It’s been a fun week in the Bay Area, which included some great meals and visits with lots of folks I hadn’t seen in a while.
Laura & Alex and I had a great night of eating & bowling in Palo Alto on Monday, and I had one of the best games of my life:
I honestly can’t remember if I’ve ever done better, but if so, it wasn’t by much. I don’t think I’ve ever broken 200.
It was great to see Rif and Anna, along with a bunch of our ex-Boston peeps who live on the West Coast – we all had dinner at Universal Cafe on Tuesday. The food was excellent, if a tiny bit overpriced, and mostly the service was good. I say mostly ’cause they added a 20% gratuity to our bill without asking – rather presumptuous, I’d say.
I also got to visit with an old coworker, who took me to the fantastic Ramen House Ryowa in Mountain View. I was skeptical (ramen? I can get that for thirty-five cents at the grocery store!), but became a convert immediately – it was hearty and very tasty.
I went with another friend to one of the newer bars in the Mission – The Monk’s Kettle. I’d say it’s a more upscale, more expensive and less quiet version of Seattle’s Stumbling Monk, one of my favorite Capitol Hill hangouts.
All in all, a great trip (plus I learned a lot at my work-related training).
In other news, it turns out I won Bunnie’s Name That Ware December 2007 contest! I’ve been excited to play with a Chumby for a while, so it’s a real treat not to have to pay for the privilege. Thanks Bunnie!