Any questions, just ask. Take a look! Leave a comment if you want, I’ll be waiting….

San Francisco 2011 photos

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And yes, there will be pictures here soon. But not yet!

We decided to take a short trip to San Francisco for our anniversary. We left Friday early afternoon and arrived a couple hours later at our first destination, a reuse/recycle store called Scrap. We found a few things there but not much, but it was still fun to look. Then we made our way through the traffic and rain to our hotel, the Galleria Park. It’s in a great location and close to a lot of things. We checked in, just in time for the free daily wine reception (translate: free wine). We were getting pretty hungry and luckily we had brought with us  a 24-page list of vegetarian/vegan friendly places. Good luck, there was a pizza place five blocks down the street that offered vegan cheese as an option so we walked in the drizzle, looking forward to the meal. Alas, they no longer offered the option so we left, a bit disappointed. But after checking on our phones, we found an all-vegan chinese food  restaurant less than half a mile away, just into Chinatown. We walked there, to the Lucky Creation. The rice was just ok, but the other two dishes were really good. Then back to the hotel and we called it a day.

Saturday we had a full day planned. We starting walking and stopped for a few minutes to watch people skate at the outdoor skating rink near Macy’s. Then we took a ride on the famous cable car system to the North Beach area. We had lunch at Cafe Sapora, with a number of vegan and vegetarian options on the menu. It was a tasty sandwich. Next we stopped at XOX Chocolates, a very small shop that also offered four types of vegan truffles. Dessert! Then we hopped a bus to the touristy area. We breezed through Ghirardelli Square, not finding much to see there, on past some street vendors, through the Fisherman’s Wharf area, and then to Pier 39. All tourist stuff but still fun and a nice way to spend the afternoon. We rode the cable car back and, lo and behold, at the turnaround end of the line there just happened to be a five-story record store, Rasputin Music! Yes, we spend a while there and our wallets got a little lighter too. So we walked back, pausing again briefly at the ice rink. But we were hungry again! We found a little place called California Golden Cookies and Cafe (really!). It was cold and damp outside but this place had the best vegan lentil soup I have ever had. So good. Then back to the hotel, just in time for the free wine reception! It was time for more shopping though, this time to Amoeba Music. Their three locations are huge, and this one is a former bowling alley and truly massive. Two and a half hours later they were getting ready to close so we grabbed our purchases and left. We headed a couple miles down Haight Street and had a vegan sandwich at Love and Haight. It was pretty good and at after 10:00 it was fine. And that was Saturday.

On Sunday we took the BART train over to the Mission District to go to a vegan restaurant (a chain of three actually) that we had been to a few years back, called Herbivore. We had a great brunch and we were ready for the day. We stopped at a nearby shoe store, the Bonita Trading Company, because Petra wanted some rain boots (yes, it was raining again) and she found some. We took the BART train back to the hotel and then went to spend the afternoon at the Museum of Modern Art. It was my first time there but I will be back. It was large and full of interesting art, all modern, which is what I like for the most part. Next, it was back to the hotel for that free wine reception again. Afterwards, we had dinner at a mall food court. Say what? Well, this was actually a vegan place in the food court, one of the worldwide Loving Hut locations. We thought we were going to see the play Hair in the evening but due to a scheduling mixup it didn’t happen. We were bummed about that but went back to the hotel and had a couple glasses of wine and got a decent night’s rest.

Then it was Monday, the day to go home. We took a brief walk at the third floor garden area and then checked out. We went back to Herbivore and had brunch again. And it was really good again, maybe even better than the day before. Instead of going home, though, we took a side trip to Santa Cruz, about an hour and a half southward. Our friends Larry and Robin live there and we always like to see them. But the draw that day for Petra was that former American Idol finalist James Durbin was at Streetlight Records signing copies of his first CD, released that very day. We stood in the cold for a couple hours and then got to talk to James and he signed her CD and t-shirt. He seems to be a really nice and genuine person. More power to him. We had dinner with Larry at Cafe Gratitude, a local vegan restaurant, which was very good. Then we said our goodbyes and drove home. It was a good trip!

Note: These photos came from my cell phone camera. There may be other pictures posted later.

Any questions, just ask. Besides Petra and me, you might even notice a couple pictures of our friends Mama O and Liz. Take a look! Leave a comment if you want, I’ll be waiting….

Seattle/Bumbershoot 2011 photos

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Monday September 5

Last day of the Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival and the routine is familiar. A bit of food in the room and then we took the monorail over to the festival. Once there, we snacked at the hospitality room and pondered the myriad of possibilities for the day. At one of the booths we watched a song or two by Lemolo, which I didn’t really like. It was very low-key female vocal but much too low-key. Today we had decided to see some comedy too, not just music. Our VIP passes got us to the front of all the comedy lines so we wanted to take advantage of that. The comedy show we went to had a short funny introduction by Baron somebody (I think), didn’t catch the last name. But the main show was two fairly well-known comedians, Amy Shumer and Eugene Mirman. Seriously, Amy was so funny I barely stopped laughing for her whole set. Politically incorrect. Yep. Funny? Hilarious! And Mr. Mirman was very funny too. Great show. After that, we watched a four-person panel discussion about being vegan, featuring the Black Metal Vegan Chef. He is so cool, check out his videos on YouTube. The panel was humorous at times and informative.

Petra headed out to see more comedy, including some she really liked (Hari Kandaboly, Kyle Kinane) and one guy that she didn’t like (Anthony Jeselnik). I went into the basement stage (aka “the pit”) to see Eisley, a family band (three sisters up front, plus a brother and cousin) who do alternative rock but with hooks and really nice harmonies. They were very good and I stayed for the whole set. Afterward I bought their newest CD and they signed it for me and chatted with me for a minute or two. Awesome! (side note, I saw this band again a few days ago in Sacramento, you can read about that here). We hooked back up at the hospitality area. Larry and Robin had been there earlier and offered to save us some seats (thanks!) in the Mainstage for the evenings blue-eyed soul double bill. First up was Fitz and the Tantrums, a newer band who had a minor hit with “Moneygrabber”. They were entertaining if not exactly innovative. It was soulful rock that was good but, like I said, felt awful familiar and didn’t challenge the listener at all. Still, the audience was on their feet and loving it! Next up (and I would use the same compliments and criticisms) were veteran rockers Hall and Oates. Yes, that Hall and Oates. They have had a ton of hits and ran through most of them. They put on a good show and did just what people expected. There was not one new song and nothing that hadn’t been heard before. But they have their stuff down and put on a very entertaining show. And that was it, Bumbershoot 2011 was over. Sigh. How many days until next year?

Tuesday September 6

We had today free before we had to fly home tomorrow so we took the chance to see more of Seattle. We took a free bus down to near the Seattle Ferry docks and caught a ferry boat (I’m on a boat! - watch at your own risk) to nearby Bainbridge Island. There are plenty of shops and stuff there so we looked around a bit then had lunch at Emmy’s VegeHouse, an all vegan asian mini-restaurant. It was delicious! The we looked around a bit more and found Doc’s Marina Grill, a nice and friendly place with a big patio area looking out on the harbor. We had a drink and relaxed for a bit there. Then we took the ferry back to the mainland, what a pleasant ride. We caught a bus up to the Capitol Hill area, in search of dinner at the Sage Cafe, another vegan place but with sandwich and burger type selections. Good stuff again. We bussed back but stopped at Everyday Music, a big record store, and Elliot Bay Books, a huge place too. Then a bus back to the hotel. After that day, we went up to the eleventh floor Cloud Room for a glass of wine or two. Not a bad day, huh?

Wednesday September 7

The last day. And this makes stevenology sad. Sigh. So we packed our luggage. Sigh. But it was NOT over! We walked over to Cyber-Dog for an awesome vegetarian dog with plenty of toppings. I love this place! The owner (Tatiana) actually left us in charge of the place when she went to move and park her car. If you go to Seattle then GO THERE. Even if you are not vegetarian, you will like it. Then we checked out of the hotel, caught the light rail to the airport, had a margarita with some chips and salsa at the airport, and then flew Southwest (my favorite airline) back to Sacramento. That wraps it up for 2011. See you in 2012, Seattle! Wait for me!

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Saturday September 3

Mid-morning we took the convenient monorail over to the Seattle Center, the site of the Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival. Today was the first day of this amazing event. Doors opened at 11:00 but we got there at about 10:30 and they let us in early! I took that as a good omen. We got our Starbucks pass, allowing us free coffee drinks for the entire festival. Can’t argue with that. Then we went to the VIP hospitality lounge for some food to get us started for the day. They were determined to provide vegetarian and even some vegan options too. We checked our schedules for the day and decided to start with a new stage this year (EMP Level 3) where Seattle’s Tomten was playing. They had won a competition to get a performing slot and were pretty good. Indie-type rock with a little more to the songs than some. Oh, and in case I forget, all three days of the festival we ate some festival food too. Eating is fun! But back to the music. The next act we saw was at the Main Stage (moved indoors this year), 90s act The Presidents of the USA. We watched about half of their set and they are still doing what they have always done. Of course they did their hit “Lump” and a bunch of others. Meanwhile, we realized that with our VIP passes we got some free drink tickets, so we went to one of the beer gardens and had a beer (or in Petra’s case, a glass of wine). At a nearby stage P.S. I Love You was playing but we didn’t hear anything that made us want to stick around. Not with so many other options. What are there, 12-15 stages?

Oh, plus the small “secret” stage that VIP passes get you into, or you can win tickets like Larry and Robin had done. We saw Vetiver in there next. They were good if not memorable.  Pleasant at least. Next up in the secret stage was Trombone Shorty and his band. The music was basic funk and blues, but he was very charismatic and talented and it ended up being a great show. Then we went back to the Level 3 stage to see Pickwick. There were hundreds of people in line for this act, people obviously knew something we didn’t. Luckily our passes got us up to the front of the line and we got in. And the show was really good! It was blue-eyed soul but well done and the band had really made their sound tight. After that, I watched part of a set by Little Dragon, which was kind of electronic with a woman singer. For a couple songs it was interesting but got less so. Petra had left to see the “real” (non-secret) set by Trombone Shorty and soon enough I went over there too. He was good again but not quite as good as the earlier show IMHO. After that was Mavis Staples, and for her we watched the whole set. She is great and has been for, what, 50-60 years since the Staples Singers days. She’s a mix of gospel, political, pop, funk, and soul. This makes twice I’ve seen her live and both times she  delivered the goods. After all of that, we all went back to our hotel room to talk about the day and to strategize over who to see the next day.

Sunday September 4

Day two of the festival. Once again we had a little food in the room and then took the monorail to the festival. We catch it a few blocks from the hotel, it takes about 90 seconds, and we get out right at the festival grounds. So convenient! First thing, we got our free Starbucks drinks. Then the hospitality lounge and a snack there too. First up, in the small “secret” stage, was Mad Rad, a blend of hiphop, electronic, and rock, and some energetic cool weirdness thrown in too. This was a really good set. We chose the “secret” stage again for Tennis (the band, not the sport). This was a decent set by the three-piece, but the guitar was too loud. The woman’s keyboards and vocals were lost a lot of the time. So it ended up being loud guitar mostly. And we were in the center of the second row (our spot for all the small stage shows), so it wasn’t that we were sitting in the wrong place. It was just mixed badly. After that, at one of the booths there was a 4-song mini-set by Allen Stone, a white, long-haired, shaggy guy who sang like a long time soul crooner. He did NOT look like he sounded! Petra liked him a lot and made a note to see his full set later. While waiting for another act a bit later, we heard a few songs by the Jim Jones Review. It was sloppy, punky, and nothing special at all. But we were waiting for Pickwick to play the small stage. We had seen their full set yesterday and liked it so much we wanted to see them in the small stage too. And they were very good again!

Of course there was plenty of food today too, don’t ever doubt that.  Then I went to see an all-female band called Warpaint, who ended up being good. I watched for a while and then ran into Mama O and Liz and talked for a couple minutes. Meanwhile Petra was seeing Allen Stone’s full set and loving it. We met back up in the hospitality lounge for more food and then back out into the festival. After a couple minutes of Toro Y Moi, we both decided that was enough of that. Then we watched some of the set by The Kills, a man/woman duo that has a noisy, bluesy minimal rock sound. It was good but it was late and we headed back to the hotel room. The rest of the gang came by and we strategized about the next day and which artists to see then…

To be continued. Day three and more coming soon…

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We just got back from our annual trek to Seattle for the Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival (and more). I’ll post some pictures soon, but in the meantime here is a short synopsis of what we did. Enjoy, and maybe we’ll see you there next year…

Wednesday August 31

We flew to Seattle (Southwest Airlines) and arrived in the afternoon. Seattle has a great light rail train system that took us from the airport (nowhere near the actual city) all the way up to three blocks from our hotel. For just a few bucks! We checked in at The Camlin and then walked about five blokcs or so to the nearby Whole Foods Market, to get some supplies. You know, chips, salsa, cereal, fruit, soy milk, bottled water, wine, just the necessities. We lugged all that back to the hotel and then we were truly ready for anything. Well, pretty much. But we were hungry too! We were walking the block or so to Cyber-Dogs, a great vegetarian hot dog place, when we bumped into a couple of our fellow Sacramento friends, Mama O and Liz. We chatted a bit on the street (sidewalk actually) and then went to Cyber-Dogs for our meal (menu). This place gives you a lot of food, not just a measly hot dog. Next it was back to the room to plan out the event of the next couple days. Yes, I love Seattle!

Thursday September 1

We had some food in the room before heading out for the day, to the Seattle Center area. First stop was the Experience Music Project, a great music museum that we try to visit every year. New this year was a very comprehensive Nirvana exhibit, and the neighboring Science Fiction Museum (part of EMP, same admission gets you into both) has a really nice Avatar exhibit. Then we went to the Bamboo Garden vegetarian food nearby. A combination plate was a fine choice, though any of the hundreds of things on the menu would have been ok since it is all vegetarian (mostly vegan actually). Sufficiently stuffed, we walked down the street to Silver Platters, a good record, CD, and video store. Of course we found some music we needed. Of course Next we headed back over to the Seattle Center and picked up our VIP passes for the upcoming Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival. The VIP passes cost more but they give you a lot of benefits that make the festival a much better and easier experience.

As we left there we met up with more of our group that had traveled from Sacramento, Larry and Robin. The four of us walked over to the Visual Arts preview. This was a sneak preview of the visual arts exhibits for the festival. One room had “Bumber By Number”, a huge paint-by-number that wrapped around three walls. Anyone could paint in a few spaces so that by the end of the festival it would be all done. So Petra and I did just that. One other quirk was that the paints were actually chalk-like things that looked like vegetables. Yeah. Art! Another room had “The Magic Show” which had objects as art, with emphasis on illusion. There was more, but you get the idea. We took the monorail back to the condo room and then the four of us went to see a Major League Baseball game! The Seattle Mariners to be specific.  We had excellent seats in the first row behind the visitor’s dugout. It was a lot of fun and I got friendly with the mascot, a very energetic moose. Well, not THAT friendly but he was next to me a bunch of times. After the game we went back to the condo but headed up to the 11th (top) floor “Cloud Room” to relax with a couple beverages and to talk about the day and also the one to come next.

Friday September 2

Today’s destination was the University District and the four of us bussed it over there. We checked out a vegan store (Sidecar for Pigs Peace) and then had lunch at the Wayward Vegan Cafe. Man, was this a good meal. Serious. We walked around the district a bit and popped into a few stores here and there. Larry and Robin headed back to town but Petra and I stayed there a bit longer, including a visit to Half Price Books, where we (of course) found more to bring home. Not a big surprise. Next, we bussed it back to the hotel and the took the monorail to the Seattle Center area. We stopped in at Easy Street Records and of course found more music that we needed. Yes, needed. A quick stop at the supermarket formerly known as Larry’s, and then we lined up for the evening’s entertainment. It was a film preview of the Seattle International Film Festival. The film festival is part of the Bumbershoot festival, but we were able to see six short films the night before it for free! These short films are always interesting. One of them had actually won the short film Academy Award. By the it was getting late and we all went back to the hotel room to strategize. No I don’t mean to talk, drink, laugh, and wonder who to see at the first day of Bumbershoot tomorrow. Ok, ok, that is exactly what we all did. Six great minds in one room. And after that we got some sleep.

To be continued…

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We left Sacramento by car in the late afternoon and arrived in Oakland (near San Francisco) a couple hours later. We are traveling with Petra‘s parents to Hawaii to attend her brother’s wedding. After checking in to the hotel for an overnight stay before the Hawaii flight in the morning, we went to a nearby Italian restaurant (Francesco’s) for some dinner. It was good and we all ate a lot of the great bread too. Then Petra’s dad and I dropped the car off at a lot and caught the shuttle(s) back to the hotel. We’ll see the car again in a week or so. Now it’s time to get some rest. There’s a very early wake-up call with my name on it.

Sunday June 26th

It was an early morning. The shuttle came to take us from the hotel to the airport at around 7:40 or so. At the airport, Petra got frisked and felt and her hands checked for something (powder residue or who knows what). Just lucky, I guess. It was a long flight to Oahu and a very short one from there to Kauai. The good news, they actually served food on the flight. The bad news, nothing vegetarian at all. Someday when I am king things will be different   Anyway, then we waited to get a rental car. And waited. And waited. Yes, Budget took about an awful, slow, hour and a half to get us a car. But we finally made it to the hotel around four-ish in the afternoon. And that even included gaining three hours because of the time difference. We found a natural food store and cafe almost across the street and got a pretty good sandwich and artichoke salad, then hit up the nearby Safeway for some supplies for the week, mainly breakfast and snacks. OK, some beverages too. We got back to the room and got the Internet wi-fi up and running in the room (always very important) and played with that for a short while, then met up with most if not all of the wedding party  out on the lawn and patio by the ocean for some drinks, snacks, and conversation. Then it was time for some shut-eye. The evening breeze here is great and the temperature at night was lower 70s. Tropical, lush, beautiful. But enough about me…  haha…

Monday June 27th

It was a leisurely morning. Sometimes I like it that way. When you can sit on your patio and watch the ocean waves, well, what’s the hurry? And later in the morning we visited a bit on the lawn near the ocean. That all built up a powerful hunger (it doesn’t take much for me) so Petra and I walked over to Papaya’s, the nearby natural foods store that also sells hot and cold prepared foods and had some lunch. Then it was time to get ready for the wedding. Yeah, remember, that is the reason that we came to Hawaii. At least one of the reasons  We drove about 45 minutes or so to a beach (Shipwreck Beach) on the south end of Kauai. The wedding was on the beach and went off really well. Everyone was happy and the bride and groom especially. After the ceremony and what seemed like a million photos, the wedding party of 18 went for dinner at a place called Brennecke’s. Most people had the seafood, or some had the beef. We know better than that (haha), so we had the vegetarian burgers. Hey, they were one of the cheapest things on the menu and were actually pretty darned good. So was the mango margarita, now that I think back on it. So, after a long dinner and drive back to the resort, we were “home” for the evening.

Tuesday June 28th

First off, a big birthday shout out to our granddaughter Josephine! Now, as for today, we went to downtown (old town) Kapaa. We wandered around and looked at a bunch of galleries and shops, including a great glass art gallery called Kela’s. We had a really good lunch at the Mermaid’s Cafe (plenty of vegetarian and vegan options) and also got a “shave ice” nearby. Then we took a drive up the coast, almost until the road ended. The island is so lush and beautiful and green. On the way back, we stopped at a farmer’s market. They have some really unusual fruits and veggies here! Next stop was a store to pick up a cable so we could hook our MP3 players up to the boom box in the condo, then a quick stop at Hilo Hattie, a Hawaiian chain that sells hawaiian stuff to tourists. Then we had some snacks with Petra‘s Mom and Dad and after that we called it a day, which it obviously was.

Wednesday June 29th

As with most of the mornings here, we had some fruit and cereal in the condo room, checked email and Facebook, and then were ready to start the day. We walked back dwn to old town (downtown) Kaapa, a mile or so. Of course, it’s always warm and a bit humid here so we absolutely needed a “shave ice“. Better than a snow cone, the ice is a fluffy snowy consistency so that the flavorings stay more in the ice and less collect at the bottom. Yes, there is a difference. We looked around the town for a while and of course got hungry again. We went back to Mermaid’s Cafe, yesterday’s lunch site too. We both ordered a different item from yesterday and (yay!) these were really good too! By then it was mid-afternoon. We rented some bikes for only $5 each to go for a ride. They didn’t take a deposit or license or credit card or anything. Very trusting. There’s a 4.2 mile path, about 8-10 feet wide that goes up the coast, along the ocean, sometimes near the cliff, sometimes a little further in, but still all along the way during the ride there was an amazing view of the ocean. The parts nearer the edge (still plenty safe) were almost breathtaking in the views of the ocean. We took a few breaks and rode the whole trail up and back. The breeze was very refreshing and it was a really enjoyable time. Then we walked back to the condo. But by then – you guessed it – we were hungry again! So we walked back a half mile or so to a mexican food restaurant we had seen earlier in the day, called Verde. They had a bunch of unusual vegetarian and vegan options and the food was very good and the portions were generous. Yeah, baby, that’s what I’m taking about! We came back to the condo and visited with the family and friends for a while and another day was done. I can see this trip will be too short, I can tell that already.

Thursday June 30th

Mornings here are so nice, with the ocean not far outside the back door and patio, waves crashing softly and the vast blue ocean stunning in it’s clarity and awesomeness. We had some fruit and cereal in the room and were ready for more of beautiful Kauai. Today’s first destination was the Kauai Coffee Company, the largest coffee producer in Hawaii. We took the self-guided tour and learned about the coffee process. Of course there were samples of about 15-20 different coffees too. On the way back we stopped at a Hawaiian shopping mall and looked around a little. Yes, it was almost exactly like a mainland mall. Not much to see there, and and yes we skipped the Starbucks. Once back in Kapaa where we were staying, we went for a shave ice for some cool refreshment and then picked up a few supplies for the next couple days at the Natural Foods Store and Safeway. We had a nice dinner with Petra’s folks at Shivalik Indian Cuisine. The dinner buffet was really good, all vegetarian except for two chicken dishes which we easily avoided. And all you can eat! Then back to the condo. I actually got in the pool for a few minutes, which doesn’t happen very often. Then it was off to bed, there’s a full schedule tomorrow.

Friday July 1

We were up early because the tour bus was picking us up at 7:30 or so. We had booked a tour of some of the main Kapaa attractions on the south and west sides of the island, and it was pretty much an all-day event. We saw some of the south side as we rode to pick up other travelers. The first official attraction was the Spouting Horn, a blow hole by the ocean where the water shot up into the sky. Apparently there were once two of them, but the larger one was dynamited because the salt water was ruining the nearby sugar cane. There’s no sugar cane or pineapple grown in Hawaii anymore to speak of but there is a big crater where the other blow hole once was. All along the trip our guide pointed out neighborhoods and landmarks and told us history and folklore about the places and about Hawaii in general. Cool! We also stopped at Waimea Canyon, the “grand canyon of the pacific”. It’s a large, impressive canyon but nowhere near the size of the real Grand Canyon (see our pics from that trip). This one was really colorful though, with all the lush green vegetation and the red dirt. We also saw the site of a former Russian Fort, now gone except for some of the stone pieces. Mid-day we stopped at Joe’s On The Green for lunch. It’s a nice restaurant on a golf course. Then we had a quick stop at the Kauai Coffee Company. We had been there the day before and had spent more time then seeing it. Next stop was the Wailua River tour, on a large barge down a beautiful river. At the end of the ride was the renown Fern Grotto. It was very pretty and we’ll have some pictures of everything up soon. On the boat back they provided some Hawaiian entertainment and at one point they had us all doing the hula. Yikes! It was a long tour in total, nearly ten hours. Then the whole group of us (mostly), went to Brick Oven Pizza for a dinner. The pizza was ok but the two margaritas were better. Then back to the condo, tired but feeling good after the long day.

Saturday July 2

Today we headed back to downtown Kapaa. It was our last full day in Hawaii for now and we totally needed some of the great vegetarian/vegan food at Verde for lunch. Is Mexican food the best kind of food or not? You can leave a comment about that if you want, but regardless, we were totally loving this lunch. Then we rented some bikes and took another ride up and down the coastline (read about the bike path). It was so beautiful and fun we had to do it again. Can you guess what came after that? Yep, shave ice. I think this one was half mango and half coconut. We hit a little rain here and there but in Hawaii no one really cares because it is still near 80 degrees and it stops in a few minutes. You just “hang loose“, as they say here. We took a leisurely walk back to the condo and hung out there for a bit, looking at the nearby ocean and relaxing. Great, great, great! We had dinner nearby at Kapaa Pasta, which was very good Italian food and also a pretty nice place. Then it was time to get some rest, tomorrow it all ends.

Sunday July 3

Got up early and packed, then to the Lihue Airport on Kauai. First was a short hop to Honolulu then a couple hours later a big plane to Oakland, California. We saw the movie Soul Surfer on the plane, which was entertaining. We also lost three hours because of the time zone changes. So, by the time we drove home from Oakland and finally got back to our house it was near midnight. But I can still picture that ocean right outside our condo in Kauai. The picture up above in this post is from the condo patio. It was a beautiful place, the island of Kauai, and I won’t soon forget it.

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2011 San Diego pictures

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Here’s a quick overview of what we did. Oh yes, there will be pictures. Later. For now, thrill to the exciting recap of… “Our Trip to San Diego”!

Monday – April 25th

It’s a long way to San Diego. Even though we had six days of vacation, two of them (one on each end) were driving days. On this one, we headed south from Sacramento, on our way. A few hours  into the trip, we stopped for brunch in Kettleman City, at Mike’s Roadhouse Cafe. Really! It was big and hearty. Then back on the road. It’s not the most beautiful drive but it’s ok. Finally, in the Los Angeles area, we stopped in Coast Mesa at Native Foods, an all-vegan restaurant that has some truly delicious food. How did we know that? We had been to three of their other locations on previous trips. I really wish they had a location closer than 400 miles away! But anyway, we had a tasty meal and then continued on our way. In the evening, we finally arrived at the condo and checked in. We unpacked and relaxed for a little bit and that was that for the first (travel) day.

Tuesday – April 26th

After some food at the condo, we headed out to Balboa Park, specifically the San Diego Zoo. Everyone says it is a great zoo and now I know, they are right. It was huge and we saw, well, most of it. Thankfully they had shuttles that help you get to and from the various parts of the Zoo. More animals than you can shake a stick at (if that’s your idea of a good time). And the granddaughter loved it! This is THE zoo to see. Afterward we had dinner at nearby Pokez, Mexican food with lots of vegetarian options. Once back at the condo, the granddaughter had a little time to get in a quick swim (more like play) at the  pool.

Wednesday – April 27th

Another breakfast at the condo and then out to the Zoo Safari Park. A little way outside San Diego proper, they have animals roaming in an “open” (more open at least) area. Giraffes, antelopes, zebras, etc… And in smaller, but still generous areas, lions, tigers, gorillas. Oh yeah, the gorillas were pretty cool. Did you know they are vegan? Again, the granddaughter had a great time. But this place is just too big to see it all and there were no shuttles, so a lot more walking. But it was still big fun even if we missed a few things. We had dinner at Sipz Fusion Cafe, an all-vegan (except for one or two items that were “only” vegetarian) restaurant. It was really good, wish it was in our town instead!

Thursday – April 28th

After a little breakfast at the condo, we headed to nearby Carlsbad, home of our destination, Legoland. Yes, the famous interlocking blocks have their own theme parks. It was truly a theme park, meaning waiting in line for a long time for couple-minute rides, crowds, expensive and lame food, but kids love that experience! We tried to see most of it and had a good time. The granddaughter got terrified on a pretty tame roller coaster and we got soaked on a water ride. But everyone had fun and that’s what counts! We had dinner at Sipz (like last night) and it was great again. There was a bit of time after, so the granddaughter had a half hour or so in the pool, which she absolutely loves.

Friday – April 29th

Breakfast at the condo. You know the drill by now. Then it was off to Balboa Park. Lots and lots and lots to see there but we only picked a few things and it still filled most of the day! First was the Spanish Village, a group of 35-40 artists shops and studios. Lots of art and crafts and many spaces are studios where the artists actually work too. Very cool. Then we went to the Ruben H. Fleet Science Center, a science museum geared toward kids but interesting for adults too. Dinner was at a vegan fast-food place (really!) called Evolution. Yeah, burgers, chili cheese fries, etc, all vegan. Then back to the condo where Josephine had a few minutes in the pool before bedtime.

Saturday – April 30th

Time to go home. It always comes too soon! We stopped for lunch at Native Foods in Tustin (near Los Angeles) and while we were there we actually met Chef Tanya, the owner of the chain and inventor of all the awesome vegan food that they serve. I’m telling you, this place is great, click on the link and check out the menu. My Rueben sandwich was to die for. After that, a long drive home, with a quick stop later at Taco Bell for dinner. Well, the meals can’t all be great 

A really fun trip for the granddaughter and actually it was for us too. Plus we were given a wheresgeorge bill along the way too. All good…

What do YOU think?

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To start, Elvis and his band, The Imposters, came out and played a few songs, starting with a rocking “I Hope You’re Happy Now”, “Mystery Dance”, and “Radio Radio”. What a great 1-2-3 punch, and they were just getting started! It was time to pull the first couple of people out of the audience and let them spin the wheel. Elvis was joking around with them and hamming it up as he was talking about the wheel and it was all quite a hoot, in the best sense of the word. Anyway, you get the idea. It continued on like this for about two hours total. When main set ended, the crowd was roaring for an encore. Which of course happened.The complete set list is below, and included two Beatles songs also.

BTW, I have more crappy cell phone pix and maybe even some crappy cell phone video, which I may try to post soon too. All in good time.

The songs, with a few comments by me…

Overture

I Hope You’re Happy Now

Mystery Dance

Radio Radio

 

Spectacular Spinning Songbook Selections

Stella Hurt

Green Shirt – these next three were referred to as his “color songs”

Almost Blue

(The Angels Want To Wear My) Red Shoes

Veronica – A bit slower and more laid-back than the album version

Chelsea – awesome keyboards in this and most songs

Beyond Belief

Shot with His Own Gun

Girl – Beatles cover

Sulky Girl

This Year’s Girl

Party Girl

Clubland

Man Out of Time

And Your Bird Can Sing – Beatles cover

Oliver’s Army

 

Finale

A Slow Drag With Josephine – solo, just Elvis

Pump It Up – slow, bluesy version that segued into the old classic song “Busted”

The Other Side of Summer

Alison – extended ending that had a few lines from Over The Rainbow, Wind Cries Mary, and something else, was it from West Side Story?

(What’s So Funny About) Peace Love and Understanding – a rocking finale!

It was a great show and Elvis was in fine form, whether singing or playing guitar or joking around with the wheel spinners from the audience. He’s one of the best songwriters ever and his stage presence and vocals have only improved over time. Plus, his band is top-notch. Long-time keyboardist Steve Nieve was awesome as always. Pete Thomas is a really good drummer and the bass player was no slouch either. I loved how there were songs from Elvis’ entire career. I could nit-pick and say, what, no “So Like Candy” or Watching The Detectives”? But he has hundreds and hundreds of songs and he can’t do them all.

Do you have an opinion? Leave me a comment below!

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