Guest Bloggers: Athena & Xander Reporting Live From Lake Tahoe
Athena– The family took a short vacation to Lake Tahoe before my brothers and I had to go back to school. We thought this lake getaway would be the perfect opportunity to do a water activity or two. We collectively made a decision to go jet skiing. It was lots of fun. I really enjoyed the experience of trying something for the first time and being in a new environment. I liked the smooth, fast feeling of the jet ski and looking down at the fresh, clear lake water!
Xander- We did so many exciting and fun things, from swimming in the lake and also trying paddleboarding, going on walks, playing bocce ball and disc golf while hanging at my mom’s childhood friend’s cool house just outside Lake Tahoe in a town called Truckee. (We also wanted to rent a speed boat but they were booked for the next few days.)
I was a bit bummed that we were not able to go whitewater rafting because there were no rapids on nearby rivers, but the jet skis made up for it. It was our first time going jet skiing and it surpassed my expectations. We rented a jet ski at Donner Lake, they explained the rules and we hopped on the water!
Xander– We took off and the jet ski went way faster than I expected. One of the rules was that kids weren’t allowed to drive, but this was not going to stop me because I had been looking forward to this for a long time. Once we were out of sight from the rental site, I quickly switched from the back to the front and drove away — almost hitting 40mph (under close supervision of my adult copilot, of course)!
This was the coolest experience, and Lake Tahoe was awesome!
Taking a Big Bite Out of the Big Apple
In all my years living in Northern New Jersey, there were countless tourist attractions a tolerable car ride across the Hudson River or via the Lincoln Tunnel that I never had the urge to visit (think Statue of Liberty, New York City’s many museums or Central Park). On the other hand, as a devout Yankee fan I made many trips across the George Washington Bridge to the Bronx to take in a game at the old stadium.
So on our recent summer family vacay to the Big Apple, we decided to stay in the centrally-located Chelsea/Fashion District and hit some never before-explored sights — many within walking distance or a short subway ride to a nearby neighborhood (I can recall riding the N.Y.C. subway system maybe two times before and was pleased to see how easy and even clean it was, prompting us to use it much more than I thought we would on this trip).
Among our destinations on foot were: Times Square; the Flatiron District; Tribeca; Greenwich Village/Washington Square Park/NYU; the Highline/Hudson Yards/Hell’s Kitchen/The Little Island @ Pier 55; and 5th and 6th Aves./Rockefeller Center/Radio City Music Hall/Grand Central Station.
hotel (the 22-story Hilton NYC Fashion District)
And by subway: The Freedom Tower; a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge to the Dumbo/East River waterfront area (then a subway ride back to our home base); Battery Park/Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island; Metropolitan Museum of Art (or as it’s also referred to, “The Met”) on the Upper West Side, followed by lunch at an outdoor café in Central Park.
Our hotel had a nice view of the Empire State Building, where many years ago (pre-9/11) I had visited its observation deck. So as we shopped in the Times Square area on this trip, we walked down 34th Street and craned our necks upwards for a look from the sidewalk. Since we had already taken in the awesome views from the One World Observatory on the 102nd floor of the Freedom Tower just two days prior, there wasn’t a pressing desire to ride the elevator to the top of another building that has the exact same number of stories (not to mention there’s no way it could ever match the special effects, motion-graphics elements of the Freedom Tower’s lift).
Finally, while the girls had a mother/daughter night in Greenwich Village, I took the boys to my (and of course their) first game ever at the new Yankee Stadium to watch the Bombers play the Phillies and walk it off in dramatic fashion in extra innings (this event actually marked our first subway ride of the trip).
Looking back at all the sights we crammed in, it was a very ambitious and extremely enjoyable time spent in the Big Apple!
Joining the James Gang
Any road trip is rosier when you can work in a wine tasting. And with kids and first-time roadtripper Zoe – our new one-year-old terrier/chihuahua mix – in tow, it was an even sweeter side trip.
Also along for the ride were my in-laws, who have to be the most happy-go-lucky travelers in the western U.S. (even without the vino!). We’ve been wine tasting to the Santa Barbara and Paso Robles wine regions with Irene’s parents on quite a few occasions but this journey would hold some extra nostalgia since it included a couple of nights lodging in the city of Irene’s birthplace:
San Luis Obispo.
But which winery to visit if we could only fit in one among other activities to keep the teens and dog engaged? Turns out that was decided for us as Irene has a colleague that introduced us to the Tobin James Cellars family of wines.
Located eight miles east of Paso Robles on Highway 46, the vineyards sit on 71 acres of oak-dotted hills. Built from the ground up on the site of an old stagecoach stop, the open tasting room transports visitors back to the days of a vintage Old West saloon with its trio of brass-railed bars — an array of award-winning wines are poured from behind the antique 1860s Brunswick mahogany bar from Blue Eye, Missouri. Adding to the atmosphere, there’s a restored stagecoach stop that is now being used as a guest house.
We made a 10:30 a.m. reservation for our one-hour tasting. Once sidled up to the bar, our affable and knowledgeable wine pourer gave us a rundown on the tasting menu – you could choose any of the 23 offerings so we marked our choices carefully considering the early start and eventual 45-minute drive back to SLO.
Feeling our enthusiasm and intentions to buy several bottles, our sommelier uncorked some off-menu options to try as well – one of which was a 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon called “Notorious.” Being bigtime Duran Duran fans, we had to ask our som about the name. She confirmed our inquiry and proceeded to tell us that Duran fans will often buy it sight unsampled due to their love of the 1986 hit song (not to mention simultaneously belting out the chorus upon seeing the bottle!). This awesome wine lived up to its billing so we added two bottles to our purchases!
In fact, we enjoyed these wines so much that we joined their “James Gang” wine club, our first since our membership with Firestone Winery of Los Olivos (Santa Barbara)
in the early 2000s.
Image of the Month: Battle of the Butterfly Pix
I took the vertical shot with wings closed while Irene snapped the open-wings horizontal pic showcasing our latest Monarch hatching. Let’s just call this photography contest a draw!
Doing The Six
To attract visitors back to its thrill rides, Six Flags Magic Mountain slashed the price of a ticket and would limit capacity to 15%. That sounded like a good combination to me so with pandemic conditions steadily improving, I felt comfortable enough to make an online reservation.
Of course the necessary health and safety protocols would be in place encouraging people to “Do the Six“:
Upon entry, we walked through a short tunnel that scans your temperature (and apparently any backpacks – in lieu of a physical bag search?). From there it was off to the high-priority coasters – Xander and I agreed that X2, Twisted Colossus and the new West Coast Racers are our top three. Another two favorites – Full Throttle and Roaring Rapids – were unavailable on this day.
We got in 12 rides in seven hours, four in the first hour alone thanks to much shorter lines; divided by the $45 ticket price, that’s $3.75 per ride — unheard of on a pre-Covid visit!
To help maximize your Magic Mountain experience, I highly recommending using the park’s mobile app, which includes useful features such as showing ride wait times and ordering ahead for food. We were able to jump on The Riddler stand-up coaster before receiving a text that our order was ready for pick-up at the nearby Johnny Rockets concession. (*Note: Many of the smaller snack carts are shuttered as are some indoor attractions.)
As the day progressed, it didn’t feel like the capacity was at 15% as advertised. One worker told us that if was actually FIFTY percent so perhaps with CA reaching a new health tier between the point of purchase and the day of our visit, the percentage mentioned could be modified accordingly without any notification?
“X” about to board X2 for the 2nd time!
Paging Dr. Delay
I recently had my very first doctor’s appointment via a video call and it mimicked an in-person visit in one major way: just like that 20-or-so-minute wait for the doctor to come into the examination room, there I was sitting on the edge of my bed for 20-25 minutes before the doctor appeared on the “Zoom”-style call (through the healthcare app on my iPhone).
Don’t get me wrong, I love my doctor and I wasn’t in a rush to be anywhere else but I was slightly hopeful that he might be able to jump on the call a little sooner than the real thing, especially when he was consulting from his home that day.
Small potatoes in the grand scheme of things, however, considering he did actually renew a prescription during the call and even pulled double duty by also keying in an appointment for an annual physical (in-person, of course!) this summer.
Now if they could just figure out a way to administer the Covid vaccine in pill form via an Amazon Prime delivery, I’d be all set!
A Clear and Present (and Future?) Danger
A quick weigh-in on the 2nd Trump Impeachment: The more one reflects on words and sentences like “failed insurrection” and “America being under siege from itself,” the severity of the matter is apt to ratchet up.
I read a CNN article today where a majority of the GOP is saying that now is not the time for Dems to focus on a formal action that could further divide the nation but instead on important issues like the pandemic. You know like the outgoing administration HASN’T been doing for the past several months. It’s not about being divisive, it’s about being held accountable and upholding the constitution and the presidential oath to the office.
It’s about Trump’s allies being complicit in their baseless claims of a fraudulent election and the radical supporters who formed a mob to storm the Capitol on Jan. 6. I wholeheartedly agree with pundits who are saying that without justice and accountability, there can be no healing.
But perhaps the saddest part are those Republications who oppose a second impeachment, submitting that we should simply believe Trump when he says there will be a peaceful transition of power on Jan. 20. Because, you know, he has a spotless track record of his word being as good as gold. And the fact that he never shows any remorse, regret or responsibility for anything speaks volumes.
On a travel note, I applaud AirBnB’s decision to cancel ALL short-term reservations in the Washington D.C. area next week, saying that it would review said bookings and any individuals either associated with hate groups or otherwise involved with the riot would have their reservations canceled and ban them from the AirBnB platform.
Above all else, this impeachment is about preserving and protecting our Democracy.
Super-Sanitized Staycation
IN JULY 2019 we spent a week in Kona on Hawaii’s Big Island. In 2020, we knew any summer vacation plans would look a lot different due to the pandemic, but we were determined to get some kind of “staycation” booked as sensibly and safely as possible.
With Hilton promoting its “CleanStay” initiative (with Lysol protection), I focused my search on their hotels (plus I’m a member of the Hilton Honors rewards program so could rack up some points!). I came across a nice-looking place in Carlsbad called The Cassara from their “Tapestry” collection of boutique properties and booked it for two nights.
The hotel has a resort feel to it, offering a variety of room categories; we chose a corner “suite” that had a king bed in the main living area and a separate bedroom with two twin beds. A seal on the door proclaimed that the room had been thoroughly cleaned.
Punctuating the drama is the majestic lobby and pair of pools (with hand sanitizing stations outside each gate). Lounge chairs are set up in socially distant groupings and the pool had lap lanes in the middle.
On the way to our corner suite, we caught a glimpse of Legoland thru the trees just across the road.
On Night 1, we ordered dinner from a Veggie Grill that was literally a two-minute drive down the road and brought it back to the hotel so we could enjoy our nicely-appointed room for the remainder of the evening. We went to a nearby beach on Day 2 (about 10-minutes by car; *See guest blog sidebar by Miss Athena below).
A major plus that we took advantage of on Night 2: the Karl Strauss Brewery & Restaurant that sits adjacent to the hotel and a short stroll from our room — a no-brainer in jumping on the opportunity to enjoy our first dinner out in more than six months. Like many eateries in the age of coronavirus, KS has tables set up — in this case rustic high-tops and picnic bench seating — in the parking lot, with an ordering system that is equally hygiene-friendly: place your order and pay at the bar, display your number stand on the socially-distant table of your choice, where the food is delivered by a server. The nice part about this setup is your party can just leave when finished.
I had the beer sausages (grilled cheddar brat/chili-chicken link, fries, pickled onion, spicy honey-sriracha mustard, $13.95) paired with a nice IPA while the rest of the famiglia dined on grilled chicken sandwiches (BBQ $14.50, mesquite $13.95) and a Chicken Chop Shop salad (grilled mesquite chicken breast, avocado, beer-brined bacon, poblano peppers, mixed lettuce, tomato, corn tortilla strips, chili-ranch dressing, $16.95).
And one glitch: I had set up a digital key in the HH app but never received it so had to resolve the matter in person at the front desk, where I was informed that the hotel hadn’t yet synced our particular room category with the app – a minor snag, though still slightly annoying nonetheless considering one of the main reasons for booking a Hilton property was for the chain’s contactless room entry feature. But all’s well that ends well: the hotel GM put 2,000 bonus points into my HH rewards account for the inconvenience!
* * *
BEACHY KEEN
By Miss A
As we pulled into the parking lot at Grandview Beach in Encinitas (San Diego County), I noticed it was very different than LA beaches. There were long wood steps down to the beach with palm trees standing next to the stairs. The view from the top was so pretty, the water was very blue and it was a beautiful day.
When we got down to the beach, there was very little sand space, mostly rocks and water. We set up our blanket and chairs sitting against a huge rock wall, the water almost touching our feet. I liked the different vibe, it was something new.
As usual my brothers and I went in the ocean, the water felt perfect because it was a hot day. Since there were so many different rocks on the wet sand around us, we picked out some that stood out and looked interesting. I had a fun day because I always enjoy going to the beach. It’s one of my favorite activities during the summer.
Video Clip of the Month: Monarch Mania
Filmed this afternoon by Xander, who has now nurtured 7 butterflies from their initial
caterpillar phase to chrysalis stage to the Monarchs being released from a pair of backyard
netted enclosures and taking flight into the skies of West L.A.
The New Nor-mall
I’m a minimal mall-going guy at best but when Miss A asked about an outdoor mall outing to celebrate her 8th grade graduation, it seemed like the perfect scenario for a father-daughter activity that would meet my social distancing w/face covering requirements.
When we arrived at Westfield Century City, the parking structure was pretty devoid of cars so we pulled into a spot that was close to the escalator near one of our preferred entry points – Eataly (though only the market/supermarket portions were open for business). From the hand sanitizing stands to the many safety announcements and distance demarcations on the ground, it was great to see all the new procedures and precautions that are in place in response to the pandemic.
We strolled around a bit, noting all the stores that are still shuttered (including Apple and Disney). Places to eat on the food terrace are also limited at this time so we decided to bounce and find another place for a takeout lunch.
No big deal, our day was already going splendidly (not to mention parking fees have been suspended at the mall!)
Food for Thought: Takeaway Triumph
Having prepared soooo many meals at home over the past two months of quarantine, we decided to treat ourselves to a fancy meal and at the same time introduce the kiddoes to their first higher-end dining experience.
An email from Melisse set the plan in motion: the momentous Santa Monica restaurant was offering takeaway for pre-order: first and second courses of burrata and arugula salad with snap peas and strawberries and a wild King Salmon appetizer (green asparagus, champignon mushrooms, citrus and tarragon); an entrée of either filet of beef (with pasta stuffed with braised beef daube) or seed crusted Liberty Duck breast (with roasted carrots and turnips, currants and capers, and red wine lentils); and a lemon toffee crunch (coconut dacquoise, whipped condensed milk and a white sauce infused with chamomile) capping the brilliant meal.
Even the country rolls with salted beurre de baratte that came with the order were — mon dieu!
The whole experience exceeded my expectations from pick-up through our lemon toffee crunch desserts! I knew the food would be great coming from a two-Michelin star kitchen but I was most curious how the whole thing would translate to a curbside pick-up/enjoy-at-home setting. Our order was bagged, tagged and ready to place in our car trunk as soon as we arrived for our 6 p.m. “reservation.”
As we unpacked everything, the quality that you would see in the restaurant was instantly noticeable — from the containers that held the food to the labeling and reheating/serving instructions (unique touch with the crossword puzzle on the backside of said instructions!) The filet was crazy good, the duck even more insane and the King Salmon appetizer bursting with tarragon flavor!
Nothing lost in translation with this takeaway experience…
Image(s) of the Month: Avocados, an Anniversary and April Quarantine Will Bring May Monarchs
While people adjust to life under quarantine, nature continues its cycles of life: Xander is on a mission to single-handedly save the Monarch butterfly via a backyard garden. From caterpillar to chrysalis, this cocoon is just days away from hatching and taking flight.
More than ever before, our backyard has become a recreational oasis with its basketball hoop, baseball batting tee/net and cornhole competitions, as well as an ongoing beautification project for the famiglia. But the crowning jewel has to be the record yield we are enjoying from our avocado tree.
Oh yes and we also devoted some quality time with a nice bottle of Santa Barbara rose to toast our 22nd anniversary from the backyard deck! (Troy made the chocolate chip cookie skillets topped with pudding anniversary message)
lifex5 