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Discovering Another Mad Dash (Oct 14): Heading Home and Finally finishing this TR #1523 (05/03)

Monterey in the Morning


It was another NO alarm morning. Despite that, I was awake by 6.30 am and being the eager beaver that I am, I got up and headed out to our balcony.

Our view? It was pretty good.

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I stayed outside to watch the sunrise

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..whilst I reflected. I have experienced 6 DisMeets so far and with every single one of them, I am firstly thankful that there have been no axe murderers in the bunch (you know who you are…).

I am also amazed at how the love of Disney and the DisBoard can form the glue…or the Creamed Canned Corn… between seemingly total strangers and forge friendships. Yes, most of us do that through a box and a screen and as I have said before…the friendships I have here are as real and as treasured as the ones I have home with my 3D friends.



I hung outside the balcony a bit longer to enjoy the changing light…

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…and the waking day. I could hear the sea lions barking, probably jostling for position, the waves rushing in to the shore…..

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….and the high octane noise that only motorcycles can make at 7 am in the morning.

It was time to wake the boys, get ready and go look for breakfast!


Having gotten in late yesterday, we hadn’t really checked out Monterey, so a little bit of sightseeing was in order this morning.

We headed back to Fisherman’s Wharf in the hopes of finding somewhere to eat.

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There was a place that served crepes – that reddy/brown building in the right hand side of the wharf; but they didn’t seem ready for customers.

So, we walked down the Wharf to check out the local shops.

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The rest of the Wharf was also waking up – and there was lots of activity with boiling water and seafood being freshly cooked. There was no other breakfast place on the Wharf.

We walked all the way to the end and looked out at the view and the yachts. In the distance, we could see the Cannery Row hotels.

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We headed back to the crepe place; but either we had dawdled too much or due to its popularity that when we arrived, there were no more tables available and we had one very hungry DS wanting his breakfast.

We decided to try our luck in the opposite direction. We walked back in the direction of the hotel…

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…and settled in here for food.

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From the looks of the menu, I thought the prices weren’t too bad.

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So, we ordered.

DS and I both wanted eggs and bacon this morning. I’m not really sure which one was his and which one was mine…but I suspect the one with the pile of extra toast was DS’.

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I know she’s not lurking about my TR because she has is never quiet and we haven’t seen a post from her….but B-A-C-O-N Kimmar. Good ol’ fashioned American streaky overcooked bacon…..just for you!

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DH settled on the egg and tomato roll.

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I made sure that I walked round the front of the hotel….

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… to grab a picture of the motorcycles that had so captured my ear’s attention.

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And with that, we packed up, checked out, loaded the car and headed out towards Cannery Row.



(Continued in Next Post)
 
(Continued from Previous Post)



Cannery Row


“Cannery Row in Monterey in California is a poem, a stink, a grating noise, a quality of light, a tone, a habit, a nostalgia, a dream.”

It is straight out of the imagination of a very talented writer.

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And I came here in search of the dream and the nostalgia……I had a dream…and I was in search of a Monterey souvenier this morning and had decided to get a fridge magnet. Not just any Monterey fridge magnet – one that I would buy in Cannery Row. I'd been to Monterey about 4 times before this one and had yet to add a Monterey magnet on my fridge door. Time to fix that oversight.

Yes, those of you that know the area might well be wondering why I didn’t get one of those tacky (pun intended) magnets from Fisherman’s Wharf earlier…I wondered why myself!

The boys had decided that more beach time was in store, so after a little *debate* in the car, we parked at a half-way point between the main shops of Cannery Row and here.

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I had realized the benefit of this strategy when I remembered that there was supposed to be seals and otters in the area.

So, a-looking we went.

Sadly, the only otters and seals we saw this morning, were painted on the wall that you can just make out right way back….

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…and if you look closely in the water behind DS, you’ll notice that there is something else in the water. Lots and lots of scuba divers!

The boys decided to stay and play on the beach and had a great morning watching the divers.

I went looking in search of my dream Monterey fridge magnet and the old sardine canning factories that make Cannery Row nostalgic. I found the recreational trail that was the walking and bike track and the walk down to the main drag was lovely.

I did find my fridge magnet and suspected that I paid about 50% more in the trendy souvenier shop on Cannery Row than if I’d bought it in town, closer to Portola. I know it was about $2 more than at Fisherman’s Wharf. So much for that dream!

I didn’t have time to linger long; but I was also in search of nostalgia and I just had about enough time for these shots of the sardine factory bridge links.

These two are found nearer San Carlos beach.

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These form the heart of touristy Cannery Row.

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My lucky day! Check out the hot rod!

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I suspect I did better on the nostalgia front than the dream. Nostalgia was certainly cheaper!


It was time to head back to the boys. It was time to fly!

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Along the road to…..


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(Continued from Previous Post)


Road to Silicon Valley


Monterey to Silicon Valley, where we would be staying for the next 5 nights, was about 3 hours drive. And it was close on noon when we left.

We drove past a heap of artichoke fields. It is very fertile ground around Monterey and is pretty much the artichoke capital of the world.

I started to think about my week ahead and catch-ups with family. Both DH and I have cousins in San Francisco; so I called my cousin and made arrangements to catch up with her in the downtown area that night. DH was going to be working all week and had a very busy schedule; but he wanted to visit the Guitar Centre at the corner of California and Van Ness. This was his only opportunity. My cousin agreed to meet us there later that night.

I left it to DH to contact his cousins; but due to different schedules, we never found a time to catch up with them.


Despite only being 3 hours away from our hotel, DH and I figured we had a couple of hours up our sleeves and decided that a stop was in order. Naturally, we had a destination in mind – Gilroy Factory Outlets.

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We had a leisurely hour’s shopping there and I spent the entire time in the Coach outlet. Turns out that there was an additional 20% off in the shop that day….it was PACKED! I agonized over my purchase and in the end, settled on one bag only – a pink suede hobo number that is the envy of all my girlfriends here. (Alison – it is the smaller version of your black one)
It took me over 30 minutes of queuing before I finally got to the check-out! It really was busy.

Unfortunately, shopping on this day came at a relative high cost….

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DS had spied the Golden Arches when we turned in and was adamant about what he wanted for lunch.

I know I’ve been posting food porn on this TR.

There’s food porn….and then there’s just porn!

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And as a teaser for you to hang around a bit more….cheap as this meal was, it wasn’t the cheapest lunch I had in NorCal!

DH and I finally figured that it was time to head on up the road to our hotel destination. It was only an hour away. But we hadn’t figured on one thing – despite being a Sunday afternoon, there were a HEAP of people checking into the hotel, and only one person behind the counter. We got in line and it took us an hour to reach the desk.
DH didn’t mind because there were about 8 people in line that he knew and the rest all worked for the company; so it felt like a mini convention in the small hotel lobby. And the noise level was only slightly less than the night before!


Our hotel destination always feels like home to us. We’ve been staying here since 2000 and have seen it refurbished twice during this period. It is a suite hotel that is walking distance to DH’s work campus and 10 minutes by car to a Westfield Mall. The local shops are about 5 minutes away by car, where there is a Caltrain station where DS and I can catch the train into the Downtown area.

The rooms are always clean and quiet; and it is always a pleasure to be here.

I had hoped to have been allocated a two bedroom suite, which somehow only seems to happen when DH and I are traveling without DS….and this time was no different. Murphy struck again! We ended up with a one-bedroom suite.

The sofa converted to a bed.

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Our bedroom.

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Rest of Living Room and Kitchen facilities.

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After we checked in, we still had one more chore to do…and that was to pick up the hire car organized under DH work requirements. We would have two hire cars for the next 2 days (more about the cars in the next post)

After we worked out the pick up, we jumped in one of the cars and drove into San Francisco. There was not much traffic about and it took us 20 minutes to drive in on the 101 and hit Octavia.

It was here that we got a call from my cousin’s flatmate. She had been sick all day and was not well enough to come and meet us. I wished her well and said I would call her during the week and try to catch up in town.

As I was on the phone, I didn’t pay attention to the route that DH took and I’m not sure how DH did it but we ended up on Franklin Street, instead of Van Ness.

Whilst DH has been to San Francisco more times than me, I actually know the Streets of San Francisco a lot better than him. He has to work – I get to explore and take lots of public transport! As luck would turn out, I had actually walked the length of Franklin from Hayes all the way to Union Street in 2009 (another story; but it was one without DS so I could do whatever I wanted!).
I remembered that there was a Wholefoods at the corner of Franklin and California and had the brainwave of parking there. DH could walk one block to the Guitar Centre and DS and I could get some food for dinner. And that is exactly what we ended up doing. It was so convenient!

I got this roast chicken, mac and cheese and green beans. It was a huge serving and DS and I shared it.

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It wasn’t what we had planned for dinner – we had thought we would be dining with my cousin – but all things considered, it was tasty enough and filled the empty spot in my stomach.

I did think that the mac and cheese needed some truffles, just for some extra oomph!


DH joined us shortly after…he had picked up a couple of drum accessories at the shop…and was well pleased with his purchases. He got something to eat and after a while, we headed back to the hotel and caught up on some sleep.


(Continued in Next Post)
 
(Continued from Previous Post)


A Tale of Two Nissans


We ended up having two hire cars from Sunday through to the end of day Tuesday between DH and myself.

We had hired the first car because we were on holiday for about 4 or 5 days before DH started work. Due to the quirks of economies of scale, it worked out to be roughly the same to hire the car for 5 days as it was for 7 days. We picked up this car – a Nissan hatch – from LAX and it stank of cigarette smoke. Still, it got us from LA to Silicon Valley and it had been a very reliable car.

DH had arranged to have a work hire car from Sunday, when he was officially checking back into work mode, until we left San Francisco. We picked up this car – also another Nissan – from SFO.

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I’m not sure how the cards fell but we ended up with a brand spanking newly minted unit. Check out the Jan 11 rego!

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Folks – here’s a sign of things to come. Some of you might have already “been there and done that!” and I knew they were being implemented in the new cars but this was the ‘first time’ for me; and you know how it is…..when it is your fist time!

And simple things like this tickles my sense of humour.


These were the ‘keys’…

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…put them in here….

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…and then push the start button. Hey Presto!

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Call me an Old Fogie..but it seems to be one more step compared to putting a key into an ignition and turning it!
Think anyone might have a problem remembering to put the door key into the little slot? Like maybe 6 or 7 times in the next day or so????


DS took one sniff in the new car and that was it! Poor DH had to live with the Stinky Nissan for the next two days; whilst DS and I enjoyed that new car smell.


Our Road Trip component of this vacay was complete. We’d seen unbelievable scenery and beautiful wildlife; but it was now on to the NorCal part. DS and I were looking forward to hanging out together, re-visiting some old favourites and finding some new favourites for the rest of the week.


princess::upsidedow


[Up Next – Day 6]
 


I am glad you had time to linger around for a while. I love monterey. I love the gilroy outlets. I got my last purse there in dec. While we were there in dec, we arrived in the evening only to find all the electricity was out everywhere.:scared1: It came back on after about an hour. So much to see and do and you just cant do everything. Okay weird car keys. I dont like it. Let us see the magnet you bought. My DH just informed me that in about a month he wants to go to vegas so we can work out the rest of our details for our trip in june :scared1: I cant wait to see some more of your trip. At least you and your son had time alone to do things.:thumbsup2
 
We had one of those cars with a key like that a couple years ago in Texas. The car was running when they gave it to us, and I guess the valet brought it up at our hotel. It wasn't until we were leaving the place we went for dinner that we realized we had no idea how to start the thing! I had to call the rental company 800 line to figure out how to get it started to get home! :rotfl2:
 
We had one of those cars with a key like that a couple years ago in Texas. The car was running when they gave it to us, and I guess the valet brought it up at our hotel. It wasn't until we were leaving the place we went for dinner that we realized we had no idea how to start the thing! I had to call the rental company 800 line to figure out how to get it started to get home! :rotfl2:

:rotfl2:
 
Monterey in the Morning
So, we ordered.

DS and I both wanted eggs and bacon this morning. I’m not really sure which one was his and which one was mine…but I suspect the one with the pile of extra toast was DS’.

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So what kind of eggs are these? I've never been served my eggs in a bowl... :confused3
 
Yay for the new rental!

Yay for the new rental!

I see you hit the Dis twilight zone. I think I should be saying....Thank you, Thank you. :laughing:

I am glad you had time to linger around for a while. I love monterey. I love the gilroy outlets. I got my last purse there in dec. While we were there in dec, we arrived in the evening only to find all the electricity was out everywhere.:scared1: It came back on after about an hour. So much to see and do and you just cant do everything. Okay weird car keys. I dont like it. Let us see the magnet you bought. My DH just informed me that in about a month he wants to go to vegas so we can work out the rest of our details for our trip in june :scared1: I cant wait to see some more of your trip. At least you and your son had time alone to do things.:thumbsup2

I'll take a picture of the magnet and post it...sometime.

You're going to Vegas to work out your June trip??? Some people have all the luck.
:scratchin....wonder if I could use the same strategy with my DH?

We had one of those cars with a key like that a couple years ago in Texas. The car was running when they gave it to us, and I guess the valet brought it up at our hotel. It wasn't until we were leaving the place we went for dinner that we realized we had no idea how to start the thing! I had to call the rental company 800 line to figure out how to get it started to get home! :rotfl2:


:lmao: :lmao: :lmao:

I wasn't quite that bad....I just kept forgetting about putting the door key in the special slot....a lot!

Spoiled rotten by Club 33 are we???

::yes:: If it weren't for the fact that truffles were $9000 per kilo, it should be MANDATORY to add it to mac and cheese. :rotfl:

So what kind of eggs are these? I've never been served my eggs in a bowl... :confused3

Looks like a poached egg...yum!

Ahhhh we always order them over easy or scrambled....

You should try them poached sometime. My favourite style of eggs!


I like a runny yoke

As well as a running joke...creamed corn, anyone?

:scared1:




We're gonna have to wait a couple of days before I can load anymore photos up....sorry for the delay folks.

princess::upsidedow
 
Not to hijack your TR with egg preferences, but that's why I ordered them over easy, but only if I have toast & bacon, the kind in your picture. I haven't had Aussie bacon to know if I like it, and certainly have NOT had Kangaroo bacon! :rotfl2:

I'm sure if you ask real nice she will send you some.:lmao:
 

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