bay area

Thursdays at Buffalo Wild Wings: Boneless Wings Deal

June 24, 2018 By Kat

What an oxymoron. Boneless wings. Regardless, it’s basically like chunks of fried chicken. Who can say no to fried chicken?

The price can be different based on the locations. When we went earlier this week (Thursday night) to the San Jose location, it was 70 cents a wing, and we ordered FIFTY wings for 3 people. Needless to say, we had so much leftover… They said it was because I didn’t do my part. But I didn’t feel the need to order FIFTY in the first place! We also got an appetizer sampler platter and fries. Oy, so much food! 😮

Here’s the official BBW website for Boneless Thursdays which I quote from them is “the greatest day of all time.” And here’s the list of locations. It’d be best to check that the location nearest you offers this deal.

It’s not the first time we’ve went to BWW, so here are pics from other trips, where we also over-ordered. Sometimes I try to eat salad. Trying to maintain some amount of health, here! 😛

P.S. The lemon pepper flavor tastes better on wings with the bone, not so good on the boneless wings.

Hope you enjoyed this tip!

Where to Get Free Books, Ebooks, Movies & More

June 23, 2018 By Kat

A bunch of years ago, I was working on the Google Play Android app. At that time, it was only for buying apps. We added the ability to buy ebooks, and then to rent movies from the app. Someone asked my coworker, “Oh you’re offering movie rentals. Wouldn’t it be so cool if there was a place where you could rent books?” And my coworker responded, “…You mean libraries?” LOL.

Yup, it’s the best kept secret.

The library.

With so many companies offering digital media and paid subscriptions for access to media, it’s easy to forget that right in our neighborhoods, we have libraries that have tons of books and movies that we can check out… FOR FREE.

For the Bay Area libraries I’ve been to, they’ve been quick to adopt services that allow patrons to borrow items digitally.

There’s the Hoopla app that you can download for free and browse for eBooks, movies, TV shows, music, or audiobooks. This is amazing!! You don’t even need to leave your home.

Or you can check Overdrive to find eBooks or audiobooks, and they can be downloaded to your computer or delivered straight to your Kindle device or phone (Android, iOS, Windows)!

There’s also Flipster for reading magazines digitally, and you can also login to read newspapers like the NYTimes!

If you want a physical book or DVD, going in person is of course an option. I love checking out their new releases section, which often has popular books that are trending. They also have a vast collection of movies and TV DVD sets. They also have old school audiobooks that are a set of CDs, if anyone still uses those. 😉 Actually, I did get those audiobooks to play in my car, which surprisingly has a CD player! The only annoying part is swapping out CDs when each disc is done.

Anyways, if I already know what items I want from the library, before I go in, I’ll take advantage of the library website. I search the catalog, login with my library card, and put things on hold. Then I can just go into the library branch and pick them up. This came in handy especially last year when I was reading tons of picture books during the bookwriting process and writing up favorite children’s books posts.

Gosh, there’s so much free-ness at the library, it’s great.

Actually our tax dollars pay for it, so take advantage of it! Go visit your library wherever you live. If you’re around here, check out the Mountain View Library and sign up for a library card!

Friday Night at the Observatory: Looking at Stars

June 14, 2018 By Kat

I love looking for fun and cool experiences to try out around the Bay Area. San Francisco and San Jose always have lots of things going on, but I live in between those two cities, where there’s less things to do because most people go to sleep early (including me, ha!).

I heard about a place where you can see the stars on Friday nights at the Observatory at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills. It’s about 20 mins away from Downtown Mountain View, not too far.

My boyfriend and I were excited to go check it out, and wanted to bring our friends from out of town (the ones we brought to Napa in this vlog). The website says Friday nights from 9-11pm, and we rushed to finish dinner and get over there in time. But when we arrived, the parking lot was empty. Wah wah. As a cop car drove by, we asked him about it. He said they probably don’t have it because it’s Memorial Day weekend. So we went home instead, without seeing any stars. 🙁

A couple weeks later, my boyfriend and I decided to try again! We went back and this time, there were other cars there! Signs of civilization are always great.

If you haven’t been to Foothill College, you need to pay to park, even if it’s in the middle of the night. Otherwise you could get a ticket. And we’re not THAT wild to live life on the edge. We found the parking pay station to pay $3 for a spot, and the machine ate our money!! Twice!! And then we realized that the printer was just stuck, so my boyfriend stuck his hand in the machine and pulled out 3 tickets… apparently someone else got jipped too. -_- Anyhow, we managed to find other people to give those extra tickets to.

Then we approached the observatory. And there’s this ominous staircase that looks a bit sketchy, not going to lie. We stared at each other. I wanted HIM to walk in first, and he wanted ME to walk in first. LoL. So I finally grabbed his hand and dragged him in, up the narrow and winding staircase.

At the top, it was very dark, except for a few red lights. There was maybe about 10 people already there, sitting or standing around a big a** telescope. Never seen one so big in my life. One one side, someone (who presumably knew what was going on) was sitting in front of a computer that has some stars on it.

Apparently you line up and wait for your turn to look through the telescope. There’s also a stepstool for the vertically challenged folks (like myself) who need an extra boost to reach the eye piece.

When I looked into the telescope, I saw a big white circle and small white dots around it. I thought it was the moon and 4 stars around it. The guy was explaining later that it was Jupiter and its moons. Whoops. Other people said they could see the rings on Jupiter, and even when I took a second look, all I could see was a white circle for Jupiter…

Once everyone had a turn to look at Jupiter, then this was the most exciting part. The guy told everyone to stand back and remove the stepstool, he hit a couple buttons on the computer, and then the telescope started moving on its own!! It switched to some other position, and then the entire ceiling overhead started moving as well. I was like WHOAA. I don’t have a better word to describe the ceiling thing, but it’s some type of dome enclosure on the building and there’s a gap where it’s open to the night sky. The open gap was just adjusting based on where the telescope was now pointing at. So anyways, the telescope switching positions was the most exciting part.

There’s an interesting echo in there as well because of the shape of the room, so you can hear what’s going on in the other side of the room. For half the time, my boyfriend kept nudging me to ask the guy, “Can we see Earth? C’mon ask it!!” -_- LoL

It does get a little chilly up there. And while you’re waiting in line, you can entertain yourself by looking at the other stars with your naked eye, which is pretty cool.

Also when we were standing in line for the telescope, and standing near the outlet for the telescope, my boyfriend said, “I wonder what will happen if we unplug this thing.” LOL I think you can tell what type of personality he has. Anyhow, it was amusing to experience this with him.

We also saw another view – I think it was a glob of stars in Hercules. I frankly couldn’t see much. I think it’s because of my bad vision. But it looked like a cloudy gray thing in the middle. Apparently you can see it clearer when you don’t look directly at the center where the stars are. My peripheral vision is not great either lol.

There was a whole bunch of people there and it got more crowded as the night went on, but people trickle in and out casually. Some kids were there because of their science class I think. They have to see 3 different things and take notes. Then the guy says the kids usually bolt after that. Some people brought their families with young kids. I imagine it would be cool to experience this live if I was reading books on astronomy as a kid.

Anyhow, it wasn’t quite what we had expected. My boyfriend thought it would have been more romantic, haha! But it was still fun to try! And when things are dark, it ups the excitement level.

This is life in the suburbs, people.

Here’s the link if you want to check it out: Foothill College Observatory Admission is free. Parking is $3.

Making a Candle

July 17, 2017 By Kat

Glow Candle Lounge

Let’s Go Eat At That Place That Had The Thing – Bay Area Restaurants

May 6, 2017 By Kat

Sometimes we forget the names of restaurants. We resort to other quick-hand ways of referring to them based on location, a memory we had there, or a particular dish they serve that is seared into our tastebuds. When those cravings arise, we pester the closest human body nearby, “Hey, when are we going to such-and-such place?” We anxiously await the burst of joy in our hearts when our glistening eyes meet the dish as the server brings it to our table and sets it down in front of us. We proceed to inhale it, savoring every last crumb on the plate. And then we feel whole again.

On that note, I’ve decided on more appropriate names for my favorite Bay Area restaurants and wanted to share these good eats with you.

the dumpling place

I always order the three delight dumplings (pan-fried), vegetarian egg dumplings (boiled), $1 bowl of hot and sour soup, and green onion pancake. Even if I get seated in the narrow hallway to the bathroom, I’m a happy camper because I got my dumplings and nothing else matters. (Tong Dumpling – Cupertino)

the garlic bread place in Los Gatos

My friend and I stumbled on this place accidentally. We were overeager and filled up on the garlic bread and free bread (both spectacular). As a result, we took most of our entrees home in to-go boxes. Months passed and we forgot the name of this place so we didn’t know how to come back. After a lot of intense Yelp searching and browsing user photos of restaurant decor, I tracked this place down. Once I sunk my teeth into the spicy garlic bread again, it was all worth it. (The Pastaria & Market – Los Gatos)

BWW

Ever since I discovered 10 cent wings in college in Boston for happy hour, I love me some wings. It’s not 10 cents anymore and I can’t eat as many as I did in my early 20s, but this place hits the spot. The best flavor and only flavor I eat is lemon pepper. Don’t forget to have a celery stick to cover your dose of veggies for the day. (Buffalo Wild Wings – Fremont)

the falafel place

My friend introduced me to this place, and I was ecstatic eating a falafel sandwich on a cold winter’s night on a picnic bench under a heat lamp. A couple days later, I convinced my sister that she was also craving Mediterranean food, so I could buy us some for lunch. Twice in one week, it was THAT good. (Falafel Stop – Sunnyvale)

best bread pudding in town

This bread pudding is like heaven. The rest of the food is amazing too. Warning: don’t sit at the chef’s table (bar facing the cooks) because you’ll see all the dishes as they come out, and you’ll want to order EVERYTHING!!! *Eyes following the waiter as he walks away with a glistening pile of onion rings atop a teriyaki skirt steak* (Town – San Carlos)

the egg tart place

Okay, here’s the thing. They’re so successful that they can go on vacation. A lot. Sad customers find a closed shop with a sign but no egg tarts in sight. If you happen to catch them when they’re open, don’t just buy one! Buy a dozen or actually, buy more than you think you will ever need/want. That should last you until your next craving. Also pass them out to friends and family so they get hooked as well. (Golden Gate Bakery – SF)

the pork belly quesadilla place

I never knew this place existed! It’s like one of those mirages that disappear. It’s hard to find this restaurant because the sign blends in with the trees or something. You have to know exactly where it is and look head on at the restaurant to see it. The other stuff on the menu is okay, but the pork belly quesadillas are BOMB – a heart attack in a pocket of tortilla. (Mandarin Roots – Palo Alto)

gelato bar place from my cousin’s wedding

The owner is a sweet old man. There is no customer storefront. It’s more like an office/warehouse, and you have to setup an appointment to go. He works with hotels and airlines, but also does catering events. If you want to do a small order, you can call and pick up a box on a weekday morning. Hint: Try the chocolate gelato bar. If you can’t say no to gelato, sorry for introducing you to your downfall. (A-Lot-A Gelato & More – Belmont)

tapas place where I drank too much sangria

This one is an obvious choice. Everyone and their mother knows about this place in Mountain View. The mushroom empanadas won’t let you down. Anything with prosciutto melts in your mouth. If you can come on the company dime, even better. Then you can try all the plates and order a pitcher of sangria! The pitcher is not really meant for 2 people, hence the title. 😮 (Cascal – Mountain View)

the japanese tapas place

How to describe this place? I took my friend here when she was visiting from Seattle, and now she dreams about the food here. She’s coming later this month, and I think her dream was a not-so-subtle hint on where I should take her. 😛 (Gochi – Cupertino)

it’s past 9pm, we can go to kirin

Cheap asian food after, you guessed it, 9PM. The fish fillet porridge is my comfort food. Yes, sometimes it’s 8PM and I’m hungry, but I wait an extra hour to get the late night menu. A penny saved is a penny earned! (Kirin – Mountain View)

chimney cake food truck

Well I haven’t been here, but I’m dying to try it. I have already imagined I will love it, otherwise I will be heartbroken. Chasing food trucks is hard though. They’re in the Target parking lot only on Friday and Saturday nights. Last weekend we got there too late and it was nowhere in sight. My dashed hopes could not be assuaged with tacos from the truck that was there instead. (Sweet & Yummy Bakery – Mountain View if you’re lucky)

That’s a wrap! Hope you liked this list. If you have any other suggestions on hidden gems in the Bay Area, let me know in the comments. 😀