Day 8: Monterey & Carmel

BADASS DAY TODAY! The photos will explain it all

NOTE: The lack of a photo of a Great White Shark is due to the fact that THERE ISN'T ONE!

NOTE 2: The aquarium will be having one soon AND WHEN THEY DO, I'LL BE THERE!

Cool houses

YAAAAAAHHHHH
Mom's silhouette
A starfish that was just a little slow
How much money is in there?


JELLIES!


It isn't a great white, but it'll do







Fisherman's Wharf

A mommy and baby otter!
Just having a snack on the peir

Friends like to share
All by his lonesome he's sunbathing
Airing out his pits

Pelicans (are you overwhelmed by the wildlife yet)
Tidepools are badass

Hello ladies
Can you spot the coyote?
Baby deer!
The Lone Pine

MOMMA'S NOTES

There was great excitement as we drove to the Monterey Aquarium. Eliza reverted to her inner six year old but fortunately showed great maturity when told that they no longer had the great white shark.

It was generally a walk on the wild side today: as much wildlife outside the Aquarium as inside.

The sun was out and so were the seals and the otters. We walked along Fisherman's Wharf to the tune of the seals barking and drove along the 17 mile scenic coastal road through Pebble Beach. We watched surfers on wild waves and and scoured the horizon for whales as we've done since we first saw the Pacific.

Tomorrow we leave for Big Sur and the Hearst Castle. Every day is an adventure.

Day 7: San Francisco- Carmel

Today was a great day!

We woke and went for a walk along Fisherman's Wharf. Yesterday our tour bus drove past Boudin's bakery (notorious for their sourdough) and it smelled FANTASTIC! So we thought we'd see if we could catch a late breakfast or early lunch. We walked around the bakery museum and then had an awesome lunch!!!! At the museum we did a quiz to see what bread we were and I think it was pretty spot on!

We kind of breezed thru the rest of our drive down to Carmel, where we're staying at the La Playa hotel. It overlooks the beach and I'm listening to the waves crash as I'm typing. It's a beautiful old hotel with beautiful spanish tile and details. We walked around the town for a bit, where we had a light dinner at the Hog's Breath Inn (Clint Eastwood's place) and then headed to the movie theater to see "The Help"- HOLY CRAP! What a fantastic movie!!! I might have been the only person that DIDN'T cry but it was touching and funny and great! I am foreseeing a number of Oscar nominations. I highly recommend it!

Tomorrow.... THE AQUARIUM!!!!!! I'm so excited!!!!!!

Good Morning Alcatraz!

YUMMY chocolate!

I want to be a mermaid!

It smelled delicious!

Those signs should be much larger and ALL on the road during the entire drive!

I didn't take this photo but this is our hotel (for you, Claire)

These houses are like Hansel & Gretel houses!

We thought Clint would make an appearance but he must've been really busy!

MOMMA'S NOTES

Another wonderful day. We may be getting a little jaded about fog shrouded coastlines. We hardly stopped today and were rewarded with charming Carmel, a great hotel and a terrific movie which I cried through for both of us.

We are starting to count down the days and there is still so much to see and do.

Day 6: SAN FRANCISCO!!!!

Me and mom are relaxing in our hotel room after a wonderful dinner with our friends Nancy and Daniel Starr. They're friends Lanvey and Bill were there and it was great to have a home-cooked meal and some good company. The Starr's live in a beautiful house on one of those slanted hills and the exterior and interior detail is a-mazing!

We had a slow start this morning but ventured around and found a camera store where I was able to get a new camera (not lens), since it looks like my Japanese camera has some burned pixels. It will be going to the Japanese camera hospital for some help.

Then we headed to the marina district to get a manicure and pedicure. We had lunch at a FABULOUS place called Tacolicious- I highly recommend it! Then we went to a fabulous stationary store where I (of course) spent a pretty penny. Then off to get manicures and pedicures, which were really needed.

We were under some crunch time to see the city and a bit tired so we hopped on a bus tour and it may have been the best way to see the city! The fog cleared up for us and so did the view of the Golden Gate Bridge!

San Francisco is an awesome city with so much interesting history and life. I definitely think I will be coming back!

These hearts were everywhere and super cute!

The sign at Tacolicious

Getting my sausage toes did

LOOOOVE this name!

On top of the bus and ready for our tour!

What our guide said was the "crookedest" road in the US

huh...

Perhaps the number one reason to come back to San Fran

Books hanging from wires

Fun wall art and a great philosophy

Cool shadows

Mom checking out the Capital building

The painted ladies aka the Full House house (the red one)- I hated that show

Jimi Hendrix just chillin on Haight Ashbury street

Amazing to see without the fog!

Alcatraz was sold out :(

I wouldn't want to commute to there every day....

Nancy's house = BEAUTIFUL!

Mom had a helper while she cleaned dishes!

MOMMA'S NOTES

Great day, sunny and apparently the first time the Golden Gate wasn't enshrouded with fog. Lucky us. Eliza understates our need for the pedicures, yikes! And the open top bus tour was fantastic. I want to do another in NYC and maybe in Singapore. San Francisco is a unique and interesting city and we love it.

Homemade pizza and soup with Dan and Nancy was wonderful and very generous considering they were still elated and reeling from the wedding of their daughter Ann. Beautiful home and the visit was like a small, nostalgic tour of Japan from the art and antiques to the tea.

Tomorrow we head for Carmel, get back on rte. 1 with more chances to get car sick, see seals and whales and awesome scenery.