So Long Cali....

After a quick stop for bagels in Berkeley this morning, we headed north toward the Redwoods....until...I realized that the Redwoods were on the original route when were going to drive up the coast, but now that we were headed more inland, the monster trees would elude us on this trip.  We drove through Northern California which was a beautiful drive.  We were sad to say goodbye to California after all of this time in the state, but we looking forward to getting to a quieter place.

We ended up in Bend, OR.  It is a fantastic little town with great food and beautiful views of the mountains and the Deschutes River.  Another destination that you shouldn't miss if you are in southern Oregon.

The Rock

We had tickets for the 9:30 a.m. ferry to Alcatraz, so after a late night, we were up early for the short drive to Pier 33 in San Francisco.  We had some crabby travelers, until we arrived at "The Rock".  It was COLD (60ish).  Especially after yesterday when we stopped for gas in San Miguel and it was 107 degrees! We all loved Alcatraz!  We did a self-guided audio tour and it was fascinating.  Another highly recommended stop.  Quote of the day from Rose, " I don't think it seems that bad here."  Leave it to Rose to think that Alcatraz was an okay place to live.

We arrived back on Pier 33 around 1:00 p.m. and hopped on a double decker bus tour of downtown San Francisco.  It is such a great way to see a big city with a ton of attractions when you have kids that would poop out if they had to walk those distances.

After a full day in the city, we drove to the Golden Gate Bridge, which had not been visible all day because of the fog.  We actually had to drive across it, just so we could see it.  The fog made it even more dramatic when we got to the other side.

Even cooler as we drove back to Berkeley with a quick stop at Haight and Ashbury.

We are so pleased with our decision to stay in Berkeley.  It is a really nice city, more our pace after the craziness of Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Good Bye to California tomorrow...

Sand, Sun and Surf

Tuesday we packed up and headed out of Hollywood.  We did make one stop that was on my list, breakfast at the landmark, Pink's Hot Dogs!  It was as great as I had hoped it would be.

Then it was to Zuma Beach in Malibu.  It was actaully the first time on this trip that the kids had actually been to the beach, so it was long overdue.  The weather was beautiful and the kids had a blast and Mark and I got a few minutes of relaxation.  The camera battery was dead, so the beach pictures are on the cellphone and will have to come later.

We also stopped in Carmel by the Sea, which was breathtaking.  It was definitely a stop I would like to make without kids!


We ended up getting on the road much later than we had planned for the drive to Berkeley, so we didn't get to our hotel until 11:30 p.m.  Once again, kids fell asleep in the van, so we just made a transfer and hit the hay.

Hollywood

Monday we went to Hollywood, had breakfast at Mel's Diner.  We hunted down the Hollywood sign, which was fun for the kids.

We  checked in to the Magic Castle Hotel.  It was a last minute change of plans after the unexpected "cancellation" of the other hotel.  It was fantastic!  The hotel staff was the best we have had so far, unlimited free treats and snacks, right off of Hollywood Blvd. AND they gave us a really great last minute deal.  I would highly recommend it.

 After we checked in, we went to Hollywood Blvd and hopped on the TMZ tour bus.  For us pop culture freaks, it was the perfect tour of Hollywood and Beverly Hills.

  I had my eyes peeled for a star, but didn't get anyone except for Kita Williams(I know, you say, who is that?!).  She is Terrell Owens P.R. person and was on his reality show...scary that I knew that, right?!

The part that was more exciting for me, was, WHERE she was eating...Villa Blanca (for all you RHOBH fans!)

  I had my hopes up for Tori Spelling or Jackie Warner....not even high hopes.


We did see the clothing designer, Bijan's $2.5 Million dollar car, parked outside his store. I've never even heard of the make of it?  Sick amounts of money in this town...

After our day in Hollywood, we went to Chatsworth to Mark's step-sister, Laurie's house for dinner.  She has a pool, so kids were able to swim all evening with her girls.  Mark's sister, Kris and her husband Ken were there, along with his Dad and step-mom Sandy.  We had a much welcomed home cooked meal, after all of these days in restaurants.  Thanks Laurie!


To top off a fun day, we spent the rest of the evening with more family, Gary, Laura, Joel, Stephanie, kids and dogs in Eagle Rock.

 Mark is a huge fan of Laura's artwork, so he was happy to have a chance to see it in real life, and purchase some pieces for our house.  Truly some of the nicest people I know!  We got the kids to the hotel WAY too late and just transferred them to their beds from the van.

The Wedding

Saturday morning Mark, Ted and I decided we needed to do laundry, underwear was running low! After we finished the laundry, we picked up the other kids and did a few errands and checked into the Queen Mary where we were staying for the night and also where Andy and Karyn's wedding was being held.

 6:00 p.m. brought the wedding...the weather was beautiful for the ceremony on the deck.

 The reception was great and it was fun to see so many family members while on vacation. The ship was so cool and has so much history. It is said to be haunted, so I figured if it really was, I would be the one to see them, (with my history!)but not a ghost in sight.

  I did wake up multiple times throughout the night, but nothing there? At about 10:00 p.m. ,Teddy's cousin, Nick, decided that it would be a good idea to tell him that the ship was haunted. He started to cry until he cried himself to sleep!


Sunday morning Kris and Ken hosted a post wedding brunch at the Hotel Maya. We then decided to make our way north to Los Angeles via the Santa Monica Pier.

  We sort of forgot that it was Sunday afternoon, therefore, parking within MILES of the Pier was not an option, so the it would have to wait for another day. We headed towards our hotel, which was in Westlake. As the GPS brought us into the area, Mark and I looked at each other, thinking "this can't be right?". It looked liked a cross between Juarez and Tijuana! Garbage filling the sewer grates, people selling junk(literally) on the streets, razor wire protecting buildings! It was CRAZY. The GPS was right, I was just wrong when I made the reservation, I guess! AND it was actually $175.00 a night. I immediately called the hotel and cancelled our reservation, but now we were "homeless".  I only wish we had taken a picture!   We had to scramble and finally found a place to stay in Eagle Rock. The kids swam and we went to dinner and a fantastic restaurant,  La Fuente.

  The beach and Hollywood tomorrow!!