people – toastedbunz

Fav Things in the Bay

March 31, 2017March 31, 2017 by toastedbunz, posted in beer, coffee, east bay, Events, exercise, Hikes, hobby, information, people, Restaurant, restaurants, travel

This past weekend I had a couple friends visit, last minute, in the middle of the week… which can be the best kind of visits… the best places are way less crowded on a Thursday!

The weather had been rainy all week but we were lucky to have sunny skies over us on the day they were visiting.

First Stop… Beauty’s Bagels! Yes, it is a bit hipstery ( whatever that means…) but it isgenuinelyy delicious and one of my favorite places in Oakland for breakfreast.

I always take people here who are visiting and they always love it. I love the Veggie bagel but this particular day I tried the fried chicken and let me tell you… it was some of the best friend chicken I have ever had.

After fueling up, we headed to Tenessee Valley for a hike! This is a leisure hike that you can make more challenging or longer as you see fit for you and your group.

Always layer! FullSizeRender 756FF0A7-DC46-484F-A84C-7CD04E432AE9

Next stop! One of my ALL TIME fav mexican restaurants I have ever been to, The Sausalito Taco Shop. The crema, the micheladas, the seafood… yes PLEASE!

After lunch, it was time for some beer! We headed back across the Richmond Bridge for one of my fav breweries ( are you sensing a theme? Of course I would take my friends to do my favorite things! ), Fieldwork in Berkeley.

I am NEVER disappointed here and I always take home a crowler, growler or apparel! … I just love it!

Next stop, Rare Barrel… If you LOVE Sours…where have you been??? Get to The Rare Barrel. The server asked if we were on Spring Break… We took it as a compliment… life should be one long spring break!

After heading home to clean up we hit my neighborhood brewery, Temescal.

Love the beer garden here… dreaming of Summer already!

SO glad that these two came and visited me! It allowed me to visit my favorite places with two of the funniest people I know!

Come back anytime!

We then headed to one of my fav Korean spots, Bowl’d BBQ.

After that, we hit one last brewery, Woods in Uptown Oakland. Love the fire pit vibes they set up!

Additionally, if you want to dance on a Thursday night, head to Era Art Bar… always a fun time!

And… there you have it! A few of my favorite things… in the BAY!

Drinking Beer in San Diego

March 29, 2017March 29, 2017 by toastedbunz, posted in beer, hobby, people, Restaurant, restaurants, travel, Uncategorized

From Carlsbad, we took the Coaster to San Deigo and got off at the Santa Fe Station. Meer steps from the train depot is Stones Company Store. Great patio and selection of beers. On a warm Saturday is was super low key. stonenexttosantafestation stonepatio cutestonetaproom stoneflight

Our next stop was Half Door Brewing, close proximity to Petco Park and has great food and beers. Would love to come here again when its not so packed. halfdoorkeg

The Super Dank Pale Ale and their IIIPA were to die for… can I go back now??? halfdoorbrew

A hop, skip and drive away from downtown SD is Vista.. which is home to many amazing breweries. Barrel Harbor is one of those. Our friends picked up these amazing ceramic mugs that hold a pint and then some! With free popcorn, games and delicious beers you are in for a solid afternoon of fun. barrelhouse

San Deigo is a beer lovers destination. Can’t wait until my next visit to try more breweries!

Hike, Blade and Beach

March 1, 2017March 1, 2017 by toastedbunz, posted in beer, coffee, exercise, Hikes, hobby, Holiday, people, Restaurant, restaurants, travel, Uncategorized

Our next morning started out at a newer SLO fav, Scout Coffee. They now have two locations in San Luis and we went to the shop on Foothill Foothill. The decor is on point and their homemade almond milk will make you sing.

I tried the scone with scallions and goat cheese which was delicious. The vibe was LOUD… I don’t know how someone could study there but maybe on a weekday it would be less rambunctious. scoutcoffeeimg_3454 scoutcoffeeimg_3456

After our coffee and pastries, we headed to Avila to hike the Ridge Trail. This time we parked closer to Pirates Cove… off Cave Landing.

We started at the hill of doom, much better going up than down. hillofdeathavilaridgetrail

Once we caught our breaths… well once I caught my breath we selfied 🙂 bestiesavilaridgetrail

SO amazingly beautiful and vast. Once we were leaving we noticed that it had gotten a lot more crowded. We were lucky that we had so much alone trail time. avilaridgetrail wildflowersofavilaridgetrail avilaridgetrailpeace

After our hike, we put on our blades and rolled down the Bob Jones Trail. bobjonesbladeseash

Once in Avila, we stopped for lunch and brews and then headed back on the trail to finish our 5 mile round trip blade sesh. midbladelunchatcustomhouseavila

Saturday Night, we had plans to camp at Montana de Oro State Park. This is probably one of the most beautiful places you will ever go in your life. mdo mdosunset mdoimg_9237 montana mdoimg_3499 sunsetbestiesmdo sunsetatmdo yummysunsetatmdo

Is this real life??? Views and Brews?!! On this somewhat stormy Saturday Night Libertine Pub in Morro Bay was pretty empty but a live band came on at eight that brought in more of a crowd. We enjoyed dinner and a few brewskies. libertinepub

What a fulfilling day!

(SLO)ME

February 27, 2017February 27, 2017 by toastedbunz, posted in beer, coffee, exercise, Hikes, hobby, information, people, Restaurant, restaurants, travel, Uncategorized

Last weekend my friend and I took a trip from the Bay to the Central Coast. We lived together in SLO during college and were looking forward to a weekend of all our favorite SLO area things.

First stop Firestone, dinner and a flight were a must after nearly three hours in the car. Have really been loving the sours coming out of Firestone. firestoneflight

Next morning up and ready to go early, gotta get our Black Horse and SLO Donut Co. fix. They even have gluten free donuts these days… so no excuses not to go! blackhorseandslodoco

Chels and I both had work to do in the morning but once the afternoon rolled around we were raring for a hike! We found the Cuesta Ridge Botanical Hike and couldn’t believe we hadn’t done it before. Equal parts up and downhill but filled with epic views from start to finish! cuestabontanicalgardenimg_3387 cuestabontanicalgardenimg_9152

Even waterfalls! cuestbotanicalgardentrail

A well deserved summit Brew! cuestabontanicalgardenimg_9155 cuestridgetrail

Wooooweee does life getter better than these views! So amazing. cuestaridgetrail

What is my favorite thing to after a bunz busting hike? Drink a brew or two of course…

We headed to Bang the Drum Brewery. Great space, indoor and out. Really friendly staff and most importantly great beers! bangthedrumb bangthedrumbbrewing

We went back to the hotel to freshen up before heading downtown for the night.

On our way DT we stopped at Central Coast Brewing for a couple baby beers. centralcoastbrewingimg_3444 centralcoastbrewingimg_3443 centralcoastbrewingimg_3445

Next stop, Barrelhouse Speakeasy. This is one of the coolest spaces I have ever been to. A fully functioning barbershop and then a full on taproom downstairs.

Super crowded on a Friday night but really fun. barrelhousespeakeasyimg_3446 barrelhousespeakeasyimg_9202

Looking forward to sharing the rest of our weekend this week!

Sketch in the Park at the San Francisco Botanical Garden

February 24, 2017February 23, 2017 by toastedbunz, posted in hobby, information, people, Uncategorized

Last Sunday, my friend and I woke up early and walked down to the Botanical Garden. It was a rainy, overcast day but we found some clear spots to sit down and sketch for a while.

More and more I am trying to hobby up and not spend so much time on my computer or phone.

We sat at this little bench and sketched for awhile. It started sprinkling on us but it was still all around magical.

Trying my hand at sketching! Not a professional but having a fun time.

Really beautiful morning at the Botanical Gardens. Before 9 am you can get in for free. Once you are inside there is so much to see. The Magnolias this time of year are amazing and in the rain and fog the crowds are less but the flowers remain. Can’t wait to go back and improve my sketching!

Top Favs in Kota Kinabalu

February 22, 2017February 21, 2017 by toastedbunz, posted in beer, exercise, Hikes, Holiday, information, people, Restaurant, restaurants, SEASIA, talk, travel, Uncategorized

During our adventures last Spring in Indonesia we decided to spend about five days in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.

The truth is … you always need more time, but our few days there were filled with adventure. Making new friends, trying new foods and scuba diving for the first time to name a few!

We took boats to different islands and brought our own snorkel gear. Sapi was gorgeous and it was amazing to float in the water and see all the fishes swim by.

KK has so many markets! Seeing Mango flavored cotton candy was a real dream!

We got bit by the Scuba Bug! Sooooo crazy/scary/cool

Delicious meal – no silverware required!

Frolicking in the Mangrove Forrest and sweating through our clothes.

Sunset viewing with a beer in hand… no matter where you are it feels good to get these little moments.

My top favs in Indonesia

February 20, 2017February 20, 2017 by toastedbunz, posted in beer, coffee, exercise, Hikes, hobby, Holiday, information, people, Restaurant, restaurants, SEASIA, talk, travel, Uncategorized

I am finally getting ready to share my Indonesia and Malaysia trip here and going through the photos and my journal from the trip are really stoking my need for adventure and travel.

Here are a few top memories from the trip…

All packed up and ready to go! One carry on for three weeks. The truth of the matter is I probably had too much.