Morro Bay

We decided to stay in Morro Bay for the night to:

1- Break up the drive from Santa Cruz 
to San Diego, and

2- To see a friend I haven't seen in 15 years.

(on a side note: 15 years? How'd that happen?!)

We chose to stay at the 456 Embarcadero

due to the good reviews online,

the proximity to the water,

and the AAA rate :)

Having never been to this area, 

we were taking a chance

on what we'd find...

...and what we found 

was

breathtaking:

Upon waking in the morning,

I grabbed my camera and hopped across the street 

to photograph the mirror image created

by the picturesque

stillness of the water. 
(Reminder: You can click on the pictures to view them larger...
and for these, you are going to want to! Promise!) 

To you this might look like an old wooden post with bird doo all over it...

to me, this is nautical at its best!

Teal-colored wood,

ivory rope,

sailboats gallore...

ah...

I LOVE it! 

Morning light...

one of my favorite times of day...

The town of Morro Bay is delightful.

Quaint, for sure.

Dreamy, no doubt.

 

 Even the motel is cute...

(now, how many towns can say that?)

 

Most of the locals have flippers...

...or wings...

This little guy was so delightful in his (or her)

morning swim,

that he made me wonder why I don't have a morning swim ritual.

Something to ponder on...

or take action on...

it is summer, anyway!

We found these two while we were out on a morning walk...

we think the female was on the rock,

and the male was in the water,

very obviously strutting his stuff for his mate.

Although our stay in Morro Bay was 

less than 24 hours, 

we will, without a doubt,

be back to explore.

We hope to stay here again,

as the 456 Embarcadero Inn

was lovely!

The recent renovations were perfect...

clean lines,

calming colors,

comfortable bed,

a yoga mat and robes in the room,

the best "free" breakfast we had on our trip,

friendly staff,

and most importantly (to us):

steps away from the water.

'Til our next adventure,

we bid you

"aloha 'oe" 

CA's Central Coast: Santa Cruz to Morro Bay

From Santa Cruz, we drove south down to Morro Bay.

It was this leg of the journey about which I was most excited...

Amazing photo opps...

and a spectacular part of our state I had yet to see.

 Bucket List stuff, you know?

The Bixby Bridge...

worth the hype,

for sure!

Grey clouds loomed for the majority of our drive,

which only added to the mystique

of our adventure.

Let's talk about:

McWay Falls

What a spectacular site!

AND...

the hike there is not really a hike...

it's a nice dirt path...

less than 1/2 a mile from the road.

Simply. Stunning.

and NOT to be MISSED.

Our next stop was to see the elephant seals.

I felt slightly touristy stopping off here,

but I highly recommend it! 

Such a bizarre animal!

From there, it was a short jaunt to Morro Bay.

We will be taking this drive again in the future...

next time we'll leave more time in our schedule for this leg of the journey, and hopefully take some time to camp in Big Sur.

aloha.

CA's Central Coast: Half Moon Bay to Santa Cruz

 We recently had the opportunity to drive the central coast of California. 

This is a trip I've always wanted to take

and we jumped at the chance to explore!

We started at Half Moon Bay.

 We'd heard about this spot from surf films,

directly south of the

the huge waves of Mavericks.

 It was a beautiful spot,

however Half Moon Bay

seemed strikingly similar to the

beaches of San Diego.
We moved on from here pretty quickly...
guess we need to come back when the waves are pumpin'
 at Mavericks!
There was a nice oceanside walking path, though!

 Along the drive from Half Moon Bay to Santa Cruz,

we came across this incredibly beautiful lighthouse.

When we got to Santa Cruz, 

we found a little rocky overlook

 and had a picnic.

 To cut costs, we packed our food for this trip in a cooler loaded into our Subaru.  

It was surprisingly refreshing to not think about where we were stopping for food...
and honestly I love myself a good PBJ...or 5.

 Santa Cruz proved to be a charming little college surf town.

aloha.

Port of San Diego

Summer's coming?
You know what that means?

Adventures in San Diego!

Unconditional Surrender Statue

Our port area is becoming more of an "attraction"

thanks to parks, restaurants, and walking paths

opening...

I'll post more as I explore throughout the summer!

http://www.portofsandiego.org/

James & Jayne

"You have to try that new restaurant:

____&____"

Sound familiar?

The ampersand has become like the 
Michelin Star...

well..

kinda.

It seems that every new "foodie" restaurant that is a must-try now contains the elusive 
&

and that when I see the 
&

I automatically assume it means 

good food.

In the spirit of good food, 

I am combining two places in San Diego 

which are worthy of the 
&

but do not actually use them in their names.

James Coffee Co. & Jayne's Gastropub

Let's start with James:

 

This is not James.

It's not an ad for Apple computers, either 

(although if you're from Apple & you're reading this, contact me...

I'm sure we can figure something out ;)

That is my darling husband on our first trip to 

http://jamescoffeeco.com/ 

 

Micro-roasters in SD are a dime a dozen,

but you bet your pants that

Nick & Lindsay

will try them all. 

& this: 

 ranks among the absolute best.

Creamy, dark espresso

w/o the bitterness...yum!

They also have a work space for a few small businesses.

All together a great experience...

& it's in Little Italy...

How can you beat that??

All right let's discuss Jayne:

I first came to Jayne's Gastropub 

upon hearing that my friend was working there. 

 This quaint gastropub serves many English favorites, 

along with other impeccably-selected dishes showcasing local produce and sustainable meats.

I recently went for my birthday and ordered the Potato and Celery Root Gratin...and ate every bit.

Sorry, no pic.

I only took a pic of my Irish Coffee:

 & their lovely garden area:

 So there you have it. 

James & Jayne.

Two San Diego locals which shouldn't be missed.

aloha.