Petting a Jellyfish and Riding in a Gondola

Ah, Detroit in January. There’s nothing like it. Well, except for maybe…Cleveland in January. It’s cold and dreary and everything begins to feel a bit stale. As you may remember, last week we began our adventure to Southern California in search of some sunshine to beat the “drearies”. Our second day there, absolutely abolished that “stale” feeling. We started the day by petting a jellyfish and ended the day riding in a gondola! Join us as we unpack our second day in the sun along the California coast!

The Morning Stroll through Shoreline Park

Besides the sunshine, one of the BEST benefits of heading west is taking advantage of the time difference. Though we had a long day of travel the day before, we were fresh as a couple daisies and up by 6am Pacific Time. (Of course, this felt like 9am to our bodies. So win!)

We had time to burn before the aquarium opened so we took a few moments to walk around Shoreline Park. The biggest feature to see there is the light house, though we enjoyed checking out the marina and the benches along that path that celebrate the winners from each year’s Long Beach marathon. I wonder how many times one of those winners sat on their bench? If I won, I’d sit there ALL the time – like I OWNED it. (Of course, that could only happen if I were the only runner in the race.)

All the “Feels” at the Aquarium of the Pacific

We had the first time slot for entry at the Aquarium and from what I gathered…that was a good choice. It was a week day and the staff told us they were expecting over 700 elementary schools students on field trips that day. The plan became, get in, touch stuff and get out before the buses showed up.

I believe the octopus sensed I was disappointed she was curled up in the corner and put on a magnificent show. She darted from one side of her tank to the other over and over again before landing on the front glass and showing off all her tentacles. It would have only been better if she opened a glass jar or reached out to shake my hand.

AND then, I found one of the touching tanks. Now, there weren’t any octopi in there for me to play with but I touched anemones and star fish and sea cucumbers. The next one had rays and sharks and the last one…HAD JELLYFISH. I mean, what??!!

There was a docent by the tank who was more than happy to tell me everything he knew about jellyfish. And I was more than happy to let him keep talking while touching jelly after jelly! Look…I can’t NOT TOUCH. After the all the feels, it was off to Laguna Beach to see what was what.

Life at Laguna Beach

While Long Beach feels like a tourist / conference center area, Laguna Beach felt very artsy. (While remaining not fartsy, which is a hard balance to maintain.) First stop on the tour was lunch at the Laguna Beach Beer Company. They had a really tasty craft beer and really yummy food options.

Next we parked downtown and took in the sites. Okay, really we were looking for gelato but we saw some great art on the way.

We found our way to some excellent scoops of gelato and that we enjoyed while strolling on the beach.

Heading to Huntington Beach

We drove up the coast while singing along to The Beach Boys. (I mean, like what else?? Right??) The vibes at Huntington Beach were way more fun and “surfy”. Oh and look at the seal who was hanging out with all the surfers!

The Surprise Sunset Gondola Ride

On our way back to Long Beach, Stephen pulled into a Whole Foods. He said that he could use a little afternoon coffee and to use the rest room. When he came back from the water closet, he was carrying a paper bag. I knew something was up, but I didn’t ask. After all, I really like surprises so the longer I can prolong the suspense, the better!

Imagine my surprise when we pulled up to The Gondola Getaway for a sunset cruise. In the bag? A bottle of white wine and a box of crunchy pita chips. It was so beautiful as the sun went down, I asked the gondolier if he might be willing to go around the canal just one more time. Unfortunately, he had other things he had to do.

Calling it a Night at Ballast Point Brewing

Though it was getting late, it seemed wrong to pack it in so early. So we went to Ballast Point Brewing for just one more drink. And believe it or not…it really was JUST ONE. We call that “growth”. (Or may it’s just getting older. But I like “growth” better.

Thanks for joining us for our fun in the sun day in California. Who would have thought you could start the day petting jellyfish and end the day on a gondola?? Join us next week for the wrap up where we get a fix on Route 66.

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