Woman looking grumpy, standing next to a car in a snow storm.
California,  The Archives,  The places we've been

When Winter Gets You Down

February 22, 2024 /

January in Detroit can feel about 6 months long. It’s dark when you’re driving into work and it’s dark again at about 1pm. (Okay, well that MIGHT be a bit of an exaggeration.) But regardless, about two weeks after the Christmas decorations are put up we start to REALLY feel it – the longing for spring, the longing for the sun. Join us this week for the perfect remedy we found for when winter gets you down. (And as you may suspect, the solution involves plane tickets.)

The Surprise

Apparently Delta sent an irresistible offer to Stephen that included hotel, car rental and flights for less than the cost of the plane tickets alone. To boot – the destination was somewhere SUNNY. Even though Stephen is famous for revealing surprises early, all he told me was that I needed two days off and what the weather would be. For the record, I LOVE surprises so this worked for me!

Man and woman holding mimosas.
Cheers from the Delta Lounge
Plate with three slices of french toast, eggs with ketchup, and a glass of mimosas
Little breakfast before we go
Small glass with a brown liquid at the bottom. Cream liquid fills the rest of the glass. It’s a muddy buffalo.
The muddy buffalo

After a brief stop over in Salt Lake City, our destination was finally revealed – Long Beach, California. That’s right – SOCAL!

Looking out the window of a plane. You can see the wing and the Wasatch Mountains in the distance.
Sunshine over the Mountains

Touch Down and Surprise #2

The next surprise was the airport in Long Beach itself. Rather than pulling up to the building and having a jet bridge wheeled to the plane, we got off right on the tarmac. I rather felt like the Beatles landing in America. Except there were no screaming girls waiting for us, which was okay, really. Also the airport had more of an outdoor mall feel, with open spaces and palm trees in the courtyard.

Man walking out of a plane onto an outdoor ramp
Landing in Longbeach
Open air courtyard with palm trees. A woman is standing in it and smiling.
Courtyard at the airport

Evening Stroll and Dinner at the Lighthouse

A round building, lit with blue lights. There’s a row of palm trees in front of it.
The Pacific Ball Room
The Long Beach light house at night, lit with a green light.
Long Beach Light House at Night
Palm tree encircled with a string of white lights
Palm tree at night
A fence at a marina covered with locks
Locks of love

Once we unpacked, we got ready for the night and walked past the marina to Parker’s Lighthouse for dinner. Oysters, wine, warm air, and the view of the Queen Mary. I mean, this was ALL RIGHT.

Exterior of Parker’s Lighthouse restaurant
Parkers Lighthouse
Oysters in a half shell
The oysters at Parkers
Shore line at the Long Beach Marina which has a light house and Parkers Lighthouse restaurant
The Shore line at Long Beach Marina
The ocean liner, the Queen Mary, at night
The Queen Mary at Night

How about you?

So how about you? What do you do when winter gets you down? At the VERY LEAST, join us next week for more tales of sunshine, sea creatures, and surf. And if you haven’t already, consider subscribing for free. You’ll get first looks at what’s new along with content that’s only for our insiders. Oh, and follow us in real time on Instagram at The__Travel__Oracle. We will soon be heading to Las Vegas for our youngest 21st birthday. You won’t want to miss it!

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