San Diego

We left the city early the next morning, and went hiking through Muir Woods, where Giant Sequoias trees dwarfed everything they loomed over. We felt like ants compared to the enormous trees that seemed to stretch through the clouds. Finished with our morning exercise, we raced Southward to San Diego; our midway relaxation point.

We drove all day and all night, with one mission: to reach our beloved Rebecca Brooks Goldstein, with whom we've been separated for months.

We pulled up to her house around 1am and called her to come outside. Jojo and I ran to her, as she hurried, arms outstretched, down the middle of the street towards us. In the cool California night, we embraced in a triple hug, jumping up and down with joy. Somewhere in the distance, a stereo played Peaches and Herb's "Reunited;" and it felt so good.

We ended up staying nine days in San Diego; the perfect amount of time to shake off the road weariness from the northern leg of our country tour. Becca showed us around Balboa Park and took us to look out points where we could see the entire city, with the Pacific Ocean in the distance.

After our first day of activities, Becca took us to the ocean in time to see my first Pacific sunset.

Jojo had seen a few before, but it was an entirely new experience for me. All along the bike path on which we stood, bikers, joggers, drivers, surfers, skaters, and just about every other San Diego resident stopped in their tracks, and paused for a few moments to take in the sunset.

Once the sun had dipped below the horizon, everyone resumed their respective activities. Throughout our stay, sunsets became the highlights of our days.

We took a few breaks in our relaxation to do the typical tourist things. We went to Sea World, and the San Diego Zoo where we saw polar bears, penguins, and Shamu. We watched Sea Lions and Sea Otters perform comedy acts. We saw huge Sea Turtles, camels, elephants, and just about every other animal you could think of, above and below water.

We took a day trip to L.A. and visited the Chinese theater, the Kodak Theater,the Hollywood walk of fame, and the Hollywood sign. Jojo was reunited with her long lost love, Angelina, in Madame Tussauds Wax museum. The highlight of the day trip was when we went to a taping of Jimmy Kimmel Live. Jojo and I had seen a taping of Late Night with Conan O'Brien and were surprised how small his studio was. We we even more surprised when we saw that Jimmy Kimmel's studio was less than half the size of Conan's. From any seat in the house, you could throw something at Jimmy's feet.

His guests that night were Elizabeth Mitchell from "Lost," Miley Cyrus' boyfriend, and a stand-up routine by the one and only Kevin Nealon. It was a really funny experience. After the show, Becca drove us around to see more of the city. She took us through Beverly Hills, and drove us down Rodeo Drive, with Jojo hanging out the windows, psychotically stalking any celebrities she could find. Unfortunately, she had to settle for a few well-dressed shoppers instead. On our way back to San Diego, we stopped at an In-And-Out to see what all the rave was about. We arrived at Becca's house with a box full of burgers, and a few white paper hats; our day was complete.

Of course, our stay in a new city would't be complete without a stop at a D3, and San Diego had one with a lot of potential: the Studio Diner.

I ordered the Samson's Steak Sandwich: sliced and marinated prime rib, grilled with cheese, spinach, mushrooms, bean sprouts, and onions. Jojo had the Count of Monte Cristo: a battered and fried sandwich stuffed with turkey, ham, swiss & cheddar cheeses, served with raspberry preserves. Becca had the Pastrami Rueben. My sandwich was amazing, but Jojo and becca said theirs weren't setting the world on fire. 3 Burps. An interesting side note - we split a Crab Cake Benedict for the table. It was excellent.

All in all, San Diego was paradise. Pure relaxation and good people. Jojo felt the sudden urge to continue her studies, while I scoped out lawn prospects. You stay classy San Diego. We'll be back soon… maybe for good.