bayarea
Filoli is my family’s favorite destination. I’ve already written about it more than once (especially in my previous post, Nightfall at Filoli). Among all their events, the Holiday Lights have become our quiet Christmas ritual. We visited last year, loved it, and decided this would simply be part
travel
I originally thought Day 7 would be the last post of this trip. But, as travel usually does, a few things happened on the way home that felt like they deserved their own chapter. For the first time since Rome, we finally had a proper hotel breakfast on our last
travel
The next and final city of our Italy trip was Milan. Interestingly, I’ve always preferred the name Milan to Milano. It would be probably because of Inter Milan and AC Milan, names I’ve been used to for years. Still, I have to admit that “Milano 2026 Olympics” sounds
travel
On the early morning of Day 6, we left the hotel while the city was still calm. Except for Rome, we had chosen all our hotels mainly for their locations, and in Firenze that paid off — it was only a five-minute walk to the train station. Our Italo train departed
travel
We got up early on Day 5. There was no breakfast service at the guesthouse, but we still had plenty of leftovers from the previous night’s steak dinner. And the room was equipped with a Nespresso-compatible machine and a generous supply of capsules, which made our morning far easier.
travel
On the morning of Day 4, we said goodbye to Rome and headed to Firenze (Florence). I know it is Florence in English, but for some reason, I have to prefer its Italian name—Firenze. Firenze has been my favorite Italian city ever since I first visited in 1999, back
travel
The third day took us to another country—the Vatican, technically speaking, even though it sits inside Rome. Earlier this year, I had spent a lot of time playing Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. The Vatican is the first major stage in the game, where I navigated endless corridors
travel
The second day started with rain, exactly as forecast. After the long walk on Day 1, Day 2 felt much more relaxed, thanks to two guided tours we had booked in advance. The morning began with a Segway tour. We had done one just this past summer in Washington, D.
travel
Thanksgiving road trips (mostly various US National Parks) have been my family’s annual ritual for years. But this year, we decided to do something different: visiting Italy. My daughter is a high-school junior, and next year will likely be packed with college prep and deadlines. It felt like one
concert
Speaking of LAFC — I actually visited their home, BMO Stadium, last Friday. But this time, it wasn’t for a soccer match. It was for the K-pop boy band Seventeen's concert. My daughter had declared that her birthday wish this year was simple and non-negotiable: Seventeen concert tickets.
travel
Last month, we took a summer family trip to Los Angeles. The highlight was a two-day visit to Universal Studios — but we packed a few other stops along the way too. Right before we headed to the stay, we visited UCLA since my daughter (now in 11th grade) has some
travel
Last year, we watched the July 4th fireworks from North Crestview Park in San Carlos. The view was impressive — you could see fireworks stretching across the Bay Area, from San Jose to Oakland, all in one sweep. But the fireworks themselves felt distant and small, which took away some of
