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Who would have guessed: a Korean restaurant in a bowling alley – and a really good one at that. I was not expecting to find a great restaurant inside the Paddock Bowl in Pacheco. KeunJib truly had a great menu and after you eat, you can go bowling! Bonus points for being able to order drinks from the bowling alley bar.
There were five of us so we ordered many items, though I don’t remember all the names. We tried fried rice, a really good kimchi pancake, and a delicious filet of meat. One person ordered a kimchi stew with spam, but I did not try it. We also had a pork dish. We really enjoyed the beef short ribs and everyone thought it was top-notch. We have a lot of great Asian cuisine of all types in the Bay Area, but KeunJib stood out as an unexpected gem even against strong competition. The presentation was nice, the portions were large, and the staff was friendly.
Overall, the beef short ribs were probably my favorite – we requested another order to share. But, truly, everything we tried was delicious. Whether you’re looking to get a Korean food fix and then decide to bowl, or knocking down pins gives you a hankering for the food, it’s worth checking out the unexpected winner in Paddock Bowl!
Don’t worry, this won’t be a blog about which generation is better, or any of that other nonsense you probably see online way too often. Instead, this is a fun one! As a Boomer myself (anyone born 1946-1964), I thought this was an interesting list of the Top 10 Pop Culture Moments of the 1980s, when my generation was in high school, college, and post-graduate life! As Boomers, most of us have millennial children, so this blog should ignite some memories – it did for me.
10. The Reagan Revolution: Ronald Reagan was elected for the first of two terms in 1980, shaping the decade with his Reaganomics policies. I remember him coming to the University of Nevada Reno’s (UNR) campus for a speech. Everyone was excited to see the President speak. I still remember how Jelly Belly’s were his favorite candy because they were mine too!
9. The World Mourns John Lennon: A deranged fan shot the former Beatle outside his New York City home in 1980. As an 18-year-old at the time, I remember clearly how tragic and unnecessary that moment was.
John Lennon (USA Today)
8. Royal Wedding Extravaganza: Lady Di and Prince Charles were wed in 1981 in London. An estimated 750 million (!!!) viewers tuned in to watch.
7. Tech Takes Off: Microsoft released Microsoft Word in 1983 and IBM debuted the PC XT. The first mobile phone was also created that year, by Motorola.
6. CNN Makes Waves: Ted Turner launched the first 24-hour cable news network, CNN, in 1980.
5. The Simpsons Take Over: The Simpsons debuted on the Tracey Ullman Show in 1987 as shorts, before becoming a half-hour primetime show on Fox in 1990. It has been renewed through 2025, and will run for at least 36 years by that point!
4. Game Boy Mania: Nintendo released the Game Boy, a portable video game system, which paved the way for handheld gaming as we know it today.
Original Gameboy (Wikipedia)
3. Basketball’s New Stars: Basketball’s popularity soared with the emergence of Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Hakeem Olajuwon, and, of course, Michael Jordan.
2. Historical Happenings: The decade ended with the destruction of the Berlin Wall in 1989, leading to the eventual end of the Cold War. I had studied abroad in Austria during college; I had one year left and wrote about the Berlin Wall falling in 1985 for a class. I got a B, but felt vindicated four years later when my prediction came true. After graduation, I lived for a year in Germany and drove through East Germany, arriving at Check Point Charlie to get into Berlin. It was a unique and interesting experience.
1. MTV Rocks the Airwaves: MTV launched with the words, “Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll,” playing over footage of the first space shuttle launch and Apollo 11 – the rest was history.
As a bonus, my writer is a millennial (1981-1996 timeline), and he put down his five most memorable pop culture moments of the 2000s, when he was in middle school, high school, and college:
5. Myspace/AIM: If you weren’t on Myspace and AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) in the mid-2000’s, were you even alive? The precursor to Facebook and other larger social networks completely dominated digital lives.
4. American Idol: I know I’m not the only one who still remembers calling the Idol phone lines to vote for my favorite contestants. Ironically, Kelly Clarkson in Season 1 might still be the most famous of them all!
Kelly Clarkson wins American Idol Season 1 (yes, that’s Ryan Seacrest on the left) (PopSugar)
3. The iPod: We have come so, so far in the last quarter-century. But back in the day, the iPod was the ultimate status symbol and the coolest way to play music (even if you still had to download scratchy tracks from illegal websites…).
2. Harry Potter: Everyone – and I mean EVERYONE – I knew was reading Harry Potter. I thought it was a joke until I turned that first page. Harry Potter hysteria was very, very real in the late 90s and early 00s (and still is today?).
1. Razor Scooters: Look, I could have chosen several things to be on this list – Livestrong bracelets, Uggs, emo music, Jersey Shore – but on a personal level, nothing screams 2000s like the Razor scooter. And they still exist today!
Hopefully, this blog was a bit of fun and provided a wave of nostalgia for all our Boomers, Millennials, and other generations who experienced these pop culture phenomena!
One thing I really missed during the strictest COVID lockdowns was getting to see live music with big crowds. I love going to local music festivals around here – obviously for the music itself, but also for the art, food, drink, and friendship that comes with it!
I’ve included a few photos from my past trips to BottleRock Music Festival in Napa below, but wanted to also share 7×7‘s Best Music Festivals list from a recent story they wrote. Here’s what they have:
Mill Valley Music Festival (Headliners: Fleet Foxes, Greensky Bluegrass) – May 11-12 in Mill Valley
Cosmico (Susto, Sam Grisman, Nicki Bluhm) – May 17-19 in Guerneville
BottleRock Napa Valley (Stevie Nicks, Megan Thee Stallion, Peral Jam, Ed Sheeran) – May 24-26 in Napa Valley
Festival La Onda (Maná, Fuerza Regida, Alejandro Fernandez, Junior H.) – June 1-2 in Napa Valley
California Roots (Ziggy Marley, Damian Marley, Stephen Marley, E-40, Too Short, Ice Cube, Rebelution, Lupe Fiasco) – May 24-26 in Monterey
Stern Grove Music Festival (lineup coming late April – FREE!) – mid-June to August in San Francisco
Mosswood Meltdown (B-52’s, Pure Hell, Big Freedia, Redd Kross, Hunx and his Punx) – July 6-7 in Oakland
Fillmore Jazz Festival (headliners not available yet) – July 6-7 in San Francisco
Festival Napa Valley (Lionel Richie, Pretty Yende, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Ray Chen) – July 6-21 in Napa Valley
Outside Lands (lineup coming soon) – Aug. 9-11 in San Francisco
Unfortunately, I will not be at BottleRock this year as my son is graduating from Kellogg/Northwestern from his MBA program, and I am heading to Chicago for his graduation. I did hear there is another festival coming from the organizers of BottleRock a week after Outside Lands in Golden Gate Park – excited to see the lineup. Are you going to any? Let me know in the comments and maybe I’ll see you there!
Most every year, I host my Love You A Latte event at a local coffee shop. I held the 2024 event at Tellus Coffee in downtown Walnut Creek. It’s always nice to get some friends and clients together for a coffee and some chatting about life, real estate, and other topics.
This year, I had about 20 people show up to take part. Thank you to everyone who came to Love You A Latte! I hope you had a good time and look forward to seeing you again next year. In the meantime, I look forward to staying connected whether we’re friends, family, or just business associates.
One attendee mentioned how much he loved that I created community with events like this. That is a major goal of mine as a realtor. We live in a wonderful community and I want to be a trusted source for real estate and various service providers and just a great friend to the people who have been here for me most of my adult life. I think we can all stand to interact in-person a little more these days, too!
Love You A Latte was a really great, intimate event and there were some memorable conversations. Tellus coffee (click to see past blog) was also a great place to host this event, just look at all the greenery and brick. The staff was nice and helpful, I highly recommend stopping by for some coffee and great ambiance. I really appreciate the all those who came and look forward to another great event in 2025! Will you be there?
I rarely go to museums. When I finally do, I wonder why I don’t go more often! Especially living in the Bay Area, there are countless museums that have really unique and interesting information, art, and more for visitors to see. For example, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA)!
I visited recently and to see Kusama’s Infinite Love Exhibit which encompasses two Infinity Mirror Rooms, including her newest room, Dreaming of Earth’s Sphericity, I Would Offer My Love (2023), a cosmos of dancing color and light.
LOVE IS CALLING (2013), the second room in the presentation — and one of Kusama’s largest and most immersive works — features a darkened environment illuminated by vividly colored inflatable forms that extend from the floor and ceiling accompanied by the sound of the artist reciting a poem about love. She believed, that dots are symbols of the world, the cosmos. The Earth is a dot, the moon, sun, the stars are all made up of dots. You and me, we are dots.
Kusama’s pumpkins were also there, which is a standing exhibit at the SFMOMA. The descriptions of Kusama’s works were almost as lovely as the art itself, describing in detail what the pieces meant in poetry form, as mentioned above.
After checking out the show, we explored a few other floors and then went to the first-floor restaurant called Grace, which had a happy hour! It is very artsy with some fun cocktails. I would highly recommend visiting your local museums next time you get the chance and I always love eating on site. It was a great outing. Kusama’s exhibit is on through September 7th and on Thursdays the museum is open until 8 pm. Grab a friend, go to celebrate a birthday (as I did), or keep it on your list as something to do on a rainy day! Enjoy!
San Francisco. Our backyard. Kansas City. A Midwest metropolis that many of us likely don’t know much about. The hometown 49ers face off against the defending champion Chiefs in this weekend’s Super Bowl. And Zillow broke it down in my kind of terms: comparing real estate in the two cities!
I was surprised to see that Kansas City actually has more EV charging stations than San Francisco, and almost the same amount of parks! And even though there is a massive difference in typical home value, Zillow actually ranks Kansas City as a much hotter housing market than San Francisco (18th, versus 30th for SF).
The article also delves into the runner-up cities (Baltimore, who lost to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game; and Detroit, who the Niners beat in the NFC Championship Game). It’s always amazing to see what $1 million can buy you in other major cities, versus our major city, but it’s well worth a read!
Now, do I think this matters for the Super Bowl itself? Of course not! The Chiefs are defending champions for a reason, but our Niners are stronger than ever. I’ll tell you what – regardless of the outcome, I’m pretty sure stars on both teams can afford to purchase a home in San Francisco, Kansas City, Baltimore, Detroit, or pretty much anywhere in the United States!
I hope you all enjoy the game this weekend and Go Niners!
If you are wanting a day trip or an overnight get away, this helpful poster was shared by Fidelity National Title, giving monthly fall activity ideas, including those for kids, in the Apple Hill area between Sacramento and Placerville. They even marked them on a handy Highway 50 driving route for you to enjoy.
This area is close enough to the Bay Area that I think it’s well worth a day trip up to one of these orchards or vineyards to see the fall colors and take part in some fun activities, fruit picking or wine tasting! I know the photo is a little bit hard to read, so I have included all of the still-relevant info below.
For general information about this region’s activities, visit applehill.com, email info@applehill.com, or call (530) 644-7692.
October
Oct. 20: Wreath Making & Wine Tasting at Smokey Ridge Ranch & Winery (530-903-6470)
Oct. 28: Vampires & Vines at Fenton Herriot Vineyards (530-642-22021)
November
Nov. 2: Wreath Making & Wine Tasting at Smokey Ridge Ranch & Winery (530-903-6470)
Nov. 9: Wreath Making & Wine Tasting at Smokey Ridge Ranch & Winery (530-903-6470)
Nov. 11: Veterans’ Day Specials for service members and veterans at participating farms
Nov. 18: Holiday Sip & Saver at Boeger Winery (530-622-8094)
Nov. 18-19: Bonfire, Chili & Cornbread and S’mores at Harris Family Farm (530-644-2194)
Nov. 18-19: Bottle Your Own at Fenton Herriot Vineyards (530-642-2201)
Nov. 24: Opening day for most Apple Hill Grower Christmas tree farms!
Nov. 25: Bonfire and S’mores at Grandpa’s Cellar (530-644-2153)
Nov. 24-26: Santa Visits (weather permitting) at Apple Ridge Farms (530-647-0613)
Nov. 25-26: Dust Off the Bottle Library Wine Event at Lava Cap Winery (530-621-0175)
Kids Activities
Abel’s Apple Acres: Gem Mining, Sand Art, Amazing Maze
Apple Ridge Farms: Maze, Nature Trail, Gemstone Mining, Face Painting (weekends only)
Delfino Farms: Farm animals (Babydoll SHeep), nature trail, large grassy hill, pumpkins/gourds. Mini pumpkin decorating on weekends.
I hope you all had a safe and enjoyable 4th of July this year! Here is some fun trivia I pulled from the internet – how many do you know?
Where was the first celebration of Independence Day held?
How many times does the Liberty Bell ring every 4th of July?
Which famous document does Independence Day commemorate?
There has been one President born on July 4th – who was it?
Which President was the first to host a 4th of July celebration at the White House?
How many total people signed the Declaration of Independence?
How many hot dogs are consumed every 4th of July?
On the Declaration of Independence, who had the largest signature?
Which two Presidents died on July 4th of the same year?
What was the estimated population of the United States on July 4, 1776?
Answers below!
Keep scrolling!
Don’t cheat!
Philadelphia, PA in 1777
13
Declaration of Independence
Calvin Coolidge (July 4, 1872)
Thomas Jefferson in 1801
56
150 million
John Hancock
John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, in 1826 (fun bonus fact: this was also the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which both Adams and Jefferson signed!)
2.5 million people; today, it is estimated to be over 334 million!
One of my favorite shows is Ted Lasso and I am sad that season 3 was the series finale – there may be spin offs. I don’t always find gems to share on this blog while perusing LinkedIn – but recently, I did just that! I really like this post from Katie Jablecki about 12 Ted Lasso Leadership Lessons. I think the following applies to anyone in a position of leadership or in Real Estate- and for all of us in general!
1. Believe in yourself 2. Doing the right thing is never the wrong thing 3. All people are different people 4. See good in others 5. Courage is about being willing to try 6. Vulnerability is a strength not a weakness 7. Tell the truth 8. Winning is an attitude 9. Optimists do more 10. Stay teachable 11. Be a Goldfish – If you do something wrong do not let it define you. Forget it – like a goldfish – within 10 seconds. 12. Happiness is a choice
Credit: @TedLasso on Twitter
For those who have not watched Ted Lasso on AppleTV, it’s a really addicting show that is a lot less about soccer than it lets on. Ted (played by Jason Sudeikis) is a lovable character with great leadership traits. I especially resonate with numbers 1, 5, 7, and 11. In my line of work, I must always believe in what I’m doing (and in my clients) and tell them the truth. I had the courage to switch careers into real estate and not earn a steady paycheck while going through a divorce. And lastly when dealing with other people in the stressful situation of making one of the biggest purchases in their life, things get said to you or $h*t happens that you can’t dwell on, otherwise you will be out of the business, you have let things go – be a goldfish!
Which of these apply to you? Let me know in the comments!
When my oldest son, Ryan, came to visit last Christmas, we drove to Reno to see his brother, ski, and watch a UNR basketball game. On the drive up, he wanted to listen to some podcasts – thus, my addiction to podcasts began! This blog will be a slight deviation from my normal ones about restaurants to try and real estate property in the East Bay, focusing on Walnut Creek.
I want to share some of my favorite podcasts! I often listen to a couple of short ones in the morning on my iPad before I even get out of bed. Here we go:
NPR’s Up First, which is 12 minutes of recent news. Depending on the topic I will also listen to NPR’s Consider This.
Other NPR podcasts I enjoy are Planet Money and The Indicators.
The Daily by The New York Times is another news-related podcast in a more editorial style. These topics range from 20-40 minutes, and even over an hour for their Sunday podcasts.
I recently started listening to Dua Lipa’s At Your Service, where she interviews authors, designers, musicians, and more. It is brimming with authentic and inspiring stories, tips, and recommendations. My favorite part of this one is that, at the end, she asks them to share five things, like favorite books, ideas, and so on. She often asks the five places she must see or try if she visits where they live (or where they are from). This is a fairly new weekly podcast that started in February of 2022. However, she is currently on tour so there hasn’t been a new post since April.
I saved my favorite for last. This was a recommendation from my youngest son, Jackson. It’s called the All-In Podcast. They post weekly (usually on Friday) and it is four besties who are industry veterans covering all things economic, tech, political, social, and poker. What I like best is they give a broad view of topics with each their own opinion. it is like a debate, but there is respectful discourse and more varied views. I recently found you can watch it on YouTube and see their expressions, which is a bit more intimate. I am bummed that I just started listening, because they had tickets for a three-day event with speakers, poker, and parties in Miami open to those who bought tickets. They even had scholarship tickets for those that may not be able to afford the ticket amount. I would have loved to go! Maybe next year.
I have also branched out since I started listening to podcasts. Now, I occasionally listen to Learning German, Freakanomics, Akimbo, and more. What are your favorite ones to listen to? Drop some suggestions in the comments below!
