(The hubs at the gates of the pier - look at those guns!)
(I knew if I looked hard enough...)
(Me, completely oblivious to my impending face-only sunburn.)
(A little eye-candy from a mosaic octopus at Mission Beach.)
(A little piece of Gallup on Mission Beach - represent!)Another day, another beach. Or so you would think. Actually, in a bout of incredible vacation laziness, instead of the pix of Balboa Park I hoped to show you here are photos of us exploring more of the beach.
We started strong, after sampling the pancakes at the hostel I looked at several driving routes via Google Maps and we headed out to Mission Beach. Once there, we walked up the boardwalk and at World Famous I wanted to stop for some coffee. Yeah, coffee.
My crab-cake Florentine was amazing (I know you're jealous, Mom) as was the fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice. Pete enjoyed an omelet (quel surprise) despite being definitely not hungry 10 minutes before. There may or may not have been chiabatta toast.
The beach then beckoned so I pulled out my towel and parked myself on the sand. I had the Swell Season (thanks, Keopu!) playing on my iPod and the newest issue of Bust with Rashida Jones on the cover. Life was good. (Oh, and there may have been a shark. I thought it was a dolphin, but the world may never know.)
Later, we walked up to the first-aid station, where I spotted the octopus, and out on the pier. We headed back on the boardwalk and attempted to leave for Balboa Park but actually ended up in a coffee shop. Then, more walking, and decided that we both needed a nap.
Back at the hostel for naps and a shower.
The Hubs wanted a snack after that exhausting work out, so we went back to Newport Ave and found a taco shop. He ordered a fish burrito and I nachos, both of which turned out to be gigantic. At this point, we ruled out the fancy shmancy restaurant for dinner and headed out towards the beach. Ocean Beach is just a straight shot, so we walked around towards the pier and found amazing sandstone tide pools. This was probably my favorite momment of the whole day.
As it got chillier, we voted to return to the hostel but we wanted some chocolate caliente first. Dos chocolates calientes were forthcoming from, yet again, the lovely Ortega's who fixed them fresh on the crowded stovetop in a large metallic pitcher. (I forgot to mention that we also picked up some chocolates and fudge - addicts!)
Back at the hostel, for some reason I couldn't sleep until midnight, darn that free wifi! Woke up this morning to the sound of repetive planes taking off and a distinctly pink and tingly face. Darn my pale-skinned ancestors! (And I thought I had a tan!)
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