Maui, Morimoto, Malasadas

Morimoto at the Andaz on Maui is known for its upscale Japanese cuisine. After your meal, make sure to leave room for dessert. The malasadas here are perfect. Fluffy and moist on the inside, lightly fried on the outside, and evenly coated with sugar. Three exquisite dipping sauces, apple banana cheesecake, sake caramel, and Waialua chocolate, transform the dessert to a black tie event, even though when you look down, you’re still wearing shorts and flip flops. 
 

EAT: Blistered Shishiyto Peppers, Sushi, Uni Carbonara, Sushi, Snapper, Malasadas

Good Grief!

We paid a visit to the Charles Schultz museum in Santa Rosa over the weekend for a closer look at the creator behind the beloved Peanuts comic strip. The museum boasted special exhibitions and impressive, larger-than-life installations like the Peanuts Tile Mural by Yoshiteru Otani, seen above and below. The permanent installation depicts that famous football scene with Lucy and Charlie Brown and is made out of 3,588 comic strips printed on individual ceramic tiles. One of my favorite parts about the experience was going through the wonderful comic strips Charles created over his 50 year career. The magic in the characters he created expressed feelings of hope, insecurity, and self-deprecating humor, honest emotions every human being goes through in life. Maybe that's why I like them so much.

Discovering Port Costa

The quaint town of Port Costa is perfect for a relaxing day trip. Surrounded by rolling green hills, the Carquinez shoreline, and boutiques, there's plenty to see and shop. Start your adventure with brunch at Bull Valley Roadhouse. The restaurant uses spectacular, locally sourced ingredients and also makes a delicious craft cocktail. After you've had your fill, set off to explore the peaceful shoreline dotted with fishermen and spectacular skipping rocks — I finally learned how to skip rocks here! The water is so calm and quiet, you can easily sit here for hours relaxing with a book or just spend some time catching up with friends. Feeling a shopping itch? Stop by the Village Haberdashery for vintage one-of-a-kind hats, steampunk goggles, wooden puppets, and carefully curated second-hand clothes. A short drive away is Eckley pier where you can find more fishing spots (we witnessed a man hooking a small shark!), hiking trails, and open space to picnic. 

The Village Haberdashery is filled with finds, like vintage furniture and cool hats — I walked away with a nice wool hat, seen below.

An abandoned brick building at the Eckley pier.

Take Me to Marfa

Everything's bigger in Texas, except Marfa. But what the tiny West Texas town with a population of under 2,000 lacks in size, it makes up for it tenfold with its dramatic desertscapes, world-famous art scene, and gourmet food. We're planning a trip to Marfa (and Austin), in the next few months to experience it ourselves — complete with the requisite stay in a souped-up trailer or tricked-out tepee, of course.

Photo credit @ElCosmico