pevz:
Recommended if you like crying. Hat tip: Scott Lewis.
Staycation was a huge success. We did no chores. We ran no errands. Or at least when we did, it was because we wanted to. We ate out a ton.
Recap:
Thursday night: cocktails at Prohibition, a really nice and not-sceney speakeasy downtown. Then dinner at Bice around the corner.
Friday: Breakfast at Bread & Cie. Amazing quiche and whack lattes (as usual). Got sandwiches to go and took them to the zoo after C had a Dr’s appt and I had a call at work.
We spent the afternoon in heaven on our deck and then met Lee and Terra at Buona Forchetta for dinner. I’m afraid my expectations for Buona Forchetta had been too high. It’s lovely, but I have yet to encounter any pizza comparable to 2 Amys in DC. The tiramisu was amazing though.
Saturday: great breakfast of toast, poached eggs, tomato and avocado at the Lofty Cafe in Encinitas. Got their famed salted caramel latte, which tasted like the best ever coffee ice cream melted in a mug. It was too much for breakfast (note: learn to make salted caramel latte ice cream). Shannon got a flat white, which will be my go-to from now on whenever I deviate from my usual (americano, black).
Spent the rest of the morning at Dog Beach, which is the best place C has ever been. She was in heaven.
Got tacos on the way home. Ate them with a Stone IPA in front of the TV, watching Magnum. It was amazing.
We walked down to the Fish Shop later for dinner. C had a ton of fun running all over the place. Walked home, put C to bed. I went out and got us shakes at Mr. Frostie’s. They made us feel gross.
We tried to find a movie to watch, but nothing looked good so we watched The Mindy Show, which is amazing.
Today: breakfast at Espresso Mio in Mission Hills. It’s a nice little local spot that does flat whites and has the best coffee shop art collection I’ve ever seen (I know that’s not saying much, but it was really nice). We sat on their tiny patio that hangs over a canyon. I ate a blueberry maple bacon pancake cupcake.
I’m done with desserts for the rest of the year.
We walked around the beautiful neighborhood for a bit and headed home. C fell asleep in the car. I fell asleep reading the New Yorker a little after we got home.
When we woke up we went to Fathom Bistro for lunch. I got the Explodo Dog, which is a baja-style bacon-wrapped hot dog with kimchi on it. It was great. The owner of the Green Flash brewery was there and he bought me (and anyone else who wanted one) a west coast IPA. What a cool dude!
We went from there to Lee and Terra’s and from there, to Station. C had a blast playing with everyone’s dogs and in the kid’s area. We drank and ate tater tots and salads and sweet potato fries.
Headed home, played with C, fed her, bathed her, read, went out for too-embarrassing-to-blog fast food, watched another Mindy, and are now reading (blogging) in bed.
It’s been the best. We live in a very nice part of the world, but – despite that – life insists on normalizing itself and seeming unremarkable. It’s been nice to flip a switch in our brains to tell ourselves we’re on vacation.
We ate things we don’t normally eat, we stopped worrying about things we normally worry about, we saw friends we don’t normally see, we read more than we (or at least I) normally do. It’s been a beautiful three days to spend entirely with my girls.
pictures forthcoming
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of ‘disaster,’ I remember my mother’s words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world.” —Fred Rogers
As human beings, our job in life is to help people realize how rare and valuable each one of us really is, that each of us has something that no one else has—or ever will have—something inside that is unique to all time. It’s our job to encourage each other to discover that uniqueness and to provide ways of developing its expression.
happy birthday to Fred Rogers and happy first day of spring.
this testimony, which has been blogged a squillion times, is still astonishing and always perfect
Still the best video ever. Pure power from one of the all time greatest. Happy birthday to Fred Rogers!
From The Washington Post Magazine: Running in reverse, Cedric Givens has befuddled onlookers for decades:
On a bright winter afternoon, Cedric Givens, at 60, bounces down the steps of his house on Eighth Street NE, turns around on the sidewalk and begins running backward. He eventually turns onto H Street and heads west, passing trendy new eateries and bars, still running backward, but now on the street. Then he crosses over the H Street Bridge, continues past a slew of new construction projects and reaches what’s left of Chinatown. By the time he gets to Seventh and H in Northwest, Givens is in the middle of the street. He is also spinning in circles. Hopping up and down. Shouting.
“Woot! Woot! Woot! All right! All right!”
I love this guy. He was a fixture throughout my high school years. I’m so glad he’s still going.
Well, Ms. Coulter, you, and society, need to learn that being compared to people like me should be considered a badge of honor.
No one overcomes more than we do and still loves life so much.
“This machine surrounds hate and forces it to surrender”
Happy 93rd birthday, Pete!
(via newspeedwayboogie)
The chicken Alfredo ($10.95) was warm and comforting on a cold day. The portion was generous. My server was ready with Parmesan cheese.
As I ate, I noticed the vases and planters with permanent flower displays on the ledges. There are several dining areas with arched doorways. And there is a fireplace that adds warmth to the decor.
Olive Garden has an attractive bar area to the right of the entryway. The restaurant has a full liquor license and a wine list offering a wide selection to complement Italian meals. Nonalcoholic beverages include coolers, specialty coffees and hot teas.
On a hot summer day, I will try the raspberry lemonade that was recommended.
I'm Jed Sundwall. This is my blog, which you can follow on Tumblr or via RSS. You can talk to me on Twitter.
