Monday, October 30, 2023

SFO - To Do 29Oct23 (Grace Cathedral, Haight St & Ashbury St, Castro Halloween Block Party)

San Francisco - To Stay
San Francisco - To Do
San Francisco - To Eat


SFO - To Do
 Check out our Instagram #abbatravel @ABBATRAVELS
 
Grace Cathedral
The cathedral entrance has a large pair of doors, often called the "Ghiberti doors". They are reproductions of the doors of the Florence Baptistery by Lorenzo Ghiberti, also dubbed the "Gates of Paradise".

Some other notable features include in the cathedral are 7,290 square feet (677 m2) of stained glass windows by noted artists. Furthermore they have several artifacts with a conveniently placed tablet sharing info about it.

Haight St & Ashbury St
(Giving off cool vibes, homes of music legends and Victorian Homes)
Haight-Ashbury draws a lively, diverse crowd looking to soak up the historic hippie vibe. Upper Haight Street is a hodgepodge of vintage clothing boutiques, record shops, bookstores, dive bars and casual, eclectic restaurants. Bordering Golden Gate Park, the neighborhood features many colorful, well-preserved Victorian homes, including the storied Grateful Dead House.
You might be interested in Christianshavn, Copenhagen giving off similar vibes.
Love on Haight was particularly cool featuring tie dye works of over 200 artist. Feeling the love and groovy vibes.
*Feeling her upbeat groovy vibe*
A fun side attraction to check out before walking through the district to view the Victorian homes and catch a glimpse of the Grateful Dead  house which was occupied by the legendary band Grateful Dead in the mid-sixties. You might wanna check out the house used in filming Mrs Doubt Fire, which became a make-shift tribute to Robin Williams on his passing. 

*Grateful Dead  house*

Castro Halloween Block Party

SAN FRANCISCO -- Halloween in the Castro is back after a 17-year hiatus. A mass shooting in 2006 was the final straw for organizers to pull the plug on the event.

A nice fun family friendly event welcomed by all to enjoy the colorful side of San Fran.
*SFO Firemen*
*Crazy Cat Lady*
On to the cuteness with the all inclusive Halloween dress up.
 
Click here for full write up on Castro when last visited in 04April2017
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SFO - To Eat 29Oct23 (Pork Store Cafe, Miss Saigon)

San Francisco - To Stay
San Francisco - To Do
San Francisco - To Eat


SFO - To Eat
IG @ABBATRAVELS

Pork Store Cafe
Googled to be really popular for brunch amongst locals.
*The queue at 11am.*


Ordered On:
29Oct23
Their recommended 'nest'

Flavors of garlic were on point. Hash amazing as well as their biscuit. Unfortunately their vegetable medley and bacon was really salty which kinda spoiled the whole dish. Maybe try something else.
Fed 2 at 20USD with tip.
Food 2.75/5
Service 4/5
*They split up the portion when we said it was to share*
Ambience 3.5/5
Value 4/5
(Cause portions were huge and to share!)
The flavors were on point and the hash was nice but way too salty. Could be the cook of the day or a wrong order choice. Portions were very generous and their turnover of customers was really high. Still can try but go for something else.
Click here Pork Store Cafe

Miss Saigon

With the way things have been in SFO, Miss Saigon is a pseudo safer part of town away from the once very popular Pho Tan Hoa.

  Ordered On:
29Oct23
Standard mixed beef bowl.


*Could do with a little more rare beef but good balance of ingredients to a slightly more starchy noodles which I personally didn't favor too much. Still a very wholesome and satisfying bowl or noodles. The soup stock was on point and not too sweet.*
Fed 1 at 20USD with tip.
Food 3.5/5
Service 3.5/5
Ambience 3.5/5
Value 3.5/5

Simple no frills comfort food that serves up a good bowl of Pho. They looked really popular with the high number of takeaways constantly being picked up by food delivery riders.
Click here Miss Saigon

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Friday, October 20, 2023

Amsterdam - To Do 18Oct23 Gemeentearchief, KattenKabinet (Cat Cabinet), Frens Haringhandel (Catholic Church), Rederij Plas (View of the coloful buildings), Body World Amsterdam)

Amsterdam - To Do
 Amsterdam - To Eat
 Amsterdam - To Buy

@ABBATRAVELS
Day1
Gemeentearchief
(Local free to enter local Museum)
Check out their underground vault!
The Gemeentearchief building in Amsterdam, originally a bank headquarters, features a basement bank vault known as the "Kluis" that once held valuable assets. This vault has been repurposed to safeguard historical records and artifacts significant to the city of Amsterdam, serving as a secure storage space for its rich historical heritage.
Thanks to the front of house staff for directing us to checkout this cool hidden gem in the building!
Click here for Gemeentearchief

KattenKabinet (Cat Cabinet)
Off-the beaten track attraction 10Euros/entry
An off the beaten track attraction that features a private collection of Art works and collectible with plenty of free roaming cats as they proclaim. Its probably due to the colder days that only one was spotted during our visit.
Interesting, quirky two story access building. A pseudo alternative art museum with pseudo cat cafe concept. It would have been more value if there were more cats around but its probably due to the season. The cats are free roaming so, see your luck.
You might also be interested in Rockstar Reptile Cafe for a truely unique petting experience in Osaka. 

Frens Haringhandel
(Catholic Church)
De Krijtberg, also known as the Church of St. Francis Xavier features stunning neo-Gothic architecture. The stained glass interior is particularly stunning and loved by worshipers and tourist alike. You might be interested the Sagrada Família by (Gaudi) for some of the most stunning stained glass works which paints the interior beautifully.
 
Day2
Rederjj Plas
(To view colorful buildings featured in most of the magnets in Amsterdam)
Click here for ABBA location of Rederli Plas
You might be interested in these other colorful buildings.
Body World Amsterdam
€23 entry for adults is a little pricey but this one of a kind exhibition, according to wiki, Body Worlds exhibitions have received more than 50 million visitors, making them the world's most popular touring attraction. Each piece may take months to even years to fully assemble together.

*Highlighting medical aids in bone/hip replacements/reinforcements*
Body World works are akin more for medical education and a very revealing look into the beauty of the human form.

Six floors with each floor featuring about two large pieces for display. The signage are very educational. More of a health and science perspective and a very revealing look at everyday life through a different lens.
 
You maybe also be interested in London's Grant Museum of Zoology, a free to enter museum that features in a similar fashion but with animals.
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