California Dreaming

We are sitting in our beautiful hotel room, with a view of the ocean in LA. The first leg went fairly well, after a REALLY hectic Friday. We got to the airport around 7 am (after returning the car), and made sure each of our 5 checked bags were under the 50 pound mark - at least 3 of them were exactly 50 pounds!!



Since we checked in on-line the day before, we got in the "A" line, and were #3 and #4, so we got the prime exit row seats. :) The flight was easy, albeit long, but our luggage came out super fast and all in a row! I had just gone over to see if we were at the correct baggage claim when I saw our first bag..then the second..and so on! You should have seen me grabbing all the bags - the people next to me had no idea what to think! I had four of our five bags before Darren could maneuver the cart up to the baggage conveyer. There may have been clapping. ;)

The cab ride to the hotel was ridiculous! The cabbie had no idea where the hotel was, and barely spoke English...even after calling dispatch, he drove by the hotel 3 times and turned around 4 times. He is VERY lucky we paid him anything at all!

The room is great, though, and the jacuzzi is right in the room! We have a little balcony that faces the ocean (I slept through the sunset, though).


We took a stroll down Pier Avenue to the beach area, and ate at a charming little Italian restaurant where you can choose your pasta, sauce and additional ingredients. I had the wild mushroom ravioli with an oil and garlic sauce, and Darren had a goat cheese/basil ravioli with oil and garlic sauce plus fresh tomatoes. Yum!! We completed the meal with a warm flourless chocolate cake w/cream (me) and a small tirimisu. They called the tirimsu "baby misu", but it definitely was not the size of a baby! Although the "lady" fingers were a bit small...

Tomorrow we continue our adventure. For now, I'm still trying to get that this is my LIFE and it is really happening! GAH!

Ok, off to enjoy the jacuzzi!! =)