Foo Fighters!

As usual, Jen found a way in to see my favorite band.  This is the best show I've ever been to.  Foo Fighters in Oakland, Ca.

I shot this photo from our AMAZING seats!

Time Lapse Fog City

I'm on a video kick lately so I shot this footage from our apartment rooftop of the fog rolling in.  Sped it up about 10x.  Full screen HD and enjoy!

Fleet Week 2011

Here's your moment of Zen for like 7 min.  Video I took from our apartment of Fleet Week's epic air show.  Full screen, turn up the volume and enjoy!

Fleet Week

This is what it looks like outside for the last two days while the Blue Angels practice for the Fleet Week air show this weekend.  What I've seen over the last two days from our rooftop at work is better than New Year's, 4th of July and my Birthday combined.

The Fog

Kate says we should post more and I think she's right.  Her and Finn have an amazing blog over at http://www.nyctousa.com/ They're traveling this great country in an RV and documenting it so well that I feel like I'm there with them.  We miss you guys and can't wait until you make it to the Bay Area!

So here's the first post in months.  In hopes to make you feel like you're here with us - here is our evening view.  These pics are taken within 20 minutes of each other.  Both from our apartment (if you noticed that the buildings in the forefront are different, it's because one pic is from the roof and one from the apartment).  The fog rolls in super fast and covers like decorative fake cotton snow you find at christmas time.  In minutes the Golden Gate Bridge completely disappears!  ...And yet the clear skies overhead will remain that way through the night. The microclimates here are incredible.  Enjoy!

P.S. I added a video cause why not?

Big Sur, California

For my birthday Jen rented us a car and we drove down to Big Sur.  It's probably the most heavenly place I've ever been to.  The white dream-sequence like hue around everything is not a photshop trick - it's just the way the place looks.  The fog hanging over the Pacific makes the ocean and sky look bright white at times.  Most of these shots are about 200 ft above sea level on the edge of cliffs that drop off into the ocean.

The first photos are of the restaurant we ate lunch at - Sierra Mar.  The waiter there told us about Big Sur's only beach access. You get there via an unmarked 2-mile single lane road that leads to a secluded beach bookended by 200ft cliffs.  

You'll see some pics of the beach but it's hard to capture it's beauty.  Finally, you'll see the legendary Bixby bridge.  It's the one you always see when someone's driving Scenic Rt.1like on those "visit California" commercials.

This is a warning for anyone who comes to visit us: we will drag you here.  

View from lunch table

Sierra Mar - lunch spot

Jen Karate Kid style.

Land of the Lost

driving through the desert near Palm Springs, CA

Kiss!

We've been averaging about a show a week out here.  There's so much to do and we have at least another hundred photos to post.  Here's an epic photo from the weekend - Kiss!

(Jen and I are short but not that short - they all wear huge platform moon boots)

Left to Right: The Demon, Jason, The Catman, Adam, The Starchild, Jen, The Spaceman, Jay

breaktime

at lunch I jumped on my bike to get away from the office for a bit.  I rode from the bay to the pacific today.

Road Trippin'

Alright, alright, I'm sorry we've been slacking! But we've been settling into our killer place and checking out all there is to see in San Francisco and beyond! Point in case (or case in point depending on who you ask): This past weekend we rented a car, loaded it up, threw Marley in the back and set our sights on the Big Four festival in Indio, CA -- by way of Venice Beach! We drove 6 hours down the 5 past the green, rolling hills to end up in quite possibly the weirdest spot in LA! It's a sleepy beach town with a ton of character and equally as many bums livin' on the land and accepting handouts! But it's not just them -- everyone is on permanent vacation there, and with blue skies, skate parks and palm trees lining your peripheral view no matter what direction you stare in, its easy to see why! This is only part 1 of the adventure. Check out some pics and we'll catch you up on the rest later!

Venice Beach

A million cool things have happened since our last update so we'll catch you up with a bunch of pictures in a bit. Here's one to start it off...

On our way to the desert to see Metallica we stay in Venice Beach. Shot from the Cadillac hotel window.





- J

Location:Venice Beach, CA

NEW APARTMENT!!

Got the keys today!  This place is amazing.  This is the view.  Here's two thousand words.

Alcatraz

Golden Gate Bridge

SNOW!?!??!?!?!

Snow is in the forecast for the first time since 1976!  This is a pic from that last storm.  Just when we realized we were homesick...

Rolling stone gathers no moss

We're staying at the Hotel Carlton right now -Sid and Nancy style -until we can get into our newly acquired apartment which we'll post extensively about cause it rules. It's uneasy being in between like this but even more than that it's inspiring. Most of our things are in storage and we continue to travel light(I'm really proud of Jen who normally needs a lot of stuff). It's inspiring to know that all you have and all you need is your friends and family. Thanks for reading and get out here already! It's heaven on earth.




- J

Location:Van Ness Ave,San Francisco,United States

Bike to work

Google is so cool that I keep forgetting to post about my amazing office.  Here's my bike parked at the front door.  My work buddies will notice the Ketchum logo on the corner the of the building.

-J

Apartment Hunting Part One

its fun and EXHAUSTING. Russian Hill, San Francisco.  View of North Beach's Coit Tower.

Here we are standing atop the steepest street we've ever seen a few minutes before driving down it vertically! *note heights enthusiast Jen clinging to the caution sign*  She screamed the whole way down and as soon as we got to the bottom she said "again"!

Lunch at Google

Had the day off cause the shippers were dropping off my bike. Got it early so I rode to Google to get lunch with SweeT.



- J

Location:Google Campus

More Santa Cruz!

For a town this cool we had to see it twice in one weekend!  Jen saw the Pacific Ocean for the first time in style.  

Santa Cruz!

Yesterday we went to legendary Skate and Surf town, Santa Cruz. If it wasn't two hours from my new job, I would live here.  If you've ever seen The Lost Boys, this is where the amusement park on the boardwalk is.  We stumbled across the BoardRoom.  The building where Santa Cruz Skateboards started which is now a shop and museum to the counter culture which started it all for me.  I could write an entire blog based on the art on the walls but most of you would be bored with the details.  But for the few that won't - check out these photos!!!

Being in this place is like meeting you're favorite rockstar only it's not a let down.

Independent truck prototypes - the brown ones on the right are carved from wood!

JIM PHILLIPS!!!!!!  That's the original sketch of the "Screaming Hand"!!!!!!!!

Not one re-issue on these walls - all original