Samuel surprised me with a quick getaway to Half Moon Bay!
We had never been as a couple,
and it is stunningly beautiful,
far more gorgeous than I remember
when visiting as a kid with my grandparents!
If you're ever searching for a romantic spot that's super-relaxed and kind of eclectic and funky, go here!
You won't be disappointed...
We arrived late in the evening, and quickly made 8:30PM reservations at the local hot spot we spied on our drive in. It was packed with cars and it just beckoned us in!
It was
Sam's Chowder House, a funky seafood joint
booming with live Zydeco music and made famous for their New England style Lobster Roll!
This beast was named one of the top five best sandwiches by the Today Show, and as you can see, the succulent chunks of lobster drizzled with warm melted butter in a toasted bun was INCREDIBLE!!!
You'd think a late night meal such as that would warrant sleeping in,
but I couldn't help waking up at the crack of dawn
to savor the amazing view.
After a beautiful morning run on the beach
we lined up to hit the open seas for some kayacking.
Well, we ACUTALLY kayacked the bay inlet,
but don't you agree that it sounds far more grand to kyack the "open seas..."?
Anyhow...
we've kayaked before on the Sacramento River,
but that didn't compare to bobbing in the choppy water
in the wakes of real schooners bringing in their
fresh fish and crab hauls from their early morning runs!
When we arrived back on land
we were already sopping wet from the waist down
so we decided to jump (quite literally...) in the ocean!
It gave Samuel and opportunity to flex,
gave me an great opportunity to laugh,
AND we gained approval from a local surfer
who told us we were nuts for going in without wetsuits.
We lasted a total of 4 minutes!
It is beautiful here,
and I think my favorite part about staring off into the horizon is straining to see that beautiful curvature of the earth and knowing it keeps going round...
After a morning on the beach and a delicious breakfast of fresh fruit, crossaints, omelets, and hot chocolate, we made our way into downtown Half Moon Bay for some shopping.
Here's a glimpse into the playfulness of this small town!
We fell in love with this wild antique shop called
Half to Have It, complete with a crazy outdoor garden area covered in polished glass...
...collectibles of every kind including the perfect souvenir for the kiddies:
Marbles!
It was fun to pick out each one and taylor it specifically to their personalities.
{Update}
While they loved their marbles,
they lost them all in the pretty much the same amount of time it takes to say,
"Marbles"...
sigh.
We had to take a self-shot in some of the crazy cool hats they had on display.
Hmmm.
I wish I had bought that one afterall...
But I didn't end up empty handed.
Buried deep in their kitchen section
(chock full of the most adorable kitchen aprons you will EVER see!)
was this copy of
"The Joy of Cooking"!
YEA!
The only thing that could tear me away from pouring over that book on the spot was,
of course,
Seriously,
this restaurant is stunning (check out their interiors photo gallery),
and the dishes are unmatched.
This fresh and savory salad of grilled chicken, perfectly ripe mango, and buttery avocado was so refreshing!
{And you can bet I'm replicating this at home!}
We couldn't decide on just one of their signature pizzas,
so we split one right down the middle and opted to try two at once!
Samuel chose the Devil's Slide which consisted of the genius concept of putting chipotle peppers on pizza with roasted tomatos and onions! The smoke and heat from the peppers was incredible. Again, another must do at home!
I chose the San Benito Fields, their take on a vegetarian complete with onions, green bell peppers, mushrooms, black olives, sliced tomatoes, and artichokes (I'm a TOTAL sucker for artichokes...).
The best part about this meal was that you dined in opulence
(don't get me wrong, good-ol' fashioned hole-in-the-wall joints have a place in my heart too!),
ate fantastically prepared food,
AND for a very reasonable price at that!
Bravo!
The Grand Finale was a trip to the Oakland Temple!
I have to say, I've never seen the weather more beautiful.
The air was crisp yet mild.
The sun shone and you could see for forever.
I am so grateful to have been able to share this special time with Samuel.
And being reunited with our babies when we came home was the icing on a very delightful cake!
Happy Travels!
