Denver - May and June 2025

We decided to spend the summer in CO - catching up with local friends, hiking and inviting friends to stay with us. We kicked off this trip by staying three weeks in Denver.

Accommodation

AirBnB - We rented this two bedroom basement level AirBnB just one block away from the park.  The place was comfortable and spacious (although low ceilings) and in a great location.  We were able to host several dinners there - using the patio for drinks when the weather cooperated and then dining inside.  The only downside is that we could no control the air temperature ourselves but thankfully they kept it cool.  And while other people rented the unit above, we only heard foot steps on during the day.

Activities

Meet up with friends:

While here, we mainly spent our time catching up with friends:

Elizabeth / Joe - We hosted them for dinner - making bruschetta, beef ragu pasta and lemon almond cake. We started out with a gin cocktail and they brought a really nice bottle of wine.  Shawna also met up with them for a walk in the park on another day. 

Hosted dinner for Elizabeth and Joe

Kristina - We went to her house for dinner - she made a southwestern salad and we had berries with yogurt for dessert. She also did a color matching for us - Shawna was cool/winter and Keith was warm/spring.

Dinner at Kristina's

Scott - Keith met Scott (a former Aimco colleague) for breakfast at Keke's Breakfast Cafe.

Breakfast with Scott at Keke's

Ali / Jodi - We met up with Ali for lunch at Flower Child and then met with Ali and Jodi for a walk around Wash Park. Flower Child is one of our favorite lunch spots - yummy healthy food. Jodi had Nell (her dog) with her so both Nell and Pip (Ali's dog) joined us for the walk.

Jodi, Nell, Ali and Pip

Deborah - We met up with the minister who married us who we had not seen since our wedding. We met her for lunch at 300 Suns Brewery in Longmont where we each had a salad. It was so great to see her after all these years.

Lunch with Deborah at 300 Suns Brewery

Chris / Athena - We hosted them for dinner - we started with cheese and crackers and a delicious cocktail that they brought.  We then served grilled flank steak, potato tort and roasted carrots and chickpeas with yogurt which we enjoyed with a bottle of wine that they brought.  We also made a semolina cake for dessert. 

Hosted Athena and Chris for dinner

Keith - Keith met with his former boss, Keith, from Aimco for breakfast at the Pancake House. 

Greg - Keith met Greg (former Aimco colleague) for lunch at Bacon Social House. 

Breakfast with Greg at Bacon Social House

Steve / Jen - Keith worked with Steve at Aimco. We met them for dinner at Annette, a James Beard Award Winning restaurant. The restaurant is very cute and the food was delicious.  We shared several dishes for the table - a couple of salads, roasted carrots, pork medallions and steak.

Dinner with Steve and Jen at Annette

Matt - Keith met Matt (former Aimco colleague) for lunch at Wild Taco. 

Cara / Chad - We hosted them for dinner.  We started with cheese/crackers and gin drinks and then had lamb vindaloo with rice and chickpeas with spinach.  For dessert, we had sorbet with berries. 

Martin / Michelle - We hosted them for dinner.  We first went for a walk around the park and then when we returned, we had hummus with pita and veggies and gin drinks while sitting on the patio.  For dinner, we served chicken kababs, couscous with veggies and a tomato/cucumber salad.  For dessert, Keith made cheesecake with we served with berries and lemon curd. 

Hosted Martin and Michelle for dinner

Craig / Rita - We hosted them for dinner. We first started with bruschetta and gin drinks. Then for dinner, we had pasta with bolognese and arugula salad along with the cheesecake that Keith had made.

Hosted Craig and Rita for dinner

Jaqui - We met Jaqui (former Aimco colleague) at Pizza Republica for lunch.  We shared a yummy salad and pizza.

Lunch with Jaqui at Pizza Republica

Jeff / Christina - We hosted them (former Livcor colleague) for dinner.  We started with cheese/crackers and gin drinks and then had arugula salad and bolognese pasta with semolina cake for dessert.

Dinner with Jeff and Christina

Ali - Shawna met up with Ali and Pip for a walk in the park.  Later that day, we both went with her to Sweathouz for a sauna/cold plunge experience.  We enjoyed it so much that we booked another session with her a week later.

Sweathouz with Ali

Kelly - We met up with Kelly (former Aimco colleague) for dinner at The Plimoth near City Park.  Unfortunately, her husband was away on business so we did not get to see him. The restaurant is very cute and the food was delicious.  We shared a bunch of dishes among the three of us.  

Dinner at The Plimoth with Kelly

Julie - Shawna met up with Julie (former Cigna colleague) for breakfast at Sassafras, our usual spot. I got the fried green tomato eggs Benedict.  

Breakfast with Julie at Sassafras

Sarah / Jonathan - We hosted them for dinner.  We started with hummus, pita and veggies with gin drinks and then served chicken kabobs, couscous with veggies and tomato/cucumber salad.  We had semolina cake for dessert.

Jenn / Nate - We met up with them (Jen is a former Aimco colleague) for dinner at Mister Oso. We had tacos and rice and beans.  Food was very good.

Dinner with Jen and Nate at Mister Oso

Side trip to San Diego:

We flew to San Diego for a night to spend time with Patrick, Lauren and the kids. We arrived on Saturday mid-day and took the uber to their house.  We then went for a hike with Patrick up Cowles Mountain, ending with a smoothie from Pure Press.  Back at the house, we hung out with Lauren and the kids before heading downtown to have dinner at LoLa55 where we had a few taco and rice and beans - the tacos were very tasty.  We wrapped up the evening with drinks at The Church by the Lost Abbey.  We were joined by two of their friends.

Night out with Patrick and Lauren and friends

Goofing off with the kids

The next day, we went to Del Mar to hang out on the beach and then had lunch at Pacifica where we sat outside and had a yummy salmon dish with a salad and Brussel sprouts.  For dessert, we overdosed on sugar with pastries from a bakery in the same plaza and ice cream from An's Hatmaker. Patrick then dropped us off at the airport to fly back to Denver. 

Restaurants/Bars (not mentioned above)

Linger - We stopped her for a drink before dinner - went to the rooftop and both had the New Saigon drink.

Drinks at Linger

Wolf's Taylor - We celebrated Shawna's birthday by having dinner at this Michelin One Star restaurant.  Since it was Shawna's birthday, they 'upgraded' us to our own tent which was outdoors.  It was nicely decorated with our own fan and speaker with music.  The food was fantastic.  It was an eight course tasting menu and we also go the wine pairing.  We especially liked the tomato dish!

Dinner at Wolf's Taylor

Casa Bonita - We celebrated Keith's birthday by having dinner here. It has been our list for quite some time so was finally able to get an early reservation.  It's everything we imagined but better.  The place is quite huge with lots of nooks and they have cliff divers, face painters, puppet show, a museum and much more.  We first were seated to eat - the price includes your meal but drinks are extra.  The food was surprisingly good.  We then walked around - seeing two cliff divers, the puppet show and the museum.

Dinner at Casa Bonita

The Pasty Republic - We were recommended to go here by Kelly (friend of Rak's) since she knew we liked pasties so we stopped here for a quick lunch on our last day before we drove out to Avon.  Shawna got the Mexican chicken and Keith got the meatball - both very good.  

California - Oct and Nov 2024

We returned from our side trip to TX to continue our West Coast road trip.  We spent three weeks in CA - enjoying the various wine areas and seeing friends.  

Sonoma Area

We originally planned on staying here for a full week in Sebastopol but our side trip to TX cut this short.  We got a last minute AirBnB in Cotati, a small town just south of Santa Rosa.  Because it was last minute, our 'affordable' options were limited but we did enjoy the place where we stayed.  It was a new, very clean one bedroom with a large living room / kitchen area, a nice sized back patio (which we never used) and a comfortable king sized bed! Only downside is that the neighborhood was not that special or nice but it was quiet.

While here, we did the following:

Merry Edwards Wine Tasting - This winery has one of our favorite sauvignon blancs and since Keith had never tasted here, we decided to give it a try.  Shawna had been here once before with Rakesh and Simran but Keith had a work call so he never got to go inside.  We sat outside on the patio and enjoyed their premium tasting - we had a sparkling wine, chardonnay, several pinots and ended with their sauvignon blanc - we bought a few bottles to take with us.  

Wine tasting at Merry Edwards

Dinner with Claire and Cheryl - We met them at Wild Goat Bistro in Petaluma.  We sat outside and shared a salad and pork tenderloin.  Food was tasty. Shawna had not yet met Cheryl so was nice to meet her and spend time with them both.

Dinner with Claire and Cheryl at Wild Goat Bistro

Hiked Taylor Mountain - This trail was about 15 minutes from our AirBnB.  We did the hike in two hours totaling 6 miles, and 1.3K elevation gain.  The trail was good - mostly exposed so would not want to do it in very hot weather. 

Hike on Taylor Mountain

Wine Tasting and Dinner with Randee and Brian - They live in Sacramento so decided to meet them half way in Napa Valley.  We first went to Bremer Family Winery - a small winery on Howell Mountain that they had been to before.  We sat outside and enjoyed several tastings of rose, chardonnay, claret and cabs. We also got a tour of the wine caves which were pretty expansive.  The place is nice and low key.  We got a couple of bottles to take with us plus a rose for us to enjoy at dinner.  For dinner, we went to Farmstead and Long Meadow Ranch in St Helena.  The place was great - nice decor and really good food.  We shared some biscuits and shishito peppers for the table and then the two of us shared a salad and pork chop with brussel sprouts - every thing was tasty.  After we finished the rose that we had bought, we had a bottle of red that they brought from one of their favorite wineries.  

Wine Tasting with Randee and Brian at Bremer Family Vineyards

Paso Robles

On our way to Paso, we stopped in Los Altos to have lunch at Bluestone Lane with Fran (Shawna's roommate at Fuqua) and her husband Dave.  We had not seen Fran in a very long time so was great to catch up.  We each had a salad which was pretty good.  

Lunch with Fran and Dave at Bluestone Lane

We stayed in Paso for four nights in a one bedroom AirBnB.  The place was a good size, was fairly modern and had a backyard that is shared with the other unit (which we never used).  It was showing signs of 'wear' and there were a few items in the unit that were broken.  That said, it was comfortable.  The town of Paso was not as cute as Shawna had remembered.  

While here we did the following:

Afternoon with Ria - We drove down to San Luis Obispo where Ria is attending Cal Poly.  The town itself is very cute and the campus is quite nice, nestled in the mountains.  We took her to lunch at Novo where we sat outside and had a mezzo platter and lamb rogan josh - both tasty.  We then took her to Trader Joe's so she could stock up on some food and then got a tour of campus, seeing her dorm, our friend Ralph's old dorm, the student center and many of the classroom buildings.  We walked up the canyon to see the architecture graveyard which are remnants of items built by the architecture students.  

Afternoon with Ria at Cal Poly

Wine Tasting - We did an afternoon of wine tasting, stopping at four places.  First stop was Adelaida - Shawna had been here once before and had remembered she liked the whites.  We sat on the porch and tasted several of the wines.  We had intended on getting a light lunch here but they didn't have their food delivery that day.  So we squeezed in the next stop, Halter Ranch, where we got a charcuterie board and brussel sprouts as well as a glass of wine.  The tasting room was very nice.  The third stop was at Brecon Estate, another place Shawna had been to before and is where she bought a piece of artwork in the prior visit.  We sat outside on the patio and did the tasting.  Our last stop was Booker, a modern tasting room where we shared a tasting.  Overall, the wines were pretty good but nothing really stood out so we did not buy anything.  That said, it was still a nice day.

Wine Tasting at Adelaida

Dinner - After a day of wine tasting, we decided to have dinner in town at Hatch.  They are known for their fried chicken so we had to give it a try - it was delicious.  We also got a yummy salad and pork belly appetizer to start!

Santa Barbara

On our drive down to Santa Barbara, we decided to hit two wineries in the wine valley north of town.  We first went to Presqu'ile which we had been to once before.  It is definitely one of our favorites in the area.  They have a beautiful tasting room, some really good wine and food options to order.  We sat right in front of the fireplace.  We did the tasting with a few extras and also had lunch - sharing a great salad and a cheese plate.  We bought seven bottles (Shawna fell prey to their marketing ploy of buy more / save more) - we got some sparkling, rose, chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.  This is definitely a place we would come back to! We then stopped at Roblar, which has a more traditional tasting room with a nice patio - we were not as much of a fan of their wines so we did not get anything.  

Wine Tasting at Presqu'ile

We then got to our hotel, Hotel Virginia (a Hilton Property) where we stayed for three nights. It's a nice hotel with small but nicely decorated rooms.  It is here that we met up with some of Keith's former LivCor colleagues and their significant others for the weekend: Julio / Meghan, Jeff / Christina and Brian / Kyle.

While here we did the following:

Hike - We wanted to do a long hike so hiked up Montecito Peak, which is a 7 mile, 2.5K elevation gain hike that took us 4 hours.  It was a great trail with nice views! We did this hike just the two of us.

Montecito Peak Hike

Drinks / Dinner with Livcor Gang - We first met up with the gang at Test Pilot for drinks - it's a tikki bar.  We sat outside and had a few rounds before heading over to dinner.  We then had dinner at Santo - a great Mexican place. We shared a yummy pork dish but also got a few appetizers for the table.  After dinner, we stopped at Wildcat Lounge (someone had recommended this place to Kyle) - turns out it was a dance club and we definitely were the oldest in the crowd.  We danced a bit and got a bunch of laughs! 

Wine Tasting and Dinner with Livcor Gang - Brian had booked us three different tastings, all in town and walking distance from each other.  We first stopped at Margerum - we liked most of their wines and we grabbed some nibbles for lunch.  Our second stop was Au Bon Climat - also really liked most of their wines - the host was pretty funny as well.  And our last stop was Longoria - we didn't care for their wine as much.  We had dinner at Sama Sama - a great Asian restaurant.  We got a bunch of dishes to share - everything was yummy.

Wine tasting with Livcor Gang

Lunch with Nikki and Chris - We met up with Nikki (Fuqua Alum) and her husband Chris for lunch at the Boat House - it was a beautiful day so we sat outside while we waited for our table and caught up.  We shared a few salads which were great.  

Lunch with Nikki and Chris at the Boat House

Thousand Oaks

We spent one night at Danelle and Dan's house in Thousand Oaks.  We arrived around 4:30 pm and sat outside enjoying some cocktails while catching up.  They made a yummy dinner of steak and potatoes which we had with some wine.  We also got to see their kids which we had not seen in a while.  The next morning, we had coffee and a croissant with them and then headed out.

Dinner with Danelle and Dan at their house

Los Angeles / Venice Beach

We stayed for three nights in a AirBnB on the canals in Venice Beach.  The place was small but cute and very convenient to walking around the area.  We had a separate bedroom with a small kitchen / living room area.

Our AirBnB on Venice Canals

While here we did the following:

Lunch with Terry - We met up with Terry, a childhood friend of Keith's at the Tipsy Cow and had salads.

Lunch with Terry at Tipsy Cow

Dinner with Michelle - We went to dinner at Felix Trattoria with Michelle (Alicia's sister).  The place was great - very cute and yummy food.  We shared several dishes for the table. 

Dinner with Michelle at Felix Trattoria

Dinner with Ryan and Miranda - We met up with Ryan, a former colleague of Keith's and Miranda at Gjelina, one of our favorites restaurants in Venice Beach.  We had shared several dishes for the table - all very good.

Dinner with Ryan and Miranda at Gjelina

Walked / ran along the canals and the boardwalk - the canals are very cute.  We also sat on the beach one evening and watched the sunset - very peaceful.

Walking the canals

Watching the sunset

Dinner at Sushi Enya - We had a date night and had some of the best sushi we have ever had.  This place was within walking distance of our AirBnB.

Dana Point  

On our drive down to San Diego, we spent the day near Dana Point at the Waldorf Astoria.  We decided to treat ourselves to the spa there.  So we worked out in their gym, had lunch at Aveo with views of the property from the balcony, sat at the spa pool and had very relaxing massages.

We then had dinner at Salt Creek Grill with Rick, a former colleague of Keith's and his wife Corey.  We shared a salad and fish dish - both tasty.  After dinner, we drove to San Diego.

Dinner at Salt Creek Grill with Rick and Corey

San Diego

We spent three nights in San Diego with John and JoAnna who joined us for the weekend.  We stayed at the Hotel Indigo in the Gaslamp District, using Shawna's points.  The hotel room was quite large and was really nice.  While here we did the following:

After John and Jo arrived at the hotel on Thursday night (after 11pm), we had drinks at Neighborhood, a swanky cocktail bar that was two blocks from our hotel.  

On Friday, we had lunch at The Kebab Shop - tasty greek wraps and bowls - and then went on a long walk up to Balboa Park and then down to the waterfront.  We stopped along the waterfront to have a few drinks at TopSail - a nice bar at Portside Pier with outside seating with views of the water.  We then went back to the hotel to freshen up, first stopping at the rooftop bar, Borrego, at our hotel for another beer.  

Drinks at TopSail with John and JoAnna

That evening, we had a yummy Italian dinner at Roman Wolves in Little Italy.  We shared several dishes for the table - the best of which was the pasta in the parmesan cheese bowl and the cacio e peppe pasta.  After dinner, we met up with Patrick, Lauren, Nejla (Patrick's sister) and Gerry (her boyfriend) for drinks at Ballast Point Brewing.  JoAnna's nephew, Paul, who is stationed in the Navy in San Diego also joined us.  We wrapped up the night with more drinks at Kettner Exchange.  

Drinks with Patrick, Lauren, John, JoAnna, Nejla, Gerry and Paul

On Saturday, we drove out to Mission Beach as JoAnna wanted to see a bar that is owned by her friend's brother - we popped into The Beachcomber and had a few beers while chatting with a few of the other patrons there - it was quite funny.  We walked along the beach for a short while and then grabbed lunch at The Draft House - the food was not the best.  

Lunch at the Draft House

Back at the hotel, we showered and then grabbed one drink at the brewery next door, Half Door Brewing.  JoAnna's nephew and his girlfriend met us and then he drove our car to give us a tour of the Naval base, seeing the many ships in dry and wet dock.  We then went to Coronado Island and went to the beach on the Naval base there and watched the sunset.  Here we drove past three aircraft carriers: Nimitz, Theodore Roosevelt, and Carl Vinson.  We went over to the Hotel del Coronado, the grand hotel on the island, walked around a bit and had a drink at the hotel bar.  It's a simply stunning property.  We drove back to our hotel to drop off our car and then walked to dinner, having Greek food at Mezze Greek Fusion - we shared a bunch of dishes for the table - food was pretty good but ambience was on the cheesy side with belly dancing at the tables.  We capped off the evening with one more drink at the rooftop bar of our hotel.  

The gang on the beach watching sunset

We were supposed to stay another few nights at Patrick's house and then make our way to Phoenix and then NM but our trip was cut short.  We found out a week prior that Keith has very early stage prostate cancer so we had to get back to TX to meet with doctors and start treatments.  So on Sunday, we drove back to TX over two days - stopping for an overnight in El Paso.  In total for the West Coast trip, we drove close to 6K miles!

Ruth Celebration of Life in CO & San Diego with Patrick - June 2022

Keith and Patrick

After returning from Italy, Keith had Ruth's Celebration of Life in Colorado and then a trip to San Diego for a conference preceded by a couple of days with Patrick.

In order to make the Celebration of Life, Keith's flight took off from ORD at 5am.  Fortunately, he was just wrapping up getting over the jetlag from the Italy trip.  After landing in Denver he took the hotel shuttle to the La Quinta where Jean and Dick had stayed the night before.  There were no rooms available for check-in, so Keith met his parents in their room to do a bit of work and shower to fully wake up.  It was then about an hour's drive to Guy and Carol's place in Longmont, where the family was already assembled when we arrived.  In addition to Guy, Carol, Amber, and Savannah; Claire and Cheryl were also there, along with some of Carol's side of the family.

Dodds Clan at Ruths' Celebration of Life

We made our way to the park near Guy/Carol's house where a tent was set up for the ceremony.  There were about 40 attendees, many of whom were from the neighborhood.  Many people spoke at the ceremony, with Dick giving the eulogy.  Food and drinks were served, with a few people heading back to the house for some photo memories of Ruth.  

Jean, Dick, and Keith then drove to Boulder for dinner at Frasca in celebration of Father's Day.  It was the best Italian food they had had in a month - and had just been in Italy!  It was then an hour or so back to the La Quinta for sleep before getting up the next morning for ~8am flights - Jean and Dick to Dallas and Keith to San Diego.

Keith landed in San Diego at 9am and then took a taxi to Patrick and Lauren's house.  Because it was Father's Day then had lunch plans, which worked perfectly for Keith so he could use a few hours to knock out some work.  When they returned, Keith and Patrick headed out to a brewery, then went to dinner at a place near their house.

Keith and Patrick

The next day (Monday, a day off work for Juneteenth) Keith and Patrick embarked on a 15-mile hike in the Cleveland National Forest.  The hike started at Penny Pines Trailhead, following Pacific Crest at Garnet Peak, Pine Mountain Trail, Indian Creek Trail, and Nobel Canyon Trail.  Funny enough, the 15-mile 5-hour hike turned into a 20-mile 6.5-hour hike after they followed Patrick's muscle memory of the trail!  Those extra 5 miles put some blisters on Keith's feet, but also made the two beers at the end ever tastier!  Keith and Patrick were walking a bit funny for the next few days, but it was worth it.  After returning to the house, Keith packed up and headed to the US Grant hotel where he'd spend the rest of the week at a conference before flying home on Friday night.  

SoCal - June 2021

To celebrate two major milestones this summer (Shawna's 50th and our 20th Anniversary), we decided to take several longer trips in the US - working remotely and taking some time off to celebrate.  The original plan was to get a hut over the water in Bora Bora but given Covid, we had to punt that trip another year.  The first of our summer trips was a three week stint in Southern California - starting in Palm Springs over Memorial Day, spending 10 days in San Diego, celebrating our bdays in Los Olivos (wine area north of Santa Barbara) and ending with a few days in Newport Beach.

We flew into San Diego on Thursday night and since we arrived so late, we stayed at the Hilton by the airport and then drove into Palm Springs the following morning.  

Palm Springs:

Accommodation

Avalon Hotel and Bungalows - A small boutique hotel located in town with rooms sparsely decorated in white and three small pools to relax by.  Our room was quite large but unfortunately our balcony overlooked the road so we didn't really sit out there.  The hotel decor was very cool and the staff were super friendly.  

Pool at the Avalon

Activities

On Friday afternoon, we did a two hour jeep tour of the San Andreas Fault.  The meeting spot was about 40 minutes outside of Palm Springs.  We ended up getting a private tour as they are only allowing members of the same family to be on a tour due to Covid. Our guide was very informative - we learned about the fault, the local Indians and the flora (in particular the palm trees) growing in the area.  We got out of the jeep a couple of times and walked into the narrow canyons to see up close how the plates push up the rocks and dirt to form the hills.  Our guide informed us of a date shop nearby so after the tour we stopped at Shields Date Garden and bought a few date samplers to enjoy throughout the weekend.  We also tried their date shake which didn't really taste too much like dates but was still good.

Jeep Tour of San Andreas Fault

On Saturday, we hiked Murray Canyon which is a four mile, two hour easy hike up a canyon to a small waterfall.  The hike was nice with palm tree oasis' along the way.  It was quite hot once we were done so we decided that we should not hike any further (there are a few other hikes in the park we could have tried).  So instead, we returned to the hotel, cleaned up quickly and then went for a walk into town and grabbed lunch.  After lunch, we napped, showered and then headed out for drinks and dinner.  On the way to dinner, Shawna lost one of her bracelets and to both of our surprise, she found it on the sidewalk on the walk back to the hotel!  When we got back to the hotel, we got a text from Mark Feinberg asking if we were in Palm Springs - turns out Alicia's sister, Michelle, had seen us walking back and had texted Mark to ask him.  We connected with her via text and made plans to meet up for a drink the next day.

Hike Murray Canyon

On Sunday, we went for a walk in the neighborhood and started to hike up North Lykken Trail - but then realized that it was not smart to be hiking up a mountain in the heat with no water.  So we only hiked up a small part of the way to see the views and decided we would return the next day to hike it.  After a stop at Starbucks for iced teas, we returned to the hotel for a day of relaxation.  We sat by the pool (the one that is closest to the restaurant), had lunch and rose wine and read until we had to go to the hotel spa for our massages.  There was some great people watching at the pool and Shawna swears that she saw Marcia Gay Harden having lunch there.  After the massages, we cleaned up and met Michelle (Alicia's sister) and her friend at our hotel for a drink - what a small world!  We then headed out to dinner and were back in bed by 8:30pm - we were so pooped from such a relaxing day!!

Pool Down Time

Drinks with Michelle

On Monday, we got up early and went back to hike part of the North Lykken Trail. We then had breakfast at the hotel, cleaned up and checked out.  We ended our time in Palm Springs with the Legends and Icons Tour which was a two hour tour in a van to see many of the homes of the old movie stars, a few of which still live there today.  The area became a prominent place for movie starts to own second homes in the 50s.  Some of the houses were quite nice and kept up well but a few were a bit run down.  While our tour guide was informative, we wish she had shared more stories about the movie stars who lived there during those times.  After the tour, we had planned to grab lunch in town but all the restaurants were quite packed so we instead just had a granola bar in the car and drove back (via the scenic route through the mountains) to San Diego.  We checked into our hotel, settled in for our 10 day stay and then ran to the grocery store to get food for the week.

Elvis and Priscilla's House

Restaurants

Cici Restaurant - Located in our hotel with tables surrounding one of the pools.  We had lunch here twice and breakfast each morning.  For lunch, we had the Cobb salad and the tuna poke bowl.  For breakfast, we had the açaí bowl and avocado toast.  Food was very fresh.

Sandfish Sushi - We had dinner here - we sat outside on the patio which was protected with walls of shipping containers.  It took a while to get seated and to get our food but the food was very good.  We shared the stuffed squash blossoms, the lollipop roll and the tatake.  We also had a couple of Einstock beers in remembrance of our Iceland trip.  

Dinner at Sandfish Sushi

TacQuila - We had lunch here - it's a great place with more traditional Mexican dishes.  We shared the carnitas street tacos and the carnitas stuffed poblano (which was very tasty).  We also had the pineapple and berry margaritas.  

High Bar - This is the rooftop bar at The Rowan (Kimpton Hotel) with nice views of the mountains. We had a couple of drinks here before dinner.  

Drinks at High Bar

Workshop Kitchen and Bar - We had dinner here - the decor inside is very modern with concrete poured booths and very high ceilings.  The food was very good.  We had a bottle of wine, the fruit burrata appetizer and the black cod entree which just melted in your mouth!

Dinner at Workshop Kitchen and Bar

Birba - We had dinner here - nice garden seating outside.  We shared a bottle of chardonnay, meatball appetizer and ragu pasta for entree.  The food came out quite fast and was tasty but was not our favorite meal of the trip.

San Diego:

Accommodation

Residence Inn Downtown San Diego - Located near Little Italy and the waterfront.  While it's a great location, the place is a bit run down.  Shawna got upgraded to a two bedroom suite so it was nice to be able to spread out a bit.  The kitchen was not well stocked so we had to get a few more things at the store than we had planned - e.g. large bowls, tupperware.  

Activities

During the first week, Shawna worked out of the hotel while Keith visited properties and spent time with a new employee who was starting a job at LivCor.  The weather was mostly sunny with temps in the low 70s so Shawna was able to get in a workout outside after work each day.  

Running along the waterfront

During the weekend, we met up with Patrick and Lauren on Friday night for dinner and walked along the waterfront after dinner.  We got to meet their adorable 6 month old son, Shane, who has the bluest eyes and the cutest cheeks - such a happy baby!   On Saturday, we did some work in the hotel, did a 6 mile walk around Balboa Park and napped.  In the afternoon, we met Patrick and Shane for a two hour hike in the Torrey Pines Extension park and that evening we joined the three of them for dinner.  On Sunday, we met a few of Keith's colleagues and their spouses for lunch in Newport and then did a 1.5 hour hike in Crystal Cove State Park. 

Walk around Balboa Park

Hike in Torrey Pines Extension Park

Dinner at Stone Brewery with Patrick, Lauren and Shane

During the second week, Shawna continued to worked out of the hotel while Keith made a side trip to Vegas to see some properties.  Since this was our birthday week, we had quite a few celebrations all week - Shawna meeting with her friend Jen (who she used to work with at Cigna), Shawna and Keith going out to dinner for Shawna's birthday and both of us meeting up with Danelle to celebrate both of our birthdays (plus hers which is in July). It was so nice to celebrate together and with others!

Dinner with Jennifer Rapp

Restaurants

Puesto - Mexican restaurant located in Seaport Village.  We met Patrick and Lauren here for dinner.  We started out with guacamole and chicharrones (which were not diet friendly but oh so yummy) and then we each got our own tacos.  The food was tasty. 

Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens - A very large brewery located in Liberty Station. We met Patrick and Laurent here for dinner.  We shared the pretzel and roasted brussel sprouts for an appetizer for the table and then we shared a salad and stir fry dish for dinner.  

Peninsula Lounge - Located in Newport Beach - we met up with Keith's colleagues for lunch,  We shared the ahi poke and a veggie pizza - food was just OK.  

Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens - Same brewery but this one located in an office park in Escondido.  Shawna met a former Cigna colleague, Jennifer Rapp, here for dinner.  Shawna had the chopped salad which was pretty good.

Cucina Urbana - Located in Bankers Hill near downtown San Diego.  We went here for dinner to celebrate Shawna's birthday.  They have a bottle shop in the restaurant so the cost of the wine is the same as retail.  We started out with a glass of champagne and then shared a bottle of Heitz Cellars Cabernet and ended the evening with a port and another glass of champagne.  For food, we shared the meatball, brussel sprouts and burrata appetizers, the short rib pappardelle for an entree and the chocolate panna cotta for dessert (compliments of the restaurant).  Everything was very tasty!

Shawna Bday Dinner at Cucina Urbana

Los Olivos:

Accommodation

Residence Inn - Located in Westlake Village.  We stayed here one night on our way up to Los Olivos so that we could have dinner with Danelle.  Room was dated but it was a bit cleaner than the one in San Diego.

Fess Parker Inn - A very cute inn located in Los Olivos.  We stayed here two nights.  Room was quite large and the bed was super comfortable.

Fess Parker Inn

Activities

On Thursday afternoon, we drove up to Westlake Village near Thousand Oaks to spend one night so we could meet up with Danelle and Dan for dinner.  It was great to see them and to celebrate three of our birthdays (Shawna, Keith and Danelle whose birthday is in July).  

Dinner with Danelle and Dan

The next morning (Friday) we left early to drive up to Los Olivos where we took the Friday off and enjoyed the area for the weekend as our final birthday celebrations!  We were able to check into our hotel early so we unpacked and then headed out to walk around the very cute town.  Shawna had booked three wine tastings at different tasting rooms in town.  We were quite buzzed after this so we went back to the room to nap before dinner.

Stolpman

Carhartt

On Saturday, we had a leisurely morning in the hotel, catching up on email.  The hotel did not have breakfast available so we just drank coffee in the room.  We stopped at the Los Olivos Grocery store and bought some cheese, prosciutto and crackers for lunch which we ate at one of the wineries.  We did wine tasting at three different wineries - this time we split the tastings so that we didn't over do it!!  We got back to the hotel around 3pm and relaxed by the pool for a few hours before we cleaned up and went to dinner.

Andrew Murray

Pool time

Restaurants / Wineries

Finney's - Located in Westlake Village.  Met Danelle and Dan here for a couple of drinks before dinner.

Pearl District - Located in Westlake Village.  Had dinner here with Danelle and Dan.  Sat at the bar.  Food was very good.  We started with a bottle of champagne and then had wine by the glass.  We shared a few appetizers among the four of us - shishito peppers, short ribs and salt and pepper shrimp.  Then the two of us shared the heirloom tomato stack and the salmon for our entree.  To top it all off, the four of us shared the creme caramel and chocolate bread pudding for dessert.   

Stolpman - A great tasting room in town - we sat outside and tried a rose, white and several reds.  We ended up buying 6 bottles to ship home - 4 Grenache and 2 Angeli.

Stolpman

Carhartt - Another great tasting room in town - we sat outside in the back patio.  The guy who poured our wine was quite hilarious.  We bought 6 bottles as well to ship home - Zinfandel and Sangiovese.  

Bubble Shack - Part of Fess Parker winery - this tasting room is in town with a large outside seating area.  We had the complimentary white wine tasting (got this because we were staying at the Inn) and then shared the bubble tasting.  The wine was pretty good but we did not buy anything.  

The Gathering Table - A great restaurant just a few minutes away from Los Olivos. We had Keith's birthday dinner here - we sat outside which was nice and the food was very good.  We started with a glass of champagne, then had a bottle of Ridge Zinfandel and then a glass of sauterne with our dessert.  For food, we shared the warm bread basket, hamachi (which was probably the best we've ever had) and the sunchoke salad to start and then the hangar steak entree with a side of brussel sprouts and garlic noodles.  For dessert, we shared the warm chocolate cake with homemade ice cream.  Yummo!!  

Dinner at The Gathering Table

Beckmen - Winery located a couple minutes outside of town.  The woman who helped us was a bit crabby, the tasting area was not very cute and the wines were just OK.  So this one was our least favorite!

Andrew Murray - Modern winery with nice tables outside.  We enjoyed some of the reds.

Andrew Murray

Zaca Mesa - Another modern winery with nice tables outside (we sat on the front patio with nice views of the hills).  We enjoyed the reds - in particular the Syrahs.  

Nella Kitchen and Bar - This restaurant was located at our hotel - very nice decor.  We had dinner here.  We were a bit tired of wine so we had a couple of beers with dinner.  We shared the burrata and meatball appetizers and the lamb chops for dinner.  Food was tasty.

Los Angeles/Newport Beach:

Accommodation

Lido House Hotel - A very cool, modern beach decor hotel (Marriott).  We stayed here two nights.

Activities

We drove in on Sunday afternoon and after checking into the hotel, we sat by the pool for a couple of hours and read.  Shawna worked out of the hotel on Mon/Tues while Keith visited properties.  On Monday afternoon, Keith's team did a whale watching tour where they saw a blue whale and some dolphins and on Monday evening, the team went out to dinner and included spouses.  Shawna flew back to Chicago Tuesday afternoon and Keith went on to Hawaii for two days before he returned to Chicago.

Restaurants

Mayor's Table - We had dinner here and shared a few appetizers - salad, burrata, spicy tuna toast and roasted asparagus.  Everything was fresh and tasty.

Nobu - Keith's work team did a dinner here with spouses.  We sat outside at a private table and enjoyed all of the yummy dishes - edamame, fried okra, sashimi, rolls, miso cod, beef and two types of dessert.