I wanted to share a short video of San Diego, which captures just a small part of this beautiful city.
San Diego, California Video
I wanted to share a short video of San Diego, which captures just a small part of this beautiful city.
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Clayton's Coffee Shop - Coronado, CA 92118
If you miss the 1950’s diners, then you will love Clayton’s Coffee Shop in Coronado, California. It is approximately five minutes from Coronado Beach. It is decked out in a throwback to the 1950’s style complete with a huge wrap around bar area in the middle in which they encourage their guests who are eating single “to sit there and mingle”. I love it! They also had other cute signs around the diner, which are featured in the pictures above. Breakfast was fantastic and not too pricey. However, you must arrive early or you might find yourself in the line outside (even during the week). Clayton’s has limited seating, which keeps the diner cozy and quaint. It is a small town diner near a not so small town of San Diego.
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The Gas Lamp District: San Diego, CA 92101
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| The Gas Lamp District |
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| The beautiful sign |
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| Henry's Pub features great outdoor seating |
The Gas Lamp District is a must see spot when visiting San Diego, California. Recently, I visited the beautiful city to celebrate my masters degree accomplishment. The Gas Lamp features hundreds of restaurants, bars, and shops, which are situated along several long sloping streets that are perfect for a night out on the town. Also, this is not a tourist trap! This is where the locals hang. The part I enjoyed the most was the overflow of seating outside each restaurant. You could enjoy a great bite to eat and the cool ocean air at the same time. Plus, most restaurants had their hostess’s outside and encouraged walk-ins to their restaurants. Great food, great prices, and a lot of fun! Oh, and did I mention the lights? Fantastic!
Critic's Tip: Parking is slightly limited directly in the district. After 9pm, most spots are taken. It is wise to leave a little early in order to find a space. Also, many private parking spaces only take cash. ATM's in the district are slightly harder to find after the banks closed.
Critic's Tip: Parking is slightly limited directly in the district. After 9pm, most spots are taken. It is wise to leave a little early in order to find a space. Also, many private parking spaces only take cash. ATM's in the district are slightly harder to find after the banks closed.
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Warm and Fuzzy Cat Boarding (Cat Hotel) - Silver Spring, MD 20906
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| Rio snoozes at home after his stay at Warm and Fuzzy |
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| Sylvester snoozes at home after his stay at Warm and Fuzzy. Too much fun at Warm and Fuzzy. :) |
Due to my recent trip to San Diego, California, I had to board my two cats. Now if you are a dedicated pet owner as I am, then you know how difficult it can be to find a trustworthy and decent boarding service for your pet(s). However, after much research online, I came across the Warm and Fuzzy cat boarding facility in Silver Spring, Maryland. I was immediately intrigued by their website and photos. After touring the facility, I was amazed by their friendly demeanor and clean facility. All of their cages are large and spacious and made specifically for cats. Most boarding facilities for cats are cramped, cold, and lack windows. Therefore, I was happy to see my kitties would have a large spacious three level mini townhome that came complete with soft foam beds, a large clean catbox, toys, and plenty of private time in the kitty playroom near the cages. It is also important to note that each set of boarded kitties have their own private time in the playroom in order to prevent your kitty from coming into contact with cats they do not know. The facility has several sizes of housing for your cat(s). Some clubhouses are smaller for one cat and others are larger for multi-cat homes. Upstairs they also provide whole private rooms to rent for your kitty that come complete with cat trees, large windows, cat beds, and plenty of toys. Warm and Fuzzy also provides treats, memory foam beds, and other special services in order to keep your fuzzy kitty as comfortable as possible during their stay. It is truly the best cat hotel I have found in all of my travels. It is a privately run boarding facility, and the owners are experts in the feline field of pet care. Also, they provide great deals for military families who need boarding facilities for their kitties while they are away or moving across the country. I highly recommend this facility because I used it myself, and my cats had such a great stay. Normally when I come home to my cats after being on a trip, they run around and meow because they did not understand my pet sitter or completely disliked them. However, after boarding my kitties at the Warm and Fuzzy facility, my cats were back to their typical routine with fifteen minutes of being home. If you are in the D.C., Maryland, or northern Virginia area, do not hesitate to board your kitty or cats here. Warm and Fuzzy is the best!
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Fiorella: D.C.'s Newest Pizzeria - 20745
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| Fiorella |
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| The Dining Room |
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| Beautiful Lighting Introducing D.C.’s latest trendy pizzeria: Fiorella. (It is actually located in the National Harbor, but still very close to D.C.). It is everyone’s favorite Friday night dish combined with a beautiful intimate dining experience. The waiters were extremely friendly, and the beer was so fresh, I nearly ordered another tall Blue Moon. We ordered the double pepperoni pizza, and then turned to see our freshly made pizza bake softly in the stone oven. The dining room is adorned with artistic twinkling lights and candles on every table. It is cozy and inviting. I highly recommend this restaurant for the chilly fall weather upon us. I also want to note this is the first restaurant I have ever attended in which the manager personally came out and greeted us at the door while the host cleared a table. Thank you for the crisp chilled beer and delightful fresh pizza. Cheers! Critic's Note: My apologies for the dark photos. I was reluctant to turn on my flash and disturb the other patrons. |
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The 2011 National Book Festival
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| The National Mall |
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| Book Signing Tents |
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| More Tents and People |
Libraries and paper books need not worry about e-books taking over. The 2011 National Book Festival in Washington D.C. was anything but empty. Upon entering the National Mall, people were lined up for hours waiting for their books to be signed. In fact, you could barely slip by and browse the featured authors inside the book sale tent sponsored by Barnes and Noble. The book festival featured several famed authors including Hoda Kotb, David McCullough, and Julianne Moore. The festival was divided by book genre including children, history, and poetry. Each attendee received a free color brochure that featured a map of the festival grounds. I found this quite helpful after getting off the metro from L’Enfant and trying to track down the book signing tents.
Overall, I found this festival to be a fun-filled family oriented event. The festival patrons were handing out free water and brochures upon entry, and the crowd seemed warm and friendly. The only advice for next year is to get to there early if you’re planning on having your book signed. The lines were wrapped around the mall by one o’clock. Happy reading everyone!
Overall, I found this festival to be a fun-filled family oriented event. The festival patrons were handing out free water and brochures upon entry, and the crowd seemed warm and friendly. The only advice for next year is to get to there early if you’re planning on having your book signed. The lines were wrapped around the mall by one o’clock. Happy reading everyone!
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Spectacular Bridge Views in Jacksonville, Florida
Last weekend before Hurricane Irene, we visited Jacksonville, Florida, and I was able to see my favorite bridge in Jacksonville, the Dames Point Bridge. It is considered by many to be Jacksonville’s most spectacular bridge. After living in Jacksonville for some time, I nicknamed the bridge, the “bow tie” bridge due to the huge bow tie shaped bridge supports. This bridge is two miles long and almost two hundred feet above the river (Strong, 1997).
Since bridges are one of my favorite parts of traveling, I also took video of this beautiful “bow tie” bridge. Enjoy!
Strong, M. (1997). Dames point bridge. Retrieved September 3, 2011, from http://www.mikestrong.com/dames/
Since bridges are one of my favorite parts of traveling, I also took video of this beautiful “bow tie” bridge. Enjoy!
Strong, M. (1997). Dames point bridge. Retrieved September 3, 2011, from http://www.mikestrong.com/dames/
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St. Johns Seafood & Steaks: Best Fish in Jacksonville, Florida - 32218
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| The menu |
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| Starter salad |
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| Yummy fish dinner |
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| More delicious fish |
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| Beautiful stone fireplace |
We made it to Jacksonville, Florida! Home to one of our favorite fish restaurants, St. Johns Seafood and Steaks. From the moment you walk in, you are greeted warmly by the hostess and other friendly employees. I did not realize how much I had actually missed the southern hospitality until I entered this restaurant. Though the décor is neutral, this restaurant serves up some of the best fish in Duval county. So of course as usual we ordered our favorite fish dinners. The waitress was quick, friendly, and attentive. I also appreciated her proper technique of serving the ladies first. Sometimes it is the small gestures that make for a better dining experience. We left with our tummies full and friendly goodbyes. Thank you once again St. Johns. If only they could open one in D.C.
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Hurricane Irene on I-95 August 27, 2011
Yesterday, my husband and I decided to head back home early due to the storm after our business trip in Jacksonville, Florida. Due to the hurricane, we did not realize the effect on I-95. It was rather wicked. We passed numerous utility trucks and other responders. Plus, trees were falling everywhere all over the highway. During some points, traffic was backed up for miles due to the trees and other branches in the road. These were the pictures we took as we headed home.
Trees were down everywhere in North Carolina on I-95.
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Survived 2011 Washington D.C. Earthquake
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| The miniature piano bench took a tumble |
It’s official. I survived the Washington D.C. earthquake today. At a category 5.9, it shook my
town home nice and hard. I happened to be on the second floor crunching numbers for my business plan for my Full Sail University graduate class. From far away, I heard a rumble, and then I heard a crash upstairs. Immediately, I opened my mouth to start yelling at my cats for getting into something, and then I turned to see my gray tabby cat peering up the stairs. Then the house really started shaking so I leaped to the hallway doorway and just stood there while yelling to my cats to hide. My cats flew up the stairs and out of sight. My picture frames were swinging from side to side on their hooks as I turned to see my chandelier swinging a good foot back and forth carelessly. The townhouse creaked noisily from side to side. I found myself muttering “oh god, oh god” over and over again. My only thought was where are my cats and when will this will be over? Suddenly, it stopped. Bobby McFerrin’s voice through my Pandora radio on my laptop let out a happy, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy!” How could I not worry at a time like this? I let out a slow breath of relief and flew up the stairs to look for my cats. A foul jalapeno juice smell came from my kitchen, and I came back downstairs to find my fridge door open a crack with a large puddle of green juice all over the floor. At that moment, jalapenos were not appetizing.
Next I walked around to assess the household damage. The second story was fine with only the spill in the kitchen, and the cat’s water bowls had spilled. Upstairs was a different story. My husband’s dresser drawers were hanging open with his cologne bottles sitting on their sides. A side closet’s doors had been shaken open with the top shelf’s contents on the floor. The loud crash had been one of our old monitors from a computer we used to use. It lay on its side on the floor in a back bedroom. Downstairs I was relieved to find nothing was out of place, and nothing had fallen on my car in the garage. Phew! It could have been a lot worse.
My cats were freaked out for a while and snuck around keeping low to the floor. I gave them a treat to try to calm them down. A few minutes later, my husband called me from his work in D.C. Apparently, all the downtown D.C. buildings had been evacuated. Then the telephone lines went down. Luckily, my Verizon cell phone was still partially working on every other call. My husband, my cats and I were okay. I’m just relieved our house had not fallen apart.
In light of today, I decided to attach the song below. Washington, “Don’t worry, be happy!”
YouTube.com. (2009). Bobby McFerrin - don't worry be happy. Retrieved August 23, 2011, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yv-Fk1PwVeU
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Fuddruckers: Taste the Difference – Alexandria, VA 22304
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| Jalapeno burger heaven |
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| Fun decor |
Wanting a fresh juicy burger made your way? Fuddruckers uses only 100% premium beef from their select ranches. Amazingly, you can really taste the difference! Not only was my burger fresh and juicy, I was able to top it with a wide selection of veggies from their market produce bar. I also ordered a Fuddruckers creamy thick chocolate milkshake, which came out promptly after ordering. The best part included the waitress bringing the extra milkshake portion with my order. Extra creamy goodness just for me! It was creamy smooth and topped off with just the right amount of whipped cream. Overall, the atmosphere was pleasant, my food was hot and on time, and the décor was a cheerful throwback to the sixties. This is a great restaurant for family, friends, and good times.
Critic’s Tip: Sit in the round booths surrounding the dining area for better views. Each round booth is decorated with a different band’s theme such as the Beatles, Rolling Stones, etc.
Critic's Note: Did you notice the missing cherry on my milkshake in the top photo? Yes, I could not resist trying my milkshake before snapping the photo. It looked too good.
Critic’s Tip: Sit in the round booths surrounding the dining area for better views. Each round booth is decorated with a different band’s theme such as the Beatles, Rolling Stones, etc.
Critic's Note: Did you notice the missing cherry on my milkshake in the top photo? Yes, I could not resist trying my milkshake before snapping the photo. It looked too good.
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