Thursday

I woke up in Santa Barbara to a gorgeous day. I just knew it would be a great day for a drive! After checking out and filling up at the pump next door I hit 101N for a bit, and then CA1, the Pacific Coast Highway. Around that area there were a few cool stretches through the mountains – kinda felt like I was driving thought South Korea to the 4077.

For a while it would alternate between little towns and just land – mountains or farms. Usually the ocean was in sight, but not always.

I stopped in Pismo Beach to take a look at the ocean for a few minutes and snap a picture or two (Here we are! Pismo Beach and all the clams we can eat!) After the pitstop I was back on the road. The rest of the trip through Pismo Beach was uneventful, and eventually the road opened up to some ordinary scenery. I almost felt like I was driving in Upstate New York a few times. I almost started to feel that I had erred and that the PCH was a different road.

Then it opened up to the ocean on my left and big brown land on my right. I decided to pull over to one of the scenic areas and take a picture of the ocean. It was a little bit of a drop but enjoyed inching up to the edge. I went back to the car and pulled out a map to make sure I was doing the right thing (I was, just wasn’t patient enough).

I’m standing outside the passengers side of the car with the door opened flipping through my map book when something catches the corner of my eye. And what do you think it was that caught my eye? Yup – a squirrel. A damned dirty squirrel! I closed the door to the car, thinking it would jolt him away. Nope – it didn’t. He just stood there staring at me. Taunting even.

Taking that as an omen, I got back in the car and drove away. I don’t want to piss off another family of squirrels, so I kept driving north and saw the entrance to Hearst Castle. I pull in there thinking that it might be right off the road. Nope – it’s waaaay off in the distance on the top of a hill. I stopped in the visitors area there to check my distance from Big Sur and make a pit stop since I was off the road already. It was a nice area, with plenty of exhibits about the newspaper baron. I wish I had more time built into this part of the trip because I’d have loved to take a tour of the Castle, but it just wasn’t on the schedule. I may have to add that to the list for next time.

On my way out, the lady at the front desk handed me a flyer about the elephant seals that had a beach about 4 miles north, right off the road. It’s like she knew that I loved watching seals! I headed up that way and stopped to take a look. They weren’t exactly playing, but they were cool to see. Huge! Just laying on the beach, soakin up the sun. Lucky seals – they didn’t have to get back in the car and drive anywhere! But I did, so.

I hopped back into the car, and this is where the trip when from interesting and fun to absolutely breathtaking. The stretch between Hearst Castle and Big Sur is something everyone should drive in their lifetime. And that’s not just me saying that, I’m sure there are a thousand “Do Before You Die” lists out there that contains that statement. It was amazing. All of a sudden the road starts climbing and climbing and starts to hug the mountains, winding around them like you see in the movies. This went on for quite a while, and just got higher and higher. I pulled over once or twice to soak in the views. After over an hour of this I finally hit Big Sur and my lunch destination, Nepenthe.

Nepenthe was recommended to me by several people and it did not disappoint. I had a view of the ocean from the top of one of the cliffs while I ate my chicken sandwich and sipped my Chardonnay. It’s a very peaceful, relaxing spot, and I’d recommend it to anyone that is driving the PCH.

I didn’t feel like driving anymore, but I still had a little ways to go yet. I was about 2 and a half hours south of San Jose, and it was about 3pm pt. After my piece of pumpkin cake (Allison the waitress is a good salesperson!) I was back on the road. I took rte 1 up to 17, which took me right into San Jose. There were some nice stretches along here as well. Monterey was quite lovely, with beautiful views of the ocean crashing onto big rocks. Great colors. I watched the sun set while sitting in traffic while getting close to the 17 turnoff, but I still had plenty of time before the game.

The HP Pavilion (Shark Tank) is very easy to get to – right off the highway. I threw the car into a lot (I did NOT feel like driving around to look for cheaper parking!) and donned my Ducks jersey. I hit up will call and waited outside the Tank to go in. It’s very pretty from the outside.

Once inside the Tank I took a stroll around the concourse. It’s one large concourse for both levels, but it’s big enough that I didn’t feel crowded (can we say Long Island…or the old NJ arena…). I went down to the Team Store to get my game puck (I get a puck for every arena I go to), but the lines were way to long. They did have a cute shirt for the Ducks/Sharks rivalry. Picture the Jaws movie poster, but instead of a girl swimming it’s a little rubber ducky. I was going to get one, but the lines were too long, and I’m a rubber ducky fan, so. I wound up getting my puck from one of the smaller side vendors.

The seats I had were pretty good. Center ice upstairs, but two rows up from the press row. I was actually sitting right behind the Prime Ticket announcers for the Ducks. It was fun to watch that, but the light and camera were a little distracting during each intermission. The crowd was a sell-out, and the usher in that area seemed to know everyone (including the Ducks announcers). He said he’d been there since the place was opened. He greeted season-ticket holders by name which was cool, and had little pieces of candy for all the kids.

The crowd was a lot of fun. I was wearing my Ducks gear but wasn’t really hassled (once or twice maybe). They do a thing where someone (or multiple people) give two beats on a Duck call (one of those hunter things) to which seemingly the entire crowd replies “Ducks Suck”. That goes on for a while. It had me laughing – I love that this is a real rivalry. I’d rather that than no caring at all.

I was sitting next to this old lady who brought her grandkids to the game (I don’t think I’ve ever seen that in the Garden). She would frequently lean over to me to ask about the game. It was only her second time there, she informed me, and she said she had a tough time following. At one point, the Sharks had a good scoring opportunity but the shot went wide. She asked me if it went in. I said no. She said she couldn’t tell because the puck was moving so fast. First, I pointed out the lights behind the goal, and how if it turns from green to flashing red a goal was scored. Secondly, I told her “If the Sharks score, you’ll know.” Sure enough, a few minutes later the Sharks scored their first goal and the roof blew off the place. I turned to her and said “They scored one!” Near the end of the game, as tempers were beginning to flare, the Ducks were crashing the net trying to get a goal (they were down 2-0), and at one point a Duck ran over the Sharks goal tender. Well, a brew-ha-ha ensued for a few minutes and there were a few penalties. The old lady leaned over and asked why they were fighting. I smile. It was so adorable that she was trying to learn and understand the game. I told her that the Ducks player crashed into the goalie, and the Sharks didn’t like that. Plus, the Ducks haven’t been able to score, and they’re frustrated. She just laughed. At the end of the game she thanked me for answering her questions. The game needs more people like that old grandma who are willing to take the grandkids to a game and also want to learn a little something about it.

After the game, I got to my car (after some good natured heckling from the Sharks faithful) and made my way out of downtown San Jose. It wasn’t too bad getting out of there. One of the better arenas (getting out of the new Devils arena is easy as well). A quick shot up the 101 brought me to Redwood City where I bedded down for the night. I checked in – brought my stuff into the room, and promptly passed out. THAT was an exhausting day!

Wednesday

Long day on Wednesday! I woke up from my long slumber and checked out of the hotel around 11am. After that, I decided to try to find some sports apparel stores in the area to buy some Ducks gear without paying arena prices. The tour guide from my hotel recommended some places, so I was off on my tour of Anaheim to find them!

The first place I went to was in a place called the Block of Orange. It’s basically like an outdoor mall. It was next to a place called the Crystal Cathedral. I’m not a hundred percent sure what it was, but I think it was a daycare center? Perhaps? Maybe I should research it a little. The store I went to didn’t have all that much hockey (much like the east coast!) I did find a few cool Ducks things though, and I had a fun conversation with one of the workers who is a Kings fan (sucker!). After that place, I went up State College Blvd to a dirty little shack that had some old school Mighty Ducks stuff. Really cool (but very dirty…and a little creepy).

After my shopping excursion I headed back to Disneyland. I wanted to go on the Carosel of Progress and the Tomorrowland people mover. Turns out the Carosel is not that anymore, and the people mover was no open (don’t even know if it ever was). So I headed over to California Adventure for a little while. I’m not a ‘rides guy’, so I wasn’t all that impressed, but it was okay. I think having a “Hollywood” section was silly, since the real Hollywood is about a halfhour away.

After a quick bite to eat (chicken nuggets! Yum!!) I went to my car to get my hockey tickets don my jersey. My buddy who was coming to the game with me was stuck in traffic driving from LA, so I went back into Disneyland for a bit.

My buddy finally got to Anaheim and we headed to the game.

I gotta say, a LOT of Ducks jerseys at the game – more than I’ve noticed at other arenas, though maybe it just catches my eye some. I did do a little shopping in the team store, and even weaseled a discount by saying I flew all the way from New York for the game.

After grabbing some Jack Daniels, we headed to our seats. Pretty good for $11 a piece! Looking around I don’t think there is a bad seat in the house. Intermissioins were quiet, which I like – and the fans were quiet during play but erupted with each goal. I was surprised the celebratory song wasn’t louder on the PA, but that foghorn rattles your bones! Awesome.

After the game (A 4-2 Ducks victory, upping my personal Ducks winning streak to 4-in-a-row) I followed my buddy into Hollywood to visit his fiancé on the set of a new ABC show debuting in March. She is also a former co-worker of mine, so it was nice to see her too, if only briefly.

But I had to cut it shorter than I’d like, because I was soooo tired and I still had to drive to Santa Barbara! I rolled into the hotel around 1:45 and was asleep by two. A nice hotel…from what I gathered in the 15 minutes I was awake in it.

More later!

I've realized what I never liked about Disney...

Tourists! Last night was awesome, and I realized the Parks are so much better when there aren't any of those pesky tourists around! But I guess I can say the same thing about Times Square.

I weaseled my way into the Park last night and had a wonderful time. Perhaps it was the severe lack of sleep, combined with my second wind, but I felt like I was 10 years old again. The shear giddiness I felt on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride was embarrassing. I also rode some Snow White ride and Pirates again.

They had Sleeping Beauty's castle decked out with holiday lights. It was quite amazing.

Sleeping Beauty's Castle decked out for the Holidays!

They also decorated the It's A Small World ride for Christmas in a way that would have made my mother cry it was so amazing. I had to ride that because if I didn't she'd have beat me mercilessly. So there you go Ma, I rode Small World for you. They had the whole ride decorated and adjusted for the holidays. They kept going between "It's a Small World" and "Jingle Bells". I think I'm good with that ride for another decade now.

This is "It's a Small World"

I was also able to get about 90% of my Christmas shopping done last night, which is pretty awesome.

All in all, I was pleasantly surprised with Disneyland. So many people have told me that it would pale in comparison to Disney World. And it does, but it was better than I thought it would be. One thing I noticed were the type of tourist that were there. Disneyland seems like it caters to more American tourists, while Disney World seems more international. Perhaps flights from Europe to Florida are cheaper/quicker? Or that Disney World is so much bigger that you get more bang for you already stretched buck? I don't know. But it has been a great experience so far.

Today I go back to the Parks for the day. I have to check out California Adventure, and there are a few more things to do at Disneyland that were closed last night.

Tonight I go to the Pond for the first time! So excited!!

Okay - time to get motivated and moving. Sleep was definitely awesome last night, but I must go out and enjoy this Southern California morning.

I'll try to make another post tonight when I get to Santa Barbara, if I'm not too exhausted!

Greetings from the OC! (don't call it that)

I made it!

If I can offer advice to anyone, it would be "Don't plan a 6:40am flight on the first day of your vacation." What a dumb idea! Waking up at 3am was not fun. But, driving to JFK at 4am was a breeze, as was parking. The security checkin? Not so much. That took longer than it should. A bright spot that I found was that I was standing in line behind to passengers (mid-50's businessmen) who were business/first-class passengers. Due to construction, there was no separate line for them. One of them started to complain to a security supervisor, who in so many words said "blow it out your ear." That made my morning. We're all on line pal, deal with it.

I dozed for the most part the entire flight out here, which was nice. A lot of Hesidic Jews were on the flight, which was interesting. I felt bad for them when they walked out into the sunny California air with their black overcoats and hats.

The car rental was uneventful, as was the drive to Anaheim. Triptik got a little confusing around the 101 and 5 merge, but I figured it out.

After getting to Anaheim, I drove around a bit to get my bearings, and saw Honda Center for the first time. It's a pretty building. When I came back through, I passed it from behind, where it looks like it's situated on barren wasteland. It really looked like the model home from Arrested Development.

Around 2pm pt I drove over to Disneyland and spent the day there. It was my first trip there, and I found myself comparing it to Disney World too much. It was a fun day. I really enjoyed Pirates of the Carribean and the Haunted Mansion. I also got a tip on a little after-park-hours shindig that I'm gonna go check out. Shhh...

I'm a little tired - as one might imagine, and I think I'll take a quick nap before heading back to the park.

I'll try to write more later!

Off to California!

The plans are made. The hotels are booked. The tickets are purchased.

Now I just have to figure out long-term parking at JFK and I'm all set!

I fly out of JFK tomorrow at 6:40 am et, landing at LAX at 10am pt. I am renting my car through Enterprise as they gave me the best one-way rental rate. After I leave the airport I drive down to Anaheim and spend one night there at the Ramada Main Gate.

On Wednesday, I check out of the hotel and spend the day at Disneyland (most likely). I hit the Ducks game that night (vs the Blues) and head to Santa Barbara immediately after the game. That night I stay at another Ramada right off the 101.

Thursday morning I trek up the Pacific Coast Highway on what most people say will be a drive I'll never forget. My destination for lunch is Nepenthe in Big Sur. After lunch, I'll be rolling into San Jose to hit up the Shark Tank for Ducks/Sharks. Once that game is through, I head up to Redwood City to a Best Western to unwind after a looooong day of driving. Thank god for XM! The MyFi will be with me for the whole trip.

When I wake up Friday morning, I will ride into San Francisco for the first time, dropping the car off downtown. Then a quick bus ride or, if the weather is nice, brisk walk will take me to my final hotel, the Westin St Francis in Union Square. I've heard that every President since Taft has stayed there (thanks to my trusty Frommer's Guide Book). My activities for San Francisco are still up in the air, but a visit to Alcatraz is very much in the cards.

Saturday, I check out of the hotel and enjoy the morning in San Francisco. I fly out of SFO around 3:30pm pt and land just before midnight eastern at JFK. I'm sure I will freeze my buns off while I look for my car in the long-term parking lot!

I booked the Westin St Francis on Hotwire.com. It's an awesome site - if you're ever traveling to a big city and don't care what chain hotel you stay at I highly recommend this tool. You can pretty much narrow it down to one or two hotels before you book it if you look here. I was spot on with the Westin.

AAA was also a huge help in planning this trip. I reserved all of my other hotels through their website and got the best rates. I also used their Triptik tool to map all of my routes, printing out the PDFs they produced. I suppose I'll know how accurate they are after this trip!

I bought my tickets to the Ducks game from Stubhub. I tried to do that for the Sharks game too, but they had less available, especially for just one ticket. I went through ticketmaster, and cursed my way through the $15 in fees they tacked onto the price. Bunch of savages.

I'm hoping my next update will be from sunny Orange County! If it's from an airport you can be sure that I am grumpy!