Dinner and Drinks.

When Rudy told me he would be in San D for a class and that I should come spend the night when his class was finished I was excited. San D is one of my favorite places to be. I loved the idea that I could share my favorite places with him   Then I found out that Seaport Village, which is one of my very favorite places, was located right behind his hotel and we could access it from there.  His hotel was also very close to the Gaslamp District, which is an area full of shops, restaurants and art galleries.  Score. 

I suggested that we go to the Gaslamp District for dinner.  To the Old Spaghetti Factory. I have been to The Old Spaghetti Factory many times.  When I was married to CS we never took a trip to San D that did not include a dinner there.  Back in the day it used to have an old Trolley car inside. I made sure that my kids got to eat in the Trolley a couple of times. It meant a wait time much longer than the norm but they loved having their spaghetti in the Trolley.  My sentiment about The Old Spaghetti Factory isn't the reason I wanted to have dinner there with Rudy. 

The real reason I wanted to show Rudy The Old Spaghetti Factory is because CS and his new wifey choose this place as the ideal spot for their wedding reception.  I guess he loves the Factory way more than I do because I would never want to have a wedding reception there.  

We returned to our room to freshen up after our walk out by the ocean. After a brief appetite-whetting interlude we headed down to speak with the Concierge.  Once we had rough directions we headed out for a nice walk to the Gaslamp District.   We found the correct street and after a stop at Chuck Jones gallery (from Looney Tunes fame) to take in visions of Dr.Seuss, DC Comics and the Roadrunner/Coyote we crossed over and were soon seated for dinner.  

The Old Spaghetti Factory is a nice but slightly noisy and busy restaurant and sadly our beloved Trolley is no longer there.  I laughed as I looked around, at the thought of CS having his reception there.  Even in a private area it is still a very busy and very noisy place. 

We ordered our dinner and were soon happily eating our salads and enjoying the loaf of fresh bread. My choice for entree was the Semolina Pasta topped with Sicilian Meatballs which consisted of Two large roasted beef meatballs delicately seasoned then covered with Marinara Sauce.  Very Yummy. And you should have seen the size of those meatballs. {That's what she said}.  Rudy chose the Spinach Tortellini with Alfredo Sauce, which consisted of Hat shaped pasta, stuff with a delicious blend of meat and cheese.  Both Entrees were very good.  mmmmm

After dinner we wandered upstairs to the bar to take a peek at the actual bar.  The atmosphere was nice up there. Rudy commented that it would be a great place to go and watch a game.  I enthusiastically agreed.  The bar itself was quite cool.  Literally.  The top portion of the dark wood was a river of ice where one could set their drink to keep it cool without watering it down by putting ice into the drink.  I loved it.

We left The Old Spaghetti Factory on a mission. We had decided to go for drinks at the Hard Rock Cafe.  I had actually never been to a Hard Rock Cafe so I was quite happy to go check one out.   We took the scenic route {which of course is code for the blonde got us lost. heh! Remember the first installment of my San D adventures?  Where I freely admit that I need someone to tell me where to go, but nicely. It is so true whether I am driving or walking.  I am directionally challenged. :-) }  For future reference the Hard Rock Cafe is nowhere near the Hard Rock Hotel. Go figure.

Rudy was surprised to find out that I had never been in a bar for the sole purpose of having a drink.  As shocking as that may be, it was indeed the truth. I can no longer make that statement.  We ordered the overpriced and watered down drinks in the Hard Rock shot glasses. I had the Cran-A-Kazi, which is Vodka, triple sec, lime juice and cranberry juice.  It was yummy but heavy on the lime and light on the Vodka.   Rudy had two B-52’s, which was Kahlua, Baileys and Grand Marnier.   My second drink was a lemon drop.  Oh dear lord that was yummy. It was so yummy that my mouth is watering as I type. mmmm. 

We saw many interesting pubs and restaurants as we strolled along. Even as full as we were, from our dinner, the sights and smells of the varied cuisines caused us to pause and savour the deliciousness of it all.   I look forward to a return visit so that we can go check some of them out.   I could smell the Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop before we saw it. What wonderful chocolaty smells danced down the street to tempt those nearby. We even happened upon a shop that had windows covered with paper and a sign stating you must be 21 to enter.  Well, we all know what kind of shop THAT is.  I declined to go check that one out.  You know, since we didn't need to get a room.....because we already had one. ;-)

I Could Not Ask for More.

Once my car was parked Rudy and I headed into the hotel to get a key-card for me.  Should I want to leave the room it would be nice to be able to get back in without having to txt Rudy and drag him out of his class to get his key-card.  Rudy took me up to the room, gave me the instructions for connecting to the hotel interwebs and he returned to his final hour of class.  
 

I freshened up a bit.  I unpacked my suitcase.  I opened and looked out the window.  The breeze was refreshing and the view was nice.  I booted up my lappy and then began to fight with the hotel interwebs.  It would NOT let me on.  WTF?  Come ON, people.  I am going into withdrawals.  Be a pal and let me on.  I finally did what every PC user eventually does.  Yes, you got it.  I rebooted.  And of course all was well when my lappy was fully back up.  I was finally free to roam about the interwebs.  
 

Roaming about the interwebs soon lost its appeal.  I started checking the time.  Was it time for his class to be finished yet?  I got up and gazed out the window again.   I went back to the interwebs. I checked the time again.  Have I ever mentioned that I am not a very patient blonde at times?    I decided that his class should be over and even if it wasn’t I was taking matters into my own hands.  I sent him a txt.   He returned a txt.  And then I sent him a txt that caused him to return to the room post haste.  *WEG* 

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{We didn’t need to get a room.  We already had one.  Don’t you judge us.  Heh!}

I was starving for food since my lunch had consisted of a granola bar and gummy worms.  Since it was still early and we had already made plans for dinner we decided to go out to SeaPort Village and get a snack from my favorite cookie shop.  I was soon happily munching a delicious snickerdoodle cookie and sipping a wonderful caramel coffee.   I had Rudy by my side and the wonderful San D climate and sights to enjoy.  
 

At that moment I knew that I could not ask for more.

I Need Someone to Tell Me Where to Go.

Rudy was in San Diego two weeks ago for a super secret squirrel class. {Okay, not really super, secret or squirrel but a girl knows when not to ask too many questions. love you, darlin.}   Since San D is only a two hour drive {+-} and he scheduled vacation to begin after his class was finished we made plans which consisted of me driving to San D to pick him up. 

I google mapped my route. Twice. {cuz google didn't map it the way I wanted to go.} I packed my pink bag. The smaller version of the cute pink suitcase I packed in August when I went North to Alaska. It is perfect for an overnight. And I headed off down the road.

I haven't been to San D in a few years. I have never driven in downtown San D. I don't particularly care to take road trips by myself. Especially when I am unsure of the routes I am taking. I need a GPS. {The cute pink garmin @ BestBuy} I need a GPS because I am much calmer when someone is telling me where to go. {But nicely of course}

The first hour or so of my trip was uneventful. I know those roads. Once I was on the freeway the trip got interesting. As I headed down a long hill a sea of taillights greeted me. Now how is that good, I ask you? As I continued on my way we, and by we I mean the smart drivers, began to merge to the right. I can see down the hill and it appeared that a semi had jackknifed and was now in the #4 lane FACING me.

After inching my way down the hill {and allowing the idiots who thought they knew better and didn't bother to merge until the last minute into the lane} I eventually got close enough to see that the semi isn't a semi after all but rather a smallish pickup truck that is facing oncoming traffic while resting on only the two front wheels. Attached to the back of the truck {which was butt up in the air} is a toy-hauler camper laying on its side. Now THAT is some fancy unauthorized stunt driving. No one appeared to be hurt which was obviously good. As I passed I was able to pick up speed and continue my trip.

After the delay I made my way past the border patrol check stop and soon found myself wondering where the merge to my next freeway was. I was not having fun and am seriously wishing that I had that GPS to nicely tell me where to go. Turns out it wasn't as complicated as it appeared on the google maps and I made the transition without any problems.

Once I was heading in the proper direction I began to track the exit numbers. I am not sure how they, and by they I mean the people in charge of said numbers, think it is helpful to give no indication as to what exit one might be coming up to until one is right up on it but that is what I found to be the rule rather than the exception. I did manage to locate exit 1 which, I discovered rather quickly, dumped me right into traffic.

San D has more than it's fair share of one way streets to keep the excitement anxiety level at an all time high. I mean seriously, how helpful is it to be in the far right lane when you are going to need to turn left?? sheesh! I survived one-way-street land without any screaming or gnashing of teeth.

I phoned Rudy as I got close to the hotel. I thought the plan was that he would send out the bat signal or some sort of star trek tractor beam and guide me in. I soon found out that wasn't the case. I was right where my directions said I should be and I was on the blue tooth with Rudy and frantically looking left and right. Swallowing the slight panic down I exclaimed to Rudy "but I don't SEE the hotel!" and then...I looked up. and said...."oh. never mind." The hotel was right in front of me. Good thing it wasn't a snake, eh?

I survived my solo trip. Rudy was a sight for sore eyes as I spotted him coming out of the hotel as I pulled up. I graciously allowed him to do the driving for the rest of the week. I may not be the best co-pilot but I would rather be tech support than be the driver. 

When I travel I need someone or something to tell me where to go. But nicely, of course.