Chick Trip

When I was about 7-8, my mom decided that she wanted to start taking each my sister and I on weekend getaways each year for some one-on-one time. While my sister liked exploring a new city each year, I quickly fell in love with Carmel-by-the-Sea, and insisted that we return each year, stay in the same hotel, eat at the same restaurants, and browse the same shops. Did my Mom get a little tired of that? Probably. But she humored me, and we've stuck with it, going nearly every year.

Not only do I love Carmel, but it seems to run in my blood. My grandmother and grandfather used to visit every year and even my parents enjoyed vacation there before I was born.

As I've gotten older and my mom's parents have fallen in and out of health, it's been harder scheduling our "chick trips". The last time we went was almost 5 years ago, so we were way overdue.

The whole trip was supposed to be a surprise for my mom, but that went out the window pretty quickly when my dad missed the "secret" memo. She was ecstatic, nevertheless, and it gave us both something to look forward to for months.

On Saturday, I flew up to Sacramento, where Mom picked me up and we headed for Carmel, making a stop for wine tasting and to pick up a few bottles at a winery in Livermore before battling traffic down to Carmel. We arrived to find our little hotel unchanged (a relief after finding out that it was now being managed by a company that runs a lot of BnBs). The same manager that has been running the inn was still at the front desk! We unloaded the car and sighed in contentment. We were finally on vacation!

The Coachman's Inn

That evening we wandered around the quaint town, stopping for dinner at our favorite restaurant, Club Jalapeno, before heading back to our room to soak in the hot tub and relax. After sleeping in the next day (which we almost never do), we had a quick buffet breakfast and headed to Monterey to get some shopping in.

For dinner on Sunday night, we decided to head over to the Carmel Mission Ranch, which is owned by Clint Eastwood. It had been a favorite spot of my grandmother's but neither my mom nor I had ever eaten there. We were absolutely taken by the beautiful property and the rustic restaurant. It seemed as if nothing had changed since the 60's and yet everything was immaculate. Our filets were perfect and paired with fresh asparagus and delicious potato gratin. The drinks and dessert were delicious as well. We toasted to Grandma and Grandpa and enjoyed every minute at their favorite spot.

The most delicious filet!

The next morning we said goodbye to our lovely inn and headed up the coast to Santa Cruz so I could get a quick moment with my old college campus and we could visit my aunt before heading back up to the airport to drop me off. UCSC was on Spring Break, so the campus was quiet and absolutely beautiful in the drizzle and gloom. It's just how I love to remember it. After a walk around Porter College (and a quick call to my college friend, Tim, to tell him where I was), I grabbed a requisite "Squiggle Picture" and we headed to lunch.

One of the many beautiful murals adorning Porter College

The Squiggle!

The drive up to Sacramento was one of the rainiest, scariest, most traffic filled drive I've ever had from Santa Cruz. It was a relief to finally get to the airport and stop worrying about if the traffic was going to make me miss my flight.

I couldn't have asked for a better weekend. It was so refreshing to get out of the city and see greenery and open spaces. I relish the time that I got to spend with my mom, and so look forward to planning our next getaway!

Mama and I