Carlsbad Village in California

On October 30, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn California8 Comments

If you are looking for a relaxing stay along the Pacific coast in California, then visiting Carlsbad might just be the perfect choice for you. Located about 30 miles north of San
Diego, Carlsbad is a resort town with many restaurants, public beaches, and a very walkable downtown area which is called Carlsbad Village. We spent close to a week there and enjoyed walking the beach, watching sunsets, and even went on a wine tasting tour. On Wednesday’s, the heart of the village shuts down to allow for a farmer’s market with a variety of fresh fruit, vegetables, art work, and other local items for sale. We also happened to be there the weekend before Halloween and the local shops provide candy and a safe environment for families to go trick-or-treating.

Carlsbad Village is certainly charming with a variety of architecture from typical beach-style buildings to some old-world type buildings. There are many different shops offering boutique clothing, beach clothes, gift items, as well as unique artwork. There are as many restaurants as there are shops offering a variety of meal choices. Although you can certainly find any type of food that you might want, the majority of restaurants offered seafood, Mexican food, and Italian. We had some wonderful meals during our stay.

Clearly the beach is the highlight of going to Carlsbad and if you are a surfer, you won’t be disappointed. It was a little too cool while we were there to swim in the ocean as the fog rolled in every morning and didn’t always burn completely off keeping the temperatures low. That didn’t keep us from walking along the beach though, watching the surfers, and making sure to catch some beautiful sunsets. Even in the off-season, the town got quite busy on the weekend as people from the surrounding areas come to take advantage of their beach properties.

We took a wine tour in Temecula where we visited four different wineries and tasted a wonderful variety of wines. Napa Valley certainly has the best known reputation for producing quality wines, but Temecula certainly has a right to be proud of their growing reputation. Not only do they have a lot of vineyards currently, the hillsides are being covered with new ones as the city has approved additional vineyards to be started. Although you can certainly drive yourself on a wine tour, it is best to let someone else do the driving. We tasted up to six types of wine at each vineyard, which even in small amounts is a lot of wine.

Carlsbad Village is definitely an enjoyable destination with a relaxing atmosphere. Beautiful beaches, friendly people, and all of the food and shopping make staying their a wonderful experience. There is also a train called the Coaster that will take you into San Diego if you want to spend some time their and go to Sea World, the world famous zoo, and other museums. Legoland is also a highlight of Carlsbad for those with children or just a child at heart.

Do You Want to Get Away?

On October 22, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn California11 Comments

Remember that airline slogan? That is definitely the feeling that we’ve been having lately and today we are finally getting that opportunity. We leave later today to start our trip to Carlsbad, California, which is a located about 30 miles north of San Diego. It will be our first time visiting this city on the coast and we are certainly looking forward to some relaxing days exploring what the area has to offer.

Sitting on the Tarmac During a Previous Flight

Sunsets on the beach will certainly be on our itinerary and we are looking forward to enjoying some fresh seafood as well. There is a railway system that runs between the coastal towns and San Diego, so getting into the city to see some of the sights there should be easy to do in addition to seeing Carlsbad. We look forward to sharing images from our trip while we are there, but forgive us if we aren’t consistent with our posts.

Looking Forward to a Pacific Ocean Sunset

A Perfect Getaway to San Francisco, California

On September 14, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn San Francisco14 Comments

A few years ago, we had the opportunity to spend a couple of days in San Francisco. From Chinatown, Fisherman’s Wharf, Alcatraz, to the Golden Gate Bridge, there are plenty of sights to be seen in the city of San Francisco. Clearly two days is not enough time to see everything that this wonderful city has to offer, but we took full advantage of the time that we had. It is a friendly city with a wonderful climate that seems to just make you feel relaxed and at home during your time there.

Sea Lions at Pier 39 in Fisherman’s Wharf

Grant Avenue, the Main Street in Chinatown

No visit to San Francisco would be complete without wandering the streets of Chinatown and exploring the shops and eating authentic Chinese food in one of the many restaurants. There are other cities with their own Chinatown districts, like New York and Chicago, but Chinatown in San Francisco is the oldest and largest in the United States. In fact it is the largest anywhere outside of Asia. Chinatown is a city within a city with its own vibrant culture and crowded and colorful streets.

The city is definitely very walkable, but there are a lot of hills, so you need to be in shape if you are considering that approach. A better option, however, is hopping on and off of the trolley cars as they are an excellent way to get around as well. Along with the Golden Gate Bridge, the trolley cars are one of the images that immediately come to mind when people think of San Francisco. They are also a great way to get to Fisherman’s Wharf, which is famous for its restaurants, boating excursions, sea lions, and family activities.

Pier 39, which is the pier with the most attractions in Fisherman’s Wharf, can be a full day’s worth of activities, with plenty to do during the day as well as at night. While we were there, we watched the sea lions play on the pier and had clam chowder and drinks at one of the many restaurants. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to take one of the tours out to Alcatraz Island, but there was no missing its presence out in the bay. We had driven over the Golden Gate Bridge on our way into the city, but it was even more impressive seeing it from the pier. As the day came to an end, the famous fog rolled in and engulfed the bridge. We were there in January, so as the day came to a close, the temperatures dropped quickly.

Fog Rolling in over the Golden Gate Bridge

There is a carousel in the center of the shops at the pier, which is colorful during the day, but even more so at night when the lights are all lit. We couldn’t resist the temptation to release our inner child and take a ride on the carousel. There was also an artist drawing caricatures, so we decided to sit and have one done of the two of us. We’d had them done of the kids in the past, but this was the first time we decided to do that for ourselves. There a many restaurants to choose from in Fisherman’s Wharf and we went to a couple, including Scoma’s Restaurant on Pier 47 for dinner.

San Francisco is definitely a destination that should be visited as it is beautiful and has so many things to see and do. We’ll definitely be back in the future to see more that the city has to offer, but any amount of time is worth spending in this wonderful city. Clearly, our night at Fisherman’s Wharf was the highlight of our stay, but dining and shopping in Chinatown will forever linger in our memories forever.