After ten plus years, it was time to say good-bye to our refrigerator. It has seen us through an apartment in Los Angeles, a condo in Anaheim, and was still running fine in our current house. However, we bought it when we were a family of two, and it just was not serving our needs anymore. I always get nervous when making a big purchase, so it took me a good while to pull the trigger. I must say, I am liking it so far!

Nekter Acai Bowl

Last year I won a gift certificate to a juice bar called Nekter. A couple of weeks ago, we paid a visit and tried our first acai bowl. Since the normal recipe calls for cashew milk, we subbed in coconut water instead. Fortunately, the granola is nut-free, although we ordered it on the side, just to be safe. I really enjoyed all of the fruit on top. It was a refreshing, healthy treat!

Class 302

Lately, we have been hanging out with the families of k's basketball team. We eat out together, and have tried out some "new to us" places. One of them is Class 302, which is known for its self-serve boba drinks. We had eaten shaved snow there before, but this time we tried some of the savory items, such as the popcorn chicken. The restaurant is small, so we took up most of the tables. However, they accommodated us by providing plenty of small bowls and dishes so that we could share everything.

San Diego Zoo Safari Park

Since we bought the San Diego Zoo pass, the next day we went to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park the next day. Overall, this zoo has a more "upscale" feel and it seems like it is better maintained.

The new tiger exhibit was neat.
It was also fun to do the tram ride, which comes with admission.
Overall, it was a fun quick getaway. I can't believe it took me a month to blog about it all!

Rancho Bernardo

During our quick trip to San Diego, we were able to stay the Courtyard by Marriott in Rancho Bernardo using D's reward points. This was the first time we were able to redeem points, so it was quite exciting!

There is a quaint park with a pond behind the property.
There is also an adjacent Chinese restaurant called "Pearl" that we were considering for dinner, but it was booked by a wedding party that night.

Instead, we ended up at a Vietnamese restaurant called Pho Ca Do.
The food was quite delicious, and reasonably priced. We would be regulars if it was closer to our house. They were pretty busy that Friday night, and I can see why.

Daddy's Hot Dogs

D was eager to add to the San Diego section of his restaurant list. One gap was was "hot dogs", so we went to Daddy's Hot Dogs in the Hillcrest neighborhood.

It is literally a storefront, with no seating. We used a Groupon and ordered 3 El Cubano hot dogs and 1 "O" hot dog for $12.

The owner is a friendly character. Each hot dog was made with care. We ended up doing dashboard dining in our car. I am happy to report that Daddy's Hotdogs earned a coveted place on D's restaurant list!

San Diego Zoo Part II

After taking the gondola, there were still more animals to be seen!

The giant tortoises are always fascinating!
The kids really enjoyed the animal show. We had front row seats. Good thing there was no "splash zone".