My First Yelp Event

I am delighted to write about my very first Yelp event! It just so happens to be a charity event and it’s themed for the summer. The event is held at the Rock Wall Wine Company, centering the theme of drinking wine and snacking on munchies. It’s a Summer Sip-nic is what Yelp likes to call it.

Bite size vendors such as Grilled Cheez Guy, Rubio’s, Whole Foods Market, Luna Bars, Chocolatier Blue, Chunky Pig, etc will be offering some tasty samplings. Beverage vendors like honest tea, Vita Coco, Alaskan Brewing Co., Singha Beer, Red Feather Winery, Uproot Wines, Banshee Wines, etc will be offering their share of liquid to quench your thirst. Without stopping there, there will be Pop-up Parks, Oakland Ping Pong Party, Ice Carving, DJ, etc. Sounds very catchy just for the few I named. The catch is this is not a free event, your contribution is a mere $10.00 to have all of them. Sounds like a good deal!

The first of how I heard about this cool event was I got an email invitation from Yelp to attend (very nice that it’s open to the public users and not just the elites). After you RSVP to attend, they offer a +1 guest to join you in this little adventure. 

Upon arriving, you see lots of cars parked and lots of empty parking spots. The space is huge! What especially caught my eyes is the LONG line to get in. But I have to say that it did move rather quickly. After that need I say more, I was going through vendor to vendor to try out everything they had. The drawback is that the lines were very long and moved very slow because everybody wanted food. The short lines were the desserts and wine. Mostly people were hungry. 

It was definitely a great first Yelp event but would I attend again? Maybe, maybe not. I would just attend a few times for the experience and to check out new vendors.  

Sip-Nic Flyer from Yelp

Chocolate Mountain

Edible Sneakers

Nougat in a Jar

Long Lines

Inside the Winery

Yelp Iced Sculpture

Summer Camp Trip ☼

What I prefer to do every year, at least one time if not more is to embrace Mother Nature. Sometimes being in a city can be a little overwhelming with cars, buildings, and people. Camping is sort of like an escape from modernization. It’s a step back into living with what you already have and not what you need. I enjoy it because it reminds me that life can be much simpler. 

My camping trip was back in June and our campsite was located at Del Valle campground in the Livermore area. As for the weather, the heat was way more prevalent there compared to what I am accustomed to; perfect feel for the summer. Prior to the trip, reservation booking is always a must, especially during the summer, people are always hawking at the screen when spots are open! Luckily, my group ended up with a pretty good location, not too far from the bathroom or shower. 

Day 1 --- Upon arrival, we had some fun setting up our tents. By the time we finish, we were too exhausted from the heat to do anything but sit and enjoy nature. Late afternoon became the best time to hike up some mountains. I caught a glimpse of two deer bouncing on the edge of the steep hill. It’s amazing how these animals have hoofs to prevent them from falling! Reaching mid-way gave way to a great view. Our destination was a beautiful pond of water. Our night time entertainment became sitting around the fire and melting smores.

Day 2 --- More hiking is what’s up! But this time we have a destination; it was to kayaks and boats. My first time kayaking was more tiring than I had imagined. Nevertheless, it was a nice ride considering my partner did most of the paddling. Hehe. After that, seeing the kids have so much fun in the water brings upon a thought that I need to be in it myself. Yep, I swam in the lake and it was surprisingly warm. As always we ended the day with a great BBQ dinner and melting smores.

Day 3 --- Last morning meal at camp and packing up to leave.

It was a short trip that lasted fast. The feeling of camping is great because of the fresh air and animals surrounding the neighborhood. It felt like a real vacation even though it was being out for two nights only.

Setting up a 10 person tent

Enjoying the afternoon sun

Hiking Adventure

West Beach

More Hiking

Enjoying the view

Kayak Territory