The Golden State

June 15 – June 25, 2018

Age: 3 Months

What a fun adventure! Mom and Dad took me across the country to San Diego, CA (they’re lucky I’m such a good little guy) for a trip with mom’s side of the family. Unfortunately, no direct flight from CLE meant about a 6.5 HR journey for my first time flying; however, with two three hour flights it meant I got to eat at take off and landing making for a smooth trip (for those traveling with infants this can help avoid altitude issues with ears). I was excited to earn my wings!! We arrived into downtown San Diego around 1:30PM on Friday. After getting settled at a new urban style Marriott Vacation Club property which was great for all of my needs (included a kitchenette, pack n play, etc.) while out of town (Pulse), we headed out to explore the Gaslamp District. We had fun checking out the town, noticed several Bird scooters and rental bikes scattered around the area, and decided to grab an earlier dinner as our tummies worked to get adjusted to Pacific Time. The family had a nice meal at Cafe Seville which included a collection of tapas (olives, papas bravas, brussel sprouts) and family style paella. Even though everyone was plenty full, after some more strolling through the Gaslamp District we decided to stop into the famous Donut Bar in town ranked among the list of “10 Best donut shops in the USA” by USA Today. Amazingly Mom & Dad found their beers to pair well with the creme brûlée and toasted pineapple donuts shared before calling it a night! The next morning was spent at Cafe 21, a tasty brunch for Mom & Dad, before Mom got a little wild and decided to undercut her hair at a local hair hot spot (Floyd’s 99 Barbershop). After a relaxing morning in San Diego it was time to head north into the mountains to our rental home for the week (near Elfin Forest, CA).

We kicked off the weekend with a few days relaxing poolside (I’m still not so sure about the water), celebrated Dad’s first Father’s Day (thanks for the matching polos, Vineyard Vines!) and on Monday evening Mom & Dad had a date night in downtown San Diego that included a stop for a cocktail at Cloak & Petals and unique farm to table menu at Juniper & Ivy.

Tuesday was fun, as the entire group of us took a wine tour of Temecula (translated to “Where the sun shines through the mist”). En route we cruised along the “Avocado Highway” – home to where 60% of all US’s avocado produce is harvested. Yes – I’m not quite old enough to enjoy wine tours they way you might; but, I still had a great day…and, believe it or not you CAN card me. Mom and dad got me a State ID to make travel with me a little easier (no need to pack the Social Security Card or Birth Certificate). Our day included tours and tastings at Frangipani Winery, Wilson Creek Winery (mom’s new favorite, Almond Champagne), Falkner Winery, and Callaway Winery. The patio at Franipani was perfectly relaxing with a picture perfect view, we enjoyed the in-depth tour at Wilson Creek, lunch at Pinnacle (Falkner) was lovely, and the atmosphere and sights at Callaway made for a nice conclusion of our day.

The rest of our low key week was spent laying low and lounging at our rental house – the adults enjoyed massages one day, the guys made a trip out to Stone Brewing, we had a surprise water ballon fight and the adults even tried adult popsicles. We greatly appreciated a few meals catered in (plus one interactive cooking night for us to participate!) by local private chefs that were outstanding (a special thank you to Cynthia from Culinary Cultivation for great conversations, incredible presentation, and simply delicious meals), and Mom and Dad made a trip to In N Out Burger with me!

Before returning to San Diego for the start of our return we made a day visit to the darling city of La Jolla. Unfortunately, it was a heavy cloud cover day; but, lunch at Georges at the Cove and views of the beach front were still lovely. Those silly sea lions were entertaining! As we got back into San Diego that evening, we had fun strolling through town before getting settled at the Omni. That evening we had delicious tacos at Puesto’s located in the original Police headquarters – great overall vibe, outstanding service, and excellent food/drink making it a fun family evening before retiring for the night.

Our last day of vacation was spent at Coronado with the absolute perfect weather. We kicked off the day with brunch at the famous Hotel del Coronado – what a charming property (Some Like It Hot was filmed here, and President Nixon held the first “offsite” State Dinner here in 1970). Dining in the lavish Crown Room was quite the experience due to the presentation of the food and stunning architectural elements. Although I still stick to the house white; Mom & Dad really enjoyed a robust collection of their favorites – sushi, crab legs, shrimp, prosciutto wrapped melon, brisket, creme brûlée, chocolate covered strawberries, and more! Friends – this brunch also includes bottomless mimosas/bloody mary’s. Enjoy!! Following a leisurely meal, we took in the views at the property’s beachfront which is ranked one of the top beaches in the US. Although, I’m still warming up to water (YES – that’s me screaming with my toes in the Pacific Ocean) I must agree the beach was beautiful. Mom & Dad joked with me that this was all for me turning 3 months old 🙂 Later that afternoon, we simply enjoyed walking through the rest of the island of Coronado from little souvenir shops, to a local flower cart, bike shop, library, etc. until we made our way to the Ferry docks. Although I slept through my first Ferry ride, Mom and Dad enjoyed the alternate route back to our hotel. After such a big meal earlier in the day, Mom and Dad weren’t very hungry for dinner so they enjoyed some light Greek appetizers (tasty cilantro jalapeño hummus, etc.) at Meze before sharing a couple loukoumades since we missed attending the Greek Festival at home.

What a great city to explore! I’ll look forward to returning when I can take part in the food scene and may be more excited about pools/the ocean 🙂

Ps. It’s apparently too hard to find mini flags for me to collect, so Mom & Dad have started a new collection for me! 🙂

For all future blogs, my parents will chime in with the section below that notes some of the products that made travel with me easier – hope it can help anyone else looking to travel with kids!

Mommy & Daddy’s Must Haves:

Munchkin Formula Dispenser – although it takes quite a few pours to get all the powder out of the dispenser, this made it possible to stay mobile!
Dr. Brown’s Sanitizer Bags – great way to sanitize my bottles on the go. Just need access to a microwave. They’re also reusable for up to 20 times!
Dr. Brown’s Transition Bottle with Sippy Spout – although I love my day-to-day bottles, my crazy family made their wine tour “flamingo” themed. Dr. Brown’s makes a bottle that even allowed me to partake in the fun! Can’t wait to use this bottle again when I’m ready to transition to a “sippy spout!” Mom simply replaced the nipple and added the traditional bottle pieces I currently use to this special design.
JJ Cole Pacifier Pod – Mom and Dad keep this strapped to my carseat or diaper bag for extra quick access. This was perfect to help sooth my ears when our plane changed altitude due to turbulence and I had already eaten. Our family keeps a few of these around for diaper bag, car caddy, car seat, etc. I don’t even use a pacifier often; but, it’s a must when needed and we’re on the go.
Welltop Mini Fan – Extra powerful, compact, easy to bend around various locations (stroller, car seat, etc.) and charges with a USB plug compared to other baby fans on the market. It’s blades are not foam like most baby fans; so, position carefully to avoid your little one making direct contact. The soothing breeze is well worth getting creative on placement!
Shacke Pack Travel Cubes – As a little guy, I often need quite a few things. This travel system allowed Mom & Dad to organized my stuff by clothes, bottle stuff, bath/toiletries bedding/towels, etc. keeping everything easy to find and compact.