But more about our trip!! First stop was San Francisco! We love to stay at an older hotel by Fisherman's Wharf. Columbus Motor Inn. The picture above is the view of the Coit Tower out our room window - like hanging out of it!! The rooms were all updated last year, the staff is awesome, giving directions and advice for any questions you have, and FREE parking in the city!! Very unusual!
The first night we ate at Scoma's. It's out on a wharf - not the upscale one, a working wharf!! But OMG!!! The food was so-o awesome! I had crab ravioli and I've been dreaming of it ever since! Rick had the crab cakes, also 'to die for'.
Have you ever overheard a conversation in a restaurant you just NEED more information about?? One that you want to dive right in and stand up for one of the people?? Oh, yes, we were sitting next to one of those! And it was so hard not to laugh, it was so-o how we remember dealing with our moms along the way.
Apparently the 'man our age' was flying both of them to NYC the next day for a family/or longtime friend's big celebration. Here's what we heard ...
Older woman: Why are you doing this for her?
Man our age: Well, you know she did alot for [you?] mom with us kids when we were growing up.
Older woman:[very loud] She DID NOT!!!
Man our age: Now, you're going to have to be polite when we get there.
Older woman: Well, I'll be polite, but I'm NOT going to LIE!!!
It was so hard not to giggle! And we absolutely wanted to lend our support to the 'man our age'!! We ALL have these conversations with our parents as everyone grows older! AND we all giggle about them later!!
Luckily for everyone, food was delivered and we all got distracted!!
The next day we bummed around SF on Cable Cars and had so much fun. The weather was warm and partly cloudy. The hotel is only a block from the beginning of one of the cable cars - so you can usually get an outside seat!! My favorite! First stop Union Square. Britex Fabric is down there and - yes, it's really fun to explore.
I got there a little early, so was just standing there when I noticed the store window next door! Isn't it awesome - handcranks as window treatment!! All windows, including the second and third floors!!
I bought one half yard of Japanese fabric there last year. Didn't get off so easy this year!! I discovered the Notions floor. They have boxes and boxes of buttons!! The old white boxes with the buttons 'sewed' to the outside end so you can see what's in the box!! Very low tech!! And they're not all expensive ... until you buy enough for all your friends and a few quilt groups!!
I also broke down and got a half yard of a Japanese shirting with crabs on it! It was a really fun stop! We ate lunch at R&G's Lounge in Chinatown. Best Chinese food anywhere!! R's favorite, and he's a world traveler!
The next two evenings we ate in North Beach, the "Little Italy" of SF. But don't call it that while you're there!! [Touchy subject!] We had excellent meals, one night listening to a jazz trio as we ate.
The second day we headed out to Golden Gate Park [via cable car and city bus]to the Institute of Science [Museum]. It's an awesome museum with an aquarium in the basement and a 'rain forest' filled with butterflies upstairs. With lots of stellar exhibits between. There were buses filled with school children sharing the museum with us. Half the fun is watching their reactions to everything too.
Every time we stay in SF we love it even more. It's only 6-ish hours from our house, but two grandkids live 6-ish hours the other way; so-o-o-o it loses out for most of our trips. SF is one of the perks of going to Palm Springs - it's on the way!!
After 2 full days [food and activity-wise] we got up early, to avoid the traffic, and headed South out of town. Next stop - Santa Barbara.
R has fond memories of SB. His parents came out to visit his mom's brother and family when he was 5. And apparently there was some thought of moving there, because R started kindergarten there with his cousin. It's a fun little town with great architecture. We had a new place to stay, right on State St. Hotel Indigo - a new micro-hotel. It was a great location but just a tad too micro for me!! Our room had a king-size bed in it, which took up most of the floor space. And the bathroom was really interesting, you opened up a glass door against the toilet to make a shower stall before showering! But we got used to it fast!!
The funniest thing was the desk light came on by itself during the night - and being a small room, it was right in your face. I 'argued' with it several times and then just wrapped one of our coats around it!! You don't mess around with my sleep, thank you very much!
We ate on the wharf the first night, and then at our favorite Italian restaurant the second. There was great food all through our trip!! One of my favorite meals was breakfast here! I had THE BEST fresh fruit, Greek-style yogurt with granola! Gotta figure out what brand granola that was and where I can get it!
We also drove over to Carpinteria to visit a quilt store. My DH is the best!! Roxanne's is a 'second start' for the owner who had a 'Top 10' quilt store a few years back. I guess she decided to retire, then the renter left and well, why not reinvent the quilt store. Very fun mixture of gifts, knitting supplies, wool and bright fabrics. What was fascinating to me was the wall quilts designed by the owner. She's working on the patterns and I'm anxious to get them in my hot little hands!
After 2 nights in SB, it was a straight shot to Palm Springs. Well, it would have been without the 'detour' in LA. Detour = exit here - and ne'er another sign to guide us!! But we found our way and didn't got through any 'really' bad neighborhoods! But we were glad to see I-5 again.
First stop in Palm Springs was Sherman's Deli for lunch. Sherman's was pretty much a stop everyday - we may have overdosed on pastrami sandwiches!! We stayed just across the street from it at Hotel Zoso. Fun hotel with a great pool BAR! It was NOT a micro-hotel! Every afternoon when the maid came, we took a book out to the pool and had a frozen strawberry daiquiri!! And Life was G*O*O*D!
The pool, though heated, was only 4 ft deep. I tried some water aerobics moves in it early the first morning - but it was too shallow and the air was too chilly. It was basically a pool to dip into to cool off when you were sunbathing and entertain any kids!! There WAS great people watching around the pool!
Again it was hard not to giggle when 2 shapely young women went in. Soon one was doing somersaults under the water. She popped up and asked, "Can you do that?" The 2nd girl glared at her and said, "I'm NOT two [yrs old]!!!" LOL!
Next post - the most exciting part of my vacation!! Stay tuned for more adventure in Southern California!! [insert evil laugh here!]
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