Yin & Yang Thrive in a Mini Vacay

We all know things don’t always go to plan. But what about when EVERYTHING doesn’t go to plan? Yea, that about sums up my mini-vacation!  And you know what?  It was GREAT!

The Hotel
Here’s the short story that will one day become my first routine as a stand-up comedian:  As my boyfriend and I drove to the hotel and the gps said we were getting closer, we noticed we were not in the best area.  We both didn’t say anything at first, silently holding our breaths and hoping that the neighborhood would magically transform into a majestic kingdom, that our hotel would appear like a castle with a moat, and that we’d both ride up to the front in a horse drawn carriage.  Yea.  As we pulled up to the run-down, colonial-inspired plantation-style house straight from the movie Skeleton Key in the heart of the ghetto, I couldn’t help but sing a song of expletives about picking a hotel I’d never heard of on the internet with a rate that seemed too good to be true. Sad thing is, I had done this same thing before years ago!  Did I not learn my lesson?! To top it off, it was raining and I had packed for sunny, beach weather.

I was unhappy with my hotel choice, so we spent a large part of Friday looking up reputable hotels on my laptop (yes, I did end bringing my laptop, tee-hee, but only used it for emergencies!).  At my prompting, we went to a major upscale hotel to see if we could get a room there.  The price was obscene and I, finally, wondered:  How important was the hotel for one night?  Was this mini-vacation about the superficiality of having a good time, or just really having a good time and being together?

WARNING, SENTIMENTAL MATERIAL AHEAD! As we returned to our Disneyland-Hotel-Gone-Awry, I saw the big picture. Everything that might have bothered me before became the butt of a joke. The hotel, the rain. They were sources of laughter. No, I did not pack tranquilizers with me, friends.  It was just a simple change of perception. I can really be a spaz and a brat, but the boyfriend unintentionally mellows me out and helps me see through myself.

Yikes, I thought I was going to make this short, so I’ll sum the rest up.  Both of the restaurants we had researched ahead of time to try — mine a mostly vegetarian Russian place that got good reviews, his was a nice Greek restaurant — ended up being either a) an extinct and now vacant hole-in-the-wall or b) nonexistent.  Talk about great research skills for the two college educated kids we are. Eesh.  After meandering around for a while in the dark and unknown city trying to find a decent place to eat, what was supposed to be a romantic dinner out ended up:  A romantic dinner in the plantation hotel with:

Domino’s for him

Subway for her

Wow.  I’m speechless myself, but smiling as I type.

I was awoken at 5 a.m. on Saturday by a hyper boyfriend.  We dilly dallied around and then went to check out the hotel’s free breakfast offerings.  Not gonna lie…I was scared at what we’d find, but we both ended up content.

He ended up with a waffle (they had a waffle batter machine with self-service waffle irons attached! I thought that was uber cool) and a bagel:

I ended  up with Cheerios and apples:

We both had coffee and then more coffee.  It was actually some of the best coffee I’ve had! After breakfast and getting ready, we headed for the whole reason we chose this destination:

Body Worlds

It was our main goal to see this exhibit at the San Diego Natural History Museum and, dude, it was awesome.  The Body Worlds exhibit is of human bodies that have gone through a process called plastination so that you can actually see everything…preserved.  I’m not going to post a picture because, obviously, it really isn’t for all people.  My stomach turned a few times. If you can handle that kind of stuff, I’d recommend it!  If there’s one thing you walk away with, it’s that sense of awe at the intricacy of our amazing human bodies.  Just another reason to do everything I can to love this little machine of mine!

The Prado

Lunch was at The Prado Restaurant in Balboa Park, San Diego, where a lot of the S.D. museums are.  The restaurant is very reputable and has gotten rave reviews.  The restaurant was BEAUTIFUL inside, full of warm colors, blown glass, nice art, and a colorful ceiling.  Loved the decor.  The menu had great options, but not enough variety for the choosy eater.  Worse, not very many substitutions.  I didn’t want a salad on a cold, rainy day, so I thought perhaps I’d have the chicken enchiladas only that I’d substitute spinach for the chicken.  They could not alter anything on the enchilada because they were “pre-rolled” the day off, said the waitress.  Lame.  Without the option of the salad, my options were limited to beef items, sandwiches on fatty focaccia or panini brad, or pastas in cream sauces.  Oy.

My choice: “Sliced smoked neuskes turky breast with watercress & garlic aioli, cranberry-orange relish, served on house-made focaccia” $12.95 – I got it without the aioli. It came with their own “taro” chips and a Greek-style vegetable medley of cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, black olives and feta cheese. It was delicious!  I could really taste the garlic in the bread and the cranberry-orange relish was sweet but not too sweet and just yummy!  The taro chips were a bit too greasy for my taste so I had one and left the rest.

and some sangria – $6.95 – delicious:

His Choice: “Grilled fish tacos with chef’ selection of marinated fish, red cabbage-jicama slaw, mango-jalapeno salsa, white corn tortillas & mango mustard sauce” – $14.95 – It came with a side of beans that tasted like baked beans.  I thought his food looked beautiful. The fish was mahi-mahi.  For a man who doesn’t really dig veg, I don’t think the fact that half the plate was cabbage and jicama was really very pleasing.

Me being a cheese:

I came home to this:

Cat Sweet Cat

I don’t think he missed sharing the bed with me.

Any of your vacations go far outside the plan? Any thoughts on the Body Worlds exhibit? Been to many restaurants that could not make substitutions for you?

Coming Monday: An announcement about a goal of mine.  I know: me, me, me, right?

Next week – My review of a new chocolate product that I like and think you guys will too!  Also, will I ever finish my research on fructose? Eh, we’ll see, won’t we?

Hope everyone is well!

Tags: Balboa Park, Body Worlds, Dominos, hotels, San Diego, San Diego Natural History Museum, Subway, The Prado Restaurant, vacation