(left) Sea Nettles at Monterey Bay Aquarium (right) Winchester Mystery House, San Jose
(left)Jack sailing Monterey Bay (right) Mom & the boys @ the Dolce Hays Mansion
Now...how much can you see in California in two weeks with four crazy boys and two parents in tow? A-ha – there is the real challenge.
My parents moved to California a few years ago. Which means two things. One – they live too far away for frequent visits. And two – when you do visit, you have to make it awesome.
The trick? An itinerary. I’m a fan of the itinerary. Mostly because it gets me off my ass and actually making an effort into getting the most out of my stay. Otherwise...well, I do like television alot. As do the boys.
So here’s what we did...I want to tell you about all of it and I probably should do it in less than 1000 words or you’ll get bored and head to another blog (please don’t).
First week was spent in the San Jose area. We picked this area for a couple of reasons...first off, my dad had to work and it wasn’t too difficult for my mom and I to navigate (thanks to my mother’s trusty gps). Secondly...it’s fairly central. You can hit up Monterey and Santa Cruz within about an hour. We stayed at the orgasmic (can I say that?) Dolce Hayes Mansion in San Jose (http://www.dolce-hayes-mansion-hotel.com/). The tough part about travelling with six or seven people – apart from the ominous smells coming from the back seat – is trying to fit us into rooms. The Dolce Hayes has gorgeous suites overlooking the gardens and pool with three seperate rooms and, most importantly, two bathrooms. Perfect.
The boys loved the hotel. In their words ‘Awesome pool, cool little fridge with free drinks. Comfy robes.’
I loved the history....Mary Hayes was a wealthy faith healer who had the mansion rebuilt after a fire detroyed the original structure in 1898. The spanish-style buildings are kept in perfect condition. The staff is ridiculously friendly (even when dealing with monstrous little children who were thankfully not mine) and the spa...oh my heart breaks when I think about the spa. I didn’t discover it until my last day. How much would I have loved that spa?
From there we visited Monterey and, most importantly, the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Monterey is where I am going to live someday. When I grow up, maybe. It’s just so hip and evolved. There’s something about the sea air, the little town built into the side of a cliff, the sounds of sea lions barking...magic.
Monterey Bay Aquarium (http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/) is like Marineland but not depressing. It’s for the newly evolved generation who doesn’t expect the animals to do flips or prance around to their own theme songs. The boys just sat back and observed. They watched sharks swimming in the Outer Bay Exhibit and were mesmerised by jelly fish floating in front of their eyes and laughed at the smooth sea otters playing. Jack and Ben even did a little scub diving with the Underwater Explorers. The Aquarium has a small reef just off the sea where kids can paddle about in their dry suits, looking for critters.
When I asked them how they liked it, they just grinned, speechless. That night the Aquarium invited us for a sail on the Bay. Two things. Cute captain. Who I assumed was flirting with me when he was nice to my kids. Even cuter dolphins swimming along beside us. The boys and I almost cried like babies when we saw them.
I have to say, the sail was a highlight – though I doubt my poor mom would agree. Sailing isn’t really Mama’s cup o tea. But for us – it was the smell of the dark, wild ocean, tasting salt air on our tongues, the feel of the sails pulling us through the waves. Even Cal and Ben, those impossible-to-please teenaged sons of mine, were hanging over the sides of the boat, pointing out milky white and purple jelly fish.
That night they all went to sleep soothed by the deep blue sea and the world beyond.
I dreamt of the sea salty captain. And just so you know, he liked me in my dream.
So how the hell do you top that, eh? Take the kids somewhere educational of course. But I’m no fool. We went to the Winchester Mystery House because it’s spooky, creepy cool history.
Sarah Winchester was a world class nut job...I mean, eccentric. She believed spirits spoke to her and told her to keep building on to her house , never stopping construction for a second or she would die. As atonement, I guess...her husband was in the gun business.
The Winchester Mystery House (http://www.winchestermysteryhouse.com/) is a mournful, magical, beautiful place. There are stairs to nowhere, trick rooms and hidden doors. The number thirteen is repeated in almost every detail – right down to thirteen candlesticks in the chandelier. I identified with Sarah. I could easily become a world class eccentric myself, holing up in my crazy house all alone. Building rooms I know i’ll never use.
We were all surprisingly captivated. Even the boys – it helped that the tour was phenomonally eerie.
We ate lunch that day at Peggy Sue’s Diner (http://www.peggysues.com/). Which is just like you imagine it. Awesome food (try the garlic fries and banana milkshake). Fun easygoing atmosphere. A great pick me up after Sarah Winchester’s House of Weird.
So – I’m almost at 1000 words and I haven’t even gotten to my second week. Looks like I’ll write about the rest tomorrow. Stay tuned...Disney, surfing, Sea World and San Diego are on their way...
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