Carah Faye and Lindsey Stirling at Mountain Winery

 

In a moment of spontaneity, Casey and I decided to go see Lindsey Stirling at Mountain Winery. We had been to Mountain Winery before and thought that it would be a really cool venue to see a show.  Lindsey Stirling, for those that don't know, is a violinist.  I know...it seems like a really odd choice for Casey and I.  For some reason when choosing a show to go see her name stuck out to us.  I read later that she was on America's Got Talent one season, so maybe we saw her on there.  Lindsey Stirling not only plays violin, but she dances around and mashes a lot of her music with electronica.  It is actually pretty cool, and you haven't seen a show like it...scoring extra points for originality.

Going to a concert at Mountain Winery was interesting in itself.  There is basically one road that winds up...you guessed it...a mountain.  The drive itself is pretty interesting, however, getting a lot of people up one long, winding road isn't the most efficient process in the world.  It was doubly inefficient on the way down.  The amphitheater at the venue itself was spectacular, it is one of the coolest places I've ever seen a show.  The owners of this venue exploit the uniqueness of the venue by charging outrageous prices for food and drinks(wine).  Even the wine that they produce at the estate was extremely up-charged from normal pricing for the concerts.  It was even worse that stadium pricing at huge arenas/stadiums.  Once you get past the sticker shock and general inconvenience of going up/down a mountain, it was all positives.

The opening act was Carah Faye.  I personally hadn't ever heard of her before but Casey and I enjoyed her show very much.  Upon googling her we found out she is the lead singer of a band that Casey has on her iTunes, Shiny Toy Guns, so it makes sense that we enjoyed her piece.  She is launching a solo career so her album isn't even released yet so it was really cool listening to all new music.  I think she has a single out so I highly recommend checking it out.  On a completely unrelated note, the keyboardist looked exactly like Jason Sudeikis...like serious doppelganger.

The main attraction was next:  Lindsey Stirling.  Casey and I had no idea what to expect from the show.  Not having expectations was awesome though, because we were blown away.  It was a combination of incredible musicianship combined with really cool dancing(her and her dancers), dubstep-like mashups, light shows, and even periodic video clips.  It was eye and ear candy for the entirety of the show.  Towards the end of the show Carah Faye even came out and sang a guest spot on a song that they collaborated on.  Another surprise was that Jason Sudeikis was the keyboard player for Lindsey Stirling as well.  He was so goofy.  Anyways all in all it was an incredible show.  I highly encourage you all to try and see her if you get an opportunity.  Go into it with zero expectations as we did and you will be blown away as well.  Just as a fyi, she is primarily an instrumental-only artist, so don't fast forward through songs looking for a chorus lol.  If you are wanting to check out a couple of songs on Youtube try The Arena (instrumental) or Something Wild (someone guest sings on it).



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local union 271, Palo Alto

 You probably know this by now but if not, know that Casey and I love going to brunch.  It is something that we dabbled with in Indy, got obsessed with in Jersey, and constantly seek out in California.  In Jersey we had clear established favorites.  In California we have made a conscious effort to try more and more places.  On a whim, we decided to try local union 271.

Local union 271 is in downtown Palo Alto, a place we like to frequent as it has tons of restaurants and bars.  We found local union 271 through Yelp(I know...how hipster of us) and we were glad that we did.  The first thing that we noticed right away is that they have multiple types of mimosas.  They had mimosa flights even.  It was called "The Tree" and it gave you six 4 oz. samples of various mimosa types, including a jalapeno one which was actually our favorite.  If that isn't a good sign right off the bat then I don't know what is.

There were so many things sounded good but we both ended up getting the same thing, which was a berry French toast dealio.  The restaurant is a farm-to-table, so from the fresh squeezed oranges in the mimosas to the berries in the French toast, everything was so fresh and delicious.  They also had outdoor seating which even "sweetened" the experience even more so.  Nothing but positive things to say about this place.  We will definitely revisit at a later date.

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de Young Museum-Oscar de la Renta The Retrospective

"What I try to do in my design is to make a woman dream."

-Oscar de la Renta (Fargo 2009)

A few weeks ago my main man and I headed to the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park for the Oscar de la Renta exhibit. We had yet to explore the de Young Museum, so what better excuse than the de la Renta retrospective. Needless to say, I was like a kid in a candy store. I could barely contain my excitement just walking into the museum.  You would think I was getting ready to meet the Queen of England (on my mind since we are going to London soon....yay!) who was gifting me my own Oscar de la Renta gown! I've always loved fashion and paid attention to designers, but always seemed to be drawn to Oscar de la Renta because of the femininity and detail of mainly his ballgowns.

So, speaking of getting "gifted" a dress, I'll take the one on the left hand side above......thank you! Dream big right! Honestly though, these dresses and gowns were absolutely beautiful in person. The subpar iPhone photos just don't do them any justice. The intricate beadwork and fabrics used alone were nothing short of amazing! Over the decades, yes you read that right, decades, de la Renta drew inspiration from everything (travel: Asia, Spain, etc. to gardens and everything in between) which really can be seen in the details of his work, which I was blown away by seeing in person. I literally don't remember speaking once inside the exhibit.  

Oscar de la Renta has never had a shortage of beautiful and prestigious women lined up to don his wears. He's dressed everyone from models (obviously, can you say runway shows and pictorials in little magazines such as Vogue) to first ladies and many celebrities and actresses, etc. In fact, the gowns below are just a tiny representation of those worn by celebrities which you may or may not recognize. The dress pictured in the bottom left was worn by none other than Adele for Vogue in 2012 with a fierce red lip of course. Recognize the dress on the bottom right? It is the dress worn by Sarah Jessica Parker to the 2014 Met Gala complete with de la Renta's signature, apparently requested by her! The second dress in that picture, though it is hard to see, was worn by Taylor Swift also at the 2014 Met Gala.

If you aren't big into fashion, it may not be the exhibit for you, but don't write it off just because of that. Anyone that appreciates art and the history behind these garments may still find enjoyment checking them out.  

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Psycho Donuts

Ok guys, full disclosure, I've never been much of a donut fan. Now before you start groaning and cursing me, it's mostly for a sentimental reason. My Pap (Grandpa) would go, what seemed like once a week to go get donuts for my cousins and myself, upon which I would always receive a tiger tail donut. Now don't get me wrong, I loved the donut, but I loved the sentiment even more.  So when it was time for me to be a "big girl" (still debatable), I never got donuts because it just wasn't the same. 

Fast forward to modern day and thanks to a little Bacon and Beer Classic, I have become a renewed donut fan. Now I know you're a little perplexed by that last sentence. Bacon and Beer does not equal Donuts. However, Psycho Donuts is not your typical donut shop so it makes perfect sense. We first tried these donuts at the aforementioned Bacon and Beer Classic in San Jose. Psycho Donuts had a booth set up and featured a delectable bacon (and I think maple) donut. Needless to say, it was enough for us to quickly look up where this place was so we could check out what else they had to offer. The donuts are best described as quirky gourmet donuts with equally quirky names (the ones with blue are the Cookie Monster ones and the pink below is the Strawberry Fields). The donuts are not only the perfect breakfast option, but also make a great dessert! We have become hooked and it's great making new memories, though I'll always hold on to that special time with my Pap. If you're ever in the Bay Area, check them out. They have a couple locations and I promise you won't be disappointed!