Charming Carmel and its Valley

August 22, 2012 by K & L in Dining Out, Food, News, North America, People, Places, Roadtrip 2012

The quaint and ritzy Carmel-By-The-Sea was our next stop along the California coast. Loren had been before and wanted Kristen to see it in all its glory. We drove through a few random neighborhood streets to get a feel for the residential area, where every single street is lush with trees and gardens and unique, just-the-right-size homes. We walked only a few minutes along the white-sand beach at the end of Ocean Avenue, as the weather was a bit nippy, and then proceeded to grab lunch, via high Yelp ratings once again.

Our choice was a good one; we ended up sitting outside at a cute bistro called Basil. In order to sample a few different dishes, we split two appetizers and one big salad. The shrimp plate and lamb meatballs were the winners.

To take in a little more culture, we walked around and found ourselves at the Carmel Valley Coffee Roasting Company for coffee and (of course) blogging. It was the perfect place to just chill for a couple hours.

Our next stop: Carmel Valley, the inland companion town to the chillier Carmel, with rolling hills and warmer weather. We arrived and unpacked at Sarah and Taylor’s house, a large but cute ranch-style u-shaped home, which wraps around a magnificently old live oak tree. Unfortunately, these trees were getting hit with an infestation of gross little caterpillars (soon to be moths), which were hanging from a line of silk literally everywhere. As soon as we arrived we walked right into them, and afterwards kept finding them on our clothes.

After a wonderful dinner at a nearby Greek restaurant with the happy couple, we went back to their house to wind down and then hit the hay. Lovable black cats seem to be a theme on this trip. At four of the homes we’ve crashed at, there has been a really cool black cat living there. One of the cats at Sarah and Taylor’s house, Cowboy, got into our bed and went to sleep with us. He even came back the next morning and helped wake up Loren, cute little guy.

Sarah was at work teaching kindergartners, and Taylor was in the metal shop making art, so we set off to explore Monterey, an historic town known for its world-class aquarium and charming Cannery Row. But we were on a different mission; Kristen actually lived here for a year at age four when her Navy dad was in postgraduate school, and we wanted to find her old house. Her faded memory of the house at such a young age made it nearly impossible (“I think that’s it!” “No, wait maybe that one!”), but it was still fun to try.

Before heading further up the coast, we stopped in Sand City to see Taylor’s current sculpture projects, and Kristen lucked out with another Hawthorne family guided tour. We saw the super-cool loft apartment above the metal shop where Taylor used to live, and another gallery space filled with modern paintings, sculptures, and furniture.

From there, we shared a bowl of veggie soup, splurged on some delicious strawberry-rhubarb pie and savored a cappuccino at Sweet Elena’s, and moved on.

The Hawthorne Gallery in Big Sur

August 22, 2012 by K & L in News, North America, People, Places, Roadtrip 2012

Just off of the super-scenic Pacific Coast Highway in Big Sur, the modern Hawthorne Gallery stands as an artist beacon. Loren knows the Hawthorne family through Taylor Hawthorne, a good friend from RISD, who majored in sculpture and who comes from a very talented family. We had to stop in and say "hi" at the gallery, which is owned and operated by Greg Hawthorne, Taylor's father, and the rest of the family. A renowned painter/sculptor, Greg moved his family to Big Sur in the 80s and since then they have labored to create a beautiful and serene estate, equipped with a gallery and sculpture garden, a guest house that is featured on the cover of a book (Handmade Houses), an incredible studio/work area, and a stunning house.

Greg was kind enough to give us a tour of the grounds. It's hard not to gush, because the entire family is incredibly talented and has the kind of vision and drive that form the foundation to immense success and happiness. To say that it was inspirational would be an understatement. We were a little too embarrassed to be snapping photos of everything, but the impressions will certainly last.

California's Stunning Coast

August 22, 2012 by K & L in News, North America, Outdoors, Places, Roadtrip 2012

After catching a few rays on the beach near our Santa Barbara campsite and tossing the frisbee back and forth until Kristen nearly hit a beach neighbor, we paid for our previous-night’s campsite (an exorbitant $45!!) and headed further north. We took our time, relishing the treacherous-looking cliff views, stopping in charming and small Morro Bay for lunch. We’d hoped for fresh seafood, given the bay setting and all, but lunch turned out to be a bummer: the cafe we’d chosen had not seen its fisherman for the day, meaning there were literally no fresh fish items on the menu. Kristen ordered a hamburger, Loren ordered a smoked salmon salad, both which were relatively unmemorable. Trying to put the dining experience behind us, we continued north with Big Sur in our sights.

A roadside detour to see some elephant seals delayed us somewhat, and we started to worry about our dwindling gas reserves, ending up paying $6.70 a gallon, and going through the motions meant Kristen didn’t even think to partial-fill... which amounted to a $90 filled tank! Nonetheless, all worries vaporized as we entered stunning Big Sur, a hilly forested residential area that is so small it barely has a “strip.”

We totally lucked out when, after passing at least two full campgrounds, we found a hike-in campground at Andrew Molera State Park, and took the last spot for our first non-car-camping experience of the trip. At the car camping spots you sometimes end up with rowdy neighbors and loud RV generators. Here, the 5-minute hike to the campsites acts as a sort of filter that keeps the riffraff out of the campground. We were literally happy campers.

Also adding to our jovial spirits, we were welcomed into our campsite by a pair of ground squirrels and a guinea-pig-looking-mole guy, all who kept close tabs on us while we set up our tent. The night was pretty chilly, requiring a full zip on the sleeping bags, and facilitated Kristen’s first good nights’ sleep in the tent.

We woke early and had time to hike out to the ocean, where the water was cold enough to numb our feet after about a minute, and then up to the headlands, which provided some gorgeous coastline views. By the time we arrived back at camp, the temperature had risen to the 70s again, and we packed up to head out.

Happy Anniversary (to us)!

August 20, 2012 by K & L in News, North America, People, Places, Roadtrip 2012

It’s fitting that on August 20th, our 1 year anniversary (+11 dating years anniversary), we drove along the most romantic highway (Pacific Coast Highway) to a romantic city (Santa Barbara) for dinner at a romantic restaurant (Jane).

Our dinners were superb, and to top it off, two of the menu items shared a commonality with our wedding reception menu: white sangria, which we both drank and toasted to our happy marriage with delight; and coconut cake. Here’s the thing: Kristen was sort of bent on having the top layer of the wedding cake (which is, as you may have guessed, coconut) for the anniversary, but it would’ve been too difficult to keep cold for the 3 weeks of road that’d already passed. So, it was as if the stars aligned, and we ordered the coconut cake with big smiles while explaining to our server the significance. The server brought our cake out with an equally big smile and a candle in it. It was perfect.

We stocked up with a bottle of red wine and drove to Refugio Beach State Park to set up our camp. Our spot was right next to the beach, and we could hear the surf. Stargazing was also surprisingly good there, and with the help of her Starwalk app, Kristen pointed out Pegasus, Scorpius, and the Little Dipper, along with the usual Cassiopea and the Big Dipper, before turning in for the night.

Apparently we got lucky, because the spot we thought was empty had actually been reserved 7 months in advance for two families, but they never showed. Phew.

L.A. in a Day

August 20, 2012 by K & L in Dining Out, News, North America, People, Places, Roadtrip 2012

We arrived at Dan and Diana’s house in Echo Park, a neighborhood in Los Angeles, after a quick couple of hours in the car. It’s surprising how close things are in southern California. We set off shortly after emptying our car in their adorable house, and our first stop was down the street where Diana works at a non-profit writing and tutoring center called 826. The organization, founded in San Francisco by Dave Eggers, has multiple locations scattered across the country, with storefronts housing kitschy/funky things according to a theme; this one has Time Travel as its theme, and included a front window exhibit featuring a caveman and a robot. Seems like a pretty cool place to work!

From 826, we headed to Hollywood to do a bit of the walk of fame, passing stars in the sidewalk dedicated to Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon, Jim Henson, and a bunch of old-Hollywood names that we didn’t recognize. We also passed by some Banksy street art, which Loren was excited about after having watched the amazing street art documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop, by Banksy himself (which Loren strongly recommends). After that point, Hollywood Blvd became really touristy, with crowds of people pouring out of tour buses near the El Capitan theater, street performers and food vendors blocking the way. We made it as far as the Chinese Theater to take a look at stars’ handprints and footprints, then literally exited through the gift shop to get back to the car.

Dan and Diana drove us past mansions (including Brad Pitt’s estate) in an incredible neighboorhood, Los Feliz, up to Griffith Observatory, where we were a tad late for sunset, but the views were still breathtaking. It’s amazing to see how vast that city is. The observatory is a great spot in and of itself, with exhibits on the electromagnetic spectrum, celestial objects, a tesla coil that lit a neon sign wirelessly (by charging the air), and a huge pendulum that tells the hour of the day based on the rotation of the earth.

By the time we left the observatory, we were ravenously hungry. After driving back to Echo Park, we all walked down the street to a delicious neighborhood restaurant called The Park, just before the kitchen closed.

*Grilled bone-in pork chop, fresh cranberry bean ragout, swiss chard cakes & nectarine-ancho chile jam*

*Hangar steak, toasted breadcrumb salsa, fresh cranberry bean succotash & heirloom tomato arugula salad*

To cap off the night, we took a night stroll in the neighborhood to a spot with an often-filmed view of the LA skyline. Along the walk, we met (and pet) about 7 cats, most of which were probably strays, and all of which were super friendly. To say that we got our cat fix that night is a bit of an understatement.

The next morning, Dan made a delicious egg scramble and bacon, and we saw Diana off to work. After a lazy couple of hours, we walked to the prize of the neighborhood, a taco shop called La Esquinita. $1.50 for a taco plus freshly made corn tortilla chips and three salsas. Spread the word, that place is perfection. Plus, it’s just a block or so away from Shepard Fairey’s gallery (he’s the artist responsible for the Obama “Hope” posters, and of OBEY fame; also a grad of RISD and a fave of Loren’s).

With our brief stay reaching its end, Loren and Dan picked some fresh fruit from the back yard’s fig and pear trees, and we added a fallen avocado to the stash as well. Echo Park, with your fruit trees and friendly cats and awesome suburban small-town feel, we love you. Thanks to Dan and Diana for the comfy couches and for showing us a great time!

*Fresh figs and pears from the back yard*

We drove out of Echo Park and made a stop where Loren’s grandparents lived, in Culver City, then drove out to Beverly Hills and down Rodeo Drive, before heading back out to the coast to catch the Pacific Coast Highway north.

Sunny San Diego

August 19, 2012 by K & L in News, North America, People, Places, Roadtrip 2012

In desperate need of laundry, good sleep, and family time, we made it to sunny San Diego. The weather alone seemed like a refuge after the oppressive heat in Vegas and surrounds – with temps about 20-30 degrees cooler during the day, we were in heaven. On top of that, a beautiful sunset of oranges, yellows, and purples greeted us, and we let our guards down to have another vacation from our vacation.

Our timing brought us to the Thomson house in Rancho Bernardo in the final few days of summer vacation for our nieces and nephew. After sleeping in, we all packed into the van to head to Oceanside Harbor for some brief beach time (also doubling as a birthday party for a friend of the two eldest girls). It was great to sample a part of the Pacific Coast that isn’t quite as numbing as some spots up north (ahem, Oregon).

Despite the chilly water, we made our way into the waves... but didn’t completely submerge! We warmed up on the beach while watching our talented nieces, all gymnasts who can easily do back walkovers and handsprings at the water’s edge. Also entertaining was our nephew’s insisting on building a sandcastle, then promptly destroying it, with uncle Loren.

The next day, we made it to Point Loma, which is a peninsula to the west of San Diego. With views of the cityscape and Coronado Island to the east, and to the west, views of the Pacific which are probably prime during whale watching season (Feb). A stop at the lighthouse and some tidepool exploration capped off our visit.

From there, we broke with the group and went for lunch at a bar/restaurant near the park called Sessions Public, where we enjoyed happy hour specials on food and drink. A bit of indulgence (read: duck summer rolls) and overindulgence (read: calamari) put us over the edge, forcing us to nap before heading out on the town again for dinner.

After our breather, we headed back downtown to Little Italy, where we happened upon a tasty restaurant, Buon Appetito, and later met up with friends at the most hipster bar we’d ever seen, Craft and Commerce. Taxidermy animals hung from the walls and ceilings, the bartenders wore suspenders, and they have a strict no-vodka and no-ketchup rule throughout the establishment. We ate it right up, even if it was a little overkill here and there.

Despite staying out late, we kept to our plan of visiting the nieces’ gymnastics practice before heading next door for some gym time of our own, to climb. Our youngest niece accompanied us and eventually became the focus of most of the gym, because she was both small and fearless! To say we were proud is an understatement. Once the older girls finished their gym session, they also joined in on the action, again with an audience exclaiming their natural ability and fearlessness. If they ever decide to stop with gymnastics, they could definitely pick up climbing!

*Morgan showing off her chalking-up skills*

That evening we grilled burgs and drank margs with a mishmash crowd, which included Loren’s high school geometry teacher (the short story is that the teacher’s daughter is Loren’s sister’s best friend from high school, who was also visiting).

We wrapped up our stay with a lazy morning, including watching the most recent episode of Project Runway and painting nails. It was such a relaxed visit, and so good to see the Thomsons, that leaving seemed unthinkable. But we turned North to head up the coast, taking solace in the fact that we'll soon return.

Leaving Las Vegas

August 15, 2012 by Loren in Dining Out, News, North America, Places, Roadtrip 2012

After losing some money, a credit card, and a small bit of our souls in Las Vegas, we set out to get back on track. Our first stop on the way out of the city was a quick breakfast. We found Egg Works, an okay little diner that is apparently a suburban Vegas staple with a high Yelp rating. It was good enough for mild hangover breakfast, but not that memorable.

Our second stop was the infamous Hoover Dam, which neither of us had ever seen. It was magnificent in all its concrete and art deco glory, but what got in the way of our enjoyment was the absurd blazing heat bearing down on us. We opted to make it a quick visit, snapped a few photos, and ducked out to hit the road toward San Diego, where good weather, a free place to stay, and wonderful company awaited.

What Happened in Vegas

August 15, 2012 by K & L in Dining Out, Food, News, North America, Places, Roadtrip 2012

Always up for good counterpoint, we jumped from Zion to Las Vegas, where the scenery changed from sheer rocky cliffs to towering hotels, from river to fountains, from nighttime sky to neon flashing lights.

*Dashboard temperature reading as we entered Vegas*

Adjusting to the extreme heat and general sensory overload, we checked into the Hotel Monte Carlo, which turned out to be cheaper in cost than our digs in Sedona. From there, we threw on our “nice” clothes and set out on the strip for the long walk through what seemed like miles of hotel lobbies, casino rooms, high-end malls, and finally landed at The Venetian for dinner.

Good food is super easy to find in Vegas (among other things). Reasonably-priced good food is tougher... so we landed at Bouchon, which is somewhere in the middle of the price range but at the top of the quality range. (The chef, Thomas Keller, has been named “America’s Best Chef” by Time Magazine.) With classic french bistro decor, a relaxed ambiance, and some jedi mind tricks that made us feel like we were on the ground floor (rather than the actual 10th floor), we sank into our table eager to have something other than camp cooking.

We devoured the warm-up course: bread and pistachios with some of the best butter we’d ever tried. For a main course, Loren opted for the Sole Marinière (sautéed fillet of sole, caramelized baby artichokes, manila clams, oyster mushrooms, coco beans, and a delicious seafood broth). For Kristen, the Veal Chateaubriand (seared veal loin, crispy polenta, jingle bell peppers, glazed figs, fennel bulb & sauce soubise).

It was really hard to peel us out of our happy-belly stupor, especially knowing that we definitely had to make our way, in the heat, all the way back down to the Monte Carlo. Turns out Vegas at night trumps Vegas by day. While it was still super hot, and while there were tons of people still out on the streets, things seemed marginally less hectic. And at least we had the neon lights to keep our focus from the heat!

We weaved our way through the nudie card slappers (who are in some way trying to generate business for escorts but as far as we could tell, couldn’t pass out any cards) to the Eiffel Tower restaurant, which is a part of Paris hotel. Unable to eat anything more, we chose liquid dessert of Margarita and Strawberry-Basil Mojito. The view from the bar was pretty spectacular: the Bellagio’s fountain. (In fact, the drinks at Eiffel Tower were so good, Kristen somehow managed to pay the bill but leave her credit card at the bar. Luckily she realized it a few hours after the fact and was able to freeze that account... she eventually cancelled it after the restaurant reported back they hadn't found it the next morning. And of course, 45 minutes later, they found it at the hostess stand. Too late. What you spend in Vegas stays in Vegas!)

After leaving the Eiffel Tower bar, we made it just in time to catch another showing of the Bellagio Fountain show, which was a bit overshadowed by the terrible choice in music ("God Bless the USA"... why didn't Bellagio stick with Clair de Lune, like in Ocean's Eleven?) but still worth seeing. Our next stop was a spot close to our own hotel, the Cosmopolitan's Chandelier bar, where we topped off our liquor buzz with another drink each, though the ambiance far outweighed the drinks this time. After that liquid confidence, we made it back to the Monte Carlo where we decided to try our luck in the casino. First stop: slots. We each lost one dollar immediately, expecting it'd last for at least a few "spins". That sucked. Kristen swore off gambling, Loren tried Fast Roulette and digital Blackjack, and both turned in fairly early by Vegas standards. Total money lost at casino: $25.

All in all, we spent our money where we wanted to: on food and drink. Dinner was literally more expensive than our hotel room for the night. Vegas is certainly a spectacle, and we'll be back at some point at least to try more restaurants, to catch a Cirque du Soleil performance, and to visit the currently-under-renovation but soon-to-reopen Neon Graveyard in North vegas. Until then, we'll save up.

Park Perfection at Zion

August 14, 2012 by K & L in Cooking, North America, Outdoors, Places, Roadtrip 2012

Instead of heading around to the Grand Canyon’s north rim (to which we said “next time”), we continued north past Lake Powell, stopping at the Glen Canyon Dam, where we were afforded some prime people watching. From there we made our way into Utah in order to check out at least one of the famous desert National Parks.

*Glen Canyon Dam, behind which Lake Powell extends for miles*

*Sister wives, a sight almost as interesting as the dam*

We opted for Zion National Park, conveniently in the southeastern corner of the state so not too much driving was required. We definitely plan to explore the other Utah parks once we're living in Colorado, with Arches and Canyonlands at the top of our list.

The drive through the east gate to the south gate, where the campgrounds are, is absolutely breathtaking. The eastern half of the park is lined with rocky hills that are home to big horn sheep (which we tried to coax out of hiding by calling “Here, biggie hornie!”, but no dice). Some of the rocky hills have patterns on them akin to paintings: it looks like someone dragged a gigantic brush along the stone while it was still malleable. One of the most interesting spots is a rock called “checkerboard mesa.”

The dividing point in the park is a mile-long tunnel, dug in the 1930s, which has three “windows” that slow down traffic a bit as car passengers strain to get a first glimpse of the fantastic views. The tunnel opens out to beautiful mountain vistas and switchback roads, bringing wide-eyed drivers down into the canyon.

We headed straight to the nearest campground to stake our claim, and while there were a good deal of campers in the 100+ sites, we didn’t have a problem (and we suspect the campground never filled). So, we set up camp and headed off to explore the park before nightfall.

Compared to the Grand Canyon, Zion is perfection. It is the kind of park that literally forces you out of your car in order to explore the grounds: the main road down the canyon is limited to the free park shuttles which pick up and drop off at about a dozen spots throughout the park and run well into the night. Also, the park is totally manageable: whereas it takes hours to drive to different spots along the Grand Canyon (5 hours from the south rim to the west glass overlook, which we couldn't do), it took us about 30 minutes to get from the visitors center to the riverwalk path at the end of the shuttle’s road. It’s a great place. On top of that, as with any park out west, the place is teeming with wildlife. We saw at least a dozen deer out eating before dark, including the mamas and their spotted fawns. “Little guys” -aka lizards- were parked near paths, keeping close watch on the visitors. We even saw a tarantula (thanks to the shuttle bus driver, who nearly ran the little thing over)!

Our daylight was pretty limited, so we ended up doing probably the most popular hike in the park, but it wasn’t overly crowded. The out-and-back hike was mostly paved, a little to our dismay at first, but it ended up being great because the flora and fauna held our focus. The squirrels, which looked more like a combination of prairie dog and squirrel, were hilarious and completely unafraid of people, holding down their ground in the middle of the path in a sort of man vs. beast game of "chicken". At the end of the hike is the start of The Narrows, another “trail” which literally uses the river instead of a pathway, and is so-called because the cliff walls close in on the river creating a more and more narrow river. We did a bit of The Narrows, enjoying tromping through the cold river water until it got a little too deep for us to risk damaging our expensive cameras. Plus we weren’t prepared...next time we will wear swimsuits!

It felt great to come "home" to our campsite, and we could definitely see ourselves returning to Zion, staying at the campground for multiple days, taking the shuttle to trailheads, and exploring more of the park by foot. Instead we moved on, to the call of flashy (and maybe a bit trashy?) Las Vegas.

The Grand Canyon: National [Amusement] Park

August 13, 2012 by K & L in Cooking, Food, North America, Outdoors, Places, Roadtrip 2012

Located a couple of hours from Sedona, the Grand Canyon’s south rim has been turned into an amusement park of sorts. With parking lots full and people clogging the sidewalks and vistas, it’s a little overwhelming. We stopped in a few spots to snap photos, and while the immense canyon was incredible, we were a bit more focused on getting to the campground.

Luckily, we arrived in time to grab one of three campsites that hadn’t yet been claimed. By the time we set up everything and started on dinner, the sun was setting and there was a steady stream of cars looking for open campsites. The weather was cool enough to require long sleeves and pants, a first for us so far, so we cozied up next to our first fire on the trip, staying up in the dark hoping for another chance at the Perseids meteor shower before turning in for the night.

We woke up after a fairly restful night and headed to the Desert View Overlook, which is normally choked with people but we arrived early enough to have a few minutes to get some good photos. Taking mental note that the next time we visit the Canyon, we want to a). see the less-traveled North Rim, and b). hike in and around the Canyon. Then we moved on.