Weekend with the padres - wining, dining and hiking, oh my!

In January, my parents decided to make one last visit to see us in the LA area (more on that 'last visit' soon!), and the only weekend that really worked out was President's Day, so we all quickly made arrangements for their visit this past weekend.  It was a bit of a whirlwind of a trip for them since they arrived Friday afternoon (4:30 - just in time for traffic!) and left early this morning.  We packed in quite a few activities and tried to ensure that they enjoyed this visit as much as possible.  

On Saturday, we drove up to Santa Barbara wine country.  It's a bit of a haul for a one-day visit, but we had a willing driver and a beautiful day to explore the countryside, so we took advantage of those factors.  We started out in the quaint little town of Los Olivos.  The first time we went wine tasting in the Santa Barbara area with my parents was probably 7 years ago, and at that time, it seemed that if you blinked, you'd miss Los Olivos.  That isn't the case anymore, and especially not on Valentine's day (we had sort of forgotten about that detail, but, apparently, wine tasting is a very popular activity on said "holiday").  Fortunately, we were early enough that when we stopped at our first tasting room, Byron, it was still low-key.  That was a fabulous first stop, and, since it wasn't too crowded, we were really able to take our time and enjoy the wine - which was excellent!  Byron specializes in Pinots, like a lot of Santa Barbara wineries, and they were all fantastic.  

Starting out our day

Making decisions - what to drink now?

Perhaps the best thing about Byron, after the wine, was the recommendation to eat lunch in Buellton at Industrial Eats.  It's super casual but the food is fantastic - and we definitely needed something to eat after the visit to Byron.  It's also conveniently located, right next to Alma Rosa, our next stop.  We had visited Alma Rosa with my parents a few years ago when it was in an old farmhouse, which I still prefer, and Michael and I (and Gus - it's a dog-friendly tasting room!) visited Alma Rosa back in October.  So, it's a bit of an old favorite for us, I suppose, and their wine is awfully good!

Some full belly happiness

After all of the eating and drinking and driving on Saturday, we opted for a more active day on Sunday - and set out for Mt. Lowe in the Angeles National Forest.  In the end, we did not summit Mt. Lowe but we did hike San Gabriel Peak!

Looking east

The start of the trail was through a wooded area which was nice and shaded, with lots of manzanita all around!  And then we hit a fire road which led us to this area that was once part of the Nike Ajax Missile Defense Plan (according to modernhiker.com).  Kind of crazy?!  Hikes in the western part of the Angeles are always so interesting - you feel like you are 'away from it all', and then you are suddenly reminded of the fact that Los Angeles is really right there.  

Fromt his platform, we then headed up to San Gabriel peak.  The final push wasn't technical, but it was steep.  

Ah, success!

We finished off the weekend at Angelini Osteria, another favorite from a previous visit, and we shared some excellent Italian food there.  It's always hard to choose because there are so many option, but I opted for a pasta with black truffles - and then they shaved more truffles on top.  It was kind of ridiculous!

Truffles!

Buonasera!

It was a fun-filled weekend with my parents, no doubt, and even though I'm an adult, they still spoil me.  I also feel lucky that we can still do things together, like go on a moderately strenuous hike, which is a wonderful way to spend time with them. 

Spring Break '11

Oh, wow, where did March go? The last two weeks of classes were busy, but I survived! I'm a bit sad that I'm now planning for next week and trying to mentally prepare myself for 're-entry'. In the meantime, we did manage a quick getaway at the beginning of the week.

There seems to be a trend to our spring break jaunts - head north, see some coast, drink good wine... Last year we traveled to San Francisco via Monterey, this year we had snippets of a Sideways tour in California Central. (Just a quick aside: I wasn't a HUGE fan of the movie "Sideways", but there are some very funny moments and a good, dark comedy can satisfy one's sense of schaudenfraude like nothing else can). My parents came out to visit us, and we planned a visit full of sights and good food and drink.

They arrived at LAX Friday night, and rather than battling rush hour traffic to try to return to the "east" side, we ate dinner at Piccolo, an Italian restaurant with a small, intimate feel. The touring began Saturday with a 10 am "appointment" to the Getty Villa. We've visited the Getty Museum a few times, but this was our first time visiting the Getty Villa which is north of Santa Monica. Like the Getty Museum, it's a beautiful place (amazing grounds and architecture). I obviously enjoyed all of the museum visit:

Oops! I hope that sleeping in a museum doesn't make me out to be a TOTAL philistine. At least I went to the museum... And it was a cool space with lots to see. I will be honest, however, and say that ancient art and antiquities don't rock my world. Still, it was fun to walk through the rooms and read about Dionysus, Hercules, tales of the Iliad and Odyssey and see scenes depicted in statues or on pottery.

On Sunday, we left mid-morning and headed north and west, driving up the 1 and the 101. The weather, which had been crappy for most of the week, finally cooperated and we made our way north. Our first stop was just west of Buellton, a town close to Santa Barbara in the area that was featured in the movie "Sideways". A friend at work recommended Alma Rosa which ended up being our first stop. We were apparently the first customers of the day because they gave us rather hefty pours of nice white wines (a really great and non-oaky Chardonnay) and tons of Pinot. It was a fairly rustic winery, definitely not as polished as those that we've visited in Napa. The bathrooms were not exactly the finest, but they were clean! My dad and I made a bee-line when we arrived! Although we honestly found the winery thanks to a friend's recommendation, it turned out that Sideways (the movie) did feature it and our Lonely Planet guidebook included it as well. We felt quite trendy!

From the Buellton/Solvang area around Santa Barbara, we drove north to Paso Robles, an upward-trending town that is trying to promote itself as the latest wine-tasting mecca in California. We pulled in around 5:00 pm, headed straight to a cheese store which fortunately was still open so that we could stock up for the evening. We ended up eating a lavish dinner of wine, cheese, fruit and crackers. I was clearly excited about the experience:

On Monday morning, we set out to the coast to the charming villages of Cambria and San Simeon, the Hearst Castle being our destination. This was my first time visiting the "castle" built on what Hearst called Enchanted Hill, and it was an impressive place, to say the least. Actually, it is a bit of a marvel, to think that William Randolph Hearst decided to build and to create this showplace in such a remote yet breathtakingly beautiful place. The castle and grounds certainly reminded me of the grandeur of a past era - a table that could have fed 30 or so people, guest houses in a Spanish-style that looked fit for a king or queen (to me, at least!). While the buildings were impressive, I truly envied the view and the pool (and the view from the pool). I can even envision myself swimming in the pool, or reading a good book while I lounge in the sun!

After touring the Hearst Castle, we ate sandwiches and enjoyed views of this beach. Yet again, I kept pinching myself to verify that I really WAS in such a beautiful spot.

After devouring our sandwiches and plenty of oohing and aahing, we drove back to Paso Robles, winding our way through valleys and hills. It was SO green thanks to the recent inundations in our lovely state. Once back in the Paso Robles area, we stopped by the Tablas Creek winery which another friend had recommended. We did not love the Tablas Creek wine, but through their recommendation, we hit up Halter Ranch before returning to the hotel, and we did enjoy their Sauvignon Blanc and several reds. The day ended with an evening at Artisan, one of the best restaurant experiences that I'd had in a while. The ambiance was relaxed and fun, food was local and fresh, and prices reasonable. At the end of that evening, we rolled into bed, content to have shared good food and conversation, and a day full of experiences.

But wait, there's more! That will have to wait until tomorrow, however!