Half Moon Bay (also known as paradise)

Wait, I’m realizing now that Josh wasn’t well-represented in my photos and wedding weekend recap so far!  I promise he was there.  It was also special that he got to spend more time with Ellie and Emily and Michael and Nathalia, but I appreciated that he knew that Wedding Weekend was about gallivanting around town with my dear pals.  On Sunday morning, we had brunch with everyone and then headed north, first to check out Stanford’s campus in Palo Alto and then jetting to the west to Half Moon Bay and our hotel reservation.

Right away, I knew this place was right up our alley.  It reminded us of Orcas Island in the San Juans but livelier.  It didn’t hurt that we stumbled on a beautiful sandwich shop a stone’s throw from our hotel door, 15 minutes after pulling into town.

Seriously, these words are some sort of magic lure to me:

Also adjacent to our hotel was a café with some enticing signs.  I was in love. Regular, garlic, or curly fries?!  I choose all three.

You fail as a Miles and Laurel reader if you don't know why I love this one:

Hint: it involves d-o-g-s.

Josh was also happy, especially with the avocado and cheddar sandwich (and fresh bread):

Here’s the view from our door:

Our hotel was about a mile away from one of several Half Moon Bay beaches, so we took a much-needed nap and then went over to check it out.  It was Sunday of Labor Day weekend, so even despite cloudy skies and temperatures drifting down into the mid-50s, there were a lot of people camping nearby and playing in the surf.  We pulled up a patch of sand and people-watched and wave-watched.

 

Here’s the view:

And here’s the view of us:

For dinner, we heeded Nathalia and Michael's recommendation and drove up Highway 1 a few miles to Sam's Chowderhouse.  The only reservation we could nab was at 8:15, which was regrettably just after the sun set over the ocean, but it was a laid-back, delightful spot with nice seafood.  I had peppermint tea, crabcakes and artichokes, in honor of California producing 100 percent of the country's commerically grown artichokes.  (Did you know??)  I wish every Sunday could end like that.

Truth be told: I love St. Paul, but I want to go back for a longer visit, pronto. I have a big old crush on Half Moon Bay.