One more piece of symmetry....

I only picked up on this when I was showing photos to my students....all in the name of education, of course!!!

 

NYC: Taken on the Highline

 

San Diego: Statue next to USS Midway

 

NYC 1945:

 

 

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This is the end.....

San Diego/Los Angeles/Melbourne: Wednesday 13 to Friday 15 October, 2013

All good things must end. But I could really have kept going for a bit longer. I've become good at this relaxing thing. The cruise was certainly good training.

After checking out, we went to our final Man vs. Food restaurant: the Broken Yolk Cafe. Then it was the awful drive on the freeways back to LA and an earlyish dinner at the Cheesecake Factory before returning the car and heading to the airport.

Checked in with two heavy, UNDERWEIGHT bags and that was the end. Other than the long trip home. But thanks to the wonder of sleeping pills, I got about six or seven hours sleep. Nice to go away, a little depressing to come home, but I've already started planning 2014s trip....and 2015!!!

On this trip,

• I visited three countries and seven major cities in the States.
• I ate at nine different Man vs. Food restaurants.
• I walked approximately fifty kms around New York in three days.
• I saw where Elvis left America for Europe and where he lived and died.
• I sailed the Caribbean and then saw the Pirates of the Caribbean.
• I travelled through Europe while being in the US: Rome, Dublin, Paris....
• I drank cocktails on a rooftop in NYC, in a spa/hot tub, in a pool, outside a pool, on a banana lounge, in restaurants and on the Caribbean....and generally didn't get drunk.
• I visited my third Disney theme park.
• I adopted an NBA team....go Grizzlies!!!
• I saw my first Halloween parade.
• I won a freaking karaoke contest....all those hours in Japan have finally paid off.
• I acknowledged the historical significance of two places where important Americans died in the Lorraine Hotel and Dealey Plaza.
• I fulfilled a dream of having a bourbon on Bourbon Street....10 years late, but I did it!!
• I met a Mexican named Juan...cliche much?
• I learned not to flinch when Ben made left hand turns.
• I went to the Apollo in NYC where many blues artists from Clarksdale played once becoming successful.
• I only bought three pairs of shoes....and three pairs of thongs....and one pair of freaking awesome cowboy boots.
• I ate grits....they're best with salt, butter and butter pecan syrup from IHOP.
• I was called a variety of endearments that would usually make me want to snot someone, and melted every time.
• I ate food from six different countries and ate too much every time.
• I waited for over thirty minutes to watch four ducks run up a red carpet.
• I travelled with five fantastic friends with whom I would travel with again. And again. And again. And again.
• I put down a deposit on a future Royal Caribbean cruise.
• I turned forty.
• And I didn't have a nervous breakdown....but it's early days yet!!

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Rancho Relaxo

San Diego: Tuesday 12 October, 2013

 

Today was a total Rancho Relaxo day. After a lurverly sleep in and a crap room service breakfast, it was time to hit the pool.

 

The only crap part being the weather. Overcast. No sun and a little cool. Not the best conditions for my sun tanning. But a heated pool, a good book and good company made up for it.

Other than relaxing, scoring heaps of travel sized Aveda shampoo, conditioners, body soap and moisturises from housekeeping, not much happened today. Dinner at the Veranda Restaurant rounded out a perfect relaxing today.

 

Apart from packing up all my stuff, it was the perfect, relaxing day!!

 

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Another little blue box...

San Diego: Monday 11 October, 2013

 

After two nights in the Best Western, I checked out for our next destination: Rancho Bernado. Or as we dubbed it: Rancho Relaxo!!

 

Prior to check out, I went for a wander through the shops in La Jolla. It's a bit of a ritzy area with high end shops, art galleries and a homeless man lying on a bench peeing on the street. Classy, La Jolla, classy!!

 

I did find my new favourite artist. Who's name escapes me at the moment, but his art is in the Lichtenstein pop art genre. This one was only $800-ish. The big canvas was $4800!!

However, according to the lovely gallery owner, I can buy prints online for about $25. Now what was his name again....

 

The local church has an interesting session....I wonder if they can Skype the noon session??

 

These toffee apples (more like choc apples) were huge. And slightly sickly sounding!

 

Ben and Amber decided to go to the movies. However, not having bought enough shoes, I felt this was a better way to spend my time. Disappointingly, I was not able to find anything suitable and after having an awesome sushi lunch, I decided to spoil myself a little at Tiffany. I'm on holiday and I'm forty. I can do whatever the bloody hell I want to!!

 

On arrival at Rancho Relaxo, I could feel my shoulders drop. Not that they needed to, but it was a beautiful place to stay. They have their own day spa and country club and lots of helpful staff. My room was going to be on the opposite side of the compound to B & A, but they changed my king bed to two doubles and I ended up with an awesome view!! And the sound of thwacking golf balls was surprisingly soothing!

 

Dinner was delivery pizza and apparently we talk funny. When you walk into a room with three Australians, it's YOU who talks funny, dude!! Dessert was room service creme brûlée. Other than being cold, it was fantastic....phenomenally thick toffee on top!! Yummo!!!

 

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Sunny San Diego....

San Diego: Sunday October 10, 2013

 

An early-ish morning for me today and a walk along the cliffs/beach at La Jolla. It was beeyootiful and sunny and all of the plastic fantastic housewives were out for a brisk walk. As I walked out the hotel, I found a cafe named Aroma on the corner. Quite apt as there was the distinct aroma of seal faeces in the air. Along La Jolla Cove there is a healthy seal population. And a little bit stinky.

 

It was really nice just to stroll along the cliffs and the beach....

 

And watch the seals....

 

And play in the wrong side of the Pacific....

 

And go rock pooling....

 

I found my perfect house....only I want to move it so that the backyard opens up onto the beach and not the rocks....Oh. And move it to Australia....

 

I met some locals on a photo shoot....

She was easily in her late 60s and trying to relive her youth....maybe me in 20 years time....

 

A walk back in the other direction to La Jolla Caves provided some great views....

 

And most of the seal population appeared to be near the caves. Very stinky and loud, but they looked very relaxed....

 

A groovy phone box for lifeguards...hope they have the key!!

 

After finding Ben and Amber, we headed off for the day and Ben took us to a great vantage point with fab-o views of the city....

 

A stop off at Shelter Island for some ice-cream.....

Don't drink the water....or eat too many of the fishes!!!!

 

A drive by of the USS Midway....

 

And a quick squiz at the statue of one of the most famous photos taken at the end of World War 2.....

The original photo....

 

A trip across the bloody scary Corronado Bridge led as to a beautiful area of San Diego....this was the posh area where San Diegoans used to go to holiday....But the bridge was scary....low rails....

 

It was reassuring to know that we were in a tsunami danger zone whilst heading to the beach....

 

But lovely to once again dip my feet into the freezing Pacific. Wherever you go, whatever beach you are on, whatever the weather, there are always kids playing on the beach....bloody nuts!!

I wasn't referring to us as the kids....but we are a bit nuts...

 

The Corronado Hotel is famous for having some scenes from Some Like It Hot (I think??) filmed there. It was pretty.

 

From there, we headed south and had lunch at one of the dodgiest looking places ever. $0.99 fish tacos couldn't possibly be any good. Happy to be proven wrong on that one. They were flamin' delish!! Further south to the border and we had great views of Mexico from the car park....(I'm as confused as you!!)

It's really weird, as just over the fence is essentially a third world country and we are in the land of plenty....

 

From the border, it was back into town and to the famous Rocky Balboa Park. Surely that's who it was named after?? There was a great artists' market where I made a couple of purchases.

 

There was a great fountain in the park....

 

And great juxtaposition....on this side you have a bible basher....

....and a psychic on this side.....

 

There is a lot of beautiful architecture in RBP....

Some more interesting architecture.....

 

It's ridunckulous how early the sun goes down.....bang on 5 o'clock!!

 

To continue our Man vs. Food odyssey, we had dinner at Phil's. Oh. My. God. THIS is what I was hoping for at the Rendezvous. The beef rib was a-maze-ing. Tender, juicy....I'm salivating just thinking about it now!! And all washed down with a pint of the wonderful Jamaican Red Stripe beer. Bliss!!

It may have gone to my head....not sure what Amber's excuse was??!!??

Ben was also quite chuffed with his dinner. Most of which he needed a doggy bag for!! Not that you can tell from this face!

 

I'll remember that meal for a while!! As will my hips and thighs I'll warrant....

 

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