California Dreaming.......

Ever since I was in my early 20's I have dreamed of visiting the Hotel Del Coronado. I saw the grande dam in one of my favorite old movies, Some Like It Hot, starring Marilyn Monroe. The turrets seemed to beckon each time I dropped the movie into the VCR. I saw it as this fabulously glamorous retreat for the rich and famous, and longed for one glimpse into that illusive lifestyle...

Somehow life has a funny way of bringing things full circle...120 years after the Del opened her doors my current job allowed me the opportunity to visit the Del and to take my husband and son. I knew my son would love it, it was ocean-front, and he could not resist walking in the surf up to his knees (while wearing jeans!) and chasing the various sea birds that he would now be able to research and add to his "life list." We were given an ocean view room, with a verandah that overlooked the great lawn and the ocean. We sat in wicker rockers and gazed at the zillions of tourists who were also there for a glmpse into the past...

I was amazed at the history that is the Del. From the Crown Room (Coronado) which was built with such workmanship that it does not contain one single nail. Presidents and royalty, real ones, from England, as well as modern-day celebrities have stayed here, honeymooned here and celebrated here.

The guest register is a veritable "Who's Who". Charles Lindbergh was honored at The Del in 1927 after his successful trans-Atlantic flight. At this lavish banquet, a replica of Lindbergh's "Spirit of St. Louis" circled the enormous Crown Room ceiling.

Others were made famous just by their visit. Take Kate Morgan, who checked into the resort on November 25, 1892, and never checked out. Kate had been traveling to the Del with her husband, but on a brief stop, he got off the train leaving her alone. A few days later housemaids found her in a stairwell with a gun nearby. Most believed she had taken her own life, others wonder if perhaps her estranged husband paid her a surprise visit. Either way, Kate is an integral part of the history of the Del, and to this day many have reported seeing her throughout the hotel as if finally enjoying her visit.

The shopping is amazing, all sorts of upscale clothing, and Del-signature items, such as a silver charm th I plan to add to my collection, logoed robes, t-shirts and sweatshirts, and a variety of seashore-themed items. The dining devine. Sheerwater, their more casual restaurant, 1550 Ocean, an epicurean getaway featuring Southern coastal cuisine, and ENO, the ONLY place for wine, chocolate and cheese.....and don't forget to save room for Moo-time Creamery, hand mixed premium ice creams made right onsite!!

If you can, visit during the Christmas holidays, the decorations are amazing and are different each year. A collectable ornament is featured and they are sold out within weeks of issue. They offer ice skating by the seashore, which is incredible to see. (who know so many people knew how to ice skate?)

Check out their Web site for additional details, as the hotel is celebrating their 120 birthday this year, and have promised to have celebrations all year long.
http://www.hoteldel.com/

She's Baaaaaack....

I wish I could make up some sort of fabulous excuse for the long absence of blogs, but, alas, I cannot. Sometimes live -and living life- just gets in the way of remembering to do something you really enjoy. Like hearing yourself talk, or n this case, reading yourself as you write.

So much has happened, new job, working in a new city, all new people, all new streets and all new experiences.

Luckily my job includes some travel, this past fall we visited Los Angeles, San Diego and Rancho Mirage, near Palm Springs. Each location had its own charm and own sense of place, totally different from the other. We visited during the horrible forest fires, which displaced tens of thousands of people the week we were there.

Our favorite day trip was to the San Diego Zoo. I adore the Giant Pandas and was dying to take my son to see them, Sadly, seeing them was uneventful. They slept. In fact we watched for some time and not a hint of movement. We joked that the zoo had placed plush toys in the trees to fool the guests into paying the $30 admission!! We were there during the fires, and not many people were willing to risk the air quality, so we were alone in the exhibit. Usually guests wait 2-3 hours to catch a glimpse of these beautiful bears.

My favorite exhibit was the Lowland Gorillas. They are truely amazing. A couple next to us in the glass-front viewing area had a book full of gorilla pictures and a mirror. One of the baby gorillas came right up to the glass and began staring intently at the photos in the book. As each pasge was turned the baby was more and more interested. Suddenly, from across the habitat, a HUGE silverback male came bounding our way, the baby ran and the patriarch placed his back against the glass and sat down. He never once looked at us. Clearly he was not happy about what was going on, and evrey other primate knew it. HE was awe-imspiring and powerful. I was never so glad to have a 2" thick piece of glass in front of me in my life.

The last of the totally amazing animals we saw were the polar bears. Do you know they love Romaine lettuce? These gentle looking giants are slow and walk with their feet inverted, so they have a comical air to them, but supposedly they are really mean! No matter, We enjoyed watching them swim and play together. Their habitat is really super, lots of space and a wonderful viewing area, with a huge plate of glass where you can see them above and below the water.

Rancho Mirage, right in the middle of the desert. The Santa Ana winds were really blowing and sand was streaking across the highway with such force that many of the cars pulled over to the side of the road. We visited the Living Desert, where I fell in love with Meerkats. Those funny little animals that stand up to look around...they look so cute and friendly, I was hooked. The center has all sorts of exhibits of native animals, flowers, plants and a super aviary, featuring rehabilitated and rescued birds.

One of the unusual sights was the Coachella Valley Preserve, the home of 1100 palms. Literally an oasis on the cusp of the San Andreas Fault, in the middle of what seems to be miles and miles of sand, bright green palm trees erupt from the earth. The preserve is home to many endangered species, including the fringe-toed lizard. Fringe-toed lizards are among those that thrive on the dunes. They get their name from elongate scales on the toes of their hind feet that look like fringes. These fringes act like miniature snowshoes, giving the lizards extra traction to speed away from predators on the loose sand surface. The lizards' head is perfectly shaped to allow them to dive head first into the soft sand, actually "swimming" below the sand surface. This allows the lizards to disappear , leaving no trace behind and effectively evading all predators. The lizards' nose allows them to continue to breathe air, without bringing sand into their lungs.

We also made a pilgrimage to Disney Land and California Adventure, where we enjoyed the Finding Nemo ride and Mickey's Trick Or Treat party. Sadly, it was not the same for us, not as Magical as when we visit the World. This year has been the "Year of A Million Dreams" and the goal was to give away 1-million wishes/experiences. We had seen the castmembers in blue vests bestow all sorts of gifts and prizes to other people each of the three times we visited the Parks last year, I could not believe the odds of us not getting one gosh-darned thing. I mean, we go to the parks, I wear a crown or mouse ears EVERY day, we all dress in theme for the day (one day Pirates of the Caribbean, one day Mickey Mouse....and so on....) we are great tourists. Yet nothing. Not one little overnight in Cinderella Castle.....

Not one offer of lunch in Mickey's Penthouse....

But on our last hour at Disney's California Adventure a castmember came up to my sone and gave him a Year of a Million Dreams pin for his collection!!! FINALLY all of those THOUSANDS of dollars paid off. We were part of the few, the selected, the FOTM (friends of the mouse). The pin was a two-piece set. We kept one, and we had to find someone else to give the other pin to...but who would be worthy of such a prize? It had to be someone who needed some magic...we finally settled upon this young girl, 10-years-old. It was her first trip to Disney and she was a pin collector, her lanyard almost full. We went up to her and explained that we were a part of the Year of A Million Dreams program and we had selected her for this fabulous prize. She was so happy, she began to cry! Her mother was thrilled and began taking zillions of pictures of my son presenting her with the pin.

So now we will always remember being a real part of the Magic and Wonder of Disney.

I forgot to mention we stayed in some INCREDIBLE places. Rancho Las Palmas, in Rancho Mirage and the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego.......but that is another post............