Modern Vespa

North America tour virtually sussed, now just got to fill in the details.

26TH to 1ST San Diego
1st to 5th Los Angeles
5th to 7th Santa Barbra
7th to 9th Carmel
9th to 10th Vancouver
10th to 11th Nelson
11th to 12th Banff
12th to 15th Calgary
15th to 16th Vancouver
16th to 19th Portland
19th to Fly to UK


So for San Diego the Mrs is thinking.

26th (night) Little Italy (get into San Diego about 8pm)

27th Morning - Gas Lamp and Balboa Park
Afternoon The zoo

28th Seaport Village, ferry to Coronado, late afternoon sea world

29th farmers market, little Italy, Pier at ocean Beach, hillcrest and 2 bridges
Saturday night go see The Beat.

30th Wander about old town in the morning la jolla beach in the afternoon

So guys what do you think? Is there any must do she has missed? Well apart from the gymkhana on Saturday afternoon (I'm working on this)
All help and advice welcome
I'm also seeking advice for a good (cheap) place to eat in Little Italy.

I'll be pestering the folks from LA later

Hey Bjourne.

I love the ocean and the animals in it but I have to say blow off Seaword if time is an issue. It will "soak" up a lot of your schedule time.

Same for Universal studios in Hollywood. Its cool but a big chunk of time.

Judging by the comment about the "Beat" I presume you are attending some parts of Amerivespa thats here from the 27th through the 30th.

Looks like you have a pretty good itinerary for your trip. Little Italy is really pretty little. Just a few blocks.

Hopefully I'll get to meet you.

If I wasn't so busy with Am Vespa, I would meet you. Regarding Gaslamp, it is only interesting during the evening, when you can stroll around and people watch, and eat. For a little Italy, two of the oldest restaurants re not fancy Italian, but family restaurants: Fillipi's and Mona Lisa. I eat pizza at Mona, where my husband worked on the store side 35 years ago. I eat lasagna at Fillipi's. American pizzas are big, so one will suffice .for both of you. I prefer the Number 9. if my time frees up, I will pm you.

Thanks for the replies. Every bit of help is greatly appreciated. It's a big trip and we have just been let down by the hotel we had booked in Vancouver. The Mrs normally has everything sussed out but she sits her MOD 2 test on Wednesday so is out for 2 hrs each night practicing, fingers crossed L plates really ruin the look of the scoot.

A quick question, I was looking at the maps and was thinking of taking the 101 from San Diego to LA but rout finder stated that the road was gated. I then looked at the road on the satellite and there appeared to be nothing on it. Is it still open? Does gated mean it has a gate across it?

Thanks in advance

Mega, don't sweat it you must be up to your eyes. I know what like organising events is, I was part of the ICG team 2 years ago.

Knight Train, The Mrs just bought tickets to see Fleetwood Mac in LA, the pay off is I get to see the beat and get to go to the fashion distinct on Saturday, so our Saturday has been re-arranged I do get to go to the ball.

Jimmy how did you know she wanted to go to Universal in LA? Spooky.

Laters

The food at Anthony's Fish Grotto is to die for. It's on the water right next to The Star of India which is a 19th century Windjammer ship that has been restored and can be baorded for tours.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_of_India_(ship)

I rememebr Anthony's from my pre-kosher days.

1360 N Harbor Dr
(between Ash St & Broadway)
San Diego, CA 92101
Neighborhood: Little Italy

(619) 232-5103

Intresting story on the star of india ....mmm...never knew they built ship on the IOM.

Forgive my ignorance pre-kosher????

You don't want to drive the 101. Parts are fun on a scooter, but not a car. Also, a long stretch of the coast is USMC Camp Pendleton and is closed. Depending on the time of day you are leaving, you could drive as far as the Ortega Highway cutoff and stop for breakfast or lunch in San Clemente or another area. I always stop for breakfast at the Walnut Grove restaurant. Open since the 1940s it has old fashioned American breakfast food. Try the California omelet, and the Walnut sweet rolls are to die for. The old mission is just a short walk away. It is about one hour from San Diego.

What part of town are you staying in, in San Diego?

For fish, Anthony's does have a lovely view, but if you want to spend more money, walk down past the USS Midway to the Fish Market, also lovely, but according to my fish loving husband, better fish. These are all walkable from Seaport Village.

The word kosher means acceptable and refers to foods which can be eaten according to the Jewish dietary laws. I grew up in a very liberal reform Jewish family and we did not adhere to any of the dietary laws.

We lived in San Diego from 1970 - 1973 while my dad was working on his doctorate at UCSD, and Anthony's was a favorite destination. Abalone was my favorite item on the menu, but I doubt they still serve it since it's protected and increasingly rare.

Much to my parent's chagrin, I became more observant when I was 18, so shellfish, bacon and such are just a fond memory now.

Trepp, we have a family friend who keeps kosher with one exception - bacon. She says she's tried non-pork bacon (both turkey and beef) but it just isn't the same. I've had moslim friends who love beef bacon but it is definitely not the same.

That's quite the exception.

I actually found a smoked veal that when sliced thin and fried is a passable (and kosher) substitute on a BLT.

Well she doesn't indulge in her exception very often maybe 1-2x a year though I think there is another since she drinks non-kosher wines claiming they are far too sweet.

Calling bullshit.

Kosher wine is more than Manaschevitz and Mogen David. There are some world class kosher table wines. Quite literally hundreds of wineries around the world produce fine kosher wine. Tell your friend that if she wants a recommendation, I'd be happy to share.

She's really a friend of my parents so I haven't seen her in years. I do know when her daughter got married the grooms parents insisted on providing the kosher wine. The one they chose was definitely way too sweet but them I'm a dry full bodied red type of wine drinker. They also insisted on a specific band that had to be flown from New Jersey to Houston for the wedding because that was the band that "everyone" had at their weddings and bar/bat. None of which did they offer to pay for but that's another story. Personally, if they weren't willing to pay for the band and its flight/accommodations I would have used a local band but that's just me.

Oh well, not my business how someone chooses to interpret their dietary laws or follow doctors diet for that matter.

Hi MM will take the advice re the trip to LA and the 101.
We are staying at little Italy and have downloaded an app for the public transport, should be fun.

Will be going to LA early doors The walnut grove would have been perfect but alas it is no more. However I have just remembered how good brecky is in the states So good they wrote a song about it.

Trepp please forgive this question as I do not wish to offend (Don't think I have socialised with Jewish people before {except a psycho from the Israeli army but he don't count as he is an adopted Glaswegian})
Is kosher similar to halal? A sort of good idea in the desert?
oops can't be you don't get halal wine.

away to google kosher..

Not Trep but yes, kosher is similar to halal though because the rules are from Judaism instead of Islam there are definite differences. My father always put the religious dietary laws down as early health codes since the involve butchering and food prep. The pork prohibition makes a lot of sense when you look at it that way since at the time they were created there was no refrigeration and cooking facilities were rather primitive.

FYI

If you're up in LA, stop at the Coffe Bean and Tea Leaf on Beverly Blvd.

I have been told its the only one that has Kosher milks and creams for coffees.

Lets hear it for the fridge, life without danish bacon is like life without square sausage(scottish thing) the weekend would never be the same

First of all, I want to state once and for all time that I will never be offended by questions so long as they are asked respectfully and come from a genuine interest in becoming more educated about something about which I may have some insight.

As CD pointed out, both kosher and halal are related to dietery laws of Judaism and Islam, respectively.

I don't know much about Halal except that many observant Muslims seem to be able to eat kosher food (as kosher food seems to also meet Halal standards), but observant Jews do not view Halal food as acceptable.

As far as the actual health benefits of either kosher or halal, there is much debate... and very little consensus.

From a strictly theological standpoint, the Jewish dietary laws are among those for which no reason is provided. Being human and having a tradition of scholarship and erudite argument, generations of my coreligionists have offered many sensible explanations ranging from 'health' to 'discouraging social interaction with non-Jews'.

But in truth, nobody can be sure because there exists no written or oral tradition offering a clear explanation of why we're supposed to keep kosher. Anyone who says they KNOW why Jews were/are supposed to follow the dietary laws is misinformed.

And as to whether anyone should or shouldn't follow religious dietary laws... that is an intensely personal decision, and I respect whatever decision anyone makes.

/thread hijack.

The one thing for sure are the two things that both Muslims and Jews have in common.

They don't like swine and they don't like each other.

I currently have an exchange student from Saudi Arabia. He's a modern kid who practices Islam but honestly couldn't begin to explain to me the reason why both groups historically dont get along.

Its funny, he said I could ask his grandfather but even then I would not get an objective or logical answer.


Living in LA is great. We are lucky to have so many different groups of people with pride in their culture. The best thing you can do as a none faith(like me)is to know about the history of cultures and respect that for what it is.

(btw. True hala meat must be prepared thru submission(ancient practice) and not plastic wrapped in a store) I just learned this a couple days ago.

Just finnished reading about kosher and halal and other taboo foods (ok it was wkipedia so with a pinch of salt.)
Trepp you would nead a degree to work out what ok or not.
So kosher wine is just wine thats been passed as ok, its the same as other wine but its been checked? A'm I close?

Its just so much simpler here.

The Glasgow golden rules

Don't eat green stuff unless its fruit.

Deap fry everything.......including pizza and mars bars.

Make sure you get the Getty on your list you can hit many things here if you stay on westside of town. LA has lots more then the Mouse to offer.