Do you like fine cooking?

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Activity: Cooking class at Sur la Table in San Francisco

Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Website :http://www.surlatable.com/category/cat2211278/Cooking+Classes

Cost: Originally $65-79 and on sale for $35! (subscribe to newsletter for sales or wait for last minute discounts)

Description: I took a 4 course cooking class that focused on Mediterranean cuisine.  The menu included Baklava ice cream, chicken skewers, Greek Salad, and grape leaves stuffed with feta. The meal was delicious! Do not go hungry or you will be starving at the end of the 2-3 hour class. 

I highly recommend Sur la Table because they have last minute deals on classes, all the prep work is done beforehand, there is no cleaning, and you get the recipes and full meal at the end. 

I will say space was tight and you had to take turns in groups of 3-4 to prepare the meal, but the recipes are simple enough that you can watch along and feel comfortable trying at home. 

The classes also vary quite a bit depending on the season so there is constantly new genres to try!

Recommended: two friends,. couple, small group

Learn to fly in an hour or less

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Learning to fly was an incredible experience. I booked a class through BelAir International with an online discount. The class included an hour flight for two people on a small charter plane. It was also about 30-45 minutes from San Francisco which made it very convenient. 

When I arrived we went through safety checks including: fuel gauge, propeller, etc. It was helpful to ask questions directly to the pilot in a private setting to feel comfortable before take off. 

During the flight the pilot gauged how well I was learning and gave me additional responsibilities. For takeoff I was allowed to steer the plane to the runway with the pedals similar to a car. Then once we got to over 2,000-4,000 ft elevation I was able to use the controls to steady the plane and make turns. The 30-40 minute flight seemed longer than I expected given that we got to see a variety of landscapes- sea and mountains. 

The lesson was a perfect combination of learning and feeling in control, while still feeling at ease that the pilot could take over at any point. I did get some selfies in while flying the plane.

Bel Air International has a few options for first time flyers. Other tours include: Half Moon Bay, Golden Gate & Alcatraz, and Crystal Springs. The most appealing was the sunset tour over the golden gate bridge. I will save that for the next trip!

Until next time. Stay tuned.