yk's Trip Report - Sunny LA & San Diego
Mar 19th, 2007, 07:20 AM
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yk's Trip Report - Sunny LA & San Diego
I went on a 6-day trip to LA and San Diego during the last part of Feb and beginning of March. My mom joined me for the first 3 days in LA, then DH flew out to San Diego for the last 3 days where we celebrated his birthday.
The trip was spectacular. Weather was great (apart from a bit chilly in LA), and the food was super fresh and tasty. We hit a few museums and visited friends.
The only complaint I have on this trip is: LA traffic!
------------------------------
Day 1 - Arrival to LA
My mom and I flew separately into LAX (her from Houston, me from Dallas). Our flights arrived within 15 minutes of each other. I walked from T4 to T6 to meet her, then got on the rental car shuttle to Alamo (booked via Priceline).
After quite a long wait in line, we finally got our compact car. We were told we could choose any compact car we want in the lot. The cars were all Saturn Ions, so it wasn't like there was any real "choice" except for the color.
We set off for lunch. After some research, I picked Azami, located near LACMA. It is a Japanese sushi cafe and run by all female staff. I ordered the sashimi special and mom had the sushi special. Both include a miso soup and salad. We also got a side order of veggie tempura. I thought the fish was average - definitely fresh but not spectacular. Total cost of lunch: $26
Azami Sushi Cafe
7160 Melrose Ave (Cross St: Formosa Avenue)
Los Angeles, CA 90046
(323) 939-3816
At 1:30p we arrived at LACMA for the Magritte exhibition. I enjoyed the show quite a bit, and I think my mom liked it too even though she doesn't know a thing about Surrealism. The exhibition gallery was designed by John Baldessari, who is also an artist. He used Magritte's blue sky/white cloud theme as the carpet design, and the ceiling was covered with images of LA's highways. Apart from Magritte's works, there are lots of works by more recent artists who are inspired by Magritte, including Vija Celmins, Rauschenberg etc.
We spent about 1 hour at the exhibition, and then quickly checked out the rest of the museum. We stopped for a coffee break, then went to the small sculpture garden (my mom recognized the sculpture in the pool is by "that famous guy in Philadelphia", aka Calder).
We continued on the path to the Japanese Pavilion. It is a separate building built with special screens and lightings for the display of Japanese paintings .
We finally left LACMA at 4p, spent an hour in LA rush hour traffic, and arrived in San Gabriel by 5p to visit one of my mom's college professor.
For dinner that night, we met up with friends of mine. They picked Newport Seafood. It is a Chinese/Vietnamese restaurant famous for its lobster. The food was just absolutely delicious! We had the lobster (stir fried with chilis and green onions), clams (stir fried with lemongrass), a plate of vegetables, and a beef dish (with the most tender beef I've tasted). The restaurant was packed even though it was a Tuesday night, and every table ordered the lobster.
Newport Seafood Restaurant
835 W Las Tunas Dr
San Gabriel, CA 91776-1073
(626) 289-5998
After dinner, we went to a neighboring strip mall for Chinese dessert. We stuffed ourselves with more food before parting our ways. I drove my mom and I to Pasadena and checked in at the Sheraton (booked via Priceline).
The trip was spectacular. Weather was great (apart from a bit chilly in LA), and the food was super fresh and tasty. We hit a few museums and visited friends.
The only complaint I have on this trip is: LA traffic!
------------------------------
Day 1 - Arrival to LA
My mom and I flew separately into LAX (her from Houston, me from Dallas). Our flights arrived within 15 minutes of each other. I walked from T4 to T6 to meet her, then got on the rental car shuttle to Alamo (booked via Priceline).
After quite a long wait in line, we finally got our compact car. We were told we could choose any compact car we want in the lot. The cars were all Saturn Ions, so it wasn't like there was any real "choice" except for the color.
We set off for lunch. After some research, I picked Azami, located near LACMA. It is a Japanese sushi cafe and run by all female staff. I ordered the sashimi special and mom had the sushi special. Both include a miso soup and salad. We also got a side order of veggie tempura. I thought the fish was average - definitely fresh but not spectacular. Total cost of lunch: $26
Azami Sushi Cafe
7160 Melrose Ave (Cross St: Formosa Avenue)
Los Angeles, CA 90046
(323) 939-3816
At 1:30p we arrived at LACMA for the Magritte exhibition. I enjoyed the show quite a bit, and I think my mom liked it too even though she doesn't know a thing about Surrealism. The exhibition gallery was designed by John Baldessari, who is also an artist. He used Magritte's blue sky/white cloud theme as the carpet design, and the ceiling was covered with images of LA's highways. Apart from Magritte's works, there are lots of works by more recent artists who are inspired by Magritte, including Vija Celmins, Rauschenberg etc.
We spent about 1 hour at the exhibition, and then quickly checked out the rest of the museum. We stopped for a coffee break, then went to the small sculpture garden (my mom recognized the sculpture in the pool is by "that famous guy in Philadelphia", aka Calder).
We continued on the path to the Japanese Pavilion. It is a separate building built with special screens and lightings for the display of Japanese paintings .
We finally left LACMA at 4p, spent an hour in LA rush hour traffic, and arrived in San Gabriel by 5p to visit one of my mom's college professor.
For dinner that night, we met up with friends of mine. They picked Newport Seafood. It is a Chinese/Vietnamese restaurant famous for its lobster. The food was just absolutely delicious! We had the lobster (stir fried with chilis and green onions), clams (stir fried with lemongrass), a plate of vegetables, and a beef dish (with the most tender beef I've tasted). The restaurant was packed even though it was a Tuesday night, and every table ordered the lobster.
Newport Seafood Restaurant
835 W Las Tunas Dr
San Gabriel, CA 91776-1073
(626) 289-5998
After dinner, we went to a neighboring strip mall for Chinese dessert. We stuffed ourselves with more food before parting our ways. I drove my mom and I to Pasadena and checked in at the Sheraton (booked via Priceline).
Mar 19th, 2007, 10:03 AM
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Day 2 - Getty Center
We left our hotel around 9a and headed for the Getty Center. Even though we took advantage of the HOV lanes, it still took over an hour to get there. By the time we parked our car, waited for the monorail to get up to the Center, we missed the 10:15a Architecture tour. Fortunately, the next tour begins at 11a, so we walked around and snapped lots of pictures.
The Architecture tour is excellent. We learned about how architect Richard Meier studied the contours of the hill and designed the center according to it. He was given the commission in 1984 (the year he won Pritzker Prize), and the Center opened in 1996 and cost over 1 billion dollars to build. It really is a beautiful piece of art work. The building is made of white aluminium and beige travertine from a quarry in Italy. It is the same quarry where the stones that built Colosseum came from.
[I had visited the Rachofsky House in Dallas - designed my Richard Meier - a week earlier. I could not help but notice a lot of similarities between the Getty Center and the Rachofsky House. www.rachofskyhouse.org]
Our tour ended a little early, so we ran and caught the 11:30a Garden Tour. While the buildings were designed by Richard Meier, the Garden is the work of Robert Irwin (who also did a small design for the Rachofsky House's front lawn). One walks downhill from the Center towards the Garden. A stream flows down while the visitor zigzags across the stream 5 times - a way to slow down the visitor so that one can enjoy the 5 senses. At the bottom of the hill, the stream turns into a waterfall and ends in a pool. In the middle of the pool is a maze. Even though we were visiting during winter, the plants are growing well and the variety is amazing. The Garden employs 33 full time gardeners to tend its grounds.
We were hungry after the tour, but our reservation at the Getty Restaurant is not due for another hour. We went to the Restaurant nonetheless to see if we could get seated earlier, but the place was completely packed. We returned to the main building and watched the Orientation film. After taking more pictures and browsing in the store, it finally is time for lunch.
I had read that the Getty Restaurant has great views, but it turns out to be over-rated. One can see the ocean from the Restaurant, but it's a boring view. The food, OTOH, was fabulous.
Appetizer:
Getty Lettuces - avocado, eggs, romaine, with Meyer lemon vinaigrette
Entrees:
Mom had Pacific NW mussels and clams - with chorizo sausage, chipotle cream, scallions and cilantro
I had Cauliflower risotto - with Borlotti beans, portobello mushroom, sage pesto
We took our time with lunch, and before we knew it, it was getting late. We skipped dessert. Lunch was $50.
Getty was hosting the Icons from Sinai special exhibition. We should have gone there first, but I made a wrong decision and we toured the permanent collection. The Getty's collection is not too impressive, and if it weren't for Richard Meier's building, I suspect it would get much fewer tourists.
By the time we finished with the permanent collection, there was a line to get into the Sinai show. Even though we were running out of time, we didnt' want to miss it. The artifacts on view came from the Holy Monastery of Saint Catherine, located at the foothills of Mount Sinai, and is the world's oldest continuously operating Christian monastery. Because of its remote location, the monastery escaped war, destruction, persecution that affected the rest of the world in the last many centuries. It holds more than half of the world's collection of Byzantine icons.
Fortunately, neither me or my mom are interested in Byzantine icons, so we cruised through the show relatively quickly. The place was packed (the show was scheduled to close that weekend).
We left the Getty at around 4p, drove to Griffith Park to meet up with mom's friends, then all drove out to San Gabriel for dinner at Mission 261. The restaurant was quite empty (big contrast to Newport Seafood the night before), but the food was just as great. I did not remember all the dishes we had, but they were all delicious. Mom got to see 2 of her high school friends, one of whom she had not seen in over 40 years (since high school graduation)!
Mission 261
261 S. Mission Dr.
San Gabriel, CA 91776
Tel: 626.588.1666
http://www.mission261.com
We left our hotel around 9a and headed for the Getty Center. Even though we took advantage of the HOV lanes, it still took over an hour to get there. By the time we parked our car, waited for the monorail to get up to the Center, we missed the 10:15a Architecture tour. Fortunately, the next tour begins at 11a, so we walked around and snapped lots of pictures.
The Architecture tour is excellent. We learned about how architect Richard Meier studied the contours of the hill and designed the center according to it. He was given the commission in 1984 (the year he won Pritzker Prize), and the Center opened in 1996 and cost over 1 billion dollars to build. It really is a beautiful piece of art work. The building is made of white aluminium and beige travertine from a quarry in Italy. It is the same quarry where the stones that built Colosseum came from.
[I had visited the Rachofsky House in Dallas - designed my Richard Meier - a week earlier. I could not help but notice a lot of similarities between the Getty Center and the Rachofsky House. www.rachofskyhouse.org]
Our tour ended a little early, so we ran and caught the 11:30a Garden Tour. While the buildings were designed by Richard Meier, the Garden is the work of Robert Irwin (who also did a small design for the Rachofsky House's front lawn). One walks downhill from the Center towards the Garden. A stream flows down while the visitor zigzags across the stream 5 times - a way to slow down the visitor so that one can enjoy the 5 senses. At the bottom of the hill, the stream turns into a waterfall and ends in a pool. In the middle of the pool is a maze. Even though we were visiting during winter, the plants are growing well and the variety is amazing. The Garden employs 33 full time gardeners to tend its grounds.
We were hungry after the tour, but our reservation at the Getty Restaurant is not due for another hour. We went to the Restaurant nonetheless to see if we could get seated earlier, but the place was completely packed. We returned to the main building and watched the Orientation film. After taking more pictures and browsing in the store, it finally is time for lunch.
I had read that the Getty Restaurant has great views, but it turns out to be over-rated. One can see the ocean from the Restaurant, but it's a boring view. The food, OTOH, was fabulous.
Appetizer:
Getty Lettuces - avocado, eggs, romaine, with Meyer lemon vinaigrette
Entrees:
Mom had Pacific NW mussels and clams - with chorizo sausage, chipotle cream, scallions and cilantro
I had Cauliflower risotto - with Borlotti beans, portobello mushroom, sage pesto
We took our time with lunch, and before we knew it, it was getting late. We skipped dessert. Lunch was $50.
Getty was hosting the Icons from Sinai special exhibition. We should have gone there first, but I made a wrong decision and we toured the permanent collection. The Getty's collection is not too impressive, and if it weren't for Richard Meier's building, I suspect it would get much fewer tourists.
By the time we finished with the permanent collection, there was a line to get into the Sinai show. Even though we were running out of time, we didnt' want to miss it. The artifacts on view came from the Holy Monastery of Saint Catherine, located at the foothills of Mount Sinai, and is the world's oldest continuously operating Christian monastery. Because of its remote location, the monastery escaped war, destruction, persecution that affected the rest of the world in the last many centuries. It holds more than half of the world's collection of Byzantine icons.
Fortunately, neither me or my mom are interested in Byzantine icons, so we cruised through the show relatively quickly. The place was packed (the show was scheduled to close that weekend).
We left the Getty at around 4p, drove to Griffith Park to meet up with mom's friends, then all drove out to San Gabriel for dinner at Mission 261. The restaurant was quite empty (big contrast to Newport Seafood the night before), but the food was just as great. I did not remember all the dishes we had, but they were all delicious. Mom got to see 2 of her high school friends, one of whom she had not seen in over 40 years (since high school graduation)!
Mission 261
261 S. Mission Dr.
San Gabriel, CA 91776
Tel: 626.588.1666
http://www.mission261.com
Mar 20th, 2007, 09:12 AM
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Day 3 - Getty Villa
Trying to beat LA traffic, this morning I decided to take local roads instead of the highways to get to the Getty Villa in Malibu. The traffic was even worse! It took almost 1.5 hours to get there, and we arrived at 10:25a for our 10a reservation.
The Getty Villa does not charge entrance fees, but it limits the number of visitors each day, so everyone has to obtain a free timed ticket in advance.
From the entrace gate on Pacific Coast Highway, we drove up a steep stone path until we reached a concrete parking complex. From the parking structure, it's a path walking further up to the Villa. Despite a few minutes late, we were allowed to join in the 10:30a Orientation Tour. As the name suggests, our guide told us mainly background information about J P Getty and how the Villa came into existence.
Getty made his fortune in the oil business and he started buying art. He collected lots of Greek and Roman artifacts, and in the 1950s bought a piece of land in Malibu and built a ranch house there to live and store his collection. He then decided to open his home for visitors 3 times a week. He continued to amass more art, and in the late 1960s he decided to build an official "museum" to house it. He wanted to build it on the lot next to his ranch house, and told his team he wanted the museum to be just like the "Villa dei Papyri." Nobody on the team had heard of Villa dei Papyri and had to do a lot of research to find out. It turns out that Villa dei Papyri is a house in Herculaneum in ancient Roman times, and buried under 70 feet of volcanic debris when Versuvius erupted in 79AD. It remained buried until it was discovered in the 1700s, but the entire house is never completely excavated because modern houses sit above it. Many papyrus scrolls were found at the house, and hence its name. It was believed that Julius Caesar's father-in-law lived there.
Getty Villa's blueprint is exactly the same as Villa dei Papyri, and the sculptures in the courtyards are replicas. However, when it comes to architecture details and wall decorations, Getty's team traveled to Pompeii and various other excavated towns to study the excavated houses. In essence, Getty Villa is a compilation of many Roman buildings.
The Villa took a mere 4 years to complete and opened in 1974. Getty was living in London and he loathed flying. He died in 1976 without ever seeing the Villa. The Villa closed in 1997 for renovation. The holdings in the second floor (paintings and furniture) were moved to the Center. The Getty Trust decided to keep the Greek and Roman treasures at the Villa, and a new outdoor Roman theatre is added.
As soon as the Orientation Tour is over, we went on the 11:30a Architecture and Gardens Tour. Our docent pointed out the use of many different kinds of marble for walls and floors, mosaics, frescos etc. A long pool sits in the outer peristyle where Romans would swim in. Of course, none of us dived in.
After the tour, it was time for lunch. There is a cafe on site, with both indoor and outdoor sitting. The weather was beautiful, so we sat outside. Mom had the Tuscan Soup - calamari and clams in a rich tomato broth served over grilled focaccia bread. Even though it is called a "soup," it is considered an entree. I had the Market Citrus, Prosciutto and Arugula Salad - Parmigiano, Reggiano, Marcona almonds, basil vinaigrette, golden frisee. The food was fresh and delicious! I now understand what "California cuisine" really means. Lunch was $24.
After lunch, we went to watch the Orientation film, then visited the galleries. We finished at around 2:30p.
Mom's flight was at 6:15p later that day. Initially, I had planned for us to visit the UCLA Hammer Museum for the Vija Celmins show. But, after 3 days of museums, I thought this would be too boring for my mom. Also, the weather was so nice it felt wrong to be indoors. I decided to drive along the coast a bit.
We followed PCH south, passing Santa Monica, Venice Beach, and eventually to Marina del Rey. In the back of my mind, I recalled going to a Cheesecake Factory there with some friends 15 years ago. However, we drove around and around and failed to find it. Instead, we ended up at Fisherman's Village. It basically is a tourist strip on the water with restaurants and shops, and a fake lighthouse.
The place was virtually deserted when we visited. We walked up and down the broadwalk and looked at various restaurants. After getting some icecream, we took off and headed for the airport.
I arrived a lot earlier than my scheduled flight to San Diego, so I went stand-by for an earlier flight. I eventually got on, and arrived before 8p. DH's flight is expected to arrive at 9:20p.
With the extra time, I decided to go pick up the rental car (Alamo, via Priceline) and checked-in at the hotel (Omni, via Priceline) before returning to the airport to get DH.
Trying to beat LA traffic, this morning I decided to take local roads instead of the highways to get to the Getty Villa in Malibu. The traffic was even worse! It took almost 1.5 hours to get there, and we arrived at 10:25a for our 10a reservation.
The Getty Villa does not charge entrance fees, but it limits the number of visitors each day, so everyone has to obtain a free timed ticket in advance.
From the entrace gate on Pacific Coast Highway, we drove up a steep stone path until we reached a concrete parking complex. From the parking structure, it's a path walking further up to the Villa. Despite a few minutes late, we were allowed to join in the 10:30a Orientation Tour. As the name suggests, our guide told us mainly background information about J P Getty and how the Villa came into existence.
Getty made his fortune in the oil business and he started buying art. He collected lots of Greek and Roman artifacts, and in the 1950s bought a piece of land in Malibu and built a ranch house there to live and store his collection. He then decided to open his home for visitors 3 times a week. He continued to amass more art, and in the late 1960s he decided to build an official "museum" to house it. He wanted to build it on the lot next to his ranch house, and told his team he wanted the museum to be just like the "Villa dei Papyri." Nobody on the team had heard of Villa dei Papyri and had to do a lot of research to find out. It turns out that Villa dei Papyri is a house in Herculaneum in ancient Roman times, and buried under 70 feet of volcanic debris when Versuvius erupted in 79AD. It remained buried until it was discovered in the 1700s, but the entire house is never completely excavated because modern houses sit above it. Many papyrus scrolls were found at the house, and hence its name. It was believed that Julius Caesar's father-in-law lived there.
Getty Villa's blueprint is exactly the same as Villa dei Papyri, and the sculptures in the courtyards are replicas. However, when it comes to architecture details and wall decorations, Getty's team traveled to Pompeii and various other excavated towns to study the excavated houses. In essence, Getty Villa is a compilation of many Roman buildings.
The Villa took a mere 4 years to complete and opened in 1974. Getty was living in London and he loathed flying. He died in 1976 without ever seeing the Villa. The Villa closed in 1997 for renovation. The holdings in the second floor (paintings and furniture) were moved to the Center. The Getty Trust decided to keep the Greek and Roman treasures at the Villa, and a new outdoor Roman theatre is added.
As soon as the Orientation Tour is over, we went on the 11:30a Architecture and Gardens Tour. Our docent pointed out the use of many different kinds of marble for walls and floors, mosaics, frescos etc. A long pool sits in the outer peristyle where Romans would swim in. Of course, none of us dived in.
After the tour, it was time for lunch. There is a cafe on site, with both indoor and outdoor sitting. The weather was beautiful, so we sat outside. Mom had the Tuscan Soup - calamari and clams in a rich tomato broth served over grilled focaccia bread. Even though it is called a "soup," it is considered an entree. I had the Market Citrus, Prosciutto and Arugula Salad - Parmigiano, Reggiano, Marcona almonds, basil vinaigrette, golden frisee. The food was fresh and delicious! I now understand what "California cuisine" really means. Lunch was $24.
After lunch, we went to watch the Orientation film, then visited the galleries. We finished at around 2:30p.
Mom's flight was at 6:15p later that day. Initially, I had planned for us to visit the UCLA Hammer Museum for the Vija Celmins show. But, after 3 days of museums, I thought this would be too boring for my mom. Also, the weather was so nice it felt wrong to be indoors. I decided to drive along the coast a bit.
We followed PCH south, passing Santa Monica, Venice Beach, and eventually to Marina del Rey. In the back of my mind, I recalled going to a Cheesecake Factory there with some friends 15 years ago. However, we drove around and around and failed to find it. Instead, we ended up at Fisherman's Village. It basically is a tourist strip on the water with restaurants and shops, and a fake lighthouse.
The place was virtually deserted when we visited. We walked up and down the broadwalk and looked at various restaurants. After getting some icecream, we took off and headed for the airport.
I arrived a lot earlier than my scheduled flight to San Diego, so I went stand-by for an earlier flight. I eventually got on, and arrived before 8p. DH's flight is expected to arrive at 9:20p.
With the extra time, I decided to go pick up the rental car (Alamo, via Priceline) and checked-in at the hotel (Omni, via Priceline) before returning to the airport to get DH.
Mar 20th, 2007, 10:22 AM
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Day 4 - San Diego Balboa Park
Neither DH or I had a proper dinner the night before, so we headed downstairs at our hotel, Omni, to eat at the restaurant, McCormick and Schmick's. I ordered an Eggwhite omlette with mushrooms, spinach and swiss cheese. DH had their Belgian waffle. The quality of the food is fair - too big a portion for my taste.
We then set off for Balboa Park. After parking our car, we headed towards the San Diego Museum of Art. The Annie Liebovitz photography exhibition is the only attraction. The permanent collection is small and not memorable.
The Timken Museum is located adjacent to the SDMA. We didn't know what to expect there, except we know it owns a Bruegel. The Timken is absolutely a hidden gem. Even though it is small, every painting it owns is a masterpiece. The collection there is superior to the SDMA. Apart from the Bruegel, it has a nice Dutch and Flemish collection with paintings by Rembrandt and Rubens. It also has a large painting by Petrus Christus (there are only 20 known existing works by Christus).
After getting the art museums out of the way, we strolled the grounds of Balboa Park and enjoyed the beautiful weather. I was amazed by the beautiful and intricate architecture of the buildings.
We visited the Botanical Building, and indulged the "child" in DH by visiting the Model Railroad Museum. We then stopped for lunch at the Tea Pavilion at the Japanese Friendship Garden. P had salmon with curry rice, while I opted for the chicken with curry rice. We also shared a salad. We thought the food is quite good and at a good price ($25).
Next, we visited the Japanese Friendship Garden, then the desert garden, rose garden, Spanish Art Center. Every direction we look is a photo-op. We finally left Balboa Park at 4pm.
We drove north along I-15 to Rancho Bernardo to visit our friends. We hung out at their house for a while before we headed out to Roy's in La Jolla for dinner.
Everything we ordered was delicious. And of course, we couldn't not finish our meal without the signature Melting Hot Chocolate Soufflé. Our friend had told the waitstaff that it was DH's birthday (it is the following day), so we got an extra free dessert. We had left our cameras at the house, but our waitress came through for us. She used the restaurant's digital camera to take pictures of us, then printed them out for us! What service!
Neither DH or I had a proper dinner the night before, so we headed downstairs at our hotel, Omni, to eat at the restaurant, McCormick and Schmick's. I ordered an Eggwhite omlette with mushrooms, spinach and swiss cheese. DH had their Belgian waffle. The quality of the food is fair - too big a portion for my taste.
We then set off for Balboa Park. After parking our car, we headed towards the San Diego Museum of Art. The Annie Liebovitz photography exhibition is the only attraction. The permanent collection is small and not memorable.
The Timken Museum is located adjacent to the SDMA. We didn't know what to expect there, except we know it owns a Bruegel. The Timken is absolutely a hidden gem. Even though it is small, every painting it owns is a masterpiece. The collection there is superior to the SDMA. Apart from the Bruegel, it has a nice Dutch and Flemish collection with paintings by Rembrandt and Rubens. It also has a large painting by Petrus Christus (there are only 20 known existing works by Christus).
After getting the art museums out of the way, we strolled the grounds of Balboa Park and enjoyed the beautiful weather. I was amazed by the beautiful and intricate architecture of the buildings.
We visited the Botanical Building, and indulged the "child" in DH by visiting the Model Railroad Museum. We then stopped for lunch at the Tea Pavilion at the Japanese Friendship Garden. P had salmon with curry rice, while I opted for the chicken with curry rice. We also shared a salad. We thought the food is quite good and at a good price ($25).
Next, we visited the Japanese Friendship Garden, then the desert garden, rose garden, Spanish Art Center. Every direction we look is a photo-op. We finally left Balboa Park at 4pm.
We drove north along I-15 to Rancho Bernardo to visit our friends. We hung out at their house for a while before we headed out to Roy's in La Jolla for dinner.
Everything we ordered was delicious. And of course, we couldn't not finish our meal without the signature Melting Hot Chocolate Soufflé. Our friend had told the waitstaff that it was DH's birthday (it is the following day), so we got an extra free dessert. We had left our cameras at the house, but our waitress came through for us. She used the restaurant's digital camera to take pictures of us, then printed them out for us! What service!
Mar 20th, 2007, 12:02 PM
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Day 5 - La Jolla, Old Town San Diego
We had a late start, so we had no time for breakfast. We drove north to La Jolla to visit the Salk Institute. It is designed by Louis Kahn and featured in the movie, My Architect. When we arrived, we were stopped by the guard at the gate.
"It's not open to the public on the weekends," we were told. I was speechless. I pleaded with him and he would not yield. I cannot believe I didn't check the website to make sure opening times before showing up.
We walked around the perimeter of the grounds. Very disappointed indeed.
We then drove into the business district of La Jolla. By the time we found a parking spot, it was almost time for our lunch reservation at NINE-TEN. The restaurant is located inside the Grande Colonial Hotel. Given that it is yet another beautiful day, we opted to sit in the outdoor patio. From the patio, we could glimpse parts of the ocean. They offer a $24 3-course lunch menu with many items to choose from.
DH had:
Appetizer - Hearts of Romaine with shaved parmigiano-reggiano, white anchovy vinaigrette
Entree - Smoked Chicken Panini with grilled balsamic onions, roasted peppers, cilantro-almond pesto
Dessert - Half-baked chocolate cake
I had:
Appetizer - Soup of the day which was Celery root soup with roasted brussel sprouts leaves
Entree - Dungeness Crab Salad with local potatoes, pole beans, greens, mustard creme fraiche
Dessert - Lemon Marmalade tart
It was another fabulous meal! I loved my soup and the salad. But DH's half-baked chocolate cake was from out of this world! Definitely better than Roy's Molten Chocolate Souffle.
NINE-TEN
910 Prospect Street
La Jolla, CA 92037
(858) 964-5400
http://www.nine-ten.com/home.html
After lunch, we headed down and walked along the ocean, watched the seals sunbathing on the beach, and left around 2pm.
Our next stop was Old Town. Most buildings are rebuilt within the last several decades, though there are a handful that survived from the 1800s. A lot of the buildings are now converted to shops selling tourist trinkets or restaurants. Some are restored with period furnishings and serve as mini-museums. We saw a sign for a free guided tour at 3pm, so we waited for that. DH & I were the only ones in the tour (we felt bad for the guide).
On the way back to the Omni, we stopped by at the Museum of Contemporary Art (Downtown). There was a Morris Louis retrospective on view. We passed. We crossed the street to check out the Sante Fe train depot briefly, then returned to our hotel for a rest.
Our room at the Omni was on the 16th floor and faces the ocean/Coronado Island. We watched a beautiful sunset.
DH's birthday dinner that night was celebrated at Chive at Gaslamp District. Even though it receives good reviews, the restaurant was only 30% occupied on a Saturday night. It seems like the Gaslamp mainly attracts tourists or young people looking for bars. Places like Chive just don't fit their tastes. Chive serves "Cuisine Moderne" consists of small plates. They recommend 3-4 plates per person. We ordered a total of 8:
Ginger mushroom ravioli - shoyu dashi, angel hair vegetable
Hamachi and Tuna crudo - melon salad, sweet soy, ponzu and yuzu vinaigrette
Seared diver salad - foie gras, cassis reduction, butternut squash puree
Pan seared sea bass - udon noodle, green lip mussel, apricote compote, cilantro aioli
Coriander dusted monkfish - beluga lentil, prosciutto, carrot cloud
Moroccan spiced chicken pinchitos - garbanzo puree, cucumber tomato relish, lime yogurt
Crab mac 'n cheese - boursin cheese, english pea, panko crust
Winter truffle risotto - royal oyster mushroom, parmesan tuile, porcini foam
We were absolutely stuffed at the end of the meal. We enjoyed every dish as each one has distinct flavors. Our bill came out to $125.
Chive
558 Fourth Ave
San Diego, CA 92101
619-232-4483
http://www.sdurbankitchen.com/chive.html
We walked around the Gaslamp District to digest the meal, so that we could have ice-cream at Ghirardelli to wrap up our evening.
We had a late start, so we had no time for breakfast. We drove north to La Jolla to visit the Salk Institute. It is designed by Louis Kahn and featured in the movie, My Architect. When we arrived, we were stopped by the guard at the gate.
"It's not open to the public on the weekends," we were told. I was speechless. I pleaded with him and he would not yield. I cannot believe I didn't check the website to make sure opening times before showing up.
We walked around the perimeter of the grounds. Very disappointed indeed.
We then drove into the business district of La Jolla. By the time we found a parking spot, it was almost time for our lunch reservation at NINE-TEN. The restaurant is located inside the Grande Colonial Hotel. Given that it is yet another beautiful day, we opted to sit in the outdoor patio. From the patio, we could glimpse parts of the ocean. They offer a $24 3-course lunch menu with many items to choose from.
DH had:
Appetizer - Hearts of Romaine with shaved parmigiano-reggiano, white anchovy vinaigrette
Entree - Smoked Chicken Panini with grilled balsamic onions, roasted peppers, cilantro-almond pesto
Dessert - Half-baked chocolate cake
I had:
Appetizer - Soup of the day which was Celery root soup with roasted brussel sprouts leaves
Entree - Dungeness Crab Salad with local potatoes, pole beans, greens, mustard creme fraiche
Dessert - Lemon Marmalade tart
It was another fabulous meal! I loved my soup and the salad. But DH's half-baked chocolate cake was from out of this world! Definitely better than Roy's Molten Chocolate Souffle.
NINE-TEN
910 Prospect Street
La Jolla, CA 92037
(858) 964-5400
http://www.nine-ten.com/home.html
After lunch, we headed down and walked along the ocean, watched the seals sunbathing on the beach, and left around 2pm.
Our next stop was Old Town. Most buildings are rebuilt within the last several decades, though there are a handful that survived from the 1800s. A lot of the buildings are now converted to shops selling tourist trinkets or restaurants. Some are restored with period furnishings and serve as mini-museums. We saw a sign for a free guided tour at 3pm, so we waited for that. DH & I were the only ones in the tour (we felt bad for the guide).
On the way back to the Omni, we stopped by at the Museum of Contemporary Art (Downtown). There was a Morris Louis retrospective on view. We passed. We crossed the street to check out the Sante Fe train depot briefly, then returned to our hotel for a rest.
Our room at the Omni was on the 16th floor and faces the ocean/Coronado Island. We watched a beautiful sunset.
DH's birthday dinner that night was celebrated at Chive at Gaslamp District. Even though it receives good reviews, the restaurant was only 30% occupied on a Saturday night. It seems like the Gaslamp mainly attracts tourists or young people looking for bars. Places like Chive just don't fit their tastes. Chive serves "Cuisine Moderne" consists of small plates. They recommend 3-4 plates per person. We ordered a total of 8:
Ginger mushroom ravioli - shoyu dashi, angel hair vegetable
Hamachi and Tuna crudo - melon salad, sweet soy, ponzu and yuzu vinaigrette
Seared diver salad - foie gras, cassis reduction, butternut squash puree
Pan seared sea bass - udon noodle, green lip mussel, apricote compote, cilantro aioli
Coriander dusted monkfish - beluga lentil, prosciutto, carrot cloud
Moroccan spiced chicken pinchitos - garbanzo puree, cucumber tomato relish, lime yogurt
Crab mac 'n cheese - boursin cheese, english pea, panko crust
Winter truffle risotto - royal oyster mushroom, parmesan tuile, porcini foam
We were absolutely stuffed at the end of the meal. We enjoyed every dish as each one has distinct flavors. Our bill came out to $125.
Chive
558 Fourth Ave
San Diego, CA 92101
619-232-4483
http://www.sdurbankitchen.com/chive.html
We walked around the Gaslamp District to digest the meal, so that we could have ice-cream at Ghirardelli to wrap up our evening.
Mar 20th, 2007, 12:43 PM
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Day 6 - home
Our flight was scheduled to leave at 1:20p, so I figured we have time for a leisurely brunch. Cafe 222 is quite well-known in San Diego, specially after it was featured on Food Network with Bobby Flay. Of course, I wasn't surprised to find a long line when we arrived.
We waited for 45 minutes before getting seated. We were lucky to get an outdoor table. The weather is so nice and the mood is so relaxing in San Diego that it really makes me want to move out there ASAP (except that we won't be able to afford to live there). I ordered a waffle topped with fruit and plain yogurt. DH had French toast. We really didn't find the food that spectacular to warrant such a long wait. It is just like any breakfast I order at any diners.
Cafe 222
222 Island Avenue
San Diego, CA 92101
619-236-9902
http://www.cafe222.com/
Soon it was time to return to the airport. Our attempt to get upgrades was unsuccessful, but the 2-hour flight went by very quickly.
THAT'S ALL FOLKS! Thanks for reading!
Our flight was scheduled to leave at 1:20p, so I figured we have time for a leisurely brunch. Cafe 222 is quite well-known in San Diego, specially after it was featured on Food Network with Bobby Flay. Of course, I wasn't surprised to find a long line when we arrived.
We waited for 45 minutes before getting seated. We were lucky to get an outdoor table. The weather is so nice and the mood is so relaxing in San Diego that it really makes me want to move out there ASAP (except that we won't be able to afford to live there). I ordered a waffle topped with fruit and plain yogurt. DH had French toast. We really didn't find the food that spectacular to warrant such a long wait. It is just like any breakfast I order at any diners.
Cafe 222
222 Island Avenue
San Diego, CA 92101
619-236-9902
http://www.cafe222.com/
Soon it was time to return to the airport. Our attempt to get upgrades was unsuccessful, but the 2-hour flight went by very quickly.
THAT'S ALL FOLKS! Thanks for reading!
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maitaitom
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Mar 17th, 2019 06:43 AM
