On Monday night, our last night in Pismo Beach, we decided to go to a restaurant that looked very nice on paper (actually, glass, but let’s not be picky): Ventana Grill.
After a 20-second drive, we realized how close it was from our hotel…
The place is very nice, both on outside and inside. The location is also prime, as it is perched on top of the cliff, overlooking Pismo Beach and the Pacific Ocean. The view was not spectacular that night for 2 reason: it was night time, and the fog that lingered all day decided to go to OT and even got heavier as the temperature dropped.
The atmosphere inside was great, with a musician, Matt Cross, entertaining us with his acoustic guitar and his great voice. Dinner started out very well with the appetizers, and a good bottle of a wine called Iscosceles, from Justin Winery, in the Paso Robles wine region. A nice Bordeaux-blend, with a flowery nose, nice legs, strong red berries, pineapple, dark chocolate and spice accents… I have been listening to those sommeliers too much lately…
Our entrees were a little disappointing, but who are we? Food critics?!! I guess it would be a nice way to travel the world! Food for thought (pun intended)…
The next day, we packed our dirty laundry and got on the road again.
Our destination of the day was San Diego, California. The drive was not as scenic as the past few legs of our trip. Most of the drive was on highways, with a large section around Los Angeles. We could have planned better and followed the coastline, but instead, we followed Jack, the GPS. It is clear by now that Jack knows jack!
Once we passed smoggy LA, we continued on I-405 and then Pacific Coast Highway to San Diego.
As we approached our hotel, the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina, we realized that the hotel was adjacent to the airport… The San Diego airport is indeed right in the city! Not unique, but weird nonetheless. The hotel, fancy, is a bit of a contradiction: on one side, you can see the runways, and the other side, you can see the marina and the beautiful bay. The bars, patios and swimming pools are of course on the marina side. It looks and feels great until you have to duck to let a plane land… A little too close for comfort!
We decided to relocate our stay to the downtown Westin Horton Plaza, for a less kerosene-fueled stay… $100 later, the cancellation/reservation was done and we did the 5-minute drive to our new home for the week.
After a long drive, we didn’t feel very enthusiastic about San Diego, but we gave it the benefit of the doubt. After a quick dinner at a local Thai place, we called it a night.
Today, we decided to explore the north part of San Diego, namely the city of Del Mar and La Jolla, both on the ocean. Located about 30 minutes north of San Diego, both places are very charming and have the undeniable advantage (at least for us) to be ‘beach towns’. We strolled on Del Mar beach, watching surfers (a lot of them!) and birds, under an overcast sky, once again.
After Del Mar, we drove a few miles back towards San Diego, along the ocean, and got to Torrey Pines! For those who are golf fans, Torrey Pines is a very special place!! I am a golf fan, and I had to see it for myself!
We then stopped in La Jolla, to check the beach and the sea-lions, and other cormorants…
We then proceeded to drive back to our base camp using the back roads.
For Dinner, we went for sushi at a place called Ra, in the Gaslamp Quarter (where our hotel is located). A very trendy and good sushi place, with some damn good sake too!! Domo Arigato!
Sake helping, we retreated to our abode, thinking about the fun we’re going to have tomorrow!!
Later.
G.
