« November Days... | Main | a picture post! »
March 23, 2006
spring break and back to the grind
dI typed an entry, and somehow it got lost in this program, so here I go again... but my cat just made herself very comfortable in my lap, which is impeding my ability to type somewhat. Well I'll give it a shot anyway. Since I've already done the typical college spring break, that is getting drunk on an exotic beach and sunburnt, we (the roommate and I) decided to do something different. The roommate was burned out, not having a vacation for over 9 months which is what happens when you work as a dog walker- other people's vacations become your busiest times of the year. Anyway, so we headed out to California, as my parents gave us two free plane tickets (very nice of them!) and celebrated my 23rd birthday there.
My parents gave me an awesome gift for my birthday, which was a trip down the California coast on the scenic highway Route #1. The first day, we drove down to Pescadero, and had dinner at Duarte's tavern (one of 5 places in the US recognized by James Beard Foundation for "home-style cooking." I had some shrimp, and Laurie had this enormous plate of pot-roast on toast, and we finished off with ollaberry pie and creme brulee. Yum! They also had a cool garden out back, from which most of the fruits and veggies used in the kitchen were picked. We stayed at an eco-resort called Costanoa near Pescadero, and it was great, a beautiful little place in the middle of two state preserves. They had these awesome cabins to stay in with fireplaces and big skylights.
The next day, we continued our trip with a drive to Santa Cruz, where we stopped to do a little shopping at their famous surfshop, Pacific Wave, and also checked out the boardwalk. I wanted to ride the Giant DIpper, but everything was closed :( After that, we continued our drive down highway 1 and finally came to Big Sur, where we stayed the night in a place called Treebones Resort. It was another unique resort, as instead of cabins, they had these quaint and lovely yurts. We checked in, then went down to San Simeon to check out Hearst Castle. We arrived late and it was closed, so we ate a forgettable steak dinner in the town's diner. The next day, we headed back home, stopping in Monterey to check out the aquarium, and had an unbelievable lunch by the wharf at a place called Cafe Fina that was on that Rachael Ray $40 dollars a day show. We then finally headed back to the Bay Area.
For my birthday, my parents took the whole family out to lunch at this incredible place in Napa Valley called Mustard's. We also went shopping (yikes!) for a business suit for me (got interviews coming up!) and had a wonderful lunch with my grandmother (80+ and still drives!) before we were jolted back to the harsh reality that is the city of Washington DC. We both wished we had another week's worth of vacation!
Pictures will be coming up soon :)
Posted by jane at March 23, 2006 5:19 PM
