We boarded in San Pedro (a garden spot to be sure) after spending a quick night at the Renaissance in Long Beach. You can easily skip the Renaissance. There must be other properties out there that are not as worn and/or tired.
But you absolutely should not miss "Roscoe's House of Chicken & Waffles" in Long Beach. This local treasure serves up crispy, tender fried chicken and sweet waffles side by side. Their extras are super yummy as well - grits, candied sweet potatoes, collard greens, and even fried chicken omelettes. The fried chicken livers were a big hit at our table as well. Roscoe's is located at 730 E. Broadway Avenue in downtown Long Beach. Here I am with the girls on their staircase in the entry-way.
They've got a website too - hit it at www.roscoeschickenandwaffles.com. Yummy!!!
Princess has done a lovely job with the Sapphire - she is gorgeous throughout! Expanded options include their Vines Wine Bar, an International Cafe with tasty treats, and bright public spaces throughout their piazza. We enjoyed Crooner's for martinis every single damn day - delish. Our room was nicely appointed with a very comfortable bed and a teeny-tiny shower. Oh, well. Balcony cabins looked a lot bigger than our inside on this trip but we were on a budget this time. The food was quite good and the buffet was set in stations that made filling our plates very easy. Sea days brought fun onboard with a very dedicated and entertaining cruise staff and we truly enjoyed our time onboard.
We miss you Ian, Melissa, and Ryan! And those cocktails by the pool too, right hubby??
Visiting California coastal ports is certainly not new for us as we have visited many times before. But they are all fun cities and we had adventures we've never had on previous visits.
Santa Barbara is a lovely town with plenty of shopping and eating. You can meander up State Street or take the trolley or wander the pier and find treats of all kinds. Sunday mornings bring an art walk with all kinds of visual arts and crafty delights.
We walked up the road to Fess Parker's Doubletree Inn and picked up our Budget rental car. Plan ahead here - they were sold out of cars by 9:30am. Our Santa Barbara adventure included visits to Mosby Winery, Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co., and lunch at Firestone-Walker Tap Room. Mosby Winery had some tasty wine and a lovely setting, but we were not met with the warmest of welcomes. Hmm?? Do they think that will entice me to buy any of their wine? Snooty attitude aside, we did buy wine. It was good, and lucky for them my money spends just like everyone else's no matter what I'm wearing!! It was Sunday after all and Sunday pants are the rule for me.... always. I won't pass on their info - you can look it up if you're tempted. There are plenty of other wineries in the greater Santa Barbara viti-cultural area that you may want to visit. Check out http://www.sbcountywines.com/ or http://www.santabarbara.com/winecountry/ to get your research started. We love wine, but we really love beer too. The biggest surprise of our day was the delicious beer and (uber-delicious filtered water as well) at Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co. A very friendly and welcoming staff with great beer, pretzels, and a mustard dip - what more can you possibly want on a warm California day? Drop in and give them a try - the Davy Brown Ale was my favorite. Their website is http://www.figmtnbrew.com/.
Firestone-Walker also has wonderful beers but we have sampled them previously, so no surprises here. The burgers and fries are great and you can sit inside or out. We sat on their outdoor patio and enjoyed the sunshine and fresh air. It's a dog-friendly patio too, so you can bring your scruffy friends along too. Firestone makes excellent wine too. Check them out at www.firestonebeer.com and enjoy.
One thing we have never ever done is ride our bikes across the Golden Gate Bridge. This has been a dream of mine for awhile now and Yippee!! We did it. Of course we had to stop for a toasty-warm Irish Coffee at Buena Vista before hiking up the hill to get our bicycles. Of course we did! Now, Blazing Saddles (www.blazingsaddles.com) in San Francisco has the market cornered on bike rentals and we chose the option of having a guide to take us across. Christopher was knowledgeable, helpful, and led us at a very comfortable pace. The day was gorgeous (as all days must be in SF) and we made the 8-mile trek in about 2-1/2 hours with plenty of pitstops. The Palace of Fine Arts is gorgeous and reminded us of a few scenes in "The Rock" with Sean Connery and Nick Cage. It's a great movie really; find it if you've never seen it.
We sampled brownies and macaroons at The Warming Hut before continuing up on our way and darned if those weren't the tastiest little treats ever!
The bridge itself was the easiest part of the ride as it is completely flat and not too terribly windy up there. Gazing out across the bay was a stunning view and one that should not be missed in your lifetime. We flew down the hills into Sausalito, another adorable little city with shops, restaurants, and wonderfully delicious ice cream. The ferry ride back was quite easy and we returned the bikes to continue our day.
Next up was a cable-car ride to Chinatown and lunch at San-Sun Chinese Eatery. I found this place on Yelp and couldn't have been more pleased. Clean restaurant, clean restrooms, and homey wonderful fried rice. The combination fried rice had pork and shrimp, but there were many more choices with a variety of meats. I had the shrimp egg-foo-yung and it was tasty, albeit with a few too many onions. If you've a hankering for the real deal, stop into San-Sun at 848 Washington Street in Chinatown, San Francisco. Their menu is so extensive. Check out their website at http://www.sansunrestaurant.com.
We enjoy watching travel shows and adore the biting sarcasm and wit of Anthony Bourdain. He visited San Francisco on a recent program and stopped into Li-Po Cocktail Lounge for Chinese Mai-Tais. Well... so did we. These sweet little spirits knocked us for a loop as they were loaded with 151 and a few other toxic alcoholic wonders. Li-Po is quite the interesting dive bar located at 916 Grant Avenue in Chinatown, San Francisco. You won't be driving yourself home after this visit. Ha!!
Our visit to San Diego was made complete with a stop into Kansas City BBQ, one of the sites used to film the movie, "Top Gun." Remember the bar scene where Goose is playing the piano? Filmed right here. And yes, we love "Top Gun." And yes, we have our own code names as well. Kansas City BBQ has a poor location right on the train tracks at Harbor Drive, but the burnt rib ends, fries, and cold beer were delicious. Check them out at http://www.kcbbq.net for more information and their menu.
The day was gorgeous and we headed over to The Fish Market for lunch. This place is incredible fresh delicious-ness! Fresh fish, smoked fish, crab salads, sushi, sashimi, ceviche, you name it.. and ice-cold beer to boot. This place sits right on the ocean and the day couldn't have been more pleasant. Sailboats drifting out to sea, the Midway right next door, and some truly inspiring sculptural art honoring our veterans. I haven't been here in about 2 years and was so impressed with the whole harbor area. Visit The Fish Market at 750 Harbor Drive the very next time you are in the San Diego waterfront area - you will NOT be disappointed. Find them online at http://www.thefishmarket.com.
We finished up our cruise with a quick stop into Ensenada and a visit to Papas and Beer. We shared a few cold beers, strolled through the downtown area, picked up a few trinkets, and went right back to the ship where we belonged!
If you're the cruising type or thinking of cruising check out the websites for my favorites: Princess Cruises (www.princess.com) or Celebrity Cruises (www.celebrity.com) or Holland America (www.hollandamerica.com) or Royal Caribbean (www.royalcaribbean.com.) They all have something good going for them. Choose something with a good itinerary and an affordable price. The fun will follow you. Or... drop me a line and I'll be happy to help you make a choice.
Where are we headed next you ask??
Napa and the Wine Country
Relax and breathe...
:) Debbie
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