We intended to spend Spring Break in Punta Mita (Puerto Vallarta), Mexico. However, due to the COVID-19 outbreak and the required COVID-19 testing to return to the U.S.A., we postponed our international travel (yet again). We worried about getting stuck in Mexico (had we tested positive for COVID-19) and missing Alex's A.P. tests.
Instead, we decided to return for a week to Southern California. After looking at multiple hotel websites and Airbnb, Inna found reasonably priced accommodations at Estancia La Jolla Hotel. Alex, Inna, and I were excited to enjoy some southern California beaches, surfing, spas, and restaurants.
Alex was excited about surfing at La Jolla Shores and Black's Beach in San Diego, escaping the relentless pressure in his last year at Bellarmine College Prep High School.
Saturday, April 3, 2021
Waking up at 6:30 a.m., we dressed, loaded our minivan, and began the long drive to La Jolla. With light to heavy traffic approaching Los Angeles, we arrived at Laguna Beach - our first stop - around 1:45 p.m. Although Laguna Beach was overflowing with tourists, we were able to find a parking spot at Heisler Park. A few surfers were surfing at Rockpile Beach, but we were hungry and tired from the 7-hour drive and decided to stop by Carmelita's Laguna Beach for lunch.
When we checked in, there was a 10-15 minute wait for seating outside, so we walked to the nearby Vladimir Kush gallery to look at his most recent paintings. We really liked his Dali-esque paintings, though Alex didn't enjoy them and decided to enjoy the beach instead.
At around 2:15 p.m., we returned to Carmelita's and sat outside. We ordered the following items:
- Seasonaguacamolele (to share)
- Traditional Margarita (Inna)
- Seafood Enchilada (Inna)
- Champagne Salad (Boris)
- Quesadilla with Steak(Alex)
We loved the freshly baked chips and guacamole, and Inna loved her Enchilada. I enjoyed eating a healthy salad, and Alex enjoyed his quesadilla.
After lunch, we returned to Heisler Park, where Alex hoped to surf. However, by this time, waves were few, and he decided to try surfing at Thalia Street. We drove to Thalia Street in a roundabout way to avoid all the downtown city construction and parked nearby. However, though many surfers were out in the water, Thalia Street did not have much better action, so we decided to continue to La Jolla.
Heavy traffic was on the way to our Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa, and we arrived at about 5:30 p.m. After parking in the hotel's parking lot (a $35/day ripoff), we unloaded our van and walked to room #212. A loud wedding party was going on, and the courtyard had loud music blasting. After resting a bit, we decided to visit the nearby beach.
Alex suggested a way that followed the Saks Institute Beach Trail, but it was a very steep private road. We turned around and drove to La Jolla Farms Road, parking near the Black's Beach trailhead. We walked down the very steep trail and saw many surfers returning. It was a long and tedious walk back up to Black's Beach trailhead.
We drove back to the hotel, rested, and then returned to Puesto Mexican Restaurant in La Jolla. It was freezing outside even though we sat down next to a heater. We ordered the following food items:
- Guacamole (to share)
- Mango Lime drinks (everyone)
- Mexican Chopped Salad (Alex)
- Tacos (Tamarind Shrimp, Filet Mignon, Quesabirria) (Inna)
- Tacos (Mole, Mushroom) (Boris)
After dinner, we returned to our hotel and quickly fell asleep. We were all so exhausted from the long drive. The wedding in the courtyard was finishing up and promptly quieted down after 10:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 4, 2021
In the morning, we woke up relatively early, at about 7:00 a.m. After showering and shaving, I worked on my blog while Inna and Alex relaxed. After some time, we decided to eat breakfast at Estancia's breakfast restaurant. One of the restaurants - Mustangs & Burros - was preparing for Easter (egg hunt). However, Greenfinch Restaurant & Bar was serving regular brunch.
After waiting for an outdoor table, we were seated at an outdoor table overlooking the courtyard where the hotel's Easter Egg hunt would occur. Many colorful eggs were being placed.
I usually eat a very light breakfast of yogurt & berries and didn't want to eat a heavy meal. After looking at the menu, I decided just to drink a cup of coffee while Alex and Inna ordered the following items:
- Avocado Toast (Griddled Focaccia, Tomato-Chipotle Jam, Baby Arugula, Two Poached Eggs, Smashed Avocado, Radish) - for Alex and Inna
After breakfast, Alex and I drove up to the nearby Torrey Pines Gliderport, which was supposed to have an easier/faster trail to the beach. We parked our van at the reasonably full parking lot and decided to scramble down the Citizens Trail to Black's Beach below.
Many surfers were going up and down the Citizens trail, but it was pretty steep and dangerous in places. Carrying a surfboard up and down this trail would be difficult. Once on Black's Beach, we tried to find the best spots to surf and realized that Torrey Pines City Beach had more suitable, fuller-sized waves. Walking up and down the paved road at Black's Beach Trailhead would be much easier.
We returned to Torrey Pines Gliderport, huffing and puffing the Citizens trail, and drove to Black's Beach trailhead. After we parked the car, We slipped on our wetsuits and waxed our surfboards. Since walking down to Black's Beach would be so long and tedious, I decided to try surfing my Firewire Spitfire 6'6" F.S.T. instead of my 8'0" Wavestorm longboard. Alex decided to use his Kym Thompson 6'6" board.
Once on Black's Beach, we walked into the incoming waves and paddled through the break. The tide was low, and we were quickly past the wave break. On my first attempt to catch a wave, I saw a wave and almost had a nice ride (except for falling in). However, Alex and I struggled to catch incoming waves for the rest of the two hours. Although waves were occasionally large, they often did not break, and we couldn't paddle fast enough to catch them.
Eventually, a large set of waves came in, and we were pushed to the shore. We ended our session and returned to Black's Beach trailhead, where our van was parked. We drove home, rested, and ate lunch in La Jolla downtown. After calling several restaurants, Inna decided that Shorehouse had low wait times, so we tried eating lunch there.
After finding parking, we walked to Shorehouse Kitchen and were quickly seated on the backside patio. We ordered the following items for lunch:
- Coffee
- Angus Short Rib & Hash Brown Potato Cakes
- Maple Fried Chicken Breakfast Sandwich with hash browns
- Spinach & Mushroom Omelet
I liked my Maple Fried Chicken Breast sandwich and the delicious hash browns. Inna also really liked her Spinach & Mushroom Omelet. With lunch over, we decided to walk to the beach. On the way there, we stopped by the local ice cream shop for a taste of ice cream. Inna and I shared two scoops (Earl Grey and brownie), and Alex had his own 3 scoops to enjoy.
On the way to the La Jolla Shore beach, we were offered some free Kambucha. The beach was packed and overflowing with tourists. People were sunbathing, swimming, surfing, boogie boarding, and playing volleyball. The waves were random, and Alex said he would not want to surf there. However, spending some time here would be fun.
Inna hoped to walk around La Jolla Cove, so we drove there, looking for parking. Eventually, we lucked out and found parking at Whale View Point on Coast Blvd. We parked our van and walked around the various tide pools. A few local surfers at Nicholson Point rode some quite large waves. We watched them for a bit. Since Alex was getting tired, we returned to our hotel for some needed rest.
For dinner, Inna and I ate at Herringbone in La Jolla Cove downtown. Surprisingly, we found parking quickly when we arrived at 7:45 p.m. (our reservation time). We sat down outside and enjoyed the following food items (we had to hurry and order as the kitchen closed at 8:00 p.m.):
- Herringbone Guacamole
- Ahi Poke Tacos (delicious)
- Mushroom Flatbread
- Clam Chowder
- Black Tea with Lavender
We really enjoyed all of our dinner items at Herringbone. I really loved the Ahi Poke Tacos and the Mushroom Flatbread. The Clam Chowder was thick and delicious.
Monday, April 5, 2021
We woke up at 7:30 a.m. and ate breakfast in Estancia's cafe. Alex ate a burrito while I enjoyed a cranberry muffin with hot coffee.
We picked up our still-wet wetsuits from room #212 and walked to the parking lot to our van. We drove to Black's Beach trailhead and parked at the entrance around 9:15 a.m.
I tried surfing my Firewire Spitfire 6'6" F.S.T. while Alex used his Kym Thompson 6'6" board. Once
on Black's Beach, we walked into the incoming waves and paddled through the break. The waves came in non-stop, and I struggled to swim through the beach break. Eventually, I passed the beach break and paddled north toward Alex, far ahead of me. Alex was doing very well and caught a few rides right before me. I was not so lucky and did not catch any. Eventually, I returned to shore and rested. When I tried to swim back through the break, the incessant stream of waves kept pushing me around. I need to learn to duck dive better!
At around 11:30 a.m., I caught up with Alex, and we returned to our van. We returned home and rested, waiting for Inna to return from her massage. After resting for one half-hour, we drove to La Jolla for lunch. We decided to eat lunch at The Cottage La Jolla. On arrival, we parked our van a few blocks away and walked to the restaurant. Some people were waiting to be seated, and we put our names on the waiting list. We waited for about 20 minutes to be installed indoors.
At The Cottage La Jolla., we ordered the following items:
- 2 Mexican Mochas
- Cottage Mocha (for Alex)
- Salmon Pasta (for Boris)
- Crabcake Melt (for Inna)
- Caprese Sandwich (for Alex)
Although lemon-zest pancakes were on the Cottage menu, I was too hungry from the recent surfing session. I enjoyed the Salmon Pasta, and Inna really liked her Crabcake Melt.
After lunch, Inna stayed in La Jolla for a few hours, exploring shops and picture galleries, while Alex and I returned to the Estancia Hotel to rest. Alex was exhausted from the recent surfing session and slept for a few hours while I worked on my blog.
At around 5:15 p.m., I drove back to La Jolla and picked up Inna. She enjoyed her afternoon stroll downtown in La Jolla and took my photos of seals on the coast.
We rested and ate dinner at the Mustangs & Burros Restaurant in the Estancia Hotel. After a short wait, we were seated in the beautiful courtyard patio with heat lamps and a lovely fire in its fireplace.
After reviewing the menu, we ordered the following items:
- Chips, Salsa, & Guacomole
- Paloma Drink
- Chicken Mole Tacos
- Pan-Seared Salmon
- Fried Churros
- Hot Tea
Tuesday, April 6, 2021
We woke around 8:00 a.m. and ate breakfast at Estancia's Blend Coffee shop. I chose coffee and coffee cake, while Alex and Inna selected blueberry and cranberry muffins with Lavender lattes.
Looking at Surfline.com, Alex thought it might be fun to try surfing at Ocean Beach in San Diego. We picked up our still-damp wetsuits and drove toward Ocean Beach in San Diego (about 20 minutes away by car).
On arrival, we parked on a side street and headed to Ocean Beach to look at the surf. Lovely wave sets were coming, and we grew excited about the prospect of surfing here. We slipped on our wetsuits and waxed our boards. I continued trying to master the Firewire Spitfire 6'6" F.S.T. while Alex switched to his Firewire Tuomo v4. The center fin in his Firewire seemed loose, so Alex unscrewed the retention screw, and I pushed the fix into the correct position.
At around 10:40 a.m., we headed toward the beach and launched near the long jetty of rocks. This was a smoother place to launch, making it easier to get through the break. Once past the break, I looked for Alex but couldn't find him. I paddled toward the northern section, where the waves seemed more intense. I tried to ride a few waves and succeeded a couple of times. The Firewire Spitfire is a fast board, and I was moving quite fast (faster than my Wavestorm). I enjoyed the session and paddled to the shore at around aroun12:30 p.m. Since Alex was still surfing, I decided to switch out of my wetsuit into my dry clothes. Alex finished at around 12:50 p.m. and was overjoyed at this surfing session. He had a fantastic time and caught many great rides.
We returned home in about 25 minutes and drove to San Diego for lunch. We wanted to dine at our favorite Extraordinary Desserts restaurant but were unsure whether patio seating was available. When we arrived, we realized there was no patio seating, so we looked for a nearby place to eat lunch.
After looking at Google Maps, we settled on Queenstown Public House - a New Zealand eatery. We had never eaten New Zealand cuisine and were curious about what might be on the menu. After sitting down on the patio, we ordered the following items:
- Fish & Chips (Alex)
- Lamb Skewers with Hummus (Inna)
- N.Z. Meat Pies (Two Seasoned beef and lamb New Zealand meat pies, cheddar, puff pasty, fatty fries)
We liked our entrees, and both Inna and I raved about the delicious meat pies. Alex also loved his fish and chips.
After lunch, we walked to Waterfront Park, enjoying the beautiful tall ships moored to the dock. The Star of India and H.M.S. Surprise - two sailing ships of the bygone era had beautiful sails fluttering in the wind. The H.M.S. Surprise was featured in the classic movie (one of my favorites!) Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World features Russel Crowe as Captain Jack Aubrey.
Walking south, we enjoyed the newly restored Brigantine Seafood Restaurant in a glass-covered structure. We continued our stroll toward the U.S.S. Midway aircraft carrier (which we toured many years ago).
We walked back to our van, stopping by Extraordinary Desserts to purchase some delicious treats, including:
- Tres Leches cake slice
- Gianduia cake slice
- Strawberry cake slice
- Bread pudding
- Chocolate-chip Cookie
When we returned to our hotel, we treated ourselves to a slice of Tres Leches cake with 3 cups of tea from Blend Coffee shop. We discussed colleges and decided to look further into Northeastern (where Alex had been admitted).
Inna made reservations at Piatti in La Jolla for dinner at 7:45 p.m. Alex wasn't very hungry but came with us to keep us company.
After sitting down on the patio, we ordered the following:
- Bread & Piatti Oil
- Margherita Pizza
- Butternut Squash Salad
- Pappardelle Pasta with Shrimp
- Berry Lemonade
- Ginger Julip
- Affogato
- Tea
We really liked the
Pappardelle Pasta and the
Butternut Squash Salad. The Affogato was also delicious.
Alex was not feeling very well when we returned home, but we hoped he'd recover after a restful sleep.
Wednesday, April 7, 2021
We woke around 8:00 a.m. and ate breakfast at Estancia's
Blend Coffee shop. I chose coffee and coffee cake, while Alex and Inna selected blueberry and cranberry muffins with Lavender lattes.
Alex was tired and lethargic from his cold (perhaps from too many continuous surfing sessions), so we decided to take it easy that day.
We spent most of the morning in Estancia's Patio garden, relaxing and discussing colleges.
Later on, we decided to eat lunch downtown in La Jolla. At first, we stopped by Blue Ocean Sushi Bar/Harumama Noodles, but the wait to sit down was 45 minutes. We also stopped by Duke's La Jolla, which had a 45-minute wait. We decided to try the nearby George's at the Cove and got lucky. There was immediate seating available.
We ordered the following items:
- Fish Sandwich (Boris)
- The Lobster Roll (Inna)
- O.T. Cheeseburger (Alex)
- George's Famous Soup (smoked chicken)
- Black Tea
The waiter brought out the Lobster Roll and O.T. Cheeseburger for Inna and Alex. However, instead of my Fish Sandwich, he brought me tacos. He made the correction immediately and offered me free soup while I waited. That was a nice gesture, and I enjoyed our lunch at Georges.
After lunch, we drove Alex back to Estancia Hotel, where he could rest, while we returned to La Jolla to look at various picture galleries. I really liked the fantastic photos at Peter Lik Galleries. I enjoyed all the pictures there, but they are expensive ($5k and upwards).
Eventually, we returned home and tried to eat Extraordinary Desserts' Bread Pudding. However, since it was cold (taken from the refrigerator), it was thick and difficult to eat. We would have enjoyed it much more had it been warm.
Thursday, April 8, 2021
In the morning, we woke up at about 8:00 a.m. We decided to eat breakfast at Estancia's Greenfinch Restaurant.
After looking at the menu, I decided just to drink a cup of
coffee and buttermilk pancakes while Alex and Inna ordered the following items:
- Avocado Toast (Griddled Focaccia, Tomato-Chipotle Jam, Baby Arugula, Two Poached Eggs, Smashed Avocado, Radish) - for Alex and Inna
- Buttermilk Pancakes
Looking at Surfline.com, Alex thought surfing at Ocean Beach in San Diego would be best. We picked up our still-damp
wetsuits and drove toward Ocean Beach in San Diego (about 20 minutes
away by car).
On arrival, we parked near the main parking lot and headed to
Ocean Beach to look at the surf. Lovely wave sets were coming, and we grew excited about the prospect of surfing here. We slipped on our wetsuits and waxed our boards. I continued trying to master the Firewire Spitfire 6'6" F.S.T. while Alex switched to his Firewire Tuomo v4. Alex surfed very well, while I managed to catch rides on white water only.
At around 1:00 p.m., Alex finished surfing, and we returned to our Estancia Hotel. After washing up, we dressed for lunch and headed to La Jolla.
At first, we stopped by Blue Ocean Sushi Bar/Harumama Noodles, but the wait to sit down was 45 minutes. We also stopped by Duke's La Jolla, which had a 90-minute wait. Running out of options, we decided to try Puesto La Jolla (a favorite Mexican Restaurant).
After waiting about 10 minutes, we were seated on the patio. Since it was happy hour, Margaritas were $5.00 off, and all tacos were $1.50 off. Excited, we ordered the following:
- Classiguacamolele (shared)
- 2 Margaritas
- Chips & Salsa (I love the Chips!)
- Tacos
- Boris: Chicken Al Pastor, Tamarind Shrimp, Quesobirrita
- Alex: Chicken Asada, Tamarind Shrimp, Quesobirrita
- Inna: Baja Fish, Tamarind Shrimp, Quesobirrita
We really enjoyed our lunch at Puesto La Jolla. Afteguacamolele, I strolled around La Jolla Tide Pools, enjoying the upcoming sunset and watching two surfers riding waves at Nicholson Point.
We returned to Estancia Hotel in the evening and enjoyed our Extraordinary Desserts' Strawberry cake on the patio with large cups of hot black tea. We discussed the pros and cons of attending Northeastern University and the chances of getting off the waitlist at U.C. San Diego or UC Irvine.
Friday, April 9, 2021
In the morning, we woke up at about 8:00 a.m. At first, we stopped by the Blend Cafe, but it was out of breakfast items like muffins.
We decided to eat a typical breakfast at Estancia's Greenfinch Restaurant. After looking at the menu, we ordered the following items:
- Avocado Toast (Griddled Focaccia, Tomato-Chipotle Jam, Baby Arugula, Two Poached Eggs, Smashed Avocado, Radish) - for Alex and Inna
- Eat Your Veggies Omelet
We enjoyed our breakfast, but the service was prolonged. After breakfast, we drove to Ocean Beach in San Diego.
On arrival, we parked in the main parking lot and headed to
Ocean Beach to look at the surf. Lovely wave sets were coming, and
we grew excited about the prospect of surfing here. We slipped on our
wetsuits and waxed our boards. I used my Wavestorm 8'0", while Alex used Firewire
Tuomo v4. Alex surfed very well, but I also managed to catch 4 waves.
After we returned home, we decided to eat lunch at La Jolla. We found parking near
Duke's La Jolla and decided to stop by if space was available. We tried for the past few days, and the wait times were consistently 45-90 minutes. This time, we were lucky! In about 10 minutes, we were seated on the patio and ordered several items, including:
- Ginger Lime Frizz (Alex)
- Hot Tea (Boris)
- Lavender Colada (Inna)
- Fish & Chips (Boris)
- Macadamia Nut & Herb Fish (Inna)
- Classic Burger (Alex)
- Kimo's Original Hula Pie (ice-cream pie)
I liked the
fish and chips, and Inna wanted her
macadamia nuts and herb fish. We were starving and really enjoyed our lunch at Duke's. The
Kimo Original Hula Pie was enormous, and Alex really liked it.
After lunch, we walked from the La Jolla waterfront to Windandsea Beach (over 3 miles round-trip). We saw many surfers riding long wave sets at Windandsea Beach and enjoyed walking on the sand.
For dinner, Inna made reservations for 9:15 p.m. at
Eddie Vs in La Jolla. This is a reasonably fancy restaurant where everyone is dressed more formally. After arriving there and being seated, we ordered the following:
- Perfect Margarita
- Lobster Tacos
- Mustard Glazed Salmon
- Scallops
- Small Au Gratin Potatoes
- Small Crab Fried Rice
The Lobster Tacos and Scallops were exceptional, and our waitress was fantastic. She split the dinner portion for Inna and me and suggested we split the crab-fried rice and au gratin potatoes. They were marvelous.
Saturday, April 10, 2021
After a breakfast of burritos and muffins, we started our long drive home to San Jose.
On the way there, we encountered heavy traffic near Los Angeles. We decided to stop by Bakersfield for lunch at
Cafe Smitten. Since we arrived at 2:37 p.m. (the kitchen closed at 2:30 p.m.), we just ordered pies for lunch:
- Matcha Tea Green pie slice
- Earl Grey Tea pie slice
- Blueberry pie slice (Boris)
- Mocha (Boris)
- 2 x Green Tea Matcha
The pies were delicious, but the location of Cafe Smitten looked sketchy. After lunch, we returned to San Jose around aroun7:00 p.m., thoroughly tired from the long drive home.
