West Coast and Northern Mexico [Travel]

On today's blog, I will be writing about my trip to the West Coast and Northern Mexico. I will also point out some traveling tips. Take note!

Although I love traveling, we all know that sometimes it can be a bit of a hassle. A very close friend was getting married in Ensenada, Baja California Mexico, and of course, I couldn't miss it.  Since the wedding was so close to San Diego, a group of friends and I decided to visit both cities.

For booking the trip, I usually use KAYAK.com, when expecting to travel with time notice. Kayak compares flights from different airlines, it sends a price alert on your email and it also provides a price trend which tells you if the cost will increase or decrease.

I only had to look for a hotel in San Diego, CA, because the wedding hotel was already designated by the groom and bride. Hotel rooms are tricky, sometimes booking them straight from their web page comes out cheaper.


The couple suggested Hotel Coral & Marina, it has a large dock with an amazing view and a delicious restaurant. It is a good place to stay if you are visiting Ensenada.  





The wedding was spectacular, one of the best weddings I’ve ever been to! It took place on a vineyard in Valle de Guadalupe, which is one of Mexico’s largest wineries. Some wine houses and vineyards found in Valle de Guadalupe are Casa de Piedra, Domecq, L.A. Cetto, Monte Xanic, Viñedos Don Julio, Viñas de Liceaga, and Chateau Camou among others.




Sunday we headed back to the U.S. and got our room. First stop is the concierge for information on visiting the hot spots.  The cheapest and fastest way to sightseeing and tour a city is on a Trolley. For only $30 we had a whole day to explore the city and learn about its history and culture. 


We had lunch at Coronado Beach at the oldest hotel; Hotel Del Coronado
 It is the second largest wooden structure in the United States and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1977, and is a California Historical Landmark a MUST see!




Aside from Hotel Coronado, we toured Little Italy, Balboa Park, Old Town San Diego, and the Gaslamp Quarter among others. Here are some pictures of my trip:






 
San Diego is a beautiful city, perfect weather, nice people and I would definitely go back and learn more. Visit www.sandiego.org to learn more about what this city has to offer. 
  
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Arcade Midtown Kitchen [Eat]




I have a to-do list which includes, restaurants, events, traveling and more. Today, I am going to blog about a restaurant that I’ve scratched off the to-do list and which I really enjoyed.
Arcade Midtown Kitchen is a new American cuisine restaurant, located at the Historical Pearl Brewery.I am all about first impressions, which gladly Arcade passed. As we arrived I spotted young professionals and a crowd that ranged from 25-50 years.

The restaurant had a great atmosphere with a packed bar and full tables, and it was only the middle of the week. 
On my way to the restroom I had a pleasant surpriseZoltar from the movie "Big" (starring Tom Hanks) was there. It gives it the perfect touch, since the restaurants' name is Arcade.  Plus it's quite intimidating.





I surely do love a restaurant with an extensive list of wine and Arcade is not the exception, so I ordered a white Zinfandel since it's great with sea food. We started off with the Chile and Lime Calamari, as an entrée, it was so good that by the time I wanted to take a picture of it, it was all gone. From that moment I  proclaimed myself a calamari fan, this has been by far the best CALAMARI I’ve ever tried.
For the main course I order the Ancho Chile Salmon with Mango Mojo and my date ordered the George’s Bank Diver Sea Scallops. Both dishes were finger licking good!

Sadly, this time there was no room for dessert, but I will definitely go back for the calamari and tryout some other dishes.

I totally recommend Arcade Midtown Kitchen.

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