This weekend I learned that I strongly dislike being sick in California. Nothing major, just a bad cold that I most likely acquired during the plane flights to and from San Francisco this week. Air travel and my immune system really do not get along. As is my usual pattern, I somehow postponed getting sick until I have some "free time" (by which I do not mean that I had nothing on my to-do list this weekend... I had plenty... but by free time I mean that I do not have to physically be anywhere else) and then it hits me like a ton of bricks, which is what happened Friday night. Chris is away this weekend at a yoga retreat, so I am just spending some quality time with my kleenex, herbal tea and nyquil. I talked to my folks by phone and my mom told me she wishes she could send me soup, which made me smile but also feel a bit homesick. Also, being sick in San Diego feels rather like being sick in the summer in Boston... so frustrating to waste a beautiful day. I'd prefer to be sick on a cold, rainy day... it "matches" better and also doesn't seem like such a waste of time.
Ah well, hoping tomorrow will be better.
On a happier note, though, I am taking this opportunity to wish my wonderful friend SMH a very very happy 30th birthday. I would have LOVED to be there to celebrate with you. Hope it was a fabulous day!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
A Taste, A Museum, and A Woodie
Several weeks ago, I was honored to be one of the discriminating tasters of every restaurant on Main St. in Encinitas. OK, so friends of ours gave us an extra pass to "A Taste of Main Street." I was told early that it is impossible to taste all of the restaurants. I didn't believe them then and I still don't. Without a strategy, I made 18 of 30 places. I feel that with proper planning and a reasonable amount of fasting, I could have made all 30. Below, you can see the pass that I had which marks each place I got to sample and enjoy. Most were done on the street, but a few were done in the interior of the place. In at least one case, seeing the interior resulted in me taking Kate there on a date. Well played, When In Rome.
Just a few weeks later as you know, Kate's parents came to visit. On our way out of Balboa Park, we saw that the Natural History Museum had an amazing exhibit of nature photography which was actually a juried competition. We LOVED it. We dragged Scott down from Aliso Viejo to come with us, and enjoyed a picnic in Balboa Park prior to investigating all the cool exhibits in the museum. I have to say that the picture that won third prize was of a turtle from the Grand Cayman Islands, which made us all think of my late cousin Emma, who had this enduring picture taken of her holding a sea turtle while she and Scott visited GC. Kate wonderfully noticed how Emma was with us all day - not only the sea turtle picture, but later that evening we stumbled upon a chocolatier (who I visited during A Taste of Main St) and Scott was astounded to see they had a location in Encinitas, as it was Emma's favorite place to find chocolate. It was a wonderful day to spend with Scott (and Emma!), and we are so lucky to have close family near us.
REMINDER: Please consider going to a museum SEPT 26. It's Annual Museum Day. I know for a fact there is a museum nearby that you have considered visiting. So just do it! And then tell us about it.
Finally, on the recommendation of friends in the area, we checked out the Woodies at Wavecrest. This was fascinating. I have seen classic cars before, but this is a new kind of dedication to preserving a car (and a lifestyle) that I had never seen before.
Follow this link to see our pictures of the day. What I really liked about the whole thing was that this happens in our town every year. It just adds a whole new dimension to our funny town. Kate and I were talking about how glad we are to have moved to Encinitas, and it is things like the Woodies that confirm we made the right choice.
A few of them are in pencil, but I made 65% of the places on my first try!
If you visit us, you get to come to one of these places (please pick 3rd corner)!
If you visit us, you get to come to one of these places (please pick 3rd corner)!
Just a few weeks later as you know, Kate's parents came to visit. On our way out of Balboa Park, we saw that the Natural History Museum had an amazing exhibit of nature photography which was actually a juried competition. We LOVED it. We dragged Scott down from Aliso Viejo to come with us, and enjoyed a picnic in Balboa Park prior to investigating all the cool exhibits in the museum. I have to say that the picture that won third prize was of a turtle from the Grand Cayman Islands, which made us all think of my late cousin Emma, who had this enduring picture taken of her holding a sea turtle while she and Scott visited GC. Kate wonderfully noticed how Emma was with us all day - not only the sea turtle picture, but later that evening we stumbled upon a chocolatier (who I visited during A Taste of Main St) and Scott was astounded to see they had a location in Encinitas, as it was Emma's favorite place to find chocolate. It was a wonderful day to spend with Scott (and Emma!), and we are so lucky to have close family near us.
REMINDER: Please consider going to a museum SEPT 26. It's Annual Museum Day. I know for a fact there is a museum nearby that you have considered visiting. So just do it! And then tell us about it.
Finally, on the recommendation of friends in the area, we checked out the Woodies at Wavecrest. This was fascinating. I have seen classic cars before, but this is a new kind of dedication to preserving a car (and a lifestyle) that I had never seen before.
Follow this link to see our pictures of the day. What I really liked about the whole thing was that this happens in our town every year. It just adds a whole new dimension to our funny town. Kate and I were talking about how glad we are to have moved to Encinitas, and it is things like the Woodies that confirm we made the right choice.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Walking the Walk
As many of you know, this spring we suddenly lost our wonderful cousin Emma. When we first considered moving out here to San Diego, one of the major bonuses was being so close to Emma and Scott. With Emma's passing we find ourselves wondering what we can do to keep her memory with us. For myself, I try to be as passionate about every single day as she naturally was. Emma was not one to allow herself boredom and inertia. She and Scott both showed us over the years (and continue to show us) that there is always opportunity for activity, fun, and discovery if you are willing to seek them out.
She would also seek out turtles.
And pretty much every other creature that would let her pick it up.
With that spirit in mind, Kate and I are participating in a Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation walk with the "Emma's Angels" team, captained by Scott. Please consider donating to our fundraising page here. Every single penny counts, and your efforts on our (and Emma's) behalf really do make a difference. Having worked in an organization dedicated to the eradication of a disease, I can honestly tell you that the research does not get funded without your few spare dollars. It just doesn't.
That's how powerful you are.
Thank you for your support and generosity.
She would also seek out turtles. And pretty much every other creature that would let her pick it up.
With that spirit in mind, Kate and I are participating in a Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation walk with the "Emma's Angels" team, captained by Scott. Please consider donating to our fundraising page here. Every single penny counts, and your efforts on our (and Emma's) behalf really do make a difference. Having worked in an organization dedicated to the eradication of a disease, I can honestly tell you that the research does not get funded without your few spare dollars. It just doesn't.
That's how powerful you are.
Thank you for your support and generosity.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
our first visitors!
we had our first "company" last weekend-- my folks! they flew in on friday, and when i pulled up in the driveway after work, they were hanging out on my front porch. it was a pretty great feeling.
the timing could not have been better. not only was it a long weekend, but i had just returned from my first trip to san francisco for oral arguments, an experience that was really interesting but also pretty intense. plus, chris had been out of town the whole week before. so i was just really ready for a great weekend and to see my husband and parents!
we had so much fun showing them around. we took them to torrey pines, the farmers' market, balboa park to see the cactus and rose gardens, the encinitas meditation gardens, old town san diego to see the memorial to g-g-g-grandfather rowan, powerhouse park... all our favorite haunts. we also went out to coronado and spent a fun afternoon admiring the beautiful old hotel del coronado and the beautiful beaches there. and of course, we were very spoiled having parents to take us out for nice dinners.
we also had a lot of fun just driving around... through a series of dramatic events at the rental car place, they had scored a cute sebring convertible. there is nothing like cruising down the 101 from encinitas to del mar with the top down. :)
we also have a wonderful reminder of their visit. they happened to stop at a grocery store on their way from their hotel to our house one of the mornings they were here, and the grocery store was having a clearance on all their summer stuff... so for a crazy low price, mom and dad picked up four cute and comfy outdoor patio chairs in just the right shade of blue. so now, we think of them when we sit out on the deck and watch the sun set.
we don't have photos from mom and dad's visit (we didn't take very many, and dad hasn't sent me his yet), so i'll close with two images of the hotel del coronado (affectionately known as the hotel del). the first is a photo... you may recognize the hotel as the location where "some like it hot" was filmed. the second is a dr. seuss painting entitled "i dreamed i was a doorman at the hotel del." (dr. seuss lived in la jolla.) lovely.
the timing could not have been better. not only was it a long weekend, but i had just returned from my first trip to san francisco for oral arguments, an experience that was really interesting but also pretty intense. plus, chris had been out of town the whole week before. so i was just really ready for a great weekend and to see my husband and parents!
we had so much fun showing them around. we took them to torrey pines, the farmers' market, balboa park to see the cactus and rose gardens, the encinitas meditation gardens, old town san diego to see the memorial to g-g-g-grandfather rowan, powerhouse park... all our favorite haunts. we also went out to coronado and spent a fun afternoon admiring the beautiful old hotel del coronado and the beautiful beaches there. and of course, we were very spoiled having parents to take us out for nice dinners.
we also had a lot of fun just driving around... through a series of dramatic events at the rental car place, they had scored a cute sebring convertible. there is nothing like cruising down the 101 from encinitas to del mar with the top down. :)
we also have a wonderful reminder of their visit. they happened to stop at a grocery store on their way from their hotel to our house one of the mornings they were here, and the grocery store was having a clearance on all their summer stuff... so for a crazy low price, mom and dad picked up four cute and comfy outdoor patio chairs in just the right shade of blue. so now, we think of them when we sit out on the deck and watch the sun set.
we don't have photos from mom and dad's visit (we didn't take very many, and dad hasn't sent me his yet), so i'll close with two images of the hotel del coronado (affectionately known as the hotel del). the first is a photo... you may recognize the hotel as the location where "some like it hot" was filmed. the second is a dr. seuss painting entitled "i dreamed i was a doorman at the hotel del." (dr. seuss lived in la jolla.) lovely.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Settling In.
I can't believe I am writing this, but I think the Great Deck Painting of 2009 is over. For almost 3 weeks, our deck was allegedly being "painted" but this turned out to be a short way of saying "overhauled and crowded with workmen all day trying to drag this sucker out as long as humanly possible."
Our large deck that overlooks downtown Encinitas and the ocean also happens to be our only entrance and exit. So its been like we've had 8 roomates this whole time. When I go in and out of the house, do laundry, or just sit working in the office, I wave to them outside the windows. While having friendly faces around is nice, the jackhammering and the inability to get a grill or patio set has been limiting. In fact today I couldn't go out or in at all because the paint was drying. Imagine my relief that by the end of this weekend I will be enjoying dinner outside, fresh off the grill. Oh man, that is going to be so cool.
The last two weeks have seen us taking a stab at creating a routine. Chris & Kate wake up super-mega early, go to the train station which whisks Kate to the city and Chris goes back to the house and works for awhile, goes to yoga, works some more, and then fetches his wonderful wife at the train station again in the evening. I will let Kate go into further detail as to how she is managing in the US Justice system.
I on the other hand am really enjoying working from home. And considering I get up at 6am with Kate every morning, I get more done by noon than I ever did working a standard 9-5. It's also good because the projects that I am working on now are all on EST timetables. I'm also really enjoying sampling the yoga studios in and around our house. After a lot of classes, I'm starting to get a feel for which places seem like good communities to be a part of. I found one studio in Solana Beach that is interested in taking me on as a teacher, and this is by far one of the nicer studios in the area. I am told I should have a few classes by the end of September, which is nicely timed with me coming back from a yoga teaching retreat in Montana.
We've already learned two things in the last two weeks about living in California. First, the state of California wants your money; and 2. It will stop at nothing to get it. I went to the DMV to register the car, and man, the CA DMV makes Mass and Virginia DMVs look like fancy VIP rooms where you are given mongrammed robes and foot rubs. When we bought our Prius in April, we did so because we didn't want to pay the outrageous sales tax CA charges on their cars. But when I got to the DMV I was politely asked to fork over another $1200 to make up for the difference in sales tax between the states because CA decided to go and pass a law demanding the difference on any car purchased from Sept 2008 on. These are the most expensive license plates ever. And they are not even vanity ones!
But we are having some real fun as well. Two of our latest excursions center around food. First, we went and checked out a fish place called Blue Water Seafood - a shop that only sells fish and is a bit of a dive. So much so that it was featured on the Food Network's "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives." It even has a little spray painting in the entryway commemorating the host's memorable style:
We each got a fish taco and a fish sandwich. The blackened snapper was amazing. Two fins way up.
We also went to Michelle & Pietro's house for Burger Night. Pietro is a lover of gourmet burgers and remembers where and when he's had certain burgers the way parents remember important moments in their children's lives. Together they also experiment making their own, and Pietro's newest creation, a Hawaiian Burger with a pineapple relish made from scratch, was simply amazing. I almost ate two. I want to discuss how nice it was to hang out with two funny and engaging (and engaged!) people, but I can't stop thinking about the burgers. That's how good they were. I'm not sorry.
So that's the latest and greatest. We hope to have some pictures of the place up soon, once we get a few pictures up on the wall and a place to sit outside. We have jobs, people to hang out with, and something resembling a routine. We just need to keep making sure we suck the marrow out of this place and not take it for granted. I'm starting to get used to sunsets in a way I never thought possible! Come on over and you'll see what I mean. Just be sure to wear shoes you don't care about. They may still be painting the deck.
Our large deck that overlooks downtown Encinitas and the ocean also happens to be our only entrance and exit. So its been like we've had 8 roomates this whole time. When I go in and out of the house, do laundry, or just sit working in the office, I wave to them outside the windows. While having friendly faces around is nice, the jackhammering and the inability to get a grill or patio set has been limiting. In fact today I couldn't go out or in at all because the paint was drying. Imagine my relief that by the end of this weekend I will be enjoying dinner outside, fresh off the grill. Oh man, that is going to be so cool.
The last two weeks have seen us taking a stab at creating a routine. Chris & Kate wake up super-mega early, go to the train station which whisks Kate to the city and Chris goes back to the house and works for awhile, goes to yoga, works some more, and then fetches his wonderful wife at the train station again in the evening. I will let Kate go into further detail as to how she is managing in the US Justice system.
I on the other hand am really enjoying working from home. And considering I get up at 6am with Kate every morning, I get more done by noon than I ever did working a standard 9-5. It's also good because the projects that I am working on now are all on EST timetables. I'm also really enjoying sampling the yoga studios in and around our house. After a lot of classes, I'm starting to get a feel for which places seem like good communities to be a part of. I found one studio in Solana Beach that is interested in taking me on as a teacher, and this is by far one of the nicer studios in the area. I am told I should have a few classes by the end of September, which is nicely timed with me coming back from a yoga teaching retreat in Montana.
We've already learned two things in the last two weeks about living in California. First, the state of California wants your money; and 2. It will stop at nothing to get it. I went to the DMV to register the car, and man, the CA DMV makes Mass and Virginia DMVs look like fancy VIP rooms where you are given mongrammed robes and foot rubs. When we bought our Prius in April, we did so because we didn't want to pay the outrageous sales tax CA charges on their cars. But when I got to the DMV I was politely asked to fork over another $1200 to make up for the difference in sales tax between the states because CA decided to go and pass a law demanding the difference on any car purchased from Sept 2008 on. These are the most expensive license plates ever. And they are not even vanity ones!
But we are having some real fun as well. Two of our latest excursions center around food. First, we went and checked out a fish place called Blue Water Seafood - a shop that only sells fish and is a bit of a dive. So much so that it was featured on the Food Network's "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives." It even has a little spray painting in the entryway commemorating the host's memorable style:
We each got a fish taco and a fish sandwich. The blackened snapper was amazing. Two fins way up.We also went to Michelle & Pietro's house for Burger Night. Pietro is a lover of gourmet burgers and remembers where and when he's had certain burgers the way parents remember important moments in their children's lives. Together they also experiment making their own, and Pietro's newest creation, a Hawaiian Burger with a pineapple relish made from scratch, was simply amazing. I almost ate two. I want to discuss how nice it was to hang out with two funny and engaging (and engaged!) people, but I can't stop thinking about the burgers. That's how good they were. I'm not sorry.
So that's the latest and greatest. We hope to have some pictures of the place up soon, once we get a few pictures up on the wall and a place to sit outside. We have jobs, people to hang out with, and something resembling a routine. We just need to keep making sure we suck the marrow out of this place and not take it for granted. I'm starting to get used to sunsets in a way I never thought possible! Come on over and you'll see what I mean. Just be sure to wear shoes you don't care about. They may still be painting the deck.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Home Sweet Home (sort of)
The big news is that we found a place to live! [Pause for cheering and applause here.] It's a two-bedroom unit within a larger house that has two or three other units in it as well. It's smaller and doesn't have as many snazzy details as our old place in Somerville, but it is cute and sunny and you can see the ocean from the front windows and the deck. There is a good-sized deck where we can put a grill and a table and chairs, and I'd like to try to grow some flowers and herbs out there if I can figure out what to plant. What we really liked was the location. It's about four blocks to the train station that I will use to commute into the city, and about ten blocks to Moonlight Beach in Encinitas. It's also a short walk to the 101, which has lots of fun restaurants, bars, and shops. It will be a bit of a commute for me to downtown (for those of you who know the greater Boston area, this would be, distance-wise, the equivalent of living around Framingham and taking the commuter rail to Boston every day), but we figured if we are only here for a year, we might as well live by the beach. Plus, the commute will be about 45 minutes on a nice, uncrowded commuter train that runs along the ocean for a good chunk of the trip. Not bad. I've been living in cities for 12 years, and I'm looking forward to being in a smaller town for a change.
We don't have any pictures to post yet, but we will put them up as soon as we do. We can't move in until August 1, so we are in two back-to-back temporary vacation rentals until then. We've been feeling a bit antsy to just get in there and get settled, but are mostly trying to be patient and enjoy the next week and a half for what it is... a continuation of our vacation. We made a list of fun things we'd like to check out and explore during that time, and hope to work our way through it. We'll keep you all posted-- and will let you know when we're ready for house guests!
UPDATE: I forgot to mention that we drove by today and noticed something we hadn't noticed before. We have a real lemon tree in our yard! Yay!
We don't have any pictures to post yet, but we will put them up as soon as we do. We can't move in until August 1, so we are in two back-to-back temporary vacation rentals until then. We've been feeling a bit antsy to just get in there and get settled, but are mostly trying to be patient and enjoy the next week and a half for what it is... a continuation of our vacation. We made a list of fun things we'd like to check out and explore during that time, and hope to work our way through it. We'll keep you all posted-- and will let you know when we're ready for house guests!
UPDATE: I forgot to mention that we drove by today and noticed something we hadn't noticed before. We have a real lemon tree in our yard! Yay!
Monday, July 20, 2009
Entering San Diego County...
After a brief interaction with Johnny Law in the wee hours of last Wednesday morning, we pulled into LA. More accurately, we drove around it and went to Laguna Beach, where my friend Troy happened to be subbing for another yoga teacher and I got to go to a class taught by a good friend of mine from teacher training. Top it off with the fact that I got to eat a fish taco prior to class, and basically the day is already a huge success.
After a great class, we finally made our way to Aliso Viejo, where our good friend Scott put us up in his beautiful house. Before his partner (and my cousin) Emma passed away, she put a lot of effort into making a wonderful house a wonderful home; and Scott preserves that feeling completely.
It was great to pull into a place and just crash 100%. Scott took very good care of us. We had an awesome dinner outdoors on the back patio-- steaks on the grill and fresh salad and homemade margaritas. Can't beat that.
On Thursday, Scott was at work so we did our stinky laundry and spent a productive day catching up with various tasks on the internet. But wait! Because it is nice all the time here in SoCal, and because Scott has wireless internet, we took our work outside.
Kate is certainly the craigslist ninja - searching for a place to live long-term AND a place to stay short-term while we search for the long-term place. I'm exhausted already.
With all that searching, we naturally required a refueling. So of course, bring on the fish tacos!
A shrimp taco is not cheating if; 1.) it is accompanied
by a real fish taco; and 2.) it was highly recommended.
After a great meal at Wahoo's in the infamous Laguna Beach, we headed to the beach itself:
So close to the ocean....
We officially made it to the Pacific!
Whoever owns this is my new hero.
After our outing to the beach, we headed back to Scott's for a quiet evening. Friday morning we woke up early-ish and headed south to San Diego, cheering as we crossed the county line!
These things are on the side of the freeway as you drive past Camp Pendleton, between Orange County and San Diego County. Not even the Marines know what they are.
As my dad once said, "Oh look, Mae West." My mom then punched his arm.
Since Friday, we've been staying in a temporary apartment we found in the "vacation rental" section on craigslist; it's a little odd, but it couldn't be closer to the beach and downtown Encinitas (where we are looking to live). It is very open and airy, and has lots of good vibes and interesting books on eastern medicine that make me sleepy at night. It is just so wonderful to have a kitchen and to cook for ourselves after weeks of eating on the fly; it's also pretty great to not have to pack up and move every 2 days. We're here until the 25th; after that, we may end up couch-surfing for a few days to bridge the gap between now and our fictitious apartment that we expect to be available August 1st. But as you can see, our problems aren't really problems at all - this is how every single day ends here:
First of many San Diegan sunsets!
This picture was taken at 8:00pm on a SUNDAY.
I am 100% willing to call this "home" for now.
After a great class, we finally made our way to Aliso Viejo, where our good friend Scott put us up in his beautiful house. Before his partner (and my cousin) Emma passed away, she put a lot of effort into making a wonderful house a wonderful home; and Scott preserves that feeling completely.
It was great to pull into a place and just crash 100%. Scott took very good care of us. We had an awesome dinner outdoors on the back patio-- steaks on the grill and fresh salad and homemade margaritas. Can't beat that.
On Thursday, Scott was at work so we did our stinky laundry and spent a productive day catching up with various tasks on the internet. But wait! Because it is nice all the time here in SoCal, and because Scott has wireless internet, we took our work outside.
Kate is certainly the craigslist ninja - searching for a place to live long-term AND a place to stay short-term while we search for the long-term place. I'm exhausted already.With all that searching, we naturally required a refueling. So of course, bring on the fish tacos!
A shrimp taco is not cheating if; 1.) it is accompanied by a real fish taco; and 2.) it was highly recommended.
After a great meal at Wahoo's in the infamous Laguna Beach, we headed to the beach itself:
So close to the ocean....
We officially made it to the Pacific!
Whoever owns this is my new hero.After our outing to the beach, we headed back to Scott's for a quiet evening. Friday morning we woke up early-ish and headed south to San Diego, cheering as we crossed the county line!
These things are on the side of the freeway as you drive past Camp Pendleton, between Orange County and San Diego County. Not even the Marines know what they are. As my dad once said, "Oh look, Mae West." My mom then punched his arm.
Since Friday, we've been staying in a temporary apartment we found in the "vacation rental" section on craigslist; it's a little odd, but it couldn't be closer to the beach and downtown Encinitas (where we are looking to live). It is very open and airy, and has lots of good vibes and interesting books on eastern medicine that make me sleepy at night. It is just so wonderful to have a kitchen and to cook for ourselves after weeks of eating on the fly; it's also pretty great to not have to pack up and move every 2 days. We're here until the 25th; after that, we may end up couch-surfing for a few days to bridge the gap between now and our fictitious apartment that we expect to be available August 1st. But as you can see, our problems aren't really problems at all - this is how every single day ends here:
First of many San Diegan sunsets!
This picture was taken at 8:00pm on a SUNDAY. 
I am 100% willing to call this "home" for now.So the apartment hunt continues, but we are confident we are looking in the right places, turning down the wrong ones, and enjoying ourselves as well. In fact, we are hitting up the D Street Grill's "Recession Monday" - half price on wine and entrees. We'll save our worries for a rainy day. What? It doesn't rain here, you say? That works out well, then.
A bit more of Big Sur
Another video, this one of the cove where the 500-year-old cypress tree (they call it "the Old Veteran") hangs over the cliff.
Big Sur for Sure
We headed out of Vegas (see our last post) and through several hours of dry, brown hills. Finally, we reached the coast at San Simeon and were rewarded with our first sight of the Pacific Ocean. It really sunk in that we had come all the way across the country!
We stopped for the afternoon in San Simeon because I am a big antiques fan and had heard about a cool place to check out: Hearst Castle. This estate was the former "ranch" of publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst, and it's a really spectacular piece of architecture as well as the place where he housed his formidable collection of antiques and art. It's situated on a hill overlooking the Pacific, surrounded by a fully operational ranch. He used to keep more exotic animals at the ranch as well (e.g., bears, lions, etc.), and there are apparently still a few zebras that happily roam the nearby hills. Much of the property has been turned into a state park, and there are very good guided tours of the grounds. We signed up for a tour and traipsed up the hill with the rest of the tourists for the full story.
Below is a photo of Mr. Hearst's outdoor pool, which incorporates facades from actual Roman ruins.
The main house is largely Spanish in influence, but the brown triangular roof you see below the two turrets is carved teak from southeast Asia. As you can see, we were there on a gorgeous day.
This is the INDOOR pool, which is massive and uses tiles flecked with real gold.
Other highlights of the house included the huge movie theater, where Mr. Hearst often got to watch movies before they were released to the public; the dining room, which was filled with a significant collection of silver, but also had all-American condiments on the table in their original Heinz bottles, just as Mr. Hearst insisted on serving them; and a statue on a patio that came from ancient Egypt and was made approximately 3500 years ago! The tour also included a guest house, which we would happily have moved into. Every room had its own bathroom, which was quite rare at the time.
After the tour, we hopped back in the car and continued driving north, up the central coast of California. We stopped briefly at a beach where large numbers of elephant seals hang out-- very strange-looking dudes, and they make very funny noises. As we got further north, the gently rolling hills evolved into steep, narrow winding roads that followed the contours of the cliffs; Chris and the Prius did a great job with the driving, and the views around some of the sharp corners were well worth it. Photos can't do it justice. Parts of it reminded us of the Napali coast of Kauai, which we have seen only by helicopter.
By late afternoon, we reached our campsite, which was in a grove of redwoods next to a river. We stayed in a "tent cabin," which was basically a large, sturdy canvas tent on a wooden platform and frame. The tent sites were a bit close together, but it ended up being kind of nice to smell the campfire from your neighbor's tent site and hear some kids playing down at the water's edge. We got settled in and fired up Chris's little camping stove, made a quick mac-and-cheese dinner, and crashed early after a long fun day.
The next morning, we were up with the sun and headed a bit further up the coast to a couple of the state parks in the Big Sur area. We did a handful of short hikes, including one through the redwoods to a little waterfall. Our photos of the waterfall didn't come out so great, but the trees were awesome.
Our favorite hikes, though, were in a state park called Point Lobos, where a friendly ranger pointed us in the direction of some cool stuff we might not have otherwise seen. He also lent us a pair of binoculars, taking our car keys as collateral. Below are a couple of shots from Lobos. Highlights included a 500-year-old cypress tree clinging to a cliff; a grove of cypress trees covered in a rare red algae, which looked really wild; and great views of tons of sea lions and seals sunning themselves on rocks along the coast. They come to this area to eat the kelp that grows in the ocean here, and they were fun to watch.
On our way out of Point Lobos, we passed the ranger we'd talked to, cruising out of the park in a blue Prius with a Ferrari sticker on it. Hilarious.
We really loved our one full day in Big Sur. The hiking was accessible, there was a ton of wildflowers and wildlife, and the views were awesome. Because of the many state parks, there are very few private residences in the area, so most of the views are unobstructed by houses (or mansions), unlike other sections of the California coast. There were a fair number of other people out and about as well, and most of the lodges and campgrounds were full, but the crowds didn't really bother us. There is something for everyone along this stretch of highway. You can stay in a campground, a yurt, a lodge or a luxurious resort. You can cook your own food over a campfire, fuel up at a casual "road house" or hippie cafe, or dine at a fancy restaurant (we stopped at one place for lunch and changed our minds when we found that it was $16 for a turkey sandwich). My point is that it's a really beautiful area, and if you get a chance to explore it, it's worth the trip.
That night, we headed back to the campground and built a fire in the fire pit at our campsite. We cooked hot dogs over the fire and sat up after the sun went down, enjoying the fire and the last of the daylight lingering on the river. We spent our last night in a tent-- my one little regret about this trip is that we did not camp nearly as much as we hoped we would. In the morning, we loaded up the car and headed south again.
Almost immediately, we encountered thick fog, which made driving a bit more challenging, but made for some cool views at the points where we were high enough to be above the fog. Chris said it looked like the Cloud City in Star Wars.
At one point on the foggy Highway 1, we were stopped for 15 minutes while CalTrans blocked the way in order to mow the strips of grass along the side of the road. Since we were stuck there anyway, we chatted with the CalTrans officer who was directing traffic. He was curious about our Prius, but then mentioned that he himself drives a BMW. No wonder California's in a budget crisis. :)
As we moved further south, the hills flattened out again and driving got easier. I finally stopped being nervous about the winding roads and fell asleep. A short while later, though, I was awakened by Chris telling me to wake up, as we were being pulled over by a police car. Turns out Chris was going 12 miles over the speed limit-- so frustrating to get all the way across the country and then, so close to our final destination, get a ticket. Ouch.
Other than that unfortunate snag, however, the rest of the drive down the coast was uneventful. Eventually we began hitting the beach towns around LA. After Malibu (no celebrity sightings, sadly), we decided to cut across LA via one of the freeways, which was, to be blunt, terrifying. Traffic ticket or no, I spent much of our time during this part of the trip feeling so grateful that Chris is such a good driver.
We survived the freeway and entered Orange County. We were highly amused by this sight as we pulled up to a stoplight in the O.C.; yes, that's a Smartcar and a Corvette.
We'll write more soon about our visit to the O.C. and our continuing adventures in SoCal, but for now we leave you with a fun song.
Sure, it's a catchy song, but we would submit that you ignore it's general advice and GO BACK TO BIG SUR. OFTEN.
Finally, if you are interested in seeing the first views of the Big Sur coastline along with us (where Chris almost swears a bunch), check out the video below (thanks Liz & Rob for the Flipcam!).
We stopped for the afternoon in San Simeon because I am a big antiques fan and had heard about a cool place to check out: Hearst Castle. This estate was the former "ranch" of publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst, and it's a really spectacular piece of architecture as well as the place where he housed his formidable collection of antiques and art. It's situated on a hill overlooking the Pacific, surrounded by a fully operational ranch. He used to keep more exotic animals at the ranch as well (e.g., bears, lions, etc.), and there are apparently still a few zebras that happily roam the nearby hills. Much of the property has been turned into a state park, and there are very good guided tours of the grounds. We signed up for a tour and traipsed up the hill with the rest of the tourists for the full story.
Below is a photo of Mr. Hearst's outdoor pool, which incorporates facades from actual Roman ruins.
The main house is largely Spanish in influence, but the brown triangular roof you see below the two turrets is carved teak from southeast Asia. As you can see, we were there on a gorgeous day.
This is the INDOOR pool, which is massive and uses tiles flecked with real gold.
Other highlights of the house included the huge movie theater, where Mr. Hearst often got to watch movies before they were released to the public; the dining room, which was filled with a significant collection of silver, but also had all-American condiments on the table in their original Heinz bottles, just as Mr. Hearst insisted on serving them; and a statue on a patio that came from ancient Egypt and was made approximately 3500 years ago! The tour also included a guest house, which we would happily have moved into. Every room had its own bathroom, which was quite rare at the time.After the tour, we hopped back in the car and continued driving north, up the central coast of California. We stopped briefly at a beach where large numbers of elephant seals hang out-- very strange-looking dudes, and they make very funny noises. As we got further north, the gently rolling hills evolved into steep, narrow winding roads that followed the contours of the cliffs; Chris and the Prius did a great job with the driving, and the views around some of the sharp corners were well worth it. Photos can't do it justice. Parts of it reminded us of the Napali coast of Kauai, which we have seen only by helicopter.
By late afternoon, we reached our campsite, which was in a grove of redwoods next to a river. We stayed in a "tent cabin," which was basically a large, sturdy canvas tent on a wooden platform and frame. The tent sites were a bit close together, but it ended up being kind of nice to smell the campfire from your neighbor's tent site and hear some kids playing down at the water's edge. We got settled in and fired up Chris's little camping stove, made a quick mac-and-cheese dinner, and crashed early after a long fun day.
The next morning, we were up with the sun and headed a bit further up the coast to a couple of the state parks in the Big Sur area. We did a handful of short hikes, including one through the redwoods to a little waterfall. Our photos of the waterfall didn't come out so great, but the trees were awesome.
Our favorite hikes, though, were in a state park called Point Lobos, where a friendly ranger pointed us in the direction of some cool stuff we might not have otherwise seen. He also lent us a pair of binoculars, taking our car keys as collateral. Below are a couple of shots from Lobos. Highlights included a 500-year-old cypress tree clinging to a cliff; a grove of cypress trees covered in a rare red algae, which looked really wild; and great views of tons of sea lions and seals sunning themselves on rocks along the coast. They come to this area to eat the kelp that grows in the ocean here, and they were fun to watch.
On our way out of Point Lobos, we passed the ranger we'd talked to, cruising out of the park in a blue Prius with a Ferrari sticker on it. Hilarious.
We really loved our one full day in Big Sur. The hiking was accessible, there was a ton of wildflowers and wildlife, and the views were awesome. Because of the many state parks, there are very few private residences in the area, so most of the views are unobstructed by houses (or mansions), unlike other sections of the California coast. There were a fair number of other people out and about as well, and most of the lodges and campgrounds were full, but the crowds didn't really bother us. There is something for everyone along this stretch of highway. You can stay in a campground, a yurt, a lodge or a luxurious resort. You can cook your own food over a campfire, fuel up at a casual "road house" or hippie cafe, or dine at a fancy restaurant (we stopped at one place for lunch and changed our minds when we found that it was $16 for a turkey sandwich). My point is that it's a really beautiful area, and if you get a chance to explore it, it's worth the trip.
That night, we headed back to the campground and built a fire in the fire pit at our campsite. We cooked hot dogs over the fire and sat up after the sun went down, enjoying the fire and the last of the daylight lingering on the river. We spent our last night in a tent-- my one little regret about this trip is that we did not camp nearly as much as we hoped we would. In the morning, we loaded up the car and headed south again.
Almost immediately, we encountered thick fog, which made driving a bit more challenging, but made for some cool views at the points where we were high enough to be above the fog. Chris said it looked like the Cloud City in Star Wars.
At one point on the foggy Highway 1, we were stopped for 15 minutes while CalTrans blocked the way in order to mow the strips of grass along the side of the road. Since we were stuck there anyway, we chatted with the CalTrans officer who was directing traffic. He was curious about our Prius, but then mentioned that he himself drives a BMW. No wonder California's in a budget crisis. :)As we moved further south, the hills flattened out again and driving got easier. I finally stopped being nervous about the winding roads and fell asleep. A short while later, though, I was awakened by Chris telling me to wake up, as we were being pulled over by a police car. Turns out Chris was going 12 miles over the speed limit-- so frustrating to get all the way across the country and then, so close to our final destination, get a ticket. Ouch.
Other than that unfortunate snag, however, the rest of the drive down the coast was uneventful. Eventually we began hitting the beach towns around LA. After Malibu (no celebrity sightings, sadly), we decided to cut across LA via one of the freeways, which was, to be blunt, terrifying. Traffic ticket or no, I spent much of our time during this part of the trip feeling so grateful that Chris is such a good driver.
We survived the freeway and entered Orange County. We were highly amused by this sight as we pulled up to a stoplight in the O.C.; yes, that's a Smartcar and a Corvette.
We'll write more soon about our visit to the O.C. and our continuing adventures in SoCal, but for now we leave you with a fun song.
 | The Thrills - Big Sur |  |
 | ||
 | Found at skreemr.com |  |
Sure, it's a catchy song, but we would submit that you ignore it's general advice and GO BACK TO BIG SUR. OFTEN.
Finally, if you are interested in seeing the first views of the Big Sur coastline along with us (where Chris almost swears a bunch), check out the video below (thanks Liz & Rob for the Flipcam!).
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Doubling Down in Las Vegas
Please deposit your money here.So we got to Vegas in the early afternoon and checked into the MGM Grand, which was recommended by a few knowledgeable friends. We then did what any young post-twenty-somethings do when they get into the action-packed strip of Las Vegas... we took a nap.
Well, Kate did anyway, while I looked online for Cirque Du Soleil's Beatles LOVE tickets. I found some on craigslist for half-price, but the gentleman on the receiving end of the phone sounded a little to eager to sell them to us, and I had a set policy of not being swindled within the first ten minutes of being in Vegas. We instead walked down the strip in 100 degree heat and ended up getting the concierge at the MGM to get us two legitimate tickets (in the balcony because I read that was the best seating for this show). Next, we went and got lunch at a classy little place called "Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville." It was all my fault. I really wanted a Margarita, and when I realized it came with a COMMEMORATIVE GLASS I was sadly sold. So now at this point we had food in our bellies and some time to gather ourselves before going to the late show at the Mirage to see the Beatles show (which I had been demanding to see since 2006).
Before the show we had a great dinner (for a great price) at an Italian restaurant in the Mirage where the host seemed like he floated when he walked in front of us. I won't bore you with my review of the show, but here's a teaser of what it looked like. For a die-hard Beatles fan, it was simply amazing.
And here's the Beatles Revolution Lounge just outside the show (in the Mirage Hotel):
Here is a bass signed by ALL FOUR of the Beatles. After the show we went and checked out the fountain at the Bellagio which is a huge waste of water, electricity, and pretty much everything else, but wow was it cool. I hate when things are like that.
After all the excitement we got back, crashed and SLEPT IN. That was awesome. We had lunch at Wolfgang Puck's restaurant in the MGM Grand and then I went off to play poker, while Kate caught up on phone calls and emails. I am happy to report that I went in with $40 and tripled up after playing very tight and realizing that the games at home with my friends were harder. I also did not know that the drinks were free until just as I was leaving. This fact may explain some of my success.
Fresh off my sensational poker game, we headed back out and onto the Monorail that runs down the strip; taking the train instead of walking was great, because it was 111 degrees outside. That is not a typo. We had drinks at a bar in the Hilton while I did some reconnaissance for an event I am planning in Vegas. By sheer coincidence it was 2-for-1 drinks at the location and someone else was buying. Now THAT is the Las Vegas I've heard about!
We walked most of the way back and bought a few postcards and had dinner at a Chinese place and then packed up. But not before the Majestic Lions you see below paid Kate $20, but then took back $7 of it.
So after feeding the big cats, we went to bed at a reasonable hour because we were getting up at the most unreasonable hour the next day - our goal was to leave at 4am to avoid driving in the desert heat. The good news is that we didn't have to get up that early. The bad news is that we didn't get up because I woke up at 3 and shut the alarm off for no reason. I'm good like that.
We got up and shot out of there like two (very small) cannonballs and said a prayer to the Prius God that the little car would be ok driving in the heat. The Prius has been our one sure thing this whole trip and I am happy to report it didn't let us down again. The drive through the desert was great, even if we didn't notice when we had entered our new home state. This was probably because we were playing and singing along with every song on the iPod that had the word "California" in it.
The best part is that our calculated gamble of heading to Big Sur instead of Utah was about to pay off !
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