Well, Bye, Kansas City...

[TinyEvel]

Those of you who know me and my story know I am a Southern California born and raised native but picked Chiefs as my NFL team in 1994 after the Montana win in Houston in the AFC divisional playoffs. Stayed a loyal and true Chiefs fan through the years and after finding CP in 2005 began coming out to KC once a year (thanks NZoner) for games.

2015 -- through random happenstance, I had an opportunity to come out here for a job. I did it. I made great progress in this firm, hiring and relocating new talent to KC, championing the boomtown that it is.

A few months ago, through some reorganization, I find myself leaving this firm. Not much opportunity for me any more in KC, so I relocated my family back to the West Coast last week. I must say as a born and raised Californian, the weather and the fitness here in CA, I have to pinch myself that I am lucky to be back here.

I still love KC and will be back for games, but here are a few things I observed after living in an entirely new region for the first time in my life.

1) The people are nice. Like, genuinely nice. It would take me three minutes to get through the grocery checkout just because the cashier would ask how I am doing and make small talk.

2) No traffic. I mean, the Plaza at Christmastime is basically any road in any city in California year-round. Getting from A to B in KC was always a breeze.

3) Season Tickets at Arrowhead are a dream come true. Being able to get to the stadium at 7 am every home game, and feel the rush of the crowd every week...now when I watch the games on TV it will be different. I'll surely miss being there, and the waft of BBQ smoke will be forever emblazoned in my mind.

4) It's a good life if you have very young kids. You can buy a three bedroom home for $150K with great schools. If you have teenage kids, moving here is more tough because most local kids have already bonded with friends.

5) Lots of people are overweight. Not to make a body issue statement but it's unhealthy. I hated myself for judging people there.

6) BUT.... Lots of people are active. I was surprised at how many people are running and playing tennis, etc. The workout here seems to be more for heart health than to be good looking fit, so, glad to see so many people getting out there and getting their heart rate up.

7) Produce goes bad too fast. Buy an avocado, better eat it that day. Same with lettuce. And Citrus. I was shocked how fast those fresh produce go bad.

8) Free parking in KC is a blessing. We just went to a museum in San Francisco, Parking was $24. That was focked. Ludicrous.

9) Fast healthy food is hard to come by in KC. We just ate fresh Mex burritos for lunch and in KC it seems all the fast options are Wendy's or Arby's or Burger King etc. It was an effort to eat fast/cheap/healthy there in KC.

10) The weather. Probably the most significant difference. I didn't mind the winters (many said the past two were mild) but the summers and the sticky heat, that was the worst. Three days here and it's 70 degrees and a cool breeze, that's a million dollar climate, and it cost that much.

11) KC is a boomtown. Look at all the development, there's a ton of opportunity there right now.

12) Body modification: People in KC seem to have a higher level of "fck what other people think" in terms of what they do to their hair/face/skin. As a result you get a lot of questionable tattoos and piercings and haircuts, etc. On one hand, i was appreciative of the diversity, on the other hand, it felt like the human modification version of the bad Charles Jersey I ordered online from China.

13) who the fock am I to say what KC is like or any other place. You be you, Kansas City, that's what makes you special. I'm gonna do me out here. I'll be back to visit and sing your praises in my social media feeds. All day long. Just hide the fat people.

TinyEvel out.

[L.A. Chieffan]

Originally Posted by Nickhead

?

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by vailpass

Dude just called all you guys fat.

The obesity rate in KC is national avg.


The great thing about the Internet is: all answers are just a click away.

[Ming the Merciless]

Originally Posted by L.A. Chieffan

Russian River Brewing Company FTW

Yeah I been drinking his beer since it was part of Korbel .before he split off from them..Guy makes great beer...

I won't stand in line though...if you come back here, hit me up I'll give you some other recommendations that are just as good with no crowd.

[L.A. Chieffan]

Originally Posted by Pawnmower

Yeah I been drinking his beer since it was part of Korbel ...Guy makes great beer...

I won't stand in line though...if you come back here, hit me up I'll give you some other recommendations that are just as good with no crowd.

Lol I just got the to go stuff but I had lots of good food and mead while I was up there. Wine weed and women. Cali for life Tupac baby

[Ming the Merciless]

Originally Posted by L.A. Chieffan

Lol I just got the to go stuff but I had lots of good food and mead while I was up there. Wine weed and women. Cali for life Tupac baby

Yeah man! Glad you enjoyed it....Theres some really great spots with to-go growlers. If you come back here some time I will take you to my new favorite spot and buy you a growler.

Its in a weird strip mall location but yummy food and great beer to-go

http://www.fogbeltbrewing.com/

I also really like

https://bearrepublic.com/

which is about 5 milesish north of windsor maybe 7

[L.A. Chieffan]

I drink Racer 5 all the time I love it, should've visited them, doh

[L.A. Chieffan]

Did you go to Bottle Rock at all?

[Ming the Merciless]

Originally Posted by L.A. Chieffan

I drink Racer 5 all the time I love it,

oh hell yes

thats my daily driver LOL

love me some racer 5

red rocket is amazing too

They have decent food too and Healdsburg is a cool little place to walk around with a buzz and drink/eat

[Ming the Merciless]

Originally Posted by L.A. Chieffan

Did you go to Bottle Rock at all?

dude i WISH

I have a 1 yr old and a 5 yr old but SOOOOOON....

I havent done much since my 5 yr old was born but we are done having babies and we have the 5 yr old trained pretty well...so as soon as the 1 yr old can walk and talk better and I can get him trained (hahaha) then we will roll out to some fests

[L.A. Chieffan]

Originally Posted by Pawnmower

dude i WISH

I have a 1 yr old and a 5 yr old but SOOOOOON....

I havent done much since my 5 yr old was born but we are done having babies and we have the 5 yr old trained pretty well...so as soon as the 1 yr old can walk and talk better and I can get him trained (hahaha) then we will roll out to some fests

Ahh gotcha, my kids are old enough I can leave them to their own devices and just take off whenever we like, it's nice.

[wazu]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

If Tiny moved back to LA, then he will not see any obesity difference.


KC: obese 29% / overweight 36%
LA: obese 24% / overweight 38%

http://www.governing.com/gov-data/ob...area-data.html

Interesting. I wonder if it just seems different because in L.A. people are fat-shamed into not leaving their home.

[scho63]

Originally Posted by TinyEvel

Just North of San Francisco.

Good luck on your move back to NoCa.

I was just there in Roseville for 6 days visiting my brother and his family for my nephew's high school graduation. He has autism and it was a very emotional day for all of us. He has come a long way.

I also spent a day in Mountain View where I used to live. I was shocked at how much Google has taken over the entire area near the Shoreline Amphitheater. Damn near every building! It was my first time back since I left in Jan 2002. Amazing how much it's kicking and busy. I went to my favorite watering hole, the Tied House. Same bartender that used to serve me. He has been there 27 years!!!

[Ming the Merciless]

Originally Posted by L.A. Chieffan

my kids are old enough I can leave them to their own devices and just take off whenever we like, it's nice.

[Ming the Merciless]

6 or 7 years ago I posted this:

(which had both breweries we talked about on it!) hahahaha

Originally Posted by Pawnmower

I am going to focus on DAy Trip stuff, outside of SF since others already have mentioned the main attractions in SF.

Ok so after you do all the touristy stuff in SF like:

Alcatraz
Golden Gate Park
Coit Tower
Japanese Tea Garden
China Town
Taxi Down Lombardi while drunk (crookedest street in the world)
Pier 39
Fisherman's Wharf
Eat at Scomas (I like the one in in Sausilito , just on the otyher side of the Bridge out of SF)
etc...

If you get bored of doing all the traditional touristy things in the city, it is time to head up north.

I recommend taking a drive at least an hour north of the Golden Gate, on 101 and using the city of Santa Rosa as a base for some adventures. I dunno if you already have your hotel, but staying a couple nights in Santa Rosa would be fun. You can walk around downtown at night and hit a few bars and drive around during the day to see some sights. There are also some excellent restaurants & breweries in the area.

Here are some things you can do:

Wineries

http://www.sterlingvineyards.com/home <-- Sterling is very Cool for a day trip, about 45 minutes maybe from Santa Rosa, they have a tram that goes to the top of a hill where the winery is located. It is beautiful... also you could swing by the small town of Calistoga for lunch / sight seeing...Very cool little town

http://www.prwinery.com/ <-- Paradise Ridge winery....Bring a sandwich or some food and a bottle of your own wine, then go up there and buy a bottle and have a nice picnic at the top. It is a beautiful view, call them and see if theyre open till Sunset the day you are going to be there. It doesnt cost anything to go up there and view the sunset, and is really awesome. Great for taking pictures as well.

There are a million wineries within 45 minutes of Santa Rosa , so I won't bother putting any more unless you want me to...If you don't end up staying a night or two outside of SF, it is Still worth a day trip to go to Sterling & Calistoga IMO.

Breweries

http://www.lagunitas.com/ <-- Its in Petaluma about 45 mins North of SF, excellent Brewery with tours available daily I believe. Great Beer

http://www.russianriverbrewing.com/ <--- Russian River Brewing, right in downtown Santa Rosa...walking distance to the tons of other pubs and shops in Downtown SR. Excellent Beer.

http://www.bearrepublic.com/ <-- Bear Republic (In healdsburg, 75 minutes north of Golden gate, 15 minutes North of Santa Rosa)...fantasic beer in the little town of HEaldsburg.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Street_Aleworks <--- 3rd street ale works in downtown Santa Rosa....Good beer, cheap food....right in downtown SR ...Good place to hang out.

Beaches / Parks

This one is hard to recommend because I don't know the kinds of things you're interested in...The Beaches north of SF are very Beautiful...Rocky Cliffs overlooking the Ocean, with beaches you can hike down to and hike along the ocean and take pictures...Bring a little bottle of booze and some warm clothes... A light hooded jacket / pants cuz it gets windy a lot.

Heres some of my Favorite beaches:

http://www.californiacoastline.org/c...ential&flags=0 <-- Goat Rock (45 Minutes from Santa Rosa, BEAUTIFUL drive to get there )....Just feels good to walk along the beach for a while there...A great spot. It is right where 116 meets HWY 1 , right near where the RUssian River pours out into the ocean....Near the town of Jenner which is a good stop for lunch etc...

http://www.bodegabay.com/index.shtml (Bodega Bay...A little beach town....) You can have lunch here it is near HWY 12 and HWY1 Intersection.... Theres salt water taffy shops, kite shops, Fishing guides available, (group fishing tours too), Boat Rides etc....Cool little town to stop at while you drive up and down HWY 1 stopping at some beaches to take pictures. There are several beaches near By Bodega bay within 15 minutes drive or so.

Theres Way more beaches, but those are just two ideas...

http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=450 <--- Armstrong Redwoood Park

If you have never seen an Ancient Redwood, do yourself a favor and come to this park and hike around for an hour or so. There are some PRIZE examples of redwoods that will boggle your mind and make you feel like you are an Ewok in star wars. This park is RIGHT in between Santa Rosa and Jenner on 116 , very Near Korbel winery.... You could visit the park, visit Korbel, and hit Goat Rock Beach (above) and it would be a great day trip.


Restaurants

This is always Dicey, but I am going to give only a couple recommendations....If you want more recommendations in a certain price range, just ask me. I love food and I have eaten at quite a few restaurants in this area. I'll be adding more to this list for sure, but this is a start.

Hole in the wall:

http://www.dierksparkside.com/ <-- awesome breakfast and lunch, closes at 2:00 pm

http://www.yelp.com/biz/lolas-santa-rosa <--- Great Mexican food, CHEAP..One of the best Quesadillas you will EVER have...Order the Super QUesadilla Suiza with carne asada or Carnitas...Its like 6 bucks max, and will AMAZE you. Trust me on this. You have never had a quesadilla this good. Make sure to get the green salsa from the salsa bar. Get your food take out and take to a park or back to your hotel...It isn't really all that great of a neighborhood or place to sight see, just awesome food.

Medium

http://www.yelp.com/biz/lococos-cuci...ica-santa-rosa <-- LA Cocos in Downtown Santa Rosa. If you're staying downtown, this is a convienient and GREAT little Italian place..You can get your buzz and food on then walk around to many nearby bars and/or shops. Solid Italian food....Busy / noisy / energetic atmosphere.

http://www.bistro29.com/ <--- bistro 29 (French) They have really good savory Crepes. You can get a Savory crepe and an appetizer and a beer/wine for not too much and will have a good meal. It is right downtown really close to Bars and shops.

Top

http://www.cyrusrestaurant.com/ <--- Cyrus. There are only 5 restaurants in the SF area that get 2 or higher Michelin Stars. This is one of them....You can go just to the bar and have a beer/glass of wine and an appetizer if you just want a taste of what the BEST restaurant in this area is like...Or you can have a meal there, and treat yourself. Amazing food, with the best service you can imagine. They wont make you feel out of place at all, they will make you feel right at home... It would be difficult and WAY more expensive to find better food and service than this ANYWHERE.

It is in a small town about 15 minutes north of Santa Rosa (75 minutes north of Golden Gate Bridge)....After you hit their bar (or if youre lucky enough to be able to have a meal there) you can walk round the 'square' in Healdsburg and hit some other bars and shops if you like. Cute little downtown area.


Hotels

This is also hit or miss, since I have no idea what price range you are in...If you are just gonna make a day trip and stay in SF then it doesn't matter, but I would highly recommend staying one night (at least) in Downtown Santa Rosa and then using Santa Rosa as a base to explore beaches / parks / wineries /breweries.

http://www.hotellarose.com/ <-- Hotel La Rose , right downtown...within walking distance to La Cocos and MANY other restaurants and bars.


----


So, if you want any other recommendations for day trip stuff North of SF I would be glad to cme up with some more ideas and what not, based on things you like to do. Just let me know, I live here so I know whats up.

I Will work on this list some more when I get a chance, but if you let me know which things interest you I can work on that part of the list 1st. Ive been wanting to make a list like this for friends/family coming to visit so you have motivated me!

I can't stress this enough, but once you get north of the Golden Gate, the traffic isn't quite as bad and sinc eyou have a car...I would HIGHLY recommend taking some day trips or overnight trips...Especially since you have two weeks. Tahoe will be GREAT weekend, and I think your trip will be rounded out nicely by checking out the wine country.

Cyrus is closed now sadly but the rest of this list is still good...althjough I would add to it...maybe I will work on it...

[L.A. Chieffan]

Dang wish I read that before I went up. Thanks for that