Balboa Trails - Golden Hill Part 2 of 2

Hey There:

Many many many months ago I posted photos about one of the Golden Hill Trails, promising to post again once I did the whole 4 mile trail. And I've done it (several times) and I have the pictures, but I have the makings of a procrastinator and if I don't do something right away, it won't get done...for weeks or months in this case.

Now that we'll have more daylight it's time to leave the gym treadmill and use the natural really hard trails nature gave San Diego. So here are some of the photos I took of the path and I hope they are useful to you since I made quite a few wrong turns the first time I completed the whole trail. The pictures were taken late in the summer and most of the greenery is dried out. But this time of year and thanks to all the rain, the trail looks much nicer.

Continuing from my last post, once you get up that little hill, you'll end up walking for a bit on a residential street.

You'll pass through a park where you can normally see people on picnics and once I saw a wedding there and another time I saw a guy peeing in the bushes.

Then you continue on Upas Street just following the signs.

You will pass through another dog park, go across it to reach the next sign. This is where I made a mistake that cost me going up and down a hill.

Now starts one of my favorite parts of the trail. I know it looks like all dirt and desolate but....

...you can always count on cute military guys using the trails either jogging or on bikes.

Eventually you'll get to the intersection of Pershing and Florida/26th street.

And you continue on 26th street until you reach your destination. There are no signs here, and this is were I made another wrong turn, wanting to take a shortcut that nearly killed me because it was so steep.

Finally you'll reach the starting point, it takes me about 1 1/2 hours to do it. If you jog, have a long stride and don't stop to gawk at other joggers then you can make it in less time. Click Here to check out the map of the trail. From the map you'll see I've completed Trail #22, next one to complete will be Trail #23.

One of the most memorable things about walking these trails was the time I had to think about the book I'm writing. As I walked I thought about the plot, characters and many scenes. Had time to listen to several Audio-books and thanks to all those hills, my butt feel great!

Mardi Gras Dinner at Wine Vault Bistro

Hey There:

Last night my friend Bree, another friend and I went to Wine Vault Bistro, located at 3731-A India Street pretty much hidden since I go to Shakespeare's all the time and I've never seen this place.

The three of us met for their Mardi Gras Dinner which consisted of 10 courses paired with beer, wine and coffee.

The evening was very fun, since of course all we did was talk about men and interrupted our conversation in order to enjoy the amazing food.

First & Second Courses

Asparagus "Benedict" - Biscuit - Bearnaise - Poached Egg - Bacon Jam

Prickled Apricot - Hazelnut - Creme Fraiche - Watercress

Abita Amber Lager

Abita Amber Lager

Asparagus "Benedict" - Pickled Apricot

Third & Fourth Courses

Shrimp "Po Boy" - Braised Lettuce - Hot Sauce "mayo" - Pickles - Crostini

Dungeness Crab Cake - Creole Mustard Aioli - Pickled Pepper Relish

2008 Halter Ranch "Ranch White" Rhone White Blend

Shrimp "Po Boy" - Dungeness Crab Cake

Fifth & Sixth Courses

Gumbo - Crispy Braised Pork - Micro Celery

Andouille Sausage - Black Eyed Peas - Okra

2008 Sextant "Wheelhouse" Zinfandel (I bought a bottle of that!)

Gumbo - Andouille Sausage & Black eyed peas

Seventh & Eight Courses

Charred Strip Loin - Red Beans n' Rice - Onion Chutney - Fried Broccolini

Braised Short Ribs - Grits - Goat Cheese - Smoked Paprika Chimichurri

2006 Saddleback Cellars Merlot

Charred Strip Loin - Braised Short Ribs

Ninth & Tenth Courses

Brioche Beignet - Espresso Ganache - Steamed Milk

Housemade Cappuccino Truffle

Cafe Brulot Diabolique

Brioche Beignet - Truffle

Needless to say, every plate was almost licked clean. They offer this type of dinner on Saturdays as well, excellent food at great prices.

San Diego Fashion Bash 2011

Hey There:

Thanks to my connections as a MojoPages VIP Reviewer I received a free ticket for a Fashion Bash event in San Diego. These types of events are promoted by Sassy City Chicks and are offered in LA, NY, SF, Miami, Dallas, Las Vegas, Chicago and San Diego.

"Since 2001, The Sassy City Chicks Fashion Bash has grown from a typical trunk show sample sale, to a national shopping event held in 8 cities that showcases upwards of 50 + designers and over 100 labels at one single event."

This is the first event of this type that I go to and it was a lot of fun. It was held in a warehouse type building closer to the ballpark, very little foot traffic around that area until you reached your destination and there was a big line to get in. In spite of the amount of people everything was well organized. The lines went very quickly, the booze was great and everyone looked very fashionable.

Even though most of the clothing was in small sizes, I still managed to find some really cool tops and accesories. This time I didn't go near the spa area, but from outside I noticed people getting massages, airbrush makeup, hair-dos and the works.

The best part was the goody bag, when you go to one of these events make sure to get the ticket that includes the goody bag, well worth the extra $10. I got nail polish, samples of candy, gummy vitamins, panties from Frederick's of Hollywood, several things for nails, eye drops, lip balms.......and a Jack in the Box antenna ball (yeah, I know!)

So next year when they come back, go with lots of patience, your most comfortable fashion heels, plenty of spending money, deck yourself out in fashion and enjoy the evening!