Friday, July 23, 2010

Buellton, CA

In early February I was supposed to go to California’s Central Coast for work. I was really excited because I was going to drive up and see my parents the following week and work from their house and eat Mexican food. Plus, any time I can return to California makes me very, very happy.

Sadly, weather struck and Snowmageddon hit the East Coast in full force. I was supposed to fly out Sunday, right in the middle of the storm, but all the airports were shut down. I ended up spending most of my weekend on the phone with United (this is not an exaggeration). After all was said and done, I ended up having 7 flights booked and cancelled due to the storm. Since my class was supposed to start on Monday and with the airports shut down indefinitely, I was struggling to figure out a way to get back to the Left Coast. I was able to get on a flight from Dulles on Virgin America for Monday morning into LA (instead of SF as my original plan had been) that looked like it might actually work.

Now that I had a flight, I needed a ride to the airport. No one I knew had the means or the 4x4 to get me there. When I called my usual taxi service, they said that it was too dangerous for their drivers to be out on the road before 10 am and I was looking for a ride at 5:00 am. I ended up calling 6 different taxi and limo services before I found one that was willing to try and take me to the airport. Everything was in place; it all depended on the weather.

I was one lucky gal and caught a break in the storm. It was just long enough for my plane to take off and then, from what I have been told, the weather got much, much worse. I have to admit, I was really nervous about flying that day. I don’t want to end up on one of those planes that take off, get hit by lightning, crash to an icy runway and burst into flames. But that’s just me.

I really like Virgin America. If you pay to upgrade to their “Main Cabin Select” – which is like United’s “Economy Plus” it is a lovely ride. They have touch screens that allow you to watch all the TV and movies you want for free. You can also use the touch screen to order food and drinks anytime you want, for free, and the flight attendants bring it to you. It was awesome.

Now to complain – and those of you with kids are not going to like me. While I was sitting in the waiting area, the gate attendant called my name over the loud speaker. I was hoping that since I paid full price for my ticket, they might be giving me some kind of upgrade. No such luck. Some parents wanted to sit by their kids, and since I was a single traveler they wanted me to trade seats. I really didn’t want to do it, but I am a pushover so I said yes. It was all down hill from there. I ended losing my aisle seat to go to a middle seat for almost 6 hours. And the stupid kids were totally old enough to sit by themselves. So from now on my answer is no! It isn’t my fault you didn’t plan well enough ahead; therefore it is officially not my problem.

One I got to LA is was a lovely 70 degrees. I got into my rental car and drove around town with the windows down. I have to say it was a fantastic change of pace from snowed in Virginia. I think I even sent a loving text to Seabreeze and Shelley telling them how warm it was and how they could suck it. To make my point, a lesson in how to compare and contrast: on the left, a picture of Reston, Virginia and on the right, Marina del Rey, California taken within during the same time frame. Can you tell the difference?



I ended up taking a lovely drive up the PCH to Buellton, CA which is about an hour north of Santa Barbara. It was hard not to stare at the ocean while I was driving, but after having to swerve out of oncoming traffic a few times I learned my lesson.

Buellton is a lovely little community right in the heart of the Central Coast wine country. If you have ever seen the movie Sideways the characters actually stayed at a hotel in Buellton. It is also right next to a town called Solvang, which is done up to look like a quaint Danish village. Solvang and the surrounding vineyards are a big draw for the area. I could absolutely live there – it is just beautiful.

I was by myself for four days and then my mom drove down from Antioch to come and stay with me. It was so fun to have her around, especially because she had never been to this area before either. She was so excited to go to Solvang she could barely contain herself. Unfortunately we were there during Valentine’s Day and the entire area was packed with tourists. Who knew that a tiny re-created Danish town would be such a hot spot for lovers? I personally think it was the surrounding vineyards…but it is just a working theory.

Since I was not able to get out of DC to start my class on Monday, we had to being the following day. My client didn’t want me to cram 5 days of training into 4, so I had to stay the weekend. But wait, the coming Monday was President’s Day, so old Jen Davis got a 3 day, all expense paid weekend on California’s Central Coast. Not too shabby.

Here are some of the highlights of my trip:

Insider Information: My point of contact told me that the “Hitching Post” restaurant makes a great burger. Since they butcher (not slaughter) their own meat on site, there are often tips of great slices of meat that go unused. The Hitching Post takes these tips, grinds them and makes fantastic, savory hamburgers. The caveat is that these burgers are only available Monday through Wednesday. The Hitching Post served as a filming location in the movie Sideways. It was the restaurant where Virginia Madsen’s character worked.

Noah Wyle:  I had a big crush on him when I was in high school. He personified my ideal “cute, nerdy guy.” Well, I was sitting in a restaurant in Santa Inez when a family of four sat down at a table next to me. The guy had a really scruffy beard, but in California you don’t take that as a bad sign (right Dad?). It wasn’t until I heard him order that I thought I recognized the voice. Then the creepy staring began (by me) and I kept eavesdropping. Sure enough, it was him. According to IMDB, he owns a ranch in the Santa Inez area.

Neverland Ranch: In elementary school I was a huge Michael Jackson fan. I remember that in first grade my parents got me the Thriller LP for getting good grades (my parents rocked). I found out that Neverland Ranch was only 8 miles from where I was staying in Buellton and I wanted to see it. My mom fought me on this one because she didn’t want to go and worship a pedophile. I don’t know what kind of burnt offerings she thought I was going to make - I just figured that I was close and it would be cool to stop by. There is no sign indicating on the gate or any kind of official tribute to MJ. People have decided to write their feelings on the flagstones surrounding the gate. I can empathize with the sentiment, but they are ruining a lovely walk and stone wall. Now you kids get outta my yard…

Mission Santa Barbara: In the third grade in California you study California history (which is awesome). A large portion of that includes studying the El Camino Real and the California Mission system. There aren’t many close to where I grew up (we only had gang violence and great Chinese food in Antioch). Since I was so close, I decided to visit the “Queen of the Missions.” Naturally I took the tour, asked questions, and tried to put everything into a historical context. It is a beautiful location and a lovely mission. I actually just sat around on the grounds looking at the ocean and being very glad that it wasn’t snowing. I liked it so much I took my mom back when she arrived. For those of you who know how I feel about kids in museums (I am against them!) there were kids on the tour that were very well behaved and I even told their mother how impressed I was with their comportment. See, I reward good behavior.

The Ocean: Mom and I took a lovely drive up the coast from Santa Barbara to Pismo Beach (I would  live in Santa Barbara in a heartbeat). It was a lovely trip (aside from the inland portion that took me too close to farms) and we made it to Pismo Beach just in time to watch the sunset on the Pacific. I know that the East Coast is nice and all, but West Coast is the best.

Crab: We went to a seafood place that specialized in crab. My mom had a fear of ordering the crab because she didn’t know how to access the meat. After some cajoling, she ordered crab. Talk about a transformation, she went from nervous to devouring it in a matter of seconds. It was great to watch her have such a great time.

The Landscape: Everyone knows that I love California and I make no apologies for loving something that is so clearly awesome. Almost everywhere I traveled in the area was beautiful. It brought back so many fond memories to see the fog roll in over the hills. The cliffs on the side of the ocean still amaze me. The green hills dotted with old oaks and yellow flowers remind me home. I miss it.

Overall, I had a great time. I even got to go back up to Antioch and work from my parent’s house for a few days despite all the confusion. Snowmageddon totally worked in my favor.

Friday, July 2, 2010

Snowmageddon

The first weekend in February 2010 turned out to be a brutal one for the DC Metro Area. While it went by many names, Snowmageddon is my favorite. We were just pummeled with snow and it was worse than anything I remember seeing when I lived in the Rocky Mountains. Of course, Virginia isn’t nearly as prepared for huge blizzards like Utah, so there is a steeper learning curve.  That being said, I think this storm would have rocked even the most prepared community in the lower 48 (I know we in VA have nothing on Alaska).  The snow was not what I have been used to in the past, it was wet and heavy and shoveling it (which I used my recent knee surgery to get out of – well played Jen) was enough to give anyone a heart attack.

The biggest issue with Snowmageddon was staying on top of the shoveling. And that chore fell to Shelley since I had just had surgery and Seabreeze hurt her back (well played Seabreeze). It was her job to venture outside every few hours (even during the night) and shovel the walk and the deck. The accumulation was like nothing I have ever seen and the snow just kept coming – relentlessly so. Shelley gets the roommate of the year award for taking one for the team and keeping our walkways snow free.


It got so terrible outside that snow plows were breaking down. They just couldn’t handle the volume. The snow plows couldn’t even plow our little neighborhood parking lot. It got so bad that the entire neighborhood got together and just started shoveling (minus me of course). Since I was supposed to be leaving on a 2-week business trip that Sunday (more on that in the next post) everyone piled their snow behind my car. I have great neighbors.

We were one of the lucky few that only lost power for a few hours. Some people went for days without any electricity. I just had to spend a few hours not watching TV, which while difficult, I endured. I am a survivor!

While Snowmageddon was a pain in the ***, it was actually kind of fun. I didn’t have to go anywhere or do anything as the Metro Area was completely shutdown. I literally stayed in my pajamas for 3 days, watched movies, took naps and read. If there had only been more chocolate in the house I could have died happy right then.

Overall, it was an interesting weather-related adventure and I just hope that next time snow shoveling is required, I have a cold and just can’t risk being outside.