"Endless Summer", North San Diego County, 04/23/11

Road trip! 

B wanted to have a quick road trip to celebrate Easter and all the great things that are happening in our lives lately; so we ended up choosing Carlsbad instead since it's only an overnight trip.  We were planning to leave on Friday night the night before, but we met up with his mom for a party in Riverside at a restaurant/bar called Law's; where B belted out a Phil Collins song at the karaoke side. He did very well, and everyone cheered on.  But that's another story.

So Saturday, we left mid-morning, and stopped by Trestles Beach which was on the border of San Clemente/San Diego County, called San Onofre State Beach.  The exit off the I-5 is Basilone Road I believe.  Then you walk for about a mile and a half to get to the beach.  The Trestle walk is long, with really intersting scriptures written all over the road by the local surfers and visitors alike.  But the payoff is nice of the beach, just as you pass the train/Trestle bridge.   The website describes the beach as about 3 1/2 miles long, and it's beautiful.  The waves are great too.  B said this spot was made really famous by the 60's movie Endless Summer , which featured famous surfers like Robert August who surfed all over the world.  I got to see it over a decade ago because it also featured North Shore in Hawaii, but now I am curious to see the movie again so I can see this place in the movie.

Since it's not a really dog-friendly spot per say (dogs are not allowed on beach, and the only place they are allowed is the trail area and the road sides), we just hung around for a few minutes to get some sun and watch the lined-up ants of guys in their black wetsuits catching the waves side-by-side.  This can be tricky if you're not a local, but it looks like everyone got along really well.  They are within a few hundred feet of the shore, so it made for a great spot to view surfers.  The place reminds me of Sandy Beach in Hawaii, since for the most part, the (great) waves in Hawaii is pretty far out there.  So after a few minutes of this, we continued on our treak south to Carlsbad.

We had an enjoyable walk up and down the Carlsbad Village.  There were cute shops, and really good restaurants here.  We stopped by Angelo's for a quick pic of B since he had great memories of him surfing and eating here afterwards during his surfing days.  There was a street art fair today too, and the place is packed of holiday visitors.  B's sister got married two years ago at the Carlsbad Inn, and we stayed there for a night.  It was a nice hotel, but they were not dog-friendly.  So we stayed at Ramada instead because they are indeed, dog friendly and are within our budget.  They were on the side of I-5 further south on Poinsettia Road, but with a car, this was not a problem for us.  They put us up on a 1 BR suite on the third floor so there's less foot traffic, and the hotel also offered free breakfast - which was a plus for our budget trip. 

Carlsbad is great for families because it's where Legoland is at, and one of my favorite outlet malls is just across the I-5 freeway.  But with the dog, we just spent a few hours walking up and down the village, and settled on a patio dining at Norte, which is next to Carlsbad Inn.  B got to take a picture of him and the XX guy's cutout, whom we love because of his 'stay thirsty my friend' commercial spots. 

At around 4, we checked in, and watched a little HGTV/Bravo TV because we're cable-deprived at home, and then we all took a short drive to Encinitas, a busy port town in San Diego.  The population is about 60K, so if we are to live in North Coast San Diego county, this is it for us.  The restaurant choices up and down the street is amazing, and the shops are aplenty.  We can hang out here for a few days alone.  They are also building a new Whole Foods, and new condo/lofts all around, so this place is going to be booming even more in the next few years.   Downtown Encinitas is pretty dog-friendly; but we would have loved to check out some of the bars and restaurants here, like D Street Bar, E Street Cafe, Giovanni's, Lumberyard Tavern, Trattoria I Trulli, etc.  But we settled on a take out at Siamese Thai, and not only is the cashier unfriendly, the food is bleh.  Dog ownership does change your lifestyle, but it prepares us for when we have a kid or two.  Partying and fine dining on your vacations are no longer an option, and does not even come to our minds anymore.  But it's definitely a must-visit spot again for B and I later sans dog.

The next day, after lounging around the hotel room for more cable TV time and a quick free breakfast, we packed up and headed south to Solana Beach/Del Mar area.  Del Mar is great.  They have the race track that opens their season in early July, and the county fair happens here in the summer too.  So those are the places that B and I will definitely check out sans dog as well.  I've been in the county fair, which happens on the parking lot of the race track, but betting on the race is another experience that I won't mind doing with B here.  I've been at the Santa Anita race track years ago for an office annual summer trip, and that was an experience.  But the coastal county race track people are a different breed on their own, think "Real Housewives of Orange County" types with fancy hats and high-heeled shoes.  That would be cool to see. 

We ran into a dog beach on the 101 across from the race track, and we had a ball hanging out there for a few hours.  This is one of the most fun dog beach I've ever encountered. There were caves, moss, stairs, volleyball players, surfers, dogs all around, nice stretch of sand, and inch-or-two deep more of sandy shore, and sea gulls up the sky, and anemones- it was a fun-filled, exhaustive beach fun all around.

We then hung out at Starbucks on PCH in Del Mar for a few minutes to catch our breath, since we looked and smelled like crap from the beach.  We originally planned to go further south to La Jolla, but we ran out of time and energy.  We headed home, and stopped by Irvine Spectrum for a quick lunch at Corner Bakery.   It was an exhaustive weekend, so we took a quick nap, and prepared a late dinner get-together for our dear friend Bea.  Overall, it was an endless weekend of fun, family and friendship. 

It was a dog-gone great weekend.

Year in Review: Early 2009

SCOTTSDALE AND SEDONA, ARIZONA, MEMORIAL WEEKEND 2009

At the time that B and I got Tico in February of 2009, I was fired from my job in November of 2008, and worked part-time for his grandfather to help pay the bills.  Bryan on the other hand, was still looking for a job.  We lived in Whittier.  When we got Tico, he was barely 15 pounds.  This is a picture of him during the Memorial Day weekend of 2009 on our trip to Sedona and Scottsdale, Arizona.  He was about 50-60 pounds or so during this time.  In a way, I was glad that B and I had a lot of time to ourselves during Tico's growth spurt, because he grew so fast.  I blinked my eyes and he's so big.  I had to carry him after our 2+ mile walks around Whitwood Village in Whittier, because he couldn't keep up and he gets tired easily.  Three months later, he looked like he could carry me.  Here's a few pictures of him during our time in Whittier.  He loved running around when we'd walk around Whitwood area.  I'll have him on a long leash and people are fascinated by a small dog with large ears and paws.  His ears would adorably fold inward, and we were concerned that it would stay that way, but gladly, it didn't.

Hotel in Scottsdale:
We stayed at 3 Palms Hotel in Scottsdale on 7707 E. Mcdowell Rd, Scottsdale.  It's across from the golf course and a dog-friendly park.  The rate was less than $100\night, and I think it costs $10 more for Tico.  The room was clean, modern, with a jacuzzi tub in the room.  What stood out with this hotel is the staff.  They are amazing, and accomodating.  We'd definitely come back here.   http://www.yelp.com/biz/3-palms-scottsdale

Eats in Scottsdale:
Here's a link to Avalon Scottsdale, which is right in front of 3 Palms Hotel.  The hotel gave us 20% off card to dine at the nice restaurant across from the hotel.  Their food and the ambiance was good as well, but the service is just great.  They opened the patio just for us so we got to dine outside, and Tico got to hang out with us on the other side of the fence.  It's a nice restaurant that looked fairly expensive, but we were sensible on our eating habits to know not to break the bank.  And the 20% off definitely helped.
http://www.avalon-scottsdale.com/

Eats in Sedona;
Wtih a dog in tow, we just picked up a couple of sandwiches on West Sedona. 

Activities in Sedona:
We hiked the Bell Rock, and Tico really loved the views from up there.  He's very good at climbing up, but climbing down is a little bit of a challenge.  Make sure to being lots of water, and maybe a wet towel because he kept trying to get in shades whenever we stopped to rest.  But we really enjoyed the hike.

We also tried to get to Oak Creek Canyon, but we got there about a half hour before the park closed; so we just kept driving and did some sight-seeing along the way instead.


MILPITAS/SAN JOSE, CA; APRIL 2009

In April, the month before, we also took a road trip to San Jose for a job interview in Milpitas, just up the road from San Jose, CA. 

Hotel in Milpitas:
We stayed at the Best Western Brookside Inn in 400 Valley Way, Milpitas, CA http://www.bwbrooksideinn.com/ just off the freeway exit.  The location is great, and the hotel is beautiful.  The room rate I believe, was just under $100 as well.  Best Western is one of those staple hotels that I know, most of them will accomodate my large dog.  Some Best Western aren't much to be desired for, but this one is just beautiful.  With dogs or not, I would recommend this to people stopping by SJ. 

Eats in San Jose area:
Bryan and I love SJ for their Indian food, one of which accomodated us eating while Tico got to play with one of the staff in front of the restaurant.  It's off of 4th Street I believe.  I can't remember the name, but it had a large TV screen showcasing Bollywood music videos.  I just wanted to give them a shout-out.

FIRST FEW WEEKS WITH TICO
Afer getting him in February, Tico had a rough first few months with us.  Getting used to being with his 6 other siblings, and with his German mother and his father all in one roof, to now being the only dog in a 2,000 sf house.  I'd be coming home at 10 a night, and he'll be so full of energy.  We'd be sitting on the couch, and he'd be under our feet, trying to bite us to get our attention.  He'd pee at every thing and everywhere.  I started having him in our bedroom, which was at the end of the house, and in the end, we barricaded him in our kitchen, which had lenoleum floors.  He'd whine for a while, but learned to keep himself in that room for the most part.

Then in late March, we had to have him do a surgery.  It was an expensive surgery, and B and I had to split the $1,600 charge (which was hurtful for the both of us because we both just got fired from our regular jobs).  On top of that, I cried and hated everyone for pushing to do a surgery on this 20-pound dog.  In the end, I relented, and I'm glad we did.  Here's a picture of him trying to eat my slippers.

LIVING IN HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA; APRIL 2009-JANUARY 2010
Then in early April, we moved to Hungington Beach, from a large 4 bedroom, 3 bath house, to a small 1 bedroom one bath apartment with barely a yard.  It took a while for him to get used to the area and the apartment, but in the end, we really enjoyed our stay in HB.  That apartment took a lot of abuse from us.  Tico learned to chew at the corner of walls, break the screen doors for both the entrances and the back yard, broke a glass window because he did not liked noises of people passing by our apartment (the front of the apartment is a courtyard on the way to the other apartments, and we were on the first floor).  He did this the night before our trip to Vegas.  We actually had to take him to the vet the next day, and then gauzed him up before we left for the trip.  Here's some of the photos of our days in HB:

Activities in HB:   
We also took Tico kayaking at Huntington Harbor, in Sunset Rentals on 16862 Pacific Coast Highway, Sunset Beach; Phone 562-592-5537.  http://www.yelp.com/biz/sunset-kayak-rentals-sunset-beach-3
They charge $15\pp for kayaking, and they have 1, 2 and 3-person kayaks. I used to go kayaking with the Outdoors Club when I just moved to LA http://www.outdoorsclub.org/, and they used to give us discounts to $7\pp back then for a $10 normal rate.  It used to be run by Dave, but is now being managed by a new ownership.  Tico did not like the fast movement of the boat, and he whined the entire time.  So after about a few minutes, we just turned around and have him go overboard, and he learned to paddle his way back to shore.  The rentals did not have a vest for dogs, so we just jimmied a small-size vest to fit him. I was a little bummed that this did not go well, because I thought that it'd be something the boys and I could do on a regular basis. 

In June, Tico graduated at the Huntington Beach PetSmart's beginner dog training class.  He was the largest one in the class, and was the "meanest-looking".  But because he loves taking pictures, here he is posing with B, who was so proud of his graduate. 

The fourth of July 2009 in Huntington Beach was a big deal,because it was their 100th year.  So the boys and I secured a great spot just outside of downtown HB, right by the Christian School on Main Street.  Tico got to wear a blue and red streamer around his neck, and we all enjoyed the day watching the parade.

On our first Halloween together, Tico dressed up as Chewbacca.  All we did was get a belt of plastic bullets at Party City, and wrapped it around him.  We walked around downtown HB, and he was a hit with the tourists and locals alike.   

Eats in Downtown HB:
Downtown HB, or most of HB aka "Surf City", is known for its being dog-friendly.  Most of the restaurants would let you hang out with your dog as long as they are on the leash and on the other side of the fence.  Beachfront (301 Main St) is our favorite place to grab a drink, because they have Taco Tuesdays, and weeknight specials.  Avilas is a great place to pick up a decent Mexican plate during lunch or dinner.  Then we'd pick up a scoop to share at Coldstone Creamery.  Fred's is a great place to make use of your dancing shoes, but it's on the second floor, so it's not really Tico-friendly.  Tuesdays are farmers market nights at Downtown HB, so we get to grab local eats for cheap. 

We bring Tico once in a while, and since there's too much crowd, people get startled when they see a large scary-looking dog coming up too close to them.  But Tico knows how to handle himself n the crowd.  The pier also have street fairs on weekends, where you can buy artworks, food and snacks, and other goodies that local vendors sell.  It's a great way to find local goods and support local merchants.  We actually bought Tico a bubble machine for $10, but it only lasted us a few weeks because he wanted to eat it.

On December 11, Tico turned 1.  We celebrated at the Lazy Dog Cafe on Beach Blvd.  http://www.lazydogcafe.com/  We had the Ahi Tuna salad and another entree, and Tico had boiled chicken.  We ate at the patio.  The manager came over and said hello to us, and gave us a free appetizer.  We really appreciated that.  The food is okay, but we really liked the accomodation and the service.

Apartment in HB:
We lived at the Sandpiper Apartments, on 8081 Holland Drive.  It's a great dog-friendly apartment.  They have apartments for as low as $1150, and they offer 1-3 bedroom apartments.  The staff is nice, and the place is pretty clean, considering there are dogs everywhere.  If you don't love dogs, I won't recommend staying there or else you'll go crazy.

Here's a photo of my boys during one of our lazy days in the Huntington Beach apartment.

POINT LOMA/SAN DIEGO, CA; JULY 2009
Later in July, the entire family of Bryan's and I took a road trip to Point Loma, a beach community in San Diego, and we stayed at his cousin's house.  His cousin Paul's girlfriend Jenny manages a hostel, and their house is right next to it.  Bryan, Tico and I got to sleep in one of the rooms they recently remodeled. 

Activities in San Digo:
That night, we got to see the San Diego Padres play.  They actually have a "dog night", where you can actually in one of the bleachers with your dogs.  You pay a little bit of a premium price to be there, but it's a great way to enjoy baseball with your pets.  We did not bring Tico becuase of the large group that we had, but this would be something for us to check out one of these days.

The next day, the boys and I took a drive to the Sunset Cliffs to look at the beach.  We then drove to Chula Vista to visit my Auntie Cion where she made us filipino food like Pinakbet, Chicken adobo, pansit, and some hawaiian food as well; while my nephews get to play with Tico in the backyard.

CAMPING WITHOUT TICO; AUGUST 2009
In August, B and I joined our friend Mai and her friends for their annual camping trip.  This time, we stayed at Arroyo Seco, which is just east of Cambria, in Greenfield, CA; off the 101 Freeway.  We hiked to the pool area, which is about 3 miles from the campgrounds, and you can actually bring dogs to the camp and the pool.  But it would be too much to get Tico to stay with us in the camp site for the first time with other friends.  Going camping with Tico will be something that B and I will need to test for ourselves first, without other friends; to see how he would react to the whole sleeping in the tent, and being out in the wilderness.  He's an indoor dog, so it's a bit new to him.

Lodging for Tico:
We had Tico stay at the Whittier PetSmart, for about $35 a night.  PetSmart Pet Hotel is great because they are all over, but they only take the dog out of their cages for maybe an hour.  And they charge you $15 extra if you want your dog to play with the others on their "doggie camp".  So on an average, you get charged about $60\day.  But I do like the fact that they are clean, very efficient, and the people in PetSmart Pethotel in Whittier is friendly.

ALL AROUND OC: LAGUNA BEACH, CA FALL 2009
Here's a photo of Tico and Bryan at a laguna beach park were dogs are allowed to hang out, as long as they are leashed.  But we see others without leashes.  We would too, but since it's on a hill, and there's a bit of a cliff that goes down to the beach area, so we're not sure about letting him loose on his own around this time.  We have gone to the beach area with him once or twice, but it's definitely not a dog-friendly beach because it can get really crowded from locals and tourists alike that stayed at the Ritz-Carlton just up the hill.

SAN DIEGO PART DEUX: SEPTEMBER 2009

During the labor day weekend, we decided to go back to San Diego to check out the Ocean Beach dog beach.   http://gocalifornia.about.com/od/casdmenu/p/beach_ocean.htm
We really like this beach because it has pretty large sand coverage, and the parking is aplenty.  Here's a photo of us with Tico, but he ran so fast the person that we asked to take a photo of us didn't know what hapenned.

We also checked out Balboa Park during this trip.  Tico really enjoyed the kois in the pond that was in front of one of the museums. 

San Diego Hotel:
We stayed at the Holiday Inn San Diego on the Bay http://www.hisandiegoonthebay.com/ on 1355 North Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA  92101.  We paid about $100, and probably paid $25 extra\night for Tico.  Not bad for being too close to the water and only a cab ride to the gaslamp quarters for our night out without Tico.  You are not supposed to leave the dog unattended, but we talked to the front desk and told them that we'll only be out for a few hours, and we're only a phone call and a cab ride away if anyone ever complained.  No one did, because Tico is pretty well-behaved when it comes to being in a hotel room.  He's been doing this for a long time, so he knows how to behave.  The trick is to tire him out during the day, and when you leave him, you tell him to sit in one corner, and put your finger over your lips, and say "shh".  And then hold your palm out and say "stay".  He'll sit in that spot until you come back. 

LAS VEGAS, NV; NOVEMBER 2009

Petsmart in Henderson
In November, Kathy, my girlfriend from Hawaii and her husband met up with us in Las Vegas.  B and I stayed at the Montecarlo, and we dropped off Tico at the Petsmart in Henderson (531 Stephanie St., 702-898-0055), just outside of Las Vegas.  Tico loves road trips, and has been a pro at staying in one of the dog-friendly hotels we have visited during our travels.  This is the first and only time we travelled so far, where we slept at two different places, and got together again the next day.  This is one thing that Vegas is lacking; a large dog-friendly hotel that is clean, in a safe area, and is still reasonable in room rates (aka +-$100\night).  Four Seasons accomodates dogs, but as long as they are under 20 pounds or something like that.  Would I stay at Four Seasons if I don't have a dog?  Most likely not. But for the convenience of having Tico with us, I'd pay the price; but unfortunately, they won't accomodate us either because of Tico's size.  Now, if Holiday Express or even better, Kimpton just open up in Vegas, I'd be there all the time.  Here's a photo of the boys in front of the Siegried and Roy statues: