Vacation Highlights
Ah, there’s nothing like being away from the office and being on vacation. It is such a refreshing feeling. Last week was bliss. Here are some highlights:
- Traveling Down South to Santa Barbara: It was quite a long drive from the Bay Area to Central California but it was worth it. Dee and I always have the most interesting conversations while on the road. Being on the road also gives us an excuse to stop by McDonald’s – a rare occurrence for us nowadays. Plus, we always have a great time listening to music (she likes disco tunes and old R&B). Speaking of music, did you know that the closer you get to Southern California the more Mexican radio stations come up? Not to mention, country music radio? My advice, bring lots of CD’s.
- State Street: It’s now one of my favorite places in California. It’s right smack in Downtown Santa Barbara. It offers endless retail stores and restaurants, and it’s only a few blocks down from the beach. The area reminded me a lot of Haight & Ashbury, except Santa Barbara is cleaner and a lot more “ritzy”. Oh those yuppies!
- Shaken, Not Stirred: I drank my first glass of martini on Monday night. It was a Mango Martini from Holdren’s Steak Restaurant. The drink didn’t look all too attractive. It looked like someone washed their hands in it. Also, it tasted too sweet. I couldn’t taste the alcohol at all but it was there because I felt it 5 minutes later. It was a good first experience. Cheers!
- Wine Tour: Having been inspired by the movie Sideways, we took a tour of the Santa Ynez Valley for wine tasting. Tuesday was definitely the highpoint of the trip. We were picked up by Lee, our tour guide from Cloud Climbers, in a bright yellow open top jeep. We were also joined by another couple from L.A. who were somewhat wine experts. The trip up to the mountains was great. Being in an open jeep with the nice mixture of ocean and mountain breeze was so refreshing. Anyway, Lee was fabulous! He taught us so much about tasting etiquette, the process of wine making, grapes, vineyards, and he also introduced us to a lot of interesting locals during the tour. The vineyards were beautiful and the wine was exquisite. Dee and I were introduced to Port for the very first time. It’s a dessert wine that goes well with chocolate and blue cheese. Our taste buds were partying! In the end, we bought 5 bottles from 5 different wineries. We definitely need to invest on a nice wine rack now.
- Happy: During the wine tour, we noticed that as the day wore on, we started to become happier. Hmmm, I wonder why?
- Trish and Aaron: Having them along on the tour was a bit intimidating at first, but as we shared a few laughs and experienced the sights and tastes of the valley throughout the day, their company became a true pleasure.
- Sunset: After eating some bad Mexican food on Tuesday night, Dee and I took a stroll down to the beach to pickup sea shells and watch the sunset. There’s nothing like sharing a beautiful sunset with the one you love. Queue the Air Supply music.
- Mama I’m Coming Home: The trip home was ok especially since our allergies were becoming out of control. It must have been the ocean air. By Tuesday evening, we couldn’t wait to get home.
- Crash: We had some free time to go to the movies on Saturday afternoon. Crash was an absolutely amazing film. The best I’ve seen so far this year. A definite must-see! (Review coming soon)
- Los Banos, CA: Dee’s cousin had a baby shower this past Sunday in the Los Banos area. Dee has a pretty big family but none of them are from the Bay Area. Anyway, she has some very interesting people in her family. I met her uncle Jeff and her cousins for the first time. Very nice folks. The Los Banos area however, is definitely not a tourist attraction. It doesn’t even look like it is part of California.
There you go. I had a very busy week away from work. It was nice and it was exactly what I needed. My next vacation wish would be to go to Hawaii … wouldn’t that be nice?
- Traveling Down South to Santa Barbara: It was quite a long drive from the Bay Area to Central California but it was worth it. Dee and I always have the most interesting conversations while on the road. Being on the road also gives us an excuse to stop by McDonald’s – a rare occurrence for us nowadays. Plus, we always have a great time listening to music (she likes disco tunes and old R&B). Speaking of music, did you know that the closer you get to Southern California the more Mexican radio stations come up? Not to mention, country music radio? My advice, bring lots of CD’s.
- State Street: It’s now one of my favorite places in California. It’s right smack in Downtown Santa Barbara. It offers endless retail stores and restaurants, and it’s only a few blocks down from the beach. The area reminded me a lot of Haight & Ashbury, except Santa Barbara is cleaner and a lot more “ritzy”. Oh those yuppies!
- Shaken, Not Stirred: I drank my first glass of martini on Monday night. It was a Mango Martini from Holdren’s Steak Restaurant. The drink didn’t look all too attractive. It looked like someone washed their hands in it. Also, it tasted too sweet. I couldn’t taste the alcohol at all but it was there because I felt it 5 minutes later. It was a good first experience. Cheers!
- Wine Tour: Having been inspired by the movie Sideways, we took a tour of the Santa Ynez Valley for wine tasting. Tuesday was definitely the highpoint of the trip. We were picked up by Lee, our tour guide from Cloud Climbers, in a bright yellow open top jeep. We were also joined by another couple from L.A. who were somewhat wine experts. The trip up to the mountains was great. Being in an open jeep with the nice mixture of ocean and mountain breeze was so refreshing. Anyway, Lee was fabulous! He taught us so much about tasting etiquette, the process of wine making, grapes, vineyards, and he also introduced us to a lot of interesting locals during the tour. The vineyards were beautiful and the wine was exquisite. Dee and I were introduced to Port for the very first time. It’s a dessert wine that goes well with chocolate and blue cheese. Our taste buds were partying! In the end, we bought 5 bottles from 5 different wineries. We definitely need to invest on a nice wine rack now.
- Happy: During the wine tour, we noticed that as the day wore on, we started to become happier. Hmmm, I wonder why?
- Trish and Aaron: Having them along on the tour was a bit intimidating at first, but as we shared a few laughs and experienced the sights and tastes of the valley throughout the day, their company became a true pleasure.
- Sunset: After eating some bad Mexican food on Tuesday night, Dee and I took a stroll down to the beach to pickup sea shells and watch the sunset. There’s nothing like sharing a beautiful sunset with the one you love. Queue the Air Supply music.
- Mama I’m Coming Home: The trip home was ok especially since our allergies were becoming out of control. It must have been the ocean air. By Tuesday evening, we couldn’t wait to get home.
- Crash: We had some free time to go to the movies on Saturday afternoon. Crash was an absolutely amazing film. The best I’ve seen so far this year. A definite must-see! (Review coming soon)
- Los Banos, CA: Dee’s cousin had a baby shower this past Sunday in the Los Banos area. Dee has a pretty big family but none of them are from the Bay Area. Anyway, she has some very interesting people in her family. I met her uncle Jeff and her cousins for the first time. Very nice folks. The Los Banos area however, is definitely not a tourist attraction. It doesn’t even look like it is part of California.
There you go. I had a very busy week away from work. It was nice and it was exactly what I needed. My next vacation wish would be to go to Hawaii … wouldn’t that be nice?
5 Comments:
#1. We were happier because we started tasting at 11am and the buzz didn't wear off until way after 6pm. SIPPERS BEWARE~ we drank water before, during and especially afterwards (all through the night) to avoid a major hangover.
#2. If you see Crash, bring lots and lots of tissue. My entire sleeve (no exaggeration) was soaked with David's tears. Also, if you don't like scary movies, watchout for the previews. I found myself to be the only person, in an audience of 75 year old women, who screamed at the very 1st preview.
#3. My Unlce's name is Jerry and they are not very interesting - unless you like talking about what color carpet you're planning on putting in your double-wide trailer park home.
Cool vacation. I'll get the next round of martinis.
I would like a vacation. No martini's though.
McDonald's?
We rarely eat fastfood nowadays especially since we discovered great restaurants around the area. So, McDonald's is a welcome treat for us ... and only when we're out on long drives.
Wait...you were in SB and you didn't give me a call??? Man, what is up with that?
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