THIS is why we moved to California. It’s November 3rd and I was out all day in a t-shirt – no jacket, no long sleeves, no gloves, no scarf. It was sunny, glorious and 80 degrees. Every time I step outside and my entire body doesn’t contract from the cold, I say a prayer of thanks. I am so grateful that my dream of escaping the cold has finally come true.
Our first stop today was on the strip on Monterey Street, where I saw all the great antique malls. Eric had about 50 more pages to read in his book, so he was happy to relax in the RV and read while I shopped.
First, I went to COLLECTIVE PAST, which was great. I spent over an hour going through all the beautiful items they had on display. They had lots of great costume jewelry, ceramics and other vintage items. I found an adorable purse, which has a lot of personality. The price was right and I couldn’t resist!
After checking in with Eric (he was still reading), I went over to GARBO’S ANTIQUE MALL, on the next block, and found lots more to look at. I could have spent another hour there, but we wanted to grab a fast bite before heading to see our friend Jimmy again (we needed more Jimmy!) in Campbell. He was staying at his friend Paul’s house (near San Jose). We had made plans to meet for dinner and see each other one last time, before we head south again.
It was 2:30pm and we were meeting Jimmy and Paul at 5:00pm for dinner, but we only had cereal for breakfast, so we were hungry! We walked down the block to HAPPY DOG PIZZA CO. and had an “Even Cowgirls Get the Blues” salad with romaine, radiccio, toasted walnuts, gorgonzola cheese and a gorgonzola balsamic dressing and a 14” thin crust pizza with mushrooms. Excellent!
They had lots of artwork on the walls and every picture had a dog in it somewhere. It was adorable. I went to the rest room and there were tons of pictures of dogs in there, too! The owner must be a real dog lover!
We left Gilroy and headed north to Campbell to meet up with Jimmy and Paul. It was about an hour’s ride. I couldn’t go into Paul’s place, because he has two cats, but we got to see the complex where he lives and it was great. His condo is on the ground floor, in an open area off the street, and he has a permanent parking spot under a carport. It’s exactly like my cousin, Audrey’s, in Las Vegas, because you don’t have any stairs and you always get a parking spot (and your car isn’t sitting in the sun!). If Eric and I can find a place like that to buy in San Diego, we’d be very happy!
We left our RV on the street, got into Paul’s car and drove to BLUE SKY CHINESE RESTAURANT. We had Wanton Soup, dumplings, and a few entrees, including Crab Egg Foo Young, Kung Pao Scallops, and a chicken dish (I don’t eat chicken, so I didn’t pay much attention!). It was all really good and we had a fun time.
Paul had been forewarned that Eric and I are BIG on desserts (at least until we go on our diets in San Diego), so he then took us on a driving tour of Campbell, showing us the highlights, before taking us to GELATO CLASSICO ("too good to share"), a new place that had just opened a few weeks ago.
I had my usual (chocolate and peanut butter); Jimmy had something with caramel; Eric had lychee gelato and strawberry sorbet; and Paul had Bananas Foster. The shop has large brown suede couches and chairs, so we made ourselves comfortable while we enjoyed the delicious smoothness of this sweet, intense flavorful treat. They have a big-screen TV on the wall showing chefs whipping up delectable treats like cheesecake, mousse and truffles. If the crowd tonight is any indication, this place will be a huge success!
We drove back to Paul’s place and said our goodbyes. Then we headed back to Gilroy to the campground. Now, Eric’s asleep and I’m watching SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE as I type this.
Tomorrow we will visit Downtown Monterey. We are staying one more day and will be leaving on Monday morning for San Luis Obispo, which we also visited on our honeymoon!