Today's episode - Jen's visit from Houston

Time for the next installment of let's play catchup!

A few weeks after my birthday in December, my sister Liz moved out to SoCal to live here with us, and my nephew Nic did the road trip with her. Alberto and I wanted to do something fun with them during the weekend Nic was visiting and thought of taking them to the Gaslamp since they are now both 21. Right around the same time, an old friend and fraternity brother made a trip to Southern California for business and made a stop to see us!

Jennifer is a reporter down in Houston. She and I went to college together, and are in the same business fraternity.


Tan, who went to school with us too, came out for the festivities as well. He brought along another Houston friend that we all know, Hiro. Then Jen also brought another familiar face with her on the trip, another university alum named Ernesto that we all knew. What resulted was a confluence of different people showing up in town all at the same time. There's only one thing to do when that happens - party!


Dinner in the Gaslamp


First, we met up on Friday night at a Persian restaurant in San Diego's Gaslamp District. We really treated ourselves to some delicious, hot, steamy food and a couple of bottles of wine for the table. Yum!

After completely stuffing ourselves and feeling a bit tipsy from the wine, we set out on foot to see what we could find. I was really looking forward to what was in store, since our last trip to the Gaslamp on my birthday had been such a smashing success!

Fun on the Rooftop

We walked along the edge of the Gaslamp and saw Petco Park gleaming in the distance - Ernesto was interested in seeing it up close, so he and Alberto took a walk down the street while the rest of us decided to go into a hotel that was located on the corner where we were, and see what the bar was like.

What a great idea! The bar ended up being a rooftop lounge, decked out with firepits, twinkly lights, chairs and tables covered with plastic tents to keep out the cold, and a bar underneath a palapa. In the corner was a long and narrow swimming pool that was illuminated from below, washing the whole scene in a soft glow.

Most of us got some drinks and just enjoyed chatting and relaxing by the pool, while Nic and Liz explored every corner of the roof and found the designated area for smoking. They took some fun photos all around the scene and then joined us for drinks.


After a couple of drinks we started getting itchy feet and decided to set out and explore again.





jimmy love's

This time we ended up at Jimmy Love's, a very lively venue with a bar, stage and dance floor upstairs, and another lounge-type bar with cushy chairs downstairs for those who want to rest their dancing feet for a bit.

That night, a live cover band was performing all sorts of hits from the 80's and we were immediately surrounded by thirty and forty - somethings who were boogying like it was 1999 again :) It wasn't exactly the crowd we were expecting, but everybody had a great time getting into the fun of the music and the crowd.

Liz and Nic stayed on the sidelines for part of it, watching us dance and probably laughing at the music (they weren't even born yet for half of the songs that were being played!), and Nic kept snapping away at funny moments and odd dancing facial expressions.

As 2 am neared we started drifting in small groups downstairs to the lounge-type bar. As the dance floor cleared upstairs, we were having a round of something called Liquid Cocaine to celebrate the fabulous time that was had by all.

After leaving Jimmy Love's we decided to pause for a group photo on the street. Are we hot?



The Long Walk Home


After the long walk back to the car, we headed back to Tan's for a brief respite before heading home for the night.
















Tan's House



It didn't take long for us all to become very sleepy after we arrived at Tan's house.


Jen and I took advantage of Hiro's air mattress on the floor and cozied up under a nice electric blanket.



Ernesto dozed off in the armchair while Alberto and Liz sat at the fireplace, quietly surveying the scene.


The rest of the boys played around a bit on the internet with silly videos and cartoons, but not much passed before we were ready to turn in for the night.




You go home!







Saturday Brunch at Beach Breaker


The next morning, we met up for brunch at the family-owned and always bustling Beach Breaker Cafe here in Oceanside. After rubbing shoulders with the well-dressed, cosmopolitan and hip crowd that frequents the Gaslamp, I wanted to give Jen another perspective of San Diego.

The place is loaded with all sorts of surfing memorabilia and gear, and the atmosphere is laid back and very friendly.

We had delicious omelettes, pancakes, and scrambles and sat with a sense of relaxed satisfaction and pleasure when our plates were empty.




Oceanside Pier

To finish off the visit before Jen and Ernesto headed back up to L.A., we took a short stroll on the Oceanside Pier.


It was a perfect day. Beautiful blue sky, shortboard surfers out in droves, and the air was just chilly enough to put a brisk spring in your step.



I am so happy that Jen got to take some time to see us, and that we were able to get such a fun group of Houstonians together! It was such a special treat for us to see everyone and have such fun times. Thank you for the great memories! We love you!

Fin