The Ute in its Natural Habitat

Spotted this specimen in Western Australia...

Flying Fish Cove winery in Margaret River, Western Australia

I was lucky enough to be able to visit this winery recently, driving down from Perth and staying locally. It's set back from the road, as you can see, down a short path. Nicely decorated inside with photos of local surfing and the surrounding area (the founder is also a surfer).

Following a wine tasting, I picked up a 2011 "Wildberry" Cabernet Sauvignon. In the tasting, it was fruity and balanced. I'm looking forward to opening this bottle!

Marriott McDowell Mountain

Although it has attractive subdued and area-appropriate architecture, I sometimes feel that the best view at the Marriott McDowell Mountain is the view from the hotel. Here is the view out from the front entrance/lobby:

Crossrail station at Canary Wharf is coming along well

You can see it on the right of this photo. Lots of new shops, and already it provides a way to walk over the waterway there without getting drenched when it is raining. Looking forward to when the trains start running, and getting quickly to and from Heathrow from Canary Wharf.

As a side point, I found this blog post on the naming of Crossrail stations very interesting.

Rolld in Brisbane

I love these Vietnamese wraps - tasty and healthy. It reminded me of Freshroll in San Francisco. Highly recommended.

Beach at San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino

A really good Marriott property which I stayed at recently is the San Juan Marriot Resort and Stellaris Casino, in San Juan, Puerto Rico.


Beautiful beach, though with high waves and not really suitable for swimming (at least when I was there). But the hotel has great pools, right by the beach, which more than make up for this.

Gallery Inn in San Juan, Puerto Rico

I stayed at the Gallery Inn in San Juan, Puerto Rico recently, and highly recommend it. The eclectic decor and the Spanish-speaking parrots were highlights.

It's centrally-located, so it's a short walking distance from everything.

Bear Republic "Hop Rod" beer review

I had some Bear Republic beer this week at an excellent "Chief Beer Officer" event in London. It was the Hop Rod beer. Deep hops, very satisfying taste. Great to drink on a warm evening in London, with weather just like the beer's home in Sonoma County, California. Highly recommended. 

Climbing up to Coit Tower, San Francisco

Coit Tower in San Francisco is often seen in scenic views of the city, but what some people don't realize is that the views from the tower itself are just as good. Here is the tower viewed from close to Washington Square:

The walk up to the tower itself passes some woods:

At the tower itself, you see it close up, and can go in to a gift shop there:

But it's the view out to the Golden Gate bridge which is really worth the walk. Here it is at sunset:


Definitely worth walking up if you happen to be in that part of San Francisco at sunset.

Airports with "prison-worthy" seats

Ever wondered who makes those seats at airports? This HBR piece mentions that OMK makes "prison-worthy" seating for airports, self-sealing polyurethane can withstand a stabbing: http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/11/stop_competing_to_be_the_best.html . Kinda fitting that airports would have "prison-worthy" seats.