I made reservations at Ink for dinner on Thursday. I think Dad was a bit skeptical of the small plates style, but by the end he was full, and we were all raving about the smoked trout. And I still love the apple dessert with the burnt wood semifreddo. Then we drove up to the Observatory for some LA night views.
On Friday I decided we should go up to Santa Barbara and Solvang. I'd never been to Solvang, despite having close friends who grew up there, so I was overdue. We drove into the Danish town and headed towards the vintage motorcycle museum. Dad bought a bike a few years ago, so I figured he'd enjoy this.
It was closed when we tried to open the door, but we noticed a sign that said we could call and someone would come open the door for us. All of the bikes are owned by one guy, and his former girlfriend manages the place now, so she opened it up and gave us a little tour. It was really great chatting with her. There's some cool stuff in here, and I'd recommend a visit.
We kept walking through the town and probably stopped at a handful of bakeries. Yum.
After a few hours in Solvang (without so much as an ebelskiver), we headed back south for some Santa Barbara time before the sun went down. First stop, the mission and rose gardens.
We drove out onto the pier and then had dinner at La Super Rica Taqueria, of course.
On Saturday we went to the Farmers Market at the Grove for lunch, then drove down to Chocovivo to see the owner, Patricia, who had been our neighbor 25 years ago in Oklahoma. I'd been into her store previously, but had to take my parents by while they were in town. We had a lovely time catching up with her. So many memories! And if you're reading this and you're anywhere near LA, you must go. The frozen hot chocolates in the summer are just divine!
Mom really just wanted to go to the beach while she was in town, so we made that happen. Hello, Santa Monica pier.
We had dinner at my favorite 800 Degrees, where Trevor was supposed to meet us, but ran late. We managed a few bites together at home, then he and I took off with Jenn and roommate for the Above & Beyond acoustic show at the Greek. Haleigh's boss has season tickets to the Greek and couldn't use these tickets, so they ended up in my hands. Boy, was I glad about that. And with box seats and premium parking, that's the way to do it.
While taking mom and dad to the airport, I dropped my phone. The dreaded shatter. Don't you worry, I got an upgrade at Christmas.
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