French Crepe Company

We began our LA adventure with a late lunch/early dinner at the French Crepe Company in the Hollywood and Highland complex.

I love crepes for dessert and breakfast. I wasn't sure how I was going to like one for dinner. Janine, Colleen and Fernanda had a La Normandie crepe. It is filled with free range chicken, button mushrooms, carrots & green beans in a white dijon sauce. Daniella had a La Poissoniere crepe. It has smoked salmon, scrambled eggs, sour cream, capers, and chives. I had a special of the day a beef stroganoff creme with sirloin, mushrooms in a cream sauce.

After samples all around we decided that the La Normandie was the best. It was delicious and light. The La Poissoniere was a little too fishy for our liking. The stroganoff filling was delicious I would have just preferred it with egg noodles instead of a crepe.

The best was the dessert crepe. We share a La Napoleon where we got to pick three incredients to fill our crepe. We choose - nutella, bananas and walnuts. It was topped with whipped creme and was PHENOMENAL. I highly recommend it! So delicious. I bet it would also be great with strawberries. Then again I like to eat nutella with just a spoon.

Average price is $8-10. I definitely think this place is worth visiting. Check it out if you're in the area.

The French Crepe Company is also located in the Farmer's Marketing at 3rd and Fairfax.

PARKING TIP: If you're looking for a place to park in that area you really can't beat the Hollywood and Highland structure. With validation from participating shops and restaurants you can park 4 hours for $2. We ended up being there for 8 hours and paid $9 for parking. In LA that is a deal.

Blue Bayou

Tina, Janine, Lisa and I took advantage of our Disneyland passes and headed into the park to lunch at the Blue Bayou, inside the Pirates of the Carribean attraction in New Orleans Square.

I was afraid we were going to be distracted by those screamers, music and general noise from the ride but honestly I didn't hear anything. The ambiance was great. Dimly lit with overhanging lanterns it is cozy.

They are famous for their Monte Cristo sandwiches and au gratin potatoes. So that's what Tina and I ordered. Janine had the Jambalaya. Lisa ordered the pork chops. Average entree price for lunch is $21 - 32 dollars. Although many told us the food was just okay.

I hated my entree. It a deep-fried sandwich that had little to no meat on it. It was all dough and very dry. I guess that's why you're supposed to use the jelly, but I don't like ham and jelly. It was odd.

Janine didn't like hers either. The jambalaya had undercooked rice and was too spicy for her, even though she asked if it was mild when she ordered it. We were going to suffer through it until our waitress came to the table and asked us how our meal was. We all looked down at our plates. Should I say something? Should I not? So I eeked out, "the potatoes are great."

Everyone laughed. Then she asked, "Do you want something else? We're happy to exchange it for you." So we did. I ordered the tesoro chicken and Janine had the Mahi Mahi. We were much happier with our second choices.

Desserts on the other hand were extraordinary. We figured we were already spending a ridiculous amount of money to eat there we might as well have dessert. Lisa and I shared a Flying Dutchman Cookie Boat. Tina and Janine had the creme brulee trio. Our waitress kindly pointed out that both the treasure chest for the creme brulee and the mast on our ship were edible. But as Tina point out, "Just because its edible it doesn't make it good." Stick to the chocolate for sure.

Overall a delightful experience with very fun people. The service was excellent. I don't think I feel the need to go again, but if I did I'd just have an appetizer and some dessert. And if you have an annual pass don't forget to show it - you get a discount.

San Diego: Reprieve from the Heat

Today was our final day of site seeing and the end of our vacation together.

We decided to spend the night in San Diego since they have a morning flight out on Thursday. We got a great rate on Hotwire for a hotel in the downtown/harbor area of San Diego.

We've had such a good time. I think we all were a little mindful of the fact that it was our final outing.

We had a lazy morning. Mom and Dad finished packing, then an early lunch at the Corner Bakery. Home of the tastiest cinnamon creme coffee cake on the planet.

We didn't make it to San Diego until about 2 p.m. We checked into the hotel and then went to the harbor. My dad wanted to see the tall ships and we opted for a 2 hour harbor cruise on the Hornblower.

There are only two harbor cruise companies to choose from Harbor Excursions and Hornblower. They offer the exact same cruise, both in a one hour and two hour variety. We opted for the two hour tour of both the north and south bay on the Hornblower.

Why the Hornblower, we had a coupon from a tourist mag we found at the hotel, saving $2 a person. The tour itself was fine, but the narrator sucked. It didn't sound like he enjoyed his job all that much. But he was quick to ask for a tip. I hate that.

Our tour included: the navy ship yard, naval sub station, tall ships, coronado bridge, point loma, harbor and shelter islands, cabrillo national monument, and more. Being out on the water sure lowered our temperature. In our second hour I started to freeze. I was ready to be off the boat.

From there we opted for dinner in the Gaslamp district. Before heading back to the ethnic food wasteland known as Ohio my parents wanted one last Mexican dinner. They chose Fred's Mexican Cafe, voted best Mexican cuisine in San Diego.

The salsa is fantastic. With a hint of chipotle its the best I've had in a while. Mom had the enchiladas suizas, Dad had fajitas and I had chicken monterrey. All very good I would recommend it. As we were eating a friend of mine randomly walks by. It was great to see her and her new fiance. What a treat.

After dinner we walked around a little. Mom wanted to visit the Ghirardelli Store. Dad wanted to buy a Cuban cigar and I visited the ZGallerie. Everyone was happy.

I can't wait to get back to the Gaslamp area and explore some more. There are over 65 different restaurants, many museums, shops and clubs. So much to do.

Mad Maps

I just found a new source for day trip, scenic routes and off-the-beaten-path tours of Southern California, Mad Maps.

My trusty Real Simple listed it as a problem-solver under $6 in its August issue. These pocket-sized maps show seven scenic drives, out-of-the-way eateries, and other great places to stop and see the best that the area has to offer.

There are maps offered Los Angeles and San Diego. I'll have to check them out.

Farecast.com

Want to know the best time to book your flight for the lowest fare? I just discovered a web site that will help you do just that.

Farecast.com will help you determine the best time to buy your flight in the next 90 days. It will advise you to buy now cause fares are on the rise or wait because fares are dropping. You can set up an alert that will keep you posted on how your fare is doing.

Based on a third party audit they are 74.5% accurate in their predictions and offer fare history report as a comparison.

Only larger metropolian areas have the farecast option available. I was only able to set up my alerts from Los Angeles or Ontario but not Orange County.

Tour of Frank Gehry Buildings in Los Angeles

On Saturday Jeff and I, both architecture fans, took a tour I created of major Frank Gehry buildings in Los Angeles. I wanted the chance to see the evolution of his work. Besides where else in the world is there such a concentration of it, no where I tell you.

I don't have the technical knowledge to explain where he fits into architectural trends, I just like his use of space, imaginative layouts, incorporation of natural light, bright colors and unconventional lines. Frank Gehry is a true pioneer.

Our tour included, in order:

• Loyola Law School - Fritz R. Burns building on 919 Albany St. Gehry worked on this project from 1981 to 1984. The urban campus is wrapped in a barbed wire fence. It's a strange oasis in downtown Los Angeles. The campus is an experiment in modern and postmodern buildings. The bright yellow center of the law school houses classrooms and offices. The most notable features are the three external staircases. The center leads to a greenhouse and the two outer ones resemble fire escapes. Gehry's building is flanked by a glass chapel with visible wood structures inside and a one-room lecture hall with three cement pillars at the door. Even the garage has a steel facing providing a very minimalist look contributing to this very beautiful campus.
  
• Disney Concert Hall - Our second stop was the Walt Disney Concert Hall at 111 S Grand Ave. Gehry worked on this from 1989 to 2004. If you're in the area and stop to visit the "symphony of steel" I highly recommend the audio tour. This is the only way to get your parking validated and the opportunity to wander around the entire interior. It's worth it. Make sure that you tour the outside as well as the inside, there are beautiful gardens and a large rose sculpture created for Mrs. Disney. This building has to be my favorite. It is so whimsical. I think it's perfect for the symphony. I think the building was created by the swipes of the conductor's baton. Look at it, its possible.
  
• LA Children's Museum - Our third stop, well drive by, was the Los Angeles Children's museum at 310 N Main St. It was the most boring square building I've ever seen. It was so bad we didn't even stop. We did a slow roll, snubbed our noses at it and moved onto stop number four. Interestingly enough he started building his house at the same as he was working on the museum, 1979. I think all the creative juices went to his house. Then again who knows what kind of limitations were put on him.
  
• Hollywood Library - Our fourth stop was the Hollywood Regional Branch Library on 1623 Ivar Ave, built in 1982. You can tell that he is starting to push the boundaries of space. The interior is bathed in natural sunlight. This building is just steps away from Hollywood Blvd so its a great place to sitesee in. Don't forget to prep your camera for the fantastic view of the Hollywood sign when you get off the 101 North at Hollywood Blvd.
  
• Gehry House - Frank Gehry's house near the corner of Washington Ave and 20th St in Santa Monica. We didn't know exactly where it was but as you travel down the street you can't help but notice it, it doesn't exactly blend in with the Spanish architecture of Santa Monica. We were stopped by a local resident wondering if the house was for sale because there were so many people stopping to take pictures. Jeff thought that Frank might actually still live there. I hope so because I can't imagine who else would want to. It's interesing to look at but it's odd. The house is surrounded by steel boundaries with peeks at the interior through fencing, glass triangles and more experiments with space.

By this time we were starting to get tired, fighting traffic, crazy LA drivers and it was so freaking hot. We were dealing with 80 degree weather, hard to believe it's November. But there were two more stops on the tour, the Chiat Day building and the Venice Beach house. We knew the pay off at the end would be worth it. I mean how much more perfect is an ending at the beach. I was hoping we would time it with the sunset.

• Chiat Day Building - The distinctive Chiat Day Building in Venice, 340 Main St to be exact, built in 1991. The building is located around the corner from Gold's Gym and is in slight state of disrepair. Like the advertising agency housed there it has lost its luster and has seen better days. You can't enter the building or the binoculars to check out the view but they doprovide form and function. The building had to adhere to really strict city guidelines for buildings in the area - limited in height and scale.
  
• The Venice Beach House - The final stop on my Frank Gehry tour of Los Angeles is the Venice Beach house at 2509 Ocean front Walk. Constructed in 1981. It looks like a lifeguard stand. There are lots of outdoor spaces to take in the amazing view of the ocean. I think I was more enamored of the Venice beach than the house built next to it.

We were about 30 minutes too early for the sunset. Maybe you'll time it better if you're in the neighborhood. Make sure you stop at C&O Trattoria. They have the best garlic rolls and at 9 p.m. the entire restaurant stops to sing That's Amore. So fun. It was a great day.

I think one of my favorite things about the day, aside from seeing all of the Gehry buildings was seeing all of Los Angeles. We went from downtown past the Broadway Theatre district to Hollywood and to Santa Monica via West LA. The are so many hidden architectural gems. Also as we were were coming off the 101 on the way to the library we got the best view of the Hollywood sign.

I have to stop and say if you're ever planning a trip or tour you must use Mapquest, which will let you put in up to ten addresses, manually order it and then provide point to point directions. It took all the guess work and frustration out of this endeavor. We didn't back track or get lost once. How amazing is that, if you've ever driven with me you'd know that's a miracle.

Ruby's Shake Shack in Crystal Cove

I went for an early lunch today at the Crystal Cove. There is a great place called Ruby's Shake Shack on a cliff overlooking the beach. It's amazing.

It was featured on Rachel Ray's $40 a day. She had a shake and loved it. So I figured if Rachel loves it, it must be good. I also had the Crystal Cove hero sandwich. Very tasty.

I called my aunt on my way home and she told me that it is 30 degrees in Indiana and they had a deep frost last night. I think I'll pass on the cold and snow and stick with the sun and sand.

If you're ever on PCH between Corona del Mar and Laguna Beach you have to stop at the Crystal Cove State Beach. It's gorgeous. There is a biking and walking path. Also dotted along the shore are cottages for rent. You can make your reservation online, just make sure you're planning your visit at least seven months in advance.