California 2009 - Day 2

Ok. I was exhausted and feeling a little crummy by last night so we skipped the party. There was a free buffet at the conference though (I confess, I crashed it) and before I figured out where the "Heather-food" was (i.e. vegetable sticks, crackers, fruit, nuts), I found some spanakopita and veggie spring rolls (both of which were pretty greasy). Now, I haven't eaten anything fried in, well, years and years, so I'm guessing eating those obviously fried spring rolls was NOT a good idea. Oh well. What's the difference between spring rolls and egg rolls, anyway? Anyone know?

On to Thursday's adventure, Dave and I had a WONDERFUL breakfast at this cafe just a few blocks from the hotel. Dave had a big cinnamon roll and a cocoa (both, he said, were delicious). I was practically drooling over my peanut butter and banana on toasted ciabatta. Man, it was good! It's an indulgence, I don't often experience, but it's one of my favorites. I'd have taken a photo, but I didn't think about until I had devoured the whole thing. Next time...

Dave then headed for his fourth day of conference and I hit the town heading for Guadaloupe River Trail and Gardens (that's a photo of the river above). The trail is 2.6 miles each way and I did the whole thing, wandering through the rose gardens, stopping to watch the ducks swim in the water, and stopping each time a plane flew low overhead (I'm completely mesmerized at being able to see these humongous planes so close to the ground. I stop to watch EVERY one!). In fact, I actually ended up hiking quite a bit further than the park itself, only realizing how far I'd gone when I topped a hill and saw that I'd made it all the way to the airport. Oops! The morning couldn't have been more beautiful for a hike, but I was eager to hit my planned lunch destination: Good Karma Vegan Cafe.

Of course being from Texas where no veggie is considered edible unless it's covered in bacon, cheese, AND/or butter, I was giddy with excitement about eating in my first all-vegan cafe. It was only a 15 minute walk from the hotel, so after a quick break to rest from my morning hike, I made the easy walk to Good Karma. For those of you who are on a strict diet, you'll know just how I felt. It was beyond amazing to be able to walk into a restaurant and get ANYTHING off the menu that looked good (and everything looked good). They had a whole display of veggies, tofu in a variety of sauces, potato salad, pasta salad, several vegan desserts, and ANYTHING (well, other than the desserts) could be made into the burrito.

I went the burrito route (obviously) and I have to tell you, it was the best burrito ever. That's tofu, black beans, rice, cabbage, carrots, and onion in a black bean garlic sauce. If there's a heaven, I was there. Although there are a few vegetarian restaurants just a bit further from the hotel, I'm debating whether or not to just go back to Good Karma for Friday's lunch to try something new. These guys know how to do food and it would be, well, good karma, right?

I did a bit more walking around San Jose (mainly to scope out where Friday's farmers' market would be held) before returning to the hotel to relax at the pool until Dave finished conferencing for the day. Is that a word? Spell check didn't tag it...

As I was packing up from the pool, I got a phone message from Dave offering to pay for a massage (there was a masseuse at the conference). Um, yeah!

Ok Seriously. Does vacation get any better than this? Amazing food. A long hike on a beautiful day. Streets designed for pedestrians (aka crosswalks everywhere). Lounging poolside with a good mystery. A wonderful massage. Ahh. This is the life...

Ok. Off to dinner now. See you tomorrow!