Day 9 - LA County Dept. of Health urges masking when indoors

Prado at Balboa Park…

7/7/21. Wednesday

9:30 – 11:00 - Today is B.’s mandatory, 90-minute timeshare presentation.  He must attend or pay full price for our 4-night stay. I’m up and moving at a leisurely pace because B. will be gone from 11:00-12:30. We drink our coffee and sit around until 10:50, when B. leaves.

11:00-12:30 – Shower. Lotion. Sleeveless blouse with a few sequins, yoga pants, and tennis shoes. Light make-up. I take my time getting ready then do some light packing.

12:30 – 1:00 - B. returns.  It was a high-pressure presentation and he was cycled through 3 salesmen/women.  He didn’t care, though – he just kept saying no. I used to work in this field [recreational resorts] and most customers can’t take it.

For his troubles, B. is given a $50 gift card to be used at any Marriott establishment. He is set to spend it on junk food at the crappy general store, next to the Concierge, but I remind him that there is a Marriott where we live and I’m almost certain there’s a restaurant inside. B. calls to find out and, yes, there is a restaurant inside our local Marriott! so we will go to dinner in the near future and use the gift card there. I reminded B. about our local Marriott hotel, so I take full credit for the free meal we are going to enjoy (smile emoji here). Otherwise, he would have spent it on chips and candy bars (smile emoji again).

I log onto College No. 2 and eat the remainder of my ramen. This is such a fast-paced course [16 weeks crammed into 6] that I have to deploy content every day-we’re already on Chapter 2. The students seem to have figured everything out, but the true test is when I ‘publish’ the quizzes.  Will the students complete them by the due date?  If yes, that will mean they’re following along with the assignments.

1:00 – 4:00 – B. and I decide to explore Seaport Village (it’s at the Harbor, where we spent the 4th of July) and it’s best if we drive because we have 5:00 dinner reservations at Prado. This place is so posh that when B. tried to book a reservation a week ago, the only slot available was at 5:00 on 7/7/21.

Elevators. Toboggan Tunnel. One-way Streets. At the harbor, where we are forced to pay for parking, by the hour.  The good news is there’s plenty of parking. B. has eaten virtually nothing today, but is mindful of our 5:00 dinner reservations. He says a beer will fill him up, so we have a drink at Ketch Grill and Taps, next to Miguel’s Cocina. I have a Chandon champagne split (so good) and B. gets…something??? on tap. B. says there’s not much to the pier, but I mention that I thought I saw shops on the other side, so we head out on foot. I see a map guide and it says we will reach Seaport Village in 1.6 miles – it’s unclear how many steps this is. I really need to get that pedometer.

Along the way, we pass the Midway aircraft carrier and it. is. gigantic!! I should have taken the tour!  Of note is the fact that there’s a restaurant on the Midway. I think it’d be cool to get a drink on an aircraft carrier that has actually seen combat.

We reach Seaport Village and it’s basically a large, outdoor mall.  There are several restaurants and shops… So often, it seems, malls are labeled a “tourist attraction” merely so we, as consumers, will spend money on junk we neither need nor want, all in the spirit of capitalism. The quaint name Seaport Village calls up images of…oh, I don’t know…artisans who blow glass?…or craftsmen building ships in a bottle??...authentic nautical sh--? but, no, it’s just an outdoor mall with stupid T-shirt kiosks and places that sell beach attire. Nothing to see here.

It’s getting late so B. and I walk another 1.6 miles back to the SUV. I swap out my tennis shoes with the wedge sandals I brought along.

4:00-6:30 – Drive to Balboa Park for our dinner reservations at Prado and we actually find a parking spot. We’re very early, but they seat us anyway – a nice surprise. This place does NOT disappoint. Dining is outside, on a beautiful patio, with wonderful views of the surrounding foliage and a platform with an arch and columns for weddings at the bottom of the hill. Another great pick from B!

I have a Prosecco and B. and I split a Cesar salad. For my entrée, I have the Pan Roasted Mary’s Chicken with grits, kale, golden raisins in a citrus-tarragon sauce. B. gets...something???  I clean my plate, it is sooo good.  B. is feeling dessert and he lets me pick, as I’ll have my obligatory 2 bites. I know instantly that the best dessert on the menu is the Tres Leches – a white cake, with coconut, pistachio meringue, and strawberry sauce. B. orders it and lets me have the first bite – it is one of the best desserts I’ve ever had!  Seriously, the cake melts in your mouth!!  And we’re talking cake, here!! I have a third bite and B. kindly says he will let me have the dessert and order another one for himself, but I’m all in.  I stop at 3 bites and he finishes it off.

We leave. An excellent meal and a great way to end our San Diego trip.

6:30-7:00 – Driving back to the hotel. More one-way streets. Toboggan Tunnel. Elevators. Suite.

7:00-9:00 – We’re in pretty early for us. We can’t think of anything to do at this hour so we watch The Clovehitch Killer. B. likes it.

9:00-10:00 – I do some more packing. Nighttime routine and then B. and I read for a little while. I’m still reading Assume Nothing.

10:00-10:30 – I have a nightcap and I’m asleep by 10:30. Great day!