As Albert Hammond wrote in 1972,
“Seems it never rains in southern California
Seems I've often heard that kind of talk before
It never rains in California, but girl don't they warn ya
It pours, man it pours.”
We got a VERY late start today. We slept until 11:00am. Can you believe it? I guess it was partly because we knew we were staying at the campground another 2 days and didn’t have to worry about check out (which is usually 11:00am). Also, it was raining early this morning (yes – raining!). It has rained twice since we’ve been here, but both times it was in the middle of the night, or in the morning before we got up. It’s kind of like Florida rain. It starts out cloudy and wet, but then the sun comes out and it’s another gorgeous day!
We didn’t leave the campground until 3:00pm. We decided to drive to some new neighborhoods, but first we went to RALPHS supermarket (first in California™) on Mission Boulevard. We only needed to pick up a few necessities – like bottled water, laundry detergent and cereal, but it’s so frustrating, because of course we see other stuff we’d like to buy, but we either can’t fit it in the RV, or it needs to be kept refrigerated and our fridge is so “iffy” that we can’t take a chance.
After shopping, I walked around the corner to STARBUCKS (there are a LOT of them here – wheeeeeeeee!). Then, we took a drive up La Jolla Boulevard. It was pretty and the houses were nice, but we weren’t that impressed.
So far, HILLCREST is our favorite neighborhood. Hillcrest just turned 100! They had a lot of wonderful celebratory events, but they all ended before we got here!
We decided to head to Hillcrest (where else) for dinner and chose NAMI SUSHI BAR & FUSION JAPANESE RESTAURANT. They have a HAPPY HOUR Monday through Wednesday from 5-7pm with ½ price on selected sushi rolls! We started with two Miso Soups and got two rolls from the ½ price list and one "White Dragon" special roll. They were all delicious and, because they were very busy and the rolls took a while to come, they gave us a free bowl of edamame. I thought that was SO sweet!
Ater dinner we walked around the neighborhood. In our three trips around Hillcrest, I have noticed three or four shops that sell vintage clothing which say “BUY SELL TRADE.” Some of them are more costume-y places, which are hot right now, since Halloween is just two weeks away. The other places have real vintage clothing, but most of it is 70s and newer, and I prefer 60s and older. The only place I’ve seen so far that really excited me was WEAR IT AGAIN SAM, which had older, more elegant clothing and jewelry. I can’t wait to go back there and shop!
We decided to find a place for dessert and had several choices, but then we saw CORVETTE DINER BAR & GRILL. It was fabulous! They have a DJ nightly and great entertainment, including a magician on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and Dan the Balloon Man on Friday and Saturday nights.
The entire diner is TOTALLY filled with 1950s memorabilia and collectibles. The front is all black/white/pink (which I adore) and the hostesses are dressed in poodle skirts and saddle shoes. There’s a soda fountain on the left with all the seats to sit at the counter. On the right were a bunch of tables with formica tops and chrome chairs.
We walked through to the back, which is black/white/red and were surrounded by Marilyn, Elvis, and Coca-Cola. There was even a real yellow Corvette in the middle of the floor. All the waiters, waitresses, hostesses and bartenders are in 50s uniforms, and all look adorable. We sat in a fabulous booth in the middle of all the fun, and our waitress, Lulu was a doll. We got an ELVIS SHAKE (banana, peanut butter, marshmallow all shook up (uh huh huh) and a piece of Giant Chocolate Fudge Fantasy Cake (rich and moist with creamy fudge frosting). It was so much that we only tasted the cake and took the rest home and just finished the shake, which was FABULOUS with pieces of peanuts and banana blended into it).
When we were finished, we were about to leave, but Lulu told us we had to stay, because the staff was going to dance. We sat back down and watched them all line up and do a line dance. They also invited all the kids to come up and they did and participated in the dance (and did a great job, too!). It was a lot of fun and we promised we’d return soon.
When we got back to the RV, Eric and I did a lot of research on the computer, finding local and nearby places to mountain bike. He was encouraged by the reviews we read (from other mountain bikers) and found some of the places on the map. We will do more investigating by going to more mountain bike shops and driving to some of the parks to see the trails.
Eric is feeling more positive about the mountain biking situation, which of course makes me feel better. I just want him to be happy. That is of the utmost importance to me. Nothing else really matters much, besides Eric. He is my everything.
The last couple of days were very tense, because I felt like I let him down and I felt he was disappointed. I think he was just really nervous. I can’t explain why I’m not nervous about moving here. I guess it’s because I require so little. I need a place to live, a place to work, and Eric (and Starbucks). That’s all I really need. I know I can find a yoga studio, or an antique shop anywhere. I’ve already found vintage shops I like and a neighborhood that’s fun to walk around. It doesn’t take much to make me happy. I just want him to be happy.