On my first morning in San Jose, Laura took me to her favourite breakfast spot. A charming little place named Bill's. We indulged in crab cake benedict and a mimosa and we happily had our breakfast on a clear, warm California day. We asked for the bill and a lovely lady who had obviously taken a liking to Laura came with the receipt and two tequila shots. "Holy Water" she said. It was before noon but i was in California. It was before noon but i did not want to offend anyone.
It was before noon but we drank them.
It wasn't long before we found ourselves in line at La Vic's. California is legendary for it's Baja food and La Vic's is a San Jose staple. The food and ingredients are simple and fresh but the orange sauce is what you come for. The staff know this and cater towards it. It seems as though the La Vic's staff will do anything they can to ensure that you will eat the sauce, enjoy the sauce and, subsequently, buy extra bottles of the sauce. They even claim it to be vegan. Now i am no nutritionist, nor a child of the earth, but i do not think that this creamy, orange sauce is even the slightest bit vegan.
Ever since my trip was confirmed, Laura has been acquiring tickets to events and fun things to ensure that our lives are adventure filled. The first of these occurred on Friday night when we travelled to San Francisco to see Clairey Browne and the Bangin' Rackettes - some Aussie music to keep me at ease and comfortable in my new surroundings. We joined the line and, naturally, the first person we spoke to was an ex-Melbourne girl with her American husband. We discussed meat pies, music, chicos and, inevitably, vegemite.
Inside we went straight to the bar and Laura had ordered us two beers and two shots of tequila. A moustached man, Lee, made some small talk and we ended up asking him if he would like one too. "I'm from San Diego" he said, which i guessed meant he did! He said he was the partner of the singer of the lead up act and we turned on the charm, hoping backstage access, but we went different ways.
The venue was small, warm and inviting. As it turned out, the acoustics were fabulous and the entire vibe was incredible. I would highly recommend the Rickshaw Stop to anyone who gets to San Francisco. Upon doing some research whilst drinking sangria pre-show, i found that the warm up act was compared to Joanna Newsom... who is upon my favourites chanteuses. The band - Carletta Sue Kay - came up and began to play. A bass, guitar, drums and keys were joined by a man, wearing some kind of custom made mu-mu, wig and make up. This was San Francisco. Any shock by his/her appearance was quickly dispelled when the singing started. My initial reluctance at believing the Newsom comparison was put at ease and the lyricism, sound and tone were intoxicating and captivating!
It was a funny crowd. Me and Laura were probably the youngest but the alternative, mostly older people liked to party and were great company! Laura came back from the bathroom at one stage dancing with a woman, Lily, and Lee from the tequila earlier, kept coming back and talking to us and took photos of us! Coming back from the bar i bought the CDs of the lead up act and spoke to the performer. Lee appeared from nowhere to take pics of "you with my new BFF!" Anyone wanting to look into Carletta Sue Kay would not be disappointed!! Lots of fun, very thoughtful and a great sound!
Clairey Browne came out with her Rackettes in a fusion of blues, soul, flappy dresses and long gloves. They were extraordinarily fantastic and so much fun!! we spent the night dancing, singing and grooving as Clairey belted out her tunes and her Rackettes swayed and twerked to the sound. We did not leave the front of the stage for the entire night and it was one of the most enjoyable nights i can remember!!
With nights like these and more events to come - a San Jose sharks game tomorrow night and Coachella this weekend, the American dream truly seems within reach!
Laura continues to be the sweetest to me and tonight is a big test as i cook for her for the first time ever. In other news, i destroyed Nordstrom rack yesterday, including some Tiger sneakers for $35 and Laura's cat scratched me for the first time earlier today!
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