San Diego: USS Midway Museum and Ocean Beach

After we finished the boat tour we decided to check out the USS Midway Museum, which is actually the ship itself.



These are the sleeping conditions for the junior officers



I don’t think Frank was cut out to be a sea man. It was hilarious watching him squeeze into this bunk.



We toured many areas of the ship before we made our way to the flight deck



Where 20 or so air crafts were displayed. The A-7 is on a catapult to help it gain speed since the “run way” is such a short distance





Back inside the ship, here's the command center and communications





I could not imagine being the one responsible to have all the knobs turned to the proper frequency to be certain that messages were delivered



Here’s the Island, we did not tour that portion; it was near the end, by then, we were exhausted and hungry.



We left USS Midway and went to Fuddrucker’s for a bite. After our late lunch Frank asked if I still wanted to head to Point Loma and Cabrillo Monument. I said we could another time since I didn’t think we’d have enough time to appreciate it because we only had a couple hours of sunlight left. We headed to Ocean Beach instead.

When we were driving there, it felt more like LA/Santa Monica than San Diego, I guess most beach towns are similar and lend the same vibe.

The ocean breezes were FREEZING, it was so cold, I have no clue how surfers and beach bums were able to tolerate the cold. Much like the beaches around LA we weren’t impressed, between that and the cold we didn’t stay long.

San Diego: Harbor Tour

We were up bright and early; we stopped for breakfast at Café 222 before heading to the harbor. It’s a great little spot. Frank had pancakes with a side of sausage and I had peanut butter banana French toast. When I saw it on the menu I just HAD to try it, since I like to make myself peanut butter-banana-honey sandwiches fairly regularly. The French toast was much like my concoction, naturally, I enjoyed it.

We went to the harbor and located SD Harbor Excursions we bought tickets for the 2 hour tour that covered the North and South bay.

We began with the North Bay, it was the first tour of the morning so crowds were sparce, it made the trip very enjoyable.

Shelter Island





Sea lions at the bait barge



Point Loma in the distance



Cabrillo National Monument at Point Loma: The most SW point of the US



Coronado Bay Bridge



Coronado Cays



Naval ship manufacturing plant NASSCO: building USNS Amelia Earhart



USNS Mercy and USNS Bob Hope



Other ships





San Diego Skyline









Seaport Village



Petco Park



USS Midway

San Diego: SeaWorld

We hit the road around 5 o'clock Friday evening. On the way down to San Diego we made a pit stop in Ontario for a bite at Fuddruckers. Yum, just as good as we remember it. Bellies full we continued on, we pulled up to our hotel Mission Valley Resort around 9 o’clock. We reserved a king bed, but none were available so we were stuck with two doubles. The room was clean, but everything was small, the bathroom was especially tight. We made the most of it; we crashed pretty early knowing we had a long day ahead.

We slept terribly, each of the beds were lumpy and hard. We called the front desk to see if we could switch rooms, but the girl was unaccommodating and pretty well useless. We figured we try again later. We head out for the day, first stop was Parkhouse Eatery. It was a charming place, with good food and fair service. I had sun-dried berry pancakes and Frank had a ham, pepperoncini and fontina scramble. Next, was a fun-filled day at SeaWorld. We got to the park at 10 right as it opened. Crowds weren’t bad at all. A couple exhibits were being renovated for winter and the sky rides were closed due to high winds.

We started with the sea lions and harbor seals. It was feeding time so we were able to feed them frozen fish.




The seagulls and birds nearby were very aggressive they kept stealing fish out of people’s hands, it was amusing to watch.

A guilty seagull



Next, we caught the dolphin and pilot whale show at Dolphin Discovery.





I took video of the shows, I’ll upload those later. They give a better impression of the experience.

We fed ducks and flamingos at Flamingo Cove to kill time before the next Clyde and Seamore show.





Afterwards we visited the eels, sting rays, freshwater aquarium and shark encounter, but none offered good photo opportunities.

The next stop was the Penquin Encounter





Followed by the Wild Artic Exhibit



We caught the walrus at feeding time. It was great fun. I have a video that captures the interaction, but the pics didn’t turn out well. It’s a shame the glass wasn’t clean.



Beluga Whales





Next was Shamu: Believe

The show was a bit of a let down, but I managed a few great pictures despite us sitting clear across the stadium at the top of the bleachers.





Then we sought after the salt water aquarium. The stonefish was my favorite since I had seen most others displayed at other aquariums around the country.



After that, we saw the sea turtles, these guys were just like the one that spooked us in Mexico a couple years ago.



We covered the park by 4, our final stop was the Hospitality Center to see the Clydesdales, but they weren’t out. It was a fun day, but we were beat.

From SeaWorld we headed downtown to the Gas Lamp Quarter to have dinner at Los Panchos de Charly. A delicious Mexican restaurant we found on our last visit.

A couple photos of downtown





Dinner was excellent. We shared a quesadilla filled with chicken, onions and mushrooms, and devoured chips and salsa. Then, Frank had a California Burrito and I had a Carne Asada Burrito. We washed it all down with Cadillac Margaritas. We were in heaven!

After dinner we didn’t see much more, we were just too tired. We headed back to the hotel. We were able to switch to a king bed smoking room. It stunk terribly, but it was more comfortable than the previous room so the move was worthwhile. Frank freshened it up a bit with a cigar. We spent the rest of the night lounging in bed watching TV.

Mid-strip photo tour, updates and fun stuff ahead.

I cannot believe it is mid-February already. Where does time go?

It’s been a whirlwind year so far. As always, we’ve been keeping busy with work and play. Frank received a great honor, he was nominated and won a Chairman’s board award for his accomplishments achieved in Laughlin.

We stopped by the Laughlin condo the night of his award ceremony. I was happy to see that it was still standing. I spruced it up and collected three months of mail. We lowered the price again, it better sell soon.

We had another great meal at Stack. And we’ve eaten at the new Grand Lux inside Palazzo. It’s nearly identical to the original, except it’s far less crowded.

Weather finally warmed up this weekend. It was heavenly. Frank went to Phoenix to race the Trans Am, shoot guns, go off-roading, and play pc games with his buddies. Meanwhile, I enjoyed time to myself, and I took advantage of the glorious weather. I shopped at the Premium Outlets and checked out the new Town Square.

I also walked the strip and took many pictures. See albums below:

Bellagio Conservatory

CityCenter Construction


Center Strip Properties

Flamingo Wildlife Habitat

This weekend we’re heading to San Diego. We will visit Sea World and see the sights. Then, Amy, Mike and Nicky arrive on Sunday, they’ll be visiting until February 27. My mom will spend the first part of their trip with them, and I’ll have time with them toward the end. I can’t wait to see how much Nicky has grown. I sure miss that kiddo. In April, Frank’s brother, Bob will be staying with us for a few days. It’ll be great showing him around, especially since he hasn’t visited in a few years.

The last tidbit is the Monte Carlo will reopen this Friday, three weeks after the fire. Repairs are still being made on nearly half the hotel rooms. They will become available as they are completed.

Monte Carlo Fire

Friday around 11 o'clock, a fire broke out at Monte Carlo. My office building is less than a mile away, and we have a direct line of sight. Smoke filled the air and ash showered down from above. Here are photos from my perspective of the blaze.



Luckily no one was harmed. Floors 27-32 sustained the bulk of the damage. Here's a couple showing the aftermath.




The resort is still closed. An opening date has not been released. The cause of the fire and amount of damage is unknown. However, repairs are underway.

The Suite Life... Take two.

We received a promotion that allowed us to book the Signature for $149, we couldn't resist. We had another fabulous stay last weekend. We tried to upgrade to a 1 bedroom suite again, but none were available. Our room was in tower 2 on the 37th floor (37-715).

We got settled and ordered room service. Frank had a ham and cheese omlet and I had the scumptious banana nut french toast. Afterwards, we relaxed... in the tub, in bed. Delightful. When hunger struck we made reservations at Nobhill, we dressed and walked over to MGM.

Nobhill was very quiet, but it started to fill up toward the end of our meal. We were seated in a private booth. We started with cheese fondue and charcuterie board. The selection of meats were very good and the aged parm was the best I've ever tasted. The fondue was divine. Frank ordered the special, bone-in ribeye. It was delicious! We agreed it was better than those we've had at Delmonico. It was served with roasted potatoes, watercress, and a veggie medley. I had bacon wrapped berkshire pork loin, which was accompanied by roasted duck, and brussel sprouts. They also delivered a variety of potato puree: horseradish, tomato, pesto, garlic and traditional. Everything was excellent. We passed on dessert, but we received hot chocolate as a complimentary after dinner treat. Needless to say, we were pleased by yet another Michael Mina restaurant.

We hit the casino, we each played $20 in a new nickle slot. I lost $20, Frank won $20, even money, we went on to play Sigma derby. Frank lost his share fairly quickly. I was doing well, so I gave him the quarters I had left. He ended up winning a few races, he cashed out once he broke even. We went on to drop a couple quarters in misc. slots. Anytime we won, I'd cash out the ticket. By the time we were done, I had a handful of TITO slips. We cashed those in and wound up $6.25 ahead. We had fun, too.

After our "big win" we decided it was best to take the money and run. We stopped in the Signature lounge to redeem our 2 free drinks (included in the room promotion, along with $25 dining credit) we each had an ice cold beer. When we got back to our room, we cracked open a bottle of champagne and snuggled in bed. There's nothing better. Eventually we dozed off.

I was first to rise, but I lounged in bed and watched tv most of the morning. Frank got up and soaked in the tub. Then, he ordered room service. We had the same spread as the day before. Excellent, once again.

After breakfast, I took a bubble bath, while Frank enjoyed a cigar on the balcony. Wouldn't it be lovely if every day started like this?

We lounged around the room until check out at 1pm. I only spent a short-time on the balcony, it was a bit cool and the sun didn't hit our unit. The views were nice, much like those we had on our first stay.

We were reluctant to leave, but we knew we'd return. We settled the hotel charges, then valet brought around our car. Rather than heading straight home, I suggested we stop at the Atomic Testing Museum. We killed two hours there, we learned a lot about the Nevada Test Site and the history of the atomic bomb. T'was very interesting!

As usual time slipped by way too fast, but it was highly enjoyable playing tourist.

Happy New Year!

Here's hoping that everyone has a fabulous 2008 filled with good health, wealth, and happiness. Our New Year's Eve was low-key this year. Frank and I played Bingo at Red Rock. Then, we met my mom and uncle Jeff at Rio's All American Grille for dinner. They sat us upstairs, we had the place to ourselves. Each of us had steak and we started with an order of chicken wings, the meal was good, it was nice getting together. Afterwards, we went home and watched Robbie Maddison make the world record breaking jump live at the Rio. We followed up with local coverage of the New Year's festivities until eleven. Then, we headed out to Spring Mountain and Durango to view the fireworks over the strip. You can view the 8-minute display here.

The last major event of 2007 was the opening of the Palazzo. Per usual, we attended the opening night festivities. We got over to Palazzo about two hours after they opened their doors to the public (about 9pm). Crowds were minimal, evidentally, not many got word that it finally opened. I think most that were there wandered over from Venetian and likely had no clue that they were among its first customers.

Anyway, we were underwhelmed. Maybe once the stores and restaurants are complete it'll be a different story.View photos here