Travel Planning – Page 7

Accommodations, DESTINATIONS, Road Trips, TRAVEL, Travel Planning, United States

Beware of the Hotel Bargain

June 24, 2015August 11, 2015 Jane Sadek

Microtel San Antonio Northeast, San Antonio TX — The lovely picnic area, right next to the rusting dirt movers!

TRAVEL THERE: MICROTEL SAN ANTONIO NORTHEAST A DANGEROUS BARGAIN

We all know that if it’s too good to be true, then it’s probably not true – and with few exceptions, you get exactly what you pay for. Deb and I wanted a cheap hotel for our first night in San Antonio and that’s exactly what we got, so no surprise here.

Decision Path to Disaster

Now I’m not so cheap or adventurous that I’d purposely stay in an awful hotel, but I will look for bargains. In fact, I’d first planned to stay somewhere in San Marcos or New Brunsfel, but all the reviews of their bargain hotels made it sound as if these hotels had served one too many drunk river rafters – dirty and smelly being the biggest clue.

But I know Microtel. I’ve stayed at several of them and they have all been great. They weren’t always the latest and greatest, but you got a lot for not so much dough and they were clean. Enter Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham San Antonio Northeast. I know, for $45 a night in San Antonio I should have figured out there was a problem, but I didn’t.

Maybe our first clue should have been how difficult it was to find. On the map it looked as if it would be easy to get to, but maps can be deceiving, because what’s in a convenient place might be hard to reach. Our GPS had to take us around and around and around until we finally broke a few laws and made it to the parking lot. Then there was a sigh of relief. The outside looked as if it had been freshly painted and the landscaping was under control. The cars all looked as if they were driven by people with a sense of propriety and the lobby was nice.

Checking In

There was one couple ahead of us in line, but I was more interested in the breakfast bar than I was this anonymous couple. That was until I figured out who they were. He was a rugged type, with a beard that was a day or two old. He was wearing a black t-shirt with “The Trucker’s Prayer” emblazoned on the back. I found that to be at least a little bit interesting, because they’d arrived in a crossover van. It didn’t seem as if English was his first language. In comparison, his companion was a beautiful young woman with cafe au lait skin. Her hair was in a semi up-do. She had on great shoes and a cute short set with very, very short-shorts which showed off a pair of perfect legs. She flashed me a great smile.

Though I was not listening carefully, I figured out that the clerk was trying to explain the hotel’s cash policy to the man. If you pay cash, you have to leave a $50 deposit at the desk. When you’re through with your stay, they inspect the room to make sure everything is OK and then you get your $50 back. It seemed reasonable on the surface and then the woman cooed, “Just put it on your credit card, baby.” Something clicked in my brain and I figured out what most of you had already realized. This was a hooker with her john. That made them very interesting.

The conversation went on for a few more clicks, but the baby was not going to put it on his credit card and the Microtel wasn’t going to change their policy, so eventually the pair left. The funniest thing was that the female half of the pair turned around at the door and said, “We’ll be back,” in her outdoor voice. I want you to know I do not hold this episode against the Microtel. They can’t help who walks in the front door and they had a policy in place to keep that kind of stuff at bay.

Unloading

The clerk was very nice to us and very helpful with suggestions and directions to the Riverwalk. It also wasn’t the hotel’s fault that I don’t drive those luggage carts real well. Deb helped me load our bags and walked ahead to open the door. Unfortunately, the cart decided it was more interested in the swimming pool than it was the interior of the hotel. Nice clerk person appeared out of nowhere and got me going in the right direction.

The clerk had given us the very first room past the lobby, so that gave me a pretty secure feeling. Deb stuck her card in the door, but it took both of us to shove the door open. Whoever chose the carpet, which was still pretty new, had selected a style that was too deep for the door. Each trip in and out was like a tiny weight resistance session.

We didn’t pay much attention to anything else, because we were ready to head to the Riverwalk. More about that later, but coming back to the hotel AFTER the Riverwalk, now that was an adventure. The hotel is in a sort or industrial area, which is part of the reason it’s so hard to reach. The GPS on my phone discovered another way to get there on the return trip. We exited and the GPS told us to take a street that on any other occasion we would have avoided, but the GPS showed that it was the most direct route. We feared a repeat of our earlier around the world experience, so we ignored those little voices in our head and crossed into no man’s land – or maybe I should say no-woman’s land.

The narrow two lane street had thick vegetation on each side and at a certain point the vegetation gave way to junk yards and re-cycling centers wrapped in chain link fences – or at least that’s what it looked like. The road got very rough and suddenly it felt like the car had fallen into the Grand Canyon. Deb kept right on driving and said, “If we get a flat, I’m gonna keep on driving. We’ll just worry about it in the morning.”

We didn’t have a flat and, with the exception of that too-thick carpet, had no other troubles getting to our beds. We were soon happily asleep. Now I know the Microtel can’t be responsible for the condition of the streets around it, especially small back-roads the GPS decides you should take and they certainly can’t help who walks in the front door, but the odds were starting to stack up against them nonetheless.

Morning Ministrations

Mornings for me mean a bubble bath and that’s when the real trouble started – nasty tub corners. When it comes to the hotels and motels of this world, I consider cleanliness my primary concern. I laugh my way through bad decor, small rooms, rude desk clerks – in fact most of the foibles that you can run into, but you better be clean. This is where the Microtel missed the mark.

Then there was the hair dryer. I guess they must have a problem with losing hair dryers, so now they hard-wire them in place. I can understand that, but did they have to cover up the other plug. I had to wander around the room looking for another plug with a line of sight to a mirror, because I needed some curling iron therapy to cope with my wild hair. (I don’t blame the Microtel for my wild hair either. I explained all that a few posts ago.)

The nasty tub corners sort of ruined my stay, but I got cleaned up and we headed to the breakfast bar for a bite, anyway. Like most of the things we’d experienced at the Microtel, the breakfast bar was more than decent. They had boiled eggs, which I like, and an assortment of other things, so it more than satisfied the need at hand. The morning clerk was a grandmotherly sort and that really made me want to like this hotel better, but the specter of the nasty tub corners couldn’t be erased.

Deb and I have a certain cure for everything. It’s called laughter. We started to enjoy all the little quirks we found. We even went outside and shot these pictures so you too could enjoy our stay.

Come back next week and I’ll tell you all about our dinner at the Tower of the Americas – but don’t stay at Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham San Antonio Northeast, unless grime is your friend.

Architecture, ART, Attractions, DESTINATIONS, Gardens, Restaurants & Bars, Road Trips, TRAVEL, Travel Planning, United States

Le Pain Quotidien and the Venice Canals

March 4, 2015September 3, 2015 Jane Sadek

Le Pain Quotidien, Los Angeles CA — **Le Pain Quotidien**

TRAVEL THERE: LAST DAY IN LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

It was our last day in LA. The family had arrived in waves, and now Bill and I would be the first departing wave. There were only a few hours left. At 1:18 AM, my nephew texted me the location where we’d meet at 10 AM for brunch. At 4:13 AM he texted me to let me know it would actually be 11. The nieces and nephews were keeping different hours than Auntie Jane.

Brunch at Le Pain Quotidien

Before Steven married and moved up to San Francisco, he and Bassem were a pair of young studs enjoying the single life in LA. I can imagine them landing at Le Pain Quotidien to break their fast after a wild night on the town or even for a quiet Sunday morning reading the LA Times.

However, with thirteen people ranging in age from toddler to retired teacher, perhaps we should have gone to IHOP. The little ones couldn’t find anything they wanted to eat and for that matter, neither could I. It was all very healthy, fresh and chic, but I’d been awake since 4:13 AM and I was seriously hungry. Also, we were spread out over several tables in a corner of the cafe and I’m sure our chatter was disruptive to everyone else.

Next Stop

When brunch was over everyone turned to me for our next adventure. I was honored that I hadn’t been disbarred from the family after the Huntington Garden fiasco, but maybe Bill’s telephoned assurance that there actually were amazing things behind the tall hedges saved face for me. Problem was, I’d seen everything I’d put on my wish list except one and I was afraid the Venice Canals might not be appropriate for this huge crowd of people.

I confessed that my bag was empty except for the Canals, but suddenly I had a groundswell of support. Steven and Shannon had courted nearby and Bassem thought the area was amazing. Bill, too, was anxious to see the canals. So we loaded up and headed out.

The Venice Canals

Saturday afternoon with a caravan of cars is not the optimal time to see the canals – still I’m awfully glad they were included at the last minute.

You can’t see much from the car, so the entire caravan had to find places to park. I think that privilege came with a price tag of twenty-something dollars per vehicle. I thought that was outrageous, but everyone else took it in stride.

The Venice Canals is a neighborhood built on a series of man-made canals just a few blocks from Venice Beach. The cute bungalows were affordable back in the day. Now if you’ve got two or three extra mil laying around, you too can live there.

Except for the parking, it actually turned into a great outing for our large group. In ever-changing groups of three or four folks, we strung out all along the canals with everyone strolling along at their own pace.

Venice Canals, Venice Beach CA — Auntie Jane at the Venice Canals

The canals were a real boon to me. I don’t see my grandniece and grandnephew often enough for them to remember me. So, I was about to leave, but they’d finally decided to let me into their special circle. I pushed their stroller around the canals. We made up a silly game to play as we went over the bridges. We laughed, giggled and sang nonsense songs. I’m sure the residents hated it, but I was in heaven.

Farewell to the Golden State.

Finally, we couldn’t put it off any longer. There was a episode of fruit basket turnover as we re-arranged everyone to accommodate Bassem driving us to the airport. We were going to have to return the Maserati to him. I would miss it. My real car is a Nissan.

I’ll share a few more shots of the picturesque canals, but come back next week. Who knows what I’ll have up my sleeve!

Accommodations, Architecture, ART, Decorative Arts, DESTINATIONS, Road Trips, TRAVEL, Travel Planning, United States

The Sportsman’s Lodge – Studio City CA

January 28, 2015August 11, 2015 Jane Sadek

Maserati, Venice Beach, CA — **And yes, that is a Maserati we’re driving!**

WHERE TO STAY IN LA

Now we’re on our way to LA, the last stop in our 2014 California Adventure. Our accommodations were quite unique. Let me tell you about them.

THE MASERATI

Have I mentioned that we have the coolest nephews in the world? I know I told you all about the one in San Fran – you know Jack’s dad. Well, I have another nephew. Bassem lives in LA, across the street from Hollywood and Highland Shopping Center. At least he did until a few weeks ago. And that Maserati? Well, it’s Bassem’s.

One of the primary reasons we were in LA was because several members of Bill’s family were going to be visiting, including a niece and grand-nephew from Egypt. Usually, we’d just bunk with Bassem, but he already had a houseful. Since he couldn’t offer us a place to stay, he insisted on giving us his car to drive while we were in town. That would be kind under any circumstances – when the car in question is a Maserati, well, it’s more than kind.

BUT WHERE TO STAY?

With Bassem’s home full to capacity, we needed to find a place to stay. Some other family members chose The Standard, but it just wasn’t what we were looking for. Even though we wanted to be close to everyone, we really didn’t want to be in Hollywood. And besides, there was just something about a hotel with an upside down sign that irritated my OCD tendencies.

THE SHORT LIST

You have two choices when it comes to hotels around Hollywood – expensive and bedbug bait. I spent two days on Trip Advisor and other sites trying to come up with realistic options. The Sportsman’s Lodge was very high on my list for several reasons, but I was afraid Bill would think I was nuts. So, I included it on the short list and waited for Bill to give me his favorites.

He came back to me and asked for more information about The Sportsman Lodge, so I knew I hadn’t been crazy at all. It was both geographically and financially desirable, with just enough edge to be interesting. I booked a room and looked forward to our stay.

COOL AND FUNKY

The reason I thought Bill might assume I’d lost my mind, if I suggested this hotel, was that it had (shall we say) unique decor. Sort the Jetsons meet John Wayne. The lobby had odd things like a rack of antlers (painted white BTW) juxtaposed with chrome stools upholstered in orange and glass tables with lime green accessories. We’re usually more into French antiques. The whole thing was sort of upscale meets resale. The parking lot was definitely upscale and our Maserati fit right in.

Everything in LA costs a whole lot more than it should – and The Sportsman’s Lodge is no exception, but once you get past the sticker shock, you can really enjoy yourself. The rooms are sparsely furnished in a minimalistic way, but you have everything you need. The bed was comfortable, but the view was the parking lot. There were rooms which overlooked the pool, but since it was crowded 24/7, I think I was very satisfied with the parking lot vista. And speaking of the pool, I wish I’d gotten brave enough to spend some time there, but everyone seemed so cool that I was a little intimidated.

Still, if I were to need another hotel room near my nephew’s place, I’d probably just return to The Sportsman’s Lodge – and who knows, I might get brave enough to hang out at the pool.

I had a great time with our family in LA, beginning with a trip to the Getty Malibu. Come back next week and I’ll tell you all about it.

Accommodations, DESTINATIONS, Restaurants & Bars, Road Trips, TRAVEL, Travel Planning, United States

Fireside Inn at Moonstone Beach

December 24, 2014August 11, 2015 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: PLEASANT STAY AT FIRESTONE INN ON MOONSTONE BAY

Well Merry Christmas to everyone. I hope this is a holiday to remember. I’ll continue with my travelogue.

Fireside Inn at Moonstone Beach in Cambria is now on my list of favorite bed-and-breakfast inns. I think you’d like it, too.

TRIP INTERRUPTED

Several months back I explained how this trip to California went through several permutations before I actually got to take it. Though pretty much everything about the trip changed several times over, I guarded my night on Moonstone Beach with a vengeance. It was one of those experiences that I’d wanted for a long time and I was determined to keep it on the itinerary.

I wasn’t so sure about the accommodations. Though I’ve been doing my booking with Expedia for years, recently I’ve begun to do a lot of research on Trip Advisor. Their reviews seem to resonate with me more than the Expedia crowd’s and I love using the Saved Trips feature for things I want to see while I’m researching. And of course there’s an app, so I can get to the items I’ve saved when I’m out on the road.

There was one small problem with Moonstone Beach. Every single inn sounded perfect. Oh, there was usually one or two people who ranted about smelly rooms or noise or something, but those grumps were sprinkled pretty evenly among my choices. Each time I got online I’d change my mind and Bill wasn’t much help either. Eventually, I chose Fireside Inn, but I have no reasonable explanation for it. I just had to make a decision, so I did.

GREAT ROOMS AND BETTER SERVICE

It was late afternoon, almost evening, when we arrived and the desk clerk made it seem as if he’d just been dying for us to get there. He was friendly in a genuine way, not in a corporate mandate way. He was full of restaurant suggestions and well wishes. He acted like he hoped we’d have a reason to call him so he could visit with us again.

With that kind of reception you want to like your room and we did. It was huge and felt more like a suite. The bathroom had plenty of room for two people and was perfectly appointed. The room itself was down right luxurious. Not in an expensive over the top sort of way, but it made me want to curl up on the sofa in front of the fire.

Speaking of the fireplace, it didn’t work at first, but when I called my friend at the desk he hurried over and jiggled whatever needed to be jiggled. The flame lit right up. My desk clerk fan explained that it would be safe to sleep with the fire going, so we did.

MOONSTONE BAR AND GRILL

Right next door to the Fireside Inn is the Moonstone Bar and Grill. My desk clerk friend endorsed it as a great place for dinner. I remembered having at least one meal there and reviewers had raved about it, so that’s where we had dinner.

The place was jammed and it had been redecorated since our last visit. The menu had also been completely revamped. We were looking to grab a bite and they wanted us to go the full monty. We were tired from driving all day and the noise level was extreme.

So it was not our favorite dining experience of the trip, but I think that had more to do with us than them. The last meal we had there was earlier in the day, so we got to enjoy the view out of the big picture windows overlooking Moonstone Beach. I’m thinking this is a “go-there-for-lunch” place – at least for us.

BACK TO THE ROOM

So after dinner we chilled out by the fire. My only regret about the Fireside Inn is that I only had one night there. I think it deserves at least a three night stay. I lounged on the sofa before the fire jotting down notes from the day. Notes which, by the way, are now packed away in some box while I’m waiting for my house to get finished. I’m writing this from memory rather than my copious notes.

One thing I wanted to be sure everyone understood. This is a casual seaside inn. For me this was a plus – and the rooms are out of this world. However, this is not the Taj Mahal. There’s nothing fancy about the exterior or the hallways. There’s nothing wrong with them either. The lobby is pleasant, but not opulent It’s clear everything is meticulously maintained, but there are no frills. They save the good things for the room and have extreme hospitality instead of Louis XVI antiques.

BREAKFAST WAS AMAZING

We woke up refreshed with the fire still blazing. It was one of those memories that sticks with you long after you’ve forgotten what you ate at that expensive restaurant. We got ready for another day on the road and wandered over to the breakfast room.

What a nice experience! Breakfast was served buffet style, so you could get whatever you wanted. They didn’t have anyone cooking fresh eggs and such, but they did have a fresh pancake machine. I thought that was cool, because most places have a waffle machine. I ate with a growing appetite and everything was delicious.

The room itself is next to the pool and the day was warm enough for them to have the french doors open. Crisp linens covered the tables and I liked the ladderback chairs. Everything felt comfortable and homey. Did I mention the food was delicious?

We climbed in our car and continued down Highway One, exiting at Morro Bay. We were about to wander down memory lane. Come back next week and wander with us.

ART, DESTINATIONS, Gardens, Museums, Road Trips, TRAVEL, Travel Planning, United States

Drat That Golden Gate Park! Foiled Again!

September 3, 2014August 11, 2015 Jane Sadek

You can get one of these at the de Young Gift Shop.

TRAVEL THERE: I ALWAYS MISS SOMETHING IN THE GOLDEN GATE PARK

One of the first things I saw pass by, on the road outside the de Young Cafe, was the Golden Gate Park Shuttle Bus. Unfortunately, that was also the last time I saw the Golden Gate Park Shuttle Bus.

Running Out of Day

If you know me or visit the blog frequently, you know Mr. Bill and I have completely different body clocks. I fought it for years, but I’ve learned life is a whole lot easier if I cooperate with Mr. Bill’s clock. So even though I woke up raring to get out and start sight-seeing, Mr. Bill wasn’t quite as eager.

He slept later, enjoyed playing with his grand-nephew and eventually started wondering what we were going to do for our morning meal. We weren’t exactly the first people to enter the de Young. I’m not really complaining, because we’d been having a lovely time, but there was a whole lot of Golden Gate Park to see and not much time.

Where’s the Bus?

My trusty Golden Gate Park brochure informed me, “On Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays…take the free park-wide shuttle which services all major Golden Gate Park destinations…The free shuttle operates 9 am – 6pm every 15-20 minutes.” I’d seen one shuttle go by, so I thought that by the time Bill and I finished our meal and were ready to see the park, another shuttle would be by. I figured it would be the best way to see the most of the park in the least amount of time.

See the park is 1017 acres, so the idea of walking the whole thing is overly enthusiastic, especially late in the afternoon – and remember, I already thought it was a little chilly. So we stood next to the shuttle sign and waited and waited and waited. We waited well over twenty minutes and if you add that to the time we’d spent in the cafe after seeing the shuttle, then you know that something was going on. This wasn’t just a free shuttle running a few minutes late.

At first I wasn’t too worried. I just perused my map and guide, familiarizing myself with what we would see. Eventually, I realized we weren’t going to see anything if we didn’t start hoofing it. In a panic, I read every sign in sight and realized we were quite close to one of the attractions I was most interested in, The Japanese Tea Garden.

I think Bill would have been just as happy calling it a day, but he is a good husband, so he trailed behind me as I marched towards the Japanese Tea Garden. I had some sightseeing to do. Come back next week and I’ll tell you about it.

Accommodations, DESTINATIONS, Restaurants & Bars, Road Trips, TRAVEL, Travel Planning, United States

Great Hotel in Carpenteria CA

July 23, 2014August 11, 2015 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: GOOD LUCK OR GOOD PLANNING

When you’re traveling, is a good night’s sleep good luck or good planning? Or could it be because you’re too exhausted to do anything else?

We Gotta Get Out of LA

As we surrendered to Navi (the GPS) and headed north, I was fantasizing about pillows and linen,but my job as navigator wasn’t over. About the time we got to Thousand Oaks, Bill wanted to eat. Food was just about the last thing I wanted, but through experience I’ve learned, when Bill wants food I’d better find a restaurant.

Gastronomic Detour

Do you remember what life was like before our electronic traveling friends? You drove along hoping to see a sign on the side of the road, but you’d never just pull off the road, because you might never figure out how to get back. Using that method, I might have made it to Carpenteria without having to stop, but no, Bill tells me to get out my phone. Lo and behold, Google Local tells me there’s a BJ’s in the neighborhood and Bill takes the next exit. We kept Navi pointed towards Carpenteria and used Local to get to BJ’s.

Now I really want to whine and complain about how awful it was, because I was really tired and not very hungry, but we shared BJ’s new Roast Beef Dip Sandwich, and I’ve got to be honest with you, it was really good. In my day we called them French Dip Sandwiches, but I guess in this new politically-correct world, that might have some negative connotation – like all French people are dips. Either that or some teenager planning their menu didn’t know their au jus from their assembly line.

A Reward at the End of our Drive

Sandwich happily consumed, we drove on to Carpenteria and found the Holiday Inn Express where I’d made our reservations. This was an older property, but completely renovated, so you had all the charm of the old with all the convenience of the new. The desk clerk checked us in like a champ, then we found a parking place close to our room and we moved ourselves in.

The room was wonderful. A small seating area and mini-kitchen were separated from the bed by an attractive divider. The furniture was new, but some older decorative touches were carried into the new design to add character. We were very happy.

I would have loved to crawl in bed oblivious to everything, but I knew the drill. I wake up at six and Bill doesn’t. I’d get up raring to go and Bill would be livid at my rattling around, if I didn’t get things ready ahead of time. So, with a foggy brain I started re-organizing everything and getting ready for the rest of the trip, because packing for a flight and packing for a road trip are two different things.

Those gifts that took up half my suitcase? Well they were moved to the tote-bag. All my shoes, belts and accessories? I’d packed a fold-up nylon bag for them. Pretty much everything else we packed needed to be shuffled around, too. When I’d reorganized everything to suit me, I pulled out my exercise gear and an outfit for the next day, then fell into bed. I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.

A Bright New Day

Yes, I did wake up at six. I slithered into my workout clothes and found the exercise room – a nice one I might add. They didn’t have a recumbent stationary bike, like I do at home, but the treadmills were in good working order and I slammed out an hour of cardio. Then I was starving, so I went to the breakfast bar.

Let me tell you this – Holiday Inn Express rocks their breakfast buffet. My particular favorite is their cinnamon rolls. But they have everything from bacon and eggs to a pancake machine to hot biscuits. They also have healthy things, so with my single cinnamon roll I had a boiled egg, yogurt and apple juice.

I returned to the room and Bill was stirring, so I returned to the breakfast bar with him – not to eat, just for companionship. He got breakfast down, we got ready for the day and headed out.

Vacation Day One is ahead and it was a great one, so come back next week.

DESTINATIONS, Road Trips, TRAVEL, Travel Planning, United States

California on My Mind!

July 2, 2014August 11, 2015 Jane Sadek

Santa Barbara CA — On the Beach in Santa Barbara

TRAVEL THERE: STILL CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’

We just got back from California and it was a crazy trip. In fact, it was crazy before we packed the first bag. Just getting the vacation planned had been all kinds of crazy!

The Best Laid Plans

See, last year one of our nephews moved into a new home and had his first child. We were all geared up for a long weekend once our grand-nephew settled in. Then my mom went into the hospital and that meant all travel was on hold.

She was in and out of the hospital several times, but rehab was planned and Bill thought the care-giver needed a break. Everyone seemed to agree with him, so I re-planned the trip for nine days and bought our airfare – just a little too soon. Rehab turned into hospice and then a funeral.

I wasn’t much in the mood for travel, but Bill thought I needed a change of scenery, so I started trying to coordinate a date for new travel plans. However, the holidays were coming up and nothing worked. So, we postponed the trip until March.

Believe it or not, before we could get the trip planned, another game changer came along. A niece and grand-nephew from Egypt would be in California in June. So we postponed our travel plans to June and the trip grew to 11 days.

Does this sound familiar? Does this kind of thing happen in your family? Well, it got crazier.

The Heath Project

If you’ve been following my Friday posts, then you know that sometime in March we decided to start looking for a new home and that search turned into a building project in Heath. Since one thing always leads to another, we put our house on the market, thinking we might be lucky if someone bought it before the end of summer. So, of course, some one bought it, right before we were supposed to leave on vacation – but that’s for the Friday posts. Bottom line, even though it looked like something might undo our plans, right up to the phone call I got as we boarded our flight. We made it all the way to California!

Confession is Good for the Soul

I’ll just tell you right now, with all this planning and re-planning, more than one thing fell through the cracks. I double-booked myself into two hotels on one night, for instance. I packed way too much and ended up with an $85 extra bag fee for another. So travel stuff happens to the best of us. Come along with me and I’ll show you a good time over the next few weeks as I share my experiences – good and bad – with all my blogospere friends.

DESTINATIONS, Restaurants & Bars, Road Trips, TRAVEL, Travel Planning, United States

No Mariachis at Durty Nelly’s or Paesano’s

February 26, 2014August 12, 2015 Jane Sadek

Menu, Durty Nelly's Irish Pub, Riverwalk, San Antonio TX — Certainly not any Mariachis here!

TRAVEL THERE: NOT A MARIACHI IN SIGHT!

Warm Reunion of Friends on a Cold San Antonio Night

One hallmark of my travel planning is finding a way to squeeze in a visit with friends and family if they are anywhere along my route. San Antonio is home to one of my best buddies that I barely knew until a few years ago, even if we did meet decades ago. We’d only casually crossed paths back at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, but rediscovered one another on Classmates. Maturity gave us a whole lot more in common than we’d had as youngsters and Facebook gave us access. Since Bill and I would be in my friend’s town, we took the opportunity to meet he and his wife for dinner.

Searching for Mariachis

Who else but me would have discovered a mariachi competition that just happened to be going during a visit? And who else but me would drag relative strangers around the Riverwalk on the coldest night in San Antonio anyone could remember (but not as cold as it was going to get while I was there)?

When we first started planning the trip, I suggested to my friend that we meet at Durty Nelly’s and he agreed that it was a good idea, but then I found out about the mariachi competition and learned they’d be having a concert at Rivercenter’s Lagoon, so I upended all of our plans to include the free concert. Being the spoiled rotten kid I am, everyone acquiesced to my wishes, except the weather.

Champion that Bill is, he only grumbled a little bit about leaving our nice warm hotel room to walk along the Riverwalk to the Starbucks at the Rivercenter Lagoon to meet Clark and Linda, people he knew virtually nothing about. As soon as we entered the shopping mall I saw an information desk. They didn’t know anything about a mariachi concert, but they did know where Starbucks was. Shortly after we walked into the coffee shop, Clark and Linda joined us. Introductions abounded and everyone tried to make nice.

As we chatted one thing became very clear, no mariachis were going to play. No one with gold braided costumes came in with instruments in black cases. Proud wives, mothers, aunts and cousins were not clustering around the lagoon. In fact, the whole area was becoming quite empty. Obviously, everybody had someplace else to be. The Polar Express had struck again.

Dashing to Durty Nelly’s

So I suggested we retreat to Durty Nelly’s. I love Durty Nelly’s. It’s a not quite clean pub on the Riverwalk that has a crazy guy playing the piano. I literally could have sat there all night singing along with his goofy songs – and perhaps Clark would have enjoyed it too, but the spouses both had this “what in the hell am I doing here” look in their eye. I’ve got to give them credit, they were making the most of it they could, but I may have been the only one having a good time.

Moving on to Paesano’s

So I suggested the next item on our agenda – Paesano’s. Someone in our Sunday School Class had suggested it to Bill and Clark said it was a big favorite with them, so we headed to dinner. The wait was thirty minutes for a table inside the building, so somehow we ended up on the enclosed patio. It was a lot colder than I wanted to put up with, but after dragging these people all over the place, I wasn’t going to complain about where we sat. I’m just not sure who thought it was a good idea.

I’d fill you in on what a great restaurant Paesano’s was, but my brain got numb in the cold. My baked eggplant (the only thing I thought might be safe on my diet) was quite good, but I have no idea what everyone else had. And it was so dark, I could barely see my own dish, much less my dining companions’ faces.

Darn that weather. I’d anticipated my reunion with Clark to be a great time, with much wandering about the River. I knew all the spouses were going to get along grandly and perhaps Bill and I would be singing our way back to our room in the wee hours of the morning. Instead, Clark and Linda beat a hasty retreat home and we power-walked our way back to the hotel. (Note to self: check the weather!)

There’s one more day in San Antonio, so be sure and come back next week.

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