Mesa Grill

We kicked off Restaurant Week last night at Mesa Grill. When we arrived at 5 o'clock there were very few diners, I'm pretty sure it was just us and two other couples. But as our meal went on the dining room quickly filled. We noshed on the bread basket while we waited for our appetizers, the blue corn muffin wasn't too appealing the bottom looked moldy. The fruit bread was the favorite, and I expected to like it least.


Then, we got started on our first course: Roasted Corn Soup Smoked Tomato Salsa and Blue Corn Pancake Barbecued Duck + Habanero Chile-Star Anise Sauce. The soup was decent it had an unusual hint of flavor, I thought squash maybe, but Frank thought it tasted more like seafood.


The blue corn pancake and duck were very tasty. Again, the blue corn does nothing for its appearance.


For the main course we had Blue Corn Crusted Halibut with Salsa Cruda, Sweet 100 tomatoes, capers, jalapeno, Fresh Oregano, Basil and New Mexican Spice Rubbed Pork Tenderloin Bourbon -Ancho Chile Sauce Sweet Potato Tamale Crushed Pecan Butter. The fish was nicely prepared, the presentation was different - thanks to the blue corn it looked liked it had asphalt glistening off the filet. The pork was flavorful as long as you had the crust in every bite. The tamale was unlike your traditional tamale, still tasty, however.




Lastly we finished with Coconut Layer Cake and Banana Cream Pie. Both were good, but nothing particularly memorable.




Service was very good throughout the meal. All in all, it was pretty good it's just nothing was particularly notable. I can't say I'd return, but I'm happy we took the opportunity to finally give it a try.

Zion & the Unexpected

We had a memorable trip this weekend, the sights were spectacular. We did a few hikes, not Angel's Landing, though, like initially planned. There were 40 mph gusts, isolated storms, plus it was mid-90's and humid. We'll save that hike for spring.

Friday - I got out of work early at 3:15, worked out perfect. I ran to the store for water, dashed home to pack. Frank got home and we were on the road by 5:00. We got to St George about 2 hours later, stopped at Benja Thai & Sushi for dinner. It had great reviews on Yelp. The Thai was weak, we had yellow curry (super sweet) and spicy basil fried rice (not so spicy) but sushi was good, we had a chile roll. We got right back on the road and arrived at the hotel before 9:00, the hour time change threw me, I didn't realize it changed. Stayed at the Comfort Inn Zion in Hurricane. It was fine, just what we needed.

Saturday - I packed a back pack for the day, then we headed toward Zion. First, stopping in Springdale for breakfast at Oscar's Cafe. Food was fine, but it didn't live up to the hype on Yelp. I had cheddar pancakes with eggs and bacon, and Frank had an omlet. The park is only a few minutes away. We paid $25 entrance fee, parked and then found the shuttle. You can't drive in Zion, shuttles run every 6-8 minutes and they take you to all the sights. Our first stop was Court of Patriarchs, neat but underwhelming. Then, our first hike was the Emerald Pools. We saw the lower, middle and upper pools. It's about a three mile hike - some paved, unpaved trail and then you climb boulders and it's steep you gain about 450 between the last two pools. The air was thin and it got to Frank a bit. We had to slow down, but once we did he was fine. Once we got to the upper pool we rested. The waterfalls at all three pools were lovely. It was a great hike. However, it quickly led us to the decision to do Angel's Landing another time. The wind gusts were nutty, it was hot and sweaty. Angel's Landing is known to be far more strenuous so we decided it must be done when it's cooler. From there we went on to Weeping Rock. It's an easy one mile steep trail. I thought the hanging gardens would have been more impressive, but I found the coloration of the rocks to be my favorite part. Our next stop was Big Bend. We had a brief walk around and took photos along the way. We planned to do one last 2 mile hike at the last shuttle stop, but on the way we decided to check out Kolob Terrace by car instead. We had a long ride back to the car. On the way in, it felt like the park was smaller than we thought, but the ride back took forever - I guess it is quite large, afterall.

Kolob Terrace is outside the park, but it's still part of Zion. It's a long windy road that leads to Kolob Reservoir. Part of the drive is Park and the rest is residential. We saw dozens of ranches. The drive was fantastic in the Firebird, and the views were stunning. I took some of my favorite photos here. The reservoir itself was underwhelming, but sometimes it's the journey not the destination.

We were hungry and searched for a place in Hurricane to eat. Google turned up a diner with 44 reviews. But I couldn't recall it turning up on my Yelp searches. We drove through town and nothing sounded appealing. Frank suggested we get fixings for deli sandwiches, but I didn't want to deal with buying everything needed for just a couple sandwiches. He then suggested Wendy's. I asked if he was serious? So, we went back to where the diner was, there were two Mexican places right there, too. Should've stuck to our first instinct and went with Mexican but opted for a wider selection of the diner.

It was an odd place. No menus. Just dry erase boards with 100+ items hand-written. We got a spiel about how everything is gourmet and made in-house from the owner (unprofessional guy wearing ripped jeans with a weird attitude). I couldn't see the boards to tell what I wanted. Nothing sounded all that appealing, but I figured I'd try a jalapeno feta burger. Frank was less than enthused. I've seen this look before, I asked if he wanted to go? He did. We had already ordered drinks. So, Frank went up to pay. I would never believe what transpired. You should grab some popcorn...

Frank: We're gonna go, how much do I owe for the drinks?
Owner: One minute and I'll have someone ring you up? (he's doing nothing, just sitting at the counter)
Kid: What's the matter?
Frank: We want to go, how much for the drinks?
Kid: What did you say?
Frank: How much?
Kid: What's the problem?
Frank: Look, if I could just get some service... how much?
Kid: What did YOU SAY? Getting all tough.
Frank: Whatever, then I won't pay. Let's go! (to me)

We leave.

Kid and owner storm out, swearing and calling Frank a dickhead. They yell "Don't fucking ever come back" "No problem", Frank retorts. Their name calling continues, more bodies come outside. Some woman yells, "I called the cops, asshole". They continue yelling and swearing at us as we drive away.

A few blocks down we see three Hurricane Sheriff vehicles tear down the road heading in the direction of the restaurant. Frank acknowledges that they did call the police. I think it's coincidence. We get to the hotel. Frank figures the police will be by soon and watches out the window, while I shower. I come out and everything is fine. Until one sheriff pulls into the hotel and circles the parking lot stopping at the Firebird. Unreal. I'm naked and Frank's in his underwear. We dress.

Knock, knock, knock.

Hurricane police are at the hotel door. The officer asks Frank to explain what happened. We tried to pay for our drinks (iced tea and diet coke). They wouldn't give us a total, instead they got all hard so we left. The owner claimed retail theft. Frank laid it all out and added we have no problem paying for the drinks. We tried to pay, but they got aggressive so we left. "Here's the $5 I had out to pay", Frank says while pointing to it on the dresser. "You can give it to him", he adds. The officer refused. We understood. He asked if we'd like to press any charges against him. We said "no, we want no trouble. All we wanted was dinner". The officer mentioned that this wasn't the first time this has happened. He explained, he'd go back to the restaurant and talk with the owner again and he'd call us in a bit. Frank showered and then the officer called asking us to bring down the money owed for the drinks. No problem as long as they hung around. Since the owner told us not to return to the property we pulled up around back and gave the officer the $5.34 owed. He knocked on the door, the owner got his money and started going on and on. Frank asked if he was free to go, the officer said, "yes". We were on our way. We wanted no part of Hurricane at that point so we drove to St. George for dinner.

I had a Chili's giftcard to use, so this was a good opportunity. The food wasn't anything special, but the service was stellar. At least, that was comforting. We sat in disbelief over everything that transpired. We thought about catch a movie, but showtimes didn't work out. We drove back to Hurricane and noticed the stars. We pulled over to view them. Then the moon popped out over the mountain and the stars faded away. We went back to the hotel, and crashed it was a long day.

Sunday - we packed up and headed out, we couldn't leave Hurricane behind fast enough. Rather than hike in the main part of Zion again, we opted to travel about 40 miles north on I-15 to reach Kolob Canyons. Technically, it's still part of Zion. It was really lovely there. I'm glad we saw it. Kolob Canyons Road ascends 1,100 feet in five miles. You drive along the Hurricane Fault, a 120 mile fracture in the earth's crust - it's really neat. At the peak of the scenic drive we parked and did a one mile hike to view Timber Creek, the Kolob Terrace, the Pine Valley Mountains and North Rim of the Grand Canyon. It was a nice hike, we spotted a snake - that was a first, and a bit unexpected. After, we headed back to the car and hit the road toward home.

We stopped in Beaver Dam, AZ for Lotto Tickets. Then, again, in Overton, NV Frank was going to show me how Overton Beach dried up. They've locked and gated the entrance since he was there last year. It was a waste of an effort. Valley of Fire north entrance is right nearby so we decided to take the scenic way back to I-15. On the way, Frank said he was going to stop at Moapa to buy and light off a firework. I told him he was silly, which only encouraged him to actually do it. He bought a $4 missle and launched it. He is silly, but I love him for it. Once we reached Vegas we were starved. We went to Fuddruckers. It was so satisfying - filling and delicious.

I took lots of photos, I hope to sort through them tonight. You can look forward to those tomorrow or later this week.

Hope you're hungry!

Monday is the start of Restaurant Week. I'm so excited! I continue my efforts to spread the word in this week's LLV column, get the scoop at Vegas Values: Dealicious.

I've revamped my list of possible places to dine next week. Here's what we're looking at, we'll need to scale it back a bit, but I know for certain good eats are ahead.

Vintner Grill
TAO
Sage
Roy's
RM Seafood
Circo
Michael Mina
Mesa Grill
Lavo
L'atelier
Bradley Ogden

All Shook Up

Being a grown up has its perks, but it also has its shit storms. Responsibility. It's such a buzz kill. My mind is being torn 800 billion directions, I'm not sure which way is up, anymore. It feels as though I was living in a snow globe. Everthing was nice, neat, content, and orderly that is until some shithead had to come by and shake my world up. Now I'm stuck waiting for it all to settle. Changes are coming. Change can be good, even when the benefits aren't immediate or clear as day. Everything happens for a reason. That's where I find my faith. It gives me the strength to get through the rough spots and fills me with joy when I know I can sit back and revel in those sweet moments.

But the question remains, how do you plan for your future when you don't know what tomorrow holds? The moment you think you've got it figured out, that shithead comes and shakes the world upside once again. Well, I'm tired of being a sitting duck just waiting to be shook. I want to position myself where it doesn't matter how turned upside down life might be. Not sure that I can get there, but I'm ready to take the first step. I'm shaking shit up before that shithead beats me to it.

As long as I have my foundation - my husband, my family and the city that I love - I should be able to weather any storm. And I'll take comfort in knowing I'm not alone.

Breaking News

Word has it that In-N-Out is coming to the strip. I have it on good authority that In-N-Out will be taking up real estate next to Planet Hollywood. There's that big empty lot at the corner of Harmon and Las Vegas Blvd. soon it will be home to Walgreens and more importantly In-N-Out.

Talk about a convenient location! This is particularly good news for me since this will free-up the Dean Martin/Tropicana location, currently the busiest. It will be much easier and quicker to stop and grab a bite for lunch. Hello, double double.

Another two bite the dust

Last night was a dud of an evening, at least in regards to food. First of all, dinner was planned for BJ's Brewhouse. We used to frequent the Charleston location fairly often, but they made some menu changes. As a result, or coincidence, we haven't been too pleased on the last two occasions. Last week they sent me an email to come in for a tasting menu and beer pairing sponsored by Widmer Brothers. We were willing to give them another chance, I made a reservation. Upon arrival, they found our reservation and told us we'd be seated promptly. We were, but it was in the main dining area. We we under the impression this would be some sort of special event. We brought it up to our server when he arrived. He apologized and pointed to where we should be. We headed back to the hostess desk to explain the mix up, more confusion followed, but finally we were led to our table. We were informed two others would be joining us since the table seats four. It was the final straw. We were looking for a nice night with a decent meal and good beer. We were in the mood to be social, especially after all the hassle. We hadn't even started the meal and it was off to a bad start so we took everything as a sign and we bailed.

Frank suggested we go to Create. It's a burger joint, I've been meaning to try. I was game. Then, he remember about John Cutter. It's a VP Bar & Restaurant on West Charleston. We've dined there a bunch, but it had been ages since we stopped in. John Cutter won since it was closer - we were really hungry. Noticed right away that they changed their menu, without proof-reading it - we pointed out spelling errors, they were aware. I like their Philly and it was still on the menu so my selection was an easy one. Frank's Krolly sandwich got the boot so he tried the chicken sandwich and he ordered dynamite rolls to start.



The rolls weren't exactly dynamite, they were terribly dry on their own. The sauce helped a lot.

Frank's sandwich was no better. Dry was the word of the day. He slathered it in ranch dressing to make it edible. Good news is the French fries are still tasty.

My Philly was a disaster. The meat was tough, the bread was dense and stale; it was dripping with cheez-whiz and it still found a way to be ridiculously dry. The salad used to be a favorite, they had a great champagne vinaigrette. Not no more. It was bland and way under-dressed. That's a complaint I never thought I'd utter. I use very little dressing.

Previously, we've had issues with service at John Cutter. Last night, service was great so I do give our server props. However, the kitchen was just dreadful. I can forgive bad service, but I cannot forgive bad food. John Cutter has bit the dust. While, we're at it, I think it's safe to say BJ's has, as well.

Old favorites tend to wane. We've experienced that time and time again with restaurants near home. The upside is that it encourages us to branch out and try new eateries.

Winding down

Summer is nearly done, say it ain't so. Call me crazy but the heat doesn't get to me, I've been tight with Las Vegas summers since spending one in Laughlin. Now, Laughlin is HOT! One summer there caused my internal thermometer to recalibrate. Ever since, I don't tire of summer and I dread winter. This year, I'm even feeling dread over fall. That must revoke my sanity card, it's official I am whacked. I know fall in Vegas should be lovely. Perfect even, but now my idea of perfection keeps raising a few degrees... Mid-90's are ideal.

Although, that's not quite swim weather. Heck, it's been hovering around 100 and I think it's too cold to swim. I haven't been in the pool since the day before we left for Seattle. The water temp fell while we were away, the mercury on the pool thermometer hasn't rose above 82 since. To make me sound like even more of a whackadoo. The last two times I was in the hot tub, I was chilled. The temp is set at 95. It used to be a comfortable setting for summer. Now, I get goosebumps. For real.

Being that summer is winding down that means my Sundays with Frank are limited. Next week is my last one. Yesterday, I hoped we'd have the day together, but he spent it with his uncle instead. I was disappointed, but I understood. His uncle's friend only comes in once a year and the three of them like to bond over betting the ponies at Suncoast. I enjoy going to the track, but watching races on tv camping out in the racebook is lost on me.

Next weekend is our last hurrah before football starts. If the weather cooperates we may drive to Zion. It's been on my must do list forever. It's time to make it happen.

Then, September rolls in and it's time for football and fantasy leagues. Soon it will also be baseball play-offs. White Sox better stop stinking it up and take back the lead from the Twins.

Looks like we'll roll with the flow until November, then we're off to San Fransico for another feast. And then, December is Mexico. I guess the end of summer isn't all bad. Still, I'll be sad to see it go.

Where's the Beef?

Burgers have come along way since the Wendy's campaign haven't they? Vegas is crazed over the gourmet burger. I hear there's another coming to Cosmopolitan in December. I haven't even caught up on all those already here. I did get to try Grind Burger Bar, last week. So, that's one down, still gotta try Create and Smashburger. Then, I think I have them all covered - for the moment, anyway. Get the scoop on Grind over at LLV, Vegas Values: More Burgers.

And here's more food porn goodness...

Like-it rather than Luv-it

Last night, Frank and I made it over to Luv-it Frozen Custard. I've known about it for a few years, we've even tried to locate it on a couple of occasions. Finally, yesterday, we had success. I don't know why I previously thought it was on the west side of Las Vegas Blvd and Oakey. It's right behind the Olympic Garden. Had I known that from the start, there never would have been question.



Anyway, we pulled up before 8:00 there were a few girls in line. It gave us a chance to look over the menu. Frank chose the popular "Western" and I went with "Chocolate Crisp". Seconds later, we had sundaes in hand.




The custard is smooth and creamy, and Frank's choice was better than mine. His had hot caramel and fudge with pecans. Mine was pretty sweet with the chocolate sauce and it lacked any crisp. The peanuts were more like saw dust. The damage for two sundaes was nearly twelve bucks ($5.25 each). As much as I love to support the little guy, I think I'll stick with Ghirardelli when I'm craving a sweet cool treat.

A Day at Sea

Sunday I woke about 6:50 needing to pee. I knocked on the door, but had no answer. I laid back in bed and waited. At 7:00 I heard the IL's wake up call. I waited a few minutes thinking they might need to use the bathroom immediately after waking. Then, I knock again, no answer. I put my ear to the door. I can hear the shower running. Damn, I missed my chance. I throw clothes on and figure I can run up two floors to the roof level. There's a restroom up there open 7am-midnight. It was 7:20, but the lousy door was locked. Now I need to go down to the lobby and use the restaurant's bathroom. 9 flights of stairs or the slowest elevators known to man (they were the fastest in 1913) I opt for the stairs. My luck the elevator would stall. Finally, by 7:30 I had relief. Rode the elevator back to the room, undressed and climbed into bed. I couldn't catch a wink. After all that, it's no wonder why.

Note to self: Next time, request the rooms joined by the bathroom.

We packed up and checked out about 9:30. We drove over to Point Loma Seafoods. They had just opened, only cold foods were being served. We got ceviche and the IL's had shrimp cocktail.


It was good, but I was in need of something more substantial. Con Pane it was. We planned to hit it later, but jetted over there right away. Another Italian hit the spot. We also got PB & J for the road and cinnamon rolls to bring back home. So VERY good!!

We had time to kill before our fishing charter so we took the inlaws to the tip of Point Loma, and gave them the choice to see the Cabrillo Monument or the Point Loma Lighthouse. The lighthouse it was.

We parked and walked up toward the lighthouse. I lagged behind taking photos. Frank took his parents into the living quarters of the lighthouse.














We only had a short time to look around, once noon approached, we lassoed the inlaws and walked back to the hotel. MIL was tailing, but we thought she was right behind us. We get to the car and sit for a few minutes. She's not coming, she's not answering her cell. Time is ticking by. I hop out of the car. Do a quick scan and I see her up by the lighthouse. I run up the hill, collect her and tell her we need to hurry if we're going to make the fishing charter.

Parking by the fishing charter is a nightmare. I jump out to get in line to secure our spot on the boat. IL's follow behind and Frank jets off to find parking. As soon as I realize I forgot my sunglasses, I call Frank, but he's already parked and walking toward us. The sun was barely shining so I figured I'd be ok without them. We get our tickets, gear and license and board the boat. Finally, we can relax. We enter a jackpot raffle for the biggest catch then we grab a spot at the bow.


As we leave the marina, the clouds begin to break. It was chilly so I appreciated the warmth, it wasn't too bright. From the marina we headed into the bay and then out to the Pacific. We rode out until we reached International waters, Tijuana and San Diego could both be seen in the distance.






Tijuana, MX


Once we left the bay the clouds rolled back in and the waters turned rough. Fortunately, Frank took Bonine for motion sickness before we departed. We learned on the whale cruise last year, that the rough waters were indeed rough. This fishing boat was smaller than that boat, so he would've been in a world of hurt otherwise. The swells were great. I had the best time riding the waves, it was like being on a ride at Great America.


Once we got to our first destination we were able to grab our poles and bait. I chose to use the squid, because I felt it was easier to handle than the sardines. I get weirded out by the feel of fish. Funny considering we were fishing afterall. Our first catches were small rockfish like this one.


When I caught my first, I tried to take him of the hook, but I got weirded out. My girliness couldn't be avoided. I can't handle the slimy feel, when the fish moves, it FREAKS me out, and I chirp like a girl. I couldn't help it.

My next fish was a big boy, not jackpot worthy but a keeper. That is if I kept him on my line. As I was reeling him in he slipped off the hook, plunged and floated away. I guess he did me a favor, I didn't have to attempt to touch him.

We anchored at two other spots to fish, because the current kept changing. The first spot had the smallest fish, but the water was the most calm there. The boat rocks like crazy out in the ocean. I didn't anticipate how bad it would be. It was quite the core workout to hold steady. At one point I was baiting my line and the boat jerked hard, I bounced off the rail and caught my middle finger on the hook. It didn't feel pleasant and it was only made worse when we were bouncing about trying to get the hook out. The pulling hurt. I was bleeding like crazy. I pulled out an antibacterial wipe and wrapped it tight around my finger so I could go back to fishing. I caught one more fish, and then Frank started to pull in some bigger rockfish that could be fileted.


His dad caught a few lizard fish and a small rockfish.








It was a good day fishing. It was a neat experience. I hadn't been fishing since I was a kid, and this type was much different. It's a lot more work. I thought we would've seen some really big fish, but they must catch those on the more experienced (overnight) charters.

On the ride back to the bay we took in the view and watched the fish being fileted, which caused a flock of gulls to parade behind us.


Now, this is how I prefer to handle fish.


And here come the seagulls.




They loved the scraps, it was entertaining watching them catch the fish mid-air. They'd even take it from your hand.




After the fish were fileted we went back to the bow and finally we could see land. I can only imagine how the early explorers must have felt.


Point Loma Lighthouse from the water.



Ahh, it was nice to see familiar sights after being on the water for 6 hours.


Fortunately, Point Loma Seafoods was still open when we got done with the charter. We caught them minutes before closing. We were the first and last orders of the day. We had squid (I was craving it after handling it all day) and crab cakes. Yum. Inlaws ordered cod and fried shrimp. By now, my sunburn began to reveal itself. My face burned pretty bad despite wearing 70spf. This is when my eyes really started to hurt. They felt so dry and tired. I thought it was all the wind, not realizing they were actually sunburnt. Lesson learned sunglasses are a MUST on water and snow. We walked back to the car, and headed for home. So long San Diego until next time. On the way we snacked on our PB & J from Con Pane, those sandwiches hit the spot. The drive was pretty good. About 12:30 we pulled in the drive way and I headed straight for bed. I was wiped.

This was our 6th trip to San Diego. Every visit has a had a full schedule, and there is still stuff to do. That's likely why San Diego is my second favorite city. I'd love to see Las Vegas take a note from downtown San Diego. Downtown LV needs to be revitalized I think something like the Gaslamp Quarter would be a perfect fit.

Gloomy San Diego

Saturday we started our day with none other than Con Pane Bakery. What? It is that good. This time I traded one half of my Italian for Frank's turkey cobb. So good, but it does not compare to the Italian. It's just the perfect sandwich.

From there were were off to La Jolla Shores so the inlaws could experience the beach. The weather was awful, overcast, damp and chilly. The marine layer never broke away. Still, they frolicked in the water. I watched on from the shore. I was fully dressed with a jacket and I was FREEZING. I haven't a clue, how people were in suits let alone in the water.

Like my beachwear?














After the beach we went to Del Mar Racetrack. We had a table in the clubhouse. It was a real nice track and set up.


We settled in with a bucket of beers, placed our bets and waited for post time.


MIL bet the long shot on the first race, the horse won. She cashed a ticket for $96.




The next race I wanted Star Nicholas to win, but he showed. No win for me.




Frank cashed a winner after Race 3.


The next few races went off, wins were small. All was fun until we saw a horse go down. Nature of the sport, but it's still sad to see a horse break a leg. It took a little bit to take care of her, and clear the track. Fortunately, the jockey was ok. Once all was clear races resumed. The next race had a horse named Bearly Bearable. I had to play it. It lost.


We stayed through the 7th race, which was on turf. Frank won his final bets and we left ahead. It was a good day at the track.




Before leaving we took a quick look around.
















The plan was to head to La Jolla for dinner at Whisknladle, but we had a brief detour when Frank missed the turn off. We ended up near Soledad Mountain, which was a sight I wanted to see, only I wanted to visit on a clear day. Since we were there, we decided to stop and have a look. A wedding was wrapping up as we walked up. A shame they had such a gloomy day, the location is stunning.




There's a nice memorial up there, too.




It was FREEZING on the mountain so we didn't stay long, we'll have to make another trip there on a clear day. I bet you can see for miles and miles. We drove to La Jolla, and I hopped out to put our name down for a table at Whisknladle. Meanwhile, they parked the car. It was more than an hour for a table so I called to suggest going to Los Panchos in the gaslamp instead. Frank agreed, so I took our name off the list and walked over to meet them. FIL had paid for parking. By then it would've been a 1.5 hour wait easily so we just left. $3 wasted. We valeted at the hotel and walked over to Los Panchos. Their California burrito was great, as always. We passed on the magaritas at that point thinking Frank and I would return later. But that never worked out. No cadillac margaritas or Whisknladle for me. Boo. That's ok, it gives me the excuse for another trip in a few months. It was an exhausting day, we ended up turning in early. Frank and his mom enjoyed sometime on the rooftop but I passed fearing it would be too chilly. I relaxed in the room instead. We had another full day ahead of us.