The Perfect Houseguests??

OK, a few months ago we received an invitation to attend the wedding of one of my closest friends (Cristina) in San Diego.  There was no way we were going to miss this wedding… so the usually planning begun.  Flights were booked, arrangements made, and the hotel search began.  Then one day I got a phone call from my other closest friend (Karen) saying “why don’t you guys just stay at our place?” 

Whaatttt??

Who stays with people anymore? We are not in college… “No thanks, we will just book a hotel.” Yeah, that’s what I said.  Then a few weeks went by and I had a change of heart.  Maybe staying with Karen and Eric would be fun!  Kinda like a big slumber party or camping.

So this is how it went… we made a few simple demands to ensure we would have the best possible experience. 

Here was our list:

1.           500 thread count (or higher) Egyptian linens on our bed. 

2.         Nightly turn-down service at 1800, complete with chocolates on the pillows.

3.         Water bottles at the bedside daily, and replenished as needed

4.         Fresh brewed coffee each morning, prior to sunrise

5.         Airport pick-ups and drop offs

6.         Unlimited wine/ booze for the entire trip

Our home for the weekend

Our bedroom

    Now we were literally in San Diego for a mere 36 hours due to a 10 hour flight delay, but this is what we got accomplished:

Friday night cookout by King Eric (he prefers to be called The King) with more friends. 

The King cooking

Dinner time

Slice and Josh

cheers

     Saturday was the main event, the gorgeous waterfront wedding!!

Cristina and Vince

The reception was in Old Town at La Guadalajara on a private terrace.

check  out the size of the wedding  cake!

Isn't that the bride's champagne?

The party continued at a rooftop bar downtown. 

    

#Blurred Lines

The bride and groom

One of these ladies lost their credit card at some point

The Queen of the house

    To show our gratitude for all their efforts, we returned home and promptly mailed a care package to our wonderful hosts!  The box was filled with a bunch of crap they probably don’t need and a bean plant with a Thank-You message!! 

Ha Ha.  Who wants us to stay with them next??

Bean Plant !!

Next stop… Back to Vegas!!

 

Taking it easy in “The Big Easy"

The entrance to Pat Obrien's

       

Here is my opinion:

There are three things that make people happy. 

1.  The beach

2.  Free porn (settle down, it’s a joke)

2.  Newborn babies- the quiet ones, not the loud ones (is that better?)

3. New Orleans… yep the whole city will make you happy.

 

The Canal Street "streetcar"...rides start at $1.25

Even for you scrooges out there (you know who you are), I believe it is impossible to travel to “Nawlinz” and not have a good time!  If you have never been there, it is site to see. It was established in the 1700’s so it is rich with French-Creole history that is obvious in everything from the architecture to the music and the food.

 

typical street in the French Quarter



Holy Moly...Cajun spices galore!



Love all the paint colors

French Quarter

Somehow, they have managed to transform this historic, gorgeous city into a ridiculous daily party while still maintaining its integrity. Since it is also the birthplace of jazz music, you can hear the music penetrating through the streets basically any time of day or night.  It is common to find live jazz in one bar, a hip-hop dj in the next, and country music all on the same block.  Where else can you see that??

Live Jazz and no cover charge!!

Shake your booty to a little hip hop

This place was a bit more rock n roll

Sure booze helps, but I think it is the overall vibe of the city that creates a fun, vibrant atmosphere that just makes everyone happy.  Here are a few random pics of the characters me met along the way.  Notice, everyone is happy to be posing with complete strangers.  That is a sign of true happiness.  Isnt it? 

These two just met

Gotta love your hat dude!!

Hat guy again with his boyz

For us, this trip was even more exciting because we were able to meet up with my lovely cousin Brooke and my Aunt “Goodie” who live there.  Together we strolled through the French Quarter and hit a few hotspots as they pointed out some interesting landmarks! 

Brooke and Goodie...look how happy

I am sure you have heard of this place

Brooke and Me

Umm yes those are tire swings at the bar

Brooke and Ryan

According to our local family this place has the best muffulettas

Okay I am tired.... so thats it for now.

 

Are you still cranky?  I hope not! 

P.S.    For all you first time visitors: I highly recommend doing an alligator swamp tour (gators love marshmallows), visiting the cemeteries, and driving past all the wonderful plantation homes.  We did not do any of these on this particular trip but we have done them in the past!!  Enjoy

Next Stop is San Diego.  Woot, Woot

Jill

They ran out of wine in Napa...NOT!!

Every year for my birthday I set a few goals for myself to achieve for the next year.   Last year I said I was going to learn Spanish and go to Asia.  I sort of made it Asia (if you count Turkey since half the country is in Asia). Unfortunately, I still can barely speak Spanish.  Sounds like a failure huh? Well this year I made a few new, more reachable goals.  Since we were spending my Birthday in Napa Valley, I decided I would try 37 different wines (in four days)for my 37^th year on this planet!

  The plan was to suck the wine right out of Napa Valley. Empty all the barrels dry.  Yep…stay tuned to see how I did!

We began Napa with one of my favorite hotels: the Andaz !  If you have never stayed at one of these, you are missing out on a wonderful, luxurious experience.  

Only the Best Hotel ever

The rustic lobby

Once we got settled in, we wasted no time heading to the vineyards.  The first stop was Peju Winery, followed by Alpha Omega, and Hall.  So by the end of day number one I believe I had tasted 17different wines!  Off to a good tipsy start!!

Eric and Ryan with coordinating shirts outside Peju

Umm... ladies first??

Karen and Eric and some random guy in background

getting thirsty

Day two we started at 1030 am at the famous Opus One Vineyard.  They make one blended wine per year and that’s it!  There are no tastings here, just glasses of wine for sale for $40 or $50 a pop!! Wowza!  Let me tell you…it is worth the dough.  They have a rooftop area where you take your wine and enjoy the breathtaking views.  Ahhhh- I could get used to this.

The most relaxing place to taste wine: Opus One



Blending in at Opus One



Perhaps the best vineyard of the trip was Inglenook.  Now this winery has a huge complex history consisting of various owners and different visions.  Francis Ford Coppola has since purchased part of the property and vineyard and the Inglenook name is being restored.  

For all my Finnish relatives...No wonder I liked this wine so much!

This was my favorite winery/ vineyard/tasting of the entire trip!  I'm not going to give bore you with the details of the vineyard, but I will say that wine tasting here is an experience unlike any other. 

Private tables with a server for an awesome wine tasting !

Is that a beer? 

Decisions, decisions

Halfway through day two, we decided we were done with Napa and headed towards San Francisco.  I believe I had "tasted" about 23 wines at this point, so I was right on track to reach my goal.  Hurray!

standing outside Opus One

The first stop in San Fran was the Duck Tour.  Yep…another tour bus that turns into a boat while the passengers “quack” at the people on the street.  Unfortunately, we had a small situation on our duck tour and got into a small fender bender!  Who gets into a car accident on a tour bus? 

Another dang duck tour!

Quacking on the bus

Uh- oh!!

Once we were safely off the Duck, we were able to check out some the tourist hot spots. San Francisco proved to be one of my favorite cities in the U.S. so far.  With our limited time frame (two days), we barely scratched the surface of things to do and sights to see. However, we did manage to check out the crooked Lombard Street, the bay bridge, the Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman’s Wharf, and the sea lions at Pier 39.  We tasted some wonderful chowder in a sour dough bowl, fresh seafood at the waterfront, and yummy pasta in Little Italy. 



Entrance to Fisherman's Wharf



The stinky sea lions at the pier

The Golden Gate Bridge

The most famous crooked street. 

China town

Alcatraz

Okay so my bday weekend was officially over and it was time to see how I did with my birthday goals!  If my calculations were correct, I believe I tasted a total of 31 wines in four days!!  This means I didn’t reach my goal of 37-  L  boo hoo!  Nonetheless, It was sure fun trying!

Here is what I learned along the way:

1. I love wine

2. I love California

3. I love wine in California... and dont worry, there is plenty to go around

(BURP)

Next stop is New Orleans...

Jill