Archive for Outside The Bay
I went to The Library while I was in Arizona
Posted by: | CommentsLast week I was in Phoenix, Arizona attending the IVAA conference. On the last day my friend Yvonne and I and our new friends Janet and Mike decided to play hooky and go out on the town. For a whole $1.75 we had transportation for the day thanks to Mike who knew about the awesome light rail public transportation system that Phoenix has to offer. Our first stop off the rail was the Hard Rock Café to get a t-shirt for Jan but of course when I saw they had a purple blingy one I also had to get myself a t-shirt. We then headed to Alice Cooper’s restaurant Cooper’sTown and had very large glasses of lemonade.
After drinking our very large glasses of lemonade we headed back to the train and made our way to Tempe. Yvonne was on a mission to see a desert and a cactus. I was going with the flow. When we arrived in Tempe there just happened to be a little mountain or desert hill in the middle of the town and it had cactus on it! It was called the Hayden Butte Preserve. Yvonne and I asked Jan and Mike if they were up for a hike. Being the easy going fun people they are they said sure! Off we went, me in my flip flops, Yvonne in her semi-high heeled flip flops and up the trail we went. I’m so glad we were the adventurers that we were! The view from the top of that desert mountain hill was beautiful! (Please note I am the short one in this picture for some reason ALL of my virtual friends have the idea I am tall. I’m not.)
After our desert hike I was craving a beer. Mike said let’s get one then. (My kinda guy!) We strolled in to town to find a plethora of pubs. We had pub choices! We decided upon the one called The Library (being on a business trip and playing hooky it seemed appropriate). The place was great! The walls were lined with nice old books. It made us feel smart. I got my cold beer and was very pleased. I also had a chicken caeser salad that was huge and quite delicious. I’m thinking this could be my new office.
The waitress uniforms were… well let’s just say I wouldn’t work there. Seriously how do businesses get away with this kind of dress requirement? I guess because the women put up with it… You can take a look for yourself here.
The Library Bar & Grill
www.thelibraryusa.com
501 South Mill Avenue, Suite 101
Tempe, Arizona 85281
Good Beer and Food in Auburn
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Celia just discovered a new restaurant in Auburn! This makes me happy because I’m always looking for good food halfway between Tahoe and home. Lots of Bay Area people drive past Auburn on their way to Lake Tahoe or Downieville to go skiing or mountain biking.
Here is what guest blogger Celia has to say about the Auburn Ale House:
The Auburn Ale House is a great brew company located in old town Auburn. It is hip and is open pretty much all day. Auburn Ale House has great food and they brew all their own beers. We heard from other mountain bikers that the beer is very good. This place is perfect for people going to Tahoe or coming back from Tahoe. We got there around 4:30 pm, hungry after a day of skiing. Everything else in town was closed because it was either too late for lunch or too early for dinner. But this brew co was open! And the service was great too!
Auburn Ale House
289 Washington Street
Auburn CA 95603
530-885-2537
Claremont: Fresh and Healthy Food
Posted by: | CommentsThis weekend I am in the city of Claremont which is located in the greater LA area. We came here because it is family weekend at the Claremont Colleges and we are a Claremont family. Our son goes to Harvey Mudd and our daughter just got accepted at Pitzer.
I love the town of Claremont. In fact, I’d even consider moving here if it weren’t for the poor air quality. My Asthma and this area don’t get along very well.
Besides the air quality, Claremont is a very charming town. It’s a college town. You’ve got the 5 Claremonts, quiet streets with adorable little houses I assume the professors live in and a thriving downtown area full of great places to eat and shops. Claremont is actually one of the Top Best Places to Live according to Money Magazine it is number 5.
Yesterday my parents drove up from The OC to visit me here in Claremont. I took them on the college tour pretending I was the college student since our kids decided snow boarding sounded more fun than parents day at school. Walking around the Claremont Colleges is like walking around a botanical garden. It is so beautiful and each campus has a totally different feel in plant life, architecture and student culture. We first walked through Scripps which has Spanish architecture and beautiful old flowering plants and trees and secret gardens. We then went to Pitzer which is the more eco friendly school with modern green resident halls and gardens full of cacti and other environmentally friendly plants for this area.
On a clear day the views from campus are breath taking. I got this picture yesterday.
After we toured the campuses we went downtown. We wanted something light and healthy and were delighted to find the restaurant So Fresh Salads. This place is great! You can build your own salad. It’s not a salad bar but you tell them exactly what you want in your salad and they make it to order. I had a mixed green salad and Broccoli Cheese soup. Very, very yummy stuff! My mom had a chicken-lettuce- sundried tomato-artichoke heart-wrap. My dad had vegetable soup and a green salad. We were all satisfied customers. The salad was super fresh and crisp. So Fresh Salads is almost like fast food but fresh and healthy food. I love that a restaurant like this is next to the university. Our world could really benefit from more restaurants like this and less of those other fast food types.
For dessert we were happy to discover a Yogurtland nearby.
