Saturday July 31, 2010
Carlsbad, CA
SUN!
My BFF Sandra, had a great deal at the Park Hyatt where she was able to get free nites in Carlsbad so we decided to do Part II of our birthday celebrations there. She too, like me was born in July, so this weekend was about her. I picked her up at the John Wayne Airport last Thursday(yes, there is an airport named after John Wayne in Orange County) and headed to Carlsbad. Since we got there around 6pm, we decided to grab some dinner before checking in. We first though, went to the hotel and asked the parking attendant where can we get good seafood on the beach. He recommended the Beach House at Cardiff by the Sea. I have not explored the San Diego area in about 20 years so just assumed it was about 3 miles away on the ocean. Well, no! It was about 15 miles away but ended up being a great place for some good food with a fabulous view of the ocean. I also found out it's owned by the same owner's of the Beach House in Laguna Beach which I've been too several times when my parents were alive. We both had the grilled scallops over a succotash made from black beans, corn, onions, and peppers. Yum! We also were treated to a gorgeous and heavenly view of the sunset. Only in California!
Beautiful Cardiff by the Sea
The Beach House
The Spectacular Sunset from Cardiff by the Sea
Friday was spent working for most of the day. Fortunately it was so foggy and cold that the temptation to go outside was not there and surprisingly, we got a lot done. But around 4pm, it was time to relax and start the weekend so we went out to the pool.....and it was freezing! Well, I'm exaggerating because it was not 32F but around 55F. But we were determined to enjoy it so we toughed it out. The pool we went to was the "child friendly" pool so there were a few people like us toughing it out as kids luv the pool in any weather. But it was so cold that for a drink, we had.....a glass of red wine to warm us up.
The Pool on a Cold Friday afternoon
I had a glass of red wine by the pool to warm me up.
Instead of going out for dinner, we ended up going to the bar, had a bottle of red wine, the fabulous cheese plate, and chicken noodle soup for dinner. Yes, chicken noodle soup. When I was in Japan, and not feeling well, oh, how I craved good chicken noodle soup. Chicken soup does exist in Japan, but not the chicken noodle soup you can get her in the States. So I was pleasantly surprised when they told me the soup of the day was chicken noodle soup. We were to watch a movie for the night but I was so engrossed in the book I was reading " Water for Elephants" that we decided to just read and watch TV. But we both fell asleep so turned in around 9pm on a FRIDAY NITE!!
We decided to sleep in on Saturday but still got up a bit before 7am. I wanted to do the 10km walk the concierge recommended so Sandra decided to accompany me. It was a nice walk through the neighborhood of Carlsbad ending at a nature trail through the lagoon - called the Batiquitos Lagoon. The Batiquitos Lagoon, I learned is one of the few remaining tidal wetlands in California and is protected. The trail is only 1.5 miles long but the lagoon itself consists of 160 acres that is protected. I loved the way the trail was designed.... enjoyable for us "humans" yet protected for the over 180 species of birds and numerous other residents like fish and mammals.
The Batiquitos Lagoon
View of our hotel from the trail
After our nice 1.5 hr walk, we went for a decadent buffet breakfast and decided to spend the rest of the day by the pool. So at the beginning, I was wondering if this was a good thing to do because it was COLD! Only 63F and I was the only one at the pool. But as the day went by it got warmer and the sun appeared so we enjoyed the afternoon by the pool while sipping glasses of sauvignon blanc. (Actually, I am writing this portion of the blog while sipping the wine at the poolside :)). The only annoying thing is that here we are at the tranquility pool (ie, no children allowed and it's supposed to be quiet) but a wedding party arrived and very noisy! But I'm not complaining because the sun is out!
(So now I'm writing this after a few glasses of wine and sipping champagne). After spending a good 4 hours or so at the pool and getting sunburn on my left shoulder only (it apparently was the only part exposed to the sun), we decided to indulge ourselves at the spa where we enjoyed the hot tub and eucalyptus steam bath. So relaxing... We then got dressed and went to the bar again for wine, cheese and some appetizers for dinner.
The bar scene
The fabulous birthday weekend part II is ending with champagne and a movie with Meg Ryan. Tomorrow, our plan is to get up early (5:15am), work out, go to the spa and then get on the road by 730am as Sandra has a flight to catch at 10am, I have some work to do and then have dinner with my sister and family who are visiting from Boulder! And so the fabulous summer back in the US of A continues.
Carlsbad, California
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