A Pinch of Flair: Sunny February Weekend

Our Happy Place: Pescadero State Beach

While the rest of the country is buried under feet of snow, here out west we got some unseasonably warm--or actually HOT--weather. As the coast remained clear as a bell and temperatures climbed close to 80*F, and seeing as it was also Valentine's Day, President's Day Weekend, etc... Seemed like it would be a good day to drive out to the coast. Valentine's Day, we were in good company--half of the rest of the Bay Area seemed to have found out our secret of the San Mateo Coast (I thought I didn't have too many blog readers?). Could you blame them? It was a perfect day for a beautiful drive, sunny beaches, relaxing waves, and cute little roadside attractions. Not to mention, all National Parks were insane not only because of the long weekend, but also free admission. So, we tried to steer clear of other usual haunts like Yosemite.

We went out via Hwy 84, and turned our usual route toward Alpine and Pescadero Rd. The super cute farm road that takes you in the back entrance to the hamlet of Pescadero was void of cars, even on a crowded day like this. All the telephone poles in town were affixed with little hearts bearing positive messages, such as "I Love Geeks" and "You're Home Now!" It was super cute. I love this little town and area.

Having said that, since the place was so crowded due to the nice weather, we skipped Pescadero in its entirety and just hung out at Pescadero Beach (along with everyone else).

Since I took a long weekend and was off on Tuesday, why not head back out to the coast? Most people were back at work or school, and the weather had cooled off and was closer to being its "old" self--foggy, overcast, dreary, yet very romantic and much more Nor-Cal coast.

NO ONE was in Pescadero, the beach, or anywhere along the coast that we drove on Tuesday. However, this meant that Arcangeli Grocer and Highway 1 Brewing Company (two places we frequent when out at the coast) were both closed. Heck, I don't blame them. I'd be closed the middle of the week, too.

Because of that, we drove up to Half Moon Bay and ate at the Half Moon Bay Brewing Company, across from our usual Barbara's Fish Trap. We usually head to Barbara's because it's "our" restaurant and has nice memories attached. Oh, and it's also fantastically delicious. Combine that with the fact that even on a crowded day, you can order from the "to-go" counter outside, get some fish-n-chips and some of Barbara's famous dairy-free clam chowder, and enjoy harbor views--what a cheap thrill. Having said that, both Barbara's and HMB Brewing have similar price-points, especially for sit-down. Usually we don't go to HMB because it is so crowded, but on this particular Tuesday, it was sparse, so we thought we'd try. Verdict: Both places are good, but we prefer Barbara's atmosphere and vibe a bit better, and would not wait at either for a seat because we just don't roll that way. We had beer, Dan had tacos, and I had clam chowder. It was fine.

Hope you enjoy these pics of our two visits.