Hey---used to date a guy who was a 'Superman/Christopher Reeves' look-alike who was a great cook AND played Rugby---almost went delirious once watching him in a scrum...... But, GOLF?!!! That game takes guy-watching to a whole new level of sophistication!!!! Have you ever noticed how a little breeze will ripple over clothing that is not too tight, just giving a suggestion of the beautiful, well-toned, well-proportioned body underneath----used to salivate when Greg Norman would bend over to pick up a ball from a cup....well, I also enjoyed my aforementioned friend retrieving his golf ball, also. Sigh.... However, have always appreciated walking behind midshipmen in whites... always. ---Wow----can anyone tell it's Spring around here? GUFFAW!

Oh I miss SF so much.... I haven't lived there in more than fifteen years, so I am a bit nervous to give recommendations, but will go ahead and give a few anyway. There is a classic old SF restaurant, The Tadich Grill, which is terrific. I used to really enjoy MacArthur's Park. Bardellis. Go to Trip Advisor -it is always my GO TO when I travel, and I am rarely disappointed. I wish I could remember the name of the place I loved in Chinatown -but that is a great place to walk around, shop and nosh too! Great idea to stay in Berkeley -it will definitely be warmer there. Will you have a car? There are some great hikes in the Berkeley/East Bay area, around Mt. Diablo, etc. Another fun thing to do is to rent bikes (look in the Marina District in SF), ride across the GG Bridge and back, or ride into Sausalito, and then take the bikes back on the ferry (check to make sure you can still do this). The Alta Mira is a wonderful choice for lunch in Sausalito particularly on a pretty day. You can sit outside and look all across the bay. Also north of the GG bridge you will find a nice little hike with redwoods in Muir Woods. A more adventurous hike would be through Tennessee Vallee/ Mt. Tamalpais -ending at Stinson Beach. GG Park, particularly on Sundays, when a section is closed to cars, is fantastic for people watching. There's lots to do there -museams, outside stuff, etc. Have a GREAT time!

This place is so good I've included a review. Try anything but definitly try the dumplings... ************************************** Deceptive is the word for Yeah Shanghai Deluxe, the two-year old restaurant with the hippest name in Chinatown. Sandwiched in along a row of look-alike, undistinguished eating places the narrow, storefront Yeah Shanghai Deluxe, with its dumpling kitchen in the window, could well be a casual, fast lunch spot or even a carry out. But walk past the steaming, up front action of the dumpling prep area and cross over a charming little bridge to the cave-like rear dining room with its brick walls and Italian wine cellar look. There, is a sight every Chinese food freak searches for, a sea of Asian faces. Not a Caucasian in the crowd. The blackboard specials are in Chinese here (so are the newspapers) and although forks are available everyone seems to be eating with chopsticks. Obviously this is not your fathers Chinese American restaurant serving Egg Foo young, egg rolls and moo goo gai pan (none of which are on the menu). Its a new-fangled Chinese-Chinese restaurant serving the rare-in-New-York specialties of Shanghai. Oh, you can order moo shu pork, scallion pancakes, spring rolls or hot and sour soup, but why do it? Those dishes are available at every cookie cutter, garden variety Chinese eatery. But steamed, juicy pork buns, pork shoulder in honey sauce, chrysanthemum fish, roast chicken Northern China-style and Shanghai dough arent and Yeah Shanghai is a find because of those light, unusual, often exotic dishes. Its beautiful presentations, one-dish-at-a-time service, pleasant staff and agreeable dining room ambiance also enhance the experience. In fact, the only dishes sampled that were just ordinary were two standards: hot and sour soup that needed hot sauce to jack it up and shredded pork in garlic sauce that was no better or worse than it is elsewhere. Instead, start with those steamed, juicy pork buns or soup and meatfilled dumplings, eight of them. Eat each one on a soup spoon slowly sipping out the broth, then, eating the pork, remaining liquid and outer won ton-like shell. They are a mellow delight. Dont depart without trying one or two dim sum. We selected steamed pork and leak dumplings and werent sorry. They offered a welcome taste and texture contrast. Most main courses are attractively encircled by a border of thin, alternating orange and tomato slices and taste as good as they look. Get that whole Northern China-style roast chicken, presented with its head and feet and a clump of tender, moist shredded strands of chicken. Add the accompanying brown sauce replete with minced garlic and youre on your way. The pork shoulder in honey sauce is its equal. The soft, juicy meat, in a coat of fall-away fat, easily separated from the meat, is sinfully delicious and the honey adds a subtle sweet note. Ten lightly breaded, gently cooked Peking-style prawns are another good bet. Finish up with the spongy, steamed thousand pieces cake, an acquired taste to be sure, but like Yeah Shanghai Deluxe itself, one that is not a routine Manhattan eatery. 65 Bayard (@ Mott St.), 212-566-4884. *********************************************** This little place is a must- if you're not hungry just share some dumplings michaelp

Thanks for all the feedback! Here are some responses: @SunnyAlberta: I'm kind of leaning toward #2 also because of the visual balance and extra room on the range wall. I expect to be spending more time in the big living area than in the dining area, so the blocked light won't matter as much. And the walls of the dining area are going to be mostly window -- two big corner windows -- so there will be plenty of light in there, plus a view of lots of trees and a small pond. One downside is that my architect will be annoyed with me if I go this route, because we had it drawn this way at one point and I let him talk me into plan #1. Fortunately it isn't a structural change; I think all it requires is moving the electrical stuff around. And that's what I'm paying him for. :-) I think you're right about the flow from fridge -> plate -> oven. The plates will probably be in an upper cabinet toward the left hand side of that wall, or maybe in a deep drawer in the island, so that flow works fairly well. And the aisles are wide enough that there shouldn't be a collision if anyone else is in there. @bmorepanic: Do you mean putting both the ovens and the refrigerator on the left wall? Hmm. My architect had it drawn that way originally, but I didn't like it much. It was a big "wall of tall" that I think would look even worse than plan #1 above because it just kind of hangs out there. (Someone on the forum pointed that out, maybe buehl.) Or maybe you meant leave the oven on the same wall as in plan #1, but move it out into the living area to the right of the fridge, between the fridge and the pantry door. I don't think I like that because it puts some of the stainless steel out there. But I could slide both the oven and the fridge to the right (if it's a full overlay and integrated) into that area without it looking too weird. And that area is more or less unused in the current plan. Hmmm. @davidro: Yeah, the hoods are different. I've been playing with different styles in my drawings: big pro hood, shorter metal one, insert in a fairly flat wood enclosure, etc. I'll try to post some drawings that have consistent hoods in them. What kind do you think would look best? :-) I've also been drawing them at different widths, but I'll probably go with 36" to maximize upper cabinet space. The island definitely needs work: curvy or multiple heights, or something like that. That stuff can change later, but right now I need to finalize the floor plan and gas/electrical stuff for the city. The colors in the drawings are also a mess. I'm rather color-blind, so I just picked some things I liked in isolation with no thought for how they'll fit together. I'm going to need to hire a designer to help with all the colors and other decoration. :-( @localeater: "I was wondering what is in the island." Not much so far. The prep sink, plus a trash pullout at the end nearest the cleanup sink. Otherwise it's a blank slate. On the oven comments from multiple folks.... I'm torn there. Putting them under the counters would definitely solve the layout problems. Or using a range instead of a rangetop, plus a microwave drawer or a speed oven mounted in the island. But I'm almost 6' tall and have a messed up back, so I've more or less discarded those ideas. (I wish I could trade a couple inches of height with my friends who think they're too short. :-) But you guys have made me reconsider a bit, because it would certainly help with layout. Too many choices! @herbflavor: You're right that the furniture arrangement in the big area looks bizarre and arbitrary. I love having lots of windows and light, but it makes the furniture layout a challenge because I also want to use that room as a home theatre, with the TV and audio gear on that long wall. I'll come up with some sort of compromise eventually. I think I'd be fairly happy with either of the designs above, with some minor tweaks for looks. But I want to get it *perfect*! Curse you for giving me so many more choices and ideas! Kitchen design is way harder than the software design I do for a living. :-) Random aside on the "lots of windows" front... My current house is similar to the "Eichler" houses built all over the Bay Area in the 50's. They're basically lower-budget, mass-produced designs inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright: lots of windows, flat roofs, outdoor atriums that integrate into the living space with big windows or sliding doors, etc. I love the current house and am trying to replicate some of the parts I like in the new one. The reason for the move is a much bigger lot, slightly bigger house, and much nicer location within walking distance to lots of shops and restaurants. (Downtown Mountain View, CA for anyone who lives around here.) Thanks! Keep the feedback coming! Laura, on my lunch break