. But when I arrived I found that this brewing operation is out of a warehouse and is a really nice open air brewery. Friendly staff work the bar and in the brewery and they serve great beer! One of my favorite stops in California thus far.
 

No food on site, BUT they do have a food truck or two that rolls up out side the brewery. Not sure what the food was though.

To Try: Panic IPA, Fresh Hop Hoppy Palm Citra Pale Ale.

Mikkeller Bar, San Francisco, CA

$$$

I had been recommended this a while back to go and try some great beers. This place is a snazzy, high end tap house with 42 taps and a specialized bottle selection. These guys know beer and bring in only the right stuff. I hear  the food is really great as well.

Warning, this place does get busy for the after work/dinner rush, so be prepared for that... bit of a testament to how great this place is. 

To Try: Any of the Mikkeller Beers, Mikkeller Big Worster Chardonnay Barrel Aged Barley Wine, anything by Dieu De Ciel, Ballast Point, and North Coast Brewing. 

 

Toronado Pub, San Francisco, CA

$$

This was yet another highly recommended place by a friend in Vancouver, BC. Toronado Pub is located in the heart of Lower Haight, and is a quaint little joint. The bar staff is surly, but the beer is right, and the patrons are nice from what I experienced(Dont be a table hog... offer up empty seats).
  

They bar boasts about 45 taps with craft and european beers available. For food, next door is a great sausage shop that has a mean burger as well, and the staff at Toronado don't mind you bringing outside food in... so I have been told. If Sausages aren't your thing See Memphis Minnie's BBQ or Wonderland Restaurant below.

To Try: Pliny The Elder(Russian River Brewing), XX Bitter(De Ranke), Anything by Unibroue, Dogfishhead, or Lagunitas.

Coffee-y Stuff

 

Old Soul At The Weather Stone, Sacramento, CA

$$$

Really great atmosphere and they make a great cappuccino. As far as I was told some of the best coffee is roasted and brewed in Sacramento and this is one of the places that earns that reputation. They have great coffee, awesome food and about four draught taps.
 

The interior is like sitting in a warm library, and the exterior features seating on the sidewalk and in the courtyard adjecent to the coffee shop. I spent a lot of time here comfortably. I could live there.

Insight Coffee Roasters, Sacramento, CA

$$$

Insight has a passion for quality that goes into every step of the coffee process, from sourcing, roasting, and brewing. I was recommended this shop by my host and went and got a cup and I must say, it was probably the best coffee I have ever had. 

If you are a fan of a good cuppa, I guarantee you will not be disappointed. 

 

Blue Bottle Coffee, San Francisco, CA

$$$

Located in a variety of locations around the bay area and New York City, Blue Bottle Coffee has been touted as some of the best coffee in the world. Along with Insight Roasters are obsessive about sourcing the right coffee. This was about the best brew I have ever tried.
 

 

Cafe Du Soleil, San Francisco, CA

$$

This little place is great for a cup of morning joe, a cappuccino, or one or more of the great pastries they have. This is also a cafe bar with about 4 taps, and also has outdoor seating. The Service I received was awesome as well!

 

 

Food-y Stuff

 

Cafe Dantorels, Sacramento, CA

$

If you are in the area and need a heart breakfast check this place out. Great sweet and savory crepes, french toast, and eggs benny's.

 

Memphis Minnie's Barbecue Joint and Smokehouse, San Francisco, CA

$$

Well I woke up every morning in the room next door and one floor up from Minnie's, I had o eat there cause it smelled so good! Really great barbecue joint, authentic, and fast tasty food.

To Try: The Memphis sweet smoked pork sandwich with mac and cheese.

 

Wonderland Restaurant, San Francisco, CA

$

Supposedly they have the best General Tao's chicken in SF, I didn't doubt it after I tried it. It was the best I have ever had, that's for sure. 

To Try: Meatless Szechuan Chicken, Avacado Rolls, General Tao's Chicken.

Golden Boy Pizza, San Francisco, CA

$

Located in Little Italy. They have great by the slice pizza, and a good tap selection. They were filled with locals every time I stopped in which means they are doing something right. 

To Try: A corner slice of the Sausage Combo, and a Deschutes Chainbreaker White IPA.

 

  

Bike-y Stuff

 

Treat Street Bicycle Works, San Francisco, CA

 

These guys are experienced with everything to do with bikes and I would trust them to do all my bike work. If your in town and need a bike, or a tune, or just some parts, hit this cool little bike shop up!

 

The Bicycle Business, Sacramento, CA

 

Another one of my favorite bike shops, with knowledgeable and friendly staff, the best parts and sweet bikes. It is also worthy of noting that they have a good section of touring paniers, handle bar bags, saddle bags, and saddles... Hit them up if your touring through. 

Never Enough Time in San Francisco

9,230 km

My first dabbling in the golden gate city came a few days into my time staying in Sacramento. My polo buddy and hosts Mike, Joe, and I road tripped down for some sight seeing bike rides, really good coffee, and bike polo. 

We spent the bulk of the afternoon biking along the Embarcadero which is a great bike and walking path all along the waterfront from pier to pier. We biked from pier 40 to Fishermans Wharf and along the way we stopped to take some pictures and grab a Blue Bottle coffee in the Ferry Terminal Building. 

Later that day we toured up to Little Italy and Chinatown before a great night of polo at the courts in the Mission District. 

 
My next visit was a few days later when Mike, Marc, and I road tripped down to play polo. This time we started at Fishermans Wharf and biked along the waterfront to Golden Gate Bridge and biked across and got some really spectacular views. It was a spectacular day with not a clue in the sky. Later we grabbed pizza and beers and made our way to the Mission District to play some polo! 

 

Here are a few sets from and around the bridge!

 
This time I decided to stay behind in San Francisco at a fellow polo players place. The next day I biked around the city taking pictures, taking a few pictures, grabbing a few beers here and there and some great barbecue at Memphis Mini's. 

 
All in all San Francisco is a city I will love to visit again when I have more time, unfortunately finding a place to stay can be tough when you rely on Couchsurfing.org or other peoples places to crash at. 
             
Here is a set of mostly architectural pictures from around San Francisco.

Sacramento, California

After a great 4 days in the outdoors in Northern California it was back to the city life in the capitol, Sacramento. The vibe that I got right away was like being back home in Ottawa, it was a seemingly sleepy and quiet government town. This city was not without a certain nostalgic charm, grand beauty, and lots of great new friends. 

9,090 km

One of the first things I noticed when I rolled into town was that it had a lot of bike lanes. It was a great city to have a bike as my form of transport as the entire downtown has an extensive bike network which helped me see a lot of the city. My new friend Mike and I spent a few days biking around, grabbing some eats, and checking out the gems that Sac has to offer. A few of our stops included interesting neighborhoods, Old Sacramento, a great coffee shop, the State Capitol Plaza, and the birth place of Capitol Bike Polo "The Ruff House". 

       

The "Ruff House"
     

 
The State Capitol plaza was really cool and planned out with a large avenue lined with government buildings that lines up perfectly with the triumphant golden "Tower Bridge". The plaza grounds themselves contain approximately 1140 trees in the park (not including shrubs) representing over 200 types of trees. Mike and I stopped to try and knock down some fresh oranges out of one of the trees, but they were all a little past ripe. The plaza is also the home Apollo 14 Moon Tree, planted as a sapling in 1976 that was grown from a seed (among hundreds) carried by command module pilot Stuart Roosa during the 1971 mission.

 

Old Sacramento was really cool, and wonderfully preserved waterfront town and the architecture is primarily of Spanish style buildings similar to that of Havana, or San Juan. On the river in Old Sac is where the Delta King Steam Boat is docked. It was cool seeing a steam boat for the first time in person, although now it operates as a hotel. Old Sac is also a great place to walk down the river to the Tower bridge to get a close up of this awesome feat of engineering.

The rest of my time in Sac was filled with cappuccinos, beers at Track 7, and even a day trip to San Francisco. My friend Joe and his family were kind enough to put me up during the time I was in town and it was priceless as always to have the local knowledge to hook me up with all the best spots in town. It was also so great to have friends in Mike, Christine, and Capitol bike polo to show me around and a great time at the polo courts! It was a great and relaxing time in Sacramento, and can't wait to visit again in the future!

Be sure to check out my FYI: Sacramento & Northern California blog post coming up soon!