Pacifying Highway 1

Our vacation started late Thursday night when 4 people in 3 groups were to meet at San Francisco's touristy Fisherman's Wharf. It was convenient to meet straight at the hotel, considering the weeks of cold, snowy desolation and long hours of flight, work and minor jet lag preceding the trip.

While 3 of us reached within minutes of each other the fourth person unfortunately adventurous took a few more hours to make it to a good night's sleep. After a bad, hurried dinner of an uncooked cold pizza and fried calamari, the 3 of us, early birds hit the sack--enamored by the green, blue flowy pastels of Sheraton decor http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60713-d81375-r58689249-Sheraton_Fisherman_s_Wharf_Hotel-San_Francisco_California.htmland or maybe by the sheer incidence of being among beloved friends.

We were to wake up early next day pick up the car and start the much anticipated vacation.

And after changing our initial plans of picking up the car at the airport (we didnt realize how far Fishermans Wharf and SFO airport would seem like on a cool rainy morning) we walked a few blocks closer to the pier at a smaller pick up location and got bombarded with meanness and surcharges. Our reluctance was all but subdued with the sunroof on our cute SUV that was just enough for all 4 of us, our luggage and our high spirits.  

The gloomy sky gave in almost immediately....the drizzle morphed into heavy shower of big raindrops just as we finished our breakfast at the pier http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60713-d1524623-Reviews-Boudin_Sourdough_Bakery_Cafe-San_Francisco_California.html and got into the warm car seats.

Wading through the rain and traffic and getting lost in unfamiliar loops we finally hit southbound Highway 1 near Pacifica. The first view of the roaring ocean was well, as if I've never seen the seas before. The wet sand, the moist skies, the rushing water, the foamy rocks were all new, fresh, all the fatigue and sleepless disturbing days right before the vacation were melting away, the enthusiasm, the young nights strangely feeling worth it...and we were just getting started.

We were at a traffic light, reading aloud everything we saw on the road in casual banter...One of such obscure signs promised spicy Pakistini food and as we rolled down the window, the smell of batter-fried hot snacks, filling the wet air as if hypnotized me into pulling my car in their driveway.

Let just say the food wasnt as good and the much-needed restrooms horrible but the dhaba feel on a rainy long drive was almost essential in shooting our excitement right through the now-shut sun-roof.

But the excitement, the spicy snacks and the ice tea did not put a cork on our bladders, now dancing to the rhythm of rain. We found a nature-stop closeby, one--where the two others in our group enjoyed a closer view of the ocean.

And off we were on a couple hundred winding miles, stopping every few to enjoy the sea, the snacks, the signs and the locales. Wildflowers, artichokes, gnarly trees and cherry blossoms lined our drive wherever we drifted away from the ocean. The scenery suddenly gave way to art stores, touristy shops, fudgerys and chocolate houses as we hit Monterey. What a lovely downtown, the downside-- everything closed at 6 pm on weekdays. We got to our hotel at 5 and by the time we could unwind, freshen up and get over the huge beautiful window overlooking monstrous waves lashing at Lover's Point, it was getting dark and the city almost died on us before we could take a wink.

Good, we bought some beverage and a pack of cards...we spread out and set up shop right after our breezy dinner @ PassionFish http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g32840-d360674-r58991730-Passionfish-Pacific_Grove_Monterey_Peninsula_California.html#UR58991730

We will skip until the next morning because the narrative has to be 1st hand here (and I had allegedly drifted off to another land (of sleep) during our card game)

So, next morning, the first to wake up, jerk the snooze off and run out with the camera was me, closely followed by 1 and then 2. Luckily enough Pacific Grove being on the peninsula, allowed the Sun to rise over the water even though we had no expectation of watching sunrise-on-water on the Pacific (of the Western Hemisphere).

The sky was lighting up from behind the trees. The water splashing looked almost gelatinous and pale. The city, the waves and the feathers of the flying pelicans was glowing alike in the first rays of Sun. Times like these make me want to become a morning person....-click, zoom, click, click, snap.We had dispersed with our thoughts and our cameras into the horizon, only to come back later to the brave 3-some that decided to get their feet wet. Hello, Pacific. Hello, freezing toes.... 

Hanging their flipflops and jeans out to dry we went for a wholesome breakfast @  Austino's Patisserie . The quiches, the beakfast sanwiches, the marinaded artichokes were all glorious, second only to the yummiest desserts I have had in a long, long time (and I always, always have dessert).

As much fun, was evading the parking police as our meter hit expired. It was time to start another long drive.

This time headed on the 17-mile designated magnificent stretch from Monterey to Carmel. 

 

We stopped at all the overlooks and looked over every stop.

We met the seals and the sea lions basking in the sun in the distance, friendly Nutty and his squirrel friends, Mr. Bone-Beak-in-the-Stone-house, Ms. Haughty Pelican with an itch problem and Little Miss Yellow-eyed Black Bird.

Closer we got to Pebble beach, the more the stale smell of 'overrating' reached our nostrils. We agree our view of Carmel was much clouded much by the Pebble Beach lint, but to us Carmel looked more than the proclaimed quaint and arty. It was also very touristy, very artificial and very costly. The lunch at Flaherty's was hearty, heavy, delicious and costly, just how vacations were supposed to be.

Back to Pacific Grove we spent all afternoon and evening strolling Cannery Row--the "downtown" of Monterey. Being a glass artist I had long before wanted to check out Sand-to-Glass. This artist had an unique way of tight filling sand to make sceneries... sometimes he's even use dusted glass and fuse them to make plaques, glass fusing and sand art is difficult enough. Imagine combining them.  Whoa Physics!

Then there was this shop selling items that changed into brillian colors when you walk out in the Sun, using the Sun's UV lights. Hello ingenuity....or atleast that's what you'd say if you just got out of a town of eternal hibernation and frozen in time and temperature, Dunkirk (or Stillwater)!

Needless to say, we didnt buy any of the spectacular items. Tired and still full from the heavy breakfast and lunch, we retired early, but not before we got some Mochi from the nearest Traders Joe (thanks to my friends who introduced me to it, I never pass up an opportunity to try some good Mochi).

We were advised by some friends we made on the trip (not our wildlife friends, but the ones less hairy, English-speaking kind) that we should definitely go to Big Sur. That the Pacific Coast Highway was nice but the nicest was Monterey to Big Sur.  So we tweaked our plans last moment to drive down to see some of the most magnificent coastlines. Rocks, ridges, blues, greens and the Sun and an aimless drive with old friends-- music!

3 hours south, we turned back, stopped at Pacific Grove for a late lunch at Fisherman's Grotto. Enjoyed the good food and great views before we hit the road for San Francisco.

After checking into our downtown hotel we headed straight for the Sunset on the Golden Gate bridge.











The cheesy tourist-ambience was killing us, so we trudged our way up to the Marin headlands after multiple mistaken loops and getting lost we reached there after the sun was down.  But the sky was beautiful, now the color of water that Big Sur had.
We stayed there until late, Golden Gate Bridge looked more like a string of cheap golden beads hanging low beside a smoky skyline of a bustling city.

That night we dined at Fisherman's Wharf at Alioto's, ordinary but tourist-priced food, only exceptional dish--the calamari. 

Our touch on San Francisco remained perfunctory with a cruise (Red and White Fleet: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60713-d653292-Reviews-Red_and_White_Fleet-San_Francisco_California.html), some Lombard St. walking http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60713-d106232-r58998952-Lombard_Street-San_Francisco_California.html#UR58998952, some Fisherman's Wharf http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60713-d108678-r58998192-Fisherman_s_Wharf-San_Francisco_California.html#UR58998192, some great sushi (Maru Sushi: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60713-d1468768-r58998701-Maru_Sushi-San_Francisco_California.html#UR58998701) and a lot of lazing at the airport. 

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As my husband says its good to leave some things in the to-do list for next time, so spinning your glass wheels becomes easier! Until next time....let the shadows of vacations past keep you warm and let Purple here on your shoulder keep you fuzzy :)

Out and about Cape May (also Wildwood and Old Barnie)

I’ll start with lodging. We were crunched for time before leaving for Newark and everything looked super expensive online…. so we booked the 1^st available cheap sty… but that’s what it was--- a total sty: Rodeway Inn (at 200 E White Horse Pike, Galloway, NJ was a horror show waiting to happen) I’d rate it at 1 out of 5.

…. The owners abysmally rude and the service if available, pathetic. No hair dryers (that blows me off). The first room given to us was slept in, wet towels all over the place… obviously we requested to be changed to another room as soon as we entered the first but the lady at the desk was reluctant. The choice hotels gift card wasn’t accepted. Their ‘free continental breakfast’ included stale coffee and juice. Choice Hotels should do something about this!

As for us, lesson learnt: we could have easily driven there and found something as cheap, or cheaper, but a much better place and a better location… the neighborhood of this Absecon/Galloway area wasn’t to die for either.

The first place we hit the next morning was Wildwood Beach. A neat little haven for shell collectors, especially if you can make do with broken shells. The sand was fine and dense; the waves, tame and low. Some pockets of the beach had collected water; and large shells (or fractions thereof) were abundant. We got remnants of several soft shells too…that look like micro-stingrays. Just as were leaving a group of young kids actually caught a sting ray… I had never seen one being caught on the beach using fishing equipment before and as much as I savor fish at lunch, I consider fishing gross… (get that!) So much to my fiancé’s dismay we ended up walking away as fast as possible…

We drove further south to the beautiful Victorian township of Cape May. I loved the architecture. All the houses were very old but none of them rundown. Some were palatial, some much smaller in size. But all of them boasted intricate Victorian designs and striking, if not unusual, assortment of colors. Most of them had matching flower beds and the neatest curb appeal. The manicured little gardens and patios basked in the pride of ownership… this looked like the kind of town, my color coded brain would love to live in.

As I said before the B&Bs were expensive when we checked online…but once again, probably we could find something cheaper locally….the motor inns and lodges on the shore looked way better than the in-land lodging we were putting up at (/ with).

We reached Cape May at a rather odd time when almost all the restaurants were closed… (most open at 5 pm for dinner) and we were starving! We went to an obscure place that we found open, called the Secret Spot. Indeed one of the better kept secrets because there was no flashy crying-out-loud of how delicious the food was (fried calamari was awesome!). Resaonably priced, clean, pleasant staff and strikingly simple décor including large shells as napkin holders. Something that the staff-girl’s uncle had caught! All these tiny personal touches bring out of the uniqueness of a place and it really makes a difference to the made-in-china mass-marketed times we are living in. Each of these has a story to tell and if you’re visiting Cape May (or anywhere else with even a little pride of belonging) without enough time on hand to listen to the stories you’re probably missing it all.

I always make it a point to visit local ‘festivals’ if I can….brings out the best in people, when they’re foot tapping to some country music and jostling deep fried junk food with lemonade, visiting one stall to another. Reminds me of a Boi-mela I’d never get to enjoy again… Innovations, novelty, unique flavors, if you can have your eyes open wide enough, you can see it all (with a pinch of dust, if you’re ready to take it). Michael Demusz’s paintings were such a treat at Cape May’s 2009 Strawberry Festival that (luckily for us) was being held that Saturday. I wish I could afford some of his work, on second thought, I wish I could create them… (after Googling for his website, I came across some EZ publishing interview which talks of a ‘fine artist’ Mike Demusz who looks like Orlando Bloom… I don’t remember whether he did, was busy looking at his than him!)

My fiancé and I always love coming across Penn Staters especially if its away from State College and they’re really old and we can help them reminisce some of their Happy Valley days…and we met this very interesting person at the strawberry festival class of ’72 (makes him even older than my parents) and whose name I don’t remember… not very helpful info to be blogging about but hey! I enjoyed talking to him and it’s a take-home from the trip, so why not?

A literal treat at the strawberry festival was at the Cape May Crab Cake Factory stall. The freshest and lumpiest crab cakes I have ever had and you should know that if there is one vice I have, its gluttony and that for seafood beats all others! Order yours frozen online www.capemaycrabcakes.com or pick them up at the Ugly Mug… they were worth every buck they cost. Trust the foodie! (scroll down for more local food info)

Soon after the Strawberry king and queen were announced (Mike D. was probably the king) and the drumbeat died down we went to the Cape May beach. If there was one word for the strawberry festival for 2009 it was “fun” and if allowed 3, I’d say “loads of fun”…take your pick.

After hours of strolling on the coarse set sand beach at high tide, marveling at the huge foamy waves and collecting shells we trudged our tired gritty feet towards land. You have to understand one thing here… if I am traveling in a group and anyone of us is hungry or craving something I always keep them company, so I am always going munch-sip-crack-much-munch-sip-crack and now was time for a coffee break. We head out to have funnel cake and fries at the beach side café, Oasis. The cooks humorous and the food great! (Although this one had a killer location right on the board walk, I would still prefer Secret Spot to this joint at least for the calamari fries… chocolate drizzled funnel cakes are another story, of course)

Soon it was time for the Sunset Beach to spring to action… crowds swarmed the sands of this serene beach for a flag ceremony right before the sunset. Unlike those of Cape May or Wildwood, this one was all pebbly and a galore of excitement for me. The waves were much calmer than Cape May; up until 5 feet of the water the beach was all-pebbles, of every conceivable sizes and color… We found some perfect whites to translucent-s and some even transparent-s, shiny blacks, jaded gold-s and bright oranges that matched the sunset.

We found several of Cape May’s famous ‘diamond like pebbles’… but a small note for the beach combing enthusiasts, before you fill your sacks of these natural souvenirs think of preserving the natural wonderfulness of the place and maybe leave some for your kids to come back and enjoy some day… I totally hear the fun of finding to buying, but there are always stores like the ‘sunset beach gift store’ which claim to remain open “as long as there are cars in the parking lot” ---very customer friendly indeed?!?

One good touch, I learnt, to every Jersey Shore trip is to visit Barnegat on Long Beach Island at least once, no matter how briefly and we did just that (click for previous trip account). Although this time we neither dined at Antoniette’s nor stopped at Wildflowers by Cricket, we did climb Old Barney – 217 steps up and back on a rickety old yellow iron spiral staircase and had achy calf muscles for 20 hrs the next day to prove that! Thank God we had comfy shoes on, or it could be a literal pain in the butt but the spectacular view from the top was every bit worth it. They’re open 9:30 am - 4:30pm summer months and until 3:30 rest of the year (free) and charges a buck per head from April to October. I say, money very well spent.

Right out of there we lunched at Kelly’s.

Except for the deep fried goods (lousy) all was good, especially salmon steak sandwich and Mom’s Manhattan chowder… (the New England one was blah! For lack of a better word). Medium priced, good hangout for a seafood craving soul.

All in all, Old Barney’s always a good bet! More pictures up soon… spinning my glass wheels for the new computer to arrive!

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