This week Backroads went on a trip to explore some of Doug’s favorite places in the South Bay.
We started the day off with a taste of a legendary burnt almond cake from Dick’s Bakery.
Dick’s Bakery
1593 Meridian Ave
San Jose, CA 95125
(408) 269-5212
Next, we headed to the edge of the bay to find some history and wildlife in Alviso.
Alviso Marina County Park
(408) 262-6980
Bayside Canning Company
Located on Hope St., south of Alviso Marina
Don Edwards San Francisco Bay
National Wildlife Refuge
9500 Thornton Ave
Newark, CA 94560
(510) 792-0222
We drove back south to visit an unassuming Indian store that found itself in the middle of the hi-tech boom.
Bharat Bazar
3686 El Camino Real
Santa Clara CA 95051
(408) 247-4307
Our next stop was the Stanford University campus where we found some interesting gardens and spectacular views.
Stanford University
(650) 723-2560
We drove just a few miles from campus to find the Winter Lodge, a hidden ice skating rink in Palo Alto.
Winter Lodge
3009 Middlefield Road
Palo Alto, CA 94306
(650) 493-4566
Next, Jan Newberry, the Food and Wine editor of San Francisco Magazine, gave us tips on where to find the best coffee in the city, including a unique coffee-lover’s garage kiosk and a historic favorite of Jack Kerouac and the beatnik crowd. Her recommendations are:
Blue Bottle Coffee Company
315 Linden Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
(510) 653-3394
Ritual Coffee Roasters
1026 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 641-1024
Graffeo
735 Columbus Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 986-2420
(800) 222-6250
Caffe Trieste
609 Vallejo St
San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 982-2605
Our final Backroads story took us to Sebastopol in western Sonoma County, about sixty miles north of San Francisco. We met Patrick Amiot, an artist who teaches recycling and conservation by collecting “junk”, such as springs and refrigerators, and incorporating them into his sculptures. Patrick’s neighbors started displaying his pieces in their front yards and now Florence Avenue has become a sort of outdoor art gallery.