Here I am on Sunday, writing after a whole week off from work. It was a lovely week of lazing about, doing some laundry, and spending a couple of days in Monterey. We also got to spend an afternoon with friends, catching up while enjoying drinks and good food.
The first couple of days off were mellow. I did a lot of laundry (had to be done!) but was otherwise rather lazy. Maybe too lazy? Yes, that’s quite possible. 😉
MONTEREY
Just before noon on Wednesday, we headed out to Monterey. We wanted to beat the heat at home and we were duly rewarded with cloudy skies and temperatures in the almost 60s. It was cool enough to wear jeans, thank goodness!
We checked into our room at The Stevenson Monterey, only staying long enough to freshen up a little and get our stuff put away. The room was clean and comfortable. The shower was a little claustrophobic but it worked fine. We opted for the top floor so we had to take the somewhat rickety elevator up and down.
We headed out and walked down to Alvarado Street Brewery. We had drinks and food while watching soccer. We were there for a few hours and it was a nice time just relaxing. I had the fish and chips to go along with my Bistro Hef. Pretty yummy!
After our drinks and food, we took a walk down to Old Fisherman’s Wharf. It wasn’t too busy but then again, it was a Wednesday afternoon. A few of the restaurants had employees in front trying to entice diners to have their meals in their establishments. We weren’t hungry when we passed by otherwise we might have ended up at one of the restaurants.
We ended up buying some candy before walking back to our room. The weather was so lovely! While it was in the 90s or so at home, we were enjoying weather that barely, if ever, hit 60F while we were there. It was rather lovely. We still turned on the a/c in our room so that we could feel cold. Glorious!
For our one full day in Monterey, we had tickets to the Monterey Aquarium. We were actually ready and out of our room just after 9 AM. Pretty good for us! We walked down to Rosine’s Restaurant for breakfast. I had the salmon florentine benedict and it was DELICIOUS.
The eggs were perfectly poached, the salmon was tasty, the country fries hearty. If you like eggs benedict and you like salmon, I’d definitely recommend this. The service was very good and the restaurant had a homey feel. I think I wouldn’t mind going there again.
We figured out the MST Trolley system, which is free. Yes to not needing Uber! The trolley runs from 10 AM until 6 PM, which worked fine for us. We walked to the nearest stop from Rosine’s.
The Monterey Aquarium was quite lively for a Thursday morning, albeit the day before a holiday. We didn’t manage to watch any of the feedings or the like but we walk through the aquarium and saw the fishes and the birds and the penguins. We did check out the gift shop and actually walked out without buying anything. A bit of a miracle! It was nice seeing all the people there, which bodes well for the aquarium. We stayed there a couple of hours to get our money’s worth.
After the aquarium, we walked down to the Salty Seal Brewpub and Sports Bar. It was nice to sit and have a couple of Jameson and gingers. The bar wasn’t too busy though two different sets of people did sit in the seats near us while we were there.
After drinks, we walked down to Current Comics. I think I knew as we headed there that I would end up buying something, especially with Superman coming out this Friday. And I thought rightly.
The shop isn’t big but it had a good amount of comics. There was a Superman endcap that had exactly what I wanted– All Star Superman. I also ended up with a Gabrielle Funko and Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. Now I need to read Superman before Friday and Supergirl before her movie comes out next year.
We ended our afternoon at Dust Bowl Brewing Company’s Tap Depot for drinks and food. It was a cool place and the beer was good. I had nachos from the resident food truck. So good!
And so ended our one full day in Monterey. We took the trolley back and walked to the gas station for some snacks. We were back in our room just after 5 PM. Not too bad considering our early start.
The next morning, the sunshine actually shone as we walked out the door. I don’t mind that we didn’t have sunshine while we were there. The cool weather of Monterey was a balm to our hot Brentwood days. It was a lovely time. The aquarium is cool but I think is probably best for people who have an interest in marine biology and the like or have children they’d like to learn something new. The comic book shop was cool though, especially since they had what I wanted and something I was glad to find.
Our 4th of July was quietly spent. We were home just after 10 AM and didn’t go out. Our neighbors popped off fireworks once the sun went down. It didn’t go on for too long, thank goodness. But do people not understand why fireworks are illegal? And do people also not understand why fireworks should NOT be popped off in dry, hot areas without proper precautions? I was glad we were home to at least make sure our place didn’t get set on fire by the dumbasses.
Happy Birthday Bob!
Saturday we headed to Mountain House to celebrate the birthday of our dad’s friend. Good times! It was great seeing everyone and catching up. There’s just something about spending time with people you’ve known for a long time.
TV/MOVIES
Ironheart – The last three episodes dropped. I liked this show but probably won’t watch it multiple times like Agatha All Along. They certainly planted some interesting seeds. What did Riri choose? How will the magic play in later? I wouldn’t mind a second season of this show. I’d like to see Riri as a more mature person.
The Sandman – We’ve already watched the six episodes that dropped. I love this show so much and I love seeing Dream’s journey in these episodes. The Orpheus storyline! Wanda, alas! The Prodigal! So now what happens? Gotta wait until later this month, darn it!
Heads of State – All right, I was half-watching this one while writing this post but it was a fun one! I always like the kickass ones. And come on, Idris Elba is always great to watch. 😉
It was a good week off. I’m sure I could have done more with my free time but I don’t feel too pressed about it. It was relaxing. Going out to Monterey was the best for the weather and the chilled vibes. Seeing our friends on Saturday was great. And today, Sunday, as a lazy day was the best way to end the time off. Am I ready to go back to work? Of course not! But at least I feel a bit rested, so that’s a good thing. 🙂