Saturday began fairly early with an air of excitement. I grabbed Debbie and Lillian some breakfast and then I hopped in the shower. While I was in there Mr and Mrs Mihalcik came over. They had the crab quiche’s that Robert had transported over and had no way to heat them. Enter room 455 - the room with a microwave oven. I was seriously having doubts about whether or not the microwave was big enough for the quiches. Mr. Mihalcik told me that were 9 1/2″ inches in diameter. I didn’t have a tape measure on me so I had no clue how big the microwave was. Mr. Mihalcik told me to use a piece of paper as a guide. Genius. that’s why he’s a nuclear engineer and I’m not.

At 9:00am I left for the Marriott for the groomsmans breakfast we had scheduled at 9:30am. Before that there was some question as to how we were going to work this quiche surprise for Jay. Robert was worried that he was butting into the breakfast but I assured him he was not. Originally the quiche was going to be the breakfast but after Mr Mihalcik called and said they wouldn’t be done until 10am (the quiches were still frozen a bit) the surprise was let loose and we got breakfast afterall.

Attending the breakfast was me, Jay, David, Stephen. Robert, Scotty and Bryan. Mark showed up laster direct from the airport and direct from a 36 hour shift in Oregon. What a guy.

After breakfast Jay broke out the groomsmen gift which came packed in a metal case. Someone speculated that it might be a bunch of poker chips. I opened mine and found a bunch of cool barbecue tools inside. Spatula, cutting knife, tongs, fork. Very cool.

After that the Dominguez’s boys went to go pick up their tuxes (I gave them the directions out of my super folder.) They agreed to pick up Rob’s replacement vest and I went to go get Lillian some lunch. I couldn’t find a McDonalds so I stopped at a Wendy’s.

Back the Comfort Inn I quickly got dressed and then we went to the wedding. I dropped Debbie and Lillian off at the Mission and I continued onto the Admiral Baker clubhouse.

I was the second one at the clubhouse after Alex’s friend’s Naomi’s husband. He recognized me by the tux and felt relieved because he thought he was at the wrong place. We chatted for awhile and then the rest of the guys and gals showed up. We hung out until the trolley came and then got on board.

The trolley took us to the Mission where we deboarded and then met up with the photographer for the professional groomsmen shots. Then Jay and I headed into the priest’s chambers and waited for the wedding to begin:

I should probably mention that Jay’s voice was completely shot due to a weeklong sickness he’d been going through. In the photo above Jay is drinking some water the priest had given him. I asked if it was Holy Water. Jay mentioned that it came out of the blessed gold cistern so I think that perhaps it was.

The wedding could not have gone smoother with Lillian and Megan actually walking down the aisle with Janice. I remembered the rings and Alex and Jay were happily married. We hung out at the church after for photos and then we piled into the trolley and headed to Balboa Park for more photos at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion.

After the photos we trollied back to the Admiral Baker clubhouse and joined in on the reception. I set up a slideshow of current photos on the laptop and shortly after the wedding party was introduced. I walked in with Lillian.

The reception was a ton of fun. Debbie and I got the steak and Lillian got the chicken fingers kids meal which we made sure didn’t have any egg. Ari liked it so much so stole a few fries off of it. After the dinner they projected the slide show and that led into a toast by Alex. Jay was supposed to say something too but his convenient bout of laryngitis prevented him from talking.

I was up after Alex’s toast and I was more or less prepared. Debbie and a few other people were a bit worried about what I was going to say but I think I did a pretty good job. Janice did her toast next as did Mr Mihalcik. My champagne glass was drained by the end.

At around 9pm or so I took Debbie and Lillian back to the Comfort Inn and then I headed back and tried to talk to as many people as possible. The reception ended at about 11pm with the lighting of the sparklers and Jay and Alex leaving in a messily decorated car (which I had NOTHING to do with by the way.)

After the reception ended I got hungry so I ended up driving all around Hillcrest and University Heights looking to see if anything late night was open. Finally I ended up at In-n-Out and ordered a cheeseburger animal style. As I sat there waiting for it to come out some guy walked by me and off my tux said, “Hey, you look slick man.” Perfect way to end the night.

Because of my later night last night we didn’t get up as early as I would have liked to. I think I was up at 7:00am or so and Debbie’s back was hurting her so I got dressed and went to the CVS in Hillcrest for Tylenol and Propel’s. After I returned we hit breakfast at about 7:45am. Big mistake. When we reached the front area before the free breakfast room we saw that it was PACKED. We had to wait in a long line to get our stuff. The early bird does get the worm. Or the free breakfast in this case.

After breakfast we went over to the Alamo agency to put Debbie’s name on the rental agreement. Because the next two nights were going to run long with the rehearsal dinner and the wedding reception, I thought it would be a good idea if Debbie could drive the car too in case Lillian had to head back early. After that was done we decided to drive by the nail salon I had found to see what time it opened. I also wanted to find the Jamba Juice it was supposed located near. It turns out they were pretty much located next to each other. The nail salon looked open as well however I remembered the night before that Lauren also wanted her nails done and Debbie thought it would be cool to do it side by side so I called her. She said she was eating breakfast but would be ready in 10 minutes so we swung by and picked her up.

Debbie and Lauren got manicures while Lillian and I sat in the car and watched cartoons. When we were done we dropped in to say Hello and then we grabbed some Jamba Juices. I got a Pink Star with a protein boost and I got Lillian a Peach Perfection with a vita boost. Debbie and Lauren were done soonafter and we headed back to the hotel.

At 10:30am or so I grabbed David, Stephen and Robert and we went to pick up our tuxes. Jay was supposed to come but he was busy splitting full names into seperate columns for an Excel spreadsheet. We drove up the 163 and exited at Clairmont Mesa Blvd. I had a bit of trouble finding it at first but after we located it we were set with no mishaps - except that Robert’s vest was mismeasured and didn’t fit. He would have to get a replacement tomorrow.

After we returned we rounded up the gang and headed for lunch. Kristin had mentioned the night before that she wanted sushi. Not being one to reject sushi I began to look up decent sushi places on Yelp and found one that we had passed the day before called the Sshi Deli. I thought the name was a bit strange but in my experience oddly named sushi places were always awesome so we headed over. After wrangling some parking we made it. Lillian wanted a hot dog so I headed to Weinerschitzel while everyone else waited for an open table.

At last we were seated. I noticed a ton of rolls on the menu - many of them were wittily named - such as the Shrimp Killer, the Crunchy Roll and the Keith Special Roll. I also noticed they were really inexpensive so I expected them to be small. I think everyone else did too because we ordered a TON.

Lucky for us the rolls were gigantic and delicious. We had a ton of sushi going around and more coming because Jay had phones in an order as well. It turns out that he didn’t really need to because we had a ton left over. I hope he enjoyed it.

After lunch I dropped David and Lauren off and then we headed back to the Comfort Inn so Lillian could nap. I zonked out for an hour or so and at around 4:00pm I decided to hit University Heights and hit the Neighborhood Boutique, a joint I had read about on Yelp.

The Neighborhood Boutique was located on the corner of Park and Monroe and I was there more or less for Worn Free T-Shirts. The woman who ran the place, Christine was very helpful and I ended up with a dark shirt with art by Irish artist Jim Fitzpatrick. Before checking out I found out that Christine was from New Hope and I told her that her place would have fit in great there as well.

After that I drove around University Ave trying to find a place where I could buy a necklace for Debbie. She had forgotten hers at home so I was looking for something that looked cool yet was reasonably priced. I would up at a place called Studio 12 20 and bought a gold necklace with crushed pearls.

I stopped breifly at one of the weirdest McDonalds ever (I was given change mainly in quarters) and then we got dresed and headed to the Mission where the rehearsal was to take place.

We arrived at the Misson at about 6:10pm and noticed that nobody was there yet. I began to worry that maybe we were at the wrong part of the Mission or something. The rehearsal wasn’t scheduled until 6:30pm but I figured maybe some of the family would have shown up early. Not so. At around 6:25pm people started showing up including the Dominguez family who I had not seen in awhile. I reintroduced Debbie to Scotty and Bryan and Joe and their wives and girlfriends. Jay arrived and we began the rehearsal which took about an hour or so. The on;y things I had to remember were to escort Janice to the altar, present the rings and get out of the way when needed.

After the rehearsal we hung around and yapped and then we gave a ride to Casa Guadalajara to Bryan and Lydia. Upon arrival we saw more people including the Moores and Hoovers and Toohey’s. Very very cool. Debbie wanted to get Lillian home so I drove them back to the Comfort Inn and then headed back and ate. Dinner consisted of carnitas, fish, enchiladas, mole and salad. Dessert was flan and churros. I brought Debbie back 3 churros to go with the to-go plate we made her. I hugn out at the rehearsal dinner until the end and then headed back.

I had always planned to get up early on our second day in San Diego, taking into account not only the time difference but also my excitement level. I think I was up by 5:30am and I hopped in the shower at 6am. At 6:30am or so we headed down the hall to check out the free ontinetal breakfast offered by the Comfort Inn. Surprisingly it was not too bad. the breakfast was served buffet style in a fairly spacious dining area with muffins, danishes, bagels, white and wheat toast, coffee, juices from a machine, hot chocolate, hard boiled eggs, fresh fruit and cereal. I loaded up on a hard boiled egg, cereal, toast, coffee and a banana. Lillian enjoyed cereal, fruit and a bagel:

So for anyone who puled this up on a search for reviews on the Comfort Inn and Suites on Hotel Circle in San Diego, consider this a glowing review of their free breakfast.

After breakfast we headed down the 163 on our way to visit PETCO Park. The traffic was kind of bad so I bailed out at Washington St and we took local streets down. We found street parking in the Gaslamp Quarter and walked to the park.

I really wanted to take a stroll around the park and perhaps check out the Park at the Park. We passed the Park at the Park gate near Left Field and sadly there was a sign that said it was closed (but oddly enough it said that it was open from sunrise to sunset and it was definitely sunrise). We kept going and reached the front entrance of the park. As we passed the ticket office I noticed it was open so I stopped in and got a pocket schedule. As we reached the Center Field gate for the Park at the Park I noticed that it was indeed open. Very cool. We walked in and saw that the park was fairly huge and that you could walk right down the The Beach area and hang out mere inches from center field. A guard standing around encouraged us to take Lillian down to the sand and then the playground farther down. So that’s exactly what we did.

It was pretty cool that you could get that close to the field. It was also cool that there were open air bleachers next to the beach sand and that huge park behind it.

After hanging out at the Beach for a bit we went over to the park and the playgorund equipment. Lillian climbed on the playground equipment and slid down the slides and then we decided to run the bases at the miniature park they had built back there.

Our meter was running out so we decided to head back. On the way there I decided I had to hit a bathroom so we stopped into a World Market where they were doing a fortune cookie promo. Open up your cookie and see how much of a discount you get. There was a lot of great stuff in there but sadly I didn’t have the room.

Kristin and the gang were up and ready so we headed over. We did make a stop at Jamba Juice however and Lillian got her first taste as she shared a Strawberry Whirl. I got a secret menu Strawberry Shortcake which was ok but paled to the almighty Pink Starburst.

We stopped for a bit up in room 401 at the Somerset Suites and then we were all off to the San Diego Wild Animal Park.

Or were we?

We got word just as we were about to leave that Kristin’s car battery had died. Luckily the maintenance guy at the Somerset had a set of cables and we were able to jump start Kristin’s Chevy somethingorother. She decided to take it back for a replacement so we went down Washington, took a left at Pacific and went back to Budget. While we were waiting for Kristin to get a replacement (a silver PT Crusier) I started to get hungry. I remembered that El Indio Fish Tacos was almost right around the corner so I started asking people if they were hungry. Ari was starving as was Stephen and everyone else. Perfect. After Kristin got her new car we headed up Sassasfrass, down Indio and went to El Indio.

I grabbed two of their famous fish tacos along with rice, beans and chips. Debbie got a enchilada verde. It was all fantastic.

After that delicious lunch we headed up the 163, down the very poorly marked 78 and to the Wild Animal Park. Thanks to my AAA membership we were all able to get 20% off. After entering we rented Lillian a cool stroller and we were off.

Jay called a bit into our trip at the Park and mentioned he was stopping over. We saw him upon exiting the rain forest.

Our passes to the park included a ride on the carousel so we went on. Lillian hated her last trip on a carousel so we were fairly cautious. As it turned out - she loved it:

After the Wild Animal Park we headed to In-n-Out and ate ourselves silly. Lillian wanted chicken nuggets which In-n-Out didn’t have so I ran across the street to McDonalds to get them.

This was Ari’s first In-N-Out experience and I think she enjoyed it. I didn’t put much of a dent in my Animal Fries so I passed them around.

Jay and Stephen took their orders to go because Jay was needed back at the Marriott. 45 minutes later we also left for the Marriott because the Mihalcik group was staying there for the rest of their trip. We zoomed down 15 and exited at Qualcomm Way and were soon at the Marriott.

Sadly, for whatever reason (mainly $$$) all the lots at the Marriott were pay lots so we were forced to park there. Upon entrance we met with Mr. Mihalcik who handed out the room keys. They were divvied up like this:

• Mr and Mrs Mihalcik: Room 525
• The boys: room 324
• Ari and Kristin: Room 201
• Lauren and Carrie: Room 504

There were a couple gum ups in this room plan. Mr. Mihalcik has specifically requested twin double beds in the last 3 rooms, however a choir and rowing group and hogged all those rooms so they were stuck with rooms with one king bed. Secondly, I believe he asked for them to be somewhat close to each other - which sadly they were not.

We hung out with Mr and Mrs Mihalcik and Aunt Mary for a bit in 525 and then took Lillian back for bath and bed time. Mr Mihalcik had announced his excitement over heading to the Corvette Diner so I told them I would meet them there.

At 8:30pm or so I got a text from Kristin saying that they were seated so I headed over. When I got there I was greeted by tons of neon and nostalgia. The place was much much bigger on the outside than it looked from the inside and a huge group of family was seated - the Moores, the Mihalciks and many aunts and uncles. It was a blast.

After dinner we got a call saying that David and Lauren had arrived so we took two cars over and picked them up at Terminal 1. On our way back Stephen wanted to pick up some hooch we drove around looking for a liquor store. We passed a grocery store called Food 4 Less and Ari’s eagle eyes spotted that they did indeed sell liquor. We picked up an 18 pack or Bud Light, something sweet for Kristin and a Mike’s Hard Limeade and hung out in 201. Jay stopped by a bit later and hung out. I checked out at 1:30am. Fun day indeed.

Just a quick note to say that Debbie, Lillian and I arrived safe and sound in SD at aboutr 3:45pm PST. Continental seems to be hitting destinations way early for me these days and I’ll put those early arrivals in the bank for future use.

The day began at about 6:00am when I got up. I headed out for bagel and prk roll sandwiches. On my way there I decided to hit the office to see if I could find my elusive metal sunglass case. It was the last thing I had to pack and I couldn’t find it. Figures. It was not at the office either. Luckily I did find it later at home buried in a Whole Foods bag with my XM radio stuff.

We left the house at about 8:45am and got to the airport at a shade before 9:30am. No traffic. I grabbed a $3.00 SmartCart, loaded it up and waited as Debbie and Lillian parked the car in P6 and trammed it over. I read a few pages of the still-yet-to-be-finished-by-me Moneyball. Debbie and Lillian arrived 20 minutes later and we checked in with no problems. We even got whisked to the coveted Elite Blue carpet security line.

Terminal C1 was pretty awesome with a full on food court and tons of shops. Lillian had lunch at a McDonalds and Debbie and I split a chicken margurita panini. The McDonalds featured their menu on a bunch of plasma tv’s. The only problem with this was that most of them were plugging some stupid combo or something and none of them listed their regualr menu items. I had no clue what they were charging for a 6 piece McNugget, small fries or a regular hamburger - which is what I was ordering for Lillian.

After lunch we were right on time for pre-boarding with a kid. We seated ourselves in 22 A, B and C, attached Lillian’s very high card seat (so high the tray didn’t come down all the way) and we were set. Lillian started out by taking a 2 hour nap and then we had her open travel presents that Debbie had wrapped for her beforehand. A few episodes of Dora and Wubbzy later (plus a brief look out the window) and we were here.

One word about the airplane lunch. This is what it looked like:

I’m kind of used to airplne food looking and tasting like crap but usually by that point I’m so glad to actually be inflight that I usually don’t care. The lnch consisted of an iceberg lettuce salad with lite Ranch dressing, a bag of crunch chips, Pepperidge Farm crackers and something called a beef and cheese sandwich which came with a packet of ketchup. I think it was supposed to be a hamburger of some sort? I started to eat mine and Debbie asked me how it was. I shrugged and told her it was OK. She took two bited of hers and stopped. Later she told me that she wasn’t alone.

Our bags came out faster than I had ever seen and then I took the Alamo rental shuttle alone to pick up the car. Ali at the counter asked if I was here for business or pleasure. I told him it was a wedding. Ali asked if I had tried to talk the groom out of it yet. I had to explain to him that I loved both the groom and bride which brought his co-worker over to explain that Ali had been twice or thrice married and divorced. Enagaging in conversation seemed to have worked out. I got a Midsize car upgrade at a special rate.

Next stop - In-N-Out on Sports Arena Blvd. I had no trouble getting back onto Pacfic Blvd but I made a premature turnoff before Rosecrans. A few minutes later we arrived and I was back in burger heaven. The order was as follows:

• Me: #2 animal style with animal style fries
• Debbie: #1 with regular fries
• Lillian: Hamburger with pickles and ketchup

Lillian dug the many pickle chips they put on the burger and she liked the fries. As for my animal fries - see for yourself:

Lillian looks a bit freaked in this photo. That is a lot of burger goodness:

After dinner we headed over to Target to grab a Pack-n-Play bed for Lillian, a 60 count pack of diapers and some hair detangler spray that we haven’t seen on the East Coast.

Currently we’re holed up in the Comfort Inn in a kids suite which includes a separate kids room with a set of bunk beds. Lillian can’t sleep in the bunk beds yet but she’s treating them like a playground right now.

I’m about to head out to dessert with the Mihalciks and then I’m hoping Stephen, Ari, Kristin and I can hit up the Tractor Room for drinks.

——-

The week later update:

After driving to the wrong Comfort Inn & Suites (there’s an identically named place literally a mile away) the Mihalcik’s arrived at our hotel. Debbie went down to chat with the for a bit and then Stephen stopped up before we both headed out. The Mihalcik’s had wanted to check out the Hotel del Coronado at Coronado island and have dessert. So we headed down the 8, then the 5 and over the big Coronado bridge.

The hotel waqs magnificent. Full of old school charm, chandeliers, dark wod and even a operator driven elevator with a screen. We had dessert in the restaurant downstairs. Stephen got the creme brulee - proclaimed by Mr and Mrs Mihalcik as the best creme bruleee ever. Mrs. Mihalcik got the apple crisp and Mr. Mihalcik and I shared the towering Red Velvet cake:

This is sort of a forced perspective shot, however the cake really was about that big.

After dessert and coffee, we all rode the elevator up one level and then Mr Mihalcik dropped Stephen and I off at the Comfort Inn. i drove him the rest of the way back to the Somerset Suites and we then waited for the rest of the gang to arrive - which they did at about 10:30pm.

Carrie and Robert were starving so I called around to see what was open. In-N-Out was open until 1am (but Carrie doesn’t eat burgers) and The ractor Room was closed. Rob and Carrie wanted to explore ANDF eat so we piled into the rented Pontiac G6 and drove around Hillcrest until we found something open. A few blocks down we saw place called the Crest Cafe that was still open so we stopped in. It was 11:50pm and the joint closed at midnight. The proprieter said that if we could order in 10 miniutes he would seat us. No problem.

I just ordered a fruit plate. Stephen had a grilled vegetable sandwich, Rob got a chicken pot pie and Carrie also got some kind of sandwich that came with some really fantastic fries. I would have stolen more but I was stuffed. The food came out so fast it was almost as if a psychic had seen us coming.

After that extra meal I dropped everyone off at the Somerset Suites and called it a night.

Debbie, Lillian and I are headed to California for a week to hit jay and Alex’s wedding. While we’re there we’ll be driving up to LA for about 3 days to take in the family, scenery and Pink’s hot dogs.

I’m hoping to hit the following while I’m down there. Anyone in the area please feel free to join in.

In N Out… In N Ouuuuut. That’s what a hamburger’s all about!

After hitting the tarmac at 4:10pm PST, picking up our checked baggage (hopefully) and grabbing our Alamo Econobox this will be our very first stop. There’s one on the corner of Rosecrans and Sports Arena Blvd not too far from the airport. My order - Cheeseburger animal style, Animal style fries and a Coke. I might have to go Double-Double depending on how hungry I am.

An In-N-Out employee from Northern California once told me that Animal Style fries were a huge pain in the ass to make. It’ll probably result in me waiting a few extra minute in line but I don’t care. If they had a tip jar there a la sushi chef style I’d put in a buck.

For the record, here’s a comprehensive, illustrated guide to the In-N-Out secret menu.

And In-N-Out’s somewhat bland “official” menu.

PETCO Park

Although the season won’t be up and running yet I’d like to get a quick glimpse at PETCO Park. I’m hoping to see the Western Metal Supply building from the outside and maybe wander around the Park at the Park. Chances for a errant baseball? Probably none.

Hash House a Go Go

In my San Diego research the Hash House kept coming up as the best breakfast in San Diego. This was not only because of the high quality of the food and atmosphere but also the legendary portions. I also got an timely, unsolicted e-mail from a friend raving about the Las Vegas branch. I’m hoping to hit this Friday morning.

The above photo is an item off their lunch menu - a hammered pork tenderloin sandwich. You can’t even see the bottom bun.

The Tractor Room

From the creators of Hash House comes The Tractor Room. I believe they’re located right across the street from one another. The Tractor Room serves such unique dishes as Free Range Buffalo Stew, Wild Boar Stew and Venison Meatloaf. They also have what appears to be a sweet, sweet bar with a ton of cocktails.

The full menu is here.

The Tractor Room Drink Menu

San Diego Chicken Pie Shop

I tried to get a chicken pie in Anaheim when I was in LA a few months back but it didn’t work out (I had lunch at The Ivy instead - yeah it was a compromise allright) and I was happy to see this place listed over at Roadfood.com. For $4.40 you get a chicken pie, mashed potatoes and gravy, vegetables, cole slaw and a slice of pie. Awesome deal. And just look at the place. Super-cool.

DaKine’s Plate Lunches

Plate lunches are big among surfers in Hawaii because their large portions provide calories. They usually consist of some kind of meat, rice and macaroni salad. Dakine’s has Kalua Pig (not cooked in an undergound Uni), Loco Mocos, chicken katsu and tons more. Kim Chee comes upon request. And if you’re really hard core, the have Spam Musubi’s.

Neighbourhood Boutique

Neighbourhood got a great rating over at Yelp.com as a top notch boutique that carries both mens and women’s gear.

Mister Tiki’s Mai Tai Lounge

I remember the disappointment I felt when I first arrived in Columbus, OH only to find out that the local Tiki joint, Kahiki, was no longer there. This place looks like it might sort of make up for it with it’s oversized shared drinks and Polynesian food.

Corvette Diner

I’m trying to get everyone here on Thursday night for a group dinner. From the looks of it, this is as close to Jack Rabbit Slim’s as any place is going to get. Let’s go.

Other spots

I’ve mapped out a Jamba Juice already so I can grab a cheap morning wheatgrass shot and there’s also a place nearby called the Green Tea House which features an avocado bubble drink. I’m also hoping to hit the Gaslamp nightlife.

Los Angeles Spots

I’d like to hit the Griddle or Hugo’s for breakfast in LA, have dinner at Senor Fish, hit Mister Freedom and try on some APC New Standards at American Rag and this:

That’s an order of Pastrami Chili Cheese fries at The Hat in Alhambra.