My Summer Vacation - Lodging

b-n-b
Originally uploaded by dangunderman.

Vacations with the missus almost always include family. That's not necessarily a bad thing, and in our case can often be a great thing. Her family lives in Scotland, for crying out loud, and we get free places to stay in one of the most beautiful countries in the world. And my mother is fond of covering solid portions (and sometimes all) of the costs involved in family vacations.

Plus, of course, the missus and I love our families. Our parents, siblings, in-laws, nieces, nephews... all totally rule.

Which reminds me... the missus and I were hanging with her brother and teenaged nephew a few weeks back, and the nephew was telling us about a girl who asked him out. When he said no, she asked, "Is it because I'm a slag?" He told her it wasn't, although he admitted to us that she is "a bit the town bicycle."

Town bicycle... I love the Scots.

But anyway, we all know that a vacation without family feels more like a real vacation. And it better. You end up shelling out shitloads on lodging. The missus did all the research on accommodations, and she did a wondrous job. I can highly recommend the following three places:

Adobe on Green
This Santa Cruz B&B is conveniently located in the downtown area, near all the shops, restaurants, and crank addicts. (Crank is what we used to call crystal meth, right? And wasn't it free-based out of broken light bulbs?) What's terrific about Adobe on Green is the privacy. Keys are left for you in one box, and you leave them in another when you leave. Not once did we see proprietors, nor were we forced to socialize with other guests over breakfast. It was self-serve and fresh. Delicious pastries and/or granola and/or fruit, etc. We had a private entrance to our room (the smallest they had), the place was artfully decorated, and featured spectacularly comfortable beds. Seriously, this place was great. And it's so private, you could carry on an extra-marital affair there without ever getting caught. I would never do such a thing. After all, the place is in California. Not terribly convenient. Oh, yeah, and I love my wife.

Evergreen Lodge
Located just outside Yosemite National Park, the Evergreen Lodge is a campsite for those who don't particularly feel like roughing it. We had one of the new lodges, an enormously spacious one-room cabin with giant bathroom. It's an all-inclusive type of resort without feeling like an all-inclusive resort. So they've got a bar, a restaurant, a general store, recreation office with public space for board games and puzzles, evening activities (including film screenings and ping-pong tournaments), and the like. I was a little afraid that once we were there, we'd be bilked at their whim. "Here's a crappy ham sandwich for $45. If you don't like it, you can go hungry." But instead, the slightly overpriced restaurant was actually doing a more upscale menu, so you can at least pretend you're getting what you pay for. And, as mentioned in the post about my burned eyeballs, the Evergreen offers guided hikes. Our guide and the other recreationalists were terrific. They offered lots of of information about Yosemite in general when we had questions. And you don't have to participate in the social activities.

The Sanitarium
We knew we wanted to drive up the coast to get to the wedding, so we needed a destination a couple of hours south of Santa Cruz. It was going to be the missus' birthday, so she found the place she wanted to stay. It was our big splurge on the trip. The Sanitarium in San Luis Obispo. And it was truly the most beautiful B&B I've ever stayed in. (It's also the one I've pictured.) Owned by a couple of painters, they even offer free art supplies to guests. Private decks, large bathtubs, fancy-pants bathrooms, some great art on the walls, some art of questionable quality. And yes, it's a former sanitarium, where people came for wellness treatment in the late 1800s. Good times. While we were there it was being run by a young woman in her 20s. The missus and I suspect that she and a friend were getting high downstairs that night (familiar smell through the floorboards), but she made some goddamn mean strawberry pancakes in the morning.

San Luis Obispo, by the way, is also where I found my cop shades. Bad ass.

Now, of course, we're back in our overstuffed one-bedroom apartment in Queens. It ain't much, but it's home. And only slightly less expensive than vacation accommodation.