Day Trip Archives - Portmanteau Suitcase

San Diego Day Trip: Cabrillo National Monument & Point Loma

Cabrillo Shoreline- cliffs and tidepools (at low tide)

SMS and I had a Sunday Funday where we resolved to get off the couch and get outside on a gorgeous San Diego day. We decided to go to Cabrillo & Point Loma, gorgeous places that don’t take too much of an effort to get there.

Cabrillo National Monument is a federal monument that accepts the National Park Pass. Otherwise, it is $20 car/$10 pedestrian or cyclist for admission. Wow, that’s gone up since I first went! Anyway, it’s the site where Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo became the first European to set foot on the West coast of the US in 1542. There’s an old lighthouse at the top, which didn’t work too well during foggy times because it was too high. The current lighthouse is a working site near the tidepools.

There are several attractions. The Visitor’s Center is small but interesting. The views from that side overlook San Diego and Coronado at the inlet of San Diego Bay. It’s stunning. There is also a small auditorium, clean bathrooms, and a gift shop.

Near the old lighthouse, there is a small parking area where you can overlook the Pacific. It’s pretty majestic. There is also a small hiking trail down the steap hill that gets you to the base but not to the shore. I’ve never done it because it hasn’t seemed worth it, but I’m sure I’m wrong about that.

The tidepools & cliffs are my favorite. You take the first right after the admission gate and drive down the long hill, which is a favorite of road bikers so be careful! I have seen pedestrians, but it’s a narrow two-lane road without a shoulder or sidewalk. Since you’re in a car already to get to Cabrillo, I would recommend just driving down to the tidepools.

These are a few of my favorite things: perfect Arnold Palmer, puking chicken pitcher, and SMS!

After Cabrillo, SMS and I decided it was time for lunch. We drove to the neighborhood near the Native Plant garden and it is such a cute area! There are two pubs, a coffee house, a raw vegan cafe, a Mexican restaurant, and our new favorite restuarant, the Italian Cesarina. The homemade pasta was amazing. There were several vegan options and the food was spectacular. The decor is eclectic and cool. We ate outside on a spacious patio, but the inside decor is also cool. We will be back for sure.

Then we went to the Native Plant Garden. Things are green and coming into bloom. Very pretty! 1/10 dead sticks, 9/10 green plants- a winning ratio! We spoke with a volunteer for a while, who was very interesting. He was on weed patrol (weeds in the garden, not weed in Point Loma which is plentiful, I’m sure). His favorite plant is the willowy San Diego mint, which makes me think he is SMS’ brother from a different mother. Overall, I agree with the garden’s website- it’s a gem!

Day Trip: San Diego to San Luis Capistrano

The last day of Mom and Dad’s trip promised to be slightly dreary, weather-wise. Considering that there’s not much to do in San Diego on bad weather days even in the best of times, I wanted to think of a fun activity. I decided we should try to out-travel the clouds and head North on the Surfliner!

I have never taken the Surfliner before, but I knew it went through beautiful coastal towns before it turns inland towards LA. While it goes back out to the coast north of LA, those stops are too far for a simple day trip. My first choice was San Clemente, but it doesn’t stop there as frequently. The next station is San Juan Capistrano. I thought I had never been but in fact I had- when I was very small. Mom and Dad remembered a trip they took there when they lived in LA almost 40 years ago. They were excited to go back.

We bought our tickets online and met on the train. I took the ferry from Coronado, while Mom and Dad walked over from their hotel. The ferry schedule was a little tight to make the train, but it all worked out. I brought mimosa ingredients for the train so we had nice drinks on the way up. Turns out, we weren’t supposed to drink alcohol on the train, but the conductor didn’t say anything. We didn’t find out until the afternoon when the Southbound Debbie Downer conductor informed us of the rule. Eh, win some, lose some.

The train went pretty slowly until we were north of Del Mar. Apparently, the ground is not super stable so there are speed restrictions to prevent disaster. The coastal scenery as we headed North through Camp Pendleton was beautiful. After about 90 minutes we arrived in San Juan Capistrano.

The mission and the basilica, both closed. The weather was way better than SD, so that was a win!

We had about 2.5 hours until the return train. The mission was closed that day, so all I have for the blog are a bunch of lame pictures, including one with a little bit of finger! Classic photographer technique.

But, what do you do when life gives you lemons? Have margaritas! When we talked to the (fun) conductor on the way up, she recommended El Adobe de Capistrano. After a short walk around the town, we went there for lunch and ended up having lots of margaritas- pineapple cilantro, red pepper cucumber, blood orange- so many amazing flavors! I had the President’s choice for lunch, which was a platter of President and Mrs. Nixon’s favorite food items. It was tasty but really, the margaritas were the stars. So delicious!

View from the train going through San Clemente Station

Then we walked back to the train station, boarded, and headed back to San Diego. It was a wonderful day and I recommend it as a San Diego day trip idea to anyone, especially if the Mission is open!

Seven (+1) Bridges Urban Hike, San Diego

As one of the online guides said of this walk, it can be called “walking” or “urban hiking.” Either way, it’s an easy, flat walk through several San Diego neighborhoods that is enjoyable, fills some time, and allows for exploration. Some of the bridges are pretty cool, too!

Map of the Seven Bridges, each one represented by a green circle. The bonus +1 bridge not included in the official description is the University Ave bridge over the 163.

We started at Bread & Cie, where we had placed an online to-go order. It was a little disorganized and even though I knew I should have checked our order, I didn’t. Poor judgement secondary to hunger. So, our iced teas were left behind. We went back to get them, but this added a little distance and I was hungry and out of sorts.

Fortunately after we ate, I felt better. Although I was still a little grumpy, I was willing to give the hike a second chance! We walked through my favorite corner of Banker’s Hill (around Walnut and W. Upas) towards the Spruce St Suspension Bridge.

I think this wins for coolest bridge. It spans a canyon and it moves quite a bit. If someone is running, it can be pretty dramatic! The view towards the water is beautiful and overall, I highly recommend!

We continued towards downtown and made a slight detour to cross (and return) the Quince St. Bridge. It spans another canyon and feels much more sturdy.

Returning back to First St, we crossed the only steel-arch bridge in San Diego. It crosses another canyon and as we got towards the end, SMS noted how the side rails were disconcertingly low. Geez, I was fine until then but after that fact, I wanted to get off the bridge fast!

We also saw a cool terraced backyard/hill that is added to the collection of native garden inspiration.

This bridge is a multi-arch bridge and much more beautiful looking from below.

Next, we crossed into Balboa Park and crossed the Laurel St. Bridge, that used to cross a small lake but now crosses the 163. It wasn’t too crowded but this bridge and the pedestrian avenue through the Park were the most crowded areas of the walk.

After crossing the park and the single-arch cement bridge over Park Ave, we took a quick break and walked through the Rose Garden. We found some favorites! Although does a rose named “Ketchup and Mustard” smell just as sweet? Talk amongst yourselves!!

The Desert Garden is right next to the rose garden and is another one of my favorites.

Cactus tree in the Garden. It looked cooler in person.

Then we walked up Park and crossed the Georgia Ave bridge. It used to be made of redwood trellises in 1907, but this concrete bridge has been in place since 1914.

Once we crossed, we saw a hill that seemed to be partially cultivated- maybe by the neighbors? I leave you with pictures of otherworldly beauty.

We crossed Washington Ave and were a little unsure that we’d find the Vermont Street Bridge. Trust the walk! We found it! I would vote it as “Bridge most likely to party” since it was decorated and has a lot of quotes incorporated into the bridge concrete design.

Finally, as we were walking along University back to our car, SMS noticed that, yes! We were crossing another bridge! This is not included in the official description of the Seven Bridges walk, but it is definitely part of the loop. So, we present the bonus bridge! It is another bridge crossing the 163 and has charming green side rails, also somewhat low.

Overall, it was a great day and I recommend this walk. SMS found it when searching for social distanced activities in San Diego, but even in more normal times, I think this would be a lot of fun. You could add more bar-hopping through Hillcrest, more museums or the Zoo in Balboa Park, or more garden walks in Banker’s Hill. Five stars!

Weekend Review

After four weekends in a row away from Menlo Park, SMS finally got a break and I travelled North. I took Valentine’s Day off not because it’s a holiday we go all out for (honestly, it feels like Christmas just happened and who wants back-to-back gift buying pressure?), but because Lucid was having a special reveal party for reservation holders. That’s us!

The event was called, “Love is in the AIR.” The attire was evening smart and it was an incredible party. I would have loved to be there from the start, but I arrived 45 minutes into the party due to insane (but typical) traffic from the airport. The showroom was open for the first time and the interior was exquisitely luxurious. There was a craft cocktail bar, which was for the party only. Lucid will not promote a drinking driving culture in everyday operations. There were special cocktails named after the different interiors. I ordered a drink with whiskey, fig, and a sprig of burnt rosemary that they flamed then and there. Impressive!

There were a lot of delicious hors d’oeuvres that were passed. I tried most of them, but didn’t act disgracefully. I always remember a party I went to where the poor server carrying the shrimp got mobbed by people who acted like they hadn’t eaten in days. Who knows, maybe they hadn’t. But it looked like a shark thrash zone with chum in the water. So, yes, I had some food as it showed up in front of me but afterwards, SMS and I realized we hadn’t really had dinner so we split a kabab plate at Oren’s Hummus.

The car reveal was preceded by a 20 minute-ish talk by the CEO/CTO highlighting some specific advances/innovations/exclusives of the car. Then, the garage door opened in a haze of fog-machine produced atmosphere and the car rolled in. It is a beautiful car and everyone was very impressed.

We spent the rest of the party trying the VR car viewer followed by talking to several Lucid employees. It was a great time and I’m so glad we went.

Biscuits and Gravy- can you feel the romance?

The next day, SMS had to work and I hung out in Palo Alto. I went to Rumble Boxing, Blue Bottle (twice!), the mall, and the grocery store. I also did some laundry and cooked dinner for Valentine’s Day. Forget “Engagement Chicken,” I made SMS some biscuits and gravy! It turned out pretty well although I think the sausage we used the first time was better. Then we had molten lava cakes for dessert, which were very tasty. I know the menu is not pleasingly cohesive but, hey, it worked for us!

Avocado Toast: We’re such Wannabe Millennials

On Saturday, we had a Blue Bottle breakfast and shopped for veggies at the small farmer’s market. Then we headed up to Lafayette to hang out with Jyotsna and Akshay. It was a fun afternoon of eating, drinking, and socializing. We went to their friends’ house in Orinda for a bit. It was nice to talk to them. We had met once before and got along well. We headed home for dinner. I made a Zuppa Tuscana that was pretty tasty and a dupe for the Olive Garden soup for those in the know.

Sunday was our more active day. We ate breakfast at home and then went for a hike on Windy Hill. It was a gorgeous day. I feel so lucky to be able to go on such great hikes! I also made a veggie lasagna that was pretty good. Thanks Smitten Kitchen!

Monday was another work day for SMS/holiday for me. I went to Rumble and Blue Bottle. I was going to go to the museum but Jyotsna invited me to a farm tour!

We went to the Nest Box farm and it was a delight! We fed cows, chickens, goats, and sheep. We collected eggs. There was a small picnic that we supplemented with more food and (surprise!) wine. We looked at the barn, garden areas, and pet rescue rabbit area. It was a beautiful day to be outside and a really cool experience. I want to go back with SMS and stay overnight, which will allow us to do more on the farm like milk a cow!

SMS came home a little after 6. We had some dinner and after that, it was time to go to the airport since I needed to head back so I could be on time for my Tuesday clinic. It was such a great weekend!

Jamestown, with and without an “E”

SMS and I spent the Thanksgiving weekend in the Tidewater area of Virginia. Since we were in such a historic part of the country, we decided to check out the former site of Jamestown, the first permenent English colony in the U.S. SMS had been there when he was in junior high and remembered the glass blowing demonstration. I had never been and really didn’t know that much about it which led to the following encounter-

Upon following Google Maps to Jamestown, we pulled into a large parking lot for a museum. We walked inside, used the bathrooms, and then I went up to the ticket counter. I was pretty sure we weren’t at the Jamestown site but I wanted to know where to go and since it was already 3 p.m, I wanted to make sure we didn’t go to the wrong place.

Me: “Excuse me, but is this where I buy tickets to Jamestown?”

Ticket lady: “[Loud Audible Sigh] It’s been a long weekend. Jamestown DOESN’T EXIST!!! IT HASN’T BEEN HERE SINCE 1624!!!!”

Me (slightly taken aback): “Um, I’m sorry. But I thought there was a historic site to see?”

Ticket lady: “Look, this is Jamestowne with an ‘e.’ We’re a living history museum. The archeologic site of Jamestown (which doesn’t exist) is down the road.”

Me: “So, do I need to buy a ticket here?”

Ticket Lady: “No.”

Sheesh. What a weirdo! While I was talking to her, she had pulled out a laminated placard showing the difference between Jamestowne with an ‘e’ and Jamestown. Jamestown is run by the National Park Service, which is great since SMS and I have an annual pass. That meant we could get in for free, which was perfect since we didn’t have a lot of time.

First, we went to the glassblowing shop which had on-going demonstrations and was really warm from the incredibly hot oven in the center. This was delightful since it was so cold! We drove down to the Jamestown site proper, showed our pass, and walked to the artifact museum. Then, we walked around the fort which hadn’t even been excavated when SMS last visited. After looking at the fort that didn’t exist, we walked around the Newtown area, which we slightly regretted since it was so cold. But, hey, we were there so we had to see the sights!

We hopped in the car and had dinner at La Tienda, a Spanish tapas restaurant. It was delicious! I wished we had bigger appetites and/or a larger group because there were several dishes I wanted to try. But, while we were there, the berenjenas con miel and judiones fritos were particular highlights!

Other events from Thanksgiving weekend: I made a delicious but homely looking sweet potato pie. It suffered in comparison next to my friend’s Cheesecake Factory worthy dessert. Ah well.

Also, at a local restaurant, SMS had a fruit salad, Southern style: iceberg lettuce, canned fruit in syrup, and shredded cheddar cheese. We were both slightly confused. The restaurant is called The Grey Goose. The doorstop goose out front was missing its head. Apparently, this has been an ongoing saga where the head keeps getting knocked off despite trying to glue it back on. The owner has now given up, per a shamelessly eavesdropped conversation on my part.

Pebble Beach, CA

Sunset at the tide pools in front of the Inn

Take two non-golfers and a world-famous golf resort and what do you get? A great weekend! SMS and I headed to the Inn at Spanish Bay this weekend after my boss gave us the stay as a gift. Apparently, he and his golf partner each had a room through an event they were playing but his friend wanted to stay in the house he owned in the area. Based on the houses around Pebble Beach, I’m sure it was a real dump.

Well, we were very happy and appreciative and off we went, battling rain and end-of-rush-hour traffic to get to the hotel. The room was really nice. The main room had a gas fireplace with two armchairs across from the two double beds that had really luxurious bed linens. The bathroom had a separate vanity/sink area and an inner toilet/sink/shower and bath. The bathtub looked like an amazing soaking tub but I didn’t check it out because, despite all the recent rain, CA is still in drought status.

We saw a Chinese woman feeding the seagulls. It looked dangerous.

We woke up in the morning and noticed that are room was a partial ocean view room- beautiful! We lazed around until the siren call of pancakes became too great for SMS’ stomach. We headed over towards Sticks, the small restaurant by the first tee. We shared blueberry pancakes and poached eggs and hash. Fortified, we headed off to the Coast trail, where we walked 2 miles each way between the Inn and Bird Rock. It was high tide and the ocean waves were pretty turbulent. It was so beautiful. It was nice to walk because I’ve driven on 17 Mile Rd before and it’s hard to sightsee to my heart’s content while driving.

After our walk, we split a club sandwich by the outside fire pit. It was so delicious- lots of turkey on sourdough toast (yeah!) along with perfectly ripe avocado and cooked bacon. So delicious, in fact, that seagulls tried to join our lunch (boo!), so we moved inside. One gull was tolerable but then it opened its big mouth and called all its friends. I know a flock of circling seagulls may not sound as scary as, say, hawks or vultures, but it was still disconcerting. I was not about to share my sandwich!

Then we went upstairs and I laid down on the bed for 5 minutes. It ended up being a two hour nap that even SMS participated in, which has never happened before! It was awesome! Unfortunately, the one experience does not seemed to have converted SMS to the love of naps but hey, maybe I can work on him.

I went for a quick run and cut it slightly short when I saw how beautiful the sunset and the light was on the nearby dunes. I ran and got SMS and we walked along the shoreline, exploring the tide pools and walking on the boardwalks among the dunes. It was fantastically beautiful.

After our sunset walk, we headed back to the room to get ready for dinner. I thought it would be nice to eat in one of the Inn’s restaurants so I had made reservations at Peppoli. We had a great Italian dinner. The highlight was how amazing the pasta was. It was super fresh and homemade. It was the best pasta I’ve ever had. The sauces didn’t quite hold their own against the pasta, but they were still pretty good. We ended with a shared almond cake for dessert and it was really a great meal.

On Sunday, I slept in. I woke up at 7 but then started dozing until after 9! Usually when I’m up, I’m up but I guess I was getting into the resort lifestyle. We ordered room service because I’ve loved room service ever since ordering it with Jenny and Theresa one New Year’s. It felt very luxurious and I’m glad we did it! SMS had the waffle and I had scrambled eggs. After breakfast, we headed over to the tennis courts where we played for about an hour. SMS was a total ringer since I didn’t find out until we were there that he had been on a tennis team for two years. Unfair advantage!

The Lone Cyprus

After tennis, we headed over to the main Pebble Beach Inn to check out the famed Lodge. Along the way, we stopped at a few 17 Mile Dr. sites to include the Cyrus Lookout and the Lone Cyprus Tree.

At the Pebble Beach Lodge, SMS wanted to see the clay tennis courts, which were waterlogged and closed but still interesting to see. We ate lunch on the terrace even though I was completely underdressed. Whah. I like meeting attire requirements but apparently, they’re loosened during the day and lunch was delicious so it was worth looking like a slob, I guess. We went all out and started with a dozen oysters (yay!) followed by an artichoke and a hamburger, which we shared. It was really awesome and the view was spectacular. We were overlooking the bay with Carmel across from us. Even though they were setting up tents for the AT&T Pro-Am in mid-Feb, there was still plenty of beautiful scenery to take in and enjoy.

The Lone Cyprus’ not-famous cousin, Pt Lobos

Whale watching!

After lunch, we headed out to Point Lobos State Park, which was stunning. We hiked in the Cyprus Grove, where the Monterey cyprus and other local trees are in their natural element. We talked to a nice older couple manning the Park Service Info Booth and after turning over our car keys (yikes!), we got a pair of loaner binoculars. I’m glad we had them because we got to see whale spouts and the backs of gray whales! I was really hoping to see a tail or a whale flipping through the water like the old Echo the Dolphin Sega game, but I wasn’t that lucky!

Near China Cove, Pt Lobos Park

After the park, we headed back to the Inn. We decided to head back and be responsible adults. No snow days for us unlike so many people on the East Coast! It was a great weekend and a beautiful setting to stay and explore.

Mountain View Weekend

Picchetti Barn

After so much travel the weekend before, SMS and I were pretty mellow this weekend. The weekend started off early on Thursday with an elongated Happy Hour(s) with two of our friends at Shellshock. We had a few drinks and delicious food, including many oysters. And ok, ok, we had mac ‘n’ cheese balls which were so tasty and totally J’s fault for ordering them!

Friday was a mellow day at work and that night, SMS and I went to Blue Line Pizza. We got the deep dish pizza and it was tasty. I think I’ll eat deep dish pizza about once a year because it is a heavy meal, even when I don’t eat all that much of it. SMS and I didn’t even make it through a shared small although never fear, given how dense the dish is, we still had plenty of food. Then, we headed over to Shellshock for dessert- a strawberry ice cream with puffed pastry delights called the Marilyn Monroe.

The next morning, all my carb loading paid off because it was time for our long run. J and I ran for 16 miles and even though it was slower than before my injury, I think I’ll catch up pretty soon to my projected timeline. I was pretty sore afterwards but I’m just so happy to be back, I don’t even care!

Saturday evening, SMS and I went to downtown Palo Alto to go furniture shopping (crazy and wild Saturday night!). We at dinner at Curry Up Now and had some delicious takes on Indian street food. I had some chaat and SMS had a roti burrito-style dish. Yum!

A lot of coordination goes into a pony ride

Sunday was a rest day and SMS and I were lazy in the morning. He even brought me coffee in bed *swoon!* I finally got out of bed and we did some yoga to get our stretch on. Then we headed out to Cooper-Garrod winery to meet up with A, J and their cute little son Ish who went on a pony ride like a champ! We hung out for a bit and then we all headed over to Picchetti winery, which has the most beautiful picnic grounds. It was drizzly so we couldn’t take full advantage of it but we’ll be back! I’d also like to go on a hike from there since there are several trailheads. Since we didn’t go on a hike, I chased chickens with my new best buddy Ish who now thinks I’m the coolest adult he knows (poor delusional little kid!).

This is a chicken.

Supposedly, this is not a chicken.

Our elusive prey!

Napa Monday

Model’s

After a good night’s sleep I woke up to go to ~~work~~ Napa! Yes! I had the day off because my favorite godmother Auntie was in town with two of her friends. Although their plans had been flexible (and good thing since the weather (boo!) had forced some outside activities cancellations), the Monday plan was pretty firm so we decided to meet up.

I’m so glad we did! It had been a few years since I saw Maria and we had so much fun! First, I drove up early in the morning to beat traffic (success!) and then I went to the Oxbow Market, which was closed for cleaning (fail!). I did get a breakfast sandwich from Model’s Bakery in order to try their famous English muffin, which was pretty good! Then I headed up the 29 with a quick stop in Yountville to see Bouchon Bakery. Unlike the last time I was there, the line was non-existent (yay!). I ordered two macarons for SMS and, almost unbelievably, they made it home without me eating them! I also tried a small amount of croissant which was good, but it’s been awhile since I’ve tried a croissant that I thought was truly sublime. Maybe that’s too lofty of a standard for a pastry or, at minimum, a little over-the-top for any kind of foodstuff?

Cardinale Tasting Room with a cool time-lapse photo of a single vine

Then, I went to the Cardinale winery and pulled up to the guesthouse where my aunt was staying. Ok, ok, I may have also driven on a field road since I took my aunt’s instruction of private road a little too literally, but fortunately, I didn’t get stuck in the mud or end up in a ditch so all’s well that ends well…

It’s a warehouse!

The guesthouse was gorgeous and huge! It used to be the winery owners’ private residence and it was really amazing. The views over the vineyards were incredible. Oakville is the center point of the valley so there were great views of the two mountain ranges and nearby wineries. Immediately behind the house was a field with several small brown huts. It’s actually a disguised barrel cellar with a grass roof. The huts are the vents and even though it’s obvious that the grassy field has some sort of purpose, it’s pretty neat how circumspect they’ve managed to make a storage facility.

We had a great tasting at Cardinale, sampling Mt Brave, La Jota and two Cardinale cabernet sauvignons, 2008 and 2012. The most exquisite, sophisticated wine was the 2008 Cardinale but I really liked the Mt. Brave wine. It was full of blue notes and tasted like the mountain. *Sigh* Someday, I will be able to pull off wine comparisons. I’ll be honest- I stole the descriptors from our lovely and knowledgable guides since to me, it just tasted delicious!

After our tour, Maria and I headed to Mustards Grill for a great lunch with two of her cousins. The food was delicious and we all talked a lot! I had such a fun time and I hope I see my second cousins again soon!

The “cottage!” My aunt is in the far left background.

Then, it was chill-out time at the “cottage.” We made a quick stop at Oakville Grocery, where we bought a delicious Cowgirl Creamery Mt. Tam cheese. We made a significant dent in it when we got home. Then it was time for me to head back to the other Valley (Silicon). *Le sigh!* But I couldn’t be too sad because I had such a wonderful day and to see my auntie was a (too) rare treat!

Warehouse view at twilight- end of a great day!

Sunny San Diego Weekend!

SMS and I are in San Diego! Yay! As much as I try to pretend that there’s no difference in the weather, it’s definitely warmer here. All Winters are not alike!

We came down Thursday night and were picked up by his parents. It was pouring rain! Apparently, it had been raining for almost four days straight. There was some flooding earlier in the week, made worse by people thinking their cars were amphibious. This was incorrect.

If you have a Amphicar, though, it’s ok!

Friday was our errand/”work” day since we were in town for SMS to photograph our friends’ wedding. SMS went to the camera store to pick up his expensive Nikon rental. Then we went to Miramar so I could pick up a medal for my dress uniform. For some reason, I was unable to mount my medals well, sliced open my thumb on the bracket and bled on three of the medals. That’s about $25 down the drain, whah. At least I didn’t get it on the uniform. After my year’s quota of F-bombs, it turns out I wasn’t even needed since one of the Marines backed out last minute (as happy as I was to get out of it, who does that the day of the wedding?!?!) and a Navy person had to volunteer to drop out. I beat another guy to the punch and I got to change out of my uniform. Yay!!!

The wedding was really nice and SMS got some great pictures. I was his trusty assistant and it was a lot of fun! I got to mingle a little bit but since we didn’t know anyone at the wedding apart from whom we met that night, it was fun to have something else to do, too.

Saturday was our Fun in San Diego Day! We got up and had a delicious breakfast of avocado sourdough toast and poached egg, made by Rip. Yum!!! Then we were off on adventures.

First, we went to Cafe Calabria. It’s my favorite coffee shop in San Diego and I was so glad to go again. We each tried something new. I tried a Bicerin, espresso+ steamed milk+ Nutella and SMS got a Caffe Vienesse, espresso, steamed milk, honey and cinnamon. Both drinks were great and I also got a small coffee to-go. Also, there is now a seating area in their roasting room so it was pretty cool to see the equipment up close. Then we walked down the street to Pigment and looked at all of the super cute, on trend housing goods, cards and other awesome stuff-I-didn’t-know-I-needed-until-I-see-it!

Farmer’s Market

After North Park, we drove through South Park on our way to the Little Italy’s Farmer’s Market. It wasn’t the most direct way, but I wanted to see more of the two neighborhoods. We were pretty lucky with Little Italy parking. We walked through the entire Farmer’s Market. It was a beautiful day and a lot of fun. We ran into a friend of mine from Yokosuka, which was pretty awesome. He’s currently at NMCSD so it’s not as random as it sounds.

Beautiful view of Coronado from Cabrillo National Monument

Our lunch was from the Farmer’s Market- two samosas, one butter chicken and one saag paneer. Then we went to Point Loma and toured an Open House. Someday…

So happy!

One of my favorite places in San Diego

After our Open House dreamfest, we headed to Cabrillo National Monument. There was a slight backup getting in but parking was pretty easy. We enjoyed the view and then headed down the road to the tidepools. We walked down since the parking lots were full. It was a lot of fun to take in the view by walking, even though it’s slightly hazardous without a shoulder or sidewalk.

Although SMS is a great photographer, he is meditating on how his wife is able to take such amazing shots. Is the
shoe there on purpose or by accident? Is the rock the same size as his head? How many drops of
water are in the ocean? Imponderables…

The tidepools were beautiful and we walked around, looking in the pools and trying not to fall in. We headed back up the hill and headed downtown to Zymology 21, a bar that specializes in shrub and bitters drinks. The coolest thing is the Shrub Sampler, which is 5 test tubes of shrubs to mix into one spirit of choice. Since the spirit is about 5 shots worth, we passed but we did enjoy the “Fire and Ice” show that accompanies the presentation when other tables ordered it. The server lights 151 liquor on fire, swirls it, waits about 30 seconds and then pours it into the beaker holding the test tubes. The beaker contains dry ice which causes a cloud waterfall-like effect while the fire goes down the poured out liquor stream. It was pretty cool!

After Zymology, we headed to my favorite restaurant, Banker’s Hill Bar and Restaurant! Although there are so many amazing places in San Diego and new ones I should explore, I like going back to old haunts. We had the potato chips, salad (a little yin/yang action there), charred brussel sprouts and roasted parrotfish in a cioppino-type sauce with calamari, tomato and sausage. The chef was a little heavy with the salt but we will still go back!

Finally, it was time to go home. It was a great San Diego day!

Mini Road Trip: Bodega Bay, Stinson Beach and Mt. Tam

Breakfast in bed!

On the third day of our mini-NorCal road trip, SMS and I awoke a little on the early side and packed up. Our delicious Boon breakfast came at 8:30. We had biscuits with honey butter, yogurt with berries and granola and French press coffee. It was really nice and we got to have breakfast in bed!

The three main towns on the Bohemian Highway

We took off down the 116 and then made a left onto the Bohemian Highway. It’s about 10 miles long and goes through three main towns: Monte Rio, Occidental and Freestone. The road mostly cuts through the forest but by Freestone, there is lovely rolling hills and pasture land. Occidental seemed like a nice place to stay and I’d love to stop in Freestone to go to the bakery and creamery in the future but since it was early and New Year’s Eve, everything was closed.

Bodega Bay on the left and Jenner by the Sea on the right

We made our way to Bodega Bay and walked on the beach for a little while. The surf was pretty intense and there were a lot of surfers out there. Salmon Creek meets the Pacific at that area and I wanted to see the entrance of the Russian River to the Pacific so we drove up to Jenner by the Sea. The view was beautiful and I read that depending on the tides and time of year, the meeting of the two can be very impressive. While it was very pretty, there was no great clash between the bodies of water and the river gently dwindled in size and entered into a little cove. We saw two seals swimming in there. The spot is probably great for whale watching so maybe later in the Spring, we’ll check it out again.

Old friends and new!

We drove through Petaluma and stopped at Lagunitas brewery for lunch. It was awesome! Super laid-back vibe and lots of heat lamps and sun. We sat outside and shared nachos and cream of mushroom soup. Not a soup I’d normally order but I was told it was delicious and that was a fact! We had a sampler there and I really wanted some more of the sour wheat with mango and passionfruit (citrus-y without sweetness like a Sour Patch kid), but they didn’t put any of the limited releases in growlers so I will just have the little sampler memory! At Lagunitas, we also saw the saddest looking dog we’ve ever seen under the keyboard. I wanted to adopt him, but I think he’s probably the brewery’s mascot.

Amazing View!

After lunch, we drove to the East Peak of Mt. Tam. We drove to the end of the road and parked near the lookout tower. The walk is very short to the top and the views are completely stunning. The area is an incredible contrast of preserved park land and high-density development. We took in the views for a while before heading down to Stinson beach for a longer hike.

Another view with SMS in the foreground; L: a relief map of the area, we were on the top-right peak

Golden hour hiking

The hike started through the forest and went up into the hills overlooking the town of Stinson Beach. It was absolutely gorgeous and I really wanted to do a complete loop hike but unfortunately, we had started too late so we turned back. I was disappointed but we had seen so many other awesome things that day, I had to get over my pout-fest/temper tantrum that I couldn’t control nature or the sun. (“Sun! Stop setting!”)

The sun set.

We drove home and I made a pretty good NYE’s dinner of rack of lamb and roasted cauliflower mash accompanied by champagne! The lamb was cooked in two stages since after the first time period was up, it was still really rare. It was still really tender and delicious though. Then, we watched Ex Machina, which I had heard about in the pre-Oscar nomination buzz and it was pretty good. Although our NYE wasn’t party-heavy, it was exactly what I wanted since we were able to explore so much of the region in the last few days and to me, that’s what this “year” (July 15- July 16) is about- taking advantage of this pretty cool opportunity to live in such a vibrant, cutting-edge area.