The season is approaching fast and the Warriors put together a season ticket holder food and wine event, Nibbles, Dribbles & Sips in hopes to get us all excited for this year. It worked.
Leigh and I left the office around 5:30 to hop on BART to get across the bay for Oracle Arena.
This is my first year being a season ticket holder so I had no idea what to expect out of this event in particular, but I was pretty excited. From what I’ve heard it’s the most successful season ticket holder event, which would make sense because the lineup of restaurants and wineries that were there were pretty choice.
I could tell Leigh was pretty excited too. She has been working long days on a pitch so any break for her was a welcomed one. We’ve all been there, putting in long hours… god knows I have… and this was the type of outing that one needs to take sometimes to recharge so we can get back into the thick of it again.
As we were entering the BART station at the Montgomery stop in San Francisco, I noticed Clipper Card signs everywhere. I read up on it and it sounds like it’s going to make my BART trips to and from San Francisco and Oracle arena a little more efficient. No more hassle of carrying two different cards and loading it with cash each time. I ordered one online and it should be here in time for the start of preseason.
The BART ride was quick and easy as usual and as we were coming upon the ‘Colleseuim’ stop, I noticed tons of cars already in the parking lot; the Warriors season ticket holder fan base is alive and strong, I got more and more excited as we exited and walked closer and closer to the stadium. At this point, Leigh seeing me cheesing from ear to ear, demanded my camera so she could capture my joy.
We finally got to the Plaza and were greeted by the always friendly Warriors staff. As we made our way in the Plaza entrance, Leigh ran into the Team Store to check out the new Warriors gear. After a lot of browsing and visits to the mirror.
Leigh finally settled on David Lee’s jersey. In part because she knows how much I like the dude, but also because her name is, well… Leigh.
She was also really enamored with the giant fingers. A couple weeks ago she actually got me a classic foam one, but probably had no idea these modern day versions (left) existed.
After the Team Store we headed into the event and were immediately greeted by staff selling Raffel Tickets to the Meals on Wheels program. I usually try to avoid my luck at raffles but since I have a very special place in my heart for Meals on Wheels programs after having volunteered for them my four years through college, I figured… even if I lose, someone wins. So I bought three and crossed my fingers.
Leigh and I love wine so it was really great that we got some commemorative glasses. The design was really well done, although we both agree that the name could have used a bit of work. The Warriors did such a great job on making the event feel really special, that we had the same reaction to the name of it that really made it sound kind of cheesy. None the less, the name’s still pretty cleaver but something a little more simple really could have brought a different set of expectations that would have matched the awesome execution. There was no shortage of wineries and restaurants in attendance. Because of the turn out, it was difficult to get to visit with some of them but not impossible.
Out of all the places we visited, two really stood out to us. Eno Wines and The Slanted Door.
Eno had some of the nicest labels I’ve ever seen and like most wineries at the event, they are a small local winery that I have never heard of before. And although a beautiful label could be a mask for bad wine, this was not the case. Their wine was hands down some of our favorite of the evening.
As for The Slanted Door, they occupied a large space near the center of the arena and had a wonderful system and display. They had a variety of food samplings that would satisfy any mood you were in at the moment from sweet to savory. And in terms of a flawless system… we herded like cattle around their 4 tables being sure to stop at each section. By design or not, it worked well. I’ve always heard great things about The Slanted Door and have always chalked it up to hype, but they definitely won me over tonight and I am more motivated than ever to put my gift card to good use.
Comedian Kevin Hart and the entire Warriors team came out on stage for our first introduction to the new Warriors squad. Seeing all the guys seated up on stage and having a great time with one another got me really excited for the season. Leigh was also really excited that Kevin was the emcee of the night because she had worked on the ad campaign that featured Kevin as one of the spokespeople of the latest eBay campaign.
All the guys were great sports with Kevin and the highlight of the night was hearing that Jeremy Lin is still rolling around in his old Toyota Camery… but I’m sure that will change REALLY soon.
After the guys left the stage, we hung out to hear the winners of the raffle prizes. To Leigh’s disapproval, I had my eyes on the ‘Ultimate Warrior Girls Experience’ (hey… I just like to dance) and to her support, “Dream Road Trip Experience”.
I didn’t win either one or any of the many other prizes, but it was fun to think of the possibilities.
They energy quickly died down and we made our way out, but not without picking up my season ticket holder fleece first. After waiting in a small line to pick out my size my only options were large and 2XL. Rather have it be bigger than smaller, I went with the 2XL. Thankfully the guy handing them out told me they run small and after trying it on on the walk to the bart station, he was right… it fit perfectly (I’ll post a photo tomorrow).
The BART ride home was great. Leigh was really surprised by Nibbles, Dribbles & Sips, admitting to not expecting much prior to the event. She expressed how great of a time she had and was impressed by the energy and effort of the Warriors organization and season ticket loyalists. She was also really surprised how easy it was to get to Oracle from San Francisco via BART. And to her point, thank goodness for BART. Not because I didn’t have to drive, but because it really allowed us to enjoy our time to and from the game. It took all distractions I would have had on the road and put it into the attention to our conversation during the BART commute.
After we got to the city, we were still unfortunately hungry because we couldn’t get to the food tables as easily as we had hoped so we ended up grabbing a bite at Burger Bar in Union Square. There we were able to talk about what’s in store for the Warriors and recap how wonderful the Warriors Food and Wine event was. We even got to planning a road trip to see the Clippers in LA.
Leigh wasn’t a Warriors fan before tonight, let alone a basketball fan. But I have a feeling that all may have changed…
Go Warriors!
-Nam
When Nam invited me to the Warriors food & wine event, I accepted without hesitation. To be honest I didn’t think much of the event, but knowing how important every aspect of this project was to Nam — and knowing how much he anticipated the start of the upcoming season — made me feel honored to be part of Golden Season in its early stages. I was excited to see the kid in the candy store come out, and actually, kinda wondered if there might be two of them..
The highlight for me was a toss-up between being given my first NBA jersey and wine-tasting the family-run Eno label. Their “Family Album” labels pay homage to their closest loved ones, each bottle adorned with a brilliant, historic photo and unique description of each person. You instantly feel connected to these winemakers; you appreciate not only the care this family puts into their work, but the time they take — while running a demanding business — to make sure each person in the family knows how much they are loved and valued and in what way. It felt appropriate, given that Golden Season is bringing Nam closer to the people who mean the most to him, some of whom he may have drifted from due to chance or circumstances, but people who deserve to know what they mean to each other. It’s truly inspiring.
I think another highlight for me was also the Time it gave me, gave us really. It was Time that under everyday circumstances wouldn’t have existed the way it did that night. This was an excuse to get out of the office, to peel ourselves away from the pile-up of work that constantly refreshes itself no matter how much you dig away at it. To stop replying to emails because everything feels so urgent all the time. I’m telling you, if you don’t have one of those excuses, make it a point to get one. Whether it’s rekindling great friendships over a favorite past-time like Nam, signing up for an art class, or taking the time to make a healthy dinner once a week, taking the time to enrich your personal life will undoubtedly make you happier. And, ironically, you’ll probably perform even better at job you’re peeling yourself away from.
It wasn’t even a game, but that’s what Golden Season — barely at its inception– did for me in one night. I’m just wriggling with excitement to see what it does to Nam. I wholeheartedly believe these 43 games will transform Nam unlike any 43 games have done before. He deserves it.
Go Warriors. (Oh yeah, I’m a fan now).