Two Suite Selections
Suites in the Bay Area and Sacramento were what we got in our latest Hotwire.com encounters. We usually use hotwire to pick our hotels. This weekend Hotwire choose a couple of suite hotels for our use.
Variables in Hotwire.com
My variables in picking the selection in Hotwire measures off stars, all hotels are rated by stars, customer satisfaction rating and price. In Hotwire, hotels are offered by price and stars but not by name. Each hotel while not named has a customer satisfaction percentage that allows a judgement to be made on what percentage of the people who chose this accommodation were satisfied. My desired percentage is 80 percent or higher. Once a choice is made and paid for by paypal, the hotel name is revealed.
Amenities are also listed and may factor into the choice. If breakfast is included, that can save the traveler between 8 and 15 dollars per person. This is also critical if your stay is in a industrial setting where options for breakfast require getting in a car and traveling as well as finding your way back. Many of the business hotels in quasi-industrial areas have some very good deals because their usual business, the business expense traveler, is back at home on the weekends and these businesses do not look good in the occupancy ratings if they are left to languish on the weekends.
Particulars on a Lead up to a Memorial Day Vacation
Which brings us to our travel this last weekend. We were after an overnight in the San Francisco area on the Thursday before the Memorial Day Weekend. Sue and I were driving over to drop off a neighbor at the airport, see our daughter, look in on the museum and stay overnight. Transport into the city and back was provided by our truck so location in the city was not so important and we were not dependent upon an airport connection either. The best deals in the San Francisco Bay Area if the criteria we live in are met usually occur in the Oyster Point Area of San Francisco. It is important to pick a spot that doesn't require the traveler to pay for parking if possible. This can add up to 18 dollars to the final tote. These charges are somewhat mitigated in the Anaheim area in their resort fees as the hotels have shuttles that can save you 18 dollars plus in Disneyland parking fees.
Larkspur Landing in South San Francisco
This weekend we just happened to get two suites in the industrial areas selected as our overnight choices. Each had full kitchens and dining areas provided. Both were had parking lot views. One had flat sceeen tvs in both rooms while the other a flat screen tv in the kitchen living room area. Both were represented as handicapped accessible, and both were on the third floor.
In South San Francisco we spent the night at a Larkspur Landing Suites hotel. It is a Stash hotel. It comes with a great 50+ flat screen tv with a DVD player and selections of check out DVDs at the front desk. It had a very nice feather bed topper style bed that was very comfortable.
Accessible features in this one was a pull down shower chair in the tub with a removable shower head. An 18in toilet also is a nice addition. This one passes.
The art in the halls showed some taste. There were prints from Georgia O'Keef and a fly fishing print from one of the Taos collectives, Walter Ufer.
Overall this place has the look and feel of an upscale extended stay place.There was even a grocery store gofer service. You leave a list in the morning and they would have your groceries for you in the afternoon.
The night was quiet, and nestled inside the South San Francisco Industrial complex on the east side of 101 there didn't seem to be much going on in the cubicle jungles of buildings around us. Starbucks was not within walking distance. Breakfast was strictly continental with a healthy theme of a couple of oatmeal types and toasters brought into the business area off of the small check in lobby.
We used a smart phone app to get us to the site off of Gateway which is an extension of Grand Ave. with a whoops si doodle overpass for the freeway and the train tracks.
We used our truck to get some burritos from El Faro on El Camino. This happens to be Sue's favorite burrito spot.
Hawthorne Suites Inn Sacramento
The Friday night we were staying in Sacramento. Later I discovered that this weekend was Sacramento's famous Music Festival weekend. It used to be strictly Dixeland. It now has broken off and become Blues and Dixieland and Jazz. I think overall the downtown spots were reserved way before we did our hotwire search.
Our usual search leaves us with a Holiday Inn Express just blocks from the center of town for about 54 dollars a night. When you factor in breakfast it is a great deal. This night's deal was a 59 dollar selection that also claimed to be downtown.. but that was a stretch. Those people headed up to Redding on I 5 would recognize the Richardson turnoff as the last turnoff to the city before it becomes suburban.
There was just a removable shower head for their idea of accessibility. We were in the top floor which was near the mainlobby.
This is a semi industrial area of Sacramento. There are low level office buildings all around this campus looking complex.
The Hawthorne Inn is Wydham hotel. It looks a little dated in its current form, although it worked out for us. It looks like it is set up for a large conference, with everyone getting a work area in their room. We were on the top floor, the third with very tall ceilings. The coffee maker had single basket Seattle's best in it. The breakfast was super. sausage, eggs, three waffle makers, juice bar, yogurt refridge, hard boiled eggs on ice, loose fruit, packaged danish.
The lobby area was expansive. Some people were waiting across the way for a shuttle bus to take them to the festival and several that were eating breakfast had on their festival buttons ready to go. It looked like everyone was counting on the breakfast and took decent advantage. There were all sorts of people staying. Some young families, and some extended families were also there. There were just a couple of couples in their 25-30's in the mix.
The road home took us over the Old Sacramento area. Sue looked down and saw that the streets were blocked from vehicular traffic and the people were crowded on the streets. The temperature was starting to climb into the upper 80's even a 12:30.
Overall it was a nice experience to see the difference in the Suite accommodations from both settings. There was a difference but overall unless you were going to spend serious time in either the upgrade from the100 dollar a night Larkspur Landing from the Hawthorne would not be worth it.
Monday, May 26, 2014
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Day 6 Solvang to Merced
California Land Form Diversity Solvang to Merced
The Reputation
California to the rest of the world is something of a mythology. In the mind of those who have not traveled to and through California, it is a place of Hollywood Stars on every corner. It is busy, it is urban and pretty noisy. To those who have taken some time to travel within its borders, California is full of contrasts both physically in the land forms and emotionally in the form of quiet out of the way places that allow one to recharge their batteries and get a grip of the life as well as those .
Contrasts in the Scenery
Our last day of vacation was full of both of these contrasts. The land forms around Solvang are simply beautiful. Its farmland that would approach the quiet surrender that one finds around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in the East. Today we also traveled to a part of California that not even a scrap of vegetation volunteers to grow, yet provides California with a huge jolt of economic power. I am bit intrigued by writing such verses.
Solvang and its surrounds is quiet. My local Starbucks barista told me that her parents go there to get a way from a frenetic lifestyle in Ventura. It is easy to sit on the many provided benches and enjoy the quietness of the day. The town has a definite laid back style and its easy to get caught up in it. Sue loves to pause and see what is seasonally available at the old fashion hardware store near the end of the main street. Many residents meet and carry on social conversations as they meet their neighbors who stop to pick up a pony pack of annuals for their gardens or talk to their friends about an upcoming gathering. Life rolls on in this town on a Monday morning. The residents in the hardware store get a resident discount on all that they buy. In the other stores it is amazing to see that the ubiquitous UPC labels that are read by point of sale computers are not present. The young retail clerks in one souvenir gift shop, the middle aged lady that took my money for some cards at Rassmusens and the retired and back to work owner clerk at the on sale costume jewlery store all carefully wrote down on a receipt book what was purchased, added up the total with a calculator and entered the price paid at the bottom of the list. It has been along time since I have seen that happen in a retail store.
Solvang Charms
The clerks were happy to talk about their lives as they completed their sales. Sue talked to an older guy that owned a costume jewelry out let that told her all about running two bakeries before "retiring to sell jewelry 3 for 5 dollars. Sue found a handful that she could not walk away from for the price. While Sue was looking at the scarves at another boutique, I talked to a Las Vegas escapee that was running a souvenir shop. She had quite a tale about working in the casinos for 32 years before coming to Solvang to run this little shop beside the bakery. Sue found a couple of treasures and again she dutifully wrote them down and took my money.
I let Sue pick the choices for the bakery to go box. She picked me out some choices that I would probably not pick but were fabulous. She chose for herself a napoleon and a cream puff. For me she picked out a couple of macaroons. She knows I have a weakness for coconut. They were fabulous but I probably would have picked a danish sweet roll if given a choice. But the macaroons were the best I have ever tasted and they showcased their coconut magnificently.
Solvang is set up for a wine tasting. This was not something that I cared to do with the 5 hour driving trip ahead but it is one of those things that people do since the popularity that the wines of the Santa Ynez valley received in the Oscar winning movie, Sideways. About 35 wineries have set up tasting rooms in Solvang. On a Monday morning they were all pretty empty as we walked by.
Solvang is set up for the tourist buses. There are major parking lots next to the city parks in the middle of the town with massive restroom facilities provided by the city so as to lure in the highway 101 travelers on the crawl. We had done the shops and were on the road to Paso Robles by 11:00. Paso Robles is the spot on 101 that we veer off and take the inland route to get to the Central Valley.
Back on the Road up the Coast
As we were trucking up the road I got a call from my sister and her husband that suggested that we find a place in Solvang to meet up and have some lunch together. At that time we were in San Luis Obispo about 70 miles north. It was a great idea.. but we were pretty intent upon moving up the road and getting home soon.
The road up the coast takes an inland jog as land on the coast is reserved for Vandenburg Air Force Base. It is the place on the west coast that the military launches missiles. When ever there is a UFO "sighting" it usually is not a UFO at all but rather a missile has been launched and lights up the evening sky. The launches are from this spot on the California coast.
Highway 101 rejoins the coast at Santa Maria and San Luis Obispo where on this day the breezes coming in from the ocean were about 30 knots. The road follows up a canyon where there are exits for the Cal Poly campus. Eventually it reaches exits for Pismo Beach, Avilla Beach and Shell Beach. Paseo Robles is further inland and is the home of the mid valley fair and rodeo each year. All the big stars in country music make this fair for a stop on their road trip. There are also many winery tasting rooms in this area too.
We made the turn at Peso Robles and at first the road is pretty scenic as it rolls through the rolling vinyards. Then another junction and suddenly we are in a ghost like land form. There are many layers of sandstone that drop off into other layers of sandstone as we travel through the oil rich California region known as Lost Hills. Not a house in sight for miles and miles. Not a stick of a tree or a wild grass of any kind lives in this area. It is desolate. I make the choice to angle a little North as we come through the area that the legendary movie star, James Dean lost his young life in the late 50's. It is also the area that a coffee drinking retired teacher friend of mine got nailed for traveling 7 miles over the speed limit and had to pay 350 dollar fine and attend a traffic school. You can bet that I was watching my speed as we headed for Buttonwillow a wide spot on interstate 5. We stopped there and found and IN and Out burger joint and were ready to head north.
My navigation program has a time estimate feature. We could save 25 minutes by angling North on highway 41 from Buttonwillow. It would leave us in Fresno which is about 59 miles away from Merced. We took that direction even though our usual way would be to head up interstate at 70miles per hour and scoot over at Mercy Hot Springs road to the road that would take us through the valley past Dos Palos and into Merced.
The Buttonwillow Road to Fresno was a great road. It followed a couple of canals and rolled us through Lemore, a naval air base in the middle of the valley. suddenly out of seemingly nowhere, a freeway overpass appeared and we were trucking through Lemore. As we got near Fresno the highway became separated and there were a couple of traffic light the two lanes became four lanes Sure to its estimate we were in Fresno and headed home right on schedule.
The cats were very happy to see us and were were happy to see them.
A Great Vacation was had by all!
The Reputation
California to the rest of the world is something of a mythology. In the mind of those who have not traveled to and through California, it is a place of Hollywood Stars on every corner. It is busy, it is urban and pretty noisy. To those who have taken some time to travel within its borders, California is full of contrasts both physically in the land forms and emotionally in the form of quiet out of the way places that allow one to recharge their batteries and get a grip of the life as well as those .
Contrasts in the Scenery
Our last day of vacation was full of both of these contrasts. The land forms around Solvang are simply beautiful. Its farmland that would approach the quiet surrender that one finds around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in the East. Today we also traveled to a part of California that not even a scrap of vegetation volunteers to grow, yet provides California with a huge jolt of economic power. I am bit intrigued by writing such verses.
Solvang and its surrounds is quiet. My local Starbucks barista told me that her parents go there to get a way from a frenetic lifestyle in Ventura. It is easy to sit on the many provided benches and enjoy the quietness of the day. The town has a definite laid back style and its easy to get caught up in it. Sue loves to pause and see what is seasonally available at the old fashion hardware store near the end of the main street. Many residents meet and carry on social conversations as they meet their neighbors who stop to pick up a pony pack of annuals for their gardens or talk to their friends about an upcoming gathering. Life rolls on in this town on a Monday morning. The residents in the hardware store get a resident discount on all that they buy. In the other stores it is amazing to see that the ubiquitous UPC labels that are read by point of sale computers are not present. The young retail clerks in one souvenir gift shop, the middle aged lady that took my money for some cards at Rassmusens and the retired and back to work owner clerk at the on sale costume jewlery store all carefully wrote down on a receipt book what was purchased, added up the total with a calculator and entered the price paid at the bottom of the list. It has been along time since I have seen that happen in a retail store.
Solvang Charms
The clerks were happy to talk about their lives as they completed their sales. Sue talked to an older guy that owned a costume jewelry out let that told her all about running two bakeries before "retiring to sell jewelry 3 for 5 dollars. Sue found a handful that she could not walk away from for the price. While Sue was looking at the scarves at another boutique, I talked to a Las Vegas escapee that was running a souvenir shop. She had quite a tale about working in the casinos for 32 years before coming to Solvang to run this little shop beside the bakery. Sue found a couple of treasures and again she dutifully wrote them down and took my money.
I let Sue pick the choices for the bakery to go box. She picked me out some choices that I would probably not pick but were fabulous. She chose for herself a napoleon and a cream puff. For me she picked out a couple of macaroons. She knows I have a weakness for coconut. They were fabulous but I probably would have picked a danish sweet roll if given a choice. But the macaroons were the best I have ever tasted and they showcased their coconut magnificently.
Solvang is set up for a wine tasting. This was not something that I cared to do with the 5 hour driving trip ahead but it is one of those things that people do since the popularity that the wines of the Santa Ynez valley received in the Oscar winning movie, Sideways. About 35 wineries have set up tasting rooms in Solvang. On a Monday morning they were all pretty empty as we walked by.
Solvang is set up for the tourist buses. There are major parking lots next to the city parks in the middle of the town with massive restroom facilities provided by the city so as to lure in the highway 101 travelers on the crawl. We had done the shops and were on the road to Paso Robles by 11:00. Paso Robles is the spot on 101 that we veer off and take the inland route to get to the Central Valley.
Back on the Road up the Coast
As we were trucking up the road I got a call from my sister and her husband that suggested that we find a place in Solvang to meet up and have some lunch together. At that time we were in San Luis Obispo about 70 miles north. It was a great idea.. but we were pretty intent upon moving up the road and getting home soon.
The road up the coast takes an inland jog as land on the coast is reserved for Vandenburg Air Force Base. It is the place on the west coast that the military launches missiles. When ever there is a UFO "sighting" it usually is not a UFO at all but rather a missile has been launched and lights up the evening sky. The launches are from this spot on the California coast.
Highway 101 rejoins the coast at Santa Maria and San Luis Obispo where on this day the breezes coming in from the ocean were about 30 knots. The road follows up a canyon where there are exits for the Cal Poly campus. Eventually it reaches exits for Pismo Beach, Avilla Beach and Shell Beach. Paseo Robles is further inland and is the home of the mid valley fair and rodeo each year. All the big stars in country music make this fair for a stop on their road trip. There are also many winery tasting rooms in this area too.
We made the turn at Peso Robles and at first the road is pretty scenic as it rolls through the rolling vinyards. Then another junction and suddenly we are in a ghost like land form. There are many layers of sandstone that drop off into other layers of sandstone as we travel through the oil rich California region known as Lost Hills. Not a house in sight for miles and miles. Not a stick of a tree or a wild grass of any kind lives in this area. It is desolate. I make the choice to angle a little North as we come through the area that the legendary movie star, James Dean lost his young life in the late 50's. It is also the area that a coffee drinking retired teacher friend of mine got nailed for traveling 7 miles over the speed limit and had to pay 350 dollar fine and attend a traffic school. You can bet that I was watching my speed as we headed for Buttonwillow a wide spot on interstate 5. We stopped there and found and IN and Out burger joint and were ready to head north.
My navigation program has a time estimate feature. We could save 25 minutes by angling North on highway 41 from Buttonwillow. It would leave us in Fresno which is about 59 miles away from Merced. We took that direction even though our usual way would be to head up interstate at 70miles per hour and scoot over at Mercy Hot Springs road to the road that would take us through the valley past Dos Palos and into Merced.
The Buttonwillow Road to Fresno was a great road. It followed a couple of canals and rolled us through Lemore, a naval air base in the middle of the valley. suddenly out of seemingly nowhere, a freeway overpass appeared and we were trucking through Lemore. As we got near Fresno the highway became separated and there were a couple of traffic light the two lanes became four lanes Sure to its estimate we were in Fresno and headed home right on schedule.
The cats were very happy to see us and were were happy to see them.
A Great Vacation was had by all!
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Day 5 Tripping to Solvang from San Diego
Leaving San Diego with Regrets
Somehow every time I leave San Diego there is an emptiness in back of your mind which reminds you that that you seem to be missing a major part of the city that you will have to come back and see another time.
We left San Diego and the hotel on the circle with several destinations left behind. Even though we were just a couple of minutes away from Old Town and all of its cool charm, we didn't get a chance to experience the shops or the ambiance. Our hotel was just a couple of minutes away from the transportation center that housed the red trolly system and that would have been a really nice way to get down to old town and see this attraction.
Just like Old Town square we also missed visiting Sea World. It was also so very close by and just at the foot of the hill that we were staying. I am sure that our hotel was a major overnight destination for the families that were taking in Sea World. At the desk I heard that some people had a package deal that included Sea World tickets. Next time, next time.
The major battle ahead of us this day was the battle through LA traffic from Interstate 5 which goes up the center of California to a connecting freeway that would take up to highway 101 the more coastal freeway that follows loosely the coast from LA and Malibu to Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and eventually San Jose and San Francisco. Our end of the journey today was and the Bueleton which is just past Santa Barbara and before reaching San Luis Obispo. Solvang is a small town just 4 miles inland off of highway 101. Overall the trip is a 5 hour test of your freeway patience. When we reached Solvang we were still 5 hours away from home.
At any point along this adventure it would have been easy to chuck it all and head for home. The passage out of Southern California to Merced is just 5 hours of driving provided there is little traffic. So if you pick the times you on on the road this trip is just a little longer than a trip to the Bay Area or a trip to the wine county. San Diego adds a couple of more hours but still it is a reasonable exit if the vacation becomes too much.
The last time we were at Solvang we put it on the front end of our trip to Southern California. Sue was marshaling a much bigger power chair which was basically incompatible with the gift shops of the little Danish inspired town. She had a very concerted interest in doing Solvang on the way home.
This time the vacation was not too much and with a very willing cat sitter who texts us on a regular basis it freed us up about any worry concerning our furry cat kids.
On the Road again LA Freeways
We cleaned up the room and got all the dirty clothes in one of the two bags we brought and headed out of an almost vacant hotel on Monday morning. We ate the provided breakfast once again and we and took our chances on the life that so many Southern California residents live, the LA freeway system. My iphone app charted us up the coast and back on the familiar I5. It wanted us to take a toll road or two but I was most comfortable driving the roads that I knew best. We made the right turns along the way and I religiously and continually merged left losing lanes as we trucked up through the San Clemente, Anaheim, and later Thousand Oak arms of this system. As we drove by the Laurel canyon turnoffs of the backside of the Hollywood Hills. I thought of my niece who was recovering nearby. My sister and her husband had streaked down to help her out as she was emergency room engaged. Her condition was quickly stabilizing and her boy friend from the Sacramento area had also descended to support her emotionally. We sent good vibes as we knew that somewhere nearby she was recovering.
In the mean time the traffic had increased as the afternoon raged on and all of the local school buses had merged on to the Interstate. We were all headed to coast and the nirvana that is represented in Ventura.
An amazing thing happened as we headed out of Oxnard, just before Ventura. Suddenly the traffic disappeared. We were no longer shuttled in the capsule of 35 to 45 mile an hour moving traffic congestion. We had been in this conga line since we passed through Anaheim on I5 3 hours before.
Reaching Ventura it was time to get some gas and we sought a Chevron station on the Community College Exit along our friend, Highway 101. The wind had picked up and the ocean along the left side of the rode was developing little white caps beyond the waves. As we pulled up into Santa Barbara the clouds started rolling across the road as the wind blew them. We arrived in Solvang about 4:00 in the afternoon. Our paid reservation through Hotwire got us a nice room in the Holiday Inn Express. The East Indian receptionist seemed to know that we were looking for an accessible room and had one waiting for us at identification.
Entering Solvang, We made it!
Solvang is a Danish styled town with all the buildings (about 8 blocks long and 3 blocks wide) in the large exposed beam architecture of Europe in farm design. There are big windmills that don't work but symbolize wind power. Even our hotel at the western end of the town conformed with the beam exposed high loft design. The Hotel is built on a steep hill. Its reception desk and breakfast room and pool are all on the half floor between the parking garage which is under the rooms and the first floor just a half a floor up.
The last time we were in Solvang it was early November and there were vestiges of a business pumpkin contest all around the city. The flowers were minimal and the crowds were gone too. This time we arrived on a Monday and similar crowds were present. We pretty much had the town to ourselves. The hotel cost drops significantly from weekend nights to nights during the week. There is a 150 dollar surcharge for weekend lodging so it seems.
Lots of annual flowers are in window boxes everywhere in town. The feeling you get in this town is a gigantic Southern California sigh. Have a seat in the shade and rest a while. Not much noise and the the weather is just right.
This little city has definite hours of operation. If you expect to tour the gift shops after 5pm you might be looking at lot of items in the windows without access to getting in to the shops to buy. The bakeries are open just a little bit longer, generally closing around 6. They tell their customers that they will open quite early in the morning so they need to close early in the evening, and not everything will be available when they open in the morning.
Solvang Puts the Danish in Danish Pastries
As near as I can tell their are four major bakeries in this small town. They all make pastries that are to die for and to die from. Nothing but butter is used to make the danish wonders out of puff pastry dough that give the bakeries their reputation. Sue is fond of the crispy waffles. They are two 9 inch very flaky dry pastry ovals that have pastry cream between them with a small steak of raspberry jam running from one end to the other. I love the bones with are fruit filled squares of puff pastry four inches square that are filled with various pie fillings. I think to see a "danish" done properly with the 2 to three inch "puff" around the fruit is so unusual. Its really how they are supposed to be produced. All of these bakeries have buckets of cookies that can be shipped anywhere in the USA. They are pretty special too.
Sue took a rest in the bed when we arrived while I set about on foot to sample a couple of goodies and bring some home for Sue to try. The shops were all closed by the time Sue finished her nap and I returned.
Somehow every time I leave San Diego there is an emptiness in back of your mind which reminds you that that you seem to be missing a major part of the city that you will have to come back and see another time.
We left San Diego and the hotel on the circle with several destinations left behind. Even though we were just a couple of minutes away from Old Town and all of its cool charm, we didn't get a chance to experience the shops or the ambiance. Our hotel was just a couple of minutes away from the transportation center that housed the red trolly system and that would have been a really nice way to get down to old town and see this attraction.
Just like Old Town square we also missed visiting Sea World. It was also so very close by and just at the foot of the hill that we were staying. I am sure that our hotel was a major overnight destination for the families that were taking in Sea World. At the desk I heard that some people had a package deal that included Sea World tickets. Next time, next time.
The major battle ahead of us this day was the battle through LA traffic from Interstate 5 which goes up the center of California to a connecting freeway that would take up to highway 101 the more coastal freeway that follows loosely the coast from LA and Malibu to Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and eventually San Jose and San Francisco. Our end of the journey today was and the Bueleton which is just past Santa Barbara and before reaching San Luis Obispo. Solvang is a small town just 4 miles inland off of highway 101. Overall the trip is a 5 hour test of your freeway patience. When we reached Solvang we were still 5 hours away from home.
At any point along this adventure it would have been easy to chuck it all and head for home. The passage out of Southern California to Merced is just 5 hours of driving provided there is little traffic. So if you pick the times you on on the road this trip is just a little longer than a trip to the Bay Area or a trip to the wine county. San Diego adds a couple of more hours but still it is a reasonable exit if the vacation becomes too much.
The last time we were at Solvang we put it on the front end of our trip to Southern California. Sue was marshaling a much bigger power chair which was basically incompatible with the gift shops of the little Danish inspired town. She had a very concerted interest in doing Solvang on the way home.
This time the vacation was not too much and with a very willing cat sitter who texts us on a regular basis it freed us up about any worry concerning our furry cat kids.
On the Road again LA Freeways
We cleaned up the room and got all the dirty clothes in one of the two bags we brought and headed out of an almost vacant hotel on Monday morning. We ate the provided breakfast once again and we and took our chances on the life that so many Southern California residents live, the LA freeway system. My iphone app charted us up the coast and back on the familiar I5. It wanted us to take a toll road or two but I was most comfortable driving the roads that I knew best. We made the right turns along the way and I religiously and continually merged left losing lanes as we trucked up through the San Clemente, Anaheim, and later Thousand Oak arms of this system. As we drove by the Laurel canyon turnoffs of the backside of the Hollywood Hills. I thought of my niece who was recovering nearby. My sister and her husband had streaked down to help her out as she was emergency room engaged. Her condition was quickly stabilizing and her boy friend from the Sacramento area had also descended to support her emotionally. We sent good vibes as we knew that somewhere nearby she was recovering.
In the mean time the traffic had increased as the afternoon raged on and all of the local school buses had merged on to the Interstate. We were all headed to coast and the nirvana that is represented in Ventura.
An amazing thing happened as we headed out of Oxnard, just before Ventura. Suddenly the traffic disappeared. We were no longer shuttled in the capsule of 35 to 45 mile an hour moving traffic congestion. We had been in this conga line since we passed through Anaheim on I5 3 hours before.
Reaching Ventura it was time to get some gas and we sought a Chevron station on the Community College Exit along our friend, Highway 101. The wind had picked up and the ocean along the left side of the rode was developing little white caps beyond the waves. As we pulled up into Santa Barbara the clouds started rolling across the road as the wind blew them. We arrived in Solvang about 4:00 in the afternoon. Our paid reservation through Hotwire got us a nice room in the Holiday Inn Express. The East Indian receptionist seemed to know that we were looking for an accessible room and had one waiting for us at identification.
Entering Solvang, We made it!
Solvang is a Danish styled town with all the buildings (about 8 blocks long and 3 blocks wide) in the large exposed beam architecture of Europe in farm design. There are big windmills that don't work but symbolize wind power. Even our hotel at the western end of the town conformed with the beam exposed high loft design. The Hotel is built on a steep hill. Its reception desk and breakfast room and pool are all on the half floor between the parking garage which is under the rooms and the first floor just a half a floor up.
The last time we were in Solvang it was early November and there were vestiges of a business pumpkin contest all around the city. The flowers were minimal and the crowds were gone too. This time we arrived on a Monday and similar crowds were present. We pretty much had the town to ourselves. The hotel cost drops significantly from weekend nights to nights during the week. There is a 150 dollar surcharge for weekend lodging so it seems.
Lots of annual flowers are in window boxes everywhere in town. The feeling you get in this town is a gigantic Southern California sigh. Have a seat in the shade and rest a while. Not much noise and the the weather is just right.
This little city has definite hours of operation. If you expect to tour the gift shops after 5pm you might be looking at lot of items in the windows without access to getting in to the shops to buy. The bakeries are open just a little bit longer, generally closing around 6. They tell their customers that they will open quite early in the morning so they need to close early in the evening, and not everything will be available when they open in the morning.
Solvang Puts the Danish in Danish Pastries
As near as I can tell their are four major bakeries in this small town. They all make pastries that are to die for and to die from. Nothing but butter is used to make the danish wonders out of puff pastry dough that give the bakeries their reputation. Sue is fond of the crispy waffles. They are two 9 inch very flaky dry pastry ovals that have pastry cream between them with a small steak of raspberry jam running from one end to the other. I love the bones with are fruit filled squares of puff pastry four inches square that are filled with various pie fillings. I think to see a "danish" done properly with the 2 to three inch "puff" around the fruit is so unusual. Its really how they are supposed to be produced. All of these bakeries have buckets of cookies that can be shipped anywhere in the USA. They are pretty special too.
Sue took a rest in the bed when we arrived while I set about on foot to sample a couple of goodies and bring some home for Sue to try. The shops were all closed by the time Sue finished her nap and I returned.
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Easter Sunday at the San Diego Zoo
Day 5 The San Diego Zoo
We woke up and I headed to the provided breakfast at the Comfort Inn and Suites on Hotel Circle . It was located on the fourth floor. There were many families also grabbing a bite to eat before headed to their Easter celebrations or their travel plans. In the parking lot there were cars from many different states.
The breakfast was pretty good with sausage, eggs, cereals, and four, yes four waffle machines with two canisters to pour out the patter. Two of the waffle machines that you activate by pouring the batter from little cups and dropping and turning the handle 90 degrees made four tiny individual waffles. They were used continually the entire time that I was in the breakfast rooms. There were two eating areas that had TV's set up so that the morning news would not be missed. Some of the families were from other countries and almost all of the breakfast crowd had kids along with them. All of them were really well behaved and understood that the whole thing was a terrific treat.
We got all geared up and headed out the door. I had checked the maps and confirmed that we were just 15 minutes away. The Iphone gave offered us two choices. One choice had us zooming down the freeway to connect with Interstate 5 and then after 5 minutes on the Golden State, we would take an exit and head up the hill to connect with Balboa Park. The other choice, which saved about 5 minutes had us back tracking up the freeway and jamming over the top the ravine's hill and down the other side to connect with the crossroad of I5 to Balboa Park. We took that one and with just one crazy move that almost took us off the freeway in a suddenly appearing exit only lane to enter at the base of the Balboa Park hill. Balboa Park is a wonderful San Diego treasure with the zoo occupying the back third and museums, Imax movies and other picnic and park treasures connected to the side of the hill. It was once the cite of a world's fair and many of the buildings and infrastructures remain. Many are being updated to accommodate earthquake standards and Americans with Disability act accessibility. One of the really cool things about this public park including the zoo is that the parking is free. This also makes the parking lot very large. Many families had brought their picnic to the park and were enjoying their families on blankets and portable chairs.
We did a drop off here in front of the zoo entrance with Sue's power chair because it would save some of her battery and I had forgotten to pack my big camera. So I dropped her off and retraced my route back to the hotel and picked up my camera.
When I returned Sue had found some treasures in the gift shops and we were ready to board a two tiered open aired bus to see that grounds.
The entrance fee is the same as the entrance fee at the Safari Park, 45dollars. You can save a little by showing your AAA card at the entrance. If you live close by, you may be able to save some serious money by buying a membership. It is still a great deal when you look at the value included. Newbies like us get a bus trip from one end of the park to the other with a knowledgeable guide that points out all the salient features of the park. A casual visitor will see about 75 percent of the park with this help and can pick and choose where to go once the bus drops them off at the top. Every bus rider is cordially invited to have their photo taken and prints are available with the license to use the prints sold extra.
We took the zoo bus and has a great time looking over all of the parts visible from the bus. It was now time to think about a little lunch.
Most of the crowd had bought lunch and were on their merry way. We picked the sandwich shop looking for a salad and a sandwich. I picked the pulled pork sandwich and Sue picked the California salad sans avocado. We shared up and had a perfect lunch.
After lunch we staggered around on the top terrace and took in some of the animal exhibits.
And interesting one was a small exhibit on hummingbirds. The zoo had established a great arboal cannopy within a small area. When we first walked in it was hard to see whether anything was housed in this little area. pretty soon jealous birds starte to appear and it was obvious that they were ready to protect their territory. A couple of very tourquise and tellow bird started flying overhead. Then some birds with a touch of red on their throats seemed to appear. It was really a place to sit down and watch as these birds seem to be doing more flying than hoovering.
We checked out the monkeys and the baboon enclosure, The wooded treeline inclosure allowed the monkeys to swing easily in a 5 story arena. We got to the bottom of their enclosure via an elevator. Ofter zooming around on the ground floor a while we looked at the map and discovered that the tiger area was not far away. We were a little dismayed when the route to the lions was posted with a beware of walking devices warning. When we asked about it at the top, the people said that it was indeed pretty steep and probably not a good idea to push that limit. After experiences at the San Francisco Japanese Tea Garden, where the only way up the the gift shop was to unmounted the power chair and walk beside it, we decided to not take a chance in San Diego with little battery endurance. On Easter Sunday, all of the usual people that help make these transitions were not around.
We stopped at a few other exhibits along the way, including a much smaller meekat display, and decided that we had gotten our money's worth so we headed back to the car and back to the hotel.
When we arrived, there were suddenly many more spots to park in the parking garage. and the place seemed a little unpopulated.
After a rest Sue asked me to go get something to eat for us. By this time I was trusting the Iphone maps to navigate me home. It was daylight and much easier to find yourself around. I knew there was a big shopping center just up the freeway from us but it was completely shut down do to the Easter celebrations. So off I went to look for someplace open.
I came across a spot that looked promising. I followed a tour bus off the I5 connection and he dead ended in Point Loma. Point Loma is a interesting area of San Diego. There are many hotels here just like Hotel Circle on the I8. It is also home of the farthest West spot in San Diego area. A state park area called Cabrillo State Park sits at the end of road. The major road through this area is Rosecrans. A great little amenity area is located up the hill from the Shelter Cover marina area. It claims to the the America's Cup port. When I arrrived there were people who had spent the day on the Bay/Ocean and were getting back into their cars to go home.
I found an ATM and a Greek oriented pizza place called Gus's. It featured gyros, kabobs, and pizza. It was run this evening by a couple of Latino kids. I ordered a 12 inch pizza to go and a antipasta. The pizza was 13 bucks and the anti pasta was 8. Both seemed like great deals.
I used the Iphone navigator to get me back to the hotel. It was now dark and the basic instructions were just head down Rosecans for a couple of miles. Then it talked me through the cloverleaf sections of the freeway and soon I was back home.... even in the dark.
Sue was pretty pleased at seeing the pizza and it was a very good pizza. We saved the antipasto for dinner at our next night's stop, Solvang.
We woke up and I headed to the provided breakfast at the Comfort Inn and Suites on Hotel Circle . It was located on the fourth floor. There were many families also grabbing a bite to eat before headed to their Easter celebrations or their travel plans. In the parking lot there were cars from many different states.
The breakfast was pretty good with sausage, eggs, cereals, and four, yes four waffle machines with two canisters to pour out the patter. Two of the waffle machines that you activate by pouring the batter from little cups and dropping and turning the handle 90 degrees made four tiny individual waffles. They were used continually the entire time that I was in the breakfast rooms. There were two eating areas that had TV's set up so that the morning news would not be missed. Some of the families were from other countries and almost all of the breakfast crowd had kids along with them. All of them were really well behaved and understood that the whole thing was a terrific treat.
We got all geared up and headed out the door. I had checked the maps and confirmed that we were just 15 minutes away. The Iphone gave offered us two choices. One choice had us zooming down the freeway to connect with Interstate 5 and then after 5 minutes on the Golden State, we would take an exit and head up the hill to connect with Balboa Park. The other choice, which saved about 5 minutes had us back tracking up the freeway and jamming over the top the ravine's hill and down the other side to connect with the crossroad of I5 to Balboa Park. We took that one and with just one crazy move that almost took us off the freeway in a suddenly appearing exit only lane to enter at the base of the Balboa Park hill. Balboa Park is a wonderful San Diego treasure with the zoo occupying the back third and museums, Imax movies and other picnic and park treasures connected to the side of the hill. It was once the cite of a world's fair and many of the buildings and infrastructures remain. Many are being updated to accommodate earthquake standards and Americans with Disability act accessibility. One of the really cool things about this public park including the zoo is that the parking is free. This also makes the parking lot very large. Many families had brought their picnic to the park and were enjoying their families on blankets and portable chairs.
We did a drop off here in front of the zoo entrance with Sue's power chair because it would save some of her battery and I had forgotten to pack my big camera. So I dropped her off and retraced my route back to the hotel and picked up my camera.
When I returned Sue had found some treasures in the gift shops and we were ready to board a two tiered open aired bus to see that grounds.
The entrance fee is the same as the entrance fee at the Safari Park, 45dollars. You can save a little by showing your AAA card at the entrance. If you live close by, you may be able to save some serious money by buying a membership. It is still a great deal when you look at the value included. Newbies like us get a bus trip from one end of the park to the other with a knowledgeable guide that points out all the salient features of the park. A casual visitor will see about 75 percent of the park with this help and can pick and choose where to go once the bus drops them off at the top. Every bus rider is cordially invited to have their photo taken and prints are available with the license to use the prints sold extra.
We took the zoo bus and has a great time looking over all of the parts visible from the bus. It was now time to think about a little lunch.
Most of the crowd had bought lunch and were on their merry way. We picked the sandwich shop looking for a salad and a sandwich. I picked the pulled pork sandwich and Sue picked the California salad sans avocado. We shared up and had a perfect lunch.
After lunch we staggered around on the top terrace and took in some of the animal exhibits.
And interesting one was a small exhibit on hummingbirds. The zoo had established a great arboal cannopy within a small area. When we first walked in it was hard to see whether anything was housed in this little area. pretty soon jealous birds starte to appear and it was obvious that they were ready to protect their territory. A couple of very tourquise and tellow bird started flying overhead. Then some birds with a touch of red on their throats seemed to appear. It was really a place to sit down and watch as these birds seem to be doing more flying than hoovering.
We checked out the monkeys and the baboon enclosure, The wooded treeline inclosure allowed the monkeys to swing easily in a 5 story arena. We got to the bottom of their enclosure via an elevator. Ofter zooming around on the ground floor a while we looked at the map and discovered that the tiger area was not far away. We were a little dismayed when the route to the lions was posted with a beware of walking devices warning. When we asked about it at the top, the people said that it was indeed pretty steep and probably not a good idea to push that limit. After experiences at the San Francisco Japanese Tea Garden, where the only way up the the gift shop was to unmounted the power chair and walk beside it, we decided to not take a chance in San Diego with little battery endurance. On Easter Sunday, all of the usual people that help make these transitions were not around.
We stopped at a few other exhibits along the way, including a much smaller meekat display, and decided that we had gotten our money's worth so we headed back to the car and back to the hotel.
When we arrived, there were suddenly many more spots to park in the parking garage. and the place seemed a little unpopulated.
After a rest Sue asked me to go get something to eat for us. By this time I was trusting the Iphone maps to navigate me home. It was daylight and much easier to find yourself around. I knew there was a big shopping center just up the freeway from us but it was completely shut down do to the Easter celebrations. So off I went to look for someplace open.
I came across a spot that looked promising. I followed a tour bus off the I5 connection and he dead ended in Point Loma. Point Loma is a interesting area of San Diego. There are many hotels here just like Hotel Circle on the I8. It is also home of the farthest West spot in San Diego area. A state park area called Cabrillo State Park sits at the end of road. The major road through this area is Rosecrans. A great little amenity area is located up the hill from the Shelter Cover marina area. It claims to the the America's Cup port. When I arrrived there were people who had spent the day on the Bay/Ocean and were getting back into their cars to go home.
I found an ATM and a Greek oriented pizza place called Gus's. It featured gyros, kabobs, and pizza. It was run this evening by a couple of Latino kids. I ordered a 12 inch pizza to go and a antipasta. The pizza was 13 bucks and the anti pasta was 8. Both seemed like great deals.
I used the Iphone navigator to get me back to the hotel. It was now dark and the basic instructions were just head down Rosecans for a couple of miles. Then it talked me through the cloverleaf sections of the freeway and soon I was back home.... even in the dark.
Sue was pretty pleased at seeing the pizza and it was a very good pizza. We saved the antipasto for dinner at our next night's stop, Solvang.
Friday, May 2, 2014
San Diego Safari 2 and on to San Diego
Saturday
San Diego Safari Part 2
After the great time seeing the Lorikeets and the people enjoying the Lorikeets we headed back to the branch of the trail and started to head further over the crest of the hill. A very nice formally staged restaurant with tables cloths and silverware is situated on a beautiful shaded deck terrace. There were a few people enjoying the view from the top of the hill down toward the dry revine. A huge balloon was stationed there and as well as a way station.
The elevator to the Safari
We walked over the hill down to a tower looking building that we discovered had an elevator in it. It took people down about 70 feet from the edge of the ravine to the little building at the bottom.
So the power chair, which was getting drained of power once again and us took the elevator deeply into the ravine. The huge balloon was offering stunning viewpoints. I asked if Sue was interested in doing the balloon she said sure. But alas the balloon was grounded due to the winds.
We got down the the little building. We could see that there was sort of a roadway that was provided for expedition vehicles to roar past. We could to seem to find out where we could get on one of these trucks. We noticed on our left side that people were arriving from their zip line adventure.
They were seated on swing seats and they came in in groups of three and fours at one time to a person that unhooked their "swing". Sue thought that it would be a lot of fun for her if she could get past their agility requirements. She might be able to to this with a little more research. Overall that was what we were lacking in total. Assured previous research as to to where to go and what to do. Where are my planners when we need them... Ha!
We were still having the best of times and I was getting some really fine shots of the people enjoying the park together.
Mango Sorbet
We found out that the little building that we had spotted from the top was an ice cream store. One sign touted their new mango sorbet. I convinced Sue that she had to have one of those since mango is her flavor favorite. The mango sorbet was a frozen treat that came from a hollowed out half a mango attached to a stick with the mango sorbet replacing the usual enormous pit and attached mango meat. It was a great treat even at 4.50 a piece.
Once again Rescued by a Golf Cart
We tried to stop a 25 passenger bus with a lift as it passed by. The lady driver said that her lift was broken and therefore could not accommodate our chair. She offered and we accepted to have a golf cart rescue sent by. The golf cart came by and it had a ramp up by the driver's side and was dedicated to handicapped use. Once situated the driver took us right back up to the top of the hill via the backway. It was just as good as both of us had pretty much used our energy bank to get to where we were in the park. Next time we will know that we need to get to the bottom of the hill and get on a Safari vehicle that would take us through the Safari route.
Endangered Species Merry Go Round
Back at the top of the hill we spotted a merry go round. Sue felt a little slighted that she had not been able to get on the one with the rest of us in Disneyland. She was happy to jump on the merry go round that was composed of animals representing endangered species. It was a nice 3 dollar add on. Or for 6 bucks you could ride it all day... imagine that? Sue opted for the sled as it was a pretty tough reach for her to get up on the animals that were moving up and down. There were a half a dozen kids that thought the merry go round was pretty special to, they selected their favorite animals and off it went. Everyone had a great time.
At this point we decided that we had experienced enough of the park for the day. She had a chance to run through the garden store and enjoyed the way they had cactus and other succulents planted for sale.
Animals and their Handlers
On the last hurrah before headed out the gates we stopped at the little grassy stage area where a lady from the park was bringing out animals and describing them. She brought out a frogmouth bird. It looked like an owl. It wasn't and owl and she explained what this one pound animal did to survive. It holds open its mouth which happens to be brilliantly yellow and attracts insects in. Then it swallows them whole. It does not have vicious claws so it depends on its wily to survive in the Indonesian wilderness. When big birds fly overhead it shrinks itself into a column so that it is not noticeable from the tree bark that is its background. Some turkey vultures almost on cue flew by, and sure enough this little bird made itself small and tubular, The specimen that she bought out was 23 years old. It had lived there in the zoo for most of its life. It was born at another zoo.
The lady also brought out a large brown 8 foot constrictor like snake. It knew to stay pretty close to home and she described its origin and what it liked to eat. The crowd seem to love this sort of interpretation of the animals that were brought out.
Hotel Circle in San Diego
We slipped out of the gates and headed to our truck. I set up the phone to guide us to our hotel in the San Diego City's hotel circle. It was a easy drive and the directions got us on Interstate 8 as we headed south and west about 30 miles to the hotel.
Our destination was the Comfort Inn Hotel and Suites. I had paid for two nights on Hotwire.com We got the room, very nicely appointed with a refrigerator and great bead and a full breakfast in the morning for 57 dollars a night. What a deal!
It was night before Easter and the hotel was pretty packed. There were lots of kids in the pool and the parking, an additional 10.50 was pretty full under the hotel. The main desk said that we could avoid that charge by parking out on the street. I opted for the parking because of our lift for the chair on the back of the truck. That night Sue sent me out for take out food. There were no places nearby that I could find, so up on the freeway I had to go. I finally found a Subway in a liquor store in the Sunset area of San Diego. To get back was a bit of a challenge especially since it was now dark. I flipped to maps on my phone and followed the friars road out of the Sea World Island and it got me right back to the hotel.
We both had experienced a great adventure that day and it was nice to let it all calm down out of our heads and bodies and get some rest. For next day was our Easter Day trip to the San Diego Zoo. By all accounts it was just 15 minutes away.
: ) Pat
San Diego Safari Part 2
After the great time seeing the Lorikeets and the people enjoying the Lorikeets we headed back to the branch of the trail and started to head further over the crest of the hill. A very nice formally staged restaurant with tables cloths and silverware is situated on a beautiful shaded deck terrace. There were a few people enjoying the view from the top of the hill down toward the dry revine. A huge balloon was stationed there and as well as a way station.
The elevator to the Safari
We walked over the hill down to a tower looking building that we discovered had an elevator in it. It took people down about 70 feet from the edge of the ravine to the little building at the bottom.
So the power chair, which was getting drained of power once again and us took the elevator deeply into the ravine. The huge balloon was offering stunning viewpoints. I asked if Sue was interested in doing the balloon she said sure. But alas the balloon was grounded due to the winds.
We got down the the little building. We could see that there was sort of a roadway that was provided for expedition vehicles to roar past. We could to seem to find out where we could get on one of these trucks. We noticed on our left side that people were arriving from their zip line adventure.
They were seated on swing seats and they came in in groups of three and fours at one time to a person that unhooked their "swing". Sue thought that it would be a lot of fun for her if she could get past their agility requirements. She might be able to to this with a little more research. Overall that was what we were lacking in total. Assured previous research as to to where to go and what to do. Where are my planners when we need them... Ha!
We were still having the best of times and I was getting some really fine shots of the people enjoying the park together.
Mango Sorbet
We found out that the little building that we had spotted from the top was an ice cream store. One sign touted their new mango sorbet. I convinced Sue that she had to have one of those since mango is her flavor favorite. The mango sorbet was a frozen treat that came from a hollowed out half a mango attached to a stick with the mango sorbet replacing the usual enormous pit and attached mango meat. It was a great treat even at 4.50 a piece.
Once again Rescued by a Golf Cart
We tried to stop a 25 passenger bus with a lift as it passed by. The lady driver said that her lift was broken and therefore could not accommodate our chair. She offered and we accepted to have a golf cart rescue sent by. The golf cart came by and it had a ramp up by the driver's side and was dedicated to handicapped use. Once situated the driver took us right back up to the top of the hill via the backway. It was just as good as both of us had pretty much used our energy bank to get to where we were in the park. Next time we will know that we need to get to the bottom of the hill and get on a Safari vehicle that would take us through the Safari route.
Endangered Species Merry Go Round
Back at the top of the hill we spotted a merry go round. Sue felt a little slighted that she had not been able to get on the one with the rest of us in Disneyland. She was happy to jump on the merry go round that was composed of animals representing endangered species. It was a nice 3 dollar add on. Or for 6 bucks you could ride it all day... imagine that? Sue opted for the sled as it was a pretty tough reach for her to get up on the animals that were moving up and down. There were a half a dozen kids that thought the merry go round was pretty special to, they selected their favorite animals and off it went. Everyone had a great time.
At this point we decided that we had experienced enough of the park for the day. She had a chance to run through the garden store and enjoyed the way they had cactus and other succulents planted for sale.
Animals and their Handlers
On the last hurrah before headed out the gates we stopped at the little grassy stage area where a lady from the park was bringing out animals and describing them. She brought out a frogmouth bird. It looked like an owl. It wasn't and owl and she explained what this one pound animal did to survive. It holds open its mouth which happens to be brilliantly yellow and attracts insects in. Then it swallows them whole. It does not have vicious claws so it depends on its wily to survive in the Indonesian wilderness. When big birds fly overhead it shrinks itself into a column so that it is not noticeable from the tree bark that is its background. Some turkey vultures almost on cue flew by, and sure enough this little bird made itself small and tubular, The specimen that she bought out was 23 years old. It had lived there in the zoo for most of its life. It was born at another zoo.
The lady also brought out a large brown 8 foot constrictor like snake. It knew to stay pretty close to home and she described its origin and what it liked to eat. The crowd seem to love this sort of interpretation of the animals that were brought out.
Hotel Circle in San Diego
We slipped out of the gates and headed to our truck. I set up the phone to guide us to our hotel in the San Diego City's hotel circle. It was a easy drive and the directions got us on Interstate 8 as we headed south and west about 30 miles to the hotel.
Our destination was the Comfort Inn Hotel and Suites. I had paid for two nights on Hotwire.com We got the room, very nicely appointed with a refrigerator and great bead and a full breakfast in the morning for 57 dollars a night. What a deal!
It was night before Easter and the hotel was pretty packed. There were lots of kids in the pool and the parking, an additional 10.50 was pretty full under the hotel. The main desk said that we could avoid that charge by parking out on the street. I opted for the parking because of our lift for the chair on the back of the truck. That night Sue sent me out for take out food. There were no places nearby that I could find, so up on the freeway I had to go. I finally found a Subway in a liquor store in the Sunset area of San Diego. To get back was a bit of a challenge especially since it was now dark. I flipped to maps on my phone and followed the friars road out of the Sea World Island and it got me right back to the hotel.
We both had experienced a great adventure that day and it was nice to let it all calm down out of our heads and bodies and get some rest. For next day was our Easter Day trip to the San Diego Zoo. By all accounts it was just 15 minutes away.
: ) Pat
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