Mini-Vaca Splendor

I'm back from my death defying romantic getaway. We motored down to Anaheim on Wednesday night stopping in mumble-mumble for dinner at Andersen's, famous for their Split Pea Soup. I tried it expecting a chorus of angels... not so much. It was tolerable, nothing amazing... but it's totally possible I'm just not a fan of split pea soup. We stayed the night in a Motel 6 mere blocks away from the Happiest Place on Earth. NO, I did NOT get to go. *pout* BUT! We had lunch across the street at this tiny little Mexican place. I got the small portion of the Nachos, couldn't even finish them. But boy howdy were they good! Fresh made tortilla chips, fresh guacamole, beefy chunks with plenty of sour cream. My only complaint was that there wasn't enough cheese. But still totally delish. 

After lunch we hopped back on the bike not exactly sure where we were going, but we wanted to kill some time in LA before being able to hang out with my cousin that night. We ended up at Santa Monica Pier which was great. The weather was gray and the perfect kind of chilly. We walked to the end of the pier and then sat on a bench for a while. On the bench next to us was a man and woman and the man was playing snippets of guitar pieces and playing them well. It was so enjoyable just sitting there and listening to him strum. After wandering around for a while we got back on the bike and headed toward West Hollywood, we wanted to see the sign and then be near at hand for cousin time. We found our way to Hollywood Boulevard and gazed upon the sign while we filled up on gas. We then made our way to Grauman's Chinese Theatre to mingle with the stars. 

After doing the touristy photo bit we went across the street to enjoy some frozen yogurt. French Vanilla with black berries. YUM! We finally got the go ahead from my cousin so we headed over to her house and from there we went straightaway to Pink's. I've been DYING to get a dog from here for the longest time. Every time there's any kind of special on Food Network or PBS that mentions them I start drooling like Pavlov's dog. (haha Dog! get it?) Unfortunately it was physically impossible for me to order and eat the entire menu so I settled on "The TODAY Show Dog" which is 2 franks in 1 bun, mustard, chili, cheese, onion and guac. Jay got a Slaw Dog and my cousin and her boy got 3 chili cheese dogs. We ate and hung out and talked for a long time just enjoying the pleasant weather and environment. I think I would be okay with living in LA if I could go to Pinks once a week.

It was time to get on the road so we snaked out of LA with Santa Barbra as our end point for that night. Let me tell you, that ride was as cold as a witches tit. When we finally got into Santa Barbra, there was not a lodging to be found. We eventually ran into a Super 8, only to be told that rooms were $100 a night! WHAT!!! So we called around to other hotels in the area, and guess what?! Everyone was full up! I felt like Mary right then, except I wasn't about to give birth, but my back was killing me and all I wanted was to get warm and wet in a bath tub. So we caved and got a room, but it was soooo not worth it. The room was tiny, tinier than tiny, it smelled, AND only had a stand up shower. Oh well, c'est la vie. I crawled in bed and crashed hard. The next morning we enjoyed their breakfast bar of pastries, bagels, cereal and  beverages before heading out for Monterey. 

The ride up Hwy 1 was gray for most of the way, very cold and very twisty turney. It was fun and, eventually, in the last couple hours, got sunny and very beautiful at parts, but never really truly warm up. 

We made our way into Monterey and stopped at the Best Western Victoria Inn, super nice, very quaint, short walk from cannery row. Best part? Fireplace! We got into our room, dropped off our stuff and headed down town in the hunt for lunch. I was starving! We ended up settling on this cute little pizzeria that served these HUGE slices of pizza, I'm talking "the size of a a whole small pizza" slices. I had a cesar salad and polished off my entire slice including the crust, but the pigeons I was feeding helped with that bit. After our late lunch we walked around a bit enjoying being off the bike. My shoulder and neck were killing me so we went back to the inn where I promptly fell asleep in a steaming hot bath... After Jay woke me up we went back and forth over where to eat dinner, walked back to cannery row and then argued over dinner again. We finally agreed on Sly McFly's where Jay said he's never eaten before because when he's in town for Laguna Seca it's crazy packed. We ordered sandwiches, chicken for me, fish for him, and enjoyed the local entertainment that started playing around when we got our food. Jay joked and called them the cantina band from Star Wars. The lead singer was a little leggy.... 

The next morning we got on the bike and went to Jay's favorite Monterey breakfast joint called The Breakfast Club. We were really lucky and got there while there wasn't a line, we sat at the counter and I spent a good 10 minutes trying to figure out what I wanted. Everything looked so god damn good. I settled on "Annies Breakfast" which is an english muffin with bacon, 2 eggs, jack and cheddar cheese, avocado and sour cream on top with a side of their potatoes. I substituted bacon for sausage, deconstructed the sandwich a bit, and loved every piece I could eat. It was so filling though. I can not wait to go back and try something else. 

After breakfast we checked out of the hotel, convinced them to watch out bags and walked to the aquarium where I spent the next few hours in total bliss. The best part was I had my own personal tour guide in Jay, he was able to give me the rundown on each exhibit and tank about the various sea life. I even got to pet a bat ray and got my sleeve soaked in the process. About 2 o'clock or so we decided it was time to get back on the road. On our way back to the hotel I wanted to stop for frozen yogurt at MYO. We shared my incredible concoction which consisted of: vanilla and dutch choc yogurt, reeses, butterfingers, caramel turtles, caramel sauce and gummie bears. I'll admit I went a little crazy, but it was still amazing... 

The ride back home was a blur, we went through San Francisco and over the Golden Gate and then over the Richmond bridge. It was more than time to get off the bike when we pulled into the garage, I was having a mild panic attack which was way not fun. We were starved and decided on Claim Jumpers for dinner and even though it was a Saturday night we managed to sidle up to the bar and watch the awesomeness of the dessert station while we waited for our food. I got a wedge salad and the Butternut Squash Ravioli and was in pure heaven. I hate to say it, but besides for breakfast at The Breakfast Club, this was the best meal of the trip for me. But they do say hunger is the best seasoning.