I Left My Flaming Guitar In Monterey
Day Four
We've decided to see the highly recommended Monterey Aquarium this morning, so we fill up on the packaged danishes that pass for a continental breakfast and strawberries I picked up yesterday at a roadside stand and head out. On the way to the aquarium, we pass by Cannery Row, and the many tributes to John Steinbeck. I've gotta read some more Steinbeck, obviously. I had no idea he loved sardines so much.
The aquarium itself is amazing. First, we head to the Outer Bay wing, where we are greeted by the creatures that live right outside in the bay, which is really a 2 mile deep underwater canyon, bigger than the Grand Canyon. Jellyfish are really cool. And we get to see them up close, because the glass is magnifying. Then we come to a two story glass tank holding 300 pound tunas, hammerhead sharks, sea turtles, barracudas, and a lone dolphinfish (mahi mahi). Shortly after we arrive, they dump two hundred pounds of squid and fish in the tank to feed the fast swimmers. It's an amazing scene. We clap when a sea turtle finally moves his slow butt over and grabs a bit of squid. In about 3 minutes, the 200 pounds of food is gone.
We see otters, mollusks, a kelp forest, the octopus and the nautilus, a cuttlefish, eels, flat fish, starfish, sharks, anenomes, sea cucumbers, barnacles, crabs, and I get to pet a manta ray. They feel slimy, but they're not. They're like satin leather. Most of the little kids get shafted because their puny arms can't reach the ray. Ha ha ha! Puny children.
Finally, we realize we've been there for three hours and we're hungry! We hit the touristy Fisherman's Wharf again and settle on the Fish Hopper because they offer us a free sample of chowder. We are easy like that. I have the sesame seed encrusted mahi mahi (sorry dolphinfish!) with mango salsa. Sean has an artichoke stuffed with shrimp. We overpay, but the view is gorgeous. We see otters swimming by. The bathroom has toilet seat covers.
By the way, today I am wearing a brown python print, stretchy, collared V-neck, a khaki cargo skirt (cooler than it sounds), and my Prairie Farm Boots. These details help you envision the story.
We leave Monterey, and try to find the location of the Winchester Mystery House. Sean wants to see this thing, and he thinks it's near Santa Cruz. Turns out, it's near San Jose, and we won't be able to get there before the last tour ends. I promise that the next trip we take to California will be all about touring mansions. Secretly, I am frightened of this house, as it reminds me of Stephen King's (albeit terribly written) scary Rose Red. We then decide to jet up to Santa Cruz for the amusement park, until I read in Frommer's that it isn't open yet. Ooops! Undeterred, we make a plan to find an inexpensive motel in Napa Valley and drive straight there. We mostly look at the pretty scenery, which is much like that at Big Sur, until we see a lighthouse in the distance. We stop to get a picture. Turns out it is historic, is closed to the public, is a prime spot for whale watching, and is also a hostel! We see a whale in the distance. Well, I mostly see a blur of mist, but Sean promises me it is a whale. I wish the lighthouse were cleaner, but Sean likes the rust running down the sides. Whatever.
We arrive on the south side of San Francisco and zip through (yeah, I mean, crawl through) to the Golden Gate Bridge. I get a great view of the city in the dusk, and am promised a better view of the bridge the next day. Finally, we leave Highway 1 to travel inland to Napa. I've secured a room at the Chablis Inn for $65. Oh yeah. It's terribly easy to find, even though I am momentarily doubted by the driver, who shall remain nameless. We are two tired puppies. We decide to get pizza at Round Table and watch the finale of America's Next Top Model (my idea, of course). I have mixed feelings about Yoanna winning. I don't think Mercedes was really better overall, but none of them had the whole package. Oh well. Sean falls asleep at 11.
Day Five
The bed is very hard. I wake up with a sore back. But who cares? We're getting wine! I try to straddle the fence between California and classy and wind up in a pale pink sleeveless cowl-neck sweater, my black cargos, purple sneakers and my hoodie. The front desk woman (who, according to Sean, has an unfortunate mustache) recommends a restaurant next door for breakfast. She is a good woman. The restaurant has a breakfast menu that sets me to drooling. It's almost unsightly. I order the breakfast named --- wait for it -- Larry's Breakfast. Shout out to my friend Larry. Sean wonders if he should call Larry but stops short as his jaw drops at the order. Three eggs scrambled, hash browns (!!!), four sausage links, and biscuits and gravy. He's so silly. It's not so much. It's not like I ordered it with the hamburger patty or the chicken fried steak.
The first winery we go to is Sterling. I leave my camera in the car, like a dumbass, because this winery is located on the side of a hill, and you have to ride a suspended tram to get up there. It's a beautiful day, and the ride is breathtaking. The winery is all white, with bell carillons. Sean has been here before, and I leave myself in his hands. We take the self-guided tour and see the big casks of wine. They use plastic corks! We have the complimentary (with ticket price) tasting of four varietals, which is very nice. The staff is incredibly personable and pleasant, so we go to the reserve room to taste the special 1982 Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine that put this vineyard on the map, according to Jacquie. It's decanted and everything. It's also very, very yummy. It's also on sale for $35 (from $125), so Sean buys it! I feel very classy.
I stop at the restroom, and while musing about the appearance of yet more toilet seat covers, I almost leave the 22 year old wine in the stall. Ooops!
Next we drive down to Beringer Vineyards. The main tasting room and shop is in a very pretty house with pristine gardens that smell nice. Look, I ain't no Keats, okay? They smell nice. The girl at the tasting bar is younger than I am, so I don't really take her very seriously, although she seems to know what she's talking about. For some reason, I don't buy it. That must be very sad for her. Anyway, I think Sean is getting drunk. Or maybe it's me. I have all Cabernets and they're very strong. Sean has a white I actually like, and he buys a bottle. It's his favorite white wine, and it was the last wine he drank in San Francisco or something. It's named after Ed Sbragia, the head vintor. I am starting to realize that Sean is a closet wine snob.
After leaving Beringer with a handy box for our breakable alcohol stuff, we stop at Taylor's Refresher, a roadside stand in St. Helena, the cute little town in the middle of all the vineyards. They have a $9 Ahi Burger. Sheesh. I get an $8 steak sandwich, and we split a soda. It's a cute place, though, and we sit outside in the sun. The food is good, but I can't help but think that New York is not nearly as expensive as California.
After sobering up a little (Disclaimer: Sean is not driving drunk. I exaggerate for effect.), we drive down to Domain Chandon. That's right, it's time to drink champagne. This place is beautiful. We park next to a pond full of lilies and lily pads, surrounded by sculpture. The arbor at the entrance is covered with dripping wisteria that look like bunches of grapes. The restaurant/tasting bar offers a view that would be hard to have at your back all day. Let's put it this way: I want to jump the bar and run out onto the grass, singing, "The hills are alive..." Modern sculpture dots the landscape. It's cool. We drink three champagnes, and I start to get a little tipsy. We get to keep our flutes. Our server tells us he's never been to San Francisco, which is about 50 miles away.
It's time to go to San Francisco. My back is sore and I lose my buzz and start to get crabby, as Sean gets crabby about driving in SF. The bridge is really cool. Half of it is completely obscured by fog. After a debate with the rental car company, we come out the winners and take a cab to Sean's friend's house in the Lower Haight, where we will stay the next three nights.
But it's not over, folks! I am required to go out. Andy and Jordan (the owners of our new couch-bed) come home from work and we take off for Chances, a nice little dive a few blocks away. Good music, all of Sean's friends from the neighborhood show, and my back finally loosens up (thank you, Tanqueray!). I endear myself to the crowd by headbanging to Metallica. There's a heated political argument, harsh words are spoken, then it's time to go home. I am so tired.
Holy crap. I'll recap San Franciso tomorrow.
Tuesday, March 30, 2004
You Go, Rude Boy!
The opening night of Prince's Musicology tour was broadcast live on movie screens across the country, and I was at one of them last night. The concert was at LA's Staples Center (one place I didn't see in CA), so it started at 11 pm EST. It was very late. But it was awesome. I wish the people in the movie theatre had gotten up to dance, but I will get a chance to see the live concert at Madison Square Garden on July 14. The first (and last) Prince concert I saw was in July of 1997, soon after I moved to New York. I can't believe it's been 7 years since I saw him in person. It doesn't seem that long!
He played a lot of hits, some shortened, some with long instrumental jams, much like in 1997. He opened with "Musicology", which is a cute song. He played it on Leno a couple of weeks ago. Some unexpected surprises included "Shh" from Gold, "Insatiable" from Diamonds and Pearls, a cleaned up version of "DMSR" from 1999, and instrumental of "God" (B-side), and "Let's Work" from Controversy. I can't wait to see it again, where I can shake my booty down to the ground. He even did an acoustic encore. The man is incredible in concert.
But what did you think I'd say?
The opening night of Prince's Musicology tour was broadcast live on movie screens across the country, and I was at one of them last night. The concert was at LA's Staples Center (one place I didn't see in CA), so it started at 11 pm EST. It was very late. But it was awesome. I wish the people in the movie theatre had gotten up to dance, but I will get a chance to see the live concert at Madison Square Garden on July 14. The first (and last) Prince concert I saw was in July of 1997, soon after I moved to New York. I can't believe it's been 7 years since I saw him in person. It doesn't seem that long!
He played a lot of hits, some shortened, some with long instrumental jams, much like in 1997. He opened with "Musicology", which is a cute song. He played it on Leno a couple of weeks ago. Some unexpected surprises included "Shh" from Gold, "Insatiable" from Diamonds and Pearls, a cleaned up version of "DMSR" from 1999, and instrumental of "God" (B-side), and "Let's Work" from Controversy. I can't wait to see it again, where I can shake my booty down to the ground. He even did an acoustic encore. The man is incredible in concert.
But what did you think I'd say?
Monday, March 29, 2004
I Went To California and Didn't Die
Truly, it surprised me.
Day One
I wear my Teen Girl Squad tank top, black stretchy pants, purple sneakers and hoodie. Take a car to JFK to fly Jet Blue. I hate going out to JFK. La Guardia is 10 minutes from my house. However, the Jet Blue terminal is nice and efficient, and we're munching on sandwiches in no time. The flight crew is strangely chipper. Direct TV is addictive, and I find myself flipping between cartoons and game shows and neglecting my crosswords and my cassettes. That's right, I fly with cassettes. You got a problem with that?
We arrive in Long Beach, which has a quaint little airport. Baggage claim is outdoors. Already I can sense that California is... different. Sean's friend picks us up in his Mercedes and makes a joke about earthquakes. Ha ha. That evening, we hit Baja Cantina in Marina Del Ray for Mexican food (I have a pork taco and a cheese enchilada). Please keep the salt off my margaritas, fellas! The more intrepid of our little group head to a club called James Beach. They have valet parking. I learn that everything in the LA area has valet parking. That just seems wrong for a bar, you know. Are the valets liable if they hand keys back to a drunk person? Anyway, the bar is also outside. But they have heat lamps, because it's March and for some reason, Southern California is not as warm as I was led to believe.
Day Two
Morning comes and I find that not everywhere in LA is as sunny as I was told, either. The coast is covered in fog. I attempt to dress appropriately in Buffy t-shirt, black cargos, hoodie and purple sneakers. We have brunch at The Rose Cafe in Venice (I have the crabcakes), then set off to drive inland for the sun. We drive very quickly by: Santa Monica, the Hollywood sign, Graumann's Chinese Theatre (with the handprints and the Walk of Fame), The Beverly Hills Hotel, Rodeo Drive (Hermes!), Mullholland Drive (scary! windy! cliffy!), the San Fernando Valley, West Hollywood (The Viper Room, Whisky A-Go-Go), and some other stuff I can't remember. There is sun. We drive with the sunroof open. Then it's back to the Marina, where sun has come, as well, and a stop at Rubio's for fish tacos. I don't eat fish tacos, but Sean does. He loves them. Me, I'm 12 and I think it sounds gross. Hit the grocery store for ground beef and Bloody Mary mix and proceed to grill out, get drunk, and watch "Pimp My Ride" while listening to Miles Davis. I swear I am not making this up.
Day Three
It's time to do... more driving! Thankfully, I gave up driving, so I get to ride and navigate. I love navigating. With a road Atlas in one hand and Frommer's in the other, we start up the coast on California Highway 1, also known as the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). It's cloudy, so I am slightly bummed, but I'll live. Breakfast is half a leftover cheeseburger, but it's enough. First stop is Santa Barbara. It looks expensive. We get out to stretch our legs. The main drag is not very busy, but we watch some guys skateboard in the oceanside skatepark, then get a smoothie for Sean. I have water. I am not very impressed with California yet, as it is quite cloudy and chilly. We move on.
As we drive north, the sun comes out. We pull over at a rest stop so Sean can call his parents (his Mom had just had open-heart surgery; she's doing very well), and I change into a miniskirt that totally doesn't match my outfit (purple palette striped t-shirt, white socks and purple sneakers) because it's warm and I am happy. My first stop in a public facility in California, and I notice something. Flushable toilet seat covers, aka, ass gaskets. I figure that's normal for a rest stop and put it out of my head. Next stop, Pismo Beach!
We stop at Pismo Beach because Bugs Bunny once mentioned it in a cartoon. Don't ask. After taking Sean's picture by the giant clam statue (the Pismo clam is a nearly extinct mollusk), I discover that the port-a-johns do not have ass gaskets available. Oh well. We stand on the boardwalk and look at the pretty ocean and canoodle for a bit, then it is off to San Luis Obispo. Bye, Pismo clam! We will meet again some day!
San Luis Obispo is kind of an affluent college town. Copeland Sports is everywhere. We decide to eat at Moe's Barbecue, as recommended by Frommer's. It's very good, and there are pictures of other barbecue joints from the southeast on the walls, including Corky's, my fave rib place in Tennessee. Update: There are also toilet seat covers in the bathroom. I start to sense a trend. A quick call to San Simeon informs us that we have just missed the last tour, so we won't be visiting the Hearst Castle. C'est la vie! We decide to just keep driving up the coast to Morro Bay, where they have a big rock. The rock is cool.
From there we head north to Big Sur. This is just wild. We're driving along very high cliffs next to the ocean, but also in the woods. The mountains are to the right of us, and the horizon is the ocean at eye level on the right. I make Sean watch the road because it's very twisty. We catch sunset an must drive through in the dark, because hotels in Big Sur are far too expensive. We pass through Carmel and stop in Monterey.
After laughing at the Hilton's $179 room rate, we find a cute little motel across the street, The Stagecoach Inn. Exhausted and a little cranky, we still take the time to do what most people do in motel rooms, then scoot off to the overpriced and touristy Fisherman's Wharf for a very late dinner at Sapporo. I have steak teryaki and a piece of Sean's unagi (eel) roll. Finally, the long day is over.
More to come.
Truly, it surprised me.
Day One
I wear my Teen Girl Squad tank top, black stretchy pants, purple sneakers and hoodie. Take a car to JFK to fly Jet Blue. I hate going out to JFK. La Guardia is 10 minutes from my house. However, the Jet Blue terminal is nice and efficient, and we're munching on sandwiches in no time. The flight crew is strangely chipper. Direct TV is addictive, and I find myself flipping between cartoons and game shows and neglecting my crosswords and my cassettes. That's right, I fly with cassettes. You got a problem with that?
We arrive in Long Beach, which has a quaint little airport. Baggage claim is outdoors. Already I can sense that California is... different. Sean's friend picks us up in his Mercedes and makes a joke about earthquakes. Ha ha. That evening, we hit Baja Cantina in Marina Del Ray for Mexican food (I have a pork taco and a cheese enchilada). Please keep the salt off my margaritas, fellas! The more intrepid of our little group head to a club called James Beach. They have valet parking. I learn that everything in the LA area has valet parking. That just seems wrong for a bar, you know. Are the valets liable if they hand keys back to a drunk person? Anyway, the bar is also outside. But they have heat lamps, because it's March and for some reason, Southern California is not as warm as I was led to believe.
Day Two
Morning comes and I find that not everywhere in LA is as sunny as I was told, either. The coast is covered in fog. I attempt to dress appropriately in Buffy t-shirt, black cargos, hoodie and purple sneakers. We have brunch at The Rose Cafe in Venice (I have the crabcakes), then set off to drive inland for the sun. We drive very quickly by: Santa Monica, the Hollywood sign, Graumann's Chinese Theatre (with the handprints and the Walk of Fame), The Beverly Hills Hotel, Rodeo Drive (Hermes!), Mullholland Drive (scary! windy! cliffy!), the San Fernando Valley, West Hollywood (The Viper Room, Whisky A-Go-Go), and some other stuff I can't remember. There is sun. We drive with the sunroof open. Then it's back to the Marina, where sun has come, as well, and a stop at Rubio's for fish tacos. I don't eat fish tacos, but Sean does. He loves them. Me, I'm 12 and I think it sounds gross. Hit the grocery store for ground beef and Bloody Mary mix and proceed to grill out, get drunk, and watch "Pimp My Ride" while listening to Miles Davis. I swear I am not making this up.
Day Three
It's time to do... more driving! Thankfully, I gave up driving, so I get to ride and navigate. I love navigating. With a road Atlas in one hand and Frommer's in the other, we start up the coast on California Highway 1, also known as the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). It's cloudy, so I am slightly bummed, but I'll live. Breakfast is half a leftover cheeseburger, but it's enough. First stop is Santa Barbara. It looks expensive. We get out to stretch our legs. The main drag is not very busy, but we watch some guys skateboard in the oceanside skatepark, then get a smoothie for Sean. I have water. I am not very impressed with California yet, as it is quite cloudy and chilly. We move on.
As we drive north, the sun comes out. We pull over at a rest stop so Sean can call his parents (his Mom had just had open-heart surgery; she's doing very well), and I change into a miniskirt that totally doesn't match my outfit (purple palette striped t-shirt, white socks and purple sneakers) because it's warm and I am happy. My first stop in a public facility in California, and I notice something. Flushable toilet seat covers, aka, ass gaskets. I figure that's normal for a rest stop and put it out of my head. Next stop, Pismo Beach!
We stop at Pismo Beach because Bugs Bunny once mentioned it in a cartoon. Don't ask. After taking Sean's picture by the giant clam statue (the Pismo clam is a nearly extinct mollusk), I discover that the port-a-johns do not have ass gaskets available. Oh well. We stand on the boardwalk and look at the pretty ocean and canoodle for a bit, then it is off to San Luis Obispo. Bye, Pismo clam! We will meet again some day!
San Luis Obispo is kind of an affluent college town. Copeland Sports is everywhere. We decide to eat at Moe's Barbecue, as recommended by Frommer's. It's very good, and there are pictures of other barbecue joints from the southeast on the walls, including Corky's, my fave rib place in Tennessee. Update: There are also toilet seat covers in the bathroom. I start to sense a trend. A quick call to San Simeon informs us that we have just missed the last tour, so we won't be visiting the Hearst Castle. C'est la vie! We decide to just keep driving up the coast to Morro Bay, where they have a big rock. The rock is cool.
From there we head north to Big Sur. This is just wild. We're driving along very high cliffs next to the ocean, but also in the woods. The mountains are to the right of us, and the horizon is the ocean at eye level on the right. I make Sean watch the road because it's very twisty. We catch sunset an must drive through in the dark, because hotels in Big Sur are far too expensive. We pass through Carmel and stop in Monterey.
After laughing at the Hilton's $179 room rate, we find a cute little motel across the street, The Stagecoach Inn. Exhausted and a little cranky, we still take the time to do what most people do in motel rooms, then scoot off to the overpriced and touristy Fisherman's Wharf for a very late dinner at Sapporo. I have steak teryaki and a piece of Sean's unagi (eel) roll. Finally, the long day is over.
More to come.
Finally, Something Worth Watching
Take two minutes out ouf your busy day and watch this. You'll be glad you did. Unless you don't like your thoughts provoked. Which, considering what you're looking at right now, is possible.
Take two minutes out ouf your busy day and watch this. You'll be glad you did. Unless you don't like your thoughts provoked. Which, considering what you're looking at right now, is possible.
Monday, March 01, 2004
How Riveting... Oh, Wait, I Mean, Not Riveting
Big surprise, Sean Penn and Charlize Theron and Peter Jackson won. I'm just glued to the set, that is, when I can take a break from reading a recap of last week's America's Next Top Model, which I actually saw. What? Oh, the Oscars. Spielberg is about to announce the Best Picture Oscar. I'll save you the trouble of looking it up. It involves hobbits.
<...>
Yeah, I was right. Not like you had to be a genius to see this coming. Tied Titanic and Ben Hur for most wins. I have to say, I really liked the movie, the whole series, and hoped it would win this Oscar, but this is just overkill. Why anyone has to say anything after the 10+ other speeches is unfathomable. Shut up! I now have angry feelings toward the whole LOR franchise and it's all the fault of the Oscars. Damn you Billy Crystal! Damn you!
Big surprise, Sean Penn and Charlize Theron and Peter Jackson won. I'm just glued to the set, that is, when I can take a break from reading a recap of last week's America's Next Top Model, which I actually saw. What? Oh, the Oscars. Spielberg is about to announce the Best Picture Oscar. I'll save you the trouble of looking it up. It involves hobbits.
<...>
Yeah, I was right. Not like you had to be a genius to see this coming. Tied Titanic and Ben Hur for most wins. I have to say, I really liked the movie, the whole series, and hoped it would win this Oscar, but this is just overkill. Why anyone has to say anything after the 10+ other speeches is unfathomable. Shut up! I now have angry feelings toward the whole LOR franchise and it's all the fault of the Oscars. Damn you Billy Crystal! Damn you!
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