We explored Liberty Station and Market. We went midweek and it seemed like a lot of the shops were closed, but some of the restaurants open. There was a lot of outdoor seating options, which seemed to be a gathering space for people working on their laptops.
We stopped at Le Parfait. There were so many tempting goodies in the cases. I ended up with a Nutella macchiato and a chocolate almond croissant, which both were really good. I never would have tried a Nutella drink on my own, but the barista recommended it.
Liberty Station used to be a Navy barracks and training center. While walking around, it appeared that not all of the buildings had been renovated and reused yet. There was a lot of open green space which would be great for hanging out and enjoying a book or any goodies you bought from the stores. It looked like it would be a really neat area when everything was open. (When we drove by on the weekend, it looked packed, so maybe more things were open on weekends?)
We woke up early to go to San Diego’s Open Air Fish Market, the Tuna Harbor Fish Market. It is down near the Seaport Village shopping area, past the USS Midway.
It was a very foggy morning. There was a line to get into the market, complete with social distancing marks on the ground. Due to COVID, they were limiting the amount of people on the pier at one time. At one point, the fog was so thick that we couldn’t see the Midway or the tents on the pier. When it cleared a little, we got a glimpse of a seal swimming and sea gulls diving.
We waited in line for about an hour until it was our turn. Out of sheer luck, we picked the right line. Apparently there were two lines: one for crabs/sea urchins/snails and one for fish/crabs/prawns/squid.
We walked the pier first, taking a look at all the booths and fish available. There was a shark, small squid, prawns, and a variety of fish. VIDEO: Tuna Harbor Fish Market (walking the waiting line, walking the pier, buying spot prawns).
We stopped at Hiro Maru Fisheries booth. They had live spot prawns. I have only bought fish from the grocery store where it is already on ice, deveined, beheaded, etc. I told him that I had never dealt with live seafood before and asked for advice. I am smacking myself now because I meant to record it, but I must have hit the photo button instead of video. You will just have to take my word for it that this guy was amazing. He was very patient and explained about the prawns, the different sizes, and best way to prepare them.
These are caught at 900-1000 feet down and have a sweeter taste. The tails are often used in sushi, as well as the eggs. He said even the heads get coated and fried (what?!). I’m not a huge sushi person, so we also got some tips for grilling them. You grill these with the shell on and can split it down the middle to add butter and seasoning.
If you are ever in San Diego and go to the fish market, I would definitely recommend checking out their booth (Hiro Maru). They were very helpful.
On our way out of the market, we also grabbed a swordfish filet from another booth (a favorite of Will’s) and filled the bags with ice (provided by the fish market for free). If you buy a whole fish and do not want to filet it yourself, there is a booth there that will do it for you.
We brought our prawns home and placed them in the fridge (he highly recommended cooking them that night). We ran to the grocery store to pick up a few items to go with dinner (some fries, steak, and seasonings for the prawns and swordfish).
While the kids were at the campground weekend craft event, Ben and I got started on dinner. It was definitely a learning experience. One of the prawns was still moving, so I (being a chicken) put them back in the fridge while I worked on the steak and the seasoned butter.
Ben scooped out the eggs. I put some of the olive oil/butter/seasoning mix in the prawn bag to marinate. I sliced them down the middle and added some more seasoned butter to the inside of the shells. I removed the organs from some of them, and some I left in (you can apparently eat it all). While we were doing some reading on preparation online, we saw people also eat the whole prawn, shell, legs and all. VIDEO: Making whole prawns
We used the outdoor kitchen to grill these to minimize the fish smell that leaves me nauseous. Even though they were outside, I still needed to use Febreeze to get the house back to “normal.” We feasted on fresh surf and turf. Everyone tried the eggs (roe), but no one was brave enough to try the head. I was not a big fan of the eggs, it was like eating the ocean, a little too salty for me. Will said the legs were tasty.
Many of you may know I am not a big water drinker. Give me coffee any day and I can (and will) drink it all day long. I’ll venture into the lands of sweet tea and flavored fizzy water, but honestly it’s mostly coffee and the occasional hot tea. I’ve been trying to do better and have been buying carbonated water to help get me to drink more. Why carbonated water? I gave up soda years ago and the carbonation makes it feel like a treat.
I must not have drunk enough yesterday after being outside and in the sun most of the day. No sunburn, as we kept applying sunscreen, but I woke up with a huge headache and was nauseous. After some salty crackers, at least 4 cups of water, and some Aleve, it finally died down to a manageable ache.
We kept it pretty low key today. We checked out the 99 Cent store that we kept seeing everywhere and then drove down to Coronado. We parked near where the ferry docks and explored the little shopping area. We finally managed to find some postcards! It’s had been hard to find postcards around San Diego.
Ben had read about California Burritos on things to try while in California, so we stopped and picked one up for dinner. It’s a burrito with french fries in it! It was delicious! I’m not entirely sure the fries added a whole lot to it, but it was very tasty.
The spot on the truck isn’t just a pickle holder! It can also hold sauces!
Ben and Nick found some crazy things in Las Vegas, including Cereal Killerz Kitchen. It is a store in the mall that offers only cereal, shakes with cereal in them, waffles, and some coffee drinks. They had a cereal eating challenge, but you had to schedule it in advance and it didn’t work out on the days we were there. It consisted of a gallon of milk and huge bowl (more like a tub) of cereal.
It looked like there had been gaming stations set up near the entrance, but they had been removed for COVID. They had so many cereal options, many of which I had never heard of or seen before.
Nick was so excited about eating cereal, even though he couldn’t do the challenge. They did sell different sized bowl options. He got a small bowl, which meant that he could pick 3 cereals. He picked Fillows, Peeps, and Frankenberry. It was quite the colorful bowl. He seemed to like it though. (Cereal Killerz Kitchen Video)
Ben got me a peanut butter chocolate shake from Cereal Killerz. It was a nice thick shake, although I didn’t really eat the cereal on top.
The rest of us got dinner from the food court in the mall.
Our stay in Las Vegas was almost over and there were a few things I wanted to do still. One of which was the Ethel M Chocolates factory tour. It was only about 20 minutes from the campground. It was a (free) self guided tour. There were glass windows with informational text, along with a few TV screens with a slide show video. (Video: We walked through the Ethel M Chocolates Self Guided Tour.)
We didn’t see any of the chocolate being made when we were there, but it was still an interesting tour. (They are part of the Mars family.) We received a dark chocolate square sample when we walked in the door and a truffle sample when we were browsing the shop. There were so many different chocolates to choose from! Ethel M is a higher end chocolateir, so it was a little more expensive (for example, it was $2.50/truffle, or $35 for a 12 piece build your own box). I bought a chocolate covered apple for us all to share and a 12 piece box. I’ve been limiting myself to one a day. They are delicious! (And so pretty!)
You know it’s a nice chocolate store when you get a cooler bag when you spend $5 and they pack it with an ice pack!Time to eat!
If you are in the Las Vegas area (and love chocolate), I would definitely recommend stopping in!
Outside the store was a cactus garden, which was part of the Ethel M grounds. They had a lot of variety and interesting informational signs. They were in the process of putting up the Christmas lights in the garden while we were walking through. (Video: Ethel M Cactus Garden Walk Through)
We wanted to take a ride in the High Roller (a huge ferris wheel at the LINQ casino/hotel in Las Vegas). You can buy your tickets online to save some money (I think it was about half the cost when we did it this way). Thanks Nancy for the encouragement!
When I called to get details I was told that for social distancing purposes, right now they are only letting 10 people on per car, instead of the 30 people each pod normally holds. We lucked out and only had 7 people in our car. It is hard to imagine 30 people fitting in there. They were not doing the souvenir photographs when we were there.
Normally there is a bar service, but it is closed due to COVID. You can, however, now bring on your own drinks and snacks. We took advantage of this and went a little early to grab some snacks from the LINQ Promenade. Ben found a donut shop (Sweet Sin) while I grabbed a shake and a sundae from Ghirardelli. This was a great treat/breakfast.
The ride itself flew by. Officially, it lasted 30 minutes. It brought us 550 feet in the air at its highest point. It was constantly moving (albeit slowly), so you stepped on and off while it was in motion. There was air conditioning, music, and informational narration throughout the ride. The ride was super smooth and had great views. We had really great timing on our pod and got to see the Bellagio fountains go off. (I made a condensed video of our ride: Riding in the LINQ High Roller wheel video.)
Like any ride, you exited down a ramp that lead to a gift shop. After we left the building, we walked down the LINQ Promenade and down to the Bellagio to see the fountain show again. (Walking the LINQ Promenade video) There were only a few people out, even for a Sunday afternoon.
The High Roller was a wonderful way to see the city! I highly recommend taking the time and spending the money for this experience.
The morning started with breakfast at Mon Ami Gabi in the Paris Casino. We made our reservations online, and once we were there we requested a patio seat. We wanted to sit outside for the view and also for social distancing. We ordered a few items to share: berry crepe, French toast (with blueberries/syrup), a baguette with butter and raspberry jam, crispy bacon (date glazed). The bacon had a great flavor, but was maybe more chewy than crispy. The French toast was delicious. The baguette was nicely baked and the butter and jam really made it tasty. The crepe was…crunchy. I think it was overdone, especially compared to other crepes I’ve had. Everything but the middle was very hard and crunchy. It was hard to eat and not that enjoyable. It was still a nice breakfast and had a great location. (Video walking through Mon Ami Gabi restaurant.)
We then went on a search to find me a new hat. My current one had a wide stretch of mesh and it was getting my forehead a little too much sun.
After not having a lot of luck with Target and Wal-Mart, we thought we would try an outdoors store. We found a Bass Pro close by. It was attached to the Silverton Casino, so it was a little strange to see slot machines at the end of of the store.
This was the biggest Bass Pro we have ever seen. In the fishing area, the ceiling was painted blue and had bottoms of boats attached with sharks and fish hanging from the ceiling in schools. It looks like you are under the water looking up. It was so neat! (Video of walking around the fishing reels area.)
I’m not into fishing, but I loved this ceiling! I think this was the most time I had ever spent in the fishing area of a store.
They had a taxidermy giraffe, lions, and bears. In addition to the “required” aquarium, they also had two water features, an indoor archery and rifle/pistol range.
Real fish and ducks swimming around!
It was fun just walking around and seeing what this store had. I did end up finding a fuzzy sweatshirt and a hat. I also introduced the kids to the joys of circus peanuts.
If you have met my children, you know they are bottomless pits. Will is also enamored with buffets. We wanted to give him the Las Vegas buffet experience (while social distancing), but only three were open before our trip (Wynn, Cosmopolitan, and Southpoint). By the time we checked in, the Wynn had closed their buffet again stating customers didn’t like the new way of ordering from a menu instead of walking a buffet line.
We ended up making reservations for Sunday breakfast/brunch at the Wicked Spoon in the Cosmopolitan. Reservations are recommended, as they have reduced seating to allow for social distancing. Drinks (non-alcoholic) are included in the cost of the buffet ($39/adults, $20 children ages 4-10). Your time slot is for 2 hours. Ben and I were both done at the 1 hour mark, but the boys kept on eating. Nick tapped out at 1.5 hours, but Will went to the very end.
The Wicked Spoon was located on the second floor and is nicely decorated. I’m always a sucker for glass decorations on ceilings. The brunch buffet has a wide variety from traditional scrambled eggs to fried rice. See a video of all the delicious action on our YouTube Channel here.
You can walk the line and see the food options, although you have to stand behind the roped off area. There are several staff members at the different stations who will hand you the dish you want. This actually made the experience better, it made it seem more personal and attentive.
Everything was cutely plated: fried chicken in little fryer baskets, eggs in Mason jars, rice in small take-out containers. The food was delicious and fresh. Ben’s favorite was the Vanilla Yogurt and Fresh Berry Parfait, Will’s favorite was either the home-style potatoes or the Watermelon Sorbet, Nick’s favorite was the Mousse Dome (because it had a piece of gold leaf on top and he can now say he ate gold), and my favorite was either the layered Bailey’s dessert bar or the caprese salad.
The buffet line even had a few TVs that show random food facts and information, which was fun to read. We learned a few new things. For example: Peperonata is Italian and is a mix of garlic, tomatoes, onions and peppers cooked in olive oil. It can be served hot or cold.
It was a very nice experience with great food, social distance, and awesome restaurant staff. They did a very nice job. Our table server, Herman, was attentive and extremely nice.
Ben’s Review:
Cosmopolitan- Wicked Spoon Review, Sunday Brunch 9/20/2020 Pandemic Changes $170 + tip ($30). Better than a normal buffet – White glove service, very attentive server, handed food, Still let’s you see the food, 2 hour limit gives you an order end (not that you really need 2 hours), elegant space.
Dark horse buffet winners:
Vanilla berry parfait. Fresh berries, right sugar level, just outstanding. I don’t normally even eat yogurt, so this blew me away.
Eggs Benedict: Again I would never order this at a restaurant, but since we were at a buffet, I went for it. I only planned on eating a bite to see how it tasted. I gobbled up the whole thing. They poached the egg perfectly so it had a warm gooey yolk. What a treat!
Don’t miss:
Gelatto: I went with an out of the box item for me (Pistachio) because the server recommended it. So amazing.
Scrambled eggs: These come in little jars that keep the eggs moist and at the peak of freshness. Above and beyond being cute, they tasted perfect.
Items to skip:
Crab: this is a hard one to do right on a buffet, so I normally skip it. But it was Vegas, so….same disappointment. It’s sloppy and tough to eat. This version was overly salty.
Tips:
1. Go early: Less COVID chance, more space, no lines.
2. Talk to the servers handing you the food. They seemed to love it. They don’t want to be “servants.” Humility goes a long way. Ask them what they recommend. Tell them they are doing a great job.
We were still a little sore from the Narrows hike. We decided to take another day off from hiking. There is still at least one more hike I want to do in Zion before we leave.
We cleaned the inside of the RV today, caught up on correspondences, and basically stayed within the campground. In the afternoon, we learned that family just happened to be coming into town that day to visit Zion!
We met Anne and Tim for dinner at River Rock Roastery for drinks and dinner. It was so nice to see friendly faces we knew! We managed to get a seat outside and while it was a little warm in the sun, the company was great and the food was pretty good too. 😉 Thank you guys for dinner and such a great evening!!
We are not as young as we once were. We were both stiff and sore this morning after the hike yesterday. (Really, it was just Ben and I. The boys were ready to go again.) We kept it pretty simple today to allow our muscles to recover.
We went out to breakfast at Hash House A Go Go in St. George. The chicken and waffles and the bacon mac & cheese were the best of our dishes we tried. Our other dishes were the roasted chicken hash and biscuits and gravy. I got a crazy (and good) caramel mocha coffee.
After breakfast we did some grocery shopping at Target and Costco. Will was also looking to trade in a book at a Little Library. Hurricane, where the campground is, didn’t have any registered on the website. We found two in St. George and decided to check them out as well. The boys didn’t have much luck at those two, but we found another one while driving around. Will did find a book at that one, so he was happy.
The rest of the day was spent relaxing, doing laundry, and the boys got to play pool for a little bit in the campground clubhouse.
