It's always fun to go away, but I have to say that there is also nothing like "home!" Before I tell you about all of our away adventures, I want to tell you about one of our favorite places to spend the day. Sometimes it's easy to forget that Southern California is a vacation destination for everyone else in the world. It's so easy for us to take for granted what is right here in our very own "backyard."
As a family we spend most Sundays down in San Clemente, the halfway point between San Diego and Los Angeles. This was the place I came to when I first vacationed in California, and I have loved it ever since. There are 20 acres of sand, a 1200 foot long pier, 342 days of sunshine, great places to eat, and a quaint downtown shopping area.
Our starting point is Pacific Coast Church located right off of I-5 and Avenida Vista Hermosa. It's about a 25 minute drive from our home. We always notice about a 10 degree drop in temperature as we head down to San Clemente. The kids are well taken care of with free donuts, bagels, orange juice and fruit punch every Sunday morning. A nice way to start off our day. We enjoy Pastor Mark's detailed study of the bible where he takes us through each verse and helps us to see God's word in a whole new light.
After church, we are off to have some family fun! We usually head down to Avenida Del Mar, the main street of shopping. One of our favorite restaurants down there to eat at is Avila's El Ranchito Mexican Restaurant. On a pretty day, which is most, we will ask for a table out on their patio. The food is delicious and their margarita's are the best. We have found several shops that we like to frequent also... Bliss Boutique is one of my favorite clothing stores. The clothes are usually one of a kind and trendy. Often it's hit or miss in finding something I like, but when I do find something, I am forever in love with it.
Rascal's Ladies Boutique has styles ranging from sexy to demure, classic to forward trending. They carry Clothing and Accessories, Lingerie and Sleepwear, and Brighton Jewelry. They don't have a web site, but you may find them at 114 Avenida Del Mar.
And when you have a great husband like I do, he offers to watch the kids while he sends his wife off to the have a massage at the 5 Elements-day spa. After my treatment, he suggest (yes, suggest) that my daughter and I go have a pedicure. How sweet is that!
Oftentimes, we head down to the pier to spend our day at the beach instead of shopping.
This past week, we decided to go down there to have dinner on the pier at The Fisherman's Restaurant. It sits right out on the water and is the most relaxing atmosphere. While dining on the "Crab Feast" (yum-o!), we not only see the train as it goes by blowing it's horn, but we also see a man flying by with what looked like an electric powered parachute...much cooler than hang gliding!
The waves are big and surfers wait to catch the biggest one. After dinner, we sit out on the concrete barrier as the kids swing on the swings at dusk. A large group of people are picnicking at the tables, while one of the guys in the group plays soft rhythms on his bongo drums. The waves are crashing against the shore and my feet are in the sand. This is why I find San Clemente so extraordinary and the perfect place to just get away.
If you are in town in July make sure to join us for San Clemente's Ocean Festival. There will be fun, food and entertainment...A guaranteed good time!
See you don't have to go far from home to find a little bit of paradise!
