Klay Thompson made 10-3s against the Thunder so I got to go to NorCal instead of Oklahoma City to cover my first NBA Finals

Suit and sneaks.

San Francisco/Oakland, CA

June 2016

NBA Finals coverage: Cavs at Warriors, Games 1 and 2

LeBron James at shootaround. Let him borrow my night jogging socks.

Kyrie Irving at shootaround. 

Introducing the PB2. As in peanut butter and jelly... and pork belly.  This is at Jamber Wine Bar, a small hipster hangout with a little bit of a fly problem. The sandwich was tasty, but not required eating. Different enough for a trial though. And their happy hour prices are top notch so I couldn't help but get the sampler. (There was no game the next day, people. Don't judge.)

Kin Khao, one of the best reviewed Thai restaurants in SF, which is saying something. It's Michelin-rated, but I wouldn't say it's mind-blowing. By this point, I don't remember what these food pics are. Rice Krispy treats? 

Some sort of curry. Maybe. Kin Khao's Yelp reviews are strong; the critics love it; it's one of my foodie friend's favorite spots... but all that said, I'd give it one of those ho hum emojis.

Back to work. LeBron driving on someone. Is that Harrison Barnes? Festus Ezeli? Hard to tell without my binoculars.

Confetti showers after every game. The DNC in Philly made Oracle Arena look like chumps.

Being a total fatty. Went to Sushiritto and ordered both a sushi burrito and sushi nachos for myself. No regrets! The line took forever - think I had to wait 20 minutes or so (I don't remember), but I enjoyed this more than Kin Khao. I think I double dipped with tuna for both, but highly recommend. Picture the Chipotle of sushi... minus the E Coli.

Bay Bridge and a beer at Waterbar.

A summer hike to Baker Beach. Forget the name of this forest, but for the uber nerd, you may recognize this setting from "Return of the Jedi." This is Endor. You could say it was more lush "a long time ago."

Baker Beach view of the Golden Gate.

Clear up, dammit!

That's not going to cut it.

Fine. #CloudsAreA-Holes

Your guess is as good as mine as to what this one's doing.

The other side is better.

This toilet is at the bus stop just outside what's considered one of the best bakeries in SF: b. patisserie. Convenient I suppose. Didn't have the courage to look inside.

Requisite cable car.

A UCSB + AAJA SF reunion.

Pastries from Tartine, another fancy bakery in SF, who's line is far more arduous than b. patisserie. I'd rate Tartine higher.

Street art alert. Deuces.

Grant Hill and Shaquille O'Neal representing for the late Muhammad Ali, who died the day before. #GOAT

Clocks.

A moment of silence and tribute to the GOAT, Muhammad Ali.

Upper level press seats were right next to the arena DJ. And yes, arenas have DJs now. They play all sorts of music without lyrics that the young kids gyrate to.

#LoveMyJob

Cincinnati: Queen City

Cincinnati

June 2015

In an effort to boost the number of destinations on the side panel of this blog, I'm listing more domestic visitations! It's totally lame, but so am I! I went to Cincinnati to do a profile on the Great American Ball Park, home of the Reds and the 2015 MLB All-Star Game. Here's Cincy:

John Roebling Suspension Bridge. Same dude designed the Brooklyn Bridge and the similarities are evident. It connects Cincinnati with Covington, Kentucky over the Ohio River. 

You shouldn't really take pictures in the middle of the street. But - you know - for art.

I didn't run across the bridge because it was too hot and I'm lazy.

Black Brigade Monument at the Riverfront Park.

Paul Brown Stadium. Home of the Bengals.

Stadium facial. Nice from the outside. 

The mustaches are out in full-force for the All-Star Game.

Riverboat tribute.

HOFer Joe Morgan outside Great American Ball Park.

HOF catcher Ernie Lombardi. 17-year MLB catcher ('31-'47).

Ted Kluszewski. 15-year MLB 1st baseman ('47-'61).

Interview with Reds COO Phil Castellini.

Notice the 'stache on that fancy building in the backdrop.

Who's got an arm?! Chucking mid-50's heat from MLB distance at the Reds Museum that sits outside the park. 60-feet and 6-inches is a long way. 

A baseball wall commemorating Pete Rose's record-breaking hit. There's also a rose garden outside the museum that honors exactly where his hit landed in old Riverfront stadium.

All-Star logo outside of the stadium.

Cincy's famous Skyline chili, piled on top of spaghetti. All say this, I didn't hate it, but I wouldn't do it again.

Nada, a surprisingly tasty Mexican cantina. Fish, barbacoa, and pork belly tacos.

Taste of Belgium, good chicken and waffle spot in Cincy's  Over-the-Rhine (OTR) district, the new hipster area. The chicken was good, but the waffle deserves the trophy. A very hearty breakfast.

Morelein Lager House. This burger has pastrami, bacon, and fried egg.

The happy couple!

Nevermind. So fickle.

Stache at the airport.